Yang Wei dreamt that night of sleeping nestled next to the furry belly of a great, curly-haired dog. When she woke, she indeed found herself cuddled up into the embrace of a curly-haired... man.

As Jian Shuang had often said in college, so what if you had no one to drink with? Having a man to snuggle was enough.

From this point of view, Yang Wei was indeed a very lucky woman. However, if that man happened to be pressing a certain... something... very fantastical... against oneself, the situation might not be so wonderful after all.

Having had a good deal of experience dealing with Qi Xiao Yan"s early morning inner beast, she kept very still when she opened her eyes and called out tentatively, "Curly-bae?"

"Wife..." That smoky, husky word spilled gently from Qi Xiao Yan"s lips. He didn"t open his eyes, but instead kissed her by following the sound of her voice. Yang Wei"s heart exploded like thunder. There was only one sort of situation in which he called her "wife".

Sure enough, before she could even register the tender touch of his lips, he had rolled over and pressed her beneath him. His kiss deepened, and she felt a small sting from the little nibbles he was giving her, but she couldn"t take care of that right this moment because his paw had already reached under her clothes!

Cold fingertips swept her skin. Yang Wei couldn"t help but shiver. This tiny reaction seemed to please the man on top of her, and his actions became more aggressive. Panicking, she gave him a hard shove on the shoulder, but he didn"t budge. Feeling both their temperatures rising rapidly, she bit him.

Qi Xiao Yan let out a m.u.f.fled yelp of pain. Yang Wei seized the opportunity to kick him off the bed.

There was a heavy thump. His head in his right hand, Qi Xiao Yan slowly sat up from the floor. His slender fingers were tangled through soft black hair, and a little scarlet remained where he had been bitten on the mouth. He looked up in Yang Wei"s direction, eyes puzzled and questioning.

This lovely tableau of a beautiful man who had just been trampled on stirred her up quite a bit. She almost invited him back onto the bed.

But the loud, buzzing sound of the alarm prevented her impulse, and Qi Xiao Yan"s gaze steadied bit by bit.

The two sat there looking at each other for half a minute before he asked, "Aren"t you going to turn off the alarm?"

Yang Wei slammed the alarm b.u.t.ton.

In the silence afterward, the atmosphere was inexplicably awkward. Qi Xiao Yan touched his mouth, and when he saw the tinge of red on his fingertips, stood up, looking a little unnatural.

At this moment the light coming into the room was just right, and the rays of the soft morning sun wrapped him in their embrace... his being wrapped was just as good as him not being wrapped!

Her eyes feasted. Smooth skin, streamlined muscles, that inverted triangle shape... that six-pack and that V narrowing down to... In her ears rang the patter of the shower water from last night. She could have traced the water running along his skin...

Gah!

Yang Wei felt like she was getting more and more lewd. In order to hide her dirty thoughts, she grabbed the quilt and threw it over him, "Can you put on some clothes?!"

Holding the quilt, he gave her a look. "Same to you."

Yang Wei involuntarily glanced down. Several of her pajama b.u.t.tons had been undone, and her neckline gaped open. Her face red, she felt the urge to throw him out the window. "Get out!"

By the time she left the bathroom after washing, Qi Xiao Yan was already neatly dressed and busy admiring the graffiti on their wedding photo.

Yang Wei felt rather embarra.s.sed. She hadn"t expected him to one day look upon this impromptu piece of art.

"Do you feel more handsome after processing?" she rushed in, hoping to strike the first blow before he could mock her. Qi Xiao Yan turned to her. "Why didn"t you get any processing?"

"I"m in pursuit of natural beauty."

"I see the natural part of it, but where"s the beauty?"

...Where did that inner beast from just now go?!

He turned and left the bedroom. "If you don"t leave soon, you"re going to be late." Yang Wei rolled her eyes before following him out.

Qi Xiao Yan bought a cup of freshly ground soy milk and a custard bun for Yang Wei in the supermarket downstairs and drove her to school. Taking a bite out of her bun, Yang Wei glanced at him, "Aren"t you going to eat?"

"I"m driving. I"ll eat at the university."

She didn"t reply, busying herself by taking another bite out of her bun. She finished breakfast just as they arrived at school, and when the car stopped outside the school gate, he told her, "I"ll pick you up after work."

"What?"

