Chapter 13: I Like Him

He Yuwen secretly sent a message to He Chi: [He Chi, go home and apologize to your mom properly. Explain clearly what happened and don’t be so reckless in the future.]

He Chi was driving, and when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he simply tossed the phone to Jiang Yining.

Now that she was his wife, it seemed perfectly normal for her to reply to a message on his behalf.

Jiang Yining looked at the phone with a confused expression.

His voice carried a hint of laziness as he said, “Help me check the message.”

Jiang Yining nodded softly, her face calm and unruffled, but her heart was filled with a feeling she couldn’t quite describe.

She didn’t know the password, and just as she was about to ask, she heard He Chi say, “The password is the shape of the letter L in the alphabet.”

Jiang Yining unlocked He Chi’s phone and saw a WeChat message from Teacher Lin. She read it aloud to He Chi.

“Help me reply with just ‘Got it.’”

Jiang Yining followed He Chi’s request and replied to Teacher Lin. After sending the message, she began to worry.

The situation seemed more difficult to face than she had imagined. She had thought she would have more time to prepare, but she didn’t expect Teacher Lin to find out about He Chi’s marriage registration so quickly.

Jiang Yining nervously made her way back to Teacher Lin’s place, while He Chi remained as calm as if nothing had happened.

At the door, Jiang Yining deliberately slowed her pace, quietly hiding behind He Chi.

He Chi glanced back at her, noticing her anxiety, and comforted her, “Don’t worry, Teacher Lin won’t bite.”

“I know.”

Jiang Yining wasn’t so much worried that Teacher Lin would blame her, but she feared that Teacher Lin might be disappointed in her.

He Chi wouldn’t understand her cautiousness.

As the two were talking, Teacher Lin suddenly opened the door without warning.

He was tall and standing by the door, completely blocking Jiang Yining behind him.

Upon hearing the door open, He Chi turned around and saw Teacher Lin. He called out, “Mom, Dad.”

Teacher Lin walked over, still holding the feather duster in her hand. He Chi couldn’t help but feel helpless—at his age, he still had to deal with being scolded by his parents.

“Mom.”

“From today on, I’m not your mother anymore.”

Jiang Yining’s body trembled slightly. She was afraid that the next thing Teacher Lin would say would be, “Jiang Yining, from today on, I’m not your teacher anymore.”

She hesitated like a student who had done something wrong, slowly peeking out. Her voice was tinged with nervousness. “Teacher Lin…”

Seeing the couple in matching white shirts, if they still didn’t understand what was going on, it would be a real shame after all these years of marriage.

Both Teacher Lin and He Yuwen were in disbelief. “Yining?”

Jiang Yining lowered her head and took the initiative to apologize. “Teacher Lin, I’m sorry.”

Their hands lightly brushed against each other, and He Chi, taking the opportunity, grasped Jiang Yining’s hand and pulled her to the side. “Mom, this is my fault.”

Jiang Yining’s hand was held, and she glanced down. He Chi’s palm was large, completely enveloping her hand, and their skin tones formed a sharp contrast.

However, at the moment, Jiang Yining wasn’t focused on such details.

Teacher Lin was both shocked and delighted, but soon, her reason was overtaken by anger. “Of course, it’s your fault, He Chi! Go to the study!”

But when facing Jiang Yining, Teacher Lin’s voice softened to an almost unrecognizable degree. “Yining, why don’t you come in and sit for a while?”

Perhaps worried that she had scared Jiang Yining, Teacher Lin forced a smile, though when she looked at He Chi, her eyes were almost overflowing with a sense of disappointment.

Jiang Yining uneasily glanced at the closed door of the study.

He Yuwen brewed some tea. His wife’s most beloved student had become his daughter-in-law. Honestly, He Yuwen never imagined the situation would turn out like this.

“Yining, have a cup of tea first. Don’t worry, your teacher Lin will just scold him a little.”

In the living room, only He Yuwen and Jiang Yining remained. He Yuwen didn’t quite know what to say to her. He glanced at the time—it was almost noon.

