WG - 6

Bai Li and Chi Yan’s marriage had no major issues; they were harmonious and respectful towards each other.

But sometimes, having no problems is the biggest problem itself.

Aunt Wang’s voice came.

Bai Li calmly hummed an “Mm.” “Has Master eaten dinner?”

“The driver said he has already eaten.”

“Then prepare hot tea.”

“Alright.”

Aunt Wang acknowledged and turned back to the kitchen.

Chi Zhiyu heard this but didn’t expect Chi Yan to come over. Today wasn’t any special occasion either.

Still pondering, Bai Li casually looked up at her. “Remember to stand for half an hour after eating to digest. Don’t sit right away.”

Hearing her not mention Chi Yan, Chi Zhiyu nodded, forking some lettuce and slowly eating a few bites.

It tasted like chewing wax.

She bit into the lettuce leaf, her thoughts drifting inexplicably to Xie Ye’s house across the way. She wondered what they were having for dinner tonight; there should be meat, right?

Earlier, when dinner was being cooked, Chi Zhiyu smelled a familiar aroma of braised fish coming from across the way.

The smell was quite familiar, and she deduced it was probably braised fish chunks.

Fish.

How pitiful.

Initially, Chi Zhiyu didn’t feel anything, but every time she ate her humble salad and smelled the delicious food across the way, she felt sorry for herself.

And she didn’t know what kind of meat Xie Ye was made of. Every time she saw him eating, it seemed like he ate plenty, yet he never gained weight.

Tsk.

Thinking of this, Chi Zhiyu lost her appetite.

She put down her fork with a soft clink, “I’m full.”

Bai Li glanced at her plate and frowned slightly. “Did you eat so little today?”

Chi Zhiyu honestly replied, “I’m a bit tired.”

Emotionally tired.

Bai Li assumed it was due to the intensity of the afternoon dance training. “Being tired is normal, but you can’t slack off.”

She lowered her eyes and cut the chicken breast, calmly saying, “Mom has told you that if you slack off, you’re giving others opportunities. Understand?”

The meat on the plate was sliced into pieces by the sharp knife for easy consumption.

As Chi Zhiyu listened to her teachings, she watched her wielding the knife and fork.

And the food under the knife.

It really was.

Meat on the cutting board.

At someone’s mercy.

Listening to her saying she couldn’t slack off and had to train,

Chi Zhiyu silently tugged at the corners of her lips and naturally withdrew her gaze. “Alright, continue eating. I’ll go digest first.”

After speaking, she stood up and walked toward the living room, glancing at the corner near the entrance.

Xie Ye’s homework was still hidden there.

Chi Zhiyu stood next to the sofa, quietly waited for a few seconds, and noticed Bai Li, who was always facing away from the living room. She was still eating dinner, making no movements.

After waiting a few more seconds, Chi Zhiyu pursed her lips, feeling inexplicably nervous, and silently moved her steps toward the entrance.

She approached the cabinet, occasionally glancing at Bai Li at the dining table, quickly bending down to pick up the homework from the compartment, preparing to turn around and walk back.

Suddenly, a “click” sounded behind her, and the lock gently moved.

Chi Zhiyu froze, not reacting yet, when the door behind her was suddenly opened.

Her body reacted faster than her mind. Instinctively turning her head, her gaze swept over the person gradually revealed through the gap in the door.

The man, dressed in a familiar suit, exuded a cold aura, handsome, appearing to be in his thirties, not easily guessed to be married.

Upon recognizing the returning man, Chi Zhiyu paused slightly. “Dad.”

Chi Yan didn’t expect to see her immediately upon opening the door. After a brief pause, seeing the dinner laid out behind, he lightly smiled and responded, “Have you eaten?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “Mm, just finished.”

After speaking, she thought for a moment and added, “Have you eaten?”

“Mm, I already ate during the dinner meeting.”

Chi Zhiyu took Chi Yan’s coat and hung it for him.

They both entered the living room together, and Aunt Wang approached, greeted them, and placed the tea on the coffee table.

Bai Li at the dining table noticed the sound, stood up, and glanced at the person entering the house. “You’re back.”

Chi Yan nodded, sat down on the sofa, and seeing what Chi Zhiyu was holding, he turned his head and asked, “Ayu, what’s in your hand?”

“Oh.” Chi Zhiyu slightly tilted her hand and calmly spoke, “My summer homework. I forgot to take it from the cabinet a few days ago and just remembered seeing it.”

“How could I be so careless in doing things?” Bai Li frowned slightly.

“It’s fine,” Chi Yan consoled. “It’s just forgotten. Just don’t forget next time.”

Chi Zhiyu nodded, “Alright, I understand.”

Perhaps noticing her awkwardness, Chi Yan appropriately asked, “In a few days, is school about to start?”

“Soon, in three days.”

This question might be an opening. Usually, after asking this, other questions would follow.

Sure enough, Chi Yan asked again, “Have you finished your summer homework?”

“Mm.” Chi Zhiyu nodded repeatedly. “I’ve finished it.”

The same process, the same conversation.

Chi Zhiyu felt like she was a broken record player, automatically replaying responses when prompted.

After receiving her answer, the atmosphere quieted down.

The topic ended.

And Chi Yan seemed to not have thought of another question yet, while Chi Zhiyu didn’t feel the need to initiate any conversation either.

Ultimately, both sides fell into an awkward yet polite atmosphere.

After a five-second pause, Chi Yan pondered and spoke first, “You’re in your final year of high school now. Is there anything you want that Dad can give you—”

“She doesn’t need anything.”

Bai Li, who had been silent until now, suddenly interjected.

Both Chi Zhiyu and Chi Yan were momentarily stunned.

Bai Li didn’t seem to care, calmly continuing, “Ayu lacks nothing. Whatever she needs, I’ll prepare for her.”

