The school beauty is aloof? Whatever, she has a younger sister.

Chapter 12: Will my teacher give me after-school tutoring?
Zhang Muchen glanced at Chu Youting, who was holding potato chips and looking down, and frowned.

Every time he saw the future prompts given by the system, he would picture Chu Youting living alone in a dilapidated rented room when she was 30 years old, and he couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart.

She was clearly a gentle and academically excellent girl, how could she have ended up like that?
However, this task required Zhang Muchen to pay the rent and utility bills, which was a bit beyond his expectations.

Under normal circumstances, Chu Youting should live with her parents, and there should be no issue of rent.

"Where do you live now?" Zhang Muchen asked casually.

"Huh?" Chu Youting was clearly surprised that he would ask this, and paused for a moment. "My home is in Fuxing Community."

Zhang Muchen raised an eyebrow. Most of the houses in Fuxing Community are old, small apartments, mainly for rent.

"A rented house?" he asked tentatively.

Chu Youting pursed her lips and nodded.

Yes, I live with my sister.

Her voice was low, as if she was reluctant to bring up the topic.

Zhang Muchen understood Chu Youting's expression and did not press the matter further.

But now he's in a dilemma. How can he pay Chu Youting's rent and utilities?
Paying utility bills is simple. Online payment is very convenient now; you just need to find the designated payment number.

The problem is that he doesn't have this information. And most importantly, his phone is being held by Liu Wuyang.

Zhang Muchen walked out of the supermarket carrying a large bag of groceries.

In November in northern China, the temperature was already close to zero. His hands, gripping the plastic bag, were red with cold, but he still strode forward.

Chu Youting silently followed beside him, and seeing his hands red from the cold, she couldn't help but take out a pair of bear gloves from her pocket and hand them to him.

"Put it on, don't get cold."

Zhang Muchen glanced at the fluffy bear gloves, smiled, and shook his head: "No need, I can handle it."

Chu Youting stopped in her tracks, her tone unusually resolute, though her voice remained soft and gentle.

"Um...no, put it on."

Zhang Muchen turned to look at her and found that this usually sweet and gentle girl had a rare serious expression on her face.

Zhang Muchen had no choice but to give in. He took the bear gloves that Chu Youting handed him and put them on.

The gloves were soft, with a hint of warmth and a girl's scent. However, since they were for women, they were a bit small and felt a little tight when worn.

What if I overfeed you and make you sick?

Zhang Muchen looked at the gloves on his hands, which were a little tight, and couldn't help but joke.

Chu Youting blinked and said in a soft voice, "It's okay... If you overeat and it gets too big... just keep it."

A cold wind blew. Zhang Muchen turned his head slightly, looking at the shy girl. He suddenly realized that this innocent shyness was really cute.

……

As the two stepped into the teaching building, they bumped into a familiar figure.

"Teacher Liu..."

Zhang Muchen was the first to react, a nonchalant smile spreading across his face as he greeted Liu Wuyang.

"You go for a stroll in the evening too?"

Liu Wuyang was on her way to the office when she ran into Zhang Muchen and Chu Youting.

She frowned slightly, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

I caught these two guys running out to eat KFC at noon, but they came back one after the other carrying a bunch of stuff in the evening.

A question immediately arose in her mind.

Liu Wuyang: "What have you two been up to again?"

"Nothing much, just going to the supermarket to buy some food after class."

Zhang Muchen smiled innocently and casually shook the bag in her hand.

"I even bought strawberries especially for Teacher Liu."

Liu Wuyang glanced at him. "Wash the strawberries and put them in my office."

Liu Wuyang glanced at the bag again, as if she had discovered something else: "There are also pomelos and oranges. Peel a piece and bring it over."

"Okay, okay, I'll go back to the classroom now, Teacher Liu."

Zhang Muchen, grinning, carried the bag and headed towards the stairs. Chu Youting quickly lowered her head and followed closely behind him.

