Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Yin Qiuman was a woman of her word. As soon as the dismissal bell rang, He Xinglan placed her hand on her backpack strap, and another hand was placed over hers.

He Xinglan looked at Yin Qiuman awkwardly: “I’m going home.”

“Mhm, I’m coming with you.” Yin Qiuman said, picking up He Xinglan’s backpack for her, then gestured for He Xinglan to look at the books on the desk, commanding: “You carry these.”

‘These’ referred to a math textbook, two workbooks, and what appeared to be Yin Qiuman’s notebook.

He Xinglan was bewildered. She blinked and said in disbelief: “I have to take books home?”

Yin Qiuman countered: “Shouldn’t you take books home?”

“Today, you’re taking math home. My notebook has a summary of the first half of the first year of high school’s knowledge. Go home and look at the book’s content, look through my notebook if you don’t understand, do the exercises I’ve circled in the workbook, and bring them to me tomorrow morning.” Yin Qiuman instructed He Xinglan while slinging her own backpack and walking out of the classroom with He Xinglan’s backpack.

She stopped at the doorway and looked back at He Xinglan: “Aren’t you coming?”

He Xinglan: “…Coming.”

Resigned, she followed Yin Qiuman, carrying the stack of books. Looking at the person beside her, He Xinglan asked curiously: “Yin Qiuman, why are you so serious about this?”

“What if we go together and we’re not going the same way?”

“If we’re not going the same way… then I’ll walk you first,” Yin Qiuman considered He Xinglan’s words and replied.

He Xinglan had never been picked up or dropped off from school since she was a child, but Yin Qiuman offered to walk her?

“What’s wrong?” He Xinglan grinned: “Are you afraid I’ll get lost on the way home?”

Yin Qiuman shook her head when she heard that, saying honestly: “It’s just to make it easier to tutor you on the way.”

“Tut… tutor me?” He Xinglan was dumbfounded.

She meant she had to study while walking?

So, being Yin Qiuman’s deskmate wasn’t the most tragic thing?

Oh no, it should be called the most tragic start.

He Xinglan was on the verge of tears: “Yin Qiuman, can we agree that you don’t have to listen to the teacher so rigidly?”

“I’m just a slacker. I’m naturally poor at studying. Just don’t waste your effort on me. Instead of wasting time on me, why don’t you spend it solving more problems to add value to your College Entrance Exam Champion goal?”

“Don’t worry, I will definitely tell the teacher that Student Yin tutored me well, but I was born stupid and truly unteachable. I promise I won’t push the responsibility onto you.”

He Xinglan finished speaking and looked at Yin Qiuman with expectation.

She felt her sincerity was enough. It would allow Yin Qiuman to get praise from the teacher and boost her academic performance, while she herself would be spared the hardship of studying. It was a win-win-win situation.

But Yin Qiuman just stared at her, and after a moment, she said: “You are not stupid.”

Those eyes seemed to see right through He Xinglan.

He Xinglan felt that Yin Qiuman could even recite her inner thoughts word for word.

Even though her previous interaction with Yin Qiuman was virtually non-existent, Yin Qiuman seemed to understand her exceptionally well.

Was she really that amazing? Or were all top students that amazing?

He Xinglan moved her lips, unsure how to respond to Yin Qiuman’s comment.

She only knew that her persuasion had failed.

With her head drooping, she followed behind Yin Qiuman. At the fork in the road, Yin Qiuman had just called her name when she cooperatively pointed out the direction they needed to take.

He Xinglan had never felt the walk home was so agonizing.

Yin Qiuman was very dutiful. She lectured beside her, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, enunciating every word clearly. Honestly, He Xinglan truly admired Yin Qiuman.

Walking on the street, people were constantly passing by, and the noise was incessant, yet Yin Qiuman was able to calm down and teach her, and her train of thought didn’t seem to be disrupted at all.

But admiration was one thing; the headache was another.

He Xinglan felt Yin Qiuman explained things well, but she simply didn’t understand. It sounded like a heavenly book. No matter how detailed Yin Qiuman’s explanation was, it turned into unfamiliar yet familiar symbols when it entered her ears.

Looking at each other, only disappointment remained.

He Xinglan couldn’t help but speed up. She only had one thought in her mind: get home quickly, get home quickly, so that the ‘Tang Monk chanting sutras’ (lecturing) could end.

Perhaps the heavens heard her sincere prayer, as He Xinglan finally saw the gate of her residential area.

“Yin Qiuman,” He Xinglan quickly interrupted Yin Qiuman’s on-site lesson, shouting with joy: “I’m home!”

Yin Qiuman glanced at the community gate, about twenty or thirty meters away, and said ‘Oh.’

“Then remember to go home and do the problems.” After instructing He Xinglan, Yin Qiuman prepared to go home herself.

He Xinglan watched Yin Qiuman’s retreating back, hesitated for a few seconds, and then chased after her.

“Let me walk you back,” He Xinglan caught up to Yin Qiuman and walked beside her, saying.

“You walk me back? And then walk back again?” Yin Qiuman looked at He Xinglan as if she were an idiot.

What was the point of her walking her back first, then? Was it just for the lecture?

He Xinglan also felt her behavior was silly, but looking at Yin Qiuman’s slender back, she looked so fragile. What if she encountered a bad person on the way?

She was strong and healthy, and because she loved sports, she had learned some fighting moves from the gym teacher. With her by Yin Qiuman’s side, even if they were targeted by a bad person, she could protect her.

Consider it… thanking her for tutoring me.

He Xinglan found a suitable reason for her decision in her heart.

Yin Qiuman didn’t wait for He Xinglan’s answer and simply said, “Good.”

The two walked side by side again. This time, Yin Qiuman didn’t lecture her. He Xinglan only felt her ears were much quieter, and surprisingly… she was a little unaccustomed to it?

As soon as that thought popped into her head, He Xinglan quickly shook her head.

Why on earth would she want to be tormented?!

He Xinglan conducted a brief self-critique in her mind, then looked at the quiet person beside her. After enduring for a while, she finally couldn’t hold back: “Yin Qiuman, can I ask you a question?”

“Mhm.”

“What do you… usually like to do besides study? Don’t you get tired of studying all the time?” He Xinglan asked.

She felt that if it were her, she would definitely get bored. She really couldn’t like the same thing or do the same thing for a long time.

“Tired?” He Xinglan’s question made Yin Qiuman’s steps pause. She thought about it. She seemed to have never considered being tired.

Daily studying and practice problems seemed to be etched into her bones. It became something she had to do every day when she opened her eyes. It had been this way since childhood.

As for the ‘tired’ that He Xinglan mentioned, perhaps she had become used to it, or perhaps it had become a habit, so Yin Qiuman really hadn’t felt it.

The silence at this moment was the answer. He Xinglan looked at Yin Qiuman’s calm face and sighed in admiration.

“Oh my god, oh my god, there are people like you in this world.”

“Hey, you’re what you call a bookworm, aren’t you?!”

“Haven’t you ever thought about doing something else? Like developing a hobby, or maybe having a sweet relationship… This world is so colorful; it’s such a pity to lock yourself up in books.”

Relationship? Yin Qiuman sensitively grasped that word. Her eyebrows arched. She suddenly stopped and looked up at He Xinglan: “Have you… been in a relationship?”