Mistaken Canary Chapter 37 (Part 1)
Chapter 37.1
Ying Tongchen briefly explained to the referee that Zhuo Shu was his friend. After a quick look at the timing data, the referee confirmed that the first-place winner was still the Freshman team.
In the center of the field, a small awards podium was set up. The host called for their four team members to come up and receive their awards, and all the first-year students cheered, shouting the names of the teachers.
Ying Tongchen pulled Zhuo Shu aside and said, "Wait here. I'll deal with you later."
Zhuo Shu was still in a state of disbelief, his gaze following Ying Tongchen up to the podium. The other three teammates stood in a row, holding flowers, trophies, and red envelopes.
He looked around again, took a few steps back, and walked over to a nearby class. Turning to ask a student standing nearby, he leaned in and asked, "Do you know Ying Tongchen?"
"Who doesn’t know Teacher Ying?" The girl laughed. But when she got a good look at him, she gasped, "Mister, who are you?!"
Zhuo Shu stood there stunned. "Ying Tongchen is a teacher here?"
"Yeah," several girls gathered around, eager to chat with this handsome guy. "Mr. Ying is the Freshman homeroom teacher. He's our school grass (campus heartthrob). By the way, mister, who are you?"
"Me?" Zhuo Shu glanced at Ying Tongchen, then said, "I'm his friend."
"Friend? Then why didn't you know he's a teacher here?" one of the students asked curiously. "He's been teaching here for three years. I heard of him when I first came to the school as first year, but sadly, he never taught me. So unfortunate!"
"Three years?" Zhuo Shu's confusion deepened.
Before he could ask more questions, Ying Tongchen, followed by Zheng Zhinan and the others, walked down from the stage and stood in front of Zhuo Shu.
As they passed, Zheng Zhinan threw an arm around Zhuo Shu's shoulder and grinned, "This is your friend? He runs pretty fast. If we can bring in an outsider for the next race, bring him along!"
Zhuo Shu's gaze shifted from Ying Tongchen's face down to his shoulder.
Ying Tongchen turned to Zheng Zhinan and said, "You guys go ahead and rest."
"Alright, you should catch a break too. There's still the long-distance run later, so make sure to conserve your energy," Zheng Zhinan patted Ying Tongchen's shoulder before shyly slipping away to hover like a little wife beside Sheng Wu, asking her if she was thirsty or hungry, ready to please.
At the back, Fu Lu had sparkling eyes but didn’t say a word, just glancing back every few steps, letting out a few quiet chortles.
"Follow me," Ying Tongchen said, watching Zhuo Shu for a moment before turning and leading the way up the stairs, guiding him to the basketball court behind the class’s base.
As soon as they stopped, Zhuo Shu immediately asked, "Why are you here? Why do they say you've been teaching here for almost three years? Is this another part-time job?"
Ying Tongchen opened his mouth to respond when suddenly, they heard a girlish shout from the distance: "Ge!"
Both of them turned around to see Zhuo Zi carried piggy-back by a tall boy standing not far away, who Ying Tongchen recognized as a sports committee member.
"Ge?" Ying Tongchen blinked, looking at Zhuo Zi and then at Zhuo Shu. A sudden realization flashed through his mind, and he understood.
As he thought about it, both of them had the same surname, Zhuo, and both had a game-loving mother.
Ying Tongchen looked at him in disbelief, his voice rising in surprise, "You’re Zhuo Zi’s older brother?!"
The Zhuo Family’s older brother who constantly sent senior citizen-like emoji packs with "🙂", "lotus goodnight.jpg", and "cheers to our friendship.jpg"?
The pillar of the family, Zhuo Family's eccentric elder brother?
The one who said he looked old?
The one who openly posted {Make sure you're washed up and waiting at the hotel} in the parent group, revealing his chaotic private life?
Wait a minute—
That message—who was it originally meant for?
Ying Tongchen recalled the date... Alright, it was sent to little ol’ me :)
At that moment, Zhuo Zi had ordered the boy to walk up to the two of them. She glanced at Zhuo Shu, then at Ying Tongchen, and asked curiously, "Mr. Ying, do you know my brother?"
"Hm?" Ying Tongchen looked at the innocent and naive girl. How could he explain that not only did he know her older brother, but they'd also had more... intimate encounters?
He quickly shook his head, "No, we’ve just met today. Right, Mr. Zhuo?"
Zhuo Shu immediately caught his eyes and responded, "Yes, yes, just met. So, Mr. Ying is your...?" He suddenly wasn't sure if he really wanted to know the answer.
"He's my homeroom teacher!" Zhuo Zi declared loudly.
Zhuo Shu stood there, struck by lightning, his soul leaving his body.
