Urban Life: I Just Want To Work Hard!

Chapter 107: Just a Beating is Enough! No More Arrogance!

"Knock, knock, knock."

At this moment, the door was knocked, and the man from before pushed the door open and smiled at Li Mubai, saying, "Teacher Li, I forgot just now, the contract hasn't been signed yet?"

"Oh... alright."

Li Mubai stood up, reached out and rubbed the child's head, then walked towards the door.

"Xiao Qing, be more humble, don't cause trouble anymore. Now that we have a good tutor, let's find a way to make it work." The man sternly said to Zhou Ziqing.

Li Mubai smiled gently, "She's quite obedient. I think Xiao Qing can cooperate with me, right?"

Zhou Ziqing turned her head and looked at the determination in Li Mubai's eyes, stubbornly nodding.

Leaving Zhou Ziqing's room with the man, Li Mubai sat in the living room and let out a sigh of relief.

Most of the time, he played "Flight of the Bumblebee" for this man just now.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, in order to have an equal opportunity to communicate with someone from such a family background, he had to have a strong foundation himself.

They were too focused on efficiency. If Li Mubai hadn't impressed Zhou Ziqing just now, there would be no need to mention the contract.

The man sat across from Li Mubai, smiling and briefly introducing himself.

He was Zhou Ziqing's father, surnamed Zhang.

In this matriarchal world, children took their mother's surname.

Following that, the man subtly mentioned that Zhou Ziqing was quite rebellious, and Li Mubai could teach her however he wanted. They wouldn't interfere as long as her grades improved.

Li Mubai felt more confident.

Then the man took out the contract. It guaranteed 20 hours of tutoring per week, with a fee of 300 per hour. As for grades, Zhou Ziqing was currently ranked 37th out of 40 students in her class. If she moved up one spot, Li Mubai would receive a bonus.

Li Mubai quickly glanced at it and signed his name.

Although they only had a brief conversation, Li Mubai had already learned enough information.

Regarding Zhou Ziqing, her parents' relationship should be a marriage of alliance.

Next was the family model in this matriarchal world.

How should he put it? In Li Mubai's previous life, fathers usually played a strict role, while mothers were mostly gentle in character.

But in this world, due to the matriarchal society and women working outside, children often lived with fathers who had relatively low social status, making them mature early.

Especially for girls.

Thinking of Yun Wuyue and Lin Jiayin, Li Mubai could somewhat understand.

After taking a few more glances at Zhou Ziqing's father, Li Mubai had a basic understanding.

As mentioned before, although the worldview had changed, the fundamental nature of men and women hadn't changed much. Men's patience was generally insufficient, even when dealing with children.

After the contract was filled out, Li Mubai returned to Zhou Ziqing's room.

With a calm mindset, Li Mubai played with Zhou Ziqing's unique and stylish lighter, smiling as he looked at Zhou Ziqing sitting on the bed with her arms crossed.

It couldn't be more obvious.

This child still hadn't surrendered.

Li Mubai could understand Zhou Ziqing's way of thinking to some extent. After all, he was a man, and she was a little girl going through her rebellious phase. How could she easily admit defeat?

Just like in his previous life, when Li Mubai was eighteen, a very arrogant woman came to tutor him. Although he knew she was very capable and admired her in his heart, he wouldn't easily admit it.

If he had just crossed over, Li Mubai would still have the patience to establish a good relationship with Zhou Ziqing first.

But now...

"I admit that you are qualified to teach me, different from the previous tutors who came. So I can also give you privileges. During the time you teach me, you can do your own thing, and I can do mine. We won't interfere with each other, and I won't hold it against you for breaking my iPad..."

Li Mubai stood at the door, smiling, locked the door, and walked into the room. Before Zhou Ziqing finished speaking, he slapped her in the face.

With a "smack," Zhou Ziqing felt a buzzing in her head.

Li Mubai's attribute points now far exceed those of an ordinary person, and coupled with a full-force slap, the force can be imagined.

"Your father pays me 300 yuan per hour, twenty hours a week, which is 6000 yuan. Your academic ranking is still at the bottom. As long as you climb up in the rankings, there's also my commission. It's not cheap!"

"Cheap for him..." Zhou Ziqing shook her head, half-roared, and was about to fight back.

Before Zhou Ziqing could move, Li Mubai punched her in the stomach.

Zhou Ziqing, one of the school bullies, almost screamed for help. She clutched her stomach and curled up, arching her body, and fell onto the bed.

