Chapter 15: The Cold School Beauty’s Fierce Love
Xu Qiuyi never felt that tutoring her classmates and receiving payment was like being showered with money by rich kids. She simply believed that being compensated for her effort was perfectly normal.
She took the job seriously, spending time that evening assessing the trio’s academic levels.
The results could only be described as disastrous. After careful consideration, she still decided to accept the job.
Tao Ning, in turn, presented her with a formal contract to sign, acting very professionally.
Tao Ning said, “Now we’re officially teacher and student. If anyone gossips, use this contract to hit them. If you can’t win the fight, call me, I have Liao Shishi.”
Xu Qiuyi was amused: “Who’s Liao Shishi?”
Tao Ning gestured with her hand: “My bodyguard, a 1.8-meter tall, tan-loving Muay Thai champion.”
Xu Qiuyi pictured the scene based on Tao Ning’s description: “…That’s quite a name.”
Tao Ning looked at her with an appreciative gaze, as if saying “Great minds think alike,” and nodded sincerely: “I also think her name is very poetic, like someone wearing camouflage in the jungle.”
That afternoon after school, Xu Qiuyi saw the legendary Liao Shishi. Her first thought was that Tao Ning was a genius with metaphors.
Unlike regular high schools, Ming Rui didn’t have evening self-study. After school at 5 pm, students were free to manage their own time, and most of them hired private tutors for one-on-one sessions.
Even so, no one could surpass Xu Qiuyi, who had held the top spot for almost three years.
Tao Ning didn’t want to inconvenience Xu Qiuyi by making her travel back and forth, so she rented a study room near Xiao’an Village, a three-minute bike ride from Xu Qiuyi’s home.
Moreover, the area was lively, reducing safety concerns for late returns.
Initially, Xu Qiuyi thought the young miss was simply trying to please her mother by suddenly studying hard. She had seen many such cases, most of them giving up after failing to see quick results.
Studying was a continuous process. It was like building a house, requiring a solid foundation, then pouring concrete, erecting steel frames, building the exterior like strengthening bones and flesh. During this stage, progress was rapid and seemingly effective within days.
But later, a bottleneck would be reached, like the decoration phase, where one hesitated over various plans, carefully considering each piece of furniture. To create a beautiful and satisfying house, even the paint required multiple adjustments. Sometimes, despite much effort, visible improvements were minimal.
It was frustrating, tempting one to give up, leading to declining grades and further procrastination.
Just like Jin Yue and Lü Xinxi, their hearts weren’t in it, purely accompanying the “prince” in his studies.
The good thing was that they could entertain themselves in a corner and wouldn’t show impatience with Xu Qiuyi’s strictness, nor would they disrupt Tao Ning’s current state of focus.
This healthy friendship dynamic made Xu Qiuyi feel like she was dreaming. But what she found even more interesting was Tao Ning herself.
Tao Ning had a naturally nonchalant face and often spaced out in a relaxed posture, like a large salted fish in power-saving mode.
But when she focused, she was exceptionally serious, often influencing Xu Qiuyi to concentrate more. She would also think occasionally, solidifying her own knowledge.
This increasingly made Xu Qiuyi feel that Tao Ning was like a gentle, nourishing rain.
And tonight, this gentle rain offered her something again.
Tao Ning sliced oranges and greeted Xu Qiuyi, who had arrived from home: “Teacher Xu, please have a seat. Have you eaten? I’m guessing you haven’t. Have some with me, and then some oranges to cleanse your palate.”
With a few words, Tao Ning had arranged Xu Qiuyi’s dinner.
Initially, Xu Qiuyi couldn’t accept it, but the young miss slammed the table and declared magnanimously, “My family’s employees all get meals provided. I can’t let my tutor be the exception. Tonight, it’s pigeon soup with some kind of ginseng, eat!”
She also said, “You look too thin. 165cm tall and not even 80 pounds, you’re malnourished.”
Xu Qiuyi tried to explain, “Actually, I don’t absorb nutrients very well…”
Tao Ning raised a finger: “Shush, Teacher Xu, dinner is on me.”
“…” Under the “oppression” of the young miss, Xu Qiuyi had no choice but to comply.
“I sliced them beautifully.” Tao Ning carried the plate of oranges to the table and added, “Jin Yue went with Xinxi to support her male god tonight, so it’s just me.”
The two sat down to eat. The cook hired by the Tao family was excellent, preparing meals tailored to the nutritional needs of growing high school seniors.
After dinner, Xu Qiuyi still felt a bit embarrassed: “Should I deduct the food expenses from my salary?”
She felt that even if the Tao family provided meals for their employees, it shouldn’t include meals designed by a professional nutritionist and made with such high-quality ingredients.
Tao Ning pretended not to hear: “Have some oranges, we’ll start soon. Tonight, it’s chemistry, right? Your forte.”
This was only relative. Xu Qiuyi had no weaknesses, excelling in both humanities and sciences.
Truly worthy of being the woman who could concoct aqua regia in a kitchen while confined to an island villa. Terrifying.
That one act brought down the entire family.
Xu Qiuyi took a slice of orange, her hand accidentally brushing against Tao Ning’s fingers. Their fingertips grazed each other, and she suddenly asked, “Do you treat everyone like this?”
