Still, Wait For Me

Chapter 24: An uncle’s willpower

“This is also a secret,” Xu Tingsheng said.

“Meh,” Everyone replied dissatisfiedly in unison.

Xu Tingsheng shamelessly ignored their disdainful looks, slowly changing the topic to that of the university entrance examinations and some studying methods for it, making use of this chance to share some of his views on this matter.

Of everyone here, it was Fang Yunyao who was most interested in this. As a teacher, she could more acutely sense that the ideas contained within Xu Tingsheng’s words were virtually the prelude to a revolution in the field of education.

“When talking to you next time, I’ve got to to bring a notebook,” Fang Yunyao said.

Xu Tingsheng paused as he considered for a while before asking her, “Mrs Fang, are you interested in writing a thesis, helping to promote these methods of mine?”

As Xu Tingsheng saw it, herein lay a chance to change Fang Yunyao’s fate. He didn’t know whether this thesis would turn out influential enough for such. If it caused an education revolution like it had in his previous life, as the primary advocate for it, Fang Yunyao’s fate would almost certainly change. Under such circumstances, would she still marry that violent maniac? According to his observations, Fang Yunyao should currently still be single. In other words, she had still yet to meet that person, at the very least not having begun going steady with him yet.

In any case, even if this thesis did not end up being influential enough, it would still be somewhat useful to Fang Yunyao, able to be used in career appraisals and whatnot. Every time the butterfly flapped its wings, an additional volatile factor would be born. While Xu Tingsheng was afraid of such unknowable things, he still hoped that with those, Fang Yunyao’s fate might be changed.

“Thesis? But those are your ideas. Wouldn’t that be plagiarising?” Fang Yunyao answered.

“Does Mrs Fang think that I can promote it myself? At most, you can just add my name in at the time. How about it? Consider it for a bit. If you agree, I’ll sort out my thoughts as well as get some examples together for you. It doesn’t have to be too general; let’s just write it as some suggestions on twelfth grade history revision. What do you think?” Xu Tingsheng asked earnestly.

Fang Yunyao hesitated for a moment. She could care less about fame and gain, not that she thought that a single thesis might be able to bring her much of either of those. However, her passion towards teaching left her very reluctant to refuse. She had attended Xu Tingsheng’s interaction lesson, also having earnestly analysed his virtually perfect history papers. As someone who was diligently researching on education, also being a young teacher who was more open to new teaching philosophies, she was actually very willing to perform some analysis on Xu Tingsheng’s study methods and education philosophy, even if she didn’t write a thesis on it in the end.

“I’ll give it a try then?” Fang Yunyao said.

“Alright, I’ll hand you the materials after sorting them out then. If anything further is needed, you can expound on it,” Xu Tingsheng said.

He did not dare to provide materials that were too complete and perfect. On one hand, he was afraid of revealing too much, leading to the suspicion of others. It could still be considered normal for a student to have his own methodologies, but if he could form a perfectly structured thesis based off that, that would surely be abnormal.

On the other hand, Xu Tingsheng also hoped for Fang Yunyao to have a greater sense of participation in this collaboration.

Only till it was nearly time for evening self-study did this dinner session end.

Having returned to the classroom, tipsiness could be seen on some of their faces. Luckily, though, none of them were drunk.

As for Wu Yuewei, because Xu Tingsheng had strictly controlled how much she drank, only allowing her to drink a small half cup of beer, while her face was completely red as she walked, it was still not to the point of collapsing directly.

It was instead her close female friend whom she had brought along who had drunk rather too much. Her alcohol capacity was actually not bad, but there had been those few people by Xu Tingsheng’s side, trying to get close to a pretty junior after seeing her. As this accumulated, she had drunk quite a bit.

Finally, she had to be supported back by Wu Yuewei.

A little sorry about this, Xu Tingsheng escorted them for a while, the young girl saying to him somewhat tipsily as they walked, “Senior, I actually rather hated you before this, because I always felt that you were bullying our Yuewei. Really hateful, really detestable...from today, though, I feel that you are actually pretty good; you also actually treat Yuewei rather well. I’ve decided not to hate you anymore, but you must treat Yuewei well in the future, got it? Do you know how long she has been laughed at because of you? It hasn’t been nice for her...if you don’t treat her well, I’ll, I’ll get you for it.”

The little lady shook her small fist at him at the end. Xu Tingsheng was left not knowing whether to laugh or to cry as he looked over towards Wu Yuewei for help. However, he found her gazing at him with an aggrieved face.

“Right, I’ll treat her as I would my own sister,” Xu Tingsheng could only answer.

“No,” The drunk girl persisted unrelentingly, “Just a sister is not enough. More than that, more than that...”

Not knowing what words might leave her mouth, Wu Yuewei hurriedly covered it, telling Xu Tingsheng, “Don’t listen to what she says.”

“Right,” Xu Tingsheng felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“Still, you’re not making me your sister,” Wu Yuewei said.

“...”

......

During evening self-study, the number of people asking Xu Tingsheng for help skyrocketed.

