Called to the office

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you running so fast? Our teacher isn't a tiger. She's not going to eat us. Let's ask what this is about first..."

When they had left the school, Xia Xu had been dragging Tang Youxin along. On the way back, their roles had completely reversed.

After they had run some distance, Xia Xu resisted a little. Unable to drag him any farther, Tang Youxin finally let go.

"We're doomed. This is all your fault."

On the verge of tears, Tang Youxin crouched down right there, clutching her head. Her voice took on a tearful tremble.

"Stop, stop, stop. Don't start crying yet. What do you mean, doomed? Explain!"

Xia Xu was still rather bewildered.

"Teacher Liu caught us eating together. She's bound to think we're dating. Otherwise... otherwise she wouldn't have..."

Tang Youxin's words gave Xia Xu a massive headache.

He had yet to fully adjust to his new identity, and had genuinely forgotten that his "wonderful school life" included the heinous offense of dating while still in school.

He was thick-skinned enough not to think dating was any big deal, but Tang Youxin clearly felt differently. To her, it might already have been something deeply embarrassing. Having a teacher discover it would be mortifying, as terrifying as the sky collapsing.

"No, don't cry yet. We just had a meal together. How could that possibly turn into us dating...?"

"Calm down. There's nothing going on between us anyway. At worst, it's a misunderstanding. I'll go in first and explain everything to her."

Xia Xu was starting to lose his composure. It wasn't that he feared the consequences or anything. Tang Youxin's soft, tearful voice was simply devastating. Hearing her cry practically broke his heart.

He finally managed to calm her down, but Tang Youxin stopped paying him any attention, lowering her head and running off with quick little steps.

Soon, the bell for the lunch break rang. Like bees returning to their hive, the students filed back into their respective classrooms, and the bustling campus gradually grew quiet.

"I'll go in first. Wait here by the door."

Xia Xu and Tang Youxin arrived outside the office. He had her wait outside while he went in ahead of her.

This wasn't Liu Xiulan's private office, but a shared workspace for the teachers of all the classes on their floor.

Fortunately, it was lunchtime. Perhaps the others hadn't returned from eating or had gone to patrol the halls, so the only other person in the office was a thin male teacher wearing glasses.

Liu Xiulan might also have spoken to him beforehand. When Xia Xu entered, the bespectacled teacher looked him over with a faint smile, then tactfully left the office.

At the same time, Liu Xiulan spoke. "Do you know why I called you here?"

Xia Xu nodded slightly. "It's about me and Tang Youxin, right?"

"That's right."

Liu Xiulan was a little surprised by the student's composure, but continued, "I understand that you might have some budding feelings for each other, but high school is the time for you to study. Especially with the college entrance exam only a few months away, you should be focusing entirely on that final push..."

After considering her wording, she continued, "Tang Youxin's family is very poor. The college entrance exam may be her only chance to get ahead in life. And don't blame me for being blunt, Xia Xu. Although you haven't applied for financial aid, I do know a little about your situation. Letting romance distract you at a time like this will affect both your futures..."

"Teacher Liu, there may have been a misunderstanding."

Xia Xu interrupted her. "I just saw that Tang Youxin was only having two steamed buns for lunch, so I thought I'd treat her to a bowl of noodles. That's all."

"That would be best. Just consider this your teacher rambling needlessly. You're a boy, so I may have been a little harsher with you."

Liu Xiulan nodded slightly, then said, "Go back and get some rest. Send Tang Youxin in on your way out."

"Teacher Liu, surely there's no need to call Tang Youxin in too. Explaining things to me is enough."

Xia Xu hurriedly spoke up, putting on a shameless grin as he tried to placate her. "Tang Youxin is a girl, after all, and a very timid, introverted one at that. She doesn't have my thick skin. Wouldn't calling her in just embarrass her? It wouldn't look good if people saw us both getting called to the office, either.

"There really isn't anything between us. We're just classmates, nothing more. We aren't even friends. How about this? If you have any more advice, you can lecture me, and I'll pass it on to her when I get back."

"Should I praise you for taking responsibility, then?"

Liu Xiulan scolded him in exasperation, though she was genuinely surprised.

The inherent authority of a teacher, especially a homeroom teacher, was still quite intimidating to middle and high school students. Most students became meek and submissive when called to the office for a talk. Even the wilder ones would grow uneasy and rein themselves in a little.

Yet Xia Xu had remained utterly composed from beginning to end. Even now, he could take the initiative and negotiate with her in a clear, reasoned manner. He was indeed more mature than most students.

"No need for praise. Just finish whatever lecture you had in mind. I promise to pass it on faithfully."

Xia Xu grinned.

"All right, enough. I'm calling Tang Youxin in about her financial aid. Hurry back and get some rest."

Liu Xiulan waved him off with an amused smile.

"Will do."

Hearing that, Xia Xu finally relaxed. He promptly turned and left.

"H-how did it go?"

Tang Youxin, who had been waiting anxiously outside the office, immediately asked with a hopeful look when she saw Xia Xu emerge.

"It's fine. I told you, we only had a meal together. People aren't that quick to misunderstand. Teacher Liu called us in about financial aid. She wanted to know why I hadn't applied."

Xia Xu told a small white lie, then urged her, "Teacher Liu wants to see you. It's about financial aid too. Hurry in."

"Oh."

Tang Youxin obediently murmured an acknowledgment and nodded, her little face flushed. She trotted over to the door, opened it a crack, and peeked inside before slipping in sideways.

"I really do need to find a way to make some money first. And... the college entrance exam. That's a bit of a headache."

After watching Tang Youxin enter, Xia Xu headed back toward the classroom, his brow furrowed in thought.

He had an adult's mindset, after all, with a fairly strong understanding and acceptance of reality. Although Liu Xiulan had tried to phrase things as tactfully as possible, he still understood what she meant.

To put the underlying message bluntly, it would be one thing if he were a rich kid who could support her comfortably for the rest of her life. But he was an orphan himself and could barely support himself. What business did he have dating Tang Youxin? He shouldn't distract her at this crucial stage before the college entrance exam, hurting them both and ruining their futures.

But she really had misjudged him this time. Although he did want to see what Tang Youxin actually looked like, heaven was his witness: he had genuinely been moved by her endearing foolishness and had simply treated her to a meal.

Besides, he was a bona fide transmigrator, and he hadn't done badly for himself in his previous life. He was confident that, at the very least, feeding and clothing two people wouldn't be a problem. With his highly practical Attribute Viewing cheat ability as well, making money in the future would hardly be difficult.

For now, however, money was indeed a problem. He needed it to cover his living expenses, and he also needed his initial capital.

The body's original owner had actually had a rather tragic life. His parents had died when he was very young, leaving him to live with his grandmother. They had left him some inheritance, but his grandmother had died last year too. With no family to arrange the funeral, he had entrusted everything to a funeral company. Even a simple funeral had cost quite a bit, leaving him with only three or four thousand in savings.

That amount would have been enough to get him through high school, so the proud original owner hadn't applied for financial aid or anything similar. He had planned to sell or rent out the house after the college entrance exam and live in a dorm at university. It had all been arranged quite sensibly.

But he wasn't the original owner, and he had no intention of scraping by in hardship.

With no money in his pocket, he would feel a little less confident no matter what he did. Besides, he wanted to use his special ability to scout talent, start a company, and make serious money. That required startup capital.

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