As Tianxin was working on problems, she allowed her gaze to wander toward Chen Yiran. At first, she could not concentrate, but slowly, she was able to lose herself in solving the problems amidst a sea of questions.
Chen Yiran tilted his head slightly, watching Tianxin frowning at questions while writing answer after answer with a twinkle in his eye. For some reason, it was amusing to him.
He had just graduated and begun working, and mysteriously, when he looked at these students still in school, he felt as if he was watching children.
Perhaps his state of mind was entirely different from when he himself had been a student.
By the time Tianxin was done with all her homework, it was late. She heaved a sigh of relief, tossed her black pen onto the table, stretched and stated, "Finally done! Work is much better, I don't have to do homework every day..."
"Work has its own troubles." Chen Yiran gave a nonchalant glance. He tossed his newspaper on the table, patted her head and said, "You're still young. You'll understand when you're older."
"Why do you speak as if you're so old..." Tianxin slapped away the hand that was constantly messing with her hair, grumbling discontentedly, "You're only seven years older than me."
"True..." countered Chen Yiran, his deep-set eyes curved into a mocking smile that resembled a crescent moon, "But when compared to you, I feel old."
"..." For a moment, Tianxin didn't know what to say. Perhaps in Chen Yiran's eyes, she was just a child...
But even a child can have someone they like...
Enough, enough, enough! What nonsense! She wasn't a child.
"Alright, it's late. Go have your bath and sleep." Chen Yiran approached, patted Tianxin's head again, and quietly advised the way one would coax a child.
"Okay..." agreed Tianxin resignedly, nodding her head. She tidied up the test papers and books on the table before going to the bathroom.
Chen Yiran sat comfortably on the soft sofa in the living room, unable to resist massaging his temples, pondering how he could get Tianxin to focus more on her studies.
"Um... Yiran..." A tiny voice no louder than a mosquito's hum came from the bathroom.
Chen Yiran got up from the sofa and walked to the bathroom door, speaking through it in a low voice, "Yes, what's wrong Tianxin?"
"Um... um... I didn't bring a change of clothes..." Tianxin felt her face burning hot. She had realized her situation when she entered the bathroom. She hadn't thought of what to do when she stepped into the shower, and by the time she had finished washing off under the hot water, despite hesitating for a long time, she hadn't figured out how she was going to get out...