Chapter 40

Guo Yunting was very dissatisfied with her daughter's attitude and said somewhat sternly, "Why are you so impolite? This big brother is a top student from Bingcheng University of Technology. You've been falling behind in your studies recently, so Mom specially asked him to accompany you in your studies and help you catch up. You should call him big brother."

"I don't need any study companion," Zhou Shiyi coldly replied and immediately dove into the back seat of the car.

Guo Yunting felt apologetic and said embarrassedly, "Liu Meng, I'm sorry. This child has been spoiled. She's been unhappy recently because of the issues between me and her father. Please bear with her. I hope you can not only tutor her but also help her open up."

Liu Meng thought this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. He immediately dropped the act and responded with a sense of duty, "Kids these days are all like this, rebellious. Sister, don't worry. I will do my best."

Thinking about getting closer to the little girl, Liu Meng also climbed into the back seat. Zhou Shiyi put her whole foot on the seat and said coldly, "There's no room here."

Guo Yunting was very dissatisfied with her daughter's repeated impoliteness. She had always been proud of her daughter's obedience and politeness, but today was truly embarrassing. She couldn't help but scold, "Yanyan, you're being too impolite. Quickly apologize to your big brother."

Humph, Zhou Shiyi huffed and turned her head away, showing no interest in talking to anyone.

Seeing the tension between mother and daughter, Liu Meng, who didn't want this, thought that if the little girl continued to be uncooperative, Guo Yunting might give up. He then cheerfully said, "It's fine, it's fine. I'll sit in the front."

Zhou Shiyi rolled her eyes and said coldly, "Uncle, are you okay? You can still laugh at this?"

Liu Meng also got a bit angry, thinking, "If I can't handle a little girl who hasn't even grown all her hair, I might as well just end it all."

Still maintaining a good temper, he got into the front seat.

Guo Yunting was very dissatisfied with her daughter's attitude throughout the journey. She sighed, not knowing what to do, but she was more determined than ever to hire Liu Meng as her daughter's study companion. This young man was mature, well-educated, and had excellent grades. He also had a good temper, and he might really help her daughter overcome her mental barriers.

To show her apology, Guo Yunting took Liu Meng to a high-end Korean barbecue restaurant. The little girl didn't say much during the meal, and Liu Meng tried to talk to her a few times, but she only grunted in response.

Liu Meng wasn't annoyed. He thought the little girl was just cautious, and things would get better over time.

After the meal, Liu Meng suggested starting the tutoring session that evening. Guo Yunting was more than happy to agree, and Zhou Shiyi, realizing she couldn't change the situation, didn't say anything sarcastic.

Soon, the three of them returned to Guo Yunting's home. Looking at the familiar environment, Liu Meng felt a mix of emotions. After so many years, coming back to this place made him realize how wonderful and unpredictable life could be.

The neighborhood was luxurious, with one apartment per floor, all of which were large and spacious. The luxury level was comparable to Professor Kong Jidao's home, and the decoration was elegant, though not as extravagant as Professor Kong's. There were fewer books, but the atmosphere was warmer.

"Yanyan, get your big brother a glass of water," Guo Yunting instructed.

The little girl, unusually, didn't resist. Although she looked unhappy, she went to the kitchen.

Liu Meng was secretly pleased. The little girl was still a child, and she was already showing signs of softening. The situation was looking good.

"Uncle, I was impolite just now. I'm sorry. Please drink the water. If you accept my apology, drink it all in one go," the little girl said with a faint smile, her cheeks dimpling. This smile made her look very cute.

With her uniform hairstyle and clean school uniform, and a cute hair clip, the little girl looked adorable when she wasn't frowning.

Liu Meng was very pleased. After all, she was just a child. She couldn't have much cunning. Seeing that she couldn't change the situation, she was already trying to win his favor. He thought, "Why not? I'm here to make money anyway."

He took the glass with a smile, noting that the water was just the right temperature. He praised her attention to detail, tilted his head back, and drank it like beer, gulping down most of the glass before tasting it.

