Being a Tutor to a Rich, Psychopathic Young Lady - Chapter 28

Chapter 28

100,000 yuan was not a small amount. Shi Mingyue was very uneasy about accepting it directly. The housekeeper said, “You taught her well. It’s only right that you get a high bonus. If you hadn’t taught her, she would have been lucky to get a score of 50. Don’t feel burdened.”

Shi Mingyue said, “She’s not stupid.”

“You’re the only tutor who has ever said that. Okay, I’m going to be busy. You two get some rest.” The housekeeper walked a couple of steps and then turned back. “When you have time, teach her some social morals and to take care of flowers and plants.”

The housekeeper had a lot of things to do recently, so she spoke in short sentences. After a few steps, she told them that there was a small test coming up and to do well.

Shi Mingyue stood at the door for a while and looked into Xiao Dengqu’s room. Xiao Dengqu was carefully taking out the wilted flowers. The maid next to her wanted to help but couldn’t. She said, “Miss, these flowers can’t be saved.”

Xiao Dengqu hummed.

The maid had a sudden idea. “We can turn them into dried flowers!”

Xiao Dengqu nodded. “Can you do that?”

“We can find a tutorial online,” the maid said.

“What if they get ruined?” Xiao Dengqu said, cherishing the flowers.

The maid: “But they’re already ruined.”

“Don’t say they’re ruined! They still smell so good!” Xiao Dengqu’s face darkened. The maid had to coax her for a long time before her expression improved.

Wasn’t Xiao Dengqu very fond of flowers?

Shi Mingyue turned and went to the next room. She sat on a chair, dazed. 100,000 yuan was a huge sum for her.

Shi Mingyue was very frugal and didn’t spend much, but she had never had any savings of her own. The money given to her this month was enough. She didn’t transfer the money back, but she only dared to put it in a money market fund and didn’t dare to buy any other investments or fixed deposits.

She sent a message to her aunt to ask about the situation. Her aunt said it was okay, but the treatment was painful, and she had no appetite and couldn’t eat anything. She had become very thin.

She sent her a photo. Her mother was wearing a hospital gown, so thin that she was just skin and bones. Her mother was sitting on the bed, smiling at the camera.

Shi Mingyue stared at her phone for a long time before she could come up with a few short words to reply: [Mm, tell her to eat more. That way, she’ll get better faster.]

She was speechless and couldn’t say anything.

A few minutes later, Shi Mingyue went to take a shower. When she lay down, her body was exhausted. She lay on her side, her eyes sore. No tears fell, but she just felt very tired.

Xiao Dengqu had given her a lot of things. Shi Mingyue kept them all in her room. The 100,000 yuan was a lot for her, but her pride was at work, and she didn’t want it. However, she also needed the money.

She was very grateful to Xiao Dengqu and was touched, but perhaps she was sensitive, but she started to feel pressure when she faced Xiao Dengqu, just like she did with Cheng Jin.

And, it was very heavy.

Maybe it was because the trip was tiring, and her body was too exhausted.

Shi Mingyue slept until six the next morning. She forgot to lock the door before she went to bed, but strangely, Xiao Dengqu didn’t disturb her.

Shi Mingyue tidied herself up and went to the next room. The bouquet of roses she had given her was hanging outside Xiao Dengqu’s window. Xiao Dengqu wasn’t awake yet. She went downstairs and walked around. The maid respectfully said that Xiao Dengqu had stayed up all night yesterday.

When she finished her walk and went back, Xiao Dengqu hadn’t changed out of her pajamas. She was holding a book, half-awake, and was doing her morning reading.

Shi Mingyue went in quietly and sat on the tatami mat. After Xiao Dengqu recited for a while, she took out a biology test and started working on it. Shi Mingyue pointed out an error in her dominant and recessive analysis. After Xiao Dengqu understood, Shi Mingyue said, “Let’s go out for a walk.”

Xiao Dengqu nodded.

After the light rain, the heat was gone, and the weather turned cool.

