Sitting on the bus, looking at his hand held in Xia Xinyu's, and then looking at Xinyu smiling at him, Chen Yuan felt the urge to curse at Yu Zi for the first time.

I'm the Fourth High's Saint Son I just transmigrated into!

"What's wrong, dear?" Xia Xinyu asked with a smile when she saw Chen Yuan looking at her.

"Nothing, I'll cook for you when we get back," Chen Yuan said.

"Huh? Why so diligent?" Xia Xinyu asked, puzzled.

"You're always the one cooking, I should do it once in a while."

Of course, if I'm the one doing it occasionally, the quality might fluctuate a bit.

Unless I get a snake kiss for ten seconds before each meal.

But holding hands will do too.

Your choice.

My personal suggestion is the snake kiss.

"Even if you're not cooking, you're helping out by my side, so don't worry too much," Xia Xinyu said, taking it in stride. "If you want to cook, I'll assist you."

Their relationship had always been one of mutual support.

Not a one-sided effort.

That's why they got along so comfortably.

Chen Yuan wasn't the kind of chauvinistic guy who would lie around at home waiting for her to cook and then wash the dishes without doing anything.

Although Xinyu was willing to put in the effort, it was also because he was the kind of person who cared for her, so she was even happier to do so.

Besides, if it hadn't been for that one summer day...

He wouldn't have everything he had now.

"It was really fun today. I feel like the academic gods aren't as scary as I imagined," Xia Xinyu said cheerfully.

"Not really," Chen Yuan corrected. "It's just that these three aren't scary. The other academic gods aren't like this."

It had to be admitted that these three possessed qualities that ordinary academic gods didn't have.

Namely, they had things besides studying.

Among them, Shi Yi was the most prominent.

This guy with the same intensity as Ryomen Sukuna also had some of Sukuna's virtues: he loved to play, loved to laugh, and admitted when others were strong even when he was strong himself.

Others at his level might not have such a good personality.

They might make some comments like: I'm the strongest, you're so weak, you're the challenger.

"Do you think Shen Yating and Liu Chengxi will get together?" Xia Xinyu asked with great interest.

"I don't know." Chen Yuan shook his head, looked at Xinyu, and said with a smile, "Shen Yating isn't as straightforward as Xinyu, and Liu Chengxi isn't like me, falling in love with girls at first sight."

Such a direct confession made Xia Xinyu feel a little smug, so she teased with confidence, "Yeah, luckily our Chen Yuan isn't so detached from the world."

"So you mean I'm too eager to be in a relationship?"

"No, it's just that you met me, and reason told you: there's no way you can stay single this time." Xia Xinyu couldn't help but blush after saying that so narcissistically, so she waved her hand to end the topic.

"By the way."

Chen Yuan took out a manga portrait from his bag and handed it to Xia Xinyu: "I took a picture when I was working part-time before, and Zhou Fu drew it."

"It's a drawing of you, it's so good-looking." Xia Xinyu's eyes lit up and she praised, "Zhou Fu's drawing skills are really amazing."

"After all, she's an old otaku."

Hearing this, Xia Xinyu paused for a moment and then asked, "Does Liu Chengxi have one too?"

After all, he also worked hard as a waiter that day.

"That's right, why?" Chen Yuan asked, puzzled.

Why...

Nothing.

Chen Yuan was indeed handsome in this portrait, but he looked particularly cold and melancholic.

And Xia Xinyu accidentally clicked into a similar style last time...

It was in a Boy's Love manga.

...

At this moment, Liu Chengxi seemed to sense something.

Shen Yating seemed to be just like those other girls.

Moreover, her emotional fluctuations were even greater than those girls.

If he wasn't mistaken, she was getting angry because Zhou Fu was chatting with him too enthusiastically, because she didn't want him to get closer to other girls.

To extend it a little further, it was that she wanted her to be the only girl who was close to him.

"No."

Shen Yating, who still hadn't moved even though the light had turned green, shook her head and said somewhat stubbornly, "I have no reason to look at your phone, I'm not your girlfriend."

"But I want to explain it clearly." Liu Chengxi unlocked his phone, returned the chat log to the beginning, and said, "This way, it'll be better for Zhou Fu too."

He and Zhou Fu were just ordinary friends, a relationship that was at most closer than the two new friends he made today, He Sijiao and Zhou Yu, but definitely not as close as Chen Yuan, Shi Yi, and Shen Yating.

Therefore, Zhou Fu's reputation was very important.

She was a very good person.

"...Alright then."

At his earnest request, Shen Yating slowly nodded, took the phone, and looked at the chat log.

Zhou Fu: I'm a little embarrassed to ask you to help, so I drew a picture for you. When will you come to the coffee shop, I'll give it to you.

Liu Chengxi: What kind of picture?

Zhou Fu: Do you want to see it now?

Liu Chengxi: Yeah.

Then, there was a manga portrait.

Liu Chengxi was wearing a suit, holding a tray in his hand, and showing a sunny, healing smile, looking so happy...

This kind of smile was only seen when he was chatting with Chen Yuan.

"It's drawn pretty well," Shen Yating said softly.

"Yeah, and it's not made by AI, so she must have put in a lot of effort." Liu Chengxi said with particular gratitude.

So, the two continued to look down.

Liu Chengxi: Thank you, it's amazing.

Liu Chengxi: Did Chen Yuan get one too?

Zhou Fu: Ah, after all, he helped too.

