DCTMOAS Chapter 78

The signal in the office wasn’t great. After getting two warnings about a poor network connection, Chu Cheng switched to voice chat.

He was tidying up his desk and chatting idly with Yu Siting when the man suddenly pushed the door open and walked in.

Startled, Chu Cheng looked up and asked, “Why didn’t you knock before coming in?”

“You’re the only one here, so what’s the point of knocking?” Yu Siting had already scoped out the surroundings before entering. After the rhetorical question, he added, “When I’m in the shower at home, you barge in without a word. Yesterday, I believe you even…”

Got some ideas and started getting handsy with me.

Chu Cheng’s cheeks turned red. He pinched Yu Siting’s arm to cut him off. “That was at home. Right now, we’re in the office! How can you not distinguish between personal life and work?”

“Oh.” Yu Siting stood straight by the desk, looking like a student being reprimanded. “I really can’t switch between passionate and indifferent as smoothly as Teacher Chu. And my language skills aren’t that great, so I don’t know how to describe it properly—let’s just call this behavior ‘turning your back on someone the moment things change,’ shall we?”

Chu Cheng felt his face grow hotter by the second, but had no comeback. Sometimes, he genuinely wanted to tear that mouth off Yu Siting’s face.

What kind of mental fortitude did he have, to be able to say such infuriating things while gazing at someone with such smoldering, flirtatious eyes?

After being speechless for a few seconds, Chu Cheng finally squeezed out a warning: “Mr. Yu, if you keep this up, I’m going to kick you out of my office.”

“Alright.” Since the other party insisted on keeping things professional, Yu Siting had no issue complying. With a perfectly straight face, he asked, “Then does what you said earlier still count? You were grinning like an idiot just now—how much money should I deduct from your pay today? What are you planning to treat me to for dinner?”

Chu Cheng had long since stopped taking the whole “deducting pay for smiling too much” thing seriously.

Fully embracing his refusal to engage with workplace emotional manipulation, he replied boldly, “No money.”

And he wasn’t lying. Lately, although he’d been “paying rent” in a very hands-on manner, the money he saved always ended up being spent elsewhere.

For example, his in-game character had just gotten a new skin with an ever-increasing price tag.

Even though he knew the excuse was flimsy, Yu Siting still pulled out his phone, opened the transfer screen, and typed in his password while asking, “Can you afford to treat me now?”

Chu Cheng glanced at his phone, saw the transfer notification lighting up the screen, and felt both annoyed and amused. But staring at that string of zeros at the end of the amount, he couldn’t exactly say no to this bold, money-slinging display of affection.

He accepted the money but kept up the sass. “You old guys really love your pointless rituals.”

Yu Siting replied smoothly, “A bouquet of origami roses on Teachers’ Day isn’t considered a ritual, but treating me to dinner is? Teacher Chu, your double standards are truly something else.”

“None of your business.” Chu Cheng tucked the paper roses away and locked them inside his cabinet.

As he bent down, his well-proportioned figure—accentuated by the cut of his formal suit—was put fully on display. His body, lithe and aesthetically pleasing, had an allure that was hard to ignore.

Yu Siting stood above, watching every move. Despite the formal setting and attire, his mind was filled with the kind of thoughts that could never be spoken aloud.

Tomorrow was the weekend again. Although it was one of those weekends with no actual break, he figured they could still get a little reckless.

His eyes never left Chu Cheng as he leaned in and murmured by his lover’s ear, “This outfit looks really good on you. Can you wear it on our date tonight?”

Chu Cheng didn’t catch the implication and replied casually, “What else would I wear? It’s not like I can go home and change again.”

“I meant,” Yu Siting stepped closer, his voice dipping as he whispered, “that kind of date.”

Chu Cheng’s mind went completely blank—and then, embarrassingly, conjured a vivid image.

The two of them, suited up and elegant, freshly awarded the “Outstanding Teacher” prize at the semester kickoff ceremony, turning away from the stage only to rip off their ties and jackets and proceed to engage in utterly indecent acts, completely unbefitting their public personas.

His throat was dry, and the tips of his ears flushed a bright red. The unusual color crept down his neck along the edge of his collar, stark against his naturally pale skin—undeniably noticeable.

Yu Siting added fuel to the fire, casually saying, “Since Teacher Chu is so good at separating his roles, you wouldn’t be unaware that after accepting the househusband’s ‘domestic work allowance’ in public, you’re expected to fulfill your wifely duties at home, right?”

“You shameless pervert, get out!” Chu Cheng realized he’d fallen for it again—just a few words from Yu Siting had made his knees weak.

But remembering he still had one more class before the end of the workday, Teacher Chu hastily summoned every ounce of self-control and shoved the man out of his office, voicing a rather guilty-sounding demand: “From now on, unless I give you permission, you’re not allowed in my office.”

Yu Siting had clearly achieved his desired effect and left without protest, raising an eyebrow in mock innocence as he swaggered out of the Chinese teacher’s domain.

Just like last semester, weekends at the school included self-study sessions and extra lessons for different subjects.

Around eight or nine in the morning, Chu Cheng finally appeared in Class 7’s classroom, legs still a bit wobbly.

“Teacher Chu! Did you miss me?”

He was immediately swarmed by students—namely Bai Xiaolong and Jiang Zhibo.

Looking at the two, Chu Cheng blinked in surprise. “You guys are back?”

Bai Xiaolong explained that their team selection process was over. From now until the physical fitness exams in April, all the sports students from Tenth High would be training with the school team. At the same time, they’d be returning to their original classes to keep up with academics—a dual-track approach.

