Chapter 041: A Friendship Across Generations?

After Yang Tian slapped Sun Hui, Sun Hui and his friends didn’t dare look Yang Tian in the eye for several days. Whenever they saw him, they’d take another route, and even when they caught sight of Huang Juan and Chen Ming, they kept their distance.

Yet Yang Tian sensed that the matter was far from settled. Young people are competitive and proud, and from the glances Sun Hui and his group shot at him, he could tell they were waiting for a chance to take revenge.

One evening during self-study, Yang Tian was summoned to the office by Bao Yuehong. With the start of a new semester, her office had changed; fresh flowers adorned her desk—osmanthus and red roses. Clearly, the osmanthus had come from her students, while the roses were likely gifts from admirers.

Bao Yuehong was young, energetic, and strikingly attractive, so Yang Tian wasn’t surprised by this at all.

“Yang Tian, I heard you got into a fight with Sun Hui on the day school started?” This evening, Bao Yuehong wore a sheer purple vest and loose black flared trousers—a touch of subtle allure.

“Oh, no, we were just playing marbles together,” Yang Tian replied with a faint smile. It wasn’t that he dared do things but didn’t dare admit them; rather, he knew that if he revealed the truth, not only would he get into trouble, but Chen Ming would be implicated as well.

He realized Sun Hui must have been the first to lodge a complaint, otherwise Bao Yuehong wouldn’t have known about it. What a troublesome child!

“Playing marbles? You’re already in middle school!” Bao Yuehong laughed with childlike innocence.

“Yes, some things—even after ten or twenty years—we might still cherish and remember fondly,” Yang Tian said sincerely, smiling.

His words were like a warm hand touching the frozen depths of Bao Yuehong’s heart, making her pause, as if startled by his insight, and also as if she were savoring her own childhood memories.

“You little rascal, are you trying to cheer up your teacher? Tell me, why did you fight with Sun Hui?” As Bao Yuehong came out of her reverie, she noticed Yang Tian gazing at her intently, which made her blush and feel embarrassed.

“Fighting is something nobody wants to see. But sometimes, if you don’t show some people the consequences, they’ll never learn their lesson. Bao, you always tell us we shouldn’t bully others, but we also shouldn’t let ourselves be bullied!” Yang Tian smiled calmly, seeing that Bao Yuehong had no intention of punishing him.

“Stop being cheeky. When did I ever say that?” Bao Yuehong tapped the desk lightly, trying to assert authority. Yet she found it hard to be stern with this child—his composure exceeded her expectations, and she felt as though they were peers.

“You never said it? Oh, then it must be what you think deep down, right?” Yang Tian thought for a moment, only then remembering it was something Bao Yuehong had said at their graduation ceremony in his previous life, not yet in this one.

“You’re clever for your age. Don’t cause trouble for me at school, alright? I won’t be here for many years, so don’t make things difficult for me!” Bao Yuehong tapped Yang Tian’s head, her gentle perfume wafting over him.

“Are you leaving, teacher?” Yang Tian was surprised, but quickly recalled that Bao Yuehong was only using Victory Middle School as a stepping stone—her internship. As a graduate of a teachers’ university, she wouldn’t want to spend her life in a rural school.

In his previous life, he’d heard that Bao Yuehong always wanted to teach at a high school in Binhai City, and her goal was clear: Binhai First, Second, or Third High School—she would not consider any other.

“Yes, do you want me to stay in this poor backwater for my whole life?” Bao Yuehong smiled warmly.

“It’s nice here—beautiful scenery, peaceful life. In the big city, everything moves fast, and there’s a lot of stress!” Yang Tian didn’t hold back, taking a seat opposite her.

“I think so, too! But my family would feel let down. There are six siblings, and I’m the only one who went to university. They worked so hard to get me through college—if I just stay here after graduating, I couldn’t explain it to them. ...Why am I telling you all this? Strange! Go back to class now!” Bao Yuehong sighed, then suddenly stood up, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Oh, ‘I wish to entrust my heart to the jade zither, but few understand, who will hear the broken strings?’ Teachers and students can be friends, too. If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to listen to you next time you want to talk,” Yang Tian replied with cultured grace. Bao Yuehong’s worries were shared by many of their generation, so he truly wanted to be her friend.

Knowing Bao Yuehong loved literature, he quoted a line from Yue Fei’s “Little Mountain,” unexpectedly touching her so deeply that she stood there in silence for a long time.

“By the way, Binhai First High is a provincial key school, so it might be hard to get a teaching position there. There’s a lot of hidden dealings at Third High—without family connections, it’s tough. Second High is easier and fairer!” Just as he was about to leave her office, Yang Tian turned and delivered another surprise.

How did he know all this? In his previous life, he attended Binhai Second High and knew the three schools well.

Despite her doubts, Bao Yuehong decided to follow Yang Tian’s advice. She agreed that Second High was the wisest choice; after a series of review exams, she should be able to get in. The only problem was that she wanted to apply as a Chinese teacher, but she didn’t know the preferences or research direction of the Second High’s Chinese department.

That was crucial—if her responses in the review didn’t match their expectations, she wouldn’t make it.

Yet the very next evening, her dilemma was solved. She received an anonymous letter containing a thick stack of papers detailing the Chinese department’s research interests and characteristics at Binhai Second High—extremely comprehensive.

She was astonished. Though the letter was anonymous, she recognized Yang Tian’s handwriting.

How did this child know all this? Bao Yuehong was baffled, but her heart warmed. Since arriving at Victory Middle School, despite appearing strong, she had always felt alone, with nobody truly caring for her—only a few playboys trying to take advantage.

Yang Tian was different. She was convinced that everything he did was not for any benefit, since she had nothing to offer him except perhaps covering for him when he made mistakes as his homeroom teacher.

Night fell softly.

Yang Tian had just returned from dinner at Zhang Xinyu’s house. Forced by Zhang Qiang and his wife, he had once again become Xinyu’s tutor. Calling it tutoring was a stretch—it was really just spending time with her every evening.

The town streets weren’t brightly lit. Under the cold moonlight, the streets seemed even chillier. As he neared the school gates, Yang Tian’s intuition told him someone was following him.

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