"Hello, I'm Su Luoyi, Li Haimei's secretary. Li Haimei asked me to bring you over."
"Alright, lead the way."
"Sure, please follow me."
Su Luoyi then led Xu Xiuwen to Li Haimei's office.
Li Haimei's office was no different from an ordinary office, with a sign on the wall outside indicating the owner's position.
Su Luoyi went ahead to inform Li Haimei that the visitor had arrived.
Li Haimei responded with an acknowledgment, and then Su Luoyi opened the door and led Xu Xiuwen inside.
Li Haimei was seated behind her desk, her head bent over some documents.
After a minute, she seemed to remember and looked up, saying to Su Luoyi, "Xiao Luo, you can leave now."
"Okay, Mayor Li."
Su Luoyi left and carefully closed the door behind her.
Li Haimei did not raise her head as she said, "Please sit down while I finish reviewing this document."
Xu Xiuwen was once again left speechless by her behavior.
After a while, Li Haimei finally finished with the document.
Seemingly from looking down too long, her neck felt slightly sore, and she gently moved it around.
"Is it over?"
Hearing the man's voice, Li Haimei remembered there was someone else in the room.
She turned to look at Xu Xiuwen.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly smiled.
"What are you laughing about?" Li Haimei asked, puzzled.
Xu Xiuwen explained, "I find you quite interesting. You asked me to come over, made me wait, and didn't say a word."
Li Haimei detected a hint of sarcasm in his tone, which she was unaccustomed to.
After all, since taking this position, no one had dared to mock her in front of her.
"Why are you silent?" Xu Xiuwen asked.
"If you don't speak, I might just leave."
Li Haimei snapped out of it and said, "You're not going to leave."
"Oh?"
"If you were going to leave, you wouldn't have come in the first place," Li Haimei said calmly.
"So, what do you want from me?" Xu Xiuwen asked directly, cutting to the chase.
"Why are you so sure that I have something to ask you?"
"Funny. If you didn't have something to ask, would you be reminiscing about old times with me?" Xu Xiuwen blurted out, inadvertently making a sarcastic remark.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized it sounded like he was teasing Li Haimei.
Though he hadn't meant it that way, Li Haimei would certainly interpret it as such.
As expected, Li Haimei's expression immediately turned cold.
Li Haimei looked at Xu Xiuwen with a calm yet chilling gaze.
Xu Xiuwen, quick to react, hurriedly corrected himself, "I didn't mean it like that. What I meant was, you must have something to discuss with me."
Li Haimei gave a cold hum, her expression still fairly composed.
Xu Xiuwen let out a sigh of relief.
However, he didn't realize that from an angle he couldn't see, Li Haimei's eyes flickered slightly.
The room was eerily quiet.
After one minute, maybe two, or even three, Li Haimei suddenly said, "I do have something to discuss with you."
"Then go ahead."
Li Haimei paused for a few seconds, her voice softening, "I'd like you to tutor Ke Ke."
Why did Li Haimei want to see him?
Before meeting Li Haimei, Xu Xiuwen had considered many possible answers.
But he had never anticipated this one.
He rejected immediately, "No way!"
"Why not?"
"I don't have time!"
"Why don't you have time?"
"You speak so interestingly. If I don't have time, I don't have time. Why do you need to ask why?"
Li Haimei was taken aback by Xu Xiuwen's words.
She looked at him, her gaze shifting.
"Is there anything else?"
Li Haimei remained silent.
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
"Don't you dare leave!" Li Haimei's tone grew increasingly stern.
Xu Xiuwen asked calmly, "Is there something else?"
Li Haimei continued, "You haven't agreed to be Ke Ke's tutor!"
Xu Xiuwen was at a loss, "Why are we still talking about this? I already said it's not possible. Why does it have to be me? You can find someone else to tutor her."
A flicker of hesitation and conflict crossed Li Haimei's eyes but quickly turned into resolve.
"It has to be you!"
"You need to give me a reason. Why does it have to be me?"
"Don't you remember that noon?"
"What do you mean?"
"That day, Ke Ke thought you were coming for the tutor interview."
"Yeah, and?"
