Zhang, the loud-mouthed guy, almost choked to death with his sentence. He could sense the pungent smell of love even through the bathroom door.
After Tao Ran finished his shower, he asked, "Has anything significant happened in the past few days?"
Zhang replied, "Nothing much, except for your absence during roll-call."
Well, Tao Ran had already requested sick leave, so there was no need to worry about such things. He climbed onto his bed, feeling refreshed, and began texting Si Shao, "How's it going? Did you miss me?"
Si Shao sent a sweating face emoji and replied, "My mom came in right after you left. That was a close call."
"That means we're fortunate. If our luck persists, we'll soon be able to be together openly and honestly," Tao replied.
Si Shao laughed foolishly at his phone for a while and then sent, "Be sure to eat dinner and take care of yourself."
"Mm-hmm." Tao Ran sent a piggy nodding emoji.
As the day grew darker, members of Si's family returned home.
While Si's father helped his mother with the dishes, he asked, "Where's Shao Shao? Isn't she home?"
"She's home," Si's mother said. "She's not feeling well, so she's lying in bed."
"Have you taken her to the hospital?" Si's father asked worriedly. "Is it a cold?"
"I don't know," Si's mother replied. "Even though I asked her to go to the hospital, she refused. She didn't want the doctor to come to the house either. She said she'd be fine after resting for a while."
"That's nonsense. When you're sick, you should see a doctor," Si's father said. "I'll go check on her."
At that moment, Si Shao had finished showering and was lying on her bed feeling refreshed, chatting with Tao Ran. Si's father knocked on the door from outside, "Shao Shao, can Dad come in?"
"I have to go now, my dad is here," Si Shao sent a text message to Tao Ran, then got out of bed to open the door for her father.
Her father saw her open the door and looked at her. He noticed that her complexion was rosy and her eyes were bright. Her complexion was simply too good, and she didn't look like she was sick at all. He said, "Your mother said you were sick. Are you feeling better now?"
"I'm fine now," Si Shao smiled. "I just had a headache, but it's gone after I slept for a while."
"Oh, that's good," Si's father said. "Come down and have dinner."
"Mhm."
As Si Shao bounded down the stairs, her younger brother Si Qi sat expressionless in a chair and asked, "Did you take the wrong medicine?"
Si Shao approached him and smacked him, saying, "That's no way to talk to your older sister!"
Their mother interjected, "Si Shao, are you feeling better now? Mom was worried."
"Yeah, I'm fine." Si Shao had a ghost in her heart and didn't dare to say more, so she helped with the dishes.
The family of four sat together to eat, Si Shao's mother spoke up, "The Jing family mishandled Si Shao's marriage, but we don't have to stick with their son. Old Si, do you know any young men from other families? Maybe you could introduce them to Si Shao."
Si Shao grew annoyed and responded irritably, "Mom, don't introduce me to anyone. I don't want to see anyone."
Her mother scolded her, "Silly child, what are you saying? Mom knows you've been unhappy lately, but you can't let one setback hold you back forever. If you don't meet other outstanding people, how will you move on from Jing Ming?"
Si Shao thought she had already moved on from Jing Ming, but feared her parents wouldn't approve of any new relationship.
Out of nowhere, Si Qi chimed in, "I actually think my sister looks pretty happy. She doesn't seem like someone who can't move on."
Their father dismissed him, saying, "What do you know, you're just a kid."
Their mother then asked, "So, how did you do on your monthly exam?"
Si Qi deflated instantly. They were just fine when they had just been discussing his sister. How did the topic suddenly shift to his own monthly exam?
Si Qi stammered, "My grades... haven't dropped."
Si Shao noticed the topic shifting and immediately interjected, "Is there any room left for your grades to drop? Are you at the bottom again?"
Si Qi gazed up at her, filled with despair, as if his eyes were silently asking, ‘Why are you in such a hurry to fight with me when we both come from the same roots?’
Their mother inquired, "What's the reason for this? Your father was a gifted scholar, and both your sister and I were top achievers in school. Why don't you like studying?"
His father looked at him with a worried expression and said, "Could it be a genetic mutation?"
Si Qi: "......"
Si Shao remarked, "With his current grades, he'll never be able to keep up with the pace of school. He can't rely on his self-discipline. Why not hire a tutor?"
"That's a good suggestion," their father considered for a moment before adding, "There are plenty of college students available for part-time tutoring jobs. It shouldn't be difficult to find someone to teach him."
Once dinner had finished, Si Shao retreated to her room and took the initiative to text Tao Ran, "I wish my little brother could be more like you."
Tao Ran was fiddling with his phone and replied, "Are you referring to my good looks?"
Si Shao couldn't help but chuckle. She had heard that if someone responds to your text quickly, it's a sign that they care.
Si Shao remarked, "Do you care about me specifically?"
Tao Ran asked, "How could you deduce that?"
Si Shao stated, "You responded to my message so quickly."
Tao Ran sighed, "Sis, I only replied promptly because I happened to be playing with my phone."
"......" Si Shao: "Hmph!"
Tao Ran hastily changed his tune, "Even if I didn't reply promptly to your messages, I still care deeply about you. You don't have to question that."
