Chapter 10: A Lesson in Humility

Back to the present.

Tang Yaqi looked so embarrassed that Liu Ya couldn’t take her eyes off her. Using the test paper as cover, she kept stealing glances, her feet fidgeting under the table.

Unfortunately, Yaqi wasn’t the type to give up easily. She had just promised Liu Ya she would work hard, and she didn’t want to seem useless.

Even knowing the answer was right there, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

They stayed like that for a long time. Liu Ya’s test paper was practically worn out from flipping, but Yaqi said nothing. Impatient, Liu Ya glanced up, and Yaqi happened to look up too. Their eyes met.

Yaqi froze for a moment, bit her lip, and looked away. That was enough for Liu Ya.

“Qi… Yaqi!”

“Ah… what’s wrong?”

“If you don’t turn in your homework tomorrow, the teacher will make you stand on the podium as punishment. You know that, right?”

“Huh? That… that serious?”

“Hmph. Let me be clear: I don’t want to see you up there on my second day of transfer.”

“Uh… I’ll… I’ll try!”

Yaqi pursed her lips tightly, frowned, and stared down at the papers.

Seeing that, Liu Ya’s last bit of patience evaporated. Her face darkened, clearly annoyed, her gaze sharp.

“Yaqi, you don’t know how to do any of it, do you!”

Yaqi froze, silent for a long time, then nodded weakly.

“Mm…”

“Sigh…”

Liu Ya let out a long breath. She finally saw what she wanted to see. Picking up her book, she moved to sit next to Yaqi, opened the book, and pushed it over, leaning in close.

“If you don’t know, why didn’t you come ask me? Why keep pretending?”

“I… I just promised to make up for it, but then I turned around and didn’t know anything…”

Liu Ya’s face reddened a little.

“…Oh. But… that’s not your fault, right? After all, you haven’t learned this stuff. And… if you’re willing to ask me… I’d be happy too…”

“Really?”

Seeing Yaqi perk up, Liu Ya realized she had let her feelings slip. Hurriedly, she explained, blushing.

“Don’t… don’t misunderstand! I’m teaching you for my own sake!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“If you don’t turn in homework, I’ll have to watch you do it and then grade it again. In short, it’s a lot of trouble!”

“Teaching you now makes things easier for me… got it?”

“Oh… okay…”

Yaqi looked disappointed, lowering her head. Liu Ya cleared her throat and whispered.

“Alright. Look at the problem.”

“Okay.”

Liu Ya’s explanations were clear and easy to understand. Yaqi listened intently, her motivation renewed. After a while, she finally produced a decent set of answers!

Yaqi happily looked at her work, celebrating internally. But just as she thought everything was going smoothly, Liu Ya got up and moved back to her seat.

“Huh? Liu Ya, why…”

“Mm? What?”

“I still don’t get this problem…”

Yaqi mumbled quietly, lowering her head. Liu Ya suppressed a laugh, covering her mouth as she yawned.

“Oh, I’m a bit sleepy. I’m going to take a nap.”

“I see… Can you wait a bit longer? I’m almost done…”

“Sure, take your time. I’ll wait.”

“Huh? But…”

Yaqi was stunned, eyes wide, staring at her. But Liu Ya didn’t care, leaning back in her chair and pretending to sleep.

Seeing Liu Ya about to sleep, Yaqi didn’t dare say anything more. She silently started working again. But less than a minute later, a pained sound came from her, like she was constipated.

Liu Ya sneaked a peek at her, let out a quiet “hmph,” and closed her eyes again.

[Yaqi, I don’t like your attitude. Do you know who’s teaching you? The most popular and top student in the whole school! You should be more humble.]

A seasoned hunter, Liu Ya knew Yaqi wouldn’t escape. She had already given her a taste of success, so she wasn’t worried Yaqi wouldn’t bite.

Things went as expected. Soon, Yaqi gave up struggling and called her softly. Liu Ya had planned to wait longer, but she couldn’t hold back either. She opened her eyes at the sound.

“Um… Liu Ya…”

Yaqi smiled sheepishly. Her voice was soft, like she was begging. But Liu Ya was prepared for that.

Liu Ya glanced at her, leaned back, crossed her arms, and stared.

“Yaqi, do you remember when I was in elementary school and you tutored me?”

“This… ahaha, which time?”

“Forgot? It’s okay. Let me remind you.”

“I was just about to beat a level in a game. You came over, pulled the plug, and dragged me to the desk.”

“And I was about to win when you pulled the plug!”

