The anchor I was supposed to meet turned out to be my student.

I touched my nose, thinking to myself that my sister's thoughts have become harder to fathom as she's grown up. She used to confide in me about everything, big and small, but now she's become reserved.

When they arrived at Xin Ning's dorm, only one roommate was there. She had already made her bed and was sitting in a chair browsing her phone. When she saw her new roommate, Hua Xin Ning, her eyes lit up. She stood up, took Xin Ning's hands, and greeted her warmly: "Nice to meet you. My name is Fei Di. What's yours?"

Xin Ning was startled by Fei Di's excessive enthusiasm. She subconsciously pulled her hand away from Fei Di's hand, hid behind me, grabbed my clothes, and only showed half of her head, watching Fei Di warily.

She was just being a little temperamental with me, but now she's snuggling up to me. It seems she really can't live without me...

Seeing that Fati looked a little embarrassed, I smoothed things over by saying, "My sister is a bit shy, so she's not used to your enthusiasm just now..."

Fati looked like she knew what was going on, and then turned to me and said, "Are you her brother? I feel like I've seen you somewhere before... Oh, I remember now, you're Professor Hua Tusheng, the third-year counselor in our School of Management. I've seen your picture in the faculty handbook."

"I'm her older brother..."

My mom had her tubal ligation done after giving birth to me, but later felt that the house wasn't lively enough and wanted a girl, so she adopted Xin Ning, who was only three years old. I was already in elementary school at the time and knew that Xin Ning was adopted, but Xin Ning was too young to understand, and we never mentioned it to her, so she didn't know that she was adopted. Even so, my parents and I always treated her as our closest relative, which is why Xin Ning's looks are so much better than mine.

Seeing how Xin Ning relied on me, Fei Di joked, "You two siblings have such a good relationship. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were her boyfriend."

Hua Xinning blushed at Fei Di's teasing and dared not raise her head.

"Alright, Xinning, your classmate is greeting you, you should do something in return." I pulled Xinning out from behind me.

Hua Xinning hesitated for a moment before saying, "My name is Hua Xinning..."

Undeterred, Fei Di once again approached Xin Ning with a smile and put her arm around hers, ignoring Xin Ning's embarrassment as she said, "Then Xin Ning, we're best friends from now on, so get along well!"

"Um……"

Fei Di herself is a pretty girl with a strong, assertive aura. When she's embracing Xin Ning, who seems so vulnerable, the scene is quite beautiful. Who says you have to be a perfect couple to attract attention? Two beautiful girls standing together is also pleasing to the eye, isn't it?

Seeing that Xin Ning no longer resisted Fei Di, I felt much relieved. She was trying to change.

So I started cleaning the bed for Xin Ning. Just as I was about to make the sheets for her, Xin Ning said, "Brother, I can do it myself. Let me do it."

Xin Ning is quite capable at housework, especially cooking. She inherited a lot of her mother's skills. Although Bi Antong loves my cooking, Xin Ning's cooking is much better than mine. So there's no doubt about her housework skills. I felt very comfortable letting her make the bed.

But just as Xin Ning climbed the ladder, she suddenly collapsed back to the ground. Fei Di and I quickly helped her up. We saw her rubbing her temples, her face pale.

"Is your headache acting up again?" I asked with concern. Xin Ning has been anemic since she was a child, and no amount of medicine and supplements could completely cure it. In addition, the weather is too hot now, and we have been walking in the sun for so long, so it is inevitable that she will have a headache. That's why she wears a hat and carries an umbrella when she goes out, just to reduce sun exposure.

Fei Di helped her to a chair, while I tidied up Xin Ning's bed and folded her clothes into the closet. I thought Xin Ning would be okay with me folding her underwear like she was in middle school, since we're family. But she called out to me excitedly.

"Brother, let me do that myself..." Xin Ning said somewhat embarrassedly.

I don't have any reservations; it just shows that she's really grown up and knows how to protect her privacy.

"Xin Ning, why don't you go to bed and rest for a while? You can fold the clothes later. Anyway, there's nothing else to do today after completing the enrollment documents."

Xin Ning obediently responded, and then, under my watchful eye, slowly climbed onto the bed and lay down.

"I'll go now and get busy. I'll come find you later."

"An, brother, go ahead and do your work. I'll take good care of myself."

