Teacher Qin Chapter 10

Chapter 10: You Really Have a Pig’s Brain

Not long after Wang Xin left, Brother Xu made a phone call to explain the situation to the person on the other end. A woman’s voice answered, telling Brother Xu to just do his duty before hanging up.

In the early hours of the morning, the lackey who was still bandaging his hand received a call from Wang Xin. He put his phone away, but his palm began to bleed again from how hard he clenched his fist. He stepped out of the breakroom and, after confirming Brother Xu was not around, turned to find Lu Fei.

Lu Fei watched the approaching lackey and questioned him sharply. He acted as if he hadn’t heard her, picking up a cloth and pressing it against her nose and mouth. Lu Fei struggled to no avail and eventually lost consciousness. Avoiding the people in the bar, the lackey carried Lu Fei out of Hongke Bar.

A car was parked at the back door of Hongke Bar. Seeing the lackey approach, the person inside opened the door. The lackey hesitated for two seconds, but the person in the car grew impatient. Gritting his teeth, the lackey placed Lu Fei inside.

After the car drove away, the lackey paced back and forth in hesitation. Ultimately, he decided to tell Brother Xu what had happened. Upon hearing the news, Brother Xu slapped the lackey across the face and led a group of men toward Wang Xin’s location.

When Lu Fei woke up, she was met with piercingly bright lights, though the setting was different from Hongke Bar. She tried to stand up, but before she could, a force pushed her back onto the sofa. She shook her head, trying to clear her vision.

The sounds of three or five men whispering reached her ears. Although she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she knew she couldn’t stay there. Lu Fei stood up and headed for the door, but a man in the private room pulled her back. He cursed, calling her a bitch, and raised his hand to slap her.

Lu Fei’s left cheek swelled up from the blow. Just then, the door opened, and a man in a formal suit walked in—it was Wang Xin. He waved his hand, signaling the others to step back, and approached Lu Fei. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. Only then did Lu Fei recognize him. Wang Xin sneered and prepared to make his move. Lu Fei gritted her teeth, pushing the man away in disgust. During the struggle, she leaned forward and bit Wang Xin on the shoulder.

Hissing in pain, Wang Xin pushed her away. Seeing this, one of his men stepped forward and whispered something in his ear. Wang Xin nodded with a smile. Having received permission, the man turned and produced a needle from somewhere. Several men held Lu Fei down to keep her from moving.

The thin needle pierced Lu Fei’s skin, and her struggling gradually weakened. Only then did the man put the syringe away with satisfaction. Seeing this, Wang Xin approached Lu Fei again and reached out to touch her face. His fingers inadvertently brushed beneath her nose. The man recoiled in terror, stumbling back until he collapsed onto the floor.

The man who had administered the injection didn’t understand what was happening and hurried forward to help Wang Xin up. However, Wang Xin raised his hand and slapped him. Dammit! Get the hell out of here! After shouting, Wang Xin pushed the man aside, stood up, and rushed out the door.

The morning glow, carrying the chill of dawn, draped over the entirety of Linqi County. On the surface of the Linqi River, a dilapidated fishing boat rocked unsteadily with the current. A man in his fifties, with the marks of time etched into his temples and the corners of his eyes, was scavenging for floating debris. He took a deep breath of the calm morning air, bent down to pick up his fishing net, and happened to catch sight of something floating on the water.

The man rubbed his blurry eyes. Once he was certain there was something in the distance, he cast his net. He exerted a great deal of effort to drag the net back to the side of the boat. As soon as the bloated corpse touched the side of the vessel, its clothing became visible. The man finally realized what was in his net and collapsed onto the deck in terror. The net began to slide back into the water under its own weight, but the man quickly scrambled across the floor to grab the very last corner of the mesh.

Lu Fei’s funeral was very simple. It was held at the mortuary with no prayers and very few people in attendance. Gu Yuwei had come with Gu Tao. The case had finally been closed when Bai Yang found Wang Xin. The police followed up quickly and arrested the person who had administered the injection. Lu Fei’s cause of death was ruled as a drug overdose.

Wang Xin was eventually released on bail.

Today, Gu Tao wore a suit he hadn’t touched in many years. The black fabric only made him look more somber. He stared at Lu Fei’s body bag for a long time before finally snapping back to reality. Gu Yuwei left the mortuary, finding someone standing outside—it was Brother Xu. Gu Yuwei looked up at him. Brother Xu looked down at the young girl and knelt on one knee. I’m sorry.

Gu Yuwei watched him quietly for a long while before finally speaking. Why wasn’t it you who died? Brother Xu’s hands trembled, and he bit his lip until it bled. Gu Yuwei didn’t give him another glance, turning away to leave.

Inside the mortuary, a man held a woman’s body and sobbed uncontrollably.

Gu Tao, Qianwen is Qianwen. No matter how much you hate her, that’s between the older generation. Yuwei isn’t at fault, and she shouldn’t be treated that way. She’s just a child. Take care of her… please, I’m begging you.

This had been Lu Fei’s final phone call, and it had become her last words.

Gu Yuwei walked on the way home. The amusement park was not open today. She looked through the high fence, hoping to see something, even just a glimpse. After returning home, she locked herself in her room and sat at her desk. She rummaged through her schoolbag but couldn’t find what she was looking for. Remembering something, she stopped and pulled a pencil out of her pen holder.

