If it had been anyone else, faced with such a difficult question, they would have glibly replied, "Baby, of course we're lovers," and then gone on to coax her.
Since Su Qinghuai had been so honest with her, Su Zhiyi replied honestly as well.
【Su Zhiyi: You're really honest.】
【Su Qinghuai: ...】
Su Qinghuai didn't want to continue a topic that made the atmosphere between him and Su Zhiyi too oppressive.
He changed the subject, as if he had never asked about Su Zhiyi and Si Yanjing.
【Su Qinghuai: What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?】
【Su Zhiyi: Are you going to bring me breakfast?】
【Su Qinghuai: Mm.】
【Su Zhiyi: I miss Aunt Zhou's sandwiches. Bring me one tomorrow morning.】
【Su Zhiyi: Remember to come early. I don't want to wait too long.】
【Su Qinghuai: Got it.】
Their conversation returned to its daily mode.
Su Qinghuai didn't act up, and Su Zhiyi didn't deliberately pick on him—a rare moment of harmony.
*
Over the following week, Su Zhiyi frantically farmed favorability with Si Yanjing.
As luck would have it, Si Yanjing transferred to their class the very next day.
The moment Si Yanjing entered the classroom, everyone was shocked to see him, but she instinctively glanced at Su Qinghuai in the corner.
She saw Su Qinghuai's expression freeze instantly.
His brow and eyelids pressed down, his thin lips tightening into a straight line, and he glared at Si Yanjing with the same hostile look he had given Song Lian before.
But Si Yanjing's eyes were full of Su Zhiyi, completely oblivious to the glare from the corner that wished to tear him apart.
Farming Si Yanjing's favorability was easy, but exhausting.
The difficult part wasn't Su Qinghuai, who was in the same class, but Song Lian, who was a grade above.
Song Lian, as usual, would occasionally come to Class A of the third year to find her, chatting and laughing with her right in front of Si Yanjing and Su Qinghuai.
Si Yanjing asked her privately several times what her relationship with Song Lian was.
The identity of ex-fiancé was too sensitive, making it hard not to be suspicious.
She had to minimize contact with Song Lian when Si Yanjing was around.
And in front of Si Yanjing, she pretended to be obedient and gentle, soothing his restlessness.
"He grew up with me after all, I can't just cut off all ties instantly. Even if we were once engaged, it's already been dissolved!"
"You know, my family dissolved our engagement to respect both our wishes, so neither of us has romantic feelings for the other."
"If there was anything between us, it would have happened long ago, not three months ago when we ended the engagement."
Si Yanjing still had some doubts.
But seeing the girl holding his hand, gazing at him.
Her beautiful light-colored eyes reflected him, with no trace of deception, and those last doubts gradually faded.
Si Yanjing was easy to soothe; the hardest to handle was Song Lian.
There are no walls without cracks, especially with so many classmates paying attention to Su Zhiyi.
As the manager of the academy forum, Song Lian discovered that Su Zhiyi wasn't keeping her distance from Si Yanjing as she had promised.
He directly came to question her gently in person.
"Zhiyi, I saw another post about you and Si Yanjing on the forum. Didn't you promise me before? Hmm?"
Such a gentle tone, coupled with Song Lian's non-threatening handsome face, made it hard not to fall for it and blurting out the truth in a daze.
"We really don't have anything going on~ we're just classmates."
Song Lian's tactics were high-level, but Su Zhiyi's were even better.
Her sweet talk fooled Si Yanjing, and it also fooled Song Lian.
Or maybe... it really fooled them?
*
"Zhiyi, is your Su family really holding a charity gala next month? Why haven't I heard you mention it?"
"Huh?"
Su Zhiyi snapped back to reality, surprise flowing through her eyes like water.
She concealed the accidental display of shock, blinked her bright eyes slowly, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice.
"The charity gala? Ah... I think Mother did mention it last month."