So that’s how it was.
“Why didn’t you tell the teacher?”
Li Yanqiu finally understood the whole story and realized the truth.
She learned that Gu Chen’s family had been cheated by a live-streaming company when they opened an online store.
“This has nothing to do with you, Teacher Li. What’s there to say? Besides, it’s already resolved, so there’s no need to talk about it.”
Gu Chen found it a bit inexplicable.
“This is a family matter. Even if I get along well with Li Yanqiu, it’s not like I’d go to her for help with everything.”
Besides, she probably couldn’t do much to help anyway.
“So, you brought her to school for an interview as a way to repay her?”
Li Yanqiu raised an eyebrow, still sounding suspicious.
“Of course. Didn’t you teach me that one must repay kindness? Ivy helped me so much; I can’t just ignore that.”
Gu Chen smirked and turned her words back on her.
She had nothing to say now.
Sure enough, she couldn’t find any words to refute him for a moment.
“Uh…”
Besides, working at the school wasn’t bad.
At least she could live here from now on instead of staying at Gu Chen’s place, which was much more convenient.
After all, she didn’t know anything about that person’s background—ultimately an unstable factor.
“Alright, alright, let’s leave it at that. But in the future, be careful not to bring any random people home. If something happens later, you’ll regret it.”
Li Yanqiu finally stopped dwelling on it, speaking slowly.
“I know, I’m not stupid. I’ll definitely choose carefully.”
Gu Chen replied.
He breathed a sigh of relief inside.
Although he didn’t know why she got angry about Ivy, it was good that she wasn’t mad.
Taking advantage of the silence, he added, “Oh, and the monthly exam is this week, Teacher Li. You need to be careful.”
“What do I need to be careful about?”
“That Hao Xiuping. You win the Outstanding Teacher award every year; she probably hates you. Before the exam, she’ll most likely cause trouble to make you lose. So you need to be on guard, or you’ll easily get sabotaged.”
Gu Chen warned seriously.
He had personally heard it last week.
Although Li Yanqiu had already taken precautions, even installing backup cameras throughout the school—a full defense.
But it’s easy to dodge a spear in the open, hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.
The other party could make many mistakes, but if she made one, she might get bitten to death.
So Gu Chen’s worry was not unfounded.
“Mm, I understand.”
Li Yanqiu paused, then said slowly:
“Actually… I plan to withdraw from this Outstanding Teacher selection.”
“Why?”
Gu Chen frowned and asked:
“Is it because of that woman Hao Xiuping?”
“Yes. Her only goal is the Outstanding Teacher honor. If I withdraw, her chances of winning are high. That should calm things down a lot.”
Li Yanqiu nodded.
She didn’t actually care about this so-called honor.
She was just following the process; the school would decide on its own.
She hadn’t expected things to come to this.
Mainly, she didn’t have the energy to waste time on someone like that.
Otherwise, if she really took action, the other party would have been done for long ago.
“Let her win? You must not do that!”
“Why! The honor belongs to whoever deserves it. Why should you let her have it?”
But Gu Chen couldn’t accept that.
His emotions became somewhat agitated.
“Uh…”
“It’s not a big deal, Gu Chen. You really don’t need to worry.”
This time, it was Li Yanqiu’s turn to be stunned.
“No! I just can’t stand that woman bullying you! Teacher Li, you’re kind-hearted and don’t want to bother, but leave it to me. The honor must be yours.”
Gu Chen was adamant and refused to agree no matter what.
After two years together, Teacher Li had become as important as family to him.
He couldn’t bear to see her suffer.
Even his father, who always tricked him, wouldn’t tolerate others causing trouble.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have overturned the table right there with Boss Guo.
“Pfft—”
Unexpectedly, Li Yanqiu burst out laughing, covering her mouth.
She asked in a teasing tone:
“What, you can’t bear to see the teacher wronged? Seems like I’m pretty important to you~”
“Of course, definitely.”
Gu Chen nodded subconsciously in response.
In his heart, the homeroom teacher was second only to his father.
In fact, many times he felt the missing maternal love from her.
“Alright, alright. Teacher will listen to you and strive to win this teacher selection.”
Li Yanqiu took a step closer, her voice carrying a hint of coaxing.
She pinched Gu Chen’s cheek, indicating she was willing to comply.
“Ahem, that’s good.”
Gu Chen was startled and stepped back, a little shy.
Seeing that class was about to start, he turned to leave.
Otherwise, if they kept talking, he would be even more embarrassed.
Going downstairs, the hallway was now nearly empty, a bit desolate.
Just as he was about to enter the classroom, he suddenly saw a figure ahead, staggering and holding onto the wall as it walked forward.
After recognizing the person, Gu Chen was a bit puzzled.
“Tang Ziya?”
Why was she only returning to the classroom now?
She looked even weaker than before.
If it were last year, Gu Chen wouldn’t have even bothered to look at her, since their relationship had always been poor.
But this semester, many misunderstandings had been cleared up, and his impression of her wasn’t as bad.
After thinking it over, he simply walked over.
“Hey, are you sick? You look terrible.”
“I’m fine…”
Tang Ziya was still as stubborn as ever. She was clearly holding her stomach, her face a bit pale.
Gu Chen looked at her, speechless.
“At a time like this, there’s no need to be on guard against me, right? You say you’re fine? You can’t even walk steadily. Go to the school clinic and get checked out. Don’t delay.”
But she still prioritized studying above all else and refused to listen.
She kept walking toward the classroom, afraid of being scolded for being late.
“Ugh!!”
The moment she finished speaking, everything went black, and she fell heavily backward.
“Oh crap!”
Gu Chen was startled.
Luckily, he was quick-eyed and nimble, catching her just in time so she didn’t fall.
Otherwise, if no one had been there, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Gu Chen was furious.
He didn’t care whether she wanted it or not.
“Still acting tough? Let’s go to the infirmary.”
He directly scooped Tang Ziya up.
She wasn’t heavy; it wasn’t difficult.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let me go!”
Suddenly being princess-carried, Tang Ziya instantly flushed bright red.
This was the school hallway.
If any students or teachers saw them, they would definitely be misunderstood!
She struggled like a fish on a chopping board, gritting her teeth and shouting:
“Let me go!”
“Let go after you get checked out. Stop talking and save your energy.”
Gu Chen didn’t care.
Anyway, the hallway was empty right now, so he carried her straight toward the school clinic.
Tang Ziya opened her mouth as if to speak, then stopped.
Knowing she couldn’t argue with this guy, she could only lower her head and lean closer into Gu Chen’s embrace.
Of course, it wasn’t intentional intimacy—purely because she was afraid of being seen.