The Mushroom Effect - ZhanYi

Chapter 15

Xiao Zhan pressed the button, and the elevator started descending from the tenth floor. He was about to say something to Wang Yibo when they were interrupted by an unexpected visitor.

"Xiao laoshi, surprise!" Song Li ran over and hooked his arm around Xiao Zhan's shoulder, accompanied by what he thought was a super cool wink. He said, "You must be impressed, right? I purposely set my alarm half an hour earlier. It's been two or three days apart, did you miss me?"

"Miss my ass, let go of me." Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and forcefully pushed his hand away, saying, "Can't you just become a regular employee tomorrow? I really don't want to see you for another day."

"Damn, Xiao laoshi, you're so heartless. You said you'd treat me to a meal before the vacation, and now you want me to scram?" Song Li complained with a stern expression. Xiao Zhan coughed and only then did Song Li notice Wang Yibo standing beside them. He immediately let go of Xiao Zhan, stood upright, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Yibo ge. It's all nonsense. I didn't notice you were here. Oh... Although it's been two days, happy belated birthday."

"Thank you" Wang Yibo couldn't stand Song Li's familiarity and his usual talkativeness. He didn't know how to respond, so after thinking for a moment, he said, "You don't have to call me 'ge', I'm younger than you."

"Ah, haha, I know, I know" Song Li forced a laugh and Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh as well, looking at him as if watching a joke.

Song Li didn't mind being teased, "Well, age doesn't matter. We Chinese pay attention to seniority. Although you're younger, your seniority is higher, right, Xiao laoshi?"

Xiao Zhan suppressed his laughter and didn't want to respond to him. Just then, the elevator arrived, and he reached out and pushed Song Li into the elevator, relieved. He said, "Cut the nonsense, you little brat. You're still so childish at your age. Yibo can't be bothered with you."

Wang Yibo was taken aback by what he heard. He wanted to say that he didn't ignore Song Li, but Song Li continued to joke without any concern. He said, "Who's at that age? I'm in my prime at 24. What's wrong with being childish? A man remains young until death. They should engrave 'Youth' on my tombstone."

"You're crazy." Xiao Zhan laughed and scolded him, not avoiding it. Then he turned to Wang Yibo and said, "From now on, let's avoid him when we see him. We don't want to play with a madman."

"Huh?" He was still surprised by Song Li's previous statement, and now he couldn't even understand what Xiao Zhan was saying.

It was unbelievable that Xiao Zhan would use such impolite words, even if it was just joking at home. Xiao Zhan had always been the most concerned about manners, being polite even to him, let alone others. But Song Li... During their last hot pot meal, Xiao Zhan had bantered with him in the same way—using coarse language but laughing, as if he was having a great time.

"We're flying to Lhasa today, a high-altitude route. Is it your first time going there?" Xiao Zhan asked.

"Yes"

"Did you do your homework before going back? I'll test you later, so be prepared"

"Of course, I did it. Can I be vague about it? Am I not valuing my life? Feel free to ask me confidently, and if I can't answer, I'll leave tomorrow" Song Li responded.

Xiao Zhan couldn't help but laugh at his remark. He cleared his throat and said, "It's better if you can't answer. I've been looking forward to you leaving for a long time."

Song Li was taken aback, then glared at Xiao Zhan. "Is this how a teacher should behave? You're constantly undermining students' confidence. If my grades drop, I'll blame you."