Chapter 77: After-School Revelations and New Challenges

At some point, Wu Bijuan’s voice drifted from outside the door. “It’s already been two hours, Xiaoduo. Do you want to continue?”

“Mom, there are still some things I haven’t quite understood,” Lin Duo called out through the door.

“Alright, alright, just keep asking. And young man, don’t worry, you’ll be paid for every hour; not a single cent will be short.”

Only after Wu Bijuan had gone downstairs did Yuan Dingchu glance at his wristwatch. “I didn’t realize time had flown by so quickly. I had originally only planned to teach for two hours.”

“Hey, you can’t just abandon me halfway through! That’s so irresponsible!” Lin Duo pouted, tugging playfully at his sleeve.

Yuan Dingchu affectionately ruffled Lin Duo’s hair. “Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. But I need to send Xiaoxi a message first to tell her I’ll be home late.”

“Hmm? Big Brother, are you two living together?” Lin Duo, ever perceptive, picked up on the underlying fact.

Yuan Dingchu nodded. “That’s right. It’s a small place off-campus, a one-bedroom apartment. It’s much smaller than your house, but the rent isn’t cheap. And Xiaoxi, being such a pretty girl, has considerable living expenses, which is why I’m still tutoring even as a senior intern.”

“Big Brother, is your internship busy? Won’t it be too tiring to tutor on weekends as well?” Lin Duo’s small face was etched with concern.

“A full-time job is quite demanding, but I’m still just an intern. My main task is to learn from and become familiar with the work alongside my senior colleagues, so I don’t have too much on my plate yet.”

“When will you become a full-time employee, Big Brother?”

“Once I get the tripartite agreement, I suppose? I feel like my boss and colleagues quite like me, so transitioning to full-time shouldn’t be an issue.” As he spoke, Yuan Dingchu’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why are you so interested in my personal affairs? Or is it that you still can’t let go of your admiration for me?”

“Pah! Absolutely not! You narcissistic maniac!”

“Alright, alright, I’m narcissistic,” Yuan Dingchu conceded. He rarely seemed to lose his temper, always maintaining a calm and composed demeanor. “But Xiaolin, you’ve truly blossomed into a captivating young woman. You’ve grown quite a bit taller recently, haven’t you?”

“Yep, I’m 1.64 meters now! And I feel like I can still grow taller!” Lin Duo proudly lifted her face. “Oh, Big Brother, how tall are you?”

Yuan Dingchu pondered for a moment. “I haven’t measured myself in a few years, but it should be the same, still 1.81 meters.”

“1.81… 1.64… that’s exactly a 17-centimeter difference…” Lin Duo softly calculated the subtraction, a sweet sensation suddenly blooming in her heart.

Of course, Yuan Dingchu had no idea what thoughts were swirling in Lin Duo’s young mind. He merely put on a slightly stern expression. “I am your teacher now, not here to chat with you. Let’s continue with our previous Q&A session!”

Ultimately, after teaching for over three hours, both of them felt a touch of weariness. It was then that they concluded the lesson, agreeing on a time for the following weekend.

****

After paying, Wu Bijuan watched Yuan Dingchu depart, then turned to Lin Duo. “You seem quite fond of this tutor. Is he the one you want to stick with?”

“Yes, he explains things exceptionally well, much clearer than the teachers in class!” Lin Duo gazed at Yuan Dingchu’s receding figure, a faint sense of wistfulness stirring within her.

Although it was only a little past four in the afternoon, Lin Duo had to take the bus back to school. Morning self-study began at seven the next day, and her adoptive parents worried if she left too late or too early.

The Yue couple stood together at the shop entrance, bidding their adopted daughter farewell.

Wu Bijuan thoughtfully took several red banknotes from the cash register and placed them in Lin Duo’s hand, offering a detailed string of advice. Only then did she reluctantly watch Lin Duo leave.

Of course, besides her studies, Lin Duo currently had another vexing matter on her mind: the school anniversary gala. Jiang Mengde from Class 6 was quite diligent; he had already confirmed the matter with the culture and arts representatives from the eight other classes in the first year of high school. However, Lin Duo’s own class still needed her personal investigation, didn’t it?

Thus, adhering to the principle of thoroughness, Lin Duo used the breaks between classes to confirm the artistic talents of every student in her class, offering words of encouragement. However, when she asked Fu Xueqin, the latter unexpectedly tried to pull Lin Duo into the fray. “Hey, Lin Duo, can you do Otaku Dance?”

“Otaku Dance? What’s that?” Lin Duo wasn’t very attuned to popular culture.

Fu Xueqin pulled out her phone and found a video. “See, it’s this kind of thing.”

After a quick look at the video, Lin Duo understood. “So that’s what it is! But I’ve never had any dance training, and the school anniversary is only a little over a month away. Can I really do it?”

“Why not just give it a try? My roommate and I both know a bit of Otaku Dance, but it’s too monotonous with just two people. Having you would make it so much better!”

“But my stamina has never been very good…”

Seeing Lin Duo still hesitate, Fu Xueqin decided to rally the crowd, deliberately raising her voice. “You’re the culture and arts representative! If you don’t take the lead in performing, how can the rest of us possibly have the courage?”

Several boys sitting behind Fu Xueqin, who had overheard the entire conversation, began to chime in. “The class beauty doing Otaku Dance? We’d absolutely love to see that!”

“Yeah, yeah! We especially want to see her in a stage costume!”

“Our esteemed culture and arts representative is a glory of the ‘beautiful legs’ community; she’s definitely suited for dancing!”

Faced with such fervent public demand, Lin Duo found herself unable to flat-out refuse. Fu Xueqin continued to entice her. “Just try it! It’s fine if it doesn’t work out!”

Lin Duo looked at Fu Xueqin, then at the beautiful girls in their elaborate dresses on her phone screen. Finally, her resolve wavered. “Alright… I’ll give it a try…”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Did The Sickly Beauty Get Some Candied Oranges Today?

ComedyDramaFantasy

Read Now →
Not interested