"How's it going?" He sat down next to Jiang Li's seat and asked in a low, calm voice.
"I think I'm doing great!" Lu Ziyang opened his Chinese textbook.
He pointed to the key points he had marked and happily tried to take credit with Xie Huaichu.
"Bro, look at these descriptions here. I figured them out on my own."
Xie Huaichu took the book from him, flipping through it lazily.
Then, he looked up at Lu Ziyang, his expression indifferent, but somehow it made people feel a shiver down their spine.
"What about memorization?"
"Bro, we've just started learning, and we haven't even gotten to the memorization part yet," Lu Ziyang quickly explained.
"Making excuses because you're not capable?" Xie Huaichu closed the book and glanced at him again, his tone cool.
Lu Ziyang: "..."
He knew his brother wouldn't praise him.
The boy, feeling quite wronged, tugged at Jiang Li's sleeve, his eyes red. "Sis, look at my brother..."
"I've worked so hard, and he's still scolding me."
Jiang Li was about to speak when Xie Huaichu cut her off.
"Lu Ziyang, it seems I've been spoiling you too much," Xie Huaichu's gaze lingered on the hand Lu Ziyang was pulling on Jiang Li's sleeve.
A hint of displeasure clouded his eyes, and his voice grew colder.
"Go and copy The Memorial on the Outset of the Campaign a hundred times."
Lu Ziyang: "..."
Cold, ruthless tyrant!
"You're scaring him again." Seeing the boy look like he had lost all hope, Jiang Li intervened.
"We haven't even started the memorization part yet. You're being unreasonable."
"Exactly." Lu Ziyang gained confidence with Jiang Li backing him up.
"Bro is so bad, purposely making things hard for me."
Xie Huaichu glanced at him coldly but said nothing.
Lu Ziyang, frightened, quickly ducked behind Jiang Li. "Sis, save me."
"My brother is too scary."
Jiang Li gently patted his arm, her gaze turning toward Xie Huaichu with a faint smile.
"Dr. Xie, we're in the middle of class."
"Could you kindly leave us alone for a bit?"
"Leave us alone?" Xie Huaichu: "..."
How much does this little girl dislike him?
Lu Ziyang, holding back laughter, winked at Xie Huaichu, almost as if provoking him.
Xie Huaichu narrowed his eyes, slowly standing up. A trace of coldness seeped into his voice.
"Lu Ziyang, study properly."
As he spoke, he didn't forget to pat Lu Ziyang's shoulder.
"When you're done, I'll check your work."
"If it's subpar, you'll face the consequences."
After that, Xie Huaichu pushed the fruit platter toward Jiang Li and softened his tone.
"Teacher Jiang, teaching must be tiring. Have some fruit to soothe your throat."
With that, he left.
As Xie Huaichu entered the living room and closed the sliding door between the living room and the terrace garden, Lu Ziyang let out a long breath and sat back down in his original position.
"Phew, I almost got scared to death by my brother."
"Is he really that scary?" Jiang Li couldn't help but smile as she saw his post-trauma expression.
"Of course he is." Lu Ziyang's expression became exaggerated.
"Didn't you see his face just now? He looked like a monster ready to eat someone."
"I felt like I was trapped in an ice cave."
Hearing this, Jiang Li instinctively glanced toward the living room.
There was no sign of Xie Huaichu anymore.
Looking at the boy who was now buried in his books, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Xie Huaichu returned to his room, feeling an odd, restless energy building in his chest.
Especially when he thought about the smug expression on Lu Ziyang's face earlier, it made the frustration inside him even worse.
That brat really thinks he's clever now, using Jiang Li as his support.
Xie Huaichu undid the button at his shirt's collar, a chill settling in his eyes.
He slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the terrace garden below.
From his vantage point, he could clearly see the two of them with their heads leaning together.
Occasionally, he could hear Lu Ziyang's excited voice and Jiang Li's light laugh.
That made the anger in his chest rise even more.
He couldn't help but clench his fist before turning and heading toward the bathroom.
He needed to calm down. Otherwise, he feared he might throw that brat, Lu Ziyang, out of the window.
Around noon, the butler prepared lunch.
Xie Zhen guo had just returned as well.
Jiang Li was in the garden with Lu Ziyang, tinkering with a robot.
"Did you design this little guy?" Jiang Li was genuinely shocked.
"Yeah." Lu Ziyang nodded obediently.
His eyes never left the new-generation robot in front of him.
"Dou Bao is the first-generation robot."
"I designed it purely for company, for shopping, and to trigger alarms."
"I just wanted to have some fun with it."
"After all, my parents don't have time to spend with me."
As he spoke, he picked up the nearby computer.
He began editing code and testing the new generation of the robot.
Jiang Li watched his proficient movements, her eyes wide with amazement.
"You're so smart. How come you're so bad at Chinese?"
"Specialized." Lu Ziyang raised his head, looking at her seriously.
Jiang Li: "..."
He made a solid point, and she was left speechless.
"Jiang Li, Little Yang." After changing into new clothes, Xie Zhen guo opened the door and waved at them.
"You two, stop working and come eat."
"Alright, Grandpa." Jiang Li replied politely.
She turned back to look at Lu Ziyang. "Is it going to take long?"
Lu Ziyang nodded. "There are still some data that haven't been entered yet."
"Sis, you go ahead. I'll come find you once I'm done."
"Okay." Jiang Li nodded. "Then hurry up, don't let yourself get hungry."
"Don't worry, I will never let my stomach suffer." Lu Ziyang smiled at her, then lowered his head again to type on the keyboard.
Jiang Li made her way to the living room, where Xie Huaichu was already sitting at the dining table.
He had finished his shower and changed into black sportswear.
His hair was neatly combed down, and he wasn't wearing glasses.
He looked just like a friendly older brother.
When he saw Jiang Li approach, he stood up gentlemanly and pulled out her chair for her.
"Thank you." Jiang Li said softly with a smile.
"You're welcome." Xie Huaichu sat back down, his tone calm.
"Jiang Li, was it exhausting teaching Little Yang today?"
"Come on, eat more." Xie Zhen Guo said as he picked up a serving chopstick and added food to her bowl, his face full of kindness.
Jiang Li looked at the mountain of food piling up in her bowl, feeling quite helpless.
"Grandpa, I'm not tired. Little Yang is great, he understands quickly."
Hearing his grandson being praised, Xie Zhen Guo beamed, his eyes nearly disappearing into slits.
"Yes, yes, Little Yang is really smart."
"Especially when it comes to numbers, he's exceptional."
"He always likes to sit with his computer, typing away at a bunch of stuff."
"I can't even understand it. Then, that little robot, Dou Bao, just came to life."
"I liked it so much, I kept Dou Bao by my side to keep me company."
There was a brief pause in his speech, and Xie Zhen Guo looked toward Xie Huaichu.
"When he found out about Little Yang's interest, he immediately set up a lab for him."
"He even selected more than a dozen experts to assist and guide him."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li turned her gaze to Xie Huaichu.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, Xie Huaichu also happened to look at her at the same time.
"You clearly care a lot about Little Yang, so why do you always keep such a serious face, making him scared of you?"
"Is it my fault that he's timid?" Xie Huaichu raised an eyebrow, speaking casually.
"You're just being hypocritical." Jiang Li pouted and muttered softly.
"Jiang Xiaoli." Xie Huaichu didn't catch her words clearly and instinctively frowned.
"Are you talking bad about me?"