A Guide to Capturing the Gentle Older Sister - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Yu Weiwei was short on money.

The miserable college student, fretting over finances, was sighing and groaning in the dormitory. Kuang Yao, who occupied the top bunk, hung up her game and poked her head out irritably, being concise and to the point.

“I recommended you. A rich lady. English tutor.”

Yu Weiwei was still hesitating over what grade the student was in when she saw the hourly rate! Suddenly, she wanted to rush over and hug her roommate’s head, weeping over this world-shaking act of friendship.

Kuang Yao: “Stop right there. I’m about to lose my game.”

“Hehe, hehehe…” Yu Weiwei clutched her phone and smirked foolishly, visions of sudden wealth already appearing before her eyes.

The socially anxious college student began to contemplate how to add the rich lady.

The rich lady’s profile picture was a silhouette of a back standing by a blue sea. She was as slender as a plum branch, with hair like clouds scattered behind her. The calm blue tone gave off an indescribable sense of tranquility. The WeChat name was likely her real name: Jiang Wu. Somehow, just by chanting this name, it felt as though a cold breeze had blown through Yu Weiwei’s mind.

Her fingers twitched as she began to agonize.

“How should I introduce myself!”

Kuang Yao didn’t even look up: “Just say I recommended you.”

“Oh…” Yu Weiwei cautiously sent the friend request.

“Hello, Sister, I am the English tutor recommended by Kuang Yao.”

Eyes closed, send!

Ababa ababa… Yu Weiwei leaned weakly against the desk playing dead, already starting to fear how she would communicate once the rich lady added her.

“Weiwei, why are you suddenly so short on money?” her roommate Mi Shushu asked with concern.

“It’s a long story, friends,” Yu Weiwei looked toward the sky miserably.

Yu Weiwei, female, 21 years old, a rising senior majoring in English at Haicheng University. With one week left before the semester started, Yu Weiwei didn’t miss the warmth of home at all. She had scurried back to the dorm like a poor house cat that had been kicked a few times.

Her biological mother, Ms. Wu: “Prepare well for the postgraduate entrance exam. If you don’t pass, come back and study full-time for a government civil service position.”

Yes, as everyone knew, the English major was cutthroat for postgraduate recommendations, especially at a place full of hidden talents like Haicheng University. Due to various reasons, Yu Weiwei had narrowly missed out on a recommendation spot.

Thus, for the entire summer, Yu Weiwei was bathed in the kind nagging of her parents.

In a word: “If you don’t get into grad school, pass the civil service exam, or else get out of this house.”

Shushu sucked in a breath of cold air and looked at her pityingly for a second: “No wonder you ran back here like your tail was on fire.” Who could stand being nagged to study all day?

“Don’t you want to take the exam? Actually, your parents’ plan is pretty good; working is too tiring.” Shushu was a local only child in Haicheng. She planned to go abroad for further studies after graduation. Working? Impossible to work.

“Sigh, I can’t say for sure.” Yu Weiwei was lost. She had always planned to continue her studies and had never considered working.

Her family was a classic setup within the system: her father was a civil servant and her mother was a teacher. As long as she followed her parents’ plan, her life would be smooth sailing without any problems.

But for some reason this summer, Yu Weiwei was extremely restless. Her parents rambled incessantly in her ear, acting as if she had committed a grave sin by not securing a grad school recommendation. It was either take the civil service exam directly or get into grad school and then enter the civil service. They even had blind date candidates lined up, just waiting for Yu Weiwei to prove herself…

It was so annoying. Yu Weiwei couldn’t explain exactly what she was frustrated about.

“Anyway, I’ll earn some money first. A part-time job won’t affect my exam prep.” Yu Weiwei guiltily closed her professional textbook.

Buzz buzz. The phone vibrated briefly twice. Yu Weiwei sat up like a carp leaping from the water, beginning to feel nervous.

Jiang Wu: “Hello”

w: “Hello, Sister!”

Jiang Wu: “No need to be so formal. Are you Yaoyao’s classmate?”

w: “Mmm-hmm! I’m also an English major. I’ve passed the TEM-4, and next semester I’ll take the TEM-8. I have experience as an English tutor. How old is the child in your family?”

Jiang Wu sent a voice message. Yu Weiwei clutched her heart and tapped it. Half of her ear turned red instantly.

It started with a light chuckle, Jiang Wu seemed amused by her. Her voice was very relaxed, and her timbre was completely different from Yu Weiwei’s or the people her age. It was like moonlight falling into a red wine glass, lazily swirling the liquid—delicate, gentle, and with a certain faint, lingering pull.

“Alright, little friend. Let’s try a trial lesson first, okay?”

Yu Weiwei covered her blushing face. What’s going on? She called me “little friend”!

Her mind began to wildly imagine what Jiang Wu looked like.

“Okay, Sister!”

“Any time is fine for me!”

“Alright then. Little friend.” The smile in the trail of this voice message was even more obvious.

“Oh my.” Yu Weiwei collapsed onto the bed. “This rich lady! Her voice is so good! She’s so gentle! Kuang-kuang, what does this sister do?”

“Lawyer.” Kuang Yao didn’t look up, focusing on her game.

“Wow, that sounds amazing.”

Kuang Yao stopped her movements.

“Yu Weiwei.”

“Huh?”

“She is the same as me.”

“Hmm?” Yu Weiwei didn’t react at first.

Suddenly, she remembered their freshman year when they first entered the dorm. Kuang Yao had stood coolly at the door: “Just so you know, I like girls. If anyone minds, I’ll apply to live off-campus.”

