Cookies

After comparing the schedules and considering other available times, the two decided to have tutoring sessions on Friday afternoons and evenings.

The tutoring session was held in the study room on the second floor of the school library.

The library at Huaxing University has just been renovated, and the desks and chairs in the study rooms are brand new, with a small potted plant on each desk.

Jiang Yichun, carrying his bag, entered the password for the study room and casually pushed the door open.

"Senior He?"

He Yinxin's hands were on the keyboard as she spoke earnestly into the phone: "You have a clear mistake here. Placing the negative significance directly contradicts the positive significance you are trying to prove."

"Either change the data or change the sample."

A coquettish voice came from the other end of the phone: "Old He, don't be so serious."

He sighed: "Not serious. Just talking normally."

"Your graduation thesis has serious problems. If this continues, your chances of graduating are slim..."

Jiang Yichun coughed lightly a few times. She sat down in front of him with one leg crossed over her shoulder.

He Yinxin raised her head, her voice softening: "I'm busy right now. There's code online too. You can search for it, change the variables, and run it."

The voice on the other end was clear and bright: "Okay, thanks Lao He."

"You're welcome."

He pressed the call button and looked up at Jiang Yichun: "Jiang Yichun."

Jiang Yichun met his calm eyes, and a whole host of responses flashed through her mind.

A warm greeting? A nod? Or...?

Robots, robots definitely need an official response.

Her lips trembled: "He Yinxin?"

An awkward silence fell between them.

He Yinxin coughed a few times, put away her phone, and took out two stacks of papers from her bag: "This is the contract."

"What?"

Jiang Yichun paused as she put down her bag, and she withdrew her casually crossed legs.

It was just an exchange of benefits between students for tutoring and meals, but this human-machine interface actually came up with a written contract?

The boy sitting upright in front of her suddenly twisted into a mature and domineering CEO.

He was wearing a tie and gold-rimmed glasses, holding a contract in his hand: "If you sign this contract, I will provide financial assistance to your family and help them through this difficult time."

Dislike, agreement, marriage, unrequited love, misunderstanding, divorce, reconciliation.

These predetermined events unfolded before her eyes like a revolving lantern.

Her mind, which had been agonizing for so long, went blank again, but her hand reached for the contract as if by muscle memory.

She picked it up and saw several large characters written on it:

"Agreement on Admission to Graduate School and Accompaniment for Meals"

She scanned the dense text, her gaze quickly landing on some key words and phrases.

[If the tutoring is unsuccessful and Jiang Yichun fails to secure a place in graduate school, the tutoring fee will be refunded, with the price to be negotiated between both parties.]

[If Jiang Yichun fails to secure a place in the graduate program at University A, the two parties will negotiate to determine whether to refund the supplementary course fees and the percentage to be refunded.]

[…decided through consultation…]

Jiang Yichun's brows furrowed more and more as she read, the words "a decision reached through mutual consultation" sealing her mind.

Is this a contract or a mediation agreement?

She slammed the contract down on the table with a "thud": "Senior, I don't think we need to be so rigorous, do we?"

She started to draw on some legal knowledge she had learned: "Although this contract seems to be in compliance with regulations, we can't possibly go to court just for my postgraduate recommendation, can we?"

"Just because the court is close to our school doesn't mean we can go there often."

She is very much like the female protagonist in those works who desperately resist the male protagonist's "power".

The "human-machine boss" in front of her stopped rubbing his fingertips, looked up at her and said: "If the requirements for cooperation are not strict, it will be difficult to implement."

"Contracts are convenient to execute."

"As for going to court, as long as we reach an agreement, it won't end up in court."

He remained expressionless, as if he were genuinely negotiating a very important business deal: "As I've said before, the essence of our cooperation is an exchange of benefits. Therefore, this contract is an exchange of labor services between the two parties."

Jiang Yichun's brows were still tightly furrowed: "Senior, aren't you being too serious? It was just a mutual help-up."

"Who in their right mind would write a contract like this?"

He Yinxin's gaze swept over me like a sharp sword: "Me."

Jiang Yichun chuckled twice: "Oh right. Haha, senior, that's not what I meant..."

He coughed lightly and waved his hand: "As long as you are willing, the contract is legally binding. So you can't think of it as a set of rules; it is a contract."

"Furthermore, I don't believe there are any clauses in it that would harm your interests."

