As the cold snap receded, the weather suddenly turned sweltering. The sun blazed through the library's floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a scorching light over the room. Students were hunched over rows of bookshelves, deeply engrossed in their search for various texts and journals. On the long tables, the rhythmic scratching of pens on paper filled the air as students diligently took notes.
Emily approached, carrying a stack of journals nearly a foot high, and settled into a chair, wiping sweat from her forehead. She meticulously scanned the academic papers, bookmarking every article related to "Human Resources." In half an hour, she had used up a dozen bookmarks.
Hmm, this should be enough.
Stretching her shoulders, she stifled a yawn and glanced over at Ryan, who was sprawled across the desk, sleeping soundly.
"Wake up..." she nudged his shoulder.
He continued to slumber, his brow furrowed in a tight frown as if he were resisting some relentless disturbance.
"Wake up!" she shouted into his ear.
Ugh... how infuriating! The sunlight is perfect for sleeping! Who would want to ruin this peaceful rest? His hand was clenched into a fist on the desk, his eyes shut tightly, and a muttered curse escaped his gritted teeth.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up..."
Like a chant, her persistent voice buzzed around him. His fist clenched with an audible click as Ryan suddenly jolted upright, his eyes blazing with fury.
Emily sat quietly, absorbed in her papers.
With her head lowered and a serene smile gracing her lips, she heard Ryan stir and turned to him with a surprised grin. "Ah, I was just about to wake you up. How fortunate you're awake now."
"Just now..." Ryan glared at her. It was her voice that had been disturbing him!
"Well, I wanted to wake you earlier, but..." Her smile was disarmingly sweet. "Seeing how peacefully you were sleeping, I thought I'd let you rest a bit longer." His appearance was quite frightening.
"Was it you?!"
"Me? What's wrong?" Emily tilted her head in confusion, her eyes suddenly sparkling with excitement. "Did you dream about me?"
Ryan eyed her suspiciously.
"What did you dream about?" she asked eagerly, her smile growing wider. "Tell me!"
"Dreamt you turned into a buzzing fly!"
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Flies make a 'buzzing' sound, while it's bees that buzz."
"..."
"Flies should make a 'hum' sound, so it's simply not possible." She flashed a charming smile, her voice tinged with a hint of sighing. "You should read more. That way, you won't make such... cough... mistakes."
With that, she stacked a thick pile of journals in front of him.
"I've marked the sections you need to read with bookmarks. There's not too much. You start now, and I'll continue my research."
Emily lowered her head, propping her chin on her hand as she flipped through a new journal. Secretly, she turned her eyes towards him and, with a bright flash of a smile, thought, Heehee, no matter what he turns into, he'll still be adorable and clueless, just as cute as ever!
Ryan stared blankly at the journals on the table.
Dream? Bee? Fly? Seriously, does he think he's an idiot? And he clearly heard her stifling a laugh!
"Hey!" he growled softly.
She quickly suppressed her smile, adopting a serious listening expression.
"What's up?"
Her act was utterly unconvincing! Ryan cursed under his breath. Her lips had a mischievous curve, and her eyes sparkled with a suspicious light, like a little fox that had just stolen a chicken.
But—
She seemed to be just a bit cuter than when she was sick.
"Why on earth should I read this stuff?"
Ryan flipped through the stack of journals, all marked with bookmarks for the seemingly tedious topic of "Human Resources." Annoyed, he pushed them aside, nearly colliding with the head of a student sitting next to him.
"Sorry…" Emily quickly apologized with a forced smile, retrieving the journals and placing them back in front of Ryan. She whispered, "Did you forget about that paper?"
"What paper?"
Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Emily took a deep breath. Remember, an angel must maintain grace. She smiled sweetly and said, "The one on Human Resources from the professor."
Ryan fished through his distant memory, finally catching a vague recollection.
"...Didn't you write that paper for me?"
"I did write it for you."
"Then why am I reading it?"
Ryan was starting to doubt her sanity.
Emily maintained a blank expression, struggling to keep her eyes from rolling, and forced a tight smile.
"You were honest about not claiming the paper as your own."
"..."
Ryan stared at her, suddenly feeling as if there were stars swirling before his eyes.
Emily smiled brightly. "So, you need to submit a new paper to the professor by Friday."
"You're smiling wickedly." Amidst the swirling stars in his vision, Ryan still caught sight of her mischievous grin.
"Not at all, cough!" Emily coughed and looked down, and when she lifted her head again, her smile was as pure as an angel's. "Actually, I admire your honesty and courage. It was impulsive of me to take it upon myself to write the paper for you. So, make sure to work on this one properly."
"You wrote it for me."
"...?" Emily blinked in confusion.
"You heard me. You wrote it for me!"
The thick stack of journals was pushed back towards Emily, and Ryan slumped over the long library table, falling back to sleep.
"But last time you—"
"At that time, I didn't know what kind of trick you were trying to pull."
"Trick?"
"For example, trying to blackmail me with a paper, coercing me into going out with you." He shot her a cold glance, his tone icy.
Emily's mouth dropped open. The nerve of him! Was she the kind of person who blackmailed others? She rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Hey!"
"..."
"You look terrible when you roll your eyes," he said with a voice as cold as ice.
"Did I roll my eyes?" She looked around, even crawling under the table. "Where did they go? I can't see them anywhere."
"Emily!" Ryan's expression twisted in frustration.
She tilted her head, looking at him curiously. "Are you trying to laugh or cry?"
Ryan promptly gave her a playful but sharp tap on the head.
"Ouch—"
Emily clutched her head, wincing in pain.
"And also," Ryan growled, "the time you pushed me out of the taxi—was that you too?!" His irritation was palpable. It was strange; when she was sick, she seemed as fragile as a reed, but when she was healthy, she was positively infuriating.
Emily's eyes widened in admiration.
"Wow, you remember something from so long ago! That's impressive!"
"You forgot?" His voice emerged from between clenched teeth.
She nodded vigorously.
"Bang!"
Another playful tap exploded on her head.
"Do you remember now?" His glare was intense.
Emily, holding her head, feigned realization: "Oh! I remember now!" She laughed, extending her hand, "The fare was sixteen yuan. I won't charge interest this time."
"Smack!"
His large hand struck her palm.
"Ouch!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she rubbed her reddened hand, "It hurts so much—my hand and my head—"
She was faking it! Ryan's expression remained stoic.
Yet, her palm seemed to be slightly swollen, and her forehead appeared red and tender. With her head bowed, her shoulders quivered lightly.
"Hey."
He called out to her.
She continued to keep her head down, her silence as unyielding as a stone statue, save for the trembling of her shoulders.
"Let me see!" He pulled her hand over, and when his fingers touched her palm, it felt scalding hot. Damn it! He hadn't applied much force at all! His lips pressed into a tight line, his eyes showing deep regret.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
He began to gently rub her hand.
"A kiss will make it hurt less," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"That's just something kids are told!" He frowned, cursing himself for engaging in such a foolish gesture.
She fell silent again, her shoulders quaking once more.