HYSE - 16

Outside the gymnasium, it was noisy with cheers, gunshots, and drumbeats. The event had progressed to some unknown stage.

At the equipment room door, Shi Yin had just stepped out when she was pinned in place by a single sentence.

Shi Yin closed her eyes briefly.

Honestly, she had a good impression of Ms. Pei. Who wouldn’t like a beautiful woman—gentle, pleasing to the eye, and uplifting to the mood?

The catch? This beauty happened to share an office with the person Shi Yin admired—and the office only housed the two of them, spending every day together.

To make matters worse, she had stumbled upon a confession scene. Apparently, they were old acquaintances who had known each other for years.

Shi Yin felt terrible about herself—really, truly terrible. While Pei’s confession failed, Shi Yin couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved. It was… dark of her.

She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop; she simply stumbled upon the scene. But once she realized the confessor was her crush, her feet froze as if glued to the spot.

Caught red-handed, she felt awkward.

Slowly turning around, her smile vanished, replaced by a meek and obedient demeanor. She lowered her head like a docile lamb: “Hello, Teacher Gu.”

As she spoke, she discreetly observed him.

At the equipment room door, she hadn’t even managed to get a clear look before being spotted.

Gu Congli wasn’t wearing sportswear today—he didn’t have an ounce of athletic vibe. He was dressed as usual: a white shirt, black trousers, his cuffs perfectly creased, his expression cold and devoid of emotion.

Just moments ago, a stunning beauty had tearfully confessed to him, yet not a single eyelash on him had flickered. After rejecting her, he didn’t even offer a word of comfort.

So, he wasn’t just cold toward her; he treated everyone this way.

Shi Yin began to doubt: was this man truly heartless, or was he supremely rational and self-controlled? Or had he long transcended worldly concerns?

She blinked, deciding to take the initiative and change the subject: “What a coincidence, are you here for the sports meet too?”

“…”

Gu Congli, the man who seemed to transcend the mundane, looked at her strangely, as if she were a fool.

Shi Yin wished she could sew her mouth shut.

Around him, she became a brainless idiot, spouting nothing but stupid questions.

She was wearing the cheerleading uniform: a bright red strapless top and a white skirt that reached one-third of her thighs, revealing her legs.

Her legs were pale like tofu, straight and slender, with delicate ankles and well-defined kneecaps.

Early in the morning, without seeing the sun, and inside the stadium, it was chilling.

She subtly hunched her shoulders. Beneath the cheap sequins of her cheerleading outfit, her collarbones stood out, sharp and elegant.

Gu Congli asked: “Cold?”

The question was sudden and strange. Shi Yin instinctively nodded, then shook her head, finally settling for a vague response: “It’s fine.”

And then Gu Congli smiled.

Since meeting him, Shi Yin had rarely seen him display any emotions. This smile was only the second time.

The last time he smiled, he had confiscated her phone.

But he looked so good when he smiled.

It surpassed the beauty of a cold moon breaking through clouds, surpassing the refreshing breeze weaving through pine forests. Perhaps because it was rare, it felt all the more precious.

In short, male beauty was intoxicating—it made one lose their mind and rationality. If you didn’t believe it, try it yourself.

As a qualified secret admirer, Shi Yin naturally lost herself in admiration, staring blankly.

While she was dazed, she saw him take two steps forward.

Snapping back to reality, her focus sharpened. His smile had already disappeared, reverting to his usual “showing extra expressions is beneath me” state, gazing down at her.

Only, he was a bit too close.

She leaned against the wall, and he stood in front of her, his head slightly lowered.

In fact, he maintained a polite and appropriate distance. But this was the first time Shi Yin had faced him so closely, staring into his eyes for so long. From his brows to his nose and lips, everything appeared clearer than ever.

She pressed further back against the wall, her saliva glands unusually active.

Gu Congli’s voice was cold, his tone low: “What are you doing here?”

If his earlier coldness toward her was indifference, this coldness could be described as harsh.

Perhaps he thought she had been sneaking around and following him, which irritated him.

Shi Yin quickly held up the school uniform she had just changed out of, explaining: “I came to change clothes. I heard someone crying over here, so I came to check.”

He tilted his head slightly, seemingly pondering.

After a moment, his expression calmed, and he asked evenly: “What did you hear just now?”

