Mud beads

Liang Dong did not use that poem in his interview.

The company was located in Chang'an CBD. The office building was new, with floor indexes posted in the elevators, and licenses and project posters hanging on the wall behind the reception desk. The HR person was dressed casually but spoke with composure. They took him to meet the person in charge, who didn't ask him to perform any talents. Liang Dong stood in front of a small photo studio and had his front and side photos taken. They also measured his height and shoulder width, asked his age, and then asked if he could accept short-term training.

Yu Zhu later learned from him that the interview only lasted less than twenty minutes.

She was backstage in the small auditorium helping people organize props. Teacher Meng had borrowed two large cardboard boxes from the department office, filled with leftovers from the previous drama festival: a broken crown, a wooden cane with peeling paint, silver-gray gauze, and several mismatched sashes. As soon as the boxes were opened, dust rushed out, making several students cough. Yu Zhu squatted on the ground, separating the usable from the unusable, her fingertips covered in a thick layer of black ash.

When Liang Dong came in with the contract, she was sitting on an old drum behind the curtain, using a glue gun to stick the stars on the crown of Asteria.

The rehearsal was over, and only a few people were left in the small auditorium packing up the props. Liang Dong stood by the side door, a file folder tucked under his arm and a pink paper bag in his hand. His light gray T-shirt, damp from the sweltering heat outside, clung to his young body, emphasizing his beautiful curves.

Feng Jia saw him first, holding a safety pin in her hand, her eyes lighting up: "Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

Several people on the stage raised their heads.

Liang Dong felt a little awkward under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd. He instinctively reached up to touch his head, then realized he was carrying something. He raised his arm slightly, then lowered it again, offering a shy smile: "Hello, I'm looking for Yu Zhu..."

Upon hearing the sound, Yu Zhu stood up, lifted the curtain beside her, and waved to him: "Here."

Liang Dong breathed a sigh of relief, nodded to Feng Jia, and walked around the props on the ground to Yu Zhu's side.

Feng Jia didn't speak, but raised her chin at Yu Zhu with a meaningful smile on her face.

"You guys aren't done yet?" Liang Dong ran over to Yu Zhu and squatted down, handing her the pink paper bag he had been carrying the whole way. He lowered his voice and said, "I thought you were the only one here."

"What's this?" Yu Zhu took the paper bag and peeked inside. Inside were two boxes of exquisitely packaged cookies, one yellow and one green, seemingly two different flavors.

"I bought it downstairs at the office. I saw a lot of girls lining up." Liang Dong squatted next to her, head tilted back, a slightly proud smile on his face. "The last box of matcha flavor. Lucky you, right?"

"Thank you." Yu Zhu's ears burned a little. She put the paper bag behind her and shifted her bottom a bit towards the bulge. "You sit down. Squatting is tiring."

Liang Dong glanced at the drum beneath her; the drumhead wasn't large, and it was too cramped for two people to sit on.

He shook his head, shifted his weight to one leg, and said in a light tone, "It's okay, I'm not tired."

Yu Zhu didn't press him, but asked him to take out the contract so she could look at it. Liang Dong pulled the contract out of the folder; it was a thick little book, with a plastic-sealed cover and the company's logo prominently displayed: Yuanfan Interactive Entertainment.

Liang Dong looked up at her and whispered, "I've read the contract carefully, and the penalty for breach of contract is a bit high..."

Yu Zhu didn't speak, but opened the contract and began to read it word by word.

The company is reputable, with clear processes and attractive compensation. The downsides are equally clear: long contract terms, rigid exclusivity clauses, and hefty penalties for breach of contract. Liang Dong said the manager didn't try to appease him; they laid everything out clearly, and the contracts were standard – that's how it is in this industry. It's okay if he doesn't accept it, but opportunities don't wait for anyone; he was advised to think it over carefully.

Liang Dong also asked about the training, profit sharing, and filming schedule, and the other party patiently answered each question one by one. In the end, he didn't hesitate for long and signed the contract.

After reading the contract, Yu Zhu put it back in the document bag and kept it safe.

She had nothing to say. What's done is done, there's no going back. Aside from the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract, the other clauses were tactlessly sound.

Liang Dong wasn't confused; he was simply putting himself on a long, uncharted road, betting that he could make it out of it.

"Does Liang Xia know?" Yu Zhu asked again.

"I know." Liang Dong put away the folder and shrugged. "She lost her mind as soon as she saw the line about compensation."

