Jing Tian immediately recalled the content of those emails and what Yang Yue had said.

Although he wasn’t very reasonable back then, at least he consistently spoke negatively about Zheng Xunqian, whether in person or behind his back.

In the past, he seemed quite arrogant in front of Zheng Xunqian.

“…We used to argue a lot, right?” he asked softly.

“No, we never argued,” Zheng Xunqian said.

Jing Tian thought, liar. Luckily, he had information from outside sources; otherwise, he might have been fooled by Zheng Xunqian’s calm demeanor!

But then Zheng Xunqian continued, “You unilaterally scolded me, how could that be called an argument?”

Jing Tian choked.

“Alright, it’s all here,” Zheng Xunqian pointed to the tablet in front of him that had not yet been activated. “Stop dawdling and let’s get started.”

Jing Tian propped up the tablet, took out the exercise book, stared at the questions for a while, and said, “…Clearly, you were indifferent to me.”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it.

The topic had already ended, but he hadn’t let it go, acting like a disgruntled person, sour and unpleasant.

Zheng Xunqian remained silent.

Not refuting meant he more or less agreed.

Embarrassing himself again, Jing Tian cursed himself in his mind. Whether in the past or now, he always managed to make a fool of himself.

“Let me take a look, are these…?” He looked at the questions on the tablet, deliberately muttering nonsense to disguise his emotions, pretending as if nothing had happened earlier. “This one should use the formula… Let me think, let me think…”

Zheng Xunqian turned slightly to the side, resting his chin on his hand, silently watching him.

His gaze was too obvious, making Jing Tian uncomfortable. “Why aren’t you on your phone?”

Yesterday afternoon when he tutored him, whenever Jing Tian started solving problems, Zheng Xunqian would slightly move away and focus on using his phone or doing something else to avoid disturbing him.

Zheng Xunqian nodded but made no move, still watching him.

All the formulas in Jing Tian’s mind vanished.

He frowned at the questions for a while, unable to hold back, and asked, “…Do you have something to tell me?”

Only then did Zheng Xunqian speak, “It’s different now.”

Jing Tian turned to look at him, blinked in confusion.

Zheng Xunqian stood up, walked to another corner, and sat back down. “You write.”

Jing Tian looked at the questions, and after a few seconds of realization, he understood that Zheng Xunqian was responding to his complaint from earlier.

In the past, he used to not care, but now it’s different..

Jing Tian bit his lip, lowered his head, and almost pressed his nose against the paper in front of him.

Leaving the door slightly open wasn’t a good idea.

The window in the study room was wide open, and the door was pushed by the breeze, occasionally lightly hitting the doorframe, making a small, rhythmless noise.

It was a bit annoying to listen to.

When Jing Tian finally finished answering the first question, Zheng Xunqian got up and closed the door.

The small room became isolated from the outside world.

“That day… I invited you in, and then what?” Jing Tian asked, “Did anything happen?”

Zheng Xunqian glanced at him. “No wonder you’re so slow.”

“Focus,” he said, then sat back in the position away from Jing Tian.

As he lowered his head to look at his phone again, Jing Tian glared at him sneakily before continuing with the exercises.

Zheng Xunqian refused to say, but Jing Tian guessed that he should have been quite happy that day.

At least there was no mention of it in his emails.

He even criticized the most trivial annoyances in those emails.

So, would the notebook hidden in the candy box mention it?

Jing Tian quickly forced himself to dismiss the thought.

If he didn’t want to say anything, then forget it. If he didn’t remember, then so be it. It wasn’t a big deal that he absolutely had to know.

Better to focus on the exercises.

Studying wouldn’t let him down; investing effort and time would bring corresponding rewards and happiness.

Zheng Xunqian always seemed very idle.

He often accompanied Jing Tian to review classes, ate lunch together with him at noon, and spent free time together at the study room for extra lessons.

Every time after assigning exercises to Jing Tian, he would conveniently borrow a book from the library, put on headphones, and quietly read in a corner.

Jing Tian had secretly observed the covers; there were books of all kinds.

From professional books to masterpieces, occasionally there were also books on arts and humanities, and even comics and romance novels, probably just picked up randomly.

Jing Tian sneered inwardly; this person seemed to have no friends and didn’t need social interaction, hence spending his time so aimlessly every day.

This was a state Jing Tian was very familiar with.

In his more than ten years of memories, he had spent most of his time like this.

His life was even more monotonous than Zheng Xunqian’s, without even one person to pass the time with, forcing him to devote all his energy to studying.

He didn’t know if Zheng Xunqian was satisfied with this kind of life, but he knew that deep down, he always felt lonely.

He really wanted a friend.

Fortunately, a caring and easygoing friend came down from the sky.

Returning to the dormitory after the evening makeup classes, Jing Tian opened the door to find Yang Yue fully focused on his phone screen.

