Chapter 13: My old enemy pinched my neck

“Evening study session? Don’t you have tutoring today?”

When Lin Huaixu was absent from the library had become an essential part of her weekly plan; she would never get it wrong.

“I’m not going anymore.”

Lin Huaixu picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of cod into his mouth, his posture nonchalant.

The quality of the cod was as mediocre as expected, but the taste was surprisingly delicate.

He figured it must be due to some added bonuses.

He hadn’t wanted to admit these bonuses before, because she wasn’t the only one who had noticed he liked to eat cod; Yuan Qing had known for a long time too.

But she was the only one who could turn his half-hour-old resolution into nonsense.

“Isn’t the winter break the peak time for tutoring… has your student graduated?”
Tong An’yu didn’t doubt Lin Huaixu’s ability; after all, this guy was so monstrous he had crammed for the college entrance exam in a single year and successfully gotten into T University, a living weapon of exam-oriented education.

What she was thinking was that this meant Lin Huaixu would have one less source of income.

She didn’t know how much money he had saved up from a semester of part-time work, or whether it could cover his monthly living expenses, only that when he took the down jacket that had wrapped the cat to be cleaned, he wore a windbreaker to school every day.

Wearing a windbreaker in such cold weather made her stuff her backpack full of medicine for colds, fevers, and coughs, just waiting for him to collapse so she could provide first aid.

Fortunately, he was healthy and well this time.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought of giving him things, but he definitely wouldn’t accept them.

“You could say that,” Lin Huaixu took another sip of his latte.

Caramel latte with cafeteria-grade cod, it couldn’t be a more bizarre combination. Only she could have come up with it.

In truth, it wasn’t that the student had graduated, but that he could no longer teach.

The tutoring fee was three hundred yuan per session, three times a week. The reason he chose this child, instead of the family in the west district who offered five hundred, was mainly because it was close to the school.

He wouldn’t calculate his time cost as a student; for him now, time was more precious than anything.

If he didn’t race against time, the precarious balance their four families had maintained after bankruptcy would fall apart.

Even blood brothers would fight over benefits, let alone friends. Lin De had caused them to go bankrupt along with him, and this debt would have to be repaid sooner or later.

The reason everyone was still holding back was only because they had a common enemy, and perhaps they were also thinking that if the enemy fell, Colin Interactive Entertainment might have a chance to rise again.

But to bring down the Si Corporation, which had been entrenched in Jing City for so long, was easier said than done.

He had considered everything, except for the fact that this student was a girl.

A girl still trapped in an environment where studying was above all else.

Faced with a good-looking male university student from T University as a tutor, she would naturally feel admiration.

At first, Lin Huaixu only received selfies from her, with filters and all sorts of stickers added. He thought she just wanted more compliments and didn’t think much of it.

Until Tuesday, when she handed him a pink envelope after class, sealed with wax stamped into the shape of a red heart.

This meant that this part-time job had basically come to an end.

He couldn’t teach a girl who had improper thoughts about him.

Lin Huaixu didn’t open it to read the girlish thoughts inside, but after accepting the three hundred yuan daily payment from her mother, he handed the envelope over.

The mother was stunned for a moment, then understood.

“Little Lin, thank you. Actually, I was worried about this from the start, but students from your T University are just so rare, I was hoping she would focus and learn more.”

“Auntie knows you’re very dedicated and responsible, always extending her tutoring time, and she’s willing to listen to you. To be honest, you’re a truly outstanding young man. If Little Qin were six years older, Auntie would definitely support it with both hands.”

“But now…”

Lin Huaixu smiled.

“I understand. It’s my exam week recently, so my schedule is also quite tight.”

The other party took out another three hundred yuan.

“This is from Auntie for you, take it. Study well during this time. When Little Qin needs tutoring again, Auntie will be the first to contact you.”

The politeness of adults could always make lies sound more humorous.

Lin Huaixu pushed the money back.

“No need, I’ll take what I’m owed.”

“Lin Huaixu, why don’t you teach me!”

Her lips were glistening from the latte.

Lin Huaixu came back to his senses, somewhat unable to follow her train of thought, unable to figure out how she had jumped to that sentence.

He was a freshman, she was a junior, and they weren’t even in the same major. What could he teach?

“You can teach me Python. TensorFlow and PyTorch both went open-source this year, and Python has suddenly become popular in China. I think it will replace Java and C in the future and become the first-choice language for domestic programmers. My family also suggested I learn it in my spare time.”

Actually, it was her dad’s suggestion. Si Zhan had a technical background and had always maintained a keen sense of the market.

Lin Huaixu sat up straight, re-evaluating Tong An’yu.

“You know quite a lot.”

“So will you teach me?” Tong An’yu leaned forward, her ribs pressing against the edge of the table.

Lin Huaixu also leaned forward. With a distance of about two lattes between them, his gaze was playful.

“Why don’t you ask if I know how?”

Tong An’yu couldn’t see through his slightly teasing expression, not knowing that his eyes had already given the answer. Instead, she said enthusiastically, “You definitely know how. I feel like you know everything.”

Lin Huaixu hadn’t expected her to say that. He paused for a moment, then finally, resignedly, pulled a USB drive from his pocket and tossed it to Tong An’yu.
“Installation package. Ask me if you don’t know what to check.”

Tong An’yu thought to herself, ‘Even someone as aloof as him, practically detached from the mortal world, likes to be flattered.’

Lin Huaixu did indeed know Python, and because he had studied near Silicon Valley, he had been exposed to this language much earlier than most programmers in China.

He might not be the best teacher, but he would probably be more attentive than others.

Tong An’yu grabbed the USB drive. It was still warm with Lin Huaixu’s body heat, probably from… his leg?

