Together Forever - Chapter 12

Volume 1, Chapter 12: Those Little Moments of Beauty (3)

Amy handed her a jacket, taking the opportunity to say to Gu Pingsheng, "Teacher Gu, I cong bai you." (Slang for "I adore you.")

Then, grinning, she disappeared.

Gu Pingsheng was silent for a moment, then asked Tong Yan, "What did she say?"

"She said she admires you, Teacher Gu."

She finally found her voice, though it was still a bit hoarse.

Fortunately, he couldn't tell.

"Weren't you afraid of singing off-key?" she asked, looking at him.

"I have some vocal training, and I'm very familiar with this song." He gestured for her to put on her jacket. Autumn was approaching, and it was a bit chilly backstage. "But I couldn't guarantee I would be perfectly in sync with you. Luckily, both you and Shen Yao are very quick-witted."

He spoke casually, as if they had just been singing karaoke, not performing in front of thousands of people.

And more importantly, performing under such circumstances.

Piano, vocals, public speaking…

Putting it all together, she gradually understood that his family must have intentionally cultivated these skills. Setting aside his previous major, just these talents made her feel a pang of regret for him. He had such natural gifts, but no space to use them.

"Actually, I think I could have managed even if you hadn't come on stage."

As soon as she said it, she regretted it. It sounded like she was dismissing his help. In truth, looking back, she was terrified. If anything had gone wrong, it would have been a disaster.

He seemed to see through her thoughts. "I'm a teacher. Even if I made a mistake, there wouldn't be any serious consequences."

"Tong Yan," Zhou Qingchen's voice came through the earpiece. "The school's BBS is exploding. With the principal's authorization, when you read the congratulatory messages, you need to ask Teacher Gu a few questions. I'll have someone bring you the script…"

This was truly… the most troublesome, the most eventful, gala ever.

By the end of the evening, Tong Yan was completely exhausted.

Because she had to remove her makeup and change, she and Gu Pingsheng were almost the last to arrive at the celebratory dinner. The entire Haijing Restaurant had been booked by the Student Union, and the noise and laughter were almost deafening.

As they entered, Zhou Qingchen clapped his hands, signaling for everyone to quiet down. "Quick, quick, bring the drinks! Our mission tonight is to get the two hosts completely drunk!"

Before Tong Yan could react, a full glass of beer was thrust into her hand.

She had a low tolerance for alcohol, getting tipsy after just three glasses, and had never been pressured to drink like this. But judging by the atmosphere, she wouldn't be able to leave unless she was unconscious… Gu Pingsheng looked at the glass in his hand, feeling trapped. "Students, shouldn't you consider showing some respect for your teachers?"

"Teacher Gu," everyone suddenly said in unison, "We cong bai you!"

The shout was so loud it startled the waiters.

Tong Yan felt a surge of emotion and turned to look at him.

Although he couldn't hear, he could see what they were saying.

Everyone's synchronized lip movements, their excited expressions, brought a flurry of emotions to his eyes.

A fleeting flash of warmth.

In the end, no one expected that Gu Pingsheng would be the one to "take them down." He helped everyone call their dorm mates to come and cart them back on their bicycles… Only she, the target of their collective efforts, remained relatively sober and looked at Gu Pingsheng. "Well, they're all drunk. Looks like we're the only ones left to pay the bill."

The restaurant owner smiled and waved his hand. "No, no, President Zhou will come and pay tomorrow."

Tong Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that Gu Pingsheng was everyone's idol, she couldn't bring herself to make him pay.

She had initially tried to keep track of how much he drank, but then she lost count. By the end, she wondered if he was from Northeast China, where people supposedly started drinking baijiu from infancy.

They walked back along the quiet, tree-lined path, not speaking much. Maybe he was also a little drunk?

She had changed back into her regular clothes and removed her stage makeup. Her hair was a mess, tied back with a simple band. Gu Pingsheng, however, was still in his suit.

This led to a very awkward situation.

As they reached the girls' dormitory, someone gasped, and countless pairs of eyes peered out from the laundry room, the water room, and then the balconies… Of the forty or so balconies on this side, at least half had silent observers leaning out, trying to catch a glimpse of the captivating Gu Pingsheng.

"Teacher Gu," Tong Yan couldn't take it anymore. "I'll go in now."

He also seemed to realize that standing in front of the girls' dormitory wasn't a wise move. "Go ahead."

Tong Yan turned, then suddenly turned back after taking a few steps.

She had intended to catch up to him, but he was still standing there, watching her… She nervously bit her lip, hesitating before speaking. "Teacher Gu, you've been drinking, please don't drive."

Several girls walked by, discreetly glancing at Gu Pingsheng and Tong Yan.

"I'm not driving anymore," he smiled wryly. "Since I'm planning to live in Shanghai long-term, I can't keep using my old driver's license. There are restrictions on driving in China for people with hearing impairments. So, I've been taking the school bus or taxis lately."

Perhaps because of the alcohol, his voice was softer than usual.

