Chapter 218 More Important Things
The two apartments were pretty much the same, with a long hallway at the entrance and a shoe cabinet on the side. The decor was simple and classy, and the dining room could fit seven or eight people.
Matilda whipped up seven or eight dishes for the table, all of Katniss's and Sophia's favorites. She even went the extra mile to make Sophia's portion easier for her to eat.
"Katniss, let me fill you in on what's been going on here," Matilda said while feeding Sophia and chatting about her recent activities in Velvet City.
When Katniss was in Nightfall City, her updates were more general.
"The middle and upper classes in Velvet City really care about their kids' education. The middle class usually goes for tutoring classes, while the upper class is willing to shell out for one-on-one tutors." Matilda had pretty much locked down all the middle-class families, and by September, all six or seven tutoring classes would be full.
She had narrowed down fifty or sixty candidates to a shortlist of twenty qualified tutors, ready for Katniss to do the second round of interviews.
Plus, there were a few wealthy folks who specifically wanted one-on-one tutoring from Katniss, and Matilda had already packed Katniss's schedule.
For other one-on-one students without specific tutor requests, they'd have to pick from the newly recruited experienced tutors to share the load.
Katniss gently stirred her porridge with a spoon, listening calmly at first and then gradually looking more satisfied.
After a long chat, Matilda cautiously said, "Katniss, there were some things I couldn't report to you in time, so I went ahead and did them because they seemed urgent. If you think there's anything wrong, we can change it!"
"There is indeed one big problem," Katniss said pointedly.
The color drained from Matilda's face, and she quickly asked, "What's the big problem? Can we still fix it now?"
"Yes, we can," Katniss signaled her to stay calm. "The problem is that as the head of the Velvet City region for our educational institution, how can you be so lacking in confidence? Since you came to Velvet City, everything you've reported to me has been done excellently, and even the details you didn't mention were handled very well. From now on, I'll leave everything here to you. I'll just be a tutor, taking it easy. You don't mind, do you?"
The dining room fell silent, with only the sound of Aaron eating. Suddenly, with no one talking, he paused and looked around in confusion.
"Matilda, you're amazing!" Sophia said, struggling to raise her thumb.
Matilda almost teared up, putting down her utensils and hugging Sophia. "I learned all this from Katniss, but making me the head here? I can't do it. I'm just a receptionist."
"That's nonsense," Katniss said firmly. "From now on, do as I say. You schedule the second interviews, and we'll do them together. I'll follow your lead."
Matilda nodded eagerly, then hesitated. "But how can you just be a tutor?"
Katniss had founded the educational institution, and now she was only responsible for one-on-one tutoring. Matilda felt like she was taking over Katniss's role.
Katniss winked at her and smiled, "A few students are enough to keep me busy, and besides, I have more important things to do."
Returning to Velvet City, she felt her relationship with Tristan was back on track, and she needed more time for romance.
Thinking of this, she glanced at her phone again, but there was still no message from Tristan. Her heart felt heavy, but her expression remained unchanged.
Matilda instantly understood what she meant. "You're right!"
Only Sophia was a bit puzzled, not knowing what Katniss meant by "more important things."
"Mom, when I have time, I'll formally introduce someone to you," Katniss said, placing her hand on Sophia's and smiling.
After a moment, Sophia understood and nodded excitedly, "Okay!"
Recognizing that even learning materials reflect the cultural differences between the southern and northern regions, Katniss and her team in Velvet City launched new online course software.
Some matters regarding the learning materials needed Katniss to handle, and with only a few days left until the start of classes in September, time was tight for Katniss.
After dinner, to give Matilda and Sophia some time to catch up, Katniss registered an administrator account and password in the backend, and then took Aaron back to work..
By nine o'clock, she still hadn't received any messages. Her chat history with Tristan stopped at the last message she sent, saying she was about to board the plane and turn off her phone.
It had been several hours since she arrived in Velvet City, and Tristan had not left a message or called.
Was he busy?
She pinched her brow and finally decided to send Tristan a message: [I'm home.]
Before the screen went dark, Tristan's reply came, brief and to the point: [Okay. I'm in a meeting. If you're tired, go ahead and rest.]
He didn't say he would come to see her, didn't say when they would meet, and didn't even ask where she was. Katniss felt a wave of disappointment wash over her, her longing turning into sadness. She tossed her phone aside and started working on her laptop.
The city was lit up with countless lights, but as the night wore on, most of them went out. One of those resilient lights emanated from Katniss's apartment. Seated on the carpet, she immersed herself in her work.
