Chapter 4: Multi-Talented
"In this day and age, no one believes the truth..."
Under the surprised gaze of the security guard, Han Zhou rubbed his nose and walked out of Huadu Community, taking the subway home.
As expected of someone with 7 points in physique and the skill "Proficient in Throwing," even when Gu Zheng threw a pillow, it almost made him see stars, and his nose was still throbbing with pain.
Although it was already afternoon, the temperature remained hot. Han Zhou, drenched in sweat, returned home, quickly cooked a meal with the ingredients from the fridge, and then took a hot shower.
The fan whirred, barely dispelling some of the heat. He sat by the window, silently contemplating his future plans.
Earning points was, of course, the top priority. Besides that, he also needed to find a way to make money. Although Lincheng University was in Lincheng, it was located on the very edge of the city, bordering Feng Province, almost out of the province. A round trip would take about half a day, so he would definitely need to live on campus.
The cost of living on campus at university wouldn't be small. The money his father left when he departed wasn't much, and he had almost used it all. Although he had some savings from part-time jobs, it was only enough for daily expenses and wouldn't last long.
Putting aside tuition fees, he also needed to get a new phone before school started. Although those around him were used to it, going to school with a cracked screen would definitely attract unnecessary gossip. Moreover, this phone was a second-hand one his father gave him after he started high school, and it was no longer working well.
Ever since his gambler father became addicted to gambling, he had hardly bought anything new for the family. That's why the family still used fans to this day, and Han Zhou was temporarily unwilling to spend money on air conditioning.
As for how to make money, Han Zhou currently didn't have a very clear plan. He had thought about starting a business in his previous life, but unfortunately, he died before he could put it into practice. The development trajectories of the two worlds were similar, so it wasn't very realistic to try to make money using his "foreknowledge" advantage.
However, although he didn't know how to make big money for now, he already had an idea of how to make some small money, and he had a certain degree of confidence in it.
"Ding dong."
While he was thinking, a message notification suddenly sounded on his phone. Han Zhou looked down and saw it was a Feixin message from Lin Anyu.
"Are you free tonight? Let's go for a barbecue."
Han Zhou was exhausted from going up and down the stairs at Gu Zheng's place today and didn't want to move, so he replied, "I'm too tired today. I want to rest early."
"Oh, really? Then are you busy the day after tomorrow? Do me a favor."
"What favor?"
"Just agree first."
"Tell me what it is first."
"You agree first."
"Going to sleep."
Lin Anyu on the other end of the screen got anxious and quickly replied, "You're being uncool, buddy. It's really just a small favor, not troublesome at all."
"Then tell me what it is first. Let me be clear, I won't meet your online dating partner for you again."
"What kind of person do you take me for? At least the favor I need you for the day after tomorrow isn't that."
"What about in the future?"
Uh... you can always be prepared."
Han Zhou suppressed the urge to block this guy: "If you're not going to tell me, then forget it. I'm really going to sleep."
"Who are you fooling, buddy? It's only seven o'clock!"
"..."
...
At 8 AM the next morning, Han Zhou arrived at Yunhuan Community on time, according to the address Mo Yixia had left.
Lin Anyu had relentlessly sent a bunch of messages last night but still hadn't mentioned what he wanted to do, so Han Zhou simply ignored him. This guy was always like this; he would definitely fess up by the end of the day.
Arriving at the community entrance, he was about to send a message to Mo Yixia to tell her he had arrived when he suddenly saw a girl wearing a baseball cap and a mask hurrying out of the community. It was Mo Yixia.
She opened the community gate with her access card, motioned for Han Zhou to come in, and then led him towards Building 16, Unit 1. Throughout the process, she didn't say a word, appearing completely uninterested in Han Zhou.
Han Zhou didn't mind. The task posted in the status bar had already indicated that this girl had mild misanthropy, so she probably disliked everyone. If it weren't for a little bit of free time, she probably wouldn't have even spoken to him yesterday.
When they arrived downstairs, Mo Yixia finally spoke her first words of the day: "When you see my mom later, just say that you actively sought out a tutoring part-time job, don't say I found you. She has prepared a few test papers, and you must answer them well."
Han Zhou was stunned: "Test papers?"
He had never been a tutor before. Did tutoring require an exam?
"Yes, they are all college entrance examination mock questions. The difficulty should not be low. You should be fine, right?"
"I'm fine with it, but is that all?"
Mo Yixia was silent for a moment: "That's all. In my house, as long as you answer the questions well, it's enough. She knows your college entrance exam scores were good and she's very satisfied with you. Let's go, my house is on the thirty-second floor."
