C72

“... Huh?” Ji Mian was taken aback for a moment but quickly dismissed Xie Heng’s strange question.

He said, “We’re still in the classroom; the surveillance cameras are mounted on the walls. Are you sure you want to fight here?”

Xie Heng continued to stare at the hand resting on Han Ji’s waist, remaining silent.

Ji Mian felt that Han Ji had no intention of moving forward, so he slowly released his grip. “Xie Heng.”

“…” Xie Heng lifted his gaze.

“The next class is starting soon, and we need to change classrooms. Shall we go?”

Xie Heng’s tense arm muscles relaxed. “Mm.”

After he spoke, his fierce demeanor gradually faded, leaving only a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Xie Heng returned to his seat to grab his backpack.

The tension that had filled the room just seconds before vanished instantly. After getting their bags, Xie Heng approached Ji Mian, who was standing behind Han Ji, and said, “Let’s go,” his tone as flat as if there had never been any conflict with Han Ji.

Han Ji didn’t want to stir up trouble either; after all, getting into A University was not something anyone would risk. But feeling humiliated, he couldn’t help but mutter a few curses under his breath, giving off an amusing vibe of impotent rage.

“What suddenly made you confront Han Ji?” After leaving the classroom, Ji Mian asked, half complaining and half puzzled.

“…” Xie Heng didn’t answer.

He himself didn’t quite understand why he had been so impulsive; it felt out of character for him.

Ji Mian didn’t press further.

Xie Heng fell silent for half a minute, then asked Ji Mian the same question as before: “Why are you hugging him?”

Ji Mian was momentarily stunned, then he burst into laughter. Why was he still fixated on this question?

“What do you mean by ‘hug’? That sounds so awkward. I was just breaking up a fight…” he explained. “Han Ji isn’t that great of a person; if I hadn’t held him back, wouldn’t you have gotten hurt?”

“…”

“And,” Ji Mian continued, “I wouldn’t have been able to stop you anyway!”

Ji Mian was about the same size as Han Ji, but Xie Heng was tall and broad-shouldered, and he often exercised. Ji Mian was half a head shorter than him, making it difficult for him to restrain anyone.

After saying this, Ji Mian reached out and gestured around Xie Heng’s waist.

For a moment, Xie Heng thought Ji Mian was about to hug him, and his muscles tensed.

However, Ji Mian's arm only wavered around his waist briefly before retracting.

…

When they arrived at the classroom, they ran into Song Yu, who was coming out with a cup to fill with water.

At the moment their eyes met, Song Yu smiled a little awkwardly and greeted Ji Mian.

He walked around the two and headed to the water station.

From the moment Ji Mian spotted Song Yu, his eyes lit up, and even after Song Yu walked away, he turned his head to look back at him with reluctance.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, took off his backpack, and pulled out an empty cup from the side pocket.

“Heng Ge, I can’t thank you enough!”

Xie Heng hadn’t grasped the meaning of that statement when, in the next moment, he found a backpack in his hands.

Turning around, he saw Ji Mian had already chased after the slender figure of Song Yu, walking alongside him.

Xie Heng watched the two from behind for a few seconds before pulling his gaze away and taking the two backpacks into the classroom.

【Affection level +120, Contributor: Xie Heng.】

—

Aside from various final reports, the first-year students were also beginning to prepare for their final exams.

The first-year curriculum was the most extensive, and students were feeling overwhelmed by the upcoming finals week and the piles of handouts stacked high.

Xie Heng had a solid foundation and wasn’t too anxious as finals approached. Ji Mian, however, was different; he had neglected several courses after finishing them and had never thought of reviewing, leaving him on the verge of forgetting everything he learned throughout the semester.

Especially for the first exam of finals week, Microeconomics, the very class where Ji Mian had been privately criticized by He Zhi Kai as a “sycophant.” Now, all he remembered were the last two chapters of the textbook.