After a few seconds of silence, Chi Yan raised his eyes to look at her and suddenly smiled.

With a smile, the corners of his eyes lifted slightly, instantly dissipating the man’s inherent coldness. “A Li, I’m Ayu’s father. What are you thinking?”

“No.” Bai Li’s eyes were somewhat indifferent. “You’re busy with company affairs; no need to worry about these things.”

Her words were direct and clear.

Upon hearing this, Chi Yan remained calm, neither in a hurry nor angry. He turned his head and calmly addressed Chi Zhiyu, “If there’s anything you want, just tell Dad.”

These words were what Chi Zhiyu liked, and she lightly smiled in response, “Alright, I will.”

Hearing this, Bai Li’s brow furrowed deeply, her tone somewhat heavy. “Ayu, it’s late. Go upstairs and rest.”

This tone wasn’t a suggestion.

It was a command.

Being sent upstairs—

Was exactly what Chi Zhiyu wanted.

After all, putting on a show required skill, which she lacked and couldn’t pull off.

But copying homework also required brains, especially when the homework only contained formulas and answers.

Chi Zhiyu sat at her desk, flipping through Xie Ye’s workbook. Surprisingly, this person hadn’t written his name on the cover.

Otherwise, if Bai Li had seen it earlier, another round of nonsense and explanations would have been necessary.

She glanced at the blank name section, picked up a pen, and kindly wrote his full name for him.

As she finished writing, she licked the corner of her lips, smirking faintly as she added a few more strokes.

Chi Zhiyu looked at Xie Ye’s name, inexplicably smiling, then flipped the pages to start “borrowing” his formulas.

After flipping through a few pages, she rested her chin on one hand, her eyelids half-closed, looking at the messy yet unrestrained handwriting describing centripetal acceleration—

a=rV2=ω2r=(T2π)2r

Chi Zhiyu twirled her pen in her right hand, staring at the formula, her brows furrowing. She glanced at the problem above again, gazing at it for a moment.

She put down the pen and picked up her phone nearby.

...

“Xie Ye! Save me!”

The moment the call connected, the cry for help immediately rang out.

Xie Ye had played a game in the evening and, after taking cold medicine, fell asleep directly due to drowsiness.

In the middle of the night, he was sleeping comfortably when suddenly this call woke him up.

He blindly answered the call without opening his eyes. Hearing the cry for help, his brain hadn’t processed it yet, but he instinctively sat up, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m asking you.”

“Hmm?”

“What’s centripetal acceleration?”

“...”

Xie Ye paused for a moment, taking the phone away from his ear. His eyes, already adjusted to the darkness, were dazzled by the brightness of the screen.

He squinted, using the dim light to check the time on top of the phone.

Midnight twelve o’clock.

Xie Ye closed his eyes, feeling his head throb, enduring while getting up to walk to the window. He reached out and abruptly opened the curtains.

The light in the opposite room was still on.

In the silent night, it was exceptionally bright and prominent.

She really was burning the midnight oil.

Xie Ye squinted at the opposite side, his voice hoarse from sleep and carrying a nasal tone from his cold. “Since when did you become so diligent in studying?”

“You think I want to? School starts in three days,” Chi Zhiyu realized something and corrected herself, “No, it’s two days.”

“School starting is school starting.” Xie Ye irritably clicked his tongue, pulled the curtains, and turned to walk toward the sofa. “Is copying formulas that difficult?”

“You think I’m like you? You’re a top student; I’m not.” Chi Zhiyu rubbed her eyes, yawned, and mumbled unclearly, “If I don’t write the process, Old Man Chen Fuqing will definitely call me out…”

Physics was a subject Chi Zhiyu didn’t like or excel at.

During class, she usually zoned out, so it was no wonder she couldn’t absorb much.

And偏偏Teacher Chen Fuqing, the old teacher, always liked to call on her because she was the only art student in the class and had severe subject bias.

He claimed it was to encourage her to develop comprehensively in all subjects.

But in reality, it was to prevent her from dragging down the class’s physics level.

Chi Zhiyu, fighting off drowsiness, glanced at the time. “Why did you sleep so early today? Not playing games?”

This person, when bored at home, either slept, read books to pass time, or played games.

“I took cold medicine and got sleepy.” Xie Ye sat on the sofa, lazily resting one hand on the armrest, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu sniffed, “Well, you’re awake now. Tell me, top student Xie, how do you solve problems?”

“Formulas are given. Don’t know how to plug numbers into equations?” Xie Ye poured a glass of water, wetting his throat.

Chi Zhiyu was speechless. “Brother, do you not know how many numbers are in the problem?”

“…” Xie Ye counter-questioned, “Can’t write any of them?”

“No, I guessed and calculated the simple ones.” Chi Zhiyu yawned again. “This one is beyond guessing, so I called you.”

Hearing her continuous yawning, Xie Ye frowned. “If you can’t write it, leave it. Why struggle?”

“If I’ve started, I should finish. Besides, I usually play on my phone until one or two in the morning.” Chi Zhiyu’s eyelids drooped, yawning incessantly. “Now doing physics is like taking sleeping pills. I’m so sleepy.”

Xie Ye glanced at the time. “Sleep if you’re sleepy.”

“What about the homework?”

“Teach you tomorrow.”

“Hmm?” Chi Zhiyu opened her eyes, dragging her drowsiness lazily asking, “Who’s teaching me?”

Hearing this, Xie Ye casually asked, “Besides me, who else could there be?”

Unable to resist the drowsiness, Chi Zhiyu mumbled, blurting out a name that popped into her mind, “Jiang Jinxu?”

“…”

Both sides were silent for three seconds.

Then.

Xie Ye spoke, “Don’t sleep. Write it yourself.”