[Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Red (Complete) - 30

[Volume 1: First Encounter with Maple Leaves] Chapter 10: None of It Was Intentional (10)

Fine beads of sweat, flushed cheeks, and strands of damp hair entwined a lazy expression. The soft-bodied sister-in-law leaned into her brother-in-law's arms, gently contracting her lower abdomen to enjoy the afterglow, while unconsciously stroking the hardened nipples on her brother-in-law's chest with her fingers.

"Brother-in-law, I want to stay in the room next to Fei'er's."

As the rhythmic contractions of her lower abdomen gradually stopped, the sister-in-law breathed warmly at her brother-in-law from her soft lips.

"Okay, that room was just cleaned."

Gently tucking a strand of hair that clung to his sister-in-law's cheek behind her ear, he looked at her brother-in-law softly as he agreed to her request, then asked, "Why don't you stay here?"

His sister-in-law glanced at him with slightly narrowed eyes and snorted, "I wanted to stay here, but did you say I could stay?"

Yes, once you've slept in that seemingly enclosed eight-step bed, you can't help but like it. But liking it is one thing, but if its previous owner hadn't actively asked you to stay, and had readily agreed—perhaps a slightly reserved test—how would you feel?

Old Li had been having trouble concentrating all morning because of Fei'er's mother, and with so many women in the house watching, he subconsciously agreed to his sister-in-law's request. He immediately realized his mistake and asked another question to try and make amends.

However, women are creatures who often only hear the first half of your statement, as if they haven't heard the whole point you made, and then they'll emphasize the series of problems brought up in the first half.

Having lived half a lifetime, yet making such a basic mistake like a child hiding their feelings—it's true that anyone, when faced with a major headache, will subconsciously choose to avoid it as much as possible.

No wonder, if it weren't for Fei'er's mother's situation, Old Li wouldn't have made such a basic mistake. But now, Fei'er's mother is like a pot of boiling oil, and if his sister-in-law so brazenly moves into Old Li's bed at this critical juncture, it's like pouring cold water on that pot of boiling oil!

Adding cold water to a pot of boiling oil will cause it to explode! And Old Li, who is currently closest to Fei'er's mother's pot of boiling oil, might very well be scalded to death in the splattering hot oil! In such a life-or-death situation, it's understandable that Old Li subconsciously tried to avoid the issue.

The problem was, facing his sister-in-law's accusations, Old Li couldn't continue explaining using the excuse that Wang Er next door hadn't stolen. Otherwise, before Fei'er's mother could even react, his sister-in-law, with half of his penis still inside her, would blow him away.

Having lived half a life, and like the legendary rat that turns into a bat from too much salt, Old Li, realizing the seriousness of the situation, shamelessly resorted to shameless tactics.

His act of being unreasonable was simply to confuse his sister-in-law and divert her attention, and the best solution was to get that half-submerged, now quiet thing in her belly, moving again.

Even knowing her brother-in-law was being unreasonable, if your child did the same harmlessly to you, wouldn't you just give them a good slap on the bottom? Clearly, when this unfortunate situation happens, it's because the child is too oblivious, failing to understand the adults' moods.

But right now, Old Li's sister-in-law is in a really good mood. Besides, a woman's interpretation of a man's words, taken in a nutshell, is simply a way of maintaining her dignity; she doesn't need to be overly detailed. In other words, such a woman prefers her man to indulge her dignity at this moment, regardless of any attitude beyond feigned seriousness, to match her little mood.

So Old Li was happy to cooperate (actually, it was a case of a simpleton marrying a beautiful wife, a lucky break) and his sister-in-law became even more coy and reserved. So, as they swayed and groaned, their movements became increasingly intimate and intimate...

Back on the eight-step bed, now quiet, the sister-in-law nestled in her brother-in-law's arms and told him something very unfortunate: her daughter, who was about to start junior high school, would also be coming to the 33rd Middle School with her older sister, Xiaozhu, after this semester, and would be living with Old Li. It

's only natural for a daughter to follow her mother, but the sister-in-law's emotional turmoil and family discord over the years were all due to her brother-in-law, Old Li. And the sister-in-law's daughter, though young, had long understood all of this thanks to the guidance of others! Naturally, a father is a father, and a mother is a mother, so all the resentment accumulated from the discord and separation of the parents was unreservedly directed at Old Li by his sister-in-law's eccentric and clever daughter. It

was one thing for her to dislike Old Li, her uncle, but the memory of him giving her a severe beating every time they met was a recurring nightmare for Old Li. He used to have this nightmare only a few times a year, but now it was happening to him every day, whether he looked at it or not. Old Li was truly unfortunate. Both

his daughter and Old Li were his flesh and blood; it was difficult for her, being both his sister-in-law and his mother. But that's how things were. He didn't want to lose his brother-in-law, nor could he abandon his beloved daughter. So, he decided to try putting this pair of sworn enemies together first. Perhaps by seeing each other every day, their feud could be resolved rather than perpetuated.

