Being a Tutor to a Rich, Psychopathic Young Lady - Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Shi Mingyue looked at the line of text behind the screen and felt a very strange sensation. She had typed out the words but they remained in the chat box. She repeatedly wanted to delete them but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
Perhaps she could teach Xiao Dengqu well; perhaps she could make her less mischievous.
Although she had passed the teaching qualification exam and provided tutoring services to Xiao Dengqu a few times, it was only at this moment that she suddenly felt a strong sense of responsibility as a teacher.
Her pink fingertips pressed the “Enter” key on the keyboard with force.
The moment it was sent, Shi Mingyue’s emotions surged like a tide. She didn’t know whether to break down and cry from the release of pressure or to cry tears of joy. Tears were stuck in her eyes, neither flowing down nor overflowing.
The message notifications below kept flashing.
Steward Xiao: “Come over for breakfast tomorrow.”
On her end, Xiao Dengqu nodded, propped her chin, and lightly tapped her cheek with her fingers. “So happy.” She didn’t leave after sending the message, continuing to occupy the steward’s WeChat interface.
Xiao Dengqu looked at the word “Okay” displayed on the screen, feeling satisfied. Her face was also reflected on the computer screen, looking like a happy smiley face.
However, when Shi Mingyue’s message came again, Xiao Dengqu turned her head, her expression changing instantly. She looked at the female steward coldly. “She messaged you on her own?”
The female steward felt very uncomfortable under her gloomy gaze. She said, “Because you didn’t pay attention to her or give her any response.”
Xiao Dengqu frowned. After a moment of thought, she nodded. Indeed, raising a teacher was no easy task.
Soon, she looked at her own phone. She had sent so many messages to Shi Mingyue, but Shi Mingyue hadn’t replied.
After Xiao Dengqu left, the female steward quickly sent a message to Shi Mingyue from her own WeChat.
“At the same time, please also message the genius in our house, who only scored 52 points.”
…
Because of the invitation to have breakfast together, Shi Mingyue woke up earlier than usual. She didn’t know how long she would stay at the Xiao family’s house today, so she brought her laptop with her, planning to work on her graduation project in her free time.
The Xiao family villa was tall and magnificent, with climbing roses planted all over the entrance. The courtyard was filled with lush, well-arranged plants. On that day, thinking no one would see them, Cheng Jin chose to make her over-the-line request under a tree and kissed her. The second floor was at a perfect height to see their every move.
Shi Mingyue looked up at the second floor. She didn’t see anyone at the window. A maid came over and opened the gate for her.
A week had passed. Shi Mingyue once again saw the “genius” who scored 52 points in the living room.
Xiao Dengqu was seriously flipping through a book on her lap. She seemed calm about Shi Mingyue’s arrival. She looked up and gave her a polite smile as before: “Hello, teacher. Welcome.”
Shi Mingyue had a strange feeling, as if it was her first day here. She also truly felt the strangeness that Cheng Jin had talked about for the first time.
The female steward invited Shi Mingyue to sit down, and the maids started serving the dishes. After thanking them, Shi Mingyue went to wash her hands and then began to enjoy the food within her reach.
During the meal, Shi Mingyue vaguely noticed that Xiao Dengqu secretly glanced at her several times, as if observing how she ate. Occasionally, whatever Shi Dengqu ate, Xiao Dengqu would also try.
Shi Mingyue wasn’t a picky eater; she ate everything, and the Xiao family’s meals were indeed delicious.
After the meal, the genius girl went to watch anime, while Shi Mingyue stayed to talk to the steward. The female steward asked her, “You probably don’t have pets, do you?”
Shi Mingyue’s dorm was near the cafeteria, so stray cats often appeared. At that time, she helped in the kitchen and would always set aside a few bites of food for the stray cats when she brought back meals.
When the female steward asked this, Shi Mingyue couldn’t help but remember Cheng Jin’s words and secretly wondered: Does Xiao Dengqu dislike pets, or has she done something to them?
Shi Mingyue glanced at Xiao Dengqu and found that she was also looking at her. Xiao Dengqu was lying on the armrest of the sofa, her eyes very clean and clear, but her gaze was fixed on Shi Mingyue, as if she was waiting for her answer.
Shi Mingyue replied, “I don’t.”
Xiao Dengqu said, “Teacher, I do.”
“Oh, really?” Shi Mingyue hadn’t seen any pets in the Xiao family’s house for all this time. She asked curiously, “Why haven’t I seen any?”
The Xiao family’s estate was over 700 square meters, so there was a lot of space. She had only been to the front yard and the front building and hadn’t been anywhere else. A large wealthy family like this would most likely have a special place for pets.
“She went out to play recently,” Xiao Dengqu explained. “After I bring her back, I’ll keep her in my room.”