He almost spit it out. Liu Meng's expression was very colorful, but he forced himself to finish the glass. He was angry, thinking, "How much baking soda did this little girl put in? It's so bitter."

"Uncle, what's wrong? Is the water too hot?" The little girl made a mischievous face, and Guo Yunting looked at Liu Meng suspiciously. Liu Meng swallowed the last mouthful of alkaline water and forced a smile, "The water is just right. Yanyan is very well-behaved and sensible. We will get along very well, right, Yanyan?"

Zhou Shiyi was impressed by this uncle's patience and suddenly felt a bit of goodwill. She thought it might be fun to have a study companion with such a good temper. She made a mischievous face and replied, "Of course."

She then put five or six pieces of gum in her mouth and started chewing loudly.

Guo Yunting was very happy and said, "That's good, that's good. Liu Meng, I'll leave it to you. Start with the homework. We'll talk about other things later. I'll make sure you're satisfied."

She was a literary young woman and was shy about talking about money, thinking it was too vulgar.

Liu Meng nodded and officially began his first day of tutoring.

After they sat down, Zhou Shiyi chewed gum nonchalantly, listened to a CD, and nodded her head to the rhythm, with the volume turned up high. Liu Meng could hear clearly that it was Jay Chou's "Double Section Dragon."

The little girl's study had a computer and a small bookshelf filled with the "Harry Potter" series, "5000 Years of Chinese History," "Grimm's Fairy Tales," "Andersen's Fairy Tales," some beautifully illustrated manga, and stories about pianists and piano music.

The room was small, with a pink, cute double-decker princess bed. The top bunk was filled with handmade dolls, and a large stuffed animal occupied half of the bottom bunk.

Liu Meng tapped the little girl's shoulder.

The little girl ignored him, pretending not to notice, and continued listening to music, nodding her head even more exaggeratedly.

Liu Meng increased the pressure.

He yanked off her headphones, and the little girl angrily said, "Uncle, are you trying to pick a fight? Can't you see I don't want to talk to you? Are you into being bullied?"

"Being bullied, I'm not into that. I just want to tell you to turn the volume down. It's bad for your ears. Or you can play it out loud, and I won't mind. Can I use your computer to go online?"

"Sure, if you can open it, go ahead," Zhou Shiyi said smugly, put her headphones back on, and continued to immerse herself in her music.

Liu Meng turned on the computer and saw that it was password-protected. He smiled, thinking, "Does the little girl think this will stop me?"

If nothing had changed, the little girl's favorite password would be her birthday, with the pinyin of her name added at the end.

He entered the password 1993122441, clicked enter, and after a brief delay, he was in. He chuckled, thinking, "It seems this world hasn't changed much. At least, I haven't noticed any changes yet."

He went online and checked the Dianxia Chinese website and the Fantasy Blade Alliance. The data was still steadily increasing. He was about to close the page when he saw that his long-time reader "Cherry Blossom Stream" had finally replied, leaving their QQ number. Liu Meng was delighted.

A reader who read so seriously and was willing to exchange ideas was indeed beneficial. Since "Return to Ming" was written based on the main storyline, many details had changed, and Liu Meng planned to expand it to over 5 million words, which would be a second creation. He needed to listen to feedback in a timely manner.

Without delay, he opened QQ and added "Cherry Blossom Stream" as a friend.

"Cherry Blossom Stream" was not online and hadn't agreed to the friend request yet.

Zhou Shiyi glanced at Liu Meng and saw that he had logged into the computer. She immediately panicked because her diary was on the desktop. She had been writing about her recent unhappy feelings and private thoughts. She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, rushed over, and covered the screen with her small, white hands, saying urgently, "No, no, you can't look."

She thought Liu Meng had seen her diary.

Liu Meng was secretly amused.

The little girl then realized that this uncle wasn't interested in her diary at all. Her face turned red, and Liu Meng saw the diary on the desktop for the first time. Of course, he felt a bit embarrassed, so he secretly dragged it into the email.

"How did you know my computer's password?" the little girl asked angrily, clenching her fists, ready to hit him.