Mr. Nian’s class was truly unique.

Chu Tao felt that, with just a casual touch, Mr. Nian organized the high school knowledge into a clear and structured format.

Two whole pages of notes, and not a single piece of useless information. As soon as the two hours were up, Mr. Nian finished the class and left.

Chu Tao had never felt time pass so quickly.

He carefully put away the two sheets of white paper that Jiang She had lent him and said seriously, “Jiang She, thank you. When I start earning money in the future, I’ll definitely pay you back.”

He couldn’t afford Mr. Nian’s tutoring fees right now, but he would definitely be able to in the future.

Jiang She rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he looked at Chu Tao. “No need for that, maybe in the future, I’ll end up giving you my salary.”

Chu Tao froze for a moment. “Stop talking nonsense.”

But he only murmured the words, no longer brushing it off like before.

He glanced at Jiang She’s notes, which looked pitifully sparse, with only four or five lines, mostly chemical formulas that Mr. Nian had emphasized.

From just looking at those notes, even a god wouldn’t know what was being taught.

Jiang She probably never had the habit of taking notes, nor did he have a systematic study method.

Chu Tao sighed, bringing his notes in front of Jiang She. “Jiang She, I understand your intentions, but you can’t let your parents’ kindness go to waste. You need to study too.”

“What are you talking about?” Jiang She raised an eyebrow.

Chu Tao said patiently, “I can’t let your parents spend money for a tutor to teach me. You still need to study, not just chemistry, but other subjects too. I’ll help you with your studies. With your parents’ education level, there’s no way you can’t understand high school knowledge.”

Jiang She was a bit surprised. “Are you serious?” Just a moment ago, the atmosphere was quite cozy, and he had even wanted to take the chance to hug Chu Tao again.

Chu Tao nodded, speaking with resolve. “I’m serious. If you don’t study, there’s no reason for me to keep taking lessons at your place.”

Jiang She’s face instantly fell. He hadn’t attended lessons for centuries. Catching up on all of them would surely kill him, right?

But he couldn’t do anything about Chu Tao; he knew Chu Tao was speaking the truth.

Tsk.

What to do if the wife is too stubborn?

Chu Tao organized his school bag. “I’ve recorded the lesson. The teacher explained everything very thoroughly. I’ll send you a copy later, and you can go over the exercises again. If you don’t understand something, I’ll explain it to you. It’ll be like I’m learning too.”

Jiang She pointed to his own nose. “You’re leaving me homework?”

Chu Tao responded calmly. “I guess so.”

At that moment, Chu Xingning called. Chu Tao pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Jiang She to be quiet.

“Brother?”

Chu Xingning’s voice was a bit hurried, and he was out of breath. “Are you hungry? The little one eats too slowly, I’ll rush back right away.”

“Uh… I’m not hungry, no need to rush. I’m not in the classroom now,” Chu Tao said, feeling a bit guilty.

While Chu Xingning was with the little one, he was with an older friend. Moreover, Chu Xingning still didn’t know about his feelings with Jiang She.

“Huh? Then where are you? I’ve already arrived at the teaching building,” Chu Xingning couldn’t help but ask.

Chu Tao glanced at the time. “I went to the bookstore to look for some exercise books, I’m coming back now.”

After hanging up, Chu Tao was about to put on his shoes by the door when Jiang She suddenly wrapped his arm around his waist.

Chu Tao’s waist was quite slim, and Jiang She had noticed it the first time they met, thinking that it felt particularly nice.

“Why do I want to touch you so badly right now? It’s like an addiction, like smoking,” Jiang She muttered quietly.

Chu Tao, held by his arm, felt his breathing become a bit hurried.

He thought they had probably reached the early stages of what old professors called “skin hunger.”

To completely resolve this craving, he needed to clear his mind with Jiang She.

They were still underage; how could they do such things?

Chu Tao steadied his nerves. “How about you smoke another cigarette?”

Jiang She was surprised. “You’re not calling me a pervert?”

Chu Tao glanced at him. “Do you want me to?”

In truth, he felt guilty. Jiang She was clearly affected by his pheromones, causing this strange addiction.

If he didn’t have pheromones or if his pheromones weren’t so compatible with Jiang She’s, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Taking advantage of Jiang She’s hold on his waist, Chu Tao cleared his throat and seriously warned Jiang She: “Focus on studying, okay? Do your homework well, and I’ll check it on Monday.”

Jiang She gave his waist a little squeeze, grumbling in frustration, “Are you trying to be my dad?”

“That’s fine too,” Chu Tao teased for once.

After that, their craving seemed to lessen a bit. Chu Tao didn’t want to keep Chu Xingning waiting, so he put on his shoes, paused for a moment, and then picked up the trash Jiang She had left at the door.

Jiang She leaned against the doorframe, his clothes hanging loosely on him, giving a half-smile. “Wow, you’re so considerate. You even help take out the trash at home.”

“You’re helping the neighbor, who’s helping you?” Chu Tao didn’t want to admit it.

“Chu Tao,” Jiang She suddenly called as Chu Tao was about to leave.

Chu Tao turned back in confusion. The elevator had already arrived, and the red light was on, signaling the door was slowly opening.

Jiang She pressed a few buttons on the door lock, then slid open the cover, saying to Chu Tao, “Put in your fingerprint. In case I don’t hear it, you can come in by yourself.”

This house of Jiang She’s didn’t even have a password for Jiang Qifeng and Shen Qing.

Jiang She looked up, his dark eyes with a slight curve at the corners, his messy bangs tangled together. He smelled faintly of fresh hyacinth.

Even though he knew the suppressant was harsh on his skin, he hadn’t changed it because Chu Tao liked it.

