Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
Everyone followed Xie Shu's gaze, and there emerged from the crowd a breathtakingly beautiful girl.
Her shoulders were finely cut, her waist slender as if bound by silk.
Her neck gracefully extended, her fair skin exposed…
With a cold expression, she stepped out of the crowd and approached Xie Shu and his group, her eyes fixed on the boy.
Now that the person in question had arrived, the onlookers grew even more excited.
Xie Shu cast a nonchalant glance at the boy, and seeing his increasingly panicked face, he knew the kid had been boasting.
Of all people to brag to, he had to choose him.
As the boy tried to leave, Xie Shu spoke first: "Now that the person concerned is here, why don't you continue with what you were saying?"
The boy's face turned from green to white upon hearing this.
He had indeed been bragging…
At the time, his main thought was that Xie Shu didn't know him, so no matter what he said, Xie Shu wouldn't know the truth, and his friends, even if they knew the truth, wouldn't expose him.
That's why he had spoken that way.
Who would have expected Ruan Nianxi to be here at this moment?
She… she didn't hear everything, did she?
He…
Then the boy had another thought: he had been pursuing Ruan Nianxi for so long, and even though she hadn't agreed, she still knew him, and he had confessed to her several times. He could just say he misunderstood her last rejection, right?
Not only would this resolve the awkwardness, but it would also give Ruan Nianxi a good explanation.
As he was about to explain to Ruan Nianxi, she beat him to it by asking, "Who are you?"
The boy: "…"
Xie Shu chuckled again and stepped forward: "I thought you were quite familiar with each other just now, but it turns out it's just a one-sided acquaintance."
The boy looked incredulous, turning to Ruan Nianxi: "I'm the class representative from Class Three, we often meet in the counselor's office, and I've helped the counselor out."
"I've seen many people in the counselor's office, but I don't know specifically who you are."
"I…"
The boy glanced at Xie Shu, who was still laughing at him, and plowed on with a thick face: "I've even confessed to you."
"I seem to recall something like that, but I don't remember who it was."
Meaning she couldn't match the face to the person who had confessed.
In plain terms, she didn't recognize him.
To Ruan Nianxi, unimportant people, or those she felt no need to get close to, or those not requiring long-term interaction, like classmates and teachers from the previous semester, she generally didn't pay much attention to who they were or make an effort to remember what they looked like.
Up to now in college, she had only remembered everyone in her class, including some teachers, out of necessity due to her role as "class president."
She really didn't want to remember anyone else.
She wasn't one to make friends, even rejecting the idea, because she felt it unnecessary.
If it weren't for her parents saying she couldn't continue at this school without maintaining some basic social interactions, she really would have liked to be invisible these past few years.
No matter what the boy said, Ruan Nianxi insisted she didn't know him, had no impression, didn't remember.
Just minutes before, the boy had boldly claimed that Ruan Nianxi had accepted his confession, but when the person concerned showed up, she said she didn't know him.
His bluff had been called.
Many of the onlookers laughed.
The boy felt as if he had been slapped in public, his face burning with shame and anger.
Finally, he glared fiercely at Xie Shu and hurriedly left the scene with his friends.
With their departure, the excitement died down.
The crowd slowly dispersed, and Xie Shu and his group resumed their walk to the dormitory.
However, this time Ruan Nianxi joined them on their way.
"Xie Shu, do you know you almost killed me with laughter just now?" Zhao Lin said with a chuckle as they walked.
"If I die, make sure you treat me to a feast."
"…"
Li Da coughed lightly before changing the subject: "It's a good thing we're at school where no one dares to get physical. If this were outside, fists would have flown, and I would have loved to see you infuriate that guy, hahaha."
Xie Shu appeared indifferent: "What difference does it make outside? If they dare touch me, within a minute, they'll all be kneeling and begging me."
"You're that formidable?!"
"No, I mean within a minute, they'll be pinching my philtrum, kneeling and begging me not to die."
"…"
"If there aren't a thousand or eight hundred, I really won't be able to leave the ICU."
"…"
Liu Ping laughed along for a bit before clapping Xie Shu on the shoulder: "Xie Shu, you've changed quite a bit these past few days. Didn't Su Qianyi reveal your true character…"
He caught himself mid-sentence, remembering Ruan Nianxi was present.
He coughed a few times, then cleared his throat, forcibly shifting the topic: "What are we eating tonight?"
The others went along with the new topic.
Ruan Nianxi walked side by side with Xie Shu.
She was on the edge, shielded by him, unable to join their conversation, so she remained silent. This led to them speaking without considering her presence, and…
Although Liu Ping didn't finish his sentence, he had already mentioned the key word.
He brought up Su Qianyi.
Ruan Nianxi's hands tightened slightly, her lips pursed, holding back the urge to ask them more.
Still, she couldn't help but glance at Xie Shu's profile.
His expression unchanged, his demeanor calm, as if he hadn't heard the mention of "Su Qianyi."
In the past, it seemed that just mentioning Su Qianyi would visibly brighten his mood…
But not this time.
She was really curious about what had happened between him and Su Qianyi.
Why hadn't Uncle Zhang finished his investigation yet?
Soon, they arrived at the dormitory building.
With only two afternoon classes over, it was still early for dinner, and according to their usual habit, they would typically go back to the dorm to rest.
But Xie Shu wanted to spend more time with Ruan Nianxi and didn't plan to return, so he handed his books to his roommates to take back for him.
As Zhao Lin and the others just entered the dormitory gate, and Xie Shu hadn't yet decided where to kill time, Ruan Nianxi spoke up first.
"I didn't agree."
"Huh?"
"That boy just now, I really don't know him."
Xie Shu was taken aback. Was she… explaining to him?
Was she afraid he would misunderstand?
Unconsciously, Xie Shu felt as if he saw his former self.
In his past life, when he liked Su Qianyi, he always seemed to be the one explaining to her.
No matter what he did with another woman, whether explaining homework during school or completing design projects at work, if Su Qianyi saw it, he would always explain afterward.
And after hearing his explanation, her mood would improve slightly.
But what about the other way around?
When she played around with other men at school or work… there was never an explanation.
Even though he knew that playful interactions with friends were normal, it still hurt to see too much of it.
Sometimes when he questioned her a bit too much, she would get even more upset than him and ask why he always overthought things, only then would she reluctantly explain.
Was he looking for an explanation back then?
What he really wanted was reassurance.
Looking back now, he felt he had been so pitiful in front of Su Qianyi in his past life.
But thankfully, that was all in the past.
He composed himself, returning to the present, and with a smile curving his lips, he spoke in a clear voice:
"That matter just now, you don't need to explain it to me, I believe you."
Completely.