Adrian Hawthorne shrugged, completely ignoring Tang Xiaonan’s "anger." He went to the darkroom to develop the movie stills. With sales on the rise, he had to develop them every day. Thankfully, he was so skilled at it now that it didn’t take long.

Tang Xiaonan turned in her homework to Old Master Tate, then recited a beautiful English poem. The old master corrected a few of her pronunciation errors before teaching her some Russian words. Since Tang Xiaonan had a knack for languages, she picked it up with exceptional ease. Old Master Tate gradually increased her workload, and at this rate, she would be able to converse fluently in English in less than two years.

"Excellent! Xiaonan, you’re doing great!"

The old master was extremely gratified and even more grateful that he had come to Millstone Peak. Otherwise, where else would he have met two genius students?

Adrian Hawthorne was a financial genius, and Tang Xiaonan was a linguistic one. It seemed his arrival at Millstone Peak had been predestined. Although he hadn’t been able to contribute to the country in recent years, he had nurtured two outstanding students. ’That counted as a contribution, didn’t it?’

Tang Xiaonan felt a little embarrassed. Every time she faced the old master’s gaze—the look of a master who has discovered a rare talent—she felt like a complete fraud. ’Adrian Hawthorne is a true genius, but I’m just a counterfeit. I’m so afraid my shallow intellect will fail to live up to the old master’s high hopes.’

"Xiaonan, would you like to hear a story? The story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Grandpa will tell it to you." The old master was in high spirits; one needed to relax after studying, after all.

Tang Xiaonan subconsciously wanted to refuse. She had seen a dark film series based on Grimm’s fairy tales before, and ever since, she could no longer see them in the same way.

Besides, the earliest versions of Grimm’s fairy tales weren’t actually for children. They were dark, violent, and immoral stories for adults.

’Take Sleeping Beauty, for example. The Prince never kissed the princess awake. While she remained asleep, the king had his way with her, and she even gave birth to two children. Later, one of the children sucked out the splinter that had put her into a deep sleep, and she finally woke up. Then, the family of four lived a shamelessly blissful life ever after.’

’Snow White and Cinderella weren’t so kind and beautiful either. After they turned the tables, they both took cruel revenge on their stepmothers and their families. The one with the deepest metaphor was Little Red Riding Hood. The Big Bad Wolf symbolized a scumbag, serving as a warning to girls not to believe a man’s sweet words. Otherwise, they’d be swindled out of their money and virtue, and even get their loved ones killed.’

Tang Xiaonan really didn’t want to hear the sanitized versions of the fairy tales. ’They’re just too fake. The adult world isn’t nearly so wonderful. Human nature can be the most wicked thing in the world, but it can also be the kindest. The human heart is the most complicated thing there is.’

But the old master was so enthusiastic that she couldn’t bear to dampen his spirits. So, she asked, "What else do you have?"

’I really don’t want to hear Snow White. In that dark Grimm film series, Snow White was some kind of pervert who was madly in love with the king. It was disgusting.’

"There’s Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. Which one does Xiaonan want to hear?"

"Cinderella."

Tang Xiaonan decisively chose Cinderella. ’That one’s relatively normal. The others are all shameless and not suitable for children.’

Old Master Tate cleared his throat and, in a rich, expressive voice, began to tell the wonderful story of Cinderella. "...And in the end, Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after."

Tang Xiaonan fought back a yawn, clapped her hands to play along, and lavished him with praise. "That was wonderful! Cinderella is so lucky!"

The old master’s enthusiasm grew. He earnestly instructed, "Cinderella was loved by the Prince because she was kind and hardworking, and possessed an unyielding fortitude in the face of adversity. Xiaonan, you should also learn from Cinderella’s excellent qualities!"