Xiang Ning had not seen Xu Tingsheng during the previous lesson.

  Due to the incident that had occurred the previous weekend, she was actually especially eager to see him right now. She was eager to ask him about his physical condition and about how Dongdong was currently doing. Also, did he still want to hear the answer to that question?

  She had another lesson by him that afternoon. Thus, she had specifically come a little earlier.

  More than an hour before the lesson started, Xiang Ning stood on the corridor on the second storey, her hands against the railing as she peered downwards. Now, she saw Xu Tingsheng entering the school premises, bringing along a middle-aged couple in touring the area. He was chattering non-stop as he appeared to be in a great mood.

  “It looks like he’s fine,” Xiang Ning thought.

  When Xu Tingsheng and company finished touring the third storey and came downstairs, Xiang Ning was standing by the stairwell with her hands behind her back. Seeing Xu Tingsheng, she bared her teeth and pulled a face before smiling happily and blinking towards him.

  Yet, Xu Tingsheng just glanced once at her before nervously walking away.

  “He’s angry with me? Or is he angry with Mum? Mum was rather fierce that day.”


  Seeing Xu Tingsheng leading the two visitors into his office, Xiang Ning thought for a moment before hurrying back to the classroom whereupon she randomly grabbed a book and dragged Su Nannan along, directly telling her, “Let’s go.”


  “Where to?” Su Nannan asked.

  “Accompany me to find Xu Tingsheng and ask him questions.”


  “Okay, okay!”


  “Why’re you so happy?”


  “Everyone is always very happy seeing Mr Xu!”


  “.……” Xiang Ning did not reply as she thought, “What’re you lot being so happy for? He’s also not everyone’s. After tuition has ended, he’ll belong to just me again.”


  Xiang Ning did not see Xu Tingsheng after having entered his office.

  Instead, there was a benevolent uncle and a strange auntie inside. The reason she found this auntie strange was that she kept on staring at Xiang Ning, staring at her smooth forehead above which her long hair was bound back with a hairband.

  Then, she waved her over, “Young miss, come over.”


  “I’m here to find the teacher, Xu Tingsheng. I want to ask him some questions,” Xiang Ning said rather uneasily.

  “I’m Xu Tingsheng’s mother,” The strange auntie said.

  Xiang Ning felt that since the strange auntie was Uncle’s mother, she should be a bit more polite to her. Therefore, she walked over obediently and called out sweetly, “Hello, Auntie.”


  “Good, good,” Mrs Xu happily responded.

  Then, she pointed at Xiang Ning’s forehead as she said excitedly to Mr Xu beside her, “Look, look, Tingsheng’s Dad! Fuxi bones! So they really do exist! This is my first time seeing one in person.”


  Xu Tingsheng’s maternal uncle worked in this profession, being somewhat knowledgeable in the areas of fortune-telling as well as name choosing and date selection. While he wasn’t really all that proficient in it, it was still enough to fool others, helping him to raise a family of six kids.

  He had a few thread-bound books which had been buried underground and preserved during the destruction of the four olds in the Cultural Revolution.

  Mrs Xu, who had a junior high school education level, had read these books when she was young. She rather believed in and was pretty concerned about such things. When she had brought Xu Tingsheng to a blind date back during the Lunar New Year, she had praised Ye Yingjing’s looks as bringing prosperity to her husband and her family.

  “What Fuxi bones?” Xiang Ning asked uncomprehendingly in a daze.

  Xiang Ning had only learnt about these Fuxi bones from an eccentric roommate of hers after having begun attending university. She had not taken it too seriously, only having repeatedly boasted about it jokingly to Xu Tingsheng afterwards.

  Xu Tingsheng had not believed this in his previous life. In truth, it also wasn’t believable at all that someone with facial bones that were the ‘highest grade under the heavens’ could be so unlucky as to meet the likes of him. In the end, she had even waited three years for this scumbag.

  Now, Mrs Xu prematurely made this grand discovery.

  “Highest grade under the heavens, representative of great wealth and fortune. Young miss, this life of yours really is great. Right, how old are you? What’s your name?” Mrs Xu asked.

  “I’m fifteen, Auntie. I’m called……”


  What would happen if this little girl said the name ‘Xiang Ning’? Would the office explode? Would the planet Earth explode? The crucial thing was-afterwards, would Xu Tingsheng explode?

