TAO | Chapter 14

Wei Xiaochi’s agitated reaction made Jiang Zhan’s expression even more displeased, his anger rising. “Did the rat see the cat?”

Wei Xiaochi’s throat tightened, thinking to himself, Aren’t you the cat? Your mood swings are like that—unpredictable and hard to grasp.

Jiang Zhan, suppressing his impatience, lowered his voice, “Come out, stop blocking the other students from getting water.”

There were no students left in line behind him. Seeing Jiang Zhan block the door like that, they had already scattered like birds and beasts.

Through these few interactions, Wei Xiaochi had gotten to know Jiang Zhan a little. As long as he didn’t oppose him, Jiang Zhan wouldn’t make things difficult for him.

That’s what he thought, but his legs seemed to have their own will. Wei Xiaochi found it difficult to move, his feet dragging.

It was less like walking and more like inching forward with great effort.

Jiang Zhan, seeing that, was finally successful in his patience, his gaze sharp like a blade. “Did your legs get sawed off? Hurry up!”

Wei Xiaochi jolted at the shout, quickly following Jiang Zhan. The fewer people around, the more uneasy he felt, not knowing what Jiang Zhan was going to do.

The alpha stopped and looked at Wei Xiaochi, adopting a tone that seemed to be questioning him. “Are you avoiding me?”

Wei Xiaochi hesitated. “Didn’t you say…”

“What did I say?” Jiang Zhan cut him off, asking in return. “Did I tell you to avoid me?”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

Jiang Zhan hadn’t actually said that, but didn’t his words yesterday imply that?

The alpha spoke confidently, “If all the people who like me were like you, half of them would have dropped out of school by now.”

Wei Xiaochi was stunned into silence by his shameless words.

Suddenly, Jiang Zhan thought of something and grew cautious. “You’re not playing hard to get, are you?”

How could he be turning things around on him?

“I-I’m not!” Wei Xiaochi hurriedly defended himself, his voice rising in panic. He stuttered a bit, speaking too fast.

Jiang Zhan studied him, seemingly evaluating whether what he said was true.

“I don’t think you dare,” Jiang Zhan sneered, then suddenly showed mercy. “You don’t have to avoid me. Your little feelings aren’t enough to bother me. But you…”

Jiang Zhan paused, clicking his tongue. “Act a bit more mature.”

Watching Jiang Zhan walk away, Wei Xiaochi belatedly realized he had just been lectured.

So, he was blocked in the water room just to be told this?

What… what kind of situation is this?

Actually, Wei Xiaochi didn’t quite understand what Jiang Zhan meant by “mature” until he showed him firsthand.

The last period on Friday morning was physical education, and Wei Xiaochi was surprised to find out that Class 7 had physical education as well.

It wasn’t his fault for not noticing; after all, the two classes had different PE teachers, and the field was so large, everyone just stayed on their own sides without disturbing each other.

Plus, every PE class started with an 800-meter run, followed by a quick dispersal. After that, Wei Xiaochi would head straight back to the classroom.

He was the type who, if he could avoid outdoor interactions, would never stay outside for a minute longer than necessary.

Not just him, Zhang Mingyang was the same.

Or maybe all introverted bookworms were like them?

For various reasons, Wei Xiaochi never realized that he had been in the same physical education class with Jiang Zhan for several sessions.

After finishing the 800-meter run, Wei Xiaochi felt like half of his life had been drained away. He was bent over, catching his breath, when his eyes caught sight of someone under the shade of a tree.

The sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting countless beams that painted Jiang Zhan in a soft glow. His profile blended with the light and shadow, the lines blurred, but his eyes—dark and shining—seemed to hold the light.

Seeing Jiang Zhan, Wei Xiaochi’s heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Zhan’s gaze was lazy as it rested on Wei Xiaochi, then swept past him without a trace.

In an instant, Wei Xiaochi suddenly understood what Jiang Zhan meant by “mature.”

It was the kind of “relationship as light as water”—

Not getting too close, but not deliberately avoiding each other either. Like mature adults, they should forget past misunderstandings and give each other some dignity.

