6. She's only three years old!

She's only three years old!

Jin Lanyue thought so too.

She's still a baby, she shouldn't have to bear so much pressure, sob sob.

Qu Zijin hesitated and said, "Actually, it doesn't have to be ten sets a day. I think doing one set a day is enough..."

Jin Lanyue looked at him expectantly, her eyes shining.

Qu Zijin held up five fingers: "Five sets?"

The light in Jin Lanyue's eyes went out.

Its small, potato-like body swayed in the wind, looking as if it was about to fall over.

"No, no, no, three sets, three sets! Three sets will do!" Qu Zijin quickly squatted down to steady the little girl, so she wouldn't sway back and forth like a roly-poly toy.

But the next second, the little one buried her face in his chest, clutching his clothes, and tears streamed down her face like tiny pearls as she sobbed, "I...I don't want to do the test..."

She was sobbing uncontrollably and looked extremely pitiful.

Qu Zijin froze.

"I really don't want to do the test paper at all, sob sob..."

Unlike other children who throw tantrums, Jin Lanyue simply hides in your arms, sobbing and shedding tears, her misty eyes staring at you pitifully, hoping you will change your mind.

The soft and cute dolls are harmless; they only know how to act cute and charming.

But for Qu Zijin, the impact was exceptionally great.

So he immediately compromised: "Although this is not good... fine, you don't have to write it."

"Thank you, Grand Tutor, you are so kind..." Jin Lanyue's eyes lit up again. She sniffed to stop her tears, and sensibly took out her small handkerchief to clumsily wipe her tears.

Qu Zijin watched her obediently wipe away her tears, and his heart softened. He couldn't care less about "what a pity" or "what a waste," and only felt that he had done something wrong.

I must have done something wrong.

He affirmed this to himself once again.

Jin Lanyue rubbed the handkerchief on her face repeatedly, making her cheeks look all crooked and uneven.

Qu Zijin couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he took her handkerchief and carefully wiped away her tears.

The little one's eyes were still moist, but she smiled at him, showing her little white teeth: "Thank you~"

Qu Zijin, who has been single and childless all his life, finally understands why some people like children so much.

Because it's really... cute!

He felt that no one could dislike such a cute, well-behaved, and polite child.

Jin Lanyue had no idea that she had unknowingly captured Qu Zijin's heart. Upon learning that she didn't have to write a test, her little head was filled with nothing but joy.

She happily took the Grand Tutor's hand: "Grand Tutor, let's go!"

She held Qu Zijin's hand and skipped towards the school, her steps becoming lighter again, humming a popular nursery rhyme in the capital—the one Jiang Xiyue sang to her, and after listening to it for a long time, she had started humming it herself without being taught.

Although nine out of ten were off-key... no, not a single one was on tune at all.

But that didn't stop Qu Zijin from being infected by her cheerful singing, a smile spreading across his face as he followed her into the school.

However……

Upon entering the school, Qu Zijin's smile vanished instantly.

Because the little princess was fast asleep, lying on the table.

They were sleeping soundly.

It emits soft snoring, occasionally accompanied by a couple of sleep-talking sounds.

Jin Lanyue was still humming an off-key song as she pulled Qu Zijin's hand and walked forward.

Qu Zijin suddenly stopped. She tugged at him, but couldn't budge him.

So she looked up in confusion and found that the Grand Tutor had turned into a fierce expression and was looking in a certain direction.

Her bad feeling returned, and following the Grand Tutor's gaze, she saw the sleeping princess.

The five-year-old princess was fast asleep on the rosewood table, a red mark on her rosy cheeks and a trace of drool at the corner of her mouth.

"What kind of behavior is this!" Qu Zijin released her hand, strode forward, and casually pulled out a ruler from his sleeve, slamming it down on the table!

The little princess sat up abruptly, rubbing her eyes in confusion, her hairpin askew.

