Chapter 35

18:04, 26 minutes until evening self-study. Qin Xiaoxiao arrived on the floor where her classroom was located.

She felt a bit inexplicably puzzled.

Why did she end up doing exactly as he said without even realizing it?

Qin Xiaoxiao stood still for two seconds before walking toward the classroom.

As she stepped through the door, her eyes immediately landed on that striking figure.

Reaching her seat, she noticed a transparent plastic bag on her desk, containing an insulated meal box from the cafeteria.

So, this was the dinner he brought for her?

Qin Xiaoxiao opened the plastic bag and lifted the lid of the meal box. Light steam mixed with the aroma of food wafted up, revealing red carrots, golden eggs, and green scallions—a serving of fried rice that looked quite appetizing.

This must be from the newly opened window in the cafeteria.

Qin Xiaoxiao closed the lid of the meal box.

Facing the aisle but with his attention fixed on the seat behind him, Ji Wenchen waited a few seconds before turning to look at her. “Why aren’t you eating? Didn’t you seem pretty eager to eat it yesterday?”

“It has a smell. It’s not appropriate to eat in the classroom,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied.

“What kind of smell could fried rice possibly have?” Ji Wenchen lazily glanced around. At the moment, there were about ten or so classmates scattered in the classroom, with a few of them eating bread or instant noodles.

Qin Xiaoxiao still felt that eating something other than snacks in the classroom wasn’t quite appropriate. “I’ll take it back to the dorm to eat.”

“It’ll be cold by the time you get back,” Ji Wenchen said, casually propping his chin on his hand. Suddenly, a faint smile played on his lips. “Is your idol image that important?”

Idol image… how did this even turn into a discussion about idol image? Qin Xiaoxiao was speechless.

Noticing that other classmates were also eating in the classroom, Qin Xiaoxiao tore open the chopsticks’ packaging and started eating as quickly as possible.

Ji Wenchen watched her eat, a faint smile in his eyes.

Her movements were quite refined, but her speed was surprisingly fast.

Was it really that delicious?

This fried rice, so highly sought after by others, tasted just average to Qin Xiaoxiao.

It was merely on par with the standard fried rice from ordinary restaurants.

She guessed it was only popular among her classmates because it was newly introduced and sold in limited quantities, making it seem novel.

After eating half of the fried rice, Qin Xiaoxiao was already 80% full.

She put down her chopsticks and noticed her deskmate’s gaze was impossible to ignore.

“You… want to eat too?” Qin Xiaoxiao asked casually, purely out of politeness.

Ji Wenchen’s eyes lingered on her now fuller, glossier lips, and he responded with a simple “Mm.”

“…” Qin Xiaoxiao hurriedly closed the lid of the meal box. For some reason, she suddenly felt like he actually looked a little hungry.

If he were to take her leftover fried rice and eat it… Qin Xiaoxiao imagined the scene for a moment—it seemed a bit awkward.

“Class hasn’t started yet. You can still go buy something to eat,” Qin Xiaoxiao suggested.

Then she finally remembered, “Thank you for the fried rice. Was it 10 yuan?” She had heard Yang Min mention that a regular serving of fried rice was 8 yuan, but this one seemed to have added vegetables.

“It’s not.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s on me.”

Today, Ji Wenchen was wearing a collared sports shirt, leaning sloppily against the desk. His neck and one side of his collarbone were casually exposed through the unbuttoned neckline, exuding an air of nonchalance.

The soft autumn evening sunlight streamed gently into the classroom, casting a faint golden halo over his hair, giving it a fluffy texture. His face was handsome and youthful.

It was like a still frame from a coming-of-age movie—crisp and clean, without the need for any filters.

For a fleeting moment, Qin Xiaoxiao was momentarily dazed. “Why are you treating me?” she asked. As soon as the words left her mouth, she couldn’t help but recall him saying, “I’m pursuing you.”

She quickly pushed that thought out of her mind.

Why?

“Of course, it’s because…” Ji Wenchen recalled Jiang Zhousi’s advice: “You’re too direct when you talk. It’s easy to scare Junior Qin Xiaoxiao away, which is why you get rejected outright.” “When pursuing a girl, you need to use indirect tactics.” “Take it slow, gradually create more opportunities for interaction, like that whole ‘boiling a frog in warm water’ thing.”

He lightly tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Because I wanted to thank you for the candy you gave me this morning.”

Candy from this morning? “Didn’t you return an entire bag to me?” Qin Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrow slightly. Though she hadn’t planned on retrieving the bag of candy she had “temporarily left” in his desk cubby.

