Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 21: Chapter 7: The Teenagers’ Three’s Company

Alright, I was joking about rewinding time.

Dying of embarrassment is still way better than being trapped in the past.

But the current situation was giving Zhang Shutong a major headache. At their age, kids were at their most gossipy and curious about romance. Just saying a few extra words to a female classmate was enough to start rumors about who liked whom, let alone the content on that scrap paper. The problem was, it listed two girls’ names, which was only going to make the gossip more explosive.

He could guarantee that in a few days, rumors would be flying around about him having a crush on two girls at once.

The students around him were all dumbfounded. ’This kid’s usually so quiet,’ they were probably thinking. ’I didn’t realize his ambitions were so grand.’ If it had been someone like Du Kang, who could never hide his feelings, everyone would have gleefully laughed him into a hole. But when they looked at Zhang Shutong, he was completely unfazed, sitting at his desk with a cold expression. Some students were already secretly giving him a thumbs-up.

The homeroom teacher on the dais froze for a second, then cleared his throat and said in a deep voice:

"Zhang Shutong."

"...Here."

"What’s the deal with your homework from yesterday?"

He held up a workbook, then slammed it down on the lectern. The force of the impact startled the entire class. Meanwhile, his other hand secretly crumpled the scrap paper into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket.

"Think you can get special treatment just because you have good grades? So special you don’t even do your homework? You’re getting way too full of yourself!"

"I forgot."

"You forgot? Get to the back of the room and think about what you’ve done for the rest of the period."

Song Nanshan was incredibly imposing when he was expressionless. He scanned the room with a grim face, and the students flinched like startled birds. He then barked,

"Alright, what are you all gawking at? Have I been too nice to you all? Don’t look at me, look at the screen!"

And so, Zhang Shutong stood there for the entire class.

As soon as class ended, Song Nanshan called him to the office.

Song sat back down in his office chair, his face still a stern mask, radiating a menacing aura.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"I do." Zhang Shutong lowered his head. He had to keep up appearances. He’d intended to act obedient for a change, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he cut straight to the chase. "Thank you for earlier, sir."

"Hm? Thank me for what?" To his surprise, Song perked up, a grin spreading across his face. "I yelled at you and made you stand for the whole period. Aren’t you supposed to be cursing me out in your head right now?"

Zhang Shutong fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Thank you for drawing all the fire. And for sending me to the back so I didn’t have to deal with everyone staring at me all period."

In truth, he wasn’t that thin-skinned; mostly, he just found standing tiring. But in his homeroom teacher’s eyes, he was probably still that same quiet, stubborn kid from years ago, which was why he’d handled it that way.

Song Nanshan would be greatly comforted, saying, ’You really get me, kid. Now, as your teacher, I can rest in peace even if I’m cursed to death.’ Zhang Shutong would reply, ’I wouldn’t dare, sir. But let me tell you a secret: I’m actually going to die before you.’

—Of course, none of that actually happened.

Zhang Shutong never spouted nonsense. At most, he’d roll his eyes when he was left speechless.

Song Nanshan merely raised an eyebrow, leaned back comfortably in his office chair, and handed him an empty teacup.

"Not bad, kid. When did your emotional intelligence get so high all of a sudden?"

"I spend a lot of time reflecting."

"If you’re that perceptive, then why did things get so awkward between you and Gu Qiuyan?"

"What do you mean?"

"You still don’t get it, do you? I know you didn’t do it, but this whole thing is..." Song took on the look of a world-weary veteran, a sudden wistfulness in his eyes as if recalling some old heartbreak. "Ah, forget it. You’ll understand when you’re older."

’I’m sorry, but I still don’t get it,’ Zhang Shutong thought.

"You knew about that?"

"Of course. I was even wondering how I’d handle it if her father showed up. Turns out, he didn’t."

Zhang Shutong paused his hand, which was about to pour boiling water, and added a splash of cool water to the mix.

Handing the teacup back to his teacher, he asked:

"Is there anything else, sir?"

"Trying to slip away already? Not going to stay here until the end of the school day?"

Zhang Shutong shook his head.

But Song Nanshan wasn’t having it. He slung an arm over Zhang Shutong’s shoulder.

"Come on, come on. First, tell me what’s really going on with the names on that paper."

’This is exactly what I wanted to avoid by leaving,’ he thought.

He said with a sigh of resignation:

"It was just names."

"Nothing else?"

"Really. Nothing."

"Which one do you like more?"

Zhang Shutong nearly coughed up blood. He knew he had to nip this rumor in the bud and was just about to explain, but Song simply nodded, rubbing his stubble and muttering to himself.

"It must be Gu Qiuyan, then. Otherwise, why would you be sitting next to her? Hmm, go on, get out of here. You boys are pretty amusing."

The corner of Zhang Shutong’s eye twitched. He had just stepped out of the office when he heard Song Nanshan call out from behind him again:

"Hey, Shutong—"

His teacher’s tone had become a little more serious, making Zhang Shutong turn back involuntarily.

But when he turned, his teacher was just taking a sip of water and crossing his legs.

"Since you didn’t do your homework, don’t forget you’re on cleaning duty for all of next week."

"..."

In the end, he waited until the bell for the next class rang before heading back to the classroom.

Although he’d more or less figured out a plan, he had underestimated his classmates’ curiosity. The moment he walked through the door, all eyes were on him, staring as if he were a panda in a zoo—a panda about to be stared bald.

The only exception was Gu Qiuyan.

She kept her eyes fixed on the front of the room, not saying a single word the entire time.

Zhang Shutong breathed an inexplicable sigh of relief. It would have been a real headache if she’d started asking questions.

And just like that, his relationship with his new deskmate, which had just gone from overcast to a light drizzle, had now settled on partly cloudy.

Though, he didn’t mind cloudy days.

The period passed quickly, and then the inevitable happened. Du Kang ran over, a guilty look on his face. Zhang Shutong could ignore the stares from the rest of the class, but he couldn’t deal with questions from people he knew—especially people who came over feigning concern about his "relationship status."

"I was wrong, bro!" Du Kang was nothing if not direct. He looked one step away from getting down on his knees to beg for forgiveness.