Chapter 10
That evening, after much deliberation, Lin Ting sent Chen Lan a resignation letter, bringing this short-term tutoring job to an end.
I thought I would receive a reply from Chen Lan soon, but I waited for a long time without getting one. I figured she had probably given up and wouldn't try to win me back.
That's good. This way, everyone can relax. There are countless college student tutors. I hope the Chen family can find a suitable one for Chen Zhiyi. From the bottom of her heart, she still hopes that Chen Zhiyi can get out of this dark period. After all, it's a real pity that such a handsome boy in the prime of his youth has fallen into such a state.
Just before going to sleep, Lin Ting's phone suddenly rang; it was Chen Lan calling again.
Before she could even speak, Chen's mother began to speak, her tone urgent and leaving no room for argument.
"Ms. Lin, I just got off the plane and saw the text message you sent me. I have to rush back to the company for a video conference. Without further ado, please come to my house again at 3 pm tomorrow so we can talk in person. If you are really determined to leave, I won't try to persuade you to stay. You will still receive your salary for the past few days. When employees leave a company, there is usually a face-to-face interview. We don't need to be that formal, so consider this a farewell. Thank you for your help these past few days. Please don't refuse. It's settled then."
Lin Ting thought about it for a moment and sent a message to decline the job. It was indeed not very polite. Apart from Chen Zhiyi, all the other members of the Chen family she met had been very kind to her. It would have been more proper to ask for her resignation in person.
"Okay, Auntie, I will definitely be there on time at 3 pm tomorrow."
See you tomorrow!
After they finished speaking, they hung up the phone.
On the sixth day, Lin Ting went to Xiangyi Zijun Mansion amidst her hesitation and inner conflict. Firstly, she didn't know how to refuse Chen's mother; she was indeed a strong woman, having thoroughly mastered the art of conversation. Secondly, if she encountered Chen Zhiyi, it would be a major "social disaster" situation. He had sworn yesterday that he wouldn't come again, but he had already broken his promise after just one night.
He might even think that he wasn't paid enough before, and now that he's been paid enough?
Last night, he said some harsh words and embarrassed him so much. Now that he has the chance, he'll definitely make a good laugh at him. Lin Ting can already imagine him laughing at him and watching the show.
The journey from the gate of the residential area to Chen Zhiyi's house, which should have taken ten minutes, took half an hour today. The road ahead is long!
Lin Ting still gritted her teeth and walked to the front gate of Chen Zhiyi's house. She rang the doorbell for a long time, but no one came to open the door. She pushed it and found that the gate was not closed.
Lin Ting felt something was amiss.
As you walk around the courtyard and approach the main entrance on the first floor, you can hear a loud argument coming from inside. Judging from the tone of the voices, it's Chen's mother and Chen Zhiyi.
“Mr. Chen, your time is precious. There’s no need for you to waste it on me, nor is there any need to rack your brains to plant spies around me under the guise of finding a tutor. You’d be better off spending your time pursuing the fame and fortune you desire. Don’t bother with a good-for-nothing son like me in your eyes.”
"Zhiyi, is your mother really that bad? Do you think I hired a tutor for you so that someone would supervise you?"
"Isn't that right? You know everything I do at school during the day, even when I go to the toilet. Why do you have to control me at home too? Why go through all that trouble? Just put a tracker on me."
"And don't hire any more of these damn tutors for me. I'll kick them out one by one. If they're male, I'll shoo them away. If they're female, ha, I'll give them the silent treatment and make them leave."
It was truly "emotional abuse" towards her, which Lin Ting found somewhat amusing.
Just as she continued to eavesdrop at the door, Uncle Chen suddenly opened the door and saw Lin Ting with a look of surprise: "Teacher Lin, how long have you been here? Why didn't you knock?"
Lin Ting looked embarrassed. "I just got here too. Are Chen Zhiyi and his mother arguing inside?"
Uncle Chen nodded helplessly, "I don't know if this mother and son had too deep a grudge in their past life, because it has continued into this life. They start arguing as soon as they meet."
"Is it because of me?" Lin Ting asked nervously.
"No, no, no, Teacher Lin is overthinking it. The mother and son have many different views. Zhiyi has a deep misunderstanding about his mother. It has nothing to do with you."
"Oh, oh!" Although she said that, Lin Ting knew perfectly well that it was somewhat related to her.
The timing was very unfortunate. Lin Ting thought about it and decided it was better not to get involved in this mess, lest the misunderstanding worsen. In any case, her attitude in the letter she sent to Chen Lan last night was very firm: she was not going to do it anymore, no matter what.
Just as she turned to leave, she heard the sound of something breaking on the ground. "It's a tragic relationship between mother and son," Lin Ting thought, pursing her lips.
"Teacher Lin, why don't you go in and try to persuade them too?"
Upon hearing Uncle Chen's request, Lin Ting's pupils dilated, and she looked troubled. "I can't. I had a fight with Chen Zhiyi last night. If he sees me, he'll only fan the flames and make the fight worse."
Uncle Chen changed his perspective, "Or you could go in and persuade Madam. She personally interviewed you, and after the interview, she contacted me saying she had found a calm and reserved good teacher. I can tell that Madam likes you very much. She can listen to your advice. Both of you are stubborn, so one of you has to back down first."
Seeing Uncle Chen's worried expression, Lin Ting couldn't refuse, "Shall I give it a try?"
As soon as she entered, something hard hit Lin Ting squarely on the forehead, then rolled onto her glasses, causing the black glasses to sag off her nose and fall to the ground. Lin Ting ignored the glasses on the ground and covered her forehead with her hand, which hurt quite a bit. A small bump instantly appeared, as if she had been pricked by something sharp. She looked to the other side and realized it was a handbag. It wasn't very big, but the bottom had sharp edges. Judging from the style, it was probably Chen's mother's handbag. She must have been hit by the edge.
