Having just witnessed how Xia Qingqing and Qin Chuan interacted, Song Ze inevitably felt a sense of crisis.

As the saying goes, "A woman three years older than her husband is like a golden brick," and that boy named Qin Chu'an is only three years younger than Qingqing. In addition, Qingqing takes good care of that boy in every way, so who knows when that boy might develop other thoughts about Qingqing.

Song Ze put his arm around Xia Qingqing's waist and rested his head on her shoulder, saying sweetly, "My dear Qingqing, I don't want you to meet him alone again. Even if you can't avoid it, you have to ask me to come along, okay?"

This was the biggest concession Song Ze could make; he didn't want to interfere with Xia Qingqing's freedom to make friends, but he also lacked a sense of security.

Upon hearing this, Xia Qingqing sighed helplessly.

It wasn't that she thought Song Ze's request was excessive; jealousy between couples is perfectly normal. In other words, if Song Ze had a pretty 18-year-old girl by his side, she would probably be jealous too.

But she really couldn't do it. The main reason was that she planned to train Qin Chu'an to be her capable assistant in her future business ventures. They would inevitably have to spend time alone together in the future, and Song Ze couldn't possibly be around her every day or be by her side all the time.

She voiced her idea, and sure enough, Song Ze's face darkened.

Soon, he complained in a wronged tone, "Qingqing, I don't like it when there are other men around you."

"Aze, be good. There are no other men around. I've always treated Xiao An like a younger brother," Xia Qingqing said, raising her hand to pat Song Ze's head.

She still remembers the first time she met Qin Chu'an. He was a thirteen-year-old boy, skinny and didn't look as tall as Gou Dan now.

Having formed a fixed impression from the beginning, even though Qin Chuan has now grown into a young man, she could not possibly have any romantic feelings for him.

No, she's been led astray by Song Ze. She has a boyfriend, and no matter how handsome he is, she can't have any other thoughts. She still has that much sense of morality.

Song Ze knew he couldn't persuade Xia Qingqing, so in the end he could only ask her to promise to bring him and Qin Chu'an to meet more often in the future, euphemistically calling it a declaration of sovereignty.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to them, Xia Qingqing tiptoed and kissed Song Ze on the cheek: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

......

When Qin Chuan returned to the dormitory, he met Du Peng's resentful gaze: "You're finally back! I didn't see you when I got up. I was planning to ask you to go to the cafeteria for lunch together."

Actually, no, he was just being lazy and simply wanted Qin Chuan to bring him some food from the cafeteria, but when he woke up, he couldn't find her anywhere.

"I ate out before coming back," Qin Chuan said casually.

"Did you and your sister go to eat there? Was it a state-run restaurant? Why didn't you invite me? I was thinking of getting a better meal," Du Peng asked curiously.

Qin Chu'an glanced at him with some disdain, wondering why a man could talk so much.

Despite her disdain, Qin Chu'an still shook her head and replied, "No."

Du Peng's eyes lit up: "Could it be that older sister of yours from last time?"

Qin Chu'an fell silent, a reaction that only confirmed Du Peng's suspicions: "Wow, are we still brothers? Such a great opportunity and you didn't even take me with you."

Even though I know I have no chance to pursue her, having dinner with a beautiful woman is still a very happy thing.

"Want to go get beaten up with me? Qingqing's boyfriend is here too," Qin Chuan glanced at Du Peng with a half-smile.

Upon hearing Qin Chu'an's words, Du Peng seemed to imagine the scene of him being beaten up, and chuckled: "So the pretty lady's boyfriend is here too, huh? Well, forget it then."

Qin Chu'an ignored him and instead thought about what had just happened at dinner. He could sense that Song Ze didn't seem to like him, or rather, he didn't like Qingqing getting close to him.

Before today, Qin Chuan didn't have any feelings for Xia Qingqing's boyfriend, after all, he was just a stranger. But after having this meal, he vaguely disliked him.

Of course, what he was more worried about was that the other party would speak ill of him in front of Sister Qingqing. What if Sister Qingqing distanced herself from him because of this?

It has to be said that Qin Chuan really guessed Song Ze's little scheme correctly.

The dormitory door was pushed open, and two figures walked in one after the other.

Upon hearing this, Du Peng turned his head and looked over, then immediately said with a grin, "Mu Yan, Jia Qi, why are you two back so early?"

Both of these roommates are locals from Beijing. In particular, He Muyan's family is quite well-off, and his home is not too far from the school. However, in order for him to make more friends at school and cultivate his independence and self-reliance, his family insisted on making him live in the dormitory.

He Muyan himself had no objection. Although his home was not far away, it still took him more than half an hour to cycle. Living at school meant he could sleep a little longer every morning.

"It's not very interesting at home, so I came over early," He Muyan said, casually placing the clean clothes on the bed.

Then he turned to Qin Chu'an and said, "By the way, Chu'an, I have something to tell you. Didn't you mention before that you wanted to find a part-time job? My cousin is taking the college entrance exam next year, and his math score isn't very good. My aunt is thinking of hiring someone to tutor him. Do you want to give it a try?"

Having lived in the same dormitory for so long, He Muyan probably knew about Qin Chuan's family situation. He had specially secured this tutoring opportunity for Qin Chuan, since her uncle's family was not short of money. Wouldn't it be better to find an experienced teacher at the school if they wanted a tutor?

"Thanks, but I'd like to know first how far your uncle's house is from the school? How many classes does he attend per week?" Qin Chu'an asked, getting straight to the point.

Just then, Xia Qingqing stopped selling sailor shirts, and he was planning to find a new part-time job. Qin Chuan was very grateful that his roommate was willing to help him.

"It's not very far, about a 20-minute bike ride. You can ride my bike to class. There are three tutoring sessions a week," He Muyan briefly explained the benefits to Qin Chuan. The specific details would be discussed after the trial class.

His cousin's grades in all subjects are good, and he should have no problem getting into university, except for math, which is a bit of a drag on his overall performance. He doesn't know why his math is so bad.

He Muyan's uncle had previously tried to ask He Muyan to tutor his younger cousin, but unfortunately, the younger cousin had no respect for his older brother and completely ignored him.

He recommended Qin Chu'an not only because Qin Chu'an had good math grades in high school, but more importantly because Qin Chu'an looked quite fierce when she had a cold face, which might be able to keep his cousin in check.

After considering it, Qin Chuan agreed: "Then I'll give it a try first. If I pass, I'll treat you to dinner."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony," He Muyan said with a smile.