It was a cloudy day, but even without the sun, the youth still burned brightly.
He still coldly placed breakfast outside the classroom, not even bothering to glance at the various little notes attached.
“Good morning. Did something happen yesterday?”
Su Nian knew An Hexi was asking about his leave of absence, but he had no idea how many times the girl had rehearsed that casual question in her mind.
“Just handling some personal matters.”
Su Nian noticed the freshly stacked test papers on his desk, but he didn’t thank her.
An Hexi smiled naturally at his dismissive answer. Last night in the dorm, many girls had pressed her about why Su Nian had asked for leave.
Too bad they didn’t know that her relationship with Su Nian wasn’t that close either. And Su Nian had no idea that every single move he made could bring trouble to the people “around him.”
What a shame, but the girl needed to start memorizing vocabulary.
Since the morning was filled with Chinese and English classes, Su Nian made the most of it by self-studying like crazy.
After school, Su Nian waited outside a fried food stall near the campus. Yun Buran was also a day student. This was the advantage of having parental backing; otherwise, Su Nian shuddered to think how troublesome it would be to meet her on school grounds.
With the wind at her heels, Yun Buran arrived. Today she had her hair tied in a high ponytail and carried a navy blue Dickies backpack, both hands gripping the straps, looking a bit nervous.
Yun Buran didn’t space out at Su Nian like last time. Instead, she wore a cautious expression. Su Nian thought she looked like a squirrel with its cheeks stuffed full.
“Hello, Senior Yun. What a coincidence.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence at all.”
Yun Buran said coldly.
She had already been suspicious about their “chance encounter” last time. Then yesterday, she suddenly got a call from her mother saying that Su Nian wanted to become her private tutor. That made her full of doubt toward this good-looking boy.
She had already made up her mind—even if she had to offend this prodigy, she would flat-out refuse.
“Sorry, I’m starving waiting here. How about we grab a bite first?”
Even though it was a request, Su Nian said it with an extremely confident smile, as if he knew he absolutely wouldn’t be rejected.
This man probably rarely got turned down.
The weather forecast said today wouldn’t be great, but by noon, the warm sun had partially come out, so Yun Buran inexplicably followed him inside.
Su Nian quickly ordered at the counter without any hesitation, then turned to Yun Buran and said, “I’d love to be a gentleman and order for you, but I’ll leave this one to you.”
Yun Buran didn’t reply, but it was indeed lunchtime, so she stepped up to order too.
Watching Yun Buran interact naturally with the male cashier, Su Nian drew a conclusion.
‘So she can manage basic conversation with men. She’s probably just very averse to physical contact.’
Because when Su Nian moved aside just a little, Yun Buran didn’t walk in a straight line to order—she deliberately avoided him.
After they sat down, Yun Buran wanted to confront Su Nian directly, but what came out was still polite.
“So please tell me, is it really just a coincidence?”
“Alright, Senior, I’ll come clean. I approached you with a purpose.”
Su Nian spread his hands and looked sincerely at Yun Buran.
But Xiali knew this man was about to start his act.
Yun Buran was stunned for a moment by his bluntness. ‘Could he really… like me…?’
“I used Old He.”
“What do you mean?”
Yun Buran frowned.
“Did Aunt Yun mention it to you? I really wanted to become a tutor for a senior in high school. But our homeroom teacher didn’t agree—he was afraid it would affect my studies and that I couldn’t handle the responsibility.”
“So I tried a few times to convince Brother Tao in person, but it happened that once I overheard Old He and Brother Tao chatting.”
“Senior, you used to be in the top ten of your grade several times, right? But now you’ve dropped a lot.”
Yun Buran nodded with a grim expression. No matter how hard she tried, in her third year she just kept scoring lower and lower.
“And at that time, Old He happened to mention that Senior was looking for a tutor recently. So it’s fair for me to say it’s a coincidence, because Senior is really the ideal teaching target in my mind right now.”
Yun Buran bit her lip.
“So sorry, I planned to act first and ask later—going around Old He and the others to contact your mother.”
Su Nian smiled apologetically, but at that moment, Yun Buran just found him annoying.
She had considered all kinds of reasons for Su Nian to approach her, but it never crossed her mind that it was because of her declining grades.
Somewhat irritated, she said, “But I also share your homeroom teacher’s doubts—I’m not really convinced about your ability.”
Su Nian laughed indifferently and pulled out his phone. Among everyone he had ever met, when it came to academics, he was the highest mountain.
“Then I’ll have to show Senior my credentials properly.”
But as Su Nian confidently pulled out his phone, apparently looking for something, his expression changed. He muttered, “How is it dead? Didn’t charge?”
Then, as if remembering something, he stammered, “Senior, I didn’t bring cash. I might need you to cover me.”
Yun Buran suddenly remembered—this place settled the bill after eating.
Seeing Su Nian’s sudden change in demeanor, Yun Buran couldn’t help but find it amusing. This campus heartthrob—so proud and confident when talking about his grades, now embarrassed and flustered—the contrast was just too big.
“I can lend you a power bank.”
“Oh, right, I forgot.”
Su Nian lowered his head a little and quietly added, “Thanks.”
“Pfft.”
Yun Buran couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t socialize much, but among the girls, she often heard stories about this “big star.” Because he rejected so many girls, many thought he was too cold and unapproachable.
But now, he didn’t seem so impressive after all?
“You’re seriously scary!”
Xiali exclaimed from the chair beside Su Nian.
Earlier while waiting, to kill time, Su Nian had asked her, “How do you quickly close the distance between two strangers?”
“Huh? Saving someone in distress?”
Most people would answer “shared hobbies,” but Xiali had been binge-watching romance dramas and wanted to help Su Nian out.
“Heh, it’s the opposite. You make them owe you.”
The cat was completely puzzled.
“Ask them to do a small favor they’re capable of. Showing weakness and dependence—that’s the fastest way to eliminate the sense of unfamiliarity.”
Xiali’s mind kept replaying Su Nian’s words as she listened to Yun Buran’s pleasant laughter. She marveled again at how terrifying Su Nian was.
Su Nian ignored Xiali’s comment. He was awkwardly echoing Yun Buran’s laughter.
The food arrived.