Xiao Dengqu then asked, “Teacher, what kind of pet do you like? A kitten or a puppy?”
“A cat, I guess…” In fact, Shi Mingyue also liked dogs and found them very loyal, but dogs were too big and expensive to raise. She said, “If you do get one, I can help feed it when I’m not busy.”
“No, I’ll do it myself,” Xiao Dengqu said, and then nodded to herself. “A little cat, huh.”
Teacher as a cat… that’s strange.
“But I also hate little dogs.” Xiao Dengqu curved her lips and gave Shi Mingyue a bright smile. “It seems we have the same preferences.”
After that, Shi Mingyue received Xiao Dengqu’s test paper from the steward. She didn’t have to teach any new lessons today; she would first analyze the incorrect questions.
As they went upstairs, Shi Mingyue couldn’t resist opening the test paper. Xiao Dengqu had indeed only scored 22 points. The remaining 30 points were all given to herself, by herself.
Xiao Dengqu had given herself points so brazenly that even the name “Shi Mingyue” written on top became a points-giving item for her, followed by “+5.”
Shi Mingyue really couldn’t understand why the steward would agree to her doing this. She was about to turn her head to ask when Xiao Dengqu took a step forward, putting a finger to her lips. She lightly shushed, “Teacher, this is our secret.”
Shi Mingyue was amused by her. “Okay, a secret.”
Although she really wanted to say that her modifications were too clumsy and the total score on the paper was 150 points, which was a little… silly.
Xiao Dengqu pushed open her bedroom door. “Teacher, please come in.”
Shi Mingyue didn’t go in. She returned the test paper to Xiao Dengqu and said, “I’ll go take a shower first.”
She remembered the young lady’s obsession with cleanliness. Her teacher had to be spotless. Xiao Dengqu nodded, took the test paper, and thought: What a good teacher.
Xiao Dengqu sat on the edge of the bed waiting, her fingers gently playing with a pen, spinning it with a casual air. She looked at the clouds and then subtly at the empty wall opposite her. Although she didn’t see anything, her mind could picture the teacher’s wet form, like a little flower after the rain, each petal soaked with water droplets, sparkling and transparent, the petals becoming clear and delicate.
In the future, she would help the teacher bathe.
When Shi Mingyue came out of the adjacent bathroom, the female steward appeared again, seemingly deliberately avoiding Xiao Dengqu to talk to her.
The meaning was that from now on, she only needed to keep Xiao Dengqu company and occasionally teach her. Later, they would find other famous tutors.
The meaning was quite obvious. The steward was not satisfied with her teaching, and Shi Mingyue’s role had shifted to a companion, making Xiao Dengqu happy. If other tutors came, it meant… she could leave.
Shi Mingyue became nervous again. The competition was too fierce. A live-in application was a top priority. She would stay for as long as she could and earn the money.
Shi Mingyue still had the scent of that cheap shower gel on her, but it was clean and addictive.
Xiao Dengqu glanced at her thin lips, which had no lipstick on them.
Shi Mingyue sat across from her. The hair tucked behind her ear was slightly damp. To prove her own guess and confirm that Xiao Dengqu actually knew how to solve the questions on the test paper, she was extra patient in guiding Xiao Dengqu to the correct answers as she solved them again.
Her eyelashes fluttered. The slightly wet, curly hair by her ear framed her pale face. Her lips, soft and tender from the moisture, moved open and closed, adorned with a tempting sheen that invited a light sip of their sweetness and moisture.
“You have a younger sister?” Xiao Dengqu asked suddenly.
“Yes, why?”
“What’s her name?”
“Shi Fanxing,” Shi Mingyue said.
“Then why didn’t you write it on your resume?” Xiao Dengqu asked.
Shi Mingyue thought: You don’t need to write family members on a resume, do you? It would look unprofessional to He. But her interviewer was Xiao Dengqu. She said, “I’ll write it next time.”
“Come, look at this question.”
Xiao Dengqu remained silent for a while. After a moment, Shi Mingyue saw Xiao Dengqu picking at her tattoo. She then noticed that Xiao Dengqu had a moon surrounded by stars tattooed on the top of her arm, and now she was picking off all the stars around the moon.
Shi Mingyue saw her picking at her arm until it was red and wanted to stop her but felt embarrassed. So she handed her a wet wipe.
“Is your sister good at school?”
Shi Fanxing’s grades were average, a little short of getting into a public two-year college. This was why she didn’t want to study and wanted to start working early.
Shi Mingyue said, “She’s pretty good. With effort, she’ll get into a very good university.”
Xiao Dengqu asked her, “Do you think I did very well on this test?”
Shi Mingyue didn’t even dare to look at the shocking 22 points. Sensing that Xiao Dengqu was in a bad mood, she complimented her. “Yes, you did very well, but try not to do this again next time.”
