Tang Mingchuan lectured with a smooth and engaging style, never once becoming dull. On stage, every move exuded an innate elegance.
"If I had a teacher like him in high school, I'd kill myself if I failed," White Wei gazed at Tang Mingchuan, completely infatuated throughout the entire class.
Lin Xi sat below the stage, and apart from the initial eye contact at the beginning of the class, Tang Mingchuan's gaze never fell on her again.
Unlike yesterday's red-rimmed eyes, Tang Mingchuan's eyes today were clear and cold, as if yesterday's melancholy belonged to someone else.
After class, as Tang Mingchuan left, he glanced at Lin Xi again before leaving the classroom directly.
While Lin Xi busied herself with her textbooks, she didn't notice Tang Mingchuan's glance towards her. Instead, it was White Wei who was excited beside her.
"Xi, did you see? Professor Tang looked in our direction just now. Do you think he noticed me?" White Wei grinned with excitement, as if she had already become Tang Mingchuan's public girlfriend.
Lin Xi: "..."
White Wei was straightforward and had several boyfriends in the past.
In contrast, Lin Xi was pure and innocent, with a delicate appearance typical of a girl from the water town.
"Wei Wei, class will be over soon. I'm going to work at the convenience store later, so I won't have time. Can you help me take my bag back to the dorm?" Lin Xi said as she walked out.
White Wei couldn't understand why Lin Xi, with her good family background, didn't enjoy her college life and instead preferred to rely on herself.
While others saw Lin Xi as a gentle girl, White Wei knew that Lin Xi was stubborn and determined. Once she made up her mind, no amount of persuasion would work.
As Lin Xi entered the convenience store, she saw Ye Ming setting a box of cream puffs on a small table.
"Xi, have some cream puffs before you start your shift," Ye Ming said gently, his eyes shadowed with fatigue from working all night. "Senior, I also brought you a cake. Let's share it," Lin Xi knew that Ye Ming was very kind to her, but she couldn't muster any special feelings for him. She just hoped not to owe him too much.
Ye Ming stared at the cake Lin Xi brought him, his eyes sparkling. He hadn't expected Lin Xi to bring him breakfast voluntarily.
"Is this specifically for me?" Ye Ming's tone was slightly excited, and he unconsciously scratched his head.
Lin Xi nodded, "You always prepare food for me, so I can't just keep eating yours. I have to repay you, right?" After hearing this, Ye Ming's eyes dimmed slightly, a hint of loss flashing in them.
Despite his wholehearted kindness towards Lin Xi, it seemed that this girl had never harbored any feelings for him.
Almost uncontrollably, Ye Ming blurted out, "Xi, can't you see that I like you?"
Lin Xi looked up at the boy standing in front of her, his face slightly flushed with excitement, his chest heaving.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. Suddenly, the convenience store door was pushed open, and Lin Xi looked up to see Tang Mingchuan entering.
Tang Mingchuan appeared indifferent as he walked in, still holding the umbrella Lin Xi had given him yesterday.
Seeing someone else had arrived, Ye Ming didn't stay and left the convenience store with his bag.
Realizing he had been too impulsive today and might have scared Lin Xi, Ye Ming left in a hurry.
After Ye Ming left, only Tang Mingchuan and Lin Xi remained in the convenience store.
Tang Mingchuan knew that Lin Xi worked here, so he came to return the umbrella when he had the chance. As he walked to the door, he unexpectedly bumped into Lin Xi being confessed to by someone.
Instead of entering, Tang Mingchuan just stood outside the door, curious about what the two were talking about.
Seeing Lin Xi seeming a little embarrassed, he pushed the door open.
"Miss, I'm here to return the umbrella," Tang Mingchuan said lightly, handing the umbrella to Lin Xi. Lin Xi lowered her head to take the umbrella, never expecting Tang Mingchuan to come to the convenience store to return it, let alone encounter such an awkward situation.
But it was probably for the best. If she continued to be in a stalemate with Ye Ming, it would be better to have someone break the ice.
Seeing Lin Xi's soft and gentle appearance, Tang Mingchuan suddenly wanted to pinch her cheek. It must feel super good.
"Thank you, Professor," Lin Xi's voice was soft and gentle, making people feel comfortable just listening to it.
Neither of them mentioned yesterday's incident.
Lin Xi was a girl of few words, and Tang Mingchuan didn't say much either. He turned to leave.
Before leaving, he turned back and asked, "Miss, what's your name?"
"Lin Xi, 'Lin' as in forest, 'Xi' as in evening breeze."
Tang Mingchuan remembered this name. This girl once handed him an umbrella on a rainy day.
After Tang Mingchuan left the convenience store, Lin Xi looked at the neatly folded umbrella on the side. It seemed that this professor was a very patient person.
Lin Xi carefully put away the umbrella. Somehow, despite only meeting Tang Mingchuan three times, she felt a tingling sensation in her heart every time she saw him.
As Lin Xi was about to start her shift, Ye Ming didn't show up. Instead, a fellow convenience store employee came to replace him.
The employee vaguely mentioned that something came up at Ye Ming's home, so he couldn't come to work.
Lin Xi didn't think much about it. If Ye Ming had come today, wouldn't it have been even more awkward? Lin Xi returned to the dorm with the umbrella. White Wei was applying a face mask and listening to the latest rock music, looking completely at ease.
Hearing Lin Xi come back, she lowered the volume of the music.
"Why did you bring the umbrella back?" White Wei looked at Lin Xi's hand curiously.
"It's nothing," Lin Xi said as she put the umbrella away in the cabinet.
She then sat down next to White Wei.
"Wei Wei, let me tell you something. Ye Ming confessed to me today," Lin Xi said softly.
White Wei tore off her face mask. "I knew it! Ye Ming likes you. Otherwise, who would stay up all night working at the convenience store for you? He's quite handsome, and his family background is good too. Did you agree to him?"
In response to White Wei's barrage of questions, Lin Xi shook her head.
"I don't have those feelings for him."
"You silly girl, everyone else is chasing after Ye Ming, but now he's delivered himself to you, and you still don't know how to accept it," White Wei said with a frustrated expression. But given Lin Xi's personality, Ye Ming was indeed too hasty. Lin Xi was relatively slow in matters of love, and it wouldn't be so easy for her to accept someone's confession.
"What kind of person do you like then?" White Wei continued to ask.
Lin Xi thought carefully, and suddenly, the image of Tang Mingchuan came to mind
.
Probably... someone like him. She would probably like someone like him.
But, someone as outstanding as Tang Mingchuan probably already had an excellent girlfriend by his side. Thinking of this, Lin Xi felt a sense of loss that she hadn't even realized.
"What are you thinking, silly? Later, I'll take you out for some fun," White Wei said, pulling Lin Xi to pick out clothes.
"Where are we going? It's already late," Lin Xi asked.
"Let's go, it's an amazing place," White Wei said excitedly.