Yu Zhu frowned, then smiled.

"When will the test shoot take place?"

"Next week, at the film and television base in the east."

"That far?"

"Okay." Liang Dong nodded. "I'll just follow orders."

The company packed Liang Dong's schedule very full. During the day, he trained in professional courses, including performance, physical training, singing, and dancing. After work, he would livestream until late at night to build up his popularity. His time was cut into pieces, each with sharp edges. Yu Zhu used to live like this, breaking her days down and stuffing them into her schedule, part-time jobs, commuting, and mealtimes. In the end, all that was left was the instinct to keep moving forward.

When Yu Zhu got home in the afternoon, she received a message from Mrs. Su.

The message was sent half an hour ago, asking if it would be convenient for her to come over tonight, saying that Su Yan had been very enthusiastic about studying these past two days and wanted to hear her continue her lectures.

Yu Zhu sat on a plastic stool at home, holding her phone and hesitating for a while.

She had no intention of going to the Su family again. The building was clean, and the family was very polite, but Yue Jianche had sat behind the screen in the Su family home. She didn't know if it was a coincidence that day, but she knew for sure that she didn't want to go into a place where he might see her again. Besides, Su Yan didn't need to catch up on his history.

After much hesitation, she finally agreed to Mrs. Su's request. She couldn't just disappear without a word, taking her child's hopes with her; she should at least say goodbye to Su Yan properly.

She's recently started reading *The Little Prince* again. Some relationships are very short, short enough for only two lessons. But once people build a bond, they are no longer just one of millions of strangers.

One should finish what one starts.

Moth

The second time Yu Zhu entered the residential compound, the security guard at the gate remembered her and greeted her with a smile: "Going to Minister Su's house?"

Yu Zhu nodded in agreement, but the security guard still made her make an internal call to confirm before letting her in.

The orchid plant by the third-floor entrance was still there, sprouting new branches and looking vibrant. The auntie smiled as she opened the door: "Teacher Yu, Yan Yan is waiting for you in her room."

Yu Zhu put on shoe covers, but didn't see Mrs. Su in the living room. There was a half-full glass of water on the coffee table, and two pediatric hospital examination reports scattered next to it. She glanced at them, didn't look closely, and quickly looked away.

Su Yan's door was open.

He sat at his desk, with a half-assembled Gundam model in front of him.

Yu Zhu didn't go in immediately; she stood at the door and knocked twice. When he turned around, she smiled and said, "Hello, Su Yan."

When Su Yan saw her, she put down the puzzle she was assembling, stood up, and said, "Hello, Teacher Yu."

Yu Zhu put down her bag: "Shall we talk about the Five Dynasties, Song, and Yuan periods today?"

Su Yan didn't speak, but nodded and made room for Yu Zhu at the desk.

He was so cooperative today.

When Yu Zhu talked about the rise and fall of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, he could seamlessly connect the Later Zhou Dynasty to Zhao Kuangyin. When discussing the Song Dynasty's emphasis on civil administration over military affairs, he could recount the story of "releasing military power over a cup of wine." She temporarily scrambled the timeline of the Liao, Song, Western Xia, Jin, and Yuan dynasties and asked him to rearrange it. He quickly finished writing, his answers neat and his handwriting legible. For a full forty minutes, he didn't use his phone, didn't lose focus, and didn't use cold silence to shut people out.

Yu Zhu felt increasingly uncomfortable.

She stopped writing: "Su Yan."

Su Yan looked up: "Where did I go wrong?"

"No," Yu Zhu said. "Everything is fine."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

Yu Zhu closed the handouts: "We don't need to keep talking about what you already know."

Su Yan looked at her.

"You can just tell me what you want to hear," Yu Zhu said softly. "Anything outside of textbooks, from books, or anything you're interested in."

Su Yan was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Don't you like this?"

Yu Zhu didn't respond immediately.

He glanced at the notebook, his tone flat and monotone: "Don't all the teachers like this?"

The air conditioner vents in the room hummed softly, and the cool air caused the edges of the paper to curl slightly.

Yu Zhu looked at the child's clean fingers. He had arranged everything neatly, politely, cooperatively, and with the correct answers. He gave the adults whatever they wanted, and after giving it to them, he would look up and ask if it was enough.

He is the one who guides this lesson.

"The teacher will like it," Yu Zhu sighed.

Su Yan looked up.

