Restroom? The mall restroom? Could it be that the person in the mall restroom today was really Teacher Qin? I guessed in disbelief.
"What did I promise you? I don't remember."
"How could the slutty teacher deny it so quickly?"
"What 'slutty teacher'? Speak properly. I'm getting angry." Teacher Qin replied, adding an angry emoji at the end.
Seeing Chen Le's message, I had expected Teacher Qin to fly into a rage, but seeing her reply, I realized I was wrong, and terribly so. Far from being angry, she was clearly flirting.
"It seems I'll have to come to the slutty teacher's house tomorrow to help her remember."
What? He's coming to Teacher Qin's house? And from the tone of his voice, this wasn't the first time. I never imagined their relationship had developed to this stage. Teacher Qin had even brought him to her home. What had gotten into Teacher Qin? Where was her usual cold and aloof demeanor? How could she bring a man home? Just as I was in a daze, Teacher Qin replied.
"Tomorrow is Sunday, and Xinran is home. Don't you dare do anything reckless."
It seemed Xinran really didn't know about this. That meant the last time Chen Le came, Xinran must have been out. But Xinran is either at school or at home. Even when she goes out on weekends, it's with Teacher Qin. During school hours, Teacher Qin is at work too. So when could it have been? Last month, the day Teacher Qin was sick and took leave from work? It must have been then.
"Perfect, then. Let our little beauty Xinran see just what a slut her teacher mom is." Chen Le sent another message, full of filth. Hearing Xinran's name come out of his mouth made me sick.
"I'm serious with you. Anything else is fine, but don't drag our Xinran into this."
After Xinran was mentioned, Teacher Qin's tone changed noticeably. This also gave me some comfort. Teacher Qin was a beautiful, middle-aged woman who had been lonely and empty for so many years. But in my heart, Xinran was still a pure, little elf. Things had already developed this far, and now my only hope was that Xinran wouldn't be affected or dragged into this mess.
"Fine, seeing as you were so good today, I won't come to your house tomorrow. But you're still coming to my place. Teacher has been getting more and more disobedient lately, she needs a proper lesson."
Xinran had told me before that Teacher Qin would disappear for no reason on weekends. It seemed she was going to Chen Le's place, and she'd be gone for the whole day. Teacher Qin had already fallen to such a state of depravity. My heart was bleeding.
"No, tomorrow I already made plans with Sister Lin to take Xinran and Xiao Wen hiking."
Right, I remembered. Last week, my mom had already made plans with Sister Lin for the four of us to go hiking this week. It looked like Chen Le's plan was going to fall through.
"Oh, oh, forget it then. Teacher is busy so I won't insist. Since you don't even have time for me, there's no need for us to continue. Let's just end it here."
This... was this a threat to Teacher Qin? Or was he just not taking her seriously? Seeing Chen Le's reply, I actually felt a flicker of anger. Teacher Qin is usually so cold to people, how could she be threatened like this? And I not only liked Teacher Qin, I respected her. I never imagined Chen Le would talk to her like that.
"No, no, I really do have something on tomorrow. Besides, I haven't spent a weekend with Xinran in a while. If I go out again, she'll get suspicious. How about next week? I'll go next week, and I'll do whatever you want, okay? And didn't we just... you know... today?"
Seeing Teacher Qin's reply, the anger that had just ignited in my heart instantly vanished, as if I'd fallen into a bottomless ice cavern. A bone-chilling despair pierced through me. Teacher Qin had compromised, and it was a compromise born of pleading and coquetry. Why? Why had Teacher Qin become like this? What on earth was going on?
As upset as I was, Chen Le's reply revealed two crucial pieces of information. First, in their relationship, Chen Le held all the power. Second, from Teacher Qin's response, not only was her attitude subservient, but it was also filled with an obvious desire to please. It was hard to imagine what kind of person could transform the proud and aloof Teacher Qin into such a docile little lamb.
Furthermore, it was now confirmed: the moan from the mall restroom today had come from Teacher Qin. When she said "that thing from today," she must have been referring to what happened in the mall restroom at noon. As for what "that" was, it didn't take a genius to figure it out. At that moment, Chen Le replied to Teacher Qin.
"Don't bother waiting until next week. I don't need you to listen to me anyway. I have plenty of obedient women around me, and a whole bunch who are younger and prettier than you. All I have to do is crook a finger, and they'll line up to crawl over. You should take a good look at yourself and see how old you are."
Chen Le's words were a clear case of gaslighting. Even if Chen Le was handsome and rich, and surrounded by young women, it wasn't a given that any of them were more beautiful than Teacher Qin. Just looking at our school, besides my mom, I doubt anyone would dare claim they were prettier than Teacher Qin. Teacher Qin wasn't just about her figure; she had a beautiful face and an elegant aura. Her beauty was on a completely different level compared to the other female teachers at school.
Even looking across the entire city, few could rival her. As for her age, Teacher Qin was 38, but she took good care of herself. Coupled with her heavenly looks and figure, she was the epitome of a stunning mature woman. Chen Le's gaslighting was so blatant, it was like he was lying with his eyes wide open.