"Ke Ke has always refused to have a tutor, but last time she agreed."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"But she only agreed to have you as her tutor."
Xu Xiuwen was stunned.
Li Haimei continued, "I've tried to persuade her to consider other tutors, but she absolutely refused. I have no other options."
"But it can't be me! My grades are poor, I'm not qualified to be anyone's tutor. Aren't you worried that your daughter's grades might get worse?"
"The primary purpose of hiring a tutor is not to improve her grades. Besides, Ke Ke's grades have always been good."
"Then I don't understand. If her grades are fine, why does she need a tutor?"
Li Haimei took a deep breath, "I need someone to keep an eye on her and prevent her from running around at night. She sneaked out the other time, and fortunately, you were there to help her. But people aren't always so lucky."
Xu Xiuwen finally understood why Li Haimei wanted to hire a tutor without concern for their qualifications.
It was to find someone to discreetly monitor Li Ke.
This was Li Haimei's way of protecting Li Ke without raising her suspicions or causing any aversion.
As a mother, she was indeed putting in a lot of thought.
Xu Xiuwen hesitated but ultimately declined.
"I understand your concern as a mother, but I really can't help with this."
Li Haimei thought that after saying this much, Xu Xiuwen would agree.
To her surprise, he declined once again.
His repeated refusals drained her remaining patience.
Li Haimei suddenly picked up a document from the desk, stood up, and walked over to Xu Xiuwen.
She placed the document on the coffee table in front of him.
With her arms crossed and a detached expression, she said nothing.
Xu Xiuwen was taken aback, unsure of her intentions.
However, he guessed she probably wanted him to look at the document.
He picked up the document from the coffee table.
As he glanced through it, Xu Xiuwen was shocked.
The document contained detailed background information on him, including every school he had attended from childhood, and even listed his classes.
"What's the meaning of this?" Xu Xiuwen's expression turned serious.
He coldly stared at Li Haimei.
Li Haimei calmly said, "Be Ke Ke's tutor!"
"Impossible!" Xu Xiuwen refused without hesitation.
Li Haimei said calmly, "Don't be so quick to refuse. You have a company on XX Road, right?"
Xu Xiuwen said nothing.
Li Haimei continued, "Running a company requires knowing more people. I can introduce you to some."
Li Haimei wore a faint smile, which seemed somewhat warm, yet she radiated a chilling aura.
Xu Xiuwen hesitated but ultimately declined her offer.
"No, thank you."
Li Haimei's smile gradually faded upon hearing his response.
She suddenly said something that puzzled Xu Xiuwen.
"You're still a student at heart, though a bit more mature than your peers."
"It's fine if you don't want to meet them, but they'll likely want to meet you. They might even come knocking on your door."
Even the slowest person would catch on now.
Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean? Are you threatening me?"
Li Haimei gave him a glance but said nothing, turning back to her desk and sitting down.
"You can think of it that way," Li Haimei said calmly as she settled into her chair.
"You!" Xu Xiuwen glared fiercely at Li Haimei.
He had heard threats before.
But this was different.
The woman before him was no ordinary housewife; calling her half the sky here wouldn't be an exaggeration.
If she wanted to target him, she had plenty of ways.
Fighting her was clearly a losing battle for Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing Xu Xiuwen's silence, Li Haimei gave a faint smile, "So, have you agreed to be Ke Ke's tutor?"
Li Haimei felt she had the upper hand.
As long as Xu Xiuwen wasn't a complete fool, he should know how to choose.
Li Haimei thought: no man had ever resisted her will, not even this man will whom she had been intimate with.
Thinking of that night, her heart raced a little.
Fortunately, she was used to acting, so her exterior remained unaffected.
After a psychological struggle, Xu Xiuwen finally had to give in.
He looked at her and asked in confusion, "You could arrange for a bodyguard. Why a tutor? Isn't that redundant?"
"People always pay for their lies. I've already told Ke Ke that you're her tutor, and she will only accept you, so it has to be you."
Xu Xiuwen felt a mix of helplessness and frustration.
But then he noticed a small detail.
When Li Haimei finished speaking, she made a very subtle sigh.
It was as if she had just relaxed.
