Chapter 38 – System, Come Back

translator: xiin
editors: butter & XavierForest

It wasn’t just Ou Yilian.

Wang Ci’s mother was also petrified and stiffened on the spot. She felt cold all over and her hands couldn’t help shaking.

The face of the man in front of them was too familiar. He appeared on Jing City’s political news TV station every day, so it would be hard to not recognize him.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe properly and the remorse in her mind drowned her wave by wave.

She was aware of her son’s character. When she came to Jingcheng No.1 to make accusations, she hadn’t been concerned about the truth of the matter at all. 

But she hadn’t expected that she would end up involving the Meng Family that she most couldn’t afford to provoke.

When City Mayor Meng came in.

The headmaster was just talking about the school evaluation and hadn’t yet understood the situation. When he saw Ou Yilian, he smiled and said, “This is Yuyu’s class teacher, Ou Yilian. Teacher Ou is a senior level English teacher who has been teaching for many years. She’s also the person that our school plans to recommend for this year’s provincial excellent teacher selection.”

When Ou Yilian heard this, her breathing stalled completely and she was only barely able to force a smile onto her pale face. Her eyes stared eagerly at Song Yu, her gaze filled with deep pleading and regret.

Song Yu ignored it and turned his head to speak with his elder cousin.

Meng Guang had a faint smile on his face, “Didn’t you come here to study hard? How come your family has to be called in during the first week?”

Song Yu was expressionless, “… There’s a problem with the class teacher.”

Only then did Meng Guang recall the matter of the unscrupulous, crazy teacher. His smile disappeared instantly and he pointed at Ou Yilian, frowning, “Is it her?”

He swore, then yelled at Mayor Meng, “Dad! It’s her! The weirdo scum person I was telling you about in the car. The Education Bureau moves too slowly—can you deal with her today?”

Wen Yuan couldn’t bear it anymore and directly grabbed him by the ear, “If you can’t speak properly, then don’t speak!”

But when the headmaster heard Meng Guang’s words.

His white and chubby smiling face slowly froze. He was completely confused,and couldn’t continue speaking what he’d meant to say. In fact, he’d spoken these things because he wanted to take credit.

What was going on with Teacher Ou?

Ou Yilian’s entire person was trembling like a sieve. She rubbed at her eyes with her hands, the rims of her eyes red. Her voice quivered, “No, today… I can explain what happened today. Here, I solemnly apologize to Song Yu. As a class teacher, the greater the responsibility, the more pressure there is. I was confused today and said a lot of inappropriate words just now.”

The headmaster’s mouth opened and closed, “Teacher Ou?”

Mayor Meng frowned. He looked at Ou Yilian, who’d already lost her soul, and didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned his head and spoke to the headmaster pointedly, “This year’s provincial Department of Education issued a document on teacher’s ethics for both evaluation and qualifications. It should be regarded as an important reference for standards. I think that No.1 High had better recommend another teacher instead.”

Mayor Meng continued evenly, “I know that high school teachers are under significant pressure due to class pass rates and public opinion, but regardless of how heavy the pressure is, this shouldn’t be used as an excuse to lose one’s temper, lose track of right and wrong, and insult or even trample on a student’s dignity.”

Ou Yilian’s face paled with every word he spoke.

The headmaster was also a little embarrassed from this criticism, “Yes, yes, yes.”

Mayor Meng gave Ou Yilian a deep look, “A few days ago, I received an anonymous report regarding something that had happened when Teacher Ou was teaching previously. The situation is serious and has already been reported to the police. You should inform the Academic Office and withdraw her classes in the next few days, replacing them with other English teachers.”

Reported to the police.

These four words were like thunderbolts that pierced the sky!

Ou Yilian couldn’t continue her act anymore. Her eyes were bloodshot as she collapsed, “Mayor! I wasn’t aiming at Song Yu today! I didn’t know that he was your nephew! I—”

Meng Guang laughed angrily, thinking that this woman was so stupid that there was really no saving her. Did her IQ really belong to someone in their twenties?

