The bus arrived before nine o'clock and took all the students back to school.

Tan Zhuoran and Qi Na returned to their dormitory, quickly washed up, and collapsed onto their beds, exhausted.

I sat for most of the day taking the exam, and then spent several hours on the bus on the way back. My whole body felt like it was going to fall apart. I was exhausted.

As Qi Na wiped her face, she came out of the bathroom and saw Tan Zhuoran lying on the bed staring intently at his phone, his emotions changing every two seconds, his expression quite interesting.

Like someone with a mental illness.

This is an expression Tan Zhuoran often makes when he's watching gossip.

Qi Na asked, "What are you looking at now?"

Tan Zhuoran didn't even look up. "I'm looking at the posts on the school forum. Yesterday, Xie Yan, Shen Yan, and her fiancé, Gu something, were photographed together. Lots of people are gossiping about it."

After all, most students in the school come from ordinary families. How often do you see this kind of power struggle between wealthy families?

Moreover, many of these people didn't even participate in the competition, so they got excited just from seeing a blurry, candid photo.

The picture shows Xie Yan being pulled between the two like in a tug-of-war, a scene that is exciting no matter when you look at it.

Tan Zhuoran scrolled through the comments below, and most of them favored Young Master Gu.

After all, he was her ex-fiancé, and he was the heir to the Gu family. Plus, Xie Yan had always liked him, so it seemed like there was no need for her to even consider it.

But Tan Zhuoran felt strangely uneasy.

Yesterday she met with her brother, and from what Tan Qing said, it seemed that the guy surnamed Gu had never cared about Xie Yan before and was very heartless.

She had previously thought that Xie Yan must be very sad to be abandoned by the man surnamed Gu, and that seeing Shen Yan would also affect her mood, so she even wanted to secretly prevent the two of them from meeting.

But these past two days, it seems that Shen Yan cares a lot about Xie Yan, and Xie Yan doesn't seem to mind. The two are quite close.

The sight of the two of them sleeping with their heads close together today was just so beautiful.

Tan Zhuoran silently started to kowtow.

She opened the secretly taken photo and looked at it, then let out a long sigh of relief, feeling inexplicably relieved.

You people with no vision would never understand.

The couples I ship are the real ones.

Being with my fiancé's younger brother is just so exciting!!!

Tan Zhuoran was having a brainstorming session when he received a message on his phone from Xie Yan.

"I'm home."

The bus just stopped at the school gate, and most students went back to their dormitories. Only a few students who lived off-campus needed to go home on their own, such as Xie Yan.

Tan Zhuoran told Xie Yan to let them know when she got home.

It seems Xie Yan lives not far away; it's quite fast.

Tan Zhuoran replied with "okok", then his eyes darted around and he sent the photo over again.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist taking a picture because you two are just so good-looking. I think Shen Yan seems to care about you a lot. Do you think there's a possibility that you two could...?"

Xie Yan was surprised when she saw the picture that popped up in the chat window on her phone.

She and Shen Yan deliberately waited until everyone else had gotten off the bus before coming out, thinking that no one would have noticed Shen Yan.

As a result, I have all the photos.

Xie Yan thought for a moment and replied, "It's unlikely, he's too young."

In her heart, Shen Yan was just a child.

Eighteen years old, the same age as the original Xie Qingyu.

This feeling is no less than if Xie Yan went to Xie Qingyu's parent-teacher conference and then randomly picked a male classmate from Xie Qingyu's class to date.

Isn't that being a scoundrel?

Tan Zhuoran replied passionately, "She's only a year or two younger than you! What's so young about that! A relationship between an older woman and a younger man is so appealing!"

Xie Yan chuckled. Even so, their mental age difference was more than just a year or two.

She wanted to reply, but then she heard footsteps beside her, so she immediately locked the screen.

Under the warm light of the living room, the girl wore a light wool sweater, her hair was pulled up high, and her fair, jade-like neck shone with a delicate and lustrous sheen.

The only thing that ruins the visual appeal is that the girl keeps tilting her head to the side, as if she can't straighten it.

Xie Yan has a stiff neck.

She slept for two hours leaning against Shen Yan in the car. Shen Yan was fine, but her neck was so crooked that she couldn't straighten it; it hurt whenever she twisted it.

The boy, who had already changed into slippers, walked over with a towel soaked in cool water, looking gentle and relaxed.

"I just checked, and for a stiff neck, you should first apply a cold towel for a while, and then massage it."

Xie Yan sighed helplessly, "Okay."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a cold towel was suddenly pressed against the back of her neck, making Xie Yan shiver.

"Is it very cold?" Shen Yan asked with concern.

He was worried that the temperature was too cold and that Xie Yan would catch a cold and get a fever.

Xie Yan immediately replied seriously, "It's alright, it's not cold, I'll get used to it."

Hearing this, Shen Yan felt relieved. He unfolded the towel and gently applied it to the neck of the person in front of him.

After a while, I gently pressed and kneaded it through the towel.

His expression was as serious as that of an excellent massage therapist who had been working as a blind masseur for twenty years.

"Stop, stop, wait a minute! I pressed a muscle! It hurts a little!"

Xie Yan suddenly frowned and cried out. Shen Yan immediately softened his grip and slowly probed her neck with his fingertips.

"So, does it still hurt?"

"...It seems much better, the pain is gone."

The clock in the living room ticked away, and neither of them spoke. The air was so quiet that only the ticking of the second hand could be heard.

