"I said fine, I won't pester you anymore in the future. If you still find it troublesome, it doesn't matter if we cut off all contact completely," Lu Bei repeated, glancing at the pale-faced Xu Qingshuang.
When he spoke these words for the second time, his tone became even firmer and more relieved.
However... upon hearing such words, Xu Qingshuang's mood could not become as composed as Lu Bei's.
She simply couldn't understand why her childhood friend's attitude toward her had changed.
The girl's body trembled slightly, and beneath her rather thin clothes, her petite frame seemed to be shivering uncontrollably.
"Blockhead Lu, you just wait for me, we're not done yet."
"We're not done, not done."
Xu Qingshuang seemed to choke back a sob, then she lowered her head and hurried away.
Seen from a distance, her retreating figure appeared very unsteady, as if... a few more steps and she might just fall over.
This appearance looked quite pitiful, much like a spoiled cat that had lost all of its owner's care and affection one day.
However, such a cat would never think that this outcome was due to her own fault; she would merely believe that her master's heart had changed.
"Really."
Looking at that defeated, dog-like retreating figure, Lu Bei did not find it unfamiliar. Instead, he found it familiar... familiar to the point of having experienced it personally countless times.
"This isn't Senior's fault, Senior has already done wonderfully."
Xiao Wanting walked over to Lu Bei's side and stood on tiptoe, wanting to stroke Lu Bei's head.
However... because of the height difference, even on tiptoe, she couldn't reach Lu Bei's head.
Rather than looking like comfort, this action looked more like a little girl acting spoiled.
Looking at this headache-inducing height difference, Xiao Wanting bit her lip, a trace of grievance welling up in her heart.
"Honestly, these youngsters nowadays!"
Zhao Yarong pressed her temples. As a middle-aged woman in her forties, seeing the romance and drama of today's youths only gave her a headache.
Why did a bunch of kids whose combined age didn't even match her cup size have to make such a fuss over everything?
"Little Lu Bei, let's continue talking about the tutoring."
"Alright, does Auntie have any specific requirements regarding tutoring?"
After coughing lightly, Lu Bei quickly steered the conversation back on track.
"There's no rush. After all, Auntie is already an old woman and doesn't understand modern studies and grading systems... It's better for an outsider like me not to interfere with teaching."
"How about this, why don't you two do a trial lesson first?"
Zhao Yarong pressed her palms together, smiling warmly as she pointed toward a room.
"Alright." Lu Bei nodded and followed Zhao Yarong's gaze.
Xiao Wanting's room came clearly into view.
This family seemed not to have separated their daughter's bedroom from her study.
"Little Lu Bei, Auntie will be right next door~ so don't do anything bad."
Zhao Yarong stuck out her tongue, teasing with a seemingly amused expression.
Lu Bei took a sip of tea with a blank expression, completely unfazed by this married woman's mischievous sense of humor.
Meanwhile, Xiao Wanting secretly looked away, a few blushes creeping up her snow-white cheeks.
This reaction... could probably be explained by a guilty conscience.
....................
When Xiao Wanting took out the key and opened the wooden door, Lu Bei got his first glimpse of the true appearance of this girl's bedroom.
Like most girls with gentle personalities, the room's arrangement had a very cute feel to it.A few unnameable potted plants were placed on the balcony as accents.
A soft, nearly life-sized teddy bear sat at the head of the bed. It was probably something to hug while sleeping at night.
"Mmh, I have a bit of trouble falling asleep at night if I don't hug this. Senior, stop staring at it!"
Xiao Wanting said, looking somewhat embarrassed.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, as if she were worried about being mistaken for being childish.
"Well, when I was little... sometimes I used to hug a pillow too. Sleeping like that really does help you settle down much better."
Lu Bei smiled slightly, intentionally telling a small white lie.
Though lying wasn't good, a tiny falsehood like this helped a great deal in reducing any awkwardness between them.
Yet right after those words left his mouth, Xiao Wanting's gaze visibly clouded with confusion, wearing an expression resembling... a female secret agent discovering a flaw in her investigation.
Still, this look came and went quickly, and she soon flashed Lu Bei a sweet smile in return.
Lu Bei, meanwhile, continued to look around the room.
Because the bedroom was combined with a study, there were quite a few facilities here meant for learning.
Aside from textbooks, the bookshelf was mostly filled with books on culinary arts.
It seemed this girl had done some research in that area.
After observing for a little while, it was naturally time to begin the tutoring session.
Xiao Wanting first brought over a stool from outside, then hurriedly cleared a space so Lu Bei could sit right beside the desk during the lesson.
Throughout the entire process, she refused Lu Bei's help, choosing to do everything herself.
Must be said, a girl who knew how to take care of others like Xiao Wanting gave off the impression of a virtuous wife and good mother.
Except that she wasn't married... Using that phrase to describe her seemed a bit inappropriate.
A gentle girl with such a youthful face—perhaps she could be called a little mother... Bah, bah, bah.
"Um, Classmate Xiaoxiao, let me ask first, how are your grades? The job posting wasn't very clear when I applied."
After briefly looking around, Lu Bei politely withdrew his gaze, looked at the girl before him, and asked directly.
"Th-This, I'm still forty-some points short of the university Senior attends now. Before I took a gap year to retake exams, I was over sixty points behind."
Xiao Wanting lowered her head in embarrassment.
She wore an expression that practically screamed, "I'm sorry, I'm a little dummy."
Watching her make that gesture stirred something in Lu Bei's heart, and he suddenly felt a slight urge to stroke the girl's head.
She really was quite cute, he had to admit.
"Well, I actually have plenty of experience tutoring students at that score range. With three months left, raising your score by several dozen points on the College Entrance Examination isn't impossible."
"Of course, that's assuming you study diligently."
Lu Bei gave a light cough and spoke in a slightly deep voice.
He scrutinized the little one before him and asked very seriously.
For a student, the most important factor in improving grades wasn't the teacher, but oneself.
If someone had no interest in studying and didn't put in the effort, it would be impossible to improve no matter what.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I'll work hard! It's just a few dozen points, I'll definitely work hard!"
Xiao Wanting made a fist with her small hand, her current appearance practically overflowing with fighting spirit.
Only, whether it was just his imagination or not, Lu Bei had a lingering feeling that the source of her renewed fighting spirit wasn't actually studying.