Chapter 40: How about I resign and marry you?

Although Wang Qi always put on a stern face and acted aloof and unapproachable in front of his students, that was simply required by his role.

In reality, among his acquaintances and friends, he was a humorous and outgoing person.

In the words of Mr. Luo, the homeroom teacher of Class 206: If Wang Qi starts making uninhibited jokes with you, it means he truly considers you a friend; otherwise, he keeps his mouth tightly shut.

Therefore, Wang Runwen did not take the phrase "marry him" to heart, simply letting it pass as she listened.

A moment later, she asked, "Old Wang, between *People's Literature* and *Harvest*, which magazine is better?"

Wang Qi pointed his right index finger upward at the ceiling. "They are both the ceiling-level existences among domestic literary magazines. Both are great.

"Let's not even talk about *People's Literature*. Based in the capital, it has the backing of giants like the China Writers Association and the China Writers Publishing House.

"As for *Harvest*, its editor-in-chief is Elder Ba. Just ponder that and weigh it yourself."

Upon hearing super-heavyweight names like the "China Writers Association" and "Elder Ba," Wang Runwen was filled with instant reverence, and the status of these two publishing houses in her mind soared infinitely high.

This guy Li Heng actually went and accomplished something so massive without making a single sound...!

At this moment, Wang Runwen didn't understand everything, but she also seemed to understand it all. She said to Teacher Wang:

"There are still a few minutes left before class ends, so I'll take Li Heng away first."

"Go ahead."

Without asking for a reason, Wang Qi simply said go ahead and stepped aside to clear a path for her to enter the classroom.

Seeing the English teacher holding bags of breakfast in both hands, the students in Class 204 were consumed with envy. A few male students even cast stolen glances at her full and upright figure, wishing desperately that they were Li Heng instead.

Arriving at the fourth desk in the fifth row, Wang Runwen tapped someone's textbook with her finger. "Come outside with the teacher for a moment, I have something to discuss with you."

Then, she addressed the surrounding gazes, "Keep studying hard on your vocabulary and sentence patterns. Memorize what needs to be memorized, and strengthen what needs to be strengthened. The scholarship exam is just around the corner. I heard from the head of discipline last night that the questions are exceptionally difficult, so you all better mentally prepare yourselves."

Since time was short, Li Heng had been rushing to write the remaining parts of *To Live* during morning self-study. After pondering for two seconds, he slid the manuscript into his schoolbag and brought it along.

Once outside the classroom, the English teacher simply handed him a portion of breakfast without saying a word.

It wasn't until they descended to the playground and confirmed there was no one nearby that Wang Runwen finally spoke:

"Just now, the teacher received a call from an editor at *People's Literature*, and they were looking for you..."

She recounted the contents of the phone call word for word, adding with a hint of regret at the end: "Unfortunately, there was static on the line, so I only caught 'People's Literature.'

I couldn't hear what was said afterward, and I don't even know the caller's name, except that it sounded like a relatively young woman."

After finishing, seeing him continuously slurping his tofu pudding, Wang Runwen asked, "Is 'December' your pen name?"

"Mhm."

"Why December instead of some other month? Is there any special meaning behind it?"

"There are twelve months in a year, representing a red-hot month all year round."

In Shaoshi, many places liked to add a trailing "2" when sealing red envelopes, which originated from this kind of local phrasing.

Arriving at the small rockery behind the teaching building, the English teacher found a wind-sheltered stone bench to sit on, and then stared fixedly into his eyes:

"Don't you have anything to say to the teacher?"

Sitting across from her, Li Heng smiled and said, "Teacher, let's make a deal. Let me finish my breakfast first, and then we can proceed with the interrogation, how about that?"

"Don't make it sound so unpleasant; you don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

"How could I do that? Of all the people at school, you and I are the closest. I'll still need your help in a bit."

"Closest? I reckon you brat are just eyeing my landline telephone at home, aren't you?"

Her father used to be the former principal of the First High School, but later transferred to serve as the principal of the Xiangnan Normal University Affiliated High School, where he started a new family.

Meanwhile, the current principal of the First High School had once been personally promoted by her father, so the landline telephone at her home had not been removed, nor had she been asked to vacate the quarters.

Li Heng rolled his eyes and muttered, "What else could I be eyeing if not the phone? I certainly wouldn't dare say I'm eyeing you, Teacher!"

Wang Runwen crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes halfway, and squeezed five words through her teeth: "If you've got the guts, try it!"

Try it and you're dead.

Li Heng was no fool; he would take his victory in this verbal skirmish and leave it at that, refusing to be greedy.

With an outsider present, he abandoned his wolfish, devouring mannerisms from home, paying close attention to his image and eating leisurely.

Wang Runwen didn't rush him either, watching him in utter silence.

After finishing a stick of deep-fried dough strips, a cup of tofu pudding, and three meat buns—each the size of a palm—he was finally full.

After exchanging glances for a brief moment, Li Heng gathered his thoughts and recounted the entire story of how he came to write *To Live*.

The English teacher listened quietly the whole time, without asking questions or interrupting him. It wasn't until he finished speaking and she had digested the information for a good while that she abruptly broke the silence:

"So you're saying that once *To Live* is published, you'll be a great author?"

Li Heng nodded smugly. "Yes, pretty much."

"You haven't even turned 18 this year, have you?"

"I was born in May, two months shy."

Studying his face up close for a moment, Wang Runwen fell into silence before finally extending her hand after a long while:

"Do you have the manuscript for *To Live*? Let the teacher have a look at this masterpiece."

"Listen to you saying that, making it sound so distant. Hold on a second."

