Jiang He was visibly annoyed at Yu Yingying’s questioning look.
“That’s me! What’s wrong with that look?”
Yu Yingying blinked her apricot-colored eyes and asked sincerely, “Are you good at school?”
Jiang He snorted and lifted his chin. “Since freshman year, there’ve been three final exams. Once you were first, once I was first, and once we tied for first. What do you think?”
Yu Yingying: “……”
At that moment, she truly understood what it meant: you can’t judge a book by its cover. This Jiang He had looked like a tall, muscular guy, simple-minded, hot-tempered, the type to pick up a weapon at the slightest provocation. And now he tells her that his brain is as excellent as his height?
Yu Yingying pointed to a problem in her book, skeptical: “Can you explain this to me?”
“Heh! Testing me?” Jiang He smirked with disdain, pulled a pen from her pencil case, and said proudly, “Today, Daddy’s going to let you see what it means to have both good looks and intelligence—prepare to have your eyes opened!”
Yu Yingying: “……” Offended. She hadn’t even considered his looks before.
…
The sunlight slanted westward. The two of them sat across from each other in the café, studying from just before four until six. Yu Yingying learned a lot. She had to admit that Jiang He’s mind was indeed sharp. His approach to solving problems was very different from hers, and even familiar topics gave her new inspiration—she was pleasantly surprised, thinking, “Wow, it can be done this way too!”
Immersed in studying, Yu Yingying didn’t notice fatigue until someone’s stomach “grumbled,” breaking the quiet concentration. She rubbed her own stomach—she wasn’t that hungry—but glancing toward where the sound came from, she looked at Jiang He across from her.
Jiang He’s face was slightly embarrassed. “I played basketball for so long at lunch; it’s normal to be hungry. Haven’t you seen rich people get hungry?”
Yu Yingying pursed her lips and lowered her head to endure it. She couldn’t help it and bit her lip, laughing: “Indeed, I haven’t.”
Jiang He shot her a threatening glance and tossed aside his pen. “Enough studying. It’s this late—let’s get something to eat.”
It was getting dark, and the café lights hadn’t been turned on yet.
“Mm,” Yu Yingying said as she packed up her papers, “What do you want to eat? I’ll treat you.”
“You kidding? Save your money for yourself and eat a bun. I’m paying—don’t be stingy, I need to save face.”
Yu Yingying thought for a moment: “Okay, then I’ll follow your lead.”
“Mm,” Jiang He nodded in satisfaction.
The two walked out of the café one after the other. Jiang He held the heavy glass door with one hand, letting Yu Yingying go through first. But seeing her walk quietly, he remembered how she had earlier pointed at his foot, telling him to “explain it,” and a mischievous feeling arose in him.
He moved to block her path, feigning displeasure: “Hey, after giving you a whole afternoon of lessons, and you have nothing to show for it?”
What kind of “show” did she need? Yu Yingying thought quickly, calculating her little budget: “No problem. But if I treat you, you have to eat what I choose—won’t be expensive.” She wasn’t about to put on a show.
“Who said you’d treat me?” Jiang He snorted. “I want another kind of ‘show.’”
Another kind of “show”? Yu Yingying frowned and looked up at him, waiting for clarification.
Jiang He curled the corner of his lips into a mischievous smile as he looked at her.
At that moment, Yu Yingying realized how close they were. She was standing at the café entrance, and Jiang He, holding the door with one hand, looked down at her. If he took just half a step forward, he could hug her. She instinctively stepped back, tugging on her backpack straps. Inside, she had pepper spray, a small baton, and other self-defense tools… she could choose one to use on him—or all of them.
“No way am I kissing him!”
“Buy me a bottle of water.”
They spoke almost simultaneously, then fell silent.
For several seconds, Jiang He burst out laughing, utterly entertained.
“You… are you crazy?” Yu Yingying’s clear, pretty apricot eyes glared at him as she pushed him aside and hurried away.
Jiang He took long, leisurely strides behind her, laughing and teasing: “Hey, Yu Yingying, are you embarrassed?”
Yu Yingying gritted her teeth and ignored him.
Jiang He continued speaking mischievously: “What’s your deal? We’ve kissed before—why suddenly shy? Is it because of your memory loss?”
“Actually, as everyone knows, I’m not only pure-minded but also very, very kind.”
“I’m happy to give you time to adjust; I wasn’t thinking about kissing at all. I just wanted you to buy me a bottle of water, to feel respected. But you…”
“……”
Yu Yingying spun around, snapping, “If you say another word, I’ll call the police for public disturbance!”
“Okay, hahaha!” Jiang He couldn’t hold it and laughed loudly in the busy street.
Yu Yingying wanted to kick him. She turned quickly, pretending she didn’t know him. Silently, she reminded herself, Killing is illegal, while also wondering if she had been out of her mind before, not focusing on her studies, and ended up dating Jiang He.
And… had she really been that close to him before? Kissing—just thinking about it was terrifying!