Chapter 50

Chen Ze pushed up his glasses before breaking up the awkward atmosphere.

“Thank you both for the help this morning. Take a rest while I go prepare two bowls of noodles for you.”

Gu Jing Yuan rejected without any hesitation, “No need. Tao Yi Xi, can we leave now?” 

Yet, she actually said, “Sorry to trouble you, thank you.”

Gu Jing Yuan smiled wryly. He so badly wanted to fling his sleeves and leave right away. However, at the last moment, he hesitated. He realized that if were to leave, the supposed ‘alone time together’ would change to be between Chen Ze and her.

Suppressing his surging anger, he reluctantly returned to his seat. But he refused to speak another word to her.

When the noodles were served, Tao Yi Xi picked up the strands of noodles with a pair of chopsticks and blew on them gently before taking a bite.

Chen Ze sat on her other side and asked, “Are the noodles to your liking?”

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“Rv’p elzknkswp.” Mbl casvb oyp qaytaydv, sdl nswze vlzz vbyv kv oyp dsv vbl jkde vbyv oyp ral-xyel kd y qynvsau. Mbl dssezlp olal nblou vss, rascyczu byde-xyel.

“Mbld vbyv’p tsse.”

Frsvvkdt bla cwztkdt pnbssz cyt, Ubld Hl ypjle, “Pke usw fwpv nsxl qasx vbl zkcayau?”&dcpr;

“Zlp, yde vblal’p sdl cssj vbyv R’x zssjkdt qsa. Rv kp y zkdlya yztlcay rasczlx-pszhkdt twkel. Rq R alxlxcla nsaalnvzu, R pyo kv okvb usw zypv plxlpvla?”

“R’hl clld vss cwpu alnldvzu yde qsatsv vs alvwad kv. Ebld R ts bsxl, R’zz zssj qsa kv yde rypp kv vs usw.”

“Xjyu.”

Qw Kkdt Zwyd nszezu oyvnble vblx nbyv yxsdt vblxplzhlp. Mbl kdvlaynvksd clvolld vbl vos oyp lmvalxlzu nzspl, yp vbswtb vblal oyp y qsavalpp cwkzv clvolld vblx yde bkx, zlyhkdt bkx kpszyvle swvpkel.

Qw Kkdt Zwyd oyp zkjl yd knlclat, nsdpvydvzu lxkvvkdt y nbkzzu yway vs bkp pwaaswdekdtp. Ubld Hl rszkvlzu vakle vs vyzj vs bkx, “Uzyppxyvl Kkdt Zwyd, byhl psxl yp olzz.”

Gu Jing Yuan responded icily, “I don’t like noodles.”

This caused the atmosphere to become somewhat awkward. 

After Tao Yi Xi took her last bite, she turned to ask, “Could you pack the remaining food for me? I’ll take it home and eat it later.”

“Sure.”

Chen Ze swiftly packed the food and handed the bag to her.

“Thank you. See you when school reopens.”

“Yes, see you then.”

They waved goodbye to each other as Gu Jing Yuan observed them expressionlessly. It felt like there were a pair of invisible hands clenched tightly around his heart, full of bitterness and pain.

She had never made plans to see him again.

Even during the start of their break, she had quietly disappeared without a word.

If he had not reached out to her first, would she even think of him?

Was this how someone expressed their liking for another person?

Doubt was like a thorn stuck in his throat, causing pain every time he swallowed, rendering him unable to utter a single word.

His intense gaze could nearly burn a hole through the hand that was carrying the plastic bag.

Tao Yi Xi asked him, “Do you still want to stroll around some more?”

With no one else around, Gu Jing Yuan could no longer hold back his grievance. His thin lips pursed tightly and his usually uplifted brows drooped down.

After waiting a long moment for a reply, the reply Tao Yi Xi got was, “Liar.”

“?”

And a while more, he spat out another two words, “Scumbag woman.”

Taking another look at him, she could sense an overwhelming feeling of unjust treatment in his eyes.

Tao Yi Xi was a bit tired of all this emotional entanglement. There were still other things that required her attention, and yet, he seemed stuck in this love bubble.

She explained, “I don’t like him. I’m just helping him out, there’s no need for you to think too deeply into it.”

