Chapter 31 - 031, I am easy to coax.

Mo Garden

The door was ajar, revealing the warm yellow light of the room.

After his bath, Jiang Yisheng lay on the bed reading a book.

His eyes were a bit sore, so he closed the book and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Knock, knock--"

The sound of knocking on the door arose, and he looked up.

"Cousin."

Under the light, the man wore a black nightgown, his posture straight and tall.

Jiang Yisheng got out of bed, "Did you need something from me?"

Li Mochan nodded and stepped into the room.

"Help me download an app," he said, getting straight to the point.

"Huh?" Jiang Yisheng was puzzled.

He hesitated, then uttered two words, "Buy books."

After piecing together his terse request, Jiang Yisheng finally understood and couldn’t help but laugh as he took the offered phone.

"Cousin, why did you suddenly want to buy books online?"

This was quite a surprising piece of news.

Li Mochan kept a cool face and remained silent.

Jiang Yisheng took his phone, swiping across the screen, "Cousin, I’ve been free these past few days, Just tell me what book you want, and I’ll pick it up for you when I visit the bookstore."

"No need," he declined flatly.

Jiang Yisheng didn’t press further, quickly downloading the app, "There, you just need to register an account, and then you can buy books through this APP."

Li Mochan took back his phone, murmuring a soft "Hmm."

"Cousin, that Miss Ye..."

He had barely started speaking when Li Mochan interrupted him.

"You just got over a cold, go to bed early."

Having said that, he swiftly left the room.

Jiang Yisheng scratched his head, feeling that his cousin was acting strangely.

Could it be that he had been upset during dinner at Jiangyue Restaurant?

...

In the desolate woods where few people ventured,

The man dressed in black blended into the darkness with his tall figure as he walked up to an ancient tree and stopped.

He bowed his head, his expression respectful, "Master."

A chill breeze blew, rustling the fallen leaves.

After a moment of silence, the person standing behind the ancient tree suddenly scolded.

"Useless, you can’t even handle a little girl who’s green behind the ears, all of you are nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings."

The man didn’t dare argue and bowed his head to take the scolding.

After the reprimand, the person behind the ancient tree gradually calmed down.

"Keep a close watch on Ye Jiuliang, and remember not to startle the snake by hitting the grass."

"Master, so shall we continue with the plan?" the man asked.

"Never mind, let her live a bit longer, wait for my order to make a move."

"Yes."

The man bowed respectfully before turning and leaving.

...

The next day, Ye Jiuliang was late for class again.

With instructions from above, the teacher in charge didn’t say much and simply let her sit down to listen to the lecture.

The teacher went on eloquently from the platform, and everyone attentively listened, as the harsh elimination system of Beisen was no joke.

Yet there was one exception.

As soon as she touched her seat, she put her head down on the desk to sleep.

Ye Miao glanced back and saw Ye Jiuliang sleeping soundly, her cheek muscles twitching involuntarily.

Such an embarrassment.

When the bell for the end of class rang, Ye Jiuliang woke up on time.

She rolled up her textbook on the desk and staggered out of the room, still groggy.

＊＊

"Cousin, when did you start liking snacks?" Having nothing else to do, Jiang Yisheng had come to Beisen early with Li Mochan.

He was slightly shocked to see an assortment of little snacks laid out on the coffee table.

If he remembered correctly, his cousin disliked snacks the most, and such things never appeared in his office either.

Li Mochan looked down at his documents without responding.

"Knock, knock--"

At this moment, a knock on the door sounded.

Li Mochan’s gaze finally moved away from the paperwork, and the corners of his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Come in."

Jiang Yisheng turned her head to look and, upon seeing the person who walked in, had an epiphany.

So these snacks were prepared for someone special after all.

Ye Jiuliang walked in leisurely, and seeing Jiang Yisheng there as well, cracked a smile, "Mr. Jiang is here too."

Jiang Yisheng said, "Just call me Yisheng, Miss Ye."