He said it casually, as if it wasn't a big deal.

When she opened the dorm room door, she was met with an unexpected scene.

Shen Yao and Wang Xiaoru were sitting face to face, looking incredibly serious, almost frighteningly so.

"What's wrong?" Tong Yan closed the door, but they didn't turn around.

Shen Yao shrugged. "I'm looking at the notorious homewrecker, the culprit who almost ruined our performance tonight."

Tong Yan was confused. Wang Xiaoru just smiled faintly. "I'm going out."

She picked up her phone and keys and left.

"What's going on?" Tong Yan asked again.

"Do you know why Zhao Jianan suddenly didn't perform tonight?" Shen Yao sighed. "Let me give you a brief summary of what happened backstage while I was nervously playing the piano for you and Teacher Gu."

Tong Yan threw her bag of clothes aside, gesturing for Shen Yao to continue.

"No one would dare tell the truth at the Student Union dinner, but our orchestra was buzzing about it tonight. Apparently, Zhao Jianan had already changed and was ready to go on stage when, a minute before her performance, she suddenly started crying and ran off with her phone. Everyone backstage was stunned. Later, someone said she found out President Zhou had a mistress. She was so furious she refused to perform, saying she would ruin the gala and get him in trouble…"

Hearing this, Tong Yan suddenly remembered that no one had mentioned why such a major mishap had occurred.

"So… it was Xiaoru?"

Shen Yao sighed. "Xiaoru is ruthless. She almost got us all killed."

Tong Yan couldn't believe it. "Doesn't she have a boyfriend?"

"President Zhou has an offer from Penn and a job offer from the Singaporean government. If she's with him, she doesn't have to worry about exams and applications anymore."

Another fragile love story.

Tong Yan didn't pry further, and Shen Yao didn't elaborate, instead showing her the trending topics on the school's BBS.

Without exception, they were all related to their performance of "Without You."

Just reading the titles made her want to laugh.

"Begging for a video of 'Without You' tonight! Will treat you to a big plate of chicken!!!"

"FML, my computer crashed during the live stream!"

[Spotted] Creepy old guy imitating Fatal Beauty Gu by Siyuan Lake.

Updated School Bus Schedule (Gu Pingsheng Version).

…

"I'll show you two shocking ones," Shen Yao opened two windows and read the titles. "'Are there any Penn alumni here? Have you heard the stories about Gu Pingsheng from the medical school?' Look, look!" She looked at Tong Yan adoringly, as if she could see the University of Pennsylvania through her. "Fatal Beauty Gu was a medical student! A Penn Med student! Tong Yan, I'm dying! Wharton Business School, that's my goal for next year!"

Tong Yan mumbled in agreement, feeling guilty and remaining silent.

"And, and this one!"

Shen Yao clicked on another window.

This time, Tong Yan was truly stunned.

"I can't take it anymore! This is huge gossip! The girl in white who almost scared me to death in the Upper Campus building, she was the female host tonight! And that, that, that, that figure that mesmerized me, it was definitely Gu Pingsheng! I bet a truckload of cucumbers that they're having a teacher-student romance!! Look at their eyes! I've watched the video nineteen times, and I haven't seen their gazes separate for even a second!"

The post, published half an hour ago, already had over twenty pages of replies.

Shen Yao, like she was watching a gossip show, explained the current situation, from numerous revelations to in-depth analysis. Some people were even posting screenshots, analyzing every movement, every lyric, their expressions…

"It's insane. Aside from American drama forums, I've never seen people so dedicated to analyzing screenshots." Shen Yao turned around, laughing, and seeing Tong Yan speechless, she offered some comfort. "Don't be so fragile. It's the age of entertainment."

Shen Yao's phone rang, and she went to the balcony to answer it.

Tong Yan continued reading the replies, scrolling down until she stopped at a particularly analytical post.

Someone had actually compiled a list of teacher-student romances across all departments over the past ten years.

The conclusion was that although the school didn't have an explicit rule against it, they definitely disapproved. At least while the students were still enrolled, they wouldn't dare, and couldn't, openly date.

There were seven couples in total, and only one, from the newly established department two years ago, had succeeded, getting married after graduation.

The rest had all ended with either the teacher leaving the school or the student transferring…

She was engrossed in the post when Shen Yao patted her shoulder. "See anything interesting?"

"No, it's boring," Tong Yan quickly closed the window.

Carrying two thermoses, she walked into the water room and heard loud music coming from the dorm across the hall. It was that song. It was almost 11:00 PM, past lights out, but the girls inside had their door open, laughing and joking.

"No, I can't forget this evening, or your face as you were leaving," a girl hummed along, then switched to Chinese. "I can't forget this evening, the look on your face as you were leaving… Oh my god, I just saw my love rival! It's that female host!"

The dorm room door slammed shut.

Shrieks erupted from inside, and everyone in the water room turned to look at Tong Yan, who was frozen in place.

She instinctively turned on the hot water tap and scalded her pinky finger…

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