Insistence. Lin Jianqing actually didn’t want to go for this meal. He had rushed from the company all the way to school, still holding the internship confirmation that had finally been entered into the system. Besides, he just wanted to rest now.
At this moment, his mind was full of the image of Shen Huaixue sitting behind her desk with that smug and righteous expression.
Her words, “Just kidding around,” were so light and flippant, as if his wasted half-day meant nothing.
The mere thought made the hollow feeling in his stomach rise again—he couldn’t tell whether it was from hunger or from being pissed off by her.
Guan Ju saw him standing still and said in a calm tone, “Don’t be so nervous. It’s just a meal. I haven’t had lunch either. The simple restaurant at the school gate isn’t far. After we eat, you can go back to your dorm and rest for a bit. If you feel embarrassed, just think of it as keeping me company for a while.”
Since she had put it that way, refusing would only make him seem difficult. Holding his backpack strap, he said in a low voice, “Then I’ll trouble you, Teacher.”
Guan Ju didn’t say more. She just put away her folder and led him out of the teaching building.
The afternoon wind was a bit stuffy, with no coolness against the face. Lin Jianqing walked beside Guan Ju, his mind not yet fully detached from that form.
It was just a simple internship confirmation document, but Shen Huaixue had dragged it out for so long. He could feel his temples throbbing.
As soon as they stepped onto the path outside the teaching building, Lin Jianqing suddenly stopped. Not far away, a black business car was parked, and Shen Huaixue was standing by the door.
She was holding an insulated bag, a black jacket casually draped over her shoulders, her long hair a bit messy from the wind.
She had seemed to be heading toward the teaching building, but when she saw Lin Jianqing and Guan Ju coming out together, her movements clearly paused.
Lin Jianqing’s mind went thump. Trouble.
Although he couldn’t quite say what was wrong. He and Guan Ju were just going to eat. The teacher noticed her student hadn’t eaten lunch and took him to grab a meal on the way—that was normal anywhere, completely normal.
The problem was that the person standing across from him was Shen Huaixue, and Shen Huaixue was someone you couldn’t expect to react like a normal person.
She could say he was being “fed” because of a piece of cake, and make up seven or eight shameful job titles for him because of an internship form. Now that she saw Guan Ju taking him to eat, who knew where her mind would wander?
Guan Ju also saw Shen Huaixue and was a bit surprised, but her expression didn’t change much. She just nodded politely.
Shen Huaixue quickly hid her stiffness and lifted the corners of her mouth. “Teacher Guan.”
She smiled quite beautifully, but Lin Jianqing felt a chill down his spine for no reason. Shen Huaixue didn’t smile like this when she usually teased him.
At those times, her smile was lazy, with a hint of mischief in her eyes waiting for him to break down, as if she had finally found an angle to get him riled up. Now this smile was stiff, as if she was a bit surprised.
Lin Jianqing didn’t speak for a moment. Finally, Shen Huaixue spoke first. “Did you submit the documents?”
“Mm-hmm.” Lin Jianqing nodded. “Just handed them in.”
Shen Huaixue looked down at the insulated bag in her hand. When she looked back at him, her tone was calm. “Zhang Jie said you didn’t eat lunch, so I brought you some food on the way.”
“On the way?” Lin Jianqing almost didn’t know what expression to put on. From Qingtian Building to the entrance of Linzhou University’s teaching building, and bringing a meal on the way—if you put that route into a navigation app, even the navigation would be silent for a while.
Because the company and the school were quite far apart, and Shen Huaixue didn’t usually come to the school often.
But since Shen Huaixue had said so, he couldn’t expose her on the spot. The anger from earlier was still there.
He was still angry at her for teasing him with the form, for wasting his time, for treating a serious matter like a toy she could play with.
But now she was really standing there holding food, and that fire seemed to get stuck halfway—not extinguished, but unable to burn as smoothly.
Guan Ju glanced at the insulated bag and naturally took over the conversation.
“Jianqing really hasn’t eaten yet. I was about to take him to grab a simple meal at the school gate. If President Shen came specially, why don’t we go together?”
This sentence was very polite and flawless. But the air seemed to grow quieter. The smile on Shen Huaixue’s lips paused for half a second—very brief—then quickly propped itself back up.
“Is that so?” She looked at Lin Jianqing as if she had something else to say, but in the end she just responded softly. “That’s good.”
Lin Jianqing heard those three words and felt even more uncertain. It didn’t sound like “good”—it sounded more like she had forcefully suppressed “not good” into “good.”
Afraid that Shen Huaixue would use this to cause trouble for him, he couldn’t help but explain: “Shen Huaixue, Teacher Guan just saw that I hadn’t eaten and brought me to grab a bite on the way.” As soon as he said it, he felt awkward himself. ‘Why the hell am I explaining? It’s not a big deal.’
Shen Huaixue glanced at him, still maintaining that unnatural curve of her lips. “I didn’t say anything.”
She really hadn’t said anything, but her current state was scarier than if she had.
Shen Huaixue pulled the insulated bag a little closer to her side instead of offering it. “Since Teacher Guan is taking you to eat, then I won’t disturb you.” She paused, her gaze falling on Lin Jianqing’s face for a moment. “Go ahead.”
Lin Jianqing stood still, unable to move his feet. Guan Ju didn’t urge him, and Shen Huaixue didn’t speak again. Finally, he looked away first and followed Guan Ju toward the school gate.
