Chapter 160: Delivering Something

Shen Qing slowly finished the candy in her mouth before raising her eyes to look at Gu Ting.

"You are no longer a teacher, and besides, you lack professional ethics."

Gu Ting was momentarily taken aback. "Well said."

The man lowered his gaze to look at her, mimicking her posture as he leaned against the railing with a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Shen Qing glanced at him sideways. "Degenerate."

Gu Ting narrowed his eyes and grabbed the young woman's hand, pulling her along.

"Let go," Shen Qing said coldly.

"Let's go tutor you first; this semester is ending soon." Gu Ting did not let go. After a brief pause, he added, "Teacher Xie gave special permission for me to tutor you."

Shen Qing pressed her lips together and remained silent for a moment before speaking, "I can walk by myself."

"Your hands are quite cold. How many layers are you wearing?" Gu Ting refused to release her hand and began changing the subject.

"..."

***

Once the two reached the office, Gu Ting finally let go of Shen Qing's hand. The room was scented with calming incense, and the familiar fragrance greeted Shen Qing the moment she stepped inside.

Gu Ting turned up the air conditioning a notch and poured the young woman a cup of hot water. "Here, warm yourself up."

Shen Qing glanced at the cutely styled mug and took it slowly.

"Drink it later, watch out for the heat." Gu Ting pulled out a chair for her.

Shen Qing gave an affirmative hum. "I know." She was not a child; could she really burn herself?

"How have you been sleeping these past two days?" Gu Ting sat down beside Shen Qing. When she had rushed away from the airport last time, he hadn't given her the calming incense yet.

With practiced ease, Shen Qing pulled open a drawer and fished out a piece of chocolate. "Not bad."

Over the weekend, she had taken the modified sleeping pills provided by Old Qi, and the effects were passable.

***

Gu Ting watched the young woman's practiced movements and chuckled softly. He took a small, silver, semi-hollow spherical charm from his pocket. Looking closely, the letter Q was engraved upon it.

"What is this?" Shen Qing glanced at it. The sphere was attached to a thin red cord—it looked remarkably like the one Gu Ting had used to tie her hair.

No wonder she had felt something was missing from Erniu earlier.

"Made by an elder in my family. It has the property of soothing the nerves and aiding sleep."

Shen Qing narrowed her eyes. "A perfumer?" She had never heard of anyone in the Gu family dabbling in fragrance crafting.

"Not quite, she just happens to be interested in the field," Gu Ting replied with a smile.

"Shall I put it on for you?"

"Mm." Shen Qing extended her right hand. This trinket would genuinely be useful to her.

Gu Ting lowered his gaze. The lucky charm had been woven into a slender, braided cord, and he fastened it onto Shen Qing with utmost care. The young woman's skin was exceptionally fair, the delicate patterns of the veins visible beneath the skin of her wrist.

"All done." Gu Ting placed her hand back down.

Shen Qing stared at the small trinket on her wrist for a couple of seconds. "How much."

"Money is far too vulgar, how about something else in return?" Gu Ting asked with a smile, his gaze shifting from her eyes to her lips.

Shen Qing froze for a second, then glared at him. "Take it back if you don't want to."

Gu Ting did not tease her further; he took out a textbook and began explaining the concepts to her.

***

After evening self-study, Shen Qing walked back together with Nie Huan.

"We're here." Nie Huan took out her keys and unlocked the door.

Hearing the door open, Nie Er hurried over to the entryway accompanied by Erniu.

"Big Sister Shen Qing!"

"Woof woof woof!" Seeing Shen Qing, Erniu spun around in circles with delight.

"Mm." Shen Qing smiled at Nie Er. The little girl had gained quite a bit of weight since before, though she hadn't grown much taller, and the scar on her face had completely vanished.

"Big Sister Shen Qing, did you come to take Erniu away?" Nie Er asked, torn between joy and sorrow. Having lived with Erniu for so long, the little girl had developed a deep attachment to the dog.

Shen Qing smiled, squatting down to speak with Nie Er. "If Xiao Yu misses Erniu, I'll have your sister bring you to see it."

Nie Er's eyes lit up as she looked up at Nie Huan. "Can we? Big Sister."

Nie Huan smiled and nodded. "Mm."

Shen Qing swept a glance over the interior of the apartment. It was warmly decorated, clearly Nie Er's handiwork.

"Alright, I'm taking Erniu back now." Shen Qing snapped her fingers, and Erniu let out an appreciative bark on cue.

"Erniu, wave goodbye."

Hearing Shen Qing's command, Erniu lifted one of its front paws and waved it twice at Nie Huan and Nie Er.

"Goodbye, Erniu." Nie Er waved back at the dog.

Shen Qing looked at Nie Huan. "We're leaving."

"Mm."

Shen Qing scooped Erniu up with one hand and turned to walk out the door.

"Big Sister, why didn't the little bell on Big Sister Shen Qing's hand make a sound?"

Nie Huan paused in surprise. A bell?

During evening self-study, Shen Qing hadn't been wearing anything on her wrist. Was it a gift from Teacher Gu?