45

Liu Shuyao didn't respond, and Xiang Ran pressed the lock screen, setting the phone down.

Qi Dong was clearly confused by what he had just said.

"So you realized Zhao Ying has those behaviors towards me, right?"

"Of course not! I meant, have you noticed it yourself?" Xiang Ran explained.

"Her...?"

Qi Dong seemed to genuinely ponder this.

"When I first joined the debate club, I had a debate with her in our two groups. At that time, she was one against four, saying we were all incompetent, and her logic was extremely clear. I thought to myself, this girl can really talk! If we ever argue, it’ll be tough; she wouldn’t even give you a chance to speak."

"But... later on, after collaborating a few times, I found that she’s quite assertive in debates, but in private, she’s really soft and cute. If you tease her a bit, she blushes."

"There was one time when we were preparing..."

"Get to the point!" Xiang Ran interrupted, seeing Qi Dong was enjoying himself too much.

"I think... there’s a little something there, right?"

"But she’s really a responsible person, maybe because she’s the president of the debate club. She treats others pretty well."

"So you’re not really sure?" Xiang Ran picked up Qi Dong's thoughts.

"Mm!"

"And then?"

He felt like Qi Dong was going in circles.

"What do you actually want to do?"

"I want to ask her out! But since she rejected me before when I asked her alone, I thought this time we could all go together?"

Xiang Ran wasn’t really interested in such things and didn’t feel he could contribute much.

"You might as well ask the dorm leader. He and his girlfriend, you and Zhao Ying. I think the dorm leader has more experience."

"Finding a couple is too obvious."

I see...

Xiang Ran raised an eyebrow and looked at him, a bit speechless.

"So, Brother Ran, you and the fat guy, let’s bring the dorm leader and his girlfriend along! Or do you want to bring someone else?"

"Not going."

Xiang Ran firmly rejected the idea.

"Don't be like that! Brother Ran!"

"This is a lifelong matter for brothers! You can’t be so heartless!"

"I don’t think my presence or absence will matter."

"Of course it does!"

"I’m in need of a wingman!"

Qi Dong was still persistently arguing. At that moment, Xiang Ran’s phone buzzed. He unlocked it and saw a reply from the campus belle:

【I’m in the dorm!】

【Ying Ying said Qi Dong is inviting everyone out to play. Are you going?】

【Do you want to go?】

【I want to go! I haven’t been out for fun in a long time.】

【So cute.jpg】

【Let’s go together, okay?】

【Please.jpg】

Xiang Ran looked at the cute bunny emoji on the screen, feeling a bit charmed. His fingers quickly typed a reply:

【Okay.】

“If you don’t mind, I’m willing to call you 'father'!” Qi Dong said earnestly.

“Haha, okay!”

The person who had just flatly refused him suddenly changed his tune and agreed readily.

“Set the time and place, and let me know when you decide!”

Qi Dong thought he gained a 'father', but in reality, it was just because Xiang Ran accepted Liu Shuyao's invitation.

---

On the fifth day, 306.

The weather was nice, with sunlight streaming through the windows onto the lab table. The treetops swayed gently in the morning light, and the grass showed traces of last night's rain, with the earthy scent lingering in the air.

In the lab, apart from the sound of keyboards clicking and the buzzing of computers starting up, the only other noise was the rabbit-shaped kettle on Xiang Ran's desk, bubbling away.

The chubby guy had confirmed the code for the dynamic rotation animation beforehand, so the task of digitizing everything fell to Xiang Ran and Han Lele.

Xiang Ran borrowed a scanner from the courtyard, and to his left was the artwork that Han Lele brought for the exhibition.

“Senior, what are we doing now?”

“Find a well-lit spot to minimize shadows and reflections,” Xiang Ran pointed to a place by the window.

“Take one painting over first, look for the angle, and don’t face the light directly.”

Han Lele nodded and carried the painting to find a position.

Xiang Ran adjusted the resolution settings and color balance on his computer to match the actual colors of the artwork.

Once that was done, they started the official scan.

He placed the artwork in the center of the scanner’s viewing area, then activated the scanner and began capturing the image, ensuring the entire artwork was included and of good quality.

Xiang Ran tested one image and then turned to Han Lele.

“How’s the color and contrast?”

“Pretty good. We can remove the shadows in post-processing.”

“Mm-hmm.”

The two began scanning in earnest. After they finished, Han Lele worked on some post-processing while Xiang Ran saved and backed up the images for display on the big screen.

When the campus belle arrived at room 306, she saw Xiang Ran and Han Lele busy at the table. Han Lele seemed to have some concerns and occasionally leaned over to check on Xiang Ran.

The two appeared to be working in perfect harmony.

“Senior! You’re amazing!”

“I spent a long time on that part; it still has some flaws. Just come over and take a look,” Han Lele said, her eyes filled with admiration.

“Move this a bit to the left; let me see.”

Xiang Ran didn’t pay much attention to Han Lele’s previous comment. He sat next to her, focused on the screen.

He didn’t notice Han Lele leaning her head further to the right.

“When you save it, remember to use JPEG.”

“And this part…”

When he finally sensed something was off, he frowned, adjusted the position, and increased the space between them.

Feeling it was still not enough, he stood directly behind Han Lele.

“Senior, let’s go eat first, we can finish later.”

Han Lele had gotten used to Xiang Ran’s cold demeanor over the past few days, so she didn’t mind.

After all, if she directly asked him out for a meal, the chances of rejection were 100%. But if she said they should eat together after working overtime, success was much more likely.

“No overtime today; I’ll finish the rest tomorrow.”

That was it—there would be no chance for lunch, or even to see each other the next day.

“Then tomorrow I…”

“There’s not much left. I can handle it myself.”

Xiang Ran cut off Han Lele before she could continue, shutting down the computer.

He then looked up to see Liu Shuyao standing at the door, though he didn’t know when she had arrived.

“Senior?”

“Mm.”

Liu Shuyao responded, her expression somewhat serious.

Han Lele thought perhaps they were behind schedule and she wanted to report.

But then Liu Shuyao walked directly into the small meeting room, speaking in a calm and businesslike tone.

“Xiang Ran, come in for a moment.”

Previous Chapter Next Chapter