Wasn't she supposed to be confident and in control?
Why did she seem to be relieved?
Xu Xiuwen was initially confused but quickly connected the dots.
Li Haimei continued, "Ke Ke finishes school at 5:40 PM every day, and the tutoring starts from 6 PM tonight—"
"Wait a minute!"
Xu Xiuwen interrupted Li Haimei.
Li Haimei frowned at him.
She hated being interrupted, a habit she had developed over years of work.
"It seems I haven't agreed to be Ke Ke's tutor."
Upon hearing this, Li Haimei's brows furrowed slightly, and her pupils narrowed.
"Aren't you afraid I'll send someone to your door every day? If that happens, your company might not be able to keep running."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Yes, I'm afraid, of course, anyone would be."
"Then—"
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "But no matter how afraid, a man of principle won't bow for mere grains. I'm not someone who changes my stance due to threats. Whether it's harassment or company closure, I won't retreat in the face of power."
"You—" Li Haimei was left speechless.
She didn't realize that Xu Xiuwen's defiant stance was purely out of bravado.
She assumed he was truly that kind of person.
Having worked for many years and interacted with all kinds of people, Li Haimei had encountered countless sycophants, but only a few who remained unyielding under pressure.
Deep down, she admired such people.
So even though her objective might not be achieved this time, a trace of admiration flickered in her eyes.
The office fell into silence.
The information Xu Xiuwen had seen was indeed investigated by Li Haimei's people.
She did this only to ensure that Xu Xiuwen wasn't someone with ulterior motives seeking to get close to her and her daughter for some hidden agenda, not to find his weaknesses and threaten him.
Although she had subtly threatened Xu Xiuwen, after his refusal, she had no intention of actually targeting his company.
Li Haimei felt disappointed.
"Forget it, you can leave. Just consider that I didn't call you today," Li Haimei said softly.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly chuckled.
His laughter seemed a bit out of place and puzzled Li Haimei.
"What are you laughing at?"
"It seems I didn't actually refuse."
Li Haimei frowned slightly, not understanding Xu Xiuwen's meaning.
Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly, "I've thought it over; this matter can be negotiated."
Li Haimei, who usually kept her emotions hidden, immediately relaxed her furrowed brows upon hearing Xu Xiuwen's words.
"You agree then?"
"I mean it can be negotiated."
Li Haimei was puzzled by Xu Xiuwen's meaning.
She looked at him, confused.
Xu Xiuwen continued, "You've made a request, and I have conditions. It's only fair, right?"
"Conditions? What conditions do you have?"
Xu Xiuwen didn't answer immediately.
He gazed at Li Haimei's face.
Suddenly, he stood up from the sofa and walked toward Li Haimei, step by step.
As he drew closer, Li Haimei felt an odd sensation, making her uneasy.
She spoke to herself, "Are you looking for money? I can pay you the highest rate for a tutor on the market, or even double that."
"Heh…"
Xu Xiuwen was amused by Li Haimei's naive words.
To him, Li Haimei was a mature woman, but he didn't expect her to make such innocent offers.
Xu Xiuwen had now reached Li Haimei.
He stood by the desk, towering over her, and said with a smile, "Since you've investigated me, you should know I'm not short on money."
Being looked down upon made Li Haimei uncomfortable.
She maintained her composure and asked, "Then what do you want?"
Xu Xiuwen suddenly leaned in close.
They were now at eye level, their faces almost touching, and their noses nearly brushing, allowing him to feel her breath.
"I want you!" Xu Xiuwen said with a mischievous smile.
The statement caused the room to fall silent once more.
Li Haimei first felt confusion, then surprise, followed by incomprehension, and finally, anger.
Various emotions flashed in her eyes.
Xu Xiuwen, however, remained oblivious.
It was as if he had completely forgotten the identity of the woman before him.
He continued, "I can be Ke Ke's tutor, but for each lesson, I want you to be with me once."
Seeing Li Haimei's widened eyes and dilated pupils in reaction to his words, Xu Xiuwen found it amusing.
"If you agree to my terms, you can contact me anytime. Otherwise, as you said, let's act as if we don't know each other."