Chapter 41

Chi Wanzhao noticed that Kong Xiyan was avoiding her. It had been an entire morning.

She wanted to ask if it was because she'd done something outrageous while drunk the night before, but Kong Xiyan never gave her the chance—the moment their eyes met, she looked away and busied herself with other things.

This morning, when she woke up in the room next to Kong Xiyan's, she felt a bit dazed. She left the room and spotted Kong Xiyan washing the bedsheets, with a makeshift drying rack built from two wooden poles not far off.

The quilt was spread over the top.

The sheet had already been taken down and sat soaking in a basin nearby.

She racked her brain trying to recall what had happened the night before, but her memory was nearly blank. All she could piece together was that she and Kong Xiyan had walked a long way.

Had she said something?

Or done something?

Why was Kong Xiyan washing the bedsheets first thing in the morning?

Chi Wanzhao's face was already cold from a hangover, and the loss of memory made it even grimmer. To make matters worse, Kong Xiyan kept dodging her, so her expression was frozen over, jaw tight, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes full of frost.

Even a brief glimpse of her left Kong Xiyan feeling chilled. Kong Xiyan had no idea how to handle last night's events, and seeing that expression only made her think Chi Wanzhao regretted it.

That made her want to avoid Chi Wanzhao even more.

So she kept hiding.

But you could hide from someone for a day, not forever.

After finishing the laundry and coming back from the yard, Kong Xiyan was caught by the wrist and pulled onto a round stool. The two faced off across the square table.

Kong Xiyan tilted her head, studied the cold face before her, and hesitated before trying, "President Chi? You needed me?"

Chi Wanzhao looked at her. "Go on."

Kong Xiyan blinked. "About what?"

Chi Wanzhao's expression stayed icy. "About last night—"

She was cut off.

"Let's just pretend nothing happened last night. I know you were drunk, and I'm partly to blame—I shouldn't have not pushed you away. Don't worry, I can act like it never happened! I swear!"

Kong Xiyan looked dead serious as she made the vow, but Chi Wanzhao just stared at her. Connecting this with the sheets she'd been washing, Chi Wanzhao's face darkened, her gaze sharp as a blade, cutting into Kong Xiyan. Her voice was low and cold. "Miss Kong is quite generous."

"No—I'm not."

Kong Xiyan felt if she sat there any longer she'd lose the ability to speak, so she quickly stood. "If that's all, President Chi, I'll be going."

Chi Wanzhao stood with her. "Where to?"

Kong Xiyan pointed toward the school. "To drop off the books."

She'd come back to grab some books for Wang Haining. Chi Wanzhao gave her a cold look. "Hand them over. I'll take them."

Kong Xiyan slipped into Wang Haining's room and came out with a stack of books, then stood in front of Chi Wanzhao, forcing a smile. "That's okay, I can do it myself."

Chi Wanzhao took the books from her, her words like icy wind. "I'll go. Miss Kong must be very tired from last night. She should rest more."

Kong Xiyan was confused and gave an awkward laugh. "I'm not tired."

Chi Wanzhao's already dark face turned even darker. Her thin lips parted. "Miss Kong certainly has a lot of energy."

Kong Xiyan: …

She watched Chi Wanzhao turn and walk away, her face full of bewilderment.

Yanyan let out a soft meow as she padded over to Kong Xiyan's feet, crouching there and looking up at her with those blue eyes that seemed tinged with hurt.

Kong Xiyan scooped her up. Since coming to the countryside, she'd hardly spent time with Yanyan, being away almost all day except for meals and sleep. Remembering that Chi Wanzhao had asked her to look after Yanyan, she realized she'd failed.

She glanced at the time. It was nearly noon, so she decided to prepare Yanyan's food first before making lunch.

Yanyan followed at her feet, meowing nonstop, rubbing against her ankle and darting out a tiny pink tongue now and then, the little barbs making Kong Xiyan chuckle softly. She scolded her gently, "Yanyan, go wait outside. I'll be right there."

"Meow…"

As if understanding, Yanyan hopped out the door.

At the school half a village away, Chi Wanzhao walked in holding the stack of books, only then realizing she had no idea where Wang Haining's office was.

She paused, about to pull out her phone to text Kong Xiyan and ask, but when she patted the pocket of her down jacket, she remembered she hadn't brought it.

Chi Wanzhao looked down at the books. At that exact moment, the class bell rang, and a stream of kids came running out.

They were just out for recess, gathering around the gate, when Chi Wanzhao suddenly heard someone call, "Sister Wan!"

She turned her head and saw Yuanyuan trotting over.

A smile curved at the corner of Chi Wanzhao's mouth. "Yuanyuan."

Yuanyuan bounced up to her, stopped, and looked up. "What are you doing here, Sister Wan?"

Chi Wanzhao patted the books in her hand. "I'm bringing these to your teacher Wang. Do you know where her office is?"

Yuanyuan raised a chubby little finger and pointed to a room on the second floor. "Over there."

"Alright."

Chi Wanzhao nodded, gave Yuanyuan's head a quick pat, and headed that way.

Class had just ended, and Wang Haining hadn't returned to her office yet. Chi Wanzhao stood in the doorway for two minutes before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

It wasn't a private office.

There were two desks in the room, but the other one only had a few notebooks and little else—a stark contrast to the neighboring desk piled with belongings.

