Chapter 14: Teacher Jiang Ci

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Zhang Heyu glanced at the message from Jiang Ci, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.

Quite adorable, actually.

“Not bad, Heyu,” Zhang Xiyi drawled meaningfully, dragging out the words. “I was wondering why you suddenly seemed so concerned about your cousin.”

Zhang Heyu tugged at his lips and replied coolly, “Just helping out, Auntie.”

“Just you?” Zhang Xiyi chuckled. “Don’t forget, you’re just as much a handful as Cheng Yaoyao.”

“Well, I’m a bit better than Yaoyao.”

Zhang Heyu sat back in his gaming chair, his posture relaxed, seemingly not really paying attention to Zhang Xiyi’s words.

Zhang Xiyi sighed. “I hope this time Jiang Ci can stick around as Yaoyao’s tutor for a while.”

“You really should pray for that,” Zhang Heyu said.

Suddenly remembering something, Zhang Xiyi said, “I won’t keep you; I haven’t even told Yaoyao about the tutor yet. If I did, that brat would probably make a fuss.”

After saying that, Zhang Xiyi turned and closed the door, quickly heading downstairs to find Cheng Yaoyao.

Seeing her leave, Zhang Heyu put on his headphones and went back to doing his problems.

Jiang Ci sat at the edge of her bed, pinching her cheek and wincing at the pain. “Ouch—”

It was real.

Posting a job-seeking message on her social circle actually worked.

And the hourly wage and benefits were excellent.

Jiang Ci clicked on the address Zhang Heyu sent, studied it carefully, and roughly figured out the location in her mind.

Suddenly recalling something, she typed two lines in the chat box with Zhang Heyu.

[Jiang Ci: Are you still there? I have something to ask.]

After a few seconds, the three characters “Zhang Heyu” changed to “The other party is typing...”

[Zhang Heyu: Go ahead.]

Jiang Ci thought for a moment, gathered her words, then sent:

[Jiang Ci: How’s your sister’s English level? And what time is it tomorrow?]

Zhang Heyu recalled the English test paper Cheng Yaoyao once showed him — full of red crosses, a glaring red “32” that made him feel faint.

Originally, Zhang Xiyi wanted to pass the task of improving Yaoyao’s English to Zhang Heyu, but he didn’t say much, while Yaoyao kept complaining.

[Zhang Heyu: Not great. You should prepare yourself mentally before coming tomorrow. Let’s say 2 p.m.]

Jiang Ci stared at the “prepare yourself mentally” message, a question mark popping up in her mind.

After replying “Okay,” she tried to find a sticker to lighten the awkward mood but couldn’t find one and gave up.

But the next second, her hand slipped, and she accidentally sent Zhang Heyu a cat emoji with the caption: “Reporting! Missing you a bit, say you miss me too!”

Jiang Ci’s eyes went wide in shock. She held her phone tightly and quickly retracted the message.

Looking at the “You have retracted a message” notice in the chat, she was frustrated—why did her hand slip like that?!

What if Zhang Heyu saw it? How embarrassing that would be!

Zhang Heyu was bent over solving a math problem when his phone vibrated. He glanced at it and saw the emoji, stunned for a moment.

Within two seconds, Jiang Ci retracted it.

He suddenly smiled, a hint of amusement lighting up his eyes.

It was the first time he’d met such a funny little girl.

When Huo Chensi mentioned Jiang Ci was looking for a part-time job, Zhang Heyu hadn’t thought to help at first.

After all, Jiang Ci always appeared so strong and self-reliant, like she didn’t need anyone.

But there had been a few times he caught her secretly asking for help—pitiful and heart-wrenching.

At those moments, recalling her flushed face stirred something inside him, making him want to have some connection with her.

Zhang Heyu was a man who followed his heart. Once his mind was made up, he neither wanted nor cared to change it—he just went with what felt right.

Helping her find tutoring work was just a way to have some interaction with her.

He admitted it was a selfish desire.

Seeing that Zhang Heyu hadn’t replied, Jiang Ci finally relaxed.

