NOVPUBOnce everything was ready, the three of them—Liu Changqing, An Yuanyao, and Liu Xiazhi—were about to head out.
Before leaving, Liu Changqing looked at his son, who still seemed a little out of it, and said,
“If Zhao Xuanwen shows up later, you two can just watch some TV. We’ll be back after signing Xiazhi up.”
“Got it…”
Liu Zhiyue responded dully and nodded.
He then watched the three of them leave, closed the door, and dragged himself to the sofa, where he collapsed.
He… was kind of drained.
Ever since Zhang Yunjing kissed him on the cheek yesterday… Liu Zhiyue had immediately explained everything to his dad and the others, but it didn’t seem to help much.
After that, he just felt unclean.
He ran to the bathroom and scrubbed the spot on his face with a bath towel for ages. Even when he went to bed, his mind was a mess, and he barely got any rest all night.
With the back of his hand resting on his forehead, Liu Zhiyue stared at the clock above the TV, listening to the tick… tick… tick of the second hand.
“Phew…”
After a long while, he let out a slow exhale. Lying there on the sofa, he felt the post-breakfast sleepiness gradually creeping in.
His eyes slowly shut. Liu Zhiyue could feel his head getting heavier, his body more and more sluggish—as if he were being pulled into a dream.
He didn’t know how much time passed… 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Knock knock knock.
The knocking sound startled Liu Zhiyue just as he was drifting off. His eyes opened slowly and turned toward the door.
“It’s me! I’m here!”
It was Zhao Xuanwen’s voice from outside.
Hearing her, Liu Zhiyue finally stirred, struggling a little as he sat up from the sofa. After slipping on his cotton slippers, he shuffled toward the door with heavy steps.
He reached out and opened it.
“Ta-da! I brought Xiazhi a gift!”
The moment the door opened, Zhao Xuanwen proudly lifted the bag in her hand high like she was showing off, a big smile on her face.
She held the pose for a moment but didn’t get a reaction from Liu Zhiyue. A bit hesitant, she slowly lowered the bag and looked at him—
Then jumped in surprise.
Standing in front of her, Liu Zhiyue looked pale and off. Realizing that, Zhao Xuanwen’s tone changed to one of concern as she rushed forward and said,
“You look awful!”
“Really…”
Liu Zhiyue blinked, still a bit dazed, just as Zhao Xuanwen hurried inside.
She came to his side, took his arm to support him, and looked at him closely, eyebrows furrowed.
“Are you sick?”
“Shouldn’t be… I was fine this morning.”
He responded while closing the door and gently pulling his arm away from her grip, walking over to sit back down on the sofa.
He let out a deep sigh and looked at Zhao Xuanwen, who followed him.
“My dad took Xiazhi to sign up for a dance class…”
“Forget that for now.”
She quickly set the snacks in her hand down on the coffee table, walked around to sit to his left, then reached out to feel his forehead. Her expression turned unusually serious as she compared the temperature with her own.
She came to a conclusion.
“You have a fever!”
“No way. I went for a morning run with my dad…”
“How is that impossible? Just look at your face right now!”
She said it dramatically and turned to face him, speaking in a rare serious tone.
“The weather’s gotten chilly lately. I bet you kicked the covers off in your sleep and caught a cold!”
“Really…”
It was rare to see Zhao Xuanwen this serious, so Liu Zhiyue was momentarily stunned. He thought it over carefully.
Now that she mentioned it… he had felt a bit off this morning.
And after his run, he’d taken a shower, too…
Liu Zhiyue started to doubt himself.
Am I actually sick?
While he was lost in thought, Zhao Xuanwen suddenly took his arm and tried to pull him up from the sofa, mumbling,
“Come on, I’m taking you back to your room…”
On the way to their destination, Liu Changqing made a call to Feng Qian, letting him know they were on their way to sign up his daughter for a dance class.
Liu Changqing had told him about this a few days ago, and Feng Qian had checked with his daughter at home. At first, he thought she wouldn’t be interested in dance, but the moment she heard Liu Xiazhi was going—
She immediately agreed.
After hearing that, Liu Changqing picked them up on the way. Then, using the address provided by An Yuanyao, they all headed to the dance studio.
After parking the car, everyone got out and took the elevator up to the floor where the dance studio was located. Walking beside Liu Changqing, An Yuanyao explained,
“This place is really good. The location might not be ideal, but the teachers are excellent.”
“Really? I actually think the location’s just fine…”
Liu Changqing replied, watching the two kids leading the way in front of them. Through the glass, he looked into the dance studio.
Liu Changqing didn’t know a thing about dancing, but judging by the vibe of the class and how graceful the teacher was, he came to a conclusion easily:
This teacher… looks seriously legit.
Thinking that, Liu Changqing turned to Feng Qian.
“Old Feng, what do you think?”
“Huh?”
Feng Qian blinked, caught off guard that Liu Changqing was asking for his opinion. He didn’t know anything about dancing either, but after a moment’s pause, he nodded seriously and said,
“I think it’s great. The teacher looks very skilled, and she seems really committed to teaching.”
“Exactly what I was thinking. She looks young, sure, but we shouldn’t judge by appearance. Just look at that figure—clearly a pro. I wonder if I can find her info online…”
“……”
Hearing these two men talk, An Yuanyao rolled her eyes at Liu Changqing but didn’t say much. She turned around and pushed open the door.
Hearing the sound, the young woman teaching the kids turned around immediately. Upon seeing the visitors, she quickly told the children something and walked over.
She stopped in front of An Yuanyao and asked politely,
“Hello, are you Ms. An Yuanyao?”
“Yes.”
“The teacher informed me in advance. Everything’s arranged. Please follow me to fill out the paperwork.”
“Okay.”
An Yuanyao replied and took both children by the hand, leading them into the office—leaving the two dads standing dumbfounded at the door.
Feng Qian blinked and said in realization,
“Oh, she’s not the teacher? I really thought she was! No wonder she looked so young… actually, now that I think about it…”
“Stop talking. So embarrassing… just hurry up and go in.”
Liu Changqing groaned as he walked into the office, and Feng Qian followed right behind him.
