DCTMOAS Chapter 76

Chu Cheng froze for a moment but quickly reacted and replied, “Mr. Yu is my landlord—I’m renting his place.”

“Ohh~” the student replied with a drawn-out tone.

“Has the warning bell rung? Go on, back to your class, do what you need to do.” Chu Cheng brushed off Bai Xiaolong and, standing by his desk, grabbed his teaching materials and magic wand, then shoved the student out of the office.

Walking through the corridor of the teaching building, Chu Cheng opened the system emails on his phone, scrolling with one hand and deleting all recent evidence of his in-game purchases.

After finishing all that guiltily, he suddenly came to a realization. Wait, what kind of mentality is this?

It was a bit like a kid doing something sneaky and afraid of being caught. But Yu Siting—what kind of parent is he supposed to be?

Chu Cheng chuckled to himself, feeling it was all a bit ridiculous, and walked into the classroom to prepare for class.

Because of the recent academic exchange activities, for over a week, Mr. Yu had been going out every afternoon with the school’s teaching research group to attend training sessions at partner schools.

So every morning, he would drive the car to school, and in the afternoon or evening, Chu Cheng would drive it back.

Only when returning to Fantian Scenic Estate did Chu Cheng’s reverse parking become perfectly smooth—thanks to Mr. Yu’s foresight in buying four underground parking spots in one go. No matter how badly he parked, it didn’t matter.

On the day of the August monthly exam, Big Brother was still scheduled for off-campus training and had no extra tasks assigned. The school arranged for Shen Nannan to help Chu Cheng proctor Class 7’s exam.

The two of them usually didn’t share the same office, and both were too busy with classes to chat much. While the students were filling out their names on the test papers, Chu Cheng took the chance to ask his sister-in-law about Senior Zhou’s recent status.

“He’s doing great,” Ms. Shen leaned casually against the lectern and replied in a low voice. “Lately he’s been in a great mood, researching all sorts of nutritious recipes after work every day.”

Chu Cheng followed up, “What’s got him so happy?”

Shen Nannan smiled shyly, her voice soft: “We went for a health check-up last week and found out I’m over forty days pregnant.”

“Really?” Chu Cheng quickly fetched a chair for her to sit down. The couple had always been lovely people—he was genuinely happy for them.

Most of Chu Cheng’s friends from his year had started school fairly young. Many were still in grad school or pursuing PhDs. Hardly anyone had even mentioned marriage yet. Zhou Jin was the first one he knew who was going to be a dad. Naturally, it felt novel.

“Do you guys want a boy or a girl?” Chu Cheng asked curiously.

It was a bit early to be asking that, but Shen Nannan answered seriously, “He definitely wants a girl, but I’d prefer a boy.”

“You’re the one giving birth—of course your word counts,” Chu Cheng said with a chuckle.

Speaking of boys, he suddenly thought of the class’s problem child—the transfer student. The first exam of the day was Chinese. He wondered if the brat was trying to bluff his way through it.

After chatting with Ms. Shen a bit more, he asked her to keep an eye on things for a while, then got up to check on Ying He’s exam situation.

Because he was a transfer student, Ying He had been placed in one of the back rooms, seat number one, right next to the wall. Chu Cheng stood by the half-open classroom door, just enough to observe through the narrow crack.

As expected, the kid did not disappoint—barely into the test, and he was already passed out on the desk, fast asleep. His exam papers were crumpled under his arms, and he hadn’t even written his name.

One of the proctors inside reminded the class to maintain discipline. The sound disturbed Ying He, who groggily lifted his head and turned toward the noise—only to find himself staring straight into a pair of vengeful eyes peering through the door.

The boy’s shoulders suddenly trembled. Caught red-handed while half-asleep, he looked startled and confused—like a clueless, dumb little deer. Gone was his usual aloof, cool demeanor.

Chu Cheng raised his index and middle fingers and pointed at his own eyes.

“I’m watching you. Get to work.”

Ying He grew annoyed and tugged his curved-brim cap down over his head, attempting to turn away again and ignore everything.

“You think I can’t deal with you?” Chu Cheng, irritated by being blatantly ignored, raised his fist and shot him a threatening glare.

If you dare tank my class average on purpose, just wait and see how I’ll deal with you later.

The proctor inside the classroom noticed something going on by the door and walked over, asking Chu Cheng, “Mr. Chu, is there something wrong?”

