Chi Wu was practically striding with the wind these days; in his estimation, his career and love life were both flourishing.

Of course, the unlucky kid wouldn't dare voice his romantic feelings aloud. In this era, when a boy and a girl held mutual affection, they certainly didn't dare express it loudly; it was usually a matter of exchanged glances, conveying things through tacit understanding rather than explicit words.

At most, one might dare to slip over a tiny note devoid of any ambiguous language.

So, Chi Wu felt his expressions of affection were perfectly executed. Cheng Ying, genuinely, had received none of it. This "tacit understanding" thing was something he’d never managed to grasp.

Cheng Ying’s late-blooming youthful stirrings in the first semester of high school hadn't even had a chance to fully manifest before exams arrived.

Cheng Ying looked at the award certificate in her hand, listening to the male teacher’s voice, rich as a cello, and felt heartbroken for a good long while.

Youth is like flowing water, years slip away easily; half a semester wasted just like that.

Can you imagine how hard it is to find a marriageable, slightly older bachelor? How could she have let such a major opportunity slip by?

For a student who skipped self-study sessions, for a high schooler wholly focused on making money, it wasn't strange at all that she hadn't managed to make a single friend in the class over half a year.

It was hard for Cheng Ying even to discreetly inquire about the teacher's background.

With the winter break fast approaching, this chance absolutely could not be missed again.

Cheng Ying turned to look at her deskmate; what was her name again? She truly hadn't remembered. “Um, our Chinese teacher… his voice is really beautiful.”

The deskmate was meticulously packing her textbooks. “Cheng Ying, you didn’t come to the New Year’s Eve party, did you? The melodica the Chinese teacher played was even better than his recitation.”

In Cheng Ying’s mind, she could paint a vivid picture of her male idol holding a melodica.

So talented! Truly worthy of being the god of her heart. “What a shame,” she muttered unintentionally.

The deskmate, with her plain, straight hair, pushed it back with her hand. “That’s right. When our Chinese teacher recited Gorky’s 'The Song of the Stormy Petrel,' even the senior students gathered at the doorway to watch. Full of passion, full of fervor.”

Cheng Ying nearly choked. Why was this girl so indiscreet? Why was she boasting as if the Chinese teacher were her own father?

She quickly glanced around, checking for rivals—probably not.

She wasn't very familiar with Gorky, but in the future, she would have her own driver; this showed she and the teacher had common ground after all.

Cheng Ying squinted, her mood becoming highly agitated. Fate! Men with money attract women everywhere; she had money and leisure, fate couldn't be stopped!

Cheng Ying said, “One more question, what is our Chinese teacher’s surname?”

The deskmate stared at Cheng Ying as if she were gazing upon a class enemy. “You—you have too little respect for the teacher! You can forget that? And Teacher Qi even praised your essay in class. You’ve gone too far!”

Cheng Ying took a deep breath. No wonder her essays were good; even through all this nonsense, she managed to grasp the key point—the male god’s surname was Qi.

Cheng Ying looked toward the lectern. “Teacher Qi. So evocative. Even the surname has such depth.”

This was Cheng Ying’s genuine feeling. However, the girl next to her blushed right up to the back of her neck. That was too bold. It turned out the deskmate, while academically strong, had questionable morals. She was a bit wild; better not to get involved with someone like that.

Forgive the other girl’s conservatism; in this era, people didn't speak like that. It was tantamount to declaring one’s affection right then and there.

She looked up at Teacher Qi; he did indeed look quite evocative. The word choice was perfect. She turned her head away and refused to look at Cheng Ying again.

Cheng Ying rubbed her hands, feeling rather mischievous. The male god was handsome! More importantly, the male god wasn't married! What a perfect candidate for a first love!

He was practically tailor-made for her.

Cheng Ying gazed at the male teacher’s hair. Ah, if only it weren't parted in a three-seven split, it would be even better.

She remembered Chi Wu’s haircut was much handsomer. It was a pity she probably couldn't ask the male god to let her tamper with his hair anytime soon. What a regret.

Her blazing gaze remained fixed on the platform. Honestly, Cheng Ying’s look was truly alluring.

It couldn't be helped; the girl was well-developed. Just looking at her, with her graceful curves, men—even young boys—would turn their heads for a second glance.

In this era, Cheng Ying was good-looking, but not stunningly beautiful enough to topple cities.

Her skin was quite nice, but no one had been given the opportunity to examine it closely, much less admire it up close. She possessed a subtle inner beauty.

The rest was her hair. This wasn't something Cheng Ying wanted; it was because the old lady watched her like a hawk, firmly forbidding her granddaughter from messing with it.

It was worth noting that permanent straightening treatments didn't exist yet.

Despite the fact that girls all kept long hair, it really didn't look all that flowing.

Hair that had been in braids, once let down, would curve wildly at the ends. When the wind blew, it became a messy tangle, like Mei Chaofeng.

When just waking up, with hair down, she resembled a female ghost.

No wonder in this era, women with long, thick braids were considered more desirable. At least they looked tidy.

But Cheng Ying’s hair wasn't like that. The water from her spatial dimension, aside from its other abilities, had one special trait: it made her hair and skin exceptional.

Cheng Ying’s hair, even when tied up, the ends hung straight down. When unbound, the hair didn’t bend at all; when the wind blew, every strand floated and scattered, achieving an effect identical to a Head & Shoulders commercial.

