Chapter 32: Being Called a Homewrecker? Thank You Very Much

Xia Yan seemed not to catch the underlying meaning in his words. She started swaying her head proudly, “Back in school, I was the class representative for Chinese. Writing essays is my strong suit.”

Lin You said nothing, merely pushed the paper and pen toward her, then stood up to fetch a bowl of leftover fish soup from dinner. It wasn’t greed that sent him to the kitchen—Xia Yan’s cooking was simply too delicious to resist.

Yet, after he finished the bowl, not a single word had been produced by Xia Yan.

“Class representative for Chinese, were you?” Lin You raised an eyebrow.

Hearing his tone, Xia Yan’s cheeks puffed up red with embarrassment, making her look impossibly adorable. “Hmph, I just overtaxed my brain helping the two kids with their homework earlier. Let me wash my face and brush my teeth—once my head clears, I’ll have it written in no time.”

“Alright, no time at all, I understand. I’ll give you a chance to show off next time. But it’s getting late today—let me do it, and we’ll get to bed once I’m done.”

“You said it yourself! It’s not that I refused to write!”

“Yes, I said it.” Lin You’s voice sounded as though squeezed from his throat, muffled and so exasperating it almost made one roll their eyes.

That night, it wasn’t until midnight that the lights in the living room finally went out.

The next morning, Xia Yan woke up groggy and set about preparing breakfast for the family. As soon as she opened her door, she found Lin Hongzhuo standing outside, waiting for her.

“Little Zhuo, why are you up so early? Auntie hasn’t even started breakfast yet.”

“Auntie, remember you have to go to school today.” Lin Hongzhuo, worried she might oversleep and forget, had gotten up early to wait for her.

“Auntie remembers, don’t worry. I’ll head out right after I give Nuannuan her breakfast.” Xia Yan recalled being summoned to school as a parent before, never expecting she would one day go as the parent herself.

By the time she had finished with Lin Nuannuan’s matters, it was past nine o’clock. After checking directions with Wang Guilan, she finally set out.

The school at the compound wasn’t large, but the lively sound of recitation could be heard from a distance.

As Xia Yan appeared at the school gate, a group of children in the midst of PE class stopped to stare at the beautiful young woman before them.

“Who’s that? Is she the new teacher? She’s so pretty! When I grow up, I want a dress just like hers.”

“She’s not a teacher; she’s Lin Hongzhe and Lin Hongzhuo’s stepmother. I saw her at their house the other day.”

Inside the classroom, Lin Hongzhuo, who’d been stealing glances at the gate, lit up with joy when he spotted Xia Yan and immediately raised his hand. “Teacher, my mom’s here!”

Yuan Xiangqin, standing at the lectern, did not look pleased. “Lin Hongzhuo, sit down! Class isn’t over yet! If your mother’s here, she can wait outside.”

Yuan Xiangqin was not only Lin Hongzhuo’s Chinese teacher, but also Zhu Yan’s close friend. When she’d visited the hospital the day before and found her friend’s eyes red from crying, she’d immediately guessed it was because of Lin You.

Had it been any other day, Yuan Xiangqin wouldn’t have insisted on calling Lin Hongzhuo’s guardian in for correcting her in class. But seeing her friend hurt, she wanted to stand up for her.

She had expected Lin You, but it was Xia Yan who came instead. Hearing Lin Hongzhuo call Xia Yan “mom,” Yuan Xiangqin grew even more indignant on her friend’s behalf. Zhu Yan had cared for them for so long, and after just a few days, they were already calling another woman “mom,” and with such affection.

“Lin Hongzhuo’s stepmother, right? We’re still in class. Please wait in the office over there.” Yuan Xiangqin walked to the classroom door, her tone unfriendly, and deliberately raised her voice when saying “step.”

The hostility was so obvious that Xia Yan furrowed her delicate brows. She didn’t even know this teacher’s name—where did such animosity come from?

But this was a school, and with children watching, she didn’t react. She simply replied politely and turned toward the nearby office.

The break bell finally rang. When Yuan Xiangqin entered, Xia Yan rose to greet her, only to hear, “I have another class this morning. Please wait a while longer.”

With that, she grabbed a third-grade textbook and prepared to leave.

There were only six teachers at this school; each taught every grade from first to sixth.

Xia Yan could understand, but the teacher’s attitude irritated her. Another class would take her well past noon—when would she have time to cook?

“Excuse me, teacher, isn’t there a fifteen-minute break? And the child didn’t really do anything wrong. That should be enough time for us to talk, right?”

Yuan Xiangqin halted and challenged, “Oh? Is this how your family educates children? Contradicting a teacher in class isn’t considered wrong?”

“I never said that. I just think there’s nothing wrong with a child pointing out a teacher’s mistake. That’s hardly defiance. If a teacher refuses to admit their own error and insists the student is at fault, now that’s unreasonable.”

Xia Yan had been holding in her frustration all morning, determined to have a proper conversation and bring up some of the issues she’d noticed the day before. She hadn’t expected the teacher to be so irrational.

Respecting teachers is a virtue, but some people are simply undeserving.

“When Dr. Zhu was teaching them, both children were so well-behaved. How is it that in just a few days, you’ve turned them into this? Lin You must be blind to not see what’s going on.”

With that, Xia Yan finally understood. This teacher’s real motive was never about Lin Hongzhuo; she wanted to “educate” Xia Yan herself.

Xia Yan smiled.

“What are you smiling at!” Yuan Xiangqin snapped.

“Teacher, please don’t be so agitated. I don’t know what’s between you and Dr. Zhu. If you want to stand up for her, you can come to me directly. Though I may be younger and prettier than you, I’m not someone to be intimidated.”

Now that she understood, Xia Yan was no longer as angry as before. She sat down again and brushed the dust from her coat.

“You… I used to think Lin You was a dependable man, but now I see he’s just shallow. He left Zhu Yan for a woman with a fox’s face like yours. You look so pure, but who knows what you’re really like behind the scenes, dressed up every day—just who are you trying to attract?”

Xia Yan, seeing her face flush in anger, lifted a hand to tuck back a strand of hair. “Teacher, I hardly know how to respond to that. But thank you—thank you for affirming my appearance. These days, it’s no small feat to be called a ‘fox’ by a teacher. Some people might never be called that in their entire lives. Take yourself, for example…”