Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 25

Qiao Bo’er, unable to hold the brush steady, stubbornly changed to all sorts of strange postures, like a primary school kid learning to write in the field-style grid for the first time, even struggling with how to hold the brush.

Ling Xi watched her stubborn little expression silently, the corners of her mouth curling into an involuntary smile. Actually, the crazy woman wasn’t so annoying when she wasn’t being troublesome, and she found herself teasing: “So Boss Qiao has such little patience?”

Qiao Bo’er’s smooth forehead wrinkled directly to her brow bone. Annoyed, she retorted: “It’s so troublesome. Can’t I just use a regular grip?”

Ling Xi simply indulged her: “Then try holding it that way.”

The result was predictable. Qiao Bo’er’s pale fingertips were covered in ink, and she cried out: “Paper, give me paper…”

Ling Xi did not laugh at her clumsiness. Instead, she took out a tissue and carefully helped her wipe the ink from her hand.

Ling Xi put the brush back into Qiao Bo’er’s hand, patiently adjusting her grip little by little while explaining: “Beginners shouldn’t rush. The grip is very important. Holding it with three fingers is more stable than two, but of course, you can use whichever grip you prefer; there are no overly strict requirements.

You just need to hold the brush firmly. Don’t press too hard. The harder you press, the more difficult it is to control the direction of the tip. This is interconnected. You could also think of it as the effect of force.”

After adjusting the posture, she guided Qiao Bo’er’s hand, slowly moving the brush into the ink dish, dipping it a few times and then draining the excess ink with quick, graceful, and practiced movements.

“How much ink you take depends on your writing needs and habits. But it’s best not to take too much at once. Hold the brush flat before writing to prevent the ink from dripping… Alright, you can start writing now.”

Ling Xi’s palm was slightly moist and soft. She held Qiao Bo’er’s hand, making stroke after stroke. The ink was imbued with soul as it was painted on the cicada-wing paper, and it also settled in Qiao Bo’er’s heart.

The resulting characters were still a bit crooked, but the brush strokes were beginning to take shape.

Qiao Bo’er was distracted because she wanted to remember the sensation of Ling Xi’s palm and the short-lived, yet cherished, tenderness.

This couldn’t help but make her fantasies more profound. She truly wished she could travel to the future to see her harmonious marital life with Ling Xi.

Ling Xi felt the gaze, turned her head to look at Qiao Bo’er, and only then realized her student wasn’t focused on practicing calligraphy at all but was staring intently at her.

Up close, the woman’s eyes contained too many emotions, making Ling Xi appear even colder in that moment.

She ignored Qiao Bo’er’s intense gaze, quietly let go of her hand, and stepped back: “Calligraphy requires intense concentration. What can you learn by just looking at me?”

Qiao Bo’er put down the brush, being willful and unrepentant: “But I just want to look at you.”

Ling Xi tapped the desk, her tone stern: “It is class time now. Show some respect.”

Qiao Bo’er pouted, unconvinced, and her disappointment was evident.

Ling Xi saw it and, to her surprise, again had the fleeting thought that this woman was kind of cute. She shook her head incredulously and returned to the podium.

Qiao Bo’er looked down at the character Ling Xi had taught her to write, confused: “What character did you teach today?”

“The ‘Qiao’ character in Zhongshan Seal Script—your surname. Of course, the authentic Zhongshan King Seal Script doesn’t contain this character. This is one of the 5,000+ characters that calligraphers have extended by dismantling and recombining radicals. You can practice it for fun.”

“Ding—”

The class bell rang, but Ling Xi remained in her chair, which was quite unusual. She spoke to make an announcement: “Class is extended by twenty minutes. You need to practice your characters properly.”

Qiao Bo’er felt restless and grumbled: “Do universities still extend classes?”

“Well, my class does. Just practice this character. Ask me if you don’t understand.”

“Isn’t that a bit too strict?” Qiao Bo’er propped her chin on her hands, unwilling to pick up the brush, wanting to be lazy. It seemed the “salty fish” laziness was infectious.

“Out of all the students I’ve taught, you are the most disobedient.” Ling Xi criticized, turning to rewrite a large, standard ‘Qiao’ character on the blackboard: “Practice by looking at the blackboard, or I’ll extend the class again.”

“Want a hamburger?”

“…”

“The fries are getting soggy!”

“…”

“You’ve been lecturing for so long, how about a cup of cola to moisten your throat?”

Qiao Bo’er dug out a fried chicken set, holding the cola out to Ling Xi, who was sitting upright at the podium. In this moment, she really was endearing.

Ling Xi stood up and walked over to her, picked up the brush, and drew a big ‘X’ on Qiao Bo’er’s hand: “Student Qiao Bo’er, you are truly very disobedient.”

…

Her coolness lasted less than three seconds, resulting in a spectacular blunder.

