Chapter 101

Chapter 101

◎ Too Angry to Eat. ◎

When Li Qingjiang drove the motorized tricycle into the school, it happened to coincide with the ten-minute break between classes. As soon as he appeared, the kids, who had already heard the engine roar, let out a whoop and charged at him, surrounding him and the vehicle so tightly there was no room to move. Startled, he didn't dare drive any further and slammed on the brakes right at the entrance.

In the kids' eyes, this brand-new motorized tricycle was probably as novel as the Monkey King's somersault cloud or the Third Prince's Wind Fire Wheels—something so fascinating that it made them not even want to go to class. They were hopping and jumping all around the tricycle, itching to try it out. The bolder ones, without even asking, just climbed over the sides into the back like little monkeys, then excitedly begged Li Qingjiang to take them for a spin.

Afraid Meng Qi might get jostled by the kids, who only had eyes for Li Qingjiang and the tricycle, Zhao Zheyuan carefully helped Meng Qi out of the vehicle. Then, using his uninjured arm, he shielded Meng Qi and steered him away from the little rascals.

To be honest, Meng Qi wasn't used to being cared for like this—it felt too awkward, making him feel useless. Similar scenes had occurred on the way back. When the car first turned onto the bumpy mountain road, Zhao Zheyuan had reached out to steady him, almost embarrassing him to death. At the time, there really was no need for it, because Miracle Doctor Li, in his role as Driver Li, was totally reliable and had already slowed the car down so it wasn't bumpy.

When the bell rang for class, a large group of students still lingered reluctantly around the tricycle, their eyes practically glued to it. Taking the chance to slip out from behind Zhao Zheyuan, Meng Qi pretended to scold them with a stern face. "Anyone who doesn't go to class won't get the melt-in-your-mouth milk candies Teacher Ran brought back today."

As it turned out, the melt-in-your-mouth milk candies held far more appeal than the tricycle. The moment Meng Qi spoke, the students who had been reluctant to return to class immediately went wild. They all took off running for the classroom, shouting back at Meng Qi as they ran, "Teacher Ran, is there candy for me?" "What about mine? Don't forget mine, Teacher Ran!" "Teacher, I'm going to class now, so don't skip me on the candy!"

…

In the blink of an eye, Meng Qi's view cleared, and his ears were finally quiet. The world fell silent again.

Seeing that the students had dispersed, Li Qingjiang hopped on the tricycle and drove on until he reached the southern wall, far from the teaching area. There, a newly built wooden shed—which Elder Gu had spent nearly a day building—stood ready, just for parking the tricycle.

Meng Qi, who had fallen behind, started walking forward, intending to head back to his room and rest. After class, he'd have to hand out the candies, so there was plenty to do.

Zhao Zheyuan followed closely behind Meng Qi. Even with no rowdy kids around, he still seemed to guard Meng Qi protectively, making the back of Meng Qi's neck prickle and feel a ton of pressure.

It was only the third month. If the next few months were going to be spent like this, with Zhao Zheyuan painting such a picture—he dared to paint it, but Meng Qi didn't dare look.

Turning sideways to face Zhao Zheyuan, Meng Qi spoke in a low, negotiating tone. "Let's just keep things the way they were before, okay? I'm fine—I don't need special treatment, really. At least not for the next few months. When I do need it, I'll let you know, alright?"

"Sorry, Young Master Meng, but this probably can't go the way you want it to. Protecting your safety is mine and Qu Liang's duty. When your personal safety is threatened, we must follow the security plan set by our company, and Qu Liang and I have the right to adjust it based on the situation. That's written into the cooperation agreement." Zhao Zheyuan said with a serious, solemn face. In that moment, he suddenly turned back into the person Meng Qi had first met—stern, dignified, and dead serious. The easy, calm, even warm feeling from the past three months was completely gone.

He even went back to calling him "Young Master Meng"!

In an instant, Meng Qi's temples started to throb. He stopped and stared at Zhao Zheyuan for a long while, but the latter's expression didn't waver at all. This completely took the fight out of him. He sighed and asked, "Aren't we friends?" Why so stiff about it?

Unexpectedly, Zhao Zheyuan answered without changing his expression, "First comes the employer-employee relationship, then the friendship."

So no room for negotiation, huh?

If he'd known, he should have kept putting it off. So what if no one helped Li Qingjiang get the equipment? Couldn't I have just gone myself?

Meng Qi didn't want to say another word to that blockhead Zhao Zheyuan. Turning around, he stormed off in a huff. When Li Qingjiang, having parked the tricycle, came over and asked if he was hungry and wanted an extra meal in the evening, Meng Qi was too angry to eat. He shook his head decisively. "Not hungry. I won't eat."

Li Qingjiang glanced back and continued asking Zhao Zheyuan, "What about you? Hungry?"

