Chapter 44

Qi Yue's mood finally brightened up, and he really had to thank Yan Heng for this. Some things would never move forward unless they were resolved. Yan Heng held out his fist, and Qi Yue tapped it with his own. "If you like her, go after her. When did you become such a coward?"

Yan Heng gave a bitter smile. "It's not that simple, but I'm not in a rush. We'll be together sooner or later. It's good the way things are now. I'm not perfect yet, and there are still many unknowns in the future."

Qi Yue smiled. "That's not like you, but I'll still cheer you on." He watched Qi Yue leave, then bought a cup of milk tea before heading home.

In a blink of an eye, winter break had arrived. Tianxin looked at her grades, which had improved a bit from last time but not by much. This made her feel a bit stressed. Yan Heng looked at Tianxin's worried face. "There's still a lot of time left. Your grades will improve in the future. Don't be sad."

"I'm not sad. I'll work hard. What are your plans for the break?" Tianxin was looking forward to going home and having fun.

"I don't have any plans. I'll just stay at home," Yan Heng said with a faint smile. It was tough to endure the long break without being able to meet Tianxin.

"Are you not going out to play? You can go skiing during winter break," Tianxin suggested.

"It depends. Going out alone isn't very fun," Yan Heng replied. Qi Yue was probably attending extra classes during the break, so there was no point in going out alone.

Tianxin fell silent. "Let's keep in touch during the break." Meanwhile, Zhu Ting and Zhong You were fighting over a test paper. "Let me see it," Zhong You said, holding the paper behind her back.

"If I don't want to give it to you, then I won't. Do you not have your own paper?" Zhu Ting retorted.

"You two are too loud," Yan Heng said, looking at Zhong You. She immediately shut her mouth, and Zhu Ting secretly chuckled. Whenever Yan Heng was around, Zhong You always became scared and looked very pathetic.

Tianxin sighed and shook her head. This is probably how happy enemies behave. The semester ended like this. She remembered the time during military training, as if it was just yesterday. She hoped everything was okay.

As soon as the break started, Yan Heng was taken home by his mother. It was the same as being at school, and he went back to his own business. Yan Heng spent his days reading, sleeping, and playing games. Every time he picked up his phone, he didn't know what to send to Tianxin.

Tianxin finished a test paper and picked up her phone. It had been a few days since Yan Heng had sent a message. He must be very busy.

[Are you busy?]

Yan Heng's phone rang, and he immediately sat up from the bed. When he saw it was a message from Tianxin, he was so excited that he almost hit the bed.

[I'm here, I'm here.]

[I don't know how to do a few questions, can you help me?] Tianxin thought this was a good excuse.

Yan Heng was a little disappointed. He thought she just wanted to chat, but he was still happy. [Okay, send them to me.]

Tianxin took a picture of the questions she didn't know and sent them to Yan Heng. After a while, Yan Heng sent a message: [Can I video call you?]

[What I mean is, it's more convenient to explain the questions this way.]

Tianxin thought for a moment, locked the door of her room, and went back to her chair. [Sure.]

She was a little excited and checked her appearance. Yan Heng laughed uncontrollably and immediately started a video call. Tianxin accepted the call, and a face appeared on the screen. Yan Heng was wearing a high-necked sweater, and Tianxin couldn't help but have a little crush on him in her heart.

"Um, um," Yan Heng was a bit stuttering, "You can come to me if you have any questions in the future. I'll answer them online and make sure you understand."

Tianxin smiled and nodded. Yan Heng began to explain the questions, and Tianxin listened and calculated while taking notes. The two of them were very efficient. Yan Heng always cut to the chase and had a clear train of thought. He could explain the key points well. Tianxin admired him in her heart. Yan Heng had been explaining for more than ten minutes and found that he had already finished.

Tianxin continued chatting with Yan Heng while working on some difficult questions. She sent him a few questions she had trouble with, including a very complex one. Yan Heng quickly solved them and offered to help with anything else. Tianxin asked if he was alone at home, and he confirmed that he was. She then suggested that he should hang out with Qi Yue, but Yan Heng replied that Qi Yue was attending a cram school. Tianxin mentioned that she didn't want to attend a cram school, and Yan Heng envied her family for not forcing her to do so.

While they were talking, a mischievous orange cat named Xiao Yugan appeared on Yan Heng's desk and distracted him. Tianxin introduced the cat to Yan Heng and explained that it loved to eat dried fish. Yan Heng asked if the cat was named after its favorite food, and Tianxin confirmed it. However, as they were chatting, someone knocked on Tianxin's door, causing her to abruptly end the video call with Yan Heng. When she opened the door, she found Jiang Yizhou, who accused her of doing something shameful by locking the door.

"No," Jiang Yizhou walked in and saw the test paper on the table. "Is studying something that needs to be locked up? I heard some noise coming from your room earlier. Were you on the phone with someone?" If she had nothing to hide, why lock the door?

Tianxin glared at Jiang Yizhou. "Can't I talk to myself? What are you here for?"

Taking advantage of his height, Jiang Yizhou hugged Tianxin. "How can you talk to your big brother? Has my little sister fallen in love and secretly locked the door to video chat?" After being teased by Jiang Yizhou, Tianxin's face turned red. "Don't bully me just because you're older. I haven't fallen in love," which was true.

Jiang Yizhou looked at Tianxin and was sure she wasn't lying. His little sister was still young and definitely shouldn't be dating. "That's good. You're still young, and those boys are very unreliable. As someone who's been through it, I know all too well."

Tianxin silently complained that he was the unreliable one. Yan Heng was much more reliable than him.

"It's great that you have no homework. Don't bother me. I still have to study," Tianxin said.

Jiang Yizhou was so angry that he felt like spitting blood. Why did she become more stubborn as she grew up? He missed his cute and sweet little sister. "I have something to ask you."

Tianxin motioned for him to speak. "What is it? How can I chase after a girl?" Jiang Yizhou felt a bit embarrassed. In the past, it was always girls who chased him. He didn't spend so much effort on one girl.

Tianxin was a bit surprised. Her brother was always so good at handling relationships. Now, he was actually troubled. She wondered who he had met that caused him to face difficulties. "Brother, what kind of girl is she?" She was very curious.

Jiang Yizhou thought for a moment. "She's quite pretty and has a stubborn personality. She's the kind of girl who's focused only on studying and won't listen to anything else. Do you know? I studied with her in the library for a semester, and she's still cold to me. She won't accept breakfast that I buy for her or go out with me. She rejects everything."

He thought it was a miracle that he had persisted until now. Jiang Yizhou couldn't understand it. How could there be someone in college who wasn't dating? He was handsome and excellent in all aspects, so why did he keep running into rejection?

Tianxin held back her laughter. This girl has such a strong personality. "Brother, is she the girl you talked to on the phone last time? Judging from what you said, she probably isn't interested in you," she said. "It's been a whole semester since you started pursuing her, and there hasn't been any progress. It's definitely because she doesn't like you."

Jiang Yizhou immediately rejected this idea. "That's impossible. I think she still has feelings for me, really. But for some reason, she just won't accept me. Can you analyze it for me? You girls must have some insights that I don't."

"If it's really like you said, then she must have her own reasons for not wanting to date. You should try to get to know her better and find out the cause. Then you can find a solution for it," Tianxin suggested.

"Good point. Thanks, I'll do that. You can go back to studying," Jiang Yizhou said, patting Tianxin's shoulder excitedly before leaving.

Another possibility is that she really isn't interested in you, or she may have feelings for someone else. Everything is uncertain, and Jiang Yizhou's methods of pursuing women wouldn't work on her either. He lacks any sort of charm.

Tianxin messaged Yan Heng, "My brother came in earlier, sorry about that."

"No problem," Yan Heng replied.

The two chatted for a while, and then Tianxin joined her roommates to gossip. Soon it was noon, and Tianxin started cooking.

Before she knew it, it was almost New Year's Eve, and the atmosphere was lively with the color red and joy. After Jiang's father finished pasting couplets on the walls, Tianxin helped Jiang's mother wash the vegetables.

"Dad, do we need anything else for the house?" Tianxin asked.

"Ask your mother," Jiang's father replied. "Oh, and this year, let's invite your uncle to celebrate with us. He's alone, and it's quite lonely."

Tianxin almost thought she heard wrong. "Really, Dad?"

Jiang's father smiled. "Of course it's real. From now on, every year, he can come celebrate with us. After all, we're all family," he said, albeit a little belated.

Tianxin threw herself into her father's arms. "Thank you, Dad. I'll call my uncle right now." Tianxin was so happy that she ran upstairs to find her phone and call Cheng Yugui.

Cheng Yugui had a headache as he looked at his friend. "I said I'm okay. I'll be more careful in the future," he said. The person on the other end remained silent, and their face was filled with worry. Cheng Yugui wished they could just figure out a solution.