DCTMOAS Extra 2.2

After a month of classes, the second-year students welcomed their first placement test.

Han Rui sat in the office, clutching her phone, trying to brace herself before checking her scores.

Seeing the new teacher’s hesitation, her colleagues teased, “Xiao Rui, if you don’t check soon, you’ll be able to figure out your ranking just by elimination.”

Even Chu Cheng couldn’t stand watching anymore. As he passed behind her, he reached over and pressed the “check” button himself.

Han Rui quickly shut her eyes and cried out, “No, no, no—shifu, I’m not ready yet!”

But Chu Cheng gave her no chance to stall. He glanced at the result on her behalf and said, “The grades are fine—solidly above average.”

“Huh?” Curiosity won out, and Han Rui opened her eyes. The words “Rank: 9” suddenly leapt out at her. “That’s… way better than I expected!”

“See? Sometimes there are pleasant surprises.” Chu Cheng gave her shoulder a light, encouraging pat. “Stay calm, keep it easy.”

“That’s easier said than done. I think I finally understand how complicated your feelings were back when you pushed us so hard in Chinese.” Han Rui turned and glanced at Chu Cheng’s teacher-side computer screen.

[Average Chinese Score Rankings]
Grade 2 (Class 1): 2
Grade 2 (Class 7): 1
Grade 2 (Class 6): 6

Han Rui murmured, “So this is what they mean by admiration and longing.”

“To this day, you’re still the record-holder for highest Chinese score among all my students,” Chu Cheng said.

“Only because of a great teacher,” Han Rui replied.

Her sweet words put him in a good mood. He smiled and said, “Teachers are the same as students—we shouldn’t dwell on exams that are already over. What matters is learning from them and making adjustments. Alright then, enough about that. Give me last week’s open-class lesson plan.”

“Okay.” Han Rui moved her notebook to his desk.

Buzz, buzz—

Her phone vibrated with a text alert: her salary had been deposited.

Chu Cheng glanced at his own phone. “Salary’s in.”

“Mm~” Han Rui scrolled her phone as well, glanced furtively around, then muttered, “But the pay is so meager.”

Chu Cheng didn’t say anything, but his smile admitted agreement.

“I was hoping to use my first paycheck to buy a gift for my mom… but now it looks like my budget won’t stretch that far.” Han Rui rested her chin on her hand with a sigh.

“Be content,” Chu Cheng said. “The base pay and homeroom bonus have gone up a bit now. That’s something I didn’t see until my tenth year teaching.”

Han Rui laughed. “So I guess I’m standing on Shifu’s shoulders.”

They chatted casually until the end-of-class bell rang.

“Oh, time’s up.” Chu Cheng checked his watch, shut the lesson plan he’d just opened, grabbed his textbook, and stood. “I’ll look at this later. I’ve got Class 7 now.”

Han Rui hurried to follow. “Wait for me, shifu—I’ll come observe.”

Chu Cheng paused, surprised. “But Class 7 and Class 6 are on the same schedule. Didn’t you already observe this morning?”

“Yeah, but the two classes have different foundations. I want to see how you handle the details when you teach the advanced class.” She flipped through her observation notes as she spoke.

Good grief.

Chu Cheng sighed inwardly. Is she here to learn, or to evaluate me? The younger generation really puts on the pressure.

Master and disciple left the office together for the Grade 2, Class 7 classroom.

The previous period was math. Xu Shen had just finished observing a lesson, and Yu Siting was standing at the back of the room talking to him.

Chu Cheng leaned toward Han Rui and said, “See? I told you, new teachers are always full of passion.”

Han Rui muttered under her breath, “But they both look so grim…”

Xu Shen’s eyes were lost and bewildered, his expression small, pitiful, and helpless. Yu Siting, meanwhile, kept his usual unsmiling severity.

“No need to guess—it’s obvious your big brother scolded the kid again,” Chu Cheng said. Wanting to rescue the rookie from the fire, he stepped up to smooth things over.

As it turned out, the class’s monthly exam results had been poor, leaving Xu Shen discouraged and even doubting himself. Yu Siting had read his thoughts and delivered some merciless words of instruction.

“Alright, enough. Time to hand over the class.” Chu Cheng cut in, ending the exchange between master and disciple. He shifted the little plastic stool used for observation and changed the subject. “Tsk, where’d this thing come from?”

Xu Shen collected himself and replied quietly, “I brought it myself, just for observing lessons.”

