raknovel 012 You just need to trust me
012 You just need to trust me
"I heard from Xiaodi that you've already correctly bet on two matches, is that true?"
Hearing this, and seeing Uncle Jiang's embarrassed expression, who could not understand what he wanted to ask?
"Yes, and I only bought tickets for these two games."
As Wang Zhe gave his answer, he was also thinking about how to deal with this uncle.
He knew very well that gamblers were the most unreliable people, and this uncle seemed to be sliding into that abyss. However, he was just an outsider; the other man's daughter had been beaten for trying to stop gambling, so Wang Zhe certainly wasn't naive enough to advise her against it—that would be asking for trouble.
But if he can establish enough credibility with Jiang Di's father through this, and then help Jiang Di decide her future development direction so that she can become financially independent as soon as possible... then even if Uncle Jiang gambles away his entire fortune in the future, at least Jiang Di will be able to stand on her own two feet and can even help her parents out in return, so as to avoid a tragedy.
Just thinking about this made Wang Zhe chuckle to himself that he was overthinking things.
In this life, I'm not going to be a devoted lover; I'm going to be a scumbag. Why think so far ahead?
Uncle Jiang couldn't wait to ask, "Who do you think will win tonight's match?"
Wang Zhe deliberately hesitated for a moment before replying, "Sibya still has a better chance of winning."
"Really?" The uncle frowned, clearly somewhat doubtful. "But no team has ever defended their title in the European Championship, and they've already won two major tournaments in a row—the European Championship and the World Cup."
Wang Zhe countered, "What does that prove? It's difficult to defend a title in highly competitive competitions, like the World Cup and the Champions League. But Sibaía is clearly stronger. Before Xavi and Iniesta age, it will be difficult for any team to challenge their midfield."
Uncle Jiang: "Whoever controls the midfield controls the game?"
Wang Zhe: "Yes, that's right. Besides, Sibaía's midfield isn't just those two; they also have Fabregas, Busquets, and Alonso. They're too strong. Unless they win this tournament and lose their motivation to keep going, there's nothing that can beat them."
Uncle Jiang still looked conflicted: "But Sibaia's attacking line isn't very strong."
Wang Zhe smiled and said, "But if the midfield is strong enough, it will be difficult for the opponent to get past the midfield, and it will be less likely to concede a goal. If we don't concede a goal, we can use our technical advantage to slowly dictate the pace of the game and wear down the opponent's stamina. This way, even if it goes to a penalty shootout, we will have a greater advantage."
"But a penalty shootout doesn't count as a win or a loss, it's a draw..."
Uncle Jiang was still muttering, but Jiang Di couldn't listen anymore.
The girl said, "Dad, if you don't believe him, then see for yourself. Why bother talking to him? I need to go to my tutoring!"
"Okay, okay, you finish your work, I have to go to work too. Study hard, don't slack off!"
Learning is undoubtedly the most correct thing for children, so Uncle Jiang stopped discussing football and turned to leave.
Then Wang Zhe and Jiang Di went upstairs.
Before entering the apartment building, the girl deliberately lagged behind him by a few steps to keep her distance. But once inside, and certain that her father wouldn't see her again, she rushed to Wang Zhe's side, almost walking right next to him.
They just don't dare to hold hands yet.
Wang Zhe was fully aware of the girl's attitude.
Just kidding. If he hadn't been tied down by Song Zhiyi so early in his previous life, he felt he could have been a master playboy. He knew exactly how to observe a girl's thoughts and analyze their ideas, okay?
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
It was another lunch that the girl raved about, and a well-balanced afternoon of work and rest.
Today, Wang Zhe asked her to bring her English test paper from the last monthly exam, and then continued to explain the questions she got wrong.
Jiang Di listened attentively, responding earnestly to every word. However, Wang Zhe wasn't sure how effective this tutoring was. He could only assume that learning something was better than not learning at all.
After he finished explaining the test paper, the girl asked expectantly, "Are we going to watch a show now? I think the one you recommended is pretty good."
Wang Zhe shook his head: "No, do you remember the set of questions I mentioned yesterday? I've prepared three cloze tests; you can try them now."
Then, he placed a test paper in front of the girl.
Wang Zhe certainly wouldn't create his own questions. He just needed to pick a few papers he had done, cover the answers with correction fluid, and tick off each option, making them practically blank.
Jiang Di muttered something almost inaudibly, but still picked up the pencil.
She read the questions, biting her pen cap, her brow furrowed, her eyes darting back and forth between the passage and the options, like a little animal trapped in a maze. She filled in some blanks without hesitation, while repeatedly erasing others, leaving eraser shavings scattered all over the table.
Wang Zhe went to the kitchen refrigerator, took out a bottle of iced cola, returned to the bedroom, checked the time, and said, "Okay, time's up."
Seeing that there were still two questions left to answer, Jiang Di quickly wrote down two Cs. She remembered that Wang Zhe had said last time that choosing all Cs would give her a higher success rate than she could.
Wang Zhe took the test paper, marked it with a red pen, and found that most of it was wrong.
"Did you not even read the context? For question 3, it says 'she had never felt so alone,' and you chose 'excited'? Are you excited about being lonely?"
The girl blushed and lowered her head to pick at her fingers.
"For question 8, the fixed phrase is 'take pride in,' but you wrote 'take proud of,' making the grammar completely messed up. As for the last two questions, there's no need to look at them. You might guess one right, but it's not very meaningful at this stage of practice."
Jiang Di's eyes welled up with tears, but she bit her lower lip hard to stop herself from crying. She knew he was right, but being criticized so bluntly by the person she liked still made her feel embarrassed.
Wang Zhe suddenly stopped. He caught a glimpse of her slightly trembling eyelashes and the pencil covered in teeth marks.
He paused for a few seconds, turned the test to the second page, and pointed to one of the questions: "However, you got this question 5 right. Last time you couldn't even figure out these basic conjunctions, but now you can at least judge logical relationships."
Jiang Di suddenly looked up, her eyes still filled with tears, yet a glimmer of light shone through.
Wang Zhe pulled out a second test paper: "The first one showed some improvement, let's try the second one, it should be easier."
His tone softened, and he even unscrewed a bottle of iced cola and handed it to her.
Jiang Di took the cola; the icy touch made her more awake.
She asked softly, "Really...there's been improvement?"
Wang Zhe nodded: "Although it's still far from passing, at least it's not stagnant."
Jiang Di: "If things continue like this, will my English grades really improve?"
Wang Zhe said confidently, "You're right to trust me. Take your time."
Jiang Di took a sip of cola and smiled. The effects of this "happy water" were truly immediate.
But Wang Zhe will soon realize that the key is not just iced cola.
Jiang Di suddenly said, "Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday. Tomorrow afternoon, could you skip the homework and come with me somewhere?"
Wang Zhe was taken aback: "Your birthday is so soon?"
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.