Green Tea Top Student Falls in Love with Me - Chapter 45

Monday.

Having just spent a joyful weekend, the students were filled with a powerful sense of resistance toward Monday. The early self-study period, which should have been lively, was deathly quiet, save for the occasional English word or a few lines of ancient poetry.

Shi Wangui lay slumped on her desk, looking lifeless as she murmured, “Wen Youren… Wen Youren! Wen Youren.”

“What is it?” Wen Youren asked.

“Why do you like me?” Shi Wangui asked.

Since the birthday, she felt their relationship had definitely reached a new level, but she still had doubts. Why did she like Wen Youren, and why did Wen Youren like her back?

She had thought about it deeply, and her best explanation was Wen Youren’s day-after-day care: from clarifying things for her at the start, to cooking for her, to the constant concern. In short, she had accidentally charmed herself.

Wen Youren set down her pen, narrowed her eyes, and answered seriously, “The very first time I saw you, I knew you were cursing me in your head. But I also noticed you stole several glances at me. How does that not count as picking me out early?”

…Those glances were me looking for a chance to hit you when no one was watching! I definitely wasn’t checking you out!

Back then, Shi Wangui didn’t even understand love, let alone the possibility of liking a girl.

Shi Wangui widened her almond-shaped eyes. Her pupils were quite dark, making her look like a teased doll. “How shameless.”

Wen Youren chuckled. “If you say so.”

Self-study was boring and half the class was drifting off. The classroom was too quiet, and Shi Wangui felt mischievous. She grabbed Wen Youren by the collar and pulled her close to her face. With her eyes curving into crescents, she smiled and said, “I have the honor to inform you: you’re finished. I’ve taken a liking to you.”

Wen Youren lowered her gaze and leaned in even closer. “The honor is entirely mine!”

“Tell me, what do you think Shi Qin and Wen Yiyue would do if they found out about us?” Shi Wangui asked curiously.

Suddenly, the quiet classroom erupted into noise. The faint murmurs turned into loud reading; students sat up straight and held their books high. The reason: the homeroom teacher was standing at the door.

Shi Wangui noticed and instinctively sat up. This isn’t like me. It must be because Teacher Wang is too strict! At Teacher Wang’s house, her eyes followed you everywhere; you couldn’t even daydream.

The teacher took one look and left, and the class immediately deflated. Wen Youren finally answered, “I don’t know, but they would probably disown us.”

“Sigh.” Shi Wangui noticed a logical flaw. “To the outside world, aren’t we legally family? Then what does that make us…?”

“We’re a ‘household couple,'” Wen Youren said.

Legally, they had no relation. Their parents weren’t married, and they shared no blood. But in reality, who would know their parents hadn’t registered the marriage? Everyone just knew they had a wedding and were a blended family. You never know how people will describe you.

Shi Wangui nodded. “You’re a genius.” Then she asked, “Do you think they know we’re back? What are they up to? When should we sneak home for a bit?”

Now that they had Wen Youren’s small apartment, she needed to retrieve her mother’s things. If her father and Wen Yiyue suddenly decided to turn her room into a study or a greenhouse and found them, it would be trouble.

“This weekend,” Wen Youren thought for a moment. “It’s her birthday this weekend. Your father will definitely take her out to celebrate.”

That date was something Wen Youren hated to mention, yet she remembered it perfectly. In the past, Wen Yiyue’s birthday was the only day she could enjoy a real life. On that day, Wen Yiyue wouldn’t be home, and the house would belong to her alone.

“Deal!”

Just as Shi Wangui finished, the bell rang. Group leaders began collecting homework, and the classroom instantly became noisy.

Sun Yi was the first to turn around. “What were you two whispering about all through self-study?”

All morning, her ears had been filled with their muffled voices. She couldn’t hear clearly enough to eavesdrop, but the constant bird-like chirping was driving her crazy.

Shi Wangui laughed. “Talking about major life events.”

Sun Yi: “Whatever. You want hot water? Wang Hu and I are going to fill our bottles. Want us to take yours?”

Shi Wangui immediately stood up and handed over her and Wen Youren’s cups. “Thanks!”

Wen Youren started to reach out to take them back as Sun Yi and Wang Hu walked off without looking back. “I could have just gone for us.”

“Why?” Shi Wangui didn’t see the big deal. Filling water for each other was normal; whoever got thirsty first took everyone’s bottles. “We’ll just help them next time.”

“Alright.”

Shi Wangui frowned as she thought about it. The more she pondered, the more she felt something was off. “I feel like you’ve changed.”

“Changed?” Wen Youren replied in her cool voice. “I haven’t.”

Shi Wangui didn’t believe it. Before, Wen Youren didn’t talk much and studied all day, but she would still be witty and join in their teasing. Now, she spoke even less. Except for Shi Wangui, she barely spoke to anyone else and seemed to avoid bothering people.