“Oh—no, nothing.” Chu Cheng quickly turned his motion into a fake stretch, smiled awkwardly, and casually turned to leave.

“Mr. Chu! I was just looking for you.” A voice called out from behind him.

On his way back to Class 7, Chu Cheng was stopped by a fellow teacher from the Chinese department.

The colleague handed him a test paper and asked for his opinion: “Could you check this part of the writing prompt? It looks like there might be a printing error.”

Chu Cheng hadn’t had a chance to look earlier. Now, holding the paper, he carefully read through the material and then nodded in confirmation: “I remember the original version of this passage—yes, this part’s definitely misprinted.”

His colleague said urgently, “Then we need to get it fixed ASAP. It’ll be a problem if any students have already started their essays.”

Chu Cheng glanced at the test paper and suddenly thought of something. Smiling, he offered, “I need to head downstairs anyway—I’ll take care of it.”

The colleague gladly agreed and handed him the exam template.

Chu Cheng jogged down the stairs at top speed, a bit out of breath as he reached the Academic Affairs Office and knocked on the door.

Not only did he manage to get the question fixed in time, but he also made the most of his trip by sneaking in a little extra content during the announcement over the school broadcast. He casually mentioned two students—Lu Yan from Class 7 and Li Yue from Class 18—who received full marks in last semester’s final essay exam, as scored by the regional grading panel.

Tucked into the correction notice, the names of Lu Yan and Li Yue didn’t seem out of place at all. It was just a quick mention, but sharp ears would catch it.

Feeling very satisfied with his not-so-subtle shoutout, Chu Cheng wrapped up by kindly reminding all students to read the questions carefully—and then cut the mic.

By the time he made it back upstairs and passed the classroom again, that previously “checked-out” student had started actually examining the essay prompt.

Chu Cheng walked by silently, smiling without saying a word.

After all, Chinese kids are just naturally competitive.

The monthly exams lasted for two days.

Because a power outage had been scheduled in the school’s district, students didn’t have to attend evening self-study after the second day’s exams.

The faculty got to leave early, and just like the past few days, Chu Cheng drove his precious troublemaker home.

Fantian Scenic Estate also fell within the affected blackout zone. Luckily, it wasn’t too late in the day yet, and there was still enough natural light to see the roads clearly.

As soon as they stepped inside, Lu Yan instinctively kicked off his shoes and went to switch on every light in the living room—but nothing happened.

Only then did the boy realize what was going on. He curled up into the hanging chair by the window, stared out at the distance through the floor-to-ceiling glass, and complained,
“Why does the North Block still have power while the South Block doesn’t? Isn’t this regional discrimination?”

“Because the North Block has high-rise buildings. They need power to run the elevators. Besides, the outage notice clearly said it’s only for a few hours—there’s no need to start up the big generators,” Chu Cheng replied.

The gas stove at home ran on battery ignition, so it still worked during a blackout. Chu Cheng quickly washed his hands, opened the fridge to rummage for ingredients, and began prepping dinner while there was still daylight.

While rinsing the pot and boiling water, he asked casually,
“How about I make you some wontons? What kind of filling do you want?”

“Can’t I just order pizza?” Lu Yan requested hopefully.

“No.” Chu Cheng shot him down without hesitation.
“Your uncle’s not home, so I have to take extra care of your delicate stomach. I’m not giving him even a sliver of an excuse to say I fed you junk food.”

Lu Yan chuckled, stretching out one long leg and swaying the hanging chair lazily.
“He only ever scolds me anyway. Go with sweet corn then. Century egg and pork works too.”

“Alright, I’ll cook both and let fate decide which ones you get,” Chu Cheng said as he took out handmade wontons to thaw and sliced up a bit of soy-braised beef.

By the time they finished dinner, night had fully fallen. The neighborhood was getting darker by the minute. Only a few solar-powered lamps lit the winding paths.

Chu Cheng turned on the small electronic lamp by the dining bar. Its glow was faint but cool and white, just enough to make out the nearby furnishings.

With their stomachs full and nothing urgent to do, the two of them flopped onto the sofa—one on each side—and played on their phones.

Lu Yan scrolled idly through his social feed until a photo posted by the physics teacher caught his eye.

The picture showed more than a dozen people gathered around a round table having a meal. About half of the faces were familiar to him—including his uncle.

Today marked the final day of the training program for the teachers from No. 10 High School. It looked like the department heads and the visiting school officials had gone out for a farewell dinner.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the meal—until Lu Yan spotted someone seated next to Yu Siting.

