Chapter 14 Reversal

At this moment, Mink stood up, picked up a can of beer, and shouted at all his classmates.

“Everyone, listen to me. It’s rare for the teacher to treat us to a meal. How about we all toast the teacher?”

“Yeah!”

Many students stood up, each raising their glasses.

Tang Yan also stood up with a smile, raised his glass, drank it all in one gulp, and then said.

“Sit down, everyone. You are all my students whom I’ve painstakingly taught for three years. To be honest, there’s no difference between you and my own children. However, all good things must come to an end. After the City Exam, everyone will go their separate ways, and we might never see each other again in this life. So, don’t be shy, eat as much as you want.”

However, as soon as Tang Yan said this, the originally lively atmosphere immediately turned cold, and the excited crowd lowered their heads.

Tang Yan looked at this scene, and his heart instantly felt cold.

It’s over, this meal was for nothing again.

So he quickly changed his tone and said.

“Cheer up, don’t be so dejected! Let’s talk about dreams. What are your dreams? Mink, you go first.”

When Mink saw the teacher asking him, he said very seriously.

“My dream is to get into Royal Courtyard Academy Outer School, join the military after graduation, and go to the front lines of the battlefield to achieve great deeds!”

“Good, applause!”

Tang Yan immediately led the applause.

“The class monitor can definitely do it!”

Everyone followed with applause, sincerely wishing him well.

“Thank you.”

Mink responded a little shyly.

At this time, Tang Yan immediately called out to Huang Mao and asked.

“Cheng Ran, what’s your dream?”

“Me? Actually, I don’t want to go to the front lines. I just want to spend a few years in the reserves after graduation, and then come back and open my own bar!”

Huang Mao scratched his head and said.

“Shhh~”

Everyone laughed and booed.

“What’s with the shushing? You all talk about your dreams too!”

Huang Mao said defiantly.

“What’s the point of discussing our dreams? Why don’t we ask what the teacher’s dream is?”

Chen Tong asked with a mischievous smile.

Everyone’s gaze also focused on Tang Yan, and then they followed with shouts.

“That’s right! Teacher, what’s your dream?!”

“Tell us.”

Su Ming also looked at Tang Yan with interest.

Tang Yan saw that everyone wanted to know, so he smiled and said.

“My dream is to gather thirty quotas and transfer to Oakga Academy in Rainy City.”

“Ah, Teacher, you want to transfer academies? Isn’t it good here?”

Mink and the others asked in confusion.

“It’s good here, but I still want to transfer. I can’t tell you the specific reason.”

Tang Yan replied with some emotion.

“There must be something fishy. Is there someone you like at that school?”

Everyone asked curiously, pressing for an answer.

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Although Tang Yan didn’t admit it, the smile on his face couldn’t be hidden.

“Teacher, you’re smiling so sweetly, it must be true. Tell us, who is she?”

Mink and the others asked very gossipy questions.

“Alright, I’ll satisfy you. She’s my classmate, and she teaches at that academy, so I want to transfer there.”

Tang Yan no longer hid it.

“So that’s it. But Teacher, you’re already so old, and you’ve taught here for so many years, yet we’ve never seen you interact. That means you probably haven’t seen each other in a long time. How can you be sure she’s not married yet, or doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

Chen Tong said with a mischievous smile.

When Tang Yan heard Chen Tong’s words, the smile on his face instantly froze, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water on him, and his mood plummeted to rock bottom. Now it was his turn to feel a little uncomfortable.

For a moment, the lively atmosphere turned a bit cold, but Tang Yan quickly adjusted his state and said with an awkward smile.

“I don’t know about that, after all, it’s a dream. Let’s not talk about these things, hurry up and eat more.”

“Okay.”

Mink and the others echoed.

On the other side, Su Ming sat alone in the corner, trying his best to stay away from them, suppressing his desire to eat meat.

He picked up a glass of plain water and took sips from time to time, thinking about Imperial Court Military Academy.

Su Ming had known before that this school was difficult to get into, but after Zhang Tai and the others mocked him, he had a more intuitive understanding of the difficulty involved.

At this moment, Tang Yan noticed Su Ming sitting alone in the corner, and looking at this out-of-place student, he sighed softly.

He walked over and sat beside Su Ming, speaking kindly.

“Su Ming.”

Su Ming came back to his senses and looked at Tang Yan in surprise.

“Teacher?”

“Why aren’t you with everyone? Are you still upset and feeling a bit down?”

Tang Yan asked with concern.

Su Ming looked at Tang Yan and thought back carefully. In his memory, this Teacher Tang Yan was really good to him, but he seemed to have misunderstood something.

But some things usually get worse the more you explain them, so Su Ming could only reply.

“No, not anymore.”

Tang Yan picked up a beer and took a sip, saying with some emotion and feeling touched.

“Su Ming, life is not always smooth sailing. You will always encounter many setbacks and regrets. We must learn to reconcile with ourselves, understand?”

Tang Yan originally wanted to encourage Su Ming to first try hard for the City Exam, and then pursue love. But as soon as he thought of the gap between him and Lin Chuyu, he decisively changed his words, lest his fragile little heart couldn’t take it later.

Su Ming thought for a moment, shook his head, and replied.

“Teacher, I know. But I’m still young, and my future is full of infinite possibilities. I can work hard to pursue everything I want, and I don’t need to reconcile with myself for now! Instead, Teacher, you need to hurry up. You seem quite old, and you don’t have much time left. If you delay too long and still haven’t transferred, you might really miss out.”

When Tang Yan heard Su Ming’s words, his heart felt as if it had been pierced by a sharp blade. He thought of his age, then of the pitiful three quotas he had, and the remote and uncertain transfer.

Suddenly, he felt terrible, and his mood plummeted to rock bottom.

Tang Yan immediately fell silent, silently pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one, and took deep drags.

Soon, one cigarette was finished, and he pulled out another to light, as if only this could alleviate the pain in his heart.

At this time, Su Ming, sitting beside him, watched Tang Yan smoke like this, sighed, and advised.

“Teacher, smoke less. Most girls really dislike smokers. It’s not good for you to smoke so much.”

When Tang Yan heard Su Ming’s words, he felt as if his heart had been stabbed again. So he stubbed out the cigarette in his hand, silently picked up a beer, can after can.

His face revealed unwillingness and sadness.

“Cough, Teacher, listen to me. Girls also don’t like heavy drinkers. Especially men who only drink to escape when they encounter problems.”

Su Ming reminded him helplessly.

When Tang Yan finished listening to Su Ming’s words, his heart was stabbed again. The grievances and unwillingness of these past years, stimulated by the alcohol, surged into his heart.

At this moment, his psychological defense line collapsed like a breached dam.

“Wuwu~”

Tang Yan instantly collapsed onto the table, crying bitterly.