Divorce: This is a Trivial Matter Chapter 35

Having cooled off a full day, Yang Wei was no longer as irritable as she had been in the morning, when she had first seen the news. She remained at the gate a little while, staring out, then made her way toward Qi Xiao Yan's car.

He looked a little confused and doubtful to see her getting on. She shut the door and turned to him, "Why do you look like something just happened that you didn't antic.i.p.ate?"

"I thought you would pretend not to see me."

Yang Wei hmphed. So there was a little self-awareness there. "Anything to say to me?"

"Um... did you see the article?"

"I saw it. The paparazzi's technique sucked. Your face looked distorted."

Qi Xiao Yan was silent. He seemed to be organizing what to say. "The dinner with Song Jin was just a dinner. You were there at the hotel incident, so I've already explained that. And as for visiting her home, I went there to tell her not to look for you again."

Yang Wei raised an eyebrow when she heard this part. "You did that?"

"Didn't you say you never wanted to see her again?"

Yang Wei turned to look out of the window and said nothing. The car was quiet for a while. Then she asked, "Any reporters surrounding you at the university?"

He frowned to hear her mention this. "There was a group outside the dormitory today, and the headmaster addressed me specifically about it as well."

She gave him a sideways glance. "He won't fire you, will he?"

"Nothing so serious. He asked me to settle this matter as soon as possible."

Yang Wei snorted. "How are you going to solve it? Do you think those reporters really want an explanation from you? All they want is a topic." She paused and asked anxiously, "What did you say to them?"

"I gave them the Sylvester theorem."

Yang Wei: "..."

She could see the reporter's expression in her head.

She pursed her lips. "For entertainment, they can translate whatever you say into what they want to hear, and things might then get worse. Anyway, that's what the entertainment circle is like. Just wait it out. They'll eventually forget about it and pay attention elsewhere."

Qi Xiao Yan nodded.

"But that was disgusting of Song Jin." If Qi Xiao Yan hadn't been able to cope with the reporters, what would those people playing around in the s...o...b..z industry have done? There hadn't been any sound from her so far. Was she using this as hype? Yang Wei frowned, and said to Qi Xiao Yan, "Give me your phone."

"What?" Though doubtful, he handed over his phone. Yang Wei opened the contact list and scrolled through. Then she glanced at him, "There was indeed a phone call from Song Jin."

Qi Xiao Yan: "..."

It was impossible to guard against this person.

Yang Wei tapped on Song Jin's name and called her back. It was quickly answered, and she heard Song Jin's voice through the receiver. "Senior Qi?"

"Hah, I'm not your Senior Qi. I'm Yang Wei." A fake smile spread across Yang Wei's face, "Miss Song, I don't know if you were the one behind the rumours on Weibo, but I hope you know that this has caused a lot of trouble for Professor Qi. Do you know what being a teacher means? Professor Qi is a university professor. Yet now he's on entertainment headlines, and gossiped about, and paired with popular female stars. How do you expect him to stand on the sacred podium in the future? How will he face his eager students? How will he respond to gossiping colleagues? He came crying to me today, saying that the headmaster confronted him in person and that he might be expelled from school or even the mathematics circle! How can he live, knowing nothing but mathematics? Do you expect him to sleep on the streets and die in poverty?"

Qi Xiao Yan: "..."

It was rare for Song Jin to hear her out to the end, and she replied after a moment of stunned silence. "This was the company's doing."

"But you didn't object, did you?"

Song Jin's mouth flattened into a straight line. She did not answer.

"In your place, I would never have done that."

She was about to hang up when Song Jin stopped her. "Hold on a minute. I'd like to say a few words to Qi Xiao Yan."

Frowning, Yang Wei considered it. Then she handed the phone over. "She has something to say to you."

Qi Xiao Yan gave her a look, then picked up the phone. "What is it?"

The other end of the phone was quiet for a moment before Song Jin's husky, slightly hoa.r.s.e voice could be heard. "I'm sorry. The fault is mine this time, and I will deal with it as soon as possible."

