His gaze moved downward and landed on the words:
Good morning, boyfriend.
Boyfriend.
There was a hint of coaxing and affection in the way she said it.
He wasn’t someone who was easily coaxed.
Yet looking at that message, his heart still softened slightly.
Forget it.
He lowered his eyelashes, concealing the fleeting, obscure emotion that flashed through his eyes.
No next time.
Meanwhile, Wen Chu was yawning when her phone vibrated.
She lowered her head to check the message.
【L.YE: Mm.】
【L.YE: Have you eaten breakfast?】
Wen Chu touched her empty stomach.
She had rushed over to save a seat as soon as she finished getting ready.
After all, a seat in the back row of a lecture class was practically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Who had time to buy breakfast?
【ChuChu Hiding: Nope, I’m starving QAQ】
【ChuChu Hiding: When I woke up it was already 7:30. I hurried to get ready and rushed here to save a seat, so I didn’t eat. And I have classes all day today ahhh.】
【ChuChu Hiding: I’ll never stay up so late playing games with my roommates again.】
She reported honestly and even made a small confession.
After sending the messages, she waited for a while but didn’t receive an immediate reply.
The professor had already started roll call.
Wen Chu quickly looked up, afraid she’d miss her name.
A few minutes later, her phone vibrated again.
She secretly glanced down.
【L.YE: Which classroom?】
Wen Chu froze for a moment.
Then she realized something, and her heartbeat inexplicably skipped.
He… wasn’t actually going to…
After hesitating briefly, she still sent him the information.
【ChuChu Hiding: Changyue Building, Room 407, last row by the window.】
This time, Xi Liye replied very quickly.
【L.YE: Got it.】
Then the chat window fell silent once more.
Holding her phone, Wen Chu stared at those three words.
Got it?
What exactly did he get?
Why did Xi Liye always like saying got it?
Wasn’t that a little too cool for no reason?
Wen Chu silently complained.
Still, she couldn’t help lifting her head.
Through the sparse rows of students and the backs of countless heads, she glanced toward the tightly shut classroom door.
A strange feeling of anticipation quietly took root.
Forty-five minutes later, the bell rang.
There was a ten-minute break between university classes.
Wen Chu received a message from Xi Liye.
【L.YE: I’m here. Come to the fourth-floor stairwell.】
Her heart jumped.
Beside her, Xia Yaoyao had already fallen asleep on the desk.
Moving as quietly as possible, Wen Chu stood up and slipped out through the back door.
The hallway was noisier than the classroom.
Students coming out of class flowed back and forth.
She hurried toward the western stairwell on the floor.
Pushing open the heavy fire door instantly blocked most of the hallway noise.
The stairwell was dimly lit.
Only a few rays of daylight filtered through the small window high above.
Then she saw him.
Xi Liye was standing by the window on the landing.
He wore a dark gray cashmere sweater that made his figure appear even more tall and refined.
In his hand was a plain brown paper bag.
“For you.”
Xi Liye walked over and held the bag out to her.
Wen Chu instinctively accepted it.
Warmth seeped through the paper and into her fingertips.
She lowered her head.
Inside was a sandwich.
Beside it sat a carton of soy milk with the straw already inserted.
Both were still warm.
“Eat while it’s hot.”
Xi Liye looked at her widened eyes.
“Weren’t you hungry?”
“Y-You… how did you know about this sandwich?”
she asked quietly.
Xi Liye didn’t answer directly.
Instead, he said calmly,
“The last time, didn’t you tell me on WeChat that you really liked this sandwich from the cafeteria?”
“You even said you’d eat it for breakfast every day for the next month.”
Wen Chu froze.
Then the memory resurfaced.
It seemed… she really had said that.
Back when she had first begun her Affection Overload Annoyance Plan, she had desperately searched for things to talk about.
One morning she happened to buy the sandwich without waiting in a long line.
Excited, she took a picture and sent it to him.
She had enthusiastically declared:
“This sandwich is so good! I’m eating this every morning for the next month!”
At the time, Xi Liye had only replied:
Got it.
She thought he had simply brushed her off.
After all, got it was practically his trademark response.
But not only had he remembered—
He had remembered what she liked.
And now he had personally delivered it to her.
