Xie Shu and his classmates arrived at a Yi Home store.
The teacher tasked them with finding a show home inside, measuring various dimensions, and recording the data for their next class assignment: to draw the layout.
After outlining the main objectives, the teacher provided the final meeting point and let everyone disperse to begin the task.
Once the teacher left, everyone started to look for teammates.
There was no set number for forming groups, as the upcoming homework was typically an individual project, but teaming up now was just for the sake of measuring together.
Most people teamed up with their roommates, and Xie Shu was no exception.
After forming groups, they entered the store.
Su Qianyi stood among the crowd, glancing at Xie Shu several times, her desire to team up with him swallowed by his receding figure. In the end, she also joined a group with her dormitory mates.
After touring several showrooms, Xie Shu's group finally settled on one and began to sketch the layout and take measurements.
The Yi Home showrooms were fully furnished with well-designed storage solutions, giving off a true sense of home.
While measuring, Xie Shu took some photos and videos, planning to send them to Ruan Nianxi after her classes ended.
He wasn't sure what design style she preferred, how they would decorate their future home together, or that he could design it himself.
Oh right, before all that, he needed to earn money to buy a house; otherwise, it was all just talk. After earning the money, he'd have to decide where to buy and how big…
The more Xie Shu thought, the more he drifted off until he snapped back to reality and slapped himself.
Damn it! He hadn't even confessed his feelings yet!
He checked their class schedules again, noting the times they were both free, and remembered he still wanted to prepare a special gift for her.
It didn't have to be expensive, but it had to be unique and sincere, not something perfunctory.
He had thought of some common gifts but found them too ordinary and unsatisfying, which is why he still hadn't decided on the perfect gift.
***
"Xie Shu, where are you? Have you finished measuring?" Zhao Lin, who was recording data in the living room, called out after not seeing Xie Shu for a while.
Xie Shu, who was in another room, snapped back to the present and, after responding, refocused on the task at hand.
He decided to finish the current task first; there was plenty of time left in the day to think.
Eventually, the four of them completed all the measurements. Checking his phone, Xie Shu saw it was still early, so they decided to explore the store a bit more.
Xie Shu had wanted to buy a small gift for Ruan Nianxi, but after looking around, he found nothing suitable.
Yi Home was a furniture and home goods retailer, and although they sold small items like water bottles and lamps, he figured Ruan Nianxi probably didn't need those, as she would have bought them in her first year if necessary.
Standing in front of a wall, Xie Shu examined the various trinkets on the shelves but found nothing worth buying and turned to leave.
As he turned, he caught sight of a bookshelf in the distance. He took a few steps towards it, paused, then turned back to look at the items on the wall.
Pondering, he was called out by his friends who had moved on ahead.
"Xie Shu, are you coming or not? Let's check out other places."
"You guys go ahead, I need to look up some information online."
Xie Shu waved them off and found a nearby stool to sit on, pulling out his phone and starting to tap away.
His friends, seeing he was busy, continued their browsing. Even though they probably wouldn't buy anything, browsing Yi Home was quite enjoyable.
Left alone, Xie Shu searched for the information he needed and began planning his confession.
He finally knew what gift to give.
***
Time ticked by, and soon it was noon. Xie Shu received a message from his friends, asking him to join them at the third-floor restaurant for lunch.
Only then did he realize it was lunchtime. He replied to their message and immediately opened Ruan Nianxi's chat to send her a message.
She had a full schedule that morning, and he had refrained from contacting her, not wanting to disturb the future Dominant President's studies.
It was just past twelve, perfect timing.
As usual, as soon as he sent his message, Ruan Nianxi replied instantly.
After some casual conversation, she added: "Are you back yet?"
Xie Shu: "Not yet, still outside. I'll be back in the afternoon."
Ruan Nianxi: "Oh…"
Xie Shu couldn't see her expression through the screen, but judging by her response, he felt he needed to say more to cheer her up.
As he was typing, her next message came in.
Ruan Nianxi: "Where did you guys go today?"
Xie Shu deleted his initial response and typed the name of his current location. Before he could send it, Ruan Nianxi's third message arrived.
Ruan Nianxi: "What have you been doing this morning? Were you with any other girls?"
Xie Shu raised an eyebrow at these questions, pleasantly surprised by her proactive approach. He had thought it would take a long time for her to ask such things.
With a smile in his eyes, he answered her questions one by one.
Xie Shu: "At Yi Home. This morning, our teacher assigned us some tasks related to our major. After completing them with my roommates, we browsed the store for a while. I wasn't with other girls; everything we did was with my roommates."
After sending the message, he also sent her his location to prove he was indeed at Yi Home.
Ruan Nianxi's chat showed "typing" for a while before she finally replied with a simple "Hmm."
Only she knew how many words she had deleted.
She had typed a lot, wanting to tell him to avoid contact with other females in the future, as she didn't like it. She even wanted to video call him to see for herself if his surroundings were as he described. But after typing all this, she realized she shouldn't do that.
At least not now.
Currently, she and Xie Shu were just friends. If she became too controlling, he might not like it, and he could slip away.
The meaning of gardenia flowers…
There are so many meanings, and she didn't know which one he intended to convey, or if he had simply bought them on a whim at a flower stand…
For the greater good, she deleted all those words.
Their conversation shifted topics again. During lunchtime, Xie Shu naturally urged Ruan Nianxi to eat well, as she was too thin.
On his way to Yi Home's third-floor restaurant, he sent her the photos and videos he had taken that morning. Although their conversation topics varied, it never grew cold.
Ruan Nianxi had hoped to chat with Xie Shu continuously during the noon break, but his next message quickly disappointed her.
Xie Shu: "Wait for me a moment, I've got something to take care of. Remember to go to the cafeteria to eat. I'll be asking for your photos later."
After that, he disappeared.
Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan