The warmth in Xia Fu’s palm made her lose focus for a moment.

Why does he always do this, using casual little actions to close the distance between them? Watching Fang Jingcheng’s carefree demeanor, Xia Fu found it hard to tell if it was just the playfulness of a small animal or the subtle seduction of an adult man…

But whatever it was, now wasn’t the right time. Xia Fu chose to look away, muttering softly, “Does your preparation also include teeth cleaning? But my teeth aren’t that nice. Can I just not open my mouth?”

With his covert actions exposed, Fang Jingcheng playfully blinked. “Ah, caught! I was hoping to pass it off as naturally flawless.” His smooth voice and his fox-like mischievous smile left Xia Fu feeling utterly helpless.

Although his meticulous fashion sense and refreshing cologne hinted at his attention to appearance, going so far as to polish his teeth was a bit unexpected.

“Your gums are red, and your mucous membranes are bleeding. It’s obvious at a glance. Doesn’t it hurt when you talk?”

Was she actually worried about his injury?

Well, she was a good student after all, observing things so closely.

The thought of Xia Fu’s gaze lingering over his teeth made the swollen, damaged areas bloom with “flowers,” the sharp pain turning into a tingly warmth, like a light kiss probing inside.

Fang Jingcheng fixed his sapphire-blue eyes on her, covering his mouth with his hand as his smile hid behind his palm, his gaze shifting and giving off an almost deep affection.

“Still alright? Just wanted to look a bit better since I don’t get to teach much. Guess I went a bit overboard.”

“But yeah, that water jet on the gums did hurt a bit.”

If it hurt, why rush it? And now he was acting like the wounded party?

She muttered, “…You vain creature,” but when she nudged Fang Jingcheng’s cheek away, her push was gentler, as if she was afraid of accidentally hurting him, even purposely avoiding his lips.

“It’s Teacher Fang.”

The young man corrected her, emphasizing his current role, and then leaned back, sitting upright.

“Alright, let’s get down to business! No need to look at my teeth. Just repeat after me; I just need to hear your pronunciation.”

Though he cared about his looks, he never imposed those standards on Xia Fu. If he liked her, he wouldn’t fuss over such small things.

Still, Xia Fu felt a bit disheartened. She bit her lip and admitted, “My accent might sound a bit strange.”

She wasn’t fond of her spoken accent. It reminded her of her stained, uneven teeth with hidden blemishes, like an old bathtub in a cheap motel, reflecting her lack of care. It was her sallow face, her mocking smile, her bare schoolyard overgrown with weeds, and greasy dining tables—all bringing up embarrassing memories whenever she opened her mouth.

She had tried to avoid discussing her hometown with classmates, even hiding on the balcony to make phone calls in her dialect, but there was no concealing her insecurity in conversation.

The moment her poor pronunciation slipped out, Xia Fu began regretting asking Fang Jingcheng to be her English tutor.

But Fang Jingcheng didn’t seem to find it strange at all. He was entirely absorbed in the joy of being able to help Xia Fu, looking at her with a pure, sincere expression as he spoke warmly:

“What’s strange about that? It’s pretty cute, actually! I wouldn’t make fun of you.”

To reassure her, he even used the example of how she patiently tutored him, adding:

“Just like you patiently teach me, I want to help out too.”

Xia Fu couldn’t help but think to herself: He’s probably never been poor; that’s why he finds this backwardness ‘cute.’

Besides, me teaching you is totally different. Don’t go pitying me…

Not wanting Fang Jingcheng to feel superior to her came from a tiny shred of pride. It was one of the few places where she still had some dignity, and she had carefully preserved it over the years.

Xia Fu certainly wasn’t going to give up learning just because of some teasing, but the discomfort inevitably colored her view of Fang Jingcheng.

However, as Xia Fu observed Fang Jingcheng’s eyes closely, she couldn’t find the slightest hint of mockery or impatience in them.

This made her feel somewhat at a loss.

She followed Fang Jingcheng’s lead, like a child learning to speak, her expression hesitant, voice soft as a whisper. Sometimes, she’d throw words out quickly, as if discarding a hot potato.

Her cheeks were flushed, and only the determination of “if I don’t open my mouth, this accent will stick with me for life, but opening my mouth will change it” kept her going.

“Don’t be nervous; you can go a bit slower. Drag out that ‘s’ sound a little more. Compared to before, it’s already much better.”

It had to be said, Fang Jingcheng was quite a responsible teacher when it came to oral practice. His observational skills seemed stronger than his logical reasoning, easily picking up on the subtle airflow changes in Xia Fu’s speech and offering timely corrections.

Xia Fu guessed this might be one of his secrets to always winning on the court.

Their half-hour introductory session felt as long as an eternity.

When it was finally time for a break, Xia Fu took a sip of water to moisten her dry throat. Her voice still clung to her tongue like she was stepping barefoot into puddles on a rainy day, feeling the gritty sand and metallic-smelling mud.

She wondered how long it would take to completely change it.

Her expression remained calm, but her mood was visibly low.

Fang Jingcheng leaned on the table, observing her expression closely, pouting in a somewhat childish way, and suggested:

“Still mad? How about I take you for a teeth cleaning too?”

Xia Fu shot him a surprised glance, then let out a faint smile, explaining:

“I’m not mad, just lost in thought. I’m learning a bit slowly and just digesting the things you taught me.” She was only frustrated with herself and wouldn’t blame her teacher.

She said she wasn’t mad, but she didn’t outright reject the “teeth cleaning” idea either! Her pouty yet mature demeanor, mature when a teammate, and sulky as a student, was just so cute.

Fang Jingcheng let out a long “Oh,” lowering his gaze and letting it fall on Xia Fu’s plain T-shirt. Suddenly, he changed the topic:

“Oh, right! Since you’re going to make an appearance, besides the teeth cleaning, how about getting a few new outfits this weekend? You’ll need them for the competition!”

This trick of mentioning the competition to grab her attention always worked.

Xia Fu looked up from her materials, visibly confused. “Why would I need new clothes? Can’t I just wear a regular T-shirt? Aren’t we all students?”

“No, no, no, that might be fine for a standard college math modeling competition. But if it’s tied to finance, you’ll need something like a blouse or a dress.”

Acting like an old hand, he wagged a finger and slowly explained the industry’s “unwritten rules”:

“Not sure about other places, but S City’s industry has that tradition—the four major banks here all have formal dress codes.”

Of course, there were fields unaffected by this culture, like programming, where the worse you dressed, the better your skills seemed. If Xia Fu decided to become a data analyst, she might even get to wear flip-flops at work.

But, keen on taking her out shopping, he chose not to mention this and, with a bright smile, coaxed her, “Since you’ll be meeting clients, people prefer the look of suit-wearing elites from TV dramas over insurance company employees. They just trust those folks to handle their money better. This expense is a competition essential; my treat. Let’s go out together.”

With each suggestion, Xia Fu felt more and more persuaded.

Apparently, the stereotypes outsiders had about S City weren’t unfounded; this place was indeed intimidatingly polished.

Good thing her plan was to get her residency permit and head even farther south to G City, where the food was great, and everyone wore flip-flops!

Thinking about her future with relief, she agreed to Fang Jingcheng’s proposal.

Over the past few years, her height and weight hadn’t changed much, so a suit she bought now would still work for future internships and interviews.