On my first day back home for the holidays, my mom pushed a young, hot guy into my arms. She winked and left me with a cryptic, "You know what to do." I thought I understood the assignment. So, I took him upstairs and... had my way with him. Afterward, my mom asked, "So, where's Leo? Did you finish his English tutoring session?" Looking at the exhausted man lying in my bed, I started to sweat. 1 My company gave me an extended break, so I happily dragged my suitcase home for the holidays. The moment I stepped through the door, my mom shoved a young guy toward me. She gave me a meaningful look and whispered, "You know what to do." Then she grabbed her purse and sprinted out the door to her weekly bridge game. The guy was tall—at least 6'1"—with striking eyebrows, clear eyes, and a faint smile playing on his lips. He looked at me obediently and said, "Hey, Sis." His eyes were innocent. He looked easy to trick. I immediately understood the assignment. I flashed an 'OK' sign at my mom's retreating back, pulled the guy inside, and locked the front door tight. He watched me lock the door, paused, and let out a confused, low-pitched, "Hmm?" That sound. If I listened to it too long, I might get pregnant. I turned back, put a finger to my lips, shushed him, and took his warm hand to lead him upstairs. His fingers were long, smooth, and delicate. How does a guy keep his hands so soft? Although confused, he furrowed his brow but obediently let me lead him. It wasn't until I pushed him onto the bed that he started squirming like a caterpillar, looking terrified. "Sis, what are you doing?" I straddled his waist, pinned his hands by his ears, and leaned down, whispering softly, "What else? It was going to happen eventually. We're just... skipping ahead." For a younger guy, he was strong. As soon as I finished speaking, he grabbed my shoulders. "Sis, think about this!" He turned his head away, cheeks flushing red as he stared at my wrists, his voice righteous and stern. He kept pushing, bending his long legs trying to dislodge me. I reached out and patted his handsome face. "Good boy, save your strength for later." He tried to say something else, but I covered his mouth. "Shh. Don't talk." The struggling boy froze the moment I kissed his Adam's apple. And then, it was like I hit a switch. In a split second, the innocent boy turned into a wolf. The world spun, and suddenly, I was the one being devoured. 2 My mom is the classic parent who banned dating in high school but started demanding grandkids the second I hit college. In college, she told me to target classmates. In grad school, it was colleagues. After graduation, she was setting me up with every "local talent" she could find on weekends. Despite her efforts, I never clicked with anyone. Either they were frogs, or I was the ugly duckling. The few guys who actually met my standards? I was too chicken to make a move. She always complained I had no guts. She loved to tell the story of how my dad was the village heartthrob back in the day. She wasn't the prettiest or the richest, but she was bold. She basically clubbed him over the head like a cavewoman and dragged him home. If she hadn't taken the initiative, I wouldn't exist. She told me to learn from her. If you like him, club him. So when I saw her winking at me with this guy, I thought I got the message. I boldly dragged him upstairs to cook the rice, so to speak. When he flipped me over, I thought, Finally, I'm being bold. An afternoon later, I was lying in bed, gasping for air, unable to move a finger. The boy looked at me, wanting to say something but hesitating. I was too tired to talk, so I closed my eyes and started drifting off. Suddenly, a demonic voice pierced through the door: "Chloe! Where's Leo?" "Wasn't he there for English tutoring? Did he leave already?" "Why didn't you ask him to stay for dinner?" ... I bolted upright, kneeling on the bed. Leo? The chubby kid from next door who was three years younger than me? The one I tutored in phonics in elementary school, listening comprehension in middle school, and grammar in high school? The chubby kid my mom said was coming over for GRE tutoring a few days ago? I remember he didn't look like this. How did losing weight make him this hot? I pointed a trembling finger at the guy. "Leo?" He widened his eyes and nodded obediently. "Here for English tutoring?" He nodded again, looking innocent. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!" I thought he was a blind date my mom set up! When I first saw him, I was so moved I almost cried. I used to suspect my parents were secretly billionaires pretending to be poor to build my character. Then I suspected I was adopted. But seeing Leo, I thought, Okay, billionaires aren't even this generous. Only biological parents would save a resource this good for their own daughter! Turns out, he's just a studious neighbor kid who failed his GREs! Leo looked at me with puppy eyes, his face still flushed, his eyes misty. "You didn't give me a chance to speak." I felt a myocardial infarction coming on. Hearing my mom's footsteps getting closer, I held my breath and locked the door. I turned around to see Leo putting on his clothes. His back was a perfect V-shape, muscles rippling... and covered in long red scratch marks. Leo was terrifyingly calm. He looked at me innocently. "Why are you locking the door? Let's go out together. Be bold, right?" I slapped the back of his head. "Since when are you so responsible?" I grabbed him, opened the window, and shoved him toward