Chapter 31: The Outcome (1)

The next morning, after breakfast, Su Ting watched He Yan leave as usual.  

Although she had decided to ask Duan Xiaoying for help in reclaiming his performance spot, she had no intention of telling He Yan about it until it was confirmed. She also didn’t plan to disrupt their daily routine because of it.  

So, after washing the dishes, Su Ting didn’t rush to school. Instead, she took some money and tickets and went out to buy groceries.  

By the time she returned, it was almost eight o’clock. She immediately marinated the sea fish—this couldn’t be delayed, or the fish might go bad. Then, she placed the freshly bought clams into clean water to let them expel the sand.  

After finishing these tasks, Su Ting washed her hands thoroughly with soap. Then, she applied clam oil and rubbed it evenly before heading out.  

However, she didn’t go straight to school. Instead, she went to find Teacher Wang, the music teacher.  

In fact, Teacher Wang didn’t just teach music—she also taught calligraphy. For the senior grades, she handled natural sciences and moral education as well. In other words, she was responsible for all the minor subjects that no other teachers had the time to cover.  

Because she taught multiple classes and a variety of subjects, her schedule was more unpredictable than that of the core subject teachers.  

Thus, Su Ting went directly to Teacher Wang’s house.  

She was lucky—Teacher Wang didn’t have classes for the first two periods that day and was at home cleaning.  

Hearing a sound, Teacher Wang came out and was surprised to see Su Ting. Though they knew each other, they weren’t close enough to visit each other’s homes.  

Nonetheless, Teacher Wang politely welcomed Su Ting inside, poured her a glass of water, and asked: “What brings you here today?”  

“It’s May, so I’d say it’s the southeast wind that brought me.” Su Ting replied with a straight face.  

Teacher Wang laughed and didn’t beat around the bush. “Alright, tell me, what’s the matter?”  

“Well, previously, our Xiao Yan was selected for the choir performance, wasn’t he? He was so excited these past few weeks, often humming and even singing loudly at home. But yesterday, his homeroom teacher told him that someone else was taking his place and that he wouldn’t be participating anymore. So I wanted to ask—was there an issue with his performance during rehearsals?”  

Teacher Wang frowned upon hearing this. “Wasn’t it He Yan himself who didn’t want to perform, so Teacher Duan arranged for someone else?”  

“When did Xiao Yan ever say he didn’t want to perform?” Su Ting looked genuinely surprised. After a moment, she nodded and said: “Yes, at first, when Teacher Duan asked him to join the choir, he was reluctant. But once rehearsals started, he grew to love the program and sincerely wanted to perform. That’s why he worked so hard during practice.”  

At this point, Su Ting sighed heavily. “Teacher Wang, you don’t know how upset Xiao Yan was when he found out from Teacher Duan yesterday. He cried so much that his eyes were swollen. If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have come to ask you about his rehearsal performance. I just thought that if he truly lacked talent in singing, then being replaced would be understandable. I’d just go home and try to console him.”  

The more Teacher Wang listened, the more confused she became. “Are you sure He Yan genuinely wants to perform? This isn’t just a decision made by you parents?”

“Of course!” Su Ting’s expression was firm. “In this matter, both Old He and I are very open-minded. Whether he wants to go on stage or not is entirely up to him. If you don’t believe me, I can swear to it.”  

Seeing Su Ting raise her hand as if to swear, Teacher Wang quickly said: “I believe you. It’s just that what you’re saying is quite different from what Teacher Duan said.”  

“Is it because Xiao Yan didn’t perform well?” Su Ting asked.  

Teacher Wang smiled. “Of course not. In fact, among the children participating in the choir performance, Xiao Yan sings the best. And he has a good appearance too. If this situation hadn’t happened, I was actually planning to talk to Teacher Duan about making him the lead singer. But then…”  

Thinking about Li Xiaoming, the student who had replaced He Yan, Teacher Wang frowned. Li Xiaoming was completely tone-deaf and would definitely drag down the entire performance. With a sigh, she said: “There might be some misunderstanding here. How about this? When I get to school today, I’ll have a good talk with Teacher Duan and see if we can let He Yan return to the rehearsals.”  

Su Ting, however, knew very well that the one behind all this was Duan Xiaoying herself. What misunderstanding could there be?  

She couldn’t let Teacher Wang handle this. Although Teacher Wang was in charge of the students’ rehearsals, she was just the music teacher. If Duan Xiaoying insisted on replacing He Yan, Teacher Wang might not have the authority to overrule her.  

Besides, Su Ting’s goal was not just to get He Yan back into the choir but also to transfer him to another class. If Teacher Wang really convinced Duan Xiaoying, it would actually make Su Ting’s next steps more difficult.  

She had to talk to Duan Xiaoying herself.  

After thinking it through, Su Ting said: “Hearing this from you puts me at ease. But as for the specifics, I’d like to ask Teacher Duan myself. As you know, there are some things that are more appropriate for us parents to discuss. However, when the time comes, I may still need to trouble you to say a few good words for He Yan.”  

Although Su Ting spoke with a smile and in a gentle tone, Teacher Wang had a bad feeling about this. She had a strong hunch that Su Ting was going to confront Duan Xiaoying head-on.  

This made Teacher Wang hesitate. After all, Duan Xiaoying was her colleague.  

“You may have heard that Xiao Yan used to live with his grandparents in his hometown. It wasn’t until I married Dongchuan that we brought him to Pingchuan Island. At first, when Teacher Duan asked him to perform, he was reluctant. But that’s just how he is—he needs to be coaxed. Once he got into it, he was so proud of himself that he insisted that Dongchuan and I go watch his performance.”  

Su Ting carefully observed Teacher Wang’s reaction and played the emotional card. “June 1st falls on a Saturday this year. Originally, Dongchuan had to go to the base that day. But after so many years of being away, he has disappointed Xiao Yan too many times. This time, he didn’t want to let him down again, so he switched shifts with someone else and promised to come watch Xiao Yan perform. And now, this happened.”  

Teacher Wang, being a military-affiliated teacher, had only been in this profession for a few years. Hearing Su Ting’s words, she couldn’t help but think of her own children. Before coming to Pingchuan Island, they too had been disappointed many times because their father couldn’t keep his promises.  

That was the main reason she had decided to leave her job back home and follow her husband—children needed their fathers.  

Noticing Teacher Wang’s softening attitude, Su Ting pressed on. “I’m not asking you to lie. I just hope that when the time comes, you can tell the truth about what really happened.”  

In reality, she didn’t necessarily need Teacher Wang to step in. She was certain that Duan Xiaoying would never openly admit to deliberately targeting He Yan. In the end, she might even try to shift the blame onto him.  

As long as Teacher Wang was willing to testify, Su Ting would have leverage. If things escalated to the principal, she wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.  

This was precisely why she had come to see Teacher Wang first.

Teacher Wang pondered for a long time before nodding. “If needed, I will speak the truth about what I know.”  

“Thank you.”  

…