“See? That’s inexperience talking.” Chu Cheng raised an eyebrow, leaned closer, and murmured so only Xu Shen could hear: “That stool doesn’t even have a backrest. Sit long enough with your legs crossed like that and you’ll give yourself lumbar strain. Go buy a better chair, and let your experienced group leader Yu pick it for you. He used to sit in this exact spot too.”

Staring at the narrow corner of the classroom, Xu Shen froze for a moment.

He understood what Chu Cheng meant.

Every great teacher starts with no experience. Even Tenth High’s math ace, Yu Siting, had once endured the grind, humbly seeking advice. The one who was hardest on him was also the one who understood him best.

“Mm.” Xu Shen nodded.

Yu Siting noticed the two of them, lifted his eyelids, and asked in a deep voice, “And what are you making up about me now?”

“See? He’s getting older—starting to care too much about what people say about him.” Chu Cheng grinned brightly and went on, “Nothing, nothing. I was just asking if these two kids have plans this weekend. If not, they could come to my place for dinner.”

Han Rui hesitated. “This weekend? Won’t we be imposing?”

Chu Cheng shook his head. “Not at all. Teacher Zhou and Teacher Shen are bringing their kids too. It’s just a small gathering—otherwise I wouldn’t invite you two.”

Han Rui and Xu Shen exchanged a glance and agreed with a smile.

Between classes, students bustled in and out, so it wasn’t convenient to linger chatting. Xu Shen carried his stool back to the office, while Yu Siting searched through the files by the cabinet.

“Teacher Yu, aren’t you forgetting something?” Chu Cheng leaned close, tilting his head at him.

“What?”

Chu Cheng replied, “Don’t play dumb,” then crooked a finger at him.

Yu Siting understood. He hesitated, lips pressed into a sharp line, then pulled out his phone and tapped a few times.

A few seconds later, Chu Cheng’s WeChat showed a transfer notification. He narrowed his eyes, unsatisfied: “That’s it?”

Yu Siting didn’t answer, just opened the recent salary deposit text to show him.

“So you don’t earn that much more than me,” Chu Cheng smacked his lips, clearly dissatisfied with the figure.

Han Rui, watching their little exchange, couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked.

Chu Cheng laughed: “I made a bet with him. Whoever’s student average ranks lower has to transfer that month’s salary to the other.”

“Teacher!” Han Rui widened her eyes, half angry, half amused. “You two are too much. Didn’t even think about how me and Teacher Xu would feel?”

Chu Cheng’s lips curved: “What, you two want a commission cut too?”

The young new teacher covered his forehead with a sigh: “If you guys keep this up, the pressure on me next month will only get worse~”

They were still joking when the next class bell rang.

Chu Cheng tucked his book under his arm and strode to the podium. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he tapped his phone quickly while walking and sent his brother a 200-yuan red envelope.

[I almost forgot about the weekend dinner at home. Take this to buy groceries—be thrifty.]

Yu Siting lowered his head, saw the message, and silently opened his sticker collection—filled with memes his students had made of Teacher Chu.

He picked one: cold-face.jpg, and sent it back.

【Thank you.】

—

The weekend came. After two grueling weeks of work, it was finally a chance to relax.

Before heading to the dinner, Xu Shen called Han Rui, and they bought some fruit together as a small gift.

At the gate of Fangtian Garden estate, Xu Shen finally asked the question he’d been holding in:

“Teacher Chu and my teacher… they’ve always lived together?”

Han Rui nodded: “Mm. When I was still in school, Teacher Chu had just graduated, and he rented your teacher’s place.”

“But Teacher Chu’s been teaching for nearly ten years now, and he’s even the head of the research group. He still hasn’t bought his own place?” Xu Shen blurted out, then sighed. “Looks like my goal of saving for a down payment in five years is a bit ambitious.”

Han Rui didn’t reply, but she also found it strange.

Never mind Teacher Chu’s family background—just his years of work, plus housing subsidies and all those teacher housing policies, he really should’ve bought a place by now.

“But then, houses in this neighborhood are insanely expensive. The new phase two development—I don’t even dare to dream of it.” Xu Shen sighed again, and that ended the housing talk.

By then, they’d arrived at Teacher Yu’s apartment.

It was Chu Cheng who opened the door, greeting: “You’re here. Don’t bother changing shoes, just come in.”

Xu Shen glanced inside at the elegant, carefully designed interior, and felt awkward: “I’d better change, the place is too clean.”

Han Rui was equally surprised. Two grown men living together, both busy all the time, and yet the house was so immaculate and well-kept.

