Luo Yanran looked at him with some surprise, "You like cats too?"
Her eyes brightened with joy.
"Started liking them today," Xie Xiao said earnestly.
Because you like them, I like them too.
Luo Yanran fell silent for a moment, walking shoulder to shoulder with him, "Actually, it's normal not to like them, not everyone is into small animals, as long as they don't harm them, it's fine."
Xie Xiao clenched the item in his hand tighter, unable to resist looking back at the group of cats again.
"Give me the cold skin noodles. I am going this way." Luo Yanran suddenly stopped at the fork in the road and reached out to him, "Tonight's noodles weren't bad."
The last phrase 'thank you' just couldn't leave her lips.
But Xie Xiao didn't mind, nor did he hand it over to her, "I'll walk you there."
Luo Yanran was a bit surprised and after giving him a look said, "No need, it's just a few steps away, and it's not like I don't know the way."
Then she just took the cold skin noodles from his hand and turned to walk away hurriedly.
As she walked quickly, the ponytail tied up at the back of her head gently swayed, looking very pretty.
Xie Xiao touched his nose, thinking, did he scare her? He probably did, an unfamiliar person acting so enthusiastically…
Xie Xiao sighed. But really, he couldn't find any other opportunity to be enthusiastic, they weren't even in the same building.
Eventually, Xie Xiao watched her disappear into the stairwell of the academic building before he turned to leave.
But he was startled by seeing Yan Shi standing not far behind him.
"What the hell? Are you sick?" Xie Xiao was somewhat exasperated.
Yan Shi looked at him with a sinister tone, "They say Xie Xiao is polite and gentle. Those idiots really should see you right now…"
Xie Xiao: …Is this guy sick?
He didn't bother with him and stepped past him to leave.
Yet Yan Shi called out to him, "Wait, are you trying to chase Luo Yanran? Then can you stay away from Mianmian?"
Xie Xiao stopped and looked at Yan Shi. He remembered how Yan used to mock him, and he heard that later, due to his family's relocation, he had gotten quite close to Zhou Mianmian, only to be dumped by her not long after.
Lin Yu had gossiped about this to him.
But looking at Yan Shi still desperately trying to flirt in front of him, Xie Xiao felt somewhat astonished, had he been this stupid back then?
He sighed, "Bro, a sycophant ends up with nothing; quit sycophancy and you'll have it all, believe me once!"
As he spoke these words, Xie Xiao felt as if he were radiating a Buddha's light—what kind of moral enlightenment was this!
But Yan Shi looked at him like he was a fool, "Are you alright, Xie Xiao?"
Xie Xiao paused, then looked at Yan Shi one last time, "I'm fine, but I'm afraid you'll end up With problems if you keep doing this."
After saying that, he turned sharply and walked away.
Leaving Yan Shi standing there, dumbfounded, even forgetting why he had come back here.
It took him a while before he yelled in the direction Xie Xiao had left, "Are you crazy?"
Feeling quite pleased with himself for having done a good deed, Xie Xiao walked to the small supermarket planning to buy some snacks, and find an excuse to deliver them to Luo Yanran later.
Then, from a distance, he saw Zhou Mianmian walking out of the supermarket.
Xie Xiao hesitated for a moment but still went over, then, passing her, he walked into the supermarket.
Zhou Mianmian had just opened her mouth to call after Xie Xiao, but he walked right past her as if she was invisible.
Her expression darkened as she clenched the bread in her hand, and turned back to enter the supermarket once again.
Xie Xiao of course noticed that Zhou Mianmian was following him. He frowned in displeasure but didn't say anything.
He began picking items off the shelves, three years having been enough for him to know Luo Yanran's preferences well, so his shopping was quick.
Zhou Mianmian could clearly see that the snacks Xie Xiao was buying were not for her.
She suddenly realized that Xie Xiao really didn't want her anymore.
With some bewilderment, she watched as Xie Xiao picked up a chocolate she hated the most.
Suddenly she said softly, "You're not Xie Xiao."
Xie Xiao paused, frowned, and looked at her, "What did you say?"
His heart rate quickened somewhat, could Zhou Mianmian have realized something? That couldn't be possible, right?
"The real Xie Xiao wouldn't treat me like this. You're not him," Zhou Mianmian said, her voice trembling and full of grievance.
Xie Xiao, however, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she was just acting again.
He glanced at Zhou Mianmian, she was pretty in a delicate way.
But her skin wasn't as fair and exquisite as Luo Yanran's, her features not as sharp, and her presence far from comparable.
And from a guy's perspective, the difference in their figures wasn't just subtle.
One could be described as a range of hills, another as a flat plain.
Eventually, Xie Xiao realized that he was just a fool misled by filters, and those filters had just shattered into pieces.
Thus, his current view of Zhou Mianmian triggered no emotional response; he merely said, "Big sister, since your grades are poor, you should cut down on TV dramas and romance novels. Our teacher said to read more books, but not those kinds of useless ones."
The term "big sister" instantly turned Zhou Mianmian's face green. The tears that were about to fall were forcibly held back.
"Xie Xiao, you!" she hissed, glaring at him, "What's wrong with you? Is it because I turned you down? Didn't we agree to talk after the college entrance exam?"
Xie Xiao hummed, "Well, it's not really about that, I just suddenly saw the light."
His gaze towards Zhou Mianmian was like looking at a stranger, "You're right, studies come first."
Zhou Mianmian's eyes brightened, thinking it was indeed because she had rejected him.
She softly said, "As long as you understand I did it thinking of our future..."
She was cut off by Xie Xiao, "Hold on, I'm not sure whose future you were considering, but it certainly doesn't concern me. I just want to study hard and do well in exams, so please stop putting on acts every day. It's really embarrassing."
He sincerely said, "Why don't you find Yan Shi? He'd definitely be happy to."
"What do you mean, Xie Xiao? Are you just jealous? Then I won't talk to Yan Shi anymore. Don't ignore me, I've been miserable all day, crying..." Zhou Mianmian reached out and grabbed Xie Xiao's sleeve.
Her voice was urgent, "I actually ignored him already. It's all because you upset me that night and didn't walk me home, so I just got a little temperamental..."
Xie Xiao: ...Is it a problem with my expression or her understanding?
Thinking of Zhou Mianmian's not-so-great report card, Xie Xiao felt it wasn't a problem with his expression.
He took a deep breath and pulled his sleeve back, saying earnestly, "Let me be clear, from now on, we're completely done..."
Xie Xiao paused, then sneered slightly, "Actually, we were never anything to begin with."
His gaze towards the romantic Zhou Mianmian was icy as he simply stated, "In other words, your walking ATM has walked off, and is on strike now. Got it?"