Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 57

Chapter 57

A trace of surprise flashed in Yin Qiuman’s eyes as she stared at the book.

She suddenly believed what the class teacher had said.

He Xinglan’s poor academic performance was not because she was stupid, but simply because she was lazy, too lazy to study.

To meet at the library at 8 a.m., He Xinglan had to get up at 7 a.m. at the latest, wash up, eat breakfast, and then take the bus to the library. The hour was tightly scheduled.

The moment the alarm clock rang, He Xinglan wanted to smash it.

Help, she had never gotten up this early even for class.

Despite her complaining, her body was very honest, flipping out of bed and hurrying into the bathroom to wash up in a race against time.

She even had to eat breakfast squeezed and jostled on the bus.

All just to not be late.

Thinking of this reason, He Xinglan herself wondered if she was possessed.

When did she start caring about this so much?

But seeing the surprise in Yin Qiuman’s eyes when she showed up, He Xinglan suddenly felt it was all worth it.

“Yin Qiuman, you are the first person to make me this punctual.” He Xinglan was not the type to keep quiet about something she did. On the contrary, if she did something, she wanted people to know about it.

He Xinglan finished speaking and eagerly awaited Yin Qiuman’s response.

How to put it, she wanted to be praised.

Yin Qiuman didn’t disappoint her, her lips curving slightly: “It’s an honor.”

He Xinglan smiled too, and then became a little presumptuous: “Yin Qiuman, can you leave me a little more break time later?”

He Xinglan was no longer so resistant to Yin Qiuman tutoring her, but if she had to listen to Yin Qiuman lecture her all morning, she felt her head would explode.

When it came to studying, Yin Qiuman could be somewhat cold-blooded and ruthless.

“No.” The single word felt like a sharp dagger plunging into He Xinglan’s heart.

He Xinglan instantly looked utterly devastated.

Seeing He Xinglan’s hopeless expression, Yin Qiuman raised her eyebrow and continued: “But there’s a reward.”

Reward? He Xinglan instantly perked up.

“What kind of reward?” Studying made He Xinglan sad, but a reward felt like a divine medicine, giving her renewed energy.

“You’ll know later.” Yin Qiuman naturally wouldn’t tell He Xinglan now. She left that sentence hanging and walked into the library.

He Xinglan quickly followed, chasing after Yin Qiuman’s back and continuing to ask persistently: “What exactly is the reward, Yin Qiuman?”

Yin Qiuman found a seat by the window with an excellent view. When the sun came out later, the sunlight would stream in. This spot would be sun-drenched, and in the weather of March and April, basking in the sun made one feel warm all over.

Yin Qiuman neatly arranged the textbooks for the first and second years of high school, along with a notebook beside them, which contained her key notes. Xiao Hua really wanted this notebook, but Yin Qiuman hadn’t given it to her.

The lecture was tedious. Even though Yin Qiuman explained things better than the teacher, He Xinglan forced herself to pay attention, but she still felt drowsy after less than forty minutes.

Her brain, which had just been clear, didn’t know where Yin Qiuman was in the lesson anymore.

It wasn’t until the gentle voice stopped that He Xinglan snapped back to reality.

Opening her hazy eyes, she looked at Yin Qiuman: “Why did you stop talking?”

Yin Qiuman looked up at He Xinglan and countered: “Were you listening?”

“Did you wake up too early this morning?” Yin Qiuman asked patiently, looking at the fatigue on He Xinglan’s face.

He Xinglan said ‘Mhm’: “I’ve never gotten up at seven before.”

He Xinglan then vigorously rubbed her face, yawned widely, and cheered herself up: “But it’s okay. I’m just not used to it. I’ll get used to it.”

“If all else fails, I’ll go buy a cup of coffee to wake myself up,” He Xinglan said with a worried expression.

The most refreshing type of coffee was an Americano, and an Americano tasted as bitter as Chinese medicine. He Xinglan really didn’t like drinking it.

But thinking of how seriously Yin Qiuman was tutoring her, He Xinglan couldn’t bear to disappoint her.

Deep down, she also didn’t want Yin Qiuman to think she was truly a good-for-nothing.

He Xinglan herself couldn’t quite figure out why. She had long been used to terms like ‘good-for-nothing’ and ‘low achiever’ being applied to her, but when the person saying them changed to Yin Qiuman, she suddenly started to care.

Yin Qiuman could tell He Xinglan disliked coffee but didn’t stop her. Instead, she said: “Then bring one back for me too.”

“Okay, what do you want? I can use the walk to wake up,” He Xinglan said, standing up and looking at Yin Qiuman, waiting for her order.

Yin Qiuman: “An Americano, no sugar, no milk.”

No sugar, no milk? The same as the one she was planning to buy? Inexplicably, the heart that had been full of distress moments ago now felt a hint of sweetness.

She and Yin Qiuman were sharing the bitter burden, weren’t they?

Well, only sharing the bitter part.

Thinking this, He Xinglan walked briskly toward the coffee shop outside the library.

Yin Qiuman watched He Xinglan’s cheerful back, deep thought flashing in her eyes.

It seemed He Xinglan truly disliked studying.

Yet she still listened to her lecture for thirty minutes…

Why was she giving her so much respect?

Why would He Xinglan give her so much respect?

Because… they had kissed?

She couldn’t help but overthink, her thoughts spiraling further and further, making her mind increasingly chaotic. For a moment, she too found it hard to calmly look at the textbook on the table.

When He Xinglan returned, she saw Yin Qiuman staring out the window in a daze.

She didn’t even snap back to reality when He Xinglan stood in front of her.

“What are you thinking about?” He Xinglan was curious, following Yin Qiuman’s gaze.

Was the view outside the window really that captivating?

He Xinglan retracted her gaze, thinking gloomily.

Why couldn’t she see it at all?

“Thinking… about you,” Yin Qiuman snapped back, her eyes meeting He Xinglan’s.

The directness of the words made He Xinglan feel uneasy.

“Thinking… about me?” He Xinglan stammered, feeling a mix of surprise and delight.

Yin Qiuman was already thinking about her in the short time it took her to buy coffee?

And she was so engrossed in her thoughts?

He Xinglan lowered her eyes, looking at the face so close to her, her breathing instantly becoming cautious.

“You… why are you thinking about me?” He Xinglan swallowed, her heart pounding, each beat seemingly using all its strength.

He Xinglan stared intently at Yin Qiuman’s lips. She clearly only wanted to hear the answer from that mouth right away, but for some reason, an uncontrollable impulse surged within her.

She wanted to kiss her again.

Damn it, why did she always want to kiss Yin Qiuman?

Could it be…? Thinking of the plot lines in the novels she read where the main female character falls for the second female character, could she like Yin Qiuman?

But how long had she known Yin Qiuman?

Moreover, she and Yin Qiuman were fundamentally from two different worlds.

He Xinglan hadn’t forgotten her essence as a low achiever.

Thinking of this, He Xinglan felt inexplicably sad.

Did a low achiever really not deserve to like a top student?

He Xinglan thought again. The class teacher said she wasn’t stupid, just lazy. Perhaps the lack of engagement was also due to the subject teachers not teaching well. In any case, she had remembered most of the content Yin Qiuman had just taught her.

If she studied hard… it wasn’t impossible for her to stop being a low achiever, right?