Before leaving, I said to Fei Di, "If Xin Ning is still feeling unwell anywhere, please let me know. Thank you."

Fidi nodded, indicating that she would take good care of Xin Ning, and then we exchanged contact information.

After giving my instructions, I left the dorm with a sense of relief, but I felt a little regretful. I had planned to take Xin Ning out for a stroll around Shanghai today, but I didn't expect things to turn out this way. It seems I'll have to make it up to her another time.

(To be continued...)

Chapter 4, Chapter 59. The Little Girl Who Needs a Discipline (Fourth Update)

Back in my office, just as I was about to finish the work I hadn't had time to do that morning, my supervisor, Deputy Director Jiang, came to my office for the first time. I quickly put down my work, asked him to sit down, and made him a pot of tea.

I have a good impression of this boss. I remember when I asked him about the reason why the previous tutor was dismissed, his open-minded views on teacher-student relationships were quite to my liking.

"Why did Director Jiang suddenly come to see me today?" I asked, pouring him a cup of tea.

"Let's see if Xiaohua is getting used to working at our college."

I smiled and said, "Everything is fine, similar to what I did in the Chemistry Department before."

After taking a sip of tea, Director Jiang said, "You'll get used to it. I was worried that young people wouldn't adapt well to a new work environment..."

After a brief pause, Director Jiang looked at me again and said, "Actually, I came here today because I need your help with a small matter..."

"Tell me, and I'll see if I can help." Sure enough, this was the important matter, but I wasn't bothered by it. As my boss, he didn't call me to come to him; instead, he came to my office in person, which showed him great sincerity.

Director Jiang said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's like this, my youngest daughter is in the third year of junior high school this year, but her grades are not ideal. She's also very rebellious at this age and simply won't accept tutoring from my wife and me. Her older sister, who is more obedient, is studying at a university in another city. We've found other tutors, but their grades haven't improved either. She's about to enter high school, and it's driving our whole family crazy..."

I can understand Director Jiang's feelings. As an educator, she felt ashamed that she couldn't even teach her own daughter well.

"It's normal for young children not to understand the importance of studying. I was like that when I was young, but I gradually matured when I got to high school..."

Director Jiang said helplessly, "I understand perfectly well, but now it's time for her to go to high school. Going to a better high school would be better for her future, and I don't want her to regret it... That's why I wanted to ask you for a favor and ask you to be our daughter's tutor."

"But I have no experience as a tutor..." Although I am called a teacher, I am just a counselor and have nothing to do with knowledge education.

“That’s alright. I know you were among the top students in university, and you’re an educator, so you should have some experience. Most importantly, I’d feel more at ease if you were my daughter’s tutor. I wouldn’t feel comfortable having another male tutor…”

That's true. After all, his daughter is still young and lacks the ability to distinguish right from wrong. It would be terrible if she encountered a male teacher with ulterior motives.

"Of course, I won't take up too much of your time. I'll have my daughter come to your office early after school, and you'll only need to tutor her for about an hour each afternoon after work. I'll also pay you double the market rate..."

I immediately waved my hand to interrupt him, saying, "No need for any reward or anything, it's just a small favor, it won't take much time at all..."

But Director Jiang clearly felt bad and insisted on giving me payment. In the end, I had no choice but to compromise and tell him to just give me the normal payment, not double...

……

After seeing Director Jiang off, I sat back down and carefully considered what I had just agreed to. The most important conclusion I came to was that I wasn't as bad as Bi Antong made me out to be. Otherwise, Director Jiang wouldn't have entrusted her daughter to me for private tutoring. I felt inexplicably more confident...

Before I knew it, it was already noon. I sent a message to Xin Ning to ask if she was feeling better and if she had eaten. She replied that her head no longer hurt and that she was having lunch with her roommates. Seeing that she could integrate into dormitory life, I, who am not really a father, felt gratified.

I went out for lunch and returned to my office to rest, only to find that Bi Antong hadn't come to my office to rest today. I called her out of concern.

"Hello, what's up?" A somewhat indifferent voice came from the other end of the phone.

"...Aren't you taking a lunch break today?"

"I'll just take a nap in the classroom."

You didn't say that in bed last night...

While I was blow-drying her hair in bed, she said she would come to my office every noon to check if I was taking advantage of Lu Xiaojun...

