Chapter 6

The alley smelled unpleasant, and the soundproofing was poor. From next door came yelling—some parents scolding their kids, some couples arguing.

Lu Xun’s expression didn’t change as he parked his bicycle at the door and locked it.

He took the key out of his pocket and opened the door. The small, cramped room came into view—everything inside looked worn with age. No matter how clean it was kept, the old and shabby condition was still obvious.

His phone kept vibrating. Frowning, Lu Xun took it out, only for the front door to suddenly be knocked on—hard. A shrill female voice followed:

“Ah Xun, it’s your auntie. I need to talk to you. Open the door first.” The knocking grew louder and more insistent.

Annoyance flashed briefly in Lu Xun’s eyes. He opened the door. His tall frame blocked the middle-aged woman from entering as he spoke in a polite but distant tone:
“Auntie, what’s the matter?”

“I called you several times, and you didn’t answer,” said the woman, her face sharp with obvious calculation. “Your cousin is taking the college entrance exam next year, and you know how bad Zhao Kai’s grades are…”

She spoke righteously, “You’ll have to help tutor him.”

“I don’t have time.” Lu Xun didn’t have a good impression of this opportunistic aunt and rejected her bluntly.

The woman’s face changed instantly at his words. “What do you mean, you don’t have time? You’re off on weekends, aren’t you?”

“I work part-time,” Lu Xun replied coldly.

“I knew it,” she said, folding her arms, her earlier warmth gone. “How about this then—Auntie isn’t heartless. You tutor your cousin on weekend afternoons, and I’ll pay you for the lessons, okay?”

She made it sound like she was suffering some huge loss for doing something so “natural.”

Lu Xun stood straight and silent for a moment. He neither agreed nor refused. To her, his silence was acceptance. She turned away smugly.

The weekend came quickly. Jiang Qiao followed the address given by 166 and found Lu Xun at a milk tea shop, seated in the lounge area, helping someone correct mistakes on a worksheet.

Lu Xun still had that cold, aloof face. Across from him sat Zhao Kai, who looked irritated as he worked on the paper.

[Lu Xun is… tutoring someone?] she thought. Wasn’t he supposed to be an antisocial loner?

[That’s the male lead’s cousin,] replied 166.

Still surprising. Didn’t the book say he didn’t get along with his aunt’s family?

Jiang Qiao didn’t dwell on the question. She walked into the shop, ordered a light fruit tea, then approached Zhao Kai from behind and tapped his shoulder. “Excuse me, can you move? I want to sit here.”

Zhao Kai, who looked like he was about to fight the test paper, raised an eyebrow and looked annoyed—until he saw her stunningly beautiful face. The curse words on his lips vanished. He stammered, “S-sure.”

“I ordered milk tea,” Jiang Qiao said, lifting her chin and handing the receipt to Zhao Kai like a queen issuing a command. “Go wait for it. Bring it to me when it’s ready.”

Her gaze remained fixed on Lu Xun’s indifferent face.

Zhao Kai snapped back to his senses, realizing the beauty wasn’t here for him. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He glared at his cousin before sulking off to wait for the drink.

Jiang Qiao dragged a chair over to Lu Xun’s side and plopped down. Her hand reached out, boldly trying to grab the black gel pen in his hand.

Lu Xun’s fingers paused slightly. Then he let go, letting her take it.

Jiang Qiao’s smile deepened, and she leaned in closer, invading his space until their breaths mingled.

Lu Xun suddenly stood up. His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he strode out of the milk tea shop. Jiang Qiao followed him.

He only stopped after turning a corner. Looking down from his height at Jiang Qiao’s stunning face, he spoke without a trace of emotion:

“I already told you—I don’t like you.”

Jiang Qiao frowned tightly but quickly relaxed, dismissive. “So what? I don’t care who you like.”

“I don’t think I ever said…” she cut him off proudly, “Lu Xun, I like you. You have to be with me.”

Lu Xun’s expression turned cold.

Jiang Qiao held her head high, fully embodying the spoiled rich girl persona:
“Don’t be ungrateful. With my looks and family background, there are tons of people begging me to like them—but I don’t want any of them.”

The implication was clear: You should feel lucky.

Lu Xun grabbed her wrist with force and pushed her against the wall, keeping a full person’s width between them.
“Then go find whoever is begging you. I don’t care what you look like or how powerful your family is,” his eyes were filled with icy disdain. “It means nothing to me.”

He flung her hand away and turned back to the milk tea shop to pack up his things.

Zhao Kai was cautiously holding the milk tea. When he saw Lu Xun return, he instinctively looked behind him, not seeing the person he expected. Just as he was about to ask, Lu Xun’s oppressive presence shut him right up.

What just happened? Where’s the pretty girl?

Wait… what about the milk tea?

Still confused, Zhao Kai saw Lu Xun pushing his bike to leave. He couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Is she coming again for tutoring tomorrow?”

It was obvious who “she” referred to.

Lu Xun’s gaze was as cold as a midwinter day. “I put my notes in your book. There won’t be any more tutoring.”

“What do you mean?!” Zhao Kai panicked. “Didn’t you agree with my mom? You even took the tutoring fee!”

Lu Xun didn’t care how his aunt had twisted the story. “I never agreed. I came today to give you the notes. That’s all I’m willing to do.”

It sounded like he was drawing a clear line with their family. Zhao Kai got angry.
“You think one lousy notebook repays everything our family did for you—letting you live and eat at our house when you were a kid?! No wonder my mom says you’re cold-blooded. You deserve to be alone!”

Lu Xun had been about to leave, but at those words, he turned back. His gaze was calm and distant.
“Maybe that runs in the family.” He paused. “Did you enjoy spending the compensation money from my parents?”

It sounded like a casual question, but Zhao Kai stood frozen in shock.

Delicate, fair fingers waved impatiently in front of his face. He snapped back to reality and saw the “milk tea girl” he’d been thinking about.

“Where’s Lu Xun?!” Jiang Qiao spoke first, angry and demanding.

Zhao Kai hesitated, his expression shifting several times. “…He left.”

He left again! Jiang Qiao ranted inwardly—so what if his legs were long?

Her expression softened as an idea formed. She turned to Zhao Kai and asked,
“You’re Lu Xun’s cousin, right? You must know him pretty well?”

Zhao Kai debated whether to shake his head, but Jiang Qiao pressed, “Then do you know what kind of girls he likes? Or has he ever mentioned anyone to you?”

Zhao Kai: “…No.”

“Tch. Boring.” Jiang Qiao muttered.

She hadn’t heard the name Song Qingying, which actually made her a little disappointed.

“Well… you must at least know where he lives, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Having gotten Lu Xun’s address from Zhao Kai, Jiang Qiao came up with a brand new idea.