TAO | Chapter 16

Wei Xiaochi had never considered tutoring before, but Li Suilin opened up a new way for him to make money.

If he really managed to get into J University, he could use the halo of being from a prestigious university to tutor others. This tutoring session with Jiang Zhan and his group was his first step into the world of private tutoring.

Because of this, Wei Xiaochi took it very seriously. When he got home, he borrowed his twin siblings’ tablet and searched for high school teacher lectures online to see how other teachers explained things.

Wei Xiaochi brought the test papers from Jiang Zhan and the others back with him. While watching the videos, he took notes, cross-referencing them with the test papers.

He worked until midnight. After closing his notebook, he stretched, relieved his stiff neck and shoulders, and then quietly went to the bathroom to wash up.

Wei Xiaochi had already asked Zhou Yun for leave, so he didn’t have to wake up early the next morning. He slept in until 8 AM, got up to brush his teeth and wash his face, and spent an hour on homework before leaving on his bike at 9:30.

The four struggling students arrived punctually before 10 AM at Li Suilin’s house.

Except for Zhao Zifeng, who planned to pursue a career in sports at the Physical Education University, the other three were all focused on preparing for the college entrance exams.

Since they had entered their final year of high school, Jiang Zhan and his group would no longer play basketball—this was also what their parents had decided. Therefore, this would be their last basketball game in high school.

The substitute academic prodigy from the basketball team didn’t come today, but fortunately, Wei Xiaochi had prepared for that.

In the morning, following Li Suilin’s advice, Wei Xiaochi broke down the mistakes from yesterday’s test papers and fed them to the group bit by bit.

Wei Xiaochi watched as Zhao Zifeng, with his strong muscles and towering height, gave off an overwhelming presence. Who would have thought that this intimidating figure was actually very diligent in his studies?

Zhao Zifeng even took meticulous notes, using a pink notebook.

Jiang Rui was bright and talkative, and together with Han Ziyang, they formed a lively duo. When Li Suilin wasn’t around, the two of them would whisper to each other, chatting about everything and nothing.

As for Jiang Zhan…

Today, the school bully still carried himself with high arrogance. He didn’t even look at Wei Xiaochi, and it was unclear whether he was even listening.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t dare to ask, nor did he want to interfere, so he just continued teaching obediently.

While the morning was a bit of a free-for-all, the afternoon brought consequences.

In the afternoon, Wei Xiaochi was still in charge of tutoring. Li Suilin had him go over the content from the morning with the struggling four.

Once Wei Xiaochi finished, Li Suilin casually picked 15 questions from the practice book for them to do.

After they finished, Wei Xiaochi didn’t dare waste time and immediately started reviewing their answers.

Li Suilin, on the other hand, lounged on the terrace sofa, legs crossed, sipping his coffee, and flipping through a geography magazine with a relaxed air.

Once the papers were checked, Wei Xiaochi marked them and handed them to Li Suilin.

The alpha put down his magazine and casually flipped through the papers.

Wei Xiaochi felt a wave of anxiety. His tutoring didn’t seem to have had much effect—aside from Zhao Zifeng making a slight improvement, the others were still just as hopeless, their grades a complete mess.

Li Suilin didn’t say anything. Instead, he picked up a walking cane from the side.

The cane was beautifully crafted and extravagant. Its long shaft was adorned with intricate totem patterns, and the handle was polished ivory.

Li Suilin stood up, resting on the cane, walking at a leisurely pace, the two buttons of his white shirt undone, revealing his sharp collarbones.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like Han Ziyang and Jiang Rui’s expressions looked a bit strange, and even Jiang Zhan’s face seemed a bit off.

Li Suilin walked to the meeting table and casually placed the four test papers in front of them.

“This question was covered this morning, and I just went over it again,” Li Suilin said, his tone as gentle as spring wind. However, the faces of Han Ziyang and the others grew increasingly uncomfortable, as if they were facing a great enemy.

“Did you forget?” Li Suilin smiled as he asked, “Are you all the male leads from a soap opera? Please, go back to where you came from, I’m not escorting you out.”

“The same type of question, but in a different form, and you still—still don’t get it?”

“Do you actually have brains, or is it just concrete in there? It doesn’t move at all! I beg you, use your brain! It won’t tire you out!”

Li Suilin spoke slowly, without a single curse word, not even a pause, for a solid five minutes. He didn’t repeat a single word, attacking the four struggling students from all angles without mercy.

For those five minutes, Wei Xiaochi didn’t close his mouth. This was the first time he had seen Li Suilin like this.

He used the most gentle tone to deliver the harshest words, each sentence cutting like a knife, each one lethal.

If there was a ranking for sharp tongues, their class monitor would definitely be number one in all three realms.

Before, Wei Xiaochi had thought Jiang Zhan’s words were harsh, but compared to Li Suilin, the school bully was like a sweet little cutie.

After delivering his ruthless verbal attack on the four students, Li Suilin turned to look at Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi immediately felt his scalp tingle, his whole body feeling like it had been struck by electricity. He stood at attention, his back straight, practically at military parade standard.

Li Suilin smiled kindly. “Xiaochi.”

Wei Xiaochi nervously responded, “Eh?”

“Are you hungry? Have some fruit and take a break.” Seeing how stiff Wei Xiaochi was, Li Suilin smiled again, “Don’t stand, sit.”

