Cheng Simian covered her forehead and said gloomily,
“Got it…”
Su Xianyan let out a soft laugh. He pulled a chair over and sat beside her, then took her homework.
“So—you don’t know how to do any of it?”
“Mhm.”
“When did you stop listening in class, back in high school?”
“When?”
Cheng Simian thought about it.
“Probably… always.”
Su Xianyan glanced at her, considered for a moment, then said,
“In that case, you won’t be able to do today’s homework. Put it aside for now. Start reading the textbook from the beginning.”
“Huh?”
“If you don’t understand the basics, how are you supposed to do these problems?”
There was an inexplicably sharp edge to his tone—really like a teacher’s. Cheng Simian stuck out her tongue and sat properly.
“Seems like there’s no other way.”
As expected, Su Xianyan started teaching her from the first unit. He read through it himself first, then explained the example problems to her.
Cheng Simian reined herself in. Affected by his seriousness, she listened attentively as well.
An hour later—
“Using the example problems as reference, do these questions. When you’re done, show them to me.”
“Okay.”
Cheng Simian pulled the book and notebook in front of her and buried her head, thinking hard.
Su Xianyan watched her furrow her brow in concentration, a trace of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.
She wasn’t incapable—she’d just refused to listen in class. She was actually quite smart. As long as he explained something once, she understood how to do it.
It seemed that improving her grades wouldn’t be difficult at all.
After finishing one problem, Cheng Simian sneakily tilted her head to look at Su Xianyan. She didn’t dare move too much, afraid he’d say she wasn’t focusing.
When she looked over, she saw his well-defined hands tapping rapidly on the keyboard—graceful, almost like playing the piano.
Her gaze slowly drifted upward, her eyes pausing slightly.
His profile was bathed in the blue glow of the computer screen. His expression was focused, his eyelashes moving faintly. It was as if he were wrapped in a layer of light. The room wasn’t particularly bright, yet Cheng Simian felt as though the entire world had been illuminated.
Su Xianyan, this glowing presence, made it impossible for her to look away.
“Still not writing?”
Just as she was staring, Su Xianyan suddenly turned to look at her.
Their eyes met abruptly. Cheng Simian jumped in fright and hurriedly looked back at her homework.
“I—I am writing!”
“Is the keyboard noise bothering you?”
“No!”
Su Xianyan said nothing more. After a while, he stood up and left the room.
Cheng Simian lifted her head from her homework and watched his back as he went out.
Hey… don’t go. It really wasn’t bothering me.
He didn’t come back for quite some time—probably on purpose, to let her focus on the problems.
When he returned, there was an extra glass of fruit juice in his hand. He set it beside her desk and watched her work for a bit.
She was on the last problem now. She already had an idea, but once she realized Su Xianyan was watching her do her homework, she became unsettled. She took several quiet breaths, yet still couldn’t concentrate.
“This problem is difficult?”
Seeing that she hadn’t written anything for a while, Su Xianyan finally spoke.
Cheng Simian wailed inwardly.
The problem itself was fine—it was you staring at me that makes it impossible to write!
Of course, she wouldn’t actually say that.
“It’s… a little hard, I guess. But if I think about it a bit more, I should be fine.”
Su Xianyan nodded.
“That’s alright. Take your time.”
“Okay.”
Fortunately, after saying that, Su Xianyan turned back to his computer. Cheng Simian let out a breath of relief and finally focused fully on the problem.
“I’m done.”
After finishing the last question, Cheng Simian placed her completed work in front of Su Xianyan, her expression practically screaming Praise me.
A few minutes later—
“This one’s wrong.”
Su Xianyan pointed to one of the problems.
Cheng Simian frowned and leaned in quickly.
“Huh? Where, where?”
“Here. A small mistake caused everything after it to be wrong.”
Su Xianyan glanced sideways at her.
“Careless mistake… should I calculate it again?”
“Be more careful.”
He paused, then added,
“Your thinking is correct, though. You did well.”
Cheng Simian froze.
“Then… what about the other questions?”
“They’re all correct.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Su Xianyan’s mouth.
“Cheng Simian, you’re very smart.”
She blinked, an unfamiliar surge of excitement rising inside her.
This was… praise?
Her heart thumped wildly. Cheng Simian stared at Su Xianyan in a daze.
This was the first time she’d ever been praised for studying.
So this is what it feels like—it actually feels… really good.
Knock, knock, knock.
Su Xianyan glanced toward the door.
“Come in.”
“Xianyan, about this trip to Beijing, I—”
Cheng Qin’s nonstop chatter abruptly died in his throat. Staring at the bizarre yet strangely harmonious scene before him, his brain short-circuited.
“Uncle, you’re back!” Cheng Simian waved at him cheerfully.
Su Xianyan asked calmly, “Why are you back early?”
Cheng Qin ignored him and exclaimed in shock, “Cheng Simian, why are you here?!”
“I’m doing my homework.” Cheng Simian rested her chin on her hand. “What do you think—don’t I look very serious?”
“You—you—you—how many times have I told you not to disturb other people?” Cheng Qin strode over. “Come out. Now.”
Cheng Simian felt utterly wronged. “How am I disturbing anyone?”
“You don’t have to tolerate her just to save face for me,” Cheng Qin said to Su Xianyan as he reached out to pull her away.
