I Think You're Very Gentle (Please Bookmark, Vote, and Keep Reading)

Afterward, Yang Zhi and Qiqi arrived home. Ding Yebai stood some distance away and said goodbye to them.

He pushed his bike forward, then inexplicably turned back to look at them.

Who would have thought that Yang Zhi and Qiqi were looking his way too?

Yang Zhi smiled and waved at him, seeming to mouth, "Goodbye."

Ding Yebai was momentarily stunned by that.

"Young man, are you leaving or not? Don't block the way, okay?"

Only when a passerby behind him called out did he turn around, get on his bike, and ride away.

After returning home, there was still some time before tutoring began, so he could rest for a while.

Ding Yebai spun a basketball on his finger, muttering the required ancient poems under his breath.

Every now and then, Yang Zhi's face flashed through his mind.

To be honest, his heart still skipped a beat because of it.

After all, Yang Zhi really was beautiful. Her temperament was exceptionally poised and gentle, carrying the refined grace of someone well-read.

In ancient times, she would have been a cultured young lady from a distinguished family.

This boy who looked so cold had not realized at all that his emotions were subtly changing because of such a gentle smile.

With his personality, he clearly should not have cared, yet he still found himself drawn to her gentleness.

"Tch." Ding Yebai spun the ball irritably, his mind a mess.

After a while—

Bang—

The consequence of not paying attention was that the ball rolled onto the floor.

Evening.

Tutoring began.

During today's vocabulary dictation, Ding Yebai only got five words wrong.

Yang Zhi was very happy, but Ding Yebai himself did not react much.

He felt that only getting everything right was worth being happy about.

Yang Zhi marked his paper and taught him techniques for reading comprehension, as well as what to do when he encountered words he did not know in cloze exercises.

Ding Yebai listened very seriously—exceptionally seriously. His thoughts followed Yang Zhi's the entire time.

Later, during the five-minute break, Yang Zhi unscrewed the cup she had brought and took a sip of water.

Ding Yebai looked at her. When their eyes met by chance, he instinctively looked away again.

Yang Zhi said, "What's wrong?" as she set down her cup.

Looking at her clear, beautiful eyes and brows, Ding Yebai remembered what she had said that afternoon and could not help saying, "Nothing... I just think what you said this afternoon... was pretty strange."

Yang Zhi asked curiously, "Strange?"

Ding Yebai said, "Yeah. What you said to Qiqi—I thought it was like something out of a fairy tale. Such a gentle answer."

Yang Zhi paused, then smiled faintly. "Oh... you mean that. Qiqi is a child, after all. A child's world is beautiful, so when I talk to her, I usually try to think differently."

Ding Yebai nodded. "I could never come up with an answer like that. Qiqi... Qiqi is a cute and gentle child. I saw her give a beggar one yuan too. She's kind and polite."

Yang Zhi said, "Haha... thank you for praising Qiqi. Actually, you're that kind of person too."

"What kind?"

"Mm... gentle."

She deliberately did not say cute, because she felt that telling a cool eighteen-year-old guy like Ding Yebai that he was cute would be no different from insulting him.

Ding Yebai raised his brows and looked at Yang Zhi in confusion. "I'm gentle?"

No one had ever said he was gentle.

Me, Ding Yebai! There was no way I could possibly have anything to do with that word, okay?

Sister Yang Zhi was probably just saying it to be polite.

"Don't joke around."

"I'm not joking. I really think so."

"Wh-why?"

"I think that if you can notice the kindness and gentleness in someone else, it's because you're that kind of person yourself. That's why you can see it."

After saying that, Yang Zhi tilted her head slightly and asked with a bright smile, "Don't you think so?"

Ding Yebai's pupils slowly widened as he looked at her in disbelief.

More than once, he had marveled at Yang Zhi's way with words. More than once...

"Sister Yang Zhi... is it time?" Ding Yebai asked after a long silence.

Yang Zhi checked the time. "Not quite yet."

Ding Yebai said, "Let's finish the lesson early so you can go home early."

Yang Zhi said, "?"

"Go home, go home and keep Qiqi company... and..." Ding Yebai tugged at the corner of his mouth. Looking at the paper on the desk, he picked up his pen and said casually, "It's not safe for you to go home so late either. Girls should be more careful."

Yang Zhi was a little surprised.

"Thank you for worrying about me so much. Then let's start class." Her eyes curved as she smiled.

"I wasn't worried... I just..."

"Haha, it's okay. Time's up. Class is starting."

Ding Yebai hurriedly glanced at her, then sat up straight and lowered his eyes, putting on the appearance of studying seriously.

He saw that Yang Zhi was still as intellectual and elegant as ever, mature and composed, and something in his heart was quietly stirred.

That was the first time Ding Yebai felt the difference between them.

He was clearly eighteen already, an adult, yet there was still such a huge gap between him and Yang Zhi.

No matter the situation, she always seemed to wear a gentle, approachable smile that made people feel like spring breezes. But he... at certain times, his heart could not stay as calm as icy water, and he would even become flustered.

He clearly was not like this at school.

How strange.

No.

Why was he thinking in that direction?

Calm down. The wise do not fall in love!