Let's Play Chinese Checkers—I'll Let You Go First

The next morning, Lu Zhou climbed out of bed, washed up, and went out for breakfast.

On the way, he happened to run into Lin Yuxiang walking with a tall, unfamiliar guy.

The two of them chatted and laughed together, looking quite close—probably just one step away from holding hands.

The guy was pulling a suitcase and seemed to be seeing her off as she headed home by high-speed rail.

To avoid any awkwardness, Lu Zhou did not go over to greet them. He merely sighed inwardly and observed half a second of silence for Senior Wang.

Sure enough, his intuition had been right.

He strolled leisurely to the school gate, pulled out his phone to check the time, and found that it was exactly nine o'clock.

Not far away, a pretty figure stood beneath a plane tree by the entrance, waving at him. Judging from her lips, she seemed to be saying, "Over here."

Noticing Chen Yushan, Lu Zhou walked toward her.

Chen Yushan looked completely different today from how Lu Zhou usually saw her in the library, as if she were an entirely different person.

She had traded her thick round-framed glasses for contact lenses, and her bangs had become fashionable airy bangs. She wore an off-shoulder T-shirt and denim shorts, with little white sandals on her feet that revealed her fair, adorable toes.

As Lu Zhou approached, Chen Yushan immediately complained, "You finally made it."

It was clear that she had been waiting at the entrance for a while.

Lu Zhou said somewhat awkwardly, "Uh, wasn't it nine o'clock?"

"You actually showed up right on the dot? I'm seriously impressed!" Chen Yushan rolled her eyes. Too lazy to keep nagging him, she waved her phone and said, "The meeting place is nearby. I called a Didi, so let's take a cab there."

Lu Zhou thought that if it was nearby, they could just walk, but after considering it, he held the words back.

Before long, the car arrived, and the two of them got into the back seat together.

Thinking about how he was about to tutor someone for the first time—and earn two hundred yuan an hour for it—Lu Zhou could not help feeling nervous. He decided to first get a sense of things from Chen and asked, "Is your cousin in the humanities or sciences? How are her grades?"

Chen Yushan thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "She's in the sciences, I think. But her Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology grades are all pretty bad."

That only left Chinese and English.

Lu Zhou could not help asking, "Then why didn't she study the humanities?"

Chen Yushan froze. That question had stumped her.

"...How would I know?"

As they chatted, they arrived at their destination. The two got out beside a commercial street and headed toward a café on the corner.

The café was elegantly decorated. Whether it was the furnishings or the tables and chairs, everything looked tasteful. Since it was still morning, there were not many customers, and most of the seats were empty.

Chen Yushan led Lu Zhou inside and headed straight toward the back of the café.

At the end of the aisle, near a bookshelf, sat a mature-looking woman who appeared to be only in her early thirties. Her black hair was elegantly pinned up behind her head, and she quietly read a book in her hands. Judging from the way she dressed, she was clearly a woman with considerable taste.

Lu Zhou could distinctly sense a powerful presence around her. Her social standing was probably not low. She was either a lawyer, some company's manager, or perhaps the owner of a company herself...

And her actual age had to be much older than she looked.

As soon as they met, Chen Yushan warmly greeted her aunt before introducing Lu Zhou beside her. "Auntie, this is the classmate Lu Zhou I told you about. He's a total academic genius, especially at Mathematics—he's amazing! There definitely won't be any problem with him teaching Mengqi Mathematics!"

The woman nodded and smiled slightly at Chen Yushan, then looked at Lu Zhou. "Hello."

"Hello," Lu Zhou replied stiffly.

"Don't just stand there. Sit down and talk," the woman said with a faint smile, gesturing for them to sit. "What would you like to have?"

Chen Yushan said with a smile, "I'll have a large mocha."

Lu Zhou politely said, "A glass of water will be fine for me."

"No need to be so formal." The woman smiled faintly and pressed a button on the table. Facing the approaching server, she said, "One mocha and one Americano."

Putting down the menu in her hand, the woman looked at Lu Zhou and continued, "The Americano here isn't very bitter. It has a strong chocolate flavor, so it's suitable for beginners. I recommend you try it."

She seemed like a very controlling woman, one who was used to arranging everything according to her own will.

It was hard to imagine that a child raised by a parent like this would have poor grades...

Lu Zhou analyzed things wildly in his head, though he kept a polite smile on his face. "Then... I'll gladly accept."

The woman smiled. "As expected of a Jin University student. Even the way you speak is so refined. Are you in a humanities major?"

"Mathematics."

The woman gave Lu Zhou two more surprised looks but said nothing. She picked up her coffee and took a sip, then mechanically pulled a business card from her bag, placed it on the table, and gently pushed it toward Lu Zhou with her index finger.

