Song Xinya gazed calmly at the young man across from her, who looked gentle and harmless.
There was no denying that his appearance was exceptionally likable—the kind of kid who seemed obedient, soft, and well-behaved at first glance.
Song Xinya didn’t agree to his request right away. She sidestepped the question and asked, “School just started, and the coursework isn’t that heavy yet. Why are you in such a hurry to have a tutor come to your house?”
Sheng Tianjun remained composed, smiling as he replied, “Even though I’m first in my class academically, I don’t think that’s enough. I want to work even harder and aim for the top spot in the entire grade.”
“I know getting first in the grade isn’t easy, so I want to make the most of my time. I’d like to find the right tutor as soon as possible and start studying hard tonight.”
His limpid, glass-like eyes fixed on her, and he spoke in that soft, docile tone, asking, “Sister, don’t you want to teach me?”
Qin Yuyan looked at Sheng Tianjun and said, “My sister-in-law would definitely love to teach you. She’s always had a soft spot for motivated, good students. Why wouldn’t she want to?”
Sheng Tianjun’s lash lines drooped slightly, his pupils glistening, his gaze full of pure reliance—like a soft little puppy, the kind no one could bear to turn down.
“Sister, come to my place tonight. I’ll pay you a very high tutoring fee.”
Song Xinya refused outright: “Not tonight. I have plans.”
Sheng Tianjun was taken aback—clearly, he hadn’t expected to be turned down.
Qin Yuyan was equally shocked. Her sister-in-law had been seeking out Sheng Tianjun for a long time, always wanting to be his tutor. Why did she suddenly refuse? This was such a great opportunity.
Sheng Tianjun smiled and said, “Well, looks like I’ll have to find someone else as my tutor.”
Song Xinya: “Tomorrow after school, at 6 p.m., I’ll come teach you.”
Sheng Tianjun: “I want to start tonight.”
Song Xinya crossed her arms, looking at him steadily. “If you’re that impatient, find another tutor.”
Qin Yuyan’s heart jumped.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.
What was her sister-in-law doing?!
She’d finally gotten her foot in the door, and now it was about to slip away!
The customer was king. If her sister-in-law didn’t go along with the client, how could she ever close this deal?
Just as Qin Yuyan was silently mourning the lost opportunity, she heard Sheng Tianjun say, “Fine, we’ll start tomorrow then.”
Qin Yuyan: “???”
Song Xinya wasn’t surprised by his answer at all. She had the situation completely under control, like a chess master making her moves. She said in a calm voice, “Then it’s settled.”
She stood up. “I have things to do tonight, so I’ll head off first.”
Qin Yuyan quickly stood up too and followed Song Xinya out.
In the car, Qin Yuyan asked, “Sis, what exactly do you have planned tonight?”
Song Xinya drove to a women’s self-defense supply store. “Just picking up some self-defense gear.”
Qin Yuyan: “Why do you suddenly need those?”
Song Xinya: “To protect myself. Personal safety, my responsibility.”
She walked into the store, bought a can of pepper spray and a stun baton.
Qin Yuyan: “I should protect myself too. Personal safety, also my responsibility.”
Song Xinya bought another can of pepper spray and another stun baton for her.
Back in the car, Qin Yuyan fiddled with the pepper spray canister, looking intrigued. “What would happen if I sprayed a bit inside the car?”
Song Xinya: “Then the two of us would be in two tiny boxes weighing five and a half pounds total, and every year from now on, today would be our memorial day.”
Qin Yuyan: “That serious?”
Song Xinya: “The main ingredients are oleoresin capsicum and capsaicin, with processed mustard extract as an additive. If you’ve got a death wish, feel free to spray it straight into your own eyes and see how it feels.”
Qin Yuyan quickly and carefully shoved the pepper spray into her bag. “No, no, I still want to live a few more years.”
Back home, that evening, after Song Xinya took a nice, clean shower, she sat in front of her camera and called Qin Yuhe.
“Big brother, big brother, are you there?”
“As long as it’s you, I’m always here.”
Song Xinya’s eyes curved into crescent moons, her smiling face looking as if it had been dusted with sugar frosting.
She tilted her head slightly, looking into the camera with a bright, playful charm, and asked, “What’s my big brother busy with?”
Qin Yuhe leaned back in his chair. He wore a white shirt and a black vest, with sharp shoulder lines and a broad, upright frame. Between his refined, elegant fingers, he held a fountain pen.
“Work. Making money. Supporting the family.”