“Mr. Chu, Mr. Chu,” the boy suddenly sat up and patted the person beside him.
“Look at this.”

“What is it?” After sitting through a whole day of exams, Chu Cheng was pretty drowsy. If Lu Yan hadn’t spoken up just then, he would’ve drifted off to sleep.

Lu Yan zoomed in on the corner of the photo with two fingers. Now only half of Yu Siting’s face was visible on the screen—alongside a graceful figure: a young female teacher with delicate features and clear eyes.

“Who’s that?” Chu Cheng didn’t recognize the face at all. She clearly wasn’t teaching at No. 10.

“She’s the daughter of Grandpa’s old friend, and also my uncle’s junior from college,” Lu Yan explained, then added in a gloomy tone,
“The kind he once pursued.”

Who pursued whom?

Without a second’s hesitation, that simple yet highly suspicious question popped right into Chu Cheng’s mind—completely uninvited.

Then Lu Yan unveiled the all-too-obvious answer:
“Sure, my uncle’s had a whole basket of people chasing after him, but the ones that made an impression? Barely a few. And she’s one of them. This is serious now, Mr. Chu—you should be panicking!”

“Why should I panic?” Chu Cheng glanced at the photo again, still not seeing the big deal.

Lu Yan sat cross-legged, looking deadly serious.
“If she’s at the closing banquet, that means she and my uncle have been seeing each other every day during the past week of training. She’s not wearing a ring, he’s not married—both are single. This is delicate stuff, and my uncle didn’t mention a word of it to you. When he gets home, you need to confront him. Sternly!”

Chu Cheng just smiled, thinking:
What’s there to confront him about?

Your uncle’s been a confirmed gay for a decade now. That poor girl probably already hit a wall hard back then.

“Mr. Yu isn’t like that. I trust him.”

“I don’t care,” Lu Yan huffed, tossing his phone aside and fussing with his bedhead.
“He’s out there eating fancy dinners while we’re stuck at home with no Wi-Fi. You might be okay with that injustice—but I’m not. Let’s go out too!”

Chu Cheng, now being tugged and shaken by his precious headache of a son, had no choice but to give in with a string of “okay okay okays.” Abandoning his plan to lounge at home, he got up and grabbed the car keys.

On that late summer night, Chu Cheng took Lu Yan on a stroll through the liveliest parts of the city. When the evening deepened, they timed it just right to arrive as the banquet was wrapping up—ready to pick up Mr. Yu.

When Chu Cheng pulled the car up in front of the restaurant, he saw a familiar group of teachers exiting through the revolving doors, chatting and laughing. Yu Siting and the woman from the photo were at the tail end of the crowd.

Lu Yan leaned out of the car window with the smugness of someone whose theory had just been proven right.
“See? What did I tell you? Now get out there and make your entrance!”

“Huh? Make an entrance how?” Chu Cheng propped his elbows on the steering wheel, casually looking out.
They don’t even look that close.

Lu Yan gave him a scornful side-eye.
Useless. Absolutely useless.
He opened the door and volunteered,
“Fine, I’ll go.”

“Hey!” Chu Cheng called out, but it was too late. The boy was already trotting toward the group, and all Chu Cheng could do was mutter under his breath,
“Get back here, you little—”

Meanwhile, the woman was making a polite offer:
“I didn’t drink tonight, I can drive you home.”

Yu Siting stood tall and composed.
“No need. I’ll just call a cab.”

She smiled sweetly.
“It’s hard to get one around here. We’ve known each other for years—no need to be so formal.”

Neither of them noticed anyone approaching—until a bright, youthful voice broke through the air.

“Dad.”

Yu Siting froze at the sound of the word, his head turning a bit mechanically—only to find his oh-so-righteous nephew standing there like justice incarnate.

The junior female colleague beside him looked shocked. She gave the tall teenager a once-over and asked uncertainly,
“Mr. Yu, this is…?”

Yu Siting said nothing. He just stared, expressionless, at the obvious little troublemaker who had charged into the scene.

Lu Yan, cheeky as ever, dialed down the tension himself.
“I’m kidding. I’m actually his nephew.”

Relieved, the woman let out a soft breath, hand fluttering to her chest. She smiled and said,
“You must be Lu Yan? Last time I saw you, you were only this tall.”

