The living room door was left open.
A cool evening breeze drifted in, carrying a slight chill.
Xie Guanyan’s fingers gripping the chopsticks turned pale, his eyes behind the silver-framed glasses shadowed with gloom.
Had Shanshan and Xu Yan already progressed to the point of dating?
School life was uneventful.
But the two bodyguards still reported Shanshan’s daily activities to him.
He knew that on Monday, Shanshan had invited Xu Yan to eat together.
The two sat across from each other, chatting about who-knows-what.
But Xu Yan, who usually wore a cold expression, had smiled.
In the following days, they kept eating in the cafeteria, with Xu Yan always lingering nearby.
Xu Yan was Xu Zunlong’s son.
Xie Guanyan didn’t know what had happened between him and Shanshan.
If it didn’t happen in Jingbei, it was hard for him to find out back then.
But at the birthday banquet, it was easy to see that Xu Yan liked Shanshan.
Rational, composed, yet bold—Xu Yan was a qualified pursuer.
Xu Zunlong might seem cheerful and easygoing now, but he was nothing like that in his youth.
The Xu Family in Jingnan was a complex, sprawling clan.
Xu Zunlong’s father had married multiple wives, fathering many children.
He and Xu Yali were full siblings.
His rise to power in the Xu Family had been a bloody struggle against countless rivals.
Truly, like father, like son.
And Xu Zunlong was devoted to his wife—loyal and steadfast.
Objectively speaking, Xu Yan was a perfect match for Shanshan, whether in terms of personal qualities, family background, or even the family atmosphere.
Plus, Xu Yan was also eighteen, the same age as Shanshan.
The chopsticks in Xie Guanyan’s fingers were on the verge of snapping, the darkness in his eyes surging uncontrollably.
He should be happy for Shanshan.
But he found it unbearably difficult.
Lin Mo scooped another bowl of dumplings and continued eating.
She suddenly sensed something off in the atmosphere.
She couldn’t pinpoint what exactly, but it just felt… wrong.
“I had midterms these past two days. The questions were harder than I expected,” Lin Mo said casually.
Xie Guanyan set down his chopsticks, his voice gentle. “I’m sure you did fine.”
Lin Mo grinned. “Yeah! I’ll be fine!”
They chatted as they ate, Xie Guanyan responding to every word she said.
Gradually, Lin Mo convinced herself she was overthinking—nothing was wrong.
After finishing the dumplings, Lin Mo carried the dishes to the kitchen.
Only then did she notice the message from Xu Yan.
She rolled her eyes.
Xu Yan was way too confident.
The results weren’t even out yet, and he was already certain he’d won?
Her slender fingers typed a reply: The winner hasn’t been decided yet.
He responded almost instantly: Picking a place in advance won’t hurt. I found a few—sending them to you.
Xu Yan forwarded links to several high-end, highly-rated restaurants.
Lin Mo clicked through them.
She could invite Xie Guanyan to dinner tomorrow night to test his feelings for her.
They had never dined out alone before.
Xie Guanyan walked into the kitchen with his dishes, his height allowing him to easily glance at Lin Mo’s phone screen.
His gaze darkened again when he saw her browsing a restaurant.
He wanted so badly to tell her not to go!
But what right did he have to stop her?
The tall man averted his eyes, taking a deep breath before placing the dishes in the sink.
He rolled up his sleeves twice, tied on an apron, and started washing.
The sound of running water filled the kitchen.
Lin Mo turned, grinning playfully. “What kind of dishes require our CEO Xie to wash them personally?”
Xie Guanyan didn’t look up. “Just doing what I can.”
There was so little he could do for Shanshan—he wanted to do as much as possible.
He was willing to handle everything for her himself.
Could Xu Yan do the same?
The thought slipped into his mind uncontrollably, making his brow furrow.
A bowl slipped from his grip and shattered on the floor.
Crash!
Xie Guanyan glanced at the broken pieces, then bent down.
The white shards were razor-sharp.
He reached out to pick them up barehanded.
If he injured himself, he could use it as an excuse to keep Shanshan home tomorrow night—to stop her from going on that date!
He wasn’t completely insignificant in her heart.
At the very least, he was a friend!
But before his fingers could touch the glass, a small, delicate hand grabbed his wrist.
“Don’t touch it. Use a broom.”
The warmth and softness of her touch seeped into his skin.
Xie Guanyan looked up.
His gaze met her stunning peach-blossom eyes, bright as fallen starlight.
His heart trembled.
He couldn’t do something like that!
If she was happy about the date, he should let her go.
A flicker of regret passed through his eyes as he stood. “I’ll get the broom.”
Lin Mo blinked, a secret delight bubbling in her chest.
When she grabbed Xie Guanyan’s wrist just now, he hadn’t seemed to mind.
She had already picked out a restaurant.
But she’d have to wait until tomorrow to invite him.
Since the results weren’t out yet, she didn’t want to cancel on Xie Guanyan.
Even if the chance was slim.
“I’m heading to bed. School tomorrow—goodnight, Lao Xie!”
Her voice was cheerful as she skipped out of the kitchen.
Xie Guanyan watched her slender figure disappear, his eyes damp and shadowed.
She seemed so happy about the date.
He lowered his gaze and returned to the dishes.
“Goodnight,” he murmured.
The next day arrived quickly.
After morning reading, many students were speculating about the exam results and rankings.
Everyone agreed the math section had been brutal.
Zhang Shuo swapped seats with snacks and now sat in front of Shen Ji’an.
He turned around. “Shen Ji’an, did you think the math was hard?”
Shen Ji’an nodded. “Very.”
Zhang Shuo sighed. “I thought it was pretty easy—except for the last 140 points!”
Shen Ji’an: “…”
The first-period bell rang.
The math teacher walked in with a stern expression.
Her demeanor made the class uneasy.
During major exams, everyone feared doing poorly—but even worse was when a demon scored ridiculously well.
And that demon was none other than Xu Yan, the school’s top student.
He always aced math, leaving the exam writers questioning their confidence.
The middle-aged math teacher braced her hands on the podium. “The math scores are out.”
“Unsurprisingly, Xu Yan from Class 5 scored full marks again.”
The class groaned.
Absolute monster.
“But this time, there are two perfect scores—the other one is in our class!”
The teacher’s lips twitched, barely suppressing a smile.
The test had been extremely difficult.
No one expected two perfect scores!
The class erupted in shock.
“Damn, Gu Jingzhou!” someone exclaimed.
Gu Jingzhou was always Class 1’s top scorer.
Zhang Shuo scowled. “Gu Jingzhou! Did you fart on purpose during the exam to mess with everyone’s focus? So evil!”
Gu Jingzhou, equally stunned by his score, glared. “That wasn’t me!”
Zhang Shuo narrowed his eyes. “It was you! I saw your butt lift from the force!”
Gu Jingzhou: “…”
The teacher slammed the podium. “Zhang Shuo! How can you say that with a straight face? While others focused on the test, you were staring at someone’s butt?!”
Zhang Shuo shut up.
Gu Jingzhou glanced smugly at Lin Mo.
Now that he’d aced math, she’d definitely be impressed, right?
“Lin Mo! Congratulations!” the teacher announced.
Gu Jingzhou: “…”
The entire class: “…”
