Shen Yue went to the bun shop in the morning and saw a familiar dog wandering around.
When the dog saw Shen Yue, it ran to her feet and circled her.
Perhaps because Shen Yue had given it meat buns a few times, it became attached to her.
The dog had smooth fur and didn't look like a stray, yet it particularly liked to hang around the bun shop every morning.
Shen Yue bought her usual two sugar buns and a meat bun.
She ate the sugar bun herself and gave the meat bun to the dog.
Shen Yue squatted down and petted the dog's head while it was focused on eating the meat bun. Its fur was soft and comfortable to the touch.
She couldn't help but pet it a few more times.
As she casually looked up, Shen Yue noticed a girl staring at her.
When Shen Yue looked over, the girl abruptly shifted her gaze and looked away.
It was the same girl who had sprained her ankle last time and then hit Shen Yue in the nose with a volleyball, causing a nosebleed.
Shen Yue didn't think much of it and continued to pet the dog with her head down.
After eating two buns, Shen Yue felt thirsty and bought a bottle of milk.
Zhuang Wan'er, as usual, saved her a seat.
In class, because her grades were consistently among the top, Shen Yue became the study representative. Teachers often sought her out for professional matters.
She was asked to help with making tables or with exams.
University teachers were generally hands-off; most class affairs were organized by the student council.
Shen Yue held the materials in one hand and was on the phone with the other, so she didn't pay much attention to her feet or the people around her.
Until she stumbled over something, she was startled, but it was too late.
As she lost her balance and fell forward, Shen Yue's eyes widened. Her hands instinctively loosened, and the materials scattered across the ground.
She wondered if falling face-first would indirectly disfigure her.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Just as Shen Yue braced herself for the pain, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist, effortlessly pulling her into an embrace.
Shen Yue also instinctively clutched the front of the person's clothes, regaining her balance.
Her phone and documents fell to the ground, but no one seemed to notice.
The girl seemed stunned by this accidental incident. Her long eyelashes were slightly damp, making her look as delicate and clear as a lotus emerging from water, with skin like condensed cream, radiant and resplendent.
She also didn't realize for a moment that her pose with the boy was very intimate.
The fingers holding the girl's slender waist gently caressed her twice, and a low voice, tinged with a slight smile, was exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
"Shen classmate, how long do you plan to stay in my arms? You might make me misunderstand like this."
The boy looked down at the girl, revealing a small dimple when he smiled. His features were sunny and handsome.
Shen Yue finally snapped back to reality. She immediately let go of the man's clothes, lowered her head, and took a small step back in a flustered manner, saying in a low voice, "...Thank you."
Her long eyelashes drooped, concealing the emotions within.
[What tripped me just now?]
The system was silent for a moment: [Tang Zhe deliberately tripped you.]
Shen Yue was puzzled: [Why would he do that?]
The system: [It's likely revenge.]
Shen Yue then remembered that Tang Zhe had personally witnessed her discarding a love letter and making that disgusted gesture. Most people would have been humiliated by such an act, but Tang Zhe acted as if nothing had happened, approaching her and often saying or doing things that could be misinterpreted.
If she said he had no ulterior motives, she definitely wouldn't believe it.
She looked up at the boy in front of her. Beneath his thick eyebrows was a high, sculpted nose. When his eyes curved, he gave off a sunny and cheerful aura.
No matter how she looked at him, he didn't seem like the sinister type.
Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.
Shen Yue disliked interacting with people like this the most because their thoughts were too difficult to decipher. One could never know what they were thinking beneath their smiling exterior.
If it wasn't necessary, Shen Yue wished to keep her distance from such people.
Shen Yue seemed embarrassed and said thank you again before squatting down to pick up the scattered documents.
Tang Zhe stood still, showing no intention of helping.
As she bent her head, the skin on her neck was as smooth and translucent as soft cream, faintly revealing the fine, straight veins beneath.
Tang Zhe's gaze lingered there for five seconds. His Adam's apple bobbed, and the fingers of his hanging hand rubbed together twice.
Her phone was surprisingly resilient, only its screen was cracked. It was still usable.
She didn't want to linger there any longer, so she said, "I'll be going then."
Tang Zhe leaned closer and asked, "Where are you going?"
Shen Yue subtly stepped back two paces, widening the distance between them.
"I need to deliver these documents to the professor."
Tang Zhe acted as if he hadn't noticed her movement and naturally moved closer again.
"That's great. I'm also going to see the professor, so let's go together."
Shen Yue pursed her lips. She couldn't refuse, so she agreed.
As they walked side-by-side, they attracted many gazes.
Tang Zhe's peripheral vision was constantly on the person beside him.
Sunlight fell upon the girl, making her look so fair and beautiful that she didn't seem real.
He suddenly asked.
"Shen classmate, how do you usually deal with love letters you receive?"
Shen Yue looked up in confusion, seemingly not understanding why he would suddenly ask that.
Tang Zhe smiled without any hint of malice, "I'm just curious. Someone as beautiful as Shen classmate must have many admirers."
Although he was smiling, Shen Yue always felt his smile was very fake.
He was asking what he already knew; the boy was very mischievous and wanted to see the girl flustered as she desperately tried to find an excuse.
Clenching the documents in her hand, Shen Yue pursed her light pink lips, "I put them all in a box."
Liar.
Tang Zhe understood, his eyes curving, "Shen classmate is so thoughtful. I thought you would just throw them all in the trash."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Zhe clearly felt the girl's body stiffen. She bit her lip with her pearly white teeth, and her eyelashes, like butterfly wings, trembled. She probably didn't realize how forced her smile was.
"How could I do that? After all, it's someone's heartfelt effort."
As she said this, a hint of panic flashed across her beautiful, pure face.
Tang Zhe pretended not to notice. "Yes, it would be too disheartening to do that. Who would dare to like someone like that anymore, wouldn't you agree, Shen classmate."
When he said the last sentence, 'Shen classmate,' the boy's voice suddenly deepened. It wasn't a steady tone but was tinged with a subtle coolness that was difficult to detect.
Yet, Shen Yue still noticed it. Her face turned pale, as if she felt subtly insulted by his pointed words, and a chill ran through her.
The girl with eyes like painted landscapes and skin as white as snow, which shimmered with a captivating porcelain luster in the sunlight, now trembled her eyelashes, looking so pitiable that one would want to hold her in their arms.