Lost in her memories, Tao Ning didn’t hear clearly and looked up: “What?”
Xu Qiuyi put down the orange, her pale hand resting on the table as she slowly leaned closer to Tao Ning, the tendons on her slender hand visible as she applied pressure, her gaze deep: “I mean, if you hired another tutor, would you treat them the same way?”
Tao Ning orchestrated all this to ensure Xu Qiuyi had a smooth final year, to achieve even greater success, and after she brought down the Nangong family and sent Nangong Yunfei somewhere he could never reach Xu Qiuyi, her mission would be complete, and she could move on to the next one.
She believed that a resilient woman like Xu Qiuyi could carve her own path even on her own. What Tao Ning was doing was simply offering a helping hand during her youth.
So, without thinking, Tao Ning said matter-of-factly, “Of course not.”
Hearing this answer, Xu Qiuyi smiled at her, a smile different from her usual ones, like melting ice and snow, a lotus flower blooming.
Undeniably, Xu Qiuyi was beautiful, but this was the first time her beauty felt almost aggressive.
Another day of studying passed, and they each returned home.
The next morning, Xu Qiuyi got out of bed, carefully stepping over her sleeping sister. She quietly dressed behind the curtain, preparing for school.
Changing out of her pajama pants and into her skirt, her slender fingers tugged at the waistband. She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt a subtle resistance.
Wondering if she had grown taller, Xu Qiuyi fastened the button and finally realized what was wrong.
The school skirts were made of thick material, with a fixed waistband, requiring a specific waist size, making alterations difficult.
So, today, on an empty stomach, Xu Qiuyi had to suck in her breath to fasten the adjusted button.
Xu Qiuyi looked down, puzzled: “…Hmm?” Did I gain weight?
Realizing this possibility, Xu Qiuyi’s eyes widened in shock.
I… gained weight? Gained weight???
A few minutes later, Xu Qiuyi, having loosened the waistband, walked out of the room with a bewildered expression.
“Have I been eating too well lately?” she muttered, pinching her arm and then her face, which seemed to have a bit more flesh than before.
Outside, Guan Ruolin, just back from her night shift, opened the door and entered as Xu Qiuyi exited her room. They met in the living room and looked at each other.
Guan Ruolin’s face was filled with exhaustion. Holding her bag, she said, “Going to school? Be careful on your way, and remember to buy breakfast and eat it at school.”
Xu Qiuyi responded with a soft “mm-hmm” and put on her backpack, sitting by the door to change her shoes.
After a moment, Guan Ruolin, looking at Xu Qiuyi’s back as she stood up, said, “Qiuyi, have you gained some weight?” Her complexion looked much better.
Xu Qiuyi, who was about to open the door, visibly faltered: “…”
Arriving at school, Xu Qiuyi, as usual, parked her bicycle in the corner, making sure it didn’t touch anyone else’s. She had specifically requested this from the school.
“Little sis, you can park it a bit further out, that spot is difficult to get in and out of,” a voice said from behind. Xu Qiuyi ignored him and parked her bike in its usual spot.
Then, turning around, she said, “Didn’t you say before that I couldn’t cross that line?”
The old man in a neat security uniform, holding a thermos, looked amicable: “It’s troublesome seeing you move it back and forth every day. You can park it a bit further out, I’ll keep an eye on it for you.”
Keep an eye on it? That was interesting.
Xu Qiuyi had paid to repair her tires countless times. The security booth faced this area directly, yet her bike still got vandalized, sometimes even having its chain cut off.
She had been naive in her first year, thinking of checking the surveillance footage, only to be refused. And now he offered to keep an eye on it?
Xu Qiuyi didn’t want to accept this inexplicable kindness: “I’ve parked it. I’m used to this spot, it’s not inconvenient.”
The security guard, used to being looked down upon, wasn’t offended by her lack of gratitude. He chuckled and said, “I heard you’re tutoring the Tao heiress lately. You’re quite capable.”
Xu Qiuyi finally looked at him directly, understanding dawning in her eyes.
This man had once sat in the security booth and scolded her, saying that good grades weren’t everything, and that she was destined to marry well at best. He wasn’t just acknowledging her good grades now, there was something else.
But Xu Qiuyi was simply quiet by nature, not truly unfeeling. She understood the importance of not offending those in lower positions better than anyone.
So she simply responded with an “mm-hmm” and left the parking lot to go to class.
Xu Qiuyi didn’t deliberately hide the fact that she was tutoring. At school, Tao Ning often asked her questions whenever she encountered something she didn’t understand, so quite a few people knew about it.
The news naturally reached Nangong Yunfei’s ears. He stopped Tao Ning at a corner in the corridor, his handsome face filled with anger.
Nangong Yunfei said, “I need to talk to you, come with me.”
Nangong Yunfei had returned to school a few days ago, his popularity even greater than before, but he had avoided Tao Ning.
He found the incident embarrassing and couldn’t bring himself to mention it. Tao Ning was happy to leave it be and ignored him. However, it seemed she had relaxed too soon, as he was now confronting her.
Tao Ning raised an eyebrow: “No time, excuse me.” Otherwise, Liao Shishi was always at her service.
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