Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan
Xie Shu was thinking that if Ruan Nianxi didn't have any plans, he would strategize tonight for an outing with her tomorrow to foster their relationship.
He always believed that relationships should develop gradually.
Especially with Ruan Nianxi, who had been close to him since childhood, almost inseparable, until various reasons and a certain person caused some unpleasantness between them, leading to years without contact. He felt the need for a gradual approach even more.
Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that in Ruan Nianxi's eyes, he might still be associated with Su Qianyi.
After all, she was one of the few in college who knew Xie Shu had liked Su Qianyi since the first year of high school and had witnessed the depth of his feelings for Su Qianyi…
He had fought for her, learned to fold Thousand Paper Cranes for her, making 999 of them only to be discarded by her, and yet he still saved up pocket money for months to buy her favorite gifts for her birthday…
If someone who had once liked someone else and had conflicts with you suddenly confessed, would you believe their sincerity?
Xie Shu didn't believe it himself.
That's why he planned to take things slow from the start.
Instead of explaining with words, he believed actions would better prove his sincerity.
He would gradually remove the label of Su Qianyi from himself in Ruan Nianxi's eyes.
***
For now, in the early stages, it was natural to spend more time together and go out more.
But Ruan Nianxi's reply was: "My dad has arranged some work for me to do tomorrow, what's up?"
Xie Shu: "Uncle Ruan arranged work for you? What kind of work?"
Ruan Nianxi: "Some company-related matters, he wants me to learn how to handle them."
With that, Xie Shu understood.
Ruan Nianxi was the sole heiress of the Ruan family, and she would inherit her father's company in the future. They were definitely grooming her as the successor.
She would probably intern directly at her family's company during her senior year and then climb the ranks step by step.
Thinking of this, Xie Shu suddenly envisioned Ruan Nianxi as a business-savvy Dominant President.
And he had actually seen it!
In his previous life, just before he closed his eyes for the last time, Ruan Nianxi came to find him, dressed as a standard Dominant President. If it weren't for her tear-streaked face, she would have truly seemed out of reach.
"Seize the chance to woo her before she becomes a Dominant President!"
"Shock! My future wife is a cold-hearted Dominant President!"
"Startled awake from a deathbed, I realize I'm the king of living off women."
Cough!
Getting sidetracked!
Just kidding.
Living off women may be tempting, but it's not sustainable.
It's addictive.
Speaking of which, since Uncle Ruan is already arranging company work for Ruan Nianxi in college, he must also work hard in his own field of study.
Since Ruan Nianxi would be busy with other matters tomorrow, it was a good opportunity for him to take on a part-time job.
Besides, without other plans, he would just be lying around in the dormitory, so it was better to go out and see more.
After confirming his plans, Xie Shu replied to the teacher: "Okay, teacher, could you send me the address so I can plan my route in advance?"
Soon after, the teacher sent him a location.
Then came another text message: "Our studio starts at 8 a.m., come when you can, it's okay if you're a bit late."
Xie Shu: "Got it."
Tomorrow's plans were set.
***
Xie Shu chatted with Ruan Nianxi for about fifteen minutes while playing games, and his 'sons' finally sauntered back.
The group occasionally glanced over at Xie Shu, hesitating to speak.
After countless glances, Xie Shu finally lost his patience:
"How many years do you get for speaking up?"
The three: "……"
Zhao Lin cleared his throat before speaking: "Xie Shu, I mean no offense, but I just wanted to share my thoughts. I feel like Su Qianyi still cares about you."
Xie Shu frowned: "Why bring her up all of a sudden?"
"Do you know, after you left that time, Su Qianyi seemed off."
"If she's not right, she should go to the hospital. What does it have to do with me?"
"Sigh, I know you don't want to talk about her now, I'm just saying… Honestly, it was the first time I saw Su Qianyi looking like she was about to cry but didn't. In that moment, I actually felt sorry for her."
At the restaurant, shortly after Xie Shu left, Su Qianyi put down her chopsticks and kept her head down in silence.
Although she didn't speak or look up for the rest of the meal, they saw her face when she and An Tian stood up to leave.
It was a look of indescribable pity, with tears in her eyes that wouldn't fall, just swirling around.
If they didn't know Xie Shu and the history between them, as bystanders, they might have thought Xie Shu was a scoundrel playing with a girl's feelings.
But because they knew about Xie Shu and Su Qianyi, they were surprised to see Su Qianyi so upset over being ignored by Xie Shu that she was about to cry.
Xie Shu had pursued Su Qianyi for three years, and she had rejected him for three years, always saying she didn't like him.
Logically, she shouldn't have any feelings for Xie Shu, right?
So why was she so distressed?
Therefore, after Su Qianyi and An Tian left, the three of them had a brief discussion.
They unanimously believed that Su Qianyi must still care about Xie Shu, which is why she reacted that way when Xie Shu was cold to her.
This discovery, if it had been made earlier, they would have immediately told Xie Shu so he could know his love was reciprocated, but now…
Now, Xie Shu was pursuing someone else, and it was just the beginning.
Then they didn't know whether to share this discovery with Xie Shu.
But they really couldn't help it…
After all, it was a significant discovery, and they felt uncomfortable not sharing it.
Xie Shu was taken aback upon hearing this, his expression puzzled.
Cry?
Su Qianyi?
Because he ignored her?
But why would she cry?
It was she who asked him to leave, she who said he was annoying. Now that he was doing as she wished, staying away from her, not bothering her, shouldn't she be happy?
It was she who told him to leave. Why would she cry?
Xie Shu couldn't fathom what Su Qianyi was thinking.
However, he only pondered this for a second or two.
Soon he was back to normal, sitting with his legs crossed, continuing to play with his phone, no longer thinking about Su Qianyi.
When you encounter something you can't figure out, you can let it go for a while. Maybe with time, you'll forget about it.