Chu Tao swallowed, hesitated for a moment, and the elevator doors slowly closed while he was still unsure.

After a while, Chu Tao extended his thumb and left his fingerprint in the security system.

“Fingerprint saved,” Jiang She said, satisfied, as he closed the sliding cover. “Watch out for traffic when crossing the road.”

The sky had completely darkened, and the treetops were adorned with colorful neon lights. Street vendors outside set up stoves, and the delicious smell wafted through the air.

Chu Tao and Chu Xingning met up and rode their bikes home together.

As soon as they entered the door, Song Mian started complaining, “Why are you both so late? Aren’t you hungry?”

Before Chu Tao could speak, Chu Xingning quickly replied, “We were doing homework at school and lost track of time.”

Song Mian scolded lightly a few times, then went to heat the food.

The two children hadn’t eaten, so neither she nor Chu Jiangmin would eat. After waiting for two hours, both of them were starving.

When the dishes were finally brought out, Chu Xingning barely ate a few bites, and Chu Tao hardly ate anything either.

Song Mian was surprised. “Xingning, what’s going on? Is your stomach upset? How come you can’t even eat half a bowl of rice?”

Chu Xingning rubbed his stomach and lowered his eyes. “I haven’t done much exercise today, so I’m just not hungry.”

Chu Jiangmin interrupted, “Ah, they’re not a child anymore. If they’re hungry, just eat. Stop worrying so much.”

Song Mian turned to Chu Tao. “Today, your Aunt Tang introduced another teacher to me. He’s a retired chemistry teacher from Huainan No.1 High School with a good reputation. If we gather enough people, it won’t be expensive. Aunt Tang plans to have Shen Hongfang join the class too, so we can add our names to the group.”

Chu Tao paused while holding his chopsticks and then looked up. “No, I don’t want to take extra lessons.”

Song Mian was stunned. “What did you say?”

Chu Tao repeated, “I don’t want to take chemistry lessons anymore. Don’t bother finding me a teacher.”

Song Mian didn’t expect Chu Tao to refuse so directly. Her voice became sharp. “You said the teachers online weren’t good, you quit the class, and even reported them. Now I’m finding you an experienced teacher for after-school lessons, and this is how you repay me? You’re giving up on chemistry? Not learning anymore? Let it go?”

Chu Xingning whispered, “Mom, actually Chu Tao’s chemistry isn’t bad, it’s just not outstanding. And the teacher Aunt Tang found…”

Chu Tao lowered his gaze, biting a piece of potato. “I can study on my own.”

Since the last time he switched classes, he realized he didn’t want to tolerate the things he did not like anymore. Maybe his mom was right; it was puberty, and he was rebelling.

But he really didn’t want to tolerate it any longer, or else his opinion and Ideas would never be taken seriously.

Song Mian took a deep breath. “What do you mean, you can study on your own? I already promised Aunt Tang!”

This class had already gathered 18 kids, and they only needed two more to complete the group.

Chu Tao was the 19th, and Aunt Tang said if it didn’t work out, she would talk to the teacher and start the class with 19 students.

But now, Chu Tao was saying he wouldn’t go.

Chu Tao nonchalantly said, “Then you can tell Aunt Tang I’m not participating.”

Song Mian: “…”

This was a big deal, and she feared that Aunt Tang had already been communicating with the teacher, so she quickly called her.

It took a while for Aunt Tang to pick up. “What’s up, Song? I was watching Shen Hongfang answer some questions. By the way, the set of questions your Xingning bought is really good, quite high-level. No wonder Xingning’s grades are so good.”

Song Mian sighed. “Ah, Tang, about that chemistry class, Chu Tao doesn’t want to go.”

Aunt Tang raised her voice. “What? It’s all set! I just found another person to join, we’ve got 20 now, and if you don’t go, we’ll be one short again!”

Song Mian felt guilty toward her friend and awkwardly couldn’t help but lower her gaze. “I can’t control Chu Tao right now. I tried to get him to go, but he refuses. What can I do?”

Aunt Tang was anxious. “Give the phone to Chu Tao, I’ll talk to him.”

Song Mian switched her phone to speaker mode and handed it to Chu Tao.

Chu Tao glanced at the phone, then calmly took a sip of water. “Aunt Tang.”

“Chu Tao, how can you not take extra lessons? Shen Hongfang scored 75, and I was going to have him take lessons. How will you improve if you don’t take extra lessons?”

Chu Tao glanced at the oily shredded potatoes in his bowl, which were getting cold if not eaten soon.

“I’ve recently found a way to improve.”

“Aunt’s not kidding you, in your class, if you don’t take extra lessons, you’re done for. In the extra class, you can see good students like Shen Hongfang. Think about your own class. Without comparison, there’s no progress!”

Chu Tao tilted his head back, hearing Aunt Tang belittle his class. He felt a bit upset.

Unknowingly, those people in Class 3 had become like his own.

“Aunt, you focus on helping Shen Hongfang. Don’t worry about me.”

Song Mian immediately made an exaggerated face at him, whispering, “What kind of tone is that with Aunt Tang!”

Aunt Tang scoffed. “Chu Tao, at this stage, it’s not the time to be stubborn, okay? You scored 70 this time, but for the monthly test, you might only get 60, and for the midterm, you might fail. If you squander your foundation now, it’ll be too late to catch up.”

Chu Tao replied coldly, “I actually think I’ll improve in the monthly test.”

“Well, we’ll see at the monthly test. If you miss this opportunity, there won’t be another.”

“Alright,” Chu Tao smiled and casually pressed the button to end the call.

Song Mian: “…”

---

Author’s Note:

She Ge, a good husband with a sense of giving his salary. 

(I was too tired yesterday, I could barely keep my eyes open.)