Chapter 85: Chapter 84: “I’m Sorry, I’ll Be Careful.

Thinking it was a text from Zhou Mochen, she didn’t bother to take her phone out.

But then her phone buzzed every two minutes, and she found Zhou Mochen incredibly annoying.

Xu Su pulled out her phone and took a look, only to realize she’d misjudged him. There was indeed a text from Zhou Mochen, but just one: “Susu, happy birthday. How about I bring you a cake? Or would you rather come out and celebrate with me?”

Xu Su typed a reply with both hands: “No, thanks. I have class. Zhou Mochen, please don’t bother me.”

After replying to Zhou Mochen, Xu Su finally turned her attention to the messages from Xi Zirong.

There were three in total. The first was from 9:30: “Xu Su, there’s nothing between me and Gu Yunjia.”

The second, at 9:03: “Come out. Let’s talk. I’m waiting for you behind that big tree on the field where we were last time.”

The third, at 9:05: “Xu Su, come find me when you see this.”

“…” Xu Su was speechless for a moment. She slowly packed up her books, deciding she might as well go meet him.

On her way to the field, her phone rang. It was Xi Zirong. Xu Su glanced at the screen and declined the call.

When she got there, she saw a tall, slender young man in a short-sleeved shirt leaning against a tree in the distance. His head was bowed as he held his phone, apparently texting.

Just then, her phone buzzed with a new message: “Xu Su, I’m waiting for you.”

“…” A shiver ran down Xu Su’s spine, and she zipped up her jacket. She had to admire Xi Zirong for wearing just a short-sleeved shirt on a chilly early May evening.

As she drew closer, Xi Zirong heard her footsteps and looked up. When he saw it was her, his eyes seemed to sparkle in the dark.

Xu Su stopped about a meter away from him and held out the watch box. “Xi Zirong, I can’t accept this.”

It was a classic matching couple’s watch. If Xu Su dared to wear it, the rumors about them, which had finally died down, would surely flare up again.

Xi Zirong took a step closer. He didn’t take the box, but instead looked down and explained, “Don’t worry. It’s a student watch from Sheng Guang. A lot of students at our school wear them. In our class alone, I’m not the only one.”

Xu Su paused. ’Oh, so that’s how it is.’

’That makes sense,’ she thought. ’Considering how thoughtful Xi Zirong is, he probably wouldn’t give a gift that could cause so much gossip.’

Xu Su hesitated. Even if it wasn’t a matching watch, it still didn’t feel right to accept it.

Xi Zirong added, “You gave me a gift for my birthday, so of course, I have to give one in return. Or… are you saying you want me to give you the exact same gift you gave me?”

His voice was soft, as if he were trying to strike a deal, yet there was an eagerness in it.

Xu Su’s head shot up in alarm. She quickly took a step back, shaking her head. “No, that’s not necessary!”

Xi Zirong paused. Under the dim lamplights of the field, it was hard to make out his expression.

His voice held a trace of regret as he said, “In that case, you should just accept my gift.”

“…” Xu Su felt her head spin.

’Why is everyone so full of tricks?’

Her wrist was grabbed. Xi Zirong had closed the distance again without her noticing. His voice was serious. “Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me and Gu Yunjia? There’s nothing between us. I didn’t reply to her letter, and I haven’t spoken to her. Xu Su, you’re the only one I like.”

They were standing very close—so close that Xu Su could smell a clean, pleasant scent on him.

’What is happening?’ Xu Su’s thoughts were a mess. She blurted out, “Then why were you acting so secretive in the cafeteria last time?”

That was the one time she’d actually been in the mood to gossip, and even though he clearly knew the whole story, he just wouldn’t talk.

She found out later that he was involved, too. If there was really nothing going on with the girl at the center of it all, why wouldn’t he talk about it?

All this time, Xu Su had just assumed that Xi Zirong had listened to her and moved on to liking someone else.

If you asked Xu Su whether she was unhappy that someone who liked her had suddenly started liking someone else…

…she would have to admit that, aside from a tiny pang of disappointment, she didn’t feel any other unhappiness.

She was even a little worried that the love-struck Xi Zirong would be taken for a ride by some girl.

Xi Zirong chuckled, seemingly in a very good mood. He leaned in a little closer, and with her back against the tree, Xu Su had nowhere to retreat. Then she heard his voice.

He said, “I don’t have time to waste replying to other people’s letters. In the cafeteria, I didn’t want to say much because I didn’t know how to explain the whole story to you.”

After all, it was about him. No matter what he said, it could easily be misunderstood. Xi Zirong had no desire to discuss other girls in front of Xu Su; even though he’d paid the situation no mind, he didn’t want to be the one to bring it up.

At the time, Xi Zirong had thought that once Xu Su heard the full story from someone else, she would understand why he hadn’t wanted to talk about it.

He never expected her to misunderstand things this badly.

He was too close. Xu Su couldn’t take it anymore. She put her free hand on Xi Zirong’s shoulder and pushed him back a little. “Don’t stand so close. If you’re going to talk, just talk.”

Xi Zirong sounded wronged. “You misunderstood me. You told me to give a gift to someone else, and it made me anxious through the entire evening study session. I didn’t know how badly you’d misunderstood, and all I could think about was explaining things to you.”

“…” Xu Su paused. She had to admit she’d misunderstood, but ’it wasn’t *that* serious, was it?’

Xu Su tried to reason with him. “Actually, it would be much simpler for you to like someone else. You’d get a response more easily, too. No matter how nice you are to me, you can see I’m completely unmoved.”

As she said it, even Xu Su felt she was being a bit heartless.

She expected him to look hurt, just like all the other times, but instead, he seemed to have been forged from steel.

Other than his hand tightening its grip on her wrist, he showed no other reaction.

Xi Zirong said, “I’ll decide who I like. Xu Su, just don’t ignore me, and don’t think I like someone else. That’s all.”

His stubbornness made Xu Su give up completely.

She raised her captive wrist and said wearily, “The fact that I came here to find you means I’m not ignoring you. And I promise I won’t misunderstand you and think you like someone else again. So can you promise me one thing, too? Can you promise not to get so handsy anymore?”

Xi Zirong’s hand slowly loosened its grip. He seemed a little embarrassed. “Sorry,” he said. “I’ll be more careful.”

“…” Even though Xi Zirong looked like he was sincerely trying to change, Xu Su wasn’t going to be fooled by his act anymore.

She’d figured him out. This ace student wasn’t the shy type he appeared to be.

For instance, right now, if she let her guard down for even a second, Xi Zirong would probably pull her into a hug.

After they put some distance between them, Xu Su could finally breathe fresh air again.

She took out her phone to check the time. It was ten-thirty. She looked up at Xi Zirong. “I have to go. Are you going back to the classroom to study?”

Xi Zirong glanced at his watch and shook his head. “No, I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep