Math Teacher, Please Get Lost (GL) - Chapter 21

I won’t be satisfied with just one donut, Yao Shuhan.

And besides, the chocolate syrup on this donut is too sweet. I don’t like it.

Shu Yan bit into the chocolate-covered bread ring, trailing behind Yao Shuhan, staring at the chocolate in her hand with obvious displeasure. She kept humming and muttering, not quite sure what she wanted to express. Yao Shuhan ignored her, went home, and went about her own business. The chocolate she had planned to make that night would have to wait until the next day when Shu Yan was away at tutoring.

Yao Shuhan hadn’t forgotten she needed to change Shu Yan’s bedding. She picked up the quilt and started to leave, but Shu Yan blocked her, pouting as she snatched the quilt back and hugged it tightly.
“I said you don’t have to change it.”

“You were so disgusted with me this morning, no. I’ll change it for you.” Yao Shuhan reached out to take it, but Shu Yan clutched it like her life depended on it, burying her nose in it.
“No.”

Yao Shuhan stood there watching her for a moment, then said, “Fine, don’t. Wash it yourself then.”
In truth, what Yao Shuhan feared most was Shu Yan asking her why she slept in her bed, or why she stayed at school over New Year instead of going home. Whether it was because she still liked Shu Yan, or because of her parents, neither was something Yao Shuhan wanted to tell her.

Thankfully, Shu Yan didn’t ask.

“Hey, you still haven’t told me who you’re giving a Valentine’s gift to?” The quilt forgotten the moment she got it back, Shu Yan tossed it on the bed and lunged at Yao Shuhan, grabbing her hand. “Who do you like?”

The warmth of Shu Yan’s fingers seeped through her skin, quickening the pulse in Yao Shuhan’s wrist. She lowered her eyes to glance at those fingers, pressed her lips together, and shot the question back, “Who do you like?”

Shu Yan froze, scurried back to sit on the bed, blinking. “I… don’t like anyone.” Then she tilted her head toward the window.

“I don’t like anyone either.” Yao Shuhan smiled faintly, turned, and walked out of the room, her palm damp with sweat.

“Yao Shuhan! Who are you making the chocolates for?”

Suddenly, Shu Yan leapt off the bed, slippers forgotten, charging across the cold floor in just her socks. Marching straight up to Yao Shuhan, she blocked the door with a dramatic wave of her arm.

Yao Shuhan rested a hand on her hip, squinting at her. “Who I make them for is none of your business.”

A surge of irritation shot through Shu Yan. She scratched her head, rubbed her nose, and gave a couple of hums. “You’re making chocolates on Valentine’s Day but won’t say who they’re for. Very suspicious!”

Yao Shuhan chuckled. “And even if I made them for someone I like, so what? What’s it to you?”

“I—” Shu Yan cut herself off at the last moment, puffed out her chest, and rolled her eyes. “If you’ve set your sights on someone, you have to let me meet them first. I’ll have to check them out for you.”

The smile faded from Yao Shuhan’s lips. She gave her a glance. “Move. I made the chocolates for myself. I don’t like anyone.”

Shu Yan looked doubtful. “Really?”

Yao Shuhan nodded. “Move.”

With no choice, Shu Yan dropped her arms and let her pass. Still unsatisfied, she trailed after her like a shadow. When Yao Shuhan read, Shu Yan played on her phone, peeking at her book now and then. Spotting a photo of Lu Xun, she said, “I know this old guy! He wrote Wandering.”

“…”

Later, when Yao Shuhan studied her new semester’s textbooks to prepare lesson plans, Shu Yan peeked again and pointed at the phrase “apprehensive and uneasy.” She bared her teeth and said, “I remember messing this one up! Isn’t it ‘kicking uneasy’? I remember so clearly!”

“…”

Yao Shuhan closed the textbook and switched to a volume of Selected Essays. Shu Yan tried to lean over again, and Yao Shuhan shoved her face back with a palm. Shu Yan pried open two of her fingers, peeking through, her eyes bright.
“Zhu Ziqing! I know him! He didn’t like his wife. My Chinese teacher told us before—when he compared lotus flowers to maidens in Moonlight Over the Lotus Pond, it was basically emotional cheating!”

“Shu Yan, you’re so annoying!” Yao Shuhan slammed the book onto the desk with a shout.

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop! You read, you read.”

But Yao Shuhan had no mood to read anymore. She shot Shu Yan a glare and got up to take a shower. Shu Yan shrank her neck under that glare, shuffling backward like a penguin, finally shutting up.

After showering, Yao Shuhan came out toweling her damp hair. The living room was dark. She vaguely heard a rustling sound by the wall near the coffee table, as if a shadowy lump was squirming there.

Oh no—could it be a thief?

Her heart skipped a beat. Teeth chattering, she tiptoed to the kitchen, grabbed a rolling pin, crept forward, and swung it down with all her might. A pitiful, bl00d-curdling scream rang out.

Wait—that voice sounded familiar?

No way…

She hurried to turn on the light. Sure enough, there was Shu Yan, hair a bird’s nest, eyes red and brimming with tears, clutching her head. She slowly stood up, only to collapse onto the sofa again, curling up like a shrimp and whining.

