The phone kept ringing. Lin Wan hesitated, but she picked up the call anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hi! Am I speaking to Ms. Lin?”

A man’s voice came from the other side of the phone. He had a charming voice, and it was pleasant to the ears.

“Yes, I am. Who is this?”

“Oh, I’m the new vice-principal. I’m Wang Shen. Ms. Lin, can you come to the school now? There’s something I would like to talk to you about.”

The new vice-principal? Lin Wan was taken aback. That was too soon. It wasn’t that long after Wu Heping passed away, and there was already a replacement.

Besides, she barely knew this person and the reason he wanted to meet.

“Hi, Mr. Wang. If it’s okay for you, I prefer to talk over the phone.”

“Ms. Lin, please forgive me for being so sudden. I still hope you could come to the school. We should talk about this in person. Don’t worry. It won’t take up much of your time.”

He sounded polite, and his charismatic voice made it impossible to reject.

“All right. I’ll be there soon. I hope it won’t be much of a trouble to you.”

“Of course not. I will be waiting for you.”

Lin Wan was thinking it over after the call ended. She decided to meet him after all.

She spruced herself up and changed into her working attire. Then, she drove to the school.

It was almost noon when she arrived at the school, and classes were ending soon. Lin Wan checked the time with her watch. She quickened her pace and proceeded to the vice-principal’s office.

She knocked on the door.

“Come in!”

That pleasant voice came from the room. Lin Wan opened the door, and a handsome young man was sitting behind the desk. He looked up and placed his gaze on her.

The man probably had Euripean ancestry. His hair was slightly curly. He had a perfectly straight nose and a pair of big clear eyes. A faint smile was hanging on his face.

His eyes flashed with a strange emotion as he set his eyes on her. He marveled at her beauty and admired her elegance, but he recovered himself immediately.

He came up from his desk and greeted her confidently, “You must be Lin Wan. I’m Wang Shen. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

He stretched out his hand politely, looking like his usual self, without showing any sentiment.

Lin Wan shook his hand and had a good first impression of him. She liked how pure and genuine his eyes looked. She would take a liking for someone like him subconsciously.

“Hi, Mr. Wang. I’m Lin Wan. Nice to meet you.”

They both took their seat, and Lin Wan took the initiative, “Mr. Wang, you said you wanted to meet me. May I know what is it about?”

Wang Shen smiled and replied with ease, “I am a straightforward person. There’s something that I would like to ask of your opinion.”

“Sure. Ask away.”

“Listen. I am new here, so I don’t know much about this school. I heard that you had resigned. Is that true?”

Lin Wan nodded, “Yes, I proposed my resignation to Mr. Yan. I will start the resignation procedure by the end of this semester. Is there anything wrong?”

“Yes, there is.” Wang Shen replied honestly.

Lin Wan found him amusing. He was a straightforward person indeed. He seemed to be an outspoken person that would say what on his mind was.

“Ms. Lin, I don’t usually mince my words. I hope you don’t get offended.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Wang. I’m all ears.”

“You see, you have informed verbally that you are resigning from your post, but it’s not official yet. You are still an employee in this school. I don’t think you are doing your job right. It brings bad influence to the school.”

Lin Wan was feeling unease. She took her job seriously. She was aware that her current working attitude was not good. But Wu Heping was the reason why she refused to come to school.

Think about it. It made her think of that b*st*rd if she came to the same place every day. Lin Wan wanted to forget him completely, and she didn’t want to recall the bad memories.

The other reason was to avoid trouble. She was worried that someone would link her to the death of Wu Heping. It would affect her badly if people started talking.

She wanted to leave as soon as possible without any unnecessary trouble.

Lin Wan admitted, “You are right. I didn’t handle this well enough. Don’t worry. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Wang Shen shook his hand and smiled, “You are misunderstanding. I’m not trying to fire you or make you stay. I just hope that you can return to your job post until your resignation.”

Lin Wan hesitated. Then, she replied apologetically, “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I can’t do that. How about this? I will start the resignation procedure right away so that it won’t bring bad influence to the school.”

“Ms. Lin. Personally speaking, I can accept your decision. However, standing from the school’s perspective, I hope you can change your mind.”

“Why is that?”

Wang Shen got up and gave Lin Wan a glass of water. He sat back down and continued, “You see, you are in charge of two classes, the third grade and the sixth grade. The sixth-graders are graduating by the end of this semester. You have been their teacher for three years. We hope you can participate in the graduation as their teacher.”

