It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 54

That year, Ye Wanjia was 19, and Pei Suye was 21. Their birthdays were only a short step apart, and each had walked into the other’s birthday wish.

By the end of June, the semester was wrapping up. For first-year students, Organic Chemistry and Animal Anatomy were the two major courses—both difficult, with strict grading, and carrying heavy credit weight.

To compete for the National Scholarship, Ye Wanjia had to reach the top three in her major. Based on her current grades, she still needed to surpass at least ten people.

In other words, for these two notoriously tough courses—where most students failed and the average score hovered around 70—she needed at least a 90.

“Ugh, I’m dead—”

In dorm 617, Wei Xiaoxiao clutched her organic chemistry textbook, her bangs stuck to her forehead, eyes lifeless, looking utterly miserable.

“What the heck is all this carboxyl-hydroxyl spaghetti chicken! I can’t memorize it!”

Ye Wanjia carefully rewrote the reaction on paper.
“Xiaoxiao, don’t lose heart. This is actually pretty simple. Look, this one loses an H, that one loses an OH, and together they form H₂O. Then the two bond with each other.”

Wei Xiaoxiao stared at the mess of symbols, desperately trying to find some clue, even a flicker of familiarity, but came up empty. She sighed and muttered,

“Ye Wanjia, now you know how pitiful us physics-bio students are… I never studied chemistry, boohoo—”

In Jiang shiyu, students only needed to choose three sciences for the college entrance exam. Physics-biology students only had to take chemistry once in the basic proficiency test, which was far easier than the actual exam. Even though Wei Xiaoxiao worked hard during her repeat year, chemistry had always been a locked door for her.

When Jiang Shiyu returned, she found Wei Xiaoxiao clinging to Ye Wanjia, crying her eyes out.

The door opened, and Ye Wanjia—sitting right across—saw the uniformed figure in the doorway. She immediately raised both hands, smiling innocently, silently declaring: I did nothing wrong, pure and clean.

Jiang Shiyu’s eyelid twitched, but Wei Xiaoxiao, unaware of the presence behind her, continued to complain,

“It’s all Xiao Yu’s fault! Rotten Jiang Shiyu! If it weren’t for being her girlfriend, I’d just fail and be done with it! But now I have to study hard, and not fail, and it’s just awful!”

Jiang Shiyu shut the door. The usually cool and indifferent top student’s face twitched slightly. She dropped her schoolbag onto the desk with a heavy thud, loud enough to remind a certain someone still wailing.

“Hmm?”

Wei Xiaoxiao, startled by the noise, turned around to see the culprit. Her tear-roughened voice croaked,

“You’re back? … You’re not here to drag me to the library, are you? I’m telling you, even though today’s Wednesday, I still studied in the dorm!”

The two had agreed to study in the library every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For love’s sake, Wei Xiaoxiao had never skipped a day. But today, overwhelmed with negativity, she asked Ye Wanjia to tutor her in the dorm instead.

Ye Wanjia chimed in to help,
“Yeah, Xiaoxiao’s been working really hard. She can even count chemical bonds now.”

Wei Xiaoxiao puffed herself up,
“Exactly! I don’t want to go with you to the library anymore. I can’t say a word, can’t ask a question, suffocating! Even if I fail, I’m not going! Ye Wanjia’s not like you—she teaches me from the basics, and I’m improving fast! Even if you carry me there in a bridal sedan, I won’t go with you again!”

She spilled her frustrations triumphantly. Jiang Shiyu didn’t argue, didn’t even flinch. Calm as ever, she pulled out a thick stack of freshly bound A4 paper from her bag.

“This is for you.”

Wei Xiaoxiao was still slouching with crossed legs, head tilted back. She caught the faint smell of fresh printer ink, her expression froze mid-complaint. Without moving her head, her eyes lowered to the plain cover page—

“Wei Xiaoxiao’s Personalized Question Bank.”

Her angry tone softened a little.
“What’s this?”

Jiang Shiyu’s face remained calm, emotionless. Everything in her mind followed formulas, proceeding with methodical precision.

“Your foundation is weak. You can’t blindly do random problems.”

Realization dawned. Wei Xiaoxiao hastily wiped her tears, sprang up, and snatched the thick stack of hand-prepared materials. She flipped page after page, her disbelief growing stronger.