Xiao Dengqu was in a good mood. Shi Mingyue chatted with her casually. “You’re very smart. Why do you always pretend to be stupid?”

“I’m not pretending to be stupid,” Xiao Dengqu said. “It’s because the teachers don’t know how to teach.”

The tutors who came to her house were all very serious and old. Teaching was very boring, and they were sometimes smart and sometimes stupid. They weren’t cute at all and were no fun. Xiao Dengqu thought to herself that she wouldn’t have any other tutors, so she kept agreeing and saying “okay.”

Shi Mingyue was fumbling in her pocket and said, “This is for you.”

“What is it?” Xiao Dengqu was a little surprised. She thought for a moment if she had done anything good. Did she take the initiative to recite and do the test today? Then she would have to take the initiative to study every day from now on. Xiao Dengqu quickly held out her hands to receive it.

When Shi Mingyue took out a red packet, Xiao Dengqu’s expectant expression froze. She frowned. “Why are you giving this back to me?”

“This is from your grandma,” Shi Mingyue said.

Xiao Dengqu said, “What’s mine is yours. If it’s from that old hag, I don’t want it.”

“Huh?” Shi Mingyue squinted… at this term of address.

Xiao Dengqu said, “It’s so fitting that other people call her an old hag. Since it’s impolite to curse at her face, I can only curse behind her back. If you don’t want it, just throw it away.”

This was money. Why would she throw it away?

Shi Mingyue reached out and grabbed Xiao Dengqu’s wrist, putting the red packet in her palm. Since this was the first time she had been held by her, Xiao Dengqu didn’t throw the red packet away in time.

“Keep it,” Shi Mingyue said seriously.

Xiao Dengqu’s face was taut, and her expression was sullen.

Shi Mingyue stood opposite her for a long time and said, “You keep it.”

After a stalemate, she said, “I also gave you something.”

Xiao Dengqu didn’t understand this sentence. She turned and walked toward the small gazebo. Outside the gazebo, the green grapes on the trellis were plump and glistening. After the rain, the air was fresh and fragrant. A few maids were carefully picking them with scissors.

Xiao Dengqu sat on the stone bench and stared at the red packet. It seemed like there was something wrong. This one was thicker than the last one. The red packet her grandmother gave her was big but thin and only had 5,000 yuan.

She opened the red packet and found that there were both bills and coins inside. She immediately looked up at Shi Mingyue. Shi Mingyue was standing outside the gazebo.

Xiao Dengqu took the money out and counted it. It was over 10,000 yuan, and there were also scattered bills of 50, 20, 10, and 5 yuan. She counted it many times. The teacher had made up for the part that the partial grandma had shorted her and also gave her all of her loose change.

Now her red packet was bigger than everyone else’s.

Ahhh, what was this?

Xiao Dengqu couldn’t figure it out. She held the big red packet, rubbing her fingers over it. A few coins of different sizes rolled out.

She squatted down to pick them up. One of them rolled somewhere and she couldn’t find it. Shi Mingyue came over and squatted down to help her look for it. Finally, Shi Mingyue found it in the green grass. She wiped the dirt off of it and handed it to Xiao Dengqu. Xiao Dengqu squatted there and didn’t take it.

“What’s wrong?” As soon as Shi Mingyue asked, her lips were suddenly pressed against, and she was caught off guard, falling backward and sitting directly on the ground. Shi Mingyue’s eyes widened. Luckily, she held the coin tightly, or the coin she had just found would have been lost again.

Shi Mingyue’s mind went blank. She was speechless for a while. After a long time, she stood up with the coin in her hand. She raised the back of her hand, about to wipe her mouth, but she saw the stunned maid. The maid was carrying a tray to bring them clean grapes.

Shi Mingyue was stunned for two seconds. She walked quickly around the gazebo and went upstairs. Xiao Dengqu slowly got up from the grass. She patted the grass off her clothes. As she passed the maid, she said in a cheerful tone, “Aren’t we very sweet?”

The maid said blankly, “…Yes, I think so.”