"There are many points in the contract that are open to negotiation."

Jiang Yichun looked down at the black and white words on the paper again.

Although he acted like a domineering CEO, the contract was meticulously prepared and there were no loopholes.

He was also very businesslike, like an emotionless machine.

"You don't have to sign; it's your own choice."

"Our cooperation can end here."

"I'll send you the materials for graduate school recommendation that you requested, but I won't provide any explanation services."

He Yinxin's voice trembled slightly at the end.

Jiang Yichun pursed his lips, his fingertips twirling at his sides.

The phrase "determined through mutual consultation" in a contract is actually mostly in one's own interest.

Even the "tutoring fee" is "determined through negotiation between the two parties".

This is completely different from those "contractual couples," at least as the woman, I don't have to pay those exorbitant breach of contract fees.

The domineering CEO in front of her took off his suit and handed over the choice entirely to her.

She wasn't a naive girl who got scammed, and he wasn't a domineering, charismatic CEO.

Jiang Yichun pursed his lips, took out a pencil case from his bag, picked up a black pen, and wrote his name on a line.

"Okay, I'll sign, but how exactly the money will be divided according to the contract terms can be discussed after I'm accepted into graduate school, okay?"

“Absolutely.” He said calmly.

He Yinxin also signed her name, dividing the contract into two copies and keeping them separately.

"Alright, sit down, let's begin the tutoring." He sat up straight and took out a large stack of books from the side.

Jiang Yichun silently watched as the books fell onto the table with a thud, causing the leaves of the green plants on the table to sway.

She squinted: "What... what are these? Economics and advanced mathematics books?"

"Yes. The books and notes I kept from my undergraduate years."

He then pulled a booklet out of his bag and pushed it in front of Jiang Yichun: "Jiang Yichun, these are the past years' written and interview questions for University A."

"As for English, after reviewing the materials you sent me, I believe my English is far inferior to yours."

"So I think you don't need my tutoring. The English questions are included in these past exam papers. You can just go back and do them on your own."

He Yinxin touched her chin, looked at the computer, and frowned.

He clenched his fist and said, "As for the thesis, that's my personal problem."

I want to apologize to you here.

"What?"

Jiang Yichun couldn't connect with his brainwaves for a moment and stared at him blankly.

His words fell to the ground.

He Yinxin looked away, her voice trembling: "Actually, academic papers aren't that important for the broader field of economics."

"I was admitted to University A's written test and interview through a special admissions process because of my thesis. Your GPA ranking plus your English score should be enough to pass the cutoff."

"My mistake in expressing myself caused you emotional stress, and I need to express my apologies."

Jiang Yichun jumped up from his chair, waved his hand, and repeated in a distorted tone, "Senior, don't do this all of a sudden!"

"This isn't your problem. I... I just like to put pressure on myself. Don't feel guilty. I've never blamed you."

"I know that the process of applying for graduate school is very tough; you're just revealing the truth."

He Yinxin slowly relaxed his clenched fist, and his slightly furrowed brows unfurrowed: "Thank you for your understanding."

He looked up at her, his eyes gleaming: "So, do you still need me to tutor your thesis?"

Jiang Yichun saw those clear eyes again through his glasses.

Do you still need me?

The domineering CEO in front of us took off his suit, got soaked in the rain, and stood in the rain begging the female lead to get back together, becoming a classic second male lead.

She shook her head, deliberately cutting off these TV dramas and replacing them with rationality.

She looked directly into his eyes: "I think I still need it."

“I looked at the summer camp application process at University A. During the interview, we need to work in a group to write a paper in three days. The paper may use data analysis software, such as Stata.”

"It's a pity that our econometrics course doesn't teach this software, as you probably know, senior."

She placed her hands on the notebook: "So, I need you to teach me this."

He Yinxin's eyes flickered, and she let out a soft sigh: "Okay. I'll teach you next time I tutor you. Today, let's review advanced mathematics and economics."

"From now on, one day will be spent on data analysis software, and one day on regular courses."

Jiang Yichun smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, senior!"

"Cooperation and mutual benefit are the way to go."

The small flowers on the table were gradually bathed in the indoor lamplight as they were exposed to the sunlight streaming through the window.

Jiang Yichun stretched and looked out the window at the already dark sky. She glanced at her phone; it was already 5:30 in the evening.

