This difference wasn’t one-sided; it encompassed every aspect.
On Friday afternoon, as she left KFC, she finally remembered who the child in Xie Yan Si’s arms was.
It was his half-sister—Xie Qi.
She vividly remembered how, in her previous life, Xie Qi had been frightened to tears by Xie Yan Si. Xie Qi was terrified of him, trembling and turning pale at the mere sight of him, crying out for her mother.
But in this life, things were different. Xie Qi obediently let Xie Yan Si hold her, acting very close to him, while Xie Yan Si, holding Xie Qi, wore a gentle expression and spoke softly.
It was a side of Xie Yan Si she had never seen before.
And so, the two of them took on all the sports events for Experimental Class One.
Lin Yue wrote Xie Yan Si’s name on the list and said to Fu Yi beside her, “It looks like we have five events now, so there’s no need to trouble you to ask other classmates. They seem to be…”
Lin Yue glanced toward the front of the classroom, where her classmates were buried in their work, the sound of pens scratching against paper never ceasing.
Lin Yue enjoyed this atmosphere and smiled. “They’re all quite busy too, so let’s not disturb them.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the class bell rang.
Fu Yi didn’t know what to say, especially with another gaze fixed on him from the side. He pursed his lips. “Alright then. If you need any help, just let me know.”
Lin Yue: “Okay.”
This class was Chen Feng’s math class, but there was no sign of him entering.
The students of Class One were used to it. If Chen Feng didn’t show up, it was likely a self-study session where they could work on test papers or exercise books. Moreover, there was a chance he might suddenly appear halfway through the class, catching them off guard.
The main reason was that, during the second semester of their sophomore year, Chen Feng had already taught them all the knowledge content for the first semester of senior year. Now, they were in the consolidation and intensive problem-solving phase.
Before entering Chengbei No. 1 High School, Lin Yue had done her research. In fact, her progress was even faster than theirs. She had already learned all the knowledge points for the second semester of senior year and had completed several sets of past college entrance exam questions.
Watching her classmates busily working away even without a teacher present, Lin Yue couldn’t help but feel emotional: Studying is truly wonderful.
Except for one person.
Lin Yue glanced sideways and noticed that Xie Yan Si was once again lying on the desk, playing a dress-up game.
This was another side of Xie Yan Si she had never seen before.
Moreover, she had come to realize that she didn’t need to dwell on that “brother” remark. After all, Xie Yan Si had no idea that she was the one playing games with him that day.
At most, in front of Xie Yan Si, there was only that one embarrassing incident at KFC.
Thinking this way, Lin Yue felt much more at ease.
Feeling so relieved, her long-restrained hand couldn’t resist reaching over to tap his screen, swapping out the snake-skin purple boots Xie Yan Si had paired with a pair of pink crystal shoes.
She had really held back for a long time, from the last time until now.
Lin Yue couldn’t understand why Xie Yan Si was so fond of those hideous snake-skin purple boots that were an eyesore. He paired them with every outfit—couldn’t he change it up?
Now that she had personally swapped them out, Lin Yue felt even more relieved.
But while she was relieved, someone else…
Xie Yan Si slightly raised his eyes and met Lin Yue’s gaze.
Only then did Lin Yue realize what she had done. Embarrassed, she scratched the tip of her nose, wanting to explain her actions but unsure how to put it.
She certainly couldn’t say—Wow, your taste is terrible; let me fix it for you.
Lin Yue: “…”
Xie Yan Si would definitely think she was asking for trouble.
The two of them stared at each other for two seconds before Xie Yan Si handed her his phone.
Lin Yue raised a brow in confusion: “?”
“Help me.” Xie Yan Si’s low, hoarse voice sounded beside Lin Yue’s ear.
He said, “I can’t get past this level.”
Xie Yan Si’s phone was placed in Lin Yue’s hand, still warm from the heat of his palm.
The lingering warmth transferred from the phone to the skin of her fingers, causing them to tighten involuntarily.
Lin Yue also saw the game nickname on the screen: Qi Bao’er.
She thought it must be Xie Yan Si’s younger sister’s account, so he was helping Xie Qi clear the level?
Lin Yue was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t expected Xie Yan Si in this lifetime to dote on Xie Qi so much—enough to set aside his own cool-guy pride to play a dress-up game.
For the sake of that sweet, adorable child Xie Qi, Lin Yue let go of some of her reservations.
“I can only try,” Lin Yue said. “This is my first time playing this kind of game too.”
The only response she got was a low “Mm” from Xie Yan Si.
Just that soft, quiet “Mm” made Lin Yue feel that even if she failed, he probably wouldn’t blame her.
Still, Lin Yue took it seriously.
Her slender, pale fingers swiped across the phone screen. She found these colorful clothes quite pretty—no wonder so many elementary and middle school students liked them.
Lin Yue tried several outfits according to her own taste, and she was satisfied with each one, which made her indecisive.
Xie Yan Si sat beside her, elbow propped against his head, watching her with a sidelong glance as she played with a focused expression—more intense than when solving math problems.
After much deliberation, Lin Yue finally put together an outfit she was most satisfied with and handed the phone to Xie Yan Si.
“See if this one can clear the level.”
As she looked up, she met Xie Yan Si’s dark, deep phoenix eyes.
There seemed to be a faint trace of amusement in them. Whether it was Lin Yue’s imagination or not, she vaguely sensed that Xie Yan Si was in a rather good mood.
Xie Yan Si gestured with his eyes toward the phone. “You press it.”
Lin Yue was also curious whether her aesthetic sense would work, so she didn’t hesitate. “Then I’ll press it?”
Xie Yan Si: “Mm.”
The moment Lin Yue pressed submit, the phone screen suddenly burst with fireworks. The dressed-up little princess spun in the center of the screen, and the level rose from 49 to 50.
Lin Yue happily curved her almond-shaped eyes. The sense of accomplishment was no less satisfying than finishing an exam.
So much so that she forgot who was sitting beside her. She held the phone out to share her joy: “Look, cleared it in one go. My skills aren’t bad, right?”
The corner of Xie Yan Si’s lips twitched slightly, and he gave another soft, low “Mm.”
After a half-second pause, he added, “Very impressive.”
Lin Yue snapped back to reality upon hearing Xie Yan Si’s voice.
As soon as she looked up, she saw a hand with distinct knuckles reaching toward her desk. The skin was pale, so pale that the blue veins were clearly visible.
He opened his palm, revealing a pink strawberry candy in front of Lin Yue.
Then, she heard Xie Yan Si say leisurely:
“A reward for you—a piece of candy.”