Chapter 193 - 191: Teacher Wang, Have a Smoke?

Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Teacher Wang, Have a Smoke?

As a fellow adult, Jiang Xia knew exactly what was going on. Teacher Wang’s bladder was bursting, and he was just making an excuse to go relieve himself. He might have even lost control and was now leaning against the wall, puking his guts out in one of the stalls.

Jiang Xia was about done eating, so he said a word to Wang Ming and headed for the restroom as well.

His gaze subconsciously drifted toward his wife, and he saw Shen Ying looking at Wang Ming. He smiled to himself knowingly. ’So playing hard to get does have its uses after all,’ he thought.

Shen Ying kept her head down, eating in silence. Compared to her classmates who had gotten into top-tier universities, her second-tier school felt merely passable. Just okay.

It was just that Jiang Xia and the others were too exceptional. Whether as colleagues or friends, whenever she was around them, a feeling of inadequacy was inevitable.

This was especially true after seeing Chen Yao sitting next to Wang Ming, laughing and talking with him. Even though she knew deep down they were just classmates, she couldn’t stop her mind from racing.

’Chen Yao got into Peking University, a top student in law. Her campus is pretty close to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and they were high school classmates. Even if there’s nothing between them now, what about the future?’

’Exceptional people really do end up with other exceptional people. Not like me. I’d just drag him down. If I had said yes that night, knowing that fool’s personality, he would have definitely changed his college application to match mine. That would have truly ruined him.’

Seeing her good friend looking so troubled, Lin Yanwan nudged her arm and asked softly, "Yingying, what’s wrong? You look really unhappy."

"It’s nothing, it’s just..." she stammered, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Are you still upset about your scores?" Lin Yanwan sighed. "Yingying, grades aren’t the only measure of a person’s success. Getting into a good university doesn’t guarantee a great future. No one can say for sure what the future holds."

"I know all that," Shen Ying said.

"So, you have to believe in yourself. Believe in me, believe in Jiang Xia, and believe in Qitian Animation. The future you is going to be incredibly brilliant."

"Yeah!" She nodded firmly.

You could say she was luckier than 99% of people. She didn’t have the potential to become a titan herself, but she had several titan-level friends trying every way they could to carry her along for the ride. All she had to do was give a symbolic flap of her wings, and she would soar high and far.

’But Wang Ming...’

’Sigh.’

’It’s all set in stone now. It’s no use having regrets.’

◇

Jiang Xia used the opportunity to pop next door and buy a pack of cigarettes. Noticing that Teacher Wang still hadn’t returned to his seat, he followed him into the restroom.

Separated by a wall and away from the clamor of the dinner table, he instantly felt much more at ease.

He unbuckled his belt and silently relieved himself. Just then, a series of retching sounds came from the adjacent stall.

Jiang Xia chuckled softly. ’So Teacher Wang threw up after all.’ With about thirty guys in the class, even if each only toasted him with half a glass, that was still six or seven bottles of beer he’d had to down. Drinking that much that quickly, puking was inevitable.

He stepped out of his stall, turned on the tap, and washed his hands while looking at his reflection. He silently waited for Teacher Wang to emerge.

About half a minute later, the toilet in the stall flushed, and a tipsy Teacher Wang opened the door while buckling his belt.

"Teacher Wang, are you all right?"

Jiang Xia studied his face. He definitely looked much better after throwing up. Most of the alcohol had been expelled before his body had a chance to absorb it.

"What could be wrong with me? With my tolerance, I could drink a few more bottles, no problem," Teacher Wang blustered, thinking, ’Why does it feel like this kid was waiting for me on purpose?’

Jiang Xia glanced at his slight beer belly and smiled. "Teacher Wang, how about we hold off on the drinking for a while? Drinking is bad for the liver, and puking is bad for the stomach. We can just stick to chatting."

Teacher Wang’s expression froze. "You heard that?" he asked awkwardly.

"It’s just throwing up. Nothing to be ashamed of. If you can drink, drink. If you can’t, don’t force it. Pushing yourself is just going to hurt you in the end, right?"

Seeing how calm and composed the boy was, Teacher Wang felt a bit dazed. He couldn’t shake the feeling that this kid was far more mature than his peers. After all, who else would dare talk to him like that?

His eyes, in particular, sometimes held a world-weariness far beyond his years, making him impossible to read.

"Care for one, Teacher Wang?" Jiang Xia said, suddenly pulling out a cigarette and offering it to him. "It’s a Yuxi, your favorite."

"You smoke, kid?"

Teacher Wang’s eyebrows shot up. He thought he had a pretty good handle on the rascals in his class and knew exactly who the smokers were. But he’d never pegged Jiang Xia as one. He’d never even heard a rumor.

"I don’t smoke, but I like to carry them for other people," he said with a chuckle.

’After all, my wife in my past life absolutely hated it when I smoked. How could I possibly dare to pick it up again in this life?’

Teacher Wang paused for a second, then took the cigarette with a resigned shake of his head. "If you don’t smoke, why are you even carrying these around?"

As he spoke, he patted his pockets but realized he didn’t have a lighter. A moment later, there was a CLICK. Jiang Xia had flicked a lighter open and was holding it out for him. Teacher Wang leaned in instinctively, cigarette between his lips, and took a deep drag. The fogginess in his head instantly cleared.

"Haaaah..."

He exhaled a long plume of smoke, then turned and was surprised to see Jiang Xia had also taken out a cigarette. He wasn’t lighting it, though. Instead, he held it under his nose with a practiced motion, a look of fond remembrance in his eyes as he took a sniff.

The corner of Teacher Wang’s eye twitched. ’He says he doesn’t smoke? That movement is a dead giveaway. He’s probably an old hand at it. When he said he doesn’t smoke, he must have meant he quit.’

"You quit?"

"I really don’t smoke."

Jiang Xia shook his head. His current body truly had no craving for nicotine.

"Good. Don’t start," Teacher Wang said, standing at the entrance to the restroom and looking out at the boisterous students in the main hall. He sighed. "I don’t really have a choice. Sometimes grading your homework is such a headache that I end up smoking more than ten a day. I want to quit, but I can’t."

"It’s tough work, Teacher Wang. But you really should quit. Don’t try to go cold turkey, just take it slow. If you apply the same dedication you have for doing dorm checks at midnight, what’s a little thing like quitting smoking?"

"Are you making fun of me, kid?" he said, shooting Jiang Xia a glare.

"How would I dare?"

"Mmm... I really should quit."

Even as he spoke of quitting, Teacher Wang took another silent drag. For some reason, talking to Jiang Xia was more comfortable than talking to the other students. The boy wasn’t afraid of him, spoke with a mature composure, and even joked around. It felt like talking to a peer.

He extinguished the butt under the tap, tossed it in the trash, and looked at Jiang Xia with a smile.

"Let’s go, the others are waiting for us. I’m having a drink with you today, kid, no matter what."