Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
As the class ended, everyone was leaving the academic building, and Xie Shu, walking against the crowd with Ruan Nianxi, found it somewhat inconvenient.
Especially at the entrance of the building, where the throng of students was thick. Not wanting to push through, Xie Shu chose to stand in the open plaza outside for a while.
Ruan Nianxi stayed close by his side, looking up at the building where they attended their major courses.
She had always wanted to follow him and see where his classes were, but she knew stalking was wrong. Reason told her not to do it, as being discovered would be more trouble than it was worth, so she never came to this area before.
She only knew which class he was in from the screenshots of school assignments he posted on his social media.
She was really trying hard to control herself.
Most of the time, she could maintain her rationality.
But since yesterday… everything had exceeded her imagination.
It was as if she had returned to the time before high school when Xie Shu was still kind to her, cared for her, and even sent her good morning and goodnight messages.
These were the things she lost after Su Qianyi came into the picture in high school, but now, seemingly overnight, they had returned.
Ruan Nianxi sneakily glanced at Xie Shu's profile.
His eyes were like starry galaxies, his brows like distant mountains, his features sharp and his appearance extraordinary.
He still looked the way she remembered, but now there was an added maturity to him.
Perhaps it was because he studied art, but the once hot-blooded and tough young man now exuded a subtle air of refined ease, which fascinated her even more.
Maybe Ruan Nianxi looked too long, or perhaps her gaze was too intense, but Xie Shu felt it and turned to look at her.
Their eyes met, and Ruan Nianxi, in a panic, averted her gaze.
To cover her embarrassment, she took a sip of her milk tea.
But the tea was too hot, and she immediately spat out the straw and coughed a few times towards the ground.
Seeing this, Xie Shu transferred his umbrella to his other hand, which was holding a water bottle, and fished out a packet of tissues from his pocket with his now-free hand.
He handed the tissues to Ruan Nianxi and took her milk tea from her.
Now with her hands free, Ruan Nianxi pulled out a tissue, wiped her mouth, and murmured an apology.
Xie Shu smiled and said nothing, returning the milk tea to Ruan Nianxi and putting the tissues back in his pocket.
On the small plaza in front of the academic building, under the modest shade of an umbrella, this brief interaction between the two was captured by an anonymous passerby.
If they were just an ordinary couple, passersby might not have paid much attention.
But!!
The building Xie Shu was standing in front of was where they attended their major courses. Although the people coming out weren't in his class, they were from the same faculty and major. He interacted with some of them from time to time and was recognized by more than just those in his class.
Moreover, Xie Shu was known for his high-profile pursuit of Su Qianyi, his unwavering dedication and deep affection over three years, never giving up no matter how many rejections he faced. How many people had come to see Xie Shu as the epitome of fidelity?
Regardless of gender, after hearing rumors about Xie Shu, everyone had discussed him in private. Even those not well-acquainted with him had seen his photos.
And, adding to that, both Xie Shu and Su Qianyi were attractive, the campus hunk and belle, always at the forefront during school events. Over three years, almost everyone had come to recognize them!
Many didn't know Xie Shu personally, but most who came out were quite familiar with him.
So when they saw that the person standing next to Xie Shu wasn't Su Qianyi, they were a bit surprised.
But that was all – just surprise.
However, that small interaction, though normal, seemed to carry a hint of ambiguity to outsiders.
Thus, the scene was casually captured by someone and uploaded to the campus forum.
To attract attention, they even gave it a catchy title:
"Has the Art Faculty's Most Faithful Man Changed His Target?"
***
Once the post was up, it attracted lots of viewers, not just from the Art Faculty, intrigued by the phrase "most faithful."
The post contained only one photo.
In the photo, a man and a woman shared an umbrella, both half-turned towards each other. The man held the umbrella with one hand and offered a milk tea to the woman with his other hand. The woman, with a slightly unnatural blush on her face, was reaching out to take it.
There was a subtle, ambiguous atmosphere, but it wasn't too pronounced.
However, what people cared about wasn't this, but…
【Single Dad of Two at Forty: Most faithful? What tone is that? How can he be faithful if he's chasing someone else?】
【Sakura Kogane: Just a picture and I'm supposed to understand? Give us the details, or how can we know if he's really faithful?】
【Kuromei: No details, can't agree. But personally, I'm very faithful. Even though I've had several ex-girlfriends, my love for women has been consistent since childhood.】
【Mei Chuan Yifu: 6】
Some bystanders came in hoping for some juicy gossip, but all they found was a single image.
They weren't from the Art Faculty and didn't know the details of other faculties, only seeing a handsome man and a pretty woman in the picture, nothing else.
Just as people were about to leave the thread out of boredom, a student from the Art Faculty chimed in:
【The guy in the picture is truly the most faithful I've seen. He's been pursuing a girl from our faculty for three years, confessed countless times, and was rejected every time. Despite that, he's unwavering in his affection for her, has done a lot for her, and has never changed over these three years. Everyone in our faculty knows about them. This is actually the first time I've seen him alone with another girl.】
【Caring Mother Stays Neutral: Three years??】
【Wild Dad Roams the Jungle: And he's been rejected multiple times? How did he keep going?】
【Single Dad of Two at Forty: Sorry, I was a bit loud earlier.】
【Original Poster: Let me add, do you remember the bold confessions on the school field during Valentine's Day and Qixi Festival in the past two years? The confessor was this guy in the picture. Also, aside from holidays, he's confessed to the girl he likes and was still rejected.】
【Fasting Mid-Laner: Damn! The confessor from the past two years is the same person?? I saw it on the forum but never thought it was the same guy!】
【Solo Gamer Top-Laner: I remember! Roses, candles, gifts – I was there last year and was so moved, only to see him rejected publicly. I wondered why every Valentine's Day and Qixi Festival confession failed, turns out it's the same guy.】
【Shopping Jungle: Ah, now I remember! That's why he looked so familiar! We had an inter-school event the day before yesterday, and I was there. This guy also confessed to a very pretty girl, but was rejected again. There were so many people, and I felt so bad for him watching from the crowd.】
【Bruised Marksman: Not sure how pretty the girl he liked before was, or the details between them, but three years isn't short. If he can't warm her heart, it's good to move on early. I support it!】