There was no time to think about Xie Shu anymore, as she had already submitted her application for the math competition.
With only two weeks left until the competition next month, and a midterm exam in between, she had to juggle both competition problems and exam preparation, keeping her as busy as a spinning top.
Putting down her pen and looking at the scratch paper filled with her work, Shen Jianxi couldn't help but sigh. It was already dark outside. When one is immersed in studying, other things truly slip the mind. These past few days, engrossed in solving problems, she hadn't even had time to think about Xie Shu, who hadn't shown up.
Compared to the "guide," she had found something more addictive: doing math problems.
Unfortunately, happy times are always short. She had finished all the competition problems she bought and now had nothing left to do.
She could go to the bookstore again tomorrow and buy a few more books to avoid running out of practice material…
"Knock, knock, knock—"
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She got up to open it. Song Duanli stood outside with a cup of milk. Seeing her come out, he quickly handed her the cup, "A cup of milk is good for sleep. You—"
Before he could finish speaking, the door was shut in his face. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. He pursed his lips into a thin line and was about to turn away when the door suddenly opened again.
"Thank you." Taking the milk, Shen Jianxi's expression was a little awkward. "Big Brother."
After uttering the last two words, she quickly closed the door. No matter how fast she was, Song Duanli still caught a glimpse of her slightly flushed cheeks. Elation surged in his heart, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved into a smile.
On the other side of the door, Shen Jianxi held the cup of milk in one hand and tapped her head with the other. What a memory! She had almost forgotten that Song Duanli still had a task to complete. Her attitude couldn't change too quickly; she had to let him see her changes bit by bit.
She looked at the milk in her hand. A little black devil in her mind said, "His milk, I'll never drink it!"
While a little white angel on the other side said, "But I'm so hungry."
Black devil: "Don't drink it!"
White angel: "I'm so hungry."
Black devil: "Endure it!"
White angel: "So hungry."
Black devil: "No!"
White angel: "Hungry."
After a fierce internal struggle, Shen Jianxi finally drank the milk. It wasn't for any other reason than to have more energy to continue her studies.
* * *
"Fu Yi, how do I solve this problem?"
Shen Jianxi, engrossed in math problems, finally remembered the target of her "guide." She quickly found a particularly difficult problem to ask Fu Yi.
As expected of someone ranked first, he solved a competition problem that stumped most people using a very simple method, and explained it in an easy-to-understand way.
"Do you understand?" After explaining it once, Fu Yi looked up at her.
As he turned his head, he paused slightly.
The delicate fragrance from the girl continuously wafted towards him. They were so close that he could clearly see the fine hairs on her face. Her fair skin was flawless. Sunlight fell on the side of her face, making her look like an elf descended to earth. Fu Yi seemed to understand a little why Xie Shu liked her.
77: "Ding! Favorability +3. Fu Yi's current favorability is 23."
Hearing the sound of favorability increasing, Shen Jianxi curled her lips. It was worth it for her to deliberately put on sexy perfume today and find the most beautiful angle.
"Fu Yi, Fu Yi?"
"What is it?" He came back to his senses, annoyed. He couldn't forget why he had approached her. The previous incident must not happen again.
Composing himself, he suppressed the fleeting stir in his heart and looked down at the spot her pen was pointing to. Assuming she didn't understand, he picked up his pen to explain again: "You don't understand here, do you? Look..."
"No, I understood. I mean, do you think this way of writing is acceptable?" As she spoke, she wrote down another method in her notebook.
Seeing what Shen Jianxi had written, Fu Yi looked surprised. He had thought of this method before. Although it was a bit difficult, it was the simplest approach. He hadn't expected her to know it.
"Yes, your method is even faster than the one before. You've made great progress."
Hugging her notebook to her chest, Shen Jianxi said proudly, "Of course. You'd better be careful in this competition~"
Hearing this, Fu Yi chuckled. He was confident in himself, but still, he encouraged her, "Keep going! I'll be waiting for you to surpass me."
From the hug that day, the rumors about them dating at school grew stronger. Although neither of them had explicitly stated it, everyone in their eyes already considered them a couple.
They both knew the truth. It was just that one of them was too lazy to explain, and the other...
It was at this time that Xie Shu returned.
Looking at the person blocking her path, Shen Jianxi clearly felt that he had changed. Although his appearance was the same as before, she just felt that something was not quite right.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Are you smitten by your boyfriend?"
Hearing his words, Shen Jianxi frowned. "We broke up, and you were the one who initiated it. Don't you remember?"
Xie Shu naturally stroked her hair and smiled, "I was just joking. Don't take it seriously."
Taking a step back to avoid his hand, Shen Jianxi's vigilance rose. "Yes, I took it seriously."
"So, let's just be classmates."
Xie Shu clenched his hands behind his back, feigning dejection. "Alright then. Can we at least be friends?"
She knew that refusing this request would be too much. Moreover, everyone's eyes were subtly fixed on the two of them. A faint sense of annoyance arose within her. "Of course, if you're willing, then we can still be friends."
Hearing this, Xie Shu smiled heartily. "That's good."
Having obtained the answer he wanted, Xie Shu no longer blocked her way, moving aside to let her pass. Watching her retreating back without looking back, the hatred in his heart reached its peak in that instant.
Blood dripped from his palm onto the ground, blooming like plum blossoms.
His expression was now sinister, his eyes fierce, completely different from moments before.
How could she, after doing such a thing with her big brother, still have the audacity to date him and kiss him without any shame?
The thought of her dating him during the day and being intimate with her big brother at night made Xie Shu feel like a fool. He had once been so cautious, afraid of hurting her even a little, never doing anything she didn't want.
This time, he was back to get what he deserved. He would no longer be soft-hearted.