It was almost midnight. She could have dealt with it tomorrow, but the silence from Tristan gnawed at her, so she wanted to wait a bit longer. After a day of the fatigue of travel, she finally couldn't hold on any longer. She looked up at the starry sky outside the window, took a deep breath, and shut down her laptop.
She fiddled with her phone and suddenly noticed a Facebook post from Daniel.
It showed Tristan and a few other business elites toasting and smiling. They were celebrating the resolution of a project crisis, and the post was from thirty-five minutes ago.
So, they had finished their meeting and were now celebrating late at night. Yet Tristan hadn't even sent her a message?
It wasn't that she was being unreasonable. Given how Tristan used to pamper her, even if he didn't leave the celebration to see her, he would at least send her a message.
She scoffed, turned off her phone, and buried her head under a thin blanket, ready to sleep.
The distant sound of traffic occasionally reached her ears, especially noticeable in the quiet room.
Suddenly, a very faint, crisp sound rang out as if right next to her ear.
She pulled the thin blanket off her face and looked towards the balcony. In the moonlight, she could see a shadow moving. She immediately got out of bed, walked over, and opened the balcony window. Before she could react, a figure appeared in front of her.
She let out an exclamation, stumbling backwards and landing on the floor with a thud. The sudden impact sent a jolt of pain through her, bringing tears to her eyes.
Through her misty eyes, she saw Tristan holding onto the window frame.
Despite his well-defined muscles and handsome features, he seemed oddly awkward, clearly not expecting to scare her.
For a moment, Tristan didn't know whether to jump in or retreat.
Realizing what was happening, Katniss was furious. She stood up and blocked the window, preventing him from coming in. "Where does this drunk person come from?"
The smell of smoke and alcohol was strong on him, the gentle night breeze quickly filling her room with his scent.
Tristan didn't get angry. He effortlessly held onto the window frame and looked at her, "I came over right after the meeting."
Seeing her anger, he added, "Don't make a scene. If someone sees us, they'll call the police."
Katniss, feeling playful for once, reached out and messed with his face. She pinched his nose and lightly tapped his lips. "Liar, you were just drinking with Daniel and the others!"
"I only stayed at the party for five minutes," Tristan said in a low voice, occasionally glancing elsewhere.
In the dead of night, climbing through a window could mark someone as a thief or a rogue.
It was a rare thing for Katniss to simultaneously infuriate and amuse him like this, but he found himself humoring her nonetheless. "Be good, let me in."
"I don't dare," Katniss said with a sly smile. "What if you come in and bully me? That would be inviting a wolf into the house."
Tristan's eyes darkened, a glint appearing in them. Unfortunately, it was too dark for Katniss to see.
His voice was low and hoarse, "Then I'll just stay outside and look, I won't come in."
Though his words were serious, they sounded different to Katniss.
Her ears turned red, and she impatiently opened the window. Tristan gracefully jumped in. His expensive shoes hit the floor with a dull thud.
Katniss instinctively wanted to help him, but he grabbed her wrist, pulled her into his arms, and closed the window.
"Not letting me in?" He raised his voice, pressing her onto the bed and kissing her forehead.
"Even if I don't let you in, I can't stop you," Katniss muttered, then asked, "How did you climb up here?"
Tristan lightly pinched her waist, "With my hands."
As they laughed and played, Katniss noticed the tiredness in his eyes and the stubble on his chin.
He must not have rested well these past few days. She gently smoothed the wrinkles on his forehead with her thumb. "It's so late, you could have come tomorrow."
"I missed you, and I couldn't wait until tomorrow." He shifted, lying beside her, still holding her.
She lay on top of him.
He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple moving as he spoke weakly. "Grandma asked me to bring you back to the Forbes' place tomorrow at noon."
"Okay, then you sleep first. Wake up naturally, and we'll go tomorrow," Katniss replied, pulling the thin blanket over them.
He must have been extremely tired, not even caring about the smell of smoke and alcohol on him, and fell asleep.
She sent a quick message to Matilda, instructing her not to prepare breakfast for her in the morning, and arranged for Aaron to have breakfast at the neighbor's place at seven. With everything settled, she finally allowed herself to relax beside Tristan, hoping he could get the rest he so clearly needed.
But she underestimated Tristan's recovery ability. He woke up around six in the morning, unable to stand the smell on himself, and took a shower.
Then he returned to bed and started to get handsy with her.
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