“We’re so happy,” Xiao Dengqu said proudly.

When Shi Mingyue got to the second floor, she immediately locked the door. She was holding on so tight that the small coin was hot. She threw the coin away and sat on the bed for a long time.

There was no sound from the next room. Shi Mingyue went to the bed and secretly looked down. Xiao Dengqu was still sitting in the gazebo by the grape trellis, counting the red packet she had received over and over again. She counted it a hundred times without getting tired.

She touched her lips with her finger. It hurt a little.

Shi Mingyue lowered her eyes, her eyelashes hiding the complex emotions inside. She had prepared the red packet at the hotel. She had specifically gone to get the money. At that time, she was worried that Xiao Dengqu would be emotional and make some decision to come back to her. She turned around and saw the coin again. She went and picked it up and saw the year it was made: 2024.

The maid came to knock on the door and said that the young lady wanted to eat in the gazebo and asked her to come down for breakfast.

Eating in the small gazebo, Xiao Dengqu was very happy. Xiao Dengqu brought gifts for everyone in the villa. The biggest one was for the housekeeper. After eating and distributing the gifts, she held the red packet and went to class.

At noon, a few plates of pastries were added to the table. They were different kinds of snowflake pastries, and their shapes were irregular. They were handmade.

Xiao Dengqu wasn’t very fond of desserts, and neither was Shi Mingyue, but she loved dairy products.

She took a small bite. It had a rich milky flavor and wasn’t too sweet. Xiao Dengqu asked, “Is it good?”

“It’s not bad,” Shi Mingyue commented.

Xiao Dengqu said, “I made it.”

“?”

Shi Mingyue didn’t expect Xiao Dengqu to be so skillful. She was also surprised that she had thought of making food. Another matcha flavor was more suitable for her, so she ate another piece.

Xiao Dengqu said, “I wanted to make it for the teacher to eat. I made it especially yesterday. I tried several recipes.”

No wonder the maid specifically said that she stayed up all night.

Shi Mingyue looked up and saw that next to the framed essay on the wall, there were many photo frames. They were photos of them at the beach. There were solo photos of Shi Mingyue and photos of the two of them together.

Xiao Dengqu also said that she wanted to sleep with her again tonight. She didn’t sleep well alone last night. Shi Mingyue put down the snowflake pastry and said that she stayed up all night. She didn’t refuse Xiao Dengqu’s request but said, “You sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

The young lady had never slept on the floor. She was pampered and thought that sleeping on the floor was a hardship of the world. She frowned and said, “Can’t you sleep on my bed? I don’t move around.”

Shi Mingyue shook her head. “No.”

She was firm. “You sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Xiao Dengqu’s face was sullen and she was very unhappy. She ate two more pieces of snowflake pastry and said, “Okay, even though what you said made me unhappy, I’m not mad at you.”

Shi Mingyue was confused. “Why?”

“Because the teacher is so good to me, I have to be tolerant of the teacher too,” Xiao Dengqu said seriously. Shi Mingyue’s heart was as if it was being tickled by a feather. She looked at the distant sky. “Oh…”

This was the first time she had eaten a snowflake pastry, and she thought it was the best one she had ever had.

Soon, she found out that Xiao Dengqu had made a huge batch of snowflake pastries, and the two of them couldn’t finish them in a week. Shi Mingyue went to the kitchen and got plastic bags for desserts and packed them up one by one.

At night, Xiao Dengqu really didn’t go to Shi Mingyue’s room. Xiao Dengqu kept thinking about the strange feeling she had in the morning. She was very curious. She sent a message to the housekeeper, and the housekeeper said she didn’t know either. Xiao Dengqu said: Help me think. I’ll listen to you and won’t pluck the roses anymore.

Housekeeper: Favoritism, an exclusive love for you.

Xiao Dengqu: What is favoritism?

Housekeeper: She only has one lollipop. If someone else asks for it, she will refuse without hesitation and save it for you. Even if she witnesses your worst side, she will still stand in front of you and defend you. God shows her your flaws, but she will still cover her eyes and give you roses.