To be honest, the sister-in-law wanted to postpone this matter for a while before dealing with it. However, her daughter, who disliked Lao Li but was extremely close to Xiao Zhu, learned from Xiao Zhu that Xiao Zhu had transferred schools and that her mother was going to work as a political commissar at the Industrial Zone Public Security Bureau. Reluctant to part with her sister Xiao Zhu, and hearing that her mother was going to live with Lao Li, the daughter made a sudden yet unsurprising decision: she told her mother without hesitation, "If you live with Lao Li, then I will definitely live there too!"

She looked at Lao Li with a mix of apology, helplessness, and, more importantly, expectation. "Yes, Lao Li, you are a truly upright man. My daughter is here, so please be understanding!"

Haha, the lost horse from the old man's family has returned, but it broke the leg of the old man's son who loves riding. What about Lao Li? Faced with a cunning and mischievous little red horse, will he also have to break his leg before he can stay with his sister-in-law for life?

When he was riding on his sister-in-law's soft body, he should have known there would be a price to pay. So, with a bitter smile, while trying to comfort his sister-in-law, Old Li accepted everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad.

At lunchtime, Fei'er's mother and Fei'er sat down at the table on time. Although Fei'er's mother didn't even glance at Old Li sitting next to her, Old Li was already relieved and went to work at school that afternoon. Of course, there was a lot of work waiting

for him at school. Fei'er's mother was temporarily suppressing her anger. If he handled things carefully and didn't create any trouble, he should be able to get Fei'er's mother to accept his relationship with Fei'er within reasonable limits. As for his sister-in-law's daughter, who still harbors resentment towards him, it only became a real issue some time ago. In the meantime, he should maintain the status quo and manage his relationships with Dong Qin and the other women properly. Otherwise, he wouldn't be living in constant fear like he is now.

Dong Qin is aloof, Cheng Yan's attitude is unclear, and Dong Na is even more hesitant. Even if these three women want to continue their relationship with him in their own way, right now, at the slightest sign of trouble, they will scatter and leave him like birds perched on branches in the forest.

The problem is that these three women are too sensitive to each other right now, and even getting close to any one of them will trigger the others' reactions. Ideally, I'd like to have better opportunities to be alone with these three women, so I can better understand their boundaries, but such opportunities are extremely rare, both at home and at school.

I'm trying to create some such opportunities, but while these three women are sensitive to each other, they also prefer to keep the other two out of their sight as well as out of their sight. This means that whenever I appear, I'm facing a triangle formed by the three women.

A triangle whose size and angles change arbitrarily—does that mean the trigonometric values also change? The question is, should I start solving this trigonometric function from a single angle, or should I directly use the four quadrants to completely solve all three angles at once? (Hehe, Lao Mu hasn't passed math since the first year of junior high, and his best score was zero in high school. I hope everyone won't mind the factual errors.) That's true, the woman at the top always has to connect herself with two other women on two straight lines, so let's deal with the three women connected together.

Lao Li was pondering this in his office when someone pushed open the door without knocking. Lao Li knew who it was.

Sure enough, as the office door was almost open, Lao Li saw Yu Lian, Tian Tian, and a few others standing there. As for why Yu Lian and the other girls didn't immediately come in, it was because they had run into two other 'enemies' again.

Bai Xue and Yue Yue had finished their entrance exams and were waiting for their results, so they had plenty of free time. Since they had agreed with Lao Li to stay at his house for a while, the two girls had been thinking about it and came to the school today to confirm the dates with Lao Li.

Unfortunately, and even more coincidentally, when the two girls arrived at Old Li's office door, they saw Yu Lian and her group of "enemies" pushing open the door.

Originally in a good mood, the two girls, seeing that Yu Lian and her friends had arrived before them, didn't want their mood to be affected and wanted to avoid them until they left before approaching Old Li. However, while they thought this, Yuan Yuan, with her sharp eyes and mischievous nature (who had just regained the ability to walk after her foot injury), inadvertently turned around and saw the two girls they were trying to avoid. So, Yuan Yuan opened her mouth and started provoking them. Just as

Lin Xiangru avoided Lian Po not out of fear, so when faced with someone actually challenging him, these two girls, who clearly lacked Lin Xiangru's magnanimity, disregarded whether their mood was about to sour and directly accepted the challenge.

They accepted the challenge, but not to argue. So the two girls, hand in hand, silently walked over to Yuanyuan and the others who had stopped, and headed towards Old Li's office.

Yuanyuan was a troublemaker, or more accurately, a troublemaker. The other girls on the team usually didn't participate (of course, this lack of initiative was limited to the team members themselves). But once Yuanyuan stirred up trouble against someone else, and was about to suffer a loss, the team members would unite to protect her even if she was wrong.

Provoking others was wrong, but when it was clear who the target was, Yu Lian and Huimin and the other girls were truly united against a common enemy. This

unity meant a shared understanding; their action was to intentionally or unintentionally block the door to Old Li's office, preventing the two angry girls from entering.

