DCTMOAS Chapter 74

After leaving the Grade 12, Class 1 classroom, Yu Siting returned to the math department office. He’d been busy all morning and was only now getting a chance to open the transfer student’s file.

As expected, the documents were incomplete and basically useless as any sort of reference. The admissions office leadership, disconnected from actual teaching, had done a sloppy job.

They had one hand feeding him sweet talk, the other pushing responsibility away—now they expected him to successfully guide a student he knew absolutely nothing about?

Teacher Chu already had a full workload this semester, and now looking at this pile of messy documents would no doubt leave him overwhelmed.

Although he’d said the assistant homeroom teacher would handle it, Yu Siting still wanted to help lighten the load. With a sigh, he called Director Yang.

Around lunchtime, Yu Siting left the office and headed to the staff parking lot early to wait for Teacher Chu so they could go eat together.

While he was waiting, Director Yang knocked on his car window, then got into the back seat and handed him another manila envelope.

“I just got the student’s electronic transcripts from their previous school and printed them out for you. Inside, there are also some past disciplinary records and reflection essays.”

Yu Siting took the envelope and casually pulled out one of the self-criticisms. With just a glance, he said, “These aren’t helpful. They’re all copied from the internet—some of the top search results, even. I’ve read them so many times I can recite them.”

Director Yang waved it off. “Well, take a look anyway. That’s all the info I could gather.”

“Thanks, boss,” Yu said politely, but the disgruntled look on his face clearly said: Here we go again—more work dumped on me.

Director Yang was long used to his attitude and didn’t mind. He suggested, “Teacher Chu seems to have met the kid before. Maybe it’d be better if he talked to him?”

“Yeah, they’ve met,” Yu Siting replied coldly. “While he was hospitalized, stomach still clamped up with hemostatic clips, and he still made time to ‘casually’ befriend a roommate—all to lay the groundwork for his future teaching career. Truly, dying on the job in the most literal sense.”

Director Yang caught the sarcasm and clicked his tongue. “You don’t have to be so sharp-tongued.”

Yu replied flatly, “It’s not like this is your first time hearing me talk.”

“Alright, alright,” Director Yang conceded. He’d already heard about the new student kicking the desk in front of Yu during the first class. It was understandable that the homeroom teacher might be holding a grudge. He tried to mediate, “But this kid really is a special case. Try to rein it in. If it doesn’t work out, we can consider asking him to transfer out.”

“Sure. Every year in senior year, one of these ‘special cases’ always ends up in my class.” Yu Siting wasn’t one to complain at length. He stopped there and said no more.

Director Yang noticed a soft, fluffy cloud-shaped U-shaped neck pillow hanging in the front passenger seat. Seizing the moment to change the subject, he commented, “The accessories in your car are kinda cute.”

Yu responded casually, “They’re my partner’s.”

That caught Director Yang off guard. “Wait—you’re dating someone?!”

Before Yu could answer, the car door opened.

A tall, lean figure slid into the front seat. Before even sitting properly, he reached for the U-shaped pillow, looped it around his neck, and buried half his face in it, violently rubbing his cheeks against the soft fabric.

“Ughhh—I can’t go on! I mispronounced a word in class and your class monitor laughed so loud!”

Yu asked coolly, “What word did you mess up?”

Chu Cheng looked mortified. “I meant to say getting on the boat, but I accidentally said getting on the bed…”

Yu Siting burst out laughing. “What exactly is going on in your head?”

Chu quickly explained, “I swear it wasn’t my brain—it was my tongue! Waaah—I’m calling the director right now to resign~”

Yu Siting adjusted the car’s rearview mirror and said leisurely, “No need to call—he’s in the back.”

“……” Chu Cheng turned around in confusion, his voice instantly silenced.

Damn, why didn’t you tell me before I screamed?

Director Yang, rarely seeing such an adorable side of a teacher, chuckled and reassured, “It’s alright, Teacher Chu. Slip-ups are perfectly normal—happens to everyone.”

Putting on a dramatic display of mental breakdown in front of your superior—what a certified social death moment.