She had mentioned taking Shi Wangui to meet her friends, but it kept getting delayed. What kind of person was Wen Youren, really?

Shi Wangui suddenly felt she had been very casual, falling for someone without fully understanding them. Yet, looking back, every step of their journey was intertwined with their feelings.

“We’re really meeting your friends this Saturday, right?” Shi Wangui asked. “Try to talk a bit more. My friends are your friends too.”

Although Sun Yi was hostile to her at first, that was just a misunderstanding. No one could have predicted a mother would treat her daughter like that. If Shi Wangui’s mother were alive and her father were the one gone, her life would be entirely different.

Wen Youren smiled. “Okay.”

“A-Wan.” After a moment, Wen Youren couldn’t help herself. “Would you hate my friends?”

Shi Wangui shook her head. “Why would I?”

“What if they are bad people?”

Shi Wangui directly sat on Wen Youren’s lap, looking down into her amber eyes. She laughed. “In my heart, you aren’t exactly a ‘good’ person either. So if they really are bad, I won’t find it strange.”

Their gazes locked. The surrounding world felt like shattering glass; all she could hear was the thump-thump of their hearts and the slight heat rising in her face.

“Besides, I’m no saint either. I fight, skip class, curse… I do it all. You know that. Do you hate me?” Shi Wangui suddenly felt nervous.

Shi Wangui swung her legs playfully. To make her more comfortable, Wen Youren leaned her head back against the chair. They stared at each other as sunlight from the back door cast shadows across them.

“Actually, my friends just look scary. They’re good people. You don’t need to fear them,” Wen Youren said.

“How scary can they be? Do they have fangs? Seven heads and six arms?”

Wen Youren was amused by her. “It’s not quite that extreme.”

“I bet it’s not that they’re busy; it’s that you don’t want to introduce me,” Shi Wangui teased. She wouldn’t have thought much of it, but Wen Youren’s phrasing made her wonder.

Wen Youren stroked the ends of her hair. “I’m not lying to you this time. They really were busy, but we’ve made plans for this Saturday.” She shifted the subject. “By the way, why do you hate Xu Qingnan so much?”

“Huh?” Shi Wangui didn’t understand the sudden change in topic. “That guy isn’t human. He’s notorious. You weren’t a student here before, so you didn’t know. He constantly cheats and hits women. That’s why I dislike him.”

Wen Youren had heard bits of this later but didn’t know the details. Of Shi Wangui’s two friends, one was a quiet student, and Sun Yi—though she acted tough—only did it for her friends and never did anything truly bad. Shi Wangui clearly didn’t think Xu Qingnan was a good match.

“What are you two doing in broad daylight?” Sun Yi returned with the water to see Shi Wangui sitting on Wen Youren’s lap, her back to them and her legs swinging.

Shi Wangui talked nonsense: “Studying.”

Sun Yi: “I’d have to be a ghost to believe you.”

Shi Wangui: “Greetings, Ghost Princess!”

Wang Hu: “Hahaha!”

Sun Yi’s face darkened. “What are you laughing at?”

Wang Hu shut up. It’s a free country, can’t a man even laugh?

“Anyway, Wanwan, the teacher won’t be here for evening self-study today. Should we…?”

Sun Yi’s intel was always accurate. She had heard the teacher had things to do and would leave in the afternoon. They wanted to get up to some mischief.

Shi Wangui peeked around. “With them?”

Wang Hu usually didn’t follow them out, but things were different now. His grades were up, and since he was with the top-ranked Wen Youren, his mother would only praise him for being smart enough to hang out with the best student.

Wen Youren tilted her head. “Do what?”

Shi Wangui smiled. “Take you guys to see a movie.”

They’d go to Sun Yi’s little “secret room.” Usually, no one went there, though she still didn’t know how Wen Youren had found it that one time. Shi Wangui and Sun Yi used to go there to buy snacks, use the projector, and watch movies.

Wen Youren reminded them, “The four of us sit together. If four seats are suddenly empty, don’t you think a passing teacher will be curious?”

“Oh, right.” Sun Yi realized she was right. Usually, only two of them slipped out, and they sat far apart, so it was harder to notice. “Class Rep!”

The girl in the front row turned around immediately. “What?”

Sun Yi ran over, whispered a few words, then ran to the sports rep and whispered some more. She returned looking triumphant.

“Alright, I’ve talked to them. They’ll come sit in our seats later.”

Shi Wangui: “Nice! It’s a date then. I’ll go back to the dorm at noon to get the projector. We’ll buy snacks in the afternoon?”

“OK!” Sun Yi flashed a sign. “Wang Hu and I will get the food, you get the drinks. We run after the first break!”

Support