Deng Ningxuan looked at Wen Yao's reaction, and for a moment, his face turned pale as he frowned and struggled to say, "Miss Yi, your home and Wen Yao's shouldn't be on the way, right?"

"Our family has a driver who picks me up, so it doesn't matter. No matter how far it is, driving won't delay anything." Jiang Shuyi glanced at Deng Ningxuan with a sharp look. "What? Do you have a problem with my family's car?"

"That's not what I meant." Deng Ningxuan didn't dare to say much more.

"Then there's no problem." Jiang Shuyi tugged at Wen Yao's shoulder. "Let's go."

"......" Wen Yao slowly nodded.

Under the somewhat astonished gazes of Deng Ningxuan and Xie Mengting, Wen Yao silently followed Jiang Shuyi out of the classroom.

---

At the school gate, the driver who came to pick up Jiang Shuyi was a middle-aged Beta woman in her forties.

She glanced at Wen Yao and then at Jiang Shuyi. "Shall I take this student home first?"

"Yes." Jiang Shuyi got in the car and put away her umbrella.

She coldly said to Wen Yao without looking at her, "Tell the driver where you live."

Wen Yao hesitated for a moment and then provided an address.

As Jiang Shuyi sat in the car, she stared out at the slowly passing lights, huffing in annoyance.

At that moment, Wen Yao reached out and handed a piece of tissue to Jiang Shuyi.

Jiang Shuyi looked at her in disbelief, not taking it, her eyes scrutinizing what she meant.

"Your shoulder," Wen Yao pointed at Jiang Shuyi's shoulder and said flatly as always, "is wet."

The orange light from the street outside flowed into the car, casting a soft glow on her face.

"......" Jiang Shuyi stared into Wen Yao's eyes and reached out to take the tissue.

Her fingers lightly brushed against Wen Yao's palm, feeling that this person's palm was quite cold.

However, the moment she took the tissue, Wen Yao seemed to turn her head away uncomfortably, her brows furrowing in displeasure.

"......" Jiang Shuyi looked at her and, for some reason, felt a surge of anger.

Jiang Shuyi slowly wiped the rain off her shoulder with a tissue and said sarcastically, "Wen Yao, don't you think you're being a bit reckless?"

Wen Yao glanced at her, her tone somewhat displeased. "Are you talking about me?"

Jiang Shuyi looked at the streetlights outside, letting out a dull "mmh." "Didn't you say you didn't want to be around me? Yet here you are, sitting in my car."

"Not only that, but it seemed like you were about to follow Deng Ningxuan just now."

"It seems like as long as someone is willing to help you, you'll agree. Isn't that a bit reckless?"

Jiang Shuyi said this with a sour tone, turning her face to look at Wen Yao.

Wen Yao's eyes drooped slightly, her frail face possessing a kind of beauty that made one feel pity.

In an instant, Jiang Shuyi regretted her words.

Jiang Shuyi actually just wanted to hear Wen Yao take back her words about not wanting to be with her.

But somehow, she ended up saying such things.

She hadn't intended to see Wen Yao look so hurt.

Yet the words stuck in her throat, stubbornly preventing Jiang Shuyi from speaking, leaving her feeling somewhat at a loss as she looked out the window.

She wasn't sure if she was angry with herself or with Wen Yao.

Wen Yao quietly lifted her head and coldly said, "Then please let me off by the roadside."

Jiang Shuyi turned her head in dissatisfaction. "I'm not like you. Since I promised to take you home, I will definitely take you home. Don't think I'll just drop you off."

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi but didn't say anything further.

Before long, the car stopped in front of a small alley.

"The road ahead is probably impassable," the driver finally spoke up after a long silence. Ahead was a narrow path only suitable for pedestrians, making it difficult for the car to enter.

Jiang Shuyi frowned at the dark path without streetlights.

"Thank you, this is enough." Wen Yao said as she got out of the car.

The alley was very dark.

Wen Yao, however, was very familiar with this seemingly dangerous place and walked forward without fear.

"Student, wait a moment."

After just a few steps, the driver, holding an umbrella, ran over and held it over Wen Yao's head. "You'll get wet if you go back without an umbrella. Please use this to get home."

Wen Yao glanced at the umbrella in the driver's hand. "Thank you."

"Although she told me not to tell you, this is what Xiao Jiang asked me to give you." The driver smiled kindly.

"Is it okay for you to tell me like this?" Wen Yao lowered her gaze.

"It should be fine. I think she wanted me to tell you." The driver smiled reassuringly.

Wen Yao looked at the car not far away, the person inside, illuminated by bright lights, appeared as a restless shadow, seemingly agitated for some unknown reason.

"Be careful; it's dark on the road." the driver said with a smile.

Wen Yao politely nodded.

---

Jiang Shuyi waited until Wen Yao's figure disappeared before telling the driver to turn around and head home.

"... Did she not ask why you were giving her an umbrella?" Jiang Shuyi's tone was somewhat awkward.

The driver looked outside and cleared his throat. "I accidentally mentioned that you asked me to give it to her."