They were both a head taller than the two little girls, and their strength training in the team was far beyond what the two girls could match. Knowing this, the two little girls wouldn't try to compete in a stamina contest by squeezing in. Instead, they defiantly raised their heads (otherwise they could see each other's faces) and firmly said, "Get out of the way! We need to see Teacher Li."

"Teacher Li isn't here. You two little brats should go cool off somewhere else," the teacher

replied sarcastically, looking down at the two girls with their small (even big eyes are small) round eyes.

"Whether Teacher Li is here or not is for us to see, we don't need you to tell us!"

In a quarrel, the other side had five or six members; one of them could easily take on both of them in a stamina contest. So, Yueyue wisely ignored the teacher's blatant provocation once again.

"Ha! You little brat's gotten all worked up! Yuanyuan says Teacher Li isn't here, and you two can't deny it!"

Huimin, usually the one who could discipline Yuanyuan the most, suddenly stepped forward and interjected before Yuanyuan could even speak.

"What, are you all having a meeting at the door?"

Yueyue's cheeks puffed out as she faced Huimin, but Old Li's voice came clearly from behind the girls blocking the door.

Yueyue hesitated for a moment, then deflated with a sigh, while Yuanyuan and Huimin exchanged knowing smiles before turning around.

Old Li, having finished speaking, had already returned to his seat, and the girls who had filed in stood clearly in two groups in front of him.

The team had already obtained video footage of some competitive matches, and the team was using this information for targeted tactical training. Since the training wasn't as intense as before, the girls, now with some free time, were thinking about other things.

"Zhang Nan, don't you have any training scheduled for this afternoon?"

While wondering if he could find something more to keep these energetic girls occupied, Old Li asked Zhang Nan, the team captain.

"We have a new tactical drill scheduled for this afternoon, so we'd like to ask Coach Li for some specific guidance,"

Tian Tian, who wasn't usually very responsive to Old Li, quickly answered, knowing that Old Li was worried the girls might be distracted and affect their later matches.

"Oh, I see. You can go back now, I'll be there in a bit."

Old Li understood the girls' feelings, but he had to put those aside for now, so he replied gently. They

missed Old Li, and even more so, they reminisced about the sweetness and excitement they shared with him. However, knowing their place, the girls suppressed their burgeoning passion, and with a touch of reluctance and helplessness, they all said goodbye and left amidst a lingering sense of loss.

Reluctance, helplessness, and a rising sense of loss gently and bitterly soaked into Lao Li's heart. At this moment, a voice suddenly surged in Lao Li's heart, a voice that wanted to keep these girls by his side for life.

After calming himself down a bit, Lao Li called Yueyue and Baixue to his side...

[Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves] Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (1)

Several older sisters (even if they never admitted it) left very obediently and well-behavedly in Teacher Li's place. Should Yueyue and I also behave better? Thinking this, Bai Xue met Old Li's gaze and said, "Teacher, Yueyue and I really want to get to know Sister Xiaozhu. Could we meet in the next few days?"

Old Li had pretty much guessed what the two girls were thinking the moment they came in. To be honest, it wouldn't be a problem if they stayed at his house for a day or two, but the difficulty was that if they stayed and didn't want to leave, Old Li would have to come up with a good reason to persuade their parents. Because if he wasn't careful, he could easily be labeled a child trafficker. So, he had agreed to let the two girls stay at his house a few days ago, but he hadn't yet figured out a good reason for them to come.

Bai Xue's reason for inviting her students to her home to meet her daughter was somewhat far-fetched and childish, but Old Li knew perfectly well that even he couldn't come up with such a reason. It was probably easier for Bai Xue's explanation to be accepted by her and Yueyue's parents.

However, their daughters' school break wouldn't start for a few more days, and there was a potential problem brewing in Old Li's backyard. So, Old Li discussed it with the two girls: "Go home and talk to your families first. As the inviter, I also need to inform their parents beforehand. If your parents have no objections, then in a few days, when your older sister Xiaozhu starts her break, I'll go with her to pick you up."

Knowing that Old Li was very busy these days, the two girls didn't mean to stay at his house for the next few days. They just wanted to visit him because they missed him, and also to finalize their visit schedule with him. Now that both goals had been achieved, the two little girls were so happy that they went up to kiss Old Li one after another, and then snuggled in his arms for a few more minutes.

In a few days, it would be the official performance of the city's education system's "July 1st" cultural performance. This afternoon, all participating units were to go to the Education Bureau for a rehearsal, which was also the Education Bureau's preliminary selection of the performances from each unit. Old Li, who had been alone in his office, checked the time and got up to leave.

This "July 1st" cultural performance was originally organized by the Qingjiang City Education Bureau, but for some reason, the City Culture and Sports Bureau also got involved. Because there were suddenly many more participating units, the preliminary selection of performances, which was originally to be conducted by the education bureaus of each district, was now being handled directly by the City Education Bureau. The

rehearsals and preliminary selections for all participating units began the day before yesterday, and Old Li's No. 33 Middle School was scheduled to perform second to last this afternoon, making it the second to last performance in the entire rehearsal and preliminary selection process.