Jiang Zhan, the mature school bully, forever a model of maturity.

Wei Xiaochi felt a weight lift from his chest and, with weak legs, trudged back to the classroom to review some practice questions.

Wei Xiaochi, with a piece of chocolate in his mouth, was immersed in a sea of math problems when suddenly a shadow fell over him.

He paused with his pen, looked up in surprise, and saw someone unexpected. “Class Monitor?”

Wei Xiaochi sat in the second row. His desk neighbor was an omega with a fiery temper, but the seat was empty now. Li Suilin had taken that spot.

Li Suilin smiled slightly, his handsome face flawless. “Got some time?”

Wei Xiaochi put down his pen and straightened up. “What is it, Class Monitor?”

Li Suilin had an exceptionally good temper. In two years of being in the same class, no one had ever seen him lose his cool. But for some reason, Wei Xiaochi felt a little intimidated by him.

It wasn’t exactly fear, more like respect. He didn’t dare to disobey him, let alone make him angry.

Li Suilin smiled and asked, “How about tutoring? After school today, two hours. Fifty per hour, and I’ll provide snacks and fruit.”

Fifty per hour? That meant he could make a hundred a day. In comparison, handing out flyers at the milk tea shop for a whole day would only get him a hundred.

Wei Xiaochi became excited and quickly responded, “I’m interested. I’m definitely interested.”

Li Suilin showed a bit of hesitation. “It’s just that the kids are a bit hard to manage. Are you okay with that?”

Fearing the opportunity would slip away, Wei Xiaochi quickly assured him, “I can do it. I have younger siblings at home. I often take care of them on weekends. I’ve changed their diapers and fed them formula before.”

Li Suilin chuckled. “Forget the diapers. They’re way past that age.”

Wei Xiaochi caught on to the key point. “They?”

“Yes, not just one, but four of them. They’ll all be in the same session,” Li Suilin said, leaning his elbow on the desk and rubbing his forehead. “Do you think fifty an hour is a bit low?”

Wei Xiaochi hesitated for a moment. “Uh, how old are these kids?”

If they were too young, one or two could be manageable. But more than that, Wei Xiaochi wasn’t sure if he could handle it.

Li Suilin replied, “They’re the same age as us. Eighteen this year.”

Wei Xiaochi: “…”

“Well, that’s fine,” Wei Xiaochi decided. If they were all the same age, even two more wouldn’t be a problem.

Then, thinking about Jiang Zhan and Li Suilin’s relationship, Wei Xiaochi couldn’t help but ask, “So, none of these four kids are Jiang Zhan, right?”

Li Suilin sighed, clearly not thrilled about it. “He’s one of them. He fails every subject, so he’s one of the top-priority students for tutoring.”

Wei Xiaochi: “…”

The school basketball friendly league was about to start, but the school had a rule that students who failed their courses couldn’t participate.

During the last mock exam, Jiang Zhan and Han Ziyang had failed every subject, while Jiang Rui and Zhao Zifeng had failed two each.

The bad news was that Wei Xiaochi had to get all four of them to pass before next month’s mock exam. It was going to be a tight schedule and a heavy task.

The good news was that, because Li Suilin was injured and had to take a substitute role, he could help tutor too, as he was also an academic star.

Not only would the substitute help, but Li Suilin said he would also pitch in when he could. Since he was part of the student council, there were always random tasks that would come up, so his availability was unpredictable.

Hearing the list of students needing tutoring, Wei Xiaochi felt overwhelmed.

Jiang Zhan alone was already a handful, and now he had to deal with Han Ziyang too.

Then there were Jiang Rui and Zhao Zifeng, tall and muscular—Wei Xiaochi couldn’t imagine what studying in the same room with them would be like.

It was going to be extremely challenging, and Wei Xiaochi felt like he might not be up for it.

But then again, it was one hundred a day.

Wei Xiaochi was torn, clearly conflicted. “I think… I think…”

“How about this? One hundred per hour.” Li Suilin smiled, looking at Wei Xiaochi. “What do you think?”

