AVRL 49

“Is there a problem?”

Well, there were way too many problems to count, but Song Min was currently in a total state of numbness. He merely looked at Yu Tingzhi, shaking his head slowly and blankly. A moment later, he cast another glance at Meng Chi, turned on his heel, and ran off.

Meng Chi was stunned by that glance—which seemed part shocked, part resentful, and part heartbroken. He even instinctively took a couple of steps after him, calling out, “Song Min!”

Song Min turned a deaf ear and didn’t slow his pace for a second.

Meng Chi clicked his tongue, watching his despondent, retreating figure with a slight sense of helplessness.

Yu Tingzhi watched Song Min run far away without much expression, glancing at Meng Chi out of the corner of his eye. “Aren’t you going to chase after him?”

Meng Chi froze for a second, immediately remembering that Yu Tingzhi knew he used to harbor feelings for Song Min.

With that premise in mind, listening to this plain rhetorical question sounded a bit off. Meng Chi’s heart fluttered. Looking at the calm-faced Yu Tingzhi, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “Teacher Yu, were you jealous just now?”

Is that why he was in such a hurry to assert his sovereignty?

Yu Tingzhi: “No need.”

Meng Chi raised an eyebrow, his face beaming with the smugness of ‘ I’ll just watch you play dumb.’

Yu Tingzhi looked back at him calmly, then said, “I’m going back to change my clothes first, then I’ll come find you for lunch in a bit.”

Watching Yu Tingzhi walk away, the slight helplessness in Meng Chi’s heart was replaced by secret joy. A smile touched the corners of his eyes and lips, and he softly muttered, “Closet romantic.”

With the Xichi Tea Festival over, the students had enjoyed themselves and made their fuss, so it was time to return to Zewu to resume classes. Song Min had come looking for Yu Tingzhi originally to ask when he was heading back.

He didn’t get an answer; instead, he got scared off by the relationship between Yu Tingzhi and Meng Chi. Seeing his younger brother looking so lost and soul-crushed, Song Chen made a phone call to check in with Yu Tingzhi.

Yu Tingzhi was having lunch with Meng Chi at the time. He shared the school’s return arrangements and, after hanging up, asked about Meng Chi’s plans. The purpose of Meng Chi’s trip had already been accomplished, so there was naturally no reason to linger.

Although quite a few students came for the sketching trip, the school had arranged plenty of buses, leaving many empty seats. So, Meng Chi hitched a ride back alongside Yu Tingzhi.

It wasn’t the first time anyway, so the students weren’t surprised at all. They even struck up casual, familiar conversations with Meng Chi. Some female students asked what his relationship was with Teacher Yu. Meng Chi said they were friends, receiving a few ambiguous “Ooh~”s in response, as well as a compliment: “Handsome guys’ friends are always handsome guys too.” A few college girls pointed out his identity as a tea master—some said they had seen his videos online, others said they saw his photos at a photography exhibition, and one even mentioned she had been to the Youran Teahouse for tea.

The young girls chattered away until Yu Tingzhi finished verifying the student roster and boarded the bus to sit beside Meng Chi, after which they quieted down and didn’t talk much further.

“Why do I feel like your students are all a bit afraid of you?” Meng Chi whispered into Yu Tingzhi’s ear.

“Hmm? Are they?” Yu Tingzhi glanced around out of the corner of his eye, and the inquisitive glances immediately darted away in other directions.

Meng Chi: “It must be because you’re usually too strict with them.”

“Calling him strict is an understatement—it’s downright brutal!”

Before Yu Tingzhi could speak, a low yet heavy voice of accusation came from the seat behind him. Meng Chi turned around toward the sound and saw two girls in the back seat looking out the window with an explicit “it wasn’t me” expression. He let out a low chuckle and said to Yu Tingzhi, “Hear that? Looks like Teacher Yu needs to be a bit gentler in the future.”

Yu Tingzhi glanced at Meng Chi and raised an eyebrow, asking in return, “Am I not gentle with you?”

Meng Chi was caught off guard. Out of the corner of his eye, the two girls immediately cast shocked, gossipy glances toward the two of them, their eyes sparkling with the excitement of uncovering big news. Meng Chi instantly felt a bit embarrassed. Clearing his throat lightly, he said, “I’m not your student.” After saying it, he realized the words sounded even more suggestive. Giving up on trying to fix it, he leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes to rest.

By the time they arrived back in Zewu, it was already close to dusk. The bus drove directly into the dormitory area of Zewu University.

Meng Chi got off the bus with the students, watching the youthful figures carrying drawing boards and rolling suitcases walk off into the distance. A few lively, outgoing students even said goodbye to him, saying they’d visit the Youran Teahouse for tea another day. Meng Chi smiled, said sure, and promised to give them a discount.

Besides promoting the Youran Teahouse, Meng Chi also received a drawing—it depicted the back views of the two of them as he leaned against Yu Tingzhi’s shoulder.

Simple line art washed over with bright watercolors; the scene was fresh, yet carried a subtle touch of intimacy.

