Xu Zhilu took a deep breath, composed herself, and bowed her head to read.

The classmates returned just twenty minutes before class.

Xu Zhilu looked slightly puzzled and turned to ask, “When did you leave at noon?”

Xin An’an glanced at her, lips moving slightly, “Huh?”

She paused, her eyes avoiding Xu Zhilu’s, “When you were sleeping, I couldn’t sleep, so I went with them to buy things at the convenience store.”

As she spoke, she took out a candy from her pocket and handed it to Xu Zhilu, “Want some?”

Xu Zhilu stared at the candy in her palm for a moment, then took it, “Thank you.”

At that moment, she really wanted something sweet.

The orange-flavored candy spread sweetness on her tongue, sour and sweet, making her feel much better.

Xu Zhilu smiled faintly, whispered, “This flavor of candy is quite delicious.”

Xin An’an nodded nervously, “Um, not bad.”

“Did you buy it from the convenience store?”

Xin An’an hesitated, “No.”

She quickly added, “I brought it from home in the morning. I don’t even know where my parents bought it.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhilu casually remarked, “Then ask your parents where they bought it. I want to buy some.”

Xin An’an nervously nodded, “Okay.”

The afternoon classes were relatively relaxed. The teacher was enthusiastic, but the students were sleepy.

Although Xu Zhilu didn’t sleep well during her nap, she wasn’t sleepy now.

As she listened to the lesson, she suddenly drifted off.

She thought of the dream she had at noon, a dream that… actually happened in reality.

In her previous life, she had many arguments with Xu Zhijia and Mrs. Xu, and every time she cried and left on her own.

And every time, it was Shen Siyan who found her.

It seemed that this was the reason why she liked Shen Siyan so much.

He was indifferent, but not truly heartless.

Gradually, Xu Zhilu became dependent on him.

But in her previous life, she didn’t understand that the reason Shen Siyan came to find her and treated her well might just be because she was the neighbor’s younger sister.

Or maybe because he pitied her.

In short, it was never out of concern or affection.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhilu lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling a poke on her back.

She turned around angrily, meeting the deep gaze of the young man.

“What?” Xu Zhilu asked impatiently.

Shen Siyan paused slightly, and softly said, “Shall we go back together later?”

Xu Zhilu pursed her lips and decisively refused, “No, I have something to do.”

Shen Siyan frowned, about to ask what it was, but Xu Zhilu had already turned back to listen to the class.

He stared at the back of her head for a long time, then dropped his eyes in frustration.

Xu Zhilu’s school was for international students, and they didn’t have evening self-study sessions for now.

Moreover, as day students, it wasn’t safe to go home at night. Many students had private tutors at home, and those who didn’t could study on their own at home, so after the afternoon classes, everyone went home.

Xu Zhilu told Xin An’an, picked up her schoolbag, and went downstairs.

She walked fast and didn’t notice someone following behind.

Xu Zhilu had something important to do; she wanted to get a haircut.

Originally, she should have gone yesterday, but it rained, so she postponed it.

Shen Siyan followed downstairs, watching her graceful figure ride away on her bicycle.

He frowned, reached out to take one side of the bike, but before he could catch up, Cheng Song appeared out of nowhere, shouting loudly, “Brother Yan! Why are you walking so fast? Aren’t we playing basketball today?”

Shen Siyan coldly said two words, “Not playing.”

Cheng Song: “…”

Watching Shen Siyan’s receding figure, he scratched his head and looked at his brother, Gao Chi, standing beside him, “Brother Yan has been… do you think he’s acting weird these days?”

Gao Chi raised an eyebrow, “More than that.”

He rubbed his chin and said, “He seems like a different person.”

Cheng Song raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean by that?”

Gao Chi and Xu Zhilu were in the same class, aware of everything that happened in the classroom.

In response to Cheng Song’s curious gaze, he clicked his tongue and said, “Do you know what Brother Yan did at noon?”

“What did he do?”

Gao Chi sighed, “Brother Yan kicked us out of the classroom.”

Cheng Song twitched his eyelids, “Why?”

Gao Chi shook his head, “I don’t know. Maybe because we were too noisy in the classroom. He even gave us money to go somewhere else. Only Xu Zhilu, who was sleeping, wasn’t kicked out.”

He asked, “Isn’t that strange?”

Cheng Song: “…”

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “How much petty cash do you have?”

Gao Chi looked at him puzzled, “What do you want? If it’s for buying sneakers, I won’t lend it to you.”

“…” Cheng Song rolled his eyes, annoyed, “Buy my ass! Brother Yan has gone crazy. I have to lend him money for treatment!”

Gao Chi: “…”

–

After leaving school, Xu Zhilu went to a nearby hair salon.

When she came out, her beautiful, long black hair had turned into a shoulder-length bob. The stylist had even curled the ends, complementing her round, shiny eyes, making her look charming and cute.

As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into Shen Siyan.

They locked eyes, and Xu Zhilu furrowed her brows. “You got a haircut too?”

Shen Siyan hesitated for a moment and replied, “Yeah.”

He looked down, his gaze lingering on her face. “Will you wait a bit?”

Xu Zhilu looked at him. “Why?”

Shen Siyan fell silent for a moment and said softly, “Wait for me?”

Before he could add that they could have dinner together first, he received Xu Zhilu’s strange gaze.

Her eyes were inscrutable, making it hard to understand. But they were undeniably focused directly on him.

Under her gaze, Shen Siyan felt a bit uneasy for no apparent reason. He lowered his eyelashes and cleared his throat softly, asking, “What are you looking at?”

“Looking at you…” Xu Zhilu paused slightly, then said calmly, “Wondering if you’re a sissy.”

….