Song Xinya sat at her desk, her mind racing as she racked her brains trying to figure out how to find Sheng Tianjun.
Sheng Tianjun!
Sheng Tianjun!
Where on earth was this little brat named Sheng Tianjun?
By now, everyone in the company had gone home. In the vast, empty hall, only Song Xinya remained, burning the midnight oil. To find this Sheng Tianjun, she had truly gone to great lengths!
Just as she was at her wit's end, Qin Yuyan called again, her tone urgent and hurried: "Sister-in-law, come pick me up at the school gate."
Song Xinya knew Qin Yuyan well. The girl was pampered, sure, but she wasn't the type to lose sight of what mattered. If Song Xinya told her she was busy, she wouldn't bother her again.
So why was she insisting so persistently today that Song Xinya come pick her up?
Song Xinya: "Yanyan, did something happen?"
Qin Yuyan's voice was thick with tears, sounding pretty convincing: "Sister-in-law, I got hit by a bicycle. My calf is fractured, I can't even walk, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life."
That was alarming!
Song Xinya grabbed her bag and rushed out: "Yanyan, I'm on my way right now!"
She pushed the speed right to the edge of getting a ticket, her heart in her throat the whole way, and made it to the school gate as fast as she could.
She threw open the car door and stepped out, only to see Qin Yuyan bouncing over to her, skipping and hopping.
"Sister-in-law, you're here!"
Song Xinya looked at her perfectly fine calves and suddenly realized—the little girl had tricked her.
"Yanyan, I have to be honest with you: right now, I really want to hit you!"
Qin Yuyan clung to her arm affectionately, rubbing her fair little face against Song Xinya's shoulder: "Sister-in-law, I didn't mean to lie to you. I wanted to give you a surprise."
Song Xinya: "First you trick me into thinking you got hit, your leg is broken, you'll be spending the rest of your life with a wheelchair—I nearly burned up with worry, sped over here risking my driver's license—and then you tell me you weren't hit at all. That's not a surprise. That's asking for a beating!"
Qin Yuyan: "No, sister-in-law, that's not the surprise I meant..."
She pointed at a cold drink shop, where two male classmates sat by the window.
"Surprise!"
"Sister-in-law, I found Sheng Tianjun for you!"
Song Xinya: "!!!!"
It really was a surprise!
After searching high and low, she finally found him without lifting a finger!
Song Xinya stared intently at the two boys by the window: "Which one? Which one is Sheng Tianjun?"
Qin Yuyan: "That one—the fair, soft-looking boy who seems really well-behaved."
Song Xinya looked at the boy's obedient, gentle face and remembered—she'd run into him once this morning.
So he was Sheng Tianjun!
Finally caught the little rat!
Just then, Jin Ruizhi's call came in: "Teacher Song, I found out—Sheng Tianjun is..."
Song Xinya: "At the same school as Little Princess, I know."
Jin Ruizhi: "Teacher Song, where are you right now?"
Song Xinya: "At the school gate, about to go catch Sheng Tianjun."
Jin Ruizhi, quick on the uptake, hung up immediately.
Song Xinya and Qin Yuyan walked together toward the cold drink shop.
Inside, Sheng Tianjun was resting his chin on one hand, his eyes lazily scanning the shop, feeling thoroughly bored. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he saw Song Xinya walk in, and his eyes lit up instantly.
Qin Yuyan, arm in arm with Song Xinya, sat down across from the two male classmates: "Let me introduce you—this is my sister-in-law."
One male classmate was visibly impressed: "Senior, your whole family is gorgeous. Every single one of you is stunning."
He looked at Song Xinya a bit nervously, scratching his head with a shy smile, unsure for a moment how to address this woman who was several years older than them.
Sheng Tianjun gazed at Song Xinya, his eyes curving into a smile, looking especially well-behaved: "Hello, Big Sister."
Song Xinya: "Hello to you both too. Want anything else to eat? My treat."
Sheng Tianjun, who had been quiet and reserved, suddenly chimed in: "Making you spend money the moment we meet—that's so embarrassing."
Song Xinya: "It's nothing, just pocket change. As an adult who works and gets a monthly salary, treating you to a bit of cold drink is no big deal."
Qin Yuyan chimed in: "My sister-in-law works in education and tutoring. Everyone calls her Teacher Song."
Song Xinya: "Chinese, math, English, physics, chemistry, politics, history, geography—if you have any questions on any subject, you can ask me."
Sheng Tianjun looked at Song Xinya and asked: "So does that mean I could also ask you to be my private tutor?"
Song Xinya caught the underlying meaning in his words and raised an eyebrow. Things were going more smoothly than she'd expected.
"Of course. If you're looking to hire a tutor, I'd be more than happy to teach you."
Song Xinya pressed her advantage and asked Sheng Tianjun: "Where do you live? I'll come visit you one of these days and give you a trial lesson."
Sheng Tianjun pulled out his phone: "Big Sister, let's add each other on WeChat. I'll send you my address."
Song Xinya: "Sure."
With a ding, the two added each other.
Sheng Tianjun sent over a location pin, his eyes fixed on Song Xinya—clear, gentle, and so utterly innocent-looking.
"Big Sister, are you free right now? You could come to my place tonight and give me my lesson..."