Meng Chi felt a little bashful, a faint blush creeping behind his ears.

“Thank you.”

The girl laughed candidly: “It’s just a quick sketch, giving it to you as a keepsake. You’d better not dislike it!”

Meng Chi smiled warmly: “Of course not.”

Watching the girl walk away, Meng Chi’s heart was still struggling to settle down—so much so that he didn’t even notice Chen Yan suddenly popping up beside him.

“Yo, looks like our top-tier player really attracts both guys and girls. Even getting a ride comes with gifts from underclassmen.” Chen Yan bumped Meng Chi’s shoulder with a sarcastic tone. Since the drawing in Meng Chi’s hand was half-rolled, he could only see half a head on the paper.

“Is that a drawing of you?” As Chen Yan spoke, he reached out to unroll the drawing completely, only to have his hand slapped away by Meng Chi.

“Mind your own business, it’s not you anyway.” Meng Chi rolled the drawing back up and held it in his palm. “What are you doing here?”

“Hey, what kind of question is that? This is my school, where else would I be?” Chen Yan snapped back testily.

In truth, Meng Chi had only asked instinctively. The moment he asked, he realized Chen Yan must have hitched a ride back on the school bus just like he did.

“What’s wrong with you? Did you eat gunpowder?” Meng Chi glanced sideways at Chen Yan, asking with a frown, “Why so sarcastic?”

Chen Yan curled his upper lip and scoffed, saying somewhat discontentedly, “Nothing.”

Meng Chi looked at him suspiciously for two seconds, intuitively guessing he must have swallowed a whole load of frustration somewhere and was fuming with anger.

Before Meng Chi could ask, Chen Yan had already begun gossiping first.

“Are you and Teacher Yu officially getting it on?”

“…”

His phrasing—a mix of seriousness and vulgarity—left Meng Chi stuck between laughter and tears. He corrected him: “What do you mean ‘getting it on’? We’re together.”

After saying that, he thought of the drawing in his hand and asked, “Is it that obvious?”

Chen Yan scanned the other buses that had just arrived at the school, asking offhandedly, “What’s obvious?”

Meng Chi: “How did you know Teacher Yu and I got together?”

“Oh, heard it from Song Min this morning.” Chen Yan was still looking around. His wandering gaze suddenly focused when he caught sight of a familiar figure, and the anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by a angry sort of excitement. Throwing down a sentence, “Not talking to you anymore, I gotta go catch someone,” he zoomed off into the crowd of bustling students with his suitcase.

Meng Chi looked bewildered. Following the direction he was running in, he spotted the boy with long hair.

That boy was chatting with a companion, a relaxed smile on his face. The moment he saw Chen Yan charging toward him, his expression turned cold in an instant.

Meng Chi suddenly became curious.

“What are you looking at?” Having finished calling the roll, Yu Tingzhi walked up to Meng Chi’s side and asked.

Meng Chi snapped back to reality and withdrew his gaze: “All done?”

Yu Tingzhi shook his head: “No, I still have a few things to handle later, so I won’t be able to drop you home.”

“It’s fine, I can just take a cab back myself,” Meng Chi said.

Yu Tingzhi nodded, his eyes sweeping over the drawing paper in his hand: “What’s this?”

“A drawing from one of your students. It’s really well done.” Meng Chi smiled and handed the drawing to him. “Have a look.”

Yu Tingzhi took it, unrolled it, and looked at it for a moment. His gaze landed on the four characters written at the bottom of the picture—”May you be happily united for a hundred years”—and commented mercilessly, “The handwriting is too ugly.”

Meng Chi gave him a look and snatched the drawing back from his hands: “You don’t teach calligraphy, why do you care?”

Seeing that Meng Chi quite liked the drawing, Yu Tingzhi didn’t offer any further critiques. Instead, he asked, “When a student gives you a drawing, you keep it. So why did you return the one I gave you?”

Thinking back to the painting Spring Scene in the Garden that he had returned via express courier, Meng Chi let out a helpless laugh: “Teacher Yu, are you bringing up old scores with me right now?”

“I’m not,” Yu Tingzhi said.

Meng Chi glanced at him, then said, “Your student drew me, so naturally I can keep it. The one you painted was meant for your mother, so there was no reason for me to keep it.”

Yu Tingzhi had only been joking offhandedly, but Meng Chi’s serious, genuine explanation pleased him nevertheless. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and he added, “Are you saying that if I paint a picture of you, you’ll accept it?”

A picture of you.

Those four words almost immediately brought to mind the sketch Yu Tingzhi had drawn of him that day—the sketch where all his clothes had been stripped away.

Although Yu Tingzhi drew exceptionally well and it was very artistic, keeping a nude painting of himself would be way too perverted.

Meng Chi said with disgust, “I definitely don’t want one without clothes on.” Then, raising his eyes slightly, he tilted his head close to Yu Tingzhi’s ear and whispered softly, “However, if you draw one of yourself… I might consider taking it.”