While eating in the cafeteria with Xie Heng, Ji Mian casually complained about having forgotten the earlier material.

“Let’s review together. If there’s anything you don’t understand, just ask me,” Xie Heng said.

Ji Mian was caught off guard. “Xie Heng, Heng Ge…”

“Mm?”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re like a reincarnated Bodhisattva?”

Xie Heng: “…”

Ji Mian genuinely believed Xie Heng might actually be a reincarnated Bodhisattva. First, he tirelessly brought Ji Mian breakfast every day, then let him cling to him for help with class assignments, and now he was even willing to tutor him for finals.

Xie Heng ignored Ji Mian’s rambling and asked, “No classes in the afternoon. Want to go to the library to study?”

“Sure. Is 3:30 okay?”

They had just finished eating, and it was barely 12:30. Resting for an hour and a half would mean they’d only be back around 2:00. 3:30 felt a little late.

Xie Heng replied, “It’s fine, but do you want to take a nap?”

“No, I can’t. We have our last class in business management tomorrow, and Wenbo needs to report. He’s worried about it, and I promised to help him check his PPT and script at lunch.”

Jia Wenbo’s group was scheduled to present in the last class.

Since the groups were formed, Jia Wenbo had chosen teammates who were all loners.

As a result, their group was composed entirely of socially anxious individuals, with Jia Wenbo being the one with the least anxiety.

Therefore, their group decided to select a presenter by rolling dice in their chat group, and unfortunately, Jia Wenbo rolled the highest number.

Xie Heng nodded.

Ji Mian said, “You can head to the library to study for a bit first. I’ll help Wenbo with his stuff and then come find you.”

“No need. I’ll just sleep with you.”

Xie Heng occasionally returned to the dorm, especially when he had no time to nap in his own rented room during busy lunch hours.

The two girls sitting at the adjacent table turned their heads suddenly, their eyes bright as light bulbs.

“……” Ji Mian kindly reminded, “Heng Ge, that’s ambiguous.”

Xie Heng pressed his lips together and corrected himself, “Take a nap.”

The brightness of the four light bulbs did not diminish, but to avoid awkwardness, the two girls quickly turned their gazes away.

Xie Heng followed Ji Mian back to the dorm.

Chen Xu was not in the dorm; he had gone to the library. After slacking off for an entire semester, he had to cram during finals week.

Only Jia Wenbo was in the dorm, sitting at his desk with his computer on, waiting eagerly for Ji Mian to return.

Xie Heng initially thought Ji Mian would just give Jia Wenbo a few tips on his presentation script.

However, to his surprise, Ji Mian took it very seriously and pointed out many illogical parts in the presentation, correcting them one by one.

Jia Wenbo practiced three times, improving rapidly under Ji Mian’s guidance.

“I think we’re almost there,” Ji Mian turned around and asked for Xie Heng’s opinion, “Ge, what do you think?”

Xie Heng stood up, took a rough look at the content, and said, “The system features are a bit lacking, but overall it’s acceptable.”

“If Heng Ge says it’s acceptable, then it’s acceptable!”

Ji Mian nudged Jia Wenbo’s shoulder playfully. Jia Wenbo smiled shyly in response.

Xie Heng observed the scene in silence.

This person truly treats everyone equally well.

Xie Heng’s fingers paused on the mouse as he suddenly realized: he was the same as Jia Wenbo and Chen Xu.

Ji Mian's kindness wasn’t just directed at him; he treated everyone the same.

From the first day he moved into the dorm, Xie Heng knew that the person living across from him was a busybody. But that thought suddenly became unusually clear at this moment and lingered in his mind.

He watched Ji Mian’s focused profile, his brow gradually furrowing.

So in this person’s eyes, was he really no different from anyone else?

Ji Mian sensed Xie Heng’s gaze and turned his head to meet his eyes.

He smiled at Xie Heng.

That bright smile and the glimmer of his earrings suddenly became glaringly noticeable to Xie Heng.

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