Pleading

“Responsibility?”

Jiang Li’s brow furrowed instantly. He rubbed his temples, feeling a strange, heavy grogginess.

“Student Yuehua… what are you talking about?”

“Hehe…”

Xiao Yuehua simply watched his unusual expression and let out a low, soft laugh.

“Even though the Professor hasn’t been around lately, Yuehua has been working hard all on her own, you know?”

“Is… is that so?”

“But, for some reason, my progress has been inexplicably slow…”

“How… how could that be…”

“It wasn’t until yesterday that I finally realized where the problem lies.”

“And that is?”

For some unknown reason, Xiao Yuehua’s words seemed to carry a magnetic pull today. Though he was merely listening to her, Jiang Li’s thoughts were being pulled along by her rhythm, forcing him to chime in subconsciously.

Not only that, but her striking figure and face seemed even more captivating than usual. He felt the faint, persistent itch of affection budding in his heart.

It was only thanks to his [Poker Face] skill that Jiang Li was able to maintain a facade of calm. Had he been any less guarded, he might have been unable to stop his heart from racing or his face from flushing.

Xiao Yuehua, seemingly oblivious to his inner struggle, leaned in close.

“Because of the Professor, of course.”

“Because of me?”

“Is the Professor still pretending to be ignorant? You can feel it, can’t you?”

Xiao Yuehua grabbed Jiang Li’s hand and pressed it firmly against her chest. Even though he scrambled to pull his hand back a second later, the sensation of her softness lingered like a brand on his palm, sending a continuous stream of stimulation to his brain.

“Student Yuehua! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Did the Professor not feel it?” Unlike Jiang Li’s panic, Xiao Yuehua was all smiles now. “My heart is beating frantically right now, all because of you.”

“What kind of talk is this…”

“If the Professor doesn’t want to hear it, fine. Let’s talk about something else then.” Xiao Yuehua shrugged, her eyes lingering deeply on Jiang Li’s visibly restless hand. A tiny smile quirked the corner of her mouth. “I am applying for the Professor to resume my tutoring.”

“Impossible.” Jiang Li suppressed his thudding heartbeat and gave a blunt, stony refusal. “We made a pact. Besides, I will only lead you astray.”

“The bet never said we weren’t allowed to resume tutoring, did it?”

“What?” Jiang Li looked at her, struggling to follow her logic. She seemed entirely self-assured.

“The bet only required the Professor to stop teaching me. And our sessions did stop, didn’t they? Resuming them later isn’t covered by the constraints of that agreement.”

“That’s just wordplay.”

“I have no other choice, Professor.” Xiao Yuehua’s gaze was unwavering. “I’ve grown so used to your guidance that I can no longer experience emotions normally.”

“What?” Jiang Li’s heart sank. In his memory, Xiao Yuehua wasn’t a liar. The possibility that he had truly ruined her path as an Interpreter caused a fresh wave of guilt to surge within him.

“I can’t be without the Professor now. I need your help.”

“…” Jiang Li fell silent.

Sensing the wavering in his heart, Xiao Yuehua suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. Jiang Li gasped, preparing to pull away.

“I know the Professor is doing this for my own good. I know this path might be wrong…” Xiao Yuehua’s voice carried a sob, instantly dissolving Jiang Li’s strength to resist. “But I can’t turn back anymore… Professor, just do it for me, okay? Forget the bet…”

The front of his shirt quickly grew damp with her tears. Even through his clothes, he could feel her warm, shaky breath.

For the sake of his grand strategy, he should have remained firm in his refusal. But in this moment, the combination of Xiao Yuehua’s tears and his own guilt brewed a mysterious, irresistible magic. The words of rejection wouldn’t come out.

Think… think of Jiang Yun…

Jiang Li gritted his teeth, gathering his resolve for a long moment. “…I’m still sorry.”

“One month! Just one month, Professor!” Xiao Yuehua looked up, pleading. Tears had messy strands of hair stuck to her flushed face. “If… if any problems arise midway, you can stop immediately. Please… don’t abandon me…”

In this state, Jiang Li found it impossible to say no.

“Thank you, Professor.”

Seeing his prolonged silence, Xiao Yuehua seemed to understand his unspoken concession. With tear tracks still wet on her face, she leaned in and gave him a fleeting, feather-light peck on the lips. Then, she spun around and ran out of the room.

Left behind, Jiang Li stood frozen, his fingers tracing his lips with a complex expression.

How did it end up like this?

“Hehe…”

“Hehehehe…”

“So this is a ‘Taboo’… it’s even more effective than I imagined…”

The moment she stepped out the door, Xiao Yuehua’s tearful vulnerability vanished completely. It was replaced by a dark smile brimming with desire and greed.

“That was his first kiss, wasn’t it? I could tell just by his expression…”

“First kiss… the Professor’s first kiss… Hehe, it belongs to me…”

As she walked, she continued to mutter under her breath. Her eyes burned with an eerie, terrifyingly bright fire.

“Yuehua?”

A familiar voice called out from nearby. Xiao Yuehua turned, her brooding expression vanishing in an instant.

“Ning Rou? What are you doing here?”

Ning Rou’s face stiffened slightly. “I… I’m taking a walk. Yes, a walk…”

“Is that so? How surprising… I was just visiting the Professor.”

“The… the Professor? Yuehua, you didn’t…”

Knowing exactly what Ning Rou was worried about, Xiao Yuehua beat her to the punch with a wave of her hand.

“Don’t be so shocked. I just left something behind with the Professor and went to get it back.”

“What was it?”

“Hehe. Just a precious little thing.”

Xiao Yuehua offered no further explanation. She merely gave Ning Rou a meaningful, sideways glance before turning to leave.