Chapter 237 - 134: Plain 3

Chapter 237: Chapter 134: Plain 3

"Okay then. When is Liu Wei coming back?"

"Not until the New Year."

"Got it."

Liu Wei was a childhood friend from his village—the one who’d set off for Guangdong to be a hotshot but ended up getting off the train in Guangxi as a good-for-nothing punk.

Life in the countryside was leisurely. Su Ran sat under the eaves, gazing out at the vast fields.

Before him was a plate of grilled fish seasoned with authentic barbecue spices Liu Jinyu had her father mail from Chongqing.

And a glass of wine, personally brewed by Shan Weizi.

It was a taste of heaven.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

[Sharing A Bed]

Xiao Wanqing: [@Aina, you’re such a bitch! What was that video you sent? My parents were right here! The second I opened it, all I heard was moaning. I’m socially dead.]

Su Ran: [What video? Send it over. I need to, uh, critically analyze it 😉]

Aina: [I’m not showing you. You’d get all worked up and run off to cause trouble.]

Liu Jinyu: [Little bro, have you been hooking up with any girls lately? Spill. Let your big sisters analyze the situation for you.]

Su Ran: [Nope.]

Liu Jinyu: [That’s no fun. Come on, tell us. I won’t get jealous.]

Su Ran: [Well, two beauties confessed their feelings for me recently. One hinted that her parents weren’t home, and the other said she had no relationship experience and just really liked me. I could probably win her over with an LV bag.]

The three women: [...They probably just like your money.]

Liu Jinyu: [So you didn’t go for it?]

Su Ran: [...Isn’t that a stupid question? Every night after 8 PM, the three of you take turns video calling me to "chat." Don’t think I don’t know you’re checking up on me.]

The three women: [Hahaha...]

Su Ran didn’t know what to do with them.

Of course, Xie Yiren wasn’t in the group chat. She still didn’t have internet access.

In reality, it wasn’t just the three of them. Shan Weizi also video chatted with him every night.

One man, juggling four women... no, wait, there was also his student, Ning Wenwen.

Juggling five women was exhausting enough. How could he possibly have time to pick up other girls?

The moment the evening news ended, his schedule was jam-packed by them. He couldn’t have a wild night out even if he wanted to.

He finished the grilled fish, and the conversation in the group chat died down.

Su Ran slung a messenger bag over his shoulder and headed out to tutor Ning Wenwen. On the bus, he habitually checked for updates on Shan Weizi’s novel.

[Chapter 241: The Grand Finale]

"This..."

Su Ran: [How is it over already?]

Shan Weizi: [Fluffy romance novels can’t be dragged out forever. I didn’t want to pad it with filler anymore. It gets boring when you have to write twenty thousand words just for them to hold hands.]

Su Ran: [Fair enough. Are you going to write another one?]

Shan Weizi: [Nope. I’m waiting for you to invest in it and turn it into a teen school drama.]

Su Ran: [OK, you’ve got a deal. I’ll fund the project.]

Shan Weizi: [Thank you, Mr. Wang Duoyu.]

Just their usual banter.

...

Sunshine District.

[Buy me a Coke on your way here. I’m dying for one, but my mom won’t let me.]

It was a WeChat message from Ning Wenwen.

[Ning Wenwen, have I been spoiling you lately?]

Su Ran replied with a domineering tone.

[Pretty pleeease? (pitiful face)]

[Cold or room temperature?]

[I can have a cold one now.]

[Okay.]

Su Ran was at a loss with the girl. He bought a Coke at the entrance to the residential complex, hid it in his backpack, and walked inside.

...

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK...

The moment Wenwen heard the knock, she dashed out of her room. "I’ll get it!" she called out, yanking the door open before Mrs. Ning could get to it. She beamed. "Su Ran, you’re finally here!"

"Show some respect," Mrs. Ning chided her.

"It’s fine. I don’t mind what she calls me."

Su Ran smiled at Ning Wenwen’s mother.

Ning Wenwen stuck her tongue out at her mother.

"You stick that tongue out again and I’ll snip it off!"

Mrs. Ning shot back before inviting Su Ran inside. Then she went to the kitchen to cut up some fruit.

"Come on, there are a few problems I don’t get."

Su Ran had barely finished changing his shoes before Ning Wenwen was pulling him into her room.

In truth, Su Ran had been tutoring Ning Wenwen online for a while, a fact her parents were well aware of. They also knew their daughter was very attached to him, but they trusted his character implicitly.

But now that he was back for the holidays, he had been tutoring her in person for the past two days. Her parents insisted on paying him, arguing that it was only right; they couldn’t let him waste his precious time tutoring their daughter for free. After refusing several times, Su Ran finally relented. They settled on a minimum rate of 50 yuan an hour. The money wasn’t important; what mattered was that Wenwen did well on her final exams. Su Ran planned to save up all the small payments and give it back to her in a big red envelope for the New Year.

Su Ran genuinely cared about Ning Wenwen’s progress, and she, in turn, was highly motivated, not wanting to let him down.

She might not always listen to her parents, but if Su Ran told her not to do something, she would take it to heart.

At her desk.

"The exams are in two days. Starting now, just ask whatever questions you have. Don’t be shy; I’ll answer all of them. There’s no time limit tonight. We can go for as long as you want."

"That’s great! Let’s go for a long time, then."

"Alright."

...

"Let’s start."

"Okay... first, this math problem..."

"Let me see."

Su Ran’s pen flew across the scratch paper with a SCRITCH-SCRITCH-SCRITCH as he explained the solution.

At sixteen, an age of youthful innocence and first crushes, having a handsome, clean-cut ’Big Brother Su Ran’ who doted on her and kept her company both online and in person was a dream come true. For Ning Wenwen, this was the moment she looked forward to most each day. She would often find herself staring, lovestruck, as Su Ran patiently explained the problems to her.

"Ow... you hit my head."

"Pay attention to the problem."

"Mhm."

And every time, it took a light tap on the head from his pen to snap her back to reality and focus on her schoolwork.

Wenwen truly felt that her youth had become a beautiful dream ever since she met Su Ran.

Of course, the kindness Su Ran showed her today was earned through her own efforts early on, when she used to wait for him at the school gate every single day.

At one point, Mrs. Ning brought in a plate of fruit, placed it on the desk without a word so as not to disturb them, and quietly left.

...

Two and a half hours later, Su Ran started packing his bag. "If I explain any more, you won’t be able to digest it all. Let’s call it a day," he said. "Review everything carefully, and if you have any other questions, just message me on WeChat, okay?"

"Okay, I will."

Ning Wenwen blinked, displaying the unique charm of a girl of fifteen or sixteen.

Su Ran patted her on the head. "Bye."

"I’ll walk you out."

Wenwen got up to walk Su Ran out of the room. As they left, Su Ran saw that Mr. Ning was back and greeted him.

Mr. Ning stubbed out his cigarette on the balcony and came over. "Thanks for all your hard work, Su Ran."

"It’s no trouble. She’s easy to teach. Not that dense."

"Haha..."

"I’m not dense," Ning Wenwen said, pouting.

"It’s getting late, so I’ll head back now. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Ning." Su Ran took his leave. Ning Wenwen walked him to the door and watched until he stepped into the elevator before she closed it, skipping happily back to her room.