Chapter 125: The Perilous Path of Retaliation

During evening study hall, Gu Ting was explaining a problem to Shen Qing.

“This question can be solved using the Pythagorean theorem to find the length of this right-angle side,” Gu Ting said, pointing with his finger before looking up at the girl beside him. “Do you remember the Pythagorean theorem I told you about a few days ago?”

“I think so,” Shen Qing replied, resting her chin on one hand, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly as her eyes lowered.

Gu Ting pushed the pen toward her. “You try calculating this side’s length.”

Shen Qing picked up the pen and quickly wrote an equation on the paper: 15² – 9² =

“Good, the setup is correct. Now just calculate the difference and take the square root,” Gu Ting nodded with a smile.

“Oh,” Shen Qing leaned over the desk and wrote out the subtraction in long form.

“See? Math isn’t that hard,” Gu Ting leaned closer to speak to her.

Shen Qing frowned and said irritably, “Sorry, you’re blocking the light.”

Gu Ting paused, then smiled at her small frown before straightening up.

Once the answer was calculated, Gu Ting took out a piece of chocolate and offered it to her. “Have a snack before continuing.”

“Oh,” Shen Qing glanced at it and then put down her pen.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Shen Qing popped the chocolate into her mouth, noticing Gu Ting’s gaze fixed steadily on her face, barely blinking.

“Nothing much, just surprised. You’re quite talented—good at many things, including a bit of medicine,” Gu Ting said, pouring her a glass of water and placing it within reach.

Shen Qing’s eyes briefly narrowed as she met Gu Ting’s gaze. The man’s face held a constant smile, his slightly upturned eyes giving him a mischievous air.

“Is putting a dislocated joint back in considered medical skill?” Shen Qing sipped her water.

“I’d say so. Dongfang Cheng wouldn’t be able to do that,” Gu Ting replied, pulling out a tissue to wipe some water from the corner of her mouth.

“I’m not fussy about that,” Shen Qing leaned back slightly, dodging his hand and wiping it off herself.

“Oh,” Gu Ting lowered his eyes and responded softly.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend. Want to grab a meal together?” Gu Ting then pulled out another piece of chocolate and offered it.

Shen Qing glanced at his hand but didn’t take it. “No, I have plans.”

“All right, then maybe another time,” Gu Ting said, tearing open the wrapper and holding the chocolate near her lips. “Eat it or it’ll go bad.”

“Okay.” Shen Qing reached out and took the chocolate, accidentally knocking a stack of draft papers off the side with her school uniform sleeve.

Before she could move, Gu Ting had already crouched down to pick them up.

On Shen Qing’s scattered drafts were all sorts of things—various doodles, numerous equations, even basic sums like 12 + 9 written out to be calculated.

Gu Ting patiently picked them up one by one, neatly stacking the papers. The last sheet featured a drawing of a garment resembling a cheongsam, with vintage-style collar and sleeves, and a modern flair to the skirt’s hem.

“That’s beautifully drawn,” Gu Ting remarked as he stood and placed the drafts on the desk.

“Thank you,” Shen Qing glanced at him, then shifted all the papers to her side, taking the cheongsam sketch from the top and placing it underneath the pile again.

“You might want to consider the arts exam route,” Gu Ting said, resting both hands on the desk as he looked at her.

Shen Qing had great talent in both sports and art, though pursuing athletics as a girl would be tough, while art might be a better path.

She looked up at him and said deliberately, “The art program at Jing University isn’t that great.”

Gu Ting was momentarily taken aback—so she intended to go to Jing University.

“Sports aren’t all that either,” she added, seeing through his thoughts.

Gu Ting smiled and picked up his pen again. “Then you’ll have to study hard. No slacking off.”

“Mm,” the girl replied somewhat perfunctorily.

Gu Ting said no more and focused on teaching Shen Qing.

To help her turn things around in such a short time and get into Jing University… well, that was quite a challenge.

***

On the weekend, Shen Qing stayed home all day, finally finishing the design sketch for the cheongsam.

No sooner had her pen left the paper than the phone rang.

“Little Empress, are you done drawing yet?” came the voice on the other end.

At once, Shen Qing knew it was the nagging voice she dreaded.

“Yeah, it’s finished. I’ll send you the digital version soon and mail the physical copy later.”

“Alright! I’m hanging up then,” Old Cui said happily, cutting the call quickly.

Shen Qing looked at the now-blank screen with a click of her tongue.

She was getting bolder, even daring to hang up before her.