Part 3
Bai Sinian: “Teacher, I still have a lot of areas where I need to improve. When we get to senior year, the school teachers will conduct systematic reviews. For now, how about you give me more actual exam papers to practice with?”
The teacher smiled: “You have a good grasp of the systematic knowledge. I do have plenty of materials. How about thisāeach time, I’ll give you a test paper. After you finish it, bring it back, and I’ll go over the mistakes and difficult problems with you.”
Bai Sinian: “Great, that sounds perfect!”
Ā This targeted review method was incredibly helpful for a top student like Bai Sinian.
In his heart, Bai Sinian was deeply grateful to the teacher, but even more so to Shen Bei. After all, it was thanks to Shen Bei that he was able to have such an excellent home tutor without spending any money.
To be precise, it was all thanks to Shen Bei’s wealthy brother, who had hired the tutor.
During a break, Bai Sinian went to the bathroom. Even the toilets in rich people’s homes were smart.
As he walked out of the bathroom, still marveling at the smart toilet, a cool, pleasant male voice suddenly called out from behind him: “Bai Sinian.”
Bai Sinian stopped in his tracks, turning around to see Lu Ming.
Even though he had been coming to Shen Bei’s house for tutoring for a while, it was the first time he had seen Lu Ming at home!
Bai Sinian: “Lu Ming gege.” (Elder Brother Lu Ming)
Lu Ming, tall and dressed in comfortable house clothes, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, walked over and asked, “Xiao Bei’s seventeenth birthday is next week. He hopes you all can come to celebrate.”
Ah, Shen Bei is only turning seventeen!
Bai Sinian had almost forgotten his birthday, though he had memorized the birthdays of all four band members by heart.
Bai Sinian: “Of course, I’ll definitely be there.” He smiled.
Lu Ming paused for a moment: “Don’t go overboard. He doesn’t like that.”
Bai Sinian laughed: “Haha, I know. I’ll make sure to hold Cui Yeyi back. As long as he doesn’t do anything too outrageous, Xiao Bei won’t feel socially embarrassed!”
A trace of satisfaction appeared in Lu Ming’s eyes: “You know Xiao Bei well.”
Bai Sinian: “Of course, he’s like our little brother. We all take good care of him.”
Lu Ming nodded: “Heās mentioned you all to me. He says you’re good to him.”
Bai Sinian knew that their adorable Shen Bei would speak highly of them. He grinned, baring his teeth, and thought this was the perfect opportunity to thank Lu Ming in person. After all, Lu Ming had spent a lot of money on Shen Bei’s tutoring, and they had all benefited from it.
Bai Sinian solemnly expressed his gratitude: “Lu Ming gege, thank you for hiring the tutor. We’ve all benefited greatly. We can’t repay you, but we’ll treat Shen Bei like our own younger brother.”
Lu Ming nodded. That was indeed his goal. As long as Shen Bei’s friends treated him sincerely, he didnāt mind spending moneyāhe just wanted Shen Bei to be happy.
Lu Ming: “You all should focus on your studies.” With that, Lu Ming turned and headed upstairs.
Bai Sinian called after him: “We definitely will! We wonāt waste your money!”
At the same time, Bai Sinian found himself in a bit of a dilemma. He needed to buy a gift for Shen Beiās birthday, but Shen Bei was a rich kid with impeccable taste.
Ugh, more money to spend, and he still hadnāt saved enough to replace his broken phone.
Was there any gift that wouldnāt cost too much but could still express his sincerity?
He needed to think it over and discuss it with the others. Otherwise, with Cui Yeyiās wild ideas, heād probably suggest giving Shen Bei a private performanceāand Bai Sinian didnāt want Shen Bei to experience social embarrassment like what had happened at the award ceremony again.
After finishing the tutoring session, Bai Sinian returned to his dorm room, exhausted, and collapsed onto his bed.
Bai Sinian: “Ah, Iām only seventeen, why do I already feel like Iām living the broke life of a working adult?!”