Wang Shen’s words struck a note in Lin Wan’s heart. He was right. She had been teaching those students for three years since they were fourth-graders. This was the first time in her teaching life that she made it to the graduation season.

Lin Wan knew that she would stop being a teacher after she left the school. This was her only chance to participate in the graduation as a teacher.

Would she feel sad to leave? Of course, she would. She put in her hard work and effort. There were so many memories with her students. If she were to give it up now, she would feel incomplete for her whole life.

Wang Shen could see the hesitation in her eyes, “There’s also one more thing that needs your attention now.”

“What is it?”

“Our school choir has made it to the final in this year’s singing competition. All of them want you back. They hope that you can be by their side when they receive the trophy at the stage.”

Lin Wan was getting emotional. She established the choir herself, and she had put a lot of effort into it. She had to give it up because of her family. How could she not be emotional after hearing that?

“Ms. Lin, after some consideration, the board has decided that you should resume your post. To end things properly for yourself and the kids. I believe you will feel gratified when it’s time for you to leave your post at the end of the semester.”

Lin Wan nodded and replied firmly, “All right. I will respect your opinion and come back to teaching. I will continue to do my job before I leave. You have my words for it.”

“That’s wonderful.” Wang Shen sounded sincere in his reply.

“On behalf of the school, I thank you for your decision. The kids will be glad to hear this.”

The conversation with Wang Shen made her feel pleased. The way he carried himself made him seem like a decent person to her. He gave her a great first impression.

“Ms. Lin, it’s getting late. Why don’t we go, grab something simple, and continue our discussion on the choir preparation?”

“Thank you for the invitation. But I already have a date with someone else. I’m really sorry.”

Lin Wan rejected instinctively. Having a good first impression didn’t mean getting into a relationship. She was fond of many guys. But does that mean she has to date every single one of them?

Besides, she really did have a date. With her husband. They both agreed to have fish filets in hot chili oil for lunch. She didn’t want to stand him up.

Wang Shen didn’t insist. He saw her off with good manners and reminded her that there would be choir practice every day at 3 p.m. He hoped that she could join the practice on time.

Lin Wan drove to Bubbling Fish Restaurant after leaving the school.

It was a new restaurant selling fish filets in hot chili oil. The flavors, portion, and service had received great reviews. The couple found out about the reviews, decided to come, and tried for themselves.

Li Mu wasn’t there yet when Lin Wan arrived. She chose a small private room, ordered what they usually eat, and waited for her husband.

After about 10 minutes, Li Mu lifted the curtain and entered.

“The traffic at Shanyang is getting worse. Traffic jam in the afternoon? Honey, did you order the food yet?”

He sat next to her as he grumbled. He looked at her briefly and shifted his attention to the menu.

Lin Wan was not happy about that. He didn’t give her a head up even when he was late. Neither did he actually look at her. Could he see that she was dressing differently? Could he care more about her?

“I ordered some food, and all you have to do is to wait,” Lin Wan answered grudgingly.

“You came early. Where did you come from?” Li Mu continued to ask.

“The school.”

“So you went to the school!”

“Yes. Honey, I’m thinking of teaching again.”

Li Mu smiled absentmindedly, “You are not going to resign?”

“No, I’m still resigning by the end of this semester. But I want to stay until then.”

“I thought you wanted to go on an overseas trip? You are not going anymore?”

“Not for now. Let’s go to Euripe when I’m done with my resignation procedure.”

“Sure. Let’s do that. The trip can wait until you resign.”

Lin Wan tilted her head and looked at her husband curiously. Li Mu started to be on edge, so he asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you not mad?”

“Why should I be mad?”

“I’m going back to work. Why are you not mad?”

He found it strange. There wasn’t anything to be mad about. He found her question ridiculous.

“We agreed that you would resign by the end of this semester. The plan didn’t change. Why should I be angry?”

“I’m going back to work. Shouldn’t you be worried?”

“About what?”

“You … Fine. I’m done talking to you.”

Li Wan started to sulk and turned her head away from her husband.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you mad all of a sudden?”

“Yes, there’s something wrong with me. I’m being unreasonable. I don’t want to talk anymore.”

They said women are always unpredictable. Lin Wan was not any exception. Li Mu didn’t understand why his wife was mad at him.

“Are you really angry?”

Lin Wan ignored him.

Li Mu slammed his hand at the table and yelled, “Seriously? Why are you going back to that wretched place? Did someone call you or what? You’d better be honest with me!”

Lin Wan was still ignoring him, but a smile appeared on her face.