Qi Xiaoyan chuckled almost inaudibly: "Before I met Yang Wei, I didn't believe it either."
After taking the drunk Sheng Lei home, Yang Wei took a taxi home herself. Passing by the supermarket near her house, she stopped in to buy some food.
Pushing her shopping cart between rows of shelves, Yang Wei was somewhat absent-minded. She remembered when she and Qi Xiaoyan used to go grocery shopping, their favorite activity was to have him guess the total price of everything in the cart. If he guessed wrong, he had to be punished. But Qi Xiaoyan could always tell the total price accurately with just a glance at the cart, down to the last penny, so she was always the one who ended up being punished.
"Oh, your husband didn't come with you today?"
The cashier's question made Yang Wei look up at her. She didn't remember this cashier, but the cashier seemed to recognize her. She gave a perfunctory reply, and then heard the cashier say, "Then guess how much it will cost?"
Yang Wei: "..."
You're kidding me.
However, she did remember this cashier. Once, after Qi Xiaoyan quoted the total price, the cashier scoffed and said that they had calculated it in advance using their phones. But when Qi Xiaoyan glanced at the items the person behind her had placed on the checkout counter, she accurately quoted the total price again. The cashier's eyes immediately lit up as she looked at Qi Xiaoyan.
Yang Wei packed her things and decided not to come to this supermarket for the next month.
Back home, Yang Wei opened the door and immediately felt the house was unusually empty. But upon closer inspection, aside from a few missing photo frames, nothing else was missing. She placed the shopping bags on the coffee table, assuming Qi Xiaoyan had come back to move things. She opened the study door; most of the things inside had been moved. Only a few of her professional books and novels remained scattered on the bookshelves. The computer on the desk was also gone. Yang Wei had assumed that since Qi Xiaoyan had left the house for her, he would at least take some appliances, but he had only taken his computer.
She stood at the door for a moment, then turned off the light and went into the bedroom. Sure enough, about half of the clothes in the closet were gone. She closed the closet door and slammed herself heavily onto the bed.
It was only at this moment that she truly felt that she had divorced Qi Xiaoyan.
Yang Wei's gaze fell on some drawing papers on the computer desk. She crawled over, grabbed them, and casually flipped through them. On the front were several figure sketches, the model naturally being Qi Xiaoyan. Although Qi Xiaoyan was a university professor, he exercised whenever he had time, so he had a very good physique. Yang Wei particularly admired his perfectly curved waistline and taut back, not to mention his long legs and abs. However, Qi Xiaoyan never had the patience to be her model; these sketches were quickly drawn after she captured certain moments in her daily life, and the accumulated number over a year was enough to fill a sketchbook.
However, Qi Xiaoyan had no idea how many versions of him Yang Wei had painted.
Yang Wei flipped through a few more pages and saw a row of beautiful penmanship.
Find all integer solutions to the equation X² + Y² = Z².
Yang Wei's lips twitched involuntarily. A while ago, Qi Xiaoyan was only focused on writing his thesis, so Yang Wei went to his study to find him, saying that she was bored by herself. As a result, Qi Xiaoyan gave her an equation to solve.
That's right, I gave her an equation to solve!
Yang Wei still feels incredibly stupid when she thinks about it now. She actually spent ten minutes seriously studying the equation, only to realize that Qi Xiaoyan had tricked her. When she angrily pushed open the study door, Qi Xiaoyan merely glanced at her calmly and said, "Let's assume z and y are two consecutive natural numbers, and try again."
Then Yang Wei actually tried it, and happily solved it for half an hour before suddenly realizing: "Qi Xiaoyan! I didn't hire you to be my math tutor!"
Thinking of this, Yang Wei put the drawing paper back on the computer desk with some annoyance. Why is Qi Xiaoyan everywhere?
She got up, went into the bathroom to take a shower, and decided to go to bed early. She refused to believe that she could dream of Qi Xiaoyan while she was asleep.
She didn't dream about Qi Xiaoyan, because she couldn't sleep at all.
Without Qi Xiaoyan sleeping beside her, the bed suddenly seemed much larger, making her feel empty. Their wedding photo hung on the opposite wall; even without the lights on, she could clearly see the upturned corners of their mouths. The wedding photos were stunning; even the photo studio owner wanted to use them for advertising, but Qi Xiaoyan refused.
Yang Wei buried herself under the covers, refusing to look at Qi Xiaoyan's smiling face. She reached out a hand beside the pillow and found her phone.
It was already ten o'clock, but she was still wide awake. She opened the P app, intending to find a novel to read. A story called "Abstaining from Marriage" was on the bestseller list, and Yang Wei felt it resonated with her current state of mind, so she clicked on it.
The article's summary contained only one sentence: "I'm giving up marriage, just to give up on you."
Yang Wei exclaimed inwardly and began to read with great interest.