Chu Cheng chuckled: “It’s just that we don’t have that many slippers. Just come straight in.”

Only then did Han Rui notice that Teacher Shen and Teacher Zhou had already arrived, bringing their little Wu Yi, and were sitting in the living room, chatting over tea.

“Teacher,” Xu Shen greeted the colleagues, then called into the open kitchen toward the busy figure.

Yu Siting answered with a faint “Mm.”

He was in casual clothes, standing at the counter, simmering a soup. Whatever was in the pot, the rich fragrance filled the whole dining area, making everyone’s mouths water.

Han Rui took a deep breath and couldn’t help exclaiming: “Wow, it smells amazing—what kind of soup is that?”

Chu Cheng said: “It’s a secret recipe from his family’s housekeeper. It’s almost ready—want me to serve you a bowl to try first?”

“No, no, no.” Han Rui waved her hands with a laugh. “I’ll wait till we all sit down.”

“Then you two sit and chat for a bit. Dinner will be ready soon,” Chu Cheng said as he stepped into the kitchen to lend a hand.

Both Han Rui and Xu Shen agreed readily.

Little Wu Yi, still at that age when elementary school kids are all energy and mischief, was darting around between the living room and the stairs.

“Behave yourself,” Shen Nan-nan called after him. “Don’t go touching your Brother Lu Yan’s things.”

Chu Cheng’s voice floated out from the dining room: “It’s fine. He’s too busy with his PhD to come back much. Whatever treasures he had, he took them with him long ago.”

Before long, dinner was ready.

Xu Shen stood up to help carry dishes. The table, now filled with fragrant, colorful, mouthwatering home-cooked plates, left the young man visibly stunned.
His usually cold-faced master… actually had such amazing cooking skills?

Han Rui couldn’t resist snapping a photo of the spread, sending it to her old class group chat. Over the years since graduation, everyone had been busy with studies and work, but the group still came alive with small talk from time to time.

[Han Rui: Guess who cooked this?]

Chu Cheng pushed chairs into place, shooting her a glance. “Enough playing around—wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

“Okay.” Han Rui stuffed her phone away without checking replies. “Master, big brother, I’m borrowing the restroom for a sec.”

Yu Siting nodded from the kitchen: “Go ahead. White sliding door, second switch from the left.”

Following his directions, Han Rui found the bathroom. It was clearly the guest bath—spotless, tidy, almost no signs of everyday use. On the shelf, only pristine white towels and a fresh box of tissues.

As she adjusted her hair in the mirror, her eyes caught something by the sink: a glittering pavé diamond ring.

She recognized it instantly—it was Teacher Chu’s. He must have taken it off when he came in to wash his hands earlier.

Wanting to remind him before he misplaced such a valuable item, she picked it up. That’s when she noticed something engraved inside the band.

Back in school, classmates had already noticed the ring Chu wore. It had sparked gossip for a while, but no one ever got an answer.

Curious now, Han Rui tilted it toward the light. The letters came into focus, elegant and flowing:

CC & YST

These two people…

At that moment, all the past oddities seemed to click neatly into place.

Her mind went blank for a few beats—until her phone buzzed in her pocket.

The class group chat had exploded with messages. Most were guessing it was some boyfriend’s cooking. Only one person had recognized the dining room and cut straight to the point.

[Lu Yan: I’m slaving away in the lab every day, and you all are having a feast in my house. Is this fair?]

That one message set off a storm.

Everyone piled on in mock outrage, wailing about missing home, some even joking they’d book a plane ticket right that instant just to join.

Han Rui ignored the noise for now, trying to steady her racing heart. She opened a private chat with Lu Yan, snapped a picture of the ring, and sent it over.

The engraving was already obvious enough, but she wanted confirmation.

His reply came quickly:

[Yo, quick—hide it. Give big brother a reason to come after you, and let my little uncle-in-law taste the cruel side of this world.]

The words little uncle-in-law were already an unmistakable answer.

Han Rui bit down on her knuckle in excitement, unable to type calmly.

[!!!]

[This earth-shattering gossip—how did you keep quiet all these years? Were you going cold turkey from your addiction?!]

[Lu Yan: Some things can only be felt, not spoken. Besides, the way those two act, it’s like they’re one step away from framing their marriage license on their office wall.]

Meanwhile, the group chat was still buzzing with classmates firing off questions, tagging the two men nonstop, desperate for a response.

Finally reconnecting to fiber Wi-Fi, Han Rui steadied herself, then typed just one line:

[I shouldn’t be sitting at this dinner table—I should be hanging from the rafters.]