“Ah! I remember now! …Uh.”

Yaqi stopped mid-sentence, looked up at her, then bent down, hands between her legs, and whispered.

“Uh… sorry about that…”

[Oh no… I didn’t think Liu Ya would remember that. Now what…]

“Don’t apologize yet. I’m not done. The important part is later.”

“I was crying, but you didn’t care and started lecturing me. I got mad and threw your book, and you actually spanked me.”

“I… I only did that because you weren’t listening… just a light tap… I didn’t use force…” Yaqi hurriedly explained.

Liu Ya snorted and continued calmly.

“Don’t rush. The point is still coming.”

“You grabbed me and spanked me for a long time. I had no choice but to listen. But just when I started to pay attention, you stopped.”

“This…”

Liu Ya stared at her coldly, her eyes full of resentment.

“So, Yaqi, since you remember, tell me: what did you say afterward?”

“Um… I… I know…”

Yaqi murmured, her face red with guilt as she lowered her head. But Liu Ya wasn’t letting her off.

“Huh? You know? No, no, you don’t! Say it!”

Liu Ya raised her voice, sarcastic. Seeing no escape, Yaqi forced herself to speak through the embarrassment.

“St… studying is for yourself. If you want to learn, you have to humbly ask the teacher. Don’t be so arrogant.”

Liu Ya nodded in satisfaction.

“So now, Yaqi doesn’t know how to solve the problems. Am I right?”

“Yes…”

“So what should you say?”

“Um…”

Yaqi’s face flushed. She bit her lip, her big eyes sparkling, looking pitifully at Liu Ya.

“Liu Ya, teach me…”

“That’s how you say it? You don’t sound willing. I won’t force you like someone else did.”

Liu Ya started to get up. Yaqi quickly grabbed her clothes.

“No, no, no… Give me another chance!”

“Hmph! Then say it properly!”

“I don’t know how to do these problems… Liu Ya, teach me…”

“What did you make me call you back then?”

“…Teacher.”

“So what should you call me now?”

“Teacher…”

“Say it again!”

People always have to pay for their actions. At that moment, Yaqi understood this lesson well. Back then, she just wanted to show off, never expecting this day would come. Now that it was her turn, she realized how embarrassing it was.

Yaqi hunched over, looking at Liu Ya with pleading eyes, slowly closing her eyes, lowering her head, and mumbling.

“Teacher Liu Ya, I don’t know how to do these problems. Please teach me…”

“Hmph. That’s more like it.”

Liu Ya got up, walked over to sit beside Yaqi, and looked at her red, puffed cheek, her heart full of joy.

[Hmph, Yaqi, now you know how I felt! I had been grinding that game for days! And you made me lose all my progress!]

[I’m not even asking you to compensate me for my game data. If you had to pay, you couldn’t afford it. This is already a discount!]

Yaqi sneaked a glance at the smug Liu Ya and muttered.

“Cheapskate…”

Liu Ya immediately stood up. Yaqi quickly hugged her waist, pressing her face against her stomach.

“Ah, ah, ah! No, no, no! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Teacher Liu Ya, you’re magnanimous! Don’t mind me!”

“Hmph!”

Liu Ya glared at her, then slowly sat down.

After a while, Aunt Zhao came back. The moment she entered, she saw Yaqi staring intently at the test paper, her face almost touching the table. Beside her, Liu Ya was resting her head on her hand, watching Yaqi with a silly smile.

Hearing the door, Liu Ya looked up. Seeing Aunt Zhao at the door, her smile froze, her face turned red, and she looked away.

But Aunt Zhao was tactful. Seeing that Yaqi hadn’t noticed her return, she smiled at Liu Ya, made a “shush” gesture, then tiptoed back to her room and gently closed the door.

“Um… Liu Ya… Teacher. I still don’t get this problem. I followed your steps, but why is the answer different? …Liu Ya?”

“Huh? Wh… which problem? Let me see.”

“This one.”

Liu Ya looked at the problem Yaqi pointed to, checked the steps, and her face darkened. She turned to stare at her coldly.

Yaqi shuddered. She knew what that meant. In this short time, she had triggered this state several times. Swallowing nervously, she lowered her head, ready to accept punishment.

“Sigh… Yaqi, let me ask you!”

“Yes…”

Liu Ya pointed at the test paper and knocked hard.

“In the previous step, doesn’t it say ‘a’? Then where did ‘β’ come from in the next step? What does ‘β’ have to do with this problem?”