The female protagonist's entire family was murdered by the male protagonist's father because of a research achievement. To seek revenge, she deliberately approached the male protagonist. He fell in love with her and married her. She then killed his entire family and finally killed him. Regretting her actions, she desperately tried to resurrect him. After countless hardships, he finally came back to life. Overjoyed, she wept tears of happiness. Upon opening his eyes, he stabbed her in the heart.
Yang Wei: "..."
She remained silent for a full three minutes before finally reaching the comments section and dedicating her first ever -2 to the author: "Life is already so hard, why hurt each other? [Goodbye]"
She exited the app and realized it was already 2:30 a.m. She scrolled through her contact list, glanced at "Juanjuanzi" at the top, and with a pout, shoved her phone under Qi Xiaoyan's pillow.
On the first day of her divorce, she needed to have a good dream.
Goodnight, myself.
School
Yang Wei's alarm clock rang at exactly seven o'clock in the morning.
She fumbled around the pillow for a while, then instinctively called out, "Juanjuan..."
Her voice, soft and sweet from just waking up, was unusually gentle, but no one responded. Yang Wei frowned. Why didn't Juanjuan wake her up for breakfast today?
When she finally pulled her phone out from under Qi Xiaoyan's pillow and turned off the alarm, she suddenly remembered that she and Qi Xiaoyan were already divorced.
After lying there for two minutes, feeling drowsy and confused, Yang Wei suddenly jumped out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.
The school's morning self-study session starts at 7:45 a.m., which normally doesn't concern her much; she just needs to be at school before 8:20 a.m. However, this semester, the homeroom teacher of Class 2, Grade 5, took three months of maternity leave, and Yang Wei unfortunately became the acting homeroom teacher for that class.
Logically, the job of a homeroom teacher shouldn't have fallen to her, an art teacher, but all the other teachers firmly stated that they were too busy to manage another class. Yang Wei knew in her heart that a homeroom teacher only earned a few hundred yuan more per month than a subject teacher, but had to manage far more responsibilities, and no one wanted to take on that burden. Moreover, in the entire office, she seemed to be the most idle.
She quickly washed her face, tossed her curly hair a couple of times, and rushed to the wardrobe. The wardrobe was neatly filled with a dazzling array of clothes. Yang Wei rested her chin on her hand, considered for three seconds, and then started picking out clothes. A white folded shirt, a dark blue collarless jacket, black casual work pants—OK!
Yang Wei grabbed her light pink handbag from the living room sofa, slipped on her flat leather shoes placed by the door, and rushed out of the building. She arrived at the entrance of the residential complex at 7:24 AM. This complex was near the school where she worked, and Qi Xiaoyan used to drive her there every morning—it only took ten minutes. But today, as Qi Xiaoyan's ex-wife, she clearly wouldn't be enjoying that service anymore.
Taking the bus was definitely too late, but there was a taxi waiting area at the intersection ahead. Since there weren't many people hailing taxis at this hour, only two or three people were standing there. Yang Wei jogged over and joined the queue. Soon, a taxi pulled up in the distance, and Yang Wei felt the entire atmosphere around her change.
Something is burning.
It's fighting spirit.
The people who had been standing comfortably all straightened their backs, eagerly watching the approaching taxi. When the car stopped, several people rushed in, jostling each other. The first to touch the door handle was a man with a buzz cut wearing a suit; after he got there first, the others awkwardly returned to their places. The man with the buzz cut smugly straightened his tie, opened the car door, and turned to Yang Wei with a gentlemanly air, saying, "Madam, would you like a ride?"
Yang Wei looked at him in surprise, then pointed to herself: "Me?"
"Yes." He stepped aside and gestured for Yang Wei to enter.
The others watched them with interest. Yang Wei's eyes darted around, and she walked over, meeting the various gazes of those around her. After she got into the car, the man with the crew cut took a business card out of his pocket and handed it to her with a slightly shy expression: "Hello, my name is..."
"I know, your name is Lei Feng." Yang Wei smiled and stuffed the business card back into his hand, then slammed the car door shut. "No. 1 Primary School, thank you."
The taxi driver stepped on the gas, and the car sped away mercilessly.
The crew cut faded in the car exhaust.
Yang Wei took out her makeup bag from her purse and pulled out a small mirror. The driver glanced at her and asked, "Are you a teacher? You look very young."
As Yang Wei patted BB cream onto her face, she said to the driver, "I'm 24 this year." Because her face looks relatively small, she needs to wear light makeup to make herself look more mature.
The driver laughed and said, "If my teacher when I was a child had been as beautiful as you, I would definitely be a scientist now."
Yang Wei smiled and said, "Master, with such a sweet tongue, your business must be booming!"
The driver burst into laughter, a kind of demonic madness, like a slumbering devil.
Qi Xiaoyan had already finished his morning run around the new campus garden. He returned to his single dormitory room provided by the school, picked up his phone, and checked the time. 7:33. He wondered if Yang Wei had arrived at school yet. He scrolled through his contact list, his finger lingering on the word "Baby" for a few seconds before putting the phone back.