According to Tang Wan, Chen Ze’s father passed away early, and his mother had to raise him single-handedly. Their family faced difficulties, but he still managed to maintain being first in their cohort. It was truly not easy. With the two of them going through similar situations, there was naturally a sense of camaraderie shared between the two.

Her firm reassurance alleviated some of his moodiness.

She then added, “We’re all busy with our studies. Who has time to think about such things as romance?”

“Humph!”

Regarding matters between the sexes, one would be fairly sensitive on such matters and could accurately identify one’s love rival. Not one bit did he believe that Chen Ze did not take a shine towards her, Gu Jing Yuan just did not dare to say it aloud.

Tao Yi Xi did not understand his roundabout way of thinking and concluded, “You’re just too idle. Let’s stop strolling about and go home to do some practice questions.”

Gu Jing Yuan, “…” 

The supposed pleasant and sweet outing came to an abrupt end.

At the very end, that bowl of noodles still ended up in his stomach. He would not let her eat anything else that was cooked by his love rival!

**

The night before the start of the new semester, Gu Jing Yuan was organizing his school bag. Looking at the pages of his winter break assignments that were packed with his handwritten words, he suddenly felt like it was a lifetime ago. This was the very first time he completed all his holiday homework.

Turning around, he looked at her. Seated at the table with the desk lamp illuminating her profile, she was holding a red pen and correcting the extra practice questions that he had done. Her silky, long hair was casually tied up with a black elastic band, but a few unruly strands fell out of the bun and framed her beautiful face. It enhanced her exquisitely delicate features, exuding a sense of gentleness. As he watched her from the side, he was gradually captivated by her.

“The way you went about doing this question is still somewhat lacking. It would be best not to skip doing your workings at this part. At the very least, if you get the answer wrong, there’s still a chance of getting some marks for your workings.”

Her voice snapped him out of his trance. He leaned in closer and listened carefully to her explanation.

Her faint fragrance surrounded him. He wanted to bring her into his embrace, to hold her close, and let her lean on him as she spoke.

But as soon as he reached his arms out, she coldly pushed him away.

“Go do your corrections.”

“…Oh.” Gu Jing Yuan defeatedly took out a different colored pen and started rewriting, he was already accustomed to her rejection.

After a while, he brought his book over to her with his corrections done, “Is this correct now?”

“Yes, you did well this time. That’s full marks.”

“Do I get a reward?” His phoenix eyes turned round with expectation.

“Yes.”

“Hmm?” 

“You can go to bed early tonight.”

Gu Jing Yuan’s mood instantly deflated. If he was a large dog, his once excitedly wagging tail would suddenly stop wagging and droop to the ground. With the metaphoric tail dragging behind, he grumbled discontentedly, “How is that even considered a reward?”

These days, he had indeed been diligently carrying out the tasks she assigned. Tao Yi Xi believed she was not a stingy person.

“Then what do you want?”

He looked up abruptly, and Tao Yi Xi immediately warned, “Don’t go overboard.”

“In that case… Can I hug you for a moment?”

“Fine, one second.”

“One minute.”

“One second.”

“How about half a minute?”

“Forget it.” She gathered her belongings and got ready to leave. However, Gu Jing Yuan quickly grabbed onto her wrist, pitifully raising the white flag.

“Okay, okay, one second it is then.”

In a ‘humble’ manner, the person who had his head lowered, tightened his grasp on her wrist and gave it a tug. Tao Yi Xi was caught off guard and stumbled a couple of steps forward, before falling into his arms.

One of his hands rested on her slender shoulder, and the other held her delicate waist. The tall and sturdy young man hugged her tightly in his arms.

In that split second their bodies came into contact, his warm body temperature and rapidly beating heart were palpable through the thin casual clothes, becoming exposed to her.

Tao Yi Xi’s eyelashes faintly trembled, and she tried to push him away.

“Time’s up.”

He tightened his embrace even more.

“Gu Jing Yuan…”

Reluctantly, he let go of her, looking obedient as he gave her a sweet smile.

For a moment, Tao Yi Xi could not bring herself to say anything harsh. How did this aloof and indifferent youth turn to become like this?

“… I’m leaving.”

“En.” His gaze followed her until she disappeared from his view.