Just a moment ago, all the words that He Heng spoke to Shi Shuang were absorbed by Shi Mu without missing a single one.
Now, she feels her brain is somewhat malfunctioning. Since entering junior high, the novels she read never contained such embarrassing lines. She never expected to hear these domineering quotes from someone else’s mouth in her lifetime.
Moreover, this person is He Heng.
Shi Mu couldn’t quite understand what He Heng and her brother were up to, but when she saw the red mark on Shi Shuang’s wrist pinched by He Heng, as well as the faintly bruised skin around it,
Shi Mu immediately got furious.
He Heng must be bullying her brother again, saying insulting things like “Little thing, you’re only worthy of pleasing me.”
In reality, Shi Mu isn’t very clear about the things the original owner did to Shi Shuang. This is because Shi Shuang never confided negative emotions to her, and he didn’t want Shi Mu to worry about these things if she knew.
So, in front of Shi Mu, Shi Shuang always tries to show his most optimistic and positive side. He has consistently protected his little sister under his wings.
However, Shi Mu can still vaguely perceive that since her brother married He Heng, the smile has slowly disappeared from his face. The frequency of her meetings with Shi Shuang has also decreased, sometimes not seeing each other for one or two months.
Shi Mu sometimes asks why he no longer plays the piano, something he used to love so much. But Shi Shuang always smiles and shakes his head, saying he’s too busy and doesn’t want to play anymore. However, the reluctance and loneliness revealed in his eyes cannot deceive anyone.
Shi Mu hasn’t seen He Heng much, and she doesn’t know what kind of person he is, but she knows that this person makes her brother unhappy.
Today, she witnessed firsthand how the other person cornered her brother against the wall and bullied him.
In broad daylight, is this acceptable?
With this in mind, she angrily ran to the space between He Heng and Shi Shuang, separating the two and standing in front of Shi Shuang. Looking up with a determined expression at the Alpha towering over her by who knows how much, she said,
“You’re not allowed to bully my brother.”
Seeing Shi Mu’s protective stance, He Heng’s expression froze. Did he just appear to be bullying Shi Shuang?
“Cough.”
Shi Shuang gave a light cough. “Xiao Mu, he wasn’t bullying me.”
Shi Mu looked puzzled. “Then what were you two doing just now?”
At this point, her gaze slowly shifted to the still visible marks on Shi Shuang’s wrist. “He even made your wrist red.”
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” Shi Shuang didn’t know how to explain to her, but he also couldn’t openly talk about the danger they faced at the bar yesterday, as it would only make her worry.
For a moment, Shi Shuang hesitated and stammered, “This is, um, this is…”
Just then, He Heng, right in front of Shi Mu, pulled Shi Shuang into his arms, reaching his hand around his waist.
Despite the shirt fabric in between, He Heng could still feel the warmth of Shi Shuang’s slender waist. The sensation under his palm was very soft.
Shi Shuang was completely caught off guard by this sudden movement, and for a moment, he was bewildered, nestling in He Heng’s arms like a docile kitten.
Even with the presence of a suppressive collar, the exposed snowy white nape of his neck emitted a faint strawberry-scented pheromone, making the Omega seem enticing, like it was coated with a thin layer of sweet cream. This caused He Heng’s breath to hitch, and his back tensed up.
This was the first time he had embraced his Omega at such a close distance. He Heng felt unsure where to place his hands, being careful not to exert too much force.
Despite the nervousness in his heart, he maintained a calm demeanor on his face, revealing a “cool” smile.
He Heng leaned in close to Shi Shuang’s ear, almost biting it as he whispered, “Our relationship is very good, isn’t it?”
Shi Shuang understood that He Heng was trying to help him out of the situation, not wanting his sister to worry about him. However, with the way He Heng handled it, Shi Shuang’s ears turned red. Leaning against the man’s sturdy chest, he lowered his eyes, his gaze somewhat evasive, and nodded, “Hmm.”
Seeing this scene and the shy expression on her brother’s face, Shi Mu felt regret. She regretted why she had to interfere, why she didn’t choose to leave on the spot instead of inserting herself between the two.