Xiao Dengqu: You’re saying almost the same thing as what’s online!

Housekeeper: [hen why did you ask me?

Xiao Dengqu: Mm-hmm, I want others to tell me the same thing. This is also very strange. Can you analyze this for me?

Housekeeper: …

Xiao Dengqu: But you sound more educated than Baidu.

Housekeeper: Thank you.

…

Later, the housekeeper brought a few sets of tests for Xiao Dengqu to take. Shi Mingyue was no longer as worried as she was last time. Xiao Dengqu’s recent performance gave her a lot of confidence.

After Xiao Dengqu finished the test, she stretched and lay on the desk, tired. Shi Mingyue quickly scanned it. She could tell the answers at a glance. Xiao Dengqu got all of them right.

“I’m so tired,” Xiao Dengqu said.

“It is tiring.”

Shi Mingyue said, “You can relax a bit.”

Xiao Dengqu thought seriously about what she wanted to do. “I don’t know.”

Shi Mingyue went to find the housekeeper first. She had been waiting for a few days. She had explained everything last time. Xiao Dengqu still had the scars from the dog bite. She wanted the housekeeper to arrange for a doctor to examine Xiao Dengqu, but the housekeeper hadn’t done anything yet.

The housekeeper was already troubled by Xiao Dengqu’s dislike for going to the hospital. Unless Mr. Xiao came back, no one could persuade Xiao Dengqu. “You’ll go with her?”

Shi Mingyue nodded and said yes.

The housekeeper casually asked, “The contract is about to expire. The next contract might need to be changed. Is there anything you want to add? You can make requests.”

Shi Mingyue was silent for a few seconds and then looked up. “I’ll think about it carefully.”

Shi Mingyue returned to her room and opened her laptop to think seriously. First, she wrote a letter of complaint, listing all of the housekeeper’s wrongdoings. She had to give it to Mr. Xiao before her contract ended.

Even if she left, someone had to take care of Xiao Dengqu.

After she finished, Shi Mingyue went to Xiao Dengqu’s room. Xiao Dengqu was watching an anime on her tablet. When she saw her, she silently turned off the tablet and said, “I was watching after I finished studying, not all the time. I’ve been studying well.”

Shi Mingyue didn’t stop her and told her to continue watching.

Xiao Dengqu adjusted the angle of her tablet. “Do you like watching it?”

When Shi Mingyue was a child, her family only had one TV channel. She was always envious of others and was curious about what was on. But the adults wouldn’t let their children play with her, so her curiosity went unanswered. In her first year of college, she got campus internet and watched all of Tom and Jerry and SpongeBob SquarePants as background shows while eating.

“Let’s go to the screening room to watch,” Xiao Dengqu said, her eyes twinkling with anticipation.

Shi Mingyue had a bad memory of the screening room and shook her head. “No.”

“Okay,” Xiao Dengqu said with regret.

Shi Mingyue said, “The tablet is big enough.”

“Do you want it?” Xiao Dengqu asked.

“I don’t need it,” Shi Mingyue refused.

“I don’t know why, but the housekeeper suddenly wants to take me to the hospital,” Xiao Dengqu sighed, and then said in a not-so-relaxed tone, “I hate it. I’m not going to the hospital. Every time I go to the hospital, it’s to get my brain checked. My dad always takes me.”

“When is your dad coming back?” Shi Mingyue asked.

Xiao Dengqu shook her head, indicating that she didn’t know.

Shi Mingyue said, “I’ll go with you.”

Xiao Dengqu said, “Is the housekeeper giving you money?”

“It’s in the contract.”

After Xiao Dengqu finished watching the anime, she took out a lot of bubblegum and stuck it on her arm. She gave a piece of bubblegum to Shi Mingyue. This time, Shi Mingyue took it and put it in her mouth. It was passion fruit flavor and wasn’t bad.

The family’s driver took them there.

“I don’t like going to the hospital either,” Shi Mingyue said.

