Chapter Five: Tutoring

Seeing Mr. Zhao Gang, the English tutor, a sense of respect welled up in Jiang Xiwen’s heart. In his memory, Mr. Zhao was the best teacher he’d had in his school days—open-minded, cheerful, often joking with him, never looking down on him for being introverted or having poor grades, always doing his utmost to help with his studies.

Yet, Jiang Xiwen felt a lingering sense of guilt toward Mr. Zhao. His English had always been weak—a problem that persisted right up to his rebirth, aside from the professional English he’d picked up for computer science.

“Mr. Zhao, please have some water. Mr. Zhao, have a seat…” Jiang Xiwen bustled about warmly, and just then, a short girl walked in and saw the scene plainly.

Zhao Gang nodded at her. “Ning Yan, you’re here. Sit over there, and we’ll begin. Jiang Xiwen, you sit properly too.”

As before, Ning Yan nodded to Zhao Gang and softly addressed him as “teacher.” But when she glanced at Jiang Xiwen, her gaze was no longer as indifferent as before—it was a little complicated, and her brows furrowed unconsciously.

Ning Yan was Jiang Xiwen’s classmate, quiet and reticent. In his memory, she had once saved him. It happened at the end of the first semester in seventh grade: two older delinquent students cornered Jiang Xiwen on a school path, intending to rob him of a few yuan for the arcade. Ning Yan happened to pass by. Before the two could finish their threats, she floored them both with a swift kick each.

After that incident, Ning Yan instantly became the talk of the entire grade, even the whole school. Rumors spread that her father had been to prison and now worked out of town, leaving only her mother to run a small business and care for her. But no one knew where she had learned her fighting skills.

Those two bullies suffered injuries to their groins. Their parents turned the tables, falsely accusing Ning Yan and demanding compensation and school discipline.

Jiang Xiwen, too, was threatened by those bullies in private. Though introverted and a little timid, he’d been enamored with chivalrous tales since primary school. This matter had started with him; naturally, he wouldn’t back down. His testimony saved Ning Yan from punishment.

After that, Ning Yan became even more withdrawn, responding coldly to anyone who tried to talk to her. Over time, fewer and fewer people paid her attention. As her grades were average and she never caused trouble, the teachers left her alone. But Jiang Xiwen remembered that, after entering high school, Ning Yan became increasingly attractive—many thought she outshone the girl who later officially gained the title of “school beauty,” Zhang Ya.

Back then, a few local thugs came looking for her, but for reasons unknown, they ended up apologizing and never returned, fueling even more rumors and making her even more untouchable. After graduation, Jiang Xiwen had no further news of Ning Yan.

He had no idea why Ning Yan was looking at him that way, but he didn’t care much.

As usual, Zhao Gang lectured for about half an hour, then assigned fifty practice questions based on the lesson, and left the office.

Jiang Xiwen already knew all the material Mr. Zhao taught, but he listened with more attentiveness than ever before—probably the most earnest he’d been in his life—entirely out of guilt toward his favorite teacher.

His English might not have been strong before, but that only applied to everyday conversation with foreigners. After working at the multinational company SSUN for years, he was well-versed in technical English and documentation—these questions were a breeze. He quickly finished all fifty and opened his ninth-grade English textbook, starting from the first page. With nothing else to do, he figured he could finish the whole volume soon.

Ning Yan, working on her own, saw Jiang Xiwen stop writing and begin flipping through the book. She snorted, frowning, “So it’s all just for show. I knew it—pretending to respect the teacher, but really just sucking up.”

Jiang Xiwen understood what she meant. His unusually warm attitude toward Mr. Zhao had been a stark contrast to his usual introversion, and it was easy for anyone to misinterpret. Still, it was odd for the always solitary Ning Yan to criticize him out loud.

He was grateful she had helped him once, but her sarcasm stung. Mr. Zhao was the teacher he respected most, and the only one he felt truly indebted to, and Ning Yan’s offhand remark cheapened that.

