Xiao He's face was ugly as he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you playing with me?"
Qiao Ying replied: "Why would I need to?"
Seeing Qiao Ying's calm expression, Xiao He fell silent.
He sat there wordlessly, seemingly lost in thought. After a while, he asked somewhat feebly: "Where did you see him?"
Qiao Ying said: "I've never seen him before."
Xiao He frowned and glared at her, his anger rising to a boil.
Qiao Ying added: "I've only seen photos of him."
Xiao He demanded: "What photos? Where did they come from?"
Qiao Ying explained: "A friend showed them to me. My friend was very close with your brother."
Xiao He pressed: "Where's this friend now? And the photos?"
Qiao Ying stated plainly: "My friend died and the photos are gone."
Xiao He exclaimed angrily: "You!"
If Qiao Ying wasn't a girl, Xiao He would have definitely started a fight with her already.
Qiao Ying retorted bluntly: "Believe it or not."
Xiao He was so furious he could hardly breathe.
He seemed unable to process this sudden news. All the way to the hospital for his checkup, he didn't say another word.
The kicks Xiao He took at the club didn't fracture any bones, just left two nasty bruises. They definitely hurt though.
Xiao He sat bare-chested while the nurse tended to his injuries.
Qiao Ying stood to the side, her gaze sweeping over Xiao He's body. He had many old wounds and several knife scars. The injuries from the recent steel pipe beating were also visible, looking quite horrific.
After leaving the hospital and getting back into the car, Xiao He asked calmly: "When did he die and how? Also, why did your friend die too?"
"I don't know. As for my friend, it's not convenient to explain the details of her death," Qiao Ying replied.
Another stretch of silence followed before Xiao He spoke again, his tone less icy: "Did he live well while alive?"
Qiao Ying said: "I suppose so."
Xiao He questioned: "Did he know he had a younger brother?"
Qiao Ying responded: "Unclear. So I can't say for certain that you are his brother. I didn't know much about him personally. I only heard my friend mention him before. We never got the chance to meet."
Xiao He looked at her and said: "So your random kindness towards me is purely because of him?"
Qiao Ying was blunt: "If not for my friend, why would I bother with your business?"
Xiao He pressed: "What if I just happen to look like him but I'm not actually his brother?"
Qiao Ying's hands gripped the steering wheel. She stated simply: "The resemblance is enough," then quickly changed her tune, "Though hopefully your brother is still alive and well."
Xiao He casually asked: "Was your friend male or female?"
Qiao Ying said: "Female."
Xiao He continued lightly: "Were you two very close? Otherwise why care so much about her friend's potential brother when there's no proof?"
But Qiao Ying turned the questioning around: "Seems you're more interested in my friend than your own brother." She glanced at him.
Xiao He didn't feel like entertaining her anymore.
Qiao Ying laughed softly then said: "Or could it be...you wanted to hear some reasons for me being nice to you that have nothing to do with my friend or your brother? Perhaps you thought I'm interested in you?"
Xiao He flushed in embarrassment and anger. "Ridiculous!" The topic ended there.
Qiao Ying focused on driving while Xiao He stayed silent, lost in thought.
The car stopped outside the alley. Without a word, Xiao He returned home, likely for a sleepless night ahead.
The next day, the recent test papers were returned. Unsurprisingly, Qiao Ying scored perfectly again. As for Xiao He, he was called to the supervisor's office.
Xiao He had bombed the test spectacularly with a score of 32/100 - dead last in the class and trailing second-to-last place by 30 points.
At lunch in the cafeteria, Qiao Ying had just finished eating and was about to leave when Xiao He showed up across the table holding a tray of food.
Qiao Ying: "What's up?"
Xiao He: "Um...you said you can tutor me."
Qiao Ying replied without hesitation: "Sure, come over after school."
Xiao He glanced at her but said nothing.
After two class periods, Xiao He followed Qiao Ying home.
Stepping into the luxurious villa, Xiao He looked around somewhat self-consciously.
Hearing them enter, Er Ye came bounding downstairs. Seeing a stranger, Er Ye ran up to Xiao He, circled around him twice, then sniffed him with its nose before barking at Xiao He twice.
This made Xiao He even more on edge.
Qiao Ying said: "It doesn't bite."
Xiao He asked: "You live alone?"
Qiao Ying: "Yes, have a seat."
Qiao Ying went upstairs and returned with a spare laptop, handing it to him. "Here, use this."
Xiao He instinctively wanted to refuse.
Qiao Ying stated plainly: "You can't learn computer science without a computer."
Unable to argue with that logic, Xiao He kept his mouth shut.
It seemed he wanted to say thanks but couldn't get the words out.
After last night's events, Qiao Ying could sense a shift in Xiao He's attitude towards her. Knowing now that it was due to his brother, he no longer rejected her kindness as strongly.
"Let's begin," Qiao Ying sat down.
Xiao He had barely covered last semester's materials himself and was hopelessly lost trying to catch up this term. They would have to start from the fundamentals.
Qiao Ying demonstrated a patience none had witnessed from her before.
She taught clearly and concisely in plain language - more detailed than the teachers yet more efficient, without any excess.
Xiao He was clever and grasped concepts instantly, making quick progress.
Only having never touched a computer before made his hands clumsy.
Around 6:30PM, the housekeeper arrived to make dinner and feed Er Ye before leaving again.
Qiao Ying and Xiao He ate together.
Tutoring continued late into the night until 10PM.
As Xiao He was departing, Qiao Ying gave him the laptop to keep.
After a brief hesitation, Xiao He accepted it and promised Qiao Ying: "I'll pay you back someday."
Once Xiao He had gone, Qiao Ying went upstairs and took out her own laptop.
After some tapping around, the screen displayed: 【System Connected】
Over the next few days, Xiao He left school with Qiao Ying and accompanied her to the villa for tutoring sessions.
The two grew visibly closer, providing fresh gossip fodder for their classmates.
One evening as Qiao Ying was mid-lecture with Xiao He, a car pulled up outside followed by the doorbell.
Qiao Ying sent Er Ye to get the door.
Seeing it was Qin Hanyue, Er Ye leapt back and slammed the door shut with both front paws nearly smashing into Qin Hanyue's nose.
"Qiao Ying scolded: "Er Ye!"
Er Ye pretended nothing had happened.
Afraid of angering Qiao Ying further, Er Ye begrudgingly reopened the door to let Qin Hanyue inside.
Entering the living room, Qin Hanyue saw the two sitting together closely on the sofa and strode over.
Xiao He glanced up briefly at Qin Hanyue before lowering his eyes back to his textbook.
Qin Yan followed behind Qin Hanyue, sizing Xiao He up and concluding: Apart from age, no advantages whatsoever. No threat.
Qiao Ying was mid-lecture with Xiao He, leaving Qin Hanyue ignored off on the side. He took a seat by himself.
Qin Hanyue knew better than to interrupt.
So he sat there stiffly for over 10 excruciating minutes without daring to make a peep, also having to endure Er Ye's unwelcoming stares.
Having covered the first three key concepts of the new lesson in one go, Qiao Ying finally addressed him: "Have you eaten yet?"
Qin Hanyue: "Not yet, I came straight from the office."
Qiao Ying: "We haven't eaten either. We'll all eat together soon."
Hearing this, Qin Hanyue shot a look at Xiao He but only answered: "Mm."
He said nothing more.
