Yi Lanya forced a smile and said, “I couldn’t tell that you and Mr. Ji are so close.”

Xiao Yu immediately responded in surprise, “Really? You couldn’t tell? Maybe Ji Xuan just seems reserved in public—he’s actually pretty relaxed at home.”

Yi Lanya: “…”

Xiao Yu covered her face. “Like, for example—he loves hugging people tightly from behind around their slender waists.”

Yi Lanya finally found an opening to strike back. “While kneeling down to do it?”

Xiao Yu: “…I meant in the past, okay?” Crap, she’d almost overdone the bragging.

“Teacher, please lift your foot a bit,” Kong Yuqing said as she personally swept up the broken pieces into the trash bin. “Don’t feel bad about it, really—it’s just a cup. We can easily buy more.”

Yi Lanya: “…” Feel bad? Me? Over one lousy glass cup…

“Sigh, the young master just happens to like this kind of cup. Otherwise, who would be crazy enough to spend 5 or 6 thousand on a single glass, right? Don’t you think so, teacher?” Kong Yuqing spoke in a casual tone as she tidied up.

Yi Lanya’s face froze.

Xiao Yu then chimed in with mock surprise, “Five or six thousand? That’s not bad at all! Don’t worry about it, Miss Yi. Oh, and we’ll be counting on you to help tutor Xiaoyu again tomorrow. Hmm? Teacher, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Yi Lanya forced a faint smile. “It’s nothing… I just feel terribly guilty.”

“It’s really fine, Miss Yi! We’ve got tons of those cups at home,” Xiao Yu said, waving it off.

Yi Lanya put on a look of being reassured and said, “Alright then, I’ll go prepare some lessons. I still need to mark quite a few papers for tomorrow’s tutoring. Thanks again for your hospitality today.”

She stood up, said goodbye to Xiao Yu, and turned to leave. Kong Yuqing quickly got up to see her out.

When Kong Yuqing returned, Xiao Yu was holding the glass cup, turning it this way and that in her hands. As soon as she saw Kong Yuqing, she waved and asked, “Auntie Kong, this cheap little glass really costs five or six thousand? Seriously? I got completely ripped off, didn’t I?”

Kong Yuqing calmly replied, “Ten yuan each.”

Xiao Yu: “…” Who are you, and what have you done with the Auntie Kong I knew?

Just then, Ji Xuan came downstairs, followed by Ji Yu tugging along Xiao Ruoguang.

They walked into the living room to find Xiao Yu sitting there, staring at a glass cup with a look of utter disbelief. Ji Xuan frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”

Xiao Yu replied, “Oh, I lost a bit of blood—just trying to recover.” Your Auntie Kong has seriously leveled up…

Ji Yu looked around, then tugged Xiao Ruoguang over to Xiao Yu’s side. “Mommy, where’s Miss Yi?”

Xiao Yu gave Ji Yu a sorrowful look. “Baby, every time I see how much you like Miss Yi, it breaks my heart. It’s those two years Mommy was away… You found someone you like more.”

Ji Xuan: “…Why does that sound so weird coming from you?”

Ji Yu didn’t think it was weird at all. She looked at Xiao Yu and said uncertainly, “But… I can’t just stop liking Miss Yi, can I?”

Xiao Ruoguang immediately chimed in, “Silly sister! Just like her less! Then you can like Mommy more!”

Ji Yu nodded as if she’d had an epiphany. “Oh! Then… I’ll just like Miss Yi a little less.”

Xiao Yu patted Ji Yu’s head and asked, “So, what are you studying tomorrow?”

Ji Xuan sat down and explained, “It’s nothing major—just weekend homework. Normally, Xiaoyu goes to her dorm after school for tutoring, but it’s inconvenient to send her over on weekends, so we thought we’d ask the teacher to come here instead.”

Xiao Yu declared heroically, “Please! It’s just homework! Hand it over—Mom’s got this.”

Ji Xuan: “……”

Ji Yu was thrilled. She jumped up and said, “Mommy, wait right here! I’ll go get it!”

Kong Yuqing watched the happy little family of four and smiled as she headed off to bring out some snacks.

