Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 105: That Doesn’t Affect My Liking You
"..." Xu Su had no intention of explaining her relationship with Xi Zirong to people she barely knew. In fact, she couldn’t quite explain it herself.
’Dating? No, that definitely wasn’t it.’
’But it wouldn’t be right to say they were just ordinary classmates or friends, either. After all, what ordinary guy and girl classmates study together every single day?’
Not to mention, Xi Zirong was very good at closing the distance between them from time to time. He didn’t care what anyone else thought and loved plying Xu Su with food, which meant her two best friends also got to enjoy countless drinks and snacks.
Just as Xu Su was standing there awkwardly, not knowing how to brush them off, two proctors walked in—a man and a woman.
The few gossiping classmates instantly turned back around and sat up straight.
The proctors began checking everyone’s identity, carefully matching the name and photo on each admission ticket. Once they were finished, they started handing out the exam papers.
The moment the papers landed in their hands, all thoughts of gossip vanished from the students’ minds.
The exam was all that mattered.
What had they been studying so hard for all this time? Wasn’t it all for the grade?
The female proctor started her stopwatch and announced, "You may begin."
At the command, Xu Su lowered her head and began to write.
The exam room wasn’t crowded, and the students’ abilities seemed to vary widely. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
After all, every school had students who just wanted to join in on the fun and see what it was like.
They might not have had the best grades, but they wanted to experience the exam-hall atmosphere, treating it as a warm-up for the real college entrance exams.
Some scribbled furiously, their pens never stopping, while others stared into space, lost in thought and questioning their very existence.
Xu Su was among the former.
’These questions...’
Xu Su was once again experiencing the same joy she’d felt during her final exams.
The moment she received the paper, she’d scanned it from top to bottom. Most of the questions were types Xi Zirong had drilled her on.
Xu Su knew that this preliminary round was in the bag.
Time passed slowly, the paper gradually filling with dense script.
After finishing all the free-response questions, she went back and checked her work twice with her full attention.
Once she had checked for any gaps and corrected her work, she let out a soft breath and rolled her slightly sore neck.
She looked up and saw Xi Zirong standing outside the classroom. She didn’t know how long he’d been there, but through the glass, she could see him watching her from afar.
’Xi Zirong’s brute-force approach with practice questions was truly incredible.’ Having just reaped the rewards of his help, her heart skipped a beat when she suddenly saw him standing right there.
She glanced at her watch. There were still ten minutes left. Xu Su slowly packed up her writing supplies. She then stood, left her test on the desk, and after a quick word with the proctor to turn it in, she left the exam room early.
Seeing her come out early, Xi Zirong’s eyes lit up as he walked over to meet her. "How’d it go? Do you remember your answers? Tell them to me, and I’ll help you estimate your score."
’How could she forget the answers to an exam she had just finished?’ Xu Su didn’t refuse and started reciting her answers, beginning with the multiple-choice questions.
The two of them walked side-by-side on a campus path. By the time she had finished reciting all her answers, the smile on Xi Zirong’s face had grown wider and wider.
"I can’t be sure your work is completely correct without seeing it, but all your answers are right. When we get back, write out your solutions for me so I can take a look."
Xu Su smiled along with him. "Teacher Wu gave us similar problems for those big free-response questions, and you explained them to me in even more detail. There’s no way I got them wrong."
The results weren’t out yet, but Xu Su had a pretty good idea of how she’d done.
As they passed a small store, Xi Zirong ran inside and bought two ice-cold sodas. He handed one to her, then pulled out a tissue. "Here, wipe off your sweat."
Teacher Wu and Mr. Song had been waiting outside for a long time and were drenched in sweat from the heat. They weren’t surprised to see the two students emerge first and simply asked, "Were the questions difficult? Are you confident?"
The question was meant for Xu Su; the teachers never had to worry about Xi Zirong.
Sipping her cold soda, Xu Su’s eyes curved into crescents. "I didn’t think it was hard. You both taught us everything on it, and we practiced those types of problems many times."
Satisfied, Mr. Song patted her on the shoulder and smiled. "That’s good to hear. I have faith in your abilities. Go home and prepare well for the semifinals."
The bus that had brought them that morning was still waiting. Teacher Wu opened the door for them. "The AC is on. You two get on and rest for a while. We’ll head back once everyone else is finished."
Xi Zirong put an arm around Xu Su’s shoulders, guiding her onto the bus ahead of him.
’The AC inside was blasting, and she cooled down instantly. She couldn’t help but feel moved by their teachers’ devotion. To stand outside waiting in this heat instead of relaxing in the air-conditioned bus...’
Xu Su tried to find a single seat, but Xi Zirong pulled her down to sit with him in a two-seater.
"..." Xu Su’s head throbbed a little. With no one else on the bus, she spoke bluntly. "Xi Zirong, don’t you think you’re getting a little too bossy?"
’I used to think he was gentle and polite; now he was showing signs of becoming one of those possessive "young wolf" types.’
She pointed to her shoulder. "Why did you put your arm around me in front of the teachers?"
Even though it seemed like a casual gesture that the teachers hadn’t even noticed, to Xu Su, it was still crossing a line.
The boy looked completely innocent. "I didn’t put my arm around you. I was just guiding you onto the bus. That’s not what putting an arm around someone’s shoulder is like."
He looked eager, as if he wanted to demonstrate what it *really* meant to put an arm around someone’s shoulder.
Xu Su rested an arm on the windowsill and turned her head to look at him, asking tentatively, "...Was it because Mr. Song patted my shoulder?"
Xi Zirong faltered for a second, then nodded frankly. "Yeah."
Xu Su’s head throbbed. "Mr. Song is in his fifties! He’s a teacher who’s proud of his student, so he patted my shoulder to be encouraging. You have a problem with that?"
’She thought back to his reaction last time, when she had merely mentioned a handsome first-year in passing.’
’Xu Su was speechless. How had she never realized Xi Zirong was such a jealous person before?’
Xi Zirong leaned closer. "I’m sorry. If you don’t like it, I’ll work on changing. I just... get a little upset when I see other people touch you. I’ll try harder to control it next time."
"....."
’Another day, another moment of confusion about their relationship.’
’What Xi Zirong had just said was clearly something a boyfriend would say.’
Xu Su couldn’t stop herself from asking aloud, "Xi Zirong, what do you think we are to each other right now?"
’Classmates? Friends? Even teacher and student?’
’None of those labels fit. They had become far too close, especially over the past month.’
"It’s the kind of relationship where I’m pursuing you," Xi Zirong said, his voice deepening slightly. "If you agree, we can be boyfriend and girlfriend. If you don’t, then I’ll just be the guy who’s pursuing you."
Xu Su reminded him, "You know I have another ’pursuer’ outside of school. I’m still using the phone he gave me."
"I know. And it doesn’t stop me from liking you."
Xu Su thought for a long time. ’Maybe she should give this whole high school romance thing a try?’
