Chapter 30.1

He Yan obediently left the office and walked out of the school, but he had no idea where to go.  

He didn’t dare to go home. He didn’t know how to explain this to his mother. Everything had been fine at noon, yet by the afternoon, he was no longer allowed to perform on stage.  

He regretted it.  

When the teacher had asked him to perform, he should have agreed. If he hadn’t shown reluctance at that time, the teacher wouldn’t have looked for someone else to replace him, and he wouldn’t have been taken off the program.  

With his head lowered, He Yan paced back and forth near the school gate, occasionally kicking a small rock as he thought about how to explain himself when he got home.  

Before he could come up with an answer, he suddenly heard Duan Xiaoying’s voice: “Why haven’t you gone home yet? What are you doing here?”  

He Yan looked up and saw Duan Xiaoying standing four or five meters away, hesitation written on his face.  

In the past, whenever he saw a teacher he knew, he would take the initiative to greet them. But right now, he didn’t want to greet Duan Xiaoying at all.  

Even though he knew that losing his spot on stage was his own fault, he couldn’t control his emotions. He felt like a teacher he once liked wasn’t as likable anymore.  

After hesitating for a moment, He Yan stayed where he was and said: “I’ll go home soon.”  

Duan Xiaoying had no idea what He Yan was thinking, and even if she did, she wouldn’t care too much. He was just a child. Right now, she only felt irritated. If He Yan weren’t her student, she wouldn’t care whether he went home or not.  

But unfortunately, he was her student. And just moments ago, they had had an unpleasant conversation. If He Yan ended up wandering off somewhere and got lost or something happened to him, she would be held responsible.  

So, with a serious expression, Duan Xiaoying said: “No, you have to come back with me.”  

He Yan pressed his lips together, resistance flickering in his eyes.  

Seeing his reluctance, Duan Xiaoying walked up to him, bent down slightly, and said: “It’s going to get dark soon. I won’t feel at ease if you’re out here alone. Xiao Yan, you’re a good kid. Don’t make your teacher worry, okay?”  

In just half an hour, He Yan had heard Duan Xiaoying call him a good kid twice. He couldn’t help but think—if not being a good kid meant he could go on stage, then he didn’t want to be a good kid at all.  

Seeing that he remained silent, Duan Xiaoying had no choice but to use her trump card: “If you really refuse to come back with me, then I’ll have to go get your mother and ask her to find you.”  

Hearing this, He Yan finally moved. “I’ll go back with you.”  

Duan Xiaoying sighed in relief. “Then let’s go.”  

Under her watchful gaze, He Yan had no choice but to lift his feet and walk toward the Family Residential Compound.

The school was located on the outskirts of the Family Residential Compound. The closer they got to the inner area, the livelier the road became. Military wives who had come out to shop or were on their way to the canteen for a meal spotted them and looked surprised.  

“Teacher Duan, why are you coming back with He Yan?” they asked.  

Duan Xiaoying smiled and explained: “I saw him playing at the school gate when I was leaving, so I brought him back with me.”  

Hearing this, the military wives all praised her for being a responsible teacher, and Duan Xiaoying accepted their compliments with a calm smile.  

She had always considered herself a competent teacher. Last semester, the class she taught consistently outperformed the neighboring class in every exam. The only time their midterm exam average score was slightly lower, it was by just 0.5 points.  

Duan Xiaoying believed this drop was due to the addition of an underperforming student in her class. It was this very thought that had led her to visit the He family for a home visit earlier. However, the results of that visit had been mediocre at best.  

Even so, she wasn’t too worried. Thanks to Su Ting’s reminder, she had recalled He Yan’s situation—if he couldn’t keep up, he was highly likely to be held back next semester and would no longer be her student.  

Without He Yan in her class, she was confident her class would reclaim its top spot.  

Beyond academics, she did care about the students—but mainly the ones with good grades. As for struggling students like He Yan and Li Xiaoming, they received much less of her attention.  