"I will pick you up after work," Qi Xiao Yan repeated, face impa.s.sive.

Yang Wei"s mouth twitched. "...I mean, why are you picking me up?"

He frowned a little. "Did you have an appointment this afternoon?"

"No."

"There you go."

Yang Wei: "..."

She was about to seriously discuss this issue when He Can"s mother approached them together with He Can. "Teacher Yang..."

She looked utterly awkward and embarra.s.sed, not knowing what to say. Qi Xiao Yan gave them a sideways glance - then he frowned suddenly and got off the car. "Are you the parent whose scolded her daughter so hard over two missed points on an exam that she ran away from home?"

Yang Wei: "..."

So help me G.o.d, even though that"s how I described it to you, you don"t have to say it like that in front of other people!

He Can"s mother"s face turned ugly, but Qi Xiao Yan continued on. His cold eyes locked tightly on her, "Did you know that intelligence is hereditary? How old were you when you were admitted to university? What was your score? Have you won awards for compet.i.tions at the provincial level or above? Have you published academic papers? If you think your child is not learning well enough, perhaps you should reflect on yourself before asking her if she"s working hard enough."

Yang Wei: "..."

Professor Qi was Professor Qi alright. What a straight shot to the heart! His students must have immense endurance.

He Can"s mother was shaken by this series of questions. Her eyes trembled as she seemed to reflect deeply on herself.

Qi Xiao Yan"s cold voice rang out once again. "Though other people"s children1From "Why can"t you be like so-and-so"s daughter down the street?" may be excellent, they won"t call you "mother"."

Her mother stood still in confusion, but He Can looked up at him with a little girl"s worship flashing through her eyes.

When mother and daughter had entered the school, Yang Wei exhaled in relief. "Professor Qi, why are you in such a bad temper?" He usually even quarreled with her in a solemn and academic tone. His simple, violent anger was rare to see.

Qi Xiao Yan did not answer. He turned back and got into his Audi. Before starting up the car, he reminded her once again, "I"ll pick you up in the afternoon."

Yang Wei stood at the school gate and watched the car drive away. She pursed her lips, then walked into the school with a smile, just as usual.

Today the office was particularly lively, and she could hear voices while walking through the corridor. When she entered, there was a sudden hush before Teacher Yao hurried to her side in a great fuss. "I heard you were robbed last night! Are you injured?"

Teacher Luo squeezed over too. "Teacher Yang, are you alright?"

"I"m fine." Yang Wei smiled at them, making her way over to her desk. "Shouldn"t priority be given to He Can?"

Teacher Yao shrugged. "I ran away from home when I was a kid too. However, I heard that the head of our grade was furious last night."

"Who said so?"

"The security guard." Teacher Yao sat back down. "What did you lose?"

Yang Wei twitched. "My wallet and phone."

Eyes wide, Teacher Yao asked, "Were there tens of thousands in your wallet?"

Covering her heart in pain, Yang Wei said, "I don"t want to talk about it."

Teacher Yao closed her mouth cooperatively. Yang Wei packed up and headed to Grade 5, Cla.s.s 2.

The cla.s.sroom was as lively as the office. As she had called everyone one by one yesterday, it was no secret that He Can had run away from home. She figured that the entire year would know by the end of the morning.

Several girls who were generally on good terms with He Can were fluttering about her, and even the cla.s.s monitor was standing beside her solemnly. Yang Wei clapped her hands and reminded them all, "Everyone, back to your seats and begin reading."

Students one by one returned to their seats. Liang Ming Hao, in the last row, hollered, "Teacher Yang, is it true you were robbed last night?"

Yang Wei"s return smile was dry and shriveled. "The case has already been reported. All students should also pay more attention to personal safety."

Gu Lei, who was sitting in front of Liang Ming Hao, asked excitedly, "Were they a thief or a pervert?"2Literally: robbing wealth or robbing beauty

Taking a deep breath in, Yang Wei said with a smile, "Cla.s.smate Gu Lei, Teacher Dai mentioned that you failed the last Chinese literature exam. During the next parent-teacher meeting, you may need to give a solo presentation."

Gu Lei:" ...... "

He was sure that if that happened, his father would kill him without hesitation.

"Teacher Yang, did you know that it"s better to save a life than to build a seven-story paG.o.da?"

