The young girl giggled. She seemed quite lively.
"So you know each other? That's even better. Yaru, what do you think about having Zhao Rui tutor you?"
Ms. Song smiled at her daughter.
Yaru's delicate brows furrowed for a moment before smoothing out. She nodded and said, "Sure!"
Seeing her daughter agree, Ms. Song broke into a smile and gestured for her to show Zhao Rui to the study.
"Fine!"
Yaru shrugged and led Zhao Rui deeper into the villa.
"Actually, I don't want a tutor, but my mom would never agree to that. So, Brother Zhao, how about we work together?"
A crafty smile appeared on Yaru's face, which still had a hint of baby fat.
"Work together?"
"Yeah. You'll be my tutor, but you don't have to actually bother with me. You'll get paid just the same! We know each other, after all, right?"
"Well…"
"Don't worry, my grades aren't that bad. I just don't feel like studying!"
"We'll see."
Zhao Rui didn't agree immediately. He wasn't sure of the girl's intentions. Besides, if he was taking someone's money, he had an obligation to do his job properly.
"Honestly, you're nothing like your brother. Zhao Ke actually listens to me!"
AHEM!
Zhao Rui felt as if he'd just stumbled upon one of his brother's secrets.
As they spoke, the two of them entered a study that was larger than the master bedroom in Zhao Rui's own home.
The study contained a massive desk. Behind it stood a mahogany-colored bookshelf filled with all sorts of books.
There was another door behind and to the right of the bookshelf, though it was unclear where it led.
"This is my dad's study. I usually study in here, too. I won't bother showing you my own."
"Oh."
Zhao Rui nodded.
"You can just play on your phone. Just don't bother me!"
With that, Yaru walked over to the desk and turned on the computer.
Zhao Rui watched her, stunned and a little amused.
Yaru booted up the computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard. It was unclear what game she was playing.
You could tell how absorbed she was from her tense expression and focused gaze.
"Argh, I lost, I lost!"
Not even ten minutes later, Yaru slumped in defeat, hit the keyboard, and cried out.
"What are you playing?"
Zhao Rui asked.
"War God Atlas! I've been stuck on this level for two days and just can't beat it."
Seeing that Zhao Rui wasn't scolding her but was asking about her game instead, Yaru couldn't help but answer.
"Let me see!"
Zhao Rui smiled, stood up, and walked over. As he got closer, a light, fresh scent wafted from the girl.
"You play this too?"
"Mhm!"
Zhao Rui nodded.
"You try!"
Just as Zhao Rui was about to sit down, he suddenly froze. "Your mom's coming!" he said.
As he spoke, he snatched up a book with lightning speed and placed it on the desk.
He also opened a scratch notebook, picked up a pen, and scribbled down some calculations.
The entire sequence of actions was seamless, completed in the blink of an eye.
Yaru stared, dumbfounded, at the book that had suddenly appeared before her. Before she could even react, the door opened, and in walked Ms. Song and Zhao Rui's second senior brother.
"Junior Brother, I'm heading back now. Call me if you need anything!"
"Okay, Senior Brother!"
"Don't you worry," Ms. Song said with a laugh. "It's not like I'm going to bully your little junior brother!"
Second Senior Brother nodded to Zhao Rui, then turned and left the study.
Ms. Song glanced at the desk, nodded in satisfaction, then turned, closed the door, and went to see Second Senior Brother off.
"*Phew*. You're a Martial Arts Student?"
Yaru looked at Zhao Rui, pleasantly surprised. "Those moves just now were so cool!" she said, a hint of delight in her voice.
"I'm actually better at my studies!"
Zhao Rui chuckled. "But first, let's take a look at that game."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Hearing this, Yaru immediately scrambled out of the chair to make way for him.
Zhao Rui took the keyboard and mouse and made a few practiced clicks. Then came a flurry of tapping—CLACK CLACK CLACK—as his ten fingers flew across the keys, moving so fast they created a dazzling blur of afterimages.
"Whoa, amazing!"