He really was the homeroom teacher?
The one who constantly sent those "🙂", "lotus goodnight.jpg", and "cheers to our friendship.jpg"? That handsome old man?
That guy who was always sending various notifications and parenting wisdom on the internet like an elderly surfer?
The one so stuck in his traditional ways that he made him hand-write reflections?
The one Zhuo Zi said was handsome and was planning to introduce to him…
Wait a minute?
When Zhuo Zi mentioned introducing her homeroom teacher to him, what did he say?
— Even if I went blind, even if it were the end of the world, even if he were the last man left on Earth—I would never be with your old homeroom teacher!
Zhuo Shu: "......"
Zhuo Shu: "............"
Zhuo Shu felt a pain in his heart. He struggled to remember to breathe. He needed help. Preferably from someone attractive and experienced in artificial respiration.
Zhuo Zi continued to add fuel, "Didn’t I tell you many times that my homeroom teacher is very handsome? You kept calling him old—oof!"
Zhuo Shu quickly covered Zhuo Zi's mouth.
Ying Tongchen gave him a cool glance, "Old?"
Zhuo Shu shook his head vigorously, "She’s just talking nonsense! How could you be old? Look at your smooth skin and youthful look. If I didn’t know better, I'd have thought I did it with a minor."
The moment he finished speaking, all four people froze.
The sports committee rep: "......" It seemed like something strange just drifted into my ears.
Zhuo Zi: "......" This is so weird, why do I suddenly feel like I’m witnessing a real-life ship?
Zhuo Shu attempted to steer things back, "Oops, sorry I meant, ‘I’d have thought you were a minor’ hahaha."
Ying Tongchen: "Heh."
Danger!
Zhuo Shu instinctively sensed the peril closing in. He quickly let go of Zhuo Zi’s hand and explained, "Sorry, I saw a picture of an elderly gentleman on your Moments, and I thought he was her homeroom teacher."
Ying Tongchen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he politely responded, "That’s my family."
"Oh, the old man, right?" Zhuo Shu had a deep impression of this old man. He once got left at a hotel while Ying Tongchen rushed to deliver hairy crabs to the old man.
Zhuo Zi looked at Zhuo Shu, both surprised and curious.
Ying Tongchen subtly shot him a look: Your tone is way too familiar! You’re going to blow our cover!
Zhuo Shu accurately received the look: My bad _(:з」∠)_
He quickly tried to cover up, "I mean, every family has a handsome old man, right? That elderly gentleman must be your family’s old man."
Ying Tongchen smoothly redirected the conversation, "Zhuo Zi, why aren’t you resting in the nurse's office? Why’d you come all the way here?"
Zhuo Shu suddenly remembered there was a blood-related little sister and quickly inspected her knee, "How’re you feeling?"
"I’m still alive." Zhuo Zi pouted, then grinned at Ying Tongchen, "I went to watch you race earlier. You were super cool!"
Ying Tongchen nodded, "Thank you."
Zhuo Zi continued to question, "But why did you run too, ge? You already knew Mr. Ying, didn’t you!?"
"Of course not." Zhuo Shu quickly retorted, "He dropped his wallet, and I happened to pick it up, so I just chased after him to return it."
Zhuo Zi still had many doubts and was about to ask more questions, but Zhuo Shu interrupted, "Alright, alright, hurry up and get down. It must be exhausting for this student to carry you."
The sports committee rep blushed, chuckling sheepishly, "Not at all, not tiring at all."
Zhuo Shu gave him a cool glance, "I can carry her instead."
The committee member instantly wilted. Even if he had ulterior motives, he definitely didn’t have the courage to flirt under the watchful eyes of their homeroom teacher and Zhuo Zi's older brother. After putting her down, Zhuo Shu squatted and had Zhuo Zi climb on his back.
Zhuo Zi clung to his shoulder, putting aside any questions for the moment and starting to reminisce about the past: "Come to think of it, I don’t even remember the last time you piggy-backed me."
"There’s no need to think." Zhuo Shu kept walking, unfazed. "I’ve never piggy-backed you before."
Zhuo Zi: "......" You’re so ruthless.
Zhuo Shu recalled, "Well, I did carry you once. But that time you peed all over me."
"Alright, alright, enough!" Zhuo Zi huffed. Her teacher and classmate were still around—how could he publicly execute her like this!
Clearly annoyed, but unwilling to back down, she continued, "That was when I was younger, but who was it, at seventeen, who got scared and peed himself because of a dog?"
The moment those words left her mouth, Zhuo Shu quickened his pace.
"Hey! Slow down!" Zhuo Zi called out.
Ying Tongchen, intrigued, raised an eyebrow and, still not entirely at ease, followed them.