Song Yu had the same thoughts as he did. He looked at her desperate, pleading eyes and said sarcastically, “Are you sick? Do you still not know why you’ve fallen to this point? You’ve done so many evil deeds before; they’re just coming back to bite you.”

Song Yu stared at her and sneered.

“If I wanted to use privilege, I could’ve sent you away on the first day.” Would he still have to be disgusted by her like this?

He took the socialist road, following the civilized rule of law. He didn’t like to engage in special privileges.

But some fools just didn’t understand.

Song Yu’s eyes were pale, a tea-brown color under the lights, cold and shockingly beautiful.

If I wanted to use privilege, I could’ve sent you away on the first day.

The words stuck in Ou Yilian’s throat couldn’t be spoken at all. It was like she’d just been slapped in the face. They were imprinted in the bones and inscribed in her memory, and she wouldn’t be able to forget them in her lifetime.

Her brain was blank; regret, fear, and terror were like dense needles that surrounded her heart.

How ridiculous.

She’d constantly been targeting Song Yu, saying cruel words and thinking that she was superior. She’d used the adult concepts of ‘society’, ‘class’, and ‘power’ to humiliate him, but she hadn’t known at all that Song Yu had always been a member of the class of people she tried so desperately to flatter.

So what had he been thinking when he heard her say those words?

Despair, collapse, and regret intertwined with embarrassment and bitterness.

Her face was as white as paper and her tears fell ceaselessly. Her entire body lost its energy and she seemed to be on the brink of passing out at any moment. It was just that she was such an insignificant person that nobody would pay it any attention.

Song Yu had really been disgusted enough by Ou Yilian.

While his uncle and the headmaster were still discussing other things behind them, he pulled Xie Sui with him and went out first.

They stood in the corridor of the teaching building. The moon was bright and the breeze was gentle, blowing away a lot of his grumpiness. 

Song Yu felt that he was really unlucky.

He wanted to study quietly in Jingcheng No.1 High and become a study god that improved every day. Yet people kept sending themselves up one after another, turning him into a school bully.

He wanted to hide his identity and spend these three years accompanying Xie Sui, but then Ou Yilian and the Wang Family forced him to reveal his identity. What the hell.

No way… he had to patch this up.

Xie Sui had suddenly been pulled outside by Song Yu and was a little doubtful about what he wanted to do.

After getting pulled over to a corner, he leaned back naturally against the handrail and looked at him quietly from beneath drooping eyelids.

“I…”

Song Yu began to speak, then hesitated. He frowned and thought hard about what he should say, but as a result, the more he thought about it, the more angry he felt. His expression grew so cold that it was like he wanted to kill someone.

… This expression, had he pulled him out here for a fight?

Xie Sui’s lips curved briefly.

However, when he looked at Song Yu’s hesitating and irritable expression, then linked it up slightly with today’s events, it was basically enough for him to completely figure out what he was thinking.

Did Song Yu think that, to him, he had always been a good student from an ordinary family who studied hard?

Xie Sui thought that it was amusing and wanted to tease him.

He slowly pulled back the arm that Song Yu held by a corner of his coat. The moonlight was a little cold, and the teenager’s face was hidden in the shadows. It couldn’t be seen clearly, but there was always a mysterious atmosphere between the two of them, distant and alienated.

Song Yu was dazed for a few seconds, then suddenly lifted up his head and looked at Xie Sui. He said quickly, “My family is actually in A City, and my parents deal in some small businesses. I came to Jing City to study because my grades were too poor and I couldn’t get into high school, so I had to rely on my uncle. In fact, my family background isn’t as strong as you think, and you don’t have to mind it too much.”

Although he wasn’t afraid of the system, he always felt that it would become a big trap for him in the future if he exposed his identity.

The Song Family, small businesses. He really dared to say anything.

Xie Sui couldn’t bear to see him so tangled anymore. He smiled slightly, his eyes dark, “You called me out here just to tell me this?”

Song Yu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then it suddenly dawned on him.

Wait!!

That’s not right!! In fact, if he thought about it carefully, A City, Meng Family, uncle—these were all obvious keywords.

