Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Was he here to pick her up?
Shu Mian was stunned. Had their relationship progressed to this point?
Tan Xuzhe had already taken off her backpack and casually slung it over one shoulder.
He was still wearing the same black short-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants he had worn that morning, exuding a lazy and casual yet slightly arrogant air.
Her backpack was quite simple in style and a plain light blue color, but it had a cute little bear keychain hanging on it, slung diagonally over his shoulder. There was a strange sense of contrast, which was both incongruous and somewhat indescribably cute.
Tan Xuzhe raised an eyebrow slightly and said lazily, “What, you’re not welcoming me?”
“No, that’s not it.” Shu Mian came back to her senses, blinked, and unconsciously curled up the corners of her lips. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Tan Xuzhe clicked his tongue lightly, his tone tinged with amusement, “Wasn’t this to give you a surprise?”
After saying that, he glanced at Ren Yu beside her as if he were not paying attention, and said in a light tone, “Looks like I’ve bothered you.”
“…No!” Shu Mian retorted somewhat hastily, then realized that her reaction might have been a bit too much. So she bit her lip and resumed her usual gentle voice, “You didn’t disturb me.”
Ren Yu glanced back and forth between the two of them, then chuckled dryly, “Shu Mian, I’ll be going now. We’ll do our homework together next time.”
Before Shu Mian could say anything, Ren Yu had already walked away quickly.
“Want to go eat?” Tan Xuzhe asked casually, “Or should I take you back to your dorm?”
Shu Mian pursed her lips, observed his expression, and felt that he seemed unhappy. So she whispered, “Let’s go eat. Do you want to come with me?”
“Otherwise what?” Tan Xuzhe glanced at her with a half-smile and said slowly, “Who do you want to eat with? The one from earlier?”
Shu Mian: “?”
The library was quite far from the school’s cafeterias, so the two walked side by side.
As the sun set in the west, layers of orange-red sunset clouds blanketed the sky, their afterglow spreading across the ground and elongating the shadows of the two people, occasionally overlapping.
Shu Mian stared at the two shadows for a while, her gaze slowly moving upwards, finally settling on the boy’s angular face outlined by the soft light, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Just as she was debating whether to start a conversation, Tan Xuzhe suddenly turned his head and looked over.
She immediately looked away guiltily, then heard his nonchalant voice, “Did you two go to the library together?”
Shu Mian shook her head. “No, it was just a coincidence.”
“Then you two are quite destined to meet.” Tan Xuzhe’s tone was indifferent, but she could detect a subtle meaning in it.
Shu Mian: “?”
Tan Xuzhe’s peach blossom eyes, sparkling with the glow of the sunset, appeared even more radiant. He looked at her with a half-smile, “You were also sitting together during the 8 AM class today.”
“…”
Shu Mian was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant. Afraid that he would misunderstand, she explained softly, “I sat down first, and he sat next to me later. I can’t just kick him away, can I?”
“I see.” Tan Xuzhe’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he seemed to be in a better mood.
After hesitating for a while, Shu Mian couldn’t help but call out his name, “Tan Xuzhe”.
“Hmm?” He looked down at her, uttering a lazy syllable.
“Are you… jealous?”
As soon as she asked the question, her cheeks flushed crimson, and her heart raced.
She was starting to regret it; had she been too presumptuous? If only she could retract her words like she would on WeChat.
Tan Xuzhe didn’t answer, but with a smile in his eyes, he asked instead, “May I eat it[1]?”
“…”
“How can I possibly control you?”
Shu Mian’s ears burned, and she muttered something under her breath, quickening her pace to hide her panic, “You can add more vinegar when we eat later.”
“Shu Mianmian”.
The boy was tall and had long legs. He caught up with her in a few steps, and even walked a few steps ahead of her. He looked back at her, a roguish smile on his lips. “Why are you blushing again?”
“I didn’t.”
Tan Xuzhe leaned down slightly, getting close to her, and said in a drawn-out tone, “Your ears are red too.”
“…”
He really enjoyed teasing her.
“Watch where you’re going.” Shu Mian bit her lip. “Don’t walk backwards, or you’ll bump into someone.”
Tan Xuzhe chuckled lazily and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Isn’t that what you’re here for?”
The girl’s face was soft and warm, and it felt so good to pinch. He clicked his tongue in satisfaction, “Shu Mianmian, are you made of cotton candy?”
