Chapter 7, Entanglement

The boy approaching was holding a notebook to steady himself. He apologized to Lin Chen and then walked towards Xiao Ziyuan, saying, "Master, I imported the data, but the software is showing an error and I can't analyze it no matter what. Can you help me see where the problem lies?"

She smiled slightly, turned over, and prepared to sleep

Sui Yi entered the door, looking around to the east and west, and asked, "Is Brother Xiao not here?"

Lin Chen remembered that it had been many years since Sui Yi had called him that. Suddenly hearing it again startled him. He was most afraid of Sui Yi being like this, gentle and soft-spoken, yet with a mind already made up.

As he spoke, he hurriedly turned to leave, and just as he took a step, he collided with a person coming towards him

Xiao Ziyuan lowered his eyes to take a look, but did not respond, instead focusing on her eyes again. She was running up and down, her small face flushed, tender and crystal clear, exceptionally charming

Hmm... on Wednesday evening, I received a call and then left. Lin Chen recalled.

The next evening, I went to attend an elective class with Yi and saw Xiao Ziyuan. He did not seem to be in good spirits, and his voice was somewhat hoarse when he spoke, occasionally coughing a few times

Lin Chen also felt a bit awkward, smiling as he explained, "I intended to test this girl for you, but I didn't expect..."

Xiao Ziyuan turned around and walked back while Sui Yi was frowning with a troubled expression on her small face

Wen Shaoqing was taken aback, "I am not quite sure, I just returned from the hospital, what happened?"

A certain male student is completely bewildered

After a long while, Xiao Ziyuan sighed and asked, "Are you afraid?"

Wen Shaoqing patted Xiao Ziyuan's shoulder and said, "Don't worry too much."

Wen Shaoqing suddenly remembered something, "How is your mother's illness? This Friday is the expert consultation with Old Chen, shall we go and take a look?"

Hey, Senior Brother, where are you going? I still have questions!" shouted the boy from behind

Xiao Ziyuan smiled at him, "Alright"

Lin Chen provoked Xiao Ziyuan that day, and now he avoids him whenever he sees him. He stiffly turned around and said, "I am going next door to find someone..."

A few days later, after Xi Yi had cleaned the trench coat, the person could not be found

Seeing him with a cold expression, it was certain that he had heard. She blinked her eyes and gave a somewhat awkward smile, "Brother Xiao, I came to return this..."

Wen Shaoqing sat there with a smile playing on his lips

Suiyi suddenly grabbed him and walked a few steps towards the building entrance, "You have a cold, don't get caught in the rain again. Let's take shelter here, I will go up and get the umbrella."

Oh, with a distracted response, I said, "Then I will take my leave first"

When she woke up feeling refreshed, she thought that perhaps the amulet for peace was indeed effective

Uh... I didn't expect Xiao Ziyuan to tell such a cold joke, I restrained my smile, "I was indeed startled at the time, but it's fine now"

Xiao Ziyuan suddenly stopped, pointing at the complex graph on the screen and said to him, "Here, these two lines are not connected. Connect them and run it again, and it will be fine"

Suiyi stood in front of the building for a long time, her mind in a state of chaos

Xiao Ziyuan frowned and said, "Enough of the nonsense!"

Xiao Ziyuan took a seat at the table and examined it carefully. Seizing the opportunity, the young man began chatting with Wen Shaoqing.

Xiao Ziyuan has been preparing experiments in the laboratory for the past few days to publish a paper. When he returned to his dormitory, he found his desk filled with medicine.

Suiyi held up the bag in her hand for him to see, "I something happened. Here you go."

Xiao Ziyuan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, raising his arm to shield his forehead, his face full of exhaustion and weariness, and did not respond.

She had thought she would suffer from insomnia or have nightmares, but to her surprise, she slept soundly until dawn

Xiao Ziyuan smiled helplessly while preparing mint leaves for tea, saying, "I was a bit tired that day and my complexion wasn't very good, so he might have thought I was angry with him."