Having completed the job hunt, Jiang Ci slept especially soundly that night.

The next day, Jiang Ci accompanied her grandmother for a stroll and told her about finding a part-time job better than working at a convenience store.

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Returning home, she gathered her things and headed to the tutoring location.

The tutoring place was quite far from Jiang Ci’s home, and a ride-hailing car was too expensive, so she decisively took the bus.

While waiting, she held her phone and used an app for navigation, realizing she had to ride through twenty stops.

Soon the bus arrived.

Jiang Ci scanned her code and boarded, casually choosing a window seat. She took out a wired earphone to listen to English listening practice.

The journey took nearly forty minutes. When she got off the bus, it was already 1:50 p.m.

Walking into the neighborhood, after some distance, she stopped before a grand villa.

She stood at the iron gate and pressed the doorbell.

Shortly after, a woman stepped out wearing a jade-green qipao and matte beige leather high heels.

Zhang Xiyi’s eyes lit up the moment she saw Jiang Ci. “You must be Jiang Ci, right? Heyu’s classmate.”

Jiang Ci nodded. “Hello, Auntie. I’m Jiang Ci.”

“Come in, come in,” Zhang Xiyi pulled Jiang Ci inside. “It’s hot outside. Let’s cool off with the air conditioning.”

Jiang Ci was ushered in by Zhang Xiyi.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Heyu was also there.

He took a bottle of cola from the fridge, paused as if hearing the doorbell, then shut the fridge door and took out another bottle.

“Aoyu, you talk with Jiang Ci first. I’ll go get Cheng Yaoyao,” Zhang Xiyi called to him from the kitchen.

Jiang Ci glanced over and saw Zhang Heyu’s slender hand holding a red canned cola, shaking it slightly, as if asking, “Want some cola?”

Jiang Ci was momentarily stunned; her palms inexplicably felt clammy.

She nodded.

She looked obedient—too much so.

Zhang Heyu’s heart stirred. Looking at the little white rabbit before him, he felt an urge to tease her.

He approached with two bottles of cola and thoughtfully handed her a straw. “Go sit on the sofa.”

Jiang Ci agreed and sat down.

Zhang Heyu popped open the can with a soft “pop,” and the earlier stuffy feeling instantly dissipated.

The young girl instinctively straightened up, sitting upright but a bit stiff, holding the cola and sipping slowly through the straw.

“Are you nervous?” Zhang Heyu suddenly asked.

Jiang Ci pursed her lips and took a sip. “A little.”

Just then, Zhang Xiyi came downstairs, elegant and still warm in expression.

Behind her followed a girl half a head shorter.

Cheng Yaoyao was unhappy, tugging at Zhang Xiyi’s hand and pleading, “Mom, I don’t want a tutor. I don’t want to learn English!”

“Shut up!” Zhang Xiyi shot her a glance. “Look at your English scores. It’s like the emperor isn’t anxious but the eunuchs are.”

Jiang Ci watched the noisy scene, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Sometimes, she envied children who had their parents around, showering them with love.

A flicker of dimness passed through the light in Jiang Ci’s almond-shaped eyes.

Cheng Yaoyao also noticed the “fairy” standing by her cousin and blinked at her.

Zhang Xiyi pulled Cheng Yaoyao to Jiang Ci and smiled. “Jiang Ci, this is my daughter, Cheng Yaoyao.”

“Yaoyao, say hello,” Zhang Xiyi prompted.

Suddenly, Cheng Yaoyao became obedient, blinking as she called out, “Hello, Sister Jiang Ci!”

“Hello, Yaoyao,” Jiang Ci smiled warmly.

Zhang Xiyi said, “Then let’s entrust Yaoyao to Teacher Jiang Ci.”

Jiang Ci nodded. “Okay.”

“Sis Jiang Ci, let’s go upstairs to study!” Cheng Yaoyao brushed past Zhang Heyu, hooking Jiang Ci’s arm. “Sister Jiang Ci, you’re really pretty!”

Jiang Ci smiled. “Thank you. You’re beautiful and cute too!”

