A petite, delicate-looking girl had somehow appeared beside Su Chen in the aisle. She wore the same white freshman uniform, with a matching short skirt that showed off her long, slender legs.
Her fresh, light-green hair was tied into two neat ponytails at the back of her head, swaying gently with her movements.
She had a small face and fair skin, with delicate, lovely features. Her jade-green eyes were like a lake in early spring, clear to the bottom. Now, those pretty eyes held unmistakable nervousness and anticipation, along with a hint of bashfulness that was hard to notice.
When Su Chen and Wang Dong both looked her way, a faint blush instantly spread across the girl's fair cheeks. She seemed flustered, but still clenched her little fists, did her best to steady herself, and gathered her courage to ask in a soft voice:
"I... can I sit next to you?" Her gaze fell mostly on Su Chen.
Clearly, she had been drawn to Su Chen's looks and bearing, and wanted to take the empty seat beside him.
Seeing the pretty, refined girl approach Su Chen of her own accord, looking both shy and hopeful, Wang Dong, sitting on Su Chen's other side, felt her heart give an inexplicable little thump. A strange, indescribable feeling welled up inside her.
She pursed her lips sourly and glanced at Su Chen. Then, in a voice just loud enough for the few people nearby to hear, she drawled teasingly:
"Tsk~! Some people sure are popular with girls~"
She deliberately glanced at the girl, then at Su Chen, and continued in a sarcastic tone, "I mean, I'm obviously the most handsome one here, right? How come nobody's asked if they can sit next to me?"
She sounded just like a little beast whose chosen toy had caught someone else's eye, full of jealousy and displeasure.
Su Chen didn't even raise an eyelid. He was already immune to Wang Dong's "sour remarks," which she made several times almost every day.
After spending the past few days together, he had more or less figured out the young lady's temperament: proud, competitive, stubborn, and sometimes adorably childish.
"Sure." Su Chen ignored Wang Dong and nodded at the light-green-haired girl, his tone even.
"Thank you! Thank you!" The girl's face immediately bloomed into a sweet, relieved smile at Su Chen's agreement, her jade-green eyes curving into crescents. She hurriedly turned to Wang Dong as well and politely added, "Thank you too, classmate!"
Only then did she happily take the seat beside Su Chen. She sat up straight, but the tips of her ears, tinged pink, gave away her inner turmoil.
"My name's Xiao Xiao," the girl—Xiao Xiao—said after sitting down. She blinked her clear, wide eyes and looked at Su Chen with curiosity and anticipation, introducing herself. "Classmate, what's your name?"
Su Chen was just about to answer—
"My name's Wang Dong!"
Wang Dong suddenly cut in, her voice bright and clear, interrupting Su Chen. She leaned forward and looked at Xiao Xiao across Su Chen, wearing an expression that somehow seemed to "stake her claim." Pointing at herself, then at Su Chen, she introduced him in an "of course" sort of tone:
"He's my roommate. His name is Su Chen."
Her manner seemed to say: We're together and we know each other well. You're just the new girl.
Su Chen turned his head and gave Wang Dong a casual glance, saying nothing.
Xiao Xiao was caught off guard by Wang Dong's sudden, "aggressive" introduction.
She blinked her jade-green eyes, looking from Wang Dong's proud expression to Su Chen's calm, seemingly indifferent face. She keenly sensed the subtle, hard-to-describe atmosphere between them—it was part rivalry, part friendship.
But she was well-behaved by nature, so she just smiled faintly and gave Wang Dong a polite nod. "Hello, Wang Dong." Then she turned back to Su Chen, her eyes still full of curiosity and a hint of admiration. "Hello, Su Chen."
After the brief exchange of pleasantries, Wang Dong still didn't seem satisfied. Seeing how Xiao Xiao was clearly more interested in Su Chen, she felt that inexplicable irritation well up again. Her eyes darted around, then she suddenly leaned forward across Su Chen and asked Xiao Xiao petulantly:
"Hey, Xiao Xiao! You be the judge. Settle this for us!" Wang Dong pointed to her own exquisite, beautiful face, then to Su Chen's handsome but placid one, her tone plainly defiant and competitive. "Between me and that guy Su Chen, who's better-looking?"
"Huh?" The blunt question caught Xiao Xiao off guard again, and her fair little face flushed faintly.
She looked at Wang Dong—who was indeed very pretty, with powder-blue short hair, delicate features, and a proud bearing, like a little prince from a fairy tale.
Then she stole a glance at Su Chen—his golden hair, deep, tranquil eyes, and tall, straight figure. That distinctive air of quiet aloofness and nobility really was captivating.
She thought it over seriously for a few seconds, then smiled somewhat sheepishly and answered in a soft but clear voice, "Uh... Wang Dong, you're also very, very good-looking, but... well... I think Su Chen is a little more handsome." Afterward, she stuck her tongue out at Wang Dong apologetically, looking adorable.
Wang Dong: "..."
Her powder-blue eyes went wide in an instant. She looked as though she couldn't believe it, as if she'd been "betrayed." Pointing at Xiao Xiao, then at herself, she cried, "Xiao Xiao! You... what's wrong with your eyes?"
"How could you think that guy's more handsome than me?! What's so handsome about him? He's always walking around with a straight face, and he's so irritating whenever he speaks!"
Xiao Xiao was embarrassed by Wang Dong's blunt questioning. Her light-green ponytails swayed gently as she shrank her neck, but she still added in a soft, determined voice, "B-but Su Chen really is very handsome." As she spoke, she sneaked a glance at Su Chen, her cheeks faintly pink.
"Enough, enough." Su Chen finally spoke, waving a hand to cut off Wang Dong as she tried to keep arguing. His tone held a trace of disdain and teasing. "Stop making things difficult for the girl. Trying to force her to say something she doesn't mean, Wang Dong—aren't you embarrassed?"
"You—!" Su Chen's seemingly casual but perfectly aimed words made Wang Dong furious. She clenched her fists and glared at him. "Su Chen! You..."
"Oh?" Su Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Dong. The faintest teasing curve appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Good. At least you know it. Seems you understand perfectly well: whether it's strength..." He paused, his gaze meaningfully sweeping over Wang Dong. "Or looks, you're... no match for me."
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