Sun Lingmei walked straight toward Hai Lin after class, her face unreadable.
Hai Lin blinked. "What?"
Lingmei crossed her arms, but this time, there was no arrogance—just a hesitant frown.
"I'm… sorry. For the misunderstanding. Alright?" she muttered, almost chewing on the apology.
Hai Lin smiled, soft and easy. "It's okay. I forgot it already."
Li Zeyan, from the corner of the classroom, glanced at Hai Lin's expression—then lay back down as if nothing mattered anymore.
Just as Lingmei left, he sat up, grabbed the maths notebook from Hai Lin's desk, and casually began writing in it.
Hai Lin stared. "Wait… you knew the answers?"
Li Zeyan didn't even look up. "I just didn't want to waste my time."
Waste your time?! I have trust issues now, thanks!
She frowned. "I heard you were ranked last in class."
"That's because I find it boring to answer," he said, not even blinking.
Then—zoom.
In literal seconds, he completed the entire exercise like some anime character with a built-in calculator.
Hai Lin's jaw dropped. "Is he… a robot?"
She sighed. "Ugh, whatever."
---
That evening, she walked into the stationery shop to buy a pen.
As she picked one up, a familiar presence made her turn.
Sun Shian.
He was holding a refill packet, smiling calmly. "Hey."
She blinked in surprise, and he walked to the counter.
Just before paying, he looked back. "Mate… are you sure Zeyan's not blackmailing you?"
Hai Lin froze.
"Are you okay?"
Her heart clenched a little. She hadn't expected him to ask again… or look so concerned.
"That… No. He doesn't. I just did it because I wanted to."
She didn't dare meet his eyes—those calm, beautiful eyes. Instead, she stared at the floor.
Sun Shian nodded. "Alright. But if there's ever a problem—tell, okay?"
He turned and left.
Hai Lin blinked, paid quickly, and rushed out.
She spotted him unlocking his bicycle and—on instinct—ran toward him.
He looked startled. "What?"
"That… I… Thank you, senior."
She was blushing, red as a tomato under sunset light.
Sun Shian tilted his head. "For what?"
"You said I should tell you if there's any problem…" she mumbled, cheeks burning.
He blinked, then replied, deadpan, "I meant your class teacher."
"…Oh." Hai Lin looked like a balloon losing air.
She quietly went to her own cycle and began walking behind him.
Sun Shian turned, slightly puzzled. "You following me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea!" she snapped. "I'm just going in the same direction. You pass by my house every day!"
He chuckled. "Yeah, yesterday too. I saw you."
Then he added with a teasing smile, "You had a bruise on your head."
Hai Lin's soul nearly left her body.
Oh god. He saw that?! He laughed because I looked like a walking cartoon injury?!
Her inner voice screamed while she tried to keep a straight face.