“Ahhhhhh!” Bai Sinian shouted at the ceiling.
Suddenly, a familiar voice interrupted him: “What are you doing?”
Bai Sinian jumped up in shock. Bian Rui was standing in the room.
Bai Sinian: “Bian Rui?! When did you get back to the dorm?” he asked, shocked.
Bian Rui, unfazed, replied calmly: “Iāve been here the whole time. Didn’t you see me?”
Bai Sinian recalled that his mind had been preoccupied earlier, so much so that he hadnāt noticed the open door or the lights being on.
Clutching his head, he groaned: “Ahhh, I must be so tired Iām losing it.”
Then, suddenly switching gears, Bai Sinian asked, “Bian Rui, why are you back? Is Auntie feeling better?”
Bian Rui smiled slightly, impressed by how quickly Bai Sinian could switch tones. “Sheās better now. But what about you? Whatās bothering you?”
Bai Sinian: “Iām just really tired. Iām going to take a shower and go to bed. Weāve got early morning study tomorrow!”
With that, Bai Sinian jumped off the bed, grabbed his pajamas from the wardrobe, and dashed into the bathroom.
Bian Rui pretended to tidy up his things, but as soon as he heard the sound of running water in the bathroom, he quickly moved over to Bai Sinian’s bed and retrieved his phone from under the pillow.
Seeing the cracked screen, Bian Rui frowned.
Earlier that day, he had gone to check the security footage and the police had reviewed the video as well. It was clear that Bai Sinian had accidentally bumped into someone, and in the process, dropped his phone and cracked the screen. So, it was reasonable that there wouldnāt be any compensation for the damage.
But Bian Rui knew that Bai Sinian had done it to help chase away the paparazzi.
In the end, Bai Sinian had broken his phone while helping him. And since Bai Sinian hadnāt mentioned anything about compensation over the past two days, it seemed like he was willing to bear the loss quietly. Bian Rui felt a pang of guilt and thought he ought to do something for him.
He put the phone back in its place, pretending nothing had happened.
Meanwhile, Bai Sinian stayed in the bathroom for a long time, letting the shower run. His eyes were a bit dazed as water trickled down his finely chiseled features. Hidden under the cover of the shower, he was lost in his thoughts.
The sound of the water echoed in the shower, mirroring the boyās inner musings.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
He had recently commissioned an artist to create chibi (Q-version) drawings of the four band members. The deadline was approaching.
Maybe he could check if the drawings were ready, pay the remaining fee, and then turn the chibis into acrylic keychains as gifts! The team spirit could start with some fan merchandise!
After all, he had already spent over 2,000 yuan on commissioning the four chibi drawings!
Bai Sinian quickly turned off the shower, dried himself off, and, wearing only his boxers, rushed out of the bathroom. He ran straight to his bedside, grabbed his phone, and squinted at the screen as he tapped away.
His lightning-fast movements startled Bian Rui, who was sitting at the desk. Bian Rui turned to see Bai Sinian, now completely absorbed in his phone.
Bai Sinian’s upper body was exposed, his skin smooth and pale like snow, his muscles finely defined. He exuded a youthful energy and strength. But his expression looked like that of an old man squinting at a phone on the subway, constantly adjusting the angle of the broken screen to see clearly.
Bian Rui couldnāt help but chuckle. Despite the cracked screen, Bai Sinian was still determined to use the phone, further solidifying a certain idea in Bian Ruiās mind.
Bai Sinian: “Bian Rui, Bian Rui, next week is Shen Beiās birthday. Iām planning to gift him a keychain! You all will get one too!” Bai Sinian finally looked up from his phone, grinning at Bian Rui.
He met Bian Rui’s gaze and realized that Bian Rui had been watching him the whole time.
Bian Rui didnāt avert his eyes. Instead, it was Bai Sinian who suddenly became shy. He crossed his arms over his chest and exclaimed: “Ah, I forgot to put on a shirt!”
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