Zhao Zheyuan opened his mouth to respond, but Meng Qi spun around abruptly and answered for him. "He's even less hungry!"

How could someone stuffed full of principles and righteousness ever be hungry?

For the next half hour or so, Meng Qi shut himself in his room, refusing to come out or talk to anyone. It was Li Qingjiang who came through—after saying something to Zhao Zheyuan, the latter knocked on the door and apologized to Meng Qi. He admitted earnestly that he was too rigid and inflexible, and that he had inadvertently upset Meng Qi, which was inexcusable. He said he had reflected on his actions and promised never to force Meng Qi again, asking for forgiveness and hoping they could remain friends.

So all that anger for the past half hour was for nothing, huh? Watching Zhao Zheyuan apologize with such stiff formality, Meng Qi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Finally, he shook his head helplessly and said to Zhao Zheyuan, "Alright, I forgive you."

Just then, the bell for the next class rang. The students, who had been thinking about Meng Qi's candies all through the lesson, came rushing to his door on the tail end of the bell. Crowding at the entrance, they asked in a jumble, "Teacher Ran, when are you handing out the candies?"

Meng Qi pulled three large bags of milk candies from a tote bag on his desk and shook them with a smile. "When you've lined up properly, that's when I'll hand them out."

"Ooh, candy time!"

"Yay, we get milk candies!"

"Ahh, my candies!"

"Hurry up and line up by class! First graders in front, fifth graders at the back, move it!"

"No grabbing! Anyone who grabs loses their chance at the candies!"

…

After a flurry of chatter, the noise outside finally died down a bit. Yang Jiangmi, as the student representative, reported loudly to Meng Qi, "Teacher Ran, the line is ready! You can hand out the candies now!"

Her voice was strong and spirited, full of infectious energy. Meng Qi and Zhao Zheyuan exchanged a glance from inside the room, both amused by the adorable kids.

Meng Qi used scissors to cut open the outer packaging, while Zhao Zheyuan took the opened bags from him and began distributing the candies to the students, starting from the first one.

How many candies were in the three large bags, how many students were in the school, and how many each would get—Meng Qi didn't need to explain, because Zhao Zheyuan already knew. This wasn't their first time handing out sweets to the students here; they were quite practiced at it. In the past, Meng Qi usually did the handing out while Zhao Zheyuan and Qu Liang stood by to keep order—though the task was mostly for show, it helped the kids cooperate. This time, Zhao Zheyuan took over the candy distribution, so Meng Qi had to step in and maintain order instead.

After the candies were handed out, some students lingered while others had already gone home with their backpacks. Meng Qi scanned the remaining students and immediately understood why they had stayed.

"Teacher Ran, Teacher Li, and your Brother Zheyuan have already taken care of posting the lost-and-found notices in the newspaper," he announced.

The students immediately began clapping and spinning in place, shouting at the top of their lungs to thank Meng Qi, Li Qingjiang, and Zhao Zheyuan. They were overjoyed!

Watching this scene, Meng Qi felt even happier than they did. Such vibrant lives, such lively faces, such carefree childhoods, such colorful dreams—anyone would feel joy just looking at them.

"Teacher Ran, will we see the newspaper with the notice for my big yellow dog/goose/duck tomorrow?" the kids seized the chance to ask Meng Qi in a chorus.

Meng Qi answered honestly, "Not tomorrow. You'll have to wait until next week to see it, and you'll need to take turns. Each newspaper can only print one lost-and-found notice. Tomorrow, the class monitors will line you up in the same order as today's candy distribution. Don't worry, we'll take it one by one."

To a large extent, Meng Qi treated this whole newspaper notice thing as a game of make-believe with the kids. Sure, the newspaper could be printed in batches, but besides him and his students, who else around here bought or read it? The actual effect in finding lost items would likely be very limited, and Meng Qi didn't have high hopes.

The students, for now, didn't think about that. They were simply thrilled that their wish to find lost items through newspaper notices was finally coming true. They could post lost-and-found notices in the newspaper too—how great! When their turn came, they would cut out the notice and keep it safe, because it was a meaningful thing, something they could write about in their essays.

While everyone else was celebrating their dreams coming true, Yang Miao cautiously shuffled over to Meng Qi and asked shyly, "Teacher Ran, can you help me find my mom too?"

Her eyes were bright, but they stabbed at Meng Qi's heart.

The next second, he crouched down to her eye level and answered her question with certainty. "Yes, I can."

He had already figured out how to make her wish come true. He would create a beautiful dream for her too.

Hearing his answer, Yang Miao broke into a wide grin. With a missing front tooth, her smile was especially adorable. Meng Qi straightened her double ponytails, which had been mussed by the wind or maybe by her own hands, and said with a smile, "When your turn comes, you'll see that Teacher Ran wasn't lying to you."

"Mm!" Yang Miao nodded firmly at Meng Qi.