78 Fire away!
“My dear nephew, why are you walking back and forth?” Gu Yanxi couldn’t help but ask when he saw his nephew was giving him dizziness. Had he not been so dizzy, he wouldn’t have asked him the reason.
Gu Shangyan looked at his uncle and then sighed. Again, he went walking back and forth.
“Will you at least tell me what’s the matter? Tell you uncle, he can do anything,” Gu Yanxi said as he patted his chest in satisfaction.
Gu Shangyan looked at him and then muttered, “You can’t marry the woman you have been crushing for seventeen years. What makes you think you can help me?”
“Ouch, it was a low blow, my dear ancestor,” Gu Yanxi dramatically muttered. “My Yanyan will marry me one day.”
“Yes, when both of you will have grey hair and toothless grins,” Gu Shangyan commented and Gu Yanxi glared at him.
“Say something nice about me and my Yanyan quickly or I’m getting offended,” Gu Yanxi said as he looked at his annoying uncle.
Gu Shangyan took a step next to his uncle and asked, “Can you please tell me how you rejected someone like Aunt Qinyan all those years back? Did you not think at that time that one day you will be chasing her and she will be giving you cold shoulder?”
“You know what son? There are two kinds of women in a man’s life,” Gu Yanxi said as he stared at his nephew’s face. “Your mama was my first love, my first girlfriend and my first choice for a wife. And I knew this when I was eighteen, newly in love and knew nothing about the world. I thought all these because I thought the feelings I had for her were that of love. Perhaps, it was.”
“But the relationship that I and Yanyan had couldn’t be described in my words. If your mom could be called my white moonlight then Yanyan is a vermillion birthmark in my heart,” Gu Yanxi smiled.
“Why don’t you say in simple words that you are a two-timer who couldn’t decide which woman you wanted,” Gu Shangyan said as he made a bad face. “Thankfully, my mama fell for my father or else she would have suffered a lot.”
“Are you sure you are my nephew? How can you not be sensitive to my heartache?”Gu Yanxi asked, “I doted on you all these years in vain.”
“I took in An Xiulan as my cousin in vain,” Gu Shangyan asked and his uncle held his hands.
“My dear ancestor, you are good. You are exceptionally good. Tell uncle what do you want?” Gu Yanxi tried coaxing the bigger buddha.
“Convince Aunt Qinyan to let me tutor An Xiulan instead of the tutor she is matched with, “Gu Shangyan demanded.
“Wait a minute, didn’t you say participating in the tutoring service was a waste of time? You even made me pull back your name,” Gu Yanxi said as he narrowed his eyes.
“That was before and now that I know Xiulan needs help, I want to be the one who gets to help her, not that old man who is gloating over the phone,” Gu Shangyan muttered. “I’m matched with the wrong candidate.”
“Who are you matched with?” Gu Yanxi couldn’t help but ask in curiosity.
“The tyrant of Jingyuan high, “Gu Shangyan muttered. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“Are you afraid of him?” Gu Yanxi asked.
Gu Shangyan gave him a dirty look. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Lu Xuan. It was just that he disliked troublesome people and Lu Xuan was the most troublesome person he knew. The latter didn’t even want to study and so why should he waste his time and energy on someone who had no intentions of studying?
“Then, what’s the problem?” Gu Yanxi asked.
“The problem is that I only wish to tutor An Xiulan,” Gu Shangyan replied. “She is cute and an obedient child. She doesn’t need to be told again and again to do something. She has a good attitude towards learning. Most of all, she is a pleasant person to spend time with and she doesn’t bore me like all the kids at school.”
Gu Yanxi flicked his forehead and said, “If they all are kids then what are you?”
“I’m a man in the crowd of kids,” Gu Shangyan patted his chest.
“Mr Man, stop expecting Yanyan to agree with your wish,” Gu Yanxi said. “If you want to convince someone, convince Xiulan.”
Gu Shangyan returned to his room. He thought for almost an hour but he had no idea how to convince An Xiulan. Han Nanxian was rubbing on his face how he was going to teach his cousin.
He was worried that his young and naive cousin will fall victim to Han Nanxian’s fake amiable personality. He knew that Young Master Han was a nasty bastard. The latter’s heart was made up of cement. No matter how much water you pour, his cement heart would only get stronger and harder.
There was no way Gu Shangyan would let An Xiulan be bullied by Han Nanxian.
In the end, he contacted the person he never thought he would – Lu Xuan.
As for the latter’s information, he got them from the teacher who matched them, much to their disappointment.
“Hello?”
“What motherfucker is calling in the dead of the night?” Gu Shangyan heard a sleepy voice.
“It’s Gu Shangyan,” came the reply.
“Dammit, don’t students of Class Ten A know what S-L-E-E-P is?” Lu Xuan grumbled and Gu Shangyan burst into laughter.
“We do but we don’t have the luxury to sleep in order to maintain those stupid ranks,” Gu Shangyan replied. “You know why I’m calling you.”
“You see, student Gu, I have no intention of studying under you,” Lu Xuan said without beating around the bush.
“You saved my time and efforts of convincing you how I’m not a perfect match for teaching you,” Gu Shangyan said. “I have a plan and I believe we can break this arrangement.”
Lu Xuan fell silent for a moment and then said, “Fire away !”