Chapter 35: An Urgent Matter

“Xiaxia, do you need me to help you reply to that message?”

Xiao Huayue tilted her head and reminded me, pulling me out of yesterday’s memories.

The fine, soft ends of her hair lightly brushed against the side of my neck, making my heartbeat speed up a little.

“No need, it’s just a spam text.”

I quickly turned off the screen and placed my phone face down on the desk.

The plastic jasmine petal on the phone strap made a crisp sound as it knocked against the table.

“Forget about that. Let me explain the Fourier Transform to you first.”

Teaching someone is honestly a pretty exhausting thing.

Not only do you have to thoroughly understand it yourself, but you also need to break down the principles and explain them clearly to her.

By the time I finished deriving the integral formula in three different ways, Xiao Huayue, who had long since lost interest, was doodling little cats in her textbook with a highlighter.

Then she suddenly pointed at a formula and exclaimed, “Xiaxia, doesn’t this function term look like the pearls in milk tea?”

I couldn’t help but laugh and stare at the round symbol under her pen tip.

Suddenly, I understood why this girl, who used to beat me in every monthly exam, now worried about just passing.

“Xiaoyue, if you keep slacking off like this, you’ll lose your pearls in the final exam.”

“Hehehe, when the time comes, I’ll just have to count on Sister Xia to pull me up! After all, that’s my advantage. Hmm, it’s already past 10:30. Xiaxia, you must be tired, right? How about we leave the rest for next time? I still have stuff to do with the Society later.”

“Mm, alright.”

“Since there’s still some time, let me play a round as the Circle God.”

“……”

When the third alarm she had set went off, the dawdling Xiao Huayue finally scrambled to pack her canvas bag in a panic.

“Oh no, oh no, I’m really going to be late! Bye, Xiaxia~”

Xiao Huayue grabbed her canvas backpack covered in fluffy charms and dashed out of the classroom in a hurry.

I watched her disappear around the corner, and my fingers unconsciously brushed the cheek she’d just touched.

The warmth of her touch still lingered faintly.

Such a strange feeling. Maybe I’ll never get used to this kind of social distance in my life.

It wasn’t until much later that I slowly picked up my phone and glanced at the message Yan Dong had sent earlier.

“Come over, it’s urgent.”

What urgent matter could that guy Yan Dong possibly have?

But the arrogant tone of the message really made me not want to go any sooner.

“Okay.”

After replying, I deliberately slowed down while packing my bag, rearranging the pens in my pencil case by color.

I didn’t head to the bike shed until the Clock Tower struck eleven.

But as soon as I stepped out of the teaching building, my phone started vibrating violently in my pocket.

The moment I answered, Yan Dong’s gritted voice came through, mixed with a baby’s crying: “Lin, where the hell are you?!”

“Just came out of the classroom.”

“Didn’t I tell you an hour ago that it was urgent and you should come early?!”

“Sorry, Young Master, I just didn’t check my phone.”

“Who are you trying to fool!”

The baby’s crying in the background suddenly grew louder as Yan Dong snapped, “Don’t tell me you were cultivating immortality in the classroom?!”

Even though he sounded like he was about to explode, my pace didn’t change at all.

I just strolled along the school’s newly paved asphalt road as usual.

Looks like I really need to remind him of what’s in the Employment Contract.

“Young Master, according to the Employment Contract, since I have classes for half a day in the morning, my working hours should start from 1 PM in the afternoon, so…”

I stopped walking and looked up at the new buds on the wutong branches, reciting a clause from the contract, “Party A must not force Party B to provide services outside the agreed time slot.”

“Cut the crap! Now! Immediately! Right now! Hurry up…”

He was practically roaring, but the trembling in his voice completely exposed his panic.

His rare, vulnerable tone reminded me of the time on the 8th, when he smashed that celadon vase.

I’d just helped him settle the matter with the Song Dynasty Tea Cup the day before, and yet he didn’t learn his lesson.

The next day, he insisted on flying the drone at home and, unsurprisingly, knocked over Uncle Yan’s porcelain vase.

Back then, he stared blankly at the shattered pieces on the floor, his expression just like the repressed fear I could hear in his voice now.

Looks like Yan Dong really is in some trouble this time, or else he wouldn’t be begging me with his defenses down like this.

What kind of trouble could it be?

From the sound of it, there’s a baby.

Could it be that one of the girls he dumped brought the child to confront him?

The thought of possibly witnessing some juicy drama made my steps a bit lighter.

“Alright, I’ll go home and change, then head over.”

Even so, by the time I arrived outside Yan Dong’s house, it was nearly 12:30.

Couldn’t be helped. It’s not like I own the subway. No matter how urgent it is, that’s just how it is.

As usual, I reached out and opened the tightly shut security door. A sharp cry mixed with warm air rushed at me.

The scene before my eyes could only be described as a total mess.

A knocked-over can of formula lay quietly by the entrance, several opened diapers were scattered around the room, and spilled milk had drawn an abstract map on the floor.

Before I could react, Yan Dong came rushing out of the living room, holding a crying baby.

Several strands of his hair were stuck to his forehead with sweat, and the collar of his silk sweatshirt was stained with suspicious marks.

“I can’t handle this, hurry up!”

Standing where I was, I tilted my head in confusion at Yan Dong and the baby in his arms, my mind racing.

Uncle Yan never remarried after Yan Madam passed away.

Qiuzhi is only a college freshman; I’ve never seen her with a belly.

That leaves only one possibility: this child is from one of the two girls Yan Dong was seeing at the same time.

The poor girl he abandoned came to reconcile today but was mercilessly rejected by him, so she left behind this baby who looks a bit like him.

It must be something like that.

Thinking this, my opinion of Yan Dong dropped even further.

The little baby in his arms clearly shared my low opinion of this scumbag dad, constantly pushing at his chin, trying to shove Yan Dong away.

“Lin, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and take this kid!”

He shoved the swaddled baby at me so roughly it was like tossing a hot potato.

I shot him a glare and carefully took the baby girl, pressing her warm cheek to my collarbone and gently patting her little bottom.

The baby girl suddenly stopped crying.

Her tear-streaked eyelashes fluttered as she reached out her chubby little arms and grabbed a lock of my hair.

Her grape-like eyes reflected my somewhat complicated expression.

Her slightly upturned nose looked exactly like Yan Dong’s, as if the Creator had used his photo to make a mini version.

I had to admit, this child was truly pitiful, having to endure such hardship right after being born.

“Sigh, what a sin…”