After seeing Chen Le's reply, Teacher Qin didn't respond for a long time... After about ten minutes, she replied, but it wasn't a text, it was a voice message. However, the app automatically transcribed it below.
"So, you're tired of me, is that it?"
Seeing this sentence, it seemed cold and detached compared to her previous messages. But when I clicked to play the voice message, I was completely devastated. Teacher Qin hadn't said it coldly at all; she had said it while sobbing and choking back tears.
I really couldn't understand why. Why had Teacher Qin become like this? What kind of person was Chen Le, to have tamed Teacher Qin so completely? To make her have such a stark contrast between her public and private personas? A moment later, Chen Le replied.
"I've told you, I can never get enough of your body, Teacher. I just love toying with you, but more than that, I love an obedient woman. Since Teacher insists on being disobedient, maybe we should just forget it."
Chen Le maintained his dominant attitude, without a hint of comfort or concession. I had to admit, Chen Le was something else. If it were anyone else, they'd probably be afraid to even raise their voice at Teacher Qin for fear of displeasing her. But this guy didn't seem to care at all.
In reality, Chen Le was displaying a dominant masculine side. In front of a woman as cold and strong as Teacher Qin, being timid and submissive would likely be unappealing, even disgusting to her. If you were exceptional enough and maintained a strong, dominant attitude, you might achieve unexpected results. It was this very dominance that made it easier to conquer a mature beauty like Teacher Qin.
You could say that Chen Le had a woman's psychology all figured out. This made it easier to conquer an "ice queen" like Teacher Qin. Compared to the other creepy men and sycophants around her, a man like him gave her a different feeling, one that made her look up to him. No matter how aloof she usually was, she was still a woman at heart. She probably hoped for a man with real charisma to conquer her, not the other men who fawned over her like lapdogs.
"What exactly am I to you, in your heart?" It was obvious Teacher Qin was angry. This was a confrontation, and it was exactly what I wanted to see.
"Of course, you're my lover. It's just that you're not a very competent lover, Teacher Qin." I was puzzled by Chen Le's reply, but Teacher Qin was even more confused than I was. What kind of answer was that? "Lover". Did he mean girlfriend, wife, or what? Teacher Qin asked.
"What lover? What do you mean, not competent?" Actually, when Teacher Qin's late husband passed away, he had asked her to take good care of his parents. But a series of subsequent events had made Teacher Qin leave that place of sorrow. In the eyes of her deceased husband, perhaps she was indeed "incompetent." After all, she hadn't fulfilled her duty as a daughter-in-law, nor had she followed his last wish to care for his parents. I hadn't expected Chen Le to gaslight Teacher Qin again so subtly.
"To me, Teacher Qin, you are my lover. I cherish the time I spend with you. Even though we only have a short time together each week to enjoy our little world, I still feel incredibly happy. But now, Teacher Qin is willing to throw me away for something as trivial as a hike."
Chen Le knew that with a woman like Teacher Qin, he couldn't remain on a high horse and be tough all the time. Only by using a mix of hard and soft tactics could he better manipulate her emotions and break through her inner defenses.
Hearing this, Teacher Qin fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. She unconsciously started to wonder if she was the one in the wrong. At the same time, she hadn't expected to hold such a high place in his heart. A small sense of pride crept in, and a faint smile appeared on her previously dejected face. Just then, Chen Le sent another message.
"That's why I treasure our time together so much. Don't you feel happy being with me, Teacher Qin?"
Teacher Qin thought for a long time before replying with a single "Mmm," without giving a clear answer. Seeing her reply, Chen Le knew she was still holding back, so he replied again.
"It seems Teacher is still being naughty and disobedient. You can't even communicate with me openly. What's the point if it's like this?"
"Then... I'll be obedient, okay?" It was another voice message, but her voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
She had changed. Completely changed. Into someone I didn't recognize. Her tone was low, her attitude subservient. Was this really the same "Ice Queen" Teacher Qin I knew?
"That's a good girl. Just be obedient. I like obedient women." After Chen Le replied, he initiated a video call to Teacher Qin a moment later.
Seeing the incoming video call from Chen Le, Teacher Qin hesitated for two seconds before pressing the accept button. Just when I thought Chen Le's true face would finally be revealed, I was disappointed. The camera on his end was pointed at a wall, or to be precise, at his legs. Although I could only see his legs, they matched the description in Teacher Qin's diary: tall, big, and fair-skinned. Chen Le's legs were not only fair but also firm and well-defined, yet not grotesquely bulky like a bodybuilder's.
Teacher Qin, on the other hand, was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard, not daring to look directly at the screen. Her exquisite face was flushed, then pale. Her nose twitched slightly as she sniffled. Her slender, willow-leaf eyebrows and large, watery eyes looked away, making her appear pitiful and heartbreakingly lovely.
"I never imagined my Teacher Qin could look so beautiful even when she cries." Chen Le's first words upon seeing the crying Teacher Qin were not to comfort her, but to praise her. Teacher Qin didn't speak, but her expression grew even more aggrieved, and her face reddened.