My Upperclassman Wants me to confess my feelings - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Occupation

The storage room door opened, and the receptionist poked her head in to ask, “Haven’t found them yet?”

Xia Xiaohan shouted urgently, “Do you have any candy? My Senior has low blood sugar.”

The receptionist walked in, saw someone had fainted, and moved to help support her.

“You don’t need to come over; go find some candy or chocolate.” Xiaohan picked Cheng Wu up in a princess carry and spoke as she walked toward the door.

Leaning in Xiaohan’s arms, Cheng Wu’s eyelashes couldn’t help but tremble slightly. Forget it, better to keep pretending to be unconscious.

The receptionist was stunned and, prompted by Xiaohan, hurriedly ran out.

Arriving at the reception room, Xiaohan sat down, and the receptionist brought over a glass of concentrated brown sugar water. Xiaohan took it and used a spoon to feed her Senior bit by bit.

After about ten minutes, Cheng Wu slowly opened her eyes and reached out to take the glass herself, but Xiaohan pressed her hand down. “Senior, let me.”

Cheng Wu gave a weak smile and didn’t persist. Having finished the sugar water, her strength mostly returned. She hadn’t truly starved to the point of fainting, but she was indeed so hungry she had no energy.

Xiaohan’s eyes were full of heartache, but after seeing her wake up, she seemed somewhat resistant again.

Cheng Wu thought for a moment and said with a bitter smile, “I was so hungry my head was spinning; I might have been muddled and said some things I shouldn’t have. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll try not to trouble you as much in the future.”

“Senior! It’s no trouble, not a bit!” Xiaohan grew anxious, fearing her Senior would push her away, and explained, “You helped me so much before; it’s only right that I help you.”

Cheng Wu stood up. “There’s no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ about it. Let’s go get the clothes first.”

…

Back at school, Xiaohan followed Cheng Wu and carried the heavy dress to the Management Department. Standing at the auditorium entrance was a cute girl in a pink down jacket. Seeing them, she waved and ran over. “You’re back!”

The girl smiled at Xiaohan and reached for the dress. “Thank you, I’ll take it.”

Xiaohan took off the backpack and handed the dress to the girl. Cheng Wu greeted her and led the girl inside. Watching their retreating figures, talking and laughing, Xiaohan was somewhat dazed. When she saw her Senior take the girl’s arm, her eyes widened instantly.

On the way back to the dorm, Xiaohan remained in a state of distraction. She even tripped at the dorm entrance and nearly fell, only saved by a girl entering at the same time who caught her. Not far away, Bei Wenxin happened to see this and felt strange. Does Xiaohan have something on her mind? After some thought, she flipped through her contacts and, after a debate between Ding Ming and Sun Wenze, called Sun Wenze.

Xiaohan pushed open the dorm door to find it empty. She mechanically took out her textbook. After half an hour, she was still on the same page. Only occasionally coming to her senses would she flip a page.

At dinner time, Ningning and Zhao Ru returned. As soon as the door opened, they saw Xiaohan slumped over the desk, pulling at her hair powerlessly.

“Xiaohan, are you okay?” Ningning and Zhao Ru exchanged a look and walked over.

Xiaohan immediately sat up and flashed a completely fake smile. “I’m fine.”

Looking at the closed book and the clean scratch paper, Zhao Ru shook her head and signaled Ningning to comfort her. That morning at the Student Union, Zhao Ru hadn’t let Ningning do anything, telling her to just watch TV on the computer. Only then did Ningning realize Cheng Wu needed her out of the dorm.

Ningning pulled up a stool and sat beside Xiaohan, asking cautiously, “Sister Wu didn’t give you a hard time this morning, did she?”

“No.” Xiaohan shook her head, but the image of her Senior intimately holding that girl’s arm wouldn’t leave her mind. She looked at Ningning and, on an impulse, grabbed her hand. “In this school, besides us, does Senior have any other girls she’s very close to?”

Xiaohan had never seen that girl at the Student Union; she definitely wasn’t a member.

Ningning was curious. “Did they look very intimate?”

