Open and Honest

It was clear that Xu Qing had been thinking about coming to her for a long time.

"It really must have been hard on you," Qin Lin said, patting Xu Qing on the head.

Xu Qing gave an awkward smile, his face still flushed; as a guy, he felt truly embarrassed to talk about this.

"You could have come to tell me sooner," Qin Lin said, looking at him.

"I just didn't expect them to keep pushing it, acting like I didn't even exist," Xu Qing said, feeling a bit annoyed. If it weren't for his self-restraint, he would have beaten them up already.

In any case, he was a Martial Artist; beating up ordinary people wouldn't be a big deal.

"I see, I understand the situation now. If you want to move out, that's easy enough to handle, but the problem is that it's not very easy to rent a place around the school right now. You know how it is—there are too many people around the university, and there's always a shortage of housing. Even if you have the money, you might not find a place," Qin Lin said.

"Oh, it's fine. I'll just keep looking. I'll move out once I find something," Xu Qing didn't think much of it; he wasn't in a rush to move out this very second anyway.

"How about this? I live nearby, and I have a room in my house I can rent to you. How does that sound?" Qin Lin proposed.

"Huh?" Xu Qing froze, not expecting Qin Lin to say that.

No way, is this homeroom teacher really that kind? She's actually willing to rent a room in her own home to him? Isn't that a bit too nice?

It was so nice that Xu Qing couldn't quite believe it.

Besides, he was a guy—how could he move into a female teacher's home? That didn't seem right.

If it were a male teacher, it wouldn't be a big deal.

"Think about it. My house is very large, and I live alone, so there are plenty of empty rooms. It's not far from school, and I can even drive you to campus for free," Qin Lin continued.

Hearing her say that, it would be a lie to say Xu Qing wasn't tempted, but he felt too embarrassed to agree. Wouldn't he be taking advantage of her?

Plus, she was his homeroom teacher; how could he bring himself to nod?

Most importantly, he felt that renting a room at his teacher's house was strange no matter how he looked at it.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. You don't have to fear that I'll do you any harm," Qin Lin added.

"No, that's not what I was thinking," Xu Qing quickly shook his head.

Just kidding, he thought. He was a grown man; what was there to be afraid of? Qin Lin might not even be able to beat him in a fight.

He just felt that a male student living in a female teacher's home would have a bad influence.

"Then it's settled. You move into my place first. If you want to leave, you can move out at any time. That works, right?" Qin Lin made the decision for him directly.

"O-okay, thank you, Teacher Qin," Xu Qing couldn't refuse anymore and had no choice but to agree.

"Then let's move today. Whenever you're free, I'll drive over to your dormitory building," Qin Lin was a woman of action.

Xu Qing was completely swept up in her pace. He thought for a moment, "I don't have any classes this afternoon."

"Good, then this afternoon. Go back and pack your personal belongings first, and I'll contact you then," Qin Lin said.

Just like that, Xu Qing had his destination confirmed. When he walked out of the office, he still felt like it wasn't real.

Afterward, Xu Qing told Xu Xin about the matter. He didn't mention his roommates, only that he was going to move into Qin Lin's house.

After listening to Xu Qing's account, Xu Xin sensed something, but she didn't say anything.

Half an hour later, Xu Xin arrived at Qin Lin's office.

"Teacher Qin, can you tell me why you are being so good to Xiao Qing?" Xu Xin's tone was sharp, and she lacked her usual gentleness.

From Xu Qing's story, she had immediately sensed something was off. Combining it with some past events, she felt she had discovered something.

Therefore, she had come to Qin Lin's office immediately to confront her.

Qin Lin wasn't surprised by Xu Xin's arrival and remained calm. "Sit down and let's talk."

Black tea steamed in the cups. Xu Xin and Qin Lin sat face to face, and the office door was closed.

"You coming here to find me means you've seen through my intentions. That's right, the truth is exactly as you think," Qin Lin admitted naturally.

Hearing this answer, Xu Xin's tightly furrowed brows actually relaxed. "I thought you were calling Xiao Qing to the office every day just because he was daydreaming in class. I didn't expect it to be like this."

"Do you find it hard to believe?" Qin Lin gave a self-deprecating smile.

Xu Xin shook her head. "Just a bit surprised."

In reality, to her, this was just like when Luo Feng used to secretly stare at her every day back in their first year of high school.

It was just that Qin Lin's method was different—more subtle and not so easy to spot.

"I don't know if you consider this kind of affection normal. After all, I am a teacher and he is a student. Not only is there a gap in status, but there is also an age gap. That's why I haven't dared to do much," Qin Lin murmured to herself, as if speaking to herself, and also to Xu Xin.

She didn't know when she had started to like Xu Qing. Perhaps it was their first meeting, where Xu Qing's reaction made her find him interesting, and then she started paying attention to him.

In any case, once she realized it, she started "fishing" for Xu Qing. She would call him to the office, not to criticize him, but to arrange tasks for him so he would stay in the office a little longer.

She hadn't done anything excessive, and she didn't dare to.

So, up until now, Xu Qing probably still thought she was intentionally targeting him, when in reality, it was nothing of the sort—she was just trying to buy time to be with him.

Listening to Qin Lin, Xu Xin could feel her emotions: liking someone but not daring to say it, being cautious, and having to pretend that nothing was wrong.

In this light, the current Qin Lin was just like Luo Feng had been back then. Only, Luo Feng had moved forward, while Qin Lin was still standing in place.

"Then, Teacher Qin, why did you want Xiao Qing to move into your house this time?" Xu Xin couldn't understand this part.

Qin Lin shook her head. "I cannot speak plainly; I can only tell you that his two roommates have issues. You can investigate it yourself, but do not worry, Xu Qing is fine."

"The reason he does not want to tell you is naturally because you are his older sister."

Xu Xin frowned. No wonder Xu Qing refused to speak; it turned out there was such a reason.

If even Xu Qing was unwilling to tell her, then it must certainly be a matter too difficult to put into words.

"But, Teacher Qin, is that truly the only reason you asked Xiao Qing to move into your home?" Xu Xin set aside the matter of Xu Qing's roommates for the moment and continued to press.

Qin Lin shook her head. "Of course, I have my own selfish motives, but rest assured, I will not do anything untoward. Besides, I have already told him that he may leave at any time."

Hearing this, Xu Xin had no further questions.

She could understand Qin Lin's little bit of selfishness; if Qin Lin had claimed to have no selfish motives at all, that would have been the abnormal thing.