In a formal performance, a program that appears last is usually the grand finale. However, being placed late in the preliminary rounds is practically a formality, something that can be skipped.

Old Li was one of the organizers and main performers of his school's program. His late arrival at the preliminary rounds wasn't due to a loss of confidence in his school's performance, but rather a desperate need for a quiet place to calm his racing mind.

It was 3 PM, and according to the program list Old Xu had received, this was just the beginning of the afternoon's rehearsals, with nine programs scheduled. Therefore, Old Li arriving a little later than the main group shouldn't be a big deal.

It took Old Li over forty minutes to drive from No. 33 Middle School to the preliminary rounds. After meeting up with his school's group, Old Xu delivered some unexpected news: the preliminary rounds would proceed as planned, but the Municipal Education Bureau would only select three programs this time. The root cause of this situation is no longer simply the matter of the Beicheng District Education Bureau co-organizing the event with the Culture and Sports Bureau, but rather a cultural performance jointly organized by the Municipal Party Committee Office and a series of related departments, including the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department.

The Municipal Education Bureau had actually notified all district education bureaus of this change two weeks in advance. However, a staff member of the Beicheng District Education Bureau inadvertently overlooked No. 33 Middle School after notifying other relevant schools. Sure enough, when the Beicheng District Education Bureau was finalizing the list of participating units the day before yesterday, this staff member not only remembered No. 33 Middle School, but also failed to clearly explain the situation when hastily notifying the school.

The Municipal Education Bureau felt honored to participate in this performance under the leadership of the Municipal Party Committee, but considering that its subordinate units had prepared for the performance for some time, it couldn't let their hard work go to waste just because the Municipal Party Committee was involved. So, after discussion, the organizers of the Municipal Education Bureau decided that rehearsals by the subordinate units would continue, but the order would change. First, a preliminary selection would be held within the Education Bureau's system. Then, the selected programs would be put to a final performance, and based on their performance, three programs would be chosen to represent the Municipal Education Bureau in the city-organized arts festival.

The initial three representatives were one from a primary school, one from a middle school, and one from a unit directly under the Education Bureau. The 33rd Middle School, which only learned of the change last, was there this afternoon to participate in the middle school group's preliminary selection.

Overall, the 33rd Middle School's program should have passed the preliminary selection without much trouble. However, to advance further and break through the middle school group to participate in the city-wide festival, they would have no chance without absolute strength and something exceptionally outstanding.

Indeed, when the levels are comparable, the 33rd Middle School, nominally a stepchild within the Municipal Education Bureau, is practically sidelined just by a difference in general impressions.

To be honest, it's impossible for everyone from No. 33 Middle School who only just figured out the whole story not to feel resentful. But since they were treated like stepchildren, they had to be prepared to endure some grievances. However, this resentment, fueled by the frustration, was somewhat relieved after Lao Li, Tian Rong, and Lao Xu, three people accustomed to being wronged, took turns comforting them. Because they had no hope of advancing further, everyone relaxed their tense and excited feelings.

At 5 PM, all the performers from No. 33 Middle School were ready backstage, while some of the judges in the audience were already yawning and packing up to leave. This was understandable; the program had already reached a point where it was just a formality to avoid hurting the feelings of their subordinate unit, and the judges were only there to make a show of it.

The music started, the curtain rose, and Lao Li, the male lead dancer, stepped onto the center of the stage along with the other male actors. A series of dramatic transitions followed, and the female dancers, led by Dong Qin, appeared on stage to Cheng Yan's sweet and soulful singing.

Even with her stage costume on, Dong Qin's flushed face and the subtle shyness in her eyes were still clearly visible to Lao Li.

As he danced to the rhythm, Lao Li's thoughts drifted back to the dressing room before her performance…

Qingjiang City has a population of nearly ten million, with over a hundred directly affiliated middle schools under the unified management of the Municipal Education Bureau. Of these, thirty-seven are under the jurisdiction of the Beicheng District Education Bureau. To cooperate with the July 1st celebration performance organized by the Qingjiang Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, and to ensure the high quality of the Municipal Education Bureau's performances, while also demonstrating the fairness of the internal selection process, the Qingjiang Municipal Education Bureau made systematic and meticulous arrangements for the selection performance and assembled a judging panel with almost professional qualifications.

In this preliminary selection within the education bureau system, the Qingjiang Municipal Education Bureau allocated seven slots to the Beicheng District Education Bureau, and the performance order was determined by drawing lots.

This afternoon marks the final few performances of the selection process. Currently, the top four schools in terms of scores among those that have already performed should have secured their spots in the next round. The schools participating this afternoon will likely compete with those ranked fifth or lower for the remaining three qualifying spots.

Although he hadn't seen a single selection performance, Lao Li wasn't worried about No. 33 Middle School qualifying. So, he joined his school's large group backstage.

Besides the performers from various schools, there were many staff members and people waiting for the final results, making the backstage area quite noisy.

With his school's performance still a while away, and the noise making him a bit restless, he noticed a large, empty room next to the men's dressing room and decided to go in for some peace and quiet.