The cat, Kimchi, who had been sleeping at the foot of the sofa, was startled awake. Stretching and licking its paws, it meowed, leapt onto the sofa, scrambled across Shu Yan’s back, and flicked its tail happily as if it were a game.

Seeing Shu Yan’s pitiful state, Yao Shuhan felt both exasperated and guilty. She nudged her. “What were you sneaking around here for?”

“Go away, you hit me.” Shu Yan swatted her hand aside.

Yao Shuhan chuckled softly, sitting next to her and gently kneading her shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to. But skulking around in the dark like that—how was I supposed to know it wasn’t a burglar?”

She thought I was a burglar… The more Shu Yan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She shooed the cat off her back. “You too—off me! You’re stepping all over me!”

“Meow~” Kimchi mewed pitifully, hopped down, and padded back to its bed.

Yao Shuhan pried Shu Yan’s hands away from her face, turned her toward her, and touched her head. A bump had already formed, making her ache with guilt. She soothed gently, “Sorry. But honestly, you brought this on yourself.”

For a second, Shu Yan felt comforted by Yao Shuhan’s tenderness, but then her heart sank. “How could you do this to me!”

Yao Shuhan frowned. “Well then, explain what you were doing creeping around in the living room.”

“Uh, I…” Shu Yan was tongue-tied, but her guilty eyes flicked toward the food box under the coffee table—inside was the dark chocolate Yao Shuhan had just bought…

That little move didn’t escape Yao Shuhan’s eyes. She sighed deeply, ruffling Shu Yan’s messy hair and giving her forehead a light tap. “Tomorrow, on Valentine’s Day, I’ll tell you who I’m giving the chocolate to.”

Shu Yan immediately perked up, springing out of Yao Shuhan’s arms to look at her, eyes glittering like a hopeful puppy. “You have to keep your word. Tell me tomorrow.”

“Mm. Now go to bed. You have tutoring in the morning.” Yao Shuhan made her a cup of warm milk with some cocoa powder. “Drink this, it’ll help you sleep.”

Clutching the mug, Shu Yan gulped down a big mouthful, raising her head with a milk mustache. Then she scampered over, hugging Yao Shuhan and rubbing against her. “Shuhan, you’re the best.”

Yao Shuhan stiffened, her face heating up. She turned away, coughed lightly. “Go to bed.”

“Okay!” Shu Yan chirped, running toward her room, shouting as she went, “Here I come! Smells just like Teacher Yao!” She flung herself onto the bed, hugging the quilt and rolling around, taking deep sniffs.

“Idiot child, endless joy,” Yao Shuhan muttered, shaking her head. How did she end up liking such a silly, shameless person? Maybe Shu Yan was a little devil sent from heaven to torment her.

The next morning, when Yao Shuhan got up, Shu Yan was already gone. She looked at the empty room, stood there silently, then went in and sat on the bed. Her fingers brushed the pillow, catching a strand of hair. She lifted it into the sunlight, twirling it around her finger, smiling softly.

It was Shu Yan’s hair.

Her chest warmed with happiness. Joy sprouted like a crooked little bud, yearning for sun and rain. Every bit of nourishment came from Shu Yan—her laughter, her sulks, every moment they spent together.

She liked Shu Yan—twelve years ago, and twelve years later.

Putting on her apron, Yao Shuhan melted chocolate in a small pot, mixed in some Italian dark coffee powder, poured it into molds, and decorated the tops with silver sugar beads in the shapes of Pikachus. She carefully set them in the fridge to chill.

The molds were handmade by her, all math symbols—plus, minus, multiply, divide, greater than, less than, and geometric figures. She made these chocolates every year, sealed them in a box, and on a sunny day, biked to No. 3 High School, burying the box under a ginkgo tree.

Finally, this year, someone would eat them.

Thinking about how her work would finally be shared, Yao Shuhan beamed, sitting on the sofa, watching the clock, waiting for Shu Yan to come home.

Shu Yan had a class at the youth palace in the morning and one in the afternoon. At lunch, she ate Yangzhou fried rice at a little restaurant downstairs. After class, she ran into the English teacher next door, a warm woman in her thirties, holding a big bouquet of roses. Beside her stood a tall man, both chatting happily.

“Xiao Shu, class over?” the teacher asked with a smile.

Shu Yan glanced at them and nodded. “Heading home now.”

The man chuckled. “Teacher Shu must be rushing home to spend Valentine’s with her sweetheart.”

Sweetheart. Valentine’s Day…

At once, images of Yao Shuhan flooded Shu Yan’s mind—sitting quietly with a book by the window, eyes red and gazing at her, hiding a smile behind her hand… so many versions of her. They swirled around, circling Shu Yan, laughing, jumping, asking: “Shu Yan, I like you. Do you like me?”

Um…

Shu Yan rubbed her chin, deep in thought. Do I like Yao Shuhan? I… like…

She shook her head violently. “No, I need to go back and ask her clearly—who are those chocolates for?”

“Xiao Shu?”

“Ah, sorry, I have to go! See you!” Shu Yan bounded down the stairs two at a time. Spotting a bus about to leave, she sprinted after it. “Driver! Hit the brakes!”