Mistaken Canary Chapter 42 (Part 2)
Chapter 42.2
During the award ceremony, all three guardians presented the certificates. Ban Xiaomei, with her little arms raised, proudly held a bright red certificate. Under the enthusiastic guidance of everyone, she happily trotted up to Ban Zhang.
"Xiaomei, go for it!"
"Awwwww! She did it!"
"Enough said, I'm going for a second child!"
The class quickly passed in a joyful atmosphere, and as soon as the bell rang, many students and parents crowded around Ban Xiaomei.
Ban Zhang picked up his sister, smiling, "Hello, sirs and ma’ams. Would you like a photo of Xiaomei?"
Parents: "Yes, we would!"
Ban Zhang: "Five yuan per photo."
Parents: "???"
Classmates: "..." We expected nothing less!
At this moment, a hand was raised from the back row. "I'll pay five hundred."
Everyone turned to look at Zhuo Shu, who was sitting at his desk.
Ban Zhang's eyes lit up. This was an opportunity, so he immediately said, "If you want to hold her, that'll cost extra."
Zhuo Shu: "Eight hundred."
(TLN: To put it into perspective since this is Chinese yuan, eight hundred can get yourself about 100 cups of bubble tea.)
"Deal!" Ban Zhang carried his sister toward the cash cow, whispering, "Meimei, time to make some money. This big brother is made from the fatty meat you love to eat the most."
Upon hearing this, Ban Xiaomei's eyes lit up. As soon as she was placed on Zhuo Shu's lap, she immediately climbed up and planted a kiss on his face.
Zhuo Shu froze, staring at her in shock. After a while, his expression softened. He patted the nearby Zhuo Zi and said with a smile, "Turns out, little kids are this adorable."
Zhuo Zi turned her back: "Hmph!"
"Alright, alright, you're adorable too." Zhuo Shu said helplessly. "You're a grown person, yet you're still jealous?"
Hearing his tone, which was a little affectionate, Zhuo Zi was about to forgive him when Zhuo Shu added, "If you hadn’t peed all over me, I’d find you even cuter."
"Hmph!!" Zhuo Zi angrily went off to find her classmates, ready to start insulting her guardian.
The other parents looked on with envy, and some even mentioned wanting to pay for a hug. However, Ban Zhang raised his hand with a helpless expression: "Apologies, Mr. Zhuo has booked the next ten minutes. But don’t worry, I have exclusive photos of your kids during break. Want them?"
Students: "?" No surprise, that’s our good ol’ class president!
Parents: "No, it’s fine. We’ve seen enough of their faces, no need for those photos."
The students joined Zhuo Zi’s campaign of insulting their parents.
Zhuo Shu was still engrossed with the child when he suddenly caught sight of Ying Tongchen passing by the corridor, seemingly headed to the office. Seizing the opportunity when no one was paying attention, he quickly dashed out, still holding her.
Large and small suddenly appeared, making Ying Tongchen start in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Where are you going?" Zhuo Shu asked.
"We have a fun game before we finish the meeting, I need to go back and grab the props." Ying Tongchen glanced at him, noticing how pleased he looked. "Do you really like kids?"
"They're alright."
Ying Tongchen: "Then why are you so happy?"
Zhuo Shu: "Oh, I was just watching you... you were laughing so happily, so I wanted to see just how much you were enjoying yourself. Your students seem to be quite amusing."
Ying Tongchen nodded and smiled: "They are quite interesting."
The two of them walked towards the side of the sports field, where there were fewer people coming and going. Zhuo Shu switched the child to his other arm, and the hand that was now free ended up brushing against Ying Tongchen's.
His fingers subtly moved closer, but after another attempt, he couldn’t quite manage to hold his hand. Just as he was about to extend further, the Director of Discipline walked towards them.
"Hello, Director. What are you doing here?" Ying Tongchen greeted.
The director sighed. "Someone reported that a couple from the senior class was here on a date. I came to take a look, but I still didn’t catch them. Really, I don’t understand what they’re thinking, a date at the sports field... Aren’t they just waiting for me to catch them?"
"Then best of luck to you," Ying Tongchen chuckled, continuing forward, only to realize Zhuo Shu had stopped following him. He turned back and asked, "What kind of look is that?"
"Is the sports field a holy place for love?" Zhuo Shu asked.
Ying Tongchen thought for a moment, then replied, "I guess so, there aren't many places left to do so, after all—the school's space is limited."
"So, does that mean confessions usually happen on the sports field?" Zhuo Shu asked, intrigued.
"Not necessarily," Ying Tongchen answered with a shrug. "But the director has caught several couples on the sports field before."
