The first-grade Chinese class was incredibly relaxed. Yun Baizhou’s class was the first one in the morning. After the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, he took his lesson plan and prepared to return to the office.
Three children followed behind him. They were the boys who had bullied Zong Bao yesterday, wanting to see him cry. Zong Bao, led by Yun Baizhou, confidently made faces at these three boys.
The office was located at the far east end of the second floor. Yun Baizhou led them to the hallway on the second floor, and at a glance, he saw the young man standing outside the office against the wall.
It was Zong Bao’s brother.
His messy black hair from yesterday was now styled with hair gel. Only a strand of hair remained in front of his forehead, and his sharp features were fully exposed to the air. He leaned against the wall with hands in his pockets, legs crossed. Unlike yesterday, a subtle sense of maturity permeated his youthful aura.
Yun Baizhou subconsciously glanced at the opposite teaching building.
There, by the railing, was a group of shy and green sixth-grade girls. Even at this age, they were still somewhat hazy about love, but the sight of a rare handsome guy was enough to captivate their attention.
Sensing their footsteps, Zong Yuan casually glanced at them.
Yun Baizhou felt that the gaze was casual yet cold. He stopped in his tracks, but Zong Bao ran over, cheering.
“Gege!”
Zong Yuan lowered his head, ruffling Zong Bao’s hair. The single strand of black hair that had fallen in front of his forehead swayed back and forth. Yun Baizhou stared at the trajectory of the black hair, suddenly locking eyes with the young man’s deep, black eyes.
“Teacher Yun,” Zong Yuan spoke, his voice carrying a hint of smokiness, “For this Friday’s activity, where should we sign up?”
He still wore black leather gloves on his hands, and his fingertips seemed to graze Zong Bao’s brown hair. Yun Baizhou had seen many people wear leather gloves, but Zong Yuan was the most stylish one he had ever seen.
“Cough,” Yun Baizhou clenched the fingers holding the lesson plan, “Zong Bao has decided to join this time?”
Zong Yuan gently pinched Zong Bao’s cheek, “Yes.”
Yun Baizhou, “For this trip to the countryside, parents need to accompany.”
The young man stopped his hand, his gaze intensifying. His eyes were particularly imposing, and Yun Baizhou even felt… this young man didn’t seem to like him much.
Zong Yuan, “I know.”
He took out his wallet, casually asking, “How much do I need to pay?”
A teacher opened the office door, seeing them with surprise. “Why not come in and talk? It’s noisy outside.”
Yun Baizhou noticed that Zong Yuan’s gaze swept past the teacher.
The same indifferent and unconcerned eyes that stared at him.
Zong Bao clung to his brother’s thigh, looking up cutely. “Hello, teacher!”
“Hello! Teacher Yun, it’s almost time for class. I’ll go to the classroom first. The office is empty now. You must be busy. I’ll be on my way,” said Yang, holding the lesson plan.
Yun Baizhou smiled gently. “Sure, go ahead, Teacher Yang.”
Teacher Yang hurriedly left, thinking that Teacher Yun seemed to be in a good mood, and the handsome young man didn’t appear to be causing trouble.
The bell for class rang loudly. The three little boys who had arrived with the homeroom teacher were scared into silence. Yun Baizhou sighed and told them to go back. “No bullying Zong Bao. Understand? Come find me after this class.”
The kids sighed, “Okay…”
As the children left, Zong Bao kissed his brother’s cheek. “Gege, let’s have dinner together after school, okay?”
Zong Yuan nodded. “Sure.”
With only two people left in the office, Yun Baizhou said, “Mr. Zong, please have a seat.”
Although there was a chair next to his desk, Zong Yuan walked over and casually sat on Yun Baizhou’s desk, legs crossed, looking down at Yun Baizhou.
Every move he made exuded the charm that both men and women deeply desired in a lover. Yun Baizhou’s eyelid twitched. He retrieved a sign-up form from his desk. “Mr. Zong, please fill out the sign-up form.”
Zong Yuan, with gloves on, took the form from him. As he looked at the information on the form, he chuckled softly. “Marital status?”
Yun Baizhou took a sip of water, feeling a bit restless inside. He glanced at Zong Yuan and explained, “This is to tally whether both parents are participating in this activity.”
Zong Yuan swiftly filled in the information with a pen. As soon as he put down the pen, his phone rang. He left the form on the desk and went out into the corridor to answer the call.
The lone form lay on the office desk.
Yun Baizhou’s gaze wandered back and forth on the desk, repeatedly catching sight of that form.
Looking out the window, he saw Zong Yuan with his back turned to the office while taking the call. Some mysterious thoughts surged within Yun Baizhou.
He involuntarily reached out and picked up the thin, white sheet.
His own handwriting on it was bold and unrestrained, a style of its own. Yun Baizhou had always known that good-looking guys tended to have bad handwriting, but he was an exception. Zong Yuan was another.
Age: 22, Marital status: Single.
A whole decade younger than him.
The sound of the creaking door being pushed open echoed. Zong Yuan leaned against the door frame, watching him. Yun Baizhou stuffed the form into the pre-arranged file bag. With his naturally gentle appearance and the earnest way he worked with his head lowered, he presented a tempting allure for someone experienced in matters of the heart.
Zong Yuan shifted his gaze away.
He took out his wallet again, not planning to go inside anymore. “How much?”
Yun Baizhou smiled. “For both the student and the parent, it’s a total of 300 yuan.”
