Chapter 58 - Seating Arrangement

Thanks to his sister’s affectionate gesture last night, Tang Huaijin was in high spirits, so even Lin Ruoxi’s mindless clinginess couldn’t dampen his mood.

Arriving at school, Tang Huaijin cheerfully took his seat between the two girls and greeted them, “Good morning, Yuerou, Xinya.”

Bai Yuerou set down her book and smiled gently, “Morning, Jin.”

Xia Xinya, noticing his beaming face, teased, “Did you find money on the street? You’re grinning like a Cheshire cat.”

“Indeed,” Tang Huaijin’s smile widened, “The rich landowner’s little fool fell ill, and the landowner asked me to cure him, rewarding me handsomely.”

Though she couldn’t quite grasp his meaning, Xia Xinya sensed a hint of mischief in his smile and glared at him, nudging his elbow with her arm to push him away.

Tang Huaijin usually wouldn’t bicker with the little girl, but today, for some reason, he felt playful and engaged in a friendly tussle with Xia Xinya, making her giggle uncontrollably.

Bai Yuerou, puzzled by their antics, glanced at Tang Huaijin. Her elbow holding the book was accidentally nudged by him, causing the pages to flip back to the beginning. She shot them a playful glare, “Stop messing around, I can’t read my book!”

Xia Xinya pouted, gave Tang Huaijin one last shove, then reluctantly stopped, turning away from him. Yet moments later, she inexplicably broke into a smile again.

Tang Huaijin winked at Bai Yuerou and pulled out a draft he’d written extensively the night before from his bag, offering it to her with a grin, “Sorry, let me make it up to you with this.”

Bai Yuerou’s eyes lit up as she carefully accepted the draft and began reading.

During the afternoon language class, Xia Xinya, seemingly inspired, started studying Chinese again. Tang Huaijin asked what prompted her, and she declared her ambition to become a great writer.

Tang Huaijin was baffled, unable to see the connection between studying Chinese and becoming a renowned author, and could only marvel at the girl’s whimsical nature.

In the following days, whenever Xia Xinya provoked him, Tang Huaijin no longer ignored her. He would respond, sometimes even initiating playful teasing, and although Xia Xinya often ended up on the losing side, pouting in frustration, she would soon forget and return to playfully challenging Tang Huaijin.

Their playful banter continued, with Xia Xinya’s delicate face almost always adorned with a smile.

On Friday afternoon during the last self-study period, Shen Yiqiu seemed to have taken leave and hadn’t been present all day. The classroom buzzed with chatter as the students enjoyed the absence of the class teacher, whispering among themselves.

Meanwhile, Xia Xinya was sulking, staring at her freshly written essay, upset because Tang Huaijin had mocked her, saying her writing resembled a child’s essay and her handwriting looked like crawling worms.

Annoyingly, Tang Huaijin not only refused to apologize but continued writing his own book, undeterred.

Xia Xinya tucked her essay into her little bag and sneaked a glance at Tang Huaijin.

Seeing his hand scribbling away on the paper, Xia Xinya blinked her clear, bright eyes, and a smile crept onto her lips. Pretending to stretch, she kicked the leg of Tang Huaijin’s desk with her little booted foot.

The desk slid a short distance away.

At the same time.

Scratch! The pen tip tore through the paper.

Tang Huaijin couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. He put down his pen and looked mournfully at the draft paper with a long tear.

He had just finished writing that page…

Facing Tang Huaijin’s fiery gaze, Xia Xinya knew she had made a big mistake. Feeling a bit scared, she avoided his eyes and stammered, “I didn’t mean to… I just wanted to make you mess up.”

“Not meaning to doesn’t make it okay, does it?” Tang Huaijin’s face darkened as he pretended to flick her forehead.

Tang Huaijin had a strong grip and never showed her any mercy. Xia Xinya was very afraid of this move, and seeing that Tang Huaijin was really angry, she said pitifully, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

Tang Huaijin seemed unwilling to let her off the hook, his hand getting closer. Xia Xinya pouted but didn’t try to dodge, instead bravely closing her eyes as if facing her fate.

But after a long while, Tang Huaijin still hadn’t flicked her. Xia Xinya cautiously opened one eye, and his large hand was hovering right in front of her forehead. Seeing her open her eyes, he gently pinched her nose.

Tang Huaijin withdrew his hand, wiped it disdainfully on her, and looked at her helplessly, saying, “You’re getting more shameless now, always pretending to be pitiful.”

Xia Xinya rubbed her little nose and giggled. Over the past few days, clever Xia Xinya had figured out Tang Huaijin’s personality-he was soft-hearted. If she confronted him head-on, he would surely give her a hard time, but if she acted pitiful, he would likely relent.

Meanwhile, the gentle and considerate Bai Yuerou had already picked up the draft when the two started their antics and was carefully taping it back together. Seeing the two calm down, she chided, “You two are like children.”

