Yuan Xu's body froze instantly, her chewing stopped, and her cheeks turned red at a visible speed, even her ears turned pink.
Yu Jiuyuan seemed oblivious, and even smiled as she withdrew her hand: "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
Rong Shenghan watched this scene, his fingers curled slightly at his side, then quickly relaxed. He took out a bottle of mineral water from his backpack and handed it over: "Drink some water, don't choke."
"Thank you, Vice President." Yuan Xu took the water, her hands trembling as she twisted the cap. She avoided looking at Yu Jiuyuan, only staring down at the tips of her shoes.
On the system panel, Yuan Xu's positive emotions, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, rose and fell, quickly breaking through 80 and stabilizing at 82. Next to the number 73 for favorability, the faint fluctuations were more noticeable than before.
Yu Jiuyuan understood. This natural intimacy was more effective than any deliberate attempt to be friendly with Yuan Xu. He was like a sponge; give him a little sunshine and he'd blossom, give him a little warmth and he'd become soft, so pure that it made him seem… a little easy to fool.
"What are you planning to do with these mosses you collected back at school?" Yu Jiuyuan squatted down beside him, looking at the fuzzy green plants on the rocks with a curious tone.
When her professional field was mentioned, Yuan Xu immediately forgot her embarrassment, and her eyes lit up again: "I want to do symbiotic experiments! I want to see if the types of fungi that coexist with mosses at different altitudes are different..."
He spoke eloquently about the experimental design, from the culture medium formula to the observation period, speaking rapidly yet clearly and logically, with even his eyebrows showing excitement.
Yu Jiuyuan listened quietly, nodding occasionally, or asking at the right time, "Does it need to be done in a sterile environment?" She always managed to pick up on his words precisely, making him talk even more enthusiastically.
Rong Shenghan didn't say anything, but just leaned against the tree trunk next to him, looking at the two people squatting on the ground.
When Yu Jiuyuan looked up to listen to Yuan Xu speak, the lines of her profile were incredibly soft, and her long eyelashes cast a small shadow under her eyelids.
When Yuan Xu looked down at her, the light in his eyes was brighter than any star, filled with the purest admiration of a young man.
The scene was as harmonious as a meticulously painted oil painting, and he, standing outside the painting, seemed like an unwanted intruder.
"...So, if this experiment succeeds, we might be able to publish a paper!" Yuan Xu finished speaking, her face flushed with anticipation, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Yu Jiuyuan, like a student waiting for praise.
"That's amazing," Yu Jiuyuan said sincerely. "If you need any help, just let me know. You can borrow the student council's lab; it's fully equipped."
"Really?" Yuan Xu's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't we need to ask the teacher?"
"I'm the student council president, so I have that much authority." Yu Jiuyuan smiled, reached out and ruffled his hair in a natural and affectionate gesture.
"But if we get results, you should be the first author. I'm not one to steal credit."
Yuan Xu's hair was soft, carrying the fresh scent of sunshine and grass. The moment Yu Jiuyuan's fingertips left, his ears turned a deep, almost bleeding red. His lips moved, but he couldn't utter a word for a long time, finally managing to squeeze out, "Th-thank you, President..."
On the system panel, Yuan Xu's favorability rating jumped to 76 at that moment. Her positive emotions stabilized at 85, like a plump fruit, hanging there heavily.
Yu Jiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. Another step forward.
"Alright, we've collected enough samples, it's time to go back." She stood up and dusted off her pants. "If we stay any longer, the cafeteria will be out of food. We can't let our future biologists go hungry."
Yuan Xu nodded hurriedly, frantically putting the specimen box into her backpack, and then carefully putting away the geological hammer and shovel, her movements as fast as if she had been put on accelerator.
On the way back, Yuan Xu walked in front, her steps light and quick, but she always kept a half-step distance from Yu Jiuyuan. Occasionally she would turn around to look at her, but when their eyes met, she would immediately turn back, her ears noticeably red.
Yu Jiuyuan and Rong Shenghan walked behind, the wind in the forest carrying the scent of pine resin, which warmed their hearts.
“It seems Yuan Xu relies on you a lot,” Rong Shenghan suddenly said in a low voice, his tone devoid of emotion.
“He’s just simple-minded, not dependent,” Yu Jiuyuan corrected. “Besides, the feeling of being depended on isn’t so bad.”
It's much easier than constantly being on guard against someone plotting against you.
Rong Shenghan turned his head to look at her. Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves and fell on her face. A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes seemed to be veiled in a thin mist, making them difficult to see clearly.
He suddenly felt that he had never truly understood this girl. She could show pure tenderness to Yuan Xu, make bold attempts to test Xie Zhecheng, and also be... sometimes close to him, sometimes distant.
Like a skilled actress, she plays different roles in front of different people, but no one knows which one is her true self.
"And what about you?" Rong Shenghan's voice was soft, like the wind rustling through grass. "Do you rely on others?"
Yu Jiuyuan paused, turning to look at him. The light in the forest flickered, and his eyes were deep, like a hidden sea, making it impossible to tell whether it was curiosity or something else.
She paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, reached out and patted his shoulder, her tone light and joking: "Does the vice president think that a 'hexagonal warrior' like me needs to rely on others?"
Her fingertips, slightly damp and cool, touched his shoulder, and Rong Shenghan's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Before he could answer, Yu Jiuyuan had already turned around and caught up with Yuan Xu ahead, her voice clear and bright: "Yuan Xu, wait for me, you're walking too fast!"
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