Chapter 21 Instructor Seeks a Conversation

Fenglin Villa After Gu Yanjing went to work, Qiao Yuxian returned to her room. She put the black card back into the envelope, placed it in the laptop bag’s inner pocket, and then took out the computer. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she placed the laptop on her leg. The laptop was thick, appearing somewhat cumbersome, but the boot-up speed was very fast. Once opened, the wallpaper displayed was an ancient street at night, adorned with lanterns, brilliantly illuminated, bustling and romantic. Qiao Yuxian pressed a key on the keyboard. The desktop instantly switched to a backdrop of the Big Dipper constellation. Her fingers rested on the keyboard, fingertips dancing, fingers moving so fast they left afterimages. She first checked the forum posters. Following the trail of the posters, she found the people pushing the story from behind. Qiao Yuxian rested one hand on her knee, while the other slowly tapped on the computer, looking at the information displayed. Right at this moment, her phone rang, Qiao Lech gave her a call. Qiao Yuxian connected the call, pressing the speakerphone directly. "Sis." Qiao Lech’s voice sounded, calling out "Sis" somewhat anxiously, pausing a bit, before making his tone appear slightly calm, "Are you at school?" "No." Qiao Yuxian’s voice was somewhat lazy, "Anything wrong?" "No, nothing." Qiao Lech’s voice was quieter, "Tomorrow is Dad’s birthday. Are you coming home tonight?" "I’ll come back tomorrow," Qiao Yuxian replied. After she said this, Qiao Lech was silent for a while before hesitantly saying, "Sis, uh, you..." "I saw the news on the forum," Qiao Yuxian said directly, "I’m fine, I can handle it." "That’s good." Qiao Lech’s voice was cautious and then asked, "Is there anything I can help with?" "No need." Qiao Yuxian’s voice was gentle, lazy, yet exuded a strange sense of detachment, "Is Qiao Shuning coming tomorrow?" "Cousin?" Qiao Lech replied, "She seems to have quit her job and has been staying at our place recently." Qiao Yuxian looked at the data showing Qiao Shuning on the computer, hearing Qiao Lech’s words, she raised her eyebrows, "Got it." "Sis, let me know if you need help, I’m heading to class," Qiao Lech said. "Mm." After hanging up the phone, Qiao Yuxian closed Qiao Shuning’s data and checked the surveillance in the teaching building. Then she switched back to the ancient street night view wallpaper, opened a shopping app, and began shopping. ... In the afternoon, Qiao Yuxian attended class. Shang Chen arrived punctually at Fenglin Villa to pick her up and took her to school. She wore light-colored wide-leg pants, paired with a white short-sleeve top. The wide-leg pants were high-waisted, the short sleeves were somewhat brief, and as she walked, a slight part of her waist would subtly reveal. She had a high ponytail, devoid of makeup, yet adding a few touches of freshness, vitality, and a spirited allure to her usually enchanting aura. The stretch from the school gate to the teaching building was notably more eye-catching than usual. Qiao Yuxian didn’t pay much attention and went straight to her classroom. In the classroom, not many people particularly noticed her. There were many fourth-year students preparing for graduate entrance exams, as well as those who had begun preparing for other tests early on. Everyone was busy, rarely focusing on forum news. Only a few more leisurely individuals were more gossip-focused. They glanced at Qiao Yuxian several times. Qiao Yuxian found a seat and sat down, and two people immediately came up on both sides, sandwiching her in the middle. She looked from side to side. Sitting on the left was Zhao Meng, and on the right was... Ji Xiaoxiao. Qiao Yuxian remained expressionless outwardly, but inwardly tumultuous thoughts surged. She directly ignored Ji Xiaoxiao, looked towards Zhao Meng, first noticing her hair that was cut to reveal the scalp after just one day of absence: "Why did you cut it again?" When Qiao Yuxian resumed her studies and moved into the dormitory, Zhao Meng had short hair, styled very neutrally, very sporty. Her voice was deep, her tone bright, and her personality was straightforward. She had many little fangirls at school. At that time, Zhao Meng was about to grow her hair long, and after almost a year, she cut it again. Zhao Meng rubbed the hair at the back of her head and said, "Don’t know. I went out for bubble tea yesterday, saw a barbershop, went in and got it cut." Qiao Yuxian: "... So casual." "Life is just about being a bit casual." Zhao Meng’s voice dropped