After dinner, Cheng Yue and the other two finally completed the run, each one tired as a dog as they barged into Yan Ye’s home.
"Teacher Yan, get me a glass of water! I’m about to die of thirst." Cheng Yue made himself at home, flopping onto Yan Ye’s sofa and directing him to pour some water.
Yan Ye saw the three of them drenched in sweat as if they had been washed with water, snorted coldly, turned around, went to the kitchen, and brought back three glasses of water.
"The water’s hot... be caref—" Before Yan Ye could finish, the three of them spat out the water with a "puff".
Their eyes red from the heat, they rushed into the kitchen in search of some cold water to drink.
Finally, when the water was no longer scalding, the three of them sat properly on the sofa, all eyes on Yan Ye, waiting for him to speak.
"Sorry! Considering your overly abundant extracurricular time, I’ve decided to assign you some extra tasks." After saying that, he slid a densely written timetable in front of them, "From now on, besides eating, sleeping, and attending classes, all your time will be spent in the laboratory! Congratulations!"
"What? Seriously?" The first to protest was Li Zhi, "Teacher Yan, can’t you be a bit more lenient? After all, the three of us are bachelors at the age of romance and marriage. You wouldn’t want us to look back in the future to find only test tubes and reagents on our minds, right? Shouldn’t we leave some pleasant memories of our youth?"
"Your so-called pleasant memories are going around harassing girls? Knowing full well she has a husband, yet you still pry into her letters? Do you not understand what privacy rights are?" Yan Ye scolded them with a cold expression.
"Wait a minute! Something’s not right here..." Cheng Yue seemed to notice a problem, "Teacher Yan, you seem quite agitated today, don’t you?"
"Could it be, Teacher Yan, that you have feelings for An Hao..." Zhang Chaoqian suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard around the school in recent days.
Everyone said Xu Yinuo’s resignation was a foregone conclusion because An Hao had Teacher Yan looking out for her.
According to the tone and attitude of the conversations, it seemed there might be something, some flirtation, between them...
True to form, these three monkeys had turned their attention on him after just a few words.
Yan Ye didn’t want to cause any trouble for An Hao, so he said, "I know her husband—Qin Jian."
"Qin Jian?" Cheng Yue was somewhat familiar with this name; it seemed he had heard it somewhere before.
"That’s right!" Yan Ye stood up, looking out the window at the swaying branches and briefly introduced Qin Jian to Cheng Yue, "Formerly a staff officer of the 115th Regiment in the Northern Military Region. This man is extraordinary; he’s first-rate at leading soldiers and his marksmanship is legendary. He’s very loving and loyal to his wife at home! This passionate soldier is a legend in the Northern Military Region, a hero who won distinctions during the war. How could you kids compare with him? If I were An Hao, I wouldn’t glance at you either."
"Qin Jian! Is he that impressive?" Cheng Yue was in disbelief.
He sighed deeply and set a goal in his heart.
He wanted to thoroughly investigate Qin Jian, and at any opportunity, he was determined to have a face-to-face showdown with him!
Regrettably, before Cheng Yue could translate this thought into action, Yan Ye had already ushered him into the lab.
This seized them until New Year’s Day.
.......................................
On New Year’s Day, the school was closed for the day.
Xu Yinuo had voluntarily dropped out, which left only the five of them in the dorm. They had originally planned to dine together on New Year’s Day, but Guan Kexin didn’t want to join them, so it was just the four of them—An Hao and the others.
A handful of young girls excitedly discussed their plans, intending to eat first and then go see a theater performance. But just as the four left the school gates,
An Hao suddenly heard someone call her from behind, "An Hao."
At that familiar voice, An Hao paused, and when she turned around, she could hardly believe her eyes.