Xu Tingsheng patiently helped all of them.

Of course, he knew that while most of these questions had been asked in earnest, a small minority of them had actually been asked with the motive of getting friendly with him. He had already experienced this kind of situation in his previous life.

At this juncture, a very laughable rumour had surfaced. It was said that those who stood together before their university entrance examinations in taking photographs for the archives as well as their entry proof would more likely be arranged in the same examination hall, perhaps even arranged in neighbouring seats.

Some had come precisely for this.

Indeed, after the second period ended, that female student who had left Xu Tingsheng with a ‘deep impression’ in his previous life came over.

This female student looked pretty good, having especially developed pretty well, her three sizes and whatnot being at a shocking level for such an age, while also not being fat at all.

Or course, what was most different from the other girls was that at this age, she was already very proficient in wielding her assets.

In his previous life, when she had come by Xu Tingsheng’s desk to ask for his help in answering questions, the loose collar of her T-shirt had clearly revealed deep ravines. When she had sat down beside Xu Tingsheng, not embarassed in the slightest, her bountiful portions had rubbed against the side of his thigh. Xu Tingsheng had been left not knowing what to do at all as his body’s reactions had left him without even sufficient time to get up and go to the toilet.

Now, she had come once more. Actually, the 31-year-old uncle Xu Tingsheng was actually still rather flustered by this.

Her name was Apple, an English name. In this era, while many would choose some lousy English names for themselves when forced to by their English teachers, none would pay much attention to those, not really using them for themselves. Apple was an exception. She had transferred over from a major city, rumoured to have already took the examinations once before. In many ways of thinking, including her style in wearing clothes, she was very greatly different from the young girls of Libei County who had been raised in villages. For example, in the entire class, there were only her who currently dared to wear the black stockings and short skirts that only reached down to her thighs that would become greatly popular in the future. Also, however much others discussed it, whatever gazes they used to look at her, she also didn’t feel that it was any inappropriate at all.

At the beginning of the year, during self-introductions, when she had said ‘Hi, you can all call me Apple’ and also ‘I am currently single, without a boyfriend’, the whole class had figuratively collectively fainted.

After that, everyone had begun getting used to calling her Apple following her numerous repeated corrections. Boys began pursuing her one after another, bodies of the fallen piling up into a small hill. Some began suddenly shouting out her name in their room in the middle of the night, next silently, secretly changing their underwear.

To summarise, this was an extremely alluring creature.

However, while many thought that she was very liberal, no one had yet truly gotten their way with her. In truth, she appeared not to be that kind of girl who treated herself so cheaply. Rather, it should be said that other than some of her habits and thoughts being different from the rest, she was a diligent, hardworking good kid, her relationship with the other students, the girls included, not being bad at all.

Many were stumped by this.

In Xu Tingsheng’s previous life, many years after Apple had married a rich foreigner and emigrated to Australia, in a class gathering, her closest female friend in the class had unravelled the mystery for them, saying, “Actually, Apple was indeed very liberal. When she transferred over, she had already had a few boyfriends before, already no longer being a....anymore.”

“Why did she instead turn strait-laced after having transferred here then?”

“She didn’t turn straight-laced. It was that she felt that wasn’t anyone here worthy of her affections. Apple is that kind of very rational person, thinking all the time about whether things are worth it. In this area, it was also the same. She told me before that if there was whatever guy she found to be worthy, even if he didn’t like her, she would also not mind.”

“It wouldn’t be worth it liking them?”

“That is a possibility, but it is rather less important. What she wants is...for example, if you are very rich and worth being captured by her, or you can help her get into a good university...in that case, she wouldn’t mind using that to exchange for it.”

That female ex-classmate of his previous life had then glanced at Xu Tingsheng, currently competing on drinking with a few other guys, before continuing, “Because of the university entrance examinations that year, there was actually someone who could have succeeded. Apple had already been prepared for it, also having made the first move, but sadly, that person was a blockhead, and did not grasp the chance.”

Xu Tingsheng was currently behaving woodenly like a blockhead. He was not very familiar with Apple, the two at most only having interacted as normal classmates before. However, Apple now directly sat down in the position beside him, also moving her chair close.

This seemed even more ferocious than in his previous life, didn’t it? Back then, she had still stood while asking questions for a few days before gradually amping up her attempts to get closer to him.

With her not having openly said anything, Xu Tingsheng could only pretend to be oblivious as he moved his body slightly away, his head lowered as he patiently explained those questions to her. The reason for his lowered head was that he dared not to meet her gaze. For this was an ungodly demon who had already gained the ability to bewitch with her eyes. Also, Xu Tingsheng was even more afraid that as soon as he swivelled his head around, he might see beneath her open collar as revealed below her neck.

Having finished explaining the questions to her, Xu Tingsheng felt his body. Good, the willpower of an uncle was indeed higher.

Just as he was feeling proud over his mental resilience, something ‘smacked’ onto his arm.

“Help!” Xu Tingsheng hurriedly said that he needed to got to the toilet, and hence ended this first session of enticing intimacy.