"You're sleeping in class in broad daylight, with absolutely no manners! What kind of behavior is this?!" Qu Zijin said angrily. "You're punished by having to copy the first two chapters of the Three Character Classic ten times! If you don't hand them in by tomorrow, I'll report it to the Emperor!"

The princess immediately regained her senses.

However, her first reaction was to slam her hand on the table and stand up, one hand on her hip: "What are you babbling about now? Why should I copy the book?!"

Jin Lanyue carefully moved closer.

After all... she was also very afraid when the Grand Tutor was angry.

While observing Qu Zijin's expression, she quietly moved behind the princess.

Like the princess, she couldn't understand the first half of the sentence because it was too profound, but she understood the second half.

She looked down and noticed that although the princess had one hand on her hip, the other hand, which had just slapped the table, was swinging back and forth behind her back, and her palm was red from being slapped.

Jin Lanyue looked at her hand and felt... it looked like it was in a lot of pain.

Over there, the little princess and Qu Zijin started arguing again.

Qu Zijin still showed no awareness that one shouldn't argue with a child: "You sleep in class, how can you act like a student? As a princess, is this how you disappoint your father's expectations and set an example for the world?!"

"I'm so sleepy, why can't I sleep?! And what is Biao Shuai? Why should I be Biao Shuai?"

"A role model! A role model! Not just a badass!"

"I don't care about being a cool guy, a role model, or a paragon of virtue, I'm not going to be one!"

"You!" Qu Zijin was almost furious. "Give me your hand! Today I'll teach you what it means to respect your teacher!"

He brandished the ruler.

The little princess and Jin Lanyue both trembled. The little princess stopped being stubborn, swallowed hard, and nervously took a few steps back, bumping into Jin Lanyue behind her.

Jin Lanyue... Jin Lanyue was also very scared.

That ruler looks really painful when it hits someone!

but……

The little dumpling, not even as tall as the desk, still ran forward with a "thump, thump, thump," and like a little hen protecting her chicks, tried her best to spread her short arms to block the princess.

"Grand Tutor, don't be angry!" Three-year-old Jin Lanyue called out in her childish voice, her two little tufts of hair bobbing with her movements. "Princess, you didn't mean it!"

Qu Zijin looked down at the tiny figure who wasn't even as tall as his knee, and was speechless for a moment.

His anger was directed at the little princess; he couldn't really bring himself to be angry with Jin Lanyue.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jin Lanyue stood on tiptoe and stretched out her chubby little hand to tug at his sleeve: "Grand Tutor, look—"

She pointed out the window: "Even the sun is yawning!"

Qu Zijin and the princess looked in the direction she pointed, and just then a cloud drifted across the sun, the light and shadow hazy, making it look like it was dozing off.

Qu Zijin paused for a moment, his first reaction being that her description was truly vivid.

His second reaction was—wait, how come he kept getting his thoughts wandered by these two little kids?

"Nonsense, you go down first," Qu Zijin scolded her with his head down, but then he saw the little girl suddenly unpack her small bag, open the snack box, take out a pastry, and try to hold it up high.

“Grand Tutor, eat some cakes. If you eat cakes, you won’t be angry anymore,” Jin Lanyue said, feeling quite clever.

In the past, when she was unhappy, her mother would put a piece of pastry in her mouth. As soon as the sweet pastry entered her mouth, she would immediately smile.

Now give the Grand Tutor a piece, and he'll be happy too!

Qu Zijin's hand, holding the ruler, froze in mid-air. He looked down at Jin Lanyue, who was smiling innocently, and after a long while, he sighed softly.

"Never mind..." He took the pastries, his voice softening unconsciously, "This is the last time."

He carefully placed the pastry on his handkerchief, then turned and went to his desk, placing it on top of it.

Jin Lanyue breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest with her little hand: "No problem, I'm great!"

Behind her, the little princess tugged at her, but her eyes were fixed on the pastries that Qu Zijin had taken away. She said unhappily, "Shouldn't these be for both of us? That scoundrel, the Grand Tutor, actually stole our pastries!"