"Oh, that's fine. Just be more careful next time." Jiang Shuyi said, pursing her lips as she looked at the driver.

"So, did she not say anything else?" Jiang Shuyi's tone seemed indifferent, but she sat up straight, her eyes eagerly fixed on the driver.

The driver slowly started the engine. "She said thank you."

"Anything else?"

"......That's it."

Jiang Shuyi looked at the driver, her expression clearly disappointed. "That's all?"

"Why has she been so quiet since high school?" Jiang Shuyi's tone dropped to a low point.

---

By late October, Huan City began to get frighteningly cold, and for Alphas like Jiang Shuyi, energy consumption was quite high during this season.

Jiang Shuyi was now a senior Alpha, in a growth phase, and she always ate a lot. She ordered a large platter and stood in the cafeteria, unsure of where to sit.

Song Jinxi, who would be studying abroad after high school, was currently locked at home by her mother to cram for the TOEFL.

Jiang Shuyi looked around the crowded cafeteria and suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

Wen Yao was sitting straight in an inconspicuous corner of the cafeteria, elegantly swallowing her food.

Jiang Shuyi swaggered over.

She had changed her tactics.

Thinking carefully, she realized she was the queen of Chengbei now.

Wen Yao was not yet her professor, if she disliked her, why should she avoid her? It should be Wen Yao avoiding her instead!

If she didn't like her, then Jiang Shuyi would make sure she saw her.

—If I'm uncomfortable, you shouldn't expect to be comfortable either.

—Let's see who gets more upset.

Jiang Shuyi thought defiantly.

With that in mind, she placed her tray down without greeting Wen Yao and sat down decisively.

Wen Yao looked up in silence.

Once seated, Jiang Shuyi noticed that Wen Yao was eating the same plain noodles she had seen last time.

Jiang Shuyi frowned at the bowl of noodles, thinking it looked almost like plain porridge, making her suspect that there was even no salt in it.

"Can those noodles even taste good?" Jiang Shuyi said with a bitter expression, feeling skeptical.

"I don't focus on taste," Wen Yao paused her chopsticks and said, "The primary function of food is to satisfy hunger."

Jiang Shuyi finally understood why Professor Wen didn't like spicy food.

Eating such tasteless things every day in high school would make anyone sensitive to flavors, right?

"You can't do this," Jiang Shuyi picked up some of her vegetables and placed them in Wen Yao's bowl. "Come on, eat more vegetables."

Jiang Shuyi knew that Wen Yao had a cleanliness obsession.

Her current behavior could be seen as dancing on Wen Yao's nerves.

For someone with a cleanliness obsession, Jiang Shuyi could imagine how suffocating and infuriating this behavior would be.

"You're too thin. For a senior student, your weight is really too light. This isn't good, you need to supplement your nutrition. Your health is the foundation of everything."

Jiang Shuyi casually added more vegetables.

She thought Wen Yao would be getting angry soon.

Wen Yao looked down at the increasing amount of vegetables in her bowl without even furrowing her brows.

Jiang Shuyi put down her chopsticks, feeling provocatively amused. "Hey, why aren't you using your chopsticks?"

Wen Yao calmly picked up a piece of the food Jiang Shuyi had given her and took a small bite.

Jiang Shuyi was momentarily taken aback.

Wen Yao looked really good while eating, making it pleasing to the eye. Just watching her eat made Jiang Shuyi feel like she could eat a few more bowls of rice.

Jiang Shuyi's heart stirred, and she propped her chin up, asking:

"Do you eat this noodle every day?"

"Mm."

"Don't you get tired of it?"

"No."

"But most people would get tired of eating the same thing every day, right? Look at me, I can't eat the same thing every day, it makes me feel uncomfortable. You—"

Wen Yao raised her head.

She was the kind of person who would never speak while eating; when she did speak, her mouth was always empty.

Jiang Shuyi's repeated attempts to talk were clearly interrupting her meal.

"Don't talk while eating." She shot a cold glance at Jiang Shuyi.

It seemed that talking bothered her more than picking up food.

"Oh." Jiang Shuyi pretended to close her mouth.

But less than two minutes later, Jiang Shuyi lifted her head again to look at Wen Yao. "I'll ask one last question..."

Wen Yao raised her gaze, sitting properly without moving her chopsticks.

"Why do you eat alone every day?" Jiang Shuyi asked her.

Wen Yao slowly ate a noodle without answering.

After a while, she swallowed the noodle and looked at Jiang Shuyi without any ripple of emotion on her face. "Why didn't you drink the rose boba sea salt milk cap today?"

Hearing Wen Yao skillfully say that tongue-twisting name, Jiang Shuyi's world suddenly returned to calm.

Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi, whose face was as red as a little lobster, and picked up her chopsticks to continue eating.

Jiang Shuyi fell silent, quietly and quickly shoveling food into her mouth, her shoulders trembling as if she wanted to leave this place, her gaze escaping toward the door.

Jiang Shuyi was usually like a machine gun when she spoke, chattering non-stop, but now she was quite amusing in her silence.

Wen Yao slowly took a bite of the vegetables Jiang Shuyi had given her, thinking leisurely.

---

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