Si Shao's frustration dissolved into delight as she responded, "My little brother detests studying and consistently ranks last in his exams. My parents are incredibly concerned about him, and they are considering hiring a tutor."
"Is that so?" Tao Ran's eyes scanned over as he queried, "Do you think it will be effective? What type of tutor are they planning to engage?"
Si Shao replied, "I'm not sure if it would be useful. They’ll just search online for available part-time tutors."
Tao Ran comforted her by saying, "Don't worry too much. If all else fails, we can send him abroad after he graduates from high school and let him experience some challenges on his own. That way, he will naturally become more sensible."
Si Shao chuckled and said, "It's a good thing you don't have a younger brother, otherwise he would definitely be tormented by you."
Tao Ran replied, "Your younger brother is my younger brother. There's no distinction between us."
Si Shao liked this "no distinction" and looked very happy. She asked, "When can we meet again?"
Tao Ran smiled and replied, "Is it difficult to meet? Why do you have to ask? How about tomorrow? I don't have classes tomorrow and can accompany you to do something fun or go out to eat."
Si Shao rolled on the bed and agreed, "Sure, I'll wait for you at the entrance of your school tomorrow. Where do you want to go?"
After some consideration, Tao Ran suggested, "For our first date, let's have some fun. Since you mentioned you enjoy mountain climbing, I'll take you to climb a mountain."
Si Shao interjected, "But there are only small hills around here."
Tao Ran teased, "Do you still want to climb the Himalayas? Be content with the small hills. Plus, you'll have the pleasure of a handsome guy accompanying you."
Si Shao said, "You're so narcissistic."
"I'm not narcissistic, I'm just telling the truth..."
After chatting late into the night, Tao Ran and Si Shao bid each other good night. Tao Ran then opened an app to search for part-time jobs, including tutoring. He came across a job posting with an address identical to Si Shao's home address, and he decided to contact the person who posted the job. He typed out a message saying, "Hello."
Si's father, who was lying in bed, saw the message and exclaimed to Si's mother beside him, "I didn't expect such a quick reply."
He responded to Tao Ran's message, "Hello, are you interested in applying for the part-time tutoring job?"
Tao Ran replied, "Yes, I am a third-year student in the physics department at A University. I'm not sure if I meet your requirements."
The part-time job can't be too demanding, and Si Shao's brother was already studying science, with particularly poor physics grades. Si's father agreed, "Yes, yes. I don't know when you will be free?"
Tao Ran replied, "I'll be free after 6 pm tomorrow night."
Dad Si thought about it and realized that Si Qi would finish school around that time, making it a perfect fit. He said, "Then come to this address tomorrow, but since it's your first time here, please bring your ID."
"Okay, it's settled then. Good night."
Dad Si put down his phone and remarked, "I'm pretty lucky to have found a physics student from A University so quickly."
Both parties achieved their goals without mentioning pay, which wasn't important anyway. Even if he didn't receive payment, Tao Ran was willing to go.
The next morning, Tao Ran woke up early, ate breakfast, and applied sunscreen to himself.
Zhang, who was always outspoken, looked at Tao Ran and shook his head disapprovingly, "Do you despise yourself thinking you're not enough of a little white boy?" he asked.
Tao Ran replied, "I'm not trying to look like a pretty boy. I just want to take care of myself."
Zhang persisted, "But you already have a girlfriend. Why are you still primping yourself like this?"
Tao Ran grinned and said, "Of course, I want my girlfriend to love me even more, to the point where she can't live without me."
Zhang: "......"
Just then, Tao Ran received a text message from Si Shao, informing him that she was about to arrive.
Tao Ran rushed downstairs and found Si Shao waiting for him at the school gate. He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist, allowing her to lean on him. "Did you dream of me after not seeing me all night?" he asked.
Surprisingly, Si Shao had actually dreamt about him, but it wasn't a good dream. She responded, "No, what about you? Did you dream about me?"
"I did," Tao Ran replied, "and it made me get up early this morning to wash my sheets."
"Humph! You're such a..." Si Shao started.
"I'm such what?" Tao Ran asked innocently.
"You're a little rascal," Si Shao accused. "I understand now. You used to be so well-behaved, but it was all an act."
"That's not true," Tao Ran protested, looking at her with a hurt expression. "Wasn't I well-behaved? You asked me, and I was just telling the truth."
Si Shao was never a match for Tao Ran in this regard, and whenever she saw his innocent aggrieved expression, her heart would melt with both sweetness and sourness. As if in a daze, she just wanted to hug him tightly to comfort him and forget about everything else.
To get the full experience of dating Tao Ran, Si Shao decided to take a taxi instead of driving. She held Tao Ran's hand and said, "Let's go."
Tao Ran followed her obediently, completely unaware that they were being watched by someone else.
Meng Baozhen watched them leave and suddenly remembered something, so she took out her phone to take a picture of the two of them. Unfortunately, the timing was off, and they were too far away, plus they were obstructed by people. She could only see them walking together, chatting and laughing, but couldn't capture the moment when they were holding hands.