Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

Xu Su turned to look at him, but didn't say anything.

Xi Zirong walked over to her and squatted down. He immediately noticed the broken chain. After confirming that it was beyond repair, he stood up and said, "Park the bike back in the shed, and I'll take you home."

Xu Su also stood up, shook her head and said, "No need, I'm going to sleep in the dorm with Qian Jia, I won't go back tonight."

"Won't your parents worry if you don't go home tonight?"

Seeing that Xu Su was pushing the car and preparing to turn around, not intending to answer him, Xi Zirong reached out to grab her wrist, but Xu Su reflexively dodged.

"Xi Zirong, don't touch me." Xu Su was extremely annoyed, and her tone was also a bit harsh: "I don't want you to deliver it, don't you understand?"

Students from No. 1 Middle School kept passing by on their way home, occasionally turning their heads to look over. Xu Su and Xi Zirong were not unknown figures at school, and it was foreseeable that the gossip about them would be added to the school's news tomorrow.

Xu Su had had enough of the onlookers' stares and decided to make things clear once and for all. She had been wanting to have a good talk with Xi Zirong for the past few days.

This location isn't ideal, but it's still better than being in the classroom.

Xu Su said, "You are the top student in the whole grade, so you don't need to worry about it affecting your grades. You want to play this kind of 'early love' game? I can't do it. I want to study hard, I want to get into the top three in the grade, and I want to get the top scholarship."

Seeing that the boy in front of her didn't speak, she continued, "You didn't confess to me, so even if I misunderstood, whether you think I'm being presumptuous or arrogant, I still have to tell you, I don't like you, I just want to study."

In fact, Xu Su didn't even know what it felt like to like someone. At the age when she was just beginning to experience love, she was tied to Zhou Mochen. He didn't give her a choice, didn't allow her to refuse, and didn't allow her to have too close contact with other men.

She didn't like Zhou Mochen, but she didn't like anyone else either.

If you were to ask Xu Su what he thought of Xi Zirong's actions these past few days...

That means having no ideas.

If one day Zhou Mochen could completely disappear, and Xu Su were admitted to her ideal university and escaped her family of origin, perhaps if she were to encounter someone like Xi Zirong again, she would try to accept it.

But definitely not now.

She's only in her first year of high school, what could be more important than studying?

In early January, when the weather is freezing cold, the nights are colder than the days. Just standing there talking, you can feel the biting chill all around you.

Xi Zirong stood in the night, his expression somewhat obscured. He remained silent for a moment before saying, "You want to study hard, and that doesn't conflict with liking me. I won't let your grades drop, Xu Su. How about we make a bet? I'll help you get into the top three in your grade in the final exams, and you'll be with me, okay?"

I'd have to be crazy to make that bet with you.

Xu Su laughed angrily: "I know you get good grades and highlight the key points very well, you can probably even guess the exam questions, but I don't like you, do you understand? I don't like you."

After finishing her statement crisply, Xu Su, fearing she hadn't rejected him thoroughly enough, added, "The class monitor isn't so narcissistic as to think that whoever you like has to be with you, right?"

Xu Su was worried that other students passing by would hear her, so she didn't speak loudly. To make sure he could hear her, she even took a step closer before speaking.

Xi Zirong stood there stiffly, motionless. Xu Su waited patiently, and just when he thought Xi Zirong was about to say something, Xi Zirong moved his hand.

Xi Zirong took off her gloves and handed them to her, saying, "Put these on, your hands are red from the cold."

Xu Su paused for a moment, feeling that she was wasting her breath, and pushed her bike to leave.

“Then let’s not be together. How about I tutor you?” Xi Zirong gripped the handlebars of her bicycle, her voice still clear and youthful: “Just be classmates. As long as you don’t avoid me, Lao Wu won’t say anything.”

"I promised Lao Wu that it wouldn't affect my own or your grades. You don't need to like me; just treat me like a regular classmate. Can I tutor you?"

The sound traveled through the night wind into Xu Su's ears, somewhat muffled.

Time passed slowly, and fewer and fewer students from No. 1 Middle School passed by. The cold wind was bleak, and Xu Su raised her hand to rub her face, which was a little stiff from the cold, before she could barely come back to her senses.

I finally realized that this academic genius seems to have a bit of a simp vibe.

Xu Su was so curious that she couldn't help but ask softly, "Xi Zirong, what exactly do you like about me?"

Despite being a reserved person, he was willing to take the initiative to pour water, give homework, and show affection. Even after talking to the homeroom teacher, he didn't stop, letting his classmates continue to spread rumors about him.

Xu Suzhen didn't think she was that charming. She spent her days doing nothing but studying problems. She didn't like to joke around with her classmates and would keep quiet during and after class. Apart from her fairly pretty face, she didn't have anything particularly outstanding about her.

Compared to Fu Zichen's good grades and popularity, and Rao Lu's singing, dancing and excellent bulletin board skills, Xu Su felt that she was not particularly outstanding in the class.

Xi Zirong lowered his head, and the two looked at each other for less than a second in the night before he turned away, forcing a smile and speaking softly: "I don't know what I like about you, but I like the way you look when you're angry, Xu Su. I won't affect your studies, so don't avoid me."

The boy's voice was incredibly tender, and Xu Su only felt...

So sour...

Xu Su shivered. She was somewhat allergic to romance. She turned her head, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, but when her gaze swept across the wide road to her left, she froze on the spot.

I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave.

Outside the guardrail where the pedestrian walkway meets the road, a black SUV was parked. A tall, slender figure had been standing beside the car for an unknown amount of time, quietly watching them. Xu Su could even sense the gloomy aura emanating from him.

What's Zhou Mochen doing here?

Realizing the situation before her, Xu Su shivered uncontrollably. Xi Zirong thought she was cold and reached out to put gloves on her.

Xu Su retreated several steps, as if avoiding a plague, supporting herself on her bicycle. Her voice was somewhat unsteady as she said, "I've said everything I needed to say, Xi Zirong. You can go back now."

Xi Zirong was about to say something when he heard clear footsteps beside him. He turned around and looked.

Zhou Mochen had already walked over. With his handsome features and tall, slender figure, he exuded the imposing aura of a mature man as he walked step by step to Xu Su's side. His face, however, remained expressionless: "Get in the car, I'll take you home."

He didn't seem angry that she was chatting with a male classmate late at night.

Only Xu Su knew that the angrier this person was, the more he could endure it. She had even seen him casually beat someone until their ribs were broken without showing any anger on his face.

Xu Su had seen Zhou Mochen truly lose control of his anger before, but she didn't want to experience it again.

His current appearance already somewhat overlaps with the Zhou Mochen I remember.