it. "Window! Go!" Leo froze, clearly unhappy. "Sis, what does this mean?" I was sweating bullets. I shoved him again. "What does it mean? It means you got lucky today!" He held the window frame and sighed. "Sis, this is the second floor. Are you trying to kill the witness?" Click! Clack! The door handle jiggled. My heart was in my throat. My mom's voice boomed again. "Chloe! What are you doing? Why is the door locked?" "Where is Leo?" My brain spun. Hundreds of excuses flashed by. I grabbed one, swallowed hard, and yelled: "He finished tutoring and went home!" I lowered my voice, sounding pitiful and exhausted. "I was on the bus all morning, I'm dead tired. I knew you'd come in and pull the covers off, so I locked it." "I just want to rest." Mom instantly felt guilty. "Oh, okay. Rest well. I'll go make dinner." Downstairs? That was Leo's only escape route! I quickly yelled, "Mom! I really want the roast goose from the village entrance! Can you go buy some?" At this moment, I truly admired my own genius. But my mom, being considerate, said, "Your dad is on his way back. I'll tell him to get it." I gasped. "Mom, I'm starving! Like, dying! You can take the e-bike and be back in ten minutes. I'll eat while waiting for Dad!" "Fine, fine! You glutton." Hearing her go downstairs, I sighed in relief. I shoved Leo's clothes into his arms and dragged him out. He stood there like a statue, eyes dark, clearly unhappy. "Sis, is that it?" My brain was mush. I just wanted him gone. Without thinking, I blurted, "You ate me? And you want to eat my goose too?" I pushed him down the stairs. He resisted, looking grim. He called me by my full name. "Chloe King, are we just going to pretend this didn't happen?" What else? I'm broke. I stopped pushing. "I thought you were a blind date. I was a little impulsive. Sorry..." His eyes turned red. He looked like he was about to cry. I panicked. I grabbed two steamed buns from the kitchen and shoved them into his hands. "Don't cry. You worked hard all afternoon. Eat on the way. Good boy, go home..." Before I could finish, Leo turned and stormed off. Watching his figure disappear down the winding dirt road, my heart finally settled back into my chest. Suddenly exhausted, my legs gave out, and I almost knelt on the floor. But there were... stains on the sheets to deal with. I wanted to cry. I pulled the sheets off and started scrubbing them in a basin. Fun in bed, funeral afterwards. I was replaying the afternoon's events while regretting my life choices. "What are you doing?!" I screamed and fell on my butt, hitting the floor hard. I stammered, "Period... accident. Got on the sheets." My mom glanced at me. "Normal thing. Look at you, acting like you committed a crime." She parked the e-bike, holding the goose, and started rambling. "Leo's dad has helped our family a lot over the years." "Teach Leo well. Tomorrow, don't wait for him to come here. You go to his house to tutor him." Go to his house? My brain exploded. "He got into a top university for undergrad, how could he fail the GRE..." "You're as brainless as your father. If his dad hadn't thrown some projects our way during the pandemic, we would have starved." "It's rare they need us for something. We have to repay the favor." My mom's tone left no room for argument. "Go tomorrow after lunch." 3 My mom means what she says. The next day after lunch, she shoved my old GRE prep books into my hands and pushed me out the door. Forget tutoring, I didn't even have the face to see Leo. I decided to find a sheltered spot outside, play on my phone all afternoon, and go home. But before I could cross two fields, I ran into Leo's mom, Aunt Liu. Leo's family was in construction. They got rich and moved to the city, only coming back for holidays. The city water must be good because Aunt Liu looked younger than she did years ago. From across the field, Aunt Liu yelled, "Chloe! Your mom said you were coming to tutor Leo. Come on, it's freezing out here, let's go inside and warm up." She crossed the field, took the books from my hand, and dragged me toward her house. "That boy Leo, studying so poorly and doesn't even know to come to the teacher. I'll lecture him later! That's no way to treat a teacher!" I wanted to die. What kind of luck is this? Aunt Liu dragged me inside and yelled upstairs, "Leo! Chloe is here!" Leo stood at the top of the stairs, one hand in his pocket, looking down at me. His mouth was a straight line, a little petulant. "Sis, come up." As soon as he spoke, we both froze. The memories of yesterday afternoon hit us like a tidal wave. Our eyes met and instantly darted away. Aunt Liu didn't notice. Seeing us standing there, she complained, "Stinky brat, why are you just standing there? Get Chloe upstairs to the heater." I snapped out of it. Afraid Aunt Liu would think I was rude, I forced myself to walk up. Leo came down two steps, took the books from his mom, and followed me up. He led me to the study, pulled out a chair for me, and pulled another one right next to it for himself. An English workbook was spread out on the desk. Next to it was a scratch pad, covered in chaotic scribbles. Under the lines, I could faintly see handwriting. I leaned in. Just as I made out the word "Chloe," Leo snatched it away. Fine. Don't look. I don't care. "Did you come specifically to tutor me?" Leo asked. Specially? I was basically kidnapped by Aunt Liu halfway here. Afraid he'd overthink it, I honestly shook my head. He didn't speak for a long time. I looked up. Leo's face and ears were bright