Ji Wenchen’s mind worked quickly. “And to thank you for helping me with my studies.”

That reason sounded passable.

Alright then. Qin Xiaoxiao nodded, tied up the plastic bag, and took it to the back of the classroom to throw it away.

…

“Brother Chen, want to grab a late-night snack?”

Ever since Jiang Zhousi graduated, quite a few boys had tried to cozy up to Ji Wenchen, hoping to stick around him.

Lu Yitao from Class 8 was one of them.

His family was well-off, and his grades were at the bottom of the class. While he didn’t dare skip classes outright, he would seize any chance to quietly break the rules—eating in class, playing games, and other small acts of mischief.

Lu Yitao had long admired the renowned Ji Wenchen.

Walking alongside the school bully and even managing to call him a friend? That would be something truly impressive.

He sat a few seats behind Ji Wenchen and had noticed him eating a few pieces of candy during self-study.

Figuring that Ji Wenchen might be hungry, he boldly ran over to “strike up a conversation” as soon as class ended.

Ji Wenchen looked at him.

He had some impression of this classmate, who had been in the same class for over a semester and always greeted him whenever they crossed paths.

“Let’s go.” Ji Wenchen stood up, then paused for a moment. “Do you want to eat something?”

He was asking Qin Xiaoxiao.

He remembered that she had only eaten half of the fried rice.

“No need,” Qin Xiaoxiao shook her head.

While following Ji Wenchen out of the teaching building, Lu Yitao was both excited and unable to stop his thoughts from bubbling in his head: Brother Chen is really good to Qin Xiaoxiao. It seems the rumor about him pursuing Qin Xiaoxiao is true… That conversation made their relationship sound pretty close. Brother Chen probably won’t take long to win over the school beauty…

After looking up, he realized he had fallen two or three meters behind Ji Wenchen and quickly jogged to catch up.

At this moment, the cafeteria was anything but quiet.

Both windows offering late-night snacks had fairly long lines.

“Brother Chen, which line should we…” Lu Yitao started to ask Ji Wenchen for instructions, but seeing Brother Chen head straight toward the line on the right, he instinctively followed.

The figure standing in front of Brother Chen looked familiar, resembling someone who often came to their classroom to look for Qin Xiaoxiao…

“Maoxing.”

How strange. Lu Yitao thought Brother Chen’s voice wasn’t exactly quiet, yet for some reason, Qin Xiaoxiao’s cousin in front didn’t react.

Feng Maoxing wasn’t deaf; he could hear the person behind him calling his name.

It was precisely because he sensed that person’s presence and recognized his voice that Feng Maoxing pretended not to hear and chose not to turn around.

What should he eat tonight? Jianbing guozi or grilled chicken wings?

Only kids make choices—he, of course, wanted both. Feeling rather pleased, Feng Maoxing waited in line, and soon it was his turn at the window.

“Auntie, I’ll have one jianbing guozi and some grilled chicken wings.”

“Alright, would you like it on a tray or packed to go?”

“To go. Thank you, Auntie.”

“You’re welcome!”

Feng Maoxing took the bag and swiped his card, but he didn’t hear the familiar “beep.” Instead, the electronic display showed a cold and rigid “ERROR.”

“?? What’s going on?” His meal card had just been topped up with 500 yuan a few days ago—how could this happen?

He swiped it again, but it still didn’t work.

The auntie squinted at the display on her side. “Ah, young man, it seems your card might have been demagnetized.”

“Demagnetized?”

“Yes. See if there’s a classmate nearby you know and ask them to help swipe for you?” the auntie kindly suggested.

Feng Maoxing glanced around but didn’t spot anyone he knew—excluding the person behind him, of course.

Not wanting to go through the hassle of asking an unfamiliar classmate nearby for help, Feng Maoxing reluctantly decided to return the delicious food in his hands. “Auntie…”

Beep.

A well-defined hand reached over from behind, holding a card.

It was obvious who had swiped it.

His emotions were a bit complicated. Feng Maoxing, constrained by basic manners and politeness, unwilling as he was, still had to turn around. “…Thanks, Captain.”

“Mm.”

“I’ll transfer the money to you when I get back to the dorm tonight.”

Ji Wenchen, his hand lazily spinning the meal card, glanced at him slightly at those words. “No need.”

These two cousins were truly alike in this regard.

