“Please just call me Rin and…would it be alright if I called you Jeely?” I asked.

“That would be a pleasure…Rin,” Jeely replied with a shy smile, a touch of light pink touching her cheeks.

“I’ll leave you two to it then. I’ll be checking in regularly. Oh, before I forget. There will be regular tests to ensure that you’ve made progress. So, please do your best, Lady White Lotus,” Auntie said, and I could sense a tinge of warning in her voice.

“Sure…” I replied vaguely.

With a slight bow in my direction, Auntie began her retreat from the sitting room. As the door closed behind her softly, I...