Teacher Qin Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Little White-Eyed Wolf

“Little white-eyed wolf.” Qin Qing gave Qin An’an a playful roll of her eyes before turning toward the kitchen. After Gu Yuwei took the snacks, Qin An’an tore open a bag for herself and ran behind Qin Qing, standing on her tiptoes to pop a piece into her mother’s mouth.

Qin Qing smiled as she ate it. Watching the two of them, a sense of longing welled up in Gu Yuwei’s heart.

After lunch, the two girls worked on their homework for a while. Qin Qing sat nearby, ready to answer any questions they might have. Seeing that they were almost finished, Qin Qing brought up another topic, telling Gu Yuwei about her encounter with Gu Tao at the supermarket and thanking him once again.

Gu Yuwei’s hands clenched tightly, though her face remained expressionless.

Time passed quickly, and Monday arrived in the blink of an eye. However, Gu Yuwei’s seatmate, Li Mei, did not show up that day. Rumors soon began to circulate throughout the school. It was said that someone had jumped off the sports building at the Experimental Middle School on Sunday. It was a Grade 9 girl, but no one knew exactly who. Word was that she had left a suicide note due to the immense pressure of her studies before taking the leap.

The rumors grew more intense, but the school administration suppressed the information. With the involvement of relevant departments, the girl’s name was never officially released. However, Li Mei never returned to school after that day. A few days later, her desk was cleared out completely.

The results of the opening exams were released, and someone else was moved into the seat next to Gu Yuwei. Qin An’an looked at Gu Yuwei, wondering what was on her mind. “Yuwei, what are you thinking about?” Qin An’an asked as she pulled her textbooks out of her desk. It was time for Chinese class.

Gu Yuwei snapped back to reality and shook her head with a smile. “It’s nothing.”

As time went on, no one mentioned Li Mei anymore. The incident of the Grade 9 student jumping off the building gradually became nothing more than idle gossip for the people of Linqi County. However, the event served as a wake-up call for the parents and teachers of Grade 9 and Grade 12 students.

Gu Tao’s work was gradually getting on the right track. His hard work was quickly recognized by his superiors, and on the day he received a promotion, he specifically bought a gift for Gu Yuwei. Gu Yuwei sat across from Gu Tao, staring at the gift box on the coffee table without moving a muscle. After Lu Fei’s death, Gu Yuwei had noticed a clear change in Gu Tao. However, this change only made her feel irritable.

Because all of this had deviated from her original plan.

Gu Tao was not good at communicating with Gu Yuwei, whether in the past or now. He looked at the gift box on the coffee table and rubbed his hands together before finally speaking. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I just bought something. I heard kids your age like this sort of thing.”

Gu Yuwei still didn’t react. Gu Tao sighed inwardly, knowing that his history of mistreating her couldn’t be erased overnight. It was only natural that she wouldn’t easily accept his sudden change of heart. He looked up, and the air fell silent. He wanted to find something to talk about but didn’t know what to say; he knew nothing about her life.

Even though they had lived under the same roof for over ten years, he didn’t even know what she liked to eat or what kind of clothes she preferred.

Gu Tao pursed his lips in defeat. Suddenly, he remembered someone and tentatively tried to start a conversation. “Your English teacher seems like a good person. I can see you like her quite a bit.” Gu Tao knew that Gu Yuwei had been spending a lot of time with Qin An’an this semester and went to Qin Qing’s house to do homework on weekends. “That friend of yours…”

“If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room.” Gu Tao was about to mention Qin An’an, but Gu Yuwei’s words cut him off. He watched her close her bedroom door and ultimately let out another sigh.

As soon as she closed the door, Gu Yuwei slid down to the floor. Hearing the movement, the little yellow dog in the room ran over, wagging its tail. Since Gu Tao’s change in personality, the dog had been allowed to stay in the room, and he no longer threatened to slaughter it. The dog nudged its head against her leg. Gu Yuwei picked it up and held it tightly.

After a long while, she put the dog down and stood up. She walked to her desk and took out a paper packet from a hidden compartment in the drawer. This was what remained from that day. She opened the packet and stared at the powder inside for a long time before folding it back up. She stood up and opened the door.

Gu Tao was sitting on the sofa. When he heard her come out, he quickly looked over.

Gu Yuwei walked over to him and pursed her lips, appearing as though she had been struggling with a decision for a long time. Finally, she spoke. “Teacher Qin has helped me a lot. I want to invite her over to our house. Would you…”

Gu Tao smiled and stood up, nodding. “No problem, Xiao… whenever you want. I’ll get everything ready.” He had almost called her “Xiao Wei,” but the name felt foreign on his tongue, and he worried she might dislike it, so he stopped himself.

“The first monthly exam is coming up, so let’s do it this weekend,” Gu Yuwei said after a moment of thought. “Also, you should be the one to contact her.” Gu Tao had gotten Qin Qing’s number during that recent encounter at the supermarket.

“Alright,” Gu Tao agreed. Then, remembering Qin An’an, he asked, “By the way, should we invite that classmate of yours too? The one you always do homework with. She lives with Teacher Qin, doesn’t she?”

Gu Yuwei’s brow furrowed slightly. “No need. She has to go home this weekend.”

Gu Tao gave an “oh” and didn’t ask further.