“I’ll head out first.” Feng Maoxing firmly believed in not taking undeserved favors. He had already decided to pay Ji Wenchen back as soon as possible, including the Sprite from last time.

This Ji Wenchen, treating him to food for no apparent reason—could it be that he was trying to build a connection through him to trick his cousin into falling for him?

It had to be said, Feng Maoxing’s guess was somewhat accurate.

Jiang Zhousi had once advised Ji Wenchen to start with Qin Xiaoxiao’s close cousin, Feng Maoxing, as a way to break through. He even offered plenty of tips on building a good relationship with the “little cousin-in-law.” However, Ji Wenchen couldn’t bring himself to follow through.

Lately, Ji Wenchen had been treating Feng Maoxing slightly better than the average team member, and it was indeed because of the cousinly connection between him and Qin Xiaoxiao.

Ji Wenchen had ordered tofu pudding.

A few bites later, the bowl was empty.

Lu Yitao, who had ordered quite a lot, noticed that the boss had finished eating. He quickly wiped his mouth, stuffed the remaining skewers into a plastic bag, and followed Ji Wenchen back to the classroom.

The classroom was in the chaotic state typical of a long break, with hardly any classmates sitting in their seats.

Except for his deskmate. Ji Wenchen walked straight to his seat.

Still writing during the break—maybe he should suggest Guo Hairuo award her with the “Most Diligent in Class 8” title… Ji Wenchen casually pulled out his chair.

Then, with his sharp eyesight, he caught a glimpse of what she was writing, and the smile in his eyes froze instantly.

“You’re not allowed to change deskmates.”

Qin Xiaoxiao instinctively covered the note with her left hand—a completely subconscious action.

Then she couldn’t even understand why she had done that.

So what if he saw it?

Qin Xiaoxiao moved her hand away. “Whether or not to change deskmates is a personal decision.”

“I don’t allow you to switch,” Ji Wenchen’s cold, heavy words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s heart trembled for a moment, but her expression remained calm. “Do I need your permission to change deskmates?”

It was like a bucket of cold water poured over him. Ji Wenchen clenched his teeth, and the muscles on the right side of his face were tightening.

He had thought that her gradually softening attitude over the past half month signaled hope. Ha, to hell with “gentle communication” and “boiling a frog in warm water”!

“I’d like to see who dares to be your deskmate.”

Qin Xiaoxiao abruptly looked up. She had to admit—she couldn’t refute those words.

As long as he said the word, no one would dare to be her deskmate, not even Yang Min, who had said she wanted to sit with her.

The boy in front of her seemed to radiate an aura of hostility. His refined features carried a cold edge, his tall and straight nose accentuating his tightly pressed pale lips.

There was no doubt that his appearance was exceptionally striking.

Even when he was threatening someone.

Qin Xiaoxiao suddenly felt like laughing—not at his somewhat juvenile and overbearing behavior, but at her own oddly misplaced emotions.

It seemed like a part of her heart had suddenly softened. How strange.

In the small grove under the night sky, she hadn’t taken his words seriously. In the dim hallway, she had thought it was just his need to dominate…

Now, she believed it a little.

“Ji Wenchen,” Qin Xiaoxiao said with a faint smile on her lips, “can you be a bit more reasonable?”

Hearing his name spoken directly by her made Ji Wenchen’s heart skip a beat.

It was rare to hear her call him by his name.

The same three words he had heard countless times from others somehow felt different when they came from her lips.

Her gentle tone and faint smile left Ji Wenchen momentarily stunned.

The clamor of irritation that had been raging inside him gradually melted away.

Be reasonable?

He still didn’t want to be reasonable with her.

There was no logical way to keep her by his side as his deskmate.

“If I don’t want to sit with you, so what if no one dares to sit with me?” Qin Xiaoxiao said with a faint smile. “At worst, I’ll sit by myself.”

“No.”

“See? You’re doing it again. Be reasonable, will you?”

Her tone was like that of someone dealing with a tantrum-throwing child. Ji Wenchen felt a bit annoyed, but there was also an odd feeling of being… indulged.

What the hell?

“What do you mean by ‘be reasonable’?”

Qin Xiaoxiao was momentarily stumped by the question but managed to maintain her composure. After considering for two seconds, she replied, “It means you can’t always put yourself at the center. You can’t order or force others. You need to ask for the other person’s opinion and communicate equally and amicably.”

Ji Wenchen’s eyelashes lowered slightly, hiding his deep amber eyes.

After two seconds of silence, he asked, “Will you stay my deskmate?”