Ling Xi’s white cotton T-shirt was covered in ink. Her eye sockets were painted with large black circles from the brush, she had an ‘X’ on each cheek, and the tip of her nose was also stained black.

She washed her face in front of the mirror for a long time, scrubbing until her skin was nearly raw, but the ink stains still wouldn’t come off. She kept scolding Qiao Bo’er: “I mean, you, you look like a celestial being, and your demeanor is decent, but you are genuinely crazy, and you don’t know your own strength!”

Qiao Bo’er leaned against the side, indifferent, and haughtily snorted: “What kind of teacher uses a brush to scribble on a student? You brought this upon yourself.”

“You think you’re right? Fine, draw an X on my hand too… Did you grow up on hormones? You’re as strong as an ox!”

Indeed, Qiao Bo’er had half Western ancestry. The issue wasn’t that she was overly strong, but that Ling Xi’s small frame was too fragile—a complete weakling.

Ling Xi thought about how Qiao Bo’er had pinned her down on the desk, how she couldn’t escape her grasp no matter how she struggled, and how Qiao Bo’er had taken a brush and messed up her face. The pent-up frustration made her liver ache.

“I’m a professor at Xuan University, and so many students come and go. Don’t I have any dignity?!”

Seeing Ling Xi’s enraged and barking appearance, Qiao Bo’er swept away the gloom of last night, feeling incredibly good: “Lazy cat, greedy cat, painted-face cat. Your labels are growing…”

“Did I slaughter your whole family in my past life, and now you’re here to claim vengeance?”

“Well, is there a possibility that you were promiscuous and betrayed me in your past life, and now you owe me a debt of love?”

“What are you even talking about?”

Qiao Bo’er walked over to Ling Xi, turned off the faucet, and remembered the adage that a cat must be stroked gently. Slap her, then give her a treat, and Ling Xi, this scoundrel, would definitely fall for it again.

“No more fighting. I’m taking you out to eat, and I’ll buy you a new outfit as compensation.”

With her painted face, Ling Xi was embarrassed, not to mention eating. She needed courage just to leave the restroom.

Qiao Bo’er saw her stammering, wanting to sponge a meal but also timid, so she took out a makeup bag from her stylish purse: “Bring your face closer.”

“What are you trying to do now?”

“I have makeup remover. Let me try it on you.” Qiao Bo’er took an individually packaged cotton pad, dabbed it with remover, and cupped Ling Xi’s chin to wipe her face: “Such a beautiful face, it’s a waste not to wear makeup.”

“Shallow. I call this being naturally refined and not needing external embellishment! Unlike some people who wear heavy makeup every day, with powder so thick you’re afraid it’ll fall off in chunks with a gust of wind… Ouch!”

How could Qiao Bo’er not hear Ling Xi’s veiled insult? She scrubbed harder, making Ling Xi cry out in pain.

“If you’re itching for a fight, just tell me directly. No need for all this nonsense.”

Evidently, Qiao Bo’er paid attention to every word Ling Xi said. She subconsciously glanced in the mirror above the sink, wondering if her makeup was too heavy today?

“Alright, alright, you are the belle of the South, who can overthrow a city with one glance, a state with a second, and blow out all four tires with a third.”

Ling Xi shook her head, her venomous wit dressed up in flowery language. It was purely her own fault for provoking the crazy woman.

Qiao Bo’er continued to help Ling Xi remove the ink stains, increasing the pressure on her hand: “With a mouth so sharp, why are you studying ancient texts? It’s a waste of resources that you’re not doing stand-up comedy.”

Ling Xi couldn’t stand Qiao Bo’er flipping out at the drop of a hat, and she wouldn’t indulge her: “You insist on me praising you, and then you get upset when I do. Don’t you think you’re being a little contradictory?”

Qiao Bo’er wouldn’t be outdone and immediately retorted: “Hmph, you’re just twisting the facts. Do you believe I’ll tear your mouth off?”

“Go on, try and tear it off!” Ling Xi was unskilled but loved to mess around, purposely provoking the crazy woman. She was asking for trouble.

Qiao Bo’er narrowed her eyes, thinking of something, and naturally hooked her fingers under Ling Xi’s chin, provocatively stroking it: “Such a cute little mouth, I couldn’t bear to tear it. But I could…”

The crazy woman suddenly leaned in close, her voice seductive and flirtatious: “Kiss you until you beg for mercy…”

Ling Xi was so terrified by Qiao Bo’er’s aggressive flirtation that her legs went weak, and she shrank back, tightly closing her eyes, entering a state of system crash again.

The scoundrel couldn’t handle a scare. Qiao Bo’er was just teasing her. She raised her hand and flicked her forehead: “Scaredy-cat, let’s see if you dare to mess with me again.”

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