Ye Jiuliang smiled and turned to look at Li Mochan, "If you two need to talk, I’ll leave first and come back later."

"No need, I have some matters to take care of," said Jiang Yisheng very astutely.

If she left, she guessed her brother would pack him off back to the States the next second.

Ye Jiuliang watched Jiang Yisheng’s slightly hurried steps, raised an eyebrow, and wondered what the rush was.

Did she look that scary?

Before leaving, Jiang Yisheng did not forget to close the door behind her.

Ye Jiuliang set down her textbook and sat cross-legged on the carpet.

"Just finished a class?" Li Mochan glanced at the textbook on the table and initiated the conversation.

"Mm." She looked at the pile of snacks on the table, her gaze teasing as she looked at Li Mochan, "I wouldn’t have guessed Lord Li is also fond of snacks."

He stared at her for a moment, and then his thin lips parted slightly, "I don’t eat them."

"Then these?" Ye Jiuliang couldn’t help but chuckle.

"They’re for you."

A very soft voice, but it didn’t escape Ye Jiuliang’s ears.

She paused for a moment, then her smile widened.

"Heh."

Listening to Li Mochan’s words, she had a deja vu of when her master used snacks and delicacies to lure her when she was a child.

Not understanding the girl’s sudden burst of laughter, Li Mochan frowned, "What’s so funny?"

Ye Jiuliang teased, "Lord Li, don’t tell me you’re using these snacks to coax me into not writing the test?."

Coaxing her?

Rippling beneath Li Mochan’s eyes were waves of emotion. He had followed what the books said, so this was what it meant to coax?

His eyes dwelt on the girl’s fair little face, remembering what Ji Mingqian had said in the private room last night, a myriad of feelings welled up in his heart.

He asked her back, "Are you that easily coaxed?"

A sly smile flashed in Ye Jiuliang’s eyes as she swiftly sat next to him, smiling, "I’m very easy to coax. If I don’t have to write tests and attend classes every day, I’d be happy."

At such a close distance, the faint candy scent from her seemed to hover at the tip of his nose, making him want to get even closer.

Li Mochan’s eyes narrowed, his voice low, "So many demands, and you call that easy to coax?"

"How about we play a game?" Waking up early to go to Beisen every day was truly a hassle.

Li Mochan replied without hesitation, "No."

Ye Jiuliang felt a strong sense of defeat.

This man was really hard to trick.

"I heard you didn’t fill out a single test paper set by those teachers?" Li Mochan asked out of the blue.

Ye Jiuliang hummed in affirmation.

"Why not write them?"

"Don’t know how."

The same unchanged answer.

Li Mochan looked down at her, "Then how come you could write the ones I gave you?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Jiuliang’s eyes hesitated for a moment, her lips curving into a disdainful smile, "Because Lord Li is good-looking. When I sneak a peek at you from time to time, I suddenly have an epiphany and become enlightened."

The girl always had this unattuned demeanor, seemingly easygoing but actually like wearing a mask, keeping everyone at bay.

It was the same with him.

This realization did not sit well with Li Mochan, and he said sternly, "Be serious."

Ye Jiuliang’s laughter grew even more unrestrained, "Lord Li, how exactly am I not being serious?"

"Ye Jiuliang." His magnetic voice deepened.

Ye Jiuliang slid off the couch, "Alright, alright, I’ll be serious. I’ll go write the test."

After writing for barely two minutes, Ye Jiuliang turned to look at the man absorbed in his book, "Lord Li, how about we add each other on WeChat?"

To add him on WeChat and bother him enough that she could stop coming to Beisen logically seemed like a good idea.

Li Mochan’s fingers paused as he flipped the page, his eyes and brows lowered, "Depends on your performance."

Add on WeChat and it depends on performance?

She couldn’t believe he actually said that.

Ye Jiuliang’s mouth twitched, "Are you being stingy?"

Li Mochan acted as if he heard nothing, turned another page, and continued to focus on the book in his hands.