This is what happens when a family is too rich and powerful, spoiling someone to the point of not knowing their place.

Zhou Ziqing couldn't bear it anymore. She curled up like a shrimp, tears swirling in her eyes, but surprisingly, she managed to hold them back and not let them fall.

This made Li Mubai look at Zhou Ziqing for a moment, as if he hadn't done anything. He sat down and continued to smile at her.

"Say less disgusting things, your father said they won't interfere with my teaching methods, as long as there are results. Fortunately, I'm not a talkative person, just like you. If you can fight without complaining, once it's over, get up."

Zhou Ziqing gritted her teeth and actually managed to get up, forcing herself to sit up straight, glaring at Li Mubai.

Li Mubai took out Zhou Ziqing's box of cigarettes again, lit one, and said, "Alright, stop glaring. Someone like you, I can beat a whole group of you."

He threw the cigarette box and lighter to Zhou Ziqing.

Zhou Ziqing seemed to want to say something, but thinking of Li Mubai's dominance just now, she obediently shut her mouth, took a cigarette, and lit it unskillfully.

The room quieted down, a man and a woman, one big and one small, sitting there smoking.

"If you want, you can call a few of your girlfriends over and we can try together," Li Mubai flicked the ash off his cigarette and asked with a smile.

"I've always been a lone wolf!" Zhou Ziqing gritted her teeth and said.

"What if you encounter a group of people on the other side?"

"Definitely run first. Only a fool would confront them head-on!"

Li Mubai smiled, "Okay, that's a bit smart. Not stupid."

"What did you do before?" Zhou Ziqing finally asked the question she wanted to know the most.

At this point, Li Mubai just smiled faintly, "Guess."

Zhou Ziqing deflated like a deflated balloon, threw the cigarette on the ground, stomped it out fiercely, and then nodded unwillingly.

"Alright, be my tutor then. But let's make it clear, if I encounter trouble in the future, you have to come help me. But don't think that I'll be interested in you!"

Li Mubai looked at Zhou Ziqing strangely, looked her up and down, and said, "You're interested in me now? You're not even comparable to one of them. Even if you bring your mother out, it won't help."

Zhou Ziqing became even more curious, "Do you live nearby?"

"I live in Jinshui Qianwan."

"Newly rich!" Zhou Ziqing pouted, but immediately realized it was wise not to inquire further, "When you have time, teach me other things, like the speed and explosiveness you just showed!"

Li Mubai nodded in his heart. After all, she was still a child from a wealthy family, knowing what to ask and what not to ask.

"Okay, I'll teach you when I have time. But for now, tell me about your recent academic situation. It would be best if you have recent math test papers. Show me and let me see what level you're at. What level are you in piano?"

When it came to this, Zhou Ziqing finally showed a different emotion when looking at Li Mubai.

She brought her school bag over, and there was even a compartment inside.

It was a stack of test papers.

"You are now my private tutor... You have to sign for me!" Zhou Ziqing turned her head, looking as if you have this obligation.

As expected.

Just give me a beating, stop being so stubborn!

Looking at the impressive score of 37 in math.

Li Mubai nodded with a smile, "No problem, but if you don't get at least 80 on the next test, don't expect me to sign for you again."

Zhou Ziqing turned her head in disbelief, hesitated for a while, and then bit her lip firmly, "No problem!"

It's obvious that Zhou Ziqing hasn't been studying properly, she doesn't even remember the formulas.

Li Mubai glanced through it and thought that he should first help this child come up with a detailed plan, starting from the first year of high school.

After all, math is like building a house, you can't build it directly in mid-air.

He asked his little apprentice to bring out the high school textbook. Li Mubai moved a chair and sat with her at the desk, throwing a math test paper at her.

"You do it first, ask me about anything you don't understand, and I'll help you make a study plan."

"Okay." Zhou Ziqing scratched her head and looked at the test paper, feeling like facing a formidable enemy.

In less than two minutes, Zhou Ziqing moved her gaze slowly.

Li Mubai turned his head and saw that a simple variation of an exponential function had stumped Zhou Ziqing.

He threw the math textbook at her, "Page 68, Example 3."

Zhou Ziqing quickly opened the textbook and carefully examined it.

Then, after comparing it with the example for a while, Zhou Ziqing's eyes suddenly brightened, and she smiled foolishly, looking quite accomplished.

