Relationship

Naturally, Jiang Li had no way of knowing the instantaneous shift in Xiao Yuehua’s thoughts beside him, but he could clearly see the wavering on Ning Rou’s face.

Knowing his words had somewhat moved this silly little girl, Jiang Li decided to drop a “trump card” to end the contest.

“Of course, you can think I’m just humoring you, or that I’m not qualified to be Student Xiao Yuehua’s teacher. However, I will prove it to you.”

“One month from now is the Academy’s Performance Competition. When that time comes, I will have Student Xiao Yuehua take first place among the first-years—beating you—to prove my point.”

As he spoke, Jiang Li opened a pack of tissues and handed one to Ning Rou.

The young girl took the tissue timidly, clumsily wiping away her tears. A moment later, she looked up, her voice still carrying the tremolo of her sobbing.

“Then… then if you lose… hic-ugh… what will you do if you lose?”

“Then, as you said, I will stop leading students astray. I’ll let Xiao Yuehua leave and ensure she retains her status as a tutored student.”

“Fine! Then… then it’s a deal!”

The girl seemed to have recovered some of her spirit. She aggressively stuffed the remaining tissues back into Jiang Li’s hand, stole a guilty glance at Xiao Yuehua, and then turned and ran out of the studio with a clatter of footsteps.

Seeing this, Jiang Li turned back to Xiao Yuehua.

“That girl came here for your sake, even if she was misguided. What you both said went a bit too far. Go and apologize to her.”

Noticing Xiao Yuehua staring intently at the pack of tissues in his hand, Jiang Li assumed she wanted one and handed it to her.

Lost in thought, Xiao Yuehua gave Jiang Li a deep, lingering look before taking the tissues and quickly chasing after Ning Rou.

At the doorway, she paused and looked back, her expression complex. “Professor, was what you just said a lie just to comfort Ning Rou?”

“Of course not. I truly believe you have talent and that you can surpass Ning Rou.”

“Is that so?”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuehua simply gave Jiang Li another meaningful scan before turning to disappear.

Jiang Li pondered for a long time but couldn’t decipher the meaning of that look. Eventually, he just breathed a sigh of relief that he had settled a major disaster in time.

“Alright, that’s all for today’s lesson…”

Jiang Li ended the materialization and skillfully packed away the scripts.

It had been nearly a week since the explosion of conflict between Ning Rou and Xiao Yuehua.

To be honest, Ning Rou’s sudden appearance that day had truly startled an unprepared Jiang Li. In his original plan, he was supposed to wait until the conquest of Xiao Yuehua reached a certain milestone before finding a way to approach Ning Rou.

But plans are just plans.

The moment Ning Rou appeared and bombarded him with questions, her momentum almost overwhelmed him. Fortunately, Xiao Yuehua had erupted.

After that, Ning Rou’s hostility toward him had shifted into a dispute between her and Xiao Yuehua—a sudden twist that Jiang Li had never anticipated. His mission was to conquer both heroines, a task already at “Hell” difficulty; if the two tore each other apart and became mortal enemies before he even acted, it would become truly impossible.

Jiang Li had no choice but to intervene and try to smooth things over. Fortunately, the friction between the two was essentially a result of a lack of communication. Under his direction, Xiao Yuehua’s initiative to apologize had salvaged the situation. While it might not have returned their relationship to its original state immediately, it shouldn’t lead to any irreparable rift… probably.

After a moment of hesitation, feeling a bit uncertain, Jiang Li finally spoke to Xiao Yuehua.

“By the way, regarding you and Ning Rou…”

Xiao Yuehua looked up prettily, tilting her head playfully. “That doesn’t involve the Professor, does it… or is the Professor actually worried about me?”

Perhaps because Jiang Li’s emotional training was working, Xiao Yuehua’s personality was no longer cold and gloomy. Her expressions were much more vivid and lively, and she frequently made slightly ambiguous jokes in front of Jiang Li.

He wasn’t sure what attitude to respond with, so he maintained his usual stiff face. “The reason you two had an unpleasant encounter was, in the end, due to my inadequate tutoring. Saying it doesn’t involve me isn’t quite accurate.”

“Tch… Professor, you’re always so stiff. It was just a joke.”

Xiao Yuehua seemed completely unaware of the trouble she caused Jiang Li and simply smiled to herself. “I apologized to her after that day. Ning Rou is a gentle girl; she not only forgave me but even tried to apologize for the pressure and misunderstanding she’s caused me all this time. I stopped her.”

“She actually wasn’t wrong. She was just too worried about me.”

At this point, she let out a long breath, as if exhaling the pent-up frustration of years. She stretched her arms out wide, unhesitatingly showing off her impressive curves right in front of Jiang Li.

“Now, though it’s still a bit awkward when we’re alone, mending the relationship is only a matter of time. Plus, we’ve finally said the things that were hard to voice.”

“Those negative feelings were hidden in my heart for too long. Letting them out was actually a good thing.”

Xiao Yuehua fell silent for a moment, then looked up, her clear gaze locked onto Jiang Li’s.

“So, I’m very grateful to you, Professor.”

“Is that a joke too?”

“Of course not.”

She gave a radiant smile. Her shifting attitudes made it impossible for Jiang Li to tell which sentence was her true feeling.

【She’s getting harder and harder to deal with… this girl.】

Jiang Li sighed internally, while externally maintaining a calm facade.

“Then I shall accept your recognition and gratitude as a student. Thank you.”

“Then, can I ask the Professor for one more favor?”

“?” A flicker of confusion appeared in Jiang Li’s eyes.

“I hope the Professor can increase my daily tutoring time.”

“Why?”

“Didn’t the Professor make a bet with Ning Rou? You said you’d help me become the top freshman in the competition and surpass her… Were you just joking then?”

“Of course not. But your current daily training is already very effective—”

“No, it’s not enough. If I want to surpass Ning Rou, this level is far from sufficient!”

Xiao Yuehua’s voice carried a steely determination that made it difficult for Jiang Li to say no.

“So, I hope the Professor can make time. Aside from daily emotional training, I need you to help me familiarize myself with the script for the competition in advance.”

“After all, I’ve gotten used to the Professor’s guidance. I can’t leave you now, can I?”

“Stop using such ambiguous phrasing.”

“Just a joke, Professor.”

…

Strange…

Something was very strange. His intuition was sounding an alarm.

His goal was to conquer Xiao Yuehua, and the fact that she could now joke like this was proof that they had grown closer. So why was there no joy in his heart? Why was there only a strong sense of wariness?

When he thought about it carefully, he realized that his authority as a teacher was gradually disappearing in front of her…

Why didn’t I notice this before?

Looking at the black-haired girl before him, Jiang Li couldn’t help but knit his brows slightly, subconsciously trying to regain the lead.

“Extra tutoring is fine. But regarding the script, I will—”

“It’s okay, Professor.”

Jiang Li was cut off before he could finish. Xiao Yuehua was currently staring directly into his eyes.

【She noticed my frown just now.】

For some reason, Jiang Li was absolutely certain of it.

“Regarding the script…”

Xiao Yuehua’s attitude suddenly turned cold. Her gaze was ghostly, and the smile on her lips held no warmth.

“I will select it carefully.”

She spoke each word slowly, her demeanor eerie and unreadable.

“The Professor will trust my eye for scripts, won’t he?”