A scratching sound echoed through the quiet room. Gu Yuwei rubbed the eraser of the pencil against the desk with all her might. After an unknown amount of time, the eraser was worn down to nothing, leaving only the sound of the metal ferrule scraping against the wood—sharp and ear-piercing.

Grade 9 arrived quickly. Since that incident, Gu Tao seemed like a different person. He started going out to look for work, quit drinking and smoking, and began trying to be kind to Gu Yuwei. Class 1 of Grade 9 also welcomed a transfer student this semester—Qin An’an. Now that they were in Grade 9, the small group system at the Experimental Middle School was changed. To make regular testing more convenient, the six-person groups were replaced by two-person desks.

Gu Yuwei sat with Li Mei. Gu Yuwei appeared very despondent because of what happened to Lu Fei, but surprisingly, Li Mei seemed even more depressed than her.

Li Mei, what on earth have you been learning! You’re in Grade 9 now, and you can’t even answer such a simple question. You really have a pig’s brain…

The classroom was filled with the male teacher’s reprimands. Li Mei stood by her seat in silence, not even lifting her head. The teacher was furious and threw the workbook directly at Li Mei’s face. Look at what you’ve written! After he finished scolding her, he walked back to the podium with his hands behind his back, looking disappointed.

After class, Gu Yuwei noticed something was wrong with Li Mei and tried to ask her about it indirectly, but Li Mei had no energy to talk. Qin An’an walked over and sat at the desk in front of Gu Yuwei with a smile, leaning forward to look at her. Yuwei, is your leg feeling better?

Gu Yuwei nodded with a smile. It’s all better now.

Qin An’an was talkative and lively. She chatted with Gu Yuwei for a while longer until the bell rang, returning to her seat only when she had to.

After school, Qin An’an left with Qin Qing. Because the school was close, Qin An’an had moved into Qin Qing’s home after transferring. Qin An’an held Gu Yuwei’s hand while Qin Qing walked beside her. Gu Yuwei felt extremely awkward the whole way, but she couldn’t find a way to refuse Qin An’an, especially since she had to walk in this direction anyway.

When they reached the entrance of the residential complex, Qin An’an finally let go of Gu Yuwei. Yuwei, tomorrow is Saturday. Why don’t you come to my—I mean, my aunt’s place? We can do our homework together. My aunt said your English is great. You have to help me; I’m a total disaster at English.

Gu Yuwei looked up at Qin Qing. Qin Qing didn’t say anything, which meant she agreed, but Gu Yuwei felt increasingly hesitant.

Seeing her reluctance, Qin An’an quickly changed her tune. If it’s inconvenient for you, I can come find you. We can write at your house instead. Qin An’an shook Gu Yuwei’s arm. Please? Pretty please, Yuwei?

Seeing this, Qin Qing felt helpless, knowing that Qin An’an was about to start acting spoiled. She was about to speak with a wry smile when Gu Yuwei beat her to it. No, it’s fine. I’ll come find you tomorrow.

Really? Qin An’an was delighted. Seeing Gu Yuwei nod again, she started jumping for joy.

After they made their plans, Gu Yuwei started walking home.

The next day, Gu Yuwei arrived at Qin Qing’s residence as promised. Qin An’an was already waiting for her downstairs. When they entered the apartment, Qin Qing was nowhere to be seen. Qin An’an explained, My aunt went out to buy groceries. Yuwei, can you stay for lunch? I still have so many English questions to ask you.

Gu Yuwei pursed her lips. She wanted to say that for English questions, wouldn’t it be better to ask Qin Qing? However, she only thought it and didn’t say it aloud. Okay.

Qin Qing went to the supermarket and bought some vegetables and meat. When she reached the snack aisle, she thought of Gu Yuwei and Qin An’an and picked out several bags of snacks that girls their age liked. At the checkout, Qin Qing searched all her pockets only to find she didn’t have any small change. Just as she was about to take out her phone, the man behind her spoke up and handed over fifty cents. Use this. Hearing the voice, Qin Qing looked at the man and smiled. Oh, it’s Yuwei’s father. Are you here for groceries too? Qin Qing glanced at the shopping cart in front of Gu Tao.

Gu Tao looked at Qin Qing and quickly averted his gaze. Yes. Gu Tao had an interview with a company today, and it had gone well; he could start work on Monday. So, he wanted to buy some food to cook a meal and celebrate when Yuwei came home.

After they left the supermarket, Qin Qing spoke up. Thank you for earlier, Mr. Gu. By the way, Yuwei is at my place right now. Qin Qing told Gu Tao about Qin An’an inviting Gu Yuwei over for homework. Remembering her niece’s request before she left the house, Qin Qing also mentioned that Gu Yuwei would be staying for lunch.

Gu Tao didn’t say much after hearing this, simply nodding to show he understood.

After they parted ways, Qin Qing didn’t delay any further. When she got home, the two girls were in the living room discussing problems. Hearing the door open, Gu Yuwei still felt a bit constrained. She stood up and greeted the woman entering the room. Teacher Qin.

Qin Qing was slightly taken aback, then nodded with a smile and asked, Are you hungry? I’ll go make lunch; it won’t take long.

No… Gu Yuwei lowered her head shyly. She had never stayed for a meal at someone else’s house before, especially when that person was her teacher.

Qin An’an was much more relaxed. Hearing this, she jumped up and ran to Qin Qing’s side. I’m starving! What did you buy, Auntie? What took you so long! As she spoke, she took the snack bags from Qin Qing’s hands and skipped back to Gu Yuwei to offer her some.