Volume 1, Chapter 8: A Familiar Sight

Gu Nanxiao remained in his office working overtime as usual. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the police station had been reduced to a chaotic mess under Sun Qi’s management. Although he was not particularly fond of his current job, he adhered to the principle of "doing his duty as long as he held the post," and thus, Gu Nanxiao tried his best to restore some sense of order to the station. However, it seemed his efforts were yielding little effect.

He had expected another sleepless night, but shortly after seven in the evening, his phone began to vibrate incessantly. Forced to tear himself away from his tedious work, he glanced at the caller ID and immediately jumped up from his chair.

Oh no! He had completely forgotten he had a living soul back at home! If Gu Nanqing were to go hungry or cold on his very first day under his care, Ms. Li Mengfei would surely beat him to a pulp!

Rushing home, he was greeted at the door by a pitiful-looking Gu Nanqing, who appeared as if he were on the verge of being abandoned.

Gu Nanxiao: ... You have to let me explain.

Gu Nanxiao hadn't even finished changing his shoes when he realized the front door was still open. Looking back, he saw a small, pouting figure. He walked over and gave the little guy a light tap.

"What are you looking at?"

"Brother, brother, let me tell you, that beautiful teacher from my class lives right next door! She even helped me get into the residential complex today! But... she’s so strict... although, I still really like her!"

"Why? Because she’s pretty?" Gu Nanxiao scoffed. Even at such a young age, the boy already showed signs of being a superficial lover of beauty.

"Yes, and no. Other than when she’s teaching, the beautiful teacher has a great personality, and she lives right there."

Gu Nanxiao raised an eyebrow, following the little boy’s pointing finger toward the door across the hall. A brand-new set of couplets was pasted on it.

Left: May you find fish to catch every year.
Right: May you lie in peace every year.
Horizontal scroll: May the light of Buddha shine upon you.

Gu Nanxiao couldn't help but chuckle. This handiwork... it was unexpectedly familiar.

...

Rapid footsteps echoed in the hallway. No sooner had Mu Yao entered her office than she was informed that a parent was waiting to see her.

"I’m sorry to have kept you waiting..."

When she saw the person inside the room, the rest of her sentence choked in her throat. Gu Nanxiao?! Her gaze drifted down to the child from yesterday.

In other words...

Mu Yao, who had been full of embarrassment just a moment ago, saw her expression turn visibly sour upon realizing it was Gu Nanxiao.

This haunting presence again!

When Gu Nanxiao heard the voice outside the door, a sense of foreboding washed over him. He looked down at the little bean beside him, who had become visibly excited. It couldn't be... he’d guessed right. The "beautiful teacher" this kid kept chattering about was his own "old acquaintance."

Beautiful? She was nothing more than pretty.

Before the New Year, he had been entrusted by Ms. Li Mengfei to visit the school on her behalf. When he followed the welcoming teacher to the garden, he happened to run into Mu Yao. The teacher mentioned to Gu Nanxiao that she was Gu Nanqing’s Chinese teacher. Gu Nanxiao couldn't help but take a few extra looks.

This led to that night when he saw a familiar figure outside his hotel room; out of consideration for her being his younger brother's teacher, he chose not to hold her drunken behavior against her and simply went to book another room in his bathrobe in the middle of the night. Ever since then, this "beautiful teacher" in Gu Nanqing’s words had brought him one surprise after another.

Mu Yao’s voice interrupted Gu Nanxiao’s recollection. "Gu Nanqing’s parent, hello. Let me brief you on the school’s basic situation."

Even though she had a hundred reasons to refuse, it was working hours, and Mu Yao forced herself to adopt a professional attitude toward the old-fashioned man before her. They sat in their chairs as Mu Yao began to explain the school regulations in detail.

The scene felt familiar, yet both of them had switched roles. Gu Nanxiao looked at the serious young woman across from him with some surprise. When it came to work, she put away all of her usual lack of discipline. The thought of transferring Gu Nanqing to another school began to fade.

By the time Mu Yao finished speaking, her mouth was dry, and Gu Nanqing’s little head was nodding, clearly on the verge of falling asleep.

*Pop!* A flick to the forehead landed on the little boy’s head. Mu Yao squinted and couldn't help but hiss in sympathy. Gu Nanxiao looked up, lifting his free hand. Mu Yao grabbed the documents on the desk and turned to leave, her ponytail whipping behind her.

Gu Nanxiao couldn't help but laugh out loud. Gu Nanqing said she was very strict in class—how could he possibly believe that?

Gu Nanqing stretched his neck to look at the suddenly departing Teacher Mu, then looked up at his brother, who was laughing heartily. Confusion spread across his little mind.

...

Weekend.

Mu Yao was awakened by the doorbell. Reluctantly, she appeared in the living room with a bird's nest of hair. It was nine in the morning—the prime time for most young people to be sleeping in.

*Click.* As soon as the door opened a crack, a young voice drifted in.

"Good morning, Teacher Mu!"

Mu Yao: !!!

She had imagined countless possibilities, but never that it would be a student from her own class. She looked down at her childish cartoon pajamas and then up at her own disheveled reflection in the mirror. Mu Yao swallowed hard. If the timing hadn't been so inconvenient, she probably would have slammed the door shut.

She steeled herself and pulled the door open. Mu Yao’s eyes widened in an instant. Outside the door, there wasn't just her student, but the student’s parent as well!

Gu Nanxiao looked at Mu Yao, his expression showing a rare moment of blankness. Then, he tilted his head slightly, coughed, and quickly returned to normal.

"Teacher Mu, thank you for taking care of my younger brother. Please accept this small token of appreciation."

Gu Nanxiao naturally handed the gift box to Mu Yao and took the opportunity to bend down and scoop up the dazed Gu Nanqing. Even after they were inside, the little boy was still in disbelief.

Mu Yao closed the door with a cold face. If she wasn't mistaken, she had clearly seen the man smile—blatantly mocking her right in front of her student. What was his problem? Did he not have messy hair when he woke up every morning?!

She must be at odds with this person, Gu Nanxiao; nothing good ever happened when she ran into him. She tossed the gift box onto the cabinet in the living room, lining it up next to the previous one.

...

Mu Yao watched emotionlessly as the child in front of her hopped and skipped in front of the facial recognition machine at the residential complex entrance, her frustration with Gu Nanxiao deepening. She sighed, walked forward, and picked up Gu Nanqing to enter the complex with ease.

The little boy looked back in surprise when he was lifted up, but upon seeing it was Mu Yao, he stopped struggling and gave her a sweet smile. Even the hardest heart would soften when faced with such an innocent smile, and Mu Yao was certainly not a cold-hearted person—she just had some issues with the boy’s brother.

Ever since Gu Nanqing saw the "different" Teacher Mu (the disheveled version), his fear of her had plummeted. In her class, he even dared to openly lead the charge in asking her to assign less homework.

How annoying. Just as annoying as his brother.