049 | (Forty-eight) You become more talkative when you mention him.

"Just browsing around."

Xie Qingyan walked ahead, and Zhou Jianyang followed her as they entered the mall.

Zhou Jianyang asked lazily, "You said you had something to tell me on WeChat, what is it?"

Xie Qingyan thought to himself, "Isn't that just a reason to trick you into coming out?"

She hesitated, still unsure whether to directly ask him if he wanted to be in a relationship, or to beat around the bush and confess her feelings first, pretending to like him.

After thinking it over, I handed over a screenshot of my WeChat Moments: "Look, is this you?"

Zhou Jianyang stopped and looked down at a photograph—a picture of him raising his hand to shoot a basketball.

The boy, dressed in a dark red jersey, had his slightly long black hair swept in the air in a neat arc. He leaped into the air, his Achilles tendons long and his muscles strong. His masculine aura was palpable even in the photo.

The caption reads, "Does this handsome guy have a girlfriend?" Looking further up, the ID that posted this photo is "Jinzhong Confession Wall".

The following is a list of comments:

【Iced Cola】: A daily post, isn't it hilarious?

[MOMO]: Doesn't Qiangqiang review manuscripts? How many times a day does he send them to me?

[L.]: It's him again, I'm so tired of seeing him...

[Strawberry Daifuku]: The person upstairs is probably Zhou Jianyang, a jealous person. What's wrong with posting more handsome guys? I love watching.

【L.】 replied to 【Strawberry Daifuku】: Who's jealous of him? There are plenty of handsome guys and beautiful girls in Class 8 of Grade 11. Aren't there people in his class who are more handsome than him and have better grades?

[Pistachio made me unhappy] replied to [L.]: Please decode, who is it, and who is more handsome than him.

【MOMO】replying to 【Pistachio Made Me Unhappy】: Is this your first day looking at the wall? Su Xingmao, the most popular person in Class 8.

【Long Live Cats】 replied to 【L.】: Are you serious?

【Long Live Cat Teacher】 replied to 【MOMO】: Requesting an ophthalmology tutorial.

[Little Bear Biscuit]: Forget about Zhou Jianyang, you can't catch up with him.

【Echo】：Zhou Jianyang, it's nothing then. He's my classmate, he loves playing games, his game ID is XX, you might have a chance if you can solo beat him.

【Yu Yu Bu Yu Yu】: Class 8 is truly a gathering of talents; it fills up the entire page.

【Kairos】 replied to 【钰钰不玉玉】: I remember there was a very pretty mixed-race girl in their class with dark blue eyes.

...

"See that?"

Xie Qingyan scrolled down several more posts, finding many of his photos posted, interspersed with posts from Su Xingmao and Song Qiwei.

She inquired, "You must be very popular with girls, right?"

Zhou Jianyang curved his lips into a smile, revealing two small dimples on his cheeks. Xie Qingyan belatedly realized that he actually had dimples, and couldn't help but stare in surprise.

The boy looked at her with a half-smile, his slightly deep double eyelids narrowing slightly, crescent-shaped eyes drooping beneath them. Instead of answering, he asked, "Who do you think is prettier, me or Su Xingmao?"

Zhou Jianyang and Su Xingmao?

Zhou Jianyang is a typical striking beauty, with a highly defined face, deep-set features, and prominent brow bones. As for Su Xingmao, those who praise him lavishly describe him as "cool and aloof," like a clear moon and gentle breeze.

...While he might be passable in appearance from an aesthetic point of view, one cannot judge a book by its cover. Given his various actions, the constellation Mao is undeniably ugly!

"You're thinking about it for that long?" Zhou Jianyang raised his voice in dissatisfaction.

Xie Qingyan was speechless for a moment after being choked by his words. She stammered, "Of course it's you."

"I can't stand Su Xingmao the most," Xie Qingyan said through gritted teeth.

She found a coffee shop and sat down. The decor was light and luxurious, perfect for taking photos. Zhou Jianyang ordered an iced Americano and asked her what she wanted.

"A slice of mango crepe and a glass of lychee sparkling water." After settling into her seat, Xie Qingyan continued to grumble, "He acts recklessly just because he gets good grades! Don't you think he's pretentious? Last time he deliberately wrote down both of our names, which caused us to get punished."

"...And last time in PE class, I was hiding in the shade of a tree to cool off. The PE representative didn't pay attention to me, and the teacher didn't see me either, but he still wanted to write down my name, which made me have to run a whole lap."

Xie Qingyan launched into a long, unending rant, his mouth opening and closing without stopping.

Her likes and dislikes were clearly defined, written all over her face.

While complaining, he wrinkled his nose, and occasionally, when he got angry, he would bare his teeth and purse his lips, revealing a hint of disdain in his blue eyes.

Xie Qingyan winked and made faces at Zhou Jianyang. Such expressions, involving all the muscles in his face, would seem overly exaggerated to others, but when Xie Qingyan did it, it was lively, playful, and adorable, very charming.

Lifelike.

It makes you want to pinch her chubby cheeks when she squints her nose.

The iced Americano was served first, with plenty of ice. The glass was covered with tiny water droplets, and cool, white frost rose up, like looking at it through a thin layer of mist.

Seen through the mist, the flowers appear as delicate, wispy threads.

Zhou Jianyang leaned back on the sofa, a smile playing on his lips, and listened patiently to her.

"He's annoying, isn't he?" Xie Qingyan pulled Zhou Jianyang to her side, eagerly seeking affirmation, as she was sure she wasn't the only one in the world who disliked Su Xingmao.

“You two don’t seem to have much interaction.” Zhou Jianyang raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp, and smiled casually. “You’ve become more talkative since he was mentioned.”