The next day at school, Yu Wenli gave Wen Tingxue a large box of White Rabbit creamy candies.
He said it was to appease her.
Although the little girl was no longer angry, she accepted them anyway. After all, why refuse something free?
Yu Wenli, feeling a bit at fault, peeled a candy and fed it to her.
The sweetness of the candy melted on her tongue, and the awkwardness of the previous night vanished with it.
"Here are three, don't say I'm stingy."
The little girl generously stuffed three candies into his school uniform pocket.
The weather had warmed up, and they had switched to spring uniforms, thin jackets with a slight fleece lining.
While they weren't as striking as the winter ones, Yu Wenli was good-looking and looked good in anything.
The white and blue-trimmed school uniform was like a designer brand on him.
After all, he was tall with long legs, something the little girl envied immensely.
...
During evening study hall, Wen Di came in and distributed a test, saying it was to gauge everyone's grasp of the material.
Wen Tingxue had only been in Jiangcheng for a short time and was still adjusting to the local teaching methods.
The test was quite challenging for her.
"Alright," Wen Di said, keeping an eye on the clock, "swap papers with the person next to you, and we'll grade them on the spot."
As he spoke, he handed the answer key to Xu Ke Xin and asked her to write it on the blackboard.
Xu Ke Xin had beautiful handwriting, and many teachers liked to have her write things.
Wen Tingxue watched with envy for a while before exchanging papers with Xie Jin Yi.
"Huh?"
The little girl tilted her head slightly, looking at the test in her hand with a hesitant expression.
Xie Jin Yi looked up with a wry smile, "I didn't do it... Can you help me fudge it? Just passing is fine."
Seeing Xie Jin Yi's unusual mood, Wen Tingxue suppressed her questions and nodded, "Okay."
That night.
Before Yu Wenli could ask, the little girl eagerly took out her test and looked at him for help.
Yu Wenli raised an eyebrow and, holding the paper between two fingers, quickly scanned it.
There weren't many mistakes; she had essentially gotten all the points she could.
However, the little girl was demanding of herself and likely wanted to master the difficult concepts as well.
"Turn to the book."
Yu Wenli spread the test on the desk and began to dictate the page numbers with a serious expression.
Following his rhythm, Wen Tingxue quickly understood where she had gone wrong. Her efficiency was even better than Wen Di's teaching.
When forty minutes were up, she still felt like she could learn more.
Yu Wenli, his throat a little dry, picked up his water cup and took a few slow sips.
"Thank you, Teacher Yu! You've worked hard, Teacher Yu!" the little girl quickly got up to refill his cup.
Yu Wenli spun his cup and smiled, "Ask whatever you want to ask."
His gaze was too sharp; Wen Tingxue didn't expect to hide her thoughts from him.
During the extended break that afternoon, Xie Jin Yi pulled her along to the restroom.
On the way, they encountered the same four boys again. They hadn't even had time to dodge them.
The boys, however, scurried away as if they had seen a ghost.
Thinking back now, they seemed to have injuries on their faces.
But he hadn't been present that day...
Before the little girl could voice her confusion, her phone rang.
It was Xie Jin Yi.
Before going into the study, she had worried about Wen Tingxue's mood that day and sent her a message.
She hadn't replied.
Her calling now must mean something was wrong.
Wen Tingxue took her phone and went outside, fearing the matter Xie Jin Yi wanted to discuss was something she didn't want a third person to hear.
As soon as the call connected, Xie Jin Yi started crying. It wasn't a loud sobbing, but a deeply suppressed, almost suffocating cry.
It was as if she was afraid of being discovered.
Wen Tingxue felt a pang of distress. "Yi Yi, what's wrong? Where are you? Shall I come find you?"
Xie Jin Yi didn't speak, only cried. Her choked sobs tugged at Wen Tingxue's heartstrings.
Wen Tingxue stopped asking and simply stayed with her in silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Xie Jin Yi wiped her tears and spoke in a hoarse voice, clearly still crying.
"Thank you... for being willing to stay with me..."
Wen Tingxue suddenly remembered her own past, hiding and crying, with no one to talk to.