Seeing this, Zhang Xiyi relaxed some.

Noticing Yaoyao suddenly behaving well, Zhang Heyu raised an eyebrow and warned, “Cheng Yaoyao, you’d better study hard. No funny business, or you’ll be the one crying.”

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Cheng Yaoyao glared at Zhang Heyu and then turned to Jiang Ci. “Sister Jiang Ci, how do you know my brother? He’s bad-tempered, arrogant, and a player.”

Jiang Ci turned to Zhang Heyu and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Talking too much? I’ll have you memorize some more words later,” Zhang Heyu said with hands in his pockets, calmly hitting Yaoyao’s Achilles’ heel.

Yaoyao didn’t bother responding and pulled Jiang Ci into the room.

Jiang Ci first had her look over recent test papers to gauge her level.

“Sis Jiang Ci, is there hope for me?” Yaoyao pouted and asked weakly.

Jiang Ci thought for a moment, then patted her shoulder. “Yaoyao, don’t give up when facing difficulties. There’s still hope.”

“Really?” Yaoyao sighed. “But I really don’t want to learn English!”

Jiang Ci was surprised. “Why are you so resistant to learning English?”

“Sis Jiang Ci, you don’t understand!” Yaoyao patted her chest and said in a clear accent, “We’re Chinese, so we should speak Chinese. Why learn a foreign language?”

Watching the scene, one could almost hear a revolutionary anthem playing.

“Yaoyao, you’re quite patriotic,” Jiang Ci smiled gently. “But that’s no excuse to avoid learning English. Studying it can help you become a better person and understand the world.”

“Remember, the mountains are high and roads long; to see the world, you must also find yourself.”

Yaoyao was stunned and suddenly admired Jiang Ci even more. “Sis Jiang Ci, my lousy English is counting on you to save me!”

“I’ll try,” Jiang Ci said. “I’ll start with the basics and assign some small homework. Study hard, for your own sake.”

Yaoyao nodded. “Okay!”

Yaoyao’s other subjects were much better than English—like night and day, a huge gap.

This added some pressure on Jiang Ci.

But fortunately, Yaoyao’s resistance to English had lessened, and she at least listened to Jiang Ci.

Two hours passed, and Jiang Ci told Yaoyao to take a break.

Yaoyao ran out of the room and bumped into Zhang Heyu, who was carrying a fruit plate.

“Where are you going?” Zhang Heyu called after her.

Covering her stomach and making a face, Yaoyao said, “Don’t block my way to the bathroom!!”

Zhang Heyu stepped aside.

Suddenly, Jiang Ci heard a knock on the door. She got up and went to open it.

Turning the handle, she saw Zhang Heyu holding the fruit plate.

He wore a white T-shirt and loose gray pants, casual homewear, quite different from his usual style—more relaxed and approachable.

“Want some?” Zhang Heyu handed her a skewer.

Jiang Ci took it, speared a piece of watermelon, and moved aside to let him in. “Thank you.”

“Have you seen Cheng Yaoyao’s English level?” Zhang Heyu glanced down at the textbooks on the table. The neat handwriting on the A4 sheets wasn’t Yaoyao’s, but Jiang Ci’s.

Delicate script, matching the person.

Jiang Ci nodded. “It’s a bit poor, but if she wants to learn, she can be helped.”

Zhang Heyu’s voice lifted playfully, not quite serious. “I believe Teacher Jiang Ci can do it.”

“Teacher Jiang Ci.”

Those four words seemed to trigger something in Jiang Ci, and suddenly her cheeks flushed.

She forgot to chew the watermelon in her mouth and looked away from Zhang Heyu, stammering, “I-I’ll try…”

Zhang Heyu smiled, laughter bubbling up from his throat.

He suddenly found teasing this little girl quite fun.

And it made him blush too.

“All right, I won’t disturb you. If Yaoyao misbehaves, just call me. I’ll be downstairs.”

Jiang Ci replied “Okay.”

Just as Zhang Heyu closed the door, Yaoyao came back.

“Are you gossiping about me again with Sister Jiang Ci?!”