What Should I Do If I Time-Traveled Forty Years Later and My Lover Has Become an Old Man? - MLFYL: 28

Yu Yao had been living in this world for months, and the solitude had become her norm—the house was rarely visited, and even the neighbors kept their distance.

The stillness was a double-edged sword, sometimes making her feel like just another face in the crowd, and at others, a stark reminder that she was a stranger in a strange land, a fetus who had traveled through forty years of time.

But the moment Jiang Zhonglin appeared, the reason behind her peaceful existence became crystal clear—it was all because of the gentleman standing before her. He knew the unease that came with her time-traveling, and so, he worked tirelessly to create an environment that would help her blend in, keeping the outside world at bay as she navigated this new reality.

That was until the third day after she had accidentally revealed her true identity in his class, and her home was suddenly filled with the sound of visitors. A group of five people, four men and one woman, all dressed to impress and bearing gifts, stood at her doorstep, their ages ranging from their thirties to fifties.

As it turned out, they were all students of Jiang Zhonglin, and they had clearly coordinated their visit.

As Yu Yao opened the door, she was taken aback by the strangers standing before her, their hands laden with presents. Before she could even ask who they were, they greeted her with a term that made her heart skip a beat—“teacher’s wife.”

Her response was a mixture of shock and awkwardness, as she forced a smile onto her face.

“Old Jiang, your students are here!” She called out, trying to compose herself, as she ushered the group into her home.

As Jiang Zhonglin emerged from the study, he was greeted by a stream of students filing in one after another, their faces a picture of curiosity. His expression shifted from surprise to subtle disapproval, as if he was beholding a wayward child who had just made a bold, independent decision.

The elderly gentleman at the forefront of the group let out a hearty chuckle, “It’s been far too long since the mistress has returned, and we’re only just coming to pay our respects—how rude of us.”

With a tinge of resignation, Jiang Zhonglin couldn’t help but invite them in, “Please, do come in and take a seat.”

The group of accomplished individuals, exuding an air of success, began to unwind, setting aside their gifts and settling into their seats.

Yu Yao, ever the gracious host, slipped into the kitchen to brew some tea for the guests.

Jiang Zhonglin followed closely behind, gently taking over the task from her and whispering, “They won’t be staying long.”

As she busied herself washing some fruit, she shot him a warm, reassuring smile, “Your students have come to visit—wouldn’t it be lovely if they stayed for a bit? A teacher shouldn’t be so quick to shoo people away—it’s just not polite, Mr. Jiang.”

With a playful flick of her wrist, she sent a few droplets of water dancing onto his furrowed brow, “Relax, I’m not fragile—I won’t shatter into a million pieces just because we have some guests. Why are you so on edge?”

Sometimes, Yu Yao couldn’t help but feel that Jiang Zhonglin treated her like a delicate, antique porcelain vase—one that was already cracked and would crumble at the slightest touch.

As they brought out the tea and fruit, a bunch of people jumped up to grab the offerings, “Hey, no need to be so formal, teacher—we’re just dropping by to check in since we haven’t been around in a while, and we wanted to see how you’re doing.”

But the more they tried to downplay it, the more it seemed like they were actually there to catch a glimpse of their teacher’s wife.

Yu Yao couldn’t help but think that these guys were totally checking her out.

Jiang Zhonglin led her over to the sofa, where he usually hung out, and she wasn’t surprised to notice that their visitors kept sneaking glances at her slightly rounded belly.

The cold weather had her bundled up in a loose sweater, which only made the bump more noticeable.

It was pretty clear that these older students were trying to play it cool, but they were secretly freaking out with excitement. When Jiang Zhonglin gave them the side-eye, they all put on their best “we’re not interested” faces.

She looked at them lined up in a row, and for some reason, she just couldn’t help but laugh—so she grabbed her water glass and tried to stifle her giggles.

Jiang Zhonglin started introducing the crew to her, “These are all my students—this guy’s Xu Xingming, the oldest of the bunch.”

Xu Xingming flashed Yu Yao a warm smile, coming across as super friendly and outgoing—the kind of person who’s always the life of the party.

“Haha, I’m afraid I’ve let the teacher down,” he said with a chuckle. “Despite the teacher’s best efforts to whip me into shape, I’m a bit of a lost cause. Nowadays, I’m just doing some mundane stuff at the Education Bureau.”

As Yu Yao glanced over, the man in his forties beside him flashed a sarcastic grin, “No need to be so humble, senior brother—if what you’re doing is no big deal, then the rest of us are basically nobodies.”