Cheng Qin knew Su Xianyan well. On the surface, he was polite to everyone, but inwardly he kept clear boundaries. On top of that, he had a terrible germ phobia. Would he casually let someone into his room—let alone sit in his precious computer area?
No need to think further. Cheng Simian must have shamelessly pestered her way in. And since she was a kid—and his niece—Su Xianyan had probably been patient enough not to kick her out.
“Hurry up. If you keep barging into other people’s rooms, I’ll deal with you properly.”
“Uncle!”
“I invited her in.”
Su Xianyan’s calm voice cut through their tug-of-war.
Cheng Qin froze, eyes wide. Cheng Simian immediately became smug.
“See? I have the owner’s permission.”
“You—you let her—”
“Cheng Simian needs help with her homework. I had time, so I taught her,” Su Xianyan said, looking at Cheng Qin. “As her uncle, you should probably pay more attention to her studies.”
Cheng Qin: “……You’re kidding, right? Since when has she ever been willing to study?”
“Uncle, starting today, I’m going to study seriously. Really.”
Cheng Qin stared at her. “Did you take the wrong medicine?”
“You’re the one who—”
Cheng Simian stopped herself. Young Master Cheng! Since I’m in a good mood today, I’ll let it slide!!
Ignoring him, she turned to Su Xianyan. “I’m done with my homework. Can I go watch TV?”
Su Xianyan gave her a meaningful look and said calmly, “If your final exam results show improvement, then you can watch TV.”
“……”
“I’ll go back to my room and review English.”
Cheng Qin: “……”
After packing up her books, Cheng Simian left Su Xianyan’s room. Only then did Cheng Qin speak again.
“What’s gotten into her? I go on a business trip and she suddenly changes her nature?”
Lowering his gaze to the documents in his hands, Su Xianyan replied, “She’s actually very smart. If she studies properly, it won’t be a problem.”
“She is smart,” Cheng Qin said, sitting where Cheng Simian had been. “She just never used it in the right place. But still… how did this happen?”
Su Xianyan’s lips curved slightly. “Maybe she figured things out.”
“Figured things out?” Cheng Qin scratched the back of his head. “Seriously? Though… she listens to you quite a lot.”
“Doesn’t she listen to you too?” Su Xianyan replied.
“Tch.” Cheng Qin snorted. “That’s only because she needs something from me right now. That girl’s sharp as a knife. In the past, would she ever be this obedient?”
“Mm.”
“So really, you’re impressive—taming the little tyrant so completely.”
Su Xianyan paused at that. Thinking carefully, it didn’t really feel like taming her. From the very beginning, he had never thought Cheng Simian was some kind of little bully.
“But this is good,” Cheng Qin sighed. “At her age, she really should be studying hard. She’s pitiful too—her parents don’t care about her. With no one teaching her, how would she know right from wrong?”
Su Xianyan’s brow knit almost imperceptibly.
Cheng Qin continued, “Xianyan, I’ll leave my niece to you, alright? Help me keep an eye on her studies.”
Su Xianyan shot him a sharp look.
Cheng Qin grinned. “You’re more intimidating. You’ve got this—”
“…Get out.”
Fu Ziwen thought Cheng Simian was a little terrifying.
When she wasn’t studying, she slept all day. Once she declared she was going to study, though, her eyes were wide open every class—like brass bells.
“Simian, do you really need to listen this seriously in psychology class?”
Psychology was famously the school’s “rest period”—meant for relaxation. Most students zoned out. But Cheng Simian… was actually taking notes.
Cheng Simian glanced at her. “Do we not need to listen carefully?”
“Well… no. It’s not tested anyway.”
“Oh… you should’ve said so earlier.”
Like a deflated balloon, Cheng Simian immediately collapsed onto her desk.
“Hey, you don’t look so good,” Fu Ziwen said.
“Mm. Normal. That… thing is coming.”
“Huh?”
“That relative who visits every month.”
Fu Ziwen’s face flushed red. “Th-then are you okay?”
Cheng Simian replied weakly, “I can probably hold on until class ends and I get home.”
“If you feel worse, tell me. We’ll go to the infirmary.”
“Mm.”
Cheng Simian patted Fu Ziwen on the shoulder, a slightly roguish smile on her lips. “Thanks, Wenzi.”
Fu Ziwen used to find that smile a little scary. Now, though… it somehow felt kind of warm.
“What are you thanking me for?”
Cheng Simian raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
She just wanted to say thank you—for having a friend who cared.
When class ended, the dull ache in Cheng Simian’s lower abdomen grew heavier. She walked out of the school gates with a dark expression.
“Hey, look over there—that guy’s really handsome.”
“Isn’t that Lin Yinghan from the class next door? Could that be her boyfriend?”
“Wow… I’m so jealous!”
“Jealous of what? He doesn’t look like a good person.”
“But still… he’s really handsome.”
“Oh please! You’re such a fangirl.”
“Then why are you still looking?!”
…
Several girls were whispering among themselves at the school gate. As Cheng Simian walked past and caught the name Lin Yinghan, she instinctively glanced in the direction they were looking.
When she saw who was standing there—
…
Cheng Simian clutched her stomach and immediately turned around to leave.