He indeed had the manuscript. After mailing out the first 40,000 words last time, he had rewritten another copy at home just to be safe.

In truth, this was a minor habit he had cultivated while working within the administrative system—a touch of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He was always overthinking and preparing for danger in times of peace, purely to cope with sudden inspections from higher-ups.

"I've only written about 105,000 words so far, and it's not finished yet. Here, take it and read it first. The finale probably won't be ready until the day after tomorrow."

Li Heng took three stacks of manuscript paper from his schoolbag and handed them over together.

The English teacher accepted the manuscript and asked, half-seriously and half-jokingly, "Aren't you afraid I'll run off with your manuscript?"

Meeting her gaze, Li Heng said earnestly, "I'm not afraid. You're my teacher."

The English teacher sneered. "Ha! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rise to the skies in a single bound; even the status of a teacher isn't foolproof."

Now that he was full, Li Heng stretched lazily and yawned drowsily. "If even our lovable and dear Comrade Wang Runwen can't be trusted, then this world is truly fucked."

Lingering on his face for four or five seconds, Wang Runwen irritably waved a hand. "Class is about to start, scram! Remember to come to my house at noon to answer the phone."

"No, don't! Don't turn hostile so fast, I still have something to tell you." He remained seated without moving.

"Spit it out if you have something to say!" Wang Runwen's mind was completely occupied by the manuscript now, burning with such intense curiosity that she had no patience left to deal with him.

"It's like this, since I submitted to two publishing houses this time, when I take the call at noon, you can help me provide cover..."

Following that came a series of slick maneuvers that made Wang Runwen frown in displeasure. "Who on earth did you learn these crooked tricks from? Aren't you afraid of ticking them off?"

Li Heng said with absolute confidence, "I'm not afraid. I have enough confidence in what I've written.

Besides, didn't I rewrite another copy? Even if those two fall through, I can immediately submit to other publishing houses.

Anyway, trying costs nothing, at most it's just a waste of some time."

"Got it, now scram!"

The English teacher neither agreed nor refused, simply telling him to scram.

Seeing her begin turning the pages to read the manuscript, Li Heng sensibly chose not to argue with her further, standing up and leaving.

The first and second periods were Chinese class.

The Chinese teacher was the school's head of discipline. Standing around 1.7 meters tall with a parted hairstyle and well-defined facial features, he even wore hair gel and a tie, presenting a very dashing appearance.

Unfortunately, the three finger-length bloody scratches on his left cheek ruined that aesthetic.

Noticing the entire class staring fixedly at his left cheek—scanning it up, down, left, and right—the head of discipline touched the scratches and chuckled self-deprecatingly:

"Ahem! You shouldn't emulate me. As a man, not even being able to beat your own wife is the penalty for lacking a high level of cultural education.

If I possessed profound knowledge, I could control her with just a flick of my tongue, so how could things have ended up like this?

You all need to study hard, you know? Strive to get into a good university this year, and in the future marry a well-read and sensible wife. Never repeat my mistakes; this hurts quite a bit."

"Hahaha...!"

The entire class burst into laughter, and amidst the relaxed atmosphere, the two periods flew by quickly.

The third and fourth periods were history, which was also the homeroom teacher's class.

Unlike the previous two periods, everyone sat upright, listening intently and taking meticulous notes. Perhaps because it was so fulfilling, time didn't feel difficult to endure.

"Ring-a-ling..."

As soon as the bell rang at the end of the fourth period, Teacher Wang Qi glared fiercely at a male student sitting by the door and scolded:

"Are you that hungry? Unwilling to wait even a single second? Go stand in my office for two hours right now. Class dismissed!"

The others cast sympathetic glances at that unfortunate soul, hurriedly closing their textbooks and taking out their lunchboxes to rush toward the cafeteria.

"Hey? Li Heng, why aren't you taking your lunchbox to eat?" As she walked out of the classroom door, Liu Li asked him.

Zhang Zhiyong tilted his head to look, letting out a strange jeer, "Do you even need to ask? He's definitely going to the English teacher's house to feast."

Hearing this, classmates before and behind looked over, once again consumed by envy.

Descending to the first floor, Li Heng parted ways with the others and walked alone toward the teachers' residential building.

Before he had gone very far, Sun Maning called out from behind, "Li Heng, wait for me."

Li Heng turned back. "Aren't you eating at the cafeteria? Are you going home to eat?"

Sun Maning trotted over quickly, shaking the lunchbox in her hand. "My family killed a chicken today, so I'm taking some over for Song Yu and Maisui to eat."

"Do I have a share?"

"There was one originally, but not anymore."

"Huh?"

"Who told you to go eat at the English teacher's house? We're jealous."

Sun Maning's family lived on the third floor, and the English teacher's family was also on the third floor. The two walked and talked all the way until they parted ways at the third-floor landing.

Right before separating, Sun Maning turned back to ask, "Why don't you come to my house to eat?"

Li Heng shook his head.

Sun Maning pouted. "Black-bone chicken stewed with ginseng, and this still can't tempt you?"

Li Heng smiled and waved his hand. "No need, I have something to attend to with the teacher."

"Oh, well suit yourself, see you!"

"Bye-bye."

Walking along the hallway for a dozen meters to the right, Li Heng stopped at the fourth doorway and raised his hand to knock.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Knock, knock, knock..."

"Who is it?"

After knocking six consecutive times, movement came from inside.

"Teacher, it's me," Li Heng announced.

With a creak, the old wooden door opened, revealing Wang Runwen's face.

Before he could even greet her, she looked into his eyes with a strange expression and said:

"Li Heng, why don't the teacher just resign and marry you instead?"

(PS: A long chapter today. Published first, edited later...)