Chapter 26: The Beautiful Teacher

Perhaps I might be able to uncover something from that janitor.

I stared at the janitor for a long time, eventually pulling my gaze away to focus once more on the lake. Nearby, the couple who had been flirting had also stopped their activities, turning their attention back to their intimate affairs. I walked over, feeling incredibly awkward, and began to search the ground in silence.

However, several days had already passed, and it was clear that finding any trace of evidence was impossible. I returned empty-handed and left the lakeside.

I didn't encounter the janitor again on my way back. When I returned to the dormitory, Jin Yuan and Li Xiang hadn't yet arrived; only Hu was sitting in front of his computer playing a game. I lay down on my bed, feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

It was still early. My mind drifted back to the janitor, so I got up and hurried toward the archives. Upon entering, I greeted the librarian urgently and asked for the janitor's files.

The librarian was a woman in her late twenties, a teacher with whom I had a fairly decent relationship. We would often exchange greetings, and sometimes, if she ran into me while I was out, she would even offer me a ride in her car.

I suspect she treated me so well because of an incident that happened by chance. I remember one morning, I arrived at the classroom very early. At the entrance of the teaching building, I heard someone crying. It startled me, as it was still early and the sky was quite dark.

Hearing a woman’s sobs suddenly in the gloom felt truly unsettling.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I walked into the building. In the entrance hall, I found this teacher crouching on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. I wasn't familiar with her at the time, so I simply stood by and watched.

After a while, she looked up, saw me, and quickly wiped the tears from her face. She sounded somewhat annoyed as she said, "You student, don't you have any manners?"

I replied, "I'm sorry, teacher. I didn't mean to."

She rummaged through her pockets for a while but couldn't find any tissues. I quickly pulled some out and handed them to her. She looked down at me, stunned for a long moment before saying, "Thank you."

Ever since that day, she had been very kind to me, sometimes even coming to my classroom to find me. I knew a little about her situation; it was said that her home life was unhappy and she often quarreled with her husband.

Although she was in her twenties, a bit older than me, she was beautiful and had a very striking figure.

Right now, as I pushed open the door to the archives, I saw her sitting at her desk. She was dressed formally today, but it could not hide her beauty.

I rushed toward her, "Teacher, I’m here to look for someone's file."

She looked up at me, and I saw a flicker of joy on her face. Strangely, her gaze felt a bit odd. "Oh, it's Xiao Xi. What brings you to my office today?"

I repeated, "I need to find a file. It’s very important."

"Leave it be; I'll get it for you in a moment." She stood up and kept staring at me. "Xiao Xi, why were you never there when I came to your classroom those last few times?"

Looking at her, I felt momentarily flustered. Why did this moment feel so strange? I hung my head and asked, "Teacher, why were you looking for me?"

She walked over to me and suddenly touched my face. "Do you really not know?"

My face turned red to the roots of my hair. It wasn't that I didn't know; at that moment, I had a vague guess. Could it be that this woman had developed feelings for me because of that one incident?

I took a step back, moving my face away from her hand. "Teacher, I'm sorry, could you please just get me the file?"

She looked at me, looking disappointed. After a long silence, she nodded, her voice turning cold. "Whose file do you need? Files cannot be shown to just anyone."

I looked up at her and described the janitor's details. She watched me, then suddenly approached again. "Xiao Xi, am I beautiful? Do you think I'm old?"

I shook my head. "Teacher, you are very beautiful, and truthfully, you aren't old. Please, just get me the file."

Her expression grew increasingly disappointed. Finally, she turned and walked toward the cabinet behind me. In my heart, however, I made a silent decision to avoid her as much as possible from now on.

In fact, I had vaguely sensed something off about her before. I remembered once, while riding in her car, she had asked me many strange questions that left me blushing—all of them regarding intimate matters.

I couldn't understand it. I had only handed her a pack of tissues. Why was she acting like this toward me?

Was it because she was truly helpless and wanted someone to keep her company, or was it something else?

Soon, I heard footsteps and instinctively turned back. She was standing behind me, holding a folder. She was very close, and she kept walking toward me.

I unconsciously looked at her name tag, which read: Cheng Keyan. I reached for the folder, but she held onto it tightly, refusing to let go. I used some force and finally managed to pull it away.

I didn't open the folder immediately, but instead looked at her, confused. "Teacher, you are a teacher—how can you act like this? I am just a student."

Upon hearing my words, Cheng Keyan turned her head away in silence. "Xiao Xi, how do you see me?"

I said, "Teacher Cheng, you have a family. You should focus your energy on them."

Cheng Keyan turned slightly. "I'm sorry, I bothered you. Actually, I just wanted to make him regret it."

Her husband was a businessman, often out late drinking and socializing. Recently, by chance, she had discovered that he had at least one other woman. She was heartbroken and devastated.

Even though she was nearly thirty, she couldn't accept it. Years ago, when her husband was just a poor boy and she was a beauty pursued by countless men, she had chosen him.

Once she reached this point, I understood. I told her, "Teacher, I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Cheng Keyan looked down at me. "Xiao Xi, you would be helping me. Why can't you? It’s just keeping me company. I just want someone—I'm so tired, and you're alone too, aren't you? Am I not beautiful? Am I not pretty? Don't you like me?"

I shook my head. "Teacher, you are truly beautiful, but I cannot do this."

With that, I took the folder and walked toward the door.

As I walked, those words flashed through my mind. In truth, part of me was tempted, but how could I abandon my self-respect?

Unexpectedly, Cheng Keyan suddenly rushed in front of me and locked the door.