"But I don't want to just look at your answers." She paused, then repeated, "You don't have to keep satisfying me."

Su Yan stared at her for a long time. The already limited expression on her delicate face gradually faded, and even the politeness she had just feigned became even thinner.

"You don't want to teach me anymore," he said.

His tone was confident.

Yu Zhu gripped the edge of her handouts. Before coming, she had planned to finish the lesson, wrap things up with Su Yan, and then clarify things with Mrs. Su. But hearing these words from Su Yan's mouth made all the reasons she had prepared seem crude. Busy with schoolwork, busy with rehearsals, no time available—these were all just flimsy excuses.

"You're doing very well, you don't need me to tutor you," Yu Zhu said sincerely. "If you want to read any books in the future, you can ask Mrs. Su to send them to me, and I'll make a reading list for you."

Su Yan didn't speak, remained silent for a while, and then put down her pen.

The pen tip lingered on the paper for a few seconds, leaving a tiny ink dot. The black ink slowly spread, with fine bristles growing along the edges.

"I understand." He closed his notebook, stood up, and said, "That's all for today. Goodbye, Teacher Yu."

Yu Zhu remained seated.

He reverted to his initial cold politeness. The initial enthusiasm he displayed upon entering the house was completely withdrawn.

Yu Zhu thought for a moment, then lowered her head and put the lecture notes into her bag.

"Teacher Yu," he suddenly called out to her.

Yu Zhu raised her head.

"Your hair clip is pretty." Su Yan raised her hand and pointed to the back of her head. "Can I have it?"

Yu Zhu was stunned for a moment, then reached out to touch it.

Her hair had recently grown long and had a lot of stray hairs, so she used a small brown hair clip to hold it back. She bought that clip casually at a street stall for two yuan; she hadn't even looked at the style carefully.

She took off the hair clip and looked at it in her hand.

"This one?"

"Yes." Su Yan's eyelashes fluttered. "The color is beautiful."

Yu Zhu hesitated for a moment, then reached out and handed him the hair clip.

Moth

When Yu Zhu came out of her room, Mrs. Su was not in the living room. The housekeeper saw her to the door, saying that Mrs. Su would settle today's tuition fee online. Yu Zhu waved her hand.

"We didn't serve all the food today," she said. "It's okay."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Su Yan's bedroom.

"Please tell your wife that I won't be coming anymore." Yu Zhu slung her bag over her shoulder. "Su Yan is very smart; she doesn't need tutoring."

The aunt looked at her, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping herself.

Yu Zhu went downstairs, and the night wind blew in through the doorway, ruffling her loose hair that was no longer held in place by her hairpin. She glanced back at the third floor. The curtains of the Su family's house were drawn tightly, and the lights were on inside.

She looked away and walked out of the building entrance.

The next morning, after the Modern Chinese get out of class ended, our counselor, Ms. Shen, stood at the classroom door.

The students, carrying their books, walked out of the classroom and greeted her. Ms. Shen didn't respond; she held her phone tightly in her hand, her face stiff.

Seeing Yu Zhu come out, she called out, "Yu Zhu."

Yu Zhu paused, stopped, and nodded: "Teacher Shen."

Teacher Shen took a deep breath, turned into the corridor, and walked quickly: "Come with me."

Yu Zhu quickly followed.

Teacher Shen stopped at the door of the college office on the second floor. The door was ajar, and cold air leaked out from the crack. Yu Zhu walked to the door and first saw the deputy secretary of the college sitting behind his desk, with the department head and a middle-aged man she didn't recognize standing next to him. Further inside, Mrs. Su was sitting on the sofa.

Teacher Shen stood at the door and knocked: "Student Yu Zhu has arrived."

Before she could finish speaking, Mrs. Su suddenly stood up from the sofa.

"shameless!"

Before Yu Zhu could react, Mrs. Su had already rushed in front of her.

Snapped.

A crisp slap landed across her face. Yu Zhu was jolted to the side, her ear ringing, and half of her head went numb.

She watched as all the leaders and teachers in the office stood up at once, some blocking Mrs. Su's way, others standing in front of her.

Everyone's mouths were moving rapidly, but she couldn't hear anything.

Mrs. Su was stopped by the department head, her hand still outstretched, her fingertips trembling.

With her hearing restored somewhat, Yu Zhu was able to decipher Mrs. Su's words by reading her lip movements.

She said, "You're not fit to be a teacher!"