Chapter 5

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

The girl smiled sweetly. Her long lashes fluttered, bringing life to her glossy, grape-dark eyes. Those lovely almond-shaped eyes were impossible not to dote on.

She sat perfectly straight in her wheelchair, a soft white blanket draped over her legs. Her smooth black hair fell over her shoulders, framing a delicate little face no bigger than a palm.

Aside from her noticeably pale complexion, she looked much like any other heiress from a wealthy family.

That was what the internationally renowned tutor, hired by the Yu Family at an exorbitant fee, thought.

She’d heard all the stories about Yu Ling: atrocious, ill-tempered, the sort of girl who spoke as if every word were a bullet. The tutor shook her head. Seeing for yourself really was believing.

Determined to hold on to this dream job, the tutor had prepared for every possibility. Even if Yu Ling pointed at her and screamed through the entire lesson, she could keep teaching without batting an eye.

Fortunately, things seemed much better than the scenes she’d rehearsed before arriving.

…Really?

To accommodate Yu Ling, each lesson could last no more than thirty minutes. The tutor couldn’t speak too loudly or too softly, and had to keep a close eye on Yu Ling’s mood. If her gaze ever went unfocused, the lesson had to stop immediately so the tutor could check on her…

The tutor silently reviewed the list of precautions she’d been given before coming.

Then she opened the textbook, adjusted her posture, and prepared to begin the day’s lesson.

But just as she was about to speak, a light, airy voice drifted over.

“Teacher, your lipstick… It’s too bright.”

The tutor froze for a moment, then reflexively touched her lips. She’d gone out of her way to choose a gentle dusty rose that looked professional without being too severe. How was that too bright?

“It’ll distract me from the lesson,” the girl continued, her tone unhurried and her voice soft, yet leaving no room for argument.

The tutor began to understand where all those stories had come from.

“All right. I’ll keep that in mind next time.” She managed to maintain her smile, set down her pen, and gathered herself again.

Apparently satisfied, the girl gave her a well-behaved little nod. “Go ahead.”

The tutor cleared her throat and began explaining the material patiently. But not five minutes later, the girl tapped the armrest of her wheelchair.

“Teacher.”

The tutor stopped at once and looked up. “Yes?”

The girl tilted her head slightly. A strand of black hair slipped aside, revealing her delicate ear. She asked, unhurriedly, “Is this how you always teach?”

“Er… yes.” The tutor nodded without thinking.

“How boring.” The girl sighed softly, as though stating a simple fact. “I can’t listen to this.”

Teacher: “…”

Clearly, things weren’t going to be as simple as she’d imagined.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm. “Then how would you like me to teach, Miss Yu?”

By the time the lesson ended, the tutor had practically fled.

Yu Ling yawned and took a sip of water to soothe her throat.

Playing the role of an arrogant, short-tempered, sharp-tongued Eldest Miss wasn’t easy.

The housekeeper glanced worriedly toward the tutor’s retreating figure, then turned back to Yu Ling with a gentle smile. “Would you like to rest now, Miss?”

“Of course.”

“And Miss Qi’s invitation?”

“Turn it down.”

She couldn’t rush a conquest. She had to learn to play hard to get, to keep the other person wanting more. They’d never value a relationship that came too easily, and she’d never get the intense Emotional Fluctuation she was after.

Though this was Yu Ling’s first time trying to win someone over, she thought the advice she’d found online seemed pretty sound.

The housekeeper hesitated, but decided to pass on Qi Jinyu’s exact words. “Miss Qi also said she’d be very happy to help you with your studies.”

“Hm?” Yu Ling finally seemed interested. She raised an eyebrow, signaling for the housekeeper to go on.

“Miss Qi said you probably don’t like interacting with strangers, so she could help you instead.”

Just then, a servant quietly entered the room and respectfully informed Yu Ling, “Miss, Miss Lu is waiting in the main hall.”

Lu Li?

What was Lu Li doing here?

A flicker of curiosity crossed Yu Ling’s eyes.

But even though she’d spent the lesson being fussy and willful, she’d still had to sit through a whole class. Now she was so sleepy she wanted nothing more than to go to bed.

She rubbed her eyes and spoke drowsily. “I’m going to sleep. If Sister Lu is willing to wait, she can talk to me after I wake up.”

She turned everyone down equally.

The housekeeper checked her phone, then looked up at Yu Ling as the attendant pushed her toward the bedroom. She seemed to want to say something, but held back.

Yu Ling gave her a look, inviting her to continue.

The housekeeper chose her words carefully. “Miss Lu just sent a message. She’d also be very happy to be your temporary ‘teacher.'”

Seriously… They both like this sort of thing?

“Also… the Second Miss just messaged. She hopes to have dinner with you tonight.”

Yu Ling rarely checked her messages, and kept notifications muted for everyone except her parents. Anyone who knew her understood that when something important came up, the right person to contact was her housekeeper.

At the mention of the Second Miss, Yu Ling immediately straightened in her seat, her eyes suddenly wide awake.

What was she doing here all of a sudden?

Yu Ling’s home had been designed and built by the Yu Family’s Second Miss. Compared with the Yu Family’s main residence, it felt warmer and more welcoming. In the main hall, the lighting was soft yet luxurious, and the carved crystal chandelier scattered a gentle glow across the room.

Qi Jinyu thanked the housekeeper for showing her in. When the housekeeper apologized—”Miss Qi, I’m very sorry. Miss Yu isn’t feeling well today and is resting. Would you mind waiting in the living room?”—Qi Jinyu replied that she was more than happy to wait, then stepped inside at an unhurried pace.

She wore a well-tailored beige trench coat. Her chestnut hair was loosely tied back, revealing the graceful line of her neck.