Uncle Chen, who was standing nearby, immediately leaned over to check the injury, his eyes filled with concern. "Teacher Lin, does it hurt? Is it serious?"
Lin Ting covered the spot where she had been hit with her hand and shook her head. "It's alright."
Chen Lan said angrily, "Chen Zhiyi, apologize to Teacher Lin."
Chen Zhiyi didn't expect to accidentally hurt Lin Ting. He wanted to rush over to check on her, but he maintained his usual arrogance and kept his mouth shut.
"Why should I apologize? She bumped into me herself."
He hurt someone and yet acted so self-righteously. Lin Ting felt that what she had told him last night was too mild. He was just an arrogant, unrestrained, and rebellious young master.
Lin Ting lowered her hand from her forehead, casually tucking the messy strands of hair behind her ear, and stared sharply at Chen Zhiyi.
Unexpectedly, under these circumstances, Chen Zhiyi saw her true face behind her black-rimmed glasses.
She swept her hair back, revealing a fair and delicate face, her lips tightly pressed together, and her eyes, like black pearls, seemed to be burning with fire.
In that instant, Chen Zhiyi recalled a line of poetry: "The first time I saw you, my heart was blown into fireworks, and I need a lifetime to clean up the ashes."
His heart burned brightly in the two flames in Lin Ting's eyes, and it would never be extinguished.
In the past, Chen Zhiyi thought that "love at first sight" was a romanticized version of "lust at first sight," but at this moment, the deafening sound of his heartbeat told him that if he judged people solely by their appearance, there were countless beautiful faces in the world, so why was he so infatuated with this one? It was simply because he met the right person at the right time.
Often, that fleeting glimpse becomes a lifelong entanglement and unforgettable memory.
Seeing the flush on Lin Ting's face from anger and the increasingly prominent bump on her forehead, Chen Zhiyi felt guilty. His lips moved as if he wanted to say sorry.
However, what Lin Ting said next was like a bucket of cold water poured over her from head to toe, instantly cooling the boiling blood that had been boiling over with excitement.
His tone was harsh and gloomy. "Chen Zhiyi, I thought you were just a little rebellious and unruly. Last night I felt guilty for the harsh words I said to you this afternoon. Now I realize that I didn't say anything harsh, or even mild. You are just an arrogant, conceited, and ignorant brat."
Arrogant, conceited, and ignorant of his own limitations, he spoke each word clearly and deliberately, utterly trampling his dignity in front of his family.
Chen Zhiyi took a step forward and looked coldly at Lin Ting. "I'm a bad kid, but what about you? How noble are you? Didn't you say yesterday that you would never appear in front of me again? You changed your mind after just one night? In the end, isn't it all about money? This is a clever trick. You used resignation as an excuse to make my mother anxious, thereby indirectly raising my salary. You retreated to advance, trying every means to make money."
Chen Zhiyi thought he would provoke Lin Ting again, but he didn't. The two flames in her eyes went out, and she returned to her usual indifferent appearance.
She put down the canvas bag she was carrying, took a step towards me, stared at me, and spoke calmly.
"Chen Zhiyi, I admit I wanted to make money, more money, but I've never taken a single extra penny. All my earnings are clean and earned through hard work. Regarding your accusations against me, your mother is here and can testify. First, my salary was set from the beginning and hasn't increased; I haven't received a single penny since. I haven't done anything these past few hours, and I wouldn't ask your mother for my salary—I'd feel guilty taking it. Second, I already resigned from my job last night. I'm only here today as a matter of courtesy to give a final handover. Don't worry." I'm not qualified for this tutoring job, and I won't renege on my promise. Thirdly, I, Lin Ting, have tutored more than just you. You can ask around and see if I'm just tutoring for the money. I can stay up until 3 or 4 AM to list various knowledge points for students, and I can search through countless bookstores to find suitable supplementary books for them. I even pay out of my own pocket to watch open courses from prestigious universities to improve the efficiency of my classes. I ask myself, have I lived up to the expectations of every student I've tutored, the trust their parents placed in me, and every penny I've received?
"Not everyone is as lucky as you, born into a wealthy family and able to have whatever you want. What you can get so easily, they have to pay a lot to achieve. You may not be able to empathize with us, but don't belittle us."
There was no heart-wrenching screaming, no shouting; every word was spoken softly, yet each word struck the hearts of those present.
After hearing this, Lin picked up the canvas bag from the ground again, turned to look at Chen Lan, and said, "Auntie, I'm sorry for letting you down and for bothering you these past few days."
Then he left without looking back.
Chen Zhiyi watched her departing figure. Although she was thin, she looked like a resilient warrior at that moment.
He didn't chase after her again. He didn't actually want to say these things, but he just didn't like those three words. He wasn't as embarrassed as she thought.
Chen Zhiyi picked up the broken glasses from the ground and noticed a sachet-like craft item next to it. He recognized it as a pendant from Lin Ting's bag, which he had seen before, and picked it up as well.
After Lin left, he lost interest and went upstairs to his room alone.
He held the sachet and examined it carefully. To be precise, it was a talisman, with the words "peace" embroidered on it. It was also very old, with fine frayed edges on the surface.
When Chen Zhiyi turned it over and saw the embroidered pattern on the back, he was stunned. He got up, opened the wardrobe, and took out a long-sleeved shirt. He removed the transparent cover and compared the embroidered pattern on the cuff with the one on the amulet. The stitches, colors, and shapes were all the same.
Chen Zhiyi chuckled, rubbing his forehead. So it was her.
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