Flirting and a Lesson

A grown man in every sense of the word, over thirty years old across two lifetimes, had actually made a little girl—the female lead—cry. That was really something.

A man in his thirties had bullied an eleven-year-old girl into tears. It would be embarrassing if word got out.

Although his body was only eleven years old, Ye Ting had never developed the self-awareness of a child.

Perhaps before the age of seven, Ye Ting had still put on an act in front of others. But as he grew older, he became increasingly accustomed to handling matters in his own way.

To others, that simply looked like maturity beyond his years.

Watching the little girl leave the compartment in tears, he sighed helplessly and followed her out.

"I always feel like he's a few years older than us," Marietta said as she watched Ye Ting's back.

"I think so too." Cho Chang nodded in agreement. "Other boys our age only know how to sulk. They never take the initiative to apologize to and comfort girls."

In the corridor, Hermione watched the scenery speeding past outside the window, deliberately keeping her back turned so Ye Ting would not see her reddened eyes.

"Alright, don't be angry. I was wrong, okay?" Ye Ting stepped forward and habitually rubbed Hermione's fluffy head.

Of course, this was a habit he had picked up from comforting Himari.

That was like stepping on a kitten's tail. Hermione spun around indignantly and said in a coquettish tone, "Don't touch my hair. I'm not a child anymore."

When she turned around so suddenly, she nearly bumped into Ye Ting's face.

Then, the first thing she saw was Ye Ting's half-smiling gaze. There were less than five centimeters between their faces.

Hermione's face instantly turned red again, and she hurriedly turned away once more.

"Why... did you... follow me out here?" she asked softly.

"Because I saw some little girl start crying at the slightest disagreement. I was afraid her tears would flood the train, so I came out to stop her."

That sounded even more like he was coaxing a child.

"I wouldn't flood the train with my tears," Hermione retorted reflexively, then immediately realized that Ye Ting was only teasing her.

So she indignantly punched him twice with her little fists.

"Alright, stop sulking. Crying at the drop of a hat isn't good." Ye Ting casually caught the little hand she had swung at him.

Hermione's face turned even redder. She had never been treated like this by a boy before—first having her head rubbed, then having her hand held.

Especially since the boy treating her this way was so handsome, and he also possessed knowledge she admired.

For a moment, she actually stammered, unable to say anything. She only struggled lightly, but her strength was so weak that she could not have pushed even an ant away.

Unfortunately, Ye Ting had neither any experience in romance nor any intention of dating an eleven-year-old girl. Under such circumstances, he was bound to do something that ruined the mood.

Just like that, he began lecturing Hermione. "In fact, differing opinions often arise in study and research. When someone holds a different opinion from yours, we should not sulk and argue with them. Instead, we should carefully consider whether their opinion makes sense and whether it can be accepted. If their opinion is more reasonable, then we need to actively learn from it, absorb it, and incorporate it into our own body of knowledge. Conversely, we should work hard to identify the flaws in that opinion and refute them. So, crying cannot solve any problems."

It sounded exactly like a teacher educating a student.

The ambiguous atmosphere was immediately ruined completely, but Hermione was, after all, an exceptional little academic. She nodded as if she half understood.

Yet for some reason, she felt a little upset inside and developed a strange dissatisfaction with Ye Ting.

Having never been in love before, she did not know where that discomfort came from.

If Cho Chang and Marietta had been there, they would definitely have called the two of them weirdos.

"Mr. Ye Ting," Hermione said formally after listening to him, "you truly are very knowledgeable and good at learning. After we enter Hogwarts, may I ask you for guidance?"

Faced with the little girl's serious request, Ye Ting replied cheerfully, "Of course. I'd be quite happy to chat with such a cute girl as you."

Sometimes, he really did forget his physical age and say things that could easily be misunderstood.

Hearing that, Hermione's complexion, which had only just returned to normal, flushed red again. She fled back to the compartment as if escaping.

Inside the compartment, Cho Chang and Marietta had been gossiping with their ears pressed to the compartment door, hoping to eavesdrop on what Ye Ting and Hermione were talking about in the corridor and how Ye Ting would coax Hermione. Unfortunately, Hermione had walked too far away when she first left, and the place where they spoke was far from the compartment door, so Cho Chang and Marietta had not heard a thing.

When Hermione ran back with a red face, the approaching footsteps startled them both.

The two girls instantly shrank back into their seats and pretended nothing had happened, acting as though they were eating snacks and chatting. Only then did Hermione and Ye Ting, who returned one after the other, fail to notice anything unusual.