Liu Chengxi: Can I see it?

Zhou Fu: [Shy]

Liu Chengxi: It's okay if it's inconvenient.

Zhou Fu: No, no, it's not inconvenient.

Zhou Fu: Do you really want to see it?

Liu Chengxi: Ah, no, it's not that I want to see it, I just thought it would be okay to take a look. Of course, it's fine if I don't see it.

Wait, she's acting coy as soon as Chen Yuan is mentioned?

Heh, Li Xinru must be so heartbroken.

Then, Zhou Fu sent a manga image.

Chen Yuan is so handsome.

That was Shen Yating's first reaction.

But the next second, she discovered the clue.

Then, she slid the photos back and forth, looking at the two completely identical styles, both were quite handsome, but the expressions were completely different, one was so cold that the most exaggerated expression might just be a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, and the other was a boy who might blush even when praised for being good-looking...

Combined with the [Shy] that Zhou Fu sent.

Shen Yating instantly understood everything.

Wait, sister, you're a Fujoshi! (female fan of Boy's Love)

Also, why does Liu Chengxi look like a submissive uke?

Thinking of this, Shen Yating raised her head and looked at Liu Chengxi.

Liu Chengxi didn't know what she wanted to do, so he made a confused expression.

Then, Shen Yating directly pulled both of his hands out of his pockets: "Be more masculine!"

"?" Liu Chengxi felt insulted.

No one had ever said that he wasn't masculine.

This woman not only said he was effeminate, but also said he wasn't masculine enough.

If I wasn't masculine, how could so many girls chase after me?

That's too much!

Shen Yating continued to look down, flipping down and down.

Then, she discovered a secret that made Liu Chengxi a little embarrassed.

Zhou Fu: Do you have any photos with Chen Yuan?

Liu Chengxi: No, I don't.

Zhou Fu: Then do you want to take a photo together, so I can draw a portrait for you guys?

This Zhou Fu, she's really going too far!

Liu Chengxi is straight, he's straight, he must be straight!

Liu Chengxi: Would that be too much trouble for you?

Tsk.

I'm not so sure anymore.

Liu Chengxi: What I mean is, why do you want to draw a picture for us?

Zhou Fu: This is just my hobby. You two can be models, and I can draw a good manga.

Liu Chengxi: Can we postpone the photo thing for a while?

Zhou Fu: How do you mean?

Liu Chengxi: We'll be going to Eleventh High for the New Year's Eve party, and Shi Yi should be there too when we take the photo.

Zhou Fu: Then let's draw three people!

Liu Chengxi: Thank you, I'll come to your shop more often.

Zhou Fu: You don't have to spend so much money, it's fine if you can introduce some people to come.

Liu Chengxi: Yeah, I'll bring any girl who asks me out for coffee to your shop in the future.

Wait, you're selling your charms like this just for someone to draw you a picture?

And you're letting other girls hold your hand and act coquettishly?

You really are!

"Here." Shen Yating directly shoved the phone back into his hand, no longer looking at it.

"...Ahem." Liu Chengxi coughed twice, cleared his throat, and then said, "I didn't say anything wrong, I don't like Zhou Fu."

"But you like Chen Yuan and Shi Yi."

"...Don't use such strange words, it sounds like you're saying I'm gay or something."

Liu Chengxi was so calm when he said the words "gay."

According to the principle of "a stone thrown at a dog makes it bark," he didn't bark, so he wasn't gay.

Fortunately, his orientation was correct.

Regarding this matter, Liu Chengxi revealed a sincere explanation: "Chen Yuan and Shi Yi are, so far, the best friends I've made. I couldn't make good friends before, and it must have something to do with my personality. But they don't seem to reject that about me, so I... also like hanging out with them. Yeah, that's it."

"Okay." The other party had offered his sincerity, so Shen Yating bowed lightly and said, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

"It's okay, just as long as you feel better."

Liu Chengxi acted very calmly, not taking it to heart too much.

Just like the impression he had always given people, he was a man who wouldn't even say swear words, with a very soft and gentle heart.

"Do you guys often compare scores when you hang out?" Shen Yating suddenly asked, thinking of something.

Liu Chengxi replied, "Well, I'm the one doing the comparing, anyway."

"Alright, let's compare scores too, with a bet!" Shen Yating invited.

As Ting Yier (a nickname based on her name and always losing), who was always losing, Liu Chengxi had long wanted to get his revenge, so he said with great determination, "Come on, let's compare the final exam scores."

"If I lose, I'll buy you coffee for a week."

"You're really rich, you guy." Liu Chengxi complained and then agreed, "Alright, so what if I lose?"

Yeah, what if you lose?

Shen Yating had never really thought about beating Liu Chengxi in terms of scores.

It just happened that every time, she could step on him a little.

And his reaction made her feel it was really fun.

This kid, he's a little cute.

But he doesn't realize it.

Maybe I'm a little special to him.

But maybe, it's just a little.

I'm jealous.

"Senior Li Xinru has already graduated."

Suddenly, Shen Yating spoke in a low voice.

Liu Chengxi was puzzled by this abrupt statement, and just looked at Shen Yating.

At this moment, a gust of wind blew.

Her soft, long hair was lifted by the cold wind.

It was also at this instant that she turned her head, hooked a strand of hair behind her ear with her finger, looked at the man she thought was so good-looking, and said with a smile, "Look at me more from now on."

(End of chapter)