Nighttime, at the dining table.
Chen Xi was eating the leftover beef sauce from yesterday. From the spotless bowl and chopsticks that barely touched other dishes, it was clear how much the young girl loved this stuff.
Ever since Yan Feng returned home, he tried his best to maintain a smile. After all, the little girl's exam results weren't great, and it was already something she could easily bme herself for. If he got angry and scolded her, it would be too much.
However, rewards and punishments should be clear. Now that Chen Xi was under his care, he still needed to say what had to be said.
"Um... Chen Xi?" Yan Feng looked at the young girl who raised her head and immediately felt awkward calling her by her full name, so he changed his tone, "Little Xi? Do you... have some time after dinner? Can we talk?"
Chen Xi was silent, a hint of disdain fshing in her eyes.
Here we go again.
The same old story.
The st woman who said she wanted to talk had kicked her out of the house just a few days ago.
The same tricks, even the tone was the same.
First, a friendly and kind discussion, then a pathetic act about how difficult and challenging things were, ciming to have found a better family environment for her, making it sound like a paradise, and finally, hypocritically asking for her opinion.
Chen Xi was long used to this rhetoric. Adults never do things straightforwardly; they always find excuses for their actions or others'.
The facts were right in front of her. If they really had such good conditions, why didn't they send their own children there?
It was nothing more than disdain for her, not wanting to raise an extra burden.
She was used to it.
This time, the bed at Yan Feng's house was soft, the beef sauce was delicious, and for the first time, she experienced a parent-teacher meeting with a guardian. Maybe she'd miss this pce after leaving, or maybe she'd forget it soon.
With these thoughts, the young girl looked back at the man, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Um..." Yan Feng pretended to cough twice and continued, "Um... Little Xi, you know your grades in css aren't ideal, so... um... I was thinking..."
His Adam's apple bobbed as he cautiously looked at the young girl, "I was thinking... of finding a tutor for you. What do you think?"
Chen Xi blinked at his words, a hint of confusion fshing in her eyes, seemingly not understanding the man's intentions.
Seeing no response, Yan Feng sighed, looking a bit helpless, "You don't want to? It's okay if you don't, after all, grades aren't everything. Being happy is more important..."
"Why do you want to get me a tutor?"
The young girl asked a question that seemed inexplicable to him.
Yan Feng raised an eyebrow, paused for a moment, then awkwardly lied: "Because your grades... have a lot of potential for improvement. After the parent-teacher meeting, the homeroom teacher told me you have a lot of potential. With the right guidance, you can definitely..."
"I'm not asking about that," Chen Xi directly interrupted his clumsy expnation and continued, "I'm asking why you're willing to spend extra money on me?"
Yan Feng was bewildered, his expression puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he finally understood the meaning behind the young girl's words. He slowly lowered his head, looked at the dining table, and chuckled softly:"Just think of it as... me trying to repay your mother as much as I can..."
Silence fell between them.
The stalemate was first broken by a faint female voice.
"I don't need tutoring."
Chen Xi's response was cold but firm, so much so that Yan Feng almost believed it.
The man scratched his head, continuing to persuade, "Let's just give it a try first. If it doesn't work out, we can talk about it ter..."
But as soon as he said this, the young girl's expression changed, staring at him intently as if trying to discern something.
"Do you know how much it costs for a tutoring session?" Chen Xi suddenly asked.
"How much?"
"Two and a half hours, 500."
"Pfft!! Cough cough cough..."
Yan Feng almost spat out his drink. Even though he had heard of it, he was still shocked. He silently did the math in his head and suddenly felt that the money he earned from working for Gu Qing was too little. He should talk to her about a raise.
But that was for ter. Right now, looking at the young girl in front of him, he gritted his teeth and, with great effort, forced out a words: "Alright!"
"We'll do it twice a week, 1000 it is!"
Saying this, he directly pulled out his wallet, took out a few hundred-yuan bills, and stuffed them into the young girl's hand, not forgetting to remind her:
"I graduated many years ago, so I don't really understand these things now. See if you can find a tutor yourself. The rest is for your pocket money. Remember to remind me every week to prepare it for you..."
Chen Xi: "?"
She originally intended to use the price to push back the man's lie. After all, a 500 yuan tutoring session was just a toy for a few wealthy kids in the css. Normal families couldn't afford such high fees.
But who would have thought that this man, who looked somewhat disheveled and always spoke cautiously to her, would be so generous in this regard!
Holding the red bills in her hand, she stood there, stunned, speechless for a long time.
Yan Feng had given her a lot. She could tell just by squeezing it. Excluding the 1000 yuan for tutoring, there were at least five or six bills left!
She had never received so much money before.
Looking up again, she saw the man's pained expression. Her lips moved, and after hesitating for a while, she finally said: "I... really don't need a tutor... Besides, the expense is just too much..."
"That's not an option," Yan Feng decided immediately, without the previous gritted teeth: "How can you not have a tutor? Where would we find someone cheap? Unless you want me to tutor you?"
Unexpectedly, after thinking for a while, Chen Xi actually nodded.
He was stunned again, then a hint of determination fshed in his eyes. He suddenly took out all the cash from his still-open wallet and stuffed it into the young girl's hands.
"You don't have to worry about the money. It's only a few months, and it won't cost much. If it's not enough..."
Yan Feng controlled himself to look elsewhere, his voice trembling slightly: "If it's not enough, just ask me for more!"
With that, he ran off as if fleeing, leaving the girl holding a pile of cash, utterly puzzled.
Late at night.
Yan Feng was lying in bed, looking at the unfinished documents from today, when suddenly there were a few knocks on the door.
Only two people lived in this house, so there was no need to guess who it was.
"Come in, the door's not locked."
The door opened slightly, and the young girl, wearing her school uniform, walked in with a few steps.
"Is something wrong? Why aren't you asleep yet?" Yan Feng asked, then saw her pce the money he had given her neatly on the bedside table.
He frowned, about to ask what this meant, when the young girl expined:"I really don't need that much money for tutoring. If you really want me to score higher..."
A hint of hesitation fshed in the young girl's eyes, then she said:"You can help me yourself... Mom used to say... you're really good."
Yan Feng sighed at her words.
Though his sister wasn't wrong, his science grades were indeed excellent, but that was in the past. Now, having worked for several years, how could he remember so much?
But looking at the young girl's expectant eyes and her face so simir to his sister's, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
Yan Feng was silent for a long time, finally letting out a sigh:"Then... let's give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll still need to find a proper tutor."
The young girl nodded, then turned to leave, but the man called her back.
She turned around, puzzled, to see Yan Feng with a strange expression, half-lying on the bed, scratching his nose, and asking, "Don't you have any other clothes?"
Chen Xi shook her head.
"Then on Saturday... I'll take you to buy some clothes?" Yan Feng looked at the school uniform the young girl had been wearing for two days and continued to mutter to himself, "At least buy some casual clothes, and maybe some pajamas..."