  After Xu Tingsheng had brought his parents for a tour around the training institute and then to his office to rest, he went to look for Tang Guangyi for a bit. When he returned, he heard what his mother was currently asking, saw Xiang Ning’s figure with his Mum’s hand on her shoulder.

  Xu Tingsheng yelled in a panic from the doorway where he stood, “Su Nannan, it’s almost time for lessons! What’re you doing over here? Hurry up and go back.”


  Because he yelled this, his tone didn’t sound questioning as it instead sounded like a rebuke.

  Hearing Xu Tingsheng’s voice, Xiang Ning felt pleasantly surprised as she turned to look at him.

  Xu Tingsheng was not smiling, however, as he grabbed her and Su Nannan and shooed them out of the room, “What’re you doing here? It’s almost time for lessons! Hurry up and go back.”


  The three left the office. Xu Tingsheng still felt rather fearful as he hurriedly closed the door.

  “I have questions for you,” Xiang Ning said.

  “Ask them after the lesson’s over,” Xu Tingsheng still felt anxious as even his tone was forceful.

  “You, what fierce are you being? There are still more than ten minutes left.”


  “We can talk about that later. Just go back to the classroom.”


  “What’s up with you? Xu Tingsheng.”


  “You’re not allowed to call my name.”


  “Uncle.”


  “Call me Sir.”


  “Liar.”


  “Hurry up and go back.”


  “Let me tell you……”


  “Tell me about it later.”


  “No, I just want to ask you……’


  “Ask me about it later.”


  “What fierce are you being? You weren’t this fierce before! Whatever, I’ll go.”


  Xiang Ning left in a huff. Xu Tingsheng returned to the office and closed the door.

  Mrs Xu asked smilingly, “That girl’s called Su Nannan?”


  “Which one?”


  “The one with the Fuxi bones.”


  “I don’t know whatever Fuxi bones.”


  “The nice-looking one.”


  “What’s there even to be called good-looking about kids as young as that?”


  “Oi, are you intentionally speaking against your mother? The one who looks especially sweet, especially pretty and especially likable! Can’t you tell?”


  “.……”


  “Hey you, say something! Why’re you not speaking?”


  “I just wanted to hear you praise her a little more,” Xu Tingsheng muttered softly.

  “What did you say?”


  “I didn’t say anything.”


  Mr Xu interrupted this totally meaningless conversation between the mother and son pair, “Alright, stop asking about this. Such a young child-however good her features are, would you be able to take her back as your daughter-in-law? Isn’t your mind still set on that Young Miss Ye from your good friend’s family who will bring fortune to her husband?”


  “If this was my previous life and I brought her back, how moved would Mum be,” Xu Tingsheng thought.

  Mr Xu answered a call.

  He had originally jokingly asked to listen in on Xu Tingsheng’s lesson. In the end, however, something came up and he had to leave right away. Seeing how his mother still appeared reluctant, Xu Tingsheng heaved a sigh of relief, happily sending his parents to the door.

  Xiang Ning felt ill at ease for the duration of the entire lesson.

  “I hate him.”


  “Should I forgive him?”


  “On account of last week, when he even vomited blood and Mum was still so fierce to him, I guess I should forgive him.”


  The bell for the end of class rang. Xiang Ning went to Xu Tingsheng’s office alone.

  “Mr Xu, I have questions for you.”


  “Ask away then.”


  “What are Fuxi bones?”


  “I don’t know.”


  “Your Mum said it.”


  “Ask my Mum about it then.”


  “But Auntie isn’t here! Then, are you really unable to tell if I or Su Nannan am the nice-looking one? You really don’t know who the one Auntie said looked especially sweet, especially pretty and especially likable is?”


  “.……You still know how to eavesdrop?”


  “I, I just wanted to come back to apologise to you, coax you a little and ask you whether it still hurts. I suffered an injustice and I was still going to coax you, yet you were fierce to me. Wa……”


  “You’re not allowed to cry.”


  “I’m not crying, sob.”


  “And you say you aren’t crying?”


  “I’m saying ha, I’m gonna cry.”


  “.……”


  “Are you scared now? Sob.”


  So Xu Tingsheng smiled.

  “Your Dad says that your Mum wants to take me back as her daughter-in-law, sob. Also, who’s Young Miss Ye? Sob.”