Chapter 146 — Delivering a "Love Letter"

But after two knocks, Tang Zhi still did not part the curtain and open the window inside. Wei Zhao was puzzled — she couldn't have left the classroom this quickly, could she? He had run all the way here at top speed, and hadn't they agreed during the break last period that he would come and deliver the recipe to her?

At that thought, Wei Zhao knocked on the window harder. Surely she hadn't failed to hear him?

This time, there was finally a reaction from inside the classroom. Tang Zhi lifted a corner of the curtain. But she did not open the window; her face was faintly flushed, and she put a hand to her lips, making a shushing gesture at Wei Zhao, then waved her hand.

What on earth was that supposed to mean? Wei Zhao was baffled, thinking, Come on, say something! If you talk, I can read your lips and figure out what you mean. What good are a "shh" and a hand-wave to anyone?

Just then, however, the door of the Class Nine classroom opened, and a middle-aged woman stepped out. Seeing Wei Zhao knocking at the window, she demanded sharply, "Who's that knocking on the window? What class are you in?"

Wei Zhao was startled. What was this... a teacher coming out? Had the class run over?

At that possibility, Wei Zhao broke into a cold sweat. All his pounding must have disturbed the teacher's lecture — no wonder she had come out to give him an earful.

"Uh, sorry, I thought class was already over..." Wei Zhao said, scratching his scalp.

"You..." Teacher Song, the homeroom teacher of Class Nine, was slightly taken aback when she saw Wei Zhao, and then it came back to her — the incident during the exercise break a few days ago. Word was that this one had been named one of the campus's four new tyrants, and yet after a mess that big he had come away without a scratch. His family background, presumably, was nothing to sneeze at.

Teacher Song frowned. She was not inclined to waste her breath on a student like this; there was no point. Her words would probably go in one ear and out the other anyway. So she simply didn't bother, and asked directly, "What are you knocking on the window for?"

"I'm looking for Tang Zhi," Wei Zhao said with a wry smile.

"Looking for Tang Zhi?" Teacher Song frowned. She had no idea what this young tyrant wanted with Tang Zhi, the top student of her class. She was about to refuse him outright when she suddenly recalled Director Wang's words from this morning — that where matters concerning Tang Zhi were involved, she should give the girl more freedom... At that, Teacher Song did not refuse directly, and decided to ask Tang Zhi for her opinion. Ordinarily, she would simply have shooed Wei Zhao away: "And your name is..."

"My name is Wei Zhao," Wei Zhao said.

"Then wait a moment," Teacher Song said. She turned and walked back into the classroom, saying to Tang Zhi, "Tang Zhi, there's a student outside looking for you, one Wei Zhao. Will you go see him?"

Tang Zhi was so furious she could have screamed. Of all the times to come looking for her, you had to pick one when the teacher was right there — and knocking on the window, no less! Wasn't that just making a fool of her?

Even if... even if you made her take the bus again tomorrow morning, even if you teased her once more — giving it to her then would still have been better than this!

Ugh. Tang Zhi felt a pang of misery. How had her life become so cursed ever since she met Wei Zhao? This young tyrant...

Then she thought: if she didn't go out, what if Wei Zhao kept knocking on the window? What if he got angry and refused to give her the recipe? Not that she cared a fig for his lousy recipe — but her mother needed it... And if she didn't go get it herself and her mother ended up coming in person, wouldn't that put her in an even worse spot?

At that thought, Tang Zhi had no choice but to stand up and say to Teacher Song, "Teacher Song, then I'll just step outside for a moment..."

Teacher Song was taken aback. She knew how Tang Zhi usually behaved. Though suitors were endless at school, and not a few of them were rich young masters, Tang Zhi paid them no mind at all — let alone going out to see one who had come to the classroom door; even when she ran into them elsewhere, she would take the initiative to avoid them. And this time...

But since Tang Zhi had decided to go out and see Wei Zhao, Teacher Song could hardly say much. She nodded, but followed Tang Zhi to the classroom door and watched the two of them from afar, to see what they were up to — so that if Wei Zhao pestered Tang Zhi, she could intervene.

"Why did you have to come now?" Tang Zhi pouted, looking at Wei Zhao with displeasure. "It's our homeroom teacher's class, and it's not over yet. Didn't you see the gesture I gave you?"

"You went shh and waved your hand — how was I supposed to know what you wanted?" Wei Zhao shrugged innocently. "Didn't we agree before? During the break this period, I'd bring you the recipe..."

"Ugh..." Tang Zhi let out a faint sigh, full of helplessness. "Then just give it to me quickly."

"Here." Wei Zhao took out the recipe he had written and handed it to Tang Zhi.

Tang Zhi took it and slipped it straight into her pocket without even opening it. "I'm going back now. Don't go knocking on windows at random next time."

"Next time?" Wei Zhao blinked.

Only then did Tang Zhi realize her slip of the tongue. By saying that, hadn't she just implied that she was inviting Wei Zhao to come pester her again? She hastily corrected herself: "There won't be a next time."

With that, afraid of angering the young master of the Lin family, she did not dare look at him. She turned, lowered her head, and dashed quickly back to her classroom — and nearly barreled straight into Teacher Song.

"Ah... I'm... I'm sorry, Teacher Song..." Tang Zhi's face flushed red.

"Go on back. Be more careful next time." Teacher Song knitted her brows. She did not much mind Tang Zhi nearly colliding with her; what concerned her was — what had Wei Zhao just given Tang Zhi? It looked like something folded out of paper.

And after Tang Zhi took it, she had fled back red-faced, as if running for her life?

Teacher Song naturally took Tang Zhi's red face — flushed with embarrassment at nearly bumping into her — for a blush of shyness...

Could it be a love letter? At the thought, Teacher Song shook her head. Had the child Tang Zhi lost her wits? She had never once accepted a boy's love letter before — what had gotten into her this time? Not only had she made an exception and met with Wei Zhao, but she had accepted his love letter, and with such a bashful look on her face besides... Could there really be something going on between the two of them?

Teacher Song was not the only one who saw this; there were many others as well — Tang Zhi's classmates, for instance. The corridor had more than one window; any few people who pulled back a curtain could see the scene unfolding outside...

Though they could not hear what was being said, the ambiguous expressions, the ambiguous gestures, Tang Zhi's look of mingled reproach and coyness — all of it let one imagine a great deal...

Especially at the end, when Wei Zhao produced a folded piece of paper and gave it to Tang Zhi, and Tang Zhi shyly tucked it into her pocket, then ran back with her head lowered and her face flushed...

The whole scene was just too good.

In the dull, flavorless life of a school, what kind of news spreads fastest? Nothing other than which boy is going out with which girl... So-and-so gave so-and-so a love letter, so-and-so accepted a confession, classmate A turned down classmate B's advances...

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