“I know whether I’m sucking up or not—it’s none of your business,” he replied coldly, turning back to his book.

His reaction clearly annoyed Ning Yan. She pressed on, “Two-faced! If you really respected Mr. Zhao, you wouldn’t be sneaking looks at your book instead of doing the work.”

So that’s what she thinks—I’m cheating. It made sense; for someone at his supposed level to finish fifty questions so quickly was hard to believe.

Comparing this with his earlier enthusiasm toward Mr. Zhao, it did look like he was putting on a show.

Jiang Xiwen shook his textbook openly and smiled. “Does this count as sneaking a look? Fine, do your work. I promise, from now until we hand in the papers, I won’t touch another question.”

Ning Yan frowned. “You only did a few. Aren’t you worried the teacher will scold you for not finishing? If you really respected him, you’d do all the questions properly.”

Ning Yan had never liked timid, honest types, so she’d never thought much of Jiang Xiwen. As for his standing up for her once, she saw that as only right—if he hadn’t dared to testify for someone who saved him, her opinion would be far worse than mere dislike.

Just over an hour ago, during math class, Jiang Xiwen had publicly bested “Exterminator Wen,” earning Ning Yan’s admiration. She’d long wanted to teach Exterminator Wen a lesson but had promised her mother not to make trouble.

So when Jiang Xiwen did it, she felt not just respect but a sense of satisfaction. Otherwise, she wouldn’t care whether he was sucking up or about to be disciplined.

So concerned for me? Jiang Xiwen could hardly believe it. He turned to Ning Yan with a grin. “Since when did you start caring about me so much, Ning Yan?”

“Shut up!” Ning Yan’s cheeks flushed bright red. She glared at him fiercely, snapping, “What’s it to you? Just watch out for yourself—Liu Fan is plotting against you!”

Jiang Xiwen had never seen her blush before. Taken aback, he realized he’d never noticed how pretty Ning Yan was. It was no wonder, now that he thought about it, that so many boys said she could rival Zhang Ya for the title of school beauty if she weren’t so reserved.

Back in school, Jiang Xiwen had never paid much attention to the girls around him. Now he realized that, in his first year, he’d actually been saved by this future beauty—such a “beauty saves the hero” scenario was common enough in his own novels. Not making good use of it was truly a missed opportunity, and a trace of embarrassment crossed his face.

Yes, embarrassment—though in Ning Yan’s eyes, it was something else. To others, it was probably just a dazed smile.

“What are you staring at?” Ning Yan reddened even more, her fists clenching as if she were restraining herself. But in the next moment, she saw Jiang Xiwen’s face turn serious. “Well, since you care about me, Ning Yan, I’m only looking at you out of respect. If you don’t like it, I won’t look.”

He was not about to joke around—he was the only one in the class, perhaps the entire school, who’d seen Ning Yan’s skills. He had no doubt that if she really got violent, even four bullies wouldn’t be her match. That incident had always bothered him—a man needing a girl’s protection was humiliating.

Even after being reborn, he was still no match for Ning Yan. Seeing her on the verge of losing her temper, he chose the simplest solution: immediately put on his most earnest, sincere expression.

Wait, did I misunderstand? Maybe I did. He’s so serious—how could he be up to anything indecent? Ning Yan, seeing his earnest demeanor, relaxed her fists slightly and said, “Earlier, at lunch, I saw Liu Fan and his cronies plotting to beat you up. Be careful after school these days—don’t take any shortcuts.”

“Let them try,” Jiang Xiwen replied with disdain. Liu Fan could cause a ruckus, but at the end of the day, he was just a kid—what real trouble could he make?

Ning Yan nodded slightly, Jiang Xiwen’s reaction puzzling her once again. After years as classmates, she’d never realized how strange he could be—sometimes timid, sometimes cheeky, and now, as with “Exterminator Wen,” cold and detached, as if he saw through everything.