There was a small suite separated by a curtain in the large room, and the window of the suite faced the street. Old Li went to the window of the suite, enjoying the cool breeze through the open window while watching the crowds coming and going on the street outside.

After standing by the window for a while, a voice came from the large room behind the curtain. From the voice, it was clear that several people had entered the large room, and Old Li recognized one or two voices very well.

These must be some of the actresses from his school; weren't they supposed to be in the women's dressing room getting ready and changing into their costumes? Why were they here again? As Old Li thought this, he turned and walked over from the window.

Just as Old Li's hand was about to lift the curtain on the small suite door, the curtain was suddenly lifted.

On the other side of the curtain was Dong Qin, dressed only in a light jacket, her mouth wide open, but he abruptly suppressed a scream that was about to escape her lips. On this side of the curtain was Old Li, his eyes wide open, momentarily stunned.

*Whoosh!* Having recovered, Dong Qin quickly flung the curtain down, and *gulp!* As the curtain fell, Old Li swallowed hard.

Yes, Dong Qin's almost naked body alone was enough to dazzle Old Li, not to mention the several girls standing behind her by the row of lockers, their small bodies barely covered by their trembling, full breasts. Old Li's

eyes were dazzled by the sight of Dong Qin and the girls' white bodies, and even after swallowing hard, his throat felt dry. Now, cold sweat broke out on his forehead!

"Sister Dong, what's behind that curtain?"

Lulu's voice came through the curtain.

"N-nothing...it's just a storage room with a bunch of messy things."

Dong Qin's voice trembled slightly as she answered.

"Hey! Sister Dong, your face looks a little off? Are you alright?"

This voice must be Han Yue's.

"Ah...ah, it's nothing, maybe it's just a bit stuffy in this room. Everyone, hurry up and change, we need to go over there to put on makeup later."

Dong Qin's explanation was also hurried.

A chorus of agreement followed, then the sound of locker doors opening and closing. The footsteps from the main room gradually subsided, and then quiet fell.

Old Li vigorously wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. Of course, Dong Qin was an adult, and she and Old Li had that kind of relationship, so even though she was startled to see him suddenly appear in a place he shouldn't have, she managed to control her emotions. If it weren't for Dong Qin's concealment, or if one of the girls who had been changing earlier had been so curious about the small suite that she insisted on peeking through the curtain, Old Li would have faced a much more serious situation than simply wiping the sweat from his brow.

Having dried his sweat and composed himself, Old Li quickly lifted the curtain and headed out.

At the closed door of the main room, Dong Qin watched Old Li hurry out, her face expressionless.

Hmph! " It's one thing that I didn't expose you for peeping in front of a bunch of girls, but that doesn't mean you, the peeping Tom, shouldn't offer some explanation!

" Looking at Dong Qin, Old Li, who had stopped, said sincerely, "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't know you'd be changing clothes here."

"It's a bit stuffy in here, so I went to the window inside for some fresh air. I really didn't mean to!"

Dong Qin's expression didn't change at all after his explanation, so Old Li quickly offered further clarification.

"You didn't mean to?"

Dong Qin, her lips slightly pursed, looked at Old Li seriously and asked.

"I really didn't mean to! I..."

It was a matter of conscience, and she was truly innocent, so Old Li not only explained verbally but also emphasized it with gestures.

"Hmph! You say you didn't do it on purpose, but you definitely did it intentionally! You think... you... no... um..."

Dong Qin interrupted Old Li, who was trying to excuse himself, emphasizing what she had just seen. However, she only emphasized half a sentence more than Old Li had, because Old Li, who was standing in front of her, stepped forward, grabbed her, and silenced her with a kiss.

After a struggle and a moment of incoherent speech, when Old Li's large hand slipped into Dong Qin's newly changed clothes, Dong Qin, seemingly weak all over, let Old Li do as he pleased.

The "doing" was nothing more than taking off Dong Qin's newly changed clothes again, and the "doing" was nothing more than touching and kissing every place on her body that he wanted to touch and kiss. Because in this place, unless Old Li was under the influence of aphrodisiacs and had lost his mind, he wouldn't actually do anything.

He licked away every drop of fluid secreted from Dong Qin's body and put her clothes back on, piece by piece. At this moment, Old Li didn't forget to explain the earlier misunderstanding in more detail.

The small suite was actually a dressing room. Dong Qin had gone there to check because she often performed there, and seeing the curtain made her want to verify. However, while she did verify it, she also discovered that Old Li was trapped inside.

The reason Old Li encountered this situation while trying to get some fresh air was that the original women's dressing room was too crowded and there were no lockers left for clothes. So, Dong Qin and the others who arrived later were led here by backstage staff. They brought

their own makeup supplies, and Old Li did Dong Qin's makeup in the small suite. When Dong Qin finished doing Old Li's makeup, Old Xu and Lulu hurriedly arrived.

