My Upperclassman Wants me to confess my feelings - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Wanting to Cry

The Mathematical Analysis teacher walked to the back row. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly spotted a student fast asleep.

His face darkened instantly, and he rapped the back of Yang Xing’s head directly with a book.

To his surprise, Yang Xing waved his hand dismissively and mumbled softly, “Don’t poke me! The teacher won’t come over here.”

“Heh heh.” The teacher let out a cold laugh, trying hard to recall exactly who this student was.

Why is someone laughing? Yang Xing jerked his head up. Seeing the Math Analysis teacher standing right in front of him, he scrambled to his feet and explained in a panic, “Te—Teacher, I’m not feeling well.”

The teacher adjusted his glasses again. “Is that so? I certainly couldn’t tell. Since you seem to have so much free time, I’ll help you sign up for the Mathematical Modeling Competition.”

Yang Xing waved his hands frantically. “Teacher! Please, no!”

…

After class, Yang Xing learned that Xia Xiaohan had been distracted during the lesson but received only concern in return. He felt indignant. “On what basis does the teacher get to discriminate like this?”

Ding Ming looked at Xia Xiaohan, who was walking ahead like she’d lost her soul, and said seriously, “Probably because when a top student is distracted, it’s considered excusable, but when a slacker sleeps, it’s just because they simply don’t want to listen to the lecture.”

Yang Xing let out an unsatisfied “Ow!” Just as he was about to call out to Xia Xiaohan, he noticed her walking with her head down. He stopped immediately and asked Ding Ming, “Is something going on with Xiaohan?”

“I don’t know. Let’s go ask.” Ding Ming walked up quickly.

After hearing Ding Ming’s question, Xia Xiaohan shook her head repeatedly, saying nothing was wrong and promising to keep up with daily self-study and work hard.

Since she put it that way, Ding Ming found it hard to press further. After all, the Mathematical Modeling Competition they were participating in was about to begin preparations.

…

For several days in a row, Ding Ming noticed that Xia Xiaohan arrived early and left late; several times, she hadn’t even left by nearly ten o’clock.

Truly worried, Ding Ming found some time and made an appointment with Cheng Wu.

In the cafe, there were many couples sitting around, but the moment Cheng Wu appeared, she still drew everyone’s attention.

When Cheng Wu walked over and sat opposite Ding Ming, the crowd’s gaze shifted to him, wondering: Who is this guy? How can he meet Cheng Wu privately?

Ding Ming didn’t care about his surroundings at all, but he certainly cared about Cheng Wu!

Opposite him, Cheng Wu wore a smile. With her legs crossed and her chin resting on one hand, she sized him up.

“Little brother, what do you want with me?”

Ding Ming gave two dry laughs. “It’s nothing much, really.” Inwardly, he found it strange—did she not know about Xiaohan’s state?

Cheng Wu teased him on purpose, her voice soft and seductive to the bone: “Then you just wanted to see me.”

Hearing this, Ding Ming didn’t dare waste any more words. He hurriedly asked, “Senior, Xiaohan seems to have something on her mind lately. Do you know why?”

As soon as he spoke, Cheng Wu’s eyes dimmed for a moment, but she quickly returned to normal, leaning back with a smile. “Why are you so concerned about her?”

A sense of strangeness surfaced in Ding Ming’s heart. Why does her tone sound a bit off?

He inexplicably thought of Yang Xing. Previously, when he had just casually asked about Bei Wenxin’s situation, Yang Xing had asked back somewhat jealously: “Why are you so concerned about her? Do you like her too?”

After a moment’s thought, Ding Ming concluded, “Senior, it seems you have something on your mind too.”

He didn’t spend much effort observing others, but Xia Xiaohan was one exception, and the daunting Senior Cheng Wu was another.

Cheng Wu covered her mouth and laughed. “You really are sharp-witted. Don’t worry, Xiaohan and I have some things that haven’t been cleared up yet. I’ll find an opportunity to have a good talk with her.”

Ding Ming breathed a long sigh of relief. “That’s good. I hope you do it quickly, Senior. The modeling competition is starting soon. Xiaohan is very talented; it’s best to handle personal matters as soon as possible.”

Cheng Wu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly: He came all this way to find me, and it was still about studying!