Her fingers tightened around the paper bag.
Something gently bumped against her heart.
Soft.
Warm.
A little sour.
And overwhelmingly confusing.
After finishing most of the sandwich, she finally remembered something.
Embarrassed, she looked up.
“Did… did you eat already?”
“Mm.”
Xi Liye nodded.
“Oh…”
She responded softly, unsure what else to say.
“Um… thank you.”
“Coming all the way here just for this.”
Xi Liye looked at her slightly reddened ears and uncertain gaze.
The corner of his mouth seemed to curve upward almost imperceptibly.
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Isn’t this what a boyfriend is supposed to do?”
Truthfully speaking, after reading that booklet from Qin Yu, Xi Liye had indeed learned a few things about what a boyfriend should do.
Almost without thinking, Wen Chu suddenly heard herself say:
“Then… do you want to accompany me to class?”
“It’s just one forty-five-minute lecture.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.
Back before transmigrating, she had often seen couples accompany each other to class even when they didn’t share the course.
She never understood it.
Wouldn’t it be better to go back and rest?
Or do your own work?
Why sit through a class you weren’t interested in?
Why endure the boredom and awkwardness?
As soon as the question escaped her lips, she regretted it.
Someone like Xi Liye would never waste time doing something like that.
His lab was probably busy too.
“Forget it.”
She hurriedly corrected herself, feeling embarrassed.
“You must be busy anyway. Don’t you still have experiments?”
“I was just asking.”
The next second she regretted that too.
Wasn’t she supposed to be a spoiled troublemaker?
Why was she being considerate?
She immediately changed her stance.
“No, wait.”
“You have to accompany me to class!”
Xi Liye watched her internal battle between two opposing personalities.
Oddly enough, he found it amusing.
“What class?”
he asked.
Without thinking, Wen Chu answered.
Her heartbeat sped up uncontrollably.
Xi Liye nodded slightly, as though searching his memory for information about the course.
A moment later, he tilted his head toward the stairwell entrance.
“Let’s go.”
His tone was casual.
“Isn’t class about to start?”
Wen Chu never expected him to actually agree.
Xi Liye had already started walking.
After descending two steps, he noticed she wasn’t following.
He stopped and glanced back.
One eyebrow lifted slightly.
“Didn’t you ask me to accompany you?”
he asked.
As if confirming the most obvious fact in the world.
“I-I did… but…”
Wen Chu’s thoughts were a mess.
“What about your lab data…?”
“Not urgent.”
Xi Liye interrupted.
“It’s only one class.”
Then, without waiting for her response, he turned and continued downstairs.
His pace wasn’t fast.
Yet there was something quietly unquestionable about it.
Wen Chu stood there for a moment.
Then she took a deep breath, suppressed the storm raging in her chest, and hurried after him.
The moment they entered Room 407 through the back door, the class bell rang.
The previously noisy classroom fell into a strange silence the instant Xi Liye appeared.
Countless curious, shocked, and inquisitive gazes swept toward them all at once.
Xi Liye seemed completely unaware.
His calm gaze swept through the room before quickly locking onto Wen Chu’s seat by the window in the back corner.
There happened to be an empty seat beside it.
Xia Yaoyao was still asleep.
The neighboring seat was vacant.
Without hesitation, Xi Liye walked over and sat down in that seat.
His movements were natural and effortless.
As though he had always belonged there.
Under the weight of countless staring eyes, Wen Chu could only awkwardly squeeze past Xi Liye’s long legs and return to her original seat.
She felt like an ant being roasted over a fire.
I’m doomed.
She had completely forgotten just how popular Xi Liye was.
Thankfully, attendance for lecture classes wasn’t high.
Most students had skipped class anyway.
Beside her, Xia Yaoyao was awakened by the commotion.
She rubbed away a string of drool and half-opened her eyes.
She glanced lazily at Wen Chu.
Then she noticed the person sitting beside her.
Her eyes instantly widened.
All traces of sleep vanished.
“Wha—”
She nearly shouted aloud.
Clapping a hand over her mouth, she stared back and forth between Wen Chu and Xi Liye.
Her eyes grew as round as bells.
Using only exaggerated lip movements, she silently demanded:
Wha. Is. Going. On?!