Tang Huaijin shrugged and chuckled, “This troublesome girl is always picking on me. I can’t always indulge her, can I?”

Xia Xinya’s smile vanished, and she retorted fiercely, “You rogue, who are you calling a troublesome girl?”

“Whoever responds is the one,” Tang Huaijin replied, just as the school bell rang. He started packing his bag.

Xia Xinya didn’t respond, quickly packing her bag. Once ready, she slung it over her shoulder and suddenly poked Tang Huaijin in the ribs, then dashed away. At the classroom door, she made a face at the annoyed Tang Huaijin and cheerfully said, “I’m off to the club!”

With that, fearing Tang Huaijin might come after her once he finished packing, she left the two behind and ran off.

Tang Huaijin rolled his eyes, gritting his teeth as he rubbed his sore ribs. That troublesome girl didn’t know how to hold back; it hurt quite a bit.

After packing up, the two walked out of the classroom together.

As Bai Yuerou approached the classroom door, her steps slowed, and she cast a complex glance at Tang Huaijin. In a soft voice, she asked, “What’s been going on with you these past few days? Always messing around with Xinya?”

Tang Huaijin was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered, chuckling, “Isn’t it normal for friends to horse around?”

Bai Yuerou opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately only managed a hesitant, “Mm…”

Tang Huaijin, ever perceptive, sensed a hint of disappointment in her demeanor. After a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to ruffle her hair, smiling, “Yuerou, you’re my friend too. It’s just that Xinya is more outgoing.”

Seeing her momentarily stunned, Tang Huaijin withdrew his hand and teased, “What? Do you want me to tease you too?”

Bai Yuerou blushed, smoothing her hair with a playful pout, “What are you talking about? Who wants you to tease them…”

Despite her words, Tang Huaijin could clearly see the hint of joy on her flushed cheeks, and he relaxed. He had been deliberately playful these days, aiming to shift Xia Xinya’s attention onto himself, stabilizing the friendship among the three of them. He wanted Xia Xinya to understand that her feelings for Bai Yuerou were merely friendly dependence.

Judging by the progress, things were going well. At least now, when Tang Huaijin was close to Bai Yuerou, Xia Xinya’s reactions weren’t as intense, and she didn’t feel left out.

At the entrance of Class Two, they called Lin Ruoxi, and the three of them walked together towards the club.

Upon reaching the club door, Xia Xinya, who had been waiting and was about to sneakily take out the key from her bag, quickly put it back when she saw Tang Huaijin and the others approaching. With a slightly guilty expression, she covered up, “What took you so long? I was about to take out a book to read.”

“Heh…” Tang Huaijin scoffed lightly, choosing not to expose her, and pulled out the key from his pocket to unlock the door.

Inside the club, Bai Yuerou set down her bag and naturally headed to the kitchen to make tea. She knew Tang Huaijin’s preference for green tea.

Tang Huaijin quickly picked a book and plopped down on the small sofa on the left side. He had been eyeing this spot, which originally belonged to Xia Xinya, and was small enough for just one person.

To guard against Lin Ruoxi, he had prepared well. Last week, when he left last, he had thrown all the romance novels into the storage room.

Sure enough, Lin Ruoxi searched for a while but couldn’t find a single romance novel. She looked at Tang Huaijin with suspicion and asked, “Yuerou, don’t we have any romance novels in the club?”

“We do…” Bai Yuerou, waiting for the water to boil, instinctively started to answer but caught Tang Huaijin’s glance and continued, “I’m not sure… If they’re not on the shelf, maybe we don’t have any.”

Xia Xinya, who wasn’t there to read, casually picked a book with an appealing cover and was about to sit back and play on her phone. Seeing Tang Huaijin shamelessly occupying her seat, she pouted, displeased, “You rascal, move over.”

Tang Huaijin didn’t even lift an eyelid, which infuriated Xia Xinya. She puffed up her cheeks and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away.

But despite her face turning red from exertion, she couldn’t budge Tang Huaijin an inch.

Realizing physical methods were futile, Xia Xinya sat on the sofa next to him, lightly tapping his leg with her foot, and launched a verbal assault, complaining incessantly, “You, a big guy, taking a girl’s seat, have you no shame?”

“Does it have your name on it?” Tang Huaijin stifled a laugh, teasing her.

“Of course it does. I bought all the furniture in this club,” Xia Xinya replied with a hint of pride.

Ah, I should have known-capitalism at its finest.

Tang Huaijin’s expression froze, and he decided to play the rogue, saying, “Well, I’m sitting here too. We’re close, aren’t we?”

“Rascal, who’s ‘we’ with you?” Despite her words, Xia Xinya was amused by Tang Huaijin’s cheeky comment. Seeing he still wouldn’t budge, she bit her lip and plopped down on his lap.

Lin Ruoxi, who had been quietly observing with narrowed eyes, frowned sharply at this scene, her expression turning sour.