Li Suilin treated Wei Xiaochi and the others in completely different ways, almost like the saying “raise alphas harshly, but nurture betas gently.”

Having just witnessed the class monitor’s gentle yet lethal tongue, Wei Xiaochi was still shaken, sitting at the very edge of his chair with his legs neatly together.

Li Suilin received a phone call, and after a brief conversation about some materials, he walked out of the room.

Once he left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Rui groaned and held his forehead, “I was so naive. I thought we’d finally get a tutor without this humiliation.”

“I’ve had enough of this,” Han Ziyang grumbled, his frustration clear.

Wei Xiaochi learned from Han Ziyang that this wasn’t their first time tutoring at Li Suilin’s house.

Last year, during the basketball league, they almost couldn’t participate in the match because of their mock exam scores. It was Li Suilin who saved the day.

Apparently, during that tutoring session, Li Suilin had been even harsher than today, leaving them questioning their entire existence.

They thought that with Wei Xiaochi helping this time, they would finally be free from such torture. But who knew they had underestimated their situation.

Muscular Zhao Zifeng wiped his wet eyes, his voice full of grievance. “I really tried, but I’m just not cut out for studying.”

Wei Xiaochi felt sympathy for him and could vouch for the fact that this alpha had really been trying his best.

Wei Xiaochi grabbed two tissues, intending to hand them to him, but he hesitated, not daring to make a move.

Just then, a terrifying gaze landed on him. Wei Xiaochi looked up and found himself staring into Jiang Zhan’s eyes, his heart skipping a beat.

The alpha’s gaze was heavy, and there was a shadow cast over his expression. It was chilling.

Wei Xiaochi felt like Jiang Zhan was looking at him as if he were Li Suilin’s accomplice, his eyes full of menace.

Jiang Zhan had just been scolded by Li Suilin, and with his temperament, he was probably furious right now.

With Li Suilin gone, Wei Xiaochi was worried he might be caught in the crossfire. He hunched his shoulders and tried his best to shrink into himself.

That deadly gaze never left him, and Wei Xiaochi could hear the sound of chairs scraping across the floor.

Soon, a dark shadow loomed over him, completely covering him from above.

Wei Xiaochi’s nerves were on edge, and he lowered his head, afraid to even breathe.

Jiang Zhan walked over, stood right in front of him, and suddenly grabbed his face, squeezing it like dough. His fingers pinched and kneaded Wei Xiaochi’s cheek.

Wei Xiaochi froze, staring at him in confusion, his glasses awkwardly sliding down to the tip of his nose, crooked on his face.

This beta, looking so dazed and silly, appeared completely docile and harmless, yet secretly full of tricks. It was a face that could deceive anyone.

Jiang Zhan snorted coldly a couple of times but continued rubbing his cheek, leaving a mark from his fingers.

Just as Wei Xiaochi was trying to figure out what Jiang Zhan was doing, three curious heads suddenly peeked from behind him.

Three pairs of eyes stared at Wei Xiaochi, full of curiosity.

Zhao Zifeng wondered: What’s going on here?

Jiang Rui wondered: What’s going on here?

Han Ziyang wondered: What’s going on here?

But somehow, it felt like this face was actually pretty satisfying to squeeze?

Han Ziyang couldn’t help but reach out, but before his hand could touch Wei Xiaochi, he was slapped hard on the back of his hand. He yelped in surprise, pulling his hand back like it had been shocked.

When Li Suilin came back after his call, he noticed Wei Xiaochi’s face. His gaze paused, then he glanced at Jiang Zhan, though his expression remained neutral.

Jiang Zhan was still giving off that familiar arrogant air, but his legs were trembling under the table.

Li Suilin raised an eyebrow. “What happened to your face?” he asked, poking gently. “It’s so red… with fingerprints?”

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t sure whether he should complain about Jiang Zhan. He felt conflicted because their relationship seemed good, but he also feared Jiang Zhan’s retaliation.

Caught in the middle, he was unsure of what to do, and as Li Suilin seemed to enjoy poking his face, he did it again.

Wei Xiaochi: …

His face had just been through such a rough treatment, and now Li Suilin was poking it like it was dough. Though it didn’t hurt, it still felt scorching, and Li Suilin’s touch made his forehead twitch.

Li Suilin was about to poke again when Jiang Zhan slammed his test paper onto the table, looking furious.

“I don’t understand this question!”

His tone was awful, and he was being rude despite not understanding.

Wei Xiaochi flinched, his eyelids twitching. Under Jiang Zhan’s piercing gaze, he could only walk over. “Which question?”

Jiang Zhan jabbed his pen forcefully into the paper, piercing it. Wei Xiaochi’s heart skipped a beat.

He swallowed nervously and looked down—it was a type of question they had already covered three times.

Not daring to complain, Wei Xiaochi obediently explained it again.

Jiang Zhan stared down at the question, frowning, and then jabbed his pen at another one. “This one.”

After Jiang Zhan asked about three questions, Wei Xiaochi, exhausted, sat next to him.

“The teacher is just a well-digger, learning still depends on self-discipline. Don’t let yourself fall into the bad habit of monopolizing the tutor,” Li Suilin said with a deliberate pause, his tone playful, “Especially some certain students.”

Jiang Zhan didn’t care about that and ignored the so-called “classroom discipline.” “I don’t get this question,” he stated, unapologetically.

Wei Xiaochi: …