"Watch where you're walking."
Lu Xingchen's evasive remark, dripping with obvious embarrassment and defensive annoyance, sounded sweeter to Lin Xiaoxiao's ears than a direct confession of jealousy! Stepping in rhythm with him as she helped him toward the school gate, the corners of her mouth shot up wildly. She felt like an idiot clutching a massive secret, so deliriously happy she was practically bubbling over.
He was jealous! Lu Xingchen—that aloof iceberg of a guy—had actually gotten upset because another boy talked to her a few times! This discovery made her feet feel as light as air; even the person she was supporting suddenly felt pounds lighter.
Sensing the almost tangible aura of joy radiating from the girl beside him, Lu Xingchen couldn't quite chase away the lingering flush on the tips of his ears. Pressing his lips together and staring straight ahead, he fought to maintain his habitual icy expression, though his slightly accelerated heartbeat betrayed his turbulent inner thoughts.
Over the next few days, the "escort mission" continued right on schedule, but the atmosphere was noticeably different. Growing much bolder, Lin Xiaoxiao would occasionally deliberately bring up topics outside of schoolwork, such as, "Hey Lu, what did you have for breakfast today?" or "Did you see how Zhou Zihao got caught dozing off in physics class yesterday?"
Most of the time, Lu Xingchen would just respond with an "Mmh" or an "Oh," sparing words like gold, yet he never showed any sign of impatience. Once, when Lin Xiaoxiao was complaining about having too much math homework, he even broke precedent and threw in a comment: "For the last question, the steps can be simplified."
Then, the next morning on their way, he quickly traced out the logic for a simplified formula right in the palm of her hand.
That cool, tingling sensation left Lin Xiaoxiao distracted all day long. Her right palm felt as though it had caught fire, and she couldn't help stealthily rubbing it even while doing her homework.
On Friday afternoon, the final period was a study hall. Lin Xiaoxiao was wrestling with an extension problem in Lu Xingchen's math notes, feeling as if her brain was about to melt down from the strain.
"Right here, you drew the auxiliary line incorrectly." A cool, clear voice sounded beside her.
Startled, Lin Xiaoxiao looked up to see that Lu Xingchen had somehow walked over to her desk leaning on a single crutch (he had finally accepted the tool). He pointed at her draft paper: "You should connect these two points to form similar triangles."
"Huh? Like this?" Lin Xiaoxiao followed the direction of his finger, but her brain still wasn't processing it.
Watching her blank expression, Lu Xingchen frowned slightly. This problem had been explained quite clearly in the notes.
After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke: "After school. The library."
Lin Xiaoxiao jerked her head up, her eyes wide as saucers: "Huh?"
Unfazed, Lu Xingchen spoke in a tone as flat as if he were assigning a chore: "This problem, plus the kinetic energy theorem from physics last time. The library is quiet. I'll tutor you."
Beside them, Zhou Yun drew in a sharp breath and viciously pinched Lin Xiaoxiao's arm.
The. Li. Bra.ry! Alone! Tutoring!
This was straight out of a romance novel—the classic scenario for relationship progression! The study god had finally figured it out?!
Lin Xiaoxiao felt as if a giant pie had fallen out of the sky and smashed right into her head; dizzy and lightheaded, she could only nod: "O-Okay!"
After the final bell, with a reverence bordering on religious pilgrimage, Lin Xiaoxiao supported Lu Xingchen as they walked into the library—a sanctuary usually frequented only by top students and bookworms. Lu Xingchen navigated the familiar path toward a quiet, sunlit corner by the window, where two empty desks happened to be waiting.
Sunlight streamed through the massive glass windows, casting warm patches of light across the wooden tabletop. The air was filled with the distinct scent of old books and paper, so quiet that the only sounds were the rustle of turning pages and an occasional muffled cough.
Sitting down, Lu Xingchen took out his notes and scratch paper and began to explain. His voice was kept very low—crisp and melodious like a mountain stream—flowing softly into Lin Xiaoxiao's ear.
Because they were sitting so close, Lin Xiaoxiao could distinctly smell the clean, soapy scent of him. She could see the long, dense fringe of his lowered eyelashes casting delicate shadows beneath his eyelids, and she could feel the cool brush of his fingertips against the back of her hand whenever he pointed at something...
She found it utterly impossible to focus on the problems. Her heart hammered like a motor, and her cheeks remained in a state of permanent high heat.
"Did you catch that?" Lu Xingchen asked, finishing a problem and lifting his gaze to look at her.
Meeting those deep, dark eyes at such close range, Lin Xiaoxiao's mind went completely blank, and she nodded on autopilot: "G-Got it!" Though her head was actually stuffed with nothing but his eyelashes, his fingers, and his scent...
Seeing her flushed cheeks and slightly drifting gaze, Lu Xingchen's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly. Without a word, he picked up a pen and rapidly scribbled a similar problem onto the scratch paper.
"Work this one out." He slid the paper over to her.
Lin Xiaoxiao: "!!!"
We're doomed! Just now she'd been too busy staring at him to absorb a single word!
Gripping her pen, she stared at the problem with a miserable expression, unable to make a single move for the longest time.
Lu Xingchen watched her quietly without rushing her. The sunlight outlined him in a soft halo, smoothing out his cold, sharp lines and making him look almost gentle.
Just as Lin Xiaoxiao was about to crack under the silent scrutiny and confess everything, Lu Xingchen suddenly reached out and placed his hand over the back of the hand she was using to hold her pen.
His palm was broad and carried a cool temperature, completely enveloping her hand.
Lin Xiaoxiao stiffened all over. Blood seemed to rush straight to her head, and her brain completely crashed! H-He, he, he... is holding my hand?!
Lu Xingchen didn't seem to think there was anything improper about the action. Holding her hand, he guided her pen tip step-by-step through the calculations on the paper, his voice remaining low and steady: "Look here. Connect the auxiliary line, and then plug it into this formula..."
He explained with total focus, his breath brushing against her ear.
Yet Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't process a single syllable. Every ounce of her focus was concentrated entirely on the hand he was holding—the warmth of his palm, the pressure of his fingers, his close proximity—leaving her completely frozen in place like she'd been hit by a paralysis curse. She could only passively let him guide her hand across the paper while fireworks burst one after another in her chest!
How long did it last? Maybe just a minute, maybe an eternity. Finally, Lu Xingchen finished the problem and let go of her hand.
"Got it now?" he asked, his tone as natural as if he had merely handed her a dropped pen.
Dazed, Lin Xiaoxiao stared at the flowing, effortless steps on the paper, then down at the hand he had just been holding. Her face turned so red it looked ready to drip blood. Opening her mouth, her voice came out as thin as a thread: "...Y-Yeah, got it."
"Good," Lu Xingchen murmured, picking his book back up as though their intimate contact had been nothing more than a standard teaching necessity.
Yet, with her sharp eyes, Lin Xiaoxiao caught the faint, uncharacteristic stiffness in the fingertips he used to turn the page, while that familiar blush crept up the tips of his ears once again.
The library remained quiet, bathed in warm sunlight. But within this secluded corner, something had quietly shifted, beginning to grow wildly and silently.
Secretly, Lin Xiaoxiao used the hand he had just held to cup her burning cheeks. Watching the boy beside her—who looked deeply engrossed in his reading yet sported bright red ears—she felt as sweet inside as if she were steeped in honey.
So... library tutoring really isn't just about tutoring, is it?