“Yes! Senior took her arm proactively.” Xiaohan couldn’t sit still the more she thought about it. She stood up abruptly. “How about I take you to the auditorium to see?”

Seeing Xiaohan in such disarray, Ningning knew Sister Wu was definitely doing this on purpose. However, there was one thing she knew: Sister Wu didn’t mind being close to good friends, but she almost never initiated physical closeness. Xiaohan was the exception. There was only one other possibility: Sister Wu’s family. A few days ago, Sister Wu had mentioned a cousin coming to visit for Christmas.

“Okay.” Ningning felt she needed to confirm.

At the back door of the auditorium, Xiaohan peeked through a crack. Seeing the girl in pink following her Senior everywhere, her anxiety grew. She stepped aside and pointed inside. “Look, do you recognize that girl in pink?”

Ningning leaned in, took a look, and quickly withdrew. It really was Sister Wu’s cousin. However, she didn’t explain immediately. Instead, she said ambiguously, “I recognize her. She’s a girl Sister Wu is very close to; she just started university this year.”

“Very close?” Xiaohan froze and blurted out, “Is she an ex-girlfriend?”

Ningning was startled and waved her hands. “Of course not.”

Good. Although she felt slightly more at ease, Xiaohan was still bothered. Who was this girl?

Ningning observed Xiaohan’s expression and finally couldn’t help asking, “If Sister Wu really ended up with your brother, would you truly be happy?”

“Of…” After one syllable, Xiaohan couldn’t continue. If it’s Brother, I should be happy.

Ningning said nothing more. She took a candy from her pocket, peeled it, and handed it over. “This is my favorite, Rose Ebony. It’s sweet and sour, very delicious.”

…

After forcing herself to study all afternoon, Xiaohan ate dinner early and went straight to bed after washing up. She thought for a while and called Zhou Rui.

“Xiaohan?”

“Yes, it’s me. I wanted to ask… are you really going to give up on Senior Cheng Wu?”

Zhou Rui looked at the still-lit surgery light and sighed. “For two people to be together, it must be mutual.”

Just then, an elderly woman walked over to ask for directions. “Young man, is the operating room up ahead?”

The pensive Xiaohan suddenly bolted upright in bed. “Brother! You’re at the hospital right now?”

Zhou Rui calmly gave the woman directions before replying, “Yes, a friend isn’t feeling well, so I came to visit.”

“Oh, a friend. It’s not serious, is it?” Xiaohan believed him completely.

Seeing the surgery light go out, Zhou Rui said quickly, “It’s not serious, don’t worry. I’ll head over early tomorrow. I have something to do here, I’ll hang up now.”

Xiaohan decided to sleep and talk to her brother tomorrow. Perhaps because she couldn’t face her Senior, she fell asleep exceptionally fast, entering a dream before seven. Consequently, she woke up at three in the morning.

She wanted to go back to sleep, but her Senior seemed to be sleeping restlessly, constantly tossing and turning. Xiaohan quietly turned over and, by the faint light, saw her Senior’s brow tightly knit. Is she having a nightmare?

Sitting up with her coat over her shoulders, Xiaohan moved her pillow and sat cross-legged at the head of the bed, wondering what her Senior was dreaming about. A waft of faint fragrance drifted over, soaking into her heart and making her grip the edge of her clothes.

Outside, the dark clouds scattered and the moonlight brightened, casting a layer of cold frost over Cheng Wu’s radiant face. In the quiet night, Xiaohan’s gaze drifted. The furrowed brow, the closed eyes, and the nude-colored lips subconsciously pursed, stirring a deep-seated desire in Xiaohan’s heart.

This unfamiliar emotion reminded Xiaohan of the day she had wanted to steal a kiss. I can’t! Xiaohan bit her lip hard, quickly tasting the faint tang of blood.

She hurriedly put her pillow back. While taking off her down jacket, the zipper hit the metal bed frame with a ding. The sound made her freeze. After staying still for several minutes and confirming that neither her Senior, Zhao Ru, nor Ningning had woken up, she slowly pulled the jacket over her, crawled under the covers, and covered her chilled upper body.

