Tao Ling’s footsteps halted. He hesitated and turned slightly. The crying person behind him suddenly looked up and saw him. Their eyes met, and he couldn’t pretend not to see anymore.
Sitting there was Yao Zhenzhen, the university’s graduate student counselor. Tao Ling had never liked her way of doing things and had even had a minor disagreement with her over a student assistant once. They didn’t interact much.
Still, they were colleagues. Their offices were next door to each other, and they saw each other often. Now she was crying and looking right at him, and leaving without a word would be too awkward.
So Tao Ling couldn’t lift his foot to leave.
As soon as she saw him, Yao Zhenzhen quickly wiped her face and lowered her head.
After two seconds of silence, Tao Ling took out a tissue and walked over to hand it to her.
Yao Zhenzhen looked at his hand, stunned for a good half-minute, then suddenly burst into loud sobs, choking out, “Teacher Tao…”
Tao Ling panicked. He hated this kind of scene. He quickly pulled out more tissues and handed them to her. “Teacher Yao, please don’t cry. If there’s an issue, you can resolve it. Please wipe your tears.”
Sniffling, Yao Zhenzhen took the tissues. Tao Ling said, “Please head home early. I’ll be leaving.”
Just as he turned to go, Yao Zhenzhen suddenly called out, “Teacher Tao, I’m sorry.”
Tao Ling raised an eyebrow. “Sorry for what?”
Wiping her tears, she said, “I feel I’ve wronged you. I used to think you were arrogant and didn’t like you. But now I think you’re really smart, you stay neutral at work even if it means being overlooked.”
Tao Ling: “…” After a moment, he gave a helpless smile. “You’re being a little too honest, now I don’t know what to say.”
He made a third attempt to leave, but Yao Zhenzhen said, “I mean it. At least you’ve stayed true to yourself, unlike me.” Her lips trembled, and the tears came again.
Tao Ling sighed and handed her another tissue.
“What did I do wrong?” Yao Zhenzhen cried, “Am I supposed to be bullied just because I’m at the bottom? The department bullies me, the college bullies me. There are only a few of us handling student affairs, and the scholarship rules weren’t set by me alone, right?”
“This department head says I’m unfair, that teacher says I’m inflexible. They all pretend to be above fame and wealth, but secretly want their own students to win. No matter how I rank the scores, it’s always wrong. I’m just a counselor, yet they all blame me, yell in my face…”
Tao Ling listened. Though he felt sorry for her, some things couldn’t be helped once they were set in motion. He said plainly, “Teacher Yao, why not talk to the dean? Aren’t you close with him?”
That choked her up more, and she sobbed even harder, unable to speak clearly.
Tao Ling held the tissues, wondering if he’d said the wrong thing. He bent over slightly, “Teacher Yao, if you have something to say, say it clearly. You crying like this makes it look like I’m bullying you.”
“Why? What did I do wrong? Do you know how hard it is for me? I support my whole family, raise a kid, and my mother-in-law is pressuring me to have a second child—at my age! Now the school insists I get a PhD. Problems at work, with no one to speak up for me…” Her cries came in fits and starts, and then suddenly she clung to Tao Ling like grabbing onto a lifeline, wiping her tears on him.
Tao Ling said nothing, holding his hands up awkwardly to avoid touching her. Eventually, he sighed and gently patted her back. Softly, he said, “Okay, okay, Teacher Yao, go home now. Sleep on it. Everything will be fine when you wake up.”
That made Yao Zhenzhen laugh through her tears. After holding back for a while, she let go, embarrassed, and mumbled, “Sorry, Teacher Tao.”
Tao Ling shook his head and stuffed the rest of the tissues into her hands. “It’s okay. Everyone has a moment of emotional collapse.”
Seeing that she’d calmed down, Tao Ling said, “Then I’ll get going.”
“Mm.” Yao Zhenzhen kept her head down, nervously fiddling with the tissues. “Thank you, Teacher Tao.”
Tao Ling gave a small smile.
He finally left the campus, later than usual. As he was crossing the street, he noticed a group of men entering a flower shop. The one in front was small and thin, followed by three tall and burly ones.
They didn’t look friendly.
Sensing trouble, Tao Ling quickened his pace.
When he reached the shop entrance, he saw the group confronting Wen Qingying inside.
The men crowded the space, making the shop feel suffocating.
Wen Qingying stood at the back, frowning. The moment Tao Ling appeared, Wen Qingying noticed and looked over, his gaze instantly softening.
“Hey! What’s going on?” Tao Ling called, pushing his way in and standing protectively in front of Wen Qingying.