That boy looked at Wen Shaoqing with curiosity and said, "Hey, speaking of your junior sister, why aren't you anxious at all"

She does not believe that Xiao Ziyuan likes her very much, after all, there are so many outstanding girls around him, and she is merely the most ordinary one

Having finished speaking, he is ready to leave

Lin Chen took it and said, "Oh, isn't this his? How did it end up with you? His mother is ill, and he has gone home. He might not be back for a few more days. Just leave it here for now, and I will give it to him later."

After speaking, he did not pay any attention and ran upstairs holding onto the things in his hand

Xiao Ziyuan lowered his head to look at her and softly spoke, "Experts say that on average, a person tells 8.8 lies in their lifetime, and the easiest lie to utter is, 'It's nothing, I'm fine, I'm not afraid.'"

Hmm? As memories turn, I turn away.

The dim light cast a glow over the gentle drizzle, resembling a misty night in the Jiangnan region. Xiao Ziyuan held a paper bag in one hand and an umbrella in the other, walking contentedly among the crowd of people hurriedly seeking shelter from the rain

Lin Chen seemed to suddenly realize something, "Ziyuan, forget it, although this girl appears to be gentle and unassuming, she is quite resolute. When she says she doesn't like something, she truly means it. You..."

Since that night when Xiao Ziyuan uttered that shocking statement to Sui Yi, he suddenly disappeared

On Wednesday evening, it must have been that night when Lin Chen called out to her at the door, "A Yi!"

Lin Chen watched the figure leaving and thought, "He is anxious, but what do I have to be anxious about"

As Lin Chen was speaking, he rushed into the dormitory holding two umbrellas and saw Xiao Ziyuan, who was completely dry, and said, "You..."

Two people were conversing when it suddenly started to rain. Xiao Ziyuan tightened his collar and said, "You should head back quickly, I will leave first"

Lin Chen wore a strange smile and said, "You came to find him, didn't you?"

Xiao Ziyuan smiled at him, and Lin Chen scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed as he smiled back

The corners of Suiyi's eyes suddenly felt warm, not knowing how he could have known.

When she came to her senses and looked again, where was there any trace of Xiao Ziyuan?

Wen Shaoqing called out loudly, "Lawyer Lin! Where are you going?"

Is it concern for the senior brother or concern for me

Is there a difference

He walked to the side, holding a cup of water, and took a sip. The cold liquid slid down his throat, providing a slight relief from the intense burning pain. He slowly set the cup down and suddenly put on his clothes and went out

Xiao Ziyuan casually took it with one hand and set it aside, then asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you still have that throat lozenge you gave Qiao Yu last time?"

When she returned in the afternoon, she did not mention this matter to anyone. Although she is studying medicine, she is still a girl and inevitably feels a bit scared. To her surprise, in the evening, Xiao Ziyuan actually came to find her regarding this matter

Lin Chen hesitated for half a day before speaking, "You can see it too, Xiao Ziyuan is not a child from an ordinary family; he is the heir of the Xiao family. After graduation, he will go abroad, and upon returning, he will enter the political arena. Every step he takes in the future is already planned out, perhaps including marriage. I am afraid for you..."

I heard that something happened at the medical school today

After some consideration, I went to Lin Chen's dormitory to look for someone

After speaking, he did not look back and simply walked past her into the dormitory

The boy tilted his head to look, and Xiao Ziyuan then stood up to give him his seat

As Sui Yi did not let go, he hesitantly said with a somewhat strange expression, "I should deliver it to him personally, and thank him by the way. I will come again next time. By the way, on which day did he leave?"

The boy suddenly became excited and spoke with great enthusiasm, "You don't know yet? It is said that the exhibitionist pervert who appeared over a year ago has shown up again, harassing girls in front of the medical school's teaching building. The class monitor from the neighboring class happened to pass by at that moment and said that the girl seemed to be Lin Chen's beautiful younger sister, the beauty from the medical school, although he wasn't sure if it was her."

