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墨書 Inktalez
Li Hua ultimately couldn't withstand Xiao Ran's stubbornness. After advising her to "be careful," she left the playground, glancing back three times.
I crouched down to meet Xiao Ran's gaze, rubbing her arms with both hands. In as friendly a tone as I could manage, I said, "Xiao Ran, Teacher Li is your mentor; you should respect your teachers. Do you understand?"
Xiao Ran looked back at me with her beautiful eyes, opened her mouth, and after a few seconds, she nodded listlessly, "I understand."
"Then tell Uncle Liu why you spoke to Teacher Li that way. Is there a conflict between you two?"
Xiao Ran lowered her eyelashes. "No," she said, and before I could press further, she added, "Uncle Liu, I want to go home. Can you take me back?"
Xiao Ran must have something on her mind, but since I had finally gotten close to her, I was afraid of being too aggressive and scaring her away again. So I didn't dare to say much. "Alright, let's have dinner first, then I'll take you home."
Xiao Ran shook her head sadly. "I don't want to eat; I just want to go home."
Since Little Angel had said that, how could I not comply? I bought a piece of cake from the bakery outside the school gate and then took a taxi to drop her off at her doorstep.
It wasn't that I didn't want to go in; I was just afraid that her father might return unexpectedly and I wouldn't be able to explain myself.
"Lao Liu."
By the time we got home, the sun had already set. Standing at the entrance, I took out my keys and used the light from the streetlamp to insert them into the lock. Hearing a sound, I turned my head and saw Chen Lianqing leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, looking at me with a half-smile.
A jolt of unease shot through me.
"Just got back?" he asked.
"Yeah, what's up?" I tried to force a natural smile like before but found it very difficult. The current situation felt like we were both holding each other's vulnerabilities tightly, unwilling to yield—like heroes in a duel where both blades were poised over each other's arteries; any slight movement could lead to disaster.
"I bought some snacks; want to come over for a drink?" His lips curled up as his dark eyes sparkled with cunning like a slippery snake, sending chills down my spine.
"Your sister-in-law is waiting at home..."
"Yingfang is inside; I've already greeted her. Come on, it's been a while since we drank together. Let's just catch up and talk about what's on our minds."
He blocked my way. "Alright," I said as I walked toward him.
"Cold jellyfish salad, pig's head meat, stir-fried black fungus with eggs..." Once we entered his living room, he listed off the dishes while pulling out a chair. "What do you think? Not bad, right? Why are you standing there? Sit down; there's no need to be so formal with me."
I couldn't read his intentions and felt anxious as I pulled out a chair and sat across from him.
Then he brought out two bottles of liquor: one was Moutai and the other was a large green bottle. He proudly patted the bottle and said, "This is rice wine that Ying Jun brought back from Hangzhou a couple of days ago. Want to try it?" Ying Jun was Yingfang's brother and also his brother-in-law working at the Education Bureau.
I rarely drank white liquor; it was too strong for me. If I wasn't careful, I'd end up drunk and wake up feeling like my head had exploded. I'd learned my lesson and avoided white liquor ever since.
"Sure."
He set two cups on the table, one filled with white liquor and the other with rice wine. When he handed me the rice wine, he said, "People are just different. You prefer to drink light rice wine, while I like strong white liquor. Everyone drinks their own; don't try to persuade me, and I won't stop you. Isn't that good?"
My hand trembled as I took the drink, spilling half of it.
"What's wrong? Did I say something to scare you?" His face was full of unrestrained mockery.
His words were laced with venom, and I couldn't afford to be careless. I put down the cup and said seriously, "Let's get straight to the point. What do you mean?"
When it came to scheming, I could never match him, so it was better to be straightforward and confrontational.
He paused for a moment, then smiled, "Refreshing." He tilted his head back and downed his drink, slamming the cup onto the table and staring at me intently. "Yingfang heard somewhere that I have a mistress at school and insists on getting a divorce..."
"Do you think I talked too much?" I gained some confidence. "After everything is done, why not clean up properly? The stuff that comes out from a woman can't just be wiped away with tissue; it leaves marks even after it's dried."
His expression changed slightly. "Really not you?"
"We're all grown men; who wants to meddle in someone else's family affairs?"
He looked at me with suspicion, so I made my stance clear. "I do know about your affair with Li Hua, and I advise you to tone it down. You can do whatever you want outside, but not at school. Think about it; I've caught you twice already. Can you guarantee that no one else has seen you?"
His expression became hard to read as he filled his cup again and drank it all in one go. "This is my fault."
"As long as you're aware," I felt much more relaxed and dropped my guard. "Men our age tend to get tired of their wives at home and inevitably think about other things; that's understandable. In our school, Li Hua is the only young woman around who looks good enough for you to catch her; that's quite an achievement. Honestly, I admire you for that. She usually seems so aloof and independent; I thought she was some kind of virtuous woman."
Chen Lianqing chuckled, "As long as a man is capable in that regard, a virtuous woman can turn into a wanton one in half an hour." His beastly demeanor disgusted me immensely. "But Lao Liu, you're definitely better at this than I am; you've got guts. So how did it go? Was that little girl any good?"
How dare he! Anger surged through me as I glared at him fiercely. How could he compare Little Angel with that bitch Li Hua? How could he put me on the same level as him, a man who only thought about mating all day?
He was taken aback by my sudden change in attitude and rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Just kidding, just kidding; don't take it seriously."
I finally looked away, finished my rice wine, and unceremoniously poured myself another glass from the large bottle.
"This time let's agree: you do your thing, I'll do mine; don't expose my secrets, and I won't get in your way. How does that sound?" He finally stated his purpose clearly.
"That works, but there's one condition."
"What condition?"
"School isn't a den of vice; if you're going to play around, do it outside." I was the principal after all.
He smacked his lips. "No problem."
Letting this pair of dogs run loose made me uneasy, but for Little Angel's sake, what harm was there in taking a step back?
With our agreement made, we both set aside our worries and indulged ourselves in food and drink until the rice wine ran out. As I checked the time, it was past nine in the evening; feeling a bit dizzy, I propped myself up against the table and said, "It's getting late; I'm heading back."
"Alright, take it slow. I won't see you off," Chen Lianqing said, his face flushed and his neck thick from drinking. He stumbled out the door, walking unsteadily down the alley. As the night breeze blew, the effects of the alcohol intensified, making him feel even more drunk.
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