Now that he was closer, he saw the men clearly. The leader looked relatively normal, carrying a briefcase under his arm. The others had rough, aggressive faces, ready to start a fight at any moment.
“Excuse me, is the owner of this shop named Wen Qingying?”
Tao Ling: “Yes. May I ask why?”
The man nodded with satisfaction, eyeing Wen Qingying with interest.
Tao Ling stubbornly stood in front of him.
The man pulled out his phone. “A gentleman named Wen Tongwei recently spent 80,000 yuan[mfn]about $11k[/mfn] at our shop but couldn’t pay. We negotiated, and he…”
Tao Ling frowned. “What kind of shop are you? Do you have proof?”
The man politely smiled and played a video, handing over his phone. Tao Ling took it and exchanged a glance with Wen Qingying before hitting play.
The video showed Wen Tongwei, uninjured, clasping his hands to the camera. “Dear nephew, please help your uncle. I owe this shop 80,000 yuan. Can you cover it for now? This uncle will pay you back soon.”
It was short. The video had subtitles, likely because he knew Wen Qingying was deaf.
After watching it twice, Tao Ling felt a headache coming on. He already knew Wen Tongwei was unreliable but hadn’t expected him to be this bad. He returned the phone coldly, “IOU?”
“Cut the crap. Pay up!” One of the men stepped forward, raising his hand as if to shove him.
Immediately, Wen Qingying pulled Tao Ling behind him and kicked out. The man tried to block, but Wen’s kick landed squarely on his arm, knocking him backward into a flowerpot.
At the same time, Wen Qingying stepped aside, ready for a counterattack.
The man cursed and shook his arm. The others were about to step forward when the leader barked, “Stop!”
Everyone froze. Tao Ling placed a hand on Wen Qingying’s shoulder. “Mister, coming to collect a debt and asking for an IOU is fair. But attacking us and smashing the shop?”
He raised his chin. “That’s fine, as long as you pay up first.:
The man paused, then signaled his men to calm down and smiled at Tao Ling.
Wen Qingying moved slightly to the side, placing Tao Ling fully within his protection.
Tao Ling held up his phone and adjusted his glasses. “I just recorded everything, with backups. You attack us like this, I suspect you’re loan sharks or running an illegal casino. You want money or a fight? How about we call the police?”
The man smiled. “You’re quite alert, friend. Our men can be hot-tempered, but we run a legitimate business. If you want to call the police, go ahead, I don’t mind.”
Tao Ling took a deep breath. Both sides understood what was really going on. He just didn’t want to lose face.
Sensing Wen Qingying was still tense, Tao Ling gently squeezed his shoulder and touched his arm, signaling him to relax. “The IOU.”
The man pulled out a note from his briefcase. Wen Tongwei’s name and red thumbprint were clearly on it.
Tao Ling glanced at Wen Qingying, who showed no emotion. Knowing he must be upset, Tao Ling took the initiative. “Bank transfer?”
Wen Qingying, seeing him open the banking app, grabbed his wrist. They locked eyes. Tao Ling shook his head and mouthed, “Send them off first, then we’ll talk.”
After a tense moment, one of the men snapped, “Can you hurry up? Stop dragging it out!”
Tao Ling gave him a cold look.
“Be polite,” the leader said.
After the money was transferred and the men left, Tao Ling turned to Wen Qingying, touched his neck affectionately, held his face and said, “Don’t be scared, sweetheart.”
Wen Qingying knew Tao Ling was treating him like a child on purpose to comfort him. He smiled slightly, then quickly went expressionless again.
Tao Ling sighed, walked over to pick up the fallen flowerpot.
Fuck that uncle.
While Wen Qingying cleaned up, Tao Ling texted Yun Nan: “Has your uncle contacted you recently?”
Yun Nan replied, “No, why, Teacher Tao?”
Tao Ling: “Nothing. Your ge mentioned he came by and disappeared. Just checking, since I have some time.”
Yun Nan: “So that’s it. If he contacts me, I’ll let you know.”
Tao Ling: “Sounds good. Your campus is in the suburbs, so safe. Don’t go out late at night.”
Yun Nan: “Okay. Thanks, Teacher Tao!”
Wen Qingying stayed squatting down. Tao Ling knew he was processing his emotions. After a while, he joined him, crouched beside him, and showed him a message: “Your uncle didn’t go find Yun Nan. Don’t worry.”
Wen Qingying clearly had expected that and just nodded.
