Chapter 88 - 87: Is Teacher Xiao Going to Debut?

Chapter 88: Chapter 87: Is Teacher Xiao Going to Debut?

The air in the room wasn’t very fresh; it was a bit stuffy. It was summer, after all. If the windows weren’t opened for a few days, the room would inevitably develop a bit of a smell—not a foul odor, but the kind of scent a place has when it’s unoccupied.

It was hard to describe. The air also carried a faint scent of dust.

She walked into the bedroom and pulled open the closet. All of Xiao Ran’s clothes were gone. Only hers remained.

She wasn’t in a hurry to pack her clothes, though. Instead, she went to the bathroom. As expected, his toiletries were gone too.

’Looks like he’s already moved out.’

People really are gluttons for punishment sometimes. They’d agreed not to drag things out, but now that she saw he was truly moving on, she felt an indescribable sense of loss.

She packed all of her clothes into a suitcase. After a moment of thought, she walked to the door, looked at the phone number written on the for-sale sign, and dialed.

’I’m genuinely curious, but I can’t be the one to call him first! I just can’t do it!’

The phone barely rang twice before someone picked up. "Hello, this is the Love Home Service Company."

"I’d like to ask, is the attic apartment in Shangyuan District for sale?" Yan Li asked.

Hearing that it was an inquiry about the property, the young agent’s tone became even more enthusiastic. "Yes, it is! Are you looking to buy? Let me tell you, you’ve got a great eye. Several people have already come to see this place."

A little exaggeration to start things off—a standard tactic for agents.

"Oh, so why is the owner suddenly selling?" Yan Li continued.

The young agent just assumed she was suspicious about whether someone had died in the house or if there was some other hidden reason for the sale, and immediately explained,

"Don’t you worry, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this house. It’s a great property. The owner is just moving to a better area to buy a new place. As the old saying goes, ’Man strives upwards, water flows downwards.’ Wouldn’t you agree?"

Hearing this, Yan Li frowned.

That indignant feeling surged up in Yan Li’s heart again.

’What’s going on? How does it seem like his life has only gotten *better* since we broke up?’

She was starting to have doubts now. ’Did I really make the wrong choice?’

’Maybe I should give him a call?’

"So, ma’am, if you’re interested, we can schedule a time—"

The agent on the phone was still enthusiastically pressing her, but Yan Li no longer had any desire to listen. She just hung up.

People are just like that; they can’t stand to see their ex doing better than them.

The moment their ex’s life seems to improve, they can’t help but feel upset and even start to doubt whether their own decision was wrong.

The uncomfortable feeling in her heart grew even deeper.

She pursed her lips.

After thinking it over and over, she couldn’t resist dialing Xiao Ran’s number.

At that moment, Xiao Ran was chatting with his mom when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was from Yan Li.

’I haven’t even contacted her, and she’s already calling me. Well, that’s fine. She can get her stuff and I can rent the place out without any delays.’

"Hello," Xiao Ran answered.

"Um... are you planning to sell the apartment?"

Yan Li’s tone was flat, but her curiosity was unmistakable.

Xiao Ran said coolly, "Yeah. Come pack up your things."

’Though I’m not planning to sell it, just rent it out.’

’But I don’t see any need to explain the details to her.’

’Anyway, it’s my apartment. What I do with it is my business.’

Hearing his cold tone, Yan Li felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.

"So, um, is there nothing else you want to say to me?"

At that moment, as if possessed, Yan Li found herself hoping Xiao Ran would say a few more words to her.

What she got, however, was Xiao Ran’s silence. ’What am I supposed to say to her? There’s nothing to talk about.’

After a long silence, Xiao Ran finally said, "I have something to do, so I can’t talk right now."

With that, he hung up.

’I just want her to hurry up and get her things so I can rent out the apartment. It’s as simple as that.’

’As for chatting? I’d rather talk to my mom than waste time on her.’

On the other end, Yan Li was left with the dial tone, the expression on her face impossible to describe.

Her heart felt as if a bottle of five-flavored spices had been overturned—it was a mess of complex emotions.

After a long moment, she took a deep breath.

’Fine, I’ll move out!’

’Fine, don’t talk!’

As she dragged the cardboard box out, she discovered that it had started to rain.

Staring at the dense drops of rain falling from the sky, Yan Li’s composure started to crack.

’It’s like even the heavens are against me.’

’Did I really do something wrong?’

...

It had to be said, Ai Qi’s marketing was actually quite good.

In just one morning, many people had already seen the photo of Xiao Ran with the film crew.

To be honest, Xiao Ran’s charisma was in no way inferior to the male lead’s.

Even at school, many people had already come across it while scrolling.

Because Xiao Ran was handsome to begin with, many of the girls at school knew him; he was even more well-known than many of the substitute teachers.

The news was spreading like wildfire around the school.

Even Si Yingying had scrolled past the video.

Before class was even over, she looked at the girl listening to the lecture next to her with a gossipy expression and whispered, "Hey, when did Teacher Xiao go audition for a film crew?"

The thought of a teacher from their own school suddenly appearing on TV was truly unbelievable.

Hearing this, Yan Xici gave her a bewildered look.

"He didn’t. My brother just went out for a meal."

"Just yesterday?"

"Yeah."

The girl looked unconcerned. ’Of course it was yesterday.’

’Yesterday, *she* was the one insisting that woman had something going on with my brother.’

’Good thing I didn’t believe her nasty rumors. Otherwise, I would have totally misunderstood Brother Xiao Ran.’

Hearing this, Si Yingying exclaimed in amazement.

"Oh my god, that’s so awesome! With a cast like that, Teacher Xiao is going to be famous!"

She originally thought it would be, at most, some small web series starring a third-tier celebrity or something, but she never expected the female lead to actually be Yang Mi! This was truly incredible!

With a cast like this, it would be a crime against heaven if it didn’t become a hit.

Just then, a girl sitting nearby overheard their conversation and turned her head with a curious expression, whispering, "Are you guys talking about that photo of Teacher Xiao on the film set? Holy crap, I just thought it was some look-alike!"

’To be honest, I saw it on Weibo this morning and thought my eyes were deceiving me. But now that I hear them talking, I realize it’s really him!’

Gossip always travels at the speed of light.

Within the span of three sentences, the people in the back row had also heard. One of them poked Yan Xici’s back and leaned forward.

"What? You guys saw it too?"

In an instant, the conversation rapidly expanded.

From two people, it grew to six.

"You saw it? Holy crap, I saw it too! I thought I was seeing things!"

"What do you mean, seeing things? It’s really Teacher Xiao!" Si Yingying said with certainty.

"Is Teacher Xiao getting ready to debut as an actor?"

The group chattered excitedly, the conversation becoming extremely lively.

The teacher on the stage glanced at the group with a helpless expression. ’They’re chatting so excitedly.’

’Their voices are way too loud!’

’If only they paid as much attention to their studies as they do to gossip, every last one of them could get into grad school!’