On the rooftop, Xiao Jianren and the others were still desperately waiting to start class, hoping to sneak down while no one was around, in order to save face. Meanwhile, Chen Nan had already returned to the classroom.
"Dummy, why did that sleazebag Zhu Bajie call you out?" Su Qingqing asked curiously.
"Can I not say?" Chen Nan said with a smile.
Su Qingqing puffed up her cheeks which were a rosy white, and made a pinching motion with her hand, huffing, "No, you have to tell me! Otherwise, hmph!"
Seeing her "lobster claw" hands, Chen Nan instinctively moved to the side to create some distance, "Well... Actually, it’s nothing. Just a few girls wanted to invite me to dinner, and Zhu Bajie was passing the message."
Upon hearing this, Su Qingqing became agitated, quickly grabbing Chen Nan’s arm and shaking it. Full of jealousy, she said, "Who? Who wants to invite you? They’ve got some nerve!"
Chen Nan was stunned for a moment, as he had just made up a lie. He didn’t expect her to react so strongly. "It’s just dinner, not as if they’re trying to steal me away to be their bodyguard. Why are you so worked up?"
Su Qingqing opened her mouth but didn’t know how to explain. Right, why should it bother her if someone else invites him to dinner? It’s not like she’s his girlfriend.
"So did you accept their invitation?" Su Qingqing changed the subject.
Chen Nan grinned, "What do you think?"
Seeing Chen Nan’s teasing expression, Su Qingqing suddenly felt uneasy, "You... You definitely accepted, didn’t you?"
Watching her annoyed, Chen Nan kept silent with a smile.
"You’re not speaking? Silence is an admission of guilt!" Su Qingqing swung her little fist and punched his arm, "You ungrateful guy! I eat with you every day, and yet you dare to accept someone else’s date. That’s not what friends do! I despise you. I utterly despise you, hmph!"
He looked at her pouting mouth, resembling an infuriated little kitten, her words laced with sourness. Chen Nan was somewhat puzzled. Judging by her reaction, it seemed a lot like jealousy!
Could this girl actually have fallen for me?
Thinking this possibility startled Chen Nan himself. Having Liu Tiantian at home, constantly clinging to him, was already headache enough. If Su Qingqing were to join in, he seriously doubted he could hold out against them...
Although Su Qingqing had confessed before, Chen Nan thought she was joking and didn’t take it seriously. But now, upon further consideration, it seemed as though she meant it.
"You don’t really like me, do you?" Chen Nan ventured.
Su Qingqing’s heart skipped a beat, her little heart almost leaping to her throat.
Although she had spoken her mind last time, it was when she was alone with Chen Nan. Now, with the entire class looking on, even though the classmates weren’t paying attention to them, she still couldn’t muster the courage.
"No... not at all, how could I!" Su Qingqing’s gaze flitted about, avoiding Chen Nan’s eyes.
Chen Nan nodded, not dwelling on it. "That’s good to hear. I’m good for nothing and wouldn’t want you to regret it forever!"
Su Qingqing pursed her lips, "Who talks so badly about themselves?"
"But it’s true!" Chen Nan shrugged.
"Nonsense, I actually think you are quite capable."
Chen Nan just smiled and said nothing.
Indeed, he felt pretty useless. He’d always talked about finding his little martial sister, but so far, he hadn’t found her and instead was entangled with Li Xiao. Moreover, he didn’t dare let Huo Xinya and the others know — if this wasn’t uselessness, what was?
The classroom of Senior Year, Class Nine at noon was, as usual, very quiet, with only two people inside, Chen Nan and Huo Xinya.
Holding an English book, Huo Xinya came to sit at Su Qingqing’s desk, "Do you remember what I told you last Friday?"
Chen Nan nodded and said.
Huo Xinya opened the English book in her hands and said, "This is the English textbook from when I was in seventh grade, let’s continue from where we left off last time."
Chen Nan took out paper and a pen, sitting beside her and listening attentively.
After reading some common vocabulary, Huo Xinya began to explain some simple grammar. Chen Nan listened, much more attentively than last time, occasionally asking questions, which Huo Xinya answered with great care.
As time ticked second by second, the minds of both were roaming in the same ocean of knowledge. Chen Nan suddenly felt very happy, as this scene was so reminiscent of the times he and his junior sister practiced calligraphy and exchanged pointers.
Unconsciously, Chen Nan didn’t know whether he saw Huo Xinya as Ye Yiyi or what, but he extended his hand and was about to embrace her around the waist.
At that moment, Huo Xinya was still explaining carefully, completely unaware that Chen Nan’s hand had wrapped around her from behind.
She felt a tightness around her waist, as if someone had embraced her, which startled her so much that she trembled, ready to use her True Qi to break free, only to realize that it was Chen Nan holding her.
In an instant, Huo Xinya’s face turned red, her heart pounding wildly, as frantic as a deer in chaos, inexplicably panicked.
In this fleeting moment, in addition to her nervousness, she also felt a certain thrill, an unexplainable excitement, but as soon as she came back to her senses and remembered that Chen Nan was her brother-in-law, she pushed with both hands and quickly wriggled out of his embrace, standing up to glare fiercely at Chen Nan, shouting, "Chen Nan, what are you doing!?"
Chen Nan was also stunned.
He really hadn’t thought about doing anything to Huo Xinya. He had been listening to her explanation attentively, but he had never expected his body to act uncontrollably and embrace her of its own accord.
Or perhaps, he had thought about embracing Huo Xinya, wanting to hold her, but he had never dared to do so.
The embrace was purely his subconscious acting up.
"Xinya, I... I didn’t mean it. Do you believe me?" Chen Nan looked at her helplessly.
"You... you’ve disappointed me so much!"
Huo Xinya huffed coldly and turned to walk to her own seat.
"I really didn’t do it on purpose, just now I thought you were Yiyi," Chen Nan explained.
Although he didn’t know if he really saw Huo Xinya as Ye Yiyi, or if his subconscious truly wanted to embrace Huo Xinya, at that moment, he could only say that. Otherwise, Huo Xinya definitely wouldn’t forgive him, even though it wasn’t intentional.
Hearing this, Huo Xinya felt relieved, yet also a bit disappointed.
She even hoped that Chen Nan would say that embracing her was truly sincere, but then she was startled by her own thoughts. How could she be so shameless? So brazen? To actually covet her sister’s husband’s embrace!
I cannot have these thoughts, absolutely not! Otherwise, how would I face my sister?
The more Huo Xinya thought, the more confused she became, quickly putting down the book and heading outside, "Let’s stop here for today, I want to be alone for a while."