novelraw Chapter 281: Anyway, Just Speechless...
Chapter 281: Anyway, Just Speechless...
"Not yet," Zhou Mochen chuckled. "Susu, don’t be in such a rush. Your name will be on my household register eventually."
"..." Xu Su blushed at his laughter, realizing her question had been ambiguous and made it seem like she was desperate to get married.
Flustered and indignant, Xu Su retorted, "I didn’t mean it like that! Stop laughing at me."
"Alright. I’ll get you an apartment near University B to make things convenient when you start school." Zhou Mochen reigned in his smile and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Since this will be a place you’ll be living in, do you have any requests? You can mention anything, like the interior design style."
Xu Su looked troubled. "But I want to live in the dorms. I want the full college experience, and living on campus is an essential part of that."
"That won’t stop you from living on campus. If you want to live in the dorms, then live in the dorms. But having your own place will be more convenient," Zhou Mochen said. "You need to transfer your household registration, and to do that, you need to own property in Beijing. Understand?"
"...Alright." Xu Su decided not to be overly polite with him. As long as he agreed to let her stay in the dorms, that was fine. She blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "The place doesn’t have to be too big, but I want a gaming room, just for playing games. As for the rest, you can decide. I have no objections."
’It’s best to leave the design style to the professionals, anyway. Zhou Mochen’s people always do a good job.’
With the conversation over, Xu Su finished her milk. She hugged Zhou Mochen and nibbled at him twice in frustration before returning to her room to wash up and go to bed, her mind full of complaints.
’Her boyfriend was getting more attractive by the day, and he still wouldn’t let her have him. Tsk...’
’Xu Su thought of her grandma’s words with complete disapproval. She didn’t think for a second that if something really happened between them, he would be the one taking advantage of her.’
’Unfortunately, that man was extremely principled. When he said he wouldn’t do it, he absolutely wouldn’t. And it wasn’t like Xu Su could actually force herself on him; that would make her seem far too desperate...’
’All in all, it was just so frustrating...’
~~~
The temperature was rising daily, and the countdown on the blackboard at the back of the classroom changed every day. With the college entrance exams drawing ever closer, the teachers had mostly stopped giving inspirational speeches. Instead, they did their best to keep the classroom atmosphere light.
Despite this, Xu Su heard that a student in Class 12 had broken down in class from the overwhelming pressure. Crying, the student said they couldn’t study anymore and couldn’t understand what the teacher was saying. Their parents had already come to take them home.
The school took the incident very seriously, and PE classes were scheduled for all the senior classes over the next few days.
The Rocket Class and Class 1 even organized a basketball game with the PE teacher as referee. It was all to keep students from being cooped up in the classroom all day, encouraging them to get active and strike a balance between work and rest.
Xu Su had a strong sense of class pride and stood her ground with Qian Jia, cheering for the boys from their class. She wouldn’t budge, even when Huang Feng tried to pull her away.
As the class president—and a skilled basketball player at that—Xi Zirong naturally led the charge on the court. Every basket he made was met with a chorus of excited screams.
Even the first and second-year students ran over to watch, surrounding the basketball court in layer after layer of people. Xu Su was in the front row, cheering until her throat was raw, when suddenly a few boys she didn’t recognize stood beside her, shoving a beet-red boy in her direction.
Figuring they were trying to hit on her, Xu Su hesitated, wondering if she should walk away. But then her view was blocked, so she frowned and tried to lean to the side.
A hand stopped her.
"Senior, you dropped your student ID." The boy pulled a student ID from his pants pocket and handed it over, his nervous face flushed red as he stammered.
Xu Su was taken aback. She reached out and took it, realizing what it was when she saw her own picture on the card. She quickly thanked him.
’I didn’t even realize I’d lost it.’
"Where did you find it?" she asked, bending down to grab a few bottles of soda from the ground by her feet and offering them to the boys as thanks. "Thank you for bringing this to me."
"I’m Li Hao, from Class 6 in the second year. I found it in the second-floor stairwell right after school." Li Hao accepted the soda, opening it and taking a sip to calm his nerves. "I was planning to bring it to your classroom during the evening study session after dinner, but a classmate told me your class had a basketball game today, so I came to see if I could find you here."
Xu Su nodded and thanked him again, wanting to end the conversation. A lot of students nearby were already looking their way, no longer paying attention to the game.
Li Hao hesitated, looking like he wanted to say more. After his friends nudged him a few times, he finally gathered his courage and spoke up. "I’ve always really admired you, Senior. You’ll be graduating soon, so... can I get a picture with you for a souvenir?"
He pulled his phone from his pocket. "Senior, you’ve always been my idol!"
"..." Xu Su was rendered speechless by the word "idol." Seeing the underclassman’s face, so nervous it looked like steam might come off it, and the hopeful look in his eyes, she nodded. "Sure."
A chorus of teasing whistles rose from the crowd, who had clearly heard their conversation.
Two girls walked over, arm in arm, and asked excitedly, "Can we get a picture with you, too? Senior, we’re huge fans of yours!"
"..." ’I really didn’t expect to be this popular,’ Xu Su thought.
Taking one photo was the same as taking two. Just as Xu Su was about to agree, Qian Jia, who was standing beside her, gave her a tug. "If you say yes to everyone, we can forget about eating today."
Xu Su froze. She glanced around and saw countless pairs of sparkling eyes fixed on her, so she quickly grabbed Qian Jia and started to head out of the crowd.
Li Hao and his friends followed close behind, along with the two girls. A few other students who found watching them take photos more interesting than the basketball game also started walking over.
Only when they were far from the crowd did Xu Su ask, "Is it okay to take the photo here?"
"Yes, of course." Li Hao handed his phone to his friend, straightened his clothes, and walked over to stand next to Xu Su.
Xu Su had worn her school uniform jacket today, but she had gotten sweaty from cheering and had taken it off long ago. At the moment, she was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a Peter Pan collar, dark-wash jeans, and a pair of canvas shoes. Her long hair was pulled up into a bun, with a few stray wisps falling across her forehead. The whole look was simple and graceful.
They stood about a hand’s breadth apart. Xu Su smiled faintly and tilted her head toward him. The boy beamed, and just like that, a perfectly normal photo of two classmates was taken.
After finishing the photo with Li Hao, Xu Su waved to the two girls who were standing a short distance away. "Do you two have a phone?"
"Yes, we do!"
Qian Jia took their phone and snapped a photo of the three of them together.
After the two photos were taken, Xu Su prepared to leave. Li Hao and his friends still hadn’t gone, and the one next to him asked, a little sheepishly, if they could also get a group photo with her.
Just as she was about to agree, a whistle blew from the basketball court—the game was over.
Xu Su quickly said, "Sorry!" and pulled Qian Jia along as she rushed over to see the results.
It looked like the Rocket Class had won, because they could hear the girls from their class cheering from a distance.
Xi Zirong was wiping away his sweat with a towel in one hand, refusing the soda a classmate offered him. His eyes swept across the crowd, as if searching for someone, and he only stopped when he saw Xu Su.