On the weekend, Gu Tao went out early to the vegetable market. Carrying bags of various vegetables, he made his way to the meat section, where the shouts of vendors immediately grew louder. Gu Tao picked up a piece of meat that still had traces of blood on it. “Boss, how much for this?”

The vendor, a man with scruffy stubble, smiled and gave him a price. Gu Tao was satisfied and handed the meat back to him. “I’ll take this piece.” The vendor smiled as he stuffed the meat into a bag. “This dog meat is fresh, a real bargain, hehe.”

“Forget it, I don’t want it.” Gu Tao’s hand paused as he was reaching for his money. He thought of Gu Yuwei’s little yellow dog and ultimately shook his head, turning to leave.

The vendor stared blankly at the meat in the bag before pulling it back out. He muttered toward Gu Tao’s retreating back, “What’s wrong with him? Is he playing with me?”

Gu Tao ended up buying a fresh fish. On his way home, he passed Old Chen’s convenience store. Old Chen, fanning himself, looked at the bags in Gu Tao’s hands and chuckled. “Yo, look at all those bags. Having guests over?” Gu Tao stopped and looked at Old Chen. He didn’t particularly like the man. Old Chen always looked friendly, but he was actually quite devious. Gu Tao had never liked dealing with him.

“Yeah.” Gu Tao tightened his grip on his bags and gave a cold nod.

Old Chen shrugged dismissively and asked, “Want some alcohol?” Gu Tao glared at him. Old Chen chuckled and waved his fan. “By the way, I haven’t seen that little yellow dog in a while. You didn’t actually slaughter it, did you?” Old Chen was joking, but Gu Tao ignored him and walked away. Finding no more amusement, Old Chen went back inside his shop.

By the time Gu Tao finished preparing the ingredients, it was almost time for his appointment with Qin Qing. Gu Yuwei watched as he brought the dishes to the table one by one, her eyes growing increasingly dark. She stood up and handed Gu Tao a glass of water she had prepared on the coffee table earlier. Gu Tao set down the last plate and looked at her, momentarily stunned. A flicker of joy rose in his heart as he took the glass and drank it down in large gulps.

Time ticked away. Gu Tao sat in the living room, glancing at the clock every now and then. Gu Yuwei sat across from him. “Xiao Wei, it’s about time. Should I call and ask?”

“Let’s wait a bit longer. Teacher Qin might have been held up by something. It wouldn’t be good to disturb her if we call suddenly,” Gu Yuwei replied.

“Fair enough.” Gu Tao nodded, not thinking much of it. “I’ll go cover the food so it doesn’t get cold.” He stood up, but in the next instant, the world began to spin. He shook his head, but the strange sensation quickly turned into a sweltering heat. He reached up to pull off his tie, his face turning an abnormal shade of red.

Seeing this, Gu Yuwei stood up and went over to support him. “What’s wrong?” The girl’s cool body temperature felt comfortable to him, and he instinctively tried to get closer. Before she knew it, Gu Yuwei was pinned down on the sofa. Gu Tao’s vision was a chaotic blur, and the heat in his heart drove him to tear at his clothes…

It was over an hour later when Qin Qing arrived. She knocked on the door, but a girl’s scream suddenly erupted from inside. Terrified, Qin Qing instinctively turned the doorknob. The door was unlocked. Without a second thought, she pushed it open and rushed inside.

The sight that met her eyes was horrifying. The house was in total chaos. Bloodstains were smeared across the floor from the living room to the kitchen. The dishes on the dining table had long since been smashed. Qin Qing hurried inside, calling out Gu Yuwei’s name.

“Go away! No! No…” The girl was clutching a glass bottle stained with blood, and the person that blood belonged to was collapsed just inches away from her. The girl’s clothes were torn open, and she was completely bare from the waist down. Her body was covered in long, narrow welts from a whipping. The weapon used for the beating—the belt pulled from the man’s waist—was still gripped tightly in the hand of the man on the floor.

The girl’s face was covered in tears, and her trembling body kept shrinking back. Qin Qing dropped her bag and ran toward her. The girl instinctively curled up to avoid her, but Qin Qing leaned down and pulled her into an embrace. “It’s me, it’s me. Don’t be afraid, Xiao Wei. It’s Teacher Qin. Don’t be afraid.”

Qin Qing continuously stroked the girl’s trembling back, her own eyes filled with tears.

The wail of police sirens echoed through the narrow alley. Qin Qing helped Gu Yuwei, who was wrapped in a coat, out the door. Bai Yang was standing by the police car. His gaze faltered for a moment when he saw Qin Qing, but he quickly recovered and instructed a young officer to take them away. Gu Yuwei clutched Qin Qing blankly, shaking her head repeatedly.

Heartbroken, Qin Qing pulled the girl back into her arms and patted her back to comfort her. “Don’t be afraid, Xiao Wei. Teacher Qin is here with you. Let’s go to the hospital together, okay? I won’t leave you.” Qin Qing’s voice was incredibly soft and gentle, which seemed to soothe Gu Yuwei.

Gu Yuwei nodded, her hands still gripping Qin Qing tightly.

The examination results were temporarily handed to Qin Qing. As she read the report, her legs shook so violently she nearly collapsed. Bai Yang, who had finished dealing with Gu Tao’s side, rushed over to support her. Qin Qing handed the report to him. “Officer Bai, now that the exam is done, I’ll take Xiao Wei home first.”

Bai Yang looked at the report and finally nodded.

Banxia Novel, so much happiness.