Qin Xiangnuan still spoke as if she knew what she was talking about, "Brother Jian never talks about his family. But, he has a job now, and it seems like he’s doing quite well, right?" She only went that far because after all, it was Jian Zhiqing’s own business and it wasn’t convenient for her to disclose too much.
Moreover, she didn’t even know Jian Zhiqing’s family situation. Indeed, it seems like Jian Zhiqing isn’t interested in Su Baijin, right?
She didn’t know why she had this feeling, but it was there. Jian Zhiqing seemed approachable, but Mingming’s demeanor rejected others from a thousand miles away with its coldness.
Su Baijin did not get the information she wanted and was a bit disappointed. However, it was fine. She had indeed put her heart into teaching Qin Xiangnuan and of course, it was because Qin Xiangnuan had paid her teacher – fifty yuan a month, which wasn’t a small amount.
At dinner time, Qin Xiangnuan always seemed like she had a lot of things to say or ask, but in the end, she just clamped her mouth shut and focused more on eating and less on talking.
"Do you have something on your mind?" Jian Zhiqing put down his chopsticks and stared intently at Qin Xiangnuan.
Qin Xiangnuan was stunned for a moment, then poked the rice in her bowl again.
She was still considering whether to ask or to speak.
She lifted her face and set aside her rice bowl, her eyes bright and clear, "Brother Jian, does Mr. Su like you?"
The corners of Jian Zhiqing’s mouth did not diminish its curve.
"So what if he does?"
That response was really cold.
Qin Xiangnuan shrank a little bit and then continued eating as she picked up her bowl again. A warm, large palm was placed on her head and patted it.
"Don’t mind her. If she doesn’t teach well, I’ll find someone else for you. We’re paying her money, and if she doesn’t earn it, then we’ll just have to hire someone more capable."
Qin Xiangnuan did not feel happy at all because of this sentence. Suddenly, she just felt a bit... cold.
Su Baijin continued to come over as usual to tutor Qin Xiangnuan, whose English had greatly improved of late. Su Baijin was surprised when she tested Qin Xiangnuan.
"Xiang Nuan, how did you study to improve so quickly?" As an English teacher herself, she knew how challenging English was for middle and high school students at the time, but Qin Xiangnuan’s progress seemed way too fast. She knew her basics were weak when she first started teaching her – even struggling with phonetic symbols. But in just a few months, how could she have become so fluent and remembered so many words?
"I’ve devoted time to it," Qin Tongnuan smiled and did not elaborate much. The early bird catches the worm, and she was that early bird, naturally needing to spend more time than others. And she had plenty of that – time in the system, designed just for her. Things she didn’t understand, couldn’t do, or was confused about, she would figure out there. How could she not improve when putting in ten times the effort of others? Even the dullest and slowest would eventually catch on.
Su Baijin didn’t suspect anything and just thought that Qin Xiangnuan had worked hard on her studies. She taught Qin Xiangnuan about grammar for a while but her eyes kept wandering, unintentionally, around the small Siheyuan.
"Is there an empty room here?" Suddenly, she spoke out, startling Qin Xiangnuan who was doing exercises.
"An empty room?" Qin Xiangnuan blinked.
"Mr. Su, are you looking to rent a room?" This was the first thing that came to Qin Tongnuan’s mind, and she indeed had guessed right: this was exactly what Su Baijin meant.