It Seems Like My Senior Seems to Like Me - Chapter 9

The college sports meet recruited plenty of fresh blood from the freshmen and sophomores to train for the university-wide sports meet two weeks later.

Every afternoon after class, Ye Wanjia would head to the high jump area on the south side of the track field for training. Besides her, there were two others. One was Han Lu, who had placed 6th last year.

And the other—last year’s champion, Pei Suye.

“Champion, huh…” Ye Wanjia sighed with admiration. “Why is it that outstanding people are good at absolutely everything?”

Top grades, eloquence, fluent English, studied abroad—and now she’s even great at sports.

Han Lu, who was drinking water, choked a little. “That’s only because you’ve never heard her sing.”

“Her singing isn’t good?”

With such a gentle voice, she should sound amazing singing slow songs, right?

Han Lu chuckled. “If you want to live long and well, never listen to Old Pei sing. Once, at a student council dinner in KTV, she—”

Han Lu was in full swing when a warm voice came from behind:

“—What about me?”

It was Pei Suye.

She had dressed lightly for training today: a white short-sleeved T-shirt with slim-waisted cut, paired with charcoal-gray track pants. The fit revealed her enviable proportions. Her ashy-brown hair was tied into a low ponytail, looking fresh and effortless.

Han Lu stiffened, quickly forcing a smile as she turned around. “Hehe, I was just saying—the milk tea you treated us to last time was so good, I still remember it now!”

Pei Suye, seeing through it but choosing not to expose her, set her shoulder bag on the mat. “Glad you liked it. I’ll order from the same place next time.”

She pulled out two bottles of drinks from her bag and handed one each to Han Lu and Ye Wanjia.

Han Lu squealed with delight, clutching hers. “It’s the brand my idol endorses! Old Pei, you’re so thoughtful!”

Pei Suye paused, her gaze carrying a trace of helplessness. “This sparkling water brand just tastes really good.”

Catching the undertone, Han Lu teased, “So, you didn’t buy it specially for me?”

Pei Suye smiled reassuringly. “You can think of it that way if you’d like.”

Han Lu groaned dramatically. “So heartless! Our bond has faded. Once upon a time, when this concubine first entered the palace, how much favor and glory I enjoyed… Who would have thought I’d end up like this, wuwuwu…”

The two bantered happily while, on the side, Ye Wanjia quietly held her own bottle of sparkling water.

The slim, tall bottle was perfectly sized for girls’ hands. Its pale pink striped label was soft in tone, and the “Peach Flavor” printed in the corner stood out vividly.

So it was just bought casually?

A little bead dropped into her heart’s abacus, tinged with disappointment.

She had thought—Pei Suye must’ve known she liked peach-flavored drinks, so she gave Han Lu the pineapple one and specially reserved peach for her.

But no. Just coincidence.

Then again, it made sense.

She and Pei Suye had only met a few times, hadn’t even added each other on WeChat. Normally she was frugal, drinking mostly the free water from the dispenser, rarely buying drinks. How could Pei Suye possibly know her preference?

Thinking this way, her mood lifted again—after all, out of six possible flavors, she had gotten peach, and it had been handed to her personally. Wasn’t that a kind of fate too?

Han Lu had an evening class, so she left after a bit of training. That left only Ye Wanjia and Pei Suye.

It was around six in the evening, close to sunset. On the west side of Nanzhou University stood low buildings, and the slanting sun shone through tall dawn redwoods, filtering into beams of dusky gold. The scene lent the lively track field a gentle, poetic aura—like a beauty loosening her hairpin, dark silk flowing down in a cascade fragrant with its own scent.

This was the first time she and Pei Suye were alone. No Wei Xiaoxiao, no student council—just the two of them.

Her heartbeat quickened unconsciously. Fingers tightened slightly around the bottle, and the corners of her lips curved upward in secret.

She sneaked a glance. Pei Suye’s tall figure was crouched down, tying her shoelaces. Her ashy-brown ponytail draped across her back, strands softly curled like scattered pearls glistening on a beach.

“Love’s first step is to take the initiative.”

That was Wei Xiaoxiao’s advice to her.

Yes, she needed to be proactive. She tapped her thumbnail against her forefinger twice, gathering courage, and tried to sound casual:

“President, I heard you won first place in the sports meet last year.”

Looking up from her shoelaces, Pei Suye gave her a faint smile. “Mm. Just lucky. I usually can’t jump that high in training.”

Ye Wanjia continued, “So, how high did you jump?”

Pei Suye stood. “One meter fifty.”

“One-fifty!”

Ye Wanjia gawked, eyes wide like grapes. She imagined the height, lifted her hand to her nose bridge, palm flat, and exclaimed,

“Isn’t it about this high?”

Pei Suye turned just in time to see her hand leveled above her nose, her clear eyes sparkling like stained glass lit from within.

Raising her own hand, Pei Suye gently pinched that thin palm between her fingers, guiding it lower until it hovered before her lips. Warmth spread through their touch—soft, tender.

Buzz—

Like temple bells ringing in late spring, a hum resonated in Ye Wanjia’s ears. The world around her seemed to blur under the glow of the sunset. Pei Suye’s smile felt dreamlike, unreal.

Her mind swam. The tingling warmth from her hand spread up her arm like liquid fire.

Pei Suye—this person admired by the entire college, even the whole university—had not only given her water and smiled at her, but touched her hand.

In the haze, her ears caught Pei Suye’s voice:

“About this high.”

She blinked, lowering her gaze, realizing—

It was just to correct her measurement.

Ye Wanjia, you’re being delusional again.

Silently chiding herself, she steadied her emotions and walked toward the high jump bar.

Wei Xiaoxiao’s words—“Be proactive, be proactive”—echoed endlessly in her ears. Taking a deep breath, she asked:

“Then, Senior… can you teach me?”

Pei Suye nodded. “Of course. Have you tried the Fosbury flop before?”

“The Fosbury flop?”

“Yes. When you take off, your back faces the bar. As you go over, your body arches backward and your legs kick up. Then you land on your back on the mat.”

“I’ve seen it on TV, in the Olympics. But I’ve never tried. The college meet was my first time doing high jump at all.”

Pei Suye adjusted the bar to 1.3 meters and led her to the approach area.

“No problem. You’ve got gymnastics background—you’ll pick it up quickly.”

Her encouragement gave Ye Wanjia courage. “Then… can you demonstrate once?”

To see Pei Suye jump in person, in a private lesson no less—what a jackpot!

But Pei Suye didn’t immediately agree.

“I can, but only if you promise me one thing.”

Ye Wanjia froze, fiddling nervously with her shirt hem—her usual habit when anxious.

“What condition? Just say it, President.”

Seeing her so tense, Pei Suye chuckled helplessly.

“Don’t call me President anymore. It makes me feel a generation older. I’m in Class 213, you’re 233—we’re from the same cohort. Just call me Senior.”

So that was it.

The weight in her chest fell away. Ye Wanjia broke into a bright smile, radiant under the golden sunset.

“Alright, Senior.”

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