Han Zhou paused, then suddenly asked, "The elevator isn't broken, is it?"
Mo Yixia looked back at him and said grumpily, "What are you thinking? Of course it's not broken."
The two took the elevator upstairs.
Mo Yixia's mother, Jiang Baiqian, was a dignified woman. She wore exquisite makeup and expensive-looking clothes, complete with earrings, necklaces, and bracelets—almost every piece of jewelry she could wear, giving off the impression of a wealthy lady.
Combined with the furnishings in the house, it was clear that this family was not short on money.
And indeed, just as Mo Yixia had said, Jiang Baiqian's attitude towards Han Zhou was quite friendly, especially after seeing him complete a test paper in two hours. Her attitude became even more cordial.
She sat on the sofa, staring at the score on the test paper, seemingly growing more satisfied the more she looked, and smiled, "As expected of someone who got into a key university. This test paper was made by a teacher friend of mine, and she said it was quite difficult, but your score is almost perfect."
"Not at all, these questions were very well-designed."
Han Zhou smiled politely. The strong perfume on her was a bit overwhelming for him. He hadn't expected the first day of "work" to be an exam. Fortunately, the college entrance exam hadn't been long ago, and he hadn't forgotten his high school knowledge.
Looking at the smile on her face, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: what if he had performed terribly on the exam? He wondered what her attitude would be then...
Of course, assumptions are just assumptions. The fact was that he had done very well, so Jiang Baiqian also relaxed. And it seemed she had already prepared; she quickly told him about the tutoring arrangements, clearly agreeing to let him be the tutor.
Jiang Baiqian put down the test paper and said seriously, "Xiaxia's math and physics are her weak points. You're so good at studying, teaching her shouldn't be a problem, right? I'll be counting on you then."
"Please don't worry, I will do my best."
Han Zhou glanced at Mo Yixia, who was currently making tea. Her movements looked quite practiced, as if she had deliberately trained.
However, he was a little confused. Why was this girl still wearing a mask and a baseball cap at home?
Jiang Baiqian checked the time, stood up, and said, "I have something to do and need to go out for a bit. Han... I'll just call you Teacher Han. I've already prepared lunch in advance; you just need to heat it up. You can eat here later."
Han Zhou was stunned and was about to politely decline when he heard her continue, "Xiaxia, get to know Teacher Han. No class today. You seriously do the rest of those test papers, and I'll check them when I get back."
Mo Yixia hadn't made a sound, and upon hearing this, she didn't even lift an eyelid, but she seemed to have silently agreed.
Han Zhou had noticed early on that the interaction between the mother and daughter was a bit strange, but they seemed to have no intention of hiding it from outsiders. He could only pretend not to see it.
Jiang Baiqian seemed to be in a hurry. After giving Mo Yixia a few instructions, she closed the door and left. At the same time, Mo Yixia had just placed the brewed tea in front of Han Zhou.
"Thank you."
Han Zhou picked up the teacup, and before he could even take a sip, he saw her suddenly hand him a mask. He couldn't help but ask, confused, "Why are you giving me this? Speaking of which, I was wondering earlier why you're wearing a mask and a hat even at home. Do you have a cold?"
Mo Yixia tucked the mask into his hand and shook her head, "No."
"Then why?"
"Put it on first."
Han Zhou had no choice but to put on the mask, then pressed, "It's on. Can you tell me why now?"
Mo Yixia sat on the chair opposite him, looking down and swirling the tea in her cup, then suddenly said something out of the blue: "There are surveillance cameras in my house."
"It would be strange if there weren't surveillance cameras for your mom to be so at ease leaving you and me together..." he said, looking puzzled. "But what does that have to do with wearing a mask?"
"I don't want my mom to hear our conversation."
"Hmm?"
Mo Yixia explained, "My mom doesn't spend much time at home. To supervise my studies, there are surveillance cameras almost everywhere in the house, even in my room. So I warned her that she could install cameras, but they had to be silent. At least she had to leave me some basic freedom, and she agreed."
Han Zhou was silent for a while. He seemed to suddenly understand the reason for this guy's misanthropy. He half-jokingly said, "Your mom can't hear anything, so wearing a mask isn't to cover your mouth movements, is it?"
He just said it casually, but to his surprise, she nodded seriously, a deep weariness visible in her eyes.
"That's right. She later specifically learned how to read lips. So, remember to wear a mask when you come to my house in the future, especially when we're discussing 'free time'."
Han Zhou's eyes widened. He was speechless for a long time, only able to express his heartfelt sentiment.
"Well, I didn't realize your mom was so multi-talented..."