Chapter 162: Chapter 162: “Be Good, Don’t Ask Anymore.

Huang Feng was the one to break the silence. She had always been outspoken, and after mulling it over for a moment, she asked directly, “He’s probably not from our school, right? Zhou Mochen… I’ve never heard of anyone with that name.”

“At least not in the sophomore class. There’s no one named Zhou Mochen,” Xu Ran suddenly chimed in from the back seat.

Qian Jia leaned in too. “So, Susu, who exactly is this Zhou Mochen? How has he been bothering you? You were so rude to him.”

Xu Su froze. “….Was it that bad?”

Qian Jia confirmed, “Very bad! I’ve never heard you speak to anyone in that tone before. It sounded like you really hate him.”

’So my attitude toward Zhou Mochen really is that bad…’

’Even a bystander could tell how hateful I sounded. No wonder Zhou Mochen got angry…’

’It must be awful to be hated by the person you like, right?’

’Can’t take it anymore? Then just give up…’

Xu Su frowned, ignoring the discomfort in her heart. She told herself she just felt a little guilty. After all, the Zhou Mochen of this lifetime had never hurt her; in fact, he had been genuinely good to her.

Thinking of the man who had held her on the sports field and seemed to be crying… in all honesty, she didn’t want to hurt him anymore.

’Maybe… I should watch my tone next time?’

Although she felt a pang of sympathy, Xu Su’s words were still harsh when faced with her friends’ questions. She stated firmly, “He deserves it!”

“So, who is this Zhou Mochen, really? Is he pursuing you? From another school? How does he know you? To make you hate him this much…” Huang Feng was, as always, on the front lines of the gossip.

Xu Su pulled out a tissue to wipe her sweat, feeling a bit helpless. “Fengfeng! Why so many questions? He’s not from our school, so can we just not talk about him?”

Huang Feng grinned mischievously. “Alright, alright. We know your heart only has room for God Xi and no one else. We won’t talk about that Zhou Mochen.”

“Someone in our class was wondering why Susu, as the school beauty, had fewer suitors than the beauties of other classes. Several guys said it was because she’s too pretty. When we first started school, they didn’t dare to pursue her. Then, after God Xi won her over, they *really* didn’t dare try to poach her.”

Huang Feng sighed. “So someone really is trying to steal God Xi’s girl. That takes some serious guts.”

“Our Susu is so popular. God Xi, do you feel a lot of pressure dating her?” Qian Jia suddenly called out to the driver’s seat.

“…”

’What kind of topics were these?’ Xu Su glanced at Xi Zirong. The young man’s jaw was clenched, a clear sign he was struggling to control his emotions.

’Sure enough, even taking the call wasn’t okay with him.’

’But if I hadn’t taken it, who knows what he would have imagined…’

Xu Su felt she had already done her best to avoid Zhou Mochen and had tried her utmost at school to reject the advances of all her male classmates.

If he still wasn’t satisfied, she really didn’t know what else to do.

The car was already on the highway. The route toward Kang County was very remote, and they could go long stretches without seeing another vehicle.

Qian Jia’s question was abrupt, and Xi Zirong didn’t reply for a long time. Just as everyone thought he wouldn’t answer, he spoke.

“Exceptional people always attract more attention. That’s just how it is, and I know exactly how exceptional the person I love is.” Xi Zirong took Xu Su’s hand, lacing their fingers together, his voice firm. “The pressure doesn’t come from the outside. As long as I’m sure of how much Susu likes me, how could I feel any pressure?”

“…” Xu Su wasn’t used to such public displays of affection. She uncomfortably pulled her hand back. “Just focus on driving. Don’t hold my hand.”

Xi Zirong smiled faintly and agreed with an “Okay,” giving her hand a firm squeeze before letting go.

As their number one shipper, Qian Jia wanted nothing more than to cheer and wave a flag for Xi Zirong’s speech.

Her eyes shining, she declared resolutely, “Of course Susu likes you! She treats you so well! I could tell back in our freshman year that she treated you differently. I even made a bet with Huang Feng and won a bottle of Jianlibao.”

“A bet? You two bet on me?” Xu Su’s eyes widened.

The words were already out and couldn’t be taken back. Qian Jia belatedly covered her mouth and laughed sheepishly. “It was just a tiny bet, you know, to add a little color to our dull student lives.”

Huang Feng, having been suddenly dragged into it, quickly tried to distance herself. “It was Jiajia who insisted on betting with me! She said you liked Xi Zirong and would get together with him sooner or later. I didn’t believe it, so she suggested betting a bottle of Jianlibao… I totally lost out…”

“Can you be more specific? What made you see that Susu treated me differently back in freshman year?” Xi Zirong was clearly enjoying this topic; the pitch of his voice even went up.

Qian Jia said, “From my observations, she really approved of you. Yours was the first name she remembered among all the boys in our class.”

Xi Zirong managed to glance over at Xu Su, his eyes filled with amusement. “Is that so?”

“…That’s because you were the class president. It’s perfectly normal that I’d remember your name first.”

Qian Jia added, “Also, Susu would accept your friendly gestures but kept a huge distance from all the other guys. If she didn’t like you, why would she let you tutor her? You started tutoring her in the first semester of freshman year, right?”

Xu Su quickly retorted, “No, that’s not it at all… He was the one who insisted on tutoring me, and I really needed to improve my grades, so I couldn’t really say no…”

“So, Susu, did God Xi win you over with his good grades?” Huang Feng had a sudden realization. “It’s true what Mr. Chen said, good grades are everything in high school.”

Xu Su: “…That’s not the whole story.”

’Although his grades were definitely what got his foot in the door…’

The three in the back seat looked over in unison, all wearing expressions that said, “And what else?”

Even Xi Zirong himself looked on with great anticipation.

Sitting next to him, Xu Su could clearly feel that the gloomy cloud hanging over Xi Zirong because of Zhou Mochen’s call had completely vanished, replaced by a sense of cheerfulness.

“…” After hesitating for a long moment, Xu Su said, “I can’t really explain it. Anyway, I definitely wasn’t interested in him in freshman year. I only started to like him after the sophomore year math competition, at the earliest.”

“Ooooh…” Qian Jia raised an eyebrow, drawing out the sound with a mischievous smile. “So, you’re *very* interested in God Xi now?”

She put special emphasis on the word “interested.”

“…” Xu Su turned to look at Qian Jia and patted her friend’s head as she leaned in, cooing, “Be good now. Stop asking.”

’If anyone else had said that, I would’ve suspected them of making a dirty joke.’

Xu Ran, for reasons unknown, couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

The three girls all looked over at him. His laughter stopped abruptly. “Uh…” he said awkwardly, “…I just think the way you girls interact is pretty funny.”

Huang Feng laughed. “So, what’s the way you guys interact like? Does God Xi ever talk about our Susu in the dorm?”

She refused to believe it. If someone in the dorm was dating the school beauty, there was no way the others wouldn’t gossip about it at least a little.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep