Although they had known each other for only a short time, Shang Luoshu considered himself to have a fair understanding of Lu Yinxi.
It was obvious that this girl had been brought up in the lap of luxury. Even as an adult, there was still a childish air about her, and her thoughts were always written all over her face.
That was precisely why he often teased her, intentionally or not.
However, Shang Luoshu had forgotten that a girl with such a personality would be more straightforward and decisive when it came to matters of the heart.
Shielding the momentary panic in his eyes, the "god of a man" Shang once again concealed his true emotions with a smile. "What if I say I do?"
Lu Yinxi was taken aback. Her eyes lingered on his face, as if trying to judge the credibility of his words.
Perhaps he was just too good at putting on a mask. No matter how hard she looked, she couldn't detect any flaws.
The girl who suspected she was being confessed to pursed her lips and said seriously, "If that's the case, I have to say sorry first, senior. I have no intention of dating for the time being."
After a moment's thought, she added, "Of course, if it's not, it doesn't matter. You can just think of me as being narcissistic."
"You're not being narcissistic."
Suddenly, Shang Luoshu reached out and turned her face towards him, exposing the emotions in his eyes completely to her.
"Lu Yinxi, you're not being narcissistic. I really do like you!"
In his entire life, Shang Luoshu had never really liked anyone. For him, studying history and uncovering historical truths were far more interesting than dating.
That was until he met Lu Yinxi...
To be honest, Shang Luoshu's interest in Lu Yinxi stemmed from history.
He had to admit that she bore an uncanny resemblance to the Princess Jing from the Qi Dynasty, especially those sharp phoenix eyes. They were an exact match. Coincidentally, his own appearance also bore a faint resemblance to that of the Prince Jing of the Great Qi.
For a moment, Shang Luoshu almost thought that their encounter was predestined by heaven. Especially after he learned that the girl's name was also Lu Yinxi, he felt as if he was being toyed with by fate.
In any case, from that moment on, the name Lu Yinxi gradually gained weight in Shang Luoshu's heart.
And he became increasingly curious about her.
As the saying goes, curiosity about another person is often the beginning of love.
The more he interacted with Lu Yinxi, even though most of the time it was he who was clinging to her, the more Shang Luoshu got to know the real her.
He discovered that, at her core, Lu Yinxi was actually a very cute girl.
Moreover, her cuteness was not the artificial kind. It radiated from within and was embedded in her daily actions, especially when she was flustered and annoyed.
Every time he saw her, he couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
As this feeling became more frequent, Shang Luoshu gradually realized that his interest in her was no longer because of her resemblance to the Princess Jing.
It was simply because she was Lu Yinxi.
He had fallen in love with her. Not the kind of affection he initially felt when he liked to tease her, but the longing a man has for a woman.
"So, senior, are you... confessing your feelings to me?"
Perhaps it was the hidden affection in Shang Luoshu's eyes that touched Lu Yinxi, or maybe it was because she caught a glimpse of his momentary unease. In any case, Lu Yinxi's mind was in a complete mess right now.
It wasn't that she had never been confessed to before. Every time, she could reject the person straightforwardly, even adding a line after the rejection, saying that those who couldn't get into University A weren't worthy of dating her.
Looking back now, it seemed so arrogant and childish.
But at this moment, faced with Shang Luoshu's straightforward confession, she didn't know how to respond. This wasn't right!
She should hate this guy!
It was all because of him that she had to endure the strange looks of her classmates every day when going to class, and sometimes even be teased by the teachers.
This was the perfect opportunity for revenge. How could she let it slip by?
A surge of determination welled up in her chest. Lu Yinxi took a deep breath, composed herself, and said seriously, "Senior, I'm sorry, I..."
"I don't want to hear it."
A warm, large palm suddenly covered most of Lu Yinxi's face, leaving only her sharp phoenix eyes exposed.
Right now, those eyes were glaring at him.
Shang Luoshu couldn't help but laugh, but he had no intention of removing his hand. "Yinxi, this is the first time I've ever confessed my feelings to a girl. I don't want to fail, so I won't accept any rejections."
What the hell? Just because you don't want to hear it doesn't mean I'm willing to accept it!
Lu Yinxi slapped his hand away, her eyes almost spitting fire. "Senior Shang, if you don't want to hear my rejection, then put yourself in my shoes. I don't want to accept your confession either."
With that, she turned around and walked away without looking back, leaving behind the swirling snowflakes and Shang Luoshu, who was standing still on the spot.
If Professor Feng found out that his first confession had been rejected, he would probably laugh at him again. Shang Luoshu forced a smile, gradually tightening his fist as if trying to hold onto the warmth she had left on it.
...
After learning that Shang Luoshu liked her, Lu Yinxi started avoiding him again. Since she had clearly expressed that she had no feelings for him, she couldn't give him any false hope.
This had always been her attitude when it came to matters of the heart.
Her method of avoiding him was the same as before: avoid seeing him, avoid listening to him, and avoid replying to him. But this time, it didn't seem to work?
First of all, it was impossible to avoid seeing him.
Professor Feng had been extremely busy recently, so he had entrusted all his undergraduate courses to his star student.
And this star student was quite good at "abusing his power." He frequently called on Lu Yinxi to answer questions in class, forcing the girl to look at him.
Using his position for personal gain!
Lu Yinxi muttered under her breath and sat down angrily. If she ever got the chance, she would definitely teach this guy a lesson!
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Lu Yinxi was the first one to rush out of the classroom, determined not to give that person any chance to stop her.
She had no classes in the afternoon, so she planned to spend the rest of the time reading in her dormitory.
Thanks to that guy, she couldn't even go to the library anymore. But the dormitory was also a good place. Yueyue was a member of the school's student union, and they seemed to have a dinner gathering today, so she had gone out.
The other two roommates had gone to the library together, so Lu Yinxi was the only one left in the dormitory. It was almost like a self-study room.
...
Looking at the time on her phone and then at the empty bed next to hers, Lu Yinxi couldn't help but feel worried. It was already ten o'clock. Why hadn't Lingyue come back yet?
After some thought, she decided she was still too worried. She dialed a number. The phone was quickly answered, but as soon as the person on the other end spoke, Lu Yinxi's heart skipped a beat.
It was a strange male voice.
"Who are you? Where's the owner of this phone?"
"Hello, classmate. I'm Lin Zihan, a junior from the School of Law and the president of the school's student union. May I ask if you're Zhang Lingyue's roommate?"
"Yes, I am. Let Yueyue answer the phone."
Lin Zihan on the other end of the phone looked at the girl snuggled in his arms, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. He said helplessly, "Sorry, during our dinner gathering, classmate Zhang Lingyue got drunk. She probably won't be able to answer the phone."
Drunk?!
The worry in Lu Yinxi's heart grew stronger. All sorts of bad thoughts flooded her mind.
"Tell me where you are. I'll come and pick her up!"
The guy on the phone told her the address. Lu Yinxi immediately got out of bed, put on her down jacket, and rushed out.
It was already December, and snow was a common sight in Beijing. Few people would venture out at this time. Lu Yinxi waited at the school gate for more than ten minutes but couldn't catch a single taxi.
The anxiety in her heart was building up. There were fewer and fewer cars on the road. She no longer counted on getting a taxi and decided to walk there on foot.
It wasn't too far anyway. It should only take about half an hour.
However, before she could take a step, a strong hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop.
"It's so late. Where are you going?"
The extremely familiar voice. On a normal day, Lu Yinxi would have wanted to run as far away as possible. But at this moment, it was like a lifesaver to her.
"Shang Luoshu! It's really great to see you at this time. Do you have a car? My friend is drunk, and I need to go and pick her up."
"Go and pick her up alone?"
The disapproval was written all over Shang Luoshu's face. The scolding was on the tip of his tongue, but when he saw her worried expression, he swallowed it back.
"Wait here. I'll go and get the car."
Like Lu Yinxi, Shang Luoshu's family was also local. He usually drove back home. He had just come from that direction. When he saw Lu Yinxi's figure on the roadside, he had parked his car in a nearby parking lot and then rushed over to find her.
With the car, it only took them about ten minutes to reach the place the guy on the phone had mentioned.
As the car got closer to the store, before it even came to a complete stop, Lu Yinxi saw a guy supporting a girl in front of the store.
She had called Zhang Lingyue again just now to tell Lin Zihan that they were on their way. He must be out here waiting for them.
"Yueyue."
Lu Yinxi quickly closed the car door and rushed over to Lin Zihan. She took Zhang Lingyue from his hands.
She checked her friend up and down to make sure she was okay. Only then did her heart finally settle down. At the same time, the anger that had been pent up for so long erupted.
"Senior Lin, as the president of the student union, you guys really had the nerve to let a girl who can't drink alcohol do so!"
Lin Zihan scratched his head, admitting to her accusation. This was indeed his fault.
This dinner gathering had been his idea. During the gathering, the freshmen from the first year had been having too much fun, making a junior from the third year feel embarrassed. In the end, Zhang Lingyue had to stand up and drink to make amends.
And that was how things had ended up like this.
After hearing the whole story, the anger that Lu Yinxi had just vented out flared up even more.
"A whole group of people made that senior feel embarrassed. Why should only my Yueyue make amends? Does he think my Yueyue is easy to bully?"
"Sorry, junior. I've already taught him a lesson."
Lin Zihan apologized very sincerely, but it didn't seem to calm Lu Yinxi's anger.
"Can a simple apology solve the problem? Fortunately, my Yueyue just can't drink alcohol. What if she was allergic to it and had to be sent to the hospital? Would he take responsibility for the consequences?"
When Shang Luoshu parked the car and came over, this was the Lu Yinxi he saw. A usually gentle kitten had now bared all its claws.
"Don't worry, junior. I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer to this matter."
Actually, after the incident, Lin Zihan had already punched that guy. Otherwise, their dinner gathering wouldn't have ended so early.
But after hearing Lu Yinxi's explanation, he suddenly felt that that punch had been too light.
He nodded slightly as a greeting to Shang Luoshu, then glanced at Zhang Lingyue. After that, Lin Zihan strode into the snow.
After his figure disappeared, Shang Luoshu said, "Let's go back too. Doesn't your girls' dormitory close at eleven?"
"Okay."
Supporting her friend, Lu Yinxi also stepped into the snow.
Originally, she had planned to ask Shang Luoshu to carry her friend to the car, but the drunk Zhang Lingyue still had a bit of consciousness and just wouldn't let Shang Luoshu touch her.
Helpless, Lu Yinxi could only support her and stagger towards the parking lot. They got into the back seat of the car together.
The car started up again and slowly drove into the neon lights, merging with the flowing traffic.
Lu Yinxi half-hugged Zhang Lingyue, and her emotions had already calmed down.
She looked up at the rearview mirror. Coincidentally, Shang Luoshu's eyes also glanced over at that moment. Their eyes met through the mirror.
Then, Shang Luoshu heard her voice.
"Thank you."