"You are my student; it’s my duty to protect you," Zhuo Wen said with a bashful smile.
The gentle breeze of late summer lightly blew, lifting his white shirt slightly. He wore clean, neat black pants and a pair of blue sneakers. He didn’t look like a teacher at all—more like a university student who had just entered college.
As Tong Mo rode her bike, she stole glances at him, took a deep breath, and finally couldn’t hold back her true feelings. "Teacher, actually, I don’t want to be your student..."
"Then what do you want?" Zhuo Wen slowed down, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
Tong Mo opened her mouth, "I..."
Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard the sound of brakes!
A large truck had stopped right in front of her.
Zhuo Wen also sped up to catch her.
After Tong Mo came back to her senses, she realized she had just run a red light.
Zhuo Wen grabbed her bike’s handlebar, pulling her back, and scolded her, "How could you be so distracted while cycling? Do you know how dangerous that was just now?"
"Yes, sorry, Teacher..." Tong Mo said, hanging her head low like a child being scolded by an adult, tears streaming down her face.
She wasn’t usually a crier, but at that moment she didn’t know why; her nose felt incredibly sour, and tears fell involuntarily.
Zhuo Wen sighed, took a tissue from his pocket, and wiped her face. "Stop crying. Tears are bad for the skin."
With sorrowful red eyes, Tong Mo looked up and nodded at him.
"Make sure to ride carefully later, and don’t get distracted again!" After wiping her tears, Zhuo Wen threw the tissue in the trash and got on his bike.
Tong Mo, shrinking like a quail, remounted her bike.
After crossing two streets, Tong Mo followed Zhuo Wen to the apartment building where he lived.
"I live on the top floor, but there’s no elevator," Zhuo Wen said apologetically as he parked his bike.
"It’s okay," Tong Mo quickly shook her head to show she didn’t mind.
In fact, as long as she could be with him, she didn’t care if it was a seven-story building with no elevator—she would climb even seventy floors.
"Then let’s go up together." Holding his documents, Zhuo Wen smiled at her and gallantly led the way.
Tong Mo followed him closely.
The apartment was old, with narrow stairs that could barely fit one person, so Tong Mo followed right behind Zhuo Wen.
When they reached the top floor, Zhuo Wen took out his keys to open the door.
Tong Mo had expected to see a messy bachelor’s apartment, but to her surprise, his place was incredibly tidy, not a single hair out of place.
This left Tong Mo, who had been ready to show off her cleaning skills, exhaling in frustration and looking at Zhuo Wen with a helpless expression, "Teacher, your place is so clean, what is there to clean up?"
"Well, actually, I’m a bit of a neat freak, so even if it’s clean, I still clean every day," Zhuo Wen said, rubbing his hands together and smiling sheepishly.
"Alright!" After changing into slippers, Tong Mo grabbed a feather duster and symbolically dusted a few spots.
Then she threw his clothes from the laundry basket into the automatic washing machine.
Finally, she ran to the kitchen and started cooking.
After Zhuo Wen finished showering and came out, he found the home neat and bright, with a homelier atmosphere.
A tall, long-haired girl, wearing the apron he usually wore while cooking, was standing in front of the stove, stirring the pot.
"You can actually cook?"
Zhuo Wen, in his slippers, walked up to her, slightly amazed.
She looked just like Little Princess brought up in a prosperous family; it was hard to believe she could cook.