Teasing the Strawberry-Flavored Baby Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

At that moment, Shen Tian, sitting in her classroom, was very confused. She had gone to Little Sister Lu’s class to find her, but she couldn’t find her. The classmates in her class said they hadn’t seen Lu Ningwan all afternoon.

Shen Tian was a bit worried about Lu Ningwan, but remembering Lu Ningwan’s instruction to focus on class, she pushed her thoughts aside and listened obediently to the teacher.

When Lu Ningwan ran to the classroom door, the second class had already started. It was a math class taught by Zhao Guangming, a man in his forties. Seeing Lu Ningwan arrive late to his class on the first day, he looked displeased.

Many teachers at Linhai City Experimental Elementary School were shrewd. Before students started school, they had already figured out their parents’ occupations. Zhao Guangming was one of the shrewdest. He knew Lu Ningwan’s family situation well—she had no strong background and lived with her uncle. She was the perfect target to make an example of and establish his authority.

Zhao Guangming glared at Lu Ningwan, who was standing outside calling, “Report.” “Do you know what time it is? This isn’t kindergarten anymore. There’s no nanny to coddle you. It’s the first day of school, and you show up in the middle of the second afternoon class. Do you even want to study?”

“No, I’m sorry,” Lu Ningwan said softly, holding back tears.

“Fine, don’t disrupt the other students. Since you’re late, stand outside for the whole class,” Zhao Guangming said, not planning to let her off easily. Kids these days knew how to read people, so he’d use Lu Ningwan to set an example on the first day, showing the others they’d better behave in his class.

As for rules against punishing students, they were just talk. Many teachers still made disobedient kids stand as punishment.

Lu Ningwan’s small body trembled. She had never experienced standing as punishment before. Whether with private tutors at home or in kindergarten, she had always been a good student, never even criticized, let alone punished like this.

She tried hard to control herself, but she couldn’t stop her tears. Standing there, watched by the whole class, her heart ached sharply. She had no way to defend herself. It was true no one cared about her, and it was true she was late.

Her tears fell one by one, forming a small puddle on the floor. She even thought that if she had been in the car with her parents, leaving this world with them, it would’ve been better than living like this.

The forty minutes felt endlessly long to Lu Ningwan, so long she thought she could barely stand. Finally, the bell rang.

Zhao Guangming announced the end of class and left without a glance at Lu Ningwan.

The kids in the class started packing their bags, as the homeroom teacher would soon come to organize them to line up and leave school.

Meanwhile, Shen Tian in Class One couldn’t sit still. She asked Huang Shuai to help pack her bag, grabbed the box of pineapple pastries, and ran to Class Six. After a few steps, she saw Lu Ningwan standing at the classroom door. Shen Tian hurried over and asked anxiously, “Little Sister Lu, why are you standing here? And… you’re crying.” Her voice grew quieter.

Seeing Shen Tian, Lu Ningwan wanted to hide in shame. She didn’t want Shen Tian to see her like this and just lowered her head silently.

A boy in the front row of Lu Ningwan’s class spoke up quickly to Shen Tian, “She was late, so the teacher made her stand for the whole class.”

“Yeah, yeah, Teacher Zhao is really strict. Kindergarten teachers never made us stand.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

With the teacher gone, the class erupted into chatter, everyone talking at once.

Seeing Lu Ningwan upset, Shen Tian stretched out her short arms, using her clothes to wipe the tears from Lu Ningwan’s lowered face, comforting her, “Little Sister Lu, it’s okay. I was late in kindergarten too. We’ll just get up earlier next time, and we won’t be late. Don’t cry, I’ll wipe your tears.”

But the more Shen Tian wiped, the more Lu Ningwan cried. She hadn’t expected that, at this moment, the only one comforting her would be this friend half a year younger than her. Perhaps because someone was comforting her, Lu Ningwan let out all the tears she had held back, her small body trembling with sobs.

A few kind girls in the class saw Shen Tian wiping Lu Ningwan’s tears with her clothes and took tissues from their bags to hand to Shen Tian.

Shen Tian, too focused to care who gave them, said, “Thank you,” and carefully wiped Lu Ningwan’s tears.

The girls gathered around, comforting her too:

“Lu Ningwan, don’t cry. This teacher is always strict. Just don’t be late next time.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t cry.”

The kids chattered with their comforting words. Lu Ningwan looked at Shen Tian, who was earnestly wiping her tears. “Tiantian, do you think I’m embarrassing as your friend?”

