448. Teaching Time
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Pan Maoxin hadn’t seen his tutor for quite some time.
Sure, his tutor had a fiery temper and would sometimes throw a fit, but let’s be honest—her teaching skills were top-notch. In just two English lessons, his score had soared up by fifty points! That kind of level would make anyone green with envy.
Unfortunately, Teacher Lin had become a bit too laid-back, leaving him to languish without lessons and watch his grades take a dive… The school curriculum had sped ahead, with an avalanche of words piling up that he simply couldn’t memorize on his own.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t memorize; after finally nailing down the phonetics, the challenge of learning new words was no longer as daunting. However, forgetfulness came knocking just as fast the next day.
Lost in thought, he was jolted back to reality when someone knocked on the door.
Excited, he rushed over to open it, only to be met by his teacher’s boyfriend. He paused for a moment, and then caught a glimpse of his teacher peeking out from behind him.
“Why is he here today?” Pan Maoxin huffed, clearly a bit displeased.
“Just here to check on my teaching prowess, what’s the problem?” Lin Nan strolled into the room like she owned the place, kicking off her sandals and rummaging through the shoe rack for her comfy slippers.
Pan Maoxin couldn’t help but notice that today, Lin Nan and her boyfriend seemed a little too cozy for comfort.
The way she looked at Chen Yao had shifted to a more tender gaze, sprinkled with a hint of playful annoyance. Gone were the days of their casual flirtation—now they practically resembled a young married couple.
He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it, and grabbed two bottles of cola from the fridge to hand to them.
“Look at you, getting so obedient, bringing me cola all on your own!” Lin Nan exclaimed, dramatically accepting the drinks and glancing up at her boyfriend, clearly reveling in her tutor-student charm. “See! I really do have a knack for tutoring boys!”
Did she have to use “tutoring” like that?
Pan Maoxin felt a twinge of discomfort.
Chen Yao shook his head, exasperated, and rubbed Lin Nan’s head. “Go teach your class, don’t worry about me.”
“Maoxin, let’s go, class time!”
He watched as his girlfriend and Pan Maoxin headed toward the bedroom and hurried to follow them.
The scent of jealousy began to permeate the apartment. Chen Yao had never liked the idea of Lin Nan being a tutor in such an intimate setting with another guy, but out of trust and his own intimidating presence, he had never protested.
However, ever since fully claiming Lin Nan, his possessiveness had surged, pushing him to check out her working conditions.
To his surprise, the classroom was… the bedroom?
Lin Nan, seemingly unbothered by the possibility of this being slightly inappropriate, turned around with a cheerful smile as they entered. “Hey, what’s that sour smell? Did someone spill vinegar?”
Chen Yao crossed his arms and rolled his eyes dramatically.
“What’s there to be jealous about with a kid?”
“A kid who’s just two years younger and taller than you at 1.8 meters?”
“Still a kid…” Lin Nan tilted her head in thought for a moment before adding, “Especially when he’s about to get smacked!”
Once in the bedroom, Lin Nan, as usual, plopped down at her computer desk, yawning and resting her chin on her hand while nudging Pan Maoxin to start a vocabulary quiz. Chen Yao lounged at the end of the bed, casually observing the duo.
Lin Nan seemed a bit more distant with Pan Maoxin today. Despite sharing the same table, she made sure to sit as far away as possible, her tone devoid of the usual playfulness she had with Chen Yao; she carried herself with an air of seriousness.
Pan Maoxin, feeling the pressure from her serious vibe, trembled slightly under her gaze, possibly due to the consequences of previous encounters.
After all, he had grown up surrounded by boys, so when he transitioned into a girl, he was acutely aware of male psychology. Since Lin Nan had embraced her female identity, she became even more deliberate in keeping her distance from other guys.
Like, no longer popping over to the boys’ dorm alone or sitting on the edge of class with her two male roommates, and avoiding any interaction with the nearby big dog and Lin Yuan.
Only once had she let her guard down around Zhu Yongwen, who mistook her for a boy.
Lin Nan knew most boys had impure thoughts. Even a history of good relationships could turn peculiar the moment she shifted genders—just look at Chen Yao, the persistent “friend” who had made moves on her!
Pure friendships between boys and girls? Rare as unicorns.
“Why do I feel like you’re slacking off this whole lesson?” Chen Yao inquired, lounging back with a smirk as Lin Nan drummed up a vocabulary quiz.
“Am I? Where’s the evidence?” Lin Nan glanced up, suddenly feeling guilty, “You’re completely wrong! Maoxin didn’t say anything about me slacking!”
Pan Maoxin was frozen in fear, not daring to utter a word.
“Go grab us some ice cream,” Lin Nan demanded, stretching lazily. “You can study in here while Chen Yao and I watch TV in the living room.”
Pan Maoxin perked up: “Huh?”
“What’s wrong?” Lin Nan raised her perfectly arched brow, scaring him into rushing off for the ice cream.
To think she’d turn a stubborn brat into such a compliant little sheep—Lin Nan felt tremendous pride.
But as pride swelled, so did her caution; who knew if the young lad would start poking her little guys with needles at night? Kids YOUNG enough to hold grudges!
With her period still a ways off, Lin Nan settled on the living room couch, preparing to devour Pan Maoxin’s supplies, motivated by the fact she wouldn’t be able to eat ice cream for a week.
Chen Yao sprawled next to her, looking at the obediently studious Pan Maoxin in the bedroom while turning to Lin Nan. “Maybe you should quit this side job? Commuting takes two hours, it’s exhausting.”
“There’s money to be made! If it’s tiring, so be it.” Lin Nan focused on a commercial on TV, curled her legs, and couldn’t help but lick her ice cream.
She suspected Chen Yao was concerned about her safety and reassured him with a smile, “He’d be lucky to get close enough, let alone steal me away!”
“Who knows what that kid is really thinking?” Chen Yao sank deeper into the couch, elbows resting on his knees as he watched his girlfriend intently, “We aren’t short on cash…”
“Saving some cash is better than having none.” Lin Nan had gotten used to living independently, saving what little allowance her parents gave her in college for a rainy day.
But with university expenses soaring, her savings had dwindled down to zero, leaving her feeling insecure.
Seeing her insistence, Chen Yao sighed, “Then I’ll just have to come to every class from now on. Perfect excuse to hang out with you!”
She suddenly noticed Chen Yao had fallen into silence and turned to face him, finding him staring at her intently. “What’s up?”
“Next time, do that licking ice cream thing again, okay?”
Lin Nan froze, instantly blushing and stammering, “In a student’s house! Why even mention that?!”
She turned her back to Chen Yao, mumbling, “Never use food to charm me again! I won’t fall for that trick anymore!”
