Ye Chen had even added a few slices of Lemon to the water.
Li Sitong picked up the glass and took a small sip.
Sweet—delicious!
Li Sitong glanced toward Ye Chen's bedroom.
Last time she'd come to his house she'd only visited the study; she hadn't seen what his bedroom looked like.
Driven by curiosity, she tiptoed to the bedroom door.
Her guilty little face made her look like a thief on the prowl.
Reaching the doorway, Li Sitong froze.
Ye Chen's room was packed with books.
All kinds—University-level math and Physics among them.
At that moment Ye Chen was crouched on the floor, rummaging through the piles.
Li Sitong raised her hand and knocked.
Ye Chen looked up; warmth flashed in his eyes as he gave a small smile. "Sorry, the room's a mess. I can't remember where I tossed that book—let me look again."
Li Sitong smiled. "It's fine."
Seeing the room stuffed with books, everything suddenly made sense to her.
No wonder this guy fooled around at school—he was secretly grinding at home.
Still squatting, Ye Chen pulled out one book at last: High-School Math Formulas Analyzed.
"Study this carefully."
Li Sitong blinked at the book.
"Isn't this just the basics?"
Ye Chen nodded. "Exactly—but basics matter most. I looked over yesterday's test; this is your biggest problem."
As he spoke he casually draped an arm across her shoulder.
Feeling the warmth of his hand, Li Sitong's brain blue-screened; her mind went blank. She didn't even hear what he said next.
She simply followed him to the sofa on autopilot.
Ye Chen realized something felt off.
They were only classmates; that gesture had been too intimate.
Damn these unruly hands—should just chop them off.
"Um…"
Ye Chen looked embarrassed.
"Si Tong, just now I… I didn't mean anything—please don't get the wrong idea."
He explained in a fluster.
Li Sitong stared. "What did you say?"
"I meant just now I—"
"Oh, if I really master this book, will my scores actually jump?"
Only then did Ye Chen realize she hadn't been angry at all.
He exhaled in relief. "You're not mad?"
Li Sitong rolled her eyes, then shyly shook her head. "I'll let you off this once—Just This Once."
When he'd draped his arm around her she had felt awkward, sure.
But seeing how frantic he looked, she'd found it oddly amusing.
He'd been so adorably flustered.
Does he care that much—scared I'd be angry?
Only then did Ye Chen's pounding heart settle.
"I'll be more careful from now on."
He turned back to business, opening the book and circling a few lines.
"Here, here—focus on these. Your grasp of this part isn't solid."
Li Sitong stared, stunned.
She'd recently missed school because of a hospital stay and had fallen behind on this exact topic.
Though she'd tried to catch up, without the teacher's explanation the fundamentals were shaky.
Ye Chen was incredible—he'd zeroed in on her weak spot at once.
"Your problem-solving is flexible, so tough questions feel easy, but because this basic piece is weak you keep making simple mistakes."
As he spoke he kept flipping rapidly through the textbook.
"Pay special attention here."
He folded the corner of that page.
"I've marked the key bits—review them carefully."
"We're in the final sprint now, so every review has to be targeted. Hit your weak spots—only then will it pay off."
"All right, that's it—take this home and go over it." Ye Chen smiled.
"Ye Chen, thank you."
Li Sitong thanked him softly.
Everyone was buried in their own revision; who had time to help anyone else in Senior Year?
Yet Ye Chen was this attentive—more patient and meticulous than any teacher—and Li Sitong was deeply moved.
"No need to thank me—it's what I should do." Ye Chen grinned.
He pulled out two more sheets of paper crammed with formulas and problems.
"These are the questions you did yesterday. I looked them over and added notes."
Afraid she'd misunderstand, he added, "I'm not saying your uncle's explanations were bad, just that he used University-level methods—not the right approach for you."
"Mm." Li Sitong nodded.
Seeing the dense annotations, she felt a warm glow in her heart; her feelings toward Ye Chen quietly shifted—so subtly she didn't even notice.
Just then her phone rang.
"Si Tong, why aren't you home yet?" Li Li's voice came through.
He'd waited downstairs so long he was getting worried.
"I—I'll be right down," she said.
She ended the call, finished the last of the lemonade on the coffee table, and waved. "Your lemonade's amazing—see you later, bye!"
Ye Chen watched her walk away, a smile tugging at his lips.
Back home, Li Li asked casually, "Why so late today?"
"Teacher kept us after class," Li Sitong lied.
Li Li didn't press; instead he suddenly said, "You and Ye Chen seem pretty close."
Her heart skipped. "We're desk mates and classmates—just friends, nothing more."
Li Li coughed to mask his embarrassment.
She'd gone to the guy's house and still called it "nothing special"?
Clearly she hadn't opened up to him yet.
He sighed. "As long as you know what you're doing—Senior Year is crucial."
He left it at that.
Li Sitong smiled. "Dad, relax—I'm pretty sure I can get into Huaqing University."
"That confident?" Li Li chuckled.
"Of course—I've got a secret weapon." She looked mysteriously pleased.
Li Li smiled back. "I've got a surprise for you too—it's in the study."
"Really?" She dashed happily toward the study.
The moment she stepped in, her face fell.
On the desk sat a stack of Senior-Year math exercise books and Huanggang Physics Papers.
Math and Physics were her weak spots—exactly Li Li's strong suit.
He'd spent the afternoon in the bookstore researching.
Every book was hand-picked.
He was determined to help his daughter bulldoze every obstacle and get her into Huaqing University.
Li Sitong stared at the pile, instantly deflated.
"Dad, you're serious?!"