With that, he turned to her and introduced himself, “I’m Cheng Qian, a writer, by the way.”

Jiang Zhonglin didn’t feel the need to add anything, so the others took it upon themselves to introduce their backgrounds.

The sole woman, Luo Rong, was in her forties and a university professor, albeit from a neighboring province, not Hainan University. The guy sitting next to her, Guo Tong, was her husband, and they’d actually been classmates back in the day. Guo Tong worked as a photographer, capturing life’s precious moments. The youngest of the group, Liu Hanran, also happened to be a writer, likely with a plethora of stories to share.

“Don’t feel obligated to come all the way here, especially on weekdays when you’re all busy,” Jiang Zhonglin said, his tone gentle and considerate.

Xu Xingming, the oldest of the group, flashed a warm smile and chimed in, “I’m not busy at all, actually—I just happened to have some free time recently, so I thought, why not invite some of my junior sister and brothers to hang out?”

Meanwhile, Luo Rong seemed like she was bursting with curiosity, “Teacher, when’s your wife due to give birth? Her belly’s looking pretty big—have you guys decided on a hospital yet? I’ve got a younger sister who’s a doctor at the Provincial Hospital, and I’d be happy to put in a good word for you, if you’d like.”

As Guo Tong subtly nudged her with her hand, signaling she was rushing through the conversation, he swiftly chimed in, “I still need to congratulate our teacher—his wife is back, and they’ve had a child, so he’s finally found some relief after all his struggles.”

Jiang Zhonglin observed the discreet exchange of gestures and glances between them, then asked, “Didn’t you all already exchange congratulatory messages?”

Guo Tong promptly put on a facade of ‘how can I continue this conversation with the teacher interrupting me like this,’ and attempted to salvage his dignity, “What I mean is, I haven’t had the chance to congratulate our teacher in person yet.”

Yu Yao couldn’t help but burst out laughing, then quickly looked down, coughing softly to cover it up.

Jiang Zhonglin smiled and turned to the youngest student, who had noticeable dark circles under his eyes, “Hanran, I heard from Fang Qing that you’ve been preoccupied with repairing books lately—how did you manage to find time to join us here?”

Upon being addressed, Liu Hanran set his teacup down and replied, “Teacher, I’ve nearly finished organizing that book—Senior Brother Fang has also reviewed it and gave me some positive feedback, so I’ll show it to you again after I’ve revised the third edition.”

Jiang Zhonglin nodded, speaking in a gentle tone, “It’s great to see you’re calming down and making progress from before—I shared some of the book’s content with a few old friends, and they all thought it was impressive; you should keep polishing it.”

“It’s pretty clear that the teacher has a soft spot for the younger students, and the older ones are just being left in the dust,” Cheng Qian, who normally comes across as a bit full of himself, dropped this comment casually, but Yu Yao picked up on the underlying bitterness in his tone.

Jiang Zhonglin’s gaze lingered on Cheng Qian for a moment, and the smile that had been playing on his lips began to falter. A sharp glint appeared in his eyes, a rare sight.

“Let’s be real, I didn’t give your article the thumbs-up because it just wasn’t up to par,” he said, his voice low and measured. “Even if I had tried to push it through, it would’ve gotten shot down. Cheng Qian, you need to take a step back and compare your old work to what you’re producing now. See what’s missing, what you’ve lost over time.”

The words hung in the air, a challenge.

Cheng Qian’s face twisted into an awkward mix of embarrassment and reluctance.

Yu Yao wasn’t privy to the backstory behind the tension between Jiang Zhonglin and his student, but the solemn look on the teacher’s face and the uncomfortable silence that followed made her realize the atmosphere had turned stifling.

So, she decided to lighten the mood by plucking a large strawberry from the fruit platter and plopping it into Jiang Zhonglin’s hand.

He shot her a glance, but his expression softened, and he let the subject drop.

“Just go think about it, Cheng Qian,” he said gently.

Cheng Qian was visibly seething, but he didn’t dare push the issue.

He stood up, his movements stiff, and muttered a stiff apology, “Sorry, teacher, I’ve got something else I need to take care of, so I’ll take off.”

The anger simmering beneath his polite words was palpable as he beat a hasty retreat.

As soon as he was out of sight, Luo Rong let out a dramatic eye-roll, her disgust on full display, “Honestly, our senior brother Cheng Qian is a total arrogant know-it-all who never listens to the teacher—I think the teacher should totally rip into him. This time, he was dead set on tagging along with us, and for a second, I thought maybe he’d turned over a new leaf, but nope, same old story. I’m so over giving him the time of day.”

