DCTMOAS Chapter 40

Because rankings were divided by section, every exam held by the school alliance was treated seriously. After the final exams, all the teachers at No. 10 High School gathered back on campus and worked overtime for two full days grading papers.

This time, Chu Cheng once again failed to escape the dreaded essay curse. He drew the most mentally exhausting topic yet, subjecting his eyes, brain, and neck to a triple whammy of suffering.

On the first official day of winter break, Chu Cheng finally slept in. When he opened his eyes and glanced at the digital clock on his nightstand out of habit, it was only 8:30 a.m.

Since when did my biological clock become this normal? he wondered, slightly in awe of himself. Then, he flopped back onto the bed and rolled around twice like a lazy cat.

Bang bang—

There was a knock on the door.

Chu Cheng kicked off his blanket and shuffled over, bleary-eyed. Standing outside was Senior Zhou.

“Still not up? I came a bit later on purpose,” Zhou Jin said, blinking at the door-opener whose eyes were unfocused and feet were bare.

Chu Cheng’s brain hadn’t finished booting up yet. He didn’t catch the odd tone of the other’s words. He just squinted and lazily scratched at the messy black hair on his head.

“I just came by to pick something up, won’t be long.” Zhou Jin stepped inside and spotted the suitcase off to the side. “You’ve already packed? When are you heading home?”

Chu Cheng yawned. “Today.”

Zhou Jin: “You managed to get a ticket?”

Chu Cheng shook his head. “Gave up trying. I’m just riding with Mr. Yu.”

Zhou Jin laughed when he heard that. “Whoa, you two are getting along pretty well now. Wasn’t it you who once swore up and down, saying something like ‘Even if I starve to death and have to jump off a building, I’d never ride with Yu—’”

“Don’t you know that ‘eating your words’ is one of the three core traits of humanity?” Chu Cheng casually grabbed an apple and shoved it into Zhou Jin’s hand to shut him up.

Zhou Jin took the apple to the kitchen to wash it, replying as he walked, “Yeah yeah, I know. Honestly, I want you two to get along.”

After all, Chu Cheng had taken over the role of vice homeroom teacher for Class 7, Grade 11, on Shen Nannan’s behalf. Zhou Jin didn’t want to dump all the pressure on a junior just so he could enjoy his newly married bliss. But now it seemed like some people really did know how to pave their own path early.

As he walked out of the kitchen, Zhou Jin glanced at the small utility cart in the dining room. What used to be stacked with coffee and instant midnight snacks had now been replaced with milk, jam, and sliced bread.

“Not bad. Looks like you’ve been living pretty healthy lately. The place is clean too,” he said, flipping through a few items with satisfaction. “But since you’re leaving soon, you’d better tidy this up. Winter break’s long—don’t let this stuff expire and go to waste.”

Chu Cheng was sprawled lazily on the couch, already mashing buttons on his game console, and didn’t bother responding.

Zhou Jin shouted through the glass door, “Don’t play dead.”

“Ugh, just take it if you want. I’m not moving,” Chu Cheng mumbled, flipping over and returning to his previous cozy position, thumbs still tapping away.

“I take back my compliment,” Zhou Jin muttered, twitching his mouth in resignation and mentally retracting his earlier praise from two minutes ago.

Ding—

A new message notification lit up the phone buried under Chu Cheng.

He fished it out and looked.

A WeChat message popped up at the top of the screen:

[Yu Siting: You all packed? I’m heading over to pick you up now.]

So early? Didn’t they agree to leave after lunch?

Chu Cheng frowned in confusion—until he saw the time the message was sent: 12:05 PM.

His sleepiness evaporated instantly.

Wait, what?!

Jolting upright, he dashed to his bedroom to double-check—and sure enough, the digital clock on his nightstand still read 8:00 sharp.

It stopped!

No wonder he woke up “early,” and no wonder Zhou Jin had looked surprised. It was only now that Chu Cheng began to realize how off everything had been earlier. He rushed to the bathroom to wash up.

In his haste, he received another message from Yu Siting:

[I’m here. Just come down when you’re ready.]

“Huh? When did you wash your hair?” Zhou Jin had barely taken a few bites of his apple in the dining room, and suddenly the lazy couch potato from before was now in the bathroom with soaking wet hair, plugging in the hairdryer.

“…” Chu Cheng said something, but it got drowned out by the noise of the dryer.

After rooming together for so long, even on days when Chu Cheng was late for work, Zhou Jin had never seen him move this fast.

Apparently, procrastination isn’t incurable—it just takes the right person to treat it.

Chu Cheng finished getting ready, as quick as he could, and dashed downstairs. The white SUV had clearly been idling out front for a while. Dressed in a high-end trench coat, tall and composed, Yu Siting stepped forward, opened the trunk, and easily took the suitcase from him with one hand.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Chu Cheng said, panting slightly, still holding the flowerpot.

“Not long. He’s still eating,” Yu Siting replied coolly, nodding toward the open back door of the car.

