Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
By the time the art studio let out for lunch, Xie Shu finally had a moment to check his phone.
He had set it to silent mode in the morning to avoid interruptions.
Before unlocking his phone, he saw the screen lit up with countless missed calls, unread text messages, and over 99 WeChat notifications, which made his heart skip a beat.
What could have happened?
He thought it might be something school-related.
He quickly unlocked his phone to check.
All the calls and messages were from the same person.
Xie Shu: "…"
Ah, wait, there were messages from someone else too.
At the top of his WeChat friend list, Ruan Nianxi had replied to his message that morning.
But he was busy with his part-time job at the studio and hadn't responded in time.
Ignoring the surplus of notifications and missed calls, Xie Shu tapped into Ruan Nianxi's chat.
Just as he was about to reply, Teacher Li suddenly approached him, "Xie Shu, come have lunch with us. It's a good chance for you to get familiar with the surrounding area, so you'll know your way around next time."
The students had just returned from washing their hands in the backyard and were ready to head out for lunch together.
Considering he wasn't familiar with the area, Xie Shu agreed to join them.
Besides, he had classes in the afternoon and would return even if he wandered off alone, so it made sense to go with the group.
They all left the studio together, and while waiting for the rest of the students to come out, Xie Shu picked up his phone again to reply to the message, but then he heard voices from the other side of the villa.
Curious, he looked over to see several unfamiliar faces emerging, who seemed to be high school students as well.
They greeted the art studio students with ease.
"Hey? Is this a new guy in your art class? He's handsome!" a girl suddenly exclaimed, looking at Xie Shu.
"Cough! He's a teacher!"
A student from the studio quickly corrected her.
"A teacher? So young!" the girl said in surprise, then continued, "Do you have a girlfriend, teacher?"
Xie Shu: "…"
Are students nowadays so… bold?
"Alright, settle down," Teacher Li, the last to exit, came over to help Xie Shu out of the awkward situation and explained, "They're from the media class, they have lessons on our second floor."
The second floor?
Xie Shu glanced at the corner of the villa; they had come from that direction, which probably had an outdoor staircase leading to the second floor.
So there were classes on the second floor too.
And it's media?
He had thought this place was only for art training.
Before Xie Shu could speak, more people came out, looking like teachers.
They quickly recognized Xie Shu's role.
"Teacher Li, is this the new teaching assistant for your art class? Quite handsome," a female teacher commented with a smile.
Afterward, several teachers introduced themselves to Xie Shu, and he learned about their roles and the classes offered at the villa.
The first floor housed the art class, led and managed by Teacher Li, along with two other teachers for sketching and color, who were not present as they had no classes that day.
The second floor was the media class's room.
There were several media class teachers, both male and female, all of whom were present today – the ones Xie Shu had just met.
Since everyone was training in the same place, the students from both classes got along well, usually going out for lunch together, with teachers accompanying them, as they would be interacting for the better part of the year.
Xie Shu talked with the teachers on the way and didn't get a chance to message Ruan Nianxi.
***
Following them to another exit of the art district, after a few minutes' walk and a turn, he saw numerous restaurants and various stalls.
This place was quite different from what he saw at the other exit in the morning; back then, it seemed remote, with scarce taxi service, but now it felt lively.
The presence of stalls indicated a regular flow of people.
Xie Shu entered a restaurant with the group, and after sitting down, he took out his phone again, looking up Ruan Nianxi's name, intending to ask if she was resting.
It was noon by now; she should be resting, right? Then they could chat for a while.
His fingers deftly typed on the keyboard, but before he could finish a sentence, a call came through, and his thumb accidentally hit the answer button.
Seeing "Su Qianyi" on the screen, Xie Shu froze.
Why was she still calling?
Wasn't she tired?
Even if she wasn't, shouldn't she consider her phone's battery life?
She had been calling all morning; couldn't she let her phone rest for a bit?
Su Qianyi, probably not expecting Xie Shu to answer this time, didn't react immediately, and both sides forgot to speak.
"Xie Shu, see if you want to order anything else," Teacher Li suddenly said beside him.
Xie Shu was sitting at a table with a few teachers who had just finished ordering, and they passed the menu to him.
Taking the menu, Xie Shu was about to say "okay" but was interrupted by Su Qianyi's voice from the phone.
"Xie Shu, where are you? Who are you with?"
Su Qianyi's voice carried a barely concealed anger.
It was then that the other teachers at the table realized Xie Shu was on the phone with a girl, and they all looked at him simultaneously.
Perhaps because Su Qianyi's tone was so obviously angry, the teachers had all heard her.
One of the male teachers couldn't help but tease Xie Shu with a raised eyebrow, "Who is it, Xie Shu?"
Xie Shu's expression remained unchanged as he placed the menu in front of him, marked a question mark next to the dish he wanted with a pen, and didn't forget to answer the question, "A classmate."
After speaking, he tapped the "end call" button with his thumb, cutting off the call.
The teachers didn't expect Xie Shu to hang up without saying a word to the other person, and they were all taken aback.
A classmate?
Did he think they were three-year-old kids?
They had been in the working world for many years.
If it was really just a classmate, why did that girl get angry after hearing Teacher Li's voice?
It was clear she had misunderstood something to be angry.
"Could it be a girl who likes you?" another teacher asked curiously.
Likes him?
Xie Shu frowned and then shook his head.
"No, just a classmate, that's all, from the same class."
Su Qianyi liking him?
Even ghosts wouldn't believe it.