Chapter 14

The night wind was light and cool.

After showering, Xu Zhilu rummaged through a corner of her room, finding some old workbooks and placing them on her desk.

Once she had everything, she turned off the main light, leaving only a small desk lamp on. The cool moonlight from outside mixed in, illuminating a corner of the room.

She lowered her head, flipping through her old textbooks and workbooks.

Having agreed to tutor Shen Siyan, Xu Zhilu didn’t want to just half-heartedly go through the motions. That would be irresponsible for both her and Shen Siyan.

She took out a new notebook, recalling Shen Siyan’s abysmal grades, and felt a bit stumped on where to start.

After some thought, she pulled out her phone and started searching for tips on tutoring and note-taking.

She found some video summaries on a website and turned the volume to its lowest setting, then began watching.

At first, she was quite focused. But as she watched, her mind began to wander.

She found herself thinking about what had happened earlier that evening.

She knew that if Shen’s mother and Shen Siyan hadn’t explained things, just going out late with him would have caused an uproar.

The Xu family didn’t care much for her, but they didn’t like her coming home late. When she did, they’d call her a wild child and say her behavior made people think the Xu family had no manners.

In her previous life, Xu Zhilu never understood why they treated her that way. She hadn’t done anything wrong. “Was it just because she isn’t the one who sweet-talks, acts cute, or was not raised by their side?”

Xu Zhilu had pondered this countless times.

In the end, there was no answer. As she grew older and went to university, she stopped thinking about it.

When she chose a university in a northern city, she left home and this place behind.

In four years, she only returned twice.

They had opinions, but they couldn’t control her anymore. In her freshman year, she secretly transferred her household registration to her university city, becoming truly independent.

Leaning back in her chair, Xu Zhilu gazed at the moonlit night outside her window, wishing for adulthood to come sooner so she could leave and never return.

Lost in thought, her phone buzzed with a message from Shen Siyan.

Shen Siyan: My mom asked me to ask you what time we should start tomorrow.

Xu Zhilu: Ten o’clock?

Shen Siyan: Sure.

Xu Zhilu didn’t reply further. After a moment’s thought, she resumed preparing her materials.

Shen Siyan’s foundation was so poor that she’d have to start in the first year of high school, maybe even middle school.

By the time Xu Zhilu was almost done, it was already 1 a.m.

Surprisingly, she didn’t feel sleepy at all.

In the middle of the night, Xu Zhilu fell asleep in a daze.

That night, she had a very long dream.

In her dream, she saw Shen Siyan studying diligently, not sleeping in class or playing games. Even on weekends, he obediently attended tutoring sessions.

She asked him why.

He jokingly said, “Aren’t you going to study in the north? Wait for me. I’ll work hard to catch up with you.”

Later, the dream shifted.

Scenes from school flashed by like a carousel, along with many people.

When she woke up, Xu Zhilu suddenly remembered one key thing.

In her past life, how did Shen Siyan go from struggling in his third year of high school to attending the same university as her?

–

At 9:50, Xu Zhilu appeared at the Shen family’s door.

Shen Siyan opened the door himself. Seeing the materials she was carrying, he immediately took them and frowned. “Why didn’t you let me come get them?”

Xu Zhilu responded with a hum and said calmly, “It’s not that heavy.”

Shen Siyan glanced at her and led her inside.

“Is Zhilu here?”

Shen’s mother hurried out from inside. “Come in quickly.”

Xu Zhilu smiled warmly, feeling unusually relaxed. “Auntie Shen.”

Shen’s mother beckoned her over. “Come on, we’re cutting some fruit for you two with Auntie Chen.”

Before Xu Zhilu could react, Shen Siyan asked, “Have you had breakfast?”

“Yes.”

“What did you have?”

Xu Zhilu: …Eggs and milk.

Shen Siyan frowned. “There’s yogurt in the fridge. Help yourself to anything you want.”

“Oh.” Xu Zhilu pressed her lips together. “Thank you.”

Shen Siyan carried her books to his room and said softly, “Shall we have the tutoring session in my room?”

Xu Zhilu looked at him. “What about the study?”

“It’s all my dad’s stuff.”

Xu Zhilu was silent for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, your room then.”

By the time Shen’s mother finished offering food, it was already 10:30.

Xu Zhilu drank a large glass of yogurt, ate quite a bit of fruit, and even had a bowl of white fungus with lotus seed soup made by Auntie Chen.

She had originally wanted to refuse, but Shen’s mother insisted she drink it, saying that girls should have a bowl every day for good skin.

–

Xu Zhilu had been to Shen Siyan’s room many times. It was similar to most boys’ rooms, with basketballs, models, and other typical items.

She glanced around, somewhat surprised.

This time, his room was actually quite tidy.

Without lingering, she walked straight to the desk by the window.

Shen Siyan had a large, long desk. The models that used to clutter it had been cleared away, leaving only a computer.

“What do you want to start with?” Xu Zhilu looked back at him.

Shen Siyan raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, “Whatever you want.”

Xu Zhilu responded with an “oh” and looked through the materials she had brought. “Let’s start by memorizing a couple of classical Chinese texts to calm your mind.”

Shen Siyan: “…”

The two sat down at the desk. Xu Zhilu didn’t care whether he wanted to memorize them or not.

After a moment of silence, Shen Siyan reached out and took the classical Chinese text she handed him.

He didn’t resist, which somewhat surprised Xu Zhilu.