Chapter 68: After All That Mental Preparation

Chen Lie looked at Su Qinghu, who was speaking clearly and logically, her eyes curved in a bright smile, and suddenly felt a sense of caution rise in his heart.

Something’s not right.

Su Qinghu couldn’t care less what he was thinking. She simply grabbed his hand, placed the ruler on it, and said, “Come on.”

“You’re angry,” Chen Lie frowned, his gaze shifting from the ruler in his hand to Su Qinghu. “There’s no need for the ruler.”

If she couldn’t learn it in one go, she could just practice a few more times. With her intelligence, she’d get it eventually.

The ruler was mainly for disciplining children who hadn’t yet developed a sense of right and wrong. At her age, words were enough.

Even now, Chen Lie thought Su Qinghu had handed him the ruler so he could punish her.

Su Qinghu had already felt something off about his words earlier, but hadn’t figured out what. Now, seeing him put away the ruler, clearly not intending to use it, she finally realized what was wrong.

“You thought I gave you the ruler so you could punish me?” Su Qinghu was incredulous.

Chen Lie: “…Discipline you?”

He looked at her, his expression unreadable, but there was an inherent authority about him.

Su Qinghu almost burst out laughing. “Take a good look at my face—does it say ‘masochist’ anywhere?”

Why would she, living a perfectly good life, ask someone to hit her?

If that were really the case, she wouldn’t be stupid—someone else’s imagination was just running wild!

Chen Lie lowered his gaze, silent, his eyelids tightening slightly as he tried to discern her emotions.

Su Qinghu’s eyes sparkled, bold and a little provocative. “Sir, you’re overthinking it. The ruler is for your peace of mind.”

She’d switched back to calling him “sir.”

Chen Lie pressed his lips together.

Su Qinghu grinned. “I’m definitely learning boxing today, and you have to teach me. If my movements aren’t right, don’t worry about physical contact when correcting me. We’ll just use this ruler to fine-tune the details.”

Suddenly, the ruler felt a bit hot in Chen Lie’s hand. He glanced at Su Qinghu, who was smiling beautifully with a hint of mischief, weighed his options, and casually tossed the ruler onto the coal briquettes covered with a felt cloth.

Su Qinghu was stunned, blinking as her eyes widened. “Chen Lie, do you know what you just—”

Before she could finish, Chen Lie grabbed her arm.

She felt the rough, dry, and warm touch on her arm and was momentarily dazed.

What was he doing?

He definitely wasn’t going to hit her. Even when she’d made him so angry before, he hadn’t laid a hand on her. She couldn’t bring herself to be afraid now.

“Your elbow was too low just now. Besides correcting that, you need to rotate it outward a bit…” Chen Lie got hands-on, helping her into the correct posture. “This is the right position. Pay attention and remember the key points.”

Su Qinghu tried to speak. “Just now, when you threw—”

She wanted to remind Chen Lie that the ruler he’d just tossed onto the coal briquettes might actually be a collectible.

But Chen Lie was in full-on instructor mode, not giving her a chance to talk, cutting her off directly. “Since you’ll be teaching the kids in the future, take it seriously.”

Su Qinghu: “…”

She struggled internally for a moment, then gave up. Fine, whatever. Who cares if it’s a collectible? It’s already been thrown, what’s done is done, and it’s too late to worry about it now.

With Chen Lie’s hands-on guidance, correcting her posture directly, Su Qinghu improved rapidly. After three rounds, aside from lacking a bit of strength, her form was already quite decent.

Of course, this was partly because Chen Lie’s earlier attempt to avoid suspicion made Su Qinghu less inclined to tease him, so she could focus on the boxing itself.

Da Dan and Er Dan finished their homework but didn’t go to bed. Instead, they quietly stood by the living room door, watching Su Qinghu practice.

Da Dan said, “Dad’s got real presence.”

Er Dan stared intently, not looking away. Unsure how to praise Su Qinghu, he just said, “Dad’s a man—he’s strong.”

“But—” Da Dan gave a fair assessment, “her moves are okay.”

Er Dan turned, incredulous. “You’re praising her?”

Da Dan glanced at him but said nothing, continuing to watch the two in the courtyard.

Heh, Er Dan grinned, feeling awkward. His big brother was definitely being awkward. He likes her but won’t admit it, ha ha ha…

Su Qinghu followed Chen Lie’s movements for another round, then closed her eyes to mentally review the steps. Once she was sure she hadn’t missed anything, she flicked her ponytail and said, “Go check if they’ve packed their homework into their bags. I’m going to shower.”

With that, she went to the bedroom, grabbed her pajamas, and headed straight to the bathroom.

Chen Lie walked into the living room, but before he could say anything, Er Dan piped up, “Dad, we’ve packed all our homework. Nothing’s missing.”

Da Dan: “Mm.”

Chen Lie glanced at the tidy table and nodded. “Go get some rest.”

Er Dan turned and happily headed to the bedroom.

Da Dan lingered a moment, hesitantly looking at the man before him. “Dad, are you going to be gone for a long time again?”

Chen Lie patted his head. “Go to sleep.”

Watching Da Dan go into the bedroom, Chen Lie finally left the living room and retrieved the ruler he’d tossed onto the coal briquettes covered with felt.

The ruler was ordinary in size, with some words carved on it but no signature. That alone made it seem pretty normal, but the wood was nice and fragrant—it probably did have some collectible value.

Chen Lie smiled.

How could he not know what Su Qinghu wanted to say when he threw the ruler? But her reaction was interesting—she didn’t get angry or anxious, just calmly accepted it…

Chen Lie put the ruler in a prominent spot in the living room, then went to the bedroom to find an army-green tank top to wear after his shower.

When Su Qinghu came back from her shower, she immediately saw the tall man in the bedroom doing push-ups.

She: “…”

Good thing the room was big—otherwise, with those long arms and legs, there wouldn’t be enough space for him to move.

Sensing movement in his peripheral vision, Chen Lie instinctively looked over. He saw her pale, round toes lifting and lowering, full of lively energy.

He quickly looked away, only to find his gaze landing on her shapely calves…

Chen Lie quietly took a breath, quickly averted his eyes, and pushed himself up with one hand in a smooth motion.

“Go ahead and rest. I’m going to take a shower.”

With that, he grabbed his army-green tank top and strode out of the bedroom.

Su Qinghu was tired now, her mind and senses dulled. She nodded absently and went straight to bed.

Whatever, she’d rest first. Since he was leaving early tomorrow, whether or not she saw him off at the station, she should at least get up and make him something to eat.

If she didn’t rest well, she was afraid she’d oversleep…

In the bathroom, Chen Lie—still unaware that Su Qinghu had already fallen asleep—finished his shower, changed into his tank top, took a deep breath, and mentally prepared himself before stepping out.

If Su Qinghu said anything outrageous later, he’d go along with her if he could. If not, he’d just try to ignore it or stay calm…"