Tao Ling sighed to himself. Yun Nan was always guarded by Yun Xin, Bai Guan wasn’t easy to deal with, and no one was foolish enough to mess with them. Only his “little mute” was easy to bully.
Because of all this, Tao Ling forgot about his rejected paper. They closed the shop early and went back to Wen Qingying’s place.
Once inside, though he knew it wouldn’t help, Tao Ling still used Wen Qingying’s phone to call Wen Tongwei. As expected, the phone was off.
Wen Qingying took the phone and tried to transfer money to him. Tao Ling knew refusing would be pointless, so he accepted.
That night, Wen Qingying remained in a low mood. Tao Ling felt he was avoiding him emotionally but didn’t know what to say. Even when it was time to go home, he stayed put.
Wen Qingying quietly brought him pajamas. Tao Ling signaled him to go shower. Wen Qingying nodded and gave him a soft kiss on the lips before heading to the bathroom.
Sitting in the living room, Tao Ling heard the sound of water from the bathroom starting and stopping. He figured Wen Qingying had just adjusted the water temperature.
A moment later, he took off his coat, grabbed his pajamas, and got up.
Since Tao Ling was usually the only one home, Wen Qingying didn’t have the habit of locking the door. He had just turned on the shower and stepped under the water when suddenly the door opened.
He froze, surprised, and looked toward Tao Ling.
Tao Ling didn’t say anything. He simply raised his hand, stripped clean, and stepped under the water with him, gradually closing the distance between their bodies. Then, he reached out and wrapped his arms around Wen Qingying’s neck, hanging onto him completely.
Showering together was always difficult. Faced with Tao Ling’s sudden clinginess, Wen Qingying naturally accepted it. He held Tao Ling with one arm and used the other to wash them both.
As the shower continued, desire slowly surged. His movements began to change in nature, sweat beading at his pores only to be washed away instantly by the water.
Tao Ling’s mind wandered suddenly. He realized that every time they did this, it was always in the bathroom. They’d never rolled around in bed. It was as if there was still some kind of invisible distance between them, a need to hide behind the sound of running water, unable to face their desire directly.
Just as they were nearing the end, he suddenly thought that it wasn’t that they couldn’t face each other, because they definitely loved each other. Maybe it was that they couldn’t face themselves.
Both of them.
After a while, Wen Qingying finally released Tao Ling’s lips. He bowed his head, closed his eyes, and kissed Tao Ling’s ear.
Tao Ling frowned deeply, bit down on Wen Qingying’s shoulder, and stifled the moan threatening to escape from his throat.
Back in the room, leaning against the headboard, Tao Ling half-draped over Wen Qingying’s shoulder and sent him a message: “Feeling any better?”
Wen Qingying glanced at the message, tightened the arm around Tao Ling’s waist, pulling him completely into his embrace, and kissed the bare curve of his shoulder.
Tao Ling let out a soft breath and turned to kiss him.
In the end, he didn’t dwell on what had been bothering him. Tao Ling thought he was generally okay with things like this—it was just that he was worried about Wen Qingying. And he had no idea if whatever had happened was truly in the past.
He waited quietly for a few days. Nothing else happened. Tao Ling finally relaxed.
Consider it a price paid for peace.
Fortunately, their mutual unease could always be soothed simply by being near each other. So those small disruptions were ultimately just minor accidents, not enough to ruin their happiness.
A week later, students began checking their semester grades and submitting evaluations of their teachers and academic affairs offices.
Around that same time, amidst the chaos of the new semester, each department in the college began their semester-end reviews.
Because these evaluations involved bonuses, the process wasn’t simple. Self-evaluation and peer review were both required. But Tao Ling had never cared much about any of it.
Unexpectedly, when the results came out on Friday, Tao Ling received an “Excellent.” And on that same day, the research project he’d been working on with Kou Huai was officially approved.
But the good mood didn’t last the whole day.
Right after finishing class that afternoon, someone from another department messaged him: “Ling ge, something’s happened.” A link followed.
Tao Ling recognized the format immediately. This guy always sent him this kind of stuff.
Tao Ling replied: “So boring. What now?”
The other guy: “This time it’s about you seducing a married woman. There are pictures too. Ling ge, is this for real? You into housewives? But she’s not even divorced yet.”
Tao Ling: “What kind of crap are you on about?”
The guy: “Just kidding, I know you’re not like that. But you’d better clear it up ASAP.”
Tao Ling clicked the link, feeling suspicious, then froze.
The post already had a bunch of replies. The title was blunt and sensational:
“No way? Tao Ling from the Literature Department is a homewrecker?”
