Private tutoring

Shi Yuan was standing outside the villas at Oak Bay, calling his prospective employer under the security guard's wary gaze.

Oak Bay occupied a prime location right in the city center. Capital City's largest museum lay to its west, and the famous Oak Bay Lake lay to its east. One street farther over was one of the city's biggest shopping malls, with schools, hospitals, and other amenities all nearby.

The map said Oak Bay had been built in 1995. Shi Yuan gazed at the distant white walls, tall and immaculate; they must have been renovated in recent years. The walls were too high for him to make out the buildings inside. All he could see through the gates were towering camphor trees.

No one answered his call, but just then, a silver-gray sedan drove up to the entrance and stopped beside him.

The window rolled down. A composed middle-aged man held a faintly vibrating phone and looked up at Shi Yuan's hand, which was still pressed to his ear. Somewhat surprised, he said, "Are you Mr. Shi Yuan? You sounded young on the phone, but I didn't expect you to be this young."

Although the man spoke politely, he showed no intention of getting out of the car to talk. Shi Yuan could tell he wasn't being taken seriously.

Afraid the job would fall through, he said a little nervously, "I may be young, but I studied a lot of foreign-language courses on my own at university. I don't think teaching your son will be a problem."

Mr. Ren smiled amiably. "Don't be nervous. I wasn't questioning your ability. Get in first. We can talk at home."

"Of course, of course."

Mr. Ren's house was the one farthest inside the complex, a conventional two-story villa furnished entirely in Chinese style. To Shi Yuan's eye, everything looked solid and imposing.

He was invited to sit down. The wooden sofa in the living room was dark with a yellowish cast, and even with cushions on it, it was still rather hard. Accustomed to his shabby little bed with its soft quilt, Shi Yuan shifted a couple of times as soon as he sat down, instinctively straightening his back.

The housekeeper poured him a cup of tea. He accepted it with both hands and took a restrained sip.

Mr. Ren sat in the chair across from him. "Once school starts, my son finishes at five thirty. He's on vacation now, and he went out today and hasn't come back yet. Anna normally teaches at seven, but she'll be coming a little earlier today. Once she arrives, you two can have a proper discussion. If she thinks you're suitable, we can sign the contract."

Shi Yuan nodded quietly. His German classmates at university had all said his pronunciation was excellent, with virtually no accent. He was a recent graduate, not someone who had been out of university for years; everything he'd learned was still in his head. Tutoring an elementary school student should be fine, right?

The interviews over the past few days had left him mentally and physically drained, wearing away all his confidence.

They had barely sat down long enough to warm their seats before Anna arrived.

She was tall, standing a finger's breadth higher than Shi Yuan when they stood together, with a few freckles on her cheeks and a cheerful personality. Shi Yuan conversed fluently with her in German. They also exchanged some lesson plans, and Anna explained the progress her employer's son had made so far.

He had clearly passed Anna's assessment. She told Mr. Ren that Shi Yuan's proficiency was excellent, more professional than that of many instructors in online videos. He didn't seem like an amateur at all.

Knowing she was kindly praising him in front of Mr. Ren, Shi Yuan smiled bashfully.

Mr. Ren was surprised. He hadn't expected his unreliable younger cousin to come through for once.

Just after five thirty, faint sounds came from outside. Shi Yuan's backside was almost numb from sitting, so he took the opportunity to stand and look out the door.

A boy of around ten was getting off his bicycle. He casually leaned it against the wall and walked inside with his schoolbag on his back.

The housekeeper went to greet him. "You're back, Yunrong."

Ren Yunrong answered, his young face rather serious. On closer inspection, he really did look like Mr. Ren, with the same high nose bridge, slightly full lips, and strong brows.

Shi Yuan felt awkward too. He had no experience coaxing children, especially those at that in-between age, who were the hardest to handle.

Fortunately, the housekeeper introduced him. "Yunrong, this gentleman is applying to be your German tutor."

Ren Yunrong gave a cool nod in acknowledgment. It wasn't as though he had any say anyway. His father called all the shots in their family.

The interview was essentially settled. Mr. Ren's home was fully stocked with office supplies, and there was a printer in the study. He simply copied the contract he had previously given Anna and handed it to Shi Yuan.

"Anna works during the day. Normally, she comes Monday through Friday for a one-hour lesson, from seven to eight in the evening. The hourly rate is eight hundred..."

Shi Yuan shook his head. "No, no, I'm not as professional as Anna. Five hundred will be enough. I can come on weekends too, if you need me." Tutoring in a less commonly studied language didn't usually cost as much as tutoring in core school subjects anyway. He was already satisfied with five hundred.

The little cool guy finally gave him a proper look, staring at him in disbelief. "Are you stupid? You're turning down more money?"

Mr. Ren chuckled too. He said gently to Shi Yuan, "You don't need to doubt yourself. Anna has also acknowledged your expertise. This rate isn't high. Some tutors charge several times more."

Shi Yuan could hardly refuse again. Mr. Ren was clearly a man of considerable standing and wasn't short of money. Continuing to turn him down would seem rather ungracious.

On the way back, Shi Yuan was brimming with joy. It was Tuesday, and he could officially start tomorrow evening. The salary Mr. Ren offered would be enough for him to rent a place and support himself.

Before, even when Wei Zexuan still had his eye on the Shi Family's assets, he would have Shi Yuan dragged off and beaten whenever he was unhappy. Now that the Wei and Shi families had openly fallen out, staying with the Wei Family would be asking for death.

