Chapter 38: Tutoring or Something More?

Liu Ya’s teaching methods could only be described as Spartan. In recent days, she wouldn’t let Yaqi out of her sight for a single moment, except to use the bathroom. If Yaqi wanted to do anything else, she had to ask for permission.

At home, they initially studied at the dining table in the living room. But since Aunt Zhao was also there, Yaqi acted as though she had a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Every time she made a mistake, she’d shoot Aunt Zhao a pitiful, helpless look, and Aunt Zhao would smooth things over.

Liu Ya saw through her tricks. Once or twice, she could tolerate it. But as the saying goes, give an inch and they’ll take a mile.

After getting a taste of success, Yaqi stopped turning to Aunt Zhao when she messed up. Instead, she’d grin at Liu Ya with blatant provocation. Only when she sensed trouble did she run back to Aunt Zhao’s side to play nice.

Liu Ya was so furious her teeth itched. Unable to bear it any longer, she grabbed Yaqi and dragged her back to her room, locked the door, and cut off her escape.

Yaqi realized she’d pushed it too far. As she was being hauled away, she begged Aunt Zhao for help, but Aunt Zhao just gave a helpless smile and silently turned to watch TV.

Before long, pained cries drifted down from the second floor. Aunt Zhao smiled faintly, pretending not to hear, silently marveling at Liu Ya’s strictness.

This brutal study schedule continued at school, too. Whenever she had free time, Liu Ya kept watch over Yaqi, not letting her go anywhere. Whether it was meals or bathroom breaks, Liu Ya accompanied her, leaving no chance to slack off. If the student council had business, Liu Ya dragged Yaqi along as well.

Mengmeng and Gongyu had no chance to have lunch or chat with Yaqi. Yaqi could only sneak a few words with them on her phone when Liu Ya wasn’t looking.

She had completely lost track of how many days this had been going on. All she felt was that she was spinning like a top, never stopping.

Wednesday at noon, Liu Ya was suddenly called to the teacher’s office. Yaqi finally had a moment to rest. She flopped her head onto the desk, lazily rubbing her cheek against her arm.

“Ah… Oh my god…”

Just then, a chocolate bar landed with a *thud* in front of her.

“Huh?”

Yaqi blinked. Looking closer, it was quite large, about the size of a palm, with fancy packaging.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Ah, Gongyu.”

“Hey.”

Yaqi sat up straight and smoothed her hair.

“Here. Have a chocolate. When I don’t feel like eating, I have one of these. I really like this brand. It’s delicious. See what you think.”

“Ah, thanks!”

Grinning, Yaqi picked up the chocolate, tore open the wrapper, and took a big bite. A blissful smile spread across her face.

Gongyu found it amusing. She pulled out the chair in front of Yaqi’s desk, sat down, and quietly watched her.

“Mm! It’s good! Strong vanilla flavor! And raspberry jam filling!”

“Raspberry… Vanilla? Oh, so that’s vanilla. I didn’t know. That explains why it tastes different from regular chocolate.”

“You didn’t know, Gongyu?”

Yaqi took another bite.

“Yeah. I’m not big on sweets. I only have one when I skip lunch.”

“Mengmeng gave them to me, actually. She likes them.”

“Ah, right! Mengmeng seems like someone who knows her food. Hehe.”

“Heh, true!”

Gongyu smiled, watching Yaqi focus on her snack. Her delicate eyes curved slightly. Even though she wasn’t the one eating, she felt a strange sweetness.

“And you even know what flavor the jam is. I just knew there was some kind of jam inside. Looks like you’re a foodie too, huh?”

“Hehe. Just a little.”

Gongyu watched contentedly until Yaqi finished. Then she straightened up and asked, “So, did you get on Liu Ya’s bad side? I’ve noticed she’s been watching you lately, never leaving your side. I couldn’t even get a chance to talk to you.”

“Sigh… Liu Ya’s been tutoring me recently. There’s that test coming up, and my grades are really bad.”

“But you’re the one taking the test. What’s it to her?”

“Oh, Liu Ya’s just looking out for me.”

Gongyu suddenly thought of something and chuckled lightly.

“Hmph, I doubt it.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Let me ask you something. If I were at my lowest, and someone reached out to me unconditionally, giving me everything I needed, what would you think that person is?”

“Well… that’s like a savior in a TV drama!”

“Uh-huh.”

Gongyu didn’t say anything, just gave her a meaningful look.

Yaqi blinked blankly, then caught on. She smiled helplessly.

“Oh, Gongyu~”

Gongyu continued seriously, “She’s keeping you close now so you won’t be able to leave her later. Hmph, same old trick!”

“Don’t think that way, Gongyu. Liu Ya doesn’t have that many schemes. She’s really helping me.”

“And besides…” Yaqi scratched her cheek awkwardly, embarrassed to admit she had once pretended to be a little teacher herself. If Liu Ya had any ulterior motive, it was probably just revenge.

“Besides what?”

“No… nothing. Ahaha…”

“…Want to do an experiment?”

“Huh? What experiment?”

Gongyu pulled her chair closer and leaned in.

“From now on, I’ll teach you.”

“You mean study?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you?”

“Hmph. Why not?”

“I’m… not as good as Liu Ya, but I’m still in the top 50 of our grade. I can help you…” Gongyu wanted to sound confident, but her actual skill fell short. Her voice grew softer, and her eyes turned a little pleading.