Chi Wanzhao walked over to the two desks and looked down at the small characters carved into the surface.

Teacher Kong.

The writing was crooked, likely carved by a student. She ran her fingers over those three characters, and the tightness in her face softened.

"Alright, got it."

At the sound of the voice, someone appeared in the doorway. Wang Haining saw the open door and frowned, then noticed the person inside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone flat as usual.

Chi Wanzhao handed the books over. "Dropping something off for you."

Wang Haining glanced down, took the books, and said calmly, "Thanks."

Chi Wanzhao's face, which had just softened, hardened again. Voice cold, she said, "Don't mention it."

She turned to leave, but Wang Haining's voice came from behind. "By the way, there's some tea in the cupboard at home. Have Xiyan brew you some—it's good for a hangover."

Chi Wanzhao gave a faint "Mm."

Seeing she hadn't walked away, Wang Haining added, "And don't drink so much next time. You wore Xiyan out last night."

Wore her out.

An image of Kong Xiyan lying in bed, without a stitch of clothing, flashed through Chi Wanzhao's mind. The tips of her ears turned red as she answered irritably, "I know. I'll handle things between me and her myself."

Wang Haining caught her aloof tone and curled the corner of her mouth. "Handle it yourself? Your way of handling it was to get so drunk you threw up all over Xiyan's sheets and blanket, to the point Xiyan had to squeeze into the same room as me?"

Chi Wanzhao turned her head, lips parting ever so slightly, elegant features shadowed with displeasure. She enunciated each word. "What did you say?"

Wang Haining frowned in confusion, as if she couldn't parse the sudden shift in Chi Wanzhao's mood. "What do you mean? You don't remember any of it?"

"President Chi must live a comfortable life—wake up and forget everything you did."

Chi Wanzhao ignored the barb. She lowered her gaze, thinking, and asked, "Are you saying I threw up on her bed last night, which is why she washed the bedding?"

Wang Haining stared at her as if she'd lost her mind. "What else?"

What else?

The question slammed into Chi Wanzhao's chest, a dull ache.

So nothing had actually happened last night.

Then what did Kong Xiyan's speech truly mean?

Had they done something outside?

Was she really that incapable of controlling herself?

Was it possible?

Impossible?

She considered it. If it was Kong Xiyan, she might—really be unable to hold back.

Chi Wanzhao's expression shifted several times, and a strange tension filled the office. The class bell rang abruptly. Wang Haining picked up two books from the desk and said, "Make yourself at home, President Chi."

With that, she left without looking back.

Chi Wanzhao didn't leave either. She sat down at the desk with "Teacher Kong" etched into it, straining to piece together the night before.

They'd left the Chen house, talked, and then gone somewhere.

Where was that place?

She felt if she could only remember the destination, something would come back.

But her memory cut out there.

With a quiet sigh, Chi Wanzhao rose from the chair and stepped out, running into the principal in the hallway. Remembering the proposal still packed in her suitcase, she called out, "Principal."

The principal turned around—hair graying at the temples, deep lines across her forehead, deepening when she smiled. She spoke kindly, "Miss Chi, is something the matter?"

Chi Wanzhao's tone was calm yet carried an unshakable weight. "I'd like to discuss something about the school, if you have a moment."

…

An hour later, the two emerged from the office. The principal's demeanor was far more serious than before. She shook Chi Wanzhao's hand and said, "Then we'll be in your debt, Miss Chi."

Chi Wanzhao offered a faint smile. "Not at all. Also, the company will be transferring another donation, made in Xiyan's name."

The principal hesitated. "Teacher Kong?" She thought for a beat, then nodded, recalling the connection between Chi Wanzhao and Kong Xiyan. "Understood."

Chi Wanzhao smiled without a word. The principal, seeing she wasn't in a rush to leave, offered, "If you have time, Miss Chi, I could give you a tour of the school."

Chi Wanzhao had visited the school before.

But she'd never had a proper look around—she'd been dragged off to play football by the kids. So she agreed without hesitation.

As they came downstairs, classes were still in session. There were six rooms total, more students than Chi Wanzhao had expected. The principal explained that these children weren't from the village itself but from the neighboring one; it was too far to go to the township school, so they came here instead.

Chi Wanzhao nodded.

They walked slowly, the principal offering a commentary at every stop, but the farther they went, the deeper Chi Wanzhao's brow furrowed.

Everything here felt familiar.

She had definitely walked these paths.

More than once.

Memories were stirring back, fragments flickering across her mind's eye.

Her stern, handsome profile tensed, and the edges of her brows sharpened.

The principal was walking ahead, absorbed in her narration, unaware of the change until Chi Wanzhao stopped and stared at a few wooden planks by the school gate. She turned back. "Miss Chi?"

Chi Wanzhao snapped out of it. "Mm?"

Then she bowed her head slightly. "Apologies, you were saying?"

The principal smiled kindly. "Is something the matter, Miss Chi?"

Chi Wanzhao's gaze lowered. "No, it's fine. I just suddenly remembered that Xiyan and I had a small misunderstanding last night."

The principal laughed warmly. "A misunderstanding, was it? Then you should sort it out quickly."

Chi Wanzhao's eyes were deep and knowing, her expression composed. "You're right."

It was just that there was no need to clear up this misunderstanding with Xiyan.

They only needed to make it real.