The dance choreography for "Ten Red Army Farewells" included both solo and group performances. The opening sequence, the most captivating part of the group dance, saw Lulu, Hanyue, and several former model team girls escorting Dong Qin to Old Li. For some reason, the scene in the dressing room earlier flashed before Old Li's eyes again.

The crowd craning their necks to gaze into the distance on the Red Army stage conveyed a continuous, poignant farewell. As Cheng Yan uttered her final note, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

The results for all participating units were tallied. No. 33 Middle School ranked third, and among the schools performing that afternoon, only No. 14 Middle School and No. 33 Middle School qualified for the semi-finals.

Tomorrow is the official performance for the city's education system to celebrate July 1st, and it will also be the final day to determine which school will represent the education system at the city-wide event. It's already 6 PM, and to Old Li and the No. 33 Middle School performers' dismay, the school's Jinbei van has broken down and can't move.

It's about 20 kilometers from here back to the school, and we'd have to take everyone home one by one. The school's budget isn't as tight as it used to be, and the performance today was quite successful. So, Lao Li, Tian Rong, and Lao Xu decided to find a hotel to stay at tonight.

[Volume 2: Passionate Maple Leaves] Chapter 1: One Step at a Time (2)

Dong Na's home is in the city, and it's not far from the hotel where No. 33 Middle School is staying. After dinner, Dong Na had arranged with Tian Rong to drive her home, but Tian Rong received a phone call and had to leave early. So, Tian Rong assigned the task of taking Dong Na home to Lao Li.

Dong Na has two children, her brother and herself. However, after Dong Na's parents divorced when she was eleven, she lived with her mother, while her brother lived with her father. Old Li knew a little about Dong Na's family situation when Dong Na had just arrived at No. 33 Middle School. He overheard Tian Rong casually mentioning the college students who had recently been assigned to the school. Tian Rong happened to know Dong Na's brother, so he took the opportunity to tell him more about Dong Na's family situation.

Tian Rong went into detail about Dong Na's family background, specifically this kind of situation. This wasn't because Tian Rong was inherently gossipy; it was because Dong Na's brother was formerly one of the most promising young leaders in the Qingjiang City education system. Although her brother had been transferred to a county under Qingjiang City as executive deputy county head the year Dong Na joined the education system, this didn't mean he had lost influence within the Qingjiang City education system. On the contrary, the shift from a high-ranking leader in the city's education system to a powerful local official meant his influence had, in some ways, increased.

Indeed, a rising political star, and this promising, 29-year-old one at that, came from the education system. Anyone with a modicum of shrewdness in the education system would want to leave themselves some room for maneuver!

Dong Na and her brother were separated at a young age due to family reasons, but her brother always cared for his sister, and the bond between them was very strong. Dong Na was a very strong-willed person, so she rarely bothered her brother with her affairs. Even after she was recruited into the education system, she only called him afterward to tell him. Furthermore, she didn't mention to him at all that she was assigned to No. 33 Middle School a few months later.

Given her brother's influence within the education system, it's reasonable to assume that if he had simply spoken to his former colleagues, Dong Na would never have been assigned to No. 33 Middle School. The reason for this was that when Dong Na contacted her brother, besides telling him about her recruitment, she also subtly indicated that she hadn't yet revealed their relationship within the education system.

Knowing his sister's personality, Dong Na's brother felt it was best to let his somewhat idealistic sister adapt to reality for a few days before intervening at the appropriate time. However, less than three months later, Dong Na's mother contacted him in a great hurry. When Dong Na's brother heard that his sister had been inexplicably assigned to No. 33 Middle School, he immediately became anxious.

But when he called his sister in anger, she told him that No. 33 Middle School wasn't as bad as she had imagined, and she wanted to stay for a semester to try it out; if it didn't work out, they would decide later.

Although he felt sorry for his sister, she had always been someone who wanted to try everything, which left him somewhat helpless. So, after giving her some instructions, he was still worried and immediately contacted a former colleague. After contacting his former colleague, the colleague told him who was currently in charge of No. 33 Middle School.

Dong Na's brother and Lao Li were complete strangers, but he and Tian Rong were quite familiar with each other due to work. So he contacted Tian Rong, told him about Dong Na, and asked him to take good care of his sister this semester (because in Dong Na's brother's view, this semester was all it took; after that, no matter what, he would transfer his sister out of No. 33 Middle School). When Tian Rong introduced Dong Na to Lao Li, Lao Li felt that these newly assigned college graduates had performed very well after a period of observation, and he wondered if it was time to give these energetic young people more responsibilities. However, Tian Rong knew that while these newly assigned college graduates seemed promising to everyone, the reality was that No. 33 Middle School might not be able to retain them. So, Tian Rong used the introduction of these students as a pretext to subtly remind Lao Li of this.

Old Li wasn't a blockhead, so when Tian Rong said that, he understood that Tian Rong was saying that while the entire campus of No. 33 Middle School was filled with trees, there wasn't a single phoenix tree to attract phoenixes. In other words, these newly assigned college graduates would eventually fly to someone else's yard with phoenix trees. Those

who wanted to leave couldn't be kept, but Old Li thought about it and decided to give these college graduates some extra work. After all, they were just temporary helpers at the school, so they should be used as much as possible.