Shen Yan controlled the pressure of his hands perfectly, kneading Xie Yan's neck and shoulders with varying degrees of force. It actually felt quite comfortable.

After massaging for about ten minutes, Shen Yan asked softly, "Try it now, does it feel better?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan immediately turned her head back slightly, feeling that she was indeed a little stronger than before.

Although it's still a bit sore, at least my head can straighten up now, and I don't have to tilt my neck to look at people anymore.

God knows how ridiculous Xie Yan looked when she was hailing a taxi with her neck tilted to the side.

"much better."

Xie Yan cleared her throat, glanced at the clock, and realized it was almost ten o'clock.

"...It's getting late. You have to go to school tomorrow. You should pack up and get some rest."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan immediately pursed her lips. "I'm not sleepy. I want to talk to you some more."

Xie Yan turned around to look at him, amused, and saw the boy's big, watery eyes staring at her expectantly.

"Okay, then you go wash up first, we'll talk later."

The boy immediately nodded twice, "Okay!"

Then Shen Yan took the fastest shower of his life.

When he came out, he was wearing a dark blue cotton bathrobe, his hair had been haphazardly wiped, and water droplets were still dripping from the damp ends.

At this moment, Xie Yan was sitting in front of the computer in the study, looking up some information.

She had a rough understanding of the world's level of artificial intelligence development before, but not in detail, so she has been looking into this area whenever she has free time.

Shen Yan quietly arrived at the study door and saw Xie Yan's hair, which was messy and haphazardly pulled up. Her profile showed no expression, only a calm and rational indifference.

The blue light emanating from the computer screen gave her skin a cool glow. Her delicate, smooth skin was flawless, and at this moment it looked like the finest white porcelain. Her nose was exquisite and her lips were cherry-red, making her look like a dream, so beautiful that it seemed unreal.

After what seemed like an eternity, Xie Yan finally snapped out of her reverie about a paper she was working on this year, and only then did she notice the figure at the door.

"...Why didn't you call me when you were done washing?" Xie Yan looked at him with some surprise. "I'm more focused when I'm busy..."

The boy's hair was already half-dry. He leaned against the door, smiling gently, looking sweet and well-behaved, with bright eyes as if he was very happy.

Even her voice was soft and sweet, as if it contained moisture, carrying a hint of unconscious coquetry.

"It's okay, just looking at you like this is the same."

Xie Yan paused, her heart skipping a beat again.

Here again, here again!

Why is this kid always so blunt?

Doesn't he realize that speaking with that kind of look can easily lead to misunderstandings?

Xie Yan's eyes darted around nervously, not wanting to look into Shen Yan's eyes, which were filled with a gentle smile.

As a result, a glance downwards revealed the boy's calves peeking out from under the hem of his bathrobe.

A small section of the faint scar on his calf was visible.

She got up and pulled Shen Yan to sit down on the sofa.

Xie Yan frowned, "The scar on your leg is from when you were little..."

"Yes, it's from the surgery I had when I was a child. I remember the surgery cost 10,000 yuan."

Medical technology was not as advanced as it is now, especially since the surgery was performed in a small county town, so the resulting scars were not aesthetically pleasing.

It looked like a giant centipede crawling on her fair calves, quite eye-catching.

Seeing this scar, Xie Yan couldn't help but recall the past.

The little villain is in a cast and can't walk, so he can only hop around on one leg at home.

Even when the two last met, the minor villain was still using a cane.

Xie Yan was a little lost in thought, and almost unconsciously touched the frightening scar.

The scars that had never been seen by anyone were suddenly touched by the warmth of fingertips. Shen Yan pursed his lips and looked away, feeling somewhat lost.

Xie Yan looked a little distressed. "The technology is so advanced now, why didn't you think of getting rid of this scar?"

"...Is it a little ugly?"

Shen Yan's expression suddenly stiffened, and he silently pulled his leg back a little.

"It's not ugly, it's just that I think it would make you uncomfortable to see it."

Ultimately, his leg was broken because Shen Yingshuang jumped off the building, and seeing the marks would inevitably remind him of that scene.

Xie Yan felt bad just thinking about Shen Yinshuang, let alone Shen Yan.

She asked softly, "How have you been these past few years? Tell me about it."

"It's all good. Not long after you left, I was adopted by the Xue family. Although they had a younger sister later, they still provided me with plenty of food and clothing, and everything was fine for me."

The boy's clear, cool voice spoke quietly, with little emotional fluctuation, as if he were telling someone else's story.

"It was good to go back to the Gu family. They were very wealthy, and I had a good life with plenty of food, clothing, and other necessities. I didn't suffer much."

Shen Yan spoke calmly, but Xie Yan felt a bit conflicted.

Xie Yan, the younger sister of Xue's adoptive parents, had met them before.

Xie Yan was also aware of her younger sister's attitude towards Shen Yan.

As for Gu Jinhua's attitude towards Shen Yan, that goes without saying.

Mixed feelings.

"And you."

Shen Yan turned his head abruptly, looking into Xie Yan's eyes, which held emotions that Xie Yan could not decipher.

Where have you been all these years?

In fact, Shen Yan also had some random guesses about Xie Yan's current situation, but they always revolved around some strange and supernatural things.

After all, Xie Yan's tombstone is real.

But the Xie Yan in front of us has truly returned.

Xie Yan sighed.

The question has finally come up.

She hasn't gone anywhere all these years, because for her, it's been just a blink of an eye, and she's crossed over ten years in a flash.

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