But when she was not at school, such as during spring outings or weekend shopping trips, she dressed exceptionally revealingly.
I remember one weekend when my mother and Teacher Qin took Xinran and me shopping at the pedestrian street. My mother simply wore a floral waist-tied dress. Although you could still see her curvaceous figure, the clothes were normal.
Teacher Qin, however, presented a completely different image; polar opposite of her school appearance. She also wore a dress, but it was a tight-fitting, body-hugging black dress. Her already exaggerated figure was tightly wrapped in the black dress, clinging perfectly to her body. Her chest revealed a large expanse of white skin, with her F-cup breasts hanging like two water balloons, creating a stark contrast with her wasp waist. Her buttocks below the wasp waist were tightly wrapped by the dress, with the hem just barely reaching about 3 cm below her buttocks.
Teacher Qin's buttocks were large but not saggy, plump but not flabby, creating a perfect arc in the body-hugging dress. Her long legs in black stockings were even more impressive: slender calves and full round thighs, paired with knee-high boots, leaving the golden section between the hem of her dress and the top of her boots visible, enough to make anyone drool.
"What's wrong?" Xinran asked.
"Oh, nothing," I replied, her question pulling me back from my memories. I couldn't help but sigh.
"Sighing at such a young age?" she remarked.
"Xinran, you sound exactly like my mother," I said.
"Am I wrong?" she challenged.
"Right, right, right. My Xinran is always right," I conceded.
"What do you mean 'my Xinran'? If you call me that again, I'm really going to get mad.," she warned.
Seeing Xinran's worried expression, I couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"
She didn't speak, just gave me a glance and lowered her head again. I pressed on.
"What is it? Is there something you can't even tell me? We've known each other for over a decade. We practically grew up together. Is there something troubling you that you need to hide from me? Tell me, maybe I can help."
"You can't help with this. It's not about me; it's about my mother," she finally said.
"You mean Teacher Qin? What's wrong with Teacher Qin?"
"My mom seems... seems..."
"Seems what? It's okay, Xinran. You still have me. Whatever it is, you can tell me. What could there be between us that we can't talk about?"
"You know about my family situation, right?"
"Of course. We've played together since we were little, and my mom and Teacher Qin are like sisters."
Xinran comes from a single-parent family. Her father used to work in a government department but died in a car accident while attending a conference. At that time, Xinran and I were still in elementary school.
She was only about eight or nine years old then, and now ten years have passed. I heard that the driver who hit them was drunk driving. The driver had some connections, so he was only sentenced to a few years and then released. However, he paid Xinran quite a bit of compensation, reportedly over one million yuan.
Xinran's father's workplace was considered a good one. They classified his death as a work-related sacrifice, so his salary continued to be paid monthly until what would have been his retirement age.
Xinran's grandparents were also retired senior officials with substantial savings. But since Xinran's father was their only son, the two elderly people couldn't bear the tragedy of burying their child and both passed away shortly after.
They left Xinran a considerable amount of money and two houses.
Teacher Qin's family background was also decent, but her parents heavily favored sons over daughters. After their son-in-law and in-laws passed away, they actually set their sights on the compensation money and inheritance, saying their son needed to get married and demanding Teacher Qin give money to help her brother. They asked for a house and 1.5 million yuan.
At that time, Teacher Qin had nearly 10 million yuan in assets including real estate. But seeing her parents' ugly faces, she left with Xinran without looking back.
Later, when Teacher Qin's parents saw they couldn't persuade her, they started visiting her home constantly to pester her. But it didn't work, and their relationship grew increasingly distant.
Until the last time her parents showed up, they wanted Teacher Qin to remarry, and the intended groom was actually her brother's girlfriend's older brother. The man was nearly 40, had no proper job, was unmarried and childless. Relying on his family's money, he spent his days womanizing and leading Teacher Qin's brother astray. One day, he saw Teacher Qin's photo on her brother's phone and was immediately smitten, urging his parents to arrange a match with Teacher Qin's parents.
Logically, his family was considered wealthy and wouldn't normally let their son marry a widow. But the parents had no choice; what could do when they only had one son? And the son had made it clear he wouldn't marry anyone else. After seeing Teacher Qin's photo, the elderly couple was also satisfied as her looks could be described as stunning.
Even as a second marriage, it wouldn't bring them shame. With their son constantly nagging, the elderly couple agreed.