Her gaze swept across the room, then settled on the other person already waiting there.

Lu Li sat on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, her posture straight yet relaxed. She wore a gray shirt and charcoal suit trousers. The collar of her shirt was slightly open, and she wore no jewelry.

Her expression was cool and unreadable. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t react to Qi Jinyu’s footsteps. She might as well have been asleep.

Both of them knew the house well. Qi Jinyu took a book without hesitation and sat at the end of the sofa. Her long, pale fingers rested loosely against the page, her lashes lowered.

Lu Li had been resting with her eyes closed. She recognized Qi Jinyu by her footsteps, so there was no need to open her eyes and exchange pleasantries.

After a while, she heard the woman beside her greet her. “A-Li, you’ve been running between school and the company lately. It must be exhausting, right?” Her voice was warm, full of concern.

Lu Li kept her eyes closed and gave a faint scoff. “If we’re talking about being tired, shouldn’t you, as student council president, be more exhausted than I am?”

She lazily lifted her eyelids, and her gaze met Qi Jinyu’s.

For a moment, the air seemed to still.

Qi Jinyu was the first to look away. She lowered her eyes and tapped a fingertip against the page, her tone unhurried. “I was only asking after you, A-Li. We grew up together, after all. I suppose we’ve developed a certain understanding.”

“Even when it comes to visiting Little Ling, we’re somehow of one mind.” She smiled, her meaning unclear.

To Lu Li’s surprise, she didn’t snap back. Instead, she quietly repeated, “Of one mind?” as if turning the phrase over in her mouth.

“I wouldn’t dare claim to be of one mind with someone like you.” Her tone remained cool, giving nothing away.

“Someone like me? Then what sort of person are you, A-Li?” Qi Jinyu tilted her head and asked gently, as if she hadn’t noticed the barb at all.

“You’re graduating this year, aren’t you?” Lu Li changed the subject, her dark eyes fixed on Qi Jinyu, who was smiling faintly with her gaze lowered.

“I’m looking forward to that day.”

The servants and the housekeeper had already left the living room, leaving the two familiar visitors alone.

The soft light lent a hazy glow to their profiles.

Qi Jinyu raised her eyes again. Their gazes met once more, and the curve of her lips slowly widened. “Of course. I am too.”

Just then, the housekeeper gently pushed open the door from the upper floor, dipped her head, and spoke with warm respect.

“Miss is here.”

Both women looked toward the staircase.

Yu Ling wore soft loungewear with a light-colored cardigan draped over it. Her smooth hair fell over her shoulders, and her expression held the languor of someone freshly woken.

Her lips were so pale they were almost colorless, and when she pressed them together, they always gave her a haughty air.

She sat in her wheelchair, with a servant carefully pushing her from behind.

Still drowsy, she looked down at the two women in the living room. One had smiling eyes; the other wore a cool, distant expression.

Yu Ling signaled for the wheelchair to stop, then tilted her head slightly. “Hm? Why are you both here?”

Her gaze shifted between them. As if she’d just thought of something amusing, she teased, “Do you both want to be my teachers?”

The atmosphere in the room grew subtly more subdued.

This time, Lu Li spoke first.

“I wouldn’t dare be your teacher in front of Qi Jinyu.”

Her gaze left Yu Ling and dropped to the floor, hiding whatever she was feeling. Her voice was as calm and even as ever.

Yu Ling was caught off guard, her easy composure suddenly slipping.

Qi Jinyu broke the awkward silence, sounding as if she were smoothing things over. “Why not? Little Ling is looking forward to having both of us help her, isn’t she?”

She wasn’t looking forward to it at all.

Lu Li lifted her eyes and looked at Yu Ling again.

One glance at Yu Ling’s resistance was enough. Lu Li straightened and excused herself.

She left quickly, the hem of her shirt swaying with her brisk steps, her back straight and her expression cool.

Her heels made the faintest crisp clicks against the polished floor. She walked without pausing and never once looked back, as if she’d waited for hours just to tell Yu Ling that one thing to her face.

But Yu Ling saw Lu Li’s fingers curl briefly at her side, the knuckles turning white before relaxing again.

Feeling rather vexed, Yu Ling watched Lu Li go. She couldn’t handle both of them at once, sure, but she hadn’t said she wouldn’t choose Lu Li.

After what had happened a few days ago, she couldn’t help worrying about Lu Li.

“Back with me now?”

Qi Jinyu had somehow made her way to Yu Ling’s side. She bent down close, her warm breath brushing Yu Ling’s ear, laughter in her voice.

Her slender fingers reached out and gently pinched both of Yu Ling’s cheeks, tugging them apart with a little force. Her touch was tender, but there was a hint of insistence in it. “Little Ling, surely I’m not the one you want to turn down?”

One of them had already left. She had to at least keep the other one here.

Yu Ling had already planned to focus on getting closer to Qi Jinyu first, and the moment only made her resolve stronger.

With Qi Jinyu tugging at her cheeks, Yu Ling’s words came out muffled. “If that’s what you want to think, I can’t stop you.”

Before Qi Jinyu’s gaze could turn dangerous, Yu Ling hurriedly changed her tune, her voice half sincere and half teasing. “Fine, fine. I want you more. Happy now?”

Only then did Qi Jinyu let her go.

“It’s getting late, and you must be hungry after just waking up, Little Ling. Shall we eat first, then study?”

Yu Ling was about to agree, but remembered her younger sister’s invitation for dinner that evening and hesitated.

At that moment, a voice came from the doorway. The carved wooden doors swung open, and the housekeeper greeted the newcomer warmly and respectfully.

“Second Miss, you’re here.”

Now Yu Ling had no need to hesitate.