Chu Cheng cleared his throat lightly, trying to ease the overwhelming awkwardness. “Please don’t mind that, Director Yang.”

The director didn’t seem to take it to heart, but his gaze landed on Chu Cheng still abusing the soft U-shaped pillow in his arms and asked in surprise, “Teacher Chu, don’t you want to ask whose pillow that is?”

“You mean the neck pillow?” Chu Cheng was slightly dazed and casually gave it a squeeze. “This one’s mine.”

Director Yang: ???

Yu Siting looked back at him. “What? Is workplace romance not allowed in public schools?”

Shock flooded Director Yang’s eyes. For a moment, he was speechless.

Is this about whether it’s allowed or not!?

Chu Cheng still didn’t get it. It was just a pillow—how did this suddenly escalate to school policy? Completely oblivious, he offered politely, “Director Yang, would you like to join us for lunch?”

The other man froze for a few seconds, then scrambled out of the car, glancing around furtively. He lowered his voice and said, “No, no, you two go ahead. Quickly.”

What Director Yang meant to say: Please keep a low profile. I beg you, don’t let anyone else find out.

What Teacher Chu understood: Lunch break is short—we’d better hurry or we’ll be late.

Thankfully, that awkward moment passed just like that. After saying goodbye to their superior, Yu Siting drove them out of the school while chatting casually with the person beside him, asking about his work progress.

Chu Cheng sighed, “Nothing groundbreaking, especially when it comes to that stubborn kid, Ying He.”

“Do you need a little motivation?” Yu Siting turned the steering wheel and handed over the file Director Yang had brought.

Chu Cheng opened it in confusion and pulled out a report card.

It was from Ying He’s last few exams before he took leave. During the first semester of senior year, around this time last year, his total score was 393, placing him in the 800s at his previous school.

“And what exactly does this motivate me to do?” Chu Cheng examined the sheet carefully, falling into deep thought.

Yu Siting reminded him, “At No. 10 High School, the ranking is calculated using an all-student average.”

Chu Cheng instantly understood, and his expression turned grim.

Yu Siting twisted the knife: “If you can’t straighten him out before the end-of-August monthly exam, Class 7’s Chinese grade alone might be enough to drag them right back to their old ranking.”

“I won’t allow that. Not happening.” Chu Cheng clutched the report card tightly and bit out the words through gritted teeth, declaring a personal war.

Yu Siting didn’t even need to glance sideways to feel the righteous flames igniting beside him. Smiling, he encouraged, “Then do your best.”

After a brief surge of morale, Chu Cheng suddenly came back to his senses. “Wait—just now, what did you mean by ‘workplace romance’ with Director Yang?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.” Yu Siting’s answer was calm as ever.

Chu Cheng paused for a moment, gears slowly turning in his head, then asked hesitantly, “You mean… he noticed the relationship between us?”

Yu Siting replied honestly, “It’s not that he noticed. I told him directly.”

“I’m doomed. I really have to write my resignation letter now.” Chu Cheng buried his face in his hands with a dramatic groan, realizing that the social death he just experienced in front of their boss was far more thorough than he’d imagined.

“Don’t panic,” Yu Siting said in a calm, reassuring voice. “If the two of us want to stay in the same grade level and enjoy some workplace conveniences, we’ll need at least one superior’s tacit approval.”

Chu Cheng muttered, “Still, wasn’t that a bit too straightforward?”

Yu Siting expertly reversed the car and parked neatly in the tight space in front of the restaurant. With full confidence, he said, “Based on my years of observation, Director Yang has the best temperament and stress tolerance out of all the recent leadership teams. So no—it wasn’t reckless. He was hand-picked.”

“Whoa~” Chu Cheng let out a fangirl-level sigh of admiration.

Yu Siting thought he was about to offer some insightful feedback, but the next second, he heard the man veer completely off-topic: “That parking was so clean though.”

“This steering wheel is a bit stiff. Once the other car’s repaired, I’ll take you out to practice.” Yu Siting leaned over to unbuckle Chu Cheng’s seatbelt. “Now get out—we’re eating.”