Afterward, both sets of parents arranged a dinner to discuss the matter. When Teacher Qin's parents heard that the other family was willing to marry their daughter without asking for a bride price and would even pay 200,000 yuan to take Teacher Qin home, her parents' eyes lit up with greed, thanking them profusely.
After the dinner, without even going home first, they rushed to Teacher Qin's place to tell her about it, proudly saying they had found her another good family. Teacher Qin looked at her parents' disgusting faces, remained silent and only said she would think about it. She knew she had been sold by her parents, not just for money, but also for her good-for-nothing brother.
After sending her parents away, Teacher Qin immediately sold the house, changed her phone number, and went traveling. Half a year later, she got a new phone number and called her parents, saying she wouldn't return and gave them 200,000 yuan as repayment for raising her. Her parents were furious on the other end of the phone, obviously her brother's marriage hadn't worked out.
Teacher Qin didn't bother with them, hung up the phone, removed the SIM card, tossed it in the trash, and left.
It was during this trip that they met us. Eventually, my mother and Teacher Qin became close friends. After hearing Teacher Qin's story, my mother invited them to stay at our home. It was perfect timing since my father was often away on business trips, and our home felt quite empty. Xinran and I quickly became good friends too.
After spending some time together, my mother and Teacher Qin became as close as sisters. My mother simply suggested that they not go back but settle in our city instead. The two cities were thousands of kilometers apart, both first-tier big cities with similar urban lifestyles, so they wouldn't experience too much change in living habits and wouldn't have to worry about being found. Teacher Qin thought about it and agreed; after all, she had no real family left there anyway.
My mother was already an excellent high school teacher. The principal was my mother's homeroom teacher from her student days, a middle-aged beauty in her 40s. When my mother was in high school, the principal was just a college graduate. Who would have thought that by the time my mother became a teacher, she would already be the principal? With my mother's influence and Teacher Qin's substantial financial support, Teacher Qin successfully entered the school as an English teacher.
Afterward, Teacher Qin moved out of our home and bought two large, fully furnished apartments next door to each other in a high-end community near the school. She later sold one to our family at a low price, which made my mother extremely happy. Not only was it close to school, but she also didn't have to separate from her friend. Looking at the new house, my mother couldn't be happier, especially since the entire floor had only our two families.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing. Of course I know about your family's past situation. Please continue."
"Since my father passed away, my mother has had countless suitors wherever she goes, including many high-quality men. But my mother hasn't been interested in any of them. She's remained celibate all these years. I think my mother is mostly thinking of me, not wanting me to suffer if she remarries."
Xinran said softly.
I also realized that we're both now in our senior year of high school and will soon leave home for university. Perhaps Teacher Qin also wants to find a man to take care of her. After all, no matter how strong a woman is, she still needs a harbor. Although Teacher Qin doesn't lack money, for so many years, apart from my mother as a good friend, she hasn't had any family around. Her inner heart must be very empty.
Thinking of this, my heart sank, though I didn't know why.
It was like having a beautiful jade sitting there. Although it wasn't mine, at least I could admire it every day, and perhaps one day I might have a chance to obtain it. But now someone suddenly appears and not only takes away the beautiful jade, but can also play with it as they pleased. This made me feel some resentment and loss.
"Are you saying Teacher Qin wants to remarry?" I asked quietly.
"I don't know, but recently my mother has been going out often and often stares at her phone engrossed. Sometimes she smiles happily, and sometimes she pouts. I don't know who she's chatting with."
Xinran was silent for a moment, and I didn't know what to say either.
"My mother's mood has improved a lot lately. She often has a smile on her face and she has bought a lot of new clothes, all dresses without exception, and some very sexy clothes and stockings."
"That doesn't necessarily mean anything. Teacher Qin is naturally beautiful and loves fashion to begin with, so buying some clothes is very normal."
"No, sometimes she sits on the sofa with the TV on but doesn't watch it. She just sits there in a daze. Other times she hugs her phone, constantly typing and sending messages."
"Maybe she's just chatting with my mom."
"Why don't you understand? My mom has been acting exactly like a young girl in love lately. Every time she comes home with a bunch of new clothes, she tries them on one by one in front of the mirror and takes photos with her phone."
Hearing this, I was already certain that Teacher Qin indeed had a boyfriend, or at least was developing a relationship. Trying on clothes in front of the mirror and taking photos was probably not just for herself to see, but to send to the person on the other end of the phone.