Being a Tutor to a Rich, Psychopathic Young Lady - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shi Mingyue’s tutoring process wasn’t difficult. Xiao Dengqu wasn’t as unruly as she was described, and even seemed a little well-behaved. However, she was often distracted, daydreaming with a pen spinning in her fingers, or curiously staring at Shi Mingyue’s eyes, her eyelashes, her nose, her lips…

Given the choice between Xiao Dengqu staring out the window or staring at her, Shi Mingyue preferred the latter. At least while she was teaching, she felt her student was listening. So she pretended not to notice. And with that small concession, Xiao Dengqu became even more brazen. When Shi Mingyue was explaining functions and derivatives, Xiao Dengqu leaned in close, staring right into her eyes. Shi Mingyue was almost startled. She managed to resist backing away and asked, “Did you understand that?”

Xiao Dengqu shook her head. “No.”

“…” Shi Mingyue had been talking for forty minutes, and her lips were dry. She pursed them slightly. Xiao Dengqu asked, “Do you want some water?”

Shi Mingyue said no, she could continue teaching. Xiao Dengqu poked her lips with the tip of her pen. “Drinking water also counts as teaching time, you get paid for it. Your mouth is so dry.” Shi Mingyue felt she wanted her to drink. “Then thank you.”

“Mhm.” Xiao Dengqu picked up the landline on the desk, dialed a number, and said, “I want some water.” Then she hung up.

Shi Mingyue planned to go over an example from the textbook, but she was worried Xiao Dengqu would get distracted again. She lowered her voice and said, “How about… I teach you this one problem, and you listen carefully. Can you just learn this one?”

Xiao Dengqu blinked, her gaze finally falling on the textbook. Shi Mingyue’s fingers were long but not soft, with a thin layer of calluses at the tips. Xiao Dengqu tilted her head as if she had thought of something. “Mhm…”

Shi Mingyue waited patiently. A housemaid came in with a glass of juice and set it down in front of them. It was fresh orange juice with ice cubes. Shi Mingyue felt the cool sensation on the back of her hand as she looked at it. Condensation had formed into beads on the glass, slowly trickling down.

Xiao Dengqu finally spoke. “Why don’t you offer me a reward?”

Shi Mingyue was embarrassed. She was short on money. It would be degrading to give something cheap to a girl from a rich family like Xiao Dengqu. She didn’t know what to say. What kind of reward could she give her? Anything that cost money was out of the question.

“Other teachers always give rewards,” Xiao Dengqu said.

Shi Mingyue said awkwardly, “…I don’t think a system of rewards and punishments is necessary. Learning should be a joy.”

At that moment, she was truly impressed with her own eloquence. She was the one who loved a reward system the most. She used her school scholarship money to pay her tuition and wanted to use the bonus from the Xiao family to pay for her mother’s medical bills… Shi Mingyue’s ears grew hot, as if she had told a colossal lie that made her feel humiliated and ashamed of herself.

Xiao Dengqu said, “It’s fine. I don’t need money. Anything you’re capable of will do.” She smiled lightly, as if saying, “I don’t need money; it’s the one thing I’m not lacking.” She seemed so considerate and well-behaved.

Really. Shi Mingyue didn’t understand. What was so bad about Xiao Dengqu’s personality?

Xiao Dengqu even reminded her, “You should drink your water.”

Shi Mingyue really needed to rehydrate. The cool touch of the glass eased the heat throughout her body, as well as her embarrassment. She parted her lips and held the glass. The sweet juice moistened her dry lips and flowed down her throat, warming her entire body. Both her mouth and her body felt fragrant.

When she took the glass away, her lips, soaked in juice, had a sweet citrusy scent. When she pursed them, she felt like the rounded part of her lips could even squeeze out juice. Xiao Dengqu’s lips curled up, and she smiled again.

Shi Mingyue liked that expression; it gave her some confidence. The wealthy young lady seemed to be satisfied with her. She took the initiative to start a conversation. “Do you like drinking juice?”