When she was a child, that person would often hit her mom. Her mom would go to the clinic to get her wounds treated. The female doctor at the clinic would kindly tell her mom to call the police. One time, it was too serious, and she did call the police, so her mom never liked going back.

They did all the tests. The results that came out that day showed that she was healthy. Shi Mingyue was in worse shape than Xiao Dengqu. The doctor told her not to stay up so late.

The rest of the results would come out on Monday afternoon. Shi Mingyue took her to the dermatology department. After the doctor examined Xiao Dengqu’s scars, she said, “You need to get softening shots for this. The scars have hypertrophied and get very itchy.”

Shi Mingyue immediately scanned the QR code and paid for Xiao Dengqu to get a shot. Watching Xiao Dengqu close her eyes in fear, Shi Mingyue felt that they were very similar. They both subconsciously wanted to hide their scars. They were both afraid of needles and didn’t like going to the hospital.

The doctor also told them to come back for two more shots at a regular time. Shi Mingyue wrote everything down in her notebook. After they left the hospital, Xiao Dengqu said, “See? I told you it was itchy, but you didn’t believe me.”

But, what did you say?

You said your leg was itchy, and you wanted me to scratch it for you.

Shi Mingyue lowered her head to report the information to the housekeeper. Xiao Dengqu leaned on her, watching her type, and mumbled that she didn’t want to go back and wanted to go play.

The housekeeper had already graded Xiao Dengqu’s tests. Her grades in all subjects were good. She got a perfect score in biology, and only physics was a little lacking.

Shi Mingyue stared at the report card for a long time. She couldn’t understand. Physics was her strong suit, so how did it become a weakness for Xiao Dengqu? She was reflecting on it the whole way.

After she finished reflecting, Shi Mingyue wanted to praise Xiao Dengqu. Xiao Dengqu’s eyes were half-closed and she was drowsy. Her chin would occasionally nod. She smelled the fragrance on Shi Mingyue and leaned on her shoulder as if she was looking for a path. Shi Mingyue had miscalculated. She thought that they would be done after the check-up. Xiao Dengqu had woken up early, took tests all morning, and couldn’t take a nap at noon, so she was tired now.

Shi Mingyue moved slightly. Xiao Dengqu hummed softly and rubbed her head against her shoulder. Shi Mingyue remained stiff and let her lean on her.

When they got to the tourist spot, the car didn’t move. Xiao Dengqu slowly opened her eyes. She stared blankly for a while and then looked up at her, pouting her lips for water. She looked dumb and obedient.

When they left, Shi Mingyue had specifically brought ice water, but the ice had melted and the water was warm. Shi Mingyue handed her the water bottle. Xiao Dengqu drank from the straw. “I want fruit tea.”

“Then let’s go down first,” Shi Mingyue said.

Xiao Dengqu was reluctant to let go. She hugged her and rubbed against her for a long time. When she let go, Shi Mingyue used a tissue to wipe her face and then put on her backpack.

Xiao Dengqu wore a hat and kept sighing while waiting in line for milk tea. “There are so many people.”

Her eyes kept looking around. The historical and cultural street was full of ancient charm. There were lanterns and red umbrellas hanging everywhere. Shi Mingyue had worked part-time here a few times, but the young lady looked like she had never seen the world.

Shi Mingyue said, “Don’t get lost.”

Shi Mingyue’s palm felt warm. Xiao Dengqu held her hand, her eyes still on the small toys being sold at the stall across the street.

The place was even livelier at night. There were small stalls everywhere, and the buildings and towers were lit up. Xiao Dengqu held her hand tightly, afraid of losing Shi Mingyue.

“Have you never been out before?” Shi Mingyue asked.

“No. Dad said good kids should stay at home. I just stay at home. He’ll buy me anything I want,” Xiao Dengqu said.

Shi Mingyue thought.

Xiao Dengqu’s life was barren, a wasteland.

“Study hard and go out in the future.”

