PBMM CH59

Although it was said that their relationship would only be confirmed after graduation, to Ye Fei, the gentle man in front of him was already in the bag, making it inevitable that he would want to get handsy. In just the time it took to eat a meal, he had taken the opportunity to lean against the man countless times, only to be dodged every single time.

“Alright!” Annoyed by his little moves, the blush on He Qing’s face hadn’t faded once. Having finally finished his meal, he put down his chopsticks and said, “I’ll go to the school with you. Did you ask for leave to come out?”

“Why would I need to ask for leave?” Ye Fei curled his lips, his face full of nonchalance. “I just hopped the wall and came out.”

“You hopped the wall again!” The gentle man’s brows sharply furrowed. Looking at him with disapproval, he said, “The school walls are so high, what if you fall…”

“Alright, alright!” Ye Fei wasn’t angry at being nagged like this. Smiling playfully, he blocked the rest of the man’s words. “I hopped the wall before because no one cared about me. It’s different now! With Teacher watching over me, I absolutely won’t hop the wall again!”

“Is Teacher going to the school with me? Didn’t you take sick leave?”

“It’s nothing much.” He Qing pressed his stomach with a hint of doubt. “I probably ate something bad a few days ago and my stomach hurt a bit. I already went to the clinic to get it checked, and I feel much better after getting a shot.”

Hearing this, nervousness immediately appeared on Ye Fei’s face. “Is it a stomach condition? How can Teacher just go to a clinic? Nowadays, a lot of illnesses must be checked at a proper hospital to be sure. Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital to get checked. Isn’t there a Fenglin Hospital right near the school?”

Hearing the name ‘Fenglin Hospital’, the gentle man, who was originally warmed by his concern, abruptly tightened the hand pressing on his stomach. He refused in an almost hurried voice, “No need!”

Catching Ye Fei’s stunned gaze, he only then realized he had overreacted. He hurriedly explained, “My stomachache is an old ailment. I’ve always been very careful, it’s just that I was busy moving a few days ago and didn’t pay attention to what I ate and drank. I’ll be fine as long as I pay more attention from now on.”

Ye Fei accepted this reason, but his gaze circled the man’s home, revealing a hint of disgust. “Teacher, speaking of moving, how did you find a place like this? It’s broken down and old, pitch-black everywhere without a sliver of sunlight, and even this light is so dim you can’t see anything clearly.”

The man in front of him clearly had a beautiful resume. He had studied abroad and was skilled in piano, painting, and music. His personality could practically be described with the phrase ‘aloof from the world’. Such a person truly didn’t seem like someone raised by a poor family, so how could he live in a place like this?

The gentle man’s face stiffened. He said with slight embarrassment, “This was the only suitable place for the time being. Once I get a bit more familiar with Jincheng, I will look for a new apartment.”

“Alright, let’s hurry to the school. You still have evening self-study later, you can’t be late.”

Watching the gentle man’s flustered retreating figure as he hurried out the door, the smile on the corners of Ye Fei’s lips grew wider. What to do, Teacher? The more you try to bury them, the more I want to dig up your mysterious past.

————

“Big Flower!” As soon as the gentle man entered the school gates, he was pestered by a chubby calico cat. “Meow~ Meow~”

The clingy cat circled the man non-stop, letting out sweet, coquettish sounds that made He Qing beam with joy. He crouched down and scratched its chin.

“I haven’t seen you for a few days, did you miss me? Did you get anything to eat?”

“Meow~” As if responding, the big fat cat, which probably carried a bit of orange cat genes, let out a long, sweet cry. Its round, beautiful big eyes narrowed in enjoyment, allowing the man to stroke its fragile lower jaw.

Ye Fei stood there, watching the man and the cat being all affectionate. Seeing the irrepressible fondness all over the gentle man’s face, a feeling of sour jealousy couldn’t help but bubble up. “Don’t worry, Teacher. Who knows how many people line up to feed this cat every day. Look how fat it’s gotten, it doesn’t look starving at all.”

“Instead of caring whether it’s been hungry these past few days, Teacher might as well care about me. Not seeing Teacher in class these past few days, my heart has felt so empty from missing you.”

He Qing, who was petting the cat with abandon, stiffened his hand and turned back to glare at him. “This is the school, stop constantly talking nonsense.”

“What’s wrong with the school!” Ye Fei didn’t take it seriously. “It’d be great if we got discovered, then couldn’t we just be together openly and aboveboard?”

Hearing this sentence, the gentle man’s hand completely froze. The Big Flower cat, exposing its belly under his fair hand, also seemed to sense his mood and quieted down, making He Qing’s voice even clearer and more distinct.

“Do you know what everyone would say if a teacher and a student were together at school?”

The man kept his head down so his expression couldn’t be seen clearly, but Ye Fei distinctly felt the hidden agony in his words. “People would say it was the teacher who seduced the student. I’m so many years older than you; it would be an old cow eating tender grass. They would say I harbored ill intentions…”

The atmosphere became somewhat stiff for a moment. Ye Fei looked at the gentle man who kept his head firmly lowered, as if trying to conceal his facial expression, and cracked a joke. “What is Teacher saying? Even if you’re the old cow and I’m the tender grass, it’s me, this tender grass, who took a bite out of the old cow.”

He Qing was instantly amused by him, the previously oppressive atmosphere swept clean away. He stealthily hid his actions to wipe away his tears, then turned his head and smiled as if nothing had happened. “Go to class. I’m going to talk to Big Flower for a bit longer.”

Big Flower, Big Flower, Big Flower again!

Regarding the teacher he had just coaxed into his hands, Ye Fei wanted to stick to him every single second. It would be even better if he could take some liberties. But since He Qing still hadn’t completely relented, it wasn’t good for him to go too far, so he had no choice but to suppress his sulking and agree.

Before leaving, he looked at the big fat cat letting out purrs of enjoyment and acting coquettishly under the man’s palm. The youth twitched the corners of his mouth. “Teacher, since you like this cat so much, why not just adopt it.”

Stroking the big fat cat’s soft and smooth fur, He Qing also said with some regret, “I thought about it too. But the apartment I live in right now is too rundown. If Big Flower goes there, it definitely won’t be as comfortable as it is here on campus. Once I move into a better house in the future, I’ll take Big Flower over.”

Ye Fei discovered in stifled frustration that the man was actually very seriously looking forward to a future life living with a cat. He didn’t mind living in a crappy apartment himself, but putting this fat cat there made him feel he was wronging it?

He found it impossible to understand. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes suddenly rolled as a thought hit him. Teacher liked this fat cat so much but couldn’t adopt it; if he adopted it, wouldn’t Teacher be able to come visit him from time to time?

With this fat cat in his hands, he wasn’t afraid the teacher wouldn’t walk right into his trap. What ‘not being together before graduation’? As long as he coaxed the person into his hands, the teacher could forget about running away in the future.

He didn’t reveal his thoughts, merely stating that he was going to class. When he saw the man merely nod without even raising his head, entirely focused on petting the cat, this idea became more and more solidified.

But first, he needed to rent an apartment off-campus. When the time came, he’d bring the cat over, and then use the cat as an excuse to trick the person into coming…

Scheming in his mind about how to seamlessly pin the person to a bed, Ye Fei had just walked into the classroom when he was yanked aside by his gossip-faced desk mate, who whispered with extreme excitement:

“Hey, do you know how Teacher He transferred from Qingde to our school?”

Ye Fei frowned slightly, an unease rising in his heart. “What about it?”

“I heard from people at Qingde that Teacher He molested a student at Qingde and was caught red-handed. He was kicked out of the school.”