Yang Wei continued to smile. "If you don"t want to give that speech, copy Memorial to Yueyang Tower ten times today as homework and hand it to me tomorrow."

Gu Lei paused, then turned to whisper to Liang Ming Hao, "What"s Memorial to Yueyang Tower?" 3Answer: Memorial to Yueyang Tower is an article written by the minister Fan Zhongyan in the year 1045. It"s famous for the phrase "To be the first to worry and the last to enjoy pleasure in the world".

"The name of a work."

Gu Lei turned back around with some understanding.

As soon as Yang Wei left, Liang Ming Hao whipped out his phone and began typing out a text. "Uncle! Teacher Yang was robbed last night!"

Though he sent the news immediately, he hardly thought his uncle would see it until noon. However, Fang Cheng Ran gave him a call as soon as first period was over. Liang Ming Hao hid in the boys toilet to answer. "Uncle, if I get caught using my flip phone too, I"ll never get to keep it!"

"Bring the phone to your Teacher Yang," Fang Cheng Ran said in a brusque manner.

Liang Ming Hao blinked. Stuffing the phone back into his pocket, he ran to the teacher"s office. Yang Wei was sitting there, preparing a lesson. He gave it a thought, then called, "Reporting in!", before rushing to her.

Yang Wei looked up at him. "What is it?"

He slipped the phone into her hand, whispering, "My uncle wants to talk to you."

Yang Wei hesitated, then took the little flip phone and walked toward the window. "Fang Cheng Ran?"

"Yang Wei? You were robbed last night? Are you okay? None of my calls were able to get through to you."

Fang Cheng Ran sounded worried. She replied, "I"m doing fine. My phone was stolen - I"ll contact you once I buy a new one."

The man at the other end of the line seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "I"ll pick you up after school today."

"Ah?" Yang Wei"s brow hiked. "Sorry, I"ve already made an appointment this afternoon."

"With who?"

A moment of hesitation. "A friend."

"Alright. But if you need any help, feel free to ask me."

"I will. Thank you." Hanging up, she returned the phone to Liang Ming Hao. "Cla.s.s is about to begin. Please hurry back to the cla.s.sroom."

"Alright." Liang Ming Hao tucked away his eavesdropping ears, bid her goodbye, and left. Back in the cla.s.sroom, he tapped out a short text to Fang Cheng Ran. "Poor uncle, don"t cry, come to my embrace :)"

"...Does your mother know that you got an 84 on your last Chinese exam?"

"...It"s okay if you don"t want to come to my embrace, but you can"t threaten people like this!"

A little later, he sent another text. "I could help you check who Teacher Yang"s meeting with this afternoon :)"

"You"d better be able to recite two ancient poems in their entirety. :)"

Fang Cheng Ran put down the phone, staring at his word software in a trance.

... He felt like writing a newspaper article.

When school let out that afternoon, Qi Xiao Yan"s Audi was waiting at the school gate, right on time. Although his Audi wasn"t as eye-catching as the Maserati, he attracted no less attention compared to Fang Cheng Ran.

Yang Wei could see him standing next to the car. Unlike Fang Cheng Ran, he did not lean on the door, but stood straight as a ruler.

Even his stance gave one a sense of meticulousness and rigor. She couldn"t help but laugh - he was just like the mathematics he liked so much.

Seeing her walk toward him, Qi Xiao Yan opened the door for her, then got in himself.

"Where are we going?" Yang Wei held onto her car pillow and turned to look at him. The car started up smoothly and Qi Xiao Yan drove it out. "The mall."

The Audi hummed past a shiny black car parked on the side of the road. Inside, Fang Cheng Ran wound down the window, frowning. Sitting next to him, Liang Ming Hao pulled his gaze from the window. "Aww, uncle, you can cry if you like! That guy"s even more handsome than you!"

Fang Cheng Ran: "..."

"And just looking at your faces you can tell that his IQ is higher than yours."

Fang Cheng Ran"s eye twitched. "...Whose nephew are you, really?"

"I mean, if I could choose..." Seeing his uncle"s dangerous squint, Liang Ming Hao quickly completed the rest of his sentence, "I"d still choose you!"

He thought about it, then added, "But why does that guy look so much like the model Teacher Yang drew during cla.s.s? Oh, right! They said it was her ex-husband!"

Fang Cheng Ran closed the window. To the driver in the front, he said, "Drive."