Ji Yu thundered back downstairs with her big school bag, then pulled out her books and handed them to Xiao Yu. “The teacher said we have to practice pinyin.”

Xiao Yu took the textbook and asked, “Which part?”

Ji Yu flipped to the right page, and Xiao Yu said, “Read it out loud for Mommy.”

So Ji Yu began reading, her pronunciation clear and precise. Xiao Yu paused for a moment, thinking: That’s way more accurate than mine… and she needs a tutor?

Then she asked Ji Yu to take out the rest of her homework. Ji Yu obediently did so, and right in front of Xiao Yu, she completed all her assignments quickly and flawlessly.

Xiao Yu: “…You already know how to do all this?”

Ji Yu looked up at her happily. “Yep! I learned it all back in kindergarten.”

Xiao Yu turned to her with a deadpan expression. “And what exactly did you say Miss Yi was tutoring you on?”

Ji Xuan hesitated for a second, then adjusted his tone. “Supervising her while she does her homework?”

Xiao Yu muttered under her breath, “This is basically letting the wolf into the house…”

Ji Xuan replied, “Ji Yu likes her. It’s nice for her to have someone to play with.”

Xiao Yu narrowed her eyes. “How much are you paying her a month?”

Just then, Kong Yuqing walked in carrying a tray of candied fruit, cookies, and a jug of apple juice. She set everything on the table and said casually, “Miss Yi gets 8,000 yuan a month. Mostly to keep the young miss company on Saturdays. She finishes her homework quickly. While she’s working, Miss Yi usually chats with the young master or goes off exploring to avoid disturbing her. Once the homework’s done, she takes the young miss out to play.”

Xiao Yu picked up a piece of pork jerky and muttered, “…I teach piano for a whole month and only make 3,200.”

Kong Yuqing nodded. “Exactly. She just comes over four times a month to play. That’s 2,000 yuan a day.”

Xiao Yu gave Ji Xuan a cold smile. “Are you stupid or something?”

Ji Xuan: “…Well, technically, Ji Yu set the price.” Now that they were talking about it, he was starting to wonder if he’d been overpaying…

Xiao Yu turned to Ji Yu and scolded, “Xiaoyu, how can you be so wasteful?”

Ji Yu immediately shot back, “But my daddy’s rich!”

Xiao Yu pulled Xiao Ruoguang over and said, “Do you know how frugal your little brother is? Xiaoguang, tell your sister what it’s like to live without money.”

Xiao Ruoguang began counting on his fingers. “Back when we didn’t have any money? We still got to eat super yummy steamed buns every day. Sister, have you ever had steamed buns?”

Ji Yu shook her head. Xiao Ruoguang gave her a look full of mysterious pity and continued, “You have to go buy them the evening before, that’s when they taste best. Then the next morning, Mommy would make egg drop soup with hot water and a little sugar. We’d eat it with the buns.”

As he spoke, his mouth was practically watering. “The egg drop soup was so pretty—yellow and sweet. The buns were sweet too. Sooo tasty.”

Ji Yu instinctively swallowed.

Xiao Ruoguang went on, “At noon, Mommy would make delicious white rice, then pour some meat sauce over it.” He turned to Ji Yu and asked, “Sister, have you ever had meat sauce?”

Ji Yu shook her head pitifully. Xiao Ruoguang explained, “Every week, Mommy would buy meat and chop it up real fine—chop, chop, chop! Then she’d cook it with soy sauce and sugar. It was so good. One batch of sauce could last a whole week of rice.”

Then, looking at her with an almost tragic expression, he said, “At night, we’d slice up leftover steamed buns and pan-fry them to eat with porridge. You’ve never had fried steamed buns before?”

Ji Yu’s eyes were brimming with tears as she shook her head. “N-no… I’ve never had any…”

Xiao Ruoguang furrowed his delicate little brows. “You’ve never had anything that delicious?”

And Ji Yu suddenly burst into tears. “I—I—I’ve never had it! Waaaahhh…”

Ji Xuan: “…”

Kong Yuqing: “…”

=^_^=