Liu Wuyang stood there, watching the two disappear one after the other at the top of the stairs. Her pretty eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she muttered to herself: There's something wrong with these two.

Liu Wuyang returned to her office, where the room was quiet and empty. The other teachers had already gone home, and only she, as the homeroom teacher, still had to supervise the students' evening self-study.

Liu Wuyang turned on her computer; the desktop wallpaper was a group photo. The background of the photo was an old, domed building. She stood in the middle of a group of people, a faint smile on her face.

Liu Wuyang skillfully opened her email and began processing unread emails.

Most of the emails were from the United States. According to the time difference, it should be around five or six in the morning. There was no rush to reply to the emails, but she still habitually browsed them one by one.

A cup of coffee sat on her desk, its aroma wafting gently under the lamplight.

This habit came from her time in the lab during her studies abroad. No matter how late it is, she always has a cup of coffee to keep her awake while working.

She picked up her coffee, took a small sip, and then took off her business suit and draped it over the back of her chair.

The office air conditioning was on full blast, and the warm air made her wear only a fitted knit sweater, which perfectly accentuated her elegant curves.

Black stockings encased her long, slender legs, which were slightly bent together, and she wore a pair of low-cut high heels.

Just as she was concentrating on typing on the keyboard, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Liu Wuyang said calmly without looking up.

The door was gently pushed open, and Zhang Muchen peeked in, his face bearing his usual smile.

"Sister Yang, the strawberries are washed, and the grapefruit and oranges are peeled. I brought them over especially for you."

"Put it down." Liu Wuyang didn't even look up.

Zhang Muchen walked in, placed the plastic box containing fruit on the table, and then glanced at the computer screen.

"Sister Yang, isn't that the McLaren Dome at MIT?"

Zhang Muchen happened to see the wallpaper that Liu Wuyang had switched to on the desktop.

"You even know about the McLaren Dome?" Liu Wuyang asked, somewhat surprised.

“A friend of mine once told me this.”

"You seem to have quite a few friends," Liu Wuyang clicked her tongue.

In her eyes, Zhang Muchen was a social butterfly, a social butterfly. He could even chat with a passing dog.

"Sister Yang, you graduated from MIT?"

As Zhang Muchen spoke, he dragged over a chair and casually sat down next to Liu Wuyang.

Liu Wuyang nodded slightly, "Yes. But don't tell anyone else."

"An MIT graduate coming back to be a high school teacher? Isn't that a waste of his talent?"

"I don't know if it's a waste of my talent, but it's really frustrating to run into a troublemaker like you." Liu Wuyang snorted and took a sip of her coffee.

"Oh, Sister Yang, I support you unconditionally. Have you ever seen me cause trouble in class?"

"Alright, if you have nothing else to do, go back to your studies and stop lingering here."

Liu Wuyang waved her hand, signaling Zhang Muchen to leave.

Her posture was slightly languid, her legs elegantly crossed, and her long, black-stockinged legs gleamed slightly under the light.

"Sister Yang, try a piece of fruit first and see if it's sweet."

Zhang Muchen opened the box; the fruit inside had already been cut and arranged neatly, and a small fork was also provided.

Liu Wuyang raised an eyebrow, forked a piece of fruit, put it in her mouth, and chewed slowly: "So, what are you planning to do now?"

"Give me your phone back."

"Yes, but..."

Liu Wuyang's tone carried a hint of profound meaning.

"I knew there would be a 'but'." Zhang Muchen sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead. "Sister Yang, just tell me directly, stop beating around the bush."

"Come to my house for tutoring this weekend."

"???"

Zhang Muchen's eyes widened.

"What, you're not happy about it?" Liu Wuyang raised an eyebrow.

"No, no. Only a fool wouldn't want one-on-one tutoring after school."

Zhang Muchen glanced at Liu Wuyang's black-stockinged legs and continued, "But Sensei, this is really testing my willpower."

……

(End of this chapter)