Forty-nine years old: [Are you sure? I have four words, you have three.]
Da Mengyi: [Oh, I misread it. My mind automatically mistook the "forty-nine" in your nickname for the number 49.]
The message she sent showed as read, but a minute later, Chai Qianning still hadn't seen a reply.
Sheng Muxi usually replies to her almost instantly on WeChat, so why is he so slow here? This made her think of something unlikely.
Da Mengyi: [Are you chatting with many people at the same time?]
The other party replied quickly this time: 【No.】
Da Mengyi: [Then why are you so slow to reply to messages!]
Forty-nine years old: [...] Why did you choose to chat with an older woman? What was it about her that attracted you?
When Chai Qianning saw the other person refer to themselves as "old auntie," she burst out laughing.
Da Mengyi: [Of course I like Auntie, that's why I chatted with her.]
49 years old: [I don't understand, do young people these days prefer older women?] [It's not that liking older women is bad, it's just that at my age, I could be your mother.]
Chai Qianning could already picture Sheng Muxi upstairs, looking at her phone screen with a furrowed brow.
It's like dealing with a rebellious teenager, patiently persuading them to turn back from the wrong path.
Da Mengyi: [Does Auntie own a house and a car?]
49 years old: [Yes, what's wrong?]
Da Mengyi: [Is Auntie short of money?]
49 years old: [I don't need it, why are you asking?]
Da Mengyi: [Mom!]
upstairs.
Sheng Muxi was quite startled by the sudden appearance of the word "Mom".
Although it was text, it felt as if someone was shouting the word in her ear.
The community has a nice environment with a large green area. At midnight, the sounds of insects and frogs outside create a natural white noise environment perfect for falling asleep.
Sheng Muxi was stunned for a while before she calmed down and went to pour herself some water.
She stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a water glass, watching the faint shadow reflected on it.
I wondered, have young people these days become so materialistic?
However, looking at Chai Qianning, she didn't seem like someone who was short of money.
Putting aside Chai Qianning, her younger sister also seems to be the kind of child who grew up in a wealthy family.
Could it be that parents treat their children differently?
It's unlikely, because the two sisters seem to have a good relationship.
Moreover, Chai Qianning owns a shop.
Could it be that the store is losing money?
But a small loss is probably not a big deal for wealthy families, right?
Sheng Muxi analyzed the situation casually, put the empty water glass on the table, and sat back down on the bed.
She picked up her phone, chatted with the other person for a while, and finally ended the conversation with "Goodnight".
Monday afternoon.
After finishing the class meeting with the students, Sheng Muxi returned to her office and tidied up the courseware on her desk.
Shi Manwen called and asked her to go out for dinner. She agreed and then hung up.
I was just getting up to leave the office.
Just then, a young male teacher from the office walked over and asked her if she wanted to go to the classroom cafeteria for lunch.
“My friend invited me to eat out, so I won’t go to the cafeteria.” Sheng Muxi smiled at him.
The male teacher scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Oh, okay."
The school has a junior high school section and a senior high school section, with the two campuses located on opposite sides of the road and connected by a pedestrian bridge. Shi Manwen teaches in the junior high school section.
This is the time when junior high school students are leaving school and high school students are resting and having dinner. The food street near the school is crowded with people, mostly students in school uniforms.
When Shi Manwen came out of the teaching building across the street, she immediately started complaining to Sheng Muxi about the group of brats in her class who made her angry every day.
Sheng Muxi comforted her, "Don't be angry, it will cause wrinkles."
Upon hearing this, Shi Manwen touched her cheek with her hand.
After weaving through the bustling crowd, the two went to the second floor of a restaurant they often frequented.
After taking their seats, Shi Manwen picked up the teapot and poured tea for herself and the other person.
"I might go somewhere else next year."
Sheng Muxi raised her eyes: "Why? Don't you want to be a teacher anymore?"
Shi Manwen picked up her tea and took a sip: "Not entirely. My girlfriend and I are in a long-distance relationship, so I was thinking of moving to her city to work next year."
"Oh, I see."
Shi Manwen raised an eyebrow slightly: "I hope I can see you find a partner before next year arrives."
"What does it matter whether I find a partner or not, or whether you're going to another city?"
"Of course, it's related. I can't let all my hard work for you go to waste."