If she had made a mistake, the law would have punished her instead of letting her become a source of light in this dark alley.
“Sorry to disturb.”
Seeing this, Shi Mu quickly turned her head, picked up the scattered drawing tools on the ground, stuffed them back into the bag, and sprinted upstairs. She didn’t forget to shout back at them, “Continue with whatever you’re doing!”
Watching Shi Mu’s rapid departure, the two remained frozen in their spots.
He Heng subconsciously moved his fingers, feeling the softness under his palm. It was only then that he suddenly realized he was still holding onto Shi Shuang.
The sensation at his fingertips felt like an electric shock, and He Heng abruptly released his grip, taking a step back.
He ran his fingers through his hair, pretending not to care about what just happened.
“Do you want to go upstairs and talk to your sister again? I’ll wait for you in the car.”
“Okay.” Shi Shuang’s ears were still red. He stole a glance at the Alpha in front of him but didn’t dare to look for too long. He quickly went upstairs.
Shi Mu’s transfer procedures went smoothly, and she went to the new school on Monday.
After attending the original high school for less than half a year, and considering the forgetfulness of children, Shi Mu didn’t feel much attachment. She happily went to the new school, and her outgoing and lively personality helped her quickly integrate into the unfamiliar environment.
Since that incident, He Heng no longer busied himself with work as he used to. Whenever he had free time, he would accompany Shi Shuang home and eat together.
He could see that Shi Shuang’s attitude towards him was not as resistant as before.
For instance, today, the two sat at opposite ends of a spacious dining table, eating together. He Heng casually asked, “How is your sister adapting to her new school?”
“It’s good,” Shi Shuang paused. “It’s just that she mentioned having a bit of trouble with the math there.”
How about getting her a math tutor?
But then, He Heng thought, wasn’t he a mathematician himself?
Back then, relying on a sense of courage, he ventured into pure mathematics, only to end up hitting a wall and leaving in embarrassment. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his hair.
With this in mind, He Heng looked at Shi Shuang. “Why don’t you have her come over on weekends? I’ll help her with math.”
“You?”
Shi Shuang raised an eyebrow, wondering when the busy CEO started moonlighting as a math tutor.
“Yeah.” He Heng looked at Shi Shuang’s expression, confidently curling the corner of his mouth.
Doubt all you want.
The more intense the doubt, the better. By the time he secretly tutored her in math and turned her scores into perfect grades, he would astonish everyone.
He, a top student in the mathematics department, casually teaching high school math? Piece of cake.
He thought he could easily manipulate mathematics in the palm of his hand.
As it turns out, He Heng was wrong, utterly wrong.
He shouldn’t have spoken those disrespectful words.
Your dad will always be your dad.
Mathematics will always have him in its grasp.
In the spacious study, warm sunlight streamed in through the massive French windows, offering a view of distant mountains shrouded in a misty beauty.
However, the desk at the moment was cluttered with various stationery, textbooks, and papers.
He Heng sat beside Shi Mu, glancing at the papers in her hands. “Which ones don’t you understand?”
Shi Mu spread out the exam paper with a swift motion.
On the large sheet, both sides filled with math problems, only a few questions were circled in red.
“Are these the only ones?” He Heng took the paper, thinking that it wasn’t too bad if it was just a few questions. Shi Shuang’s expectations of her might be a bit high.
“No,” Shi Mu shook her head, biting the other end of the pen. “Apart from these few, I don’t understand the rest.”
He Heng: “…”
He took a deep breath, smiled at her, and said, “It’s okay. Take your time. Geniuses aren’t made in a day.”
Of course, the second half of that sentence was more for his own comfort.
Two hours later,
He Heng supported his chin with one hand, his originally neat hair somewhat disheveled by his own hand. A few strands of black bangs scattered across his forehead, and there was a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Shi Mu, looking at a geometry problem He Heng was helping her with, was a bit puzzled. “I still don’t quite understand this problem. Why do we need to draw a perpendicular line here?”
He Heng felt a bit of a hoarse throat. “Because…”
Just then, a maid knocked on the door and brought in a plate of snacks and some drinks.