Yaru watched from the side, her excitement building until she began to clap unconsciously.
After just a few minutes, Zhao Rui pulled his hands back from the keyboard. He looked at Yaru and said, "Level cleared!"
"Th-that… That was amazing! How are your hands so nimble?!"
"It might have something to do with the Martial Arts I practice."
"Um…"
Yaru was momentarily stunned. Then she pouted. "You already cleared it. What am I supposed to do now?"
"Study!"
Zhao Rui placed the book in front of her, a smile gracing his handsome face.
"Hmph!"
Hearing that Zhao Rui was also telling her to study, Yaru crossed her arms and flopped onto the sofa across from him.
"Look, the studying part is negotiable," Zhao Rui said. "But you should at least respect my job."
Yaru's mischievous eyes darted around for a moment. "Fine," she said. "Then you have to teach me some Martial Arts that don't require Inner Strength!"
"Without Inner Strength?"
"Deal!"
Zhao Rui agreed after a moment's thought. 'I happen to know a Martial Art called Yong Chun Inquiry. I can just pick a few moves from it to teach her.'
"Deal! A promise is a promise!"
Yaru got up, walked over to Zhao Rui, and they high-fived to seal the deal.
"It's not that I don't want to study, it's just so boring." Perhaps because they already knew each other, Yaru quickly began to open up. "My mom hovers over me all day and never lets me go anywhere. I just don't want to listen to her!"
"By the way, why doesn't Zhao Ke know any Martial Arts? Are you two really brothers?"
"Of course we are. You don't know any Martial Arts either, do you?"
"Yeah, I don't."
The girl's cheerful expression suddenly fell, and she let out a long, heavy sigh.
"They're re-sorting the classes soon, and all the Martial Arts Students will be put in their own class. I'm so jealous of those students who can fly around."
"They're probably just as jealous of how pretty you are," Zhao Rui said offhandedly.
"I'm not that bothered by it, really! By the way, how come Zhao Ke hasn't been at school recently…?"
"He's not feeling well. He'll be back in a couple of days."
"Oh. It's not because…" Yaru's slender brows shot up as she spoke.
"Because of what?"
Zhao Rui's eyes narrowed. "What do you know?"
Startled by the glint in his eyes, Yaru felt her heart race. "The look you just gave me was terrifying!" she said hurriedly.
"Sorry."
"He was hanging out with some bad Martial Arts Students for a while… I heard it was about buying those Qi-Introducing Pills!"
"That's just what I heard, though! It might not be true!"
Hearing her words, Zhao Rui's eyes narrowed again, and anger surged within him.
'That stuff is hard to come by. If someone hadn't put him up to it, how could a high school kid like Zhao Ke get his hands on it?'
"Thanks, I get it now," Zhao Rui said. "Let's study. When we're done, I can teach you a few self-defense moves."
"Okay, okay, fine!"
Perhaps intimidated by the sharp glint she had just seen in his eyes, Yaru didn't object.
Instead, she sighed and obediently sat down at the desk.
An hour later, after finishing a chapter, Yaru stretched lazily. Her delicate face wore an expression that was a mixture of languor and mischief.
"Is Zhao Ke okay now?" Pulling her arms back from her stretch, Yaru asked casually.
"He's fine now. The medicine wasn't very potent. How many of your classmates know about this matter?"
"Actually, several people in our class have been absent, too," Yaru said, her voice tinged with helplessness. "Everyone knows what's really going on without saying it. With the class resorting just around the corner, a lot of people are getting desperate!"
"Do you know those students?"
"I know of them, but we're not friends. They're all Martial Arts Students, and they're always bullying people, so we all stay far away from them."
Yaru told him everything she knew.
Zhao Rui nodded. "Study hard for a few days," he said, "and I can ask your mom to let me take you out for a walk."
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"That's great! Don't worry, I'll secretly tell you who they are!"
Yaru's mind worked quickly. She had already guessed Zhao Rui's true intentions. Since she was also desperate to get out of the house for a while, their goals aligned perfectly.