"I never expected you to choose Diwai, of all places. Do you have a special reason for that? I was hoping we could continue to be classmates, but it seems that's not going to happen anymore."
Annan felt quite regretful. Although she hadn't spent much time with Yuran, the gossip about her had been very negative before Yuran transferred to her school. However, after spending over three months together, Annan both subjectively and objectively found that Yuran was nothing like the rumors.
"Imperial University and Diwai are not far apart!" Yuran said with a smile.
Annan exclaimed, "That's true! Then there will be plenty of opportunities to meet for meals. I must take advantage of the food at the Diwai canteen."
Yuran, "Although saying 'welcome' now might be a bit premature, still, I'll be waiting for the good news!"
Yuran, with her arms full of books, stood at the school gate ready to hail a cab home. It was nearly noon, and the relentless sun had turned her fair face bright red as private cars continuously picked up children nearby.
Just then, a black Bentley screeched to a halt in front of her. The passenger-side window rolled down, and she saw Xie Cheng driving, who greeted her distantly yet politely, "Xie Cheng..."
Since their rushed farewell at the hospital last time, Xie Cheng hadn't seen Yuran and was unaware of her change in appearance.
He almost drove straight past her just now. Seeing the lively, youthful girl with bright lips and white teeth, he hardly knew how to respond.
Her hair color restored and appearance remarkable, Xie Cheng cursed himself internally: A leopard can't change its spots, what made you think she could change for the better? Probably just playing hard to get!
The books she was holding were heavy, and without a response, Yuran frowned, confused about why Xie Cheng was stopping her and prepared to walk around the car.
However, the car's back window lowered a quarter of the way, and through the gap, Yuran met a pair of eyes as deep as cold pools. Then, a voice devoid of warmth exploded in her ear, "Get in the car!"
After considering the consequences of getting in or not getting into the car, Yuran, being very adaptive, quickly opened the door and dived in, closing it behind her.
Bo Yan sat with his eyes closed, looking somewhat tired. The air inside the car was filled with a faint cold fragrance. Yuran placed her books at her feet and fidgeted uneasily.
Xie Cheng's gaze occasionally came through the rearview mirror. He truly didn't trust this sticky-like-toffee girl pretending to be something she's not. Frankly, a leopard can't change its spots.
In his heart, Bo Yan was like a precious, delicate cabbage from their family, while Yuran was the pig that coveted that cabbage, deeply worried that the cabbage would catch the pig's eye.
The atmosphere inside the car turned so quiet that it felt awkward.
Yuran took out her phone to play a game, the hottest competitive game at the moment. She had it on mute and casually asked Xie Cheng, "Xie Cheng, where are we going?"
The reply came crisp and cold, not from Xie Cheng, but from Bo Yan sitting beside her.
Immediately, Yuran shut up, neither asking the reason nor trying to change the topic by being overly friendly, but quietly turned her attention back to her game.
She had already made up her mind; in the presence of Bo Yan, the less she spoke, the better. She should not disturb nor engage more than necessary.
The game was recommended by Annan. Initially, she was not familiar with it and her handling was terribly clumsy.
After a few days of practice, she could make many gamers call her "daddy".
Worried about disturbing Bo Yan's sleep, she played muted. Feeling something was off, she lost two matches back-to-back and got some sarcastic remarks from her teammates. Annoyed, Yuran stopped playing properly and focused on retorting.