24 – The Next Step: Should We Go to Her Room?
The girl suddenly leaned even closer to him.
Her sparkling peach blossom eyes were brimming with laughter as she gazed directly at him, as if she could see straight into his heart.
Jiang Yubai’s fingertips resting on the table twitched slightly.
“Little Teacher Jiang?” Seeing his silence, Jiang Yuxing called out to him again with curved eyebrows and smiling eyes.
Jiang Yubai sighed softly in his heart.
The mischievous Little Fox had given him another strange new nickname.
Meeting her bright gaze, he asked, “What does that mean?”
Jiang Yuxing cleared her throat, “Ahem, it means this little princess sincerely invites Little Teacher Jiang to come over for some serious academic research.”
Though the girl appeared serious, her eyes already revealed a hint of unconcealable cunning.
Jiang Yubai couldn’t help but raise his hand and gently tap her forehead, “Be serious.”
What nonsense! She was being completely serious!
Jiang Yuxing covered her forehead that didn’t hurt at all and hummed lightly, “I just want you to come to my house tomorrow to help me with tutoring.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yubai’s expression shifted slightly.
Go to her house?
Would the next step… be going to her room?
Jiang Yubai pressed his thin lips together.
Wasn’t this too intimate?
Jiang Yuxing had been watching his reaction closely. Seeing his silence, she thought he was unwilling.
Her invisible fluffy fox tail wagged behind her.
Another mischievous idea “dinged” into existence.
“Wuwuwu┭┮﹏┭┮, Little Study God, save me~”
Her eyes darted around, and before he could react, she suddenly hooked her arm through his, pressing her soft, fragrant body closer.
Her sparkling, beautiful peach blossom eyes blinked pleadingly at him as she whined in a pitiful, sweet tone, “Teacher Ji is so cruel, choosing to send my report card to my mom on such a perfect weekend. With my poor grades, I’ll definitely get beaten by both parents when I go home and die a miserable death.”
“Little Study God wouldn’t just stand by and watch me suffer, would you?” The girl shook his arm coquettishly, batting her eyes at him like a well-behaved child.
Jiang Yubai’s expression turned serious.
Though he had never met her parents, he had heard many stories about them from her since childhood.
From campus sweethearts to wedding dresses, theirs was an enviable fairy-tale romance that everyone admired.
And they doted infinitely on their treasure in the palm.
Even when she was mischievous and made mistakes, they would only gently scold her, let alone lay a hand on her.
Unaware that her little act had been seen through long ago, Jiang Yuxing continued playing pitiful while secretly glancing up at him.
Huh?
Why wasn’t Little Study God reacting?
Was her performance not tragic enough?
Seeing his cold, indifferent reaction, she grew anxious and started muttering to herself.
Just as she was racking her brains to come up with something else, a deep, magnetic voice slowly sounded from above her, “Okay.”
“Wuwuwu┭┮﹏┭┮ Little Study God, you have to help me this time, if you don’t help me, I’ll really die… Huh?”
Jiang Yuxing, who had been trying hard to squeeze out crocodile tears, froze and suddenly looked up.
She stared at him as if she couldn’t believe her ears, “Ah? What did you just say?”
Jiang Yubai looked at her adorable, dazed expression, his eyes deepening.
The Little Fox always appeared bright and bold to outsiders, rarely showing this contrast cuteness side.
Every time, she only revealed this unique aspect of herself in front of him.
This exclusive joy felt like waves of tingling electric currents, secretly delighting him endlessly.Does every person with a secret crush feel this way?
Just receiving a glance or a small gesture that others don’t get can make you secretly happy for a long time?
“Little study god, little study god~”
Seeing him fall silent again, Jiang Yuxing couldn’t help but tug at his sleeve. “Why aren’t you saying anything again? What were you about to say just now?”
Jiang Yubai snapped back to attention, meeting her bright, star-like eyes. His voice was slightly low, flowing gently into her ears. “I said, okay.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yuxing’s lips instantly curved upward.
Her sparkling pupils shimmered with joy.
Jiang Yubai watched the vivid, lively smile on her face and couldn’t help but let the corners of his mouth lift slightly as well.
“Then it’s settled.”
Jiang Yuxing extended her pinky finger toward him, her peach blossom eyes crinkling with a smile. “Pinky promise. If you break it, you’re a puppy.”
This childish gesture didn’t feel particularly silly to Jiang Yubai.
As he had done before, he cooperatively raised his hand and gently hooked his finger with hers.
Not daring to linger too long, afraid that the secret in his heart might be noticed.
He briefly touched her pinky for a few seconds before quickly letting go.
“This little princess suddenly has another new idea.”
Jiang Yuxing, full of clever schemes, leaned in closer with a charming smile. “To make this little princess’s academic research more interesting, how about we go to my house this week and to Little Teacher Jiang’s house the week after next?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Yubai’s expression suddenly changed slightly.
He stood up abruptly from the chair, his bangs half-covering his troubled eyes. His tone was cold and stiff. “There’s nothing worth seeing at my place.”
The old, dilapidated alley buildings, the yellowed and peeling walls everywhere, the pothole-ridden ground.
It was like a shadow cast by the city’s sunlight—lifeless and bleak.
Jiang Yubai looked at the beautifully raised, delicate girl in front of him and clenched his hands slightly at his sides.
Selfishly and with deep insecurity, he hoped—
She would never have to know such a place existed in her lifetime.
And never set foot there, dirtying her shoes.
Since childhood, she had always loved everything beautiful and pretty.
If she discovered the ugly reality hidden behind him, she would surely never look at him again…
Jiang Yuxing stared wide-eyed at the boy in front of her, his face tense as if weighed down by some unresolved worry.
Normally, she would simply assume he didn’t like others visiting his home.
She never thought too much about it, let alone asked him for a reason.
But now, looking at his suppressed expression, she couldn’t help but feel a sudden urge to understand him better. “Little study god, what’s wrong? Is there something inconvenient at home, or…”
Before she could finish asking, Jiang Yubai snapped back to reality and abruptly cut her off. “It’s getting late. You should head home.”
He glanced at the time. “I remember your curfew is at ten-thirty. It’s already ten o’clock now.”
Oh no!
I was so caught up talking with the little study god that I forgot about curfew!
“Go on back.”
Jiang Yubai stuffed a bulging bag of snacks into her hands—all her favorites. “Don’t drive too fast. Be careful on the road.”
With his change of topic and time running short, Jiang Yuxing couldn’t press further. She could only raise her other hand and wave at him. “Then I’ll be off now.”
As she pushed the door open, the gentle night breeze brushed softly against her face.She hopped down the steps one by one like a child, clutching her snacks.
Jiang Yubai stood inside, his gaze quietly following her.
Jiang Yuxing mounted her motorcycle and waved at him again with a curved smile in her eyes, “Little study god, see you at the usual spot tomorrow~”
As the engine roared to life, the girl’s lively figure gradually disappeared from view.
Jiang Yubai remained standing there, his eyes lingering on the distance for a long time.
She was perfect just as she was.
There was no need for her to step into his shabby, impoverished world and tarnish the brightness she carried.