"What is wrong with people? To do something like that while drunk... I wonder how he'll feel when he sobers up and realizes his friends and family saw him on the news."
Su Yue, who had been washing dishes in the kitchen, had also heard the news report and couldn't help but shake her head.
'Too close, way too close…' The proximity to Su Yue, her fragrance filling his nostrils, was making Lin Li's stress levels spike. He cautiously edged his body to the side to create some distance.
"Lin Li, why aren't you having any fruit? Don't you like peaches? These honey peaches just came into season. They're delicious. Here, have one. See what you think."
Su Yue noticed Lin Li subtly shifting away. She smiled to herself, then reached out, picked up a large, bright red honey peach, and handed it to him.
"Mm." Having moved a good dozen centimeters to the side, Lin Li felt the distance was now acceptable. He nodded, took the large, bright red honey peach from Su Yue, and took a big bite.
The honey peach was juicy and sweet. One bite was all it took to tell it was a specially cultivated variety, and it definitely wasn't cheap... Having not a cent to his name, Lin Li made this judgment in his heart the moment he bit into the peach.
"So? Is it good?" Seeing Lin Li eating with such enjoyment, Su Yue already knew the answer, but she asked anyway.
"It's delicious. You have one, too!" Lin Li felt a little embarrassed with Su Yue watching him eat so intently, so he quickly urged her.
"I'm still full! I'll eat later..." Su Yue said with a radiant smile.
Lin Li finished the fist-sized honey peach in no time. He had just tossed the pit into the trash can when Su Yue, who was sitting beside him, picked another one from the fruit platter and offered it to him.
CRUNCH. Having not eaten any fruit for days, Lin Li didn't stand on ceremony with Su Yue. He took the peach she offered and bit into it. After swallowing the mouthful of fruit, he asked casually,
"Su Yue, school's out for the summer now. When are you planning on going back home?"
Su Yue's hometown was Yuwan Town, a municipality under the jurisdiction of Rongcheng. The town's population wasn't large, only a little over two hundred thousand.
However, Yuwan Town was situated by the sea and was known for its abundance of seafood. As a result, its economy was highly developed. Among the dozen or so towns administered by Rongcheng, Yuwan Town's annual per capita income was ranked near the top.
In previous years, Su Yue would return to Yuwan Town every summer vacation to go traveling with her family. So, Lin Li naturally assumed she would do the same this year.
"Lin Li, I talked to my parents yesterday. I'm not going home for summer vacation this year." Su Yue's answer caught Lin Li by surprise.
"You're not going home? Then what are you going to do in Rongcheng for the next two months?" Lin Li asked, confused, before taking another bite of the juicy peach in his hand.
"Next Monday, I'm going to teach the kids at the summer interest class my aunt runs," Su Yue said with a smile.
"Wait..." Lin Li, who was in the middle of eating the peach, froze at her words. He was completely stunned.
Then, a worried expression crossed his face as he said with concern,
"Su Yue, you're a tenured teacher! The government has explicit regulations that tenured teachers are not allowed to run private tutoring classes or work part-time at educational training centers.
If you go teach kids at your aunt's summer class next Monday and someone reports you, you could lose your tenure as a music teacher and get fired."
Seeing Lin Li looking at her with such concern, so worried she might get fired from her school, Su Yue couldn't help but let the corners of her lips curve up slightly.
"Hey, I'm being serious here! What are you suddenly so happy about?" Lin Li was baffled to see the corners of her mouth lift into a charming smile.
"Oh, I just zoned out for a second. I was thinking of something else that made me happy," Su Yue said with a small smile.
"I don't even know what to say to you," Lin Li said, exasperated. "But seriously, it's not like you need the money, right? Why would you even think about working part-time at an after-school class? What would you do if someone reported you?"
"It's fine... I'm only going to my aunt's after-school class to teach for a few days, and I'm not getting paid," Su Yue explained, picking up the pitcher from the coffee table and pouring herself a glass of water.
"Just for a few days?"
"Mhm." Su Yue picked up her glass, took a sip, and said to Lin Li with a beaming smile.
"Yep! I'm just going to help out... One of my aunt's employees had a family emergency and went back to her hometown. She won't be back for a few days.
So she called and asked me to help out and teach the kids for a few days.
Of course I know about the rules you mentioned. The government explicitly forbids tenured teachers from working part-time at training centers or running private classes. Every tenured teacher knows that.
I'm not an idiot. Why would I make a mistake like that?"
*Phew...* Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief at her explanation. Then, he looked at her, still confused, and asked,
"So if you're just helping your aunt for free for a few days, what are you going to do with all the rest of your time off?"
"What am I going to do? I plan on holing up at home, watching TV, and playing video games," Su Yue said with a chuckle.
"What...? You might as well go home and travel with your family if that's all you're going to do."
"I don't really feel like going out this summer. I just want to stay cooped up at home... I learned it from you, you know! Don't you always just hole up at home watching TV and playing games every summer?"
"Why would you learn that from me? My situation is different. It's one thing for me to laze around at home like a salted fish, but you're not like me." Hearing Su Yue say she was following his example made Lin Li scratch his head in embarrassment.
"Hee hee hee..." Su Yue burst out laughing when she saw how embarrassed she'd made him.
Seeing Su Yue suddenly look at him and burst into laughter left Lin Li completely bewildered again. 'Sigh, women are so hard to figure out, especially pretty ones.'
"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you. I'll tell you the truth," Su Yue said after taking a sip of water and pursing her rosy lips. "A college friend of mine is opening a flower shop, and it's having its grand opening in a few days.
She called me last week and asked if I wanted a part-time job for the summer. If I did, I could come work at her new flower shop.
I already told her I would. As soon as I'm done helping out my aunt, I'm going to go work part-time at her shop."
...