Zong Yuan fiddled with his fingers in the wallet and pulled out a golden card, but before he handed it over, Yun Baizhou spoke, “We only accept cash…”
Tutting, Zong Yuan tossed the wallet back into his pocket. “I don’t have cash.”
Yun Baizhou remembered there was a bank nearby. “You can go to this bank during lunchtime to withdraw the money. Have Zong Bao bring it to me; it’s fine even by tomorrow.”
He observed Zong Yuan’s expression. The young man’s brows furrowed, appearing quite impatient.
That was the look of someone with a strong desire for control, displaying impatience for something not within their grasp.
Yun Baizhou didn’t know what he was thinking. He felt like his innate do-gooder instinct was meddling again. He heard himself sigh inwardly but said, “I have nothing to do right now; I can go with you to get the money.”
Zong Yuan’s lips curved up, then quickly straightened. He turned around and walked downstairs first. His proportions were perfect, and Yun Baizhou closed the office door, following him three steps behind, watching his straight back.
There are certain people from whom one can always find a point that touches their own heart.
Zong Yuan rode the same red and black motorcycle today. However, this time, he parked it outside the school gate. As they reached the school gate, the friendly old lady from Mr. Lin’s house came out with a warm smile to open the gate.
With a granddaughter who hadn’t left the topic of her singleness for three days, Zong Yuan lacked enthusiasm. Yun Baizhou finally understood how he managed to ride his motorcycle into the school premises yesterday.
Once outside the school gate, away from the warm Mrs. Lin, Zong Yuan swiftly mounted his motorcycle. Yun Baizhou had never ridden a motorcycle in his life. Hesitating for a moment, he followed Zong Yuan’s example and got on.
The rear seat was half a head higher than the front, with no place to grab to secure oneself. The smooth seat cushion made Yun Baizhou feel like he could be thrown off at any moment, leaving him feeling helpless.
Zong Yuan picked up the helmet and put it on. After wearing it, he explained slowly, “It’s safer for the rider to wear it.”
In the small town of Chenhu, there were no traffic police checking motorcycles.
Yun Baizhou remembered how Zong Yuan looked last night, with disheveled black hair, yet he took off the helmet and put it on his little brother’s head.
Perhaps that was this rare man’s tenderness.
The motorcycle’s engine started, and the muffled, deep sound transmitted through the helmet. “Hold onto my clothes.”
Yun Baizhou immediately grabbed onto it with his hands, feeling breathless as the surrounding scenery rapidly receded. Facing this kind of excitement on the motorcycle, Yun Baizhou held his breath.
Suddenly, the wind lifted Zong Yuan’s jacket. Yun Baizhou’s hands were grabbing onto the jacket, and he leaned back along with it. The sensation of weightlessness struck, and in the next second, Yun Baizhou reflexively wrapped his arms around Zong Yuan’s waist.
Lean, powerful.
No excess fat, only undulating muscles.
Yun Baizhou thought Zong Yuan would say something, whether it was “Hold on tight” or “Let go of me,” but he said nothing.
The weather at this time was spring-like. Yun Baizhou was wearing a light two-piece outfit himself. However, when his hands were on Zong Yuan’s waist, he felt that the layer of clothing inside was too thin.
It seemed to be just a black tank top.
The bank was not far from the school. At this time, during work and school hours, there were very few people on the road. With Zong Yuan’s speed, three minutes later, they arrived at the bank’s entrance.
Parking the motorcycle and getting off, Zong Yuan took off his helmet. “Wait for me.”
Yun Baizhou nodded, watching him walk into the bank. Yun Baizhou’s excellent vision allowed him to see the bank staff in work uniforms, their eyes lighting up at the sight of Zong Yuan.
Teacher Yun felt a bit troubled.
He logged into the BBS platform that he hadn’t visited since college and posted a new thread.
The title was: [Have you ever seen a good-looking and charming man in your life?]
The BBS had massive traffic, and soon someone responded below.
“See it every day—on TV.”
“There are many good-looking ones, but charming???”
“OP’s tone sounds like those ancient posts from over a decade ago.”
Yun Baizhou chuckled. Using his proficiency as a Chinese teacher, he vividly described it to the netizens.
[Very charming, every move makes people blush and their hearts race. Looking at him is like seeing the most beautiful fantasy of adolescence. Zong Zhixiao, the elegant and handsome young man, raises his glass, and gazes at the blue sky with disdain, shining like jade in the wind. (Note)]
Those who haven’t faced Zong Yuan would never know what kind of feeling this was.
However, after getting to know Zong Yuan more deeply, his personality and charm turned his appearance into a bonus.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Agreed, +1.”
“Unless there are photos.”
Yun Baizhou didn’t have any photos, but his thread still attracted one netizen after another.
Zong Yuan had already withdrawn the money and pushed open the bank’s door. The wind lifted his jacket, revealing his figure wrapped in a thin vest.
Yun Baizhou turned off his phone, recalling a comment from one netizen.
It was just four characters.
A human-shaped aphrodisiac.
Author’s note:
Note: In Du Fu’s “Eight Immortals Drinking Song,” Zong Zhi was a friend of Li Bai, a carefree and handsome youth who often looked down on the world while drinking. His handsome appearance was compared to a jade tree in the wind, praising the boy’s good looks. ( ̄ω ̄=)
I hope to portray the image of Zong Yuan that I initially imagined in the last world. (*/ω\*)