"Mn." Qi Xiao Yan replied, but he didn't hang up immediately. "Let's no longer contact each other from now on. I will delete your number."

Dazed, she asked, "Must it be this way?"

"Mn. I don't want another misunderstanding."

Song Jin let out what might have been a laugh. "I get it. I will change my phone number. Good bye."

She hung up. Yang Wei watched him put the phone away, and looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Are you really going to delete the phone number of your Junior Song?"

Before her eyes, Qi Xiao Yan deleted the number. Yang Wei's eyes moved to him in a smile. "With your sensitivity to numbers, haven't you already memorized it?"

Qi Xiao Yan: "..."

Although he hadn't deliberately memorized it, he did know it.

"I won't call her, and she told me she would change her number."

Yang Wei laughed. Only Professor Qi would believe these words. "Is that all she said?"

"She also promised to take care of the matter as soon as possible."

Yang Wei blinked. "They'll definitely be much better at it than you."

Qi Xiao Yan nodded ever so slightly, but kept his eyes on her, saying nothing. Yang Wei frowned uneasily. "What are you looking at me for?"

"Nothing. I just haven't seen anyone so able to talk nonsense for a long time."

Yang Wei was unconcerned. "That was just a little literary exaggeration. If I didn't spice it up a bit, how would Song Jin feel any guilt?"

"Is that so." Qi Xiao Yan started the car and headed for the intersection. When Yang Wei got home, she told him, "Don't come looking for me before this whole thing is over. I don't want to see this story tomorrow described as a love triangle under some reporter's pen."

Qi Xiao Yan considered it, then nodded. "Alright."

He drove back to the school. Unexpectedly, the two reporters were still waiting for him in ambush behind the dormitory building. When they saw him return, they rushed up. One grinned cheerfully at him. "I know the answer to the problem this morning. It's a proof by contradiction, right?"

The second reporter took the opportunity to say, "Then may I ask what the relations.h.i.+p is between Professor Qi and Song Jin?"

Qi Xiao Yan looked at the both of them. "I have no special relations.h.i.+p with Song Jin, not even ordinary friends. If you'd like to return to school so badly, I can give you a test paper."

Reporter : "..."

Not long after that, the media revealed that the hero of the incident was denying the news of rekindling love with Song Jin. Soon, netizens leapt out to accuse him of being unable to withstand the pressure of the world, and therefore abandoning G.o.ddess Song. What sc.u.m! This doctrine grew in intensity over the Internet, and when Yang Wei saw this news, she felt rather helpless. Hadn't she warned him not to answer any questions?

"Teacher Yang, don't forget to go to the big cla.s.sroom after school," Teacher Luo reminded her, walking out of the office carrying a triangular ruler. Yang Wei withdrew from Weibo and nodded to him. "I know. Thank you."

The school planned to hold a sports meet the next week. This was a meeting between the teachers and the headmaster to hammer out various issues that had to be decided on prior to the meet. By the time the meeting ended, it was half past five. Just as she was thinking that she might go home at last, the teacher in charge of their grade called them together for a short meeting.

"I believe everyone heard what the headmaster said. In addition to the students performing, every group of grade teachers should also host a program themselves to have fun and connect with the students."

Another teacher commented, "The students have already begun rehearsing their programs. What could we possibly throw together in a week?"

The grade head nodded. "We can't do large group programs because of that, only single or double performances." Having said so, his eyes turned to Yang Wei. "I've decided that Teacher Yang will represent our grade on our behalf. Everyone give her a round of applause."

Yang Wei: "..."

Everyone clapped happily.

Looking at the grade head, she refused to back down. "Why me? I'm hardly talented."

"Come now, Teacher Yang, don't be so humble. You're an art teacher and an art student. If you don't step up, could Teacher Luo go up and recite a math problem?"

Yang Wei: "..."

That wasn't.... a bad proposal.

"Do we have a music teacher? They could play the piano," she suggested.

The eyes of the grade head lit up. "Then Teacher Zhou, you're responsible for playing the piano. Teacher Yang, you could make a painting next to it. Aren't these programs pretty popular on TV nowadays, where when a song is complete, so is a painting?"

