Pressured to Marry / Help Me Out

The teacher had just finished taking a shower.

Could she really be going commando right now!?

Chapter 29: Pressured to Marry

Su Yumei put her little clothes away in the wardrobe.

Only then did she sit down beside Lin Che, her cheeks flushed.

As soon as the teacher sat down, Lin Che caught a faint, lingering fragrance.

When Su Yumei sat, the hem of her silk nightgown rode up to a dangerously high point. She crossed her long legs, leaving plenty to the imagination.

Especially since he thought there might be nothing beneath her nightgown.

Lin Che couldn't help sneaking a few more glances.

"Lin Che, whatever's bothering you, you can tell your teacher."

Su Yumei's gentle voice sounded beside him.

Her expression was full of concern, like a kind older sister next door looking after a boy going through puberty.

Lin Che met her gaze. The care and affection in her eyes left him feeling almost overwhelmed.

Su Yumei really was so gentle.

Warmth filled Lin Che's heart, and he told her what was bothering him.

"Actually, a girl confessed to me today..."

"Oh!"

"Does that mean Lin Che is going to start dating? I've never even been in a relationship!"

"Shouldn't a normal teacher sternly warn students not to date too early? Your reaction is so strange!"

"Actually, it's perfectly normal for boys and girls going through puberty to like each other!" Su Yumei declared earnestly. "And if two people work hard together so they can get into the same university, it might even improve their grades!"

Su Yumei was a very open-minded teacher.

In truth, she'd just been struck by the boomerang of her own upbringing. She'd been taught from a young age not to date too early, which had left her sexually repressed. She didn't want Lin Che to end up the same way!

"But... I turned her down."

"Why?"

"Because I felt like she was just treating me as a tool. She confessed because she wanted me to become her simp and make her life more convenient."

"People's morals are really going downhill. Girls these days have all been brainwashed by Little Red Book!" Su Yumei said indignantly. "Lin Che, you made the right choice turning her down!"

"But..."

Lin Che hesitated, then decided to tell his teacher what was bothering him most.

"She's actually in my class. I'm worried things will get awkward at school..."

"It'll be all right!"

Su Yumei leaned a little toward Lin Che and reached out, stroking his back up and down as if soothing a child.

A damp lock of her long hair fell onto Lin Che's shoulder. He couldn't tell whether the scent of shampoo or Su Yumei's own fragrance was filling his nose.

He felt the soft warmth of a soufflé pressed against his arm.

Now he was certain: there was absolutely nothing beneath the teacher's silk nightgown!

"If she confessed on impulse, then after you turned her down, she'll most likely be too embarrassed and act as if nothing ever happened. So you don't need to worry, Lin Che."

"Is that so?"

After talking with his teacher, all the gloom in Lin Che's heart had lifted.

Lin Che breathed a sigh of relief. Although the teacher's outfit had been rather suggestive, nothing unexpected had happened.

He'd had a great time talking with her, and before he knew it, the sky had grown dark.

"Thank you, Teacher. I'll head home now..."

"Mhm~ See you at school."

Lin Che got ready to leave, and Su Yumei stood up to walk him to the door.

Just as Lin Che was about to open it and leave—

Someone knocked from outside!

"Su Yumei, are you home? Mom brought you some food~"

A middle-aged woman's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Oh no! It's my mom!"

Su Yumei's eyes widened and her pupils shrank. She looked utterly shocked, but a moment later, her shock turned to panic.

"Your mom's here? Then I'll hurry home so I don't keep you from spending time with her."

"No!"

Su Yumei grabbed Lin Che's hand, stopping him from opening the door.

"You absolutely can't let Mom see you!"

"If she sees a boy leaving my apartment when I've just finished taking a shower, she'll definitely get the wrong idea!"

"My mother's very traditional. She'd never approve of me living with a boy!"

"If she sees you, she'll give me a terrible scolding!"

Hearing her explanation, Lin Che realized it too.

If Mother Su saw them like this, it really could easily lead to a misunderstanding.

"Lin Che, sorry to put you through this, but hide for a bit!"

"But where can I hide?"

Lin Che looked around Su Yumei's apartment.