According to Tian Rong, Dong Na's mother was more anxious than anyone else for Dong Na to leave No. 33 Middle School. Because of this, she was furious and went to find Dong Na's brother, pointing her finger at him and yelling: "If you don't transfer your sister out of No. 33 Middle School right now, don't call me 'Mom' again!"

Dong Na would definitely be a competent and excellent teacher, and from his heart, Old Li wanted to keep her by his side. Whether for work-related reasons or his own feelings, keeping Dong Na seems to hinge on getting past her mother!

Old Li genuinely wants to persuade Dong Na's mother to stay, provided Dong Na is willing. However, there's a catch: first, if you want her to work at No. 33 Middle School, the school absolutely can't remain a stagnant mess. At the very least, you need to show her positive development before you can even bring yourself to say anything about it.

Second, there's Old Li's own selfish motives. He wants to keep this young woman under his control, even if he doesn't dare to say it openly. Besides, he's far from being as powerful as Nan Batian (a notorious bully), so shouldn't he at least show some consideration to her family?

If Dong Na really stays with him, wouldn't this visit be his first time, as an old, gray-bearded son-in-law, paying respects to his mother-in-law? As Old Li drove, his eyes glanced at Dong Na, who sat silently in the passenger seat, and he couldn't help but make a connection.

This was the heart of Qingjiang City; at current property prices, one square meter of commercial residential property here would cost around 8,000 RMB. Dong Na's family owned a duplex apartment of about 200 square meters, which suggested that Dong Na's mother was a very capable person.

Old Li parked his car next to a very nice black car (heh, Old Li wasn't very good at recognizing car brands) in the spot Dong Na had designated. After Old Li opened the car door for her, Dong Na silently picked up her handbag, got out, and walked ahead on her own.

Hesitating for a moment, Old Li locked his car and followed behind Dong Na.

The building is a fourteen-story mid-rise. Dong Na lives on the eighth floor, and Lao Li could estimate the size of her apartment as soon as he arrived. This is because Lao Li's aunt's stepmother lives in the same complex across from Dong Na's apartment—the Qingjiang Municipal Party Committee compound.

Lao Li's aunt has a friend who lives in the building above Dong Na's. This friend, whom Lao Li's aunt often sees, was someone Lao Li had asked her to deliver something to two years ago. When Lao Li saw Dong Na press the elevator button for the eighth floor, he couldn't help but scratch his head.

Sigh! The world is so small, especially when you don't want to be seen as an acquaintance. If someone sees you doing something unpleasant, it's almost certainly an acquaintance. And sure enough, Dong Na's apartment is that of Lao Li's aunt's friend.

As Dong Na unlocked the door, Lao Li, standing behind her, wondered: Is there anyone else in Dong Na's apartment right now?

Following behind Dong Na, the door was closed. Dong Na, who had already changed her shoes, went straight to the inner room. Old Li, who was left alone in the living room to dry in the sun, habitually touched the bridge of his nose with his finger before sitting down on the sofa.

"Xiao Na, you're back?"

As Old Li poured himself a glass of water and picked up a magazine from the coffee table, a woman's gentle voice called out.

Looking up in the direction of the voice, Old Li's throat, which he had just swallowed, suddenly felt parched! Yes, a woman who had just finished showering, wrapped in a towel up to her armpits, drying her wet hair as she walked up to you—not to mention the captivating sight of a beautiful woman emerging from the bath, even the smooth, slender legs beneath the towel could dazzle some people!

"Mom..."

Old Li, sitting on the sofa, didn't answer the woman wrapped in a bath towel's question because his throat was so dry. Dong Na, who had already changed in the inner room, came out while answering.

"Ah~" The woman wrapped in a bath towel had just finished drying her hair at that moment, but the person sitting opposite her on the sofa wasn't her daughter. So, the woman exclaimed in surprise, turned around, and disappeared in the direction she had come from.

I really didn't mean to! Seeing Dong Na walking towards him with a frosty expression, Old Li, who had originally wanted to explain, wisely shut his mouth after standing up.

Sure enough, Dong Na, who had already picked up a cushion from the sofa and held it above her head, saw Old Li's helpless state, gritted her teeth, threw the cushion onto the sofa, and then stretched out three delicate fingers, forcefully rotating them at an angle on Old Li's arm in a fit of anger.

The young woman, with her charmingly angry expression, stirred a tender feeling in Old Li's heart. He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke her slightly flushed cheeks. The

woman, her fingers loosening their grip on Old Li's arm, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes, suddenly seemed to remember something and abruptly pushed him away. She then turned and sat down on the sofa opposite him with a huff.

"Little Li's here,"

said Dong Na, who was sitting opposite him, her face half-turned away, ignoring Old Li. However, the woman who had disappeared for a while, wrapped in a bath towel, had changed her clothes and came out to greet Old Li.