“Then what is Teacher Lin’s tutoring fee?”

Lin Huaixu shot her a look, then lowered his eyelids to concentrate on eating his fish. A few seconds later, he said, “You don’t need to pay.”

Tong An’yu was anxious. She really needed to learn Python, and she really hoped Lin Huaixu could increase his income because of it and treat himself better.

“Then wouldn’t I be both wasting your time and affecting your ability to make money?”

Lin Huaixu: “Mhm.”

But it didn’t matter.

Mhm?

What did ‘mhm’ mean?

He still said too little; it was impossible to guess his meaning.

Tong An’yu started to feel guilty again. If she hadn’t brought this up, at least she wouldn’t be wasting his time.

That night, on the fourth floor of the library, in a small corner of the humanities and social sciences section, two cups of hot lemon water sat side by side on a long, brown wooden desk, two little yellow ducks squatting on the lids.

Tong An’yu had wiped her laptop until it looked brand new, ensuring not a speck of dust was hidden in the screen or keyboard.

She had also deleted all the messy software and the photos and videos she had saved from her fangirling days. She always held a sense of reverence for tech gods and was worried that Lin Huaixu would see something that would affect his impression of her when he touched her computer.

Then she inserted Lin Huaixu’s USB drive and started looking for the installation package.

She searched with trepidation.

After all, it was a very personal item, and she was afraid of seeing something she shouldn’t.

But she soon discovered she had been overthinking it. It was filled with things to deal with school, all named “XX Statistics Form.” Other than that, there were some part-time jobs he had taken on, like revising application essays for people.

She was very discreet and didn’t open anything to peek. The installation package was the first item in the favorites folder. She clicked on it and downloaded it to her computer.

When Lin Huaixu arrived, she was studying what to check. She probably hadn’t been at it for long, so she hadn’t planned on asking for help.

Lin Huaixu walked over, placed his bag on the adjacent table, and leaned over from behind her. His fingers rested on the trackpad, taking control of her cursor.

This time he didn’t stand beside her with his arm in front of her face, but was positioned right behind her. One arm wrapped around to help her check “Add Python 3.x to PATH.”

He was very fast, finishing all the keystrokes in a few quick taps and completing the Python installation.

A brand new interface popped up. He then helped her choose an editor, his movements as smooth as flowing water, the rhythm as fast as playing the piano.

Tong An’yu could barely breathe.

Lin Huaixu hadn’t had time to take off his down jacket, which was hanging open, happening to envelop her inside. From certain angles, it looked as if she was being held in Lin Huaixu’s arms.

But she knew they were still a distance apart; she could only feel the body heat radiating from his sweater.

That scent of clear spring water became more profound. She should have been watching how he made his selections and why, but at this moment, she couldn’t think at all. She breathed cautiously, but her heart grew more and more audacious, thumping like a beaten gong.

“Have you taken a C language elective? If you’re not a beginner, I’ll install VSCode for you. It has a lot of plugins and it’s free.”
He lowered his head to ask her, only to see her ears were so red they were about to bleed. She was secretly fanning herself with her hand, her gaze having long since drifted off somewhere.

Lin Huaixu stopped his movements, tilted his head to look at her, then tapped the desktop with his index finger with a “thump.”

Startled, Tong An’yu straightened her back and immediately looked up at him.
“What?”

She opened her bright black eyes wide, her cheeks also flushed, looking at him with a bit of panic and bewilderment. Her slightly parted lips revealed neat little white teeth and a tense tongue.

‘Help,’ she thought, ‘he looks stunningly handsome from this angle too!’

Lin Huaixu’s eyes saw clearly, but his face showed nothing, as serious as when he was tutoring.

“Don’t look at me, look at the computer.”

“Oh.”

“Are you a complete beginner?”

“I guess so.”

“Then I’ll use Thonny for you, it’s simpler.”

Tong An’yu tried hard to focus her attention on what Thonny was. Just as she got a clear look, Lin Huaixu suddenly pushed aside her wrist and took the mouse.

Perhaps the trackpad wasn’t as comfortable as a mouse.

And so, Tong An’yu’s attention was drawn away again. Although the mouse was a bit small, it supported his palm well, allowing every knuckle to be fully displayed.

At this distance, she could even see the path of his veins.

Occasionally, when he needed to use the keyboard, he would lift his other hand to operate it, his arm unavoidably touching Tong An’yu’s shoulder.

So she shifted her gaze again, looking at the small mole on his left hand.

The mole was located slightly to the outside of the space between his fingers, like a drop of ink on white glaze. Tong An’yu couldn’t help but wonder if this spot would be more sensitive, and what his reaction would be if she kissed it.

And so she licked her lower lip.

Suddenly, that hand lifted, and in the next moment, the back of her neck was seized.

A dry palm pressed against her, fingers pinching her flushed skin neither too lightly nor too heavily.

“Tong An’yu, if you don’t study properly, you won’t get to kiss it in the future either.”

Huh?

Ah!

How did he know what she was thinking?
Were people without sensory dullness really this amazing?!

Tong An’yu’s back instantly stiffened into a concrete slab. She was like a crane caught stealing food in a human’s palm, even forgetting to flap her wings.

Although she was proactive in matters of love, it was her first time falling for someone. Being suddenly pinched by his fingers, she felt her brain short-circuit, with only waves of hot blood rushing upwards.

‘Think, you blockhead, think…’

‘Think of an excuse to argue…’

But before she could really think of an excuse, Lin Huaixu suddenly let out a light laugh, released his hand, and ruffled her hair before placing his hand back on the keyboard.

Not pressing down like the other day, but a very light ruffle.