In fact, if their families didn’t live nearby and had similar backgrounds, she might not have even been able to remember He Yan’s name before the exams.  

The same went for Li Xiaoming. If he weren’t so mischievous and if his mother, Xu Fen, weren’t such a difficult person, Duan Xiaoying wouldn’t have paid much attention to him either.  

That said, even though she had an impression of Li Xiaoming, it wasn’t a good one. That was precisely why, when selecting students for the upcoming performance, she hadn’t thought of him at all.  

What happened afterward was simply an unfortunate twist of fate, something that had left her no other choice.  

Thinking about Li Xiaoming made her think of Xu Fen, which in turn reminded her of Su Ting. She wondered if Su Ting would step in for He Yan once she found out about this.  

Although she didn’t want to admit it, there was a hint of apprehension in her heart when it came to Su Ting.  

She feared Su Ting’s temper, and she also feared ending up like Yu Hongzhi.  

But at the same time, she didn’t believe she would share Yu Hongzhi’s fate.  

Most of the other military wives in the Family Residential Compound believed that Su Ting had lashed out at Yu Hongzhi in the past because of He Yan. But Duan Xiaoying thought otherwise. In her opinion, Su Ting had only stepped in because Yu Hongzhi had spread rumors about her and He Dongchuan getting a divorce, crossing a line she couldn’t tolerate. Defending He Yan had merely been incidental.  

Judging from Su Ting’s past behavior, Duan Xiaoying didn’t think she had any real affection for He Yan. Because of that, she felt confident that Su Ting wouldn’t stand up for him this time.  

Even if Su Ting did decide to get involved, it wouldn’t be a problem. As long as she insisted that He Yan had originally refused to participate and that she had made the decision for his own good, there was nothing to worry about.

Even if this matter reached the principal, Duan Xiaoying was confident that she was in the right.  

With that thought, a sense of reassurance settled in her heart. She let out a long breath and parted ways with He Yan, turning into the courtyard of Building 65.  

Meanwhile, He Yan stood at the entrance of his own courtyard, staring at the front door, unable to lift his feet and walk inside.  

At that moment, Su Ting had just finished preparing the ingredients in the kitchen. After washing her hands, she stepped into the courtyard, stretching lazily. Just as she turned her head, she caught sight of a little figure crouching outside the courtyard wall—half of his face accidentally exposed, as if he thought he was well hidden.  

Su Ting had originally planned to call out to him directly, but just as she was about to say his name, she changed her mind. Instead, she lightened her footsteps, walked over to the courtyard wall, and suddenly reached out, covering the black-haired little head hiding below. She laughed and said: “Gotcha!”  

The unexpected touch startled He Yan so much that he yelped and sprang up in fright. He jumped back several steps, his eyes wide with alarm, until he got a clear look at the person inside the wall. His expression quickly turned to one of annoyance.  

“Mama!” he shouted, clearly upset.  

But the moment the word left his mouth, He Yan suddenly remembered the performance incident. The emotions on his face gradually faded, and his gaze darkened.  

Su Ting noticed the change and asked: “Why are you crouching out here instead of coming inside?”  

“I was just about to come in.” He Yan muttered, lowering his head as he walked around the courtyard wall and entered through the main gate.  

Su Ting stepped forward, casually grabbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, right. If I hadn’t seen you, who knows how long you would’ve stayed out there? Tell me, what happened?”  

He Yan hesitated for a moment before replying: “…Nothing happened.”  

Su Ting didn’t buy it. Just from his tone alone, it was obvious something was wrong. But since he didn’t want to talk about it, pressing him for answers wouldn’t do any good. So, she changed the subject instead.  

“Do you know what I bought today?”  

“What?”  

“Pork belly. Your dad’s going to make braised pork when he gets home.”  

“Dad’s cooking?” He Yan looked up, surprised.  

