Chapter 19: The Fifth Tutor
Teng Yi was waiting for her.
From his gaze fixed directly on her and the bag of cold medicine in his hand, Ruan Yu deduced that he was indeed waiting for her.
Realizing this, she instinctively glanced around. The campus was quiet at this hour, with only a couple of delivery guys shuttling between dorm buildings. No one seemed to notice them.
“What? Afraid of being seen with me?” He walked up to her, his tone light despite the accusatory words.
“I don’t want people to misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what?”
“That we’re close.”
“And what if they do?”
“Complications.”
Teng Yi’s lips quirked. It was the first time a girl had called him a complication.
“You sounded like you had a cold at noon.” He held out the bag to her.
Ruan Yu’s throat suddenly itched, and she couldn’t suppress a light cough—just enough to confirm his suspicion.
“Take it.”
“No need.”
“Did you buy medicine already?”
She shook her head.
“Then take it.” Teng Yi shoved the bag into her hand.
His movement was swift, their fingers brushing briefly. The contact was fleeting, barely skin-deep, and she didn’t even have time to register the warmth of his fingertips.
“It’s not candy. If you don’t want it, I can always take it back for myself,” he added.
Feeling that further refusal would be overly prudish, Ruan Yu tightened her grip on the bag.
“Thank you.”
“If you really want to thank me, let’s talk.”
“About what?”
The moment the question left her lips, she realized how foolish it sounded. What else could they possibly discuss besides Teng Hao?
“Teng Hao.”
Exactly.
“Alright.”
“Want to find a place to sit?” He gestured toward the west gate.
The west gate led to a “food street” lined with snack stalls. Every evening, students from the university district flocked there in droves to eat, drink, and socialize. Ruan Yu had only been there a handful of times, but she knew it was perpetually lively, as if hosting a daily food festival.
“No, let’s just talk here.”
Teng Yi nodded and sat down on the concrete edge of the lawn.
Ruan Yu blinked in surprise.
“Danced all afternoon. My legs are a bit sore,” he explained.
She didn’t comment but felt it would be awkward if one of them remained standing while the other sat, so she joined him.
She deliberately kept a few fists’ distance between them.
“You’re Teng Hao’s fifth tutor,” he said. Up close, his voice was low and husky, laced with a hint of laziness.
“I know.”
“Do you know why he’s acting out like this?”
Teng Yi leaned back, bracing his hands on the grass. Though speaking to her, his gaze was fixed on the night sky, where thick clouds occasionally parted to reveal a few scattered stars glimmering faintly.
Ruan Yu stayed silent. She hadn’t considered it.
When she didn’t answer, Teng Yi turned to look at her.
She shook her head.
“Because he’s trying to get Ms. Shen Bing’s attention.”
Ms. Shen Bing?
“My mom,” Teng Yi clarified with a smile.
In his expression, Ruan Yu saw the indulgent affection of a son for his mother. She averted her gaze, a pang of envy stirring in her chest—envy that he could speak of his mother so warmly."Ms. Shen Bing is very busy. Out of 365 days a year, she spends about 360 abroad. The remaining five days are when she returns to deal with Teng Hao's tutoring issues." Teng Yi paused, then slowly realized, "Thinking about it this way, I should thank Teng Hao for letting me see my mother."
Ruan Yu: "..."
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