The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the library of St. Sakura Academy was already lit up with warm yellow lights.
Yu Jiuyuan sat by the window, a thick book on art history open in front of her. Sunlight filtered through the thin mist, casting a hazy glow on the pages. Her eyes were slightly lowered, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids. Her expression was focused, like a quiet oil painting.
Her fingertips traced the descriptions of Renaissance sculptures on the pages of the book, but her thoughts did not linger on those cold words.
The moment Xie Zhecheng's knuckles tightened last night, the complex emotions that flashed across Rong Shenghan's eyes, Yuan Xu's gaze that always unconsciously followed her... these fragments were pieced together and reassembled in her mind, forming an invisible net, and she was the fisherman holding the thread.
"morning."
A cool, clear voice rang out from the side, devoid of any extra emotion, yet enough to make the surrounding air seem to cool down a bit.
Yu Jiuyuan looked up and saw Xie Zhecheng standing opposite her, holding a cup of black coffee. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and a neatly tied tie, his face expressionless, his eyes indifferently sweeping over the book in front of her.
"Good morning, Xie." Yu Jiuyuan put down her pen and gave a gentle smile, as if the unpleasantness of last night had never happened. "There's no one here, please have a seat."
Xie Zhecheng didn't speak, but simply pulled out a chair and sat down, his movements slow and quiet. He placed the coffee on the corner of the table, took out his laptop, and the cold light from the screen as he turned it on made him appear even more aloof.
The library was quiet, with only the rustling of pages turning and the soft tapping of keyboards. A long table separated the two, the distance neither too close nor too far, yet it felt as if an invisible chasm existed between them.
Yu Jiuyuan appeared focused on her book, but her eyes were constantly observing Xie Zhecheng out of the corner of her eye. His fingers danced across the keyboard at lightning speed, the screen scrolling with dense lines of code, clearly processing some program. His brows were slightly furrowed, his expression focused, and the lines of his profile were cold and sharp, possessing a kind of ascetic beauty.
This is an extremely disciplined and focused person. Conventional methods clearly won't work to break down his defenses.
She gently closed the book, picked up the water glass beside her, and "accidentally" bumped into the table leg as she stood up, making a soft sound. The water glass in her hand wobbled, and half a glass of water spilled out, splashing onto Xie Zhecheng's laptop.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" Yu Jiuyuan immediately put down her water glass and hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe herself, her face filled with panic and self-reproach. "I didn't mean to... Is your computer okay?"
Xie Zhecheng abruptly stopped. He stared at the water stains spreading rapidly on the screen, his face instantly darkening. For the first time, a clear anger surfaced in his usually indifferent eyes, like a trapped beast whose scales had been touched.
"What exactly do you want?" His voice was low and simmering with suppressed anger, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth.
Several students nearby were drawn by the commotion and cast curious glances their way.
Yu Jiuyuan's eyes instantly reddened, and tears fell like beads from a broken string. Her voice choked with sobs: "I really didn't mean to... I'm so stupid, I always cause you trouble... I'm sorry..." As she spoke, she futilely wiped the keyboard with a tissue, her shoulders trembling slightly, looking both frightened and helpless.
Anyone who sees this would feel sorry for her.
Seeing her tear-streaked face, Xie Zhecheng's words of rebuke suddenly caught in his throat. He frowned, pushed her hand away, picked up a tissue to wipe the computer himself, and said in a cold tone, though less angry: "Don't touch it."
He checked the computer; the screen had started flickering, clearly indicating a problem. He took a deep breath, as if trying his best to suppress his emotions, and when he looked at Yu Jiuyuan, his eyes were filled with only exhaustion and impatience: "Fine, you can go."
[System Notification: Xie Zhecheng's favorability is 0, and his emotional fluctuation is +15 (negative).]
Yu Jiuyuan bit her lip, tears falling even more fiercely: "But...your computer...I'll pay for it back? I'll pay whatever it costs."
"No need." Xie Zhecheng closed his laptop, stood up, picked up his things, and turned to leave without even glancing at her again. His back was stiff with a barely perceptible stiffness, clearly indicating that he was genuinely annoyed.
Watching him disappear at the library entrance, the panic and self-blame on Yu Jiuyuan's face vanished instantly, and her tears stopped as if paused. She took out a tissue to wipe her face, her eyes calm, even carrying a hint of smug coldness.
Negative emotional fluctuations escalated again. Good, at least he now has "emotions" towards her, and is no longer completely ignoring her.
She packed her things and had just stepped out of the library when she saw Rong Shenghan standing under a sycamore tree not far away, seemingly waiting for her.
"Yu, were you alright inside just now?" Rong Shenghan stepped forward, his face showing just the right amount of concern, his gaze falling on her slightly reddened eyes. "I think I saw Xie Zhecheng storm off."
Yu Jiuyuan lowered her head, her voice tinged with grievance: "It's my fault, I accidentally got his computer wet..."
“Xie Zhecheng is making a mountain out of a molehill,” Rong Shenghan said casually, with a hint of protectiveness in his tone. “It’s just a computer, why would I get angry at you for it?” He paused, then changed the subject, “Are you alright? Do you want me to walk with you and help you relax?”
“No need, Senior Rong,” Yu Jiuyuan shook her head and gave a forced smile. “I want to go see Yuan Xu. He said today that he wanted to show me the butterfly larvae he had just bred.”
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