Chapter 17

Back in the dormitory, her two roommates were showering, with only Jian Anran still outside.

Seeing Xu Zhilu’s expression, Jian Anran asked in surprise, “Zhilu, what are you thinking about?”

Xu Zhilu snapped out of it and shook her head, “Nothing.”

She pursed her lips and placed the bag on the table, “So, you went to buy something earlier.”

Xu Zhilu shook her head again and said, “No.”

She took a deep breath and said softly, “He didn’t go to buy something.”

“Huh?”

Xu Zhilu turned to her, taking out the contents of the bag, and asked, “Do you want to eat duck in soy sauce?”

Besides the duck in soy sauce, there were also two bottles of yogurt and some washed fruits, all neatly packed in boxes.

Jian Anran listened, glanced at her, and asked in surprise, “Where did this come from? Did your family send it?”

“No.”

Xu Zhilu laid out the contents and said calmly, “Someone else gave it to me.”

Jian Anran’s lips moved as if to say something, but seeing that Xu Zhilu didn’t want to elaborate, she didn’t press further. “Is it really okay to eat?”

Xu Zhilu burst into laughter. “Of course, it is. I can’t finish it all by myself, so we’ll share it when they come out.”

Jian Anran smiled. “Then I won’t be polite.”

She grabbed a piece of duck and took a bite. “Wow! This is so delicious! It’s so flavorful.”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “Yes, it’s homemade and very clean.”

She loved the soy sauce duck made by Shen Siyan’s grandfather. She had tasted it once when visiting Shen’s house and had never forgotten it.

Shen Siyan didn’t understand what was so good about it, but despite his disdain, he always brought a few boxes back for her whenever he visited his grandparents.

Before, Xu Zhilu didn’t think much about it or find it odd that Shen Siyan would give her these things. He always said it was his grandparents who insisted or his mother who asked him to bring it, so she never questioned it. She didn’t think deeply about it.

But now, she felt something was off.

She looked down at the items in the bag, still trying to figure it out, when Jian Anran remarked, “Things from the fridge taste better.”

Then she exclaimed, “Hey, Zhilu, was this just taken out of the fridge?”

Xu Zhilu paused and touched the bag. “It seems so.”

“Does your friend live near the school?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “No, he probably stored it in the school supermarket’s fridge.”

“Ooh.”

Jian Anran didn’t ask further, muttering to herself, “It really is delicious.”

Xu Zhilu took a deep breath and suddenly remembered Shen Siyan asking about her phone.

Her phone had been out of battery since yesterday afternoon. She had left it charging in the dorm during evening study, but after returning from the study session, she went straight to bed without turning it on.

She turned on her phone and saw several messages from the previous night.

They were from Shen Siyan.

Xu Zhilu read through each message, her lips pressed tightly together.

She seemed to understand why Shen Siyan was upset.

After reading, Xu Zhilu’s fingers lingered on the screen for a long time before she turned it off.

She didn’t know how to respond.

After finishing the food Shen Siyan had given her, Xu Zhilu washed up and got ready for bed.

Just as she lay down, her phone buzzed under her pillow. She picked it up and saw a message from Shen Siyan.

Shen Siyan: I’m home.

Xu Zhilu: Oh.

Shen Siyan: Didn’t you turn on your phone last night?

Xu Zhilu: Mm, I just saw your messages from yesterday.

Shen Siyan: Okay, rest early. Goodnight.

Xu Zhilu was about to reply “Okay” when another message from Shen Siyan arrived.

Shen Siyan: Is there anything you want to eat tomorrow? If you probably don’t feel like going out of school, I can bring something for you.

Xu Zhilu stared at the message for a long time before replying: No need, the school cafeteria is fine.

Shen Siyan: Okay.

They didn’t continue the conversation.

Xu Zhilu put her phone on silent and started a new round of studying.

She used to have good grades, consistently ranking first in her year. But, having just returned after a long time, she had forgotten much of her high school knowledge from her university days. She wasn’t sure how well she could do this time.

–

In the following days, Xu Zhilu and Shen Siyan maintained their inexplicable relationship as deskmates during evening study sessions.

She highlighted important points and tutored him.

At nine o’clock every night, they left the classroom together.

Xu Zhilu didn’t understand why he followed her every day but didn’t bother to ask.

She felt the answer wasn’t something she wanted to hear, so she pretended to know nothing.

And Shen Siyan, naturally, wouldn’t say anything.

On the weekend, Xu Zhilu went home.

Fortunately, Xu Zhijia had a piano competition in another city, and her mother accompanied her, while her father was on a business trip.

Xu Zhilu enjoyed a very pleasant weekend.

She tutored Shen Siyan in the morning and afternoon, and the rest of the time, she was free and relaxed.

She was contemplating whether she should find a part-time job to earn some money.

That way, when she turned eighteen, she could truly leave her family.

But Xu Zhilu found that most jobs required one to be at least eighteen. At sixteen, no store would hire her.

Xu Zhilu felt a bit despondent.

She had saved some of her New Year’s money, but it was far from enough.

On Sunday afternoon, while tutoring Shen Siyan, she frequently spaced out.

Shen Siyan had just finished a test paper. When he turned to ask her a question, he noticed her distracted look.

He paused, put away the paper, and twirled his pen.

After a while, Xu Zhilu came back to her senses. “Finished?”

“Mm.”

Shen Siyan handed her the paper. “Take a look.”

Xu Zhilu took it and started marking.

Shen Siyan glanced at her and asked casually, “What were you thinking about just now?”

Xu Zhilu didn’t catch it. “What?”

Shen Siyan paused. “I asked what you were spacing out about.”

Xu Zhilu was taken aback, not expecting him to notice.

She yawned and said lightly, “Nothing much, just thinking…”

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly remembered something.

Facing Shen Siyan’s bright, curious eyes, she bit her lip and asked, “You know a lot of people. Do you know where I can find a part-time job?”

Shen Siyan: “…”

He frowned, looking at her with displeasure. “Out of money?”

“No.”

Xu Zhilu didn’t know how to explain. “I just want to save some money.”

Shen Siyan was silent for a while and then said in a low voice, “Isn’t tutoring me considered a job?”

Xu Zhilu was surprised. “What do you mean?” Shen Siyan looked at her in surprise. “Didn’t my mom tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Shen Siyan furrowed his brows. “That she’ll pay you like a tutor for helping me with my studies. Didn’t she mention it?”

Xu Zhilu responded, “Oh, she did mention it. But it’s not necessary. I’m not a professional tutor.”

Shen Siyan’s mother had indeed brought it up, but Xu Zhilu had refused. She knew how well Shen Siyan’s mother treated her.

Moreover, tutoring Shen Siyan also helped reinforce her own knowledge. She couldn’t accept the money for that.

Shen Siyan replied, “Just take it. If my mom doesn’t give it to you, she’ll give it to someone else, which would be a waste.”