Romantic Teacher

On a midsummer afternoon, the scorching sun blazed down on the asphalt road, steaming up a pungent wave of heat. Even the foxtail grass by the roadside hung its leaves listlessly, drained of all vitality. The bus was as stuffy as an airtight steamer, with the smell of sweat mixed with cheap gasoline choking people’s chests. "Driver! Stop! Stop the car now!" Lin Haoran clutched his stomach, his face bright red, with fine cold sweat oozing from his forehead and his voice trembling. A sharp cramp twisted violently in his abdomen, as if an invisible hand was wringing it tightly. If he was even a second late, he would make a fool of himself in front of everyone on the bus. The bus slammed to a halt, its tires screeching harshly against the ground and kicking up a cloud of fine dust. The driver poked his head out impatiently, his brows furrowed into a knot, his tone brimming with irritability: "We’re in the middle of nowhere, not a village or shop in sight. What do you want?" "I have diarrhea! I’ll be back in five minutes!" Before Lin Haoran finished speaking, he had stumbled off the bus, the scalding asphalt almost making him jump. But he had barely run three steps when the bus door slammed shut with a bang. The engine roared as the bus sped away, leaving only a choking cloud of dust that slowly dissipated in the sweltering wind. "Damn it!" Lin Haoran cursed under his breath, cold sweat sliding down his cheeks and soaking the strands of hair on his forehead. He had no time to be angry with the departing bus. Glancing up, he saw a dense thicket of mixed trees ten meters from the road, with interlaced branches and leaves forming a thick canopy that blocked the sun—it seemed like the only place to escape the heat and embarrassment. Gritting his teeth, he rushed into it without hesitation. The thicket was dark and damp, filled with the stench of decaying leaves and soil. Occasional cicada chirps came from between the branches, making the surroundings even more serene. He found the most secluded patch of grass deep in the thicket and squatted down, with weeds up to his knees covering his figure. Just as he let out a sigh of relief and the abdominal cramp eased slightly, ambiguous laughter from a man and a woman came from not far away, shattering the tranquility of the thicket. He froze, his muscles tensing instantly. He carefully pushed aside the weeds in front of him and peeked out. A dozen meters away, in another clump of grass, a man and a woman in their thirties were tangled together, their clothes disheveled and hair messy. The weeds around them were trampled to one side, clearly having a secret tryst, unaware of their surroundings. Lin Haoran was so embarrassed that he wished he could sink into the ground, his cheeks burning hot. He quickly lowered his head, held his breath, and didn’t even dare to breathe heavily, just wanting to finish and leave this awkward place quietly. But at that moment, a cold touch suddenly brushed against his calf, carrying the unique damp cold of the mountain forest, a sharp contrast to the sweltering heat around him.