It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 66

By then it was already night.
Davis was just a small town, and after dark the streetlamps were sparse, their light faint and shallow.

Time was tight, so Ye Wanjia only packed the clothes and daily necessities she needed. One suitcase, plus a carry-on bag.

The police kept watch on the side, not allowing Pei Suye to enter the dorm. Only after Ye Wanjia finished packing did she help her carry the heavier suitcase.

As they passed by the female officer, she was stopped.

“Sorry for being nosy, little girl, but if your boyfriend has violent tendencies, leave him early.”
The officer’s gaze fell on the scab on Pei Suye’s lips, her eyes full of warning. “Don’t ever fall into a love trap.”

“Hm?” Pei Suye froze for a moment, then followed her gaze down to her lips. Understanding dawned, and she quickly explained:
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Beside her, the true culprit Ye Wanjia lowered her head, not daring to meet the officer’s eyes.

Since Pei Suye didn’t admit anything, the police became even more convinced something had happened and pressed further:

“Don’t tell me you’re going to say that the injury on your mouth was caused by a pet bite?”

Pei Suye looked awkward. “No.”

“Then it was your boyfriend?”

“…Sort of?”

The officer immediately wore the look of someone who had solved a case and warned earnestly:
“‘Sort of’ means not yet. While it’s still not official, hurry and run. I don’t want to deal with another case of a girl beaten by her boyfriend into the hospital.”

She shook her head as she sighed, muttering “so scared.” Then her gaze swept toward Ye Wanjia—

“You two are friends, aren’t you? Then you should watch out for each other.”

Ye Wanjia kept her head lowered the whole time, eyes fixed on the cracks between the wooden floorboards, wishing she could crawl into them. She mumbled a quick reply, grabbed her carry-on, and bolted outside.

Behind her, Pei Suye shot the officer a look of gratitude.
“Alright, thank you. She’ll keep an eye on me.”

It was nine in the evening. The night was silent.

Click!

The headlights flicked on, illuminating the long road ahead.

When Pei Suye got into the car, Ye Wanjia was already sitting obediently in the passenger seat.

By all logic, since she wanted to avoid Pei Suye, she should have sat in the back. But she hadn’t. It wasn’t that she wanted to suggest rekindling old feelings—rather, it was that her upbringing had ingrained in her that when riding in a friend’s car, you couldn’t sit in the back.

That was basic courtesy. If the passenger seat was empty, the driver ceased being a friend and became nothing more than a chauffeur.

Pei Suye noticed and felt a warm ripple in her heart. At least, to Ye Wanjia, she wasn’t a stranger yet.

“Ye Wanjia.”

Sliding into her seat, she turned on the air conditioning, set the fan speed to maximum, then glanced at the half-human-sized carry-on Ye Wanjia clutched tightly, which hid her face completely.

“Put the bag in the back.”

“I’m fine holding it,” Ye Wanjia muttered softly, not wanting to speak more.

“There’s plenty of room in the back.”

“It’s fine.”

Pei Suye looked at her, but her line of sight was cut off by the oversized bag. Helpless, she reminded her:

“You can’t buckle your seatbelt like that.”

No choice. Ye Wanjia finally gave up her shield, tossing the carry-on bag into the backseat.

Click!

She quickly snapped on the seatbelt, then just as quickly turned her face toward the window. Her back was rigid, neck stiff, the entire process taking barely a second—like she was running from something.

Running from what?

Fastening her own seatbelt, Pei Suye thought silently. She stole a glance sideways, only to see the neat back of her head. Not daring to stare too openly, she quietly looked away.

Thud! Vroom…

The car engine roared to life, its heavy mechanical rumble filling the night. Pei Suye shifted her posture, edging forward slightly. While pressing the gas pedal, she turned her head again for a look.

This time, she caught sight of the bright red flush hidden beneath her black hair—the tips of Ye Wanjia’s ears, burning hot.

The private car slowly rolled forward. Along with the road opening ahead, her thoughts too began to flow. She recalled the female officer’s frustrated expression, and her words when she saw the wound on her lips—

“So scared!”

Her lips curled upward in a smile where Ye Wanjia couldn’t see, sweet as could be, adding a touch of radiance to the silver moonlit night.

Her little Leaf was still the same—face flaming red when embarrassed, the blush climbing all the way to her ears. If she got caught, she’d cover her face with both hands, then, flustered and angry, cover Pei Suye’s eyes, not letting her see.

So cute.

At a red light, the car stopped for thirty seconds. Her eyes darted for another glance.

Her hairstyle had changed—still loose, but combed more to one side. The ears that used to peek faintly through her hair were now completely hidden.

Trying to hide it—making her even cuter.

The red car drove along the winding road of the small town, like a zipper long separated, slowly sealing two halves of a chain back together, tooth by tooth.

Pei Suye’s dorm was about ten minutes away, also on the second floor—but she lived alone.

“My roommate graduated earlier this year. She’s now teaching here in Davis.”

Carrying the heavy suitcase as if it were nothing, Pei Suye nimbly pressed her fingerprint on the lock at the stairwell, opened the door, and flicked on the light, letting Ye Wanjia walk ahead.

“No one lives downstairs either, so the whole building’s just me.”

“Mm.”

The flush on Ye Wanjia’s face had faded. Her shoulder-length hair was tied back with a band, a strand falling along her cheek. Her voice wasn’t warm, but it wasn’t cold either:

“Sorry to bother you for a few days. Once the dorms are sorted, I’ll move back.”

Pei Suye’s eyes lowered, her steps slowing. “Actually, you can stay longer. No one else lives here anyway. The rooms would just be empty.”

Carrying her oversized bag in both arms, her vision blocked, Ye Wanjia could only feel her way up step by step.

“No need. Besides, after what happened, Alma definitely won’t dare stay alone.”

Following behind her, suitcase in hand, Pei Suye showed no sign of strain, as though she had endless strength.

Or maybe, she had just learned something exhilarating.

“Ms. Li said she’ll take Alma in.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“She just called me. Since your old dorm isn’t safe anymore, even if you wanted to go back, the supervisors won’t allow it.”

They were talking as they reached the second floor. At the door, Ye Wanjia stepped aside, making space for the lock, her expression calm and restrained.

“Even so, the lab definitely has spare rooms. There’s no reason I have to live with you.”

The door opened. Ye Wanjia set her bag down on the sofa, exhaled, then turned around and looked directly at Pei Suye, firm and clear:

“And besides—you and I, right now, are only schoolmates. Nothing more.”

Pei Suye’s brows twitched. She gave a bitter smile, about to reply, when Ye Wanjia’s phone rang—

It was Alma.

“Hi, Alma. How are you now?”

Her voice was full of concern, so much so that she didn’t notice her hand trembling from carrying luggage earlier. When she tapped the screen, she accidentally pressed “speaker.”

And so Alma’s earth-shaking Guangxi accent thundered out from the phone—

“I heard you moved in with your girlfriend!”

Boom—

Ye Wanjia felt like lightning struck her brain, frying it black. Startled, she jumped on the spot, quickly switched off speaker, and snapped in embarrassment:

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

Across from her, Pei Suye had heard every word. The suitcase was still in her hands—neither placed down nor lifted properly—her normally composed demeanor stumbling into clumsy hesitation for the first time in her life.

Caught between advance and retreat, she glimpsed a crack of light through the valley—

Perhaps, between them, things weren’t beyond saving after all.

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