After chatting briefly with the teacher, Xie Shu moved to the back of the line.
There were no fixed spots in the queue, just separate lines for males and females, forming two columns.
Arriving late, Xie Shu ended up at the very end.
The girls in their class outnumbered the boys, making their line slightly longer.
Once Xie Shu joined the line, the class monitor noted down his name and then instructed other students to hurry those who hadn't arrived yet.
While waiting, like many others, Xie Shu took out his phone.
He opened WeChat and saw the class schedule Ruan Nianxi had sent him a few minutes earlier. He saved it and casually sent his own schedule back to her.
After sending it, he didn't forget to add a message telling her to focus on her studies in class.
Although most teachers didn't mind students using their phones during lessons, he felt it wasn't right to distract her, especially since she was destined to be a Dominant President. Learning more could only be beneficial.
Ruan Nianxi replied with a simple "Okay" to his message.
Exiting WeChat, Xie Shu prepared to compare their schedules to find when they both were free.
Just as he was about to open his photo album, someone called out to him from behind.
Being in the same class and familiar with each other, he recognized the voice without even looking.
Despite feeling annoyed, he had no choice but to turn around.
Turning his head, he saw Su Qianyi, who had somehow joined their line.
Like the day before, Xie Shu just looked at her without saying a word.
Su Qianyi seemed accustomed to this and took the initiative, "Xie Shu, I bought you breakfast."
She lifted the bag in her hand, hoping he would accept it.
Without even batting an eyelid, Xie Shu replied indifferently, "Sorry, I've already eaten."
With that, he turned away, ignoring her further.
Although Su Qianyi was prepared for rejection, being actually turned down left her frozen in place, unsure of what to do next.
Nearly the entire class was present, and with the lines for both genders standing close together, their exchange had been overheard by many, drawing their gaze.
But Xie Shu blocked them all out, focusing solely on the schedules between him and Ruan Nianxi.
Only Su Qianyi remained standing there, feeling extremely awkward under everyone's scrutiny.
Eventually, her good friend An Tian came from their line and pulled her to the back of the girls' line, reducing the number of eyes on her. This lessened her embarrassment but magnified her sadness.
Standing at the end of the girls' line, she could clearly see Xie Shu looking at his phone.
He clearly wasn't busy and had time to check his phone, yet he hadn't replied to her messages.
That morning, she had carefully sent him two messages, one saying "Good morning" and the other about bringing him breakfast. She believed he must have seen them…
Nowadays, phones were used for everything from clocking in at school, signing in, filling out forms, to making payments. She couldn't believe he hadn't seen her messages.
Moreover, she hadn't seen him in the cafeteria that morning.
She had even gone to the second cafeteria, which was closer to the boys' dormitory, as boys usually went there for convenience, while girls went to the first one. Since both cafeterias served similar breakfasts, he shouldn't have gone to the first one.
She had hoped to run into him and give him breakfast early, even if he didn't want it, she could have just left like the day before. But with so many people watching her earlier, their strange looks left her at a loss, until An Tian pulled her away.
She pursed her red lips, feeling resentful.
An Tian gently patted her shoulder in comfort.
It seemed that Xie Shu's determination to avoid her had hit her hard. In just one weekend, or more precisely, one night, she had forgotten her former pride.
Yesterday, she had waited for him all day under his dormitory building, and no amount of persuasion from An Tian could bring her back. In the scorching heat, if not for An Tian bringing her an umbrella and water, she might have suffered from heatstroke.
She had gone to bed early last night, not responding to their calls, whether she was asleep or silently grieving.
Getting up early this morning to buy him breakfast from the second cafeteria near the boys' dormitory, only to be rejected, was disheartening.
Sighing, An Tian couldn't help but feel that, as a good friend, she shouldn't say this, but she had to admit that Su Qianyi was reaping what she sowed. It wasn't anyone else's fault.
If she had recognized her own feelings earlier, she wouldn't be in this situation.
In the end, she was the one with regrets.
***
Soon, the latecomers arrived, and after a few words from the teacher, everyone was arranged to board the bus.
The girls' line boarded first, followed by the boys.
Xie Shu was the last to board, and by the time he got on, most of the seats were taken. With plenty of seats on the bus for their class, he found an empty spot at the back and sat down.
As for his three "sons," one of whom got motion sickness, they always sat at the back by the window. He used to sit with Su Qianyi, so the other two naturally became his regular seatmates.
Now without Su Qianyi, he sat alone.
He deliberately chose a window seat, thinking he could enjoy the view if he got bored, but as soon as he sat down, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the aisle next to him.
Looking over, he saw Su Qianyi staring intently at him.
Xie Shu: "…"
He didn't want to speak, but Su Qianyi took the initiative to ask, "Can I sit next to you?"
"…No."
"But there's no one else sitting here, right?"
Xie Shu was the last to board, and by then, most people, including Su Qianyi who boarded earlier, had taken their seats.
An Tian also got motion sickness, so Su Qianyi had been sitting alone until she saw Xie Shu pass by and decided to follow him to the back.
"There are other empty seats on the bus. You can sit somewhere else," Xie Shu continued to refuse.
"But I want to sit here." Next to you.
"…"
After a moment of silence and not wanting to argue, Xie Shu relented, "Fine."
Before Su Qianyi could rejoice, she saw Xie Shu stand up from his seat and move to another spot on the opposite side of the bus.
She clenched her lips tightly, her gaze fixed on Xie Shu.
But he seemed oblivious, looking down at his phone.
"The lady at the back, please take your seat, we're about to depart," the bus driver called out from the front, and the bus engine started.
Su Qianyi reluctantly sat down.
She had just wanted to sit next to Xie Shu, even without talking… But even that small wish was left unfulfilled.
And her heart felt just as empty.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan