“……”
Wen Tingxue swallowed, her scalp tingling, and heard his countless reminders in her ears.
"If you lie… there will be punishment. Since I, as your senior brother, failed to discipline you properly, I must teach you a good lesson."
"If your brother finds out and settles the score, you'll be the one to suffer."
"Next time you encounter something like this, remember to call your brother, otherwise… your brother will really spank you."
"Student Wen, the ruler in the teacher's hand is not to be trifled with."
"Remember to come to class after evening study tomorrow. Lateness will be punished."
"Don't worry, the ruler is ready."
She had always thought he was just saying it to scare her, but unexpectedly, every word he said was serious.
He had never joked with her.
The little girl stared at the red sandalwood ruler close at hand, imagining how much it would hurt.
Her small face crumpled as she took a step back.
Her back was pressed against the bookshelf, making her look innocent and pitiful.
Yu Wenli chuckled, putting the ruler behind his back, and said slowly, "What are you afraid of? Brother won't hit people for no reason."
"But…"
The little girl's ear tips turned red as she looked up, a sudden idea striking her, "Didn't you say…"
"Yes, brother can't bear to."
As if he had read her mind, he interrupted her before she could finish, his tone still gentle.
Just like when he said 'can't bear to' this afternoon.
The little girl pouted aggrievedly, "Then how can you go back on your word?"
Yu Wenli sighed lightly, feigning helplessness, "Brother really can't bear to, but the teacher can. Who told brother to hold so many positions?"
"…" The little girl was instantly choked.
Her pair of watery apricot eyes looked at him, wronged and utterly unable to refute.
She was extremely cute.
Yu Wenli chuckled, reached out to ruffle her head, and coaxed, "Brother isn't that strict. A little bit of pleading and it will pass."
After a few seconds of stalemate, the little girl let out a resigned whine, her soft, sweet voice almost melting one's heart.
Yu Wenli's throat bobbed, and his normally clear, snow-like eyes suddenly became dark.
He looked at her cherry-like lips for a second, two, three…
The little girl was preoccupied with other thoughts and didn't notice his anomaly until he took a step back and pointed to the large desk nearby, saying, "Sit."
She seemed to snap back to reality and looked up, hesitating, "You… you're only concerned with academics, right?"
Yu Wenli curled his lips, his tone somewhat playful, "Not necessarily. I'm also your senior brother."
"…"
Wen Tingxue suddenly felt as if she had been seen through and quickly ended the conversation, "Let's start the lesson first."
The little girl walked quickly towards the desk.
Yu Wenli didn't continue to expose her and walked over slowly, the ruler placed right before her eyes.
Then he pulled out a chair and said in a tone so serious it was devoid of any familiarity.
"Have you finished the homework assigned for tonight?"
He sat up straight and opened the textbook in front of him. The light reflecting on his glasses was a little cold, but mostly serious.
Wen Tingxue subconsciously treated him as a teacher and replied obediently, "I finished it during evening study."
"Let me see." He extended his hand, his knuckles distinct, his fingertips a light pink.
The little girl quickly found her homework and handed it over.
Yu Wenli read it at a glance, then pointed out a few problems and asked her to explain them herself.
He identified the reasons for her errors from her answers and then told her the correct problem-solving approach.
Yu Wenli's way of explaining problems was very interesting. He didn't explain a problem thoroughly like a teacher.
Instead, he followed her thought process, corrected her mistakes, and made her understand her own sticking points.
Finally, he made her go through the correct approach herself.
This way, it wasn't just one problem that was solved, but many problems of the same type.
After more than forty minutes, Wen Tingxue had grasped many ways of thinking that she hadn't had before.
Her problem-solving speed was so fast that she herself was shocked.
Yu Wenli, on the other hand, looked calm, as if he was used to it.
"That's all for today. Shall we take a break and then practice more?"
Shedding his teacher persona, his tone softened considerably.
Wen Tingxue nodded, "Yes, I'll tidy up and go downstairs."
The Wen family's study didn't have a dedicated place for practicing calligraphy, so she practiced calligraphy at the Yu family's house.
After all, the study downstairs was used for practicing calligraphy.
"Mmm," Yu Wenli picked up his water cup and took a sip, his expression gentle, "Did brother scare you just now?"
Wen Tingxue blinked. To be honest, she was a little scared, but not much.
Yu Wenli was very serious when he was serious, almost entirely different from his usual self.
It was hard to accept at first, but his aura quickly drew you into the situation.
Gradually, you forgot your discomfort and followed his train of thought to complete the task.
Once the task was over, he immediately returned to his original self.
It was as if everything that had happened was an illusion.
But the calculations all over the paper were proof enough that it was real.
Wen Tingxue didn't know what kind of experiences could shape such a personality, but she admired his powerful aura that could influence others.
"Actually… it's alright," the little girl said, cupping her face, "I like you no matter what, Brother Yu."
Besides, to be honest, he was incredibly handsome when he was teaching.
His handwriting was good, his voice was pleasant, and his mind worked quickly.
Sometimes when he pushed his glasses up, she didn't know whether to look at him or the problems.
Yu Wenli smiled, pleased, "Little rabbit is quite good at coaxing people."
"Then…" The little girl glanced at the red sandalwood ruler beside her, her thoughts obvious, "Can you not punish me?"
Although she didn't know his rules, she could roughly guess.
Wrong answers would result in a spanking.
She had gotten four questions wrong.
She didn't want to be spanked.
Not because she was afraid of pain, but… out of embarrassment.
It always felt like getting spanked was something children experienced.
He wasn't that much older than her…
Yu Wenli raised an eyebrow, seeing through her thoughts, "I haven't even told you my rules yet, and Student Wen has already added punishment for herself? You have high standards."
The little girl instantly blushed with embarrassment and stammered, "Then… then what are your rules?"
Yu Wenli didn't answer directly, but instead, he weighed the ruler in his hand and said, "When it's time to settle the overall score, little junior sister will know."
He emphasized 'little junior sister' at this moment, and Wen Tingxue's heart immediately panicked. If the matter of her lying was exposed, she… she couldn't even imagine.
"I, I'll go get some water."
"I'll help you."
Yu Wenli got up to leave. Wen Tingxue cradled her face and looked at the red sandalwood ruler, various scenarios flashing through her mind.
The more she thought, the redder her face became.
Finally, unable to bear it, she stood up, preparing to go downstairs to practice calligraphy and calm her mind.
She had only taken two steps when Yu Wenli's phone, which he had left behind, rang.
Fearing it was something urgent, Wen Tingxue picked it up and went out with it.
"Brother Yu, you have a call."
Downstairs, Yu Wenli said nonchalantly, "Answer it for me."
"Oh…"
The little girl saw that there was no name saved on the caller ID and assumed it was an unimportant call, so she swiped to answer.
"Hello…?"
As soon as she spoke, a tearful female voice came from the other end, "Wen Li Gege…"
Wen Tingxue blinked with a complicated expression. She remembered that Yu Wenli's private number wasn't easily obtained.