Math Teacher, Please Get Lost (GL) - Chapter 32

That whole afternoon, Yao Shuhan felt unsettled, her right eyelid twitching nonstop.

It wasn’t her business, nothing she should worry about—yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that a heavy stone pressed on her heart. It weighed her down, suffocating, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She thought of going to Class 1 of Senior Three to check, or simply asking Mi Guoqiang directly what had happened. But she couldn’t find a valid excuse for her own excessive worry. Turning it over and over in her mind and finding no way, she decided to just let it go for now. Paper couldn’t wrap fire—if the school really wanted to discipline Wu Junze and the others, they’d surely announce it publicly at the assembly.

If Senior Three students had ideological problems, especially the top students in the elite class, of course the school would have to hand down punishments. Still, no one expected the punishment to be this harsh.

At the Monday morning assembly of the second week, after the work summary, Director Liang singled out and criticized Gao Tianhong and Wu Junze of Class 1. Gao Tianhong was given a major demerit and put on probation, while Wu Junze was… expelled.

And the official reason for the punishment? Still the same four words: “ideological problems.”

Anyone with half a brain knew it couldn’t be that simple. Punishments went on record, and there had to be specific reasons listed. The school’s refusal to give a clear explanation only showed that the real reason couldn’t be put on the table—in short, it was something “unspeakable.”

The Gao family had connections and managed to pull strings, so their son ended up only with probation. But Yingcai High was a top provincial key school, where true ability still mattered; no matter how powerful the Gao family was, the best they could do was to bargain for a lighter punishment.

The pitiful one was Wu Junze. His parents were ordinary working-class people, raising their son with great difficulty. Over the years, the boy had been hardworking and obedient, never once causing them worry. And now, at this critical moment before the college entrance exams, such a disaster fell on them, plunging the whole Wu family into grief.

When Mr. Wu received the expulsion notice, he summoned his son, neck stiff with anger, and demanded to know what had happened. Wu Junze kept his head down and said nothing. His father asked again—still no response. Mr. Wu loathed boys who acted coy and evasive. His son’s silence ignited his fury, and he grabbed a broom and lashed out.

Wu Junze endured his father’s anger and the stinging blows in silence. His chest felt heavy. Earlier his mind had been full of racing thoughts, but under the steady throb of pain, it went blank.

Not completely blank though—he kept repeating to himself: “Real men don’t cry easily.”

Mr. Wu simply couldn’t understand. His son had always been so sensible, with good grades—how could he suddenly be expelled? Puzzled and desperate, he went to find Mi Guoqiang, hoping to learn the truth and maybe, with a little gift and pleading, persuade them to let his son return.

Mi Guoqiang heard him out, shook his head, and pushed the box of Wuliangye liquor back across the desk.

“Mr. Wu, Junze is a good boy. But no matter how obedient, he shouldn’t be involved in… homosexuality. Do you know what that is? Sigh, if it were just a mental problem, that could be treated. But harming others—that’s a crime.”

Mr. Wu’s smile froze. It was as if a bolt of lightning had split the sky above him.

For a long time he was speechless, then finally forced a laugh. “Teacher Mi… you must be joking with me, right?”

Mi Guoqiang looked helpless. What teacher wanted to lose a top student in their class? If he could choose, he wouldn’t care whether a student was gay or not—as long as they studied hard and got into a top university, he’d even earn a bonus. He’d be delighted, not eager to see Junze expelled.

He waved a hand and sighed, “It was the school’s decision. If you want more details, you’ll have to ask Director Liang in the Political Education Office.”

Suddenly Mr. Wu felt dizzy, his head unbearably heavy, his steps unsteady.

At the Political Education Office, Director Liang’s words were even harsher. Mr. Wu understood—his son was beyond saving.

He smashed the box of liquor to the ground. “That little bastard! Just wait till I get home—I’ll kill him!”

A bustling street led up to a sloping road. Following the address in the student directory, Yao Shuhan climbed the slope and found the entrance to a residential complex.

Hmm?

At the foot of a building she spotted a thin, hunched figure. She walked over quietly.

She patted the boy on the shoulder. “Junze?”

Wu Junze flinched and slowly turned around. A flicker of light lit his eyes, but just as quickly dimmed. “Teacher Yao.”

Yao Shuhan smiled and squatted down to his level. “Not going home?”

Wu Junze smiled faintly too, lowered his head, and said nothing.

Yao Shuhan exhaled. “Kicked out?”

He froze for a moment, looked at his shoes, and nodded.

She ruffled his hair. “No way to turn things around?”

He sniffed and rubbed his nose. “It’s fine. Just can’t go back for now.”

“So you’ve been sitting out here all this time, pondering life?”

He chuckled weakly.

“You’ve been thinking for a while then. Have you figured out what to do?”

He shook his head.

“Got any money on you?”

He gave a bitter smile. “Fifteen yuan.”

“That’s not even enough for an internet café.” She glanced at him again. “Got your ID card?”

“Teacher Yao, I was kicked out with nothing but the clothes on my back.”