“B-but, doesn’t she have a child?” Yu Weiwei stammered.

“She’s helping her older sister look after them.”

“Oh, oh. Well, that’s fine then. I was just sincerely complimenting her, isn’t that allowed? Everyone has a heart for beauty. Look, I compliment you every day too, and I don’t see any sparks flying between us. Don’t tell me, Kuang-kuang, you’ve discovered you have a secret crush on me? Too bad, I’m straight as a ruler.” Yu Weiwei intentionally leaned in, grabbing her bunk railing to tease her.

Kuang Yao stared at her for a moment and then mercilessly pushed her face away.

“You’d better be.”

“Hmph.” Yu Weiwei hummed a song while preparing her lesson.

For the hourly rate this rich lady was offering, she had to win this!

But on the day of the trial lesson, Yu Weiwei was clinging to the subway pole looking half-dead.

Who could understand why Haicheng at the end of August was still this hot? The sun pinned people to the ground to roast, The air was thick with the scent of ‘let’s go crazy together’. Going to work—who wouldn’t go a little crazy?

The school was some distance from the subway. By the time she finally squeezed onto the train, the appearance she had carefully groomed before leaving was already in shambles. Her white shirt had even been crumpled in the process of squeezing on.

Yu Weiwei assessed her appearance: intentionally matured arched eyebrows, Dior 999 classic red lipstick, and semi-long hair reaching her shoulders pinned behind her ears with a pearl clip. A white shirt and a black midi-skirt—every detail was trying hard to project: “I am a reliable teacher.” Unfortunately, her fair, round face with a hint of baby fat, her innocent puppy eyes that remained guileless despite her efforts to glare, and the few strands of pink highlights in her hair were all exposing: “This is a pure and stupid college student.”

Whatever. Yu Weiwei skillfully assumed a ‘let it be’ posture.

Squeezing off the subway, Yu Weiwei ran to the restroom to release the urge caused by over-nervousness. She straightened her shirt in the mirror, adjusted her black skirt, carefully touched up her powder, and checked herself again and again before walking out of the subway station with trepidation.

Just as she stepped out of the exit, a heatwave hit her face. Yu Weiwei wanted to cry but had no tears, knowing her makeup touch-up had been in vain.

She opened “Amap,” and it showed a ten-minute walk. Yu Weiwei took a deep breath, sticking her tongue out like a puppy while rehearsing in her head how to greet the rich lady when they met.

She began to feel infinite regret. Earlier, Jiang Wu had asked for her time and offered to pick her up, but because it was her first visit, Yu Weiwei was too shy + socially anxious and turned her down. If time could restart, she would definitely say: “Sister! Pick me up!”

While walking and letting her thoughts wander, a cool breeze brushed past. The oncoming greenery swept away the parched heat, and a typical European-style building came into view. The main gate was grand and elegant. At the security post, a handsome young man in a crisp uniform stood straight, his sharp gaze shooting toward her.

Yu Weiwei blinked, looked down at her phone, and then looked at the gilded letters on the gate.

This is the place…

As a pure and stupid college student, Yu Weiwei’s social anxiety flared up. She swallowed and felt like crying. What was even more awkward was that to avoid being late, she had left early. Now she was thirty minutes ahead of the scheduled time. Arriving too early wasn’t great either.

The situation was briefly very awkward.

She had to pretend she was taking a stroll in the area, occasionally checking her watch as if waiting for someone. The security guard’s gaze was like needles on her back. Yu Weiwei awkwardly lowered her head to pretend to play with her phone. Every second felt like a year. Finally, more than ten minutes passed.

She plucked up her courage, braved the gaze behind her, and walked to the gate to inquire: “Hello, um, could you tell me how to get to Building 3, Room 301?”

The guard was very professional. He looked down at a ledger in front of him: “One moment. May I ask if you are Ms. Yu Weiwei?”

“Yes.” Yu Weiwei nodded stupidly.

“Alright, the owner mentioned it in advance. Please follow me.”

“Oh, okay.”

The guard walked two steps behind and to the side of her, occasionally making small gestures to lead the way.

Did the rich lady mention it in advance? Uwah, so thoughtful. Yu Weiwei was moved. She followed the guard, her eyes falling on the landscaping on both sides. She couldn’t name the plants, but she found the designs unique and beautiful. After a few more steps, a sudden coolness hit her face with a bit of mist. It turned out there was a fountain ahead. Surrounded by several towering trees, there was a corridor covered in wisteria with a few tables and chairs, seemingly calling out to passersby to sit and rest.

So beautiful! Living in a community like this must be so blissful. Yu Weiwei silently began to dream: If only I could afford a house here in the future!

The young man led her right to the door: “Hello, here we are.”

“Thank you, sorry for the trouble.” Yu Weiwei nodded repeatedly. Watching the guard leave, she hurried to check her attire one last time before ringing the doorbell.

Creeeeeak—the door opened. Yu Weiwei looked up.

Bright light poured out, but more eye-catching than the light was that jade-like face and eyes as bright as autumn waters.

The person in front of her was half a head taller than Yu Weiwei, with a tall figure and fair, delicate skin. She carried a natural classical temperament. Her features seemed to be hand-drawn by the best traditional painter: long eyebrows like dark peaks, pitch-black eyes, and corners of the mouth that seemed to turn up yet didn’t, with a color like the softest peach blossoms of spring. She wore a slim-fit, pearl-white satin dress, and her silky black hair was loosely pinned back with a simple ancient hairpin. Although her aura was very gentle, she was almost dazzling, possessing a sense of calm and composed control over everything.

“Little friend Weiwei?”