The woman who called Old Li "Little Li" was actually a few years younger than him, but she addressed him that way because she was a close friend of Old Li's aunt. So, sometimes age doesn't determine how others address you.

At this moment, everyone acted as if nothing had happened, so Old Li naturally replied, "Yeah, I just got here. Our school just finished a performance, and I brought Xiao Na back, so I thought I'd stop by." "

Your school? Xiao Li, you didn't go to No. 33 Middle School too, did you?"

Hearing Old Li's answer, the woman who had just come out asked in surprise.

"Yes, I've been at No. 33 Middle School for over a year."

Although No. 33 Middle School wasn't a very good school, everyone was sensitive about it. Even though Old Li felt uncomfortable inside, he didn't want to show it, so he calmly gave a brief introduction.

"Really? Then what are you doing at No. 33 Middle School, Xiao Li?"

The woman who had just come out was no longer surprised; she inquired about Old Li's work.

Knowing that Old Li was the principal of No. 33 Middle School, but still having a very negative impression of the school, the woman said, "Xiao Li, why did you go to that lousy school!" She also earnestly advised Old Li and Dong Na: What's the point of staying at that awful school? You should transfer out as soon as possible!

A school principal was told to his face that he and all the teachers should transfer out of that school immediately! This was a huge blow to his reputation as principal. However, it's human nature to want to move to a better place, so Old Li said he didn't want to leave No. 33 Middle School for the time being, without asking Dong Na's opinion on whether to stay.

Faced with her mother's strong persuasion, Dong Na stated her position decisively: "Mom, don't worry about my affairs. I know what to do."

She couldn't persuade her daughter herself, but even though Dong Na's mother wanted Old Li to persuade her to leave No. 33 Middle School, she couldn't say it out loud. Indeed, it's not appropriate to humiliate someone like that!

Since it was inappropriate to humiliate someone like that, and since persuading her daughter wouldn't be easy, Dong Na's mother quickly changed the subject, talking to Old Li about his aunt.

Old Li's aunt works in the Municipal Party Committee's Publicity Department, and her current task is to coordinate with other departments to prepare for the "July 1st" arts performance. However, this isn't what surprised Old Li and Dong Na. What surprised them was Dong Na's mother, who was one of the ten judges in the finals of the city's education system arts performance.

Their surprise stemmed from the coincidence, not from any doubt about Dong Na's mother's abilities. After all, Dong Na's mother was a pillar of the city's song and dance troupe years ago, and later became a choreographer. Even though she has now left the troupe to go into business and is a member of the Municipal People's Political Consultative Conference, her nearly twenty years in the arts field still speaks volumes about her judgment.

Since her daughter couldn't leave No. 33 Middle School anytime soon, even if she looked down on it, Dong Na's mother still wanted to express her opinion. So, she subtly mentioned to Old Li that she could contact the other judges.

It's not appropriate to refuse a kind offer, so after thanking Dong Na's mother, Old Li noticed it was getting late and said he had to take his leave.

"I just came home to get some things

," Dong Na explained to her mother as she hurried into her room to pack, then left with Old Li. They left the house

quickly, and apart from saying goodbye to her mother at the bottom of the stairs and getting into the car, Dong Na remained silent.

Seemingly used to Dong Na's aloofness when they were alone, Old Li didn't ask where she was going and drove off.

This was the dormitory assigned to Fei'er by the city television station. Even though Fei'er hadn't stayed here for a while, the room was still clean, thanks to the hourly cleaning service.

Seeing Dong Na standing hesitantly at the door, Old Li turned on the living room light, went over, and helped Dong Na into the room, closing the door behind him.

Lifting a strand of hair from Dong Na's forehead, Old Li looked tenderly at the slightly uneasy and shy woman before him, and slowly brought his lips to her cheek.

"No..."

The man's heavy breath brushed against her ear, and as if startled, Dong Na nervously tried to break free from Old Li's embrace.

"Xiao Na..."

Old Li tightened his arms slightly, gently calling her name in Dong Na's ear.

"I...I need a little time."

Perhaps the soft sound was reassuring, and Dong Na, no longer struggling, looked up at Old Li and said.

"Okay, then sit down first, I'll get you a glass of water."

Old Li readily agreed to Dong Na's request, and appropriately loosened his arms.

"I..."

After Old Li's arms loosened, Dong Na lowered her eyes and glanced at him hesitantly.

"What's wrong, Xiao Na?"

With heavy breathing and a soft voice, Old Li gently asked Dong Na, his arm around her waist.

"I..."

Dong Na hesitated, but after a sudden pause, she began to struggle again.

It was at this moment that Lao Li's lips covered Dong Na's lips, a sudden yet expected kiss, that began...

There's been a lot going on, so updates have been a little slower, but the good thing is that the full version will be posted in the group, and everyone will be notified to check it out.

URL 1:http://localhost:909/htmlBlog/6896.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=6896&aspx=1

Previous Page : [Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Red (Complete) - 29

Next Page : [Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Red (Complete) - 31

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

[Urban] Campus Maple Leaves Red (Complete) - 30

comment Open a new window to view comments