slightly, "Don’t talk about me, talk about yourself. This matter fermented quickly, why haven’t you made any moves." "You trust me too much, what if what they’re saying is true?" Qiao Yuxian joked. "Stop talking crap." Zhao Meng flipped her ponytail, "Just give a straightforward answer, can you handle it?" Qiao Yuxian smiled and nodded, patted her shoulder, "Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday, let’s talk about it after tomorrow." She didn’t say it outright, Zhao Meng also immediately understood. This matter probably involved her family, and she didn’t want her father’s birthday to be disturbed. Zhao Meng nodded, saying no more, but Ji Xiaoxiao beside them spoke up: "What’s there to solve in this matter, after a few days, no one will remember it." Both Qiao Yuxian and Zhao Meng looked towards her. Ji Xiaoxiao was holding a diamond-studded mirror and touching up her makeup, completely ignoring them: "Those who smear you and curse you are just jealous of you. It’s better to buy a few bags than to get angry with them." Qiao Yuxian and Zhao Meng exchanged looks. Zhao Meng shrugged with a smile, then asked, "Does Ji Daxiaohua also believe in our Yuxian?" Ji Xiaoxiao closed her mirror, shot a faint glance at Qiao Yuxian, raised her chin and said, "To be given the beauty title of Jing University like me, presumably she wouldn’t be too bad." Zhao Meng: "......" Qiao Yuxian: "......" As Qiao Yuxian and Zhao Meng sat opposite each other, speechless, their instructor suddenly arrived. Class hadn’t started yet, there were people chatting in the classroom, the noise wasn’t loud. "Is Qiao Yuxian here?" the instructor called directly from the doorway. The classroom suddenly fell silent. Some people looked precisely at Qiao Yuxian, some looked around before turning their gaze to her. Zhao Meng and Ji Xiaoxiao also looked towards her. Qiao Yuxian stood up: "I am here." "Come to the office with me," the instructor said. "I’ll go with you." Zhao Meng also stood up. "No need, I can handle it myself," Qiao Yuxian walked out. Zhao Meng walked out with her: "Then I’m leaving too, not my class anyway, what am I doing here." ... The instructor responsible for them is surnamed Li, a male instructor, around thirty-five years old. He had his own tutoring organization outside and didn’t have teaching tasks at school, just responsible for some everyday student matters, or conveying some information. It was rare to see him frequently, and to see him required making appointments in advance. Qiao Yuxian didn’t have much interaction with him, only handling some procedures when returning from a leave of absence, and later seen him a few times at class meetings. There was no significant impression. Most of what was known about him was hearsay. It’s said he’s somewhat arrogant; institute leaders pay him due respect. In the office, the instructor sat down and gestured for Qiao Yuxian to sit. Qiao Yuxian didn’t sit, politely asked, "Teacher, what is it that you need from me?" The instructor sat down, replied to messages on his phone, his expression a bit off. After replying, he suddenly tilted his head to scrutinize Qiao Yuxian, then looked at her saying, "The forum news about you has created a big stir, even reaching the institute leaders. This morning was all about reporting this matter to them." Qiao Yuxian gently furrowed her brows. "Someone reported that your private life is inappropriate, requesting the institute to take action against you." The instructor looked back at his phone. Qiao Yuxian’s expression turned colder yet her voice remained gentle, unhurried: "So what did you call me for..." "I’ll be frank. Suspend classes until you settle the matter and give the institute a proper explanation. Don’t disturb other students’ learning." The instructor responded while replying to messages, his tone slightly impatient. Qiao Yuxian’s expression turned entirely cold, responded mockingly: "Is this the institute’s decision or yours?" "The institute has entrusted me to handle this matter," the instructor placed the phone screen-down on the desk with a light tap, looked up at her, eyes filled with even more impatient severity. Attempting to intimidate Qiao Yuxian. "So you believe what’s on the forum is true." Qiao Yuxian met his gaze, showing not a hint of fear. In fact, she was even more casually confrontational. "Isn’t it true?" The instructor’s phone buzzed twice more, "If you haven’t done those things, where did the photos come from? Why does the post specifically mention you, and not others? Look at your attire, is it what a student should wear?"