She suddenly raised her face and smiled, her voice cheerful, "Don't worry, Senior Brother, have you forgotten? I am studying medicine, what haven't I seen? To me, those are just organs, I'm fine!"

Return? Xiao Ziyuan will probably be angry

Wen Shaoqing was studying the instruction manual while holding several boxes. Upon seeing Xiao Ziyuan enter, he threw one at him, saying, "These girls are truly remarkable. Where do you think they are going? They are not here to attend your class; the school hospital is going to be busy now. It's a pity they don't know you are allergic to Western medicine; you can't touch these things."

With such thoughts, Sui Yi unconsciously smiled

Xiao Ziyuan took out a talisman and handed it to her, "Take this and keep it on you to calm your nerves."

As Xiao Ziyuan reached the doorway, he overheard this conversation, raised an eyebrow slightly, and without any hesitation, pushed the door open and entered

Before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted by Xiao Ziyuan's indifferent voice, "Just put it there."

Lin Chen scrutinized her for a long time but did not detect any signs of reluctance or flaws, and waved his hand, "Then I can rest assured"

Sui Yi watched his silhouette, realizing that this was indeed Xiao Ziyuan, calm and composed, as he ought to be towards himself. Sui Yi quickly put down his belongings and left.

Suiyi knew that he was angry, but did not know why he was angry

Xiao Ziyuan remained silent, his face betraying no unusual expression, yet Lin Chen knew that he was angry. With a sigh, he turned and left.

As the smile on her face remained unchanged, she slowly spoke, "Brother Lin Chen, you can rest assured, I will not develop feelings for Brother Xiao."

Wen Shaoqing found it and handed it over, smiling as he teased him, "Some of the things on that table are still edible for you"

Lin Chenxing rushed in and suddenly stopped upon seeing Xiao Ziyuan, quietly turning around to walk out.

A few minutes later, Xiao Ziyuan's expression softened slightly as he looked at the umbrella handed over by Sui Yi. After a moment of hesitation, he took it and said, "This umbrella..."

Wen Shaoqing looked at Lin Chen and said, "He is not anxious about his sister, so why should I be anxious?"

Lying in bed, Sui Yi kept his eyes open in the darkness

What happened?" Sui Yi replied with a puzzled expression, "Oh, right, this is the mint leaves I brought from home. Take them back and brew them in water; it will soothe your throat.

She has always referred to him as Senior Brother Xiao, never once calling him by his name in person. It seems that he is merely a senior brother whom she respects, and nothing more.

After weighing the memories, I shall take it!

At this time, many couples are embracing in front of the girls' dormitory, creating a lively atmosphere. Standing here as two quiet individuals inevitably feels a bit awkward.

After a few minutes, Xiao Ziyuan and Sui Yi stood in silence in front of the female dormitory building.

Only upon returning to the dormitory did Suiyi realize that he was actually holding that talisman in his hand

Are you concerned about Senior Brother, or are you concerned about me

Xiao Ziyuan entered the dormitory, and Wen Shaoqing looked at him curiously, "You brought an umbrella, huh? Lin Chen called you but you didn't answer. He went to the girls' dormitory to deliver the umbrella to you. By the way, what's up with him lately? Why is he being so attentive to you?"

The dormitory is very quiet after the lights are turned off

Xiao Ziyuan held the cup and took a sniff, feeling a refreshing sensation spreading from his nasal cavity to his throat. "No need, I've seen enough of this over the years, it's an old problem. They all say there's no other way, just have to rest and recuperate. It flared up again recently due to a cold from the change of seasons."

Xiao Ziyuan saw that she did not take it and stuffed it into her hand, "Take it."

When Xiao Ziyuan is angry, he does not express it with harsh words like others do; his facial expression remains unchanged, and even his breathing rate does not alter. He may not do anything at all, yet one can still sense that he is angry

After taking a glance, Sui Yi noticed some wear and tear, indicating that it had likely been carried for many years. She did not expect Xiao Ziyuan to actually believe in this.