The awkward situation was resolved like this.

  After css, Liu Hanxiang returned to her office, feeling somewhat grateful for him when she thought about the incident.

  That evening, she returned home alone, lying quietly on her bed, unexpectedly finding herself thinking about Lin Tianlong... At that moment, her phone received a text message, and when she opened it, she found it was from Lin Tianlong: "Teacher, you didn't bme me for how I handled things in css today, did you!?"

  Liu Hanxiang felt excited for some reason upon seeing the message, and she immediately replied: "No, but in the future, don't do that again. You're not a css monitor, and doing so may cause resentment among other students!"

  "I doubt it. Nobody in the css would dare resent me. Besides, if you want me to be the css monitor, I'll be the css monitor. That way, I can help you!"

  "Well, if you behave well, I'll consider it. Get some rest!"

  "Yes, I'll behave well, Teacher. I love you!"

  The st message seemed to have a bit too much content. Liu Hanxiang didn't reply, but for some reason, she felt uneasy. She couldn't face this tiresome little boy as calmly as she used to. Now, every time she talked to him, she felt nervous. She asked herself why, but she had no answer.

  A few days ter, their school was going to hold a basketball game, which was Lin Tianlong's strong suit. The css taught by Liu Hanxiang was formidable, and they could easily defeat other csses with his skills alone. Despite his average academic performance, he was truly outstanding on the basketball court, attracting the attention of all the girls in the school.

  This kid truly lived up to his reputation as a basketball prodigy. He excelled at shooting, dribbling, and rebounding. With excellent physical fitness, it was hard for most boys to defend against him. He could score with ease, often performing sm dunks that elicited continuous screams from the girls in the audience. All of this naturally caught the attention of his homeroom teacher, Liu Hanxiang. She had always liked basketball, and Lin Tianlong's performance fascinated her.

  During halftime of the championship game, a beautiful girl from another css brought Lin Tianlong drinks, wiped his sweat, and chatted with him. People nearby whispered that she might be Lin Tianlong's new girlfriend. Liu Hanxiang naturally noticed this detail. Perhaps she hadn't realized it herself, but she was mainly there to watch Lin Tianlong. He was indeed captivating on the basketball court.

  However, the appearance of this beautiful girl made her feel uneasy, and she became somewhat distracted while watching the game. Liu Hanxiang didn't understand why, but every time she saw the girl handing Lin Tianlong water, her heart seemed to ache. Throughout the entire game, she felt very uncomfortable, with a sour feeling filling her heart.

  In the end, their css easily won the championship, but Liu Hanxiang unintentionally didn't show the excitement typical of a teacher. She simply praised them briefly, then reminded them about the upcoming mid-term exams and abruptly ended her speech.

  Back at home, Liu Hanxiang couldn't shake off her gloomy mood. The image of that beautiful girl with Lin Tianlong lingered in her mind. At that moment, she realized she was behaving like a jealous little girl, though she hadn't realized she was already feeling jealous.

  Two weeks ter, the mid-term exams took pce. Although Lin Tianlong had been actively participating in English csses, he was still a below-average student, with a weak foundation. This time, his grades were even worse than before.

  After the grades were announced, Lin Tianlong took the initiative to find Liu Hanxiang and confessed, "Teacher, please don't be disappointed. This time, my grades are still not good, but I did it myself. Last time, I copied from someone else."

  Liu Hanxiang, upon hearing this, still encouraged him and advised him to continue working hard.

  At this point, Lin Tianlong unexpectedly made a request, "Teacher, could you give me some personal tutoring? I need help catching up on my English; I've missed too many csses. My mom suggested this, and she's happy to see my interest in English. She said you're a good teacher. Of course, I'm not asking you to tutor me for free!"

  "Well... I don't have the time. After work, I have to go home and take care of my children. Let me find another teacher for you," Liu Hanxiang replied.

  "No, I'll let you tutor me. I'm not interested in other teachers. If you don't tutor me, then forget it! But if my English grades are poor in the future, I'll bme you for life," Lin Tianlong said cheekily.

  "Well... alright, from now on, come to me every Wednesday evening after css!" Liu Hanxiang agreed, not knowing why.

  Wednesday evenings were when she supervised the evening self-study session. On that day, she usually stayed at school instead of going home, with about two hours between csses and evening self-study.

  "That's great! Thank you! I'll have my dad talk to you directly about the fees when the time comes, is that okay?"

  "Let's talk about that ter. For now, I want to see how you're doing with your studies!"

  "Okay, then I'll work hard! Bye!"

  Liu Hanxiang stood there in a daze. She didn't know why she agreed to tutor him, but deep down, she knew things wouldn't be as simple as just tutoring.

  Liu Hanxiang felt both scared and hopeful as the Wednesday approached. She now felt nervous about being alone with him, but since she had agreed, she had to give it a try. She was still deceiving herself, believing that nothing would happen between them. The tutoring session that evening went smoothly. Lin Tianlong listened attentively, and because there were always other teachers around the office during that time, there wasn't much awkwardness. The tutoring session ended quickly.

  "Teacher, I have something to tell you!"

  At this point, there was no one else in the office.

  "Um, go ahead!" Her heart started to beat faster.

  "This weekend, my dad invites your whole family to our farm for fruit picking!" Liang Rukang's Chinese media company has developed a farm in the outskirts of Yandu City, which also serves as an outdoor training base for the art training center.

  "Your family's farm?"