Lu Yan was draped in a color-blocked jacket, lounging at an angle while eating oden. When he saw Chu Cheng approaching, he enthusiastically waved and twisted around from the back seat to pull out a box of pan-fried buns and a cup of hot coffee. He explained, “My uncle made a bet with me, said you wouldn’t be able to get breakfast by noon. So he told me to bring you some food so we could eat while we wait.”

And he’d nailed it.

Chu Cheng took the “breakfast” with a complicated smile.

Once he’d filled his stomach, the group got back into the car, ready to start their journey. Chu Cheng sat in the passenger seat and noticed a brand-new U-shaped neck pillow behind the seat—it hadn’t been there the last time he rode in the car.

He didn’t dare mess with it too casually.

But Yu Siting said, “A few days ago during the exam proctoring, I saw you kept rotating your shoulders. The ride’s a bit long—this should make it more comfortable.”

With the weather turning cold, Chu Cheng hadn’t gone swimming lately, and since his body was still in recovery, he hadn’t exercised much either. The muscle soreness was real.

He hadn’t expected Teacher Yu to notice such small details.

The pillow was pure white, soft just from the looks of it. Not long after the car started, Chu Cheng nestled it around his neck.

---

Yu Siting drove at a steady, unhurried pace. By the afternoon, they arrived near Chu Cheng’s home.

Seeing the courtyard wall of his house come into view, Chu Cheng said, “Let’s stop here—the road ahead gets narrow and it’s hard to turn around.”

Yu Siting replied, “Alright.”

It was a classic three-section Siheyuan^[1]. From the outside, the building clearly covered at least 800 to 900 square meters. Within the walls, towering ancient trees could be glimpsed, their arrangement both sparse and elegant. Even without stepping inside, the intricate cloisonné carvings on the outer wall were enough to show the family’s distinguished background.

Chu Cheng extended a sincere invitation: “We’re already at the door—want to come in and sit for a bit?”

Yu Siting got out of the car again, helped him with his things, and politely declined, “I can’t—time’s a bit tight. My family’s still waiting for us to eat dinner together. I’ll come visit properly another time.”

“Drive safe, then.” Chu Cheng didn’t insist. He leaned down to say goodbye through the car window and also waved at Lu Yan.

The kid in the back seat had been peeking out, admiring the residence. His eyes were full of curiosity, but he remained well-mannered and smiled as he called out, “Goodbye, Teacher Chu.”

Chu Cheng stood with the flowerpot in his hands, watching Yu Siting drive away. Only after the car turned out of the alley did he turn and head back into the house.

It was near sunset, and the lingering warmth of sunlight spilled across the intricately carved brick screen wall just inside the entrance of the Chu residence, casting dappled shadows that shifted with the light—highlighting the homeowner’s refined taste.

Dragging his suitcase behind him, Chu Cheng walked through the traditional Chinese garden. The meticulously crafted landscape, even in winter, appeared elegant and serene.

He had walked a good stretch without seeing a single soul, which struck him as odd. He stepped into the kitchen area of the guest wing to ask around and learned that his father was currently away on a trip.

“Your mother is in the studio.”

Professor Jin loved painting, and also had a fondness for flowers and greenery. So when she created her own personal space at home, she combined the two passions, building her art studio right inside a glass conservatory surrounded by plants. Whenever she was free, she’d spend her time there.

“I figured.” Chu Cheng put down everything except his porcelain-white flowerpot. Smiling, he responded while stepping into the second courtyard.

This courtyard preserved its classical charm, yet its detailed decor and layout hinted at modern aesthetics. The old and new coexisted in harmony, creating a space that felt like an oasis of tranquility amidst an otherwise bustling world.

Chu Cheng passed through a set of tall glass doors and entered a narrow, softly lit hallway. The floor beneath his feet was aglow with filtered colors—sunlight shining through the multicolored glass panels of the conservatory roof. This was his mother’s studio.

“Professor Jin, I’m home!” Chu Cheng called out before even seeing anyone.

As expected, his mother was tending to a pristine white bougainvillea. She looked up and, seeing her son walking in with the light behind him, smiled and said with gentle exasperation, “I heard you the moment you arrived. No one else in this house is as loud as you.”

When Chu Cheng stepped closer, he realized she wasn’t alone. Two young men were assisting her—Xu Chuan, and the other, someone he hadn’t contacted in a while: Shao Ji.

Because Chu Cheng was a “late-born child,” the sons of his father’s friends and family acquaintances were all older than him. Even the youngest among them was ten years his senior, so he rarely had much in common with them.

But Shao Ji, now in his early thirties, was the exception. They had grown up together and were what you might call “cross-generational childhood friends.”

“You two came together?” Chu Cheng looked between him and Xu Chuan, puzzled about how this unlikely pair had ended up arriving together.

Shao Ji was digging through a pot of loosened soil as he replied, “Heard you were coming back today, so I thought I’d drop by. On the way, I passed by the university and happened to see him at the gate, so we came over together.”

Chu Cheng didn’t buy it for a second. “Don’t try to sound all sweet in front of my mom. Like hell you’d come visit me out of the goodness of your heart. More likely, you ran your mouth again during a family visit and got chased out by your grandpa with his cane, right?”

