Chapter 7: You Are So Cute
Ye Chuxiao thought, always speaking in a hushed voice, it was bound to be uncomfortable.
Besides, with so many girls calling Lu Ziyi last night to confess, how would he remember who she was?
Ye Chuxiao coughed lightly, a little shyly, and said, “Thank you for your concern, Senior Student. My cold is much better.”
“That’s good,” Lu Ziyi asked gently, “Junior Schoolmate, are you… free now?”
“Me?” Ye Chuxiao pointed to herself with her right index finger in disbelief. She was untalented and unlearned; how could she possibly help Lu Top Student?
“I… uh, I’m free.”
“Can you sharpen a few pencils for me, Junior Schoolmate? I saw you did a pretty good job last night.”
“Of… of course,” Ye Chuxiao hadn’t expected her pencil-sharpening skill to make her useful. “But, I left in a hurry this morning and didn’t bring my schoolbag or pencil case. I don’t have a single-sided blade.”
“I do,” Lu Ziyi said immediately. “I also use a single-sided blade to sharpen pencils, but I don’t sharpen them as well as you do.”
Following the direction of Lu Ziyi’s well-defined knuckles, Ye Chuxiao saw a flat small wooden box, inside which were scattered stationery items like pencils, erasers, steel rulers, and tape measures.
Ye Chuxiao noticed that behind Lu Ziyi was a frame like a drawing board, but the white paper clipped to it was covered with many lines and groups of data. Several long and short wooden rulers were also placed on the ground.
Ye Chuxiao asked with some curiosity, “Senior Student, are you having class here?”
“My group members and I are completing a surveying assignment, measuring the sixth teaching building across the way.”
“Oh!” Ye Chuxiao didn’t understand these professional things. She remembered that the club president, Bai Qianqian, had mentioned last night that Lu Ziyi was an architecture student.
Lu Ziyi bent down, found a few dark green pencils and a single-sided blade from the small wooden box, and said gently, “Junior Schoolmate, I’ll trouble you. Please sit here and help me sharpen a few pencils.”
“It’s no problem.” Ye Chuxiao sat on a small stool, picked up one of the pencils, and began to sharpen it diligently.
The midday sun in summer was hot, but fortunately, the large banyan tree provided a cool shade.
The dazzling sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves, becoming a little gentler, casting dappled light and shadow under the shade, and also reflecting on the girl who was lowering her head, diligently sharpening pencils.
Lu Ziyi stood beside her, quietly looking at her.
The girl was petite and lovely, with shoulder-length short hair, which was dark and smooth, faintly glowing in the soft light.
She lowered her eyes and Ye Chuxiao saw that her eyelashes were long and curled, fine and dense, like dragonfly wings, trembling slightly.
Her cheeks were fair and tender pink, with lingering baby fat, making her look even more childish and… innocent.
The girl was very delicate, not the kind of beauty that stands out in a crowd at first glance, but once you noticed her, you would find her very cute, with a feeling that you could never get enough of looking at her.
Lu Ziyi’s cool gaze seemed to melt, his expression softened a bit, and the corners of his thin, soft lips curved into a faint smile unconsciously.
Ye Chuxiao finished sharpening a pencil and subconsciously looked up, her gaze meeting Lu Ziyi’s.
Her innocent gaze made the cool-looking boy’s heart jolt for a moment, and his expression became unnatural.
However, his good psychological resilience allowed Lu Ziyi to immediately conceal his anomaly. He acted as if he was just watching her sharpen pencils and said, “You sharpen them so well! Very few people use single-sided blades to sharpen pencils nowadays!”
