Romantic Teacher

A Casual Glimpse

"You really must be more attentive in class—we can't have students falling asleep!" Wang Deming was saying in a loud, fatherly tone as Lin Haoran passed nearby.

"Yes—yes, I understand, Principal. I'll pay closer attention." The young teacher had bowed her head, cheeks pink with embarrassment. She had only recently been assigned to the school, still unfamiliar with its unwritten rules and well aware of the principal's reputation for finding fault when it suited him. Of course she was nervous.

Wang Deming, seeing that he had achieved the desired effect, relaxed into a benevolent smile. "Now, don't be anxious. I'm only saying this because I care. A young woman of your talent and looks—I have every confidence you'll improve. Do well, and I'll see to it that you're given more responsibility."

As he spoke, his gaze slid sideways again. He leaned in slightly, tilting his head at an angle that might—if one were shorter—offer a better view past the young teacher's collar. Unfortunately for him, nature had not been generous in the matter of height, and the angle was wrong. The young teacher, conscious of propriety, had dressed carefully. Whatever he was hoping to see remained stubbornly hidden.

Wang Deming craned and angled, looked up and down, and came away disappointed. "What a pity I'm always so busy," he sighed. "Otherwise I would personally guide you—show you how a truly engaging lesson should be structured. The new curriculum standards are demanding, of course, but for someone with my experience, it's nothing at all. I was quite the celebrated teacher in this county once, you know."

The young teacher had nothing to say to this. He was, after all, the principal.

Lin Haoran, watching from a few paces away, translated this effortlessly: a wolf in a cardigan, showing up at the henhouse with flowers. He was entertaining no innocent intentions. The old fox would have liked nothing better than to corner the young teacher somewhere quiet and offer his most "hands-on" instruction.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to him.

He turned around and walked toward them with a wide smile. "Principal Wang! Fancy running into you here. What are you up to?"

Wang Deming startled, snapped upright, and assumed his most dignified expression. "Ah—I was just speaking with Teacher Liu about a few matters. Finished your class, have you, Teacher Chen?" His eyes flicked to the textbook under Lin Haoran's arm.

"Just now. By the way, Principal—the other teachers have been asking: how much is the bonus for Teacher's Day this semester?"

It was a masterfully chosen question. Too much, and Wang Deming's private account would suffer; too little, and the faculty would grumble for weeks. The principal's expression tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Well—that, ah, that will be decided through a leadership committee meeting. Our teachers work so hard, I understand that completely. Isn't that right, Teacher Liu Yaqin?" He turned to the young woman with a softer look.

"It certainly isn't easy without money," she agreed, nodding.

Of course, the committee meeting was a fiction. Wang Deming would decide whatever he liked.

Realising that Lin Haoran showed no sign of moving on, and that any further attempt at appreciation would be futile, Wang Deming gave a dismissive wave. "You two chat. I have things to attend to." And he walked away.

"Teacher Chen," the young woman said, turning to Lin Haoran with a polite smile, "I'm newly assigned here. I hope you'll look out for me."

"Of—of course. No problem at all." In truth, Lin Haoran hadn't planned to linger. Liu Meiqin was pretty enough, but not exactly his type. He was already composing an excuse to slip away—

Then the light shifted, and a thought stopped him where he stood.

He was 178 centimetres tall. Standing this close, looking down at the slight gap where her collar fell open, he could see exactly what Wang Deming had been straining for and failed to find. A black lace brassiere, trimmed with a delicate edging. The silhouette beneath was unmistakably full and shapely. He hadn't seen much—but what he had seen was more than enough to send his pulse thudding and leave him suddenly at a loss for where to look.

"Teacher Chen?" Liu Meiqin glanced up, puzzled. This handsome teacher seemed unusually quiet today.

"Ah—yes, yes, of course." Lin Haoran jerked his gaze upward, caught, flustered, and mumbled something vaguely agreeable.