Wei Xiaochi was completely swayed by the offer of one hundred per hour and eagerly replied, “I think it’s great.”

What’s more important—life or money?

For Wei Xiaochi, money won.

With the mock exams approaching, Wei Xiaochi didn’t have much time to earn money, so he immediately agreed to start working that night.

Li Suilin was on the same page. “I’ll tell them. You guys will come over to my house tonight.”

“By the way,” Li Suilin added thoughtfully, “make sure to let your family know. If you come home too late, they’ll worry.”

“Okay.”

After school, Wei Xiaochi called Fang Yuan to let her know that he had joined a study group and would be staying at school for two extra hours, so she didn’t need to cook dinner for him. He’d just eat in the school cafeteria.

“Be careful on your way back. Don’t forget to eat dinner. If you don’t have enough money, let me know. Your health is more important.”

Fang Yuan asked a few more times before hanging up.

Fang Yuan was very emotionally intelligent. Whether her concern was genuine or just something she said, at least she was willing to be kind to Wei Xiaochi.

After the call, Wei Xiaochi unlocked the bike lock and pushed his bicycle out of the shed.

Li Suilin was waiting for him at the school entrance. Once they met, Li Suilin said, “Let’s head back. They won’t arrive for a while.”

Wei Xiaochi followed Li Suilin to his residential area, finally understanding why they chose this place for tutoring—it was very close to the school, only about five or six minutes by bike.

No. 2 High School was a key school in A City, and the school district housing was extremely expensive. Even a thirty-year-old apartment cost eight to nine thousand per square meter.

Li Suilin’s residential area had been built in recent years, with excellent landscaping. It had even won a prestigious garden design award, making it a very trendy place. The property prices were outrageously high.

In this precious land, Li Suilin’s family lived in a villa.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t surprised. Judging by Li Suilin’s demeanor, he didn’t seem like a regular person.

Li Suilin opened the password lock and gestured for Wei Xiaochi to go inside.

Wei Xiaochi rarely visited other people’s homes, and seeing the exquisite decoration, he felt like he didn’t know where to sit.

At that moment, a gentle voice came from the living room. “Suilin, you’re back?”

Wei Xiaochi’s nervousness grew, and sweat started to bead on his forehead. He wasn’t good at dealing with parents, especially classmates’ moms. The concept of a “classmate’s mom” was so foreign to him. He hadn’t visited any classmate’s home since middle school; this was his first time.

A graceful and elegant woman walked over.

Li Suilin: “Mom, this is my classmate. I brought him to tutor Ziyang and the others.”

Wei Xiaochi tried his best to keep his smile natural. “Hello, Auntie.”

Li Suilin's mom was very warm. “Come in, don’t stand on ceremony. Make yourself at home.”

Li Suilin seemed to notice Wei Xiaochi’s discomfort. “It’s okay, we’ll go upstairs. When Ziyang and the others arrive, you can just let them come up.”

Li Suilin's mom was very agreeable. “Sure, you two go ahead. I’ll have someone prepare some fruit for you.”

As they headed upstairs, Li Suilin casually shared some family ‘secrets’. “Han Ziyang is my cousin. My mom and his mom are sisters.”

Wei Xiaochi was stunned. He hadn’t expected them to have that kind of relationship.

Li Suilin laughed. “So don’t worry about him. He won’t dare to cause trouble in my house. You don’t need to be scared.”

Wei Xiaochi felt reassured, grateful for Li Suilin’s attempt to make him feel at ease.

Just as they reached the second floor, the doorbell rang.

The family’s servant went to answer it, and through the door, Han Ziyang’s voice could be heard. “Aunt, is there any food? I’m hungry.”

Not long after, Han Ziyang strode in, with Jiang Zhan following closely behind.

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t help but glance downstairs, his eyes locking with Jiang Zhan’s. His heart skipped a beat.

Author’s note:
Wei Xiaochi’s first time going to someone else’s house isn’t about introducing himself. Jiang Zhan, be mature, don’t be jealous.