Su Ting: “…”  

After boldly declaring that she would master He Dongchuan’s braised pork recipe, Su Ting had taken advantage of his absence at noon and made two attempts herself. As for the results…  

Well, let’s just say they weren’t great.  

She personally thought it wasn’t too bad. The color was right, and it was edible. But He Yan had been merciless—he said the first attempt was too bitter, and the second was too greasy.  

Su Ting really didn’t want to admit it, but those two failed dishes had traumatized her taste buds. After that, she abandoned the idea of impressing He Dongchuan with her cooking.  

She had also made up her mind—unless he brought it up, she would pretend she had never said anything about amazing him with her cooking skills.  

And even if he did bring it up, she wasn’t going to admit it. There were no surveillance cameras in this era, and after spending so much time with him, she had developed a talent for lying with a straight face.

He very calmly and shamelessly shifted the blame onto He Dongchuan.

…

As soon as He Dongchuan arrived home, he noticed that something was off—He Yan was at home.

Because of his performance rehearsals, his playtime had been compressed. Recently, He Yan had been squeezing in every possible moment to go out and play. Normally, he wouldn’t be home at this hour—at least not before half an hour before dinner. But today, he hadn’t gone out at all!

Could it be that he had learned his lesson after being scolded yesterday?

Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, He Dongchuan walked into the kitchen, picked up the iron pan and spatula, and asked while blanching the meat: “Xiao Yan didn’t go out today?”

“He probably isn’t in a good mood.” Su Ting said softly.

“Not in a good mood?” He Dongchuan glanced sideways. “What happened to him?”

Su Ting shook his head. “I don’t know either. I asked him, but he wouldn’t say.” After thinking for a moment, he added: “I think it’s related to school. He came home especially early today.”

“No rehearsals?”

“No.” Su Ting guessed. “It should be about the performance, but it doesn’t quite seem like that. At noon, he was still saying that the teacher praised him. Their music teacher even wanted him to be the lead singer.”

He Dongchuan said: “Then something must have happened in the afternoon.”

“What could have happened in the afternoon?”

“The music teacher changed their mind? Or something else.” He Dongchuan said while scooping out the blanched pork belly, discarding the water in the pot, heating some oil, adding rock sugar to caramelize it, and then tossing the pork belly back in to stir-fry. “I’ll ask him later.”

“Mm.”

…

Although He Yan was in a bad mood, his appetite wasn’t affected. He ate four pieces of braised pork alone, forming a stark contrast to how he usually ate Su Ting’s braised pork.

Su Ting: “…”

After eating and drinking his fill, Su Ting went to wash the dishes, while He Dongchuan called He Yan outside for a talk.

He Yan, who had been about to start his homework while waiting for his dad and mom to finish their tasks and tutor him, was stunned. He pointed at himself uncertainly and asked: “Dad, you’re calling me?”

“Besides you, who else in our family is called He Yan?” He Dongchuan retorted.

Of course, there was no one else. He Yan put down his textbooks and homework, walked out of the second bedroom, and glanced into the kitchen as he passed by. “Aren’t we waiting for Mom?” he asked.

He Dongchuan said: “We’ll go first. She’ll come later.”

He Yan responded with two “ohs.” then walked over to the kick scooter leaning against the wall. “Can I bring Xiao Huang?” Because the kick scooter was natural wood-colored, he had named it Xiao Huang (Little Yellow).

“If you’re not afraid of sand getting into the wheels, bring it.”

Of course, He Yan was afraid. He silently withdrew his hand and said: “Alright then.”

After stepping out of the courtyard, they were met with a small stretch of narrow grassland. He Yan followed behind his dad, bent down to pull out a blade of grass, and absentmindedly plucked the leaves from its stem while walking. He only stopped when his dad suddenly turned around and caught him in the act. Quickly, he hid his hands behind his back.

He Dongchuan didn’t scold him. Instead, he asked: “Your mom said you came home really early today. No rehearsal?”