He knew his childhood friend too well. This guy may have come from a noble, cultured family, but he was wild to the core—a stallion no one could rein in. From childhood to adulthood, the only thing he’d done that pleased his family was marry well. Everything else had been pure rebellion. Maybe that’s why the two of them got along so well.

“Hahaha, see? I’m not the only one who thinks so,” Xu Chuan chuckled, clearly struggling to hold it in. “I just walked out the school gates and got kidnapped. He insisted I come with him to your place for dinner and said he was too embarrassed to show up alone.”

“Him? Embarrassed?” Chu Cheng clicked his tongue twice, carrying his flowerpot as he wandered around the conservatory, eventually picking a sunny, well-ventilated spot for it.

Shao Ji glanced up, completely unbothered. “You two better treat me nicely. Cherish this rare quality time—we won’t be seeing each other again for a while.”

Xu Chuan asked curiously, “What, did you get pulled into some secret exam-writing task again? Gonna be locked up for days?”

Shao Ji wagged a finger. “Classified. Don’t be nosy.”

Just recently having suffered the pain of grading papers, Chu Cheng now felt a physical wave of nausea at the mere mention of exams. He quickly frowned and signaled his two mischievous friends to drop the topic and move on.

“Alright, stop bickering like kids every time you meet,” Professor Jin timely cut off the pointless chatter between the trio. She picked up a cloth beside her and dabbed at her skirt. “Weren’t you here for a free meal? Everything’s pretty much ready now. Go wash up and take a break. The kitchen staff heard Chu Cheng was back, so they must’ve cooked all his favorite dishes. If you want to add anything to the menu, there’s still time.”

“Yes, ma’am,” they all answered and got up, following her toward the dining room.

Coming from a refined family, Professor Jin was skilled in painting and calligraphy, and also well-versed in music and chess. The only thing she wasn’t good at — nor interested in — was cooking. So, the household always employed a professional chef for daily meals and maintained fixed dining hours.

While waiting for the food to be served, Chu Cheng scrolled through his phone out of boredom. Just a few minutes ago, Yu Siting had posted a WeChat Moment — the photo showed a table full of dishes at home, paired with an oddly out-of-place caption:

[Brought the cutest nephew home~]

Clearly, some kid was playing around with his phone.

Chu Cheng casually gave it a like and typed out a comment:

[Mine’s more lavish. Be good and give your uncle his phone back.]

The reply came quickly — just one word:

[Oh.]

Chu Cheng didn’t think much of it. He put his phone away and sat down for the meal, assuming the exchange had ended there. But a few minutes later, he felt a light vibration in his pocket again.

He pulled out his phone and saw a new WeChat message — from the same contact.

[How lavish?]

Chu Cheng hesitated, then typed back a question.

[Mr. Yu?]

[Yu Siting: Mm.]

Chu Cheng chuckled. While the others were distracted at the table, he sneakily raised his phone and snapped a photo, sending it over.

[Yu Siting: As expected of the spoiled only child.]

Imagining the teasing expression that likely accompanied those words, Chu Cheng couldn’t help but laugh.

Shao Ji, catching his actions and the slight curl of his lips, raised a brow. “Reporting your meals to someone?”

“A coworker,” Chu Cheng answered offhandedly before realizing, “Wait—what do you mean, reporting?”

Shao Ji glanced at the elegantly composed Professor Jin sitting across the table and lowered his voice: “Messaging someone even during dinner? Must be a female teacher, right? Just one semester and already that close — guess you two really click.”

Chu Cheng clicked his tongue and put his phone away. “No.”

“No?” Shao Ji grinned. “Haven’t you read that line in From the Seine to Florence? Hey, Dr. Xu, how does it go again?” He shot a look at the person on the other side, clearly scheming to tease Chu Cheng further.

Whether they were egging each other on or just had some weird telepathy going on, Xu Chuan instantly caught Shao Ji’s drift and joined in the fun: “Oh right~ I’ve read that too. That line.”

Chu Cheng was completely confused by their antics. “What line? What are you two even talking about? Stop playing dumb.”

“You three.”
A sudden soft call made the three tall young men instantly sit upright, no longer daring to whisper.

Professor Jin lifted her eyelids slightly and continued, “What are you murmuring about instead of eating properly?”

The elders in all their families placed great emphasis on table manners, so Xu Chuan, a little guilty, offered an awkward smile and replied, “We haven’t seen each other in a while — just sharing some reading insights.”

These three wild horses never agreed on anything, and now they were suddenly swapping book insights?

Professor Jin looked intrigued. “Can I hear some of it?”

“Uh, I actually don’t remember the exact quote,” Xu Chuan and Shao Ji exchanged glances, silently pushing the responsibility back and forth until Dr. Xu finally spoke up. “It basically means… no matter who you are or what circumstances you’re in, if you feel an instant connection upon first meeting someone—and you can already feel the pain of future parting—then you’ve definitely fallen for them.”

“Pfft—cough cough cough!”
Chu Cheng had just taken a sip of soup when he choked hard, bending over in a fit of coughing that nearly brought tears to his eyes.

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Author’s Note:

Chu Cheng: Are you two toxic or what?!