“S-so these past days, when you were buried in your computer, you weren’t ignoring me because I’m stupid… you were making this for me?”

Jiang Shiyu adjusted her silver-rimmed glasses.
“Mm.”

Then she added, almost comfortingly,
“You’re not stupid. You just don’t have a solid foundation.”

From the mouth of the top student, “You’re not stupid” was nothing short of salvation.

Ye Wanjia sneaked a glance at the first page.
“Xiaoxiao, Xiao Yu is so thoughtful! These problems are perfect for you, and look—the last pages even summarize all the key points. She’s treating you so well.”

That was enough. Wei Xiaoxiao was pulled right back into the whirlpool of love. She hugged Jiang Shiyu tight and planted a hard kiss on her cheek.
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll study hard! I’ll definitely score over 60!”

Jiang Shiyu, however, killed the mood:
“Finish this packet, and you must score at least 80.”

Wei Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened.
“…Fine, maybe I don’t like you that much after all.”

Beside them, Ye Wanjia leaned forward, cautiously volunteering,

“Um, Xiao Yu, could I join you two for review tomorrow? There are some things I’d like to ask you about too.”

Although she usually worked hard, juggling student council duties and part-time jobs drained her energy. Compared to Jiang Shiyu, she was still far behind.

Jiang Shiyu was about to refuse—after all, in her mind’s formula, whenever Wei Xiaoxiao solved a tough problem, the reward was a fierce kiss.

But Wei Xiaoxiao jumped in first:
“Of course she can! This exam is super important for you. Xiao Yu and I will have your back, right, Xiao Yu?”

And so, the unbending top student bowed to love.

“…Right.”

That period, Ye Wanjia woke up at 6 every morning to grab seats on the rooftop of the teaching building. The light there was good, and they could talk freely—perfect for asking Jiang Shiyu questions during review.

The three of them studied together, lively and cheerful. With one more person, there was also more accountability.

But someone else couldn’t help but feel… left out.

“Tomorrow again, studying with that little couple?”

One evening over dinner, Pei Suye’s usually calm face finally betrayed a ripple.

“Mm.” Ye Wanjia shoveled rice as if her life depended on it. “Xiao Yu knows everything, even highlights the key points. Better than the teachers, honestly.”

“Well…”

Pei Suye paused, then slid a piece of sweet-and-sour pork from her tray into Ye Wanjia’s bowl.

“My anatomy isn’t bad either.”

“Huh? Really?” Ye Wanjia didn’t catch the undertone. “What was your score?”

“92.”

“Wow, that’s super high!” Her eyes lit up. “You worked so hard as a freshman?”

“Of course. Back then, the student council didn’t keep me busy, so I just focused on studying.”
She slowed her speech deliberately, adding with emphasis,
“I still have my review notes from that time.”

Step by step, Ye Wanjia walked straight into the trap.
“Can I borrow them?”

“You can. But tomorrow, you’ll have to come study with me.”

“Eh? But I already promised Xiao Yu and the others…”

“Then too bad. My notes are exclusive. Not for outsiders.”

“Uhh… fine, then I’ll go with you tomorrow. At least I won’t feel like a third wheel to the couple.”

At that, Pei Suye finally relaxed, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, doting,

“Mm. Eat up.”

“Okay!” Ye Wanjia happily dug into the sweet-and-sour pork. But as she chewed, her movements slowed. She glanced up at Pei Suye, her eyes probing, and after a long moment of hesitation, she asked cautiously,

“Wait… are you… jealous?”

Pei Suye froze for half a second, hiding her fleeting unease. She answered smoothly,

“Jealousy is a sign of immaturity.”

Ye Wanjia wasn’t convinced.
“Really?”

Ahem. Pei Suye cleared her throat, then explained,
“I just think, although Jiang Shiyu has good grades, her understanding of this subject can’t match that of a third-year student. And besides—I’m your girlfriend. If you need tutoring, you should come to me.”

If the first part was a serious explanation, that last sentence completely exposed her true feelings.

Ye Wanjia bit her chopsticks, lowering her head, but her trembling shoulders gave her away—she was trying not to laugh.

Finally, Pei Suye gave up the act.

“…Fine, I admit it. I was jealous.”

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