Chapter 1
At eight o'clock in the morning, Yan Qing was already standing in front of the gate of Binjiang Jiuli.
This is a famous luxury residential community in S City, located in the southeast corner of the city, far from the hustle and bustle, a particularly quiet place.
However, this tranquility was not an advantage for Yan Qing. She left school early in the morning, took the earliest subway, transferred to a bus, and then took a taxi to reach her destination.
Today is the day she came here to apply for a tutoring job.
Yan Qing has never been one to push herself to the limit and always tries to leave as much leeway as possible. So, despite the hour and a half journey, she still arrived 30 minutes ahead of the agreed time.
Facing the imposing yet understated and mysterious entrance to the residential area, Yan Qing couldn't help but recall the warning from her classmate and friend Gu Feimeng: "The Shen family is not easy to deal with!"
Upon hearing that Yan Qing was about to apply for a job with the Shen family, a fairly well-known family in S City, Gu Feimeng excitedly described the rumors about the family: The Shen family was a single-parent family, with only a father and one son. Rumor had it that the father was not only stingy but also morally corrupt, frequently finding various excuses to withhold teachers' salaries. And the child, it was said, was also dull-witted and extremely slow-witted, and no matter how famous the teacher or how much effort was put in, they couldn't understand him and would ultimately be blamed for poor teaching.
"Qingqing, this family's money isn't easy to earn, you have to be careful!"
"How did you know?" Yan Qing asked.
Gu Feimeng shrugged: "I heard it from a friend, but it's probably true. There's a saying, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire!'"
Yan Qing knew that Gu Feimeng was a social butterfly. Although they were both students, Gu Feimeng was cheerful and outgoing, liked to make friends, and was often active in various social settings. She had a wide network of contacts and was well-informed, so it was not surprising that she could find out things that Yan Qing did not know.
Hearing Gu Feimeng's warning, Yan Qing felt uneasy. But thinking of the balance in her bank account, Qiao Yi who urgently needed money, and the Feng Xin family who were eyeing her with predatory intent... after all, the salary offered by the Shen family in the job posting was much higher than any of the part-time jobs she had done before.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally tapped her finger and clicked the "send" button, sending her resume to the Shen family's email address.
I received a reply in less than a day, inviting her to an interview at Binjiang Jiuli this Saturday.
"I can't give up before I've even tried. I'll only know if they're good or bad after we've had a go," she thought.
After checking the house number on her phone again, Yan Qing took a deep breath and strode towards the gate.
"Ding-dong—"
After ringing the doorbell, a woman dressed as a housekeeper in her fifties answered the door.
"Hello, is this Mr. Shen's home? I'm here for an interview," Yan Qing said politely.
"Oh, you must be a teacher, please come in." The housekeeper made way for them and handed them a pair of disposable slippers.
Yan Qing had occasionally seen videos of various luxury homes online. But when she actually stepped into such a place, her pupils couldn't help but tremble slightly.
The first thing you see is a spacious yet somewhat empty living room, with a floor-to-ceiling window that extends to the three-story ceiling, reflecting the blue sky and green trees outside. The interior is simply furnished, with no superfluous decorations except for a huge mural, making it look cold and deserted, lacking a sense of human warmth.
For the first time, Yan Qing had a concrete understanding of the concept of "luxury mansion".
"Are you here for a math tutor interview too?"
Just as she was lost in thought, a voice brought her back to her senses. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw a male figure stand up from the sofa.
Because the living room was so big, she didn't immediately notice that someone was sitting on the sofa.
"I am Yan Qing." Yan Qing nodded to the other person. "You are... Mr. Shen?"
The man smiled: "I'm here for an interview too."
It turns out she wasn't the only one who submitted her resume.
The housekeeper, who had just opened the door for her, had already brought a cup of tea and politely placed it on the coffee table: "Excuse me, teacher, please wait here for a moment. This gentleman will be here after his interview."
Yan Qing quickly thanked her.
Sitting on the sofa, Yan Qing was somewhat nervous. The man beside her was dressed formally in a suit and tie. Yan Qing, on the other hand, was wearing a slightly disheveled white dress—the only thing she wore that looked relatively formal.
"Let me introduce myself, my name is Zhuge Xiaoxiang." The man extended his hand to Yan Qing. Yan Qing shook hands with him and introduced herself again: "Hello, Yan Qing."
Zhuge Xiaoxiang quickly sized her up and asked, "Are you a student?"
"Um."
What year are you in?
