Xie Xiao didn't hesitate for a moment, ignoring Zhou Mianmian's friend request and opening Luo Yanran's message instead.
The message contained a dry sentence, "Thank you for the snacks, but it's not necessary, I don't really eat snacks."
Little liar, pretending she didn't like snacks when in fact she was just afraid of gaining weight.
Xie Xiao chuckled, replying with, "I thought Ranran would like them when I bought them, so did you like them?"
On the other side, Luo Yanran at home saw the words "Ranran" and felt as if she could suddenly hear Xie Xiao's voice in her ears, her face turning red in an instant.
She hugged her pillow, covering her hot cheeks and rolling around on the bed.
After a while, she picked up her phone, glanced at it, and then tossed it aside again.
She always felt that Xie Xiao was being too flirtatious, and she was about to start overthinking again.
No, better take a shower first!
Back here, Xie Xiao had finished eating, helped his mom clean up the table, and was chased back to his room.
Still no reply from Luo Yanran, he glanced at the message he sent, wondering if he had said something wrong?
Could it be that she didn't like being called "Ranran"? But she had said before that she didn't mind.
Xie Xiao clicked his tongue and decided to take a bath as well.
When he came out, he saw Luo Yanran had sent a message that read, "It's okay."
Then, after five minutes probably because he hadn't replied, she sent another one, "Shall I transfer the money to you?"
Xie Xiao, with one hand drying his hair and the other typing, had just typed "No..."
Before he could finish typing, a video call suddenly popped up from the other side.
Xie Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then without any hesitation, he accepted the call.
After connecting, he only saw a ceiling and a chandelier, and then Luo Yanran's somewhat helpless voice, "Pie! You knocked my phone over!"
Then, a delicate chin appeared in the corner of the screen; she must have been bending down to pick up her phone. Xie Xiao also caught a fleeting glimpse of her snowy white ankle and calf.
Then Luo Yanran saw Xie Xiao's face on her screen, and his exposed bare shoulder indicating he was not wearing clothes at that moment.
Luo Yanran's face, uncharacteristically, lost all composure, her eyes filled with bewilderment.
She thought absently, why was Xie Xiao's face appearing on her phone screen?
And why did it seem like he wasn't wearing clothes?
Xie Xiao couldn't help but laugh at her bewildered expression, "I saw you made a video call, thought something was up, so I accepted it."
Is this actually Xie Xiao?!!!
Luo Yanran felt like she was about to explode, her pale face instantly turning bright red, her hands trembling slightly, and then, for some reason not hanging up the video, she reflexively covered the screen with a downward motion.
Although it was just a brief moment, Xie Xiao still caught sight of her sleepwear, hmm, a rather cooling spaghetti-strap nightgown.
And it was black, making her skin seem especially white, the contrast was too stark.
And perhaps because she was getting ready for bed, it seemed like she wasn't wearing anything besides the nightgown...
Xie Xiao inwardly cursed, quickly stopping his wild imagination.
But the things he should and shouldn't think about had already started to flash through his mind quickly.
A beep from the phone indicated she had hung up the video call.
Xie Xiao cursed again, reaching to touch his nose, relieved he wasn't bleeding.
He took a deep breath, tossed his phone onto the bed, and went back to the restroom once more.
Give me a break, he was an eighteen-year-old high school student, and at that age, you really know what's what.
When he came out again, his face was still a bit red.
Biology class mentioned that a bit of relaxation is acceptable.
He picked up his phone again and leaned back on the bed, and sure enough, Luo Yanran hadn't sent any more messages.
Given her personality, Xie Xiao didn't even have to think about it to know that she must be annoyed right now, probably even grabbing the cat and constantly grumbling about it.
A smile appeared in his eyes, and without mentioning the earlier mistake, he continued from the previous conversation, "No need for money, I hope to have dinner with you again next time. Don't worry about what just happened, get some rest, good night."
He did not wait for her reply, as there wouldn't be one tonight, barring any surprises.
Luo Yanran looked at the message from Xie Xiao, threw her phone aside, her cheeks still flushed, and rubbed the dozing silver-gradual cat in her arms, "Pie! It's all your fault! I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight! How embarrassing! I can't believe I hung up without saying a word! If I can't sleep, you're not allowed to either!"
Actually, it really had been an accident just now; she had waited a while for Xie Xiao's reply and was about to send a red packet.
At that moment, Pie came in and pounced on her like a tiger attacking its prey. Pie was a cat-pig weighing over 20 pounds, and that weight was no joke.
Luo Yanran's phone fell down, and she probably hadn't noticed that she had hit the video call button.
She hadn't expected Xie Xiao to accept the call at all!
In front of Luo Yanran's eyes, the image of the young man's face with a smile seemed to reappear; he must have just finished showering, his hair still wet, not wearing a shirt...
Luo Yanran covered her face with her hands again, as it started to heat up.
The cat in her arms took the opportunity to run away, and it ran fast, escaping from this terrifying human who was denying it sleep!
The cat was scared to death!
Luo Yanran really didn't have the time to bother with it; the scene in her mind became clearer, especially Xie Xiao's smiling face...
She buried her face in the blanket, doomed to be unable to sleep tonight.
On one hand, there were two youngsters brimming with springtime feelings; on the other, Zhou Mianmian was in her old but tidy room, having waited a long time.
Xie Xiao had not accepted her friend request.
Even though her message read, "We'll still be classmates in the future, let's be friends."
It seemed nonchalant, as if she had moved on.
But it was all her careful consideration.
Yet the person who might care about her caution, this time, seemed to truly ignore her completely.
A glimmer of sadness flashed through Zhou Mianmian's eyes.
Looking at the message Yan Shi had sent 30 minutes ago, "Mianmian, I'll buy you breakfast tomorrow. What would you like to eat?"
She looked at it for a long time before replying, "Anything is fine, thank you Yan Shi."
Then she opened another message from a boy asking if she wanted to try the new noodle shop behind the school after class tomorrow, and she replied with the same sentence, only changing the name at the end.
Without Xie Xiao, she had to go on with her life, and that was the only thing she could do.
At the same time, she felt a sense of relief that she had not given in to her soft-heartedness and accepted Xie Xiao's affection. Otherwise, without him now, she would truly have nothing left.
Zhou Mianmian couldn't help feeling resentment towards Xie Xiao.
It was all his fault for being too good to her in the past, which made her unable to imagine what it would be like if no one treated her well now.
He wasn't like this before.
Zhou Mianmian was conflicted, scared of being abandoned by Xie Xiao, wondering if it was her fault.
But on the other hand, she stubbornly believed it was Xie Xiao's problem; if he hadn't suddenly stopped caring about her, she wouldn't be so embarrassed now.
Xie Xiao...
Xie Xiao...
When she thought of this name, her heart felt as if it were being sliced apart.