Don't Say You're Heartless (Modern Edition)

26 Winning over

As soon as Shen Qiuhua's fingers started to pull away, Yang Qiong was unwilling to let go. She grasped them firmly, wrapping them gently in her palm. "I'm sorry. Qiuhua, you're too kind. I'm always afraid you might feel wronged," Yang Qiong finally expressed her concern.

With Yang Qiong's hand gripping hers, Shen Qiuhua glanced at her. "Is worrying going to help?" She poked Yang Qiong's shoulder with her other hand. "This place should become my support. I will rely on it too."

Yang Qiong was thrilled and hugged Shen Qiuhua tightly. Then she heard a cold voice in her ear say, "Let go! Can't you see where this is?"

"I got a bit too excited," Yang Qiong loosened her hold, not forgetting to explain.

"Be more careful. If others see this, we won't be able to finish this task."

Yang Qiong shrugged. "So what? There probably won't be another job paying three hundred bucks. If we don't do this, we can find something else. Anything else will be better."

"Let's see. For now, I'm quite content," Shen Qiuhua glanced at the clock on the wall. Their classes for the morning had been rescheduled to the afternoon and the next day, so they were very relaxed at the moment. Seeing how rare it was to have such a quiet environment in the meeting room, she wasn't in a hurry to leave.

"You're quite the troublemaker today. It's really rare."

"I'm speaking from the heart. If it weren't for him being so difficult to deal with, I wouldn't have said those official-sounding things," Shen Qiuhua said, pointing at the phone on the coffee table. "I looked at some interviews with teachers on here. They all portray teachers as self-sacrificing, with their personal lives ruined, their families torn apart, or dying in the line of duty. And everyone is urged to learn from them. I don't know if it's my old-fashioned thinking or if the current values are wrong."

"You actually read those?" Yang Qiong picked up Shen Qiuhua's phone and scrolled through a few pages. Indeed, she found the reports Shen Qiuhua mentioned. The teachers in those articles were either divorced due to neglecting family for their work, or their children suffered accidents because of their neglect, or they fell seriously ill but continued to work until they died at school. Each story was more tragic than the last, leaving Yang Qiong feeling distressed. "Is this called positive energy?" she doubted deeply.

"Perhaps... the so-called exemplary models are what people hope all teachers will become," Shen Qiuhua said with a cold smile. "But if teachers' fates are all so miserable, who would be willing to teach?"

Yang Qiong put down the phone, shaking her head. As a teacher herself now, she couldn't help but feel a sense of empathy when reading such things. She had to admit that no matter which story she put herself into, it didn't bring any pleasant feelings. "Alright, let's not dwell on such upsetting matters. It's rare to have such a quiet place and good tea to enjoy. Let's not waste it."

Shen Qiuhua nestled into the sofa and looked out at the bright autumn scenery. Suddenly, she smiled and turned to Yang Qiong. "Would you like to hear me sing?"

"Huh?" Yang Qiong was surprised. She had been with Shen Qiuhua for a while and knew she was talented in many areas, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. But she had never known Shen Qiuhua could sing. "You can sing?" Yang Qiong regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth.

Sure enough, Shen Qiuhua gave her a sideways glance. "If you don't want to hear it, then never mind."

"No, no, I want to hear it. I'm just surprised. I never knew you could sing," Yang Qiong quickly straightened up, ears perked up in anticipation.

Shen Qiuhua didn't explain why she never sang before- this was obviously not a difficult guess. She cleared her throat and began to sing 'Si Di Xiang' in a soft, melodious voice.