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墨書 Inktalez
She lowered her head, "Mom is at home, she has work and can't get away."
"Then how do you eat on weekends?"
Her head drooped even lower, "Dad hired a temporary nanny to come and cook and do laundry for me on Saturdays and Sundays."
No wonder such a small child is so withdrawn and introverted; it all stems from her family!
I looked at her with pity, bent down to pick up the test paper from the stone bench, and naturally took her small hand, "Come on, I'll take you to eat something good."
"But... I haven't finished the test yet."
"It's okay, you can continue after we eat." I tried to make her ignore our physical contact, "What do you want to eat?"
She hesitated, looking at me. Just as she was about to speak, I immediately said, "There’s no such thing as 'whatever' food; you have to choose one. Two is fine too."
She chuckled lightly.
This was the first time I saw her smile, her brows and eyes curved, her gaze brighter than the stars and moon, her clean little face pure like an angel. Yes, she is my Little Angel.
"I want ice cream," she revealed a mouthful of white, glutinous teeth.
"Okay!" I readily agreed.
With one hand holding her little backpack and the other holding her hand, we chose a nearby drink shop. I ordered her a vanilla ice cream and got myself a green tea. We sat facing each other; she was like a greedy little cat, continuously scooping spoonfuls into her mouth while I watched her intently like a hungry dog.
After finishing the ice cream, she pulled out a handkerchief from the side pocket of her backpack and seriously wiped the corners of her mouth. Realizing I was observing her eating habits, she shyly tucked in her chin, "Dad usually doesn't allow me to eat ice cream."
"It's okay, what else do you want?"
"Um—" She looked towards the counter and pointed at a small piece of cake with eager eyes, "That one, chocolate cake."
"Alright."
While she was eating the cake, I asked her, "Did your parents used to accompany you?"
Her expression darkened in an instant, "They are both very busy with work..."
"Ah," I rubbed her head and suddenly had an idea, "Do you have a phone at home?"
"Yes."
Great! I grabbed a tissue and took out a pen from my suit pocket, quickly writing down a string of numbers. "This is my phone number; if you're scared when you're alone, just call me."
She looked at me with softening eyes and then seriously folded the tissue and placed it in her backpack. Turning around politely, she said, "Thank you, Principal."
"Don't call me Principal anymore, just call me Uncle Liu."
"But—" she tilted her head, "You seem older than my dad."
Age... this is truly disheartening. I forced a smile, "Then just call me Uncle Liu."
"Okay, Uncle Liu."
After that, we exchanged some trivial words. They felt trivial because with this little one in front of me, I couldn't focus on anything else. Every frown and smile, every adorable little gesture of hers was like a treasure, secretly collected by me. I won't elaborate further here because I'm afraid I might lose control and write something longer than a magazine article.
After finishing the cake, she hurried home, worried that the nanny would wait too long. Good wine needs to be aged; I didn't try to keep her, called a cab, and sent her to her doorstep before returning to the park. I hopped on my old bicycle and dizzily made my way back to the staff quarters.
What pulled me from my sweet dreams back to reality was Chen Lianqing.
He was lounging in a chair under the Banyan Tree in the yard, holding a thermos cup, leisurely listening to a retired teacher talk about historical origins, his satisfied expression making me want to punch him and expose his vile nature right then and there.
I pushed my bicycle over and walked slowly towards the crowd. Smiling, I greeted them, "Taking a break?"
"Just got back?" an old teacher asked me.
"Yeah."
Chen Lianqing casually glanced at me, "Where have you been? It's noon; isn't your wife at home?"
I tightened my grip on the handlebars. "She went to her sister's place."
"Perfect timing! Want to come over for a drink?"
"No thanks, I have things to do this afternoon."
As I walked further away from the crowd, my clenched jaw slowly relaxed.
Just wait, Chen Lianqing; there will come a day when you'll get your comeuppance.
Time flowed like water. Song Yuegui continued developing towards the elephant direction as usual; Chen Lianqing still arrived late and left early every day, joking around while Li Hua signed in and attended classes on time as if nothing had happened. Little Angel hadn't called me even once.
The mundane reality was despairing.
"Ah—ah—"
That noon after school, I hesitated about whether to go to the cafeteria for a stroke of luck; perhaps I could "bump into" Xu Xiaoran dining there.
As I stepped out of the office, the leaders on the third floor rushed out one by one, leaving the corridor empty and silent.
Passing by Chen Lianqing's office, I heard familiar yet strange moans.
Clearly, Li Hua has learned to enjoy herself, and what angers me is how they treat the school! Is it some kind of brothel? Chen Lianqing has a family, a wife and a child, and his wife is a math teacher in our school's third grade. Li Hua knows this but still shamelessly engages with him. This not only violates laws and regulations but is also done so openly during office hours and in the workplace. Who are they insulting?
I clenched my fists, took a deep breath to suppress my anger. If I barged in, Chen Lianqing would lose face, and Li Hua would lose her reputation. How would I resolve that? To avoid embarrassment, I decided to wait on the bench downstairs. No matter who came down first, I would subtly remind them a few times; I don't care about their private lives, but they shouldn't mess around at school.
Then, I deliberately stomped my feet and walked quickly towards the stairway. The sound echoed off the ceramic tiles, hoping it would make them more restrained. This tactic worked; I had barely sat on the bench for two minutes when Li Hua hurriedly ran down, disheveled, with messy hair and flushed cheeks—clearly after an encounter.
I propped myself up on my knees to stand. Before I could even call out her name, she spotted me and turned to leave without saying a word. She is a language teacher but doesn't understand the absurdity of burying her head in the sand. I watched her figure disappear at the school gate and sneered, "Chen Lianqing, you can't be touched; what are you worth!"
Looking down at my watch, it was twelve forty-three. Little Angel should have finished eating by now; there was no need for me to go to the cafeteria. Thinking about Song Yuegui waiting for me at home, I patted my backside and prepared to head home.
As I walked out of the school gate, I inadvertently noticed that Li Hua had not gone far; she was lingering under a lamp post, occasionally looking up as if waiting for someone. Whether out of anger or curiosity, I hid behind a stall and observed her actions.
Before long, a car stopped in front of her. A man dressed in a suit stepped out—he looked to be in his thirties with an impressive demeanor, quite charming for his age, and he seemed to match her well.
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