In the darkness, Cheng Wu slowly opened her eyes and listened. Hearing no breathing, she knew Xiaohan was hiding under the covers. She sighed silently, her mind made up.

…

Before dawn, Cheng Wu woke up. She sat up and looked back; on Xiaohan’s bed, the quilt was already folded, and the sheets were perfectly smooth. Getting out of bed, she noticed droplets of water on the handle of Xiaohan’s toothbrush.

A while later, Zhao Ru prepared to get up. She scanned the room and asked, “Where’s Xiaohan?”

“She probably left early,” Cheng Wu replied while picking out her clothes. Seeing her expression was normal, Zhao Ru felt slightly relieved.

There were no classes that afternoon, but the Mathematics teacher had called everyone participating in the finals to the department building for intensive training. As six o’clock approached, her brother had already been there for two hours, and the gala was about to start. Xiaohan was incredibly anxious, constantly looking out the window.

Seeing this, Ding Ming stood up. “Teacher, today is Christmas Eve and I have a date. Can I leave early?”

“Me too, me too!” Xiaohan seized the chance and stood up as well.

The teacher adjusted his glasses, looking between the two of them. After a moment, he closed his book. “That’s all for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

After thanking the teacher, Xiaohan packed her things and rushed out. Seeing her leave, the teacher looked at Ding Ming curiously. “Isn’t your date Xiaohan?”

Ding Ming laughed. “No, it’s not.”

Downstairs, Yang Xing followed Ding Ming reluctantly. “If you have a date, why drag me along?”

At the entrance, Ding Ming saw someone under the porch and pointed. “That is my date.” Yang Xing looked up to see Bei Wenxin walking over with a smile.

…

At the entrance of the Management Department, Xiaohan hurried to meet Zhou Rui. Panting, she explained, “Brother, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know the teacher would call a sudden training session and make you wait all afternoon.”

“Don’t worry. Cheng Wu has been accompanying me since I arrived.” Zhou Rui took out a lunch box and handed it to her. “Eat first. The gala won’t start for a while.”

Xiaohan took the box dazed and followed him into a classroom to eat. While she ate, Zhou Rui suddenly said, “I’ve made things clear with Cheng Wu. I’ll focus on my studies from now on.”

“Brother!” Xiaohan looked up abruptly, tears welling up instantly.

Zhou Rui supported her shoulder. “Xiaohan, life is long. It’s truly rare to meet someone you mutually love so early on.”

Xiaohan sobbed and threw herself into his arms. “I’m sorry, Brother. I like Senior too.”

“Your Senior Cheng Wu is so wonderful, and so many people like her. It’s great that she can like you.” Zhou Rui patted her back, thinking of the afternoon.

He had arrived at Jiang University, but Xiaohan was still in class. He had planned to find Luo Xu but ran into Cheng Wu. He had intended to talk to her anyway, so he invited her for a walk.

“I will make things clear with Xiaohan today. Don’t give up on her,” he had said.

Cheng Wu had stopped with a confident smile. “Who said I was going to give up on her? Even if Xiaohan were truly willing to give me up for you, I have plenty of ways to occupy her heart bit by bit until I squeeze out your place in her mind.”

After a moment of silence, Zhou Rui had laughed at himself. “Right. How could I forget that you are Cheng Wu?”

…

After finishing her meal, Xiaohan still felt guilty. She asked again, “Brother, are you really giving up on Senior?”

“It’s not a matter of giving up; it’s that it was always a one-sided love that never existed.” Zhou Rui walked to the bin and threw away the lunch box. He believed he would meet someone he loved in the future. Right now, the most important thing was to study hard, return home as soon as possible, and take care of his family.

They headed to the auditorium. Just as they found their seats, the curtains slowly drew back.

A piano stood in the center. Cheng Wu was dressed in a pure white, strapless gown. Her hair was held up by a single silver hairpin, and she wore no jewelry, which only emphasized her striking curves. The audience immediately erupted into screams.