At 7:40, the taxi Yang Wei was in stopped in front of the gate of A City No. 1 Primary School. Yang Wei paid the fare, a smile playing on her lips, and went inside.
The First Primary School of the City is Mo Tianwang's alma mater. When Yang Wei was admitted, she was so happy that she sang a song on the spot. However, the school is now at a new location, and the old school site has been turned into the most expensive Chinese restaurant in City A.
Hello, Teacher Yang!
Good morning, teacher!
Many students kept running past her, and those who recognized Yang Wei greeted her. Yang Wei smiled and said good morning to each of them. As she walked up the stairs, she secretly rubbed her cheeks, which were a little sore from smiling.
"Good morning, Ms. Yang!" A male teacher in a white shirt greeted Yang Wei energetically as she entered the office. Yang Wei smiled at him and went straight to her seat. The male teacher followed behind her, asking with some concern, "Ms. Yang, are you in a bad mood today?"
Yang Wei turned around and smiled at him, saying, "I just don't want to see the math teacher for the time being."
Math teacher: "..."
A female teacher wearing black-rimmed glasses slid her office chair closer to Yang Wei and asked, "Did you really take the day off yesterday to get a divorce?"
The female teacher who spoke was surnamed Yao, and she was a fifth-grade English teacher.
Yang Wei hummed in agreement, put down her bag, and sat down in the chair. She glanced at her schedule; she had three classes today, two in the morning and one in the afternoon.
After receiving Yang Wei's confirmation, Teacher Yao paused for a few seconds before asking with a gossipy look, "Is he having an affair?"
Yang Wei turned her head and looked at her in surprise: "You've seen that man?"
Teacher Yao wasn't just stunned, she was completely bewildered: "...A man?"
"I heard that I've known him for over twenty years."
With her mouth slightly agape and an expression of utter disbelief, Teacher Yao moved back to her desk.
Yang Wei withdrew her gaze with satisfaction and got up to walk towards the classroom. The class representative was leading everyone in morning reading at the podium. Yang Wei walked around the classroom and then returned to the office. Teacher Yao was sitting at her seat editing something on her phone. Seeing Yang Wei come in, she handed her a piece of bread: "Here you go. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?"
"Thank you." Yang Wei took the bread and filled a glass of warm water on the table.
Inside the Imperial University, Qi Xiaoyan carried a stack of exam papers and strode quickly down the corridor, attracting the attention of many students. He also had two classes this morning, but he decided to take the exams to prepare. Upon entering the classroom, the previously noisy students immediately fell silent. A girl secretly took photos of him with her phone, but he pretended not to notice.
He walked up to the podium and said in a calm tone, "There will be a pop quiz today."
Wailing cries erupted from below.
Qi Xiaoyan continued, "The score of this exam will account for 20% of the final grade." As he spoke, he distributed the papers and kindly reminded everyone, "Because I'm divorced, this paper will be very difficult."
The students: "..."
As a math teacher, you can't do something so illogical!
After two exams, they realized just how difficult Qi Xiaoyan meant by "difficult"... Professor, why are there so many questions that I can't even understand!
Although everyone was tormented by a test paper, many people also received some exciting news—Professor Qi got divorced!
After handing in their papers, the students left the classroom in twos and threes. A tall girl walked to the podium and asked shyly, "Professor Qi, are you really divorced?"
Qi Xiaoyan was organizing the test papers when she heard this and looked up at her: "Teacher-student relationships are prohibited at school."
The girl paused for a moment, then said shyly, "I have one more year until graduation."
“I remarried by then.” Qi Xiaoyan picked up the exam paper and took two steps forward. “Of course, the other person wouldn’t be you.”
girl:"……"
At 11:40 a.m., all the morning classes at the No. 1 Primary School in the city ended. Yang Wei organized the students in her class to line up and leave the school gate, finally letting out a sigh of relief. She bought two servings of fried rice from a small stir-fry shop near the school, first checking with the school cafeteria to see if the students who stayed at school for lunch were eating properly, before returning to her office.
Ms. Yao was sitting alone inside, playing on her phone, when Yang Wei handed her a plate of fried rice and pulled out a chair to sit down. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the lit screen and saw it was a message from Juanjuanzi.
"Cough cough!" A grain of rice got stuck in Yang Wei's trachea, and she coughed violently. Teacher Yao, who was next to her, glanced at her and said coolly, "It is said that 120,000 people die from choking on their food every day around the world."
Yang Wei twitched her lips and tapped on the unread messages on her phone.
"Yang Wei! You told your colleagues I'm a lesbian?!"
Yang Wei: "..."
She glanced at Teacher Yao next to her, logged into Sina Weibo on her phone, and found a Weibo post that Teacher Yao had made that morning.