Chapter 52: Chapter 51: "Xu Su, Can You Be a Little Reasonable?
Xu Su turned her head, trying to break free from his grip. He stiffened for a moment before letting go, but his body remained turned towards her. "You were crying? What about?"
Xu Su pressed her lips together. "I read a book during evening study hall. The story moved me."
Zhou Mochen was skeptical. "Xu Su, if you’ve been wronged at school, don’t just endure it. If your parents won’t stand up for you, I will."
He leaned his upper body towards her, his presence overwhelming. Xu Su couldn’t help but push him away. "Sit up straight before you talk."
Zhou Mochen straightened up, following the force of her hand, but his gaze never left her. "I listened to you and didn’t look into your daily life at school. But you have to tell me the truth. Why were you crying tonight?"
Xu Su looked up and met his gaze, which was filled with heartache and a hint of anger. She couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.
’Should I tell him it’s because I was too close to a male classmate and got called into the teacher’s office for a talk?’
In her past life, Xu Su had sometimes enjoyed provoking him, but she had always done so with the intention of injuring the enemy by a thousand just to lose eight hundred herself.
Now, she didn’t want to get hurt in the process.
After a moment of silence, Xu Su said, "I did poorly on a test and got so mad at myself I cried. Can you please stop asking? I’m already in a bad mood, and you’re making me bring it up again."
Zhou Mochen furrowed his brow slightly. "You cried just because you did poorly on a test? I remember your grades being quite good."
Xu Su glanced at him, clearly not wanting to talk to him anymore.
Of course her grades were good. Even without Xi Zirong’s tutoring, she could still rank in the top ten of the honors class. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t struggling with her studies.
Seeing the girl’s frustrated expression, Zhou Mochen believed her. "How about I hire a private tutor for you? Which subjects did you do poorly in?"
After speaking, he even recommended himself. "Actually, my grades were quite good back in school. If you don’t mind, how about I tutor you?"
Zhou Mochen’s grades weren’t just "quite good." In her past life, Xu Su had accidentally stumbled upon many of his certificates from his school days—from middle school all the way through college. He had even brought home many strange and unusual certificates after graduating.
Some of them, Xu Su didn’t even recognize. She had never even heard of them and had no interest in asking.
However, that didn’t stop her from knowing just how exceptional this man was.
Xu Su said, "Are you really this free every day?"
Waking up early and staying out late every day just to accompany a high school student like her—didn’t he have his own things to do?
He was supposed to be in the prime of his career. Other people were swamped with work, yet he had more than enough time to pick her up and drop her off from school, and now he even wanted to tutor her.
This was the same Zhou Mochen who planned out every minute of his day.
Zhou Mochen smiled and said in a low voice, "Mhm, very free. I can tutor you every day. Do you want me to?"
’Yeah, right.’
After his teasing, Xu Su had already forgotten the upset feelings from Teacher Wu’s office. She curled up in the passenger seat and said lazily, "No, I want to go home."
Zhou Mochen glanced at the time. "Alright, I’ll take you home now."
The car started up again. As Zhou Mochen turned the steering wheel, he glanced over at the girl beside him from time to time.
Still feeling a pang of heartache for her, he asked softly, "Are you hungry? Want to go get something to eat?"
The heating in the car was very comfortable, and Xu Su was getting drowsy. Hearing his question, she barely managed to lift her eyelids. Her muddled brain forgot its defenses, and she blurted out what was truly on her mind. "I want to eat a roasted sweet potato."
If Xu Su had been even a little more clear-headed, she never would have told Zhou Mochen her true thoughts.
Xu Su had been craving a roasted sweet potato for a long time.
But between leaving early and coming home late every day, and her half-day off on the weekend, she never had time to go find a stall and buy one.
In this cold weather, who could possibly refuse a warm, toasty sweet potato?
It was rare for the girl to want something to eat, but where could he possibly find a roasted sweet potato to buy this late at night?
Zhou Mochen frowned. He steered with one hand while picking up his phone with the other, tapping the screen a few times before making a call.
Xu Su only snapped back to her senses when she heard Zhou Mochen ask the person on the other end of the line where in Chang City he could buy roasted sweet potatoes at this hour.
"Zhou Mochen, I was just talking nonsense. I don’t want any roasted sweet potato, I just want to go home and sleep." Xu Su said, trying to snatch the phone from him.
Zhou Mochen didn’t resist, letting her take it.
When Xu Su got his phone, the call was still connected. She looked down and saw the contact name: Huang Chao.
The person on the other end seemed to have heard Xu Su’s voice clearly. He stopped mid-sentence but didn’t dare hang up on his boss, leaving the line in an awkward, silent state.
"..." Xu Su’s mind went a little blank.
Zhou Mochen took back the phone, ended the call, and said to her, "In that case, you should go home and rest for today. I’ll bring you a roasted sweet potato tomorrow night."
Xu Su didn’t move.
Zhou Mochen was very sharp. He immediately sensed the girl’s worries and reassured her, "Don’t worry, Huang Chao won’t gossip."
Xu Su’s mood soured even more. ’She was in Zhou Mochen’s car late at night, and now Huang Feng’s brother knew about it...’
’What would Huang Chao think of her?’
’Would he tell Huang Feng about this?’
’And what would Huang Feng think of her?’
The car stopped beside the bus station near Xu Su’s home.
Zhou Mochen was silent for a moment, then picked up his phone again. "If you’re still worried, I can call him back and tell him not to say anything?"
His voice was low and gentle, carrying an absolute sense of reassurance, meant to soothe the girl’s anxiety and earn her trust.
Xu Su knew in her heart that this wasn’t Zhou Mochen’s fault.
She was the one who said she wanted a roasted sweet potato, and she was the one who spoke up while he was on the phone, letting Huang Chao recognize her voice.
But she couldn’t help misdirecting her anger, retorting sarcastically, "Not say anything about what? I’m with you in the middle of the night. What good could anyone possibly think of that?"
’Last time in Kang County, Huang Chao had already pretty much figured out Zhou Mochen’s intentions.’
’This was just the next episode in the series.’
’Maybe Huang Chao was marveling at his boss’s charm right now—or was it his ’cash power’?’
Zhou Mochen’s voice grew tense. "Xu Su, can you please be reasonable?"
Xu Su didn’t say a word, opening the car door to get out.
CLICK. The car doors locked.
Xu Su turned back and glared at him.
"If I just let you get out like this, are you going to blame me for tonight’s events too?" Zhou Mochen looked at her intently. "Xu Su, what do you think Huang Chao will think? What are you worried about?"
Xu Su said coldly, "What do you think? I’m a high school student, in your car late at night. What do you think people will assume?"
Zhou Mochen’s expression was completely unruffled, and he appeared perfectly calm. "A lover? A kept woman? Or some other, more sordid relationship? In your eyes, am I the kind of person who would let his subordinate think that way?"
"Xu Su, is it because I like you, and because you’re a student, that you’ve decided I’m some kind of filthy, disgusting man?"
His voice was laced with confusion, and Xu Su could even detect a hint of hurt.
He grabbed her hand. Xu Su tried to pull it away, but he forced their fingers to intertwine.
Zhou Mochen’s expression was solemn. "Believe it or not, Xu Su, I’ve only ever been like this with you."
’Like what?’
’For a moment, Xu Su didn’t understand. It’s not like they had done anything.’