Back to Auntie’s School Days - Chapter 12

“Did you get it?”

After finishing her explanation, Tan Yanqing turned her head toward the person beside her.

Seeing the abnormal flush on Jian Hao’s face, Tan Yanqing furrowed her brows. “Are you unwell?”

Jian Hao shook her head instantly and slumped onto the coffee table, burying her face in her arms while scribbling furiously.

The look in Tan Yanqing’s eyes darkened slightly as she watched her.

Usually, Tan Yanqing was home alone, and the only noise was the passing traffic outside—a sound so familiar it felt non-existent. For three years, the house had been so quiet she could hear the sound of an insect crawling in the corner.

But tonight, for the first time, Tan Yanqing felt it was noisy. Especially once Jian Hao finished her Chinese paper and started on the math.

There was a problem Jian Hao didn’t know how to solve almost every five questions. Tan Yanqing’s schedule was completely disrupted, much like Jian Hao’s unexpected appearance—this friend who was definitely not part of her plan.

Though Jian Hao struggled with many problems, she was fortunately quick-witted. If a similar problem type was explained twice, she could apply the formulas and find the patterns herself.

The only real obstacle was Jian Hao’s attitude toward studying.

After finishing one major problem, Jian Hao tossed her pen onto the worksheet, leaned back, and rested both arms against the sofa.

“I’m so tired~ I need a break.”

Tan Yanqing initially intended to ignore her, but this was already the fifth time Jian Hao had taken a “rest” during the math paper. At this rate, Jian Hao wouldn’t finish her homework even after midnight.

“Is this how you used to do your homework?”

No. Back then, she and Jian You would go home and skip homework entirely, sticking themselves in front of the TV to watch My Fair Princess or Magic Mobile Phone, then borrowing Zhu Xinsui’s work to copy the next morning at school.

Jian Hao let out an “Uh…”

Sensing the problem in her hesitation, Tan Yanqing kept her head down, writing without sparing Jian Hao a single glance. “If you don’t have the attitude for learning, why stay here to do homework?”

“I’m just tired from writing, I want to rest for a bit…”

Tan Yanqing: “If you don’t want to write, then go home.”

The moment the words left Tan Yanqing’s mouth, Jian Hao sat up straight and flopped lazily onto the coffee table. ” I never said I wasn’t going to write.”

After a pause, she poked the paper with her pen and said softly, “Monitor, you’re so serious~”

Tan Yanqing remained silent.

Finding no purchase for her teasing, Jian Hao let out a yawn and continued with the worksheet.

Jian Hao was not a person who loved to study. Jian You had talked to her about this issue many times, but it always went in one ear and out the other. She believed that in today’s society, studying wasn’t the only way out. Or perhaps, having been pampered and spoiled since childhood, she was unwilling to bury herself in the “self-torture” of study, preferring to enjoy life. No one knew how much she currently missed her tablet, her novels and anime, and the newly released TV dramas.

Regarding her attitude, Jian You had once asked Tan Yanqing to help straighten her out. But Tan Yanqing had only smiled and said: “She doesn’t want to learn because she hasn’t found a goal yet—no school or major she truly wants to get into. Don’t worry; one day she will start learning of her own accord.”

When exactly would that “one day” be? Jian Hao didn’t know.

But her goal? Her only goal since the fifth grade was to date Tan Yanqing.

She had truly worked hard for that. She tried to learn everything about Tan Yanqing.

Jian Hao had once felt lucky that Tan Yanqing was her mother’s friend; it gave her so many excuses to get close to her without being rejected, and she could even fish for information about her from her mother.

Knowing Tan Yanqing had a habit of morning runs, she gave up sleeping in and used “exercise” as an excuse to have Tan Yanqing take her along. Knowing Tan Yanqing liked light, bland food, she started learning to cook in middle school; by now, she was the one who handled the massive New Year’s dinner table. Knowing that…

Now, just to spend a little more time with Tan Yanqing, she forced herself to concentrate and write.

As Jian Hao got serious, the room fell quiet. Tan Yanqing stole a glance toward her, finding herself—ironically—a bit unaccustomed to the silence.

Even though… this was her normal state.

By the time all the homework was finished, it was already 10:00 PM. Jian Hao naturally raised the request to stay the night.

But she didn’t ask directly. Instead, she packed her bag as if to leave, then “accidentally” caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall and let out a surprised “Eek! It’s so late~~”

She turned to Tan Yanqing, who was about to see her out. “Monitor, can I sleep at your house tonight?”

Before Tan Yanqing could answer, she provided her own back-up plan: “I can sleep on the sofa!”

Tan Yanqing: “…”

Feeling like she was being led into a trap step-by-step, Tan Yanqing remained silent for a moment before saying, “I’ll call a cab for you.”

“That’s not safe either…” Jian Hao’s voice trembled. She whispered, “I’m so beautiful and fragile; what if some bad person sees me and gets ideas…”

She blinked her eyes. “I’m scared~”

Under the cold white light, Tan Yanqing’s gaze swept over Jian Hao, her dark eyes cool. Just as Jian Hao thought she was about to be called out again, Tan Yanqing’s thin, pursed lips moved, and she turned around.

“There’s a spare room.”

Tan Yanqing pointed to a room by the stairs. “You can sleep there.”

Jian Hao instantly began jumping for joy. She trotted to Tan Yanqing’s side and said excitedly, “Really! Yay~ I haven’t slept in a bed for so long~”

Meeting Tan Yanqing’s confused look, Jian Hao explained with a smile, “Jian You’s house only has two bedrooms. I’ve been sleeping on the sofa.”