The makeshift lunch of her own choice had long since become inspiration in her mind, gurgling away in the sea of ​​her thoughts.

The gurgling sound traveled from my brain all the way to my stomach.

She slumped onto the table, her thoughts beginning to wander.

He Yinxin's approach to explaining problems is indeed unique, far superior to that advanced mathematics teacher who constantly boasts about his overseas study experience in class.

If that teacher is just a chef with a fancy name but can only make expensive dishes that are good for nothing but appearance.

The boy in front of me is more like a meticulous baking chef. He can combine all the knowledge points like ingredients and finally bake a plate of fragrant cookies.

Cookies, fragrant cookies, cookies baked with butter and wheat...

Add a cup of hot black tea, and in this lukewarm weather, take a big gulp, and you'll probably be able to revive on the spot.

"I really want to eat cookies..." Jiang Yichun murmured, his fingertips lightly tracing the cover of the book.

She heard the sound of pens being put down beside her ear, and the explanation of the problem had stopped at some point.

"Would you like some cookies?" A gust of wind blew up the papers on the table, turning a few pages.

Jiang Yichun looked up and found He Yinxin looking down at her, his eyes revealing a hint of gentleness under the study room lights.

The wind and light brought a touch of warmth, igniting her ears and spreading sparks that made her throat dry.

Jiang Yichun tried to quell the fire with a string of rambling words: "I want it so badly, I want it so badly! Right now I want to brew a cup of black tea and pretend to be an English noblewoman, enjoying my afternoon tea, oh no, evening tea."

"But I would definitely refuse to become a British noblewoman; there really isn't much good food there."

He Yinxin silently pulled her bag over and began rummaging through it.

Jiang Yichun stared at his hands with distinct knuckles, his thoughts drifting to "Senior Sister Xixi" on the other end of the phone.

His hands were long and white, but unfortunately they were from a bot; if you complimented him, he'd probably just say "thank you."

But this is good too; maintaining a safe distance allows her to relax completely and avoids getting caught up in the emotions imposed on her.

"Cookies. Earl Grey flavor."

A dark brown cookie was held between slender fingertips, wrapped in a light blue transparent package.

Jiang Yichun's previously listless eyes suddenly lit up: "Senior He, is this for me?"

He pushed the cookies in front of her: "A friend of mine said you like sweets."

"When we first met, you gave me a cup of milk tea."

"This is our first time tutoring each other, so I should give you a gift in return."

Before Jiang Yichun could react, He Yinxin took out a whole box of cookies from her bag.

Although the packaging wasn't particularly fancy, with the brand logo printed on the red box, each cookie inside had a subtle buttery aroma.

Jiang Yichun's saliva gushed out like a floodgate bursting.

She can resist pretty boys, but she can't resist butter cookies.

She tried her best to suppress the overflowing drool: "All for me, Senior He?"

He Yinxin raised the corners of her mouth, her eyes crinkling: "It's all yours."

"Then, then we won't be polite!" Jiang Yichun stuffed the whole box into his bag, stood up with a "whoosh," and said, "So, Senior He, the tutoring should be over now, right? We can go eat."

"It's time to start the work I need to finish."

"Hmm. I look forward to your performance."

He Yinxin started stuffing things into his bag, his eyes darting over her but quickly looking away.

Jiang Yichun carried his bag, got up and walked towards the entrance of the study room, casually took out the cookie that he was given, and took a bite.

"Click".

The cookie immediately broke off a small piece and landed on her tongue.

After the initial crispness, the small cookie slowly melted on her tongue, the sweetness of the sugar stimulating her taste buds first, followed by the subtle fragrance of black tea.

The initial fragrance is followed by a rich aroma.

The creamy aroma of butter, mingled with the scent of malt, arrived late, satisfying her most instinctive craving for sugar and oil.

My brain, which had been filled with advanced mathematics and various economic definitions, gradually cleared up with the help of sugar and oil.

Jiang Yichun rubbed his slightly throbbing head.

"I'm all packed." He Yixin's voice pulled her back to reality from her cookie obsession. "What are you planning to eat?"

Jiang Yichun smiled at him, picked up his bag, and walked towards the stairwell.

She had her back to him and spoke in a light tone:

"Let's go to the cafeteria."

"Eat at my favorite window."