Xiao Dengqu saw her attempt to please and nodded.

Two hours later, the housekeeper paid her eight hundred yuan. As she left, Shi Mingyue stood downstairs and waved to Xiao Dengqu. Xiao Dengqu watched her from above, her expression unreadable, and she didn’t raise her hand to wave back.

After two hours of tutoring, Xiao Dengqu hadn’t learned anything, but when Shi Mingyue reported the progress to the housekeeper, she said that Xiao Dengqu had memorized the example problem and could solve it perfectly. The housekeeper looked very surprised.

Before she left, the housekeeper gave her an unopened tube of lipstick. Shi Mingyue said thank you and took it. She walked for twenty minutes to catch a bus and then a subway back to school. The summer heat was stifling. On the way back, a boy from the department next to hers, holding a bubble tea, ran up to her and tried to make conversation. Shi Mingyue was already dizzy from the bus ride, and his noisy voice made her want to vomit.

Shi Mingyue was beautiful and was well-known as a beauty in her department. Her personality was gentle, and she spoke in a soft voice. She would directly refuse any boy who tried to show her affection or offer her help. She was aloof and dignified. As a “high-mountain flower” growing in barren soil, her beauty was within reach, and anyone could pluck it, which always sparked a desire in men to conquer her, and a repressed urge to trample on her.

Shi Mingyue gave no cold response and quickened her pace, soon disappearing down a small path, leaving only a cool silhouette behind. After her family’s troubles, many men tried to win her over. Those who had her WeChat would send her money, from a few hundred yuan for living expenses to tens of thousands as a “cushion.” The meaning was clear. Shi Mingyue never accepted it. Every time she was broke and in a tight spot, she would look at the money and feel humiliated, wanting to cry. It made her sick and disgusted with men.

The air conditioning was on in her dorm. Her roommate in the opposite bunk called out that it was her turn to pay the AC bill. In the past, Shi Mingyue’s financial struggle would have made her uncomfortable for a while, but this time, after resting for a few minutes in her dorm, she went to the building across the way to swipe her campus card. When she returned to her dorm, she received a message.

Cheng Jin: You should be done by now, right? I ordered some Qingbuliang for you.

Shi Mingyue: You didn’t have to.

Cheng Jin: It’s already downstairs.

Shi Mingyue sighed. She was annoyed again.

Cheng Jin: How was it today?

Shi Mingyue held her phone and typed: It was fine. Your cousin’s personality is alright, just a little inattentive. She immediately recalled the message, deleted the last part, and re-sent it, afraid that Cheng Jin would report it to the Xiao family and they would misunderstand her as badmouthing the young lady.

Cheng Jin: Want to go for a walk later tonight?

Shi Mingyue: I have to look over some materials and get ready for my graduation project. I’ll be following Professor Fu, so it’s going to be tough.

Cheng Jin: Okay.

Shi Mingyue went to take a shower. When she came out, she opened her laptop, a used one she bought online that took forever to boot up. She picked up a book to read. Her phone vibrated. She assumed it was Cheng Jin and didn’t look at it until the delivery driver called her. The screen lit up, and she saw the message was from Xiao Dengqu.

Shi Mingyue went downstairs to get the Qingbuliang and looked at the message with her head down.

Xiao Dengqu: Did you use the lipstick?

Shi Mingyue was slightly taken aback. Xiao Dengqu gave me this?

Shi Mingyue: Yes, you gave it to me. Thank you.

Xiao Dengqu: A reward for you.

Shi Mingyue felt her cheeks heat up again at those two words. She frowned and typed: It’s very suitable, the color is nice.

Xiao Dengqu: Let me see how it looks.

A video call request popped up. Shi Mingyue quickly hung up, her heart pounding. She ran back to her dorm.

Cheng Jin’s message came in: Did you get it?

Shi Mingyue: Yes, I got it. You don’t have to buy things for me next time.

Cheng Jin: It’s not expensive. It’s hot, and you’ve been in class all day. It’ll cool you down.

