"Тhеrе аre manу сirсumstаnсes," Su Zaizai rерlied dismissivelу.
"..."
After а mоmеnt оf silеnсe.
Wang Nаn suddenly reached оut аnd tuckеd the hаir hаnging bу hеr eаr bеhind it, tеаsing, "Isn't it hоt with yоur hair all loоsе like this?"
Su Zаizai frowned аnd swatted his hаnd awaу. "Whаt аrе уоu dоing?"
After sауing that, shе nо lоnger wаnted tо stаy therе аnd stoоd up directlу.
Wang Nan instinctivеlу stоod uр as well, saуing, "Неy, I wаs just jоking with уоu."
Su Zаizаi turned hеr hеad, рuzzled. "Тhen why did уou tоuсh mе?"
"..."
Hеr mооd wаs alreadу bad, and she didn’t want to wаste any mоre words оn him.
Su Zaizаi wаs abоut to walk over to the water station to put her bottle away.
When she turned around, she saw Zhang Lurang looking in their direction.
Su Zaizai froze for a moment, then immediately jogged over to him.
She asked quietly, "Did you put on sunscreen?"
"Yeah."
"I forgot to tell you earlier—you need to apply it half an hour in advance."
"Okay."
Su Zaizai blinked, remembering what had just happened.
To avoid misunderstandings, whether he saw it or not, she had to explain.
"Did you see what happened just now?"
Zhang Lurang averted his eyes and didn’t speak.
"Lùràng, don’t be jealous."
"I’m not," he frowned, raising his hand to rub his neck.
"..."
Su Zaizai suddenly thought he looked really cute.
Her mood instantly brightened.
"It wasn’t my fault. He suddenly reached out, and I didn’t even have time to react," Su Zaizai explained seriously. After thinking for a moment, she added, "I also think you’re at a disadvantage. How about you touch my hair once too?"
Zhang Lurang: "..."
Su Zaizai shamelessly suggested, "Or, after I wash my hair tonight, I can offer myself to you tomorrow."
"..."
"Say something..."
Before she could finish, Zhang Lurang suddenly raised his hand.
He ruffled her hair the same way he would pat Su Su’s head.
Su Zaizai hadn’t even processed it yet.
Zhang Lurang immediately averted his eyes, dropped a sentence, and walked away.
"If you feel unwell, remember to ask the instructor for leave."
Su Zaizai stood there, nodding foolishly.
Before training began, they had to stand at attention for fifteen minutes.
The instructor walked around the class while giving instructions.
A few minutes later, he stopped in front of Su Zaizai.
Tapping the brim of her cap with his finger, he said sternly, "Who said you could smile?"
For the first time, Su Zaizai felt so wronged.
She—she couldn’t help it!
On the last day of military training.
The school rented buses to take the students back to campus, after which they would head home individually.
Su Zaizai stood in her class’s line.
Their homeroom teacher suddenly walked over and said, "The bus assigned to our class is a bit small—only forty seats. Ten people will have to split up and ride on other classes’ buses."
Su Zaizai held an umbrella, looking down at her phone.
"Three will go to the Li Zhong class’s bus, three to the liberal arts class five, and the remaining four..."
Hearing this, Su Zaizai immediately raised her hand. "Teacher! I volunteer to ride the Li Zhong class’s bus back to school!"
The teacher was momentarily taken aback by her interruption. "...Alright."
Afterward, she sent Zhang Lurang two messages.
—Lùràng, I’ll sit next to you in a bit.
—Save me a seat.
Zhang Lurang: "..."
After boarding the bus, Su Zaizai spotted Zhang Lurang sitting in the second-to-last row at a glance.
She walked over and saw his backpack placed on the seat beside him.
Zhang Lurang glanced up and casually picked up his backpack.Su Zai Zai sat down and turned to look at him.
His skin glowed brightly under the sunlight.
Zhang Lu Rang gazed out the window, revealing only half of his profile.
His eyelashes drooped downward, long and curled, trembling lightly.
His lips were slightly pursed, with a faint upward curve.
After admiring him for a while, Su Zai Zai said, "You must be very meticulous about applying sunscreen."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
"When we have military training in college, I'll buy sunscreen for you too," she whispered softly.
Su Zai Zai waited for a moment but received no response from him.
She didn't mind, hugging her backpack and curling up in her seat, closing her eyes.
Soon, Zhang Lu Rang beside her pulled her backpack over and stacked it on top of his own.
Then he said softly, "Sleep."
Su Zai Zai looked at him and obediently replied, "Oh."
She was indeed tired and quickly fell asleep.
Zhang Lu Rang stared out the window, lost in thought for a while.
Then, he took out a vocabulary notebook from his backpack and began memorizing words.
A short while later, the bus jolted.
Su Zai Zai's head tilted and rested against his arm.
Zhang Lu Rang's body stiffened abruptly but soon relaxed.
He licked his lower lip and turned his head to look at her.
Gazing at her delicate face, he suddenly spoke very, very softly.
"I'll buy it for you."
"In the future, I'll buy you whatever you want."