---

The workload for senior-year teachers had skyrocketed.

Chu Cheng had taken on an extra class, and on top of that, he constantly had to keep an eye on the newly transferred troublemaker. His nerves were stretched thin, always on high alert.

By the end of each day, he was absolutely exhausted—barely catching a few hours of sleep before dragging himself up again for early morning self-study supervision.

Finally, the first weekend of the new semester arrived, and he could finally sleep in.

Or so he thought—until he was rudely awakened by the man beside him.

The blackout curtains were pulled open, letting bright sunlight flood the bedroom. The air was warm and cozy, with a faint scent of toasted bread.

But Teacher Chu, still drowsy in bed, grumbled and snuggled deeper under the covers, whining half-angrily and half-adorably, “What are you doinggg~?”

“Get up—we’re going for a morning workout.” Yu Siting was already dressed, pulling open the wardrobe and tossing a set of activewear onto the bed. He gave Chu Cheng’s butt a playful squeeze through the blanket on his way past.

“Workout? Seriously? I’m dying of sleep.” Chu Cheng tried to go limp and pass out again, but was promptly scooped up into a seated position.

Yu Siting started massaging his shoulder blades while nagging, “You’ve been hunched over a desk all week without moving. I could hear your joints creaking last night. If you don’t do something soon, you’ll need physical therapy for your neck.”

“Spare me~ I just want to survive, I don’t need to be this healthy.” Chu Cheng grumbled, though he was still half-asleep and clearly enjoying the massage. “A bit more on the right shoulder.”

“And how many more shoulder rubs will it take to improve your Chinese class’s near-bottom ranking? Just give me a number and I’ll gladly oblige.”

“I’m gonna murder you!”

Clearly, what wakes me up every morning is not a dream—it’s Yu Siting’s verbal assault!

A certain Chinese teacher, thoroughly triggered, suddenly turned around and launched himself at the math teacher, flailing and pinching in retaliation.

“Even if I do come dead last, what the hell does that have to do with morning workouts?” The two wrestled playfully by the bedside until Chu Cheng finally shook off his drowsiness and dragged himself, grumbling, into the bathroom to freshen up.

“That’s why I told you to get out the door faster. You never know—maybe there’s a surprise waiting.” Yu Siting teased, keeping things mysterious as he tidied up the bedroom and headed to the living room to wait.

Chu Cheng finished getting ready and came out.

He had changed into the hoodie and cropped workout shorts Yu had picked out for him. Fresh and neat, he looked soft and clean-cut, his youthful, handsome face full of boyish charm—utterly harmless in appearance, with not a shred of sharpness in sight.

Yu Siting gave him a once-over and commented with a straight face, “Alright. Barely qualifies as a grown-up now.”

They walked their bikes out of the garden side by side, rode a few laps around the outer ring road of the Fantian View estate, and then stopped by a breakfast shop outside the complex to eat some pan-fried buns.

“Next time you lie to get me out of bed, at least come up with a better excuse,” Chu Cheng said, chewing on the last bite of his bun. The so-called “surprise” Yu mentioned still hadn’t shown up by the time their morning ride was over.

“Patience,” Yu Siting replied as he slowly walked his bike back.

Suddenly, from the pebble path ahead, came two deep barks. Chu Cheng turned his head toward the sound and spotted a somewhat familiar-looking teenager walking toward them, holding the leash of a massive Alaskan Malamute.

Was that… Ying He?

The student had been giving him the cold shoulder ever since his transfer—still holding onto some old grudge—so they hadn’t talked in a while, let alone had any friendly interactions.

This must be the surprise Yu Siting had mentioned.

Chu Cheng tilted his head toward his companion and asked, “How did you know he’d be here?”

Yu Siting replied, “I saw his residential address on his enrollment form—Fantian View. He probably moved here to make his return to school easier. I didn’t know which building he lived in at first, but a few days ago, I happened to spot him across the street while grabbing breakfast. So I asked housekeeping to check with his family’s nanny about when she usually walks the dog. Turns out he takes the dog himself on weekends.”

Chu Cheng couldn’t help but be a little impressed.

