Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 65 - 64: She Couldn’t Just Beat Him Up

Even Fu Zichen had only managed to take second place in the grade once, during the first joint exam at the beginning of the school year. After that, the second-place spot was always taken by a rotation of top students from various classes. While the Rocket Class had a higher chance of producing the runner-up, students from other classes had also achieved the impressive feat of securing second place.

Other than Xi Zirong, who consistently held first place by a wide margin, the top students below him were all neck and neck. The total score difference between second and third place was never more than five points.

Therefore, even though Xu Su felt she had done well on the exam, she couldn’t be certain she would secure a first-tier scholarship.

She had also prepared herself for the scholarship awarded to the top ten. Although it was five hundred yuan less, a thousand yuan was still pretty good.

As Zhou Mochen drove, he asked casually, as if making small talk, "Have your parents been giving you a hard time lately?"

’It seems he’s thoroughly investigated Xu Weiping and his wife.’ The implication in his words was that not even Xu Su’s own parents were allowed to give her grief... as if he was ready to stand up for her at any moment.

But Xu Su didn’t appreciate the gesture and let the comment slide.

Zhou Mochen pressed his lips together slightly and didn’t press the matter.

Soon, they arrived near the Xu Family’s new home.

As soon as the car stopped, Zhou Mochen took out the phone he had prepared for her that morning. "Take it. I’m going back to Beijing tomorrow and will be back before the sixth day of the new year. I’ll take you to school to register then."

"..." ’This guy is impossible to shake off. Why is he so obsessed with taking me to school...’

Xu Su hesitated for a moment, but seeing his insistence, she took the red flip phone. "I’ll keep my phone on silent when I’m at home, with no vibration either. Don’t call me. I don’t want my parents to find out I have a phone."

Seeing that she had accepted his gift, Zhou Mochen was completely agreeable. He nodded. "Alright."

"..." Xu Su added, "Even when school starts and I’m living in the dorms, don’t even think about using this phone to disrupt my studies. Otherwise, I’ll just turn it off and stop using it."

The girl threatened him with such a serious expression. An urge came over Zhou Mochen, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to ruffle Xu Su’s hair. When he saw her glare, he quickly pulled his hand back and replied, "Alright, I promise you."

He looked so incredibly agreeable.

Xu Su looked at him, puzzled. ’Has he had a change of heart today?’

Being watched by her, Zhou Mochen felt the foul mood he was in over leaving Chang City begin to lift. "I’ve agreed to all your demands. Now it’s my turn to state my conditions, isn’t it?"

Xu Su was instantly on guard. "What?"

Zhou Mochen said, "I won’t call you out of the blue, but you have to reply when I text you. Xu Su, I’m not asking for an instant reply, but you have to check your phone at least once a day, right? When you do, don’t ignore my messages, okay?"

’So this is what he was after. Just one scheme after another.’

Xu Su pursed her lips. She really wanted to fire back with a sarcastic remark, but to avoid further complications, she held her tongue.

She said, "Fine. I’ll reply when I see your message. But don’t send anything weird. Don’t forget...."

"I know, I haven’t forgotten." Zhou Mochen cut in, sounding utterly exasperated. "Stop reminding me."

After setting the phone to silent, Xu Su put it into the small pouch she used for her stationery and prepared to get out of the car.

Then she heard Zhou Mochen say, "The thought of not seeing you for so many days makes me not want to go back. Or... what if I stay for the New Year? Right across from your place. What do you think?"

’I didn’t realize he was so impulsive.’ Xu Su pulled her hand back from the car door and turned to look at him. "I don’t think that’s a good idea."

The warmth vanished from Zhou Mochen’s eyes, his smile gone. "You want me to leave that badly?"

’He’s getting more and more tiresome.’ Xu Su’s patience finally snapped. "Stay if you want to. Why are you asking me? Zhou Mochen, I don’t want to say anything harsh, because then you’ll just go crazy again, but don’t push me."

"Alright, alright, don’t be mad. I’ll leave tomorrow." He fell silent for a few seconds, then his tone suddenly softened as he said playfully, "Xu Su, how about a hug? Hmm?"

The car’s heater was on full blast. He had taken off his jacket and was wearing only a light-colored V-neck sweater. His neck was long, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly as he spoke, accentuating his handsome face with its strong brows and clear eyes.

Just leaning in like that, speaking in that coaxing tone while his gentle, focused gaze locked onto her, made him difficult to refuse.

"..." ’She had a perfectly reasonable suspicion: he was trying to seduce her.’

’Shameless.’

She reached out, pressed her palm against his face, and pushed him away. With a look of disgust, she said, "Zhou Mochen, don’t you dare seduce a minor!"

A delighted laugh muffled by her palm reached her. Xu Su quickly pulled her hand back and saw him smiling, his expression positively... glowing.

Zhou Mochen looked down at her, a smile playing on his lips. "Alright, I’ll wait until you’re an adult to seduce you. Xu Su, you’ll be seventeen after the New Year. Just one more year. I’ll wait for you."

’Xu Su had always known that Zhou Mochen was incredibly handsome. If the man he would become in a dozen years was shrouded in an impenetrable, profound mystery, then the Zhou Mochen of today had a purely dazzling, breezy presence. His smile held a genuine warmth that made him seem both elegantly handsome and refreshingly pure.

But no matter the age, Zhou Mochen was handsome.

And though she was loath to admit it—and she was probably the only one who had ever seen it—he was actually even more handsome without his clothes on...’

Xu Su’s mind wandered... until a gentle voice from beside her asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"!!!" Xu Su snapped back to reality, unable to believe what she had just been thinking.

Forcibly shoving those messy thoughts aside, she looked up angrily and took her frustration out on him. "You’re so shameless."

He had heard far more hurtful words from her. To him, this barely stung; in fact, it almost sounded like flirting. "Mmm, I am shameless."

"..." ’Xu Su was utterly speechless. It wasn’t as if she could just punch him.’

"I’m leaving. I can’t win an argument with you."

This time, Zhou Mochen didn’t stop her. Their little back-and-forth seemed to have put him in an excellent mood. As Xu Su closed the car door, she could still see his beaming face.

* * *

The new subsidized apartment was on the third floor. Xu Su got home right at dinnertime. Seeing her return, Chen Shulan said, "You’re back? Go wash your hands and eat."

Xu Su answered, "Okay," put her bag in her room, washed her hands, and came out with a bowl of rice.

At the dinner table, aside from Xu Yang occasionally making a ruckus and throwing a few verbal jabs at Xu Su, Chen Shulan and her husband were extremely quiet.

Although they were her biological family, they hadn’t been there as she was growing up. They were strangers to Xu Su, just as she was to them.

’Truthfully, Xu Su would rather go to school every day than be on vacation—as long as it was the kind where she could live in the dorms and not need Zhou Mochen to drive her around.

She just couldn’t stand this oppressive, suffocating home.’