After dinner.
Song Qian and her daughter each returned to their own rooms, while Song Chuan also went back to the room that had been arranged for him.
Just now, Song Qian had come into his room and helped tidy it up. The bed had been made, and the bedding had all been replaced with brand-new ones.
Lying on the soft, comfortable bed, Song Chuan picked up his phone. There were already more than a dozen unread messages.
These messages were all from the property owners who had been in the living room earlier.
They were all asking when Song Chuan would divide up the parking spaces, saying they were very sincere about wanting to buy them.
Song Chuan replied to each message one by one.
Only then did he let out a long breath.
He had entrusted the matter to the property management company, since they were professionals in this area and knew how to handle it.
When the time came, he would simply wait for the money to come in.
Just as he put his phone away, Song Chuan heard Song Qian's voice from outside the door.
"Mom still has to grade papers tonight, so I don't have time to tutor you in physics. Why don't you go ask your Brother Song Chuan about this question?"
"But Yingzi, your cold hasn't completely recovered yet. If you start doing test papers now, won't that—"
"Mom, I'm almost better already. And the college entrance exam is coming soon. I can't afford to waste even a single minute. I have to hurry and practice more questions."
"Looks like you really took what Mom usually tells you to heart. Good girl. You really are Mom's precious daughter."
Qiao Yingzi's eyes flickered slightly.
"Then, Mom, I'll go ask Brother Song Chuan about the problem."
"Go ahead."
The door to the room wasn't fully closed.
A narrow crack was left open.
Lying on the bed, Song Chuan could see through that crack in the door that Qiao Yingzi in the living room was steadily approaching.
Holding a physics test paper in her hand, Qiao Yingzi pushed open the door and walked in.
"Brother Song Chuan, my mom said you should help me with my physics test paper."
"She has to grade papers and doesn't have time to tutor me."
From outside in the living room came the sound of a door closing. Judging from the sound, Song Qian had probably gone into her room.
Song Chuan, still lying on the bed, didn't hurry to get up. Instead, he extended one hand toward Yingzi.
Just as Yingzi handed over the paper, Song Chuan suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the bed.
"Yingzi, did you really come to me just to do a test paper? Why does it feel like that's not the case?"
"Brother Song Chuan, what are you saying? I… I really just came to ask you about the test paper…"
"I was originally planning to wait until tonight when we slept together and then make you fall for Brother Song Chuan."
"But right now, I really can't hold back anymore."
"How about Brother Song Chuan falls for you first, alright?"
Yingzi had known it.
When Brother Song Chuan suggested sleeping together, it definitely wasn't just about sleeping. He must have wanted to do something naughty.
She had actually been ready to go to sleep earlier.
But when she noticed that Brother Song Chuan hadn't come into her room, she couldn't sit still anymore.
So she simply grabbed a test paper and came out, using the excuse of asking him a question to urge him to sleep with her.
She hadn't expected…
Hadn't expected…
that Brother Song Chuan would flip her onto the bed and start "doing the test paper" there…
In the living room, Song Qian carried a thick stack of test papers and placed them on the table. She pulled out a chair and was just about to sit down.
Suddenly—
She heard the creaking sound of a bed being pressed.
The door to Song Chuan's room wasn't fully closed, leaving just a tiny crack.
Song Qian glanced toward the doorway. From her angle, she could only see a faint glow of light from inside the room.
From where she was sitting, she would have to move closer to see what was happening inside.
Still, she could roughly guess the scene in the room.
"Xiaochuan, Yingzi likes to lie on the bed while doing test papers. Take her to the desk to write."
"Lying on the bed isn't good for her eyes."
"Auntie, she's calculating a problem right now, so it's not convenient to move her. Once she finishes this question, I'll take her to write at the desk."
Hearing this, Song Qian felt quite relieved.
It seemed that after she finished grading papers tonight, she wouldn't need to spend another hour or two tutoring Yingzi.
But looking at the thick stack of papers on the table, Song Qian suddenly felt a headache coming on.
These were all competition papers from students in her class. Who knew how long it would take to finish grading them?
She picked up a red fountain pen. As she pulled the nib out of the cap, it made a soft pop sound.
Holding the red pen, Song Qian crossed her legs and began grading.
After finishing about half the stack, she yawned, clearly getting sleepy.
Still, she forced herself to keep grading.
A figure suddenly passed before her eyes. Qiao Yingzi had already come out of Song Chuan's room, holding the test paper.
Song Qian raised her head and fixed her gaze on Yingzi.
"Yingzi, how did the test paper go?"
Swallowing nervously, Qiao Yingzi's eyes shifted away.
"I… finished it…"
"The whole paper? Both sides?"
"Mhm."
"No wonder it took so long. Come here, bring it over so Mom can check."
When Song Qian extended her fair, delicate hand to ask for the test paper, Qiao Yingzi panicked and quickly hid it behind her back.
"Mom, don't you trust Brother Xiaochuan's ability? He teaches me really well."
"It won't hurt for Mom to take a look."
Song Qian had asked to see the paper, but Yingzi kept hesitating and fidgeting for quite a while. Song Qian was starting to lose patience.
She stood up and moved to take the test paper hidden behind Yingzi's back.
Yingzi's heart pounded like a drum.
Thump, thump, thump.
It was over. It was really over!!!
If Mom saw the test paper, she would be finished.
"Auntie, you still have so many papers left to grade. How about I help you grade them?"
Song Chuan walked out of the room and had already reached the table. His hand rested on the stack of papers Song Qian hadn't finished yet.
These papers had to have results today.
Song Qian was getting sleepier the more she graded.
She hadn't expected Song Chuan to volunteer to help. Song Qian was overjoyed.
"Xiaochuan, this… won't it be too much trouble for you?"
"If I help you grade them, we can finish in half an hour. It won't take much time."
"Xiaochuan, thank you so much."
"Yingzi still has school tomorrow, so let her go back to her room and sleep first."
Just as Qiao Yingzi was about to quietly slip into her room, Song Qian's sharp eyes suddenly noticed something on the test paper in Yingzi's hand.
"Wait."