Chapter 11: Who Needs You to Like Her
Teng Yi swirled the cup in his hand, while Ruan Yu stood silently, momentarily at a loss for words. She had taken the wrong cup.
“What? Did you want to share a cup with me?” He smiled again, his gentle demeanor unexpectedly charming.
“This wasn’t poured for me either.”
Teng Yi glanced in the direction of Teng Hao’s room. “Did that brat order you to pour water for him?”
Ruan Yu stayed silent.
“Don’t mind him. Just do what you’re supposed to do—don’t let him bully you.” It sounded like both a reminder and a warning.
After speaking, he turned and went upstairs.
Ruan Yu stood still for a few seconds, then turned back to pour another cup of water.
Teng Hao was scratching his head over the workbook Ruan Yu had left behind, racking his brain. When the cup was placed in front of him, he grabbed it and took a sip.
“Cold?”
“You didn’t say you wanted it hot.”
“I meant lukewarm.”
“…” So demanding.
He pushed the cup away and went back to his exercises.
Ruan Yu glanced at the mostly filled-in answers—most of them were wrong, but Teng Hao hadn’t realized it, making mistakes with earnest determination.
He seemed to be trying to salvage some pride by impressing Ruan Yu, but unfortunately, his abilities fell short.
She didn’t expose him right away. Instead, she pulled her chair back slightly and looked at the mountain of homework piled on the desk. On the cover, the name “Teng Hao” was scrawled in bold, flamboyant strokes.
How had she not noticed his name before?
Teng Yi, Teng Hao. Looking closely, the two even resembled each other—especially in their sharp noses and defined brows—though Teng Hao still carried a youthful air. No matter how much he postured, he hadn’t outgrown that childishness.
“I’m done! What kind of nonsense is this?” Teng Hao suddenly threw down his pen, eyes blazing. “Are you messing with me on purpose, picking problems this hard?”
Ruan Yu pulled the workbook from him, skimmed through it, then circled the answer to the third question with her pen.
Teng Hao froze, disbelief flashing across his face.
“I only got this one wrong?”
“You only got this one right.”
A flush of embarrassment crept up Teng Hao’s face. He snatched the workbook back and tossed it aside.
“Your foundation is weak. We’ll focus on that first.” Ignoring his tantrum, Ruan Yu stood and picked up her bag. “That’s it for today. Tutoring starts properly tomorrow.”
Before Teng Hao could respond, she had already walked out of the room.
At the other end of the hallway, Teng Yi emerged, freshly changed. They passed each other, but Ruan Yu didn’t spare him a glance as she headed downstairs.
Teng Yi watched her retreating figure for a moment before turning into Teng Hao’s room. Teng Hao was slumped in his chair, looking utterly defeated. Teng Yi picked up the discarded workbook and flipped through it casually.
“Finished already?”
Teng Hao didn’t answer.
Teng Yi rolled the workbook into a tube and smacked it against the back of Teng Hao’s head.
“Deaf?”
“Bro.” Teng Hao looked up at him, pouting. “I don’t like that girl.”
“She’s here to tutor you, not date you. Who needs you to like her?”
“I don’t care. I just don’t like her.”
Teng Yi smacked the workbook against Teng Hao’s face, then pinched his left ear hard. Amid Teng Hao’s yelp, he strode out, tossing two words over his shoulder.
“Stop whining.”
OpenNovel