It was just a simple one-bedroom place. The moment you opened the front door, you could see everything. There was nowhere to hide.

"Su Yumei, are you home? Hurry up and open the door. Some of this food needs to go in the fridge right away!"

Outside, Mother Su continued urging her.

Anxious, Su Yumei scanned the room, searching for somewhere to hide a grown man.

At last, her gaze settled on the wardrobe against the wall.

"Lin Che, get in there!"

Su Yumei pulled open the wardrobe and shoved Lin Che inside!

Then she closed the door. The light disappeared, and silence and darkness surrounded him.

The space inside the wardrobe was tiny.

The clothes all around him carried the teacher's pleasant scent. Lin Che curled himself up as tightly as he could, but still brushed against the hanging garments.

Even by touch, Lin Che could make out most of them: the school's uniform jacket, white shirts, and tight skirts.

There were also a few long dresses, probably the teacher's casual clothes.

And...

Lin Che's hand touched a slender metal chain. Following it, he felt that it was attached to a leather ring...

Wasn't this the collar they'd used last time?

Lin Che was startled.

He'd thought the teacher had thrown away that embarrassing little accessory, but he hadn't expected to meet it again in Su Yumei's wardrobe!

She'd kept the collar. Did that mean she planned to use it again?

Thinking about it, could Teacher Su have already fallen in love with this sort of role-playing game?

While Lin Che was still reeling, the sound of a mother and daughter talking came from outside the wardrobe.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I was taking a shower, so I couldn't open the door right away!"

"I was worried my girl didn't have anything tasty to eat~"

Mother Su's voice brimmed with the affectionate indulgence of the older generation.

"Your dad and I made dumplings, ribs, crispy pork... Come on, get them in the fridge."

"There's so much good food. Thank you, Mom~"

"Oh, if you really want to thank me, hurry up and find yourself a boyfriend to bring home~"

"Mom! What are you saying?"

A hint of bashfulness crept into Su Yumei's voice.

Hidden in the wardrobe, Lin Che chuckled to himself. So mothers everywhere were the same, finding all sorts of roundabout ways to pressure their children into marriage!

"Yumei, you've got a job now and your life is going well. Your dad and I are really proud of you, but... the fact that you still don't have a boyfriend has us worried!"

"Mom, please stop. I'm not planning to date anyone just yet."

"Hey! You little rascal. Not getting married is unfilial!"

Mother Su's tone turned stern.

"Good timing, too. The neighbor's aunt found a nice young man for you. Come home next week, and we'll arrange for you two to meet!"

"Mom! You're setting me up on a blind date!"

Su Yumei understood everything now. The food delivery had just been Mother Su's excuse. Her real goal had been to tell Su Yumei to come home for a blind date.

Su Yumei felt like she was falling apart. When she'd been in school, her parents wouldn't let her date. Now that she was working, they were arranging blind dates for her!

She was twenty-five now, and she absolutely couldn't accept her parents making decisions for her!

"No way. I'm absolutely not going home for a blind date!"

"Hey! You little rascal. I'm only asking you to meet him. I didn't say you had to get together!"

"I still won't meet him! Because... because..."

Su Yumei bit her lip. There was only one way to get her mother off her back now!

"Actually, I already have a boyfriend!"

"Really!?"

Instead of getting angry, Mother Su looked delighted. "Perfect! Bring him home next week and let the family meet him!"

"That wouldn't be a good idea... He's busy..."

"Hmph. Meeting the family is important. Can't he make a little time for it? If he doesn't even take something like this seriously, then I say there's no point dating a man like that!"

"All right..."

Su Yumei gritted her teeth and had no choice but to agree!

After Mother Su left,

Su Yumei finally let Lin Che out of the wardrobe.

"Teacher, I had no idea you had a boyfriend..."

"I... I-I couldn't possibly have a boyfriend!"

"Huh?!" Lin Che was startled. "So you were lying to your mother. But what about next weekend? You promised your family you'd bring your boyfriend home..."

Su Yumei looked bashful. Twirling a finger through her hair, she gazed at Lin Che with pleading eyes.

"So, Lin Che, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you for a favor!"

Chapter 30: Help Me Out

"So you mean... you want me to pretend to be your boyfriend?"