"I'm about to graduate with my master's degree."
"Kenji?"
"Um."
"There's still a year until graduation."
"Our school's master's program is two and a half years long."
Zhuge thought for a moment: "L's?"
"Um."
Zhuge smiled: "So you're a junior."
Yan Qing's calm face then showed a hint of surprise: "You're also from L University?"
"Yes. Which department are you in?"
"Mathematics. And you?"
"I'm a computer science major. I know quite a few people from the math department; one of my roommates transferred to the math department in his sophomore year."
Yan Qing said, "To actually switch from a very popular major to a desert-related major like ours, it seems like you really love it."
Zhuge Xiaoxiang laughed and said, "It's not necessarily because I love math that much, but I'm definitely annoyed by computers."
Yan Qing smiled too.
The door to the interview room opened a crack, and a woman appeared in the doorway, her face serious: "Please keep quiet!" she said, then slammed the door shut.
Yan Qing and Zhuge Xiaoxiang exchanged a glance and simultaneously raised their index fingers to signal for silence.
Zhuge Xiaoxiang lowered his voice: "I didn't expect to meet a junior here, what a coincidence." He took out his phone, "Can we add each other on WeChat?"
Yan Qing couldn't refuse, so she also took out her phone.
Zhuge scanned Yan Qing's business card QR code, and while editing the friend request verification, he muttered to himself, "How come I didn't know L University had such a beauty? But then again, I graduated six years ago, I'm way out of touch with school now. Added, let's keep in touch."
A short while later, the people who had been interviewed came out, and it was Zhuge Xiaoxiang's turn.
Zhuge's interview lasted about fifteen minutes. When he came out, he looked relaxed and even told Yan Qing about what happened inside: "There weren't any difficult questions. They mainly asked if you had any relevant work experience. Just don't be nervous."
At that moment, Yan Qing was called from inside: "Next, please come in!"
Zhuge Chong and Yan Qing gave each other a thumbs-up, "Good luck!"
The interview took place in what appeared to be a study, with two floor-to-ceiling ebony bookshelves standing against the wall, filled with Chinese and foreign books, leaving no gaps.
A large ebony desk stands in front of the window.
"Have a seat," the man behind the desk said, gesturing to the sofa beside him.
After sitting down where the man indicated, Yan Qing noticed a stack of resumes on the table, with hers on top.
The man didn't speak again. The woman, who had been standing behind him and was dressed in a light-colored suit, picked up Yan Qing's resume, glanced at it briefly, and said without even looking up, "Yan Qing, right? A graduate student, she still has half a year before graduation?"
"yes."
The woman said, "L University's mathematics department is quite good." She didn't even raise her eyelids, and her tone was indifferent. It was less of an acknowledgment of Yan Qing's academic qualifications and more of a polite formality.
"Thank you," Yan Qing replied.
The woman quickly asked the question that made Yan Qing uncomfortable: "Have you ever had any experience as a tutor?"
Despite having mentally prepared herself beforehand, Yan Qing still hesitated for a moment: "Yes... I guess so..."
The woman frowned: "If it exists, it exists; if it doesn't, it doesn't. What do you mean by 'consider it exists'?"
"have."
"How were the substitute teaching results?"
"The students' grades have improved to some extent..." Yan Qing's voice trailed off as she spoke, and the woman opposite her grew impatient: "Could you please speak louder? How much have they improved?"
Yan Qing hesitated for two seconds before the woman said loudly, "Ms. Yan, do you have any experience in the education industry? It doesn't matter if you don't have experience, honesty is the most important thing. Although we are recruiting tutors, our process is very formal, and we will never accept falsified resumes."
Yan Qing took a deep breath and said, "I have experience with this. However, I only taught him for two months before I left before the final exam. But judging from his daily quizzes, his grades have indeed improved."
As if it were a habitual action, the woman placed her left thumb and forefinger on a bauhinia brooch on her chest. With each sentence she spoke, she would turn the brooch slightly, as if using the bauhinia petals to represent the hands of a clock, calculating the precious time that Yan Qing had wasted on her.
She glanced at Yan Qing: "Why did you resign? Was it voluntary or forced?"
"initiative."
"Is it convenient to explain the reason?"
Yan Qing gripped the hem of her skirt tightly without realizing it, her palms slightly sweaty: "At that time, something happened at home, and I couldn't continue."
Afterwards, a few more standard questions were asked, such as her understanding of the teaching content, how to improve children's learning interest, and whether she could accept a trial period. Yan Qing answered them one by one, and the interview ended there. The woman told Yan Qing to go home and wait for a notification.