"This is my business card."

Lu Zhou accepted it. He had been fine before looking, but the moment he read it, he was startled.

Yang Danyun, Chairwoman and General Manager of Yali Fashion Co., Ltd. Contact information: XXXX...

He had never heard of Yali Fashion, but he certainly understood the titles of chairwoman and general manager.

Could one person even hold both positions in an ordinary company? Wouldn't that be too much to handle?

"Um... I don't have a business card. Sorry."

"That's fine, I understand. Add me on WeChat. Once I approve it, that will do," Yang Danyun said.

Lu Zhou took out his phone and added the woman on WeChat using the phone number on the card, noting down her name at the same time.

As they spoke, the server came over carrying a tray and placed the two cups of coffee on the table.

"Shan Shan has already told you about the pay, so I believe you understand," Yang Danyun continued unhurriedly, crossing her right leg over her left knee. "Two hundred yuan per hour. Transportation expenses will be reimbursed monthly. You'll start at one in the afternoon every Saturday and Sunday and finish at six in the evening. Any questions?"

WeChat friend request approved.

Lu Zhou sat upright and shook his head. "None."

"Very good. Then you can start work tomorrow. I wrote the address on the back of the business card. You can come by yourself, or Shan Shan can bring you," Yang Danyun said with a nod.

That was it? It was decided just like that?

Lu Zhou found it hard to believe.

After all, he had not even met the person he would be teaching. Shouldn't she at least have introduced him to the student first to see whether they were a good fit?

As though she had seen through Lu Zhou's doubts, Yang Danyun lifted her coffee and took a sip before speaking slowly. "Since you were recommended by Shan Shan, I believe she would not casually recommend someone incapable to me. And since you were admitted to Jin University, I assume you have your own unique insights into studying. I have always hated dragging things out. Once I decide something, I act on it immediately. If it does not work out, we can replace you then."

Lu Zhou really wanted to ask what exactly counted as not working out.

But after thinking about it, he ultimately did not ask. Instead, he said firmly, "Please rest assured. I will definitely earn this salary."

The basic professionalism of a salesperson was making sure clients felt comfortable entrusting matters to you. And the first prerequisite for that was not asking unnecessary questions—just do what you were supposed to do well.

Lu Zhou had learned all of that while working part-time installing routers.

Yang Danyun smiled faintly and nodded slightly. "With those words from you, I'm relieved."

After saying that, she checked the time, then put the phone on the table into the handbag she carried with her.

"It's getting late. I have another meeting to attend shortly, so I'll head to the company first." Rising from her seat, Madam Yang continued, "You and Shan Shan can do as you please. You can have lunch here before leaving. I've already informed the front desk that today's expenses for you two will be charged to my card. I recommend the pizza here. It's quite good."

"Goodbye, Auntie."

"Ah... goodbye, Madam Yang."

After Madam Yang left, Chen Yushan burst out laughing and teased Lu Zhou, "Did you almost call her Auntie?"

"Uh, yes," Lu Zhou admitted honestly.

Chen Yushan said generously, "Actually, calling her Auntie wouldn't be wrong. She's already over forty. But my aunt doesn't seem to like people calling her Auntie, so in the future, you can just call her Madam Yang."

Lu Zhou nodded to show that he understood.

Generally speaking, women who loved dressing up and paid special attention to skincare were extremely sensitive about their age.

For a job that paid two hundred yuan an hour, it was best to avoid such obvious land mines whenever possible.

Lu Zhou asked, "So what do we do next? Stay here... until noon for lunch?"

"You can eat while you wait, too. Someone else is paying, isn't that your favorite?" Chen Yushan said with a smile. "Of course, if you don't want to wait here, that's fine too. We can go out and wander around. You just have to treat me to lunch today."

Then it was better to stay here.

Everything around him looked expensive, not like something he could afford.

Lu Zhou silently took a book from the nearby shelf and sat down, holding it as he read.

Chen Yushan puffed out her cheeks and glared at Lu Zhou for a long while. Seeing that he still had no reaction, she finally could not help complaining, "Other than reading, can't you do anything else?"

Lu Zhou asked helplessly, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Two people could not really play board games, his phone was too underpowered to play anything, and other than books, there did not seem to be anything else here to kill time.

Chen Yushan's eyes darted around. Suddenly, she noticed two people at a nearby table, her eyes lit up, and she stood. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

With that, she went to the café counter.

Just as Lu Zhou was wondering what she was doing, she returned shortly afterward.

When she came back, she had a Chinese checkers set in her hands. Without another word, she set it on the table and raised an eyebrow at him provocatively. "Let's play Chinese checkers. I'll let you go first."

Lu Zhou:...