C57 I Didn't Expect You to be like This Teacher Wu

Wu Suowei and Lee Xueshu exchanged challenging glances before each lifted their wine glasses and took a drink. Their drinking styles, however, were quite distinct.

Wu Suowei would first raise his glass to his nose, taking in the aroma of the wine, then slowly savor the taste in his mouth before swallowing. Lee Xueshu, in contrast, would down his wine in one go, relishing the sensation as it spread warmly through his belly.

Different methods, but the same conclusion: both agreed this was the finest wine they'd ever tasted.

"Hu," Wu Suowei exhaled, emerging from the wine's embrace with a complex look at Ye Yu. "To have tasted this wine in my lifetime... it's been worth it."

"Teacher Wu, if you're fond of it, I'll pour you a big bottle later!" Ye Yu offered, lifting the water bottle as a sign.

Wu Suowei shook his head, suspecting the wine was a rare find for Ye Yu and unlikely to be seen again. "A single sip is enough. How could I possibly ask for more?"

After reflecting on his filled wine glass, Wu Suowei sighed, "Old pal, you've struck it lucky today! I was regretting earlier, but now I know not drinking would've been the real regret!"

"To drink and sing is a joy seldom found in life!"

Lee Xueshu's voice broke through, as he too snapped out of his wine-induced reverie. He looked at Ye Yu and playfully chastised, "Ye Yu, you've really put me through it. After this wine, all others seem worthless!"

Lee Xueshu then turned to Ye Yu with a serious expression, "Ye Yu, you've really taught me a lesson today. Here I am, a principal, and yet I was deceived by appearances. You're right; it's not the exterior that matters, but what's inside."

Pointing to the water bottle in Ye Yu's hand and then to his own expensive wine, Lee Xueshu self-mockingly admitted, "My hundred-thousand-dollar bottle pales in comparison to yours!"

At a loss for words, Ye Yu could only agree silently. The one-dollar bottle of water and the hundred-thousand-dollar wine were beyond comparison; it all depended on one's perspective.

"Teachers, now that the wine is finished, may I take my leave?" Ye Yu asked Wu Suowei and Lee Xueshu.

"Wait!" Wu Suowei called out suddenly.

"Could you leave your empty water bottle behind?"

Though puzzled, Ye Yu complied, setting the bottle on the table before turning to leave.

As Ye Yu reached for the office door, he overheard Principal Lee Xueshu's quiet inquiry.

Seeing Ye Yu about to exit, Lee Xueshu doubted he would hear a whisper, so he raised his voice to ask Wu Suowei, "Wu Shi, why keep the empty bottle?"

Wu Suowei responded softly, "The wine was barely enough. The bottle still smells of it; a rinse with water, and we can enjoy another round."

Hearing this, Lee Xueshu was taken aback, staring at Wu Suowei in disbelief. "Wu Shi, do you really think that's necessary?"

Wu Suowei shot Lee Xueshu a look, "What do you know? To waste even a drop of such exquisite wine would be a sin!"

Lee Xueshu eyed Wu Suowei with a look of contempt, "I never pegged you for that type. Wu Shi, save some for me!"

Outside the door, Ye Yu abruptly shut it and was seized by a fit of coughing.

"Cough, cough."

He patted his chest, and it took a while for him to catch his breath. Gazing at the closed classroom door, he pictured Wu Suowei and Principal Lee Xueshu with their empty water bottles, pretending to swig from them as if they were savoring fine wine.

Shivering at the thought, Ye Yu beat a hasty retreat. The image was too splendid, utterly beyond his imagination!

Back in the Senior Year 1 classroom, Han Xue noticed Ye Yu's odd demeanor and asked with curiosity, "What took you so long? What did Teacher Wu say? And the wine—how was it?"

Ye Yu massaged his face, clearing his head of those images, and told Han Xue, "Teacher Wu called it an exquisite celestial brew!"

Han Xue's eyes went wide, her mouth agape in an adorable expression of surprise. "Such high praise? Teacher Wu is usually so tight-lipped about wine!"

"Oh, Han Xue, do you have any bottled water?" Ye Yu asked, turning to her.

Han Xue pulled a sealed bottle of water from her desk and handed it to Ye Yu. "Here you go, it's still unopened."

As Ye Yu accepted the water bottle, Han Xue's curiosity piqued. "What do you need the water for?"

Ye Yu produced the Night Glasses and gave them a shake, "To trade it for wine!"