After a few steps, he couldn’t help glancing back. Shen Huaixue was still standing there, holding the insulated bag, still forcing a smile on her lips.
Lin Jianqing’s heart grew inexplicably unsettled. He quickly turned back, unable to look any longer. If he kept looking, he wouldn’t be able to tell what exactly he was so uneasy about.
The simple restaurant at the school gate was not big, and there weren’t many customers. Guan Ju chose a seat by the window, ordered two set meals, and also got Lin Jianqing a glass of hot water.
“Drink some first. Don’t rush to eat on an empty stomach.”
“Thank you, Teacher.” Lin Jianqing took the cup and took a sip. The hot water settled into his stomach, easing the hollow ache a little, but his attention still wandered.
The image of Shen Huaixue’s smile just now kept flickering in his mind—forced, stiff, even carrying a hint of indescribable awkwardness.
Guan Ju sat across from him. Only after the dishes arrived did she ask, “You looked very nervous just now.”
Lin Jianqing’s chopsticks paused mid-air. “Was I?”
“Yes.” Guan Ju opened her chopsticks, her tone light. “When President Shen came to bring food, your first reaction wasn’t surprise—it was more like you were worried she might be angry.”
Lin Jianqing was silent for a while. Guan Ju had hit the mark too accurately; he didn’t know how to cover it up.
“I just think President Shen is a bit weird,” Lin Jianqing said in a low voice.
“Weird? Does she often make things troublesome for you?”
Lin Jianqing was almost stumped by this question. Did Shen Huaixue make things troublesome for him? Did he even need to ask? She was practically the embodiment of trouble. But he couldn’t say that directly.
Lin Jianqing lowered his head and shoveled a mouthful of rice, mumbling, “She’s… quite a unique character.”
Guan Ju looked at him. “Unique character?”
The tips of Lin Jianqing’s ears grew hot. Even he thought this description was ridiculous. “I mean, she sometimes talks oddly. Today too, it was supposed to be just getting a stamp, but it ended up taking the whole afternoon.”
“Did she… make things difficult for you?”
Lin Jianqing fell silent. He couldn’t answer this question. He couldn’t exactly tell Guan Ju that Shen Huaixue almost wrote his internship position as private actor, temporary cross-dressing model, and kept gigolo.
If he said that out loud, he would die of embarrassment on the spot, and he might as well consider switching schools right then.
“Anyway, nothing proper,” Lin Jianqing said, lowering his head to drink soup. “She just… really likes to make fun of me.”
Guan Ju didn’t laugh. She put down her chopsticks and looked at Lin Jianqing more seriously than before.
“Jianqing, if she makes you feel offended, or if you encounter something at your internship that’s hard to refuse, you can come to me. No matter how good the internship opportunity is, it’s not a reason for you to put up with everything.”
Lin Jianqing’s fingers tightened slightly around the spoon. Guan Ju’s words were said calmly, without pressure or exaggerated concern.
Precisely because of that, Lin Jianqing felt a lump in his throat. If Shen Huaixue had said this, his first reaction would probably be to suspect she was up to something again. Guan Ju was different. She was his teacher, and she was genuinely worried about him.
It took Lin Jianqing a long while before he finally spoke.
“Teacher, I’m really okay for now. The treatment at Spirit Jade is good, and my colleagues are very kind. President Shen… she can be tough to deal with sometimes, and she likes to joke around… but for now, it hasn’t reached an unbearable level.”
This was a convoluted way to put it. Lin Jianqing knew that this kind of thing simply couldn’t be shared with anyone.
Guan Ju looked at him for a while and didn’t press further. “Then eat first. The food is getting cold.”
Lin Jianqing hummed in acknowledgment and continued eating. After that, Guan Ju didn’t ask about Shen Huaixue anymore.
She just talked about next week’s homework and reminded him that if the internship got too busy, he could let her know in advance. Lin Jianqing responded one by one and slowly finished his meal.
He was indeed hungry, so hungry that the unease was temporarily suppressed quite a bit by the warm food.
After eating, he picked up his phone and glanced at it. No messages from Shen Huaixue. The chat box was completely clean.
Logically, this should have made him relieved, but he couldn’t help thinking about how Shen Huaixue stood in front of the teaching building, forcing a smile at the corners of her mouth. Lin Jianqing frowned. ‘What the hell is wrong with this woman?’
On the other side, Shen Huaixue stood there until Lin Jianqing and Guan Ju’s figures completely disappeared before she let the smile drop from her lips. The insulated bag was still in her hand. The food inside should still be warm, but it was useless now.
After getting back into the car, the door closed, and the sounds outside were quickly blocked. Shen Huaixue leaned back in the back seat and closed her eyes.
That scene just now was really nothing. A teacher taking a student to eat—perfectly normal. If it were before, Shen Huaixue probably wouldn’t even bother to look. What business was it of hers whose meal a man ate?
But now, she was simply uncomfortable. She couldn’t explain it, and she didn’t want to.
She had originally come to appease Lin Jianqing, although the word “appease” made her a little uncomfortable—it sounded like she was bowing her head.
But she had indeed come, and brought food, only to be one step too late. Guan Ju had already taken him away.
She looked down at her hand. The insulated bag had been in her hand for a long time, and a trace of warmth still lingered on her palm.
Shen Huaixue suddenly let out a laugh. She wasn’t sure why she felt so bad inside. But… tomorrow was a day off, so she might as well call him out and give him a good stir.