“Mr. He, you’ve been sitting here for so long. Have some food.” After saying this, the maid left with the tray.
He Heng looked at the table full of math papers and felt a bit oxygen-deprived. He was almost forgetting how to recognize these symbols. It was time to take a breath.
So, he said to Shi Mu, who was deeply engrossed in thought with a pen in her mouth, “You’ve been studying for so long. Take a break.”
At his words, Shi Mu put down the pen and looked up, “Oh, but I’m not tired. I can still…”
“I am tired.” He Heng admitted defeat.
“Oh,” Shi Mu nodded, “then go rest. I’ll try to finish these problems before you come back.”
He Heng left the study, exhaling a sigh of relief.
Shi Shuang was originally sitting on the sofa outside, flipping through a magazine. Seeing him coming out of the study, Shi Shuang immediately closed the magazine and set it aside, looking a bit reserved.
He had been reading a music journal, which wasn’t a big deal. However, Shi Shuang still had a conditioned reflex to fear that He Heng would be angry if he found out he was reading content related to the piano.
Even though the other person’s actions were quick, He Heng vaguely saw the cover of the magazine in that brief glance—a man playing the piano and the striking title “Genius Pianist—Li Jingze.”
“How was it?” Shi Shuang quickly found a topic to divert his attention.
He Heng was momentarily stunned. “I…”
Looking at the hesitant expression on his face, Shi Shuang suddenly understood. His lips curled imperceptibly.
“You don’t need to force yourself. She has never liked math since childhood. We tried several tutors when she was young, but it didn’t work. Shi Mu and I are a bit similar—strong interests in specific subjects. She used to be interested only in drawing and singing.”
Realizing that he might have shared too much with He Heng, Shi Shuang’s voice gradually softened.
Somewhere along the way, he began to separate the person in front of him from the “He Heng” of the past.
Shi Shuang gradually got used to this person entering his life, accustomed to his presence, and even began to rely on him.
Like a gentle spring rain, this silent, imperceptible change made him uneasy.
He Heng, on the other hand, was completely oblivious to the subtle emotional fluctuations. Sitting down beside Shi Shuang, he asked curiously, “You weren’t good at math before either?”
“Mm.” Shi Shuang nodded with lowered eyes, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Not very good.”
As the other spoke, He Heng’s mind suddenly conjured an image of a young Shi Shuang in school uniform, chewing on the end of a pen while deep in thought at a desk.
He became curious about what Shi Shuang was like in his youth.
Back in the study, He Heng saw Shi Mu bent over the table, diligently writing.
Even if she learned a bit slowly, so what?
This earnest attitude towards learning was truly commendable.
Thinking of this, he felt pleased and approached to commend her a bit.
However, he saw Shi Mu leaning over the math paper, earnestly sketching a handsome guy. Through the partly revealed shirt, you could vaguely see eight abdominal muscles.
He Heng: “…”
Actually, if drawing handsome guys on the paper could motivate her to do math problems, then why not fill both sides?
The next moment, Shi Mu turned her head, and her gaze met He Heng’s. She immediately flipped the paper over, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I…”
As she contemplated how to delicately express that she hadn’t been doing math problems during this time but had managed to sketch a half-body outline, He Heng said, “You draw quite well.”
Shi Mu breathed a sigh of relief. “I thought you caught me being unfocused and were going to get angry.”
Then she somewhat resignedly leaned on the table, poking the paper with the pen tip. “Hey, it’s not that I don’t want to learn. Sometimes, the knowledge just doesn’t go into my head, and I feel stupid.”
He Heng shook his head. “Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. It’s just that math is a fundamental subject, so sometimes it gets overly emphasized. In fact, if you look at it with a normal attitude, it’s the same as drawing and singing. But, you still need to study well now, so you can use calculus to negotiate when…”
“Buying groceries.”
“Pfft.” Shi Mu was amused by his words. “Hey, singing is much more interesting than this.”
“I really want to go back to the past. Back then, my brother was still playing the piano, and he would accompany me every time I sang.”
At this point, she suddenly got excited. She immediately sat up from the table, took out her phone, and asked eagerly:
“I still have videos of him accompanying me back then. Do you want to see?”
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