Shi Mingyue sighed softly. She replied to Xiao Dengqu again: I was in the shower just now.

Xiao Dengqu: Waiting for you.

Shi Mingyue unwrapped the lipstick. It was YSL. She hadn’t planned on opening it; her plan was to sell it at a discount on a second-hand app. The color was a lovely pinkish-milky shade that created a wonderful atmosphere. She couldn’t help but purse her lips. Shi Mingyue also cared about her appearance. In her second year, when she got her scholarship money, she would buy ten-dollar lipsticks and wear them out to enjoy the admiring glances. But after… she didn’t have the energy to bother anymore.

The lipstick itself had a sweet peach scent. After she applied it, she admired herself in the mirror. She couldn’t help but twist the lipstick out and smell it a few more times. Her mood brightened, and she almost felt like eating the lipstick.

Shi Mingyue suddenly remembered what Cheng Jin had said about Xiao Dengqu eating lipstick… She must have been too young to know it wasn’t food.

Shi Mingyue: It’s very nice. The color suits me.

Xiao Dengqu: Let me see.

Shi Mingyue felt a little embarrassed to take a picture, but then she thought, since it was a gift from her, she would try. She took a few awkward selfies and just cropped her lips to send to her.

Her: It’s different from what you see in person; there’s a filter. It looks better in real life.

Xiao Dengqu: Mhm. The lips in the photo were pursed, pink and tender, more alluring than they had been without the color this morning.

Shi Mingyue: It also smells good, like peaches.

Xiao Dengqu: Then do you want to eat it?

Shi Mingyue: You can’t eat lipstick.

Xiao Dengqu rested her chin on her hand and hummed softly. She zoomed in on the lips on her screen, but she couldn’t touch or smell them.

Xiao Dengqu: I want to eat them.

Shi Mingyue: You can’t eat them!

Xiao Dengqu: You can.

Shi Mingyue: Lipstick can’t be eaten.

After she sent the message, she felt it was wrong. Lipstick is applied to the lips, so it’s bound to get in your mouth. Saying you can’t eat it might sound like she was saying Xiao Dengqu’s gift was bad. She opened her browser and searched for the dangers of eating lipstick, thinking about sending her the health risks.

Xiao Dengqu: Mouths can be eaten.

Shi Mingyue was taken aback.

Her: What I mean is, you can’t eat too much lipstick.

Xiao Dengqu’s message came again. Do you kiss someone you like when you’re wearing lipstick?

Shi Mingyue’s face grew hot. What was the meaning of this?

Xiao Dengqu: So, the mouth and the lipstick can be eaten together.

Something was still off. Shi Mingyue’s mind raced. Xiao Dengqu must be trying to explain that lipstick could be eaten by giving her an example, saying that kissing while wearing lipstick is a form of eating it.

Shi Mingyue: Yes, yes, but you can only eat a little bit. You can’t eat it like a meal.

Xiao Dengqu: A little bit every day.

Shi Mingyue: Mhm, that thin layer on your lips is fine.

Xiao Dengqu: Mhm, I’ll listen to you.] [(＾＿＾)

Shi Mingyue felt dizzy, maybe from the heat or from the AC. She thought the young lady was so well-behaved. She wiped off the lipstick with a tissue and ate the Qingbuliang to cool down. As she ate, she kept looking at her phone, wary of another shocking message from Xiao Dengqu. But no new messages came from her, until Cheng Jin messaged again.

Cheng Jin: Mingyue, I’m at your dorm building.

The lights of a Porsche Panamera, parked below her dorm and surrounded by a few boys, illuminated the dark grove of trees. Shi Mingyue lowered her head, walking silently with Cheng Jin.

The person sitting in the back seat of the car narrowed her eyes, watching the two figures. Will she kiss with the lipstick I gave her? Will she kiss Cheng Jin, or me? Or will she kiss Cheng Jin first and then me, or kiss me first and then Cheng Jin?

Xiao Dengqu: Teacher, my mouth is so dry and uncomfortable. What should I do?