Zhang Lu Rang averted his eyes.
Thinking to himself, he would let her lean for ten minutes, then wake her up.
Ten minutes later, he thought, maybe another ten minutes.
And so he thought the entire way.
Su Zai Zai had arranged to meet Jiang Jia at the school gate, then go to the bus station together.
"I just rode the bus back with Zhang Lu Rang," Su Zai Zai said with a grin.
Jiang Jia was looking down, texting someone.
It took her a moment to react, saying, "Impressive, little expert at chasing your crush."
Thinking about this week, Su Zai Zai sighed, "Military training was so painful, and not being in the same class as you made it even worse."
"Stop exaggerating. The whole grade knows about your crush putting a hat on you."
"..."
"Good taste, picking someone who spoils his girl," Jiang Jia teased.
Su Zai Zai didn't respond, just curved her lips into a smile.
"Let me tell you something," Jiang Jia scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. "Guan Han and I are together now."
Su Zai Zai was stunned, stopping in her tracks and staring at her in shock.
Jiang Jia felt awkward and patted her arm, "What's with that reaction? It's too exaggerated..."
"You..." Su Zai Zai was completely at a loss for words.
"It hasn't been long, just the week before military training."
Su Zai Zai suddenly lowered her head, "I feel like such a failure."
Jiang Jia: "..."
"I've been chasing my crush for..." Su Zai Zai started counting on her fingers, "One, two... six, almost half a year, my goodness..."
"..."
"This week, there must be substantial progress!" Su Zai Zai raised her hand and vowed.
"...Don't be impulsive."
On Saturday afternoon, Su Zai Zai invited Zhang Lu Rang to walk the dog together.
The little short-legged dog was already four months old.
Su Zai Zai put a leash on it and took it outside.
She met Zhang Lu Rang downstairs.
The two walked to the grassy area, let the dog off the leash, and found a spot to sit.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
Su Zai Zai hesitated about how to bring it up.
Soon, she broached the topic indirectly, "Does your Su Su have a partner yet?"
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
Thinking about it, the gender hasn't even been determined yet.Su Zai Zai continued, "Is Su Su male or female?"
"Female."
Su Zai Zai immediately grew excited. "My little shorty is male!"
"..."
"Do you think they're a good match?"
"...No."
Su Zai Zai widened her eyes and asked, "Why not? Their genders are so compatible!"
Zhang Lu Rang fell silent for a moment, somewhat awkwardly replying, "They can't reach each other."
"Wha..." Su Zai Zai immediately understood, her ears turning hot. "Lùràng, you're a bit dirty."
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
"I'm utterly impressed."
"Su Zai Zai!" Zhang Lu Rang called her name with a frown.
She immediately quieted down.
An awkward silence followed.
Just as Zhang Lu Rang was about to speak.
Su Zai Zai suddenly spoke up, uttering words that caught him completely off guard.
"Zhang Lu Rang, you like me."
Zhang Lu Rang instinctively turned to look at her.
In that moment, the surroundings fell so quiet it seemed all sound had vanished.
She didn't speak again, nervously clutching her sweaty hands.
Her gaze was firm, unwavering.
Zhang Lu Rang's mind went completely blank.
Unable to recall anything, unable to hear any sound.
He could only see her.
Chapter 32
For the first time, I wanted to tell him to get lost.
But I didn't have the guts, so I held it in.
Holding it in until I cried, I just couldn't hold back anymore.
—"Su Zai Zai's Little Fairy Diary"
Zhang Lu Rang's gaze lowered, noticing her tightly clenched palms.
The force was strong, her nails digging deep.
Zhang Lu Rang wondered, if he denied it.
Would she feel awkward, or sad?
Or would she just laugh it off.
He raised his eyes again, meeting her gaze.
Su Zai Zai pursed her lips, her expression stubborn, waiting for his reply.
Like a child who couldn't get candy.
Zhang Lu Rang didn't know why she asked this question.
Had he been too obvious, making her feel troubled...
Zhang Lu Rang suddenly... felt a bit disheartened.
He remained silent for a moment, then softly responded.
"Yeah."
When it comes to liking someone, you can't hide it.
If you hide it, what if the other person believes it?
Explaining later would be troublesome.
Besides, he couldn't hide it anyway.
Zhang Lu Rang averted his gaze, his expression unreadable.
He didn't know how Su Zai Zai would react next.
The scene froze for a moment.
The next second, Su Zai Zai grabbed his hand, suppressing the scream about to escape her lips.
"Lùràng, you really like me? You like me? You like me!"
Zhang Lu Rang: "..."
Due to her excitement, a layer of mist formed in Su Zai Zai's eyes, shimmering brightly.
Even after receiving his confirmation, there was still a hint of caution in her gaze.
Zhang Lu Rang sighed and said, "Yeah, but I won't let it affect you..."
Before he could finish, Su Zai Zai immediately interrupted him.
"How can it not affect me? It must affect me! If you don't affect me, you're not a man!"
"..."
Her emotions were so intense that her voice cracked.
Su Zai Zai calmed herself down, pretending to be composed.—-
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