  "Yes, my dad bought several acres of nd in the suburbs a long time ago. Since it's a media company and also an outdoor base for the art training center, we built a farm to grow some vegetables and fruits for the students to pick and py with during shooting!"

  "Oh, never mind, Teacher won't go. Please convey my thanks to them!"

  "If you don't go, my dad will be upset. It's not far from here, and I'll come to pick you and your family up! You can bring as many people as you want! My dad is very sincere in thanking you." Lin Tianlong sounded a bit anxious.

  "Alright, let's talk about it this weekend then."

  Perhaps that weekend, Liu Hanxiang intentionally chose to go alone, not wanting friends or family to know about this person. Whether she deliberately sought trouble or simply didn't think too much about it, she indeed didn't inform anyone, including her husband who was on a business trip. With this decision, she might not have realized that she was embarking on an a road of no return...

  On Sunday morning, Liu Hanxiang got up early, standing in front of the mirror to groom and dress herself. First, she applied light makeup, then started trying on clothes. Finally, she chose a white tight-fitting long-sleeved shirt, paired with a red jacket, bck shorts, bck stockings, a white belt around her waist, and red-and-white Adidas sneakers.

  She arranged for her daughter Xiao Ya to stay with her parents, telling them she had to attend an event at school. She also lied to her colleagues and friends, canceling all appointments, citing family matters.

  The weather in Yandu City in October was crisp and pleasant, making today's weather exceptionally good.

  At 8 o'clock, Lin Tianlong called, saying, "I've been waiting at the entrance of the community for a while, afraid of disturbing your rest."

  Liu Hanxiang went downstairs to the entrance of the community, where a silver BMW X6 was parked by the roadside.

  Lin Tianlong stood by the car, visibly brightening up when he saw her. "Teacher, you look really beautiful today!"

  She smiled shyly and asked, "Are you the only one coming to pick me up?"

  "Yeah, get in the car!" Lin Tianlong said, opening the car door.

  Liu Hanxiang hesitated for a moment but eventually sat in the passenger seat.

  "Did you drive here yourself?"

  "Yeah, don't you trust me?"

  "Aren't you underage? How can you drive by yourself?"

  "Well, this is my dad's car. I've been driving since I was 12. Now I'm an experienced driver. Just rex and enjoy the ride!" Lin Tianlong said proudly.

  "It's better if you don't drive. It's illegal," the teacher said, always fond of giving lectures.

  "Why are you the only one here? What about your family?"

  "Oh, my husband is on a business trip, and my child is too young to bring along. So, I decided to come by myself. Is that okay?"

  "Of course, it's fine!"

  Lin Tianlong said excitedly that the atmosphere along the way was somewhat awkward, but he turned the music up louder. The two of them exchanged sporadic conversation. It was the first time Liu Hanxiang had ridden in such a nice car. The car sped through the road to a remote suburb, and after more than an hour, they arrived at their destination.

  It was indeed a rge farm, with greenhouses as far as the eye could see. Lin Tianlong's father had something come up unexpectedly and couldn't make it. His mother, undergoing surgery, also couldn't attend. Liu Hanxiang only knew that Lin Tianlong's mother seemed to be a chief physician at the First People's Hospital of Yan City.

  However, his father specially arranged for the office director, a woman named Yang Meizhen, to rush over and warmly welcome Liu Hanxiang together with the farm director, Luo Longji. Then, Lin Tianlong and several farmers accompanied them to pick fruits for the morning. Liu Hanxiang remembered clearly that it was the season when the fruits were ripe and falling. They had a bountiful harvest in the morning, but Liu Hanxiang barely lifted a finger; it was mainly the several farmers and Lin Tianlong who helped with the picking.

  At noon, a lunch was arranged in the guest rooms of the farm, mostly consisting of natural and green foods, including mountain delicacies and wild vegetables, which were quite abundant. During the meal, there were inevitably many polite remarks, such as entrusting the children to her care and expressing gratitude for her efforts.

  After lunch, Yang Meizhen deliberately took out a bulging envelope that had been prepared in advance, saying it was a token of appreciation from Lin Tianlong's father. However, Liu Hanxiang promptly refused it on the spot; she had principles in this regard. After some mutual insistence, Yang Meizhen finally relented, realizing it was futile to push further.

  Following a short stay after lunch, Liu Hanxiang suggested it was getting te and they should head back. Yang Meizhen, having completed the task assigned by the boss, didn't insist on her staying longer. She instructed the driver to take Ms. Liu home. However, Lin Tianlong insisted on personally escorting her home. Yang Meizhen didn't think much of it and dared not defy the young master's wishes. They bid farewell with a handshake.

  Just as they left the farm, Lin Tianlong mentioned that there was a mountain on the way back where the leaves were now all red, resembling Beijing's Fragrant Hills. He suggested they go take a look. Liu Hanxiang hesitated for a moment but eventually agreed. This was the decision she ter couldn't forgive herself for. At the time, it seemed like everything was happening between her conscious and subconscious mind. If she had refused, perhaps none of the subsequent events would have occurred. But she went along with it.

  Soon, the car arrived at the foot of the mountain. Here, it was wild and deserted, far from the bustling city. The tranquility here was unlike anything found in Yan Du City. The red leaves covering the mountain gave the ndscape a unique charm. As the autumn wind brushed through, the leaves rustled softly. The sunlight in autumn was pure and untainted, casting a golden hue over the wilderness. The mountains connected one after another, adorned with vibrant red and golden leaves. This mesmerizing scenery captivated Liu Hanxiang, who hadn't been out for leisure like this in a long time.