After the praise, Xiao Dengqu’s emotions still didn’t fluctuate much. She probably felt a little ashamed about her bad score and remained silent. Shi Mingyue’s tone became more gentle as she explained the questions, subtly coaxing her.
“I’m not mad at you. Does your sister often get mad at you and need to be coaxed?” Xiao Dengqu said. “If so, she’s too thoughtless.”
“No,” Shi Mingyue said.
When something happened at home, Shi Fanxing immediately went to work at a factory and said she would support her studies. As long as one of the two sisters didn’t have a hard time, they weren’t both suffering; they could taste the sweetness, too.
Shi Mingyue’s tone couldn’t hide her pride. “My sister has been very sensible since she was a child.”
“Oh, really?”
In the morning, Shi Mingyue finished explaining the test paper. The steward didn’t ask her to stay for lunch, so Shi Mingyue could almost return to the dorm, but she remembered the female steward’s words and had to apply to live there.
Xiao Dengqu propped her chin with her fingers, looking very patient as she watched her pack her things. Her whole body was saying: Ask me for it.
Shi Mingyue’s backpack contained a gift she had bought especially yesterday at the school supermarket. Just as she was about to turn to get it, Xiao Dengqu raised her head slightly, revealing her lips.
Shi Mingyue was absolutely certain that she had applied lip balm. Her thin lips had a faint peach scent, and her long, thin eyelashes gently fluttered.
Xiao Dengqu’s lips were undeniably beautiful. For this reward, she had prepared well.
There were many maids coming and going in this villa. The cicadas of summer never stopped their noisy buzzing on the treetops. Yet, Shi Mingyue felt as if she had arrived in a no-man’s land. She was on a cliff. Shi Mingyue felt a sense of grievance. The female steward didn’t even know what kind of gift this genius wanted, yet she sent her to give Xiao Dengqu a reward.
She said again, “…We really didn’t kiss that day.”
Xiao Dengqu just tilted her head slightly. Her eyebrows raised slightly. She said, “Then why didn’t you? You couldn’t bring yourself to do it?”
“Because…” Because I don’t like Cheng Jin.
But that question was too private. Shi Mingyue tried to lie. “Xiao Qu, actually, that day was an illusion…”
“Teacher, there are surveillance cameras in the yard. I watched it many times later.”
Xiao Dengqu moved from the chair opposite her to her side. Shi Mingyue’s eyes widened slightly. Her heart was struggling. She felt that she was overthinking. Xiao Dengqu was just a child who didn’t understand anything; she just wanted a reward. It was her own overthinking.
Her palms were sweaty. She was starting to be a little afraid of Xiao Dengqu. Xiao Dengqu had a kind of stubborn, possessive nature.
“Teacher,” Xiao Dengqu called her. “If you kiss me today, I’ll kiss you back next time.”
What?
Shi Mingyue was slightly stunned. Her intuition told her this was not good. This was not a simple reward but more like an endless game…
She immediately said, “No, you don’t need to return it.”
Xiao Dengqu said, “Should I close my eyes?”
Xiao Dengqu’s thin eyelashes closed, waiting to be kissed.
Shi Mingyue felt completely uncomfortable. Her ears turned red. Her gaze wandered uncontrollably, trying to escape this strange and oppressive atmosphere. She glanced out the window, just as Xiao Dengqu used to look out the window. The blue sky and white clouds intertwined, looking very intimate, very…
She tried hard to maintain her composure, not to become a strange teacher, and not to be controlled by her student. If this continued, it would become a very strange situation, like being forced to kiss by a student.
It was just a simple touch, not even a kiss on the lips. She needed to be more open.
But the student’s brow furrowed slightly. She leaned forward.
“Teacher, there isn’t enough time.”
Shi Mingyue’s heart jumped to her throat. Was she going to be timed now? Xiao Dengqu continued, “But it doesn’t matter.”
Xiao Dengqu looked so well-behaved and yet so inscrutable. Her finger slowly slid over her own dry lips, staring at the corner of Shi Mingyue’s lips that had been touched.
That fingertip seemed to carry an invisible force, a heart-pounding vibration as it kneaded.
Shi Mingyue’s body shattered, as if it had exploded into dust in the air. She wanted to look away. She heard herself still trying to defend herself: “I didn’t take the initiative to kiss Cheng Jin…”
“Mmm.” Xiao Dengqu first used her own cheek to feel the warmth of Shi Mingyue’s cheek, then moved her finger to the corner of her lips, and called out softly, “Teacher…”
She curved her lips at Shi Mingyue’s shocked, incredulous, and even overly frightened expression, her gaze burning, showing her usual well-behaved faint smile. “This is our secret, okay?”