red. He looked down shyly, fiddling with his fingers. He peeked at me through his lashes, then quickly looked down again. My heart jumped. I think he misunderstood. His focus was on "not to tutor." My focus was on "not specifically." There was no good answer to this. I stayed silent... Awkwardness spread through the room. "Hot soy milk." Aunt Liu suddenly pushed the door open, put down two drinks with a smile, told us to study hard, and thoughtfully closed the door. The room fell silent again. "Sis..." Leo's voice sounded like a kitten scratching, startling me. I took a deep breath, slammed the workbook open, and said loudly, "Okay! Let's start with question one." Seeing the atmosphere get serious, I secretly relaxed. My eyes drifted... and landed on a red mark on Leo's collarbone. The heater was on, so he had unbuttoned his top two buttons. I saw everything. The mark was darker in the center, fading out. I estimated it was the shape of two overlapping... actions. Leo silently sat up straight, his long fingers buttoning his collar. I died of embarrassment right there. I wanted to dig a hole and bury myself. From that moment on, the letters on the page started dancing. My senses went into overdrive. The fruity scent of Leo's cologne drilled into my nose and tickled my heart. He silently picked up his cup and drank. I suddenly felt thirsty too and took a sip. Maybe the heat was too high. We drank three cups in a row. After the third cup, Leo shook the empty pitcher. "Sis, why am I getting thirstier the more I drink?" Pfft! I almost sprayed my milk. I held it in, but a few drops leaked from the corner of my mouth. Leo quickly grabbed a tissue. Before I could take it, he reached over and gently wiped my lips. His eyes darkened, heat rolling in them. A pair of long fingers suddenly gripped my shoulder. Before I could react, the owner of the fingers was leaning in, eyes half-closed. Leo's lashes trembled, his red lips parted slightly. The buttons on his chest were undone again, revealing a vast expanse of skin. Things were spiraling out of control. Just as we were about to cross the line, the door opened. "I cut some fruit, take a brea—" Thump! Startled, I leaned back too far and tipped over in the chair, crashing to the floor. Leo helped me up, buttoning his shirt with one hand, looking annoyed and embarrassed. "Mom! Why didn't you knock?! We were studying seriously, you scared us to death!" I didn't know if Aunt Liu saw anything. My face was burning. I took out my phone, put it back, touched my butt, touched my head, picked up the workbook, put it down. I didn't know what to do with my hands. Finally, I found an excuse: "My pigs are hungry. I have to go feed the pigs." Without waiting for an answer, I fled the scene. On the way back, the more I thought about it, the more I felt Aunt Liu saw everything. Parents really shouldn't be oblivious. You can't just invite any tutor into your home. In freezing weather, I walked home sweating. But Aunt Liu operates on the same wavelength as my mom. She meant what she said. The next day, Leo showed up at my door right on time. 4 Aunt Liu came with him, carrying bags of gifts, warm and enthusiastic. She said it was a "small token of appreciation" for tutoring Leo. I looked. Premium bird's nest, high-end skincare. This was not small. My parents refused to accept it. Aunt Liu said some heartfelt words, making everyone happy. Chatting, she patted Leo's arm. "Silly boy, it's rare for Chloe to be home. Hurry up and let your sister teach you." Leo took the hint and stood up straight. "Troubling you, Sis." I heard "create a private study environment" and my scalp tightened. I fidgeted with my fingers. "Actually, bad timing. We're going to her grandma's house this afternoon." I was about to stand up when my mom suddenly spoke. "That's fine, come tomorrow." "Chloe might be busy lately. Auntie Wang introduced a few boys for her to meet." Aunt Liu was shocked. "Chloe needs blind dates? Such a pretty girl, families must be fighting over her. Plus, she's young, no rush." She glanced at Leo. "Maybe Chloe already has someone she likes." My mom waved her hand, looking disgusted. "She's turning 27 after New Year's, and she has no guts. If there's a good one, she needs to meet him early before someone else snatches him up." "True. Leo isn't young either. He's turning 24. I'm worried too..." My mom patted Aunt Liu's hand. "You don't have to worry. Leo is so handsome, who knows how many girls like him. You'll just worry about picking the best one..." My dad and I watched the two women go back and forth. My mom basically said Chloe and Leo aren't a match, while Aunt Liu almost explicitly said they were perfect. After half an hour, Aunt Liu forced us to exchange WeChats so we could "study" later, and left reluctantly. I was confused. Once Leo left, I grabbed my mom. "We aren't going to Grandma's today..." "You!" My mom poked my forehead in frustration. "Don't get confused by Leo's face." "Just chatting for a bit, and his eyes were glued to you." "The prettier the boy, the more unreliable!" She glared at my dad. "Especially in construction. Too many temptations. Girls chasing them even when they're 50!" My dad, catching strays, grumbled, "Who are you mocking? I'm innocent! I think Leo is a good kid, honest, no bad intentions!" "Besides, is it our fault we're handsome?" I sighed, feeling inexplicably annoyed. So my mom doesn't like Leo.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386025", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel