Song Xinya's eyes lit up. "Yes!"
When an opportunity was right in front of her, only a fool would say no.
Hesitation was just leaving the door open for someone else.
No matter what, don't be a coward—go for it first and ask questions later!
Whether or not there was fruit on the tree, you had to give it a few whacks first.
Song Xinya followed the butler through the gates of the Sheng residence.
She took in the courtyard: blue stone paths, bamboo and camellia arranged on either side, the plants spaced with careful harmony, and a plain Taihu stone standing by the base of the wall.
The garden carried a refined Chinese aesthetic, every detail revealing the owner's impeccable taste.
The furniture inside was also done in a Chinese style.
She had originally assumed Sheng Changpu, as a Chinese-American who lived permanently in the States, would have fully Westernized tastes and habits. But apparently, that wasn't the case at all.
Song Xinya sat down in a chair, and the butler passed her a cup of hot tea.
She lifted the lid and took a small sip, then asked, "Didn't you refuse to let me in before? What made you suddenly invite me in for tea today?"
The butler replied, "You've been squatting outside our gate day and night. I was worried people might start saying the Sheng family owes you money and you're here to collect."
Song Xinya gave a faint smile—that was exactly the effect she wanted!
The butler studied her and asked, "Why are you so determined to become our Young Master's tutor?"
People didn't do charity for no reason—they'd never just help her out of the blue. If Song Xinya told the truth, she'd be branded with a bad motive.
She gave a reason that any adult would understand and not question: "Young Master Sheng's hourly rate is the highest of all my clients. I want to earn that money."
The butler chuckled. "Miss Song is quite candid."
Song Xinya: "Wanting to make money is an adult's proper business. An adult who doesn't want to make money isn't doing right by themselves."
The butler smiled again and said, "True enough."
Song Xinya glanced around the living room but found nothing related to a teenager anywhere.
"School's about to start. Has Young Master Sheng finished his summer homework? If not, I happen to have time today—I can tutor him for free."
The butler said slowly, "Have you ever wondered why the Young Master offers such a high hourly rate?"
Song Xinya's hopes of seeing the Young Master immediately were dashed.
She answered the butler's question: "Because the Sheng family values education and is willing to spend generously on tutoring for the Young Master?"
The butler said, "That's not the reason."
Song Xinya: "Then what is the reason?"
The butler gave her a look—that same meaningful, knowing glance as before.
Song Xinya recalled that a year ago, Sheng Tianjun had only hired female tutors. Now, he only hired male tutors. Something must have happened to cause that change.
That meaningful look from the butler definitely had to do with it.
What could it be?
Song Xinya: "Butler, if you want me to back off, I think telling me the reason outright would save us both a lot of trouble."
The butler: "If I could say it, I would have said it long ago."
Song Xinya thought to herself—so there really is something, and it's something that can't be said out loud.
The moment the butler let those words slip, he realized he'd just been talked into revealing more than he meant to, at his age, by this young woman.
This girl was sharp.
Song Xinya asked, "Butler, will I be able to see Young Master Sheng today?"
The butler: "No. The Young Master doesn't live here right now. You've wasted all nine days coming here."
Song Xinya's face showed neither surprise nor disappointment, because she had already deduced from the living room—devoid of any teenage belongings—that Sheng Tianjun wasn't staying there.
Rich people always had more than one house.
The butler looked at her and said, "See? You've wasted nine days with nothing to show for it."
Song Xinya met his eyes directly and said, "Not wasted. I got something."
She now knew Sheng Tianjun wasn't staying here.
Next, she would adjust her approach and find another angle to get close to Sheng Tianjun.
Song Xinya stood up, ran her palms over the creases in her skirt, held her head high, straightened her back, and walked out of the Sheng residence.
At the office, Chen Siyan had just set up his phone to start his livestream class when he saw Song Xinya walk in.
"Hey, Teacher Song, why are you back at the office? Not going to block the Sheng doorstep today?"
Song Xinya: "Already did."
Chen Siyan: "So no luck, and you came back."
Song Xinya: "I got something—Sheng Tianjun doesn't live at the address in the file."
Chen Siyan: "Then where does he live?"
Song Xinya: "That's what I'd like to know."
Chen Siyan: "Yao Yinian didn't give us fake info on purpose, did she?"
Song Xinya: "Probably not, because she doesn't know we went into her office."
It was more likely that the file was incomplete—one very important detail had been left out.
The same thing the butler was so secretive about, the thing he couldn't say out loud.
Chen Siyan: "So what are you going to do now?"
Song Xinya: "Let me think it over."
Chen Siyan: "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush. Think it through first, and you'll get twice the results with half the effort."
While Song Xinya was mulling over which angle to start from, Zhao Yinian walked out with a coffee cup in hand, pretending to bump into her by chance.
"Teacher Song's back. How did meeting the client go?"
Song Xinya replied, "Very well."
Never show weakness in front of an enemy—no way she'd let herself look defeated.
Zhao Yinian: "How so?"
Song Xinya: "On the way to meet the client, President Qin gave me some attention. He said he felt bad I was working so hard, and that when he gets back from his business trip, he's going to hold me close and not let go—kisses, hugs, and all."
Zhao Yinian's face turned black as coal.
She sneered, "Must be nice having a big leg to hold onto. Makes everything easier, doesn't it?"
Song Xinya: "It really is nice having President Qin's leg to hold. Some women would kill for that chance and still can't get it."
Zhao Yinian's face darkened even further.
She forgot to even take her coffee, clutching her empty cup and stomping back to her office with furious steps.
Chen Siyan gave Song Xinya a thumbs-up. "You're the real deal."
Song Xinya reminded him, "Your livestream is starting late."
Chen Siyan clicked into the stream, and the screen was flooded with repeated messages: "Teacher Chen is late."
Chen Siyan, completely unruffled, announced in a loud voice, "Dear students, my apologies—Teacher Chen is late because he went to the hospital to get a circumcision."
One sentence instantly wiped out every "Teacher Chen is late" message, replacing them with "Whoa! Teacher Chen got circumcised!"
Top-tier subject changing.
No one cared about his lateness anymore. Everyone was enthusiastically concerned about whether he'd lost a bit of skin off his little friend.
Even Song Xinya's curiosity was piqued. She glanced down toward his waistline—did he really get one?