The moment He Yan heard that, his expression became uneasy. “I… I…”

“I what?”

He Yan lowered his head and said: “I don’t have to rehearse anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because, because…” He Yan licked his lips and said: “The teacher found someone else to replace me. I don’t have to perform on stage anymore. The teacher said… I don’t have to attend rehearsals from now on.”

His suspicions were confirmed. He Dongchuan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Didn’t you say at noon that your teacher praised you and even planned to make you the lead singer? Why did they suddenly replace you?”

He Yan didn’t want his dad to think he was bragging, so he hurriedly explained: “No, it wasn’t like that. The one who praised me was our music teacher, Teacher Wang. The one who replaced me was Teacher Duan.”

Although He Yan had only briefly explained the situation without mentioning any details, He Dongchuan, being a colonel in charge of over a thousand people, quickly picked up on the key issue in his words.

Music teacher Wang handled the rehearsals and actual work.

Homeroom teacher Duan handled personnel matters and made decisions.

Although their responsibilities were divided, it wasn’t a strict separation. The military elementary school wasn’t that big—there was only one music teacher, but more than ten classes preparing performances. She couldn’t possibly oversee only Grade 1, Class 2. At most, she could check on their progress when she had time, but the class teacher had to be the one to keep things on track.

Since the music teacher believed that He Yan had improved significantly and sang well, it was impossible for Duan Xiaoying to be completely unaware. Even if she didn’t understand music at all, the two teachers would have communicated. Among a dozen or so students, who sang well and who didn’t was something the music teacher would definitely inform the homeroom teacher about.

Besides, the music teacher had even planned to make He Yan the lead singer. Could Duan Xiaoying really be completely unaware of this?

Since she knew, why did she replace He Yan? Was it because the new child was exceptionally talented? But if they were so talented, why weren’t they chosen in the first place? And now, why would He Yan, who was good enough to be the lead singer, be replaced because of them?

He Dongchuan asked: “Did your teacher tell you the reason for replacing you?”

“She did.”

“What reason?”

He Yan’s voice lowered. “Because at first, I didn’t want to perform on stage.”

He Dongchuan was surprised. “You didn’t want to perform at first?”

Back when He Yan had told them about performing at the celebration, he hadn’t seemed unwilling at all. The only thing he had seen in his son was pride and excitement.

“When the teacher first asked me to join the performance and said it would take up time for rehearsals, I wasn’t really interested.” He Yan admitted guiltily, scratching his head.

“Then why did you go?”

He Yan recalled: “The teacher said they needed me in the program and asked me to practice for a while. So… I went.”

“Did you slack off during rehearsals?”

He Yan’s head shot up, and he anxiously denied: “No!” But after saying it, he lowered his head again, filled with regret. “If only I hadn’t refused at the beginning.”

He Dongchuan believed He Yan. Even though he was playful and constantly trying to find time to play every day, he never slacked off when it came to serious matters. When he promised to do something, he would give it his all.

As for his initial reluctance, He Dongchuan didn’t think it was a fault at all.

Did every child who participated in the performance willingly agree from the start? He doubted it. There were probably quite a few, just like He Yan, who had been persuaded by the teacher.

Since He Yan had been convinced and agreed to participate, and since he had never slacked off during rehearsals and had even performed well enough for the music teacher to consider making him the lead singer—what reason did his homeroom teacher have to remove him from the program without even asking him again?

Reaching out, He Dongchuan gently ruffled the little boy’s hair and said: “This isn’t your fault.”

The younger a child was, the more they wanted to act like an adult. He Yan was like that—he always felt that he had grown up and shouldn’t cry like before.

So when he was told he couldn’t perform, he didn’t cry. When he saw his mom after coming home, he held back his tears.

But now, feeling his dad’s touch and hearing his gentle reassurance, He Yan finally broke down and cried out loud.

He was just too sad.

——