It was truly captivating. If Cheng Ying hadn't skipped evening study hall, rushing in and out hastily, entirely focused on the furniture shop, she probably would have received little notes by now.

Setting aside her looks, just her hair alone set her apart.

Of course, people nowadays didn't focus on hair. As for being a top student, before Cheng Ying was reborn, she was an object of jealousy for students and attention from teachers.

Now, both teachers and students paid intense attention to her.

Therefore, Cheng Ying occupied a special place in the minds of her classmates and teachers.

Having such an academically excellent student looking at him with wolf-like eyes put the teacher under considerable pressure.

After class, Cheng Ying stood at the classroom door. She wore the thousand-layer-soled cloth shoes her grandmother had made, army-green trousers, and a floral cotton padded jacket. Her hair was tied up by the old lady. To be honest, this attire made her stand out in school because it was so unsophisticated, though she was well-insulated.

Cheng Ying never dared to argue, given that her grandmother had painstakingly dressed her.

She wasn’t trying to attract the glances of young boys; being a bit provincial was fine, as long as it was safe.

But today, looking at the male god in her heart, Cheng Ying felt regret. If only she had dressed up today.

Chi Wu appeared behind Cheng Ying at some point. “Not going home? What are you still doing at school?”

Cheng Ying looked at Chi Wu, slightly displeased—wasn't he just causing trouble? “You go on ahead. I have a few questions; I need to stay a bit longer.”

Chi Wu said, “I’ll give you a ride home. I don’t have anything else to do.”

Cheng Ying thought, The unlucky kid, I’m busy. “You go first.”

Chi Wu looked unhappy. Before Cheng Ying could say more, the male god was already walking over from the platform.

Cheng Ying walked toward the teacher, putting on what she thought was her most charming expression. “Hello, Teacher Qi.”

Chi Wu, standing nearby, felt a shiver run down his spine hearing that. He turned to look at Cheng Ying’s expression, then at the Chinese teacher, and his good mood vanished completely. After all, Chi Wu considered himself to have been exchanging meaningful glances with Cheng Ying for half a year; how could he not understand that expression of hers?

Coupled with the forced, sweet tone of her voice, it was sickeningly saccharine.

The Chinese teacher regarded the good, diligent student with an attitude that was certainly acceptable.

The girl was plainly dressed, clearly from the countryside, but she possessed good bearing. She was also a good student, a model example. “Hello, Cheng Ying. Your exam results were excellent.”

Cheng Ying smiled brightly. What a wonderful start! The teacher had a good impression of her. “Hello, Teacher Qi. I feel I still have many shortcomings. I wonder if I might have the opportunity to seek your guidance?”

Teacher Qi always supported students who were serious about learning and constantly pushed themselves to improve. “Of course, Cheng Ying, you are always welcome. Let us learn and advance together.”

Cheng Ying felt she had grasped the essence of the youth of the times. Listen to that: “advance together.”

Cheng Ying said, “Teacher Qi, since the break is starting, I wonder if it would be convenient for me to come by your place?”

For Cheng Ying, this was quite reserved in the pursuit of a man. She hadn't brazenly asked him out, showing she was paying attention to adapting to the rhythm of the era.

But for a young person in the 1980s, such a bold gesture between a teacher and student was completely unexpected.

So, he never thought about it in any other way. She was just a serious, exemplary student. “Certainly. My home is also in the city. If you have any questions you don't understand, you are always welcome to come discuss them, Cheng Ying.”

Cheng Ying felt this was truly the male god she had in mind. Look at his demeanor, his bearing, his depth—why were they so captivating? “Thank you, Teacher.”

If Chi Wu hadn’t tugged her sleeve from behind, Cheng Ying would have followed the teacher into the office.

Watching Teacher Qi’s retreating figure, Cheng Ying patted her own cheek. Ooh, this feeling! Why was her heart beating so fast? “Well? Is my taste not good?”

With Chi Wu, Cheng Ying didn't need to adapt to the era’s rhythm; she said what she meant, boasting about her excellent judgment.

Chi Wu’s face turned pale green with suppressed anger. “You, you, you—”

After a long moment, Chi Wu finally managed to rein in his rising fury. He wanted to call Cheng Ying promiscuous, but he had to admit, this was partly his fault for not clarifying things with her. “That’s your teacher! If you get involved with him, that’s called—”

Cheng Ying had never opened her eyes so wide. Even if society was conservative, a student-teacher romance wasn't exactly scandalous. What a foolish kid, using words incorrectly! “You little brat, don’t speak nonsense if you don't understand. Go study properly with Teacher Qi; look at how composed he is.”

Chi Wu let out a cold snort from deep within his lungs. “Why are you so superficial? You’re infatuated just by looking at his surface appearance! Have you ever seen him pick his nose? Have you seen him scratch his toes? Have you seen him squatting to defecate? How do you know what he’s like behind closed doors?”

He was trying to be as disgusting as possible.

Cheng Ying felt the unlucky kid was deliberately trying to ruin her. Was it easy to find someone who made her heart flutter? Why bring up such revolting topics? He was her male god! “Get lost! Go stand somewhere else!”

But then again, male gods also had to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Perhaps she was being a bit too superficial.

She shuddered at the sheer unpleasantness of the thought.

Giving Chi Wu a fierce glare, Cheng Ying turned and walked away.

Chi Wu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had always thought of Cheng Ying as his own. He never expected this girl to have such wandering thoughts.

What kind of taste was that? She couldn't see a man as masculine as him, yet she was taken with such a pale-faced pretty boy!