…

The weather grew colder and colder, and it had been raining intermittently for several days. Xia Xiaohan sat in the classroom, her hands and feet icy cold.

Her nose itched, and she let out a sneeze. Rubbing her nose, she was about to continue her calculations when she suddenly heard the sound of thin high heels in the hallway.

That sound was—

Looking up, she saw Cheng Wu appearing at the door, wearing a khaki windbreaker with a black silk scarf draped casually around her neck, carrying a paper bag in her hand.

Xia Xiaohan stood up abruptly, her heart a mix of joy and nervousness.

Ever since she had bolted out the door last time, she realized her head was filled with thoughts of her Senior. For some reason, since that day, she had been involuntarily avoiding her.

Yet, following that, she would lose focus in class, daze off during meals, and even abruptly mention her Senior while discussing problems with Ding Ming.

After thinking for several days, she vaguely sensed that her feelings for her Senior were different from how she felt about Ningning.

Cheng Wu walked over step by step, stopping in front of Xia Xiaohan. She took out a cup of hot milk tea and said, “Ding Ming told me you were still in the classroom. I passed by the tea shop and bought you a cup of Red Date Ginger Tea. If I remember correctly, today is the first day of your period.”

“How did the Senior know?” Xia Xiaohan’s heart ached with sweetness, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

Cheng Wu told her to sit down, inserted the straw for her, and pushed it over. “Drink it.”

The tears could no longer be held back and overflowed. Xia Xiaohan’s tensed heart finally collapsed. She lunged forward and hugged Cheng Wu, resting her chin on Cheng Wu’s shoulder, sobbing, “Senior, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve been thinking about you constantly these past few days, but I feel like I shouldn’t be thinking about you like this.”

Listening to Xiaohan’s innocent yet sincere words, Cheng Wu felt as if a knife had pierced her heart; the pain made her want to cry too.

Gently stroking the back of Xiaohan’s head, Cheng Wu suppressed her heartache and said softly, “You can think of me like that. Every single day.”

The heart that had been suspended finally settled. Xia Xiaohan slowly let go of Cheng Wu. Though tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, she was already smiling. “If Senior says I can, then I’m relieved.”

Cheng Wu touched her hand and found it freezing. She picked up the milk tea. “Hold this to warm your hands.”

“I don’t want this. The senior’s hands are very warm.” Xia Xiaohan bit her lip, turning her hand over to grip Cheng Wu’s hand tightly without letting go.

“That works too.” Cheng Wu’s eyes glowed with a warm light, and her voice became soft and tender. “But you’re wearing too little. Wrap this around you first.”

Cheng Wu let go of her hands, pulled off the black silk scarf, and wrapped it around Xia Xiaohan’s neck, tying it into a butterfly bow before holding her hands again.

The smooth silk scarf still carried the Senior’s warmth. Xia Xiaohan felt a secret joy.

Seeing Cheng Wu’s fair neck exposed, she became worried. “Then isn’t Senior cold?”

Cheng Wu looked at Xia Xiaohan’s thin frame and feigned a sigh. “I’m much fatter than you, covered in meat. I’m not cold at all.”

“Senior isn’t fat at all! You clearly have the best figure!” Xia Xiaohan argued back immediately.

Seeing her Senior pursing her lips to hold back a smile, she took her Senior’s hand and placed it on her own waist. “Senior! Feel for yourself! My waist is about the same as yours!”

Cheng Wu nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, about the same as mine.”

But in her heart, she thought: Xiaohan’s waist looks thin, but there’s actually a bit of soft flesh there.

Once her hands were warm, Xia Xiaohan felt embarrassed to keep holding her Senior’s hand. She turned around to drink the milk tea.

Inadvertently, she caught a glimpse of a pair of eyes through the hallway window. It startled her so much she stood up instantly. “Who is outside?”

Cheng Wu’s smile vanished. She turned to look, but there was nothing outside the window.

However, immediately after, the sound of footsteps appeared in the hallway, receding rapidly, as the motion-sensor lights turned on one after another.

The two went out to the hallway and found a cup of hot milk tea sitting on the 1.5-meter-high window ledge.

Cheng Wu picked it up and looked; the label read “Lava Egg Custard,” her favorite.

Looking toward the end of the corridor, Cheng Wu’s brow gradually furrowed. She seemed to know who it was.