My Upperclassman Wants me to confess my feelings - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Playing Hard to Get

At the rear side entrance of the restaurant, Cheng Wu and Zhou Rui chased out one after the other. Looking left and right, they saw no sign of Xia Xiaohan.

Cheng Wu took out her phone to call her, but Zhou Rui remembered something and stopped her. “Let her calm down. If she’s okay, she’ll send us a message in about ten minutes.”

“Alright then.” Cheng Wu lowered her hand, pinched the bridge of her nose, and said regretfully, “I shouldn’t have pushed her.”

With a ding-dong, Zhou Rui received a message from Xia Xiaohan: Brother, I’m sorry. Please take good care of Senior and the others. I’m heading back to school by myself first.

Just as Cheng Wu was about to ask what she said, her own phone vibrated. Opening it, she saw that Xiaohan had sent her a real-time location.

On the map, the distance between the two of them was slowly widening; the direction indicated the bus station. Cheng Wu felt at ease. Xiaohan didn’t want to face her, but she didn’t want her to worry either, so she sent her location to provide peace of mind.

With one person gone, the meal finished exceptionally quickly. Afterward, everyone returned to school together. On the way, Ningning was furious and insisted on giving Luo Xu a beating, but fortunately, Zhao Ru held her back.

…

Back at school, Xia Xiaohan walked aimlessly. Unknowingly, she found herself at the base of the Management Department building. Since it was the weekend, very few students were coming and going. For some reason, as if possessed, she walked inside and reached the back door of the Management Department auditorium.

Both the front and back doors were open. About a dozen students were on stage rehearsing. A Christmas tree stood on stage, adorned with green and silver garlands, twinkling fairy lights, and various Christmas-themed cards.

Calculating the time, she realized she had been at Jiang University for nearly half a year—and had known her Senior for just as long. Xiaohan walked in and sat in the very last row. Without the lights on, she blended perfectly into the darkness.

The scene before her gradually faded, replaced by a memory of the Freshman Welcome Party. Her Senior stood under the spotlight, beautiful and elegant, capturing everyone’s gaze. After rejecting Fan Jia, her Senior confessed publicly and even kissed her on the cheek.

Xiaohan raised her hand to touch the spot where her Senior had kissed her, unable to help but smile.

At the back door, Chang Le entered carrying props for the New Year’s Eve gala. After walking a few steps, he sensed someone in the back row and turned to ask, “Is someone sitting over there?”

The dazed Xiaohan immediately snapped back to reality and stood up. “Yes, yes. It was too cold outside, so I came in to sit for a while.”

Chang Le squinted and saw it was Xia Xiaohan, immediately breaking into a smile. “You must be here to find the President, right? She is coming for a rehearsal tonight, but you’re early.” Checking his phone, he added, “The time we agreed on is an hour from now.”

Xiaohan walked out from the seating area and asked him, “What program is Senior performing?”

“Piano, but the piece hasn’t been decided yet.” Chang Le scratched his head and pointed forward. “Why don’t you wait up front? I’ll tell the President to hurry over.”

“No, no, no! I just happened to be passing by the Management Department and came in to look. Don’t rush Senior!” Xiaohan waved her hands frantically, said goodbye to Chang Le, and hurriedly left the auditorium.

While walking through the department building, Xiaohan arrived at the door of her Senior’s office. It was locked. She turned around and stood by the railing, looking up at the rectangular patch of sky, questioning herself: Xia Xiaohan, what are you doing here!?

…

Upon returning to school, Cheng Wu suddenly noticed that Xiaohan’s location had stopped moving. She pinched and zoomed the map with three fingers and was stunned: Isn’t this the Management Department? What is Xiaohan doing there?

“What’s wrong? Did Xiaohan not go back to the dorm?” Zhou Rui also stopped.

Cheng Wu put her phone away and said to them, “Xiaohan is over at the Management Department. If you have things to do, go ahead. I’ll go talk to Xiaohan.” Seeing Zhou Rui’s concern, she looked toward the Management building and added, “Don’t worry, I won’t pressure her. If she doesn’t want to talk, I won’t force her.”

Cheng Wu was always reliable in whatever she did, so Zhou Rui nodded. “Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Watching Cheng Wu walk away, Luo Xu let out a long sigh of relief. He looked at Zhou Rui sympathetically. “Who would have thought? The person you couldn’t catch was actually caught by your sister.”

Hearing his “big mouth” again, Ningning stepped on Luo Xu’s toes, making him grab Zhou Rui’s arm and howl in pain. After a while, Luo Xu recovered and said grumpily to Zhao Ru, “You really need to control your little firecracker. How can she be so physical?”

Zhao Ru curled her lips into a smile, her eyes full of tenderness as she looked at Ningning. “I think Ningning is quite good. She suits my heart perfectly.”

“You guys…” Luo Xu quickly clung to Zhou Rui. “You’re my brother; you have to back me up.”

Zhou Rui patted his shoulder and said helplessly, “You, oh you. Only in front of Cheng Wu do you ever restrain your annoying habits.” Luo Xu wailed about being wronged, but Zhou Rui ignored him. After saying goodbye to Zhao Ru and Ningning, he left Jiang University.

Just as he boarded the subway, Zhou Rui received a call from Chen Lan.

“Xiao Rui, when are you coming back?”

“I’m already on the subway. Xiaohan is doing well at school, don’t worry.”

On the phone, Chen Lan suddenly burst into tears. “Good, good. As long as Xiaohan is fine, A-Yu can prepare for the surgery in peace.”

Zhou Rui’s brow furrowed. “Wasn’t it said that conservative treatment was enough? Why is surgery needed now?”

Outside the hospital room, Chen Lan looked at Xia Yu on the sickbed and choked up, “The cancer cells have spread. The doctor suggests surgery as soon as possible.”