Shi Yin swallowed and replied smoothly: “Nothing.”

This answer seemed to satisfy him, and he left without another word.

Shi Yin watched him turn and exit. Sunlight streamed in through the opened door, bright for an instant before dimming again.

Could it be that Experimental High School No. 1 had rules forbidding teachers from dating internally, and he had come to silence her? That would be great—she wouldn’t have to worry about handsome teachers being snatched away by beautiful female colleagues anymore.

Standing in the dimness, Shi Yin let her thoughts drift into darker territory again.

But soon her darkness turned into frustration. Because between her and him, there was no possibility of anything happening.

The sports meet, as Shi Yin expected, was boring.

Later, when the cheerleaders had little to do, Shi Yin snuck back to her class, indulging in snacks while watching the youthful vigor of boys and girls under the blazing sun.

It wasn’t until the final relay race involving teachers that Shi Yin sat up straight and paid a bit of attention.

With a chip hanging from her mouth, she scanned the area. As expected, Gu Congli wasn’t there—only a group of middle-aged married teachers, half-bald and sweating, enthusiastically running on the track, along with their hair.

Ergou sat next to Shi Yin, resting his chin on his hand, watching thoughtfully: “They should run while they still can. Every year they run, they lose more hair. In three to five years, they’ll end up like Old Baldy—no hair left.”

Old Baldy happened to walk by and heard every word. He promptly smacked Ergou on the head with a rolled-up paper: “What nonsense are you spouting? Who said I have no hair? I just have less!”

The students burst into laughter, angering Old Baldy even more. He chased Ergou around, beating him until he cried for mercy.

After the sports meet, midterms approached.

Because of the accidental encounter with Gu Congli at the stadium, though they exchanged only a few words, it gave Shi Yin an excuse to reconcile.

After the incident at the art studio, she could now forgive him for suggesting she withdraw her tuition—after all, she was magnanimous.

It also made her realize that Gu Congli might actually have a temper.

Although he had always been polite to her, even patient and calm when refusing her, this was likely because he was her teacher.

He was highly controlled with his emotions. Because she was a student, he presented himself as patient and gentle, maintaining an appropriate distance. When her feelings became apparent, he swiftly discouraged her to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Shi Yin recalled how Gu Congli reacted to Pei Shihao’s confession.

Casually leaning against the window, he coldly watched her cry, showing faint impatience without bothering to conceal it.

If she weren’t his student, perhaps he would have responded to her persistence with the same expression.

But it didn’t matter. Handsome men were attractive even when impatient.

On Saturday afternoon, Shi Yin went to the art studio.

The receptionist had mentioned before that their boss only came on Saturdays—sometimes to teach, sometimes just to stay for a while. Without a doubt, this boss was almost certainly Gu Congli.

He had opened an art studio near her home—a ten-minute walk. Shi Yin attributed this to fate.

When she arrived, Gu Congli was standing with his back to the door, revising a student’s painting. Hearing the door open, he glanced back.

Their eyes met for two seconds before he turned back, said a few more words to the student, and then walked over.

In his hand was a pencil. His pale fingertips were smudged with gray pencil dust, and his wrist bones were also slightly dirty, quite unlike his usual antiseptic cleanliness.

Shi Yin found it fascinating—just a bit of pencil dust seemed to drag him off his pedestal.

She still chose the farthest easel and greeted him politely: “Hello, Teacher. I’ve come for class.”

Gu Congli walked over, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Shi Yin was used to his silence and continued on her own: “I thought about it later and realized it’s not right to abandon my interests due to a momentary tantrum. Besides, I don’t earn money yet—I’m using my parents’ money, so I shouldn’t be reckless.”

After all, during this time, she had been barely surviving on Fang Shu’s generosity.

“So, I decided to come to class, to be a good student embodying the five virtues and four beauties, balancing academics and leisure. I want to learn something interesting to relax myself,” Shi Yin earnestly lied.

Gu Congli quietly listened to her obviously fabricated explanation, nodded, and directly dragged a chair over, placing it in front of the easel. He pulled out a sheet of paper: “Come.”

Shi Yin obediently went over and sat on the chair, waiting as he clipped the paper and took out a pencil.

Seizing the opportunity, she discreetly glanced at the other students in the studio.