Zhuo Shu’s expression shifted several times; now it made sense why Ying Tongchen would choose this sacred sports field for a thrilling and romantic surprise.
He took a deep breath, seemingly gathering a lot of courage, then, holding the child, caught up with Ying Tongchen. "I'm ready."
"?"
Zhuo Shu glanced at the little girl in his arms and advised him, "There's a kid here. Maybe you should tone it down a bit."
"Huh?"
"Some things are better said out loud. You can’t always keep them hidden, right? Don’t bother with the unnecessary stuff. Just say what you want to say, no need for embarrassment."
"Then I'll just say it straight," Ying Tongchen began, hesitating for a moment.
"Hmm, go ahead," Zhuo Shu replied. He casually raised his hand to cover Ban Xiaomei's ears, holding his breath, his eyes fixed on his lover’s beautiful gaze.
"Well..." Ying Tongchen pointed at his shoulder, "Xiaomei drooled on you."
Zhuo Shu froze, turning his head to look at the wet spot on his shoulder. He was stunned.
"You should go clean up first," Ying Tongchen continued, "I have to go get the props." Without another word, he hurried back to the office.
…
Ying Tongchen gathered the game props, sat down at his desk, and took a deep breath.
Recalling Zhuo Shu's expression... For a fleeting instant... was Zhuo Shu about to confess to him?
It must have been just a misunderstanding, right?
Yeah, it had to be.
When the bell for class rang, Ying Tongchen arrived promptly at the classroom, distributing small whiteboards and markers to everyone present.
Next was a simple fun activity, designed to test the parents' and students' level of mutual understanding and to strengthen the parent-child bond.
Each person had a whiteboard in hand. The teacher would ask a question, and everyone had to write their answers simultaneously, without peeking at each other’s, to see which group had the highest level of mutual understanding.
Ying Tongchen asked several questions while holding Ban Xiaomei. Then he asked, "For the second-to-last question, parents, who do you think your child likes the most?"
‘So easy,’ Zhuo Shu wrote quickly: "Liu Li'ang."
Ying Tongchen smiled and turned to Ban Xiaomei. "Who does your brother like the most?"
Ban Xiaomei pointed at herself, "Me!"
"Okay, children, show your answers."
Only a few people got it wrong—Shi Tiwei wrote "Bill Gates", but his parents wrote "Yao Ming."
Ying Tongchen keenly noticed this and made a mental note of it. Then, he looked at Ban Zhang’s answer, which, unsurprisingly, was "Money".
Someone rebutted, saying that money wasn’t a person and didn’t fit the question.
Ban Zhang retorted, "Money is my daddy."
Everyone: "..."
Zhuo Zi’s answer wasn’t Liu Li'ang, but rather—Mr. Ying.
Classmates: Damn, missed a golden opportunity for flattery!
The Zhuo siblings exchanged a glance, their tacit understanding at 0%, both showing an expression of frustration.
You don’t know my preferences, and I don’t know your most beloved person.
"The last one must be answered correctly." Zhuo Zi’s competitive nature was ignited. "Watch where I’m looking and act accordingly."
"Ok!"
Ying Tongchen asked, "Kids, who do you think your parents like the most?"
Zhuo Zi gave him a look, and Zhuo Shu nodded, signaling that he had successfully received the message.
When the answers were revealed, almost everyone got it right, writing down their children's names. But there was one answer that stood out.
Everyone turned around and silently fixed their gaze on Zhuo Shu.
The distance was too far for Ying Tongchen to see clearly, so he asked, "Zhuo Zi, what did you write? Who do you think your brother likes the most?"
"Me," Zhuo Zi shot a glare at Zhuo Shu.
Ying Tongchen then asked, "And Mr. Zhuo, do you not like Zhuo Zi the most?"
Zhuo Shu: "..."
"Teacher! Zhuo Zi’s gege wrote 'Mr. Ying'!" a student quickly shouted.
Ying Tongchen: "."
"It’s not what you think!" Zhuo Shu hastily stood up to explain. "I saw that Zhuo Zi's favorite person just now was Mr. Ying. Since she likes him, I like him too. And, Mr. Ying is an excellent educator. As guardians, we feel reassured when our kids are under his guidance. Naturally, we, as guardians, like Mr. Ying the most. How is that a problem?"
The parents: There’s a big problem here! They didn’t expect this—Zhuo Shu, so young, already knows how to flatter a teacher like this! So crafty!
"I also like Mr. Ying!" said the parent of You Diansha, not willing to fall behind.
"I also like Mr. Ying!" chimed the parent of Shi Tiwei.
"Me too."
By the end of the parent-teacher meeting, everyone had a new respect for the Zhuo siblings. This family really knows how to shower praise like no other!