CHAPTER 161: CHAPTER 161 TUITION

"First kiss?"

Li Jing was a bit surprised, not expecting that this was the other party’s first kiss. He thought back to how some of his female classmates had given their first kisses to the boys they liked back in middle school.

Seeing the other party nod lightly, Li Jing felt a bit embarrassed and could only say, "Sorry, I really got into the role earlier, so..."

"It’s okay, I know."

Yang Xiaoxiu knew that there was no point in discussing this with Li Jing right now, so she could only respond like this, but she still added, "In our place, maybe because it’s rural, it’s quite traditional, and we place a lot of importance on the first kiss and the first time..."

Bringing this up, Yang Xiaoxiu’s face turned even redder, lacking the composure and confidence she had when teaching him to act earlier. Her voice also grew much softer, but since the room was quiet enough, Li Jing could hear clearly.

"The older generation says that these are the most precious things for a woman and should be given to the man she trusts the most. If given away casually, it might even affect a woman’s luck for the rest of her life..."

"The first time given away casually will affect a woman’s luck?"

Hearing this, Li Jing was even more surprised, not expecting that such a saying existed in her hometown.

But thinking about it carefully, it did make some sense. Among the key elements that impact a woman’s life, men are definitely a factor.

If the man is not chosen well, it could indeed affect a woman’s life thereafter.

The old saying "A woman fears marrying the wrong man, a man fears entering the wrong profession" illustrates the relationship here as well.

Realizing he had unintentionally taken the first kiss that she valued greatly, Li Jing felt somewhat guilty and could only console her:

"If it really affects your luck, don’t worry. I might not be great at other things, but there’s no questioning my luck. If my luck can influence your future, I guarantee your future won’t be bad."

Li Jing wasn’t exaggerating about this, considering how a system had even descended upon him, calling himself the child of luck wouldn’t be an overstatement.

Seeing Li Jing, who was usually humble and low-key, speak so confidently about luck, Yang Xiaoxiu couldn’t help but raise her head and look at him in surprise.

Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, Yang Xiaoxiu couldn’t help but ask, "Really?"

"Of course," Li Jing smiled, "So maybe you should be happy because your future is definitely going to be exciting."

Even though she knew there was no basis for this statement, Yang Xiaoxiu, who hadn’t received much affirmation, couldn’t help but be moved and showed a small, happy smile.

She nodded vigorously, "Then I’ll take Brother Jing’s good word for it. I also hope my future can be exciting."

Seeing that she seemed to have moved on from the emotions of losing her first kiss, Li Jing felt relieved and then smiled, "Alright, the food is almost ready, let’s not delay and eat."

Yang Xiaoxiu pursed her lips and smiled slightly, nodding earnestly.

Perhaps because Li Jing had taken her first kiss, or perhaps because they had spent the entire day together, and she had even become his acting teacher, Yang Xiaoxiu was no longer so restrained in front of Li Jing, relaxing a bit, both in expression and in mood.

As the two chatted while eating, Li Jing found that after the earlier scene and their embrace and kiss, he inexplicably felt that her attitude towards him had become a bit more affectionate and trusting, without the obvious alertness and defensiveness from before.

Li Jing didn’t mind this at all, instead finding it more comfortable to interact with her in this way. After picking up a slice of beef, he said, "Xiaoxiu, you taught well today. I checked the market price in Celestial Sea City; a one-on-one acting class is about three to five hundred per session.

Let’s say five hundred, one session for an hour, totaling twenty hours over two days, so your teaching fee for the weekend is ten thousand in total. How’s that?"

"Ten thousand?"

Yang Xiaoxiu widened her eyes, momentarily forgetting to put the vegetable she’d picked up into her mouth.

She immediately shook her head, "No, no, it’s not necessary to give so much. Five hundred is the price for professional teachers at institutions. For a student like me, a few dozen is sufficient, and I definitely didn’t teach you for ten hours in one day..."

To Li Jing, ten thousand wasn’t much, but in Yang Xiaoxiu’s experience, this amount of money was something only mentioned when her parents whispered about savings.

For someone who subsisted on a mere eight hundred a month, ten thousand was undoubtedly a huge sum.

So her instinctive reaction was to refuse, and even though she desperately needed money, her original values and spending habits made her subconsciously express refusal.

"This ten thousand is what you deserve."

Li Jing had anticipated her reaction and didn’t give her a chance to refuse, directly transferring the money to her via WeChat, "This is earned by your own skills, accept it."

Seeing the money transfer record on WeChat, Yang Xiaoxiu only felt her heart rate increase slightly and her mind go blank.

This sum of money was too overwhelming for her right now.

After a few seconds of silence, she couldn’t help but take several deep breaths, her nose tingling slightly. Looking up at Li Jing sincerely and gratefully, she said, "Thank you, Brother Jing."

She understood that even though she was number one in her specialization, even with her extensive effort in studying scripts and characters, even if her teaching could genuinely be worth this price, without any fame, identity, or status, she couldn’t earn such high remuneration.

She knew this was Li Jing helping her and clearly realized that he had already begun to recognize her.

Thinking of the grievances she’d suffered before, her eyes couldn’t help but redden.

But she had a resilient nature and quickly wiped her eyes before Li Jing could notice, forcing a smile, and said to him sincerely and gratefully, "Brother Jing, I’ll always remember this amount of money, and I’ll always remember your kindness."

Hearing this, Li Jing waved his hand, "I told you, this is a fair exchange.

The meal you’re eating now costs a few thousand, and it will be over in an hour. Ten hours in a day is only five thousand, so I think this money is well spent."

When she heard how expensive the restaurant was, Yang Xiaoxiu was first startled and then quickly said, "Brother Jing, you didn’t have to take me to such an expensive place..."

"It’s fine, I’m used to spending like this."

Seeing Li Jing’s nonchalant demeanor, Yang Xiaoxiu was a bit stunned and only then realized that his financial capability might be even higher than she had imagined.

At least the rich second generations or wealthy boyfriends she’d seen in school didn’t spend money so freely and comfortably as Li Jing did.

Brother Jing... just how incredible is he...

No, why am I thinking about this...

The habitual thought had just come up, but she immediately shook her head, firmly deciding in her heart:

He’s someone who’s helped me now. No matter what, when I succeed in the future, I must repay him.

This is what I should be thinking about.

Only this way will there be benefactors like Brother Jing willing to help me.