Before Yan Qing stood up, the man who had been silent suddenly spoke: "Why did you come here to be a tutor?"
"Huh?" Yan Qing was slightly taken aback, not understanding for a moment.
"Are you tutoring during the summer vacation to earn money, or do you genuinely enjoy doing it?"
Yan Qing had only attended one interview at a venue the year she applied for graduate school, and had never had a formal interview since. So, she was speechless when faced with this kind of question that tested her on-the-spot reaction, and couldn't think of an answer for a long time.
To make money? Of course, she desperately needed money, which is why she gritted her teeth and took on this notoriously difficult task. Did she really enjoy doing this? She wasn't sure. She did enjoy being with children, but not enough to make her readily utter such a hypocritical platitude as "I enjoy being a teacher."
As I hesitated, the man said, "I'm not asking this for any other reason. We've hired a few tutors before, but none of them lasted long. You know, constantly changing teachers isn't good for a child's grades. So, if we hire you, are you confident you can stay here long-term?"
Yan Qing suddenly realized that this was what the other party was worried about.
She carefully chose her words while trying to show sincerity: "Tutoring children requires the joint efforts and cooperation of teachers, parents, and children. I think it's a process of mutual adjustment and mutual promotion. As long as there are no major problems, I will continue to do it well."
Yan Qing sat upright, speaking calmly and logically, and was quite satisfied with her response.
The man tossed the resume back onto the table, his gaze finally settling on Yan Qing's face.
In that belated eye contact, Yan Qing noticed that the man's gaze, radiating from his dark pupils, was calm and serene, quite incongruous with his undeniably beautiful eyes.
"You've seen the job posting, right? To work as a tutor with me, you have to sign a contract and work for a full year. If you want to resign midway, you'll have to pay a penalty."
Yan Qing wasn't unaware of the clause emphasized in bold on the job posting; Gu Feimeng's warning still echoed in her ears. If this family was truly as difficult to deal with as rumored, then having signed a one-year contract, she had to complete it no matter what difficulties she encountered. After all, the penalty for breach of contract would be a serious burden. But if she backed out because of this clause, she couldn't find a higher-paying part-time job in a short time.
The current situation is truly a dilemma.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, the man asked, "Can't accept it? Then let's not talk about it."
The man's tone was very calm, without arrogance or sarcasm, just a normal statement. This attitude, in turn, gave Yan Qing the courage to give it a try.
"I agree." She met the man's gaze frankly, but her voice lowered after a moment: "But if... if you fire me halfway through, then I won't have to pay the penalty for breach of contract, right?"
The man stared at her for a few seconds: "Of course."
As she stepped out of the gate of Binjiang Jiuli, she heard the sound of a car horn, and Zhuge Xiaoxiang waved to her from the window of an Audi.
"Junior! Where are you going? Let me give you a ride!"
Yan Qing ran over quickly, bent down and said into the car window, "Senior, no need to trouble yourself, I'll just take the subway."
"Come on up, it's still quite a distance from here to the subway station."
Yan Qing hesitated for a moment, but Zhuge had already leaned over and opened the passenger door: "Let's go, don't be shy, it's just a quick trip!"
On the way, Yan Qing asked Zhuge how the interview went. Zhuge replied, "This kind of interview is child's play."
Yan Qing said, "There seem to be quite a few resumes submitted, so the competition looks pretty fierce."
As Zhuge turned the steering wheel, he said, “Yes, the economic situation is not good right now, and there are many people looking for jobs. Before you came, two interviewees had just left, both of them quite capable. One was a graduate of a teachers’ college and usually works as a teacher at a private school. The other worked in an educational training institution and had more than ten years of teaching experience.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Qing felt a chill run down her spine. Compared to these people, she had no advantage whatsoever.
Yan Qing followed up the conversation and asked, "And you, senior, where do you work?"
“I used to work at a research institute, but I recently started my own business.”
Yan Qing said "Oh," and Zhuge laughed, "Don't you find it strange that you, working alone, still have time to apply for a tutoring job?"
Yan Qing smiled but remained silent, so Zhuge didn't continue. The two chatted about various things until the car stopped at the entrance of L University.
Yan Qing thanked him, and Zhuge smiled and said goodbye to Yan Qing. He then turned the carriage around and left without lingering.
Gu Feimeng's phone rang just then: "Qingqing, where are you? Come to the lab building quickly!"
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