One had a pile of spheres, cylinders, and cubes in front of him. Another was drawing fruit. From Shi Yin’s angle, she could see clusters of grapes on the paper, arranged loosely or tightly, forming a lifelike bunch.

Shi Yin grew excited, turning her head eagerly to ask: “Teacher, what should I draw?”

Gu Congli calmly glanced at her: “You draw lines.”

“…”

This wasn’t how the script was supposed to go.

In stories, the heroine reveals her astonishing talent on the first day of learning, like an unpolished jade, leaving the hero secretly impressed and treating her differently, capturing his attention.

Shouldn’t it unfold like this?

Why was she still drawing lines?

She felt she should start with Along the River During the Qingming Festival as the beginning of her artistic journey—a perfect start.

However, reality was that after an hour, her paper was densely filled with crisscrossing lines, and her supposedly straight lines still resembled waves.

She started to feel bored, propping her chin on one hand and doodling small flowers on the paper with her pencil.

Gu Congli ghosted past her silently, his elegant fingers lightly tapping her drawing board.

Shi Yin immediately straightened her back and resumed drawing lines, stealing a glance at him: “Teacher Gu.”

“Mm.”

“Do you really not care about students dating?”

Gu Congli glanced at her: “Why should I care?”

“Dating in school is bad—it’s the most important period of life. How can one indulge in romantic affairs?” Shi Yin replied officially.

Gu Congli answered succinctly: “It won’t end well anyway.”

“…”

Shi Yin was convinced.

Her wrist trembled as she drew wavy lines resembling ocean waves, producing another dozen horizontal lines. After staying quiet for only a few minutes, she whispered again: “Teacher Gu.”

“Mm.”

“Do you plan to date anytime soon? You’re not young anymore, are you?”

“You’re not young anymore, are you?”

“Not young anymore, are you?”

“Not anymore, are you?”

“…”

Gu Congli turned his gaze to her, his eyes cold.

Shi Yin shivered, shrinking her shoulders and quickly remedied her words: “I mean, you’re at an age where you can date.”

His expression grew colder.

Shi Yin was shocked, realizing for the first time that he could become even more aloof.

This man was too handsome—it was freezing.

“Are you really not interested in dating?”

Gu Meiren indifferently withdrew his gaze: “No.”

Shi Yin pushed further: “Not even a little interest in any girl?”

“No.”

Shi Yin, emboldened, pressed on: “Then, not even—”

Finally losing patience, Gu Congli interrupted her: “Shi Yin.”

His voice was low, echoing faintly in the spacious studio.

Shi Yin shrank her shoulders and fell silent.

Gu Congli looked down at her condescendingly: “Why are you here?”

Shi Yin thought, Don’t you already know why I’m here?

Aren’t you fully aware?

The young girl scratched her cheek softly, mumbling quietly: “I just wanted to show some concern…”

Her hand, covered in pencil dust, left two black streaks on her fair cheek, resembling cat whiskers. Somehow, she had managed to smear several spots on her chin while drawing.

Gu Congli looked exasperated, warning her coldly: “Shi Yin.”

“To cultivate sentiment and develop hobbies,” Shi Yin quickly corrected herself solemnly.

“Then draw,” he tapped her drawing board, “and stop asking irrelevant questions.”

Shi Yin tilted her head, her dark eyes darting at him: “Oh.”

She realized now that after staring at his cold face for so long, she had developed a tiny bit of immunity.

Seeing she still showed no reaction, Gu Congli clicked his tongue in resignation. Without warning, he raised his hand, pressing down on her raised head, forcing her gaze downward: “Why are you looking at me? Look at your drawing.”

He didn’t use much force, but it was sudden. Shi Yin’s head was pressed low, her gaze dropping to the floor, staring blankly.

Almost instantly, he released his hand.

Shi Yin remained in the same position, her neck bent. Slowly blinking, then blinking again, it took her several seconds to snap out of it.

Her heartbeat pounded louder and louder, clear and strong, as if it would leap out of her chest at any moment.

She licked her lips and looked up.

Gu Congli had already walked away, standing far at the other end of the studio, his back to her.

Quietly, Shi Yin raised her hand, touching the top of her head where his palm had rested.

She could still feel the fleeting moment.

Though it lasted only an instant.

The man’s large hand had landed on her head, icy cold, its chill penetrating through her hair, just like him.

Yet a burning heat raced down her scalp, spreading rapidly throughout her body.