“Where… ah! I… I wrote it wrong.”

“How many times is this? In just half an hour, you’ve made this mistake four times! Are you asleep? Can you study or not?”

“Liu… Liu Ya, don’t be angry. I’ll fix it right away!”

Yaqi grabbed her pen and rewrote. Midway, she sneaked a resentful glance at Liu Ya.

[Is Liu Ya getting back at me? But I wasn’t that harsh back then. Or is it about the game? Now that I think about it, she did play that game for days… But…]

“It’s just a mistake. Is it that serious?”

Yaqi blurted out. Realizing, she quickly turned to look at Liu Ya and met her stern gaze.

Liu Ya said nothing. She turned around, pulled the textbook away from Yaqi, closed it, and stood up to leave.

Seeing she had messed up again, Yaqi grabbed her hand.

“Don’t, Liu Ya! I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“No. You’re right. I’m being too picky. Find someone else to teach you.”

As Liu Ya tried to leave, Yaqi couldn’t hold her back, so she hugged her directly.

“Sorry, Liu Ya! I just blurted it out. I didn’t mean it…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m too stupid? If I’m wrong, just punish me. Don’t be like this. If you won’t teach me, who will?”

Liu Ya pretended to shake her off, but Yaqi held on tight, which pleased Liu Ya. She sat down with a long sigh, pushed Yaqi away, and coldly stared at her.

Yaqi lowered her head weakly and apologized sincerely.

“I’m sorry, Liu Ya. I won’t say that again…”

“Fine! Since you’re sorry, stand up!”

Yaqi immediately stood up, not daring to delay.

“Stand over there and hold the desk.”

“Oh… okay.”

Yaqi obediently followed the instructions. Seeing this, Liu Ya smirked.

“What is Liu Ya doi… Eh!”

Liu Ya moved behind Yaqi in an instant. Yaqi flinched, tensed up, and was about to turn around when Liu Ya covered her eyes.

“Liu Ya! Wh… what are you doing?”

“Shh… don’t talk. Don’t turn around! Or I won’t teach you.”

“Um… okay.”

Liu Ya leaned close to Yaqi’s ear and whispered. Yaqi’s soft earlobe quickly turned red.

Yaqi didn’t dare move, obeying Liu Ya’s instructions. Liu Ya smiled in satisfaction and slowly stepped back.

“Mm… Liu Ya?”

“Ah!”

A somewhat muffled, crisp sound broke the silence. Yaqi jumped up and then quickly crouched down. She looked up, lips pressed tightly, face full of grievance, eyes watery.

Liu Ya laughed freely. Seeing Yaqi’s expression, she quickly covered her mouth but couldn’t hold back.

“Liu Ya!”

“You said it yourself: if you’re wrong, you get punished! We’re even now.”

“I didn’t hit that hard! It hurts…”

“Hmph. That’s revenge for my game data back then!”

Saying that, Liu Ya sat down as if nothing had happened. Leaning back, arms crossed, she looked down at Yaqi, still crouching.

“Come sit properly! If you make another mistake, I’ll spank you again.”

“Ah… I… I won’t make mistakes anymore…”

Her defiance was gone before it even started. Remembering her mistakes earlier, she didn’t dare talk back. She only hoped for mercy if there was a next time.

Yaqi obediently stood up, enduring the pain in her backside, gritting her teeth as she sat down slowly. She sneaked a glance at Liu Ya, then silently picked up her pen to correct her errors.

[It hurts… This is definitely revenge! Liu Ya is so mean! I only tapped her lightly back then, but she hit so hard…]

[But… Liu Ya smiled. That’s the first time I’ve seen her smile today.]

[She’s not really mad at me, right? That’s great! I have to work hard too. Since I said it, I can’t go back on my word.]

Yaqi lowered her head and couldn’t help but smile. Liu Ya, too, looked up at the white ceiling as if nothing had happened. But her trembling right hand and twitching lips suggested otherwise.

[Ah! It hurts so much! My hand! Oh, it hurts!]

[What the hell, I injured myself trying to hurt her! Her pajama pants looked thick, but they were so thin! My hand is numb. I shouldn’t have hit so hard.]

[No! I can’t think that way. It’s for my game data. I… I accept it. Damn it.]

The living room was silent, with not a word. But both were soothing their self-inflicted wounds.

After a while, Yaqi got into the groove, focusing on her problems. Liu Ya, satisfied that Yaqi was fine, picked up a novel she had brought and started reading.

Time slipped away, and before they knew it, it was late into the night.

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