Based on the Xie Sui in the book’s level of ability, he’d be able to figure it out as soon as he investigated once he went back to the Xie Family.

So, there wasn’t any need to hide it.

Song Yu: “……”

Song Yu: “…………”

Damnit.

System, come back quickly. Laozi’s already messed it all up.

After a long period of silence, he simply gave up, “Yeah, I was worried that you’d think I was a child from the rich and wealthy, and the class gap between us too big, so you’d stop playing with me and alienate me.”

Xie Sui smiled and commented, “You come up with so many scenarios in your heart.”

Song Yu glared at him and called him out, “Then what about the hand that you pulled away just now? And that cold expression?”

Oh, it was an act.

Xie Sui didn’t talk about this matter and only said, “I won’t.”

Song Yu: “What?”

Xie Sui: “I won’t alienate you.”

After saying that, he himself found it funny. Even so, he remained patient, his lips curving as he continued softly.

“You arrived by my side, a unique existence who can’t be covered up by any worldly label. Your background, appearance, and past, none of it can affect your uniqueness. You are just you, Song Yu.”

Bringing hope and light, a Peter Pan who came into my fifteen year old self’s life.

It was just that Song Yu completely didn’t think about the deep meaningfulness in his tone. At this time, he’d thoroughly tossed the system to the back of his head as he confessed his inner thoughts to Xie Sui: “I didn’t mention my identity because I felt that it was too silly. If I talked about how my uncle was the mayor all the time, I would just be begging for a beating. Look at Wang Ci—he shows off so much, but he’s just getting excited on his own in class. There are people who try to curry favor with him, but there are even more people who don’t even dare to get involved at all.”

Song Yu raised his head. His light eyes reflected the starlight, clear and bright. 

He continued, “In fact, I just want to study quietly and accompany you for the next three years. Study hard, make progress seriously, have kind or strict teachers, warm or shy classmates, and pass the time simply and happily.”

Accompany you for the next three years.

These seven words were like honey melting in his chest. It was a long-lost feeling; he experienced the sweetness and heat that warmed up the tip of his heart. Xie Sui’s lips curved up and his eyebrows and eyes reflected his smile, “Then, of course, it’ll be as you wish.”

And it would be more than three years.

Song Yu calmed down after he finished speaking. He didn’t know if the Qin Family’s Gong #1 would still transfer schools and come over after such a thing had happened with the Wang Family, but who cared? With him here, those scum would have to retreat.

After having dealt with the matter of Ou Yilian and explaining things clearly to Xie Sui, Song Yu’s entire person was relaxed in the car on the way home.

Wen Yuan sat in the co-pilot’s seat. She tilted her head and asked with a smile, “Yuyu, was that your deskmate just now? He’s quite good-looking. Your aunt has met so many people, but I’ve never met anyone with a temperament better than this child’s. If you’re friends, then call him over to play next time. I really like this child.”

He’d already said it all, so there was no longer the matter of his hidden identity.

Song Yu replied, “I’ll ask him.”

He leaned back against the seat of the car. He was bored anyway, so he decided to send a message directly and ask. Yet he spent a long time writing the message, deleting and editing it, as a result.

Meng Guang looked on from the side and tsked, “The way you’re asking a friend over to play is just like you’re asking a girlfriend over to meet the family. Why are you thinking so much about it? There are so many reasons to invite someone over to play—Wanna come over to my house tomorrow to play games? Very straightforward.”

Wen Yuan corrected him, “What do you mean playing games? Don’t lead Yuyu astray.”

Song Yu was also dissatisfied. He was now used to acting like a study god at school and was unable to change his character setup after going home.

“What do you mean playing games? Isn’t it good to do homework?”

So, he edited the message.

Simple and sincere.

[ Do you want to come over to my house and do homework tomorrow? ]

Meng Guang: “……”

—

Butter’s Thoughts:
It’s better to pretend less, lest you become what you pretend to be.
RIP Song Yu.

XavierForest’s Thoughts:
I swear, everything Yuyu says just makes Xie Sui fall even more. 

xiin: on the other side of the phone, Xie Sui’s probably laughing at his lame invitation…