Chapter 161: Volume 1, Chapter 161 Study Hard, Make Progress Every Day (5)

Jiang Zhi pulled off the jacket covering her head, gazing at the boy in the shadows not far away, with no trace of the earlier ferocity; unlike at school, he wasn't wearing a uniform now, his short sleeves making his figure appear even taller and slimmer.

"How are you here?" she asked in surprise.

Recalling the back view she saw when getting off, she thought of something and furrowed her brows.

"Are you following me?"

Cheng Su sounded like he'd heard a joke, snorted, stepped forward and snatched her jacket, sneering, "You think so highly of yourself?"

Seeing his expression didn't look like lying, Jiang Zhi relaxed, pursed her lips, and said, "Thank you."

Cheng Su raised his brows ambiguously, draped the jacket over his shoulder, "If you want to thank me, tutor me."

Jiang Zhi said nothing, lifted her foot and walked forward.

Cheng Su followed behind, stepping on her elongated shadow, walking in step with her.

After walking a stretch, Jiang Zhi suddenly took off her earphones, halted, turned to look at the boy behind her, and asked, "What are you doing following me?"

Cheng Su lazily lifted his chin, "I'm going home this way too."

After he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You're still quite self-important, thinking I'm stalking you?"

Jiang Zhi: "……"

She didn't want to talk to this rascal.

Cheng Su strode past her side, his back disappearing into the night.

Jiang Zhi walked a stretch, finally reached the stairwell, glanced back, pretended not to have noticed anything, and continued upstairs.

"This little brat's stalking skills are immature." Saying they were on the same route, she nonetheless kept being followed on her way back.

777 said, "He's still young."

Jiang Zhi nodded in agreement.

Right, he's still young. Fortunately she'll be leaving soon; otherwise, once he grows up, he'll definitely be clingy.

After washing up, she sat on the bed reading a bit, then turned off the light and went to sleep.

Elsewhere.

Cheng Su stood below the residential building, looking up toward the second floor; when he saw the lights go out, he turned and left.

—

Sunday, heavy rain poured outside, pattering against the windows, misty, the whole day's light dim and dull.

Until seven in the evening, Jiang Zhi stood, stretched her sore neck, rubbed her eyes, and said, "I think I can get a perfect score on the middle school exam."

777 encouraged, "Keep it up! You can definitely do it!"

Jiang Zhi walked out of the bedroom, poured a cup of water to drink, glanced at the time, threw on some clothes, and prepared to go out.

777 puzzled, "Host, where are you going so late?"

Jiang Zhi said weakly, like a wandering soul, "I still have a set of problems I need to look up resources for online."

777: "……" Too hardworking.

Since she's still a minor, she can't go to a proper internet cafe, so she can only find a shady one in a nearby alley to go online.

She paid two hours' worth of fees, found a secluded corner, sat down, and turned on the computer.

At the counter.

"The girl who just logged on is so pretty! She looks young; otherwise I'd hit on her."

"Hilarious, did you see? She brought a notebook and pen; I thought she was here to play something, but turns out she's here to do problems."

As soon as Cheng Su entered, he heard those two lines, glanced at them, and said, "The usual spot, open a machine for me."

The net cafe manager saw him, surprised, "Cheng Su, why do you have time to come today?"

Cheng Su succinctly: "Weekend off."

The manager realized it was Sunday, gave an embarrassed laugh, "I totally forgot."

Thinking of something, he added, "Your usual spot's taken; I've set you up in the adjacent seat."

Cheng Su left the front desk and walked all the way to the back row seat.

"Little sis, give me your contact info." A man with his arms draped over a sofa chair leaned toward the nearby girl, speaking with ill intent.

The girl sat in the corner against the wall, her black hair coiled up, a strand falling beside her eye, her skin snow-white and translucent; the monitor's light played on her face, shifting with an ethereal, almost real beauty.

Her clothing was thin, revealing a small patch of enviable white nape; her demeanor was cool and aloof, she slightly lifted her cheek, and her peach-blossom eyes emitted a hint of chill.

"No." Her reply was icy cold.

The man wouldn't let her go; he reached to put his arm around her shoulder, but before contact, a sharp pain shot through his wrist, and as he bent back, his whole body was slammed onto the keyboard.

"Ah!! It hurts!!"

Jiang Zhi heard the sound, shifted her attention from the computer screen to the side, and met the boy's deep black gaze looking over.

He narrowed his eyes, his expression dark and heavy, and kicked the man hard.

"Get lost." A vicious tone leaked from the corner of his mouth.

The man saw who it was, didn't dare utter a harsh word, and scrambled away.

"Squeak—"

The sofa chair beside him was pulled out, the buzz-cut boy leaned back, sat lazily, glanced at her askance, tone unfriendly:

"Why come to a place like this to do problems?"

Jiang Zhi couldn't fathom why she kept running into him wherever she went.

What a frightening fate.

"Hmm." She no longer looked at him, her gaze fell on the front computer screen, focused on selecting questions.

Cheng Su recalled the man's covetous gaze earlier, and a surge of heavy resentment welled up in his chest.

He sneered, "You're not scared at all."

In a place like this, you can still study peacefully.

You really have guts.

Jiang Zhi pretended not to hear, intently staring at the question on the screen.

But in this internet cafe, almost everyone smokes; white haze hangs overhead, the air is thick, and the smoke makes her cough.

Cheng Su furrowed his brows, ignoring her objection, turned off the computer monitor, then grabbed her wrist and strode out of the internet cafe.

Once outside, breathing fresh air, Jiang Zhi's coughing gradually stopped; she pressed her collar and took a deep breath.

"Go back." His voice was cold and hard, allowing no refusal.

Jiang Zhi glanced at him, and couldn't help wanting to laugh.

He kept a straight face, stern as a school homeroom teacher.

She said, "I didn't bring my notebook and pen."

"Wait here." Cheng Su tossed off that line and strode into the internet cafe.

When he came out, he saw the girl crouched under the eaves, staring at her shoes.

A faint beam of light fell on her brows and eyes, softening her previous aloofness, spontaneously giving rise to a hint of tenderness, the corners of her eyes cradling a smile, beautiful as a precious oil painting.

Cheng Su suddenly stopped in his steps, gripping the notebook in his hand tightly.

The beam split into a shadow; he stood precisely in that shadow, while the girl bathed in light seemed to belong to another world.

Cheng Su's ink-black pupils flashed with a cold chill; he took a big step out of the darkness and walked to stand behind her.

What does it matter that their worlds differ? Even if they are two parallel lines that never meet, he will still go to her side.

————

(Unfinished short side story)

After staying up all night at the internet cafe on Friday, Cheng Su spotted Jiang Zhi's figure in the distance, hurriedly followed her, and all the way took a bus to the library.

Sunlight streamed through the library windows, scattering lightly across the desk; ahead sat a girl focused on her work, her slender back graceful.

Cheng Su watched and watched, then fell asleep with his head on the desk.

Having never experienced such warm sunlight, even his dreams were filled with her silhouette.