Damn, he thought, is being a teacher now also part-time detective work?

As they spoke, Ying He and his dog approached. The student glanced warily at his teachers, face unreadable. But since they were blocking the only path home, he had no choice but to walk up to them.

“Well, what a coincidence, my little hospital buddy,” Chu Cheng greeted him first, smiling.

Ying He’s large, handsome, and slightly dumb-looking Alaskan Malamute tried to rush up for some pets. He held the leash tightly and replied coolly, “It’s not like you don’t know my name.”

“And it’s not like you don’t recognize me. Is saying hello really that hard?” Chu Cheng followed up smoothly.

Ying He furrowed his brow slightly, then muttered in a low voice, “Mr. Chu… Mr. Yu.”

“I heard from Director Yang that you were on medical leave for quite a while. Have you recovered fully now?” Chu Cheng asked in a tone full of concern, as if he hadn’t already heard all about the kid’s rebellious escapades and truancy issues.

The student wasn’t having it. “I’ve been bouncing around right in front of you all week, and now you remember to ask?”

Chu Cheng’s smile only grew brighter, eyes full of innocent sparkle. “You’re the one who told me not to bring it up at school. Said if I slipped up, you’d report me. Forgotten already?”

Ying He pursed his lips. His eyes flicked toward Yu Siting, who stood quietly off to the side. Curiosity got the better of him. “Why are you two always stuck together?”

“We’re roommates,” Chu Cheng answered naturally. “Work is work, friendship is friendship. We’re not the type to confuse things and drag school grudges into our personal lives. Right, Mr. Yu?”

Yu Siting didn’t say much, but gave a definite nod.

Ying He caught the jab in Chu Cheng’s words and rolled his eyes. “Did we ever have a friendship?”

Chu Cheng chuckled and leaned on his bike, shaking his head with a touch of regret. “If you say we didn’t, then we didn’t. But back when you were calling me ge and helping me sneak out of the hospital, you sure didn’t act like this.”

Ying He didn’t reply. He gave the Alaskan Malamute’s leash a little tug, preparing to leave.

As he passed by Chu Cheng, the man spoke again: “Did you finish building the LEGO set I gave you?”

At the mention of that, the tight furrow between Ying He’s brows visibly eased. He paused, then replied in a quiet voice, “Yeah. Took me a long time.”

Chu Cheng’s lips curved in a gentle smile. “Good. I stayed up all night watching auctions to get that one. Didn’t even open it for myself.”

Ying He’s home was just around the corner—they lived on the first floor. He stopped in thought for a second, then turned back. “It’s sitting right there. You want to come in and see it?”

Chu Cheng asked, “Can I?”

Ying He beeped the fingerprint lock open and gave a sidelong glance at Yu Siting. “Just you.”

When Chu Cheng handed off his road bike to Mr. Yu, he caught a flicker of something complicated in the man’s eyes.

Like… a man personally delivering his own wife to someone else’s front door.

Seizing the moment when no one was watching, Chu Cheng blew him a cheeky air kiss.

I’ll never forget Mr. Yu’s sacrifices for the cause of education.

Yu Siting could only stay where he was, holding that sweet nothing like an IOU drawn on thin air.

The apartments in the south block of Fantian View were all the same layout. Ying He’s home was identical to Mr. Yu’s spacious flat. When Chu Cheng walked in, everything felt oddly familiar—like he could just head straight to the bedroom without directions.

Ying He didn’t live with his parents. Or rather, this apartment had clearly been purchased just so he could attend school nearby. A housekeeper handled his daily needs, but on weekends, he was entirely alone.

Chu Cheng didn’t want to treat this rare, unplanned home visit like a mission. No lectures, no agenda. He acted like a friend dropping by for a visit—genuinely curious, more interested in the boy’s toys than in trying to fix him.

And the truth was—he really was interested.

Ying He had the kind of personality that loved inventing, creating, playing, and tinkering. The living room was filled with LEGO sets, robots, and astronomical models.

As he excitedly introduced his latest beloved creations to Chu Cheng, the tension between them gradually melted away. Slowly, they slipped back into the rhythm of two old friends who once shared joy over a hospital bed.