Song Xinya: “My big brother works so hard. Mwah~”
Qin Yuhe: “No need to be so polite, little sister.”
Song Xinya: “Mwah me back.”
Qin Yuhe: “I’ll kiss you when we meet in person.”
Song Xinya: “No, no, I want it now. I want my big brother to mwah me.”
Qin Yuhe looked at the woman in the camera. She had just bathed, and her cheeks and lips had a tempting pink flush. Her skin was fair and clean, her damp hair loosely draped over her shoulders, the corners of her fox-like eyes slightly upturned, carrying a seductive allure mixed with an untouched purity.
He thought that even Daji, the legendary beauty who toppled kingdoms, could hardly have been prettier than her.
This enchanting little vixen was throwing a playful tantrum in front of him.
“Why won’t you mwah me, big brother? You must be weary of me, so cold and dismissive. Maybe your heart has been stolen by some other girl, which is why you won’t pay me any mind.”
“Hmph. If that’s the case, then your little sister will go find herself another big brother.”
Song Xinya was in the middle of her mock Lin Daiyu imitation for the camera when Qin Yuhe’s video call came through.
She answered it. His deep, dark eyes collided with hers directly—sharp, intimidating.
“Find another big brother, you say? Go on, tell me who you have in mind.”
Song Xinya went silent.
Talking to him through a webcam with no visual versus video chatting with him face-to-face were completely different experiences.
Without seeing his face, his expressions, or his shifts in mood with that oppressive aura, Song Xinya felt free to run wild—pouting, fussing, throwing tantrums came as naturally as breathing.
The moment she was face-to-face with him on screen, seeing his strikingly handsome face and the innate nobility he carried, her heart began to race, and she unconsciously pulled back, no longer daring to act up.
She even sat up ramrod straight, as if the person across from her weren’t her husband but her school dean of discipline.
“I was just kidding around a moment ago. Don’t take it seriously.”
Qin Yuhe: “If it were funny, it’d be a joke. Since it’s not, it’s just being rude.”
Song Xinya saw the seriousness on his face and knew this bothered him. She replied, “I won’t joke about that anymore, Mr. Qin.”
“Don’t call me Mr. Qin,” Qin Yuhe said, running his tongue over his teeth. “Call me big brother.”
Having just been scolded by him, Song Xinya couldn’t quite get the words out right away. When he disciplined someone, he was every bit the dean of discipline—too traumatizing.
Qin Yuhe: “You were calling me that so sweetly a second ago.”
Song Xinya: “That’s because I couldn’t see your face, so it was easy to sound sweet.”
Qin Yuhe: “So what you’re saying is, I have a bitter look, and seeing me makes you taste bitterness?”
This reading comprehension skill—seriously, “top tier.”
Song Xinya: “I’m nervous. I just can’t say it.”
Qin Yuhe let out a small laugh and called her, “Coward.”
His voice was low and deep, laced with a lazy smile, and when he called her a coward, it sounded almost endearing.
Song Xinya looked at that handsome face on the screen, pursed her lips, and smiled, the tension in her heart easing away.
She propped the phone against the headboard and lay face down on the pillow. In her slip dress, her full, voluptuous breasts were squeezed into round, plump orbs.
“Qin Yuhe, how’s your hand now?”
Qin Yuhe’s eyes were dazzled by the snowy whiteness on the screen, and his Adam’s apple rolled once.
“It’s better.”
Song Xinya: “Hold your palm up to the camera. Let me see.”
Qin Yuhe did as she asked.
Song Xinya stared at it carefully.
It did seem a bit better.
Only, those scars were still very obvious.
When would they completely heal?
She really, truly wished the scars on his palm would vanish for good.
Song Xinya asked, “Do you still have a lot of work to deal with?”
Qin Yuhe: “The resort has broken ground on all fronts—fifty projects are running at the same time, and there are all sorts of things that need handling every day. A lot of it requires my personal approval.”
Song Xinya glanced at the clock—it was nearly midnight, and he was still going to keep working.
Being the president of a major conglomerate really wasn’t for just anyone.
It was too exhausting.
She felt her heart ache for him.
“Then let’s not chat anymore. Go get back to work. Finish up early, and get to bed early.”
Qin Yuhe hummed in acknowledgment and reached to press the red end-call button.
Then her crisp, sweet voice drifted into his ear: “Brother.”
He looked up at the screen, and her rosy, glistening lips puckered toward it: “mwa~”