Jiang Zhibo scrutinized Chu Cheng’s face and commented, “Haven’t seen you in a while. Teacher Chu is still as handsome as ever, but you look a little worn out. Like, even more exhausted than I am after ten laps around the field this morning.”

Worn out? Of course he was.

Chu Cheng shot a glare toward the back of the room where Yu Siting’s desk sat. Someone’s nightly workouts definitely lasted longer than ten laps around a track.

After some ritualistic greetings and playful teasing, the two early-returning athletes started reconnecting with their classmates.

Watching them excitedly joke around with Mu Yiyang, Li Sheng, and the rest of the boys, Chu Cheng couldn’t help feeling a headache brewing.

Sigh… here comes the chaos again.

Where should he put these two troublemakers? Chu Cheng wandered around the classroom for a bit and, just to be safe, assigned each of them a deskmate with a calm and steady personality.

As the bell rang, the students settled into their self-study session.

Yu Siting walked over to Chu Cheng and asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you sleep in a little longer?”

Chu Cheng replied, “Didn’t you say you had a teaching research meeting? With self-study all day, someone still has to keep an eye on the class.”

“My meeting might run long. I probably won’t be able to come back during the day.” Yu Siting nodded toward the two boys who had just taken their seats. “Those two just got back. They’re all hyped up and might stir up trouble. You sure you can handle them?”

Chu Cheng let out a sigh. “I’ll do my best.”

Yu Siting nodded, picked up the materials he needed for his meeting, and left behind a simple instruction: “Call me if anything comes up.”

Not long after the homeroom teacher left, Ying He quietly slipped in through the back door of the classroom.

He wasn’t wearing a school uniform—just a black sun-protective tracksuit. His eyes were naturally slanted, giving off a fierce and cold look. When paired with his foul mood, his sideways glances made him seem even more unapproachable.

Chu Cheng glanced at him and asked in disapproval, “What’s with you? Showing up for school later than I show up for work.”

Ying He looked exhausted and only muttered something about waking up late before heading straight to his seat. He pulled up the hoodie that came with his tracksuit and laid his head down on the desk to rest.

The sports students, after spending so long in off-campus training, now found exam papers as incomprehensible as ancient texts. Naturally, they had a hard time staying quiet during self-study.

Bai Xiaolong, seeing that their “big bro” had to leave for work, got even bolder in his excitement to be back. He leaned across a row of desks and asked one of the students behind him, “Who’s that guy?”

Mu Yiyang gave a dismissive snort and began recounting the transfer student’s exploits for his long-lost bro. Though he tried to stay mostly objective, there was clearly some personal bias mixed in.

“No way, he’s that arrogant?” Jiang Zhibo leaned in to join the gossip session, frowning in disapproval. “You guys just let some newbie act all tough in Class 7? Let him try kicking my desk and see what happens—ow!”

Chu Cheng, having been keeping an eye on this little gathering for a while, picked the perfect moment to roll up a test paper and smack it on the boy’s head.

“Why are the three of you huddled together? Sit properly.”

“Yes, sir!” The trio still had some respect for Chu Cheng and obediently turned back around, though that didn’t stop them from continuing their conversation via handwritten notes.

Chu Cheng’s eyes shifted toward Ying He. He couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong with the kid today, but even from the back of his head, the word agitated was practically written all over him.

Lu Yan, who sat next to him, was also a kid with a strong personality, but he never wore his emotions on his sleeve. In comparison, Ying He was undeniably a textbook troublemaker.

Bai Xiaolong and Mu Yiyang had been childhood friends, and they now trained alongside Jiang Zhibo. Put all of them in one room with Ying He, and isolation was inevitable.

Chu Cheng’s right eyelid had been twitching nonstop. He was starting to worry that keeping these kids together in one classroom was a recipe for unexpected conflict.

During the lunch break, even though Yu Siting wasn’t physically at school due to his meeting, he still managed to send his nephew to deliver takeout to Chu Cheng from afar.

Lu Yan stayed behind to eat with him in the Chinese department’s office.

After finishing lunch, Lu Yan stepped out to take out the trash. On the way, he stopped by the nearby faculty restroom—only to overhear someone inside making a phone call.

The voice sounded… oddly familiar.

“Why do you have to attend that event today? You clearly promised me.”

“It’s always like this. Then what’s the point of having a secretary?”

“Forget it. I didn’t really want a birthday gift anyway.”

“You don’t need to worry about my business.”

Lu Yan hadn’t intended to eavesdrop, but the speaker was clearly agitated. Even with the sound of running water from the sink, he could still hear every word.

He flicked the water off his hands, ready to leave the restroom—when suddenly, there was a soft click as the door to one of the stalls opened.

Ying He stepped out.

He had already heard the faucet earlier and knew someone else was there. He’d assumed it was a teacher—but seeing it was his own deskmate caught him off guard. He stiffened noticeably, his fingers fidgeting nervously around the phone.

Their eyes met. The atmosphere turned awkward.

Lu Yan knew that in this kind of situation, even if he claimed he hadn’t heard anything, Ying He wouldn’t believe him. So, he simply admitted it outright and picked a relatively neutral topic to ease the tension.

He smiled at Ying He and spoke first:
“So, it’s your birthday today? Happy birthday.”

---

Author’s note:
Ying He: Just for that birthday greeting, I won’t blow up at you today.
Teacher Chu (with ominous foreboding): I knew nothing good comes from a twitching eyelid…