Li Mubai looked at Zhou Ziqing's appearance and felt that it was too early to judge her as "not stupid".

Learning is like going through a tunnel. From a distance, it looks pitch black, but once you pass through, everything becomes clear, and there is a sense of enjoyment and accomplishment.

After about thirty minutes, Li Mubai handed the densely outlined outline to Zhou Ziqing.

"Your foundation in the first year of high school is very weak. Don't expect to start solving problems right away. Start by memorizing. When you have a good grasp, then start solving problems. It's like playing a game, first focus on the outskirts, and when I'm confident, I'll decide whether to engage in a team fight or target the backline."

...Flowers please...

As a highly paid tutor, Li Mubai definitely wouldn't just fool around. He had already made up his mind after spending time studying high school math.

Zhou Ziqing took it seriously.

She was a little afraid of Li Mubai now. It was obvious that Li Mubai was different from the boys she had known before. She was afraid of making Li Mubai unhappy and getting punched, and then having her test paper ruined.

Most importantly, she genuinely respected him.

Her classmates were mostly good at talking, but when it came to fighting, they were all talk and no action.

Especially those little sisters who acted tough but were actually cowards. They would agree to fight, but in the end, it was all just empty talk.

Zhou Ziqing felt that a real man should be like Li Mubai, no nonsense, regardless of background, just take care of things first.

He was much better than the previous tutors who accompanied her with a smiling face, which made her angry.

At first, when she saw Li Mubai's face, she thought he was just like those people. But after taking a few punches from him, she knew that Li Mubai was not ordinary.

This kind of straightforwardness without any hesitation, she had only seen it before in the bodyguards at home.

There was a kind of...

The person she had always admired and wanted to become was finally by her side.

This made her very excited.

"Do you play games too?"

Li Mubai chuckled and glanced at her, saying, "Don't even think about it, I can't tolerate someone like you!"

If Li Mubai had said this before, Zhou Ziqing would definitely not believe it, but now, for some reason, she was willing to believe.

0...

"Teacher!"

"Hmm?" Li Mubai raised an eyebrow.

"Take me as your disciple! I'll be your little sister in the future!"

"Get lost!" Li Mubai said impatiently, "Do you think I'm involved in the underworld? I don't need a little sister."

"Then teach me how to be as cool as you, even just the way you smoke," Zhou Ziqing said admiringly.

Looking at the child's innocent face, Li Mubai shook his head.

His duty was to teach, not to teach how to be a person.

But considering the favorability, Li Mubai said lightly, "If you want to be as cool as me, first you have to be capable. Don't expect to become a peerless expert overnight. If you want to be respected, you have to suffer first."

"For example?"

"For example," Li Mubai smiled, "if you want to date multiple people without any mishaps, you have to put in the effort first."

Zhou Ziqing blushed halfway, "I don't have such boring thoughts. The boys in our school are all idiots."

"Alright, play a piece on the piano, your best one," Li Mubai said.

Zhou Ziqing wanted to continue chatting with Li Mubai, but she obediently sat down.

This time, it finally looked a bit better.

Li Mubai felt that Zhou Ziqing's piano playing had reached a level of around LV6.

After finishing the piece, Zhou Ziqing asked, "How was it?"

"It's passable, but you lack emotional depth in your playing. If you only focus on exams, it's fine, but if you want to be cool, you need more than that," Li Mubai said.

Zhou Ziqing furrowed her brows and humbly asked, "What should I do?"

"There are two ways. The first is to play the original piano piece strictly according to the style of the original pianist, with no mistakes in pauses or key strength. The difficulty of this is beyond imagination. Playing the piano on stage not only carries the pressure of performance, but also makes it easy for your fingers to tremble. Not to mention, you have to be as precise as the original composer, with consistent key strength, which requires a lot of practice."

"Isn't that... like playing the piano without emotions?"

"It's exactly like playing the piano without emotions!"

"What about the second way?"

"Your own emotions, understanding the emotions of the composer, and expressing your own emotions through that."

... "Master, which one are you?"

"The first one," Li Mubai said with a faint smile.

"The first one is the most practical, because your performance evaluation as a student is based on the original piece. The exam system determines that you can only choose the first method for now. As for the second method... think about it when you can step onto the national or world stage."

After listening to Li Mubai's words, Zhou Ziqing looked at the piano, deep in thought...

In just a short hour or two of meeting Li Mubai, it had already had a great impact on her.

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Regret.