“I’ll go to the market to buy some vegetables and cook lunch for you and He Chi.”

Jiang Yining, feeling awkward about being alone with Teacher Lin, understood that He Yuwen was giving her space. She thanked him, saying, “Thank you, Mr. He.”

After He Yuwen left, Jiang Yining set her cup down and stood up.

Earlier, Teacher Lin had gone into the study holding the feather duster, and Jiang Yining, worried that He Chi might actually get a beating, tiptoed over quietly.

At that moment, in the study, Teacher Lin didn’t know where to begin. She looked at He Chi—his facial features were inherited from his father, deep and strong, but his temperament and personality were different from both of theirs.

He Chi had always been rebellious and aloof, refusing to follow his family’s arrangements. Later, he insisted on becoming a special police officer, and during a mission, he almost didn’t make it back.

Ling Yan and He Chi had been brothers for many years, both joining the police force together. During that mission, Ling Yan tragically sacrificed his life.

Because of this, He Chi’s grandmother strongly opposed him staying in the force, even resorting to a hunger strike to force him to leave the police force.

She had also worried a lot about this son, and even though she was reluctant, she turned a blind eye and let He Chi choose the life he wanted.

Teacher Lin held back her temper and spoke calmly, “He Chi, you shouldn’t drag Yining into this mess. Yining has had a tough time these years.”

He Chi remained silent. Both of his parents were educators, used to a stable and peaceful life. To them, he was rebellious because he hadn’t followed their expectations.

He spoke quietly, “Mom, I know, but this time I’m not messing around. Yining and I carefully thought this through before getting married.”

“I didn’t tell you earlier because I was afraid you would disagree with us getting married.”

Teacher Lin snorted, “Knowing that I would disagree, you still went ahead?”

Hearing this, He Chi chuckled lightly, “Mom, look at what you’re saying. Just because you disagree, I can’t get married?”

He Chi added, “The Qing Dynasty is long gone, now marriage is a personal choice.”

Seeing that he wouldn’t admit his mistake, Teacher Lin became angry, “You should take marriage seriously. He Chi, you’re almost thirty, and you’re still acting so recklessly!”

“How do you know I’m not serious about marriage?”

Teacher Lin couldn’t help but raise the feather duster and swing it at He Chi, “If you were serious, you wouldn’t have quietly dragged Yining to the civil affairs bureau to register. How many times have you two even met?”

“Yining is a good girl, she deserves to find someone who understands and cherishes her. You are hurting her!”

He Chi didn’t dodge, standing still and allowing Teacher Lin to swing the feather duster at him. This small pain was nothing to him.

Hearing the commotion inside, Jiang Yining hurriedly opened the study door and stood in front of He Chi, “Teacher, don’t blame He Chi. It was my idea to get the marriage certificate.”

Teacher Lin didn’t believe her at all, “Yining, don’t cover for him. Today, I’m going to teach this rebellious son a lesson.”

Jiang Yining spoke before thinking, “I’m not lying. I like him.”

He Chi lowered his eyes, a trace of amusement crossing his face as he looked at Jiang Yining standing in front of him.

That excuse was pretty good—it even left Teacher Lin a bit stunned.

Jiang Yining nodded firmly again, “Teacher, I really like He Chi. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten the marriage certificate with him.”

Teacher Lin’s mind was in turmoil. She looked at Jiang Yining, uncertain, and asked once more, “Yining, don’t lie to me. You really like He Chi?”

Jiang Yining nodded seriously.

Teacher Lin shifted her gaze from Jiang Yining to He Chi, looking at him up and down in disbelief, as if saying, “What about this guy makes you like him?”

But, leaving that aside, He Chi was handsome and tall, with a figure that would attract young girls. However, his personality was cold and indifferent, not particularly caring.

Teacher Lin looked at He Chi, “What about you?”

He Chi had no choice but to go along with the excuse Jiang Yining had given, “I like her too.”