Chapter 13

"Thank you, Eldest Brother," Shen Baili said.

The living room fell quiet. She ventured, "Eldest Brother, you seem tired lately. Has work been too busy?"

"It has," Xie Zhiyu said. "But I still have time to help you with your difficulties."

He glanced at the time. "Do you have homework?"

"Huh? Yes," Shen Baili said.

In the Study, Shen Baili sat as straight as an elementary schooler, working through chemistry problems that made her head spin. Not far away, Xie Zhiyu, the cold-faced CEO, was reading a chemistry textbook with complete concentration.

How on earth had things come to this?

Xie Zhiyu noticed her staring into space. "Which problem are you stuck on?"

Shen Baili pointed blankly at her workbook. Xie Zhiyu thought for a few seconds, then picked up a pen and began explaining.

Shen Baili pinched her thigh to bring her wandering attention back and focused on listening.

Xie Zhiyu's reasoning was clear, and he explained things in a way that was easy to understand. Complex problems suddenly became simple.

Before she knew it, Shen Baili was engrossed. It was as if her Ren and Du Meridians had opened and learning could flow freely.

Give her two more chemistry exams. She felt absurdly capable now.

"Do you understand?" Xie Zhiyu asked after finishing another long problem.

Shen Baili nodded. "I do."

Xie Zhiyu took a sip of water. "You're very smart."

Her ability to grasp the material and her attitude toward studying made teaching her rewarding. Unlike Xie Tingsi, who could fidget eight hundred times in five minutes.

Shen Baili smiled shyly. "Eldest Brother, what about this one?"

She had plunged into a sea of knowledge and couldn't pull herself out.

She had never imagined chemistry could be this simple.

Time slipped by. Xie Zhiyu's tutoring session ended at nine thirty. He now had a much clearer sense of Shen Baili's foundation in chemistry and a more specific idea of what to look for in a tutor.

After helping Shen Baili with chemistry, Xie Zhiyu felt his taut nerves relax considerably.

"Get some rest."

"The chemistry tutor will be here by next week at the latest," Xie Zhiyu added, giving her a definite timeframe.

"Okay. Thank you for all your help, Eldest Brother." Shen Baili was grateful to him. She gritted her teeth. "Eldest Brother, I have something for you."

Xie Zhiyu watched her pull a... very thick book from her schoolbag. A closer look revealed the title: Wuthering Heights.

"It's an epic story about love and hate, betrayal and

revenge

. Our language arts teacher recommended it. I... I thought it was pretty good, so... so I wanted to share it with you, Eldest Brother."

Shen Baili placed particular emphasis on betrayal. After racking her brains, this was the method she had come up with to warn Xie Zhiyu through the book.

Xie Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "Love and hate? And... betrayal?"

Chapter 13

"Betrayal?" Xie Zhiyu opened the book and skimmed its entire synopsis.

"It sounds interesting." He raised his brows and said gently, "I'll read it carefully. Thank you."

"It's late. Go to bed. You have school tomorrow."

"O-okay. Good night, Eldest Brother," Shen Baili said.

"Good night."

Back in her bedroom, Shen Baili lay in bed tossing and turning. "System, do you think Xie Zhiyu understood my hint?"

Before the system could answer, she answered herself. "Definitely not. He was just interested in the book."

"Maybe he only agreed to read it so he wouldn't hurt his little sister's feelings."

After spending time with him these past few days, Shen Baili knew how deeply ingrained Xie Zhiyu's gentlemanly nature was.

"I can't exactly rush up to him and say, 'Your fiancée is cheating on you, and she's helping your rival bring you down'..."

Shen Baili wrapped herself in her blanket like a cocoon, then wriggled her way back out.

The system: "..."

It really didn't understand how humans' minds worked.

"I still have a week. I'll find another way." Shen Baili made up her mind. She could come up with a solution that worked for everyone. All she had to do was make Xie Zhiyu suspicious of Sang Ya.

She wasn't naive enough to think that knowing the plot by heart would suddenly make her smarter than the big shots.

There were plenty of smart people in the world. Sometimes, all it took was planting a seed of doubt. With Xie Zhiyu's intelligence and abilities, he could avoid the danger himself.

In the original story, Sang Ya had succeeded because Xie Zhiyu considered her one of his own and never guarded against her.

With that thought, everything clicked into place for Shen Baili, and sleepiness gradually washed over her.

A deafening crack shook the sky. After the thunder, rain came pounding down, bringing a little coolness to the sweltering summer.

It rained until morning with no sign of stopping.

For Shen Baili, the morning was one mishap after another.

First, she woke up late.

Then Little Butler Lin, who had temporarily been reassigned as her driver, got an upset stomach and made five or six trips to the bathroom that morning... He probably couldn't drive.

The bus stop was far from here, so Shen Baili ruled out public transportation.

Carrying an umbrella, Shen Baili headed for the Auxiliary Building to ask Butler Lin to arrange another driver to take her to school.

At the same time, a luxury car slowly pulled out of the garage. Xie Zhiyu sat inside, looking out the window, when he caught sight of Shen Baili struggling through the wind and rain.

The girl's slender figure looked as though the wind might carry her away at any moment.

Xie Zhiyu frowned slightly. "Drive over there."

As Shen Baili left the villa, a black Maybach stopped in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing Xie Zhiyu's sharply defined profile.

"What happened?" he asked.

Shen Baili hadn't expected Xie Zhiyu to ask. She explained the situation in a few words.

"Get in. I'll take you," Xie Zhiyu said.

Shen Baili was delighted. "Thank you, Eldest Brother!"

Just as she was about to go around to the other side to get in, Xie Zhiyu opened the car door first.