"Why didn't you come to my office today? It's cooler here than in the classroom with the air conditioning."

"Mind your own business! Go enjoy your time alone with your partner!"

Her tone was like that of a two-faced person, and then the call was disconnected. I felt like she was on fire today, speaking so aggressively... I had no idea what she was talking about. Where is anyone here? Is she some kind of five-fingered girl?

Thinking back to her ignoring me this morning, I was completely baffled. What went wrong? Was the breakfast I made not good enough? Or did she get her period...?

So I decided to call Lu Xiaojun as well. She was also unresponsive to me this morning, which is a bit frustrating.

"Hello, teacher, is there anything I can help you with?" The exact same tone...

"I..." I was too embarrassed to speak for a moment.

"If the teacher has nothing else, I'll hang up now..."

"Xiaojun, wait a minute, I want to ask... are you on your period today?"

"What the hell are you saying? You're so annoying!"

Then there was a "beep," and well, the call was disconnected again...

It's pretty much confirmed that she really is on her period, otherwise the well-behaved and adorable Lu Xiaojun wouldn't have spoken to me in this tone. It's quite a coincidence that Xiaojun and Bi Antong arrived at the same time. I had heard from my biology teacher that girls living together for a long time would gradually have their menstrual cycles become similar, and it seems that was true, because the two of them used to be roommates.

Suddenly, I realized that having some free time and not having them chattering around me felt a little strange. I kind of missed Luo Yao, that troublemaker. Although she really knew how to make me laugh, I couldn't resist her beauty and sweet voice. Even being stepped on by her felt sweet...

Another boring afternoon passed. When it was time to leave work, I was packing up to check on Xin Ning to see if she was adjusting well when the office door opened. It was Director Jiang, and beside him was a beautiful young woman with bright eyes and white teeth who made people happy.

"Yan Yi, quickly call him Brother Hua."

Jiang Yan greeted with a smile, "Uncle Hua."

My face, which had been all smiles, suddenly darkened...

"How can you talk like that, first-year graduate student? Your brother Hua is only in his twenties, why are you calling him 'uncle'!" Director Jiang scolded, then turned to me apologetically, "My daughter is a bit mischievous, please don't take it to heart..."

Of course I wouldn't hold it against her, so I said nonchalantly, "I didn't take it to heart. It's normal to be a little mischievous at this age."

"Uncle Hua is so kind, Uncle Hua is so generous~"

That little girl definitely did it on purpose! But I couldn't be rude, so I just smiled and didn't show that I minded.

"Then I'll leave the tutoring of the first-year graduate students to you. I have to take care of something now and will come back to pick them up later."

Then Director Jiang passed this troublesome little girl to me...

"Listen to me, call me Brother Hua!" Since Director Jiang isn't here, I have to adopt the demeanor of a strict teacher.

(The male protagonist's tutoring job is a prelude to his later entrepreneurship... There's more to come...)

Chapter 5, Question 60: Who is the real winner? (Fifth update)

A teacher, especially a competent one, must first establish authority in the hearts of students, making them tremble with fear, before he can conduct effective education. I understood this principle when I first became a counselor, and now I want to plant a seed of reverence in Jiang Yanyi's heart.

"What are you still thinking about? Call her!" I looked at Jiang Yanyi, who wasn't very tall, with a serious expression.

Sure enough, her family was too gentle with her. After I teased her like that, Jiang Yan immediately shrank back and obediently called out, "Brother Hua..."

That's right, that's what a good kid is like. Calling him Brother Hua feels much better than calling him Uncle Hua.

I felt a little smug. Even university students would be intimidated by my intimidation, let alone a little girl.

Jiang Yan smiled when she saw me, then took my hand and said in a sweet voice, "Brother Hua, could you lend me your phone? I want to call my dad; I left something in his car."

She's actually quite cute when she's not being naughty, so without thinking much of it, I took out my phone and gave it to her.

But after a while, she still didn't put the phone to her ear to make a call, so I frowned and asked, "Is it okay not yet?"

Jiang Yan glanced at me and quickly said, "Almost there, I'm thinking of a phone number..."

"I have your dad's number in my contacts, let me find it for you." I thought she was being too slow.

"No need, I remembered it's in my backpack." Jiang Yan handed the phone back to me.