“Though the sofa is very comfortable.”

Tan Yanqing didn’t reply. Jian Hao took off her backpack and put it back on the sofa. Turning around, she saw Tan Yanqing heading upstairs and followed her.

The second floor had four rooms: Tan Yanqing’s parents’ bedroom, a study, Tan Yanqing’s bedroom, and the bathroom. Tan Yanqing’s bedroom door was open, and Jian Hao ducked in as if she knew the way.

Tan Yanqing had just closed her wardrobe door. Seeing her, Tan Yanqing handed over a set of pajamas she had found. On top of the clothes was a pair of pink panties with a bow.

Jian Hao saw them and looked up at Tan Yanqing.

Tan Yanqing: “The underwear is new. It’s been washed but never worn.”

Jian Hao took them with a smile. “I’ll give you a pair back.”

“No need.”

Rejection was Tan Yanqing’s default mode. She used coldness to hide her kindness and distance to keep people away.

“Thank you,” Jian Hao said. She was never stingy about speaking her mind. “Monitor, you’re so thoughtful~”

She was straightforward, sweet, and passionate. Even a bit too passionate.

“Monitor, if I said I was afraid to sleep alone, could I sleep in the same bed as you?”

As someone of a lower status, Jian Hao had always felt a sense of worship and respect for the adult “Auntie Tan.” But facing the same-aged Tan Yanqing now, the chasm of age and experience had vanished. Jian Hao was emboldened to flirt.

However, the moment she saw Tan Yanqing instinctively frown, she immediately behaved herself and gave a dry laugh. “I’m kidding.” Then she turned and ran downstairs with a thump-thump-thump.

She was exactly the type with “all the guts for dirty thoughts but no courage to act.”

There were two bathrooms in the house, one upstairs and one downstairs. Jian Hao ran downstairs to shower and blow-dry her hair. When she opened the door, a cloud of steam billowed out with her.

Tan Yanqing was sitting on the sofa drying her hair. Jian Hao walked over and saw Tan Yanqing holding a Nokia-style button phone, messaging someone.

A phone wasn’t strange for the era, but it was slightly unusual for a high schooler like Tan Yanqing. However, considering she lived alone, it made sense. Tan Yanqing’s grandmother was still alive but lived abroad; she likely had the phone to stay in touch with her.

Jian Hao sat beside Tan Yanqing and stared at the phone for a while. Suddenly, a possibility occurred to her. She asked casually, “Who are you messaging?”

Tan Yanqing glanced at her but didn’t answer.

Jian Hao waited a bit and asked again, “Can this phone go on QQ?”

“No.”

“Then do you have a QQ account?”

Tan Yanqing nodded. “Mhm.”

Having received the answer, the possibility in Jian Hao’s mind grew. If… if the person Tan Yanqing liked wasn’t from school, could it be someone from the internet? The internet in 2008 wasn’t as developed as in 2025, but plenty of people were online.

Jian Hao: “To help me find my memory, Jian You played a lot of songs for me. I happened to hear one a few days ago. I wonder if you’ve heard it?”

Tan Yanqing put down her phone and turned to Jian Hao.

Jian Hao cleared her throat and sang:

“I really want to fall in love,

Oh, the more I think about it, the harder it is to bear,

I don’t know who is actually right for my love,

Searching on QQ,

Some messages are very strange…”

She glanced at Tan Yanqing and continued humming:

“Oh, QQ Love,

Whether it’s real or fake, who can guess~”

She stopped and asked, “Heard it?”

Tan Yanqing nodded. For a time, this song was incredibly popular as a ringtone; it played from speakers in every street and alley. Even if you didn’t seek it out, you’d heard it.

Jian Hao: “Then do you know what it’s about?”

Tan Yanqing arched an eyebrow and looked at her. “Online dating.”

Jian Hao provided the answer, feeling the term was quite fresh, and explained, “It’s about falling in love with someone on the internet.”

Tan Yanqing looked down upon hearing this. It was impossible to tell if she was uninterested or if her secret had been hit upon.

“Do you…” Jian Hao asked cautiously, “Do you have one?”

Tan Yanqing’s eyelid twitched. Why would she have one of those?

Jian Hao rested her hand on Tan Yanqing’s leg and patted it earnestly. “Let me tell you, the internet is full of lies. They tell you they’re 18, but they might be 58. Even if they say they’re a girl, it could be a creepy old man with yellow teeth, smoking and drinking, pretending to be a woman… So you must never easily believe those people online.”

Tan Yanqing’s gaze remained on Jian Hao’s hand. Only after Jian Hao finished did she turn her head slightly toward her. “Why?”

Why what?

“Why are you telling me this?”

Jian Hao: “I’m afraid you’ll be scammed!”

Tan Yanqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice faint. “Then what about you?”

Jian Hao was stunned. “Me?”

“You wouldn’t lie to me?” A faint, mysterious smile flickered at the corners of Tan Yanqing’s mouth.

For a moment, Jian Hao was bewitched by that smile. She lowered her lashes, not daring to look at her, and pulled back the hand that was resting on Tan Yanqing’s leg.

She turned away, picked up her glass from the table, and took a sip, her hands tightening around it. Her tone became sheepish and shy.

“I—I’m talking about those people online who want to date you. Why are you asking if I’d lie to you?”

Remembering the night she was rejected by “Auntie Tan,” she muttered under her breath:

“It’s not like you’re dating me.”