Proud senior schoolgirl was tender and sweet, we fell in love

"Xie Xiao," Luo Yanran called his name in a soft voice.

Xie Xiao was somewhat in a trance, as if this was the first time he had heard Luo Yanran call his name in that tone since he was reborn.

In the previous life, Luo Yanran always called him that way, and when he looked at her, she was just smiling, but her eyes would inevitably flash with tears as she smiled.

She always called out like that but never followed through.

In the three years she had been by his side, it seemed there was an unspoken agreement between them. Neither of them mentioned liking each other, and neither brought up being together.

Xie Xiao didn't dare, didn't feel worthy. How could a man confined to his bed have the courage to defile that celestial moon?

But Luo Yanran never mentioned it either.

Xie Xiao had once suspected that she was just pitying him, perhaps she was a person with an overflow of sympathy.

Until one day, he inadvertently glanced over her dropped phone and saw her chat with a friend, "I dare not speak out for fear that he will misunderstand me as pitying him, but I clearly love him so much. I can't bear to see him doubt and loathe himself. Xie Xiao will always be that youth in my eyes."

Her friend replied with a sentence, "You're really silly!"

Yes, Xie Xiao also thought she was truly foolish.

And suddenly, he understood what that unspoken word after she softly called his name may have been.

At this moment, Xie Xiao's heart was beating a bit faster. He hummed softly, "What's wrong?"

"I've finished buying the workbooks, shall we sit upstairs for a bit?" she suggested, shifting her gaze away, increasing the distance between them. Though it was phrased as a question, it always felt to her more like a command.

After saying it, Luo Yanran couldn't help but frown, realizing that she always seemed to do this...

"Alright," Xie Xiao replied softly, then reached out to take the workbooks from her hand.

Luo Yanran noticed that Xie Xiao never seemed to mind her tone of voice.

This made her feel even worse, and perhaps it was just Xie Xiao, this gentle person, who didn't mind.

She followed Xie Xiao to the front desk to pay.

Seeing him place a stack of workbooks together to pay all at once, Luo Yanran pressed her hand on the books.

Then she singled out her own, including the workbook she had already planned to give to Xie Xiao.

She then told the cashier, "He's just buying these."

Xie Xiao looked at her but didn't say anything.

The cashier quickly finished with Xie Xiao's transaction, and then Luo Yanran placed her own books on the counter.

After paying, she took out the workbook and said, "This is for you."

Xie Xiao looked at the book and smiled wryly, "You're giving me a gift?"

"Yes, so you can buy me a juice later." As she spoke, Luo Yanran dropped the workbook into his bag and turned to walk downstairs. Below was a space resembling a cafe, where drinks could be ordered and compartments provided some privacy.

The customers inside were variously occupied – some had books on their tables, some had workbooks, and some were conversing in hushed tones, all mindful not to disturb others.

This was a relatively free space in the bookstore, well-soundproofed, but you had to order a drink to enter, and the drinks were a bit more expensive than outside, somewhat like a minimum charge.

It might be said that the owner of the store was quite business-savvy.

By the time Xie Xiao and Luo Yanran arrived there were not many seats left, but they were lucky to find a spot by the window just as someone was leaving.

Xie Xiao put down the books and asked Luo Yanran, "What would you like to drink? I'll go order."

Luo Yanran quickly scanned the menu, then said, "Lemon tea."

Xie Xiao raised an eyebrow, "Didn't you just say you wanted juice?"

"I've changed my mind," Luo Yanran didn't look at him, "Just go order."

Xie Xiao smiled, nodded, and turned to go to the bar. Lemon tea was the cheapest drink in the cafe, costing 15, and other fruit juices were even more expensive.

How could Xie Xiao not understand her little trick? She was just afraid of him spending money.

In the end, he ordered an avocado milkshake and a mango milkshake, both of which Yanran had liked in her past life.

She didn't even like sour drinks. What was she doing ordering lemon tea...

After ordering, Xie Xiao took the receipt and returned to their seats.

Yanran had already opened a workbook. It was as if they had come here just to study.

That wasn't quite right, Xie Xiao thought for a moment. They had indeed come to study.

It wasn't until Xie Xiao sat across from her that Yanran raised her head slightly and lifted her chin, "Come sit over here."

She tapped the spot beside her gently with her pen.

Seeing that Xie Xiao didn't move, she added, "It's easier to talk."

Although she looked calm, her heart was actually beating fast, and the fingertips of her white and delicate hand gripping the pen had turned pale, betraying the owner's nervousness.

Xie Xiao, of course, would not reject such a rare initiative from her.

Because making certain moves might be considered lecherous, Xie Xiao had been restraining his desire to get close to her these past few days. But now, he finally had a legitimate reason to do so.

The space was actually quite large for a two-seater, and when Xie Xiao sat down, there was still some distance between them.

It probably had been designed that way to facilitate two people doing workbook exercises side by side.

It was a humanized design, but Xie Xiao felt somewhat dissatisfied in his heart. It was too humanized; he just wanted to sigh.

When Yanran saw him sit next to her, her reflex was to make more space for him, but she managed to contain herself and stayed still.

That nice scent from Xie Xiao's body wafted over again.

Yanran suddenly remembered something she read online: when you really like someone, you can always smell their scent.

At this moment, the fragrance coming from Xie Xiao was very distinct to her.

Yanran, somewhat flustered, handed Xie Xiao a pen, "Let's start doing problems."

Xie Xiao: ...???? Wasn't coming over here supposed to make chatting easier?

"Didn't your grades drop significantly on the previous mock exam? You said you haven't reviewed in a long time. Maybe I can help you with the problems," Yanran said haltingly. She did not look at him, and her tone sounded almost reluctant, "It just so happens I'm reviewing recently."

Xie Xiao: ... He felt like he had really misunderstood! And he had been looking forward to it for so long!

Seeing that he was still not speaking, Yanran felt a bit awkward and regretted her presumptuousness. Maybe Xie Xiao didn't need any tutoring at all!

"Of course, I just said it offhand. If you don't want to, we can leave it," she said, randomly circling a 'C' on the workbook with her pen.

Snapping back to reality, Xie Xiao quickly said, "Yes, please! Thank you, senior!"

He really did need tutoring! Being helped with his studies was certainly better than studying on his own!

And this way, he would have an excuse to legitimately seek her out in the future!

It was the best of both worlds!

Thus, Xie Xiao quickly recovered from his disappointment about not being able to whisper sweet nothings and earnestly looked at Yanran with bright eyes, "So, can I ask you anytime I don't understand something in the future?"

Yanran: ...something felt off, but then again, perhaps nothing was wrong.

So she nodded and still said defiantly, "I can take a look if I'm free."

Then she saw the radiant smile that bloomed on Xie Xiao's face as he called out, "Okay, Teacher Luo."

My own Teacher Luo.