The first comment: “Disclaimer: I didn’t take these photos. My friend happened to be in the Literature Department that day and caught this by accident.”
Tao Ling scrolled down and saw several photos clearly showing his face. The key detail was that he was hugging Yao Zhenzhen.
The photographer had picked just the right angle, making it look like Tao Ling was holding her in an intimate embrace, rather than offering a casual bit of comfort.
Someone immediately recognized him: “Isn’t that our advisor? It is, right? Damn, doesn’t she already have a kid?”
“Wow, you’d never guess. Tao Ling always seemed so cold and aloof, and now this shady stuff? Looks can be deceiving. Being smart doesn’t mean having good morals.”
“Damn, my roommate’s heart just shattered. She’s been secretly in love with him and planned to confess this semester. I told her he seemed asexual. Guess not.”
“This blew my mind.”
“I’ve always had a bad feeling about him. Let’s report him! Report to the school!”
Tao Ling scrolled, trembling with anger. These were just the mild comments. The further down, the nastier they got.
He’d just finished reading when he grabbed his bag and headed out, planning to confront Yao Zhenzhen. But before he even made it out of the office, someone shouted from outside: “Tao Ling! Tao Ling!”
A woman’s voice followed: “What are you doing?! Stop yelling! Honey, listen to me!”
Tao Ling clenched his jaw and stepped out, only to see a man storming down the hallway, yelling: “Everyone stay right here! Don’t leave! Come see this shameless homewrecker! Tao Ling deserves to rot in hell!”
There were still a few people working overtime in the office, and they all stepped out to watch. Yao Zhenzhen rushed after the man, crying: “Honey, honey, listen to me! It’s not like that!”
Tao Ling gave the scene a cold glance, turned, and headed for the stairs. He just wanted a quiet place to talk. But the man chased after him, reaching out to grab him.
“Let go!” Tao Ling yanked free.
The man raised his hand to slap him, but Tao Ling caught it mid-air and shoved it away.
“I have nothing going on with your wife,” Tao Ling snapped. “Teacher Yao, I haven’t even had the chance to talk to you. How come you’re the one coming to me first?”
Yao Zhenzhen hurriedly apologized: “I’m sorry, Teacher Tao, I’m so sorry.” She tried to hold back her husband. “Honey, please, just listen to me!”
The man kept shouting. Tao Ling frowned. “Sir, can we take this outside the school? There’s really nothing going on between me and Teacher Yao.”
“Then explain these pictures!” the man said, pulling out his phone.
Tao Ling took the opportunity to make for the stairs, the man cursing and following right behind. Yao Zhenzhen had no choice but to tag along.
“You motherfucker! Tao Ling, may you die a horrible death! You ruined my marriage! Don’t you know I have a daughter?!”
Tao Ling turned and shouted: “Be reasonable! You see a photo and immediately come for me?!”
He stormed down the stairs. The man kept swearing. “I already had them checked—they’re not photoshopped! You’re not getting away with this! I’ll never divorce her! You’re finished!”
Tao Ling clenched his teeth.
Even though Tao Ling wasn’t one for gossip, he’d heard bits and pieces about Yao Zhenzhen’s husband. The guy was a total bum, living off her without doing any real work.
And sure enough, a scumbag. He didn’t even care what was real or not, just causing a scene like this. How was Yao Zhenzhen supposed to face anyone after this?
The more Tao Ling thought, the angrier he got. The man’s shouting didn’t stop, Yao Zhenzhen kept trying to calm him down, and the three of them passed the school gate—drawing stares even from the security guards.
At the crosswalk, the light turned green. Tao Ling quickly crossed the street. The couple was still following. One shouting, the other trying to stop him. Passersby stared.
Tao Ling glanced toward a flower shop and saw Wen Qingying standing in the doorway, looking confused as he turned to see the commotion.
Noticing something was wrong, Wen Qingying took a few steps toward Tao Ling. Overwhelmed with emotion, Tao Ling ran straight over and, without a word, grabbed him by the neck and kissed him hard.
The shouting behind them stopped instantly.
Wen Qingying was stunned.
He noticed the couple behind Tao Ling and instinctively placed his hands on Tao Ling’s waist, but didn’t know whether to push him away or hold him close.
When the kiss ended, Tao Ling turned and shouted: “There! You all see now? I’m gay as hell. Fuck your homewrecker story!”
TL: I have to say that the drama this chapter felt too forced for my liking, but Tao Ling really showed it to them at the end lmao
tao ling im your number 1 fan pls never stop being an icon 😭