“Mom! Don’t worry, I’m coming right now!” As soon as the subway stopped and the doors opened, Zhou Rui rushed out, hailed a taxi on the street, and headed straight for the hospital.

…

In the corridor of the Management Department, Xia Xiaohan turned to head back to the dorm but caught sight of Fan Jia standing at a corner, watching her. Since they were the only two in the hallway, Xiaohan couldn’t pretend not to see him. She smiled, greeted him, and turned to leave.

To her surprise, Fan Jia called out to stop her. “Your Senior met an old friend today.”

“Hmm?” Xiaohan turned back and looked at him curiously. How did Fan Jia know her brother was back?

Fan Jia stepped forward and looked at the locked office beside them. “The person Cheng Wu met is named Zhou Rui. He was in the same year at the neighboring Science and Technology University. He went abroad this summer after being rejected.”

“Are you saying… Zhou Rui went abroad because a senior rejected him?” Xiaohan’s palms tightened. She remembered her brother saying he went abroad because he wanted to see the world.

“Xiaohan, Cheng Wu probably never told you about the things between them, right?” Fan Jia asked, looking into Xiaohan’s eyes. He had originally given up, but now that Zhou Rui was back, Cheng Wu’s attitude toward him was completely different from her attitude toward Fan Jia! Before coming to the Management Department, he had even asked Sun Wenze. Zhou Rui had called Sun Wenze to go out for a meal, saying Cheng Wu was there too. Back then, it was Fan Jia who had introduced Cheng Wu to Zhou Rui. In the end, Cheng Wu would rather treat Zhou Rui as a friend than treat Fan Jia as one!

Xiaohan pinched her hand anxiously. “No, she hasn’t.”

Seeing her increasingly nervous face, Fan Jia felt a bit of hesitation, but remembering Zhou Rui’s appearance, he clenched his fists. “Cheng Wu likes you, and you like her—I can’t interfere with that. But Zhou Rui is different. Back then, he almost got everyone at the Science and Tech University to help him pursue Cheng Wu.”

Thinking of that incident reminded Fan Jia of his own ruthless rejection by Cheng Wu at the Welcome Party. He didn’t believe he was inferior to Zhou Rui, yet the difference in how Cheng Wu treated the two of them was like heaven and earth.

Fan Jia continued, “They were together once. Although Zhou Rui always said he was just acting as a shield for Cheng Wu to ward off the ‘mad bees and butterflies’ behind her, I am certain Zhou Rui managed to date Cheng Wu. If Zhou Rui hadn’t gone abroad, you wouldn’t have had a chance at all.”

“It’s good if they were together,” Xiaohan looked up and replied with a smile, even though her heart felt as if it were being squeezed between two cold stones—chilled and aching.

Fan Jia was stunned. He opened his mouth and only after a long silence asked, “Don’t you like Cheng Wu?”

“I do! But Zhou Rui is my brother.” Xiaohan flashed a toothy grin, her brilliant smile almost dazzling Fan Jia. She said a quick goodbye and left rapidly.

A bewildered Fan Jia was left thinking: Xia Xiaohan and Zhou Rui are siblings? Wait, wait! Even so, is Xia Xiaohan really that generous?

Running downstairs, Xiaohan bumped into two people in succession. She hurriedly apologized, but her pace only grew faster. She just wanted to leave this place quickly.

Reaching the main entrance of the Management Department, Xiaohan was about to collide head-on with someone entering. Unable to dodge, she cried out, “Make way!”

However, the person did not move. Xiaohan crashed straight into their arms, met with a heart-fluttering scent of rosemary. Looking up, Xiaohan saw Cheng Wu’s worried expression.

Just as she was about to let go, Cheng Wu let go first and asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Xiaohan shook her head repeatedly. Her Senior seemed… It seemed… Her hands tightened.

Cheng Wu flashed a smile. “It’s good that you’re fine. I’m going to the auditorium for rehearsal. I’ll be going now.”

It was a familiar smile, but the look in her eyes was unfamiliar—gentle but with a hint of distance. Cheng Wu had already walked past her, but Xiaohan remained in a daze. Does Senior… not like me anymore?

Xiaohan suddenly felt a wave of distress. She couldn’t help but turn and call out, “Senior!”

“Hmm.” Cheng Wu stopped and turned back, her smile unchanged. “Is something the matter, Junior Xiaohan?”

Junior… Xiaohan? Junior! The senior called her Junior!?

Xiaohan desperately wanted to ask why, but her phone suddenly vibrated, making her slightly more lucid. “No, it’s nothing. Go ahead with your work, Senior.” Xiaohan didn’t even notice her own voice was trembling.

Cheng Wu turned and continued walking, biting her lip as she thought: Xiaohan looks a bit sad. Was I too harsh? After a few steps, Cheng Wu suddenly turned back and called, “Xiaohan.”

Xiaohan hadn’t left yet. She quickly looked up, a trace of joy in her eyes. “Yes, Senior?”

“I invited Zhao Ru and Ningning to watch my performance. Would you like to come and watch too?” Cheng Wu spoke, her tone still very polite.

“Uh…” Xiaohan hesitated.

Cheng Wu saw her hesitation. She sighed inwardly and put on a regretful expression, adding fuel to the fire: “Since you have things to do, then never mind.” After saying this, Cheng Wu turned to leave without a moment’s delay.

The next second, Xiaohan’s answer came from behind: “I do! I want to go.”

Cheng Wu stopped in her tracks, a glint of a smile flashing in her eyes. She turned back, and the smile on her face had gained some warmth. Xiaohan quickly looked away and explained softly, “Senior Zhao Ru and Ningning are both going. Since we live together, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t go.”