Once, Lu Ningwan thought she didn’t need friends. She found kids annoying, except for Shen Tian, whom she treated well. She had no other friends in kindergarten. She never imagined that now, the only person kind to her would be Shen Tian, and she cared about what Shen Tian thought.

“No way, Little Sister Lu! We’ll always be good friends. Don’t cry, or I’ll start crying too,” Shen Tian said in her sweet, childish voice, comforting her.

Hearing this, Lu Ningwan felt a little less sad. Just then, the homeroom teacher arrived, seeing a group of kids standing outside the classroom. She walked over and asked, “What’s going on? Why are you all standing outside? And you, I don’t think you’re in our Class Six, are you?”

“I came to find Little Sister Lu,” Shen Tian explained.

A kid nearby told the teacher what happened. “Teacher, Lu Ningwan was late this afternoon, and Teacher Zhao scolded her and made her stand for the whole class.”

Wang Ping, not yet thirty, believed punishing students, including making them stand, was wrong. Hearing Lu Ningwan had stood for a whole class, she frowned slightly. At this age, kids had strong self-esteem, and standing for a class could leave a shadow.

She gently patted Lu Ningwan’s head, comforting her, “I believe there must be a reason you were late. Don’t cry, Lu. You’ve stood for a whole class—go sit at your desk for a bit. And you, it’s time to go home, so hurry back to your class.”

Shen Tian placed the box of pineapple pastries in Lu Ningwan’s arms. “Little Sister Lu, these are pineapple pastries Aunt Wang made. I brought them just for you. Remember to eat them. I’m going now. Bye, Little Sister Lu.” Shen Tian reluctantly glanced at her a few times before heading back to Class One.

Lu Ningwan, feeling a bit better, held the pineapple pastries Shen Tian gave her, her heart softening.

She followed the teacher back to class, and the room quieted down. Her desk mate, Liu Jiahao, wanted to say something to her but was too scared by her appearance to speak.

Lu Ningwan stared at the box in her hands, then decided to put it in her backpack. Knowing Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan’s habits, they’d likely try to snatch anything good she had. These were from Tiantian, and she wasn’t going to let them have any.

Shen Tian returned to her class, grabbed her backpack, and lined up with the others to leave school. That afternoon, Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan came to pick her up, noticing their little one’s pouty expression and low spirits.

Lin Qinghan asked, “What’s wrong? You don’t seem very lively today.”

Shen Tian held Lin Qinghan’s hand. “Mommy, Little Sister Lu was late this afternoon and got punished by standing for a whole class. When I went, she was crying. What’s wrong with her? I feel like she’s unhappy every day,” she explained.

Shen Xian exchanged a glance with Lin Qinghan in the rearview mirror and said, “Tiantian, you’re a big girl now. There are things Mommy didn’t tell you before. Little Sister Lu’s parents were in a car accident and are gone. She’s probably living with her uncle now.”

Shen Tian’s eyes widened. She sensed that “car accident” and “gone” meant something bad. Nervously clutching Lin Qinghan’s hand, she asked, “Mommy, what does Mommy mean by ‘gone’?”

Seeing her daughter’s eyes redden, Lin Qinghan hesitated but finally said, “It means they can’t be with Lu Ningwan anymore. Her parents went to the sky.”

“Went to the sky…” Shen Tian murmured.

She remembered her kindergarten teacher saying that when people die, they go to the sky and can’t be seen anymore. Now, Little Sister Lu’s parents were in the sky.

Tears fell from Shen Tian’s eyes. “Waaah, Mommy, Little Sister Lu doesn’t have a mommy or daddy anymore. No wonder she’s been so unhappy every time I see her.”

Lin Qinghan hadn’t expected her daughter to cry. She quickly comforted her, “Sweetie, don’t cry. Little Sister Lu’s parents are gone, but she still has her grandparents and lives with her uncle and aunt. Don’t worry, she’s not alone.”

“But, but, Little Sister Lu must be so sad, waaah~” Shen Tian’s little face was red from crying.

Shen Xian sighed, seeing his daughter so upset. He hadn’t expected Shen Tian to care so much about Lu Ningwan. He decided to have someone look into Lu Ningwan’s family situation.

Shen Tian stayed quiet the whole way home, even lacking her usual energy at dinner, her mind full of how Little Sister Lu would cope without her parents.

After dinner, Shen Tian finished her homework in her room. Thinking about Lu Ningwan’s tardiness, an idea struck her. She couldn’t fix the fact that Little Sister Lu’s parents were gone, but she could help her not be late!

She could give Little Sister Lu her little pink bunny alarm clock. That way, even if she wasn’t with her, Little Sister Lu wouldn’t be late anymore!