"Yi Yi, don't be like this. I'll always, always be by your side, whenever you need me."
The little girl's voice was soft and carried a healing power.
Xie Jin Yi sniffled and was silent for a long while before speaking almost numbly:
"I... I always thought that he only had his secretary and the bartender around him. I always thought he kept those women just for fun.
"As long as he was done playing, he would come home. He had me and my mother in his heart. And then..."
Xie Jin Yi's stomach churned as she recalled the two entangled figures she had seen in the dance studio just now.
The disgust was so overwhelming it was driving her mad.
"He actually got together with my dance teacher, and she's... pregnant."
She uttered the last three words through gritted teeth.
Wen Tingxue listened, feeling a sense of daze, followed by anger. "He..."
Before she could finish, Xie Jin Yi suddenly smiled sweetly and called out, "Dad, what are you doing here?"
Caught off guard by his daughter's appearance, Xie Liang Zhe nervously adjusted his clothes and frowned. "Xiao Yi? Don't you have classes today?"
His tone held no trace of tension.
Xie Jin Yi sneered inwardly but maintained a sweet expression. "Yes, but the teacher suddenly asked me to come for extra lessons, saying she had something tomorrow. Dad, why are you here?"
She asked again, and Xie Liang Zhe, unable to evade her, replied, "I'm here to take care of some business. This is my property."
"Oh," Xie Jin Yi nodded.
Xie Liang Zhe asked, sounding a bit worried, "Did you just arrive?"
"Yes," Xie Jin Yi replied with a sweet smile, "I was on the phone with Tingxue. I haven't gone in yet. What's wrong, Dad?"
Xie Liang Zhe visibly relaxed, reaching out to ruffle his daughter's hair.
"Nothing. Go to class. Dad's leaving now."
Wen Tingxue, who had heard the entire conversation on the phone, felt a strange sense of stunned disbelief.
She was astonished by Xie Liang Zhe's shamelessness and equally shocked by Xie Jin Yi's ability to switch expressions.
"Did I scare you?" Xie Jin Yi laughed self-deprecatingly.
"My mother taught me all of this. She told me that only by holding onto him tightly could I get everything I wanted."
Xie Jin Yi gazed into the darkness ahead, a vacant smile on her face. "But what is it that I want? I just want my mother to be a little happier.
"As long as she's happy, I'll do anything."
After hanging up, Wen Tingxue leaned on the railing and sighed pensively.
"Sighing won't make you grow taller."
A lazy voice drifted from behind her.
The little girl turned around in fright. The young man, dressed in his school uniform, was leaning against the wall with a relaxed posture, having apparently been there for a while.
Before she could ask, Yu Wenli answered himself, "Just arrived. Didn't hear anything, just heard Yi Yi's sister sighing."
As he finished speaking, he was already by her side, taking advantage of his considerable height to habitually pat her head.
His voice was languid as he asked, "Tell me, brother, why are you sighing?"
Wen Tingxue didn't want to talk to him.
No.
To be precise, she didn't want to talk to any man.
Seeing his hand being pushed away, Yu Wenli chuckled, "Did brother do anything to you?"
The little girl turned her face away, remaining silent.
Men are all bad, she had come to believe.
Yu Wenli raised a hand and tapped his temple, a mixture of annoyance and amusement in his voice as he drawled, "Wen Tingxue."
Although it was said in a teasing tone, he very rarely called her by her full name.
In her memory, this was the first time.
The little girl subconsciously relaxed her posture and said dryly, "Men are all bad."
"..."
After a moment of speechlessness, Yu Wenli quickly focused on the key point. "Using Xie Liang Zhe to represent all men is an insult to me."
"...Pfft."
His words unexpectedly struck Wen Tingxue's funny bone, and a smile broke through her tense expression.
Yu Wenli's lips curved into a smile as well, and he casually ruffled her hair.
"You're smiling? Then let's go. Brother will teach you calligraphy."
He turned to leave, but the little girl grabbed the hem of his clothes, murmuring, "Brother Yu, can I ask you a question?"
Two more chapters, to be posted in the morning.