“Are you thirsty?” Ying He finally paused after talking endlessly about all his whimsical ideas. “Want something to drink?”

Water, tea, coffee—those were the options that came to his mind.

But the person fiddling with LEGO blocks had a completely different thought process. Without hesitation, he made a request: “I want a can of Wangzai Milk with ice chunks.”

“If you hadn’t said it, I would’ve forgotten how someone your age ended up living in the gastro ward’s observation room,” Ying He muttered under his breath before picking up his phone. “I’ll go to the convenience store at the entrance. Wait for me and don’t mess with my stuff.”

“Got it,” Chu Cheng responded, still focused on assembling the little propeller.

But he hadn’t applied the right amount of force, and a few pieces in his hand suddenly popped apart. Chu Cheng quickly bent over to pick them up and began reassembling them. In the process, he unintentionally spotted a stack of exercise books stuffed under the low cabinet.

He casually flipped one open and found that most of the questions had already been completed. And all these workbooks were the newest editions from this year—there was no way Ying He had bought them before taking a leave from school.

Chu Cheng let out a quiet sigh.

In fact, even before Ying He had transferred into their class, he already had some idea about this kid, thanks to the idle conversations they’d had during those boring days in the hospital.

Ying He was born into a family of civil servants—not only was his father a high-ranking official, but his grandfather, maternal grandfather, and grandmother were all influential figures.

So he grew up surrounded by a kind of aura, even fortune-tellers would flatter the family by saying this child was born extraordinary and destined for power and prestige.

Growing up in that kind of environment, it was inevitable for Ying He to feel like his individuality would never be seen. No matter how hard he tried, he would never escape the life that had already been laid out for him.

The reason Chu Cheng had felt sympathy for this kid in the first place was because he understood—he had done the same things when he was young.

He didn’t want to play the piano, so he cut the strings. Didn’t want to memorize poems, so he smashed his father’s inkstone. Hoping that rebellion would earn attention, trying to stand out through defiance.

Looking back now, those thoughts were childish. But everyone has moments of childishness, of confusion, of things they can’t run from.

The door lock beeped softly again from outside.

Without changing his expression, Chu Cheng slid the stack of workbooks back under the coffee table and resumed assembling the parts in his hands.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the whole morning had slipped by while they hung out at Ying He’s place. Neither of them had noticed.

Until a soft buzz came from Chu Cheng’s phone—it was a message from Yu Siting, nudging him to come back.

[Teacher Chu, I arranged the home visit for you, but don’t you think you’re overdoing it? If you don’t come back soon, there won’t be any lunch left for you.]

Chu Cheng chuckled, about to reply with a simple “on my way,” but his fingers paused mid-typing.

He thought for a moment, then changed the message.

[Send the eldest son to call me.]

Ying He’s stomach growled, reminding him it was already lunchtime. He absentmindedly scrolled through his phone, looking for a restaurant with good reviews to order delivery from.

Soon after, the doorbell rang.

Ying He got up to answer it, puzzled by how quickly the food had arrived—only to find his deskmate standing outside.

They stared at each other in surprise.

Lu Yan looked at the house number and asked uncertainly, “This is your place?”

Ying He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Then who else do you think you came to see?”

“He came to see me,” said Chu Cheng from the sofa, having just finished assembling the propeller. He carefully attached it to the main structure.

Ying He stepped aside slightly.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Lu Yan smiled politely, but didn’t step inside. He leaned in just a bit and called out, “Teacher Chu, lunch is ready. Uncle made the samgyetang you like. If you don’t come back now, it’s going to get cold.”

“Coming,” Chu Cheng replied. After securing the final piece, he finished the last sip of Wangzai Milk on the table. “Perfect timing.”

Ying He saw him standing up and asked, “You’re leaving?”

Chu Cheng shook the empty can and grinned. “Thanks for the hospitality.”

“Can you come again this afternoon?” Ying He’s expression didn’t change much, but his eyes betrayed a hint of hope.

