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Chapter 54: You Are Different from Others
As the dinner party fell into another awkward silence, Zhou Guanghai suggested, "Liu Journalist, do you prefer going to karaoke or a bar with your friends? After we finish eating, I can arrange something."
Zhou Guanghai was unsure about these places; they were popular among some entrepreneurs and officials, after all, as they were all men. However, he couldn't gauge whether this female journalist would enjoy them. Most journalists he knew would just come to collect their red envelopes and leave after publishing the press release. He had no experience with someone like Liu Fangfei.
Liu Fangfei declined, saying, "I'm tired and don't want to go."
Liu Fangfei didn't care whether Wang Guodong would agree with her; as long as she was still a journalist, she wouldn't abandon her ideals. Moreover, Liu Fangfei knew that Wang Guodong understood her family situation, so he wouldn't dare to stop her.
Seeing that Liu Fangfei was unwilling, Zhou Guanghai didn't press the issue and smiled, saying, "There are guest rooms here; after dinner, you can just go rest."
"No thanks, I've already booked a room," Liu Fangfei refused again. She had returned in a hurry and hadn't had time to book a room; this was merely an excuse. She simply didn't want to stay in a hotel arranged by these people.
Zhang Qiu sat quietly in his seat, watching Zhou Guanghai with interest. The conversation had already covered most of the topics; staying any longer wouldn't yield any more useful information. Since Liu Fangfei was being pestered by Zhou Guanghai, Zhang Qiu spoke up, "Liu Journalist, have you eaten enough? Shall we leave?"
"Sure," Liu Fangfei replied gratefully with a glance at Zhang Qiu. She stood up and said, "Director Wang, thank you for your hospitality; I'm leaving now."
"Alright then, Zhou, please see Liu Journalist off," Wang Guodong said with a smile still on his face.
The moment Zhang Qiu stepped out of the room, he suddenly felt a burning gaze from behind. Turning around, he saw Wang Guodong staring at him with a dark expression. A chill ran down Zhang Qiu's spine as he quickly walked away; this man was certainly terrifying.
Once outside the hotel, Zhou Guanghai insisted on escorting Liu Fangfei back. She politely declined while Zhang Qiu hailed a taxi and got into the back seat with Liu Fangfei. Through the window, Zhang Qiu watched as Zhou Guanghai's figure gradually blurred and then disappeared completely.
"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.
"Let's go to No. 1 High School," Zhang Qiu said.
"Are you going back to school?" Liu Fangfei asked.
Zhang Qiu smiled and replied, "That's where I'm more familiar. I noticed you haven't eaten much, so I'll take you out for a meal."
Liu Fangfei felt warm inside; this boy was surprisingly thoughtful.
The two of them remained silent during the ride. Zhang Qiu had a lot to say but could only hold back with the driver present. Fortunately, the distance wasn't far, and there weren't many cars on the road at this time. The taxi sped along and soon brought them to the entrance of No. 1 High School.
After getting out of the car, Zhang Qiu looked around and directed his gaze toward the Auspicious Wontons next to East City Barbecue. Just as he was about to walk over, a voice called out from behind him.
"Zhang Qiu!"
Zhang Qiu was startled; that voice belonged to his homeroom teacher.
He turned around and saw his teacher walking quickly toward him. Due to the large movements, the hem of the long coat his teacher was wearing fluttered in the wind.
When the teacher reached him, Zhang Qiu greeted, "Hello, Teacher."
Zhao Guohong glanced at Zhang Qiu's long hair before shifting her gaze to Liu Fangfei. Liu Fangfei's fluffy long hair fell over her shoulders, and her beige wool coat hugged her figure, revealing a white shirt underneath. Her long legs were tightly wrapped in jeans, making her look incredibly charming.
In her mind, Zhao Guohong dismissed any thoughts of Zhang Qiu going out on a date; although this girl was young, she was clearly more mature than Zhang Qiu. Zhang Qiu was tall and handsome, and they would indeed make a good couple if they were together. However, Zhao Guohong deeply understood the vast difference between a student and someone from society.
"Zhang Qiu, everyone is rushing at school, why are you still outside?" Zhao Guohong asked.
"Teacher, I'm really sorry, but I have something to do tonight. I was in a hurry today, so I asked our grade's Director Zhao to help inform you. Did Director Zhao tell you?"
Liu Fangfei, standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh at Zhang Qiu's obedient demeanor. Was this really the same Zhang Qiu who had the audacity to confront the director?
"That's over. Sigh, Director Zhao, the police department's Zhou Mi is looking for you to have dinner. Is that Zhou Mi?" Zhao Guohong said somewhat displeased. How could Zhang Qiu be going to dinner with the director? Wasn't that just deceiving oneself?
Zhang Qiu noticed the misunderstanding from the homeroom teacher and hurriedly explained, "Teacher, it was really Zhou Mi who came to pick me up. Director Wang wanted to treat this reporter sister to dinner and asked me to accompany her. We just got back from dinner."
"Hello, are you Zhang Qiu's?" Zhao Guohong turned to Liu Fangfei, his eyes filled with friendliness.
Liu Fangfei smiled and replied, "I'm his sister." After saying that, she couldn't help but pat Zhang Qiu on the head, leaving him looking helpless. "I usually stay out of town, but this time I wanted to spend some time with my brother. He's about to take his college entrance exams, so I want to cheer him on."
Zhao Guohong nodded, "That's fine then; you two sisters can spend some time together."
Just as Zhang Qiu was about to say something nice, he saw Zhao Guohong seriously reminding him, "Zhang Qiu, don't stay out too late. I want to see you sitting in the classroom studying during the last evening self-study session."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I will definitely go back to study," Zhang Qiu promised while patting his chest.
"Alright then, I won't disturb you two any longer. I'm leaving."
"Goodbye, Teacher."
Zhang Qiu watched Zhao Guohong walk away step by step and let out a long sigh of relief. "That was close, that was close. Luckily, I took a leave of absence."
Liu Fangfei smiled as she looked at Zhang Qiu and asked, "Why are you so afraid of the homeroom teacher? I think you’re not scared at all."
Zhang Qiu shook his head with a smile. "It's not fear; it's respect. Being a teacher is not easy, especially for a homeroom teacher. She has to manage everything that happens with the students in her class while also teaching. Teachers wake up early and stay late with us, especially our homeroom teacher. Her son is in the third year of middle school, yet she still takes care of us at school every day." Zhang Qiu said this while subconsciously looking in the direction where Zhao Guohong had left.
"Zhang Qiu," Liu Fangfei said softly.
"Yes?" Zhang Qiu turned to Liu Fangfei, whose bright eyes sparkled like two black crystals.
"I really find you more and more strange."
"Why?"
"You are different from others."
After Liu Fangfei finished speaking, she looked at Zhang Qiu thoughtfully. This boy really was a bit different.
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