Although Ling Ling was the Street Dance Club’s instructor, she was only one in name. As a music student, her dancing wasn’t good enough to offer much in the way of guidance, and she hardly ever went to the dance studio.
Strictly speaking.
She used to rarely visit the dance studio on the seventh floor of the arts building. Lately, though, she’d been showing up every few days. On the surface, she was there to bring snacks and drinks. In reality, she was using that as an excuse to “run into” Lin Zishen.
Yeah.
Those chance encounters you thought you had? I’d been planning them for ages.
On the one hand, Ling Ling’s life outside work really was boring. On the other, she felt that Lin Zishen had a way of healing her,
Ever since Lin Zishen had fed her candy a few days ago, she’d been in a great mood. She was full of energy in class, didn’t care about the female teachers’ gossip, and could even climb seven flights of stairs without her back or legs aching.
Ling Ling couldn’t help marveling to herself again. Tsk, tsk. Lin Zishen really was a scary guy.
But.
As Ling Ling started visiting the Street Dance Club more often, she gradually realized something rather depressing: Lin Zishen barely paid any attention to her. His eyes were always on Shan Shan, and even if you set Shan Shan aside, there was still the lively Ai Guo bouncing around.
Ling Ling had figured it out long ago: Lin Zishen had a crush on Shan Shan.
That was right.
She’d known it from the start and accepted it. She’d even been quietly watching them, hoping to give things a little push. But for some reason, the more she saw, the more a tiny ache crept into her heart.
Sometimes,
Ling Ling felt that Lin Zishen was a lot like her back in high school, when she’d had a crush on Cao Zijin. Maybe that was the real reason she wanted to give him a push.
A few days before the New Year’s Eve Gala.
One afternoon after school, Ling Ling got into position early and waited by the school path until she spotted a wild Lin Zishen. He looked surprised to see her. “What’s up, Ms. Ling Ling?”
Feeling playful, Ling Ling grinned. “Give me a do-re-mi-fa-so first.”
Lin Zishen’s forehead creased with exasperation. He looked a little disgusted, but after checking that there weren’t many people around, he did it anyway.
Ling Ling’s smile grew even wider. She nodded. “Looks like I’ve got the right person.”
Lin Zishen looked utterly helpless again. Ling Ling gazed at him, her face expressionless, while secretly delighting inside. Why were the other teachers so wary of him? This boy was a hidden gem. Marry a guy like him, and you’d be happy for the rest of your life.
No, no, no!
Marry him? What was she thinking!?
Ling Ling warned herself again and again that she absolutely couldn’t cross a line. She also had to remember why she’d sought Lin Zishen out: to get him to present flowers to the Street Dance Club at the New Year’s Eve Gala a few days later.
It was supposed to be a bouquet for the Street Dance Club, but there was no doubt Shan Shan, the one in the center spot, would be the one to receive it.
After Ling Ling’s mix of threats and persuasion, Lin Zishen accepted the task, though he was clearly very reluctant.
Afterward, Ling Ling watched Lin Zishen walk away. First, she smiled with satisfaction. But as she kept smiling, her expression stiffened. A sudden emptiness washed over her, and she felt a little down.
What was wrong with her!?
…
December 31.
That night, Senior High School and Second Middle School held a joint New Year’s Eve Gala at the Z City Sports Arena, about one or two kilometers off campus.
Everyone probably already knew what had happened that night. Lin Zishen had wanted to give Shan Shan flowers, but Mo Ting from Second Middle School beat him to it. In the end, he had no choice but to hand the bouquet to Ai Guo.
Ling Ling had watched the whole thing from the judges’ panel below the stage. Her feelings were complicated: she was disappointed, but also secretly glad.
She was disappointed because Lin Zishen had ended up just like she had back then. He’d had a chance to tell the person he liked how he felt, only for someone else to interrupt. But she was secretly glad because Lin Zishen didn’t belong to anyone yet.
After the New Year’s Eve Gala,
The students returned to Senior High School by class. Ling Ling was still all alone, and before she knew it, she’d drifted over toward the line for Grade 11, Class 3.
She walked behind the Grade 11, Class 3 line, about three or four meters back. It didn’t take long for her to spot the boy. He really was thoughtful. As class monitor, he’d made a point of walking at the very back, afraid someone might fall behind.
All the while, he kept calling someone. He was probably worried about Shan Shan’s safety. She was a day student, after all, and going home this late meant she had to be careful.
As they passed the slope outside school, lined with kapok trees on both sides, the shifting shadows made the boy seem to glow.
In the end, Ling Ling couldn’t hold back her restless urge to get a closer look at the boy’s face. After a brief hesitation, she went over and playfully tapped his left shoulder, then moved around toward his right.
Lin Zishen seemed lost in thought. The sudden, gentle tap startled him. He turned to look left, but no one was there. Then he glanced to the right and finally spotted Ms. Ling Ling.
He said irritably, “Ms. Ling Ling, can’t you act a little more mature?”
Seeing the boy’s slightly fierce expression warmed Ling Ling’s heart. She giggled and said, “Your teacher is a girl who’ll be eighteen forever.”
Lin Zishen furrowed his brow, looking a little disgusted.
Then Ling Ling gave Lin Zishen a hearty smack on the back, like one of the guys, and comforted him. “I saw you giving someone flowers just now. Why didn’t you give them to Shan Shan?”
“She was already holding such a huge bouquet. First, she wouldn’t have had a free hand to take it. Second, I figured it would cause a stir among the students.”
“Is that really all?” Ling Ling walked alongside Lin Zishen, leaning her face toward his as she narrowed her long eyes and gave him a pointed once-over.
Lin Zishen felt awkward under her stare. Her scent muddled his thoughts, and he felt a little guilty. He quietly turned his face away. “It is!”
Come to think of it,
this woman smelled amazing. She didn’t have Shan Shan’s light, subtle scent, or Ai Guo’s youthful vibe. Hers was the allure of a mature woman—almost too much to handle.
Ling Ling had actually seen through the boy’s feelings. But to be clear, the “feelings” in question weren’t Lin Zishen getting flustered by Ms. Ling Ling’s mature feminine charm. He was simply upset that he hadn’t been able to give the flowers to Shan Shan.
She hadn’t noticed the stir his attraction to a mature woman’s scent was causing inside him.
She didn’t press him any further and let him off the hook for now. Grinning, she said, “Lin Zishen, your teacher will walk back to school with you.”
“Please. You’re obviously alone and looking for someone to keep you company. You want me to walk back with you, so don’t make it sound so nice…”
“And you’d dare not come with me!?”
“I wouldn’t dare. You’re so pretty—what if some creep on the street set his sights on you?”
“Hee-hee. Lin Zishen, you’re getting better and better at this.”
“If I’d been this good with words earlier, you wouldn’t have left me completely speechless in music class.”
“Hahaha.”
About twenty minutes later.
Ling Ling and Lin Zishen said goodbye at the Senior High School gates. She’d just waved and hadn’t gone far when her phone rang in her pocket.
She took it out and saw that Cao Zijin had sent her a message on WeChat.
Even now, seeing the name Cao Zijin still stirred something deep inside Ling Ling. But when she opened the message, she found an electronic wedding invitation from Cao Zijin.