Xiao Dengqu nodded hard. “I’ll listen to the teacher.”

They didn’t get back to the villa until very late. Shi Mingyue took a shower and made a schedule on her bed. Xiao Dengqu’s schedule was packed: reading, going to the hospital for results, and getting softening shots.

Cheng Jin sent a message: Did you see my Moments?

Shi Mingyue: I did. Did you get back?

Cheng Jin: Don’t you think Xiao Dengqu is confessing her love to you?

Shi Mingyue frowned: No, she writes her essays like this.

Last time, Xiao Dengqu wrote an essay that was like erotica. It seemed like she wanted to sleep with her. No, that’s not right…

Shi Mingyue hesitated. Xiao Dengqu did want to sleep with her.

Cheng Jin: This is a short essay. It’s different.

Cheng Jin was very afraid that she would agree. Although she didn’t know why she had this thought. But if Shi Mingyue said no, then it was a no. Looking at Shi Mingyue’s attitude, the two of them probably hadn’t progressed. It was just Xiao Dengqu’s unrequited love.

Xiao Dengqu and Shi Mingyue were even further apart than she and Shi Mingyue were. Cheng Jin really wanted Shi Mingyue to leave the Xiao family, but she also knew Shi Mingyue’s personality. She had her own ideas, and no one could influence her thoughts.

Cheng Jin called Shi Mingyue, but Shi Mingyue didn’t answer. She sent another message: [Then, are you going to renew your contract to be her tutor?]

Shi Mingyue: We’ll see.

Her saying this meant there was a 50% chance that she wouldn’t be Xiao Dengqu’s tutor anymore. Cheng Jin decided to wait. As long as the tutoring relationship ended, she would have a lot more opportunities than Xiao Dengqu.

Shi Mingyue: Didn’t you go back to Kyoto?

Cheng Jin wanted to reply “I’m back” and then take the opportunity to ask her out, but she had to tell the truth. She didn’t get on the plane. Cheng’s mother called her and told her to take a connecting flight to the next city. Cheng Jin couldn’t refuse and had to take the connecting flight. After she arrived, she was constantly questioned about going abroad and was severely criticized.

Cheng Jin’s family makes car chips. Cheng Jin is considered a rich second generation in Kyoto. She has a good personality, is pretty, gentle, and warm-hearted. A lot of people are after her.

At first, the two of them only took public classes together. Cheng Jin took the initiative to ask her to go to the library. Shi Mingyue didn’t agree and refused her at first. Later, during the university physical fitness test, someone needed to hold her legs while she did sit-ups. Cheng Jin took the initiative to help Shi Mingyue. After that, it took her a long time to become friends with Shi Mingyue.

Cheng Jin: Did you write that card for her?

Cheng Jin sent her the picture. Shi Mingyue zoomed in on the card that was in the flowers. After she saw it, her head hurt and she was dumbfounded.

The words were ambiguous, and the handwriting was similar. It was probably because the florist was trying to imitate the writing so it wouldn’t be revealed… Sometimes the boss doesn’t have to be so dedicated.

Shi Mingyue: Not me. This is the message from the florist.

Cheng Jin: Does Xiao Dengqu know?

Shi Mingyue wasn’t sure.

Her head was throbbing. She typed: She knows.

Shi Mingyue’s scalp was tingling from being questioned. If it were someone else, they would know at a glance that it was a complimentary card. But this was Xiao Dengqu… she had to explain it to Xiao Dengqu.

Xiao Dengqu saw her “is typing” status first and sent a message asking: Teacher, where do you want to go for the next holiday?

Shi Mingyue thought for a moment. Mid-Autumn Festival?

That’s a little early, right?

Shi Mingyue: What holiday?

Xiao Dengqu: Qixi Festival is coming, teacher.

“Do you want to stay at home, or should we go on a date?”

Shi Mingyue: Why are we celebrating Valentine’s Day?

Xiao Dengqu: Teacher, you’re so stupid. Aren’t we dating now?

Shi Mingyue: “!”

What? When did that happen?!