She stood up slowly and helped him to his feet. “Careful, don’t get up too fast.”

Leaning on her arm, he rose slowly. His legs had gone numb, and despite moving carefully, he still felt dizzy when he finally stood, swaying on the verge of falling. She quickly steadied him. “Careful.”

“Thank you, Teacher.”

“You’re welcome. Anything you want to eat? Teacher’s treating.”

He looked up at her in surprise, eyes reddening. His voice trembled. “Teacher Yao, really—thank you!”

He said he wanted ramen from the Ajisen place at the street corner down the slope.

Yao Shuhan browsed the menu, ordered a bowl of chashu ramen, and took a sip of the hot broth. “Nothing like a steaming bowl of soup.”

Wu Junze stared at the rising steam from his own bowl, dazed.

“Why aren’t you eating?” she asked.

He wiped his eyes, lowered his head into the bowl, and murmured almost to himself, “This will probably be the last time.”

Yao Shuhan fell silent.

After the meal, they walked down the street together.

At another slope, she bought two skewers of candied hawthorn from a vendor and handed one to him.

“I have an apartment in the city. You can stay there,” she said.

The place was empty anyway. She rarely went back. And now that Shu Yan lived in the teachers’ dorm and clung to her like glue whenever she wasn’t in class—she couldn’t shake her off, let alone stay overnight elsewhere.

If she went home, with Shu Yan’s thick skin, she would absolutely insist on tagging along, probably even to meet her “future in-laws.”

But the truth was… she had no parents left to introduce. They’d abandoned her long ago. And the one who had ruined her home and her life—was none other than Shu Yan!

Wu Junze hesitated. He didn’t want to trouble others, but he really had nowhere to go.

Yao Shuhan pressed a key into his palm. “You’re still just a kid. If you don’t stay at my place, where will you go?” Her voice softened. “This wasn’t your fault. And don’t resent your parents. Who doesn’t want their child to be well? It just happened too suddenly—they need time to adjust.”

His eyes lowered, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. True enough—who could accept this sort of thing right away?

Even he hadn’t been able to accept it at first.

But what could he do?

Could you simply cut off the feeling of missing someone? Could you control the sudden joy or the crushing sadness? That wild, unstoppable longing and restlessness flooding your body—it was like harboring a beast inside. Who would willingly keep such a monster in themselves?

“Teacher Yao,” he lifted his head, eyes and nose red, voice choked, “I’ll never forget your kindness today, for as long as I live.”

Seeing the heroic, tragic look on his face, like a martyr marching to his death, Yao Shuhan laughed and hugged him. “Junze, remember this: anyone who’s been through the same suffering never wants to see others endure the same pain.”

Wu Junze was a smart kid. Hearing her words, and recalling the long-standing rumors of her being single, he immediately guessed the truth.

He said nothing more, only followed her to her city apartment.

The place had been vacant for months; she’d only returned once the previous National Day. Dust covered everything.

Wu Junze immediately grabbed a broom to clean. She told him to sprinkle water first to keep the dust from flying. He did so and remarked, “Teacher Yao, you’re so particular.”

She smiled while preparing a bed for him. “Not particular, just habit.”

When the cleaning was done, she had him sit in the living room. She told him not to touch anything in her bedroom but otherwise to make himself at home.

He wondered why her parents weren’t around, but thought better of asking.

“Your books are still at school?” she asked.

“Mm. I was kicked out so suddenly, I didn’t pack anything.”

“Don’t go back. I’ll get them for you. Study here. If something confuses you, just set it aside—I’ll find someone to tutor you.”

He blinked. “Teacher Yao?”

She tapped his forehead and grinned. “Don’t worry about the college entrance exam. I’ll get you a special registration channel. You just study hard, and repay me with a good score.”

Warmth surged in his chest, and tears slid down his cheeks. “Teacher Yao, I really… I don’t know… I can’t… I don’t even know what to say.”

Watching him cry, she felt her own heart ache. She handed him a tissue. “Don’t worry too much. Life’s a long road ahead.”

“…Mm.”

She patted his back gently. “Now tell me, what happened between you and Gao Tianhong? How did it reach Director Liang?”

He stiffened beneath her hand.

Head lowered, he muttered, “Nothing… I just missed him.”

“I remember back in the Literature Club you loved writing poetry. That line—‘I wonder if, on the other side of the river, you can see me’—you wrote that about Gao Tianhong, didn’t you?”

He didn’t deny it. “Mm.”

She sighed. “The more deeply you think about someone, the more dangerous it becomes. The deeper the feelings, the stronger the pull between two people, the more likely things go wrong. If you’re lucky, both share the same ‘problem.’ Well, then, two lunatics can be crazy together. But the tragedy is when one thinks the other is sick.”

She looked him in the eye. “So what do you think—was it you who had the problem, or the two of you together?”

He fell into thought. At that moment, her phone rang—

“Pikachu~”

Wu Junze froze, glancing around before finally focusing on the phone in her hand…

And just like that, the heavy atmosphere collapsed into sheer awkwardness.