Chapter 6

Flynn quickly raised his hands in defense. "I wasn't staring…"

"Bullshit!" Daisy shot him a glare. "Have you never seen a woman before? Your head is full of garbage, you pervert!"

"I wasn't thinking anything like that!" Flynn protested, panicked.

"Yeah, right." Her eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion.

Flynn groaned inwardly. Ever since he ate that little white snake, something had been off. Every time he got close to a woman, it was like an adrenaline rush hit him out of nowhere. But this wasn't the time for that—if Daisy ran off now, there was no way she'd sit down and teach him to read. And by the look on her face, she was already halfway out the door.

Just then, a soft voice interrupted them.

"Is that Daisy? I thought I heard her voice."

Anne had emerged from her room, carefully feeling her way forward.

Flynn's mind clicked into action. He needed leverage. "Yeah, it's her. She came over to teach me how to read, Auntie." He turned to Anne with exaggerated sincerity. "I was just about to thank her properly."

There. That should do it. With an elder present, Daisy couldn't just eat her words and bolt.

"Oh? That's wonderful," Anne said, smiling warmly in Daisy's direction. "Daisy, I really appreciate your kindness. Thank you for helping Flynn."

Daisy scowled, shooting Flynn a sharp look. She knew exactly what he was doing. But with Anne standing there, she couldn't refuse. She said, "It's nothing, Anne. I just wanted to help."

"What a good girl." Anne, unable to see the irritation in Daisy's expression, continued to express her gratitude. "Flynn, you better remember this. When you make something of yourself, don't forget Daisy's kindness."

"I won't, Auntie. I swear," Flynn said hastily, already grabbing Daisy's wrist and pulling her into his room before she could protest.

"Let go! I can walk on my own!" Daisy huffed, struggling.

Anne, oblivious to the minor scuffle, added kindly, "Daisy, I know Flynn can be stubborn, and he's not the brightest. If he struggles, please be patient with him."

Daisy clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. Flynn's face fell immediately.

"Aunt, do you have to put it like that?" he grumbled.

"Less talking, more learning," Anne said firmly. "Daisy's taking time out of her night to help you, so don't waste it." She turned to Daisy with a nod. "If he acts up, you're welcome to put him in his place."

"Will do, Anne!" Daisy grinned triumphantly, practically marching into the room like she'd just won a battle.

Meanwhile, Flynn slumped in defeat, following behind her like a scolded child.

"Look at you," Daisy teased, smirking. "You'd think I forced you into this. As if I wanted to waste my time teaching an idiot like you."

"You're the idiot," Flynn shot back. "It's just reading. I'll have everything you teach me memorized in three days, no problem."

Daisy arched a brow. "Oh? Talking big now? There are between 1,000 to 2,000 high-frequency words for basic conversation and everyday texts. More or less 8,000 words for advanced conversation. In the region of 10,000 to 20,000-word families, excluding fixed phrases and expressions, to read at a university level. That is a whole lot of words to learn and remember. If you can actually learn them all in three days…" She paused, then grinned. "You name it—I'll do whatever you want."

Flynn's eyes flashed. The challenge sparked something reckless in him, and before he could stop himself, the words left his mouth. "If I do it, you have to be my girlfriend."

Daisy froze. "…What?"

"You heard me." Flynn met her gaze head-on, deliberately goading her. "Scared?"

Daisy hesitated for only a second before crossing her arms. "Scared? Of what? Fine. If you can actually memorize them all, I'll be your girlfriend."

"But if you fail," she added smugly, "you'll have to call me Queen Daisy."

"Deal," Flynn said without hesitation.

Flynn wasn't really expecting Daisy to be his girlfriend. He just needed an excuse to keep her around for a few days and get her to teach him how to read.

The room was bare—just a wooden table and a few uneven wooden stools. Daisy frowned, wondering how she was supposed to sit on one of those.

Before she could complain, Flynn had already shrugged off his jacket and draped it over one of the stools. He gestured for her to sit, then poured her a glass of water.

"Well, at least you've got some sense," Daisy said smugly before plopping down.

Her soft curves sank into the stool, completely covering its rough edges.

"What are you standing there for? Get over here, I'm teaching you how to read," she ordered, flipping open a medical book.

"Got it!" Flynn quickly sat beside her.

The scent of her body drifted over to him, light and sweet, wrapping around his senses. He inhaled instinctively, his gaze dipping lower—to the delicate collarbones peeking out from her neckline, and the gentle curve beneath them.

His breath hitched.

Before he could react, Daisy smacked him over the head with the book.

"Eyes up here. I'm warning you—behave," she said, blushing, narrowing her eyes at him.

Flynn coughed awkwardly, rubbing his head.

She turned back to the book and tapped a word. "Repeat after me…"

He struggled a little with it and asked a whole load of questions.

Daisy scowled. "You're so dense. Just follow what I say and stop arguing with me."

"Okay, okay…" Flynn mumbled, feeling wronged.

Daisy, on the other hand, looked oddly pleased, as if bossing him around was the highlight of her day.

Just as Flynn was about to despair over his lack of progress, a strange sensation bloomed in his gut. The silver bead inside him spun, releasing a cool energy that rushed to his head.

A shiver ran down his spine.

Suddenly, everything felt clearer. Words that had once been meaningless squiggles now made perfect sense.

An hour passed, and Flynn had memorized over five hundred words—flawlessly.

Daisy squinted at him, suspicious. "Wait… how are you picking this up so fast?"

She pointed at a random word. "What's this one?"

Flynn barely glanced at it before answering, "That's the 'oral' from 'oral medication'."

Her eyes widened. "Not bad. What about this one?"

Flynn grinned. "That's the 'probe' from 'ultrasound probe'."