Therefore, when Ye Qianâs gang came to visit, Sister Li treated them as guests of honor.
When I entered the living room, I saw the 3 sisters sitting on the sofa. They were so gentle and pretty. It was a feast for the eyes!
Sister Li told me excitedly, âMiss, you should have told me we have guests! Your classmates and friends have been here for quite a while already.â
I glanced at my guests and smiled.?What is going on?
Ye Qian stood up to shake my hand. âNanxing, youâre finally home! I have no idea the studies for Chinese high school students are so difficult. It has been so long since we saw each other, look at you, you have lost so much weight.â She studied me carefully and her eyes were filled with incomparable heartache.
Sister Li was instantly moved by her concern for me.
I gently pushed her hand away and smiled. âWhy have you all come to visit me today? How can I help you?â I handed my school bag to Sister Li and took a sip of the milk that the maid served me. I saw the disdain clearly in Nanyangâs eyes. When I was at the Nan Family, I would never receive a treatment like this. She must be thinking that I was purposely putting on airs.
Ye Qian turned to Gu Yan and Nanyang with a smile before saying, âWe havenât seen each other since the annual party. But Gu Yan and I have been spending a lot of time with your big sister, Nanyang. Iâve missed you so much. Your beauty and refinement have created a lasting impression in me. Since weâre free today, I begged Nanyang to bring us to come see you.â Then she turned to Gu Yan.
Gu Yan had been sizing me up since I walked in. Now she smiled and said in a gentle voice. âI hear that Jing Tian is your teacher?â
I smiled. âYes.â
Gu Yan nodded. âHeâs going to be a lecturer at M University in the fall so he took you guys on as practice. He was the top scorer in his university entrance exam.â Gu Yan twisted her fingers together as she spoke. This was probably the excuse she had been feeding herself to make her feel better.
It seemed like she had not given up on Jing Tian. Jing Tian probably was too much of a gentleman to crush her heart. It was why Gu Yan was still hanging on.
Nanyang said with a smile, âYes, Big Sister Yan might not know this but Master Qi has been very strict with Nanxing and Jing Ni. If they fail a question, Master Qi will hit them. Nanxingâs hands are often swollen!â As she said this, she covered her mouth and giggled.
Gu Yan seemed to enjoy hearing this.
âOnce we went to Master Qiâs house to visit them. Because Nanxing made too much mistakes in her paper, Master Qi punished her to do 100 frog jumps. You should have been there, Nanxing looked so ugly that day!â She started laughing to herself.
I looked at her and smiled. The reason for Nanyangâs birth was to insult me after all.
Gu Yan let out a long sigh of relief. She said earnestly, âNanxing, you mustnât blame Jing Tian. He only wants the best for you. You have to be understanding to him.â It sounded like she was persuading an unruly student on behalf of Jing Tian. She sounded like my teacherâs wife.
I replied with a smile. âIn fact, Teacher treats me very well. No matter how busy he is, he will check my papers. Whenever I have a question to ask him, he would answer them patiently, he would never get angry no matter how slow I am. My teacher is the best teacher in the world. So I have to work hard or else I would have disappointed him.â
My words pierced into Gu Yanâs heart like bullets. She almost fainted. Thankfully Ye Qian was there to catch her.
Nanyangâs face dropped and she berated, âNanxing, how can you trouble Master Qi like that? He has so many things to deal with, he doesnât have time for your petty problems. You shouldnât even trouble him with your homework. How inconsiderate can you be?!â
I looked at her blankly. âEven Miss Gu knows that teacher will be guest lecturing at M University in fall. Heâs only using Jing Ni and I as practice students. Teacher has Mother Kong to look after him so thereâs no need for us to be so worried about him. So why is big sister so concerned? I understand it now, your heart aches for Teacher, right?â
Nanyangâs face shifted drastically. Gu Yanâs eyes fired at Nanyang. If gaze could kill, Nanyang would be dead already.
âNanxing, how can you say that? Youâre doing this on purpose, arenât you?â Nanyang hissed at me.
I looked puzzled. âBig Sister, what have I done? Regardless, I apologize to you.â
Nanyangâs face turned red with anger.