“…”
Shu Mian really hated her habit of blushing so easily, especially in front of him. He would give her a look, tease her a few times, or pinch her cheek, and she would blush without any self-control.
For example, right now, her cheeks were so hot she felt like she was about to evaporate.
Not to mention that some students passing by were even watching the two of them.
A girl was even holding up her phone, seemingly filming them.
Noticing her gaze, Tan Xuzhe asked, “What are you looking at?”
“It looks like someone is filming us.”
Tan Xuzhe followed her gaze and said, “Wait.”
“Um?”
Tan Xuzhe walked over, his tone lazy yet carrying a strange sense of pressure, “Were you filming the two of us just now?”
“No, no,” the girl said somewhat awkwardly.
Tan Xuzhe stared at her. “If that’s the case, could you please delete the photos? And don’t post them on the forum.”
When he stared at people with his captivating eyes, they always seemed to be hooked. The girl stared at him, a little stunned, and asked blankly, “Why?”
“She’s rather shy.” Tan Xuzhe glanced back at Shu Mian, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Don’t scare her away.”
Shu Mian couldn’t hear what they were saying from where she was standing, but she saw the girl awkwardly tapping her phone a few times.
Tan Xuzhe walked back, his tone relaxed, “Let’s go, it’s all taken care of.”
“What did you say to her?” Shu Mian asked curiously.
Tan Xuzhe raised an eyebrow at her, his peach blossom eyes curving slightly. “Want to know?”
Shu Mian nodded obediently.
Seeing her sweet and innocent face, Tan Xuzhe teased her, “If you act cute, I’ll tell you.”
“…”
Shu Mian opened her eyes wide, biting her lip and saying with difficulty, “I don’t know how.”
“You don’t know how?” Tan Xuzhe chuckled, a hint of mockery in his voice. “Then I’ll teach you?”
Having never heard him act coquettishly before, Shu Mian braced herself and said, “Okay, then teach me.”
“Just tell me…” Tan Xuzhe leaned closer, his well-defined knuckles gripping her wrist and shaking it, his voice low, “Tan Xuzhe, just tell me.”
His deliberately lowered voice sounded so gentle, and his fingers on her wrist sent a shiver down her spine.
Shu Mian almost stopped breathing, her whole body stiffened, and she heard him say in her ear, “Have you learned it?”
“Tan Xuzhe.” Shu Mian calmed her heartbeat for a moment and called his name softly.
The difference was that she didn’t hold his wrist like he did, but instead hooked her fingers around one of his fingers, a sweet smile on her lips, “Just tell me.”
Tan Xuzhe paused slightly, feeling a jolt of electricity running through his scalp from the finger she had hooked around.
His gaze fell on the girl’s fair and soft face, her eyelashes were long and curled, her almond eyes were clear, and her pink lips were gently pursed, giving her an innocent and adorable appearance.
She’s so delicate.
This is really bad.
Shu Mian didn’t notice his strangeness. She just tilted her head up and blinked sweetly, “Can you tell me now? What did you say to her?”
“I told her…” Tan Xuzhe came back to his senses, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly, “to make us look like a couple in the photos.”
Shu Mian: “…?”
“How could that be?” Her ears burned. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not lying to you.” Tan Xuzhe raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go eat.”
Shu Mian walked forward with him, when she suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked down and saw that their fingers were still intertwined.
Moreover, Tan Xuzhe had somehow taken the initiative and was now clinging to her hand tightly; she tried to pull away but failed.
She stopped and poked his hand with her other hand. “Your hand… hasn’t let go yet.”
“Oh?” Tan Xuzhe looked down at her, a smile playing at the corners of his eyes. “Didn’t you seduce me first?”
Shu Mian bit her lip and stubbornly said, “I… I didn’t…”
She hooked her finger with his first, but that was just to play along and be affectionate. So why did he hook her finger so tightly in return…?
“No?” Tan Xuzhe placed her hand on his chest, a smile playing on his lips. “Then who’s causing this rapid beating here?”
Shu Mian couldn’t even tell whose strong heartbeat she was feeling on her hand, and blurted out in a panic, “If you don’t let go, I’ll bite you.”
“You can bite it.” Tan Xuzhe put his knuckle to her lips, watching her blush and widen her eyes, and smiled even more mischievously. “Or do you want to bite somewhere else?”
Shu Mian called out to him, embarrassed and annoyed, “Tan Xuzhe!”
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[1] This refers to eating vinegar which is a homonym for feeling jealous in Chinese.