“Probably not. I’ve already spent the whole morning slacking off,” Chu Cheng said as he walked to the entryway, casually ruffling Lu Yan’s hair. “After lunch, I have to supervise him doing homework. This kid’s been getting sloppy with his problem-solving lately. If he performs like this again in the monthly exam, he might lose his streak of over ten consecutive top rankings.”

Lu Yan dodged away, smoothed down his tousled hair, and muttered under his breath, “I wasn’t that bad—”

Ying He stared at the two of them without saying a word.

Chu Cheng changed into his shoes, said goodbye to his student, then threw an arm around Lu Yan’s shoulders and chatted idly with him as they walked off toward the building across the street.

Before Ying He even had time to close the door, a blue-uniformed delivery guy approached and handed him a bag of food. “Here’s your order. Enjoy your meal.”

Ying He’s gaze drifted toward the backs of the two figures walking away, then down at the double meal set in his hand. Without a word, he quietly shut the door.

---

After several days, tasting Teacher Yu’s cooking again, Chu Cheng was thoroughly satisfied.

The afternoon sun was warm and pleasant. Chu Cheng, too lazy to move, curled up on the terrace with his tablet, watching a food anime.

Meanwhile, Lu Yan and his uncle were watching a documentary in the living room.

“Make me a cup of black tea,” Yu Siting ordered, eyes fixed on the TV screen.

“Okay.” Lu Yan stuffed a slice of pork jerky into his mouth, reluctantly glanced back at the screen, and got up to grab a tea bag from the bar counter in the dining area.

Next to the marble countertop was a bright yellow file folder. Judging by the official stamp on it, it must have been brought back from school. The white papers inside had already spilled out onto the floor.

“These two guys are so unreliable together,” Lu Yan muttered as he bent down to pick them up, grumbling about how carelessly the two teachers left important documents lying around.

But as he glanced over one of the sheets, his brows suddenly lifted in surprise.

Ying He — Senior Year Monthly Exam Total: 393
Math: 150
English: 148
Physics: 95
The other three subjects were all zeros due to absence.

Lu Yan brewed a pot of black tea and placed it on the coffee table in the living room. He tidied up the empty snack bags without a word, then quietly went upstairs to do his homework.

A kid who usually had to goof off a bit before studying was, surprisingly, being this self-disciplined today.

Yu Siting sensed something and turned to glance at his nephew’s retreating figure, smiling faintly to himself. He turned off the documentary, headed to the dining room to retrieve a document folder, and strolled back with his cup of black tea to sit leisurely beside Teacher Chu.

“Caught someone in the act again?” Chu Cheng lifted his eyelids and glanced at the folder in Yu Siting’s hand.

Yu Siting countered, “So I’m not allowed to use reverse psychology just because you used it first?”

Chu Cheng neither agreed nor denied.

Yu Siting leaned sideways, resting his head on his lover’s shoulder, his voice gentle: “Stop reading, you woke up early today. Why not take a nap?”

“No,” Chu Cheng shifted a bit in the rocking chair. “If I nap now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“You won’t have time to sleep tonight anyway.”

“Huh?”

Chu Cheng finally heard the hidden meaning in his partner’s words and stared at him, trying to read something from the depths of those unreadable eyes.

“Teacher Chu’s cycling moves during morning exercise looked sharp—nothing feels off, right?” Yu Siting pressed his cheek close and asked sincerely, “Then… can we continue where we left off tonight?”

Chu Cheng finally understood.

So the morning cycling was just a test. Running into the student had just been incidental. This was the real surprise he’d been planning.

“You cunning little fox, always calculating something.” Chu Cheng’s ears turned red, his cheeks flushed quickly too—a silent acknowledgment of the scheme.

“If I’m cunning, then you’re fake-naïve,” Yu Siting saw right through the obedient-looking man and added in a low voice, “I have one more shameless request.”

Chu Cheng blinked in confusion. “What now?”

Because Teacher Chu had looked so exhausted over the past few days, Yu Siting hadn’t had the heart to bother him. But now… his patience had run out.

“Tomorrow’s a day off. Can I be a little reckless tonight?”