Sheng Muxi chuckled, seemingly finding it amusing, her hair trembling slightly: "What effort have you put into me?"
Shi Manwen said, "Last time, I risked my life to accompany you to the bachelor party, but my girlfriend found out and misunderstood me. I had to explain for a long time to appease her."
"How can you blame me? You insisted on dragging me along."
"I only went because I wanted to drag you along. Otherwise, could you have gone by yourself?"
“Uncle Sheng was very kind to my family when he was alive. My dad also told me to take good care of you.”
Shi Manwen picked up a piece of bamboo shoot and put it in her mouth to chew: "Although I am only a month older than you, I have always treated you like a younger sister. I am worried about leaving you alone."
Sheng Muxi smiled slightly, her face calm and composed: "What's wrong with you today? You're getting all sentimental with me."
"Sigh, this isn't because I've been too sentimental with the students. What did that head of student affairs say? We need to be patient with students, to give them a gentle, nurturing emotional experience. I feel like I..."
Before Shi Manwen could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped, as if she had seen something glaring, and then her expression turned to one of relief.
"What are you looking at?" Sheng Muxi followed her gaze and her eyes fell on the keychain she had placed on the table.
"Ah, all my efforts to be sentimental with you were for nothing, you're already..."
Sheng Muxi put the keychain away first. Since her clothes had no pockets, she could only put it in her bosom. Ignoring Shi Manwen's burning gaze, she continued eating her food leisurely.
"You actually have a boyfriend!"
"What do you mean, 'I actually have a boyfriend'? It's not like I can't have a boyfriend!"
So you really have a boyfriend?
"No..." Sheng Muxi ran her fingers through her hair, wondering how Shi Manwen had gotten her fingers tangled up in it.
"Then why are you using matching keychains?" Shi Manwen looked at her with suspicion.
"How do you know it's a matching couple's item? You only glanced at it."
"I saw the word 'love' engraved on it."
"...You have excellent eyesight."
"Of course," Shi Manwen said with a hint of pride.
Sheng Muxi feigned composure: "I just didn't look carefully when I bought it."
"Really?"
"Never mind whether it's true or false."
Sheng Muxi patted her arm: "I have a question for you. I have a friend, a girl in her twenties, who has fallen for a 49-year-old stranger she has never met. What do you think this is like?"
"Never met in person? Is this an online romance?" Shi Manwen suddenly slapped her thigh: "It can't be you, can it?! I really didn't expect you to like someone so much older than you."
Sheng Muxi: "..."
"A friend! I'm talking about a friend of mine!"
Chapter 17 Fishing
As the sun gradually disappeared and the sky darkened, the crowds on the food street became less restless, with many students heading home or back to school for evening self-study.
Sheng Muxi and Shi Manwen were walking on the overpass when they happened to run into a psychology teacher who was passing by.
Shi Manwen greeted her, "Teacher Wu."
"Hey, Teacher Sheng and Teacher Shi, did you just finish eating?"
Sheng Muxi nodded and replied, "Yes."
Shi Manwen tugged at Sheng Muxi's arm: "Hey, you can ask Teacher Wu about this. Teacher Wu is a professional in psychology."
Ms. Wu smiled and had two dimples. She said modestly, "I wouldn't presume to call myself a professional. Have you two encountered any problems?"
The three of them leaned against the railing, looking down at the school playground, where the red running track blended seamlessly with the dark blue sky.
Sheng Muxi repeated what he had asked Shi Manwen in the restaurant.
The evening breeze was still a bit hot, and it felt warm on people.
Teacher Wu composed herself slightly and suddenly became serious: "Perhaps we can roughly divide it into two situations: one is fraud, and the other is a lack of love. Of course, other possibilities cannot be ruled out."
"But Teacher Sheng, you said that's your friend. If your friend isn't after the other person's money, then your friend probably doesn't genuinely like the other person either. Who says they like someone before even meeting them? Most likely, they're too lonely and bored in real life and just want to find someone to chat with online, or they lack a sense of security in real life and therefore like someone older and more mature."
Teacher Wu scratched his head: "Online romances with such a large age gap might exist if we're talking about true love. But they're extremely rare in real life, almost like miracles. So, Teacher Sheng, you should show more care for your friend in real life, so she can find some comfort there and won't have to look for someone online."
Sheng Muxi and Shi Manwen both nodded, agreeing that it made a lot of sense.