“I’m back!” he exclaimed, but Yang Yue didn’t look up, indicating that the game battle was intense.

“Playing again, huh,” Jing Tian said as he put down his backpack by the table, “Have you showered?”

Yang Yue nodded without speaking, his expression tense.

He had recommended this game to Jing Tian a few days ago, saying that the two of them used to team up often, and Jing Tian was also very addicted and quite good at it.

Jing Tian was a little tempted, but in the end, he reluctantly refused.

He had heard too many negative examples of people neglecting their studies because of games, and in his current situation, he couldn’t afford to take that risk.

Yang Yue was very regretful about this, indicating his firm intention, so Jing Tian didn’t persuade him further.

When Jing Tian finished showering and came out of the bathroom, Yang Yue had already put down his phone and was sitting in the chair absent-mindedly.

“Not playing anymore?” Jing Tian casually asked him.

“Lost, lost miserably,” Yang Yue complained, “The teammates I randomly matched with were so unreliable, it’s all because you didn’t play with me.”

“I don’t even remember how to play anymore; I’d just drag you down.”

Jing Tian said.

“I can teach you,” Yang Yue said, then quickly waved his hand, “Forget it, let’s not talk about this. Are you free tomorrow?”

Jing Tian thought for a moment.

The morning classes tomorrow were full, and he had two classes in the afternoon, which would last until four thirty. In the evening, he had arranged to go to the small study room with Zheng Xunqian.

His schedule was packed.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Achen and the others played a few rounds, but you never came. They asked me if you didn’t want to play with us anymore,” Yang Yue said. “Can you come tomorrow?”

Jing Tian hesitated.

He had a deep impression of those young people. Although there was some restraint during their last interaction, the memories left behind were still very happy.

Making friends was something he longed for, and he was very willing to continue hanging out with them.

Before, he would refuse because he was busy studying, and also because he felt a bit uncomfortable with the places they suggested.

“Where are we meeting tomorrow?” Jing Tian asked.

“The same place as last time, RESET near New Times,” Yang Yue said. “It’s a special event for college students tomorrow, with discounts!”

Jing Tian suddenly looked hesitant.

He was fine with KTV, as he felt it was fun to sing and play cards with a group of friends. But he had some reservations about bars.

Yang Yue had introduced the place to him last time, saying that it was a decent place, mostly frequented by college students in the area, healthy and positive. Even if you didn’t like dancing, you could sit aside, chat with people, and eat some sunflower seeds.

“You don’t have classes tomorrow night, right?” Yang Yue asked.

When they were selecting courses initially, they agreed to have almost the same schedule, with Jing Tian having only two additional review classes, neither of which was on tomorrow.

“I promised Zheng Xunqian to go to the study room tomorrow night,” Jing Tian said.

Yang Yue’s expression immediately became dejected, and he sighed, “I knew it.”

It was obvious that he wasn’t happy.

Jing Tian felt uneasy and didn’t know what to say, standing there at a loss.

“It’s okay, you go,” Yang Yue picked up his phone again. “I’ll explain to them.”

Yang Yue opened the messaging app, thought for a moment, then put down his phone and asked, “Are you and Zheng Xunqian dating?”

“No!” Jing Tian was startled and quickly denied, “Don’t misunderstand, we really are just…”

“Always together,” Yang Yue interrupted him, “going to class together, leaving class together, eating together… Do you remember you owe me a meal?”

“I remember, when do you…”

“When do I,” Yang Yue rolled his eyes, “When do I ever get the chance? You’re glued to him all the time, I feel like a third wheel.”

“That’s not true!” Jing Tian hurriedly clarified, “Whenever and wherever you want to eat, I’m available!”

“I’m not complaining about you,” Yang Yue said, “It’s just…”

As he spoke, he reached up to scratch his head, looking somewhat frustrated, as if he didn’t know how to express himself.

Yang Yue must have felt that they had become distant during this time, Jing Tian thought, feeling guilty.

He really liked Yang Yue and didn’t want him to feel down because of this.

“I’ll go with you tomorrow!” Jing Tian said.

Yang Yue’s eyes lit up, “Really? Are you sure? Shall we agree on that?”

Jing Tian pursed his lips, “Yeah!”

“By the way, sometimes you need to balance work and rest,” Yang Yue smiled, “Take a break for a day and relax.”

Seeing him happy, Jing Tian breathed a sigh of relief, and his mood became relaxed and cheerful.

He picked up his phone, planning to ask Zheng Xunqian for a day off.

“Oh, and,” Yang Yue added, “If you really are dating Zheng Xunqian, you should at least tell me.”

“I’m not!” Jing Tian shouted.

Yang Yue shrugged, not arguing, but judging by his expression, he clearly didn’t believe it.