Jiang Zhonglin just shook his head, a look of exhausted disappointment etched on his face, “I’ve tried talking some sense into him twice already, but he’s still hell-bent on doing things his own way.”

Meanwhile, Yu Yao was quietly observing from the sidelines, trying to piece together what was going on, but she didn’t interrupt, just keeping her eyes fixed on Jiang Zhonglin. She’d never seen him like this before, and it was kinda…intriguing.

Noticing her gaze, he turned to her, his voice taking on a softer tone, “Hey, are you exhausted or something? Why don’t you head to the room and catch some sleep?”

She just shook her head, “I didn’t do anything, so what’s there to be tired about?”

Guo Tong, trying to be funny, chimed in, “Come on, teacher, you’re being way too protective of your wife—we’re here to see her, and we wanna get a good look so we can recognize her when we run into her outside.”

Jiang Zhonglin couldn’t help but chuckle, “Didn’t you just say you came to see me, your teacher?”

Guo Tong shot back, “Teacher, why do you always cut me off when I’m trying to talk?”

Luo Rong couldn’t help but rub it in, “You had it coming. The teacher’s had to put up with your crap for years, so who’s to blame but yourself for being the ultimate troublemaker back in the day?”

The vibe in the room had definitely improved. Before long, the few guests bid their farewells and took off, not lingering any longer.

As Jiang Zhonglin started clearing the teacups from the coffee table, Yu Yao reached out and pulled him back down into his seat. She swiftly lifted her leg and plopped it down on his, pinning him in place, then propped her chin up on her hand and gazed at him with an air of curiosity.

“Teacher Jiang, I’ve got to say, I didn’t see that side of you—the whole scolding students thing.”

With two empty teacups still clutched in his hands, Jiang Zhonglin was stuck, so he shot back, “I’m a teacher, it’s my job to call him out when he’s in the wrong. He used to be a lot more innocent, but I guess the temptations got to him and he lost his way. He’s just not the same as he used to be.”

Yu Yao let out a little “oh” and gently took the empty cup from his hand, “Teacher, you’re actually really hot when you’re all fierce and stuff. Can you do that again, just for me?”

“…”

…

For years, Jiang Zhonglin has been mentoring a multitude of students, all of whom have managed to stay in touch with one another. In the most vibrant online community, Luo Rong shared her experience of visiting the teacher and his wife earlier that day, drawing in a sizable audience.

“Senior Sister Luo is seriously impressive—she was well aware that the teacher preferred to keep his wife out of the spotlight, yet she still had the guts to show up. I wouldn’t have dared to do the same.”

Xu Xingming, not typically one to contribute to the group discussions, chimed in, “What gave her the courage to do that? The fact that they only felt comfortable going after I tagged along is pretty amusing.”

“Hey Boss Xu, don’t worry about it—you were part of the group, so the teacher shouldn’t be upset, right? How’s the teacher’s wife doing, by the way? Is the rumor about her pregnancy true?”

Guo Tong joined the conversation, his tone lighthearted, “Haha, I witnessed the teacher getting completely owned by his wife today—he almost lost his cool with Cheng Qian, but she shut him down by stuffing a strawberry into his mouth! It’s hilarious how some people have a fancy house to conceal their beauty, while our teacher uses his study for that purpose. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check it out for yourself. Anyway, with the teacher’s wife around, he’s unlikely to get angry.”

Just then, a user named ‘Jiang Zhonglin’ posted a message below Guo Tong’s, “You don’t need to come visit—my wife gets exhausted easily during her pregnancy, and it’s not ideal for her to be around too many people.”

The moment this ID popped up, the constant stream of enthusiastic messages that had been flooding the screen just seconds before came to an abrupt halt. An unsettling silence fell over the group, as if everyone’s connection had been severed all at once.

Guo Tong was the only one who spoke up, his voice laced with uncertainty, “Wait, is that really the teacher? I could’ve sworn the teacher wasn’t part of this group. Who is this, and what’s with the creepy ID change? You’re really something else, trying to freak out a senior like that.”

But before he could get any further, his junior Liu Hanran chimed in with a ridiculously innocent-looking emoji, only to throw his senior under the bus with a casual remark, “Dude, it’s Teacher Jiang—I just added him to the group.”

Just as quickly, a system prompt flashed on the screen: Guo Tong had hastily withdrawn one of his messages.

Jiang Zhonglin’s response was terse, but it sent a clear message, “I’ve already seen everything.”