As for Ren Zhi, who had introduced him to the job, Shi Yuan thought carefully through the story but couldn't recall anyone by that name appearing in the book. Of course, the whole novel revolved around the love and hatred between Shen Duo and You Gui, along with Shen Duo's entrepreneurial rise. Even Wei Zelin was only the fourth male lead at best and received little attention.

Whatever Ren Zhi's background was, and whether or not he harbored any ill intentions, he had genuinely helped Shi Yuan out of an urgent predicament. Shi Yuan had intended to call him, but worried he might still be busy. After deliberating for quite a while, he simply sent a text to thank him.

He hadn't expected Ren Zhi to call back.

"What, I did you such a big favor, and you think a thank-you text is enough?"

"No, no. You seemed so busy that I was afraid of disturbing you."

"You really are something. Any other fan with my number would check in on me three hundred times a day, but you can't even be bothered to call."

Shi Yuan was left speechless. Could he tell him he wasn't actually a fan?

"I'm coming back to Capital City the day after tomorrow. Do you want to see me?"

Shi Yuan thought it over. The usual ways of thanking someone seemed to be treating them to a meal or giving them a gift. "Then can I treat you to dinner the day after tomorrow? But I can't afford anything too expensive."

Ren Zhi laughed a couple of times, finding Shi Yuan exceptionally amusing.

"Then let's have the hotel buffet."

Shi Yuan: "???"

Maybe it was because celebrities valued their privacy, so they always met for meals at hotels?

After hanging up, Shi Yuan wanted to browse rental listings on the way home, so he tearfully gave up the shared bike and boarded what he considered the bus of death-408.

Death by embarrassment, that was.

Yet the rents in Capital City were truly daunting. Even a top-floor apartment in a shabby old building with the worst conditions cost eight thousand a month!

The joy of finally finding a job was instantly dampened.

For once, he got back later than Wei Zelin. Feigning ignorance, Wei Zelin asked as usual, "Did you go to another interview today? How did it go?"

The climb to the seventh floor had exhausted Shi Yuan. Only after catching his breath did he say, "I found something, but it's private tutoring, not a school teaching position."

Wei Zelin reassured him. "That's good too. You'll still be teaching."

Shi Yuan gave a bitter smile. There was a huge difference, all right?

"It's all right. The pay's pretty good too." Trying to find some comfort in his troubles, he thought that at least he had a job now. It was a little progress-much better than getting rejected everywhere like he had been these past few days.

He had returned late, and the servants had long since finished eating. Although he got along fairly well with Sister Hong and the others, he couldn't trouble them so late at night. If word reached the Wei Family, it would only cause problems for those kindhearted servants.

After his shower, he was even hungrier. He regretted being so absorbed in looking up rental properties on the way back that he had forgotten to buy something to eat. He had gone so long without eating out to save money that he had somehow gotten used to running home for free meals at the Wei Family's expense.

Shi Yuan rubbed his stomach, wanting to ask Wei Zelin for a tub of instant noodles but feeling too embarrassed to speak up.

After much hesitation, he chose to go hungry.

Wei Zelin was working in his bedroom. At ten sharp, he shut down his computer and took off his glasses. Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then turned slightly and narrowed his eyes at the gap beneath the door-there was no light. The lights outside must have been off.

He made no particular effort to soften his footsteps. Shi Yuan wasn't as vigilant as he was; once deeply asleep, he was difficult to wake.

Wei Zelin sat openly on his bed and leaned forward in the moonlight to look at Shi Yuan's smooth, luminous profile. Shi Yuan had gathered the thin summer quilt into a bundle and was hugging it to his chest, one slender leg draped across it, fair and clean, long and straight.

Wei Zelin had noticed it the last time he held him by the bathroom door: after Shi Yuan showered, even the knees of his pale legs had a delicate pink flush.

Wei Zelin's Adam's apple bobbed. He reached loosely toward the ankle beneath him, his broad palm warmer than usual, but stopped just before making contact.

There was no doubt-he desired Shi Yuan. But that small measure of desire and affection wasn't enough to make him bring the other man into his own sphere. Compared with everything he was plotting, Shi Yuan's relative importance was obvious.

Without hesitation, his hand moved upward and picked up a slightly long strand of hair that had fallen onto the pillow. Shi Yuan's buzz cut from when he first left the hospital had grown out, and he still hadn't had it trimmed because he wanted to save money.

Just then, the phone in his pocket vibrated silently twice. Holding the strand of hair, Wei Zelin returned to his room.

[Boss, Hou Yuting has collected Shi Guohua's medical report, hair, and blood samples and given them all to me.]

Wei Zelin raised an eyebrow. He had known she wouldn't meekly accept leaving the country in disgrace, but he hadn't expected her to be so eager. Performers truly were heartless.

After instructing his contact to hand everything over tomorrow, Wei Zelin decided to take the hair to the testing facility himself. Instinctively, he was cautious about anything that had major implications for Shi Yuan.

He had originally intended to keep Shi Yuan under his protection until he settled his grievances with the Wei Family. Whether he let him leave or pursued something further, he could follow his heart when the time came.

He hadn't expected Shi Yuan to become connected with Ren Zheng. Looking at it that way, perhaps he could make use of the connection to help his plans proceed more smoothly.

Since their relationship would be one of exploitation, perhaps he could compensate him afterward. There was no need to mix any other feelings into it.