Chapter 75 – Familiar, yet unfamiliar


Su Qianyi walked to another empty seat at the back door under the strange gazes of her classmates and set down her laptop bag.

 

By this time, Xie Shu had already plugged in his computer and was powering it up.

 

As Su Qianyi approached, Xie Shu merely glanced up at her as she walked over.

 

Afterwards, his attention was entirely on his computer; he didn't look at her again, and he completely ignored the occasional glances from the students in front of him.

 

The space at the back door was ample, and there was a long stretch of empty seats, so even though Xie Shu was sitting on the outside, he didn't need to stand up to make way for Su Qianyi.

 

Su Qianyi sat next to Xie Shu, silently took out her laptop, and occasionally glanced at the person beside her.

 

Xie Shu never looked at her, and after she sat down, he even slightly withdrew the elbow he had on the table…

 

She plugged in her laptop charger, booted up the computer, and glanced sideways at Xie Shu again, her lips parting slightly as if wanting to speak to him.

 

But Xie Shu had already opened CAD and 3D MAX, toggling between the two programs, completely engrossed and looking like he did not want to be disturbed.

 

The teacher was now standing at the podium, urging them to keep up with their progress, demanding that everyone submit their assignments to the class representative by the end of the day, who would then send them collectively to his email.

 

This morning's two classes were the last for this particular course, and naturally, the teacher wanted their assignments.

 

They had been taking this course for several weeks now; it was one that Xie Shu had started before his rebirth. Of course, it was just one of their major courses coming to an end; they had other courses to attend.

 

Submitting by the end of the day seemed like ample time, but in their field, who knew how long it would take to render a single image in 3D, or if the computer would crash at the last minute.

 

In short, everyone was quite apprehensive, which is why some had started addressing issues from the day before, planning to spend the last day rendering as a precaution.

 

Class had only just begun, and some students were already starting their 3D renders, clearly having made significant progress ahead of time.

 

Xie Shu hadn't rushed his work; he had spent the previous day working on a pop-up book.

 

What else could he do today but rush through it?

 

Fortunately, his past life experience with such tasks was extensive, having worked on numerous projects big and small, so last-minute work wasn't a big issue for him.

 

Moreover, as the course was nearing its end, there shouldn't be any major issues with the assignment. Just get it done!

 

Xie Shu, with his familiarity, spent the entire class focused on his assignment, never taking his eyes off the computer, not sparing a thought for anything related to Su Qianyi.

 

To him, she was just an ordinary classmate at this point, nothing more.

 

But Su Qianyi's thoughts were a whirlwind…

 

She had wanted to talk to Xie Shu several times, but every time she remembered how he had blocked her, she lost her courage and didn't dare to interrupt his diligent work on the assignment.

 

That night, after Xie Shu blocked her and she had been extremely upset, she strangely calmed down.

 

Having known Xie Shu for so long, she was aware of his character; he was always gentle and kind, rarely angry with anyone. But the message he sent her that night clearly showed his anger towards her.

 

He was mad.

 

But why?

 

Was it because she sent too many messages?

 

But… hadn't she sent him many messages before?

 

Although he hadn't read them, he shouldn't have been… angry, right?

 

So, she thought, maybe he was busy with something else, like homework, especially since their course was ending. Yesterday, her dorm mates were all rushing their work, and so were others from different dorms. Maybe he was too, and she just happened to disturb him with her continuous messaging, which made him angry.

 

She had wanted to message Xie Shu to explain that she would stop bothering him for now and to ask him not to be mad.

 

But by then, her phone number and WeChat had been blocked…

 

She still had him as a friend on QQ, but she didn't dare send a single message, fearing she'd be blocked again.

 

Today, knowing they had class, she wanted to explain in person, hoping he would remove her from the blacklist and also… to ask him face-to-face about Ruan Nianxi…

 

But he was so engrossed now, she feared disturbing him would make him angry again.

 

So… maybe after class?

 

Or after school?

 

In any case, they didn't exchange a single word throughout the class.

 

Xie Shu used the class time to catch up with all the work, adjust the camera height and angle, set the rendering parameters, and then started rendering.

 

The rendering was slow, and he wasn't sure how long it would take to produce the spatial images required by the teacher. He just had to wait.

 

A few minutes into the rendering, the bell rang for the end of class.

 

Xie Shu stood up and left his seat immediately, with Su Qianyi beside him not even having the chance to call his name.

 

He went to the restroom, and upon returning, he didn't rush back but stood on the balcony of the teaching building, chatting with Ruan Nianxi on his phone for a while.

 

After the bell for the start of class rang, he put away his phone and returned.

 

Back in the classroom, he glanced at his computer to see the rendering had only progressed a little.

 

He then took out the brushes and paper he had brought with him, moved his computer aside slightly to make a small space, and continued drawing materials to be cut and used later in the afternoon.

 

He leaned to the side as he drew, and since he was angled away from the table, Su Qianyi couldn't quite see what he was drawing.

 

However, it wasn't part of the assignment, so she didn't think much of it, assuming he was just doodling out of boredom while waiting for the rendering.

 

Now she could call him without him getting angry, right?

 

As she hesitated, wanting to call Xie Shu's name, someone else beat her to it.

 

A student sitting across the aisle from their position noticed Xie Shu was rendering and couldn't help but ask for his help.

 

"Xie Shu, why is my render preview black? Can you take a look for me?"

 

Hearing this, Xie Shu turned his head to look at the student's computer, then stood up to check the issue, and after resolving the parameter settings, he sat down to continue drawing.

 

But after the first, there came a second…

 

Although everyone had learned 3D, they were generally not proficient, often searching for solutions as they worked.

 

Those who couldn't find answers on their own had no choice but to seek help.

 

They were too shy to ask the teacher, so they turned to Xie Shu, who seemed to know everything.

 

Xie Shu ended up walking around most of the classroom, helping many people with various issues.

 

Later, he even sent a set of parameter data to the class group chat, telling others to follow the settings, so he wouldn't have to explain each one individually.

 

The teacher, sitting at the podium, watched Xie Shu busily moving around, even busier than himself, and couldn't help but praise him in front of the class.

 

Xie Shu himself was used to it; in his previous life, he often mentored newcomers, who frequently asked him these questions.

 

Su Qianyi just sat in the corner watching Xie Shu; wherever he went, her gaze followed. He never showed a hint of impatience, and as she watched, she suddenly felt a sourness in her eyes.

 

He was still the same as before, kind to everyone, his personality unchanged. Yet why did she feel he was so unfamiliar…


Proofreader & Editor:Peter Pan


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