I took a job as a tutor, but the kid I was teaching, Leo, was obsessed with gossip. One day, he looked at me mysteriously and whispered: "My cousin is broken." "Broken where?" I asked. "You know... down there. It's been broken since he was little." My jaw dropped. I felt a wave of sympathy for the poor guy. Just then, Leo shouted: "Cousin!" I turned around, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. "That's your cousin?" "Yup." Holy crap. That's my crush. 01 Ethan was just as surprised as I was. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What a coincidence." "My aunt said she found a tutor for Leo. I didn't expect it to be you." "Haha, yeah... small world," I laughed dryly. Ethan walked over, ruffled Leo's hair, and turned to me. "Are you done with the lesson? Heading back to campus? I can give you a ride." "No thanks!" I rejected him instantly. My reaction was so intense I startled myself. Afraid he might misunderstand, I quickly added: "I... uh... dropped something on the way here. I was just going to walk back and look for it." Before he could say anything else, I grabbed my backpack and fled. But ten minutes later. Ethan's car pulled up beside me. He rolled down the window. "Did you find it?" "Not yet..." "Tell me what it is. I can help you look." Ha. Haha. What was I looking for? An excuse. How was he supposed to help me find that? I shook my head miserably. "Really, it's fine. You go ahead." My mind was a mess. I had no idea how to face him now. 02 I hadn't known Ethan long. We met last month at a board game cafe near campus. Ethan lost a game, and his dare was to get a girl's number. Yes, he asked for mine. When I looked up and saw his objectively perfect face, my breath hitched. Heat crept up my neck. "Is that okay?" he asked again. I tried to act cool as I pulled out my phone for him to scan. My roommates saw right through me. They exchanged glances and immediately launched a full-scale offensive, enthusiastically inviting him to join our table. They kept creating opportunities for me. They claimed I knew palmistry and insisted I read Ethan's palm. "Sure," he said, extending his hand. I had no choice but to take his fingertips. I don't know if it was his nervousness or mine, but our skin grew damp where we touched. I let go quickly and made something up: "Your palm lines... looks like you have a lot of romantic luck. Many suitors." "Really?" His voice was soft, like a feather brushing my ear. I nodded solemnly. His smile deepened. Warmth spread from his eyes. "Are you one of them?" I froze, my heart skipping a beat. Before I could respond, he laughed. "Just kidding. Not offended, right?" I admit, I have double standards. If a guy I'm not interested in says "hello," it's harassment. But if I'm interested? That's a different story. Since that day, we've been chatting on and off. It was getting more and more ambiguous... Just two days ago, he asked me to go for a walk on the track. Trying to look cute, I wore a miniskirt. He wore three layers and was sweating. We walked slowly around the track. It was freezing at night. I sneezed. Without missing a beat: "So cold." "Thank god, you're finally cold." He took off his jacket and draped it over me. I realized something. "You wore so many layers just to give this to me?" "Yeah." He looked at me calmly. His beautiful eyes didn't waver. My face burned hotter. And yesterday, I asked him to help design a logo for a competition. He revised it over and over, working until late at night. Feeling guilty, I sent him a red packet (money transfer). [Sorry for the trouble.] He didn't accept it. He replied: [Not trouble. I'm happy to be needed by you.] My desire to date him was at an all-time high. But who could have predicted— Life would slap me in the face today. Why? Why, God? I've been a good person all my life. Is this my karma? Falling in love with a eunuch? 03 Friday afternoon, I went back to tutor Leo. Ethan was already sitting in the living room. I awkwardly changed my shoes, tripping over my own feet. Ethan was as friendly as ever. Pouring me water, complimenting my outfit, asking if I wanted to stay for dinner. "Haha." I laugh when I'm uncomfortable. I brushed him off and dove into Leo's room. The little brat was ready, sitting primly at his desk. I wiped the small whiteboard and started the lesson. As usual, thirty minutes was his limit. Once the clock hit the half-hour mark, he melted onto the desk like a boneless chicken and started gossiping. "Teacher, did you know? The father and son upstairs are chasing the same girl." "Oh, and my dad is dating again. He matched with one of his former students. Can you believe it?" "My mom seems to be dating someone too..." "Leo," I interrupted. "Can we talk after the lesson?" "Please, Teacher! Let me finish this sentence or I'll explode." I took a deep breath. "Go ahead." "I heard my mom on the phone yesterday. She said whoever wants to be her boyfriend has to solve two math problems first. And the guy agreed! He even wrote her a love poem. Want to hear it? I memorized it." "No thanks." I was speechless. No wonder his mom, a math teacher herself, hired a tutor for him. This kid was born in a gossip column. Finally, the lesson ended. I picked two questions from a test paper to check his progress. He finished quickly. I graded them. One right, one wrong. Okay, I guess. I told him to correct the mistake, but he went "Huh?" "But I wrote the same thing as the answer key." "The answer key is wrong." "Really?" Leo picked at his face, unconvinced. This kid is stubborn. I had to call Ethan in for backup. Ethan walked in and smiled immediately. "What? Are you going to test me with math problems too?" 04 I paused. Then I realized— He was sitting in the living room looking proper, but he was eavesdropping the whole time. A few days ago, my heart would have fluttered. Now, it felt like a herd of alpacas stampeding through my chest. Who understands my complex feelings? With Ethan and me double-checking, we confirmed the answer key was wrong. Leo finally accepted defeat and started correcting his work. I packed my bag to leave. Ethan stopped me. "Stay for dinner." "No," I refused instinctively. "I..." "Please," he interrupted. "I started cooking before you arrived. If you say no, it'll all go to waste." The words caught in my throat. I heard myself say: "Okay then." I have to admit, Ethan is a great cook. Handsome, can cook... major bonus points. But... My eyes drifted down to his jeans. He seemed to sense it and looked at me weirdly. I quickly looked up at the ceiling. "By the way—" "Big." He blurted it out. I froze. Two seconds later, my face exploded with heat. What? What the hell?! Did he think I was making a dirty joke? "I meant—" "It's our department's turn for the physical fitness test next week. I saw your department already finished." "I wanted to ask if it was strict. Can I slack off?" I was done. Done. This man's mouth was harder than diamond. Even if the sky falls, his mouth will hold it up. It's gone, and he says it's big! Big ghost! Ethan stayed calm, quickly recovering. "Some groups are strict, some are okay. Try to get the short-haired female teacher." "Okay." Silence fell over the table. Suddenly, Leo reconnected to the conversation. "What's big?" "This chicken leg." I put a drumstick in his bowl. "Oh." He looked skeptical. After dinner, Ethan offered to drive me back. Luckily, I anticipated this and called an Uber in advance. I greased my feet and ran faster than a rabbit.
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