Lin Zhexia was momentarily dumbfounded.
The pull tab ring still hung lonely on her finger.
Mainly because Chi Yao’s move had caught her completely off guard, like a sudden attack.
Just a moment ago, he had appeared completely disinterested in her.
By the time she reacted, she had already missed the best opportunity to counter.
She could only reply: “You’re so smart. I’ve never practiced it before, so it’s normal that I can’t open it.”
Lin Zhexia continued slowly: “Besides, who knows, maybe you secretly practiced for a long time just to show off.”
“…”
As they spoke.
Chi Yao had already withdrawn his hand, still resting it on his knee, continuing to watch the movie, taking back the patronizing glance he had cast at her.
He only dropped one sentence: “Do I look that free?”
The second half of the movie featured standard plot developments—the protagonists found the mastermind villain, then fought to the death in a critical moment, accompanied by “rat-tat-tat” sound effects. Everyone watched, unable to tear their eyes away.
Lin Zhexia took a sip of the lemon soda in her hand and continued watching, too.
After the movie, He Yang and the others suggested playing board games.
For these students on summer break, time was the one thing they had plenty of.
He Yang brought his own card game, pulling out a stack of black cards from his pocket: “I’ll deal for everyone. Anyone who wants to play, gather around, and I’ll explain the rules.”
“Brother Yao,” He Yang said as he reached their side, offering the remaining stack of cards, “draw one?”
Chi Yao glanced at the cards in his hand but didn’t take them: “I’m a bit tired. I’ll take a nap.”
He Yang turned to Lin Zhexia: “Alright, Brother Xia, you draw.”
Lin Zhexia, as if copying and pasting, used Chi Yao’s template: “You guys play. I’ll do my homework.”
“…”
He Yang took back the cards, accustomed to this: “You two always make exceptions for yourselves.”
Although everyone in their “Nanxiang Small Squad” had grown up together, relationships varied in closeness. Everyone in the group tacitly acknowledged one fact: Lin Zhexia and Chi Yao, these two who verbally clashed, were the closest pair among all of them.
When Chi Yao said he was a bit tired, he took a nap.
Lin Zhexia guessed that since he had rushed back last night, he must have been exhausted from the journey.
However, he didn’t go to his room to sleep, probably because he didn’t plan to sleep too long, and just napped right next to Lin Zhexia.
The bean bag chair was already on the carpet, making it possible to use it as a pillow while sleeping on the carpet, but a certain someone’s legs were so long that even sleeping on the carpet seemed cramped.
Lin Zhexia looked down at her legs, comparing the length, then silently opened the homework she hadn’t finished earlier.
She was halfway through her homework when Chi Yao woke up.
Lin Zhexia was immersed in the ocean of learning, completely unaware.
Until she heard a sentence:
“This question is wrong.”
Half a minute later, another sentence:
“This one is also incorrect.”
“…”
“The fact that you could barely make it into No. 2 High School,” Chi Yao finally commented, “is quite an achievement.”
Lin Zhexia’s pen tip paused on the paper, and she retorted: “Thank you for your affirmation. Luck is indeed part of ability.”
In the end, things developed into He Yang and the others playing board games to the side, a group of people chattering noisily, while Chi Yao explained problems to her amidst all the commotion.
He had just woken up.
One hand propped on the carpet as he sat up close to her, the other hand with a pen between his fingers, quickly writing solution steps in the blank spaces of her book pages.
“This problem is a bit difficult,” Lin Zhexia defended herself, “it’s comprehensive, with many potential points to lose marks.”
Chi Yao’s handwriting was just like him.
The strokes were free and unrestrained, the characters looking good, but written too quickly, showing slight disorder.
“Difficult?” He wrote down the last character with his pen curved, “I’m too lazy to even solve this one.”
“…”
Stay calm.
Stay a bit calmer.
Look beyond the phenomenon to see the essence.
After all, he was currently explaining problems to her.
And it wasn’t the first time either.