By noon, I sat on the flowerbed in the playground, watching my classmates having fun on the field. Yet I rarely joined them.
My mind kept replaying Teacher An's appearance in class today, blending her image at the lectern with scenes from yesterday's video. It was truly irresistible.
My home was far from school, and I wasn't much for sports, so I rarely went home for lunch. Most of the time, I'd just sit on the playground or in the classrooms.
"Thump..." Just as I was deep in thought, someone tapped my shoulder. Startled out of my reverie, my heart began pounding wildly.
"What's on your mind, bro? You're so spaced out..." At that moment, Da Guo's voice rang in my ear.
"Could you please stop startling me like that..." I patted my chest, speaking with a hint of irritation.
"See? See? You must've been thinking about something bad. Look at you now, all flustered like you got caught doing something wrong..." Da Guo flashed a mischievous grin before plopping down beside me.
Back in the day, Da Guo always spent his lunchtime on the basketball court. Lately, though, he'd suddenly changed his ways and started coming to find me every noon.
"Why ditch ball to come find me?" I asked, feigning ignorance, eager to see him squirm.
"Wanna know how last night felt? Did it blow your mind?" Da Guo winked cheekily, grinning like a fox.
"I'm not like you..." Caught off guard, I turned my head abruptly.
"Look at you—avoiding eye contact and sounding so unsure..." Da Guo pointed a finger at me.
"Spit it out already..." I snapped impatiently, my cheeks burning despite my usual thick skin.
"Nothing... just wanted to chat..." Da Guo glanced toward the playground with me, then continued casually.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to ask your opinion on..." After a pause, Da Guo finally brought it up—so he really did have business with me.
"What is it?" My curiosity piqued. Could it be about my mom?
"Starting soon... I might come over to your place for lunch..." Da Guo paused, sounding a bit awkward. As he spoke, he kept glancing at the court. Even someone as thick-skinned as him could get embarrassed sometimes.
"What do you mean?" I asked, completely confused. Going to my house? I wouldn't be home. What would he be doing there?
"I talked to your mom yesterday. I told her I could help out with chores around the house when I have free time." " Da Guo scratched his head as he explained.
"And... you don't want what happened yesterday to happen again, right? So I volunteered yesterday that when I have free time, I'll come to your place at noon to check on her, help with whatever I can, and keep an eye on Auntie's condition. If something like yesterday happens again and no one notices, wouldn't that be even worse?" After speaking, Da Guo's breathing became slightly uneven—he was clearly still quite nervous. The situation he described had crossed my mind yesterday too, and I'd been pondering how to resolve it.
At first, I thought about having Mom call me every noon to check in. But what if something really happened to her? Would I even make it home in time?
Besides, Mom gets swamped with work sometimes. She might not even hear her phone ring. What if she misses my call? That could lead to a real mix-up.
"At first, Auntie wasn't on board either," Da Guo continued. "But I told her I'm a sports scholarship student. Cycling back and forth is fast—it's like exercise. Anyway, I play ball at noon anyway, so it's all the same..." He fell silent after that, seemingly waiting for my response.
"Did my mom agree?" I asked curiously. If she did, it would mean something different.
"No, she didn't..." Da Guo blurted out. I felt a pang of discouragement and a hint of disappointment.
"But she didn't say no either..." he added. True—even if he went at noon, Mom wouldn't kick him out.
"You're that confident?" I couldn't help asking. I really admired Daguo's thick-skinned persistence.
"That's just how women think... Don't underestimate me just because I'm young and inexperienced with romance. I understand women. Your mom has raised you all by herself. Honestly, you have no idea how much she's sacrificed and endured behind the scenes. But yesterday, I saved your mom and gave her care and affection. She must have felt that sense of dependence and security she hasn't felt in a long time. I believe I've made a much deeper impression on her now. Maybe for a moment, she thought, 'How wonderful it would be to have a strong man like me at home...'" Da Guo said confidently.
"That's where your confidence comes from? Aren't you afraid you're just imagining things?" I couldn't help but interject, completely disagreeing with Da Guo's perspective.
"Let me explain. Yesterday while you were studying, I talked with your aunt. I saw the helplessness and exhaustion in her eyes. Even when she spoke to me, her gaze was different. At the very least, she clearly admires me now..." Da Guo paused briefly before continuing.
"Whatever... Fine by me. Yesterday I was worried about Mom being home alone. What if something happened? I was even thinking about coming home for lunch from now on..." I used this excuse to tacitly approve his plan.
"You agree? Great..." Hearing my response, Daguo rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"You're clearly up to no good..." I said, somewhat speechless. Still, I was quite satisfied that Da Guo had come to ask my opinion.
We had over two hours after school ended at noon. Cycling there and back would take about forty minutes—maybe less for Da Guo.
The main reason I didn't go home at noon was sheer laziness. Mom also disliked me making the trip back and forth. She preferred I rest at school during lunch rather than cycle.
As for Da Guo not going home at noon, it was because no one was there to cook for him. After all, during lunch break, Teacher An ate in the school cafeteria and then rested in her office, leaving Da Guo with nothing to do.
"Killing two birds with one stone, killing two birds with one stone..." Da Guo flashed a slightly awkward smile before quickly adding.
"You know my mom sells adult products. Do you think she'd let you into the warehouse? How exactly would you help her?" I asked, feeling a bit puzzled.
"Auntie keeps a closer eye on me than she does on you. Maybe she thinks I have better self-control or understand more than you do, so she doesn't need to be as strict with me? After all, when it comes to these matters, as an outsider, I might make Auntie feel less awkward than you would..." Da Guo pondered for a moment before explaining.
"Besides, Auntie might not even let me into the warehouse. I could just help her with shipping or do some physical labor?" Da Guo added uncertainly.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it..." he sighed.
Seeing his persistent, shameless nature, I couldn't help but think something might actually happen.
"You promised me—don't hurt my mom..." I couldn't help warning Daguo. What if this kid got carried away, took advantage of being alone with her, and forced himself on her? If she refused and he raped her, Mom would be utterly devastated.
Though I'd agreed to our mutual "Green Mother" plan, it was on the condition that Mom remained unharmed. I only hoped she'd find joy and comfort in the process, not pain or sorrow.
"Of course..." Da Guo patted his chest in assurance.
The next day at noon, after finishing my studies, I walked as usual to the flowerbed on the playground and sat down.
But a long time passed, and I didn't see Da Guo appear. There was no sign of him on the court either.
He should have finished lunch by now. He definitely wouldn't be studying voluntarily in class. Where could that kid have gone?
Suddenly, I remembered what I said yesterday. Could it be that I just agreed yesterday, and today he went straight to my house?
I fumbled with my phone, tempted to call the kid. But after a moment's hesitation, I held back. What if I alerted him?
The thought of Da Guo possibly being at my house—alone with just my mom—made my breathing catch. For some reason, I felt an urgent need to go home and check...
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