Yang Wei : "..."

Those were masters! If she could do something like that, would she still be here, teaching at an elementary school?!

"Then we're all happily decided!" The head of the grade concluded.

Bag over her shoulder, Yang Wei stood glumly at the bus stop waiting for the bus. The result of her final discussion with the music teacher was that the other would play the piano and that she would sing. Though Yang Wei was a karaoke tyrant, she still felt the shame of singing in front of every teacher and student in the school.

She checked her cell phone. It was already 6:20pm, and she had to teach at 7:30 that evening. It seemed that dinner today was destined to be simple and quick. She sighed, phone in hand, then dashed off a short message to Qi Xiao Yan. "I saw the comments online. Didn't I tell you not to answer any questions?"

A reply came quickly. "Though I knew they'll scribble nonsense, I believe it is still necessary to make my position known. I won't answer anything else in the future."

Yang Wei pursed her lips and put the phone back into her bag.

Two days later, Song Jin was not at all surprised to be asked about the scandal during a brand endors.e.m.e.nt. In speaking of the matter, she showed ample generosity, "This matter is entirely a misunderstanding. As we used to be alumni, we had dinner together after having met up at school, and accidentally ran into each other again at the hotel. The evening we returned to my home together was due to some friends from the university community having dinner together that night."

This statement certainly wasn't enough to convince the reporter who had asked, so Song Jin threw out another bombsh.e.l.l. "In fact, there is actually someone else that I like."

The moment that sentence fell from her lips, every reporter stood dumbfounded for a second. Then they began peppering her with questions.

"Is that true?"

"Can you tell us who that person is? Do they know that you like them?"

"Excuse me, but could you tell us how far along your relations.h.i.+p currently is?" "

Song Jin gave them a scripted smile. "I'm afraid I can't tell you his name, but he once worked together with me, and I was very attracted at the time to his excellent work ethic. I don't wish to say more because I'm worried he may misunderstand."

"Has a confession already been made?"

"Has the relations.h.i.+p been confirmed?"

Song Jin replied, "Though I haven't explicitly said anything, I believe that he knows."

The flas.h.i.+ng of the camera bulbs on the scene made it feel like daytime. Every reporter there who had found a great scoop was incredibly excited, but though they kept asking for a name, Song Jin was unwilling to reveal anymore.

However, it was hard to resist the omnipotence of entertainment news. Song Jin had not debuted a long time ago, and the male artistes she had worked with could be counted on one hand. It could be narrowed down through slow research. But then Song Jin added with a smile, "He isn't necessarily an artist."

That expanded the scope a great deal, but it was still nothing against the enthusiasm of journalists and netizens. Soon after the news was broadcast, someone listed every male artist who had ever cooperated with Song Jin - one by one, from the leading actors to the minor walk-on roles - and at the end, mentioned that their next release would begin including directors, a.s.sistant directors, screenwriters, and producers.

As for Professor Qi, he had long been forgotten by the ma.s.ses.

Yang Wei browsed through the posts online, each one professing to be the new incarnation of Sherlock Holmes. She had no choice but to commend Song Jin for having excellently diverted everyone's attention. The focus was entirely upon the ident.i.ty of the mysterious man.

She finished the yogurt drink in her hand, and opened a video of Song Jin at a brand endors.e.m.e.nt.

"...In fact, there is actually someone else I like... though I haven't explicitly said anything, I believe that he knows..."

Yang Wei stared at the screen intently. As expected of an actress... people were eating up anything she said. She rather thought that Song Jin would definitely win the next award for Best Actress.

In the office of Song Jin's manager, her manager was also watching this video. She looked up at Song Jin. Although there was a smile on her face, an invisible pressure permeated the room. "Not bad. Your acting has improved."

The sarcasm in her words seemed to sail over Song Jin. "Didn't you just want hype? It's even better now. Not only , but even my other works are rising in popularity on the Internet."

Her manager did not comment on that. "This time you hedged your bets right. Next time, I hope that you will discuss it with me before making a decision."

"I know." Having said so, Song Jin put on her sungla.s.ses and left.