“No, no. But… would it be too much trouble? Hehe…” Yaqi rocked back and forth in her seat, grinning.

Gongyu sighed in relief and smiled slightly.

“Heh. Really… what trouble? So, it’s settled?”

“Yeah! But what does this have to do with the experiment?”

“Of course it does. It’s directly related!”

“How?”

“Yaqi, you said Liu Ya was helping you for your own good, right? So, as long as your grades improve, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it doesn’t have to be Liu Ya teaching you, does it?”

“Well… that’s true. I actually feel a bit bad for always troubling her.”

(Truthfully: I really don’t want her to teach me anymore! It’s too scary! And I’m not a kid, but she keeps spanking me… So embarrassing!)

(And Liu Ya’s been busy lately, preparing problems and books for me. As soon as she gets in bed, I hear her snoring lightly. If I can study on my own, it’ll lighten her load, right?)

“See? So this is perfect. I’ll teach you, and we’ll see how Liu Ya reacts.”

“React to what?”

“If she truly cares about you, nothing will happen. But if she has ulterior motives, she’ll probably get anxious.”

Yaqi waved her hand dismissively, looking unconcerned.

“Oh, Liu Ya really means well! Nothing bad will happen.”

“Hmph, you can’t be sure.” Gongyu muttered, a little defiantly.

Yaqi twirled her hair and smiled gently. “But… fine. Let’s do what you say. This might clear up the misunderstanding between you two!”

“You’re still saying that? Ah, forget it. Let’s see the result.”

“Mm.” Yaqi nodded, her face showing no displeasure or worry. She was like an innocent little angel, trusting everyone equally.

Seeing this, Gongyu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She gripped the back of her chair and tapped it lightly. Her eyes glanced at Yaqi, then darted away.

“Then… if you don’t understand something, come ask me. Don’t be shy.”

“Hehe, I won’t!”

“Heh. Yeah!”

They smiled at each other. Checking the time, they realized it was too late to grab lunch. So Gongyu went back to her seat to grab some snacks. Yaqi pulled out her textbooks, and they nibbled while she asked a few questions.

On the other side:

Liu Ya had just finished her errands at the teacher’s office and was heading back to the classroom when she ran into Qu Lin by the vending machine on the first floor. Qu Lin called out to her.

“Hey! Over here!”

“Huh? Didn’t you go eat?” Liu Ya walked over. Qu Lin slipped another bill into the machine and bought a can of coffee.

“Oh, I just came back from the drama club. We were finalizing the new play. It’s already this late, and I don’t feel like eating.”

“I see.”

“Here.” Qu Lin bent down, grabbed the coffee, and handed it to Liu Ya.

Liu Ya took it. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

Liu Ya stared at the coffee in her hand for a moment, then turned to leave. Qu Lin quickly grabbed her.

“Hey hey, what’s the rush? Hang out with me for a bit! You’ve been so busy lately. I haven’t had a chance to chat with you!”

“Have I?”

Qu Lin gave her a dissatisfied look. She pulled Liu Ya to a shady spot under a tree, twisted open her water bottle, and took a long drink.

The cool water flowed through her mouth, down her throat, and into her stomach. Her heated body instantly cooled down. She shook her head, let out a satisfied sigh, and looked up.

“Ah! So good!”

“Haha…”

“Not drinking? It’s iced.”

“Ah, I’ll pass today.”

“Oh… okay. Want me to get you something else?”

“No, no. It’ll warm up soon enough.”

“Suit yourself.”

Qu Lin looked Liu Ya up and down. Liu Ya seemed distracted, absentmindedly fiddling with the coffee can.

“Liu Ya, have you been sticking too close to Tang Yaqi lately?”

“Huh? Have I?”

“Yeah. You have.”

“I… I’m helping her with her studies. The test is coming up, you know.”

“I can see that. But… haven’t you noticed the tense atmosphere in class lately?”

“Well…” Liu Ya thought back.

(Come to think of it, I have been getting stared at a lot in class lately. Probably people think there’s something between me and Sister Qiqi? Hehe…)

(But on the surface, I’m just tutoring her. Even if they suspect something, it’s just suspicion. It won’t become gossip or hurt Sister Qiqi.)

(Oh, I have to admit, this move of mine was brilliant! Sister Qiqi is just too cute, from her very first day as a transfer student, she made such an impression. I don’t want anyone else getting a chance. Staking my claim isn’t a problem, right?)

(But lately, when Sister Qiqi and I eat together, I feel like someone’s following us… Is it just my imagination?)

Liu Ya was lost in thought. Qu Lin nudged her with her water bottle.

“Liu Ya, you’re not unaware of how popular you are in class, are you? Doing this is really…” Qu Lin sighed helplessly.

“Oh, it’s not that dramatic!” Liu Ya tried to sound modest, but the corners of her mouth were clearly lifting.

Qu Lin stared at her quietly for a moment. “So you really do like Tang Yaqi, don’t you?”

“No… I’m just tutoring her!”

Qu Lin was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly and screwed the cap back on her bottle.

“Alright, alright! Just tutoring! But Liu Ya, don’t forget what happened with Yin Bing. You’re still playing with fire, you know?”

“…I know.”

Liu Ya lowered her head, lost in thought. Qu Lin gave a long sigh and smiled.

“Fine! I’ll head out now. I still need to report to the teacher. You should get back too!”

“Okay.”

With that, Qu Lin turned and left. As she passed a trash can, she tossed her nearly full water bottle inside.

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