“Yes, hello.” Lu Yan nodded politely, his manners impeccable. After the pleasantries, he turned back to Yu Siting, voice righteous and full of authority:
“Uncle, how much did you drink? The power’s out at home, and Auntie is still waiting for you.”

That one sentence shattered whatever calm the woman had managed to recover. Her tone was laced with disbelief:
“You’re… married?”
No way. Last she heard, he was still single.

At that point, Yu Siting finally understood what was going on. This brat was sent by someone to check up on him.

His gaze shifted to the distance.

Under his sharp eyes, the front passenger window of a parked car slowly slid shut.

Yu Siting pursed his lips and turned his attention back to the woman. With a straight face and steady voice, he said:
“No, not married. But we are discussing marriage.”

Meanwhile, Chu Cheng—waiting inside the car—was doing everything short of turning invisible to reduce his presence. Still, he’d clearly been spotted. And now, with the whole “failed cheating bust” situation playing out, things were more than a little awkward.

His brain went into overdrive, trying to figure out what excuse to give Yu Siting for showing up unannounced like this.

As he was racking his brain, the car doors—both the front passenger and rear—suddenly opened. That tall, broad-shouldered figure slipped into the passenger seat, calmly buckled in.

“Came to pick me up?”
Yu’s voice was deep and warm, brushing close to his ear.
“You timed it and picked the spot just right.”

“Ah…” Chu Cheng kept his eyes on the road, deliberately avoiding that knowing, half-amused look on Yu’s face. Still, a smile tugged at his lips. Starting the engine, he tried to play it cool:
“I was just out with the kid for a drive… Took a random turn and, you know… happened to be here…”

Yu didn’t expose the lie. He simply chuckled—softly, but it hit right in the chest.

They drove on in silence for a bit, with Chu Cheng rambling awkwardly about everything and nothing. Eventually, he gave up.
“Okay, fine. Yes. I came to pick you up.”

Yu didn’t seem bothered at all. He leaned back in his seat, let out a contented sigh, and said:
“You should just say what you mean. All this scheming is unnecessary.”

Chu Cheng turned his head slightly, bracing himself for a snarky remark.

But Yu simply shook his head and said sincerely,
“I just meant… teaching your wife to drive really does have perks. Like having someone to pick you up after drinking at a work dinner.”

His casual tone sent a jolt straight down Chu Cheng’s spine. He stammered,
“Wait—what did you just call me?”

Suddenly, the car was steeped in silence. Only the uneven rhythm of breathing broke the tension.

In the back seat, Lu Yan had earbuds in, loud music blaring—but somehow, that didn’t stop him from chiming in right on cue:
“Somebody just claimed they were talking marriage earlier, loud and proud.”

As they waited at a red light, Chu Cheng glanced at Yu Siting, clearly expecting some kind of follow-up.

Yu wasn’t in a rush.
“Aren’t we?” he said mildly.
“Didn’t you say you’d bring a dowry of 15 million?”

“When did I—” Chu Cheng began to protest, but then remembered: oh. He had said they’d split the 30 million inheritance from the uncle. So he changed tack:
“Then what’re you bringing to the table as a bride price?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Cheng regretted them.
Asking about the bride price? Didn’t that basically mean he’d accepted being the bride?

After a full day of meetings and a few drinks, Yu looked tired, but still focused as he started listing things off, dead serious.

“One person. One underpaid but soul-draining job. A few shares in a company that won’t make you rich but might keep you fed. Two apartments. Several cars. And one semi-sentient kid who randomly calls me ‘Dad.’”

The car kept moving, and Yu Siting kept talking:
“When you’re ready, everything I have can be yours.”

“I don’t want your job. Just handling my own position is exhausting enough.”
Chu Cheng tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against it.

“Then we’ll work together until retirement. Drift along, eat whatever, and grow old in the same home, the two of us.”
Yu Siting folded his arms and closed his eyes, his voice soft and steady.

The drive back from the restaurant wasn’t long. Accompanied by Yu’s calm and reassuring tone, Chu Cheng somehow ended up steering the car toward the neighborhood of Fantian Garden.

Just as the car ascended the riverside bridge, the power came back on in the area. As if summoned by some unseen force, buildings across the river lit up all at once.

The ordinary glow of countless homes mixed with dazzling architecture, turning the familiar riverside view into something truly enchanting that night.

Suddenly, Chu Cheng remembered—he might’ve left the lights on when they left.

If that was the case, then somewhere in that sea of light… their home was shining too.