Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

What the fuck!

They even fucking included a picture?

Fuck!

What do they mean, "mysterious man’s secret cafeteria rendezvous with the pauper school beauty"?

All I did was have lunch with Su Qinghe in the school cafeteria. Who the hell has nothing better to do than spread gossip about us?

And that’s not even the fucking point!

The point is, fine, take a candid photo, but why the hell did you photoshop my face to look all warped?

What the hell is that supposed to mean?!

Goddammit!

Of course!

Schools, companies, the internet, and even wet markets are forever the breeding grounds for gossip and rumors!

Gu Yifan was truly and utterly speechless this time.

Seeing the expression on Gu Yifan’s face shift as he finished reading, Su Qinghe asked nervously, "Are... are you okay?"

SIGH...

Gu Yifan took a deep breath, then looked up at Su Qinghe with a helpless expression and said, "I’m fine."

"I’m sorry. It’s all because of me that you’re being misunderstood..."

Su Qinghe said again.

"Uh... why are you apologizing? This isn’t your fault!"

"It’s just these people who have nothing better to do than spread baseless rumors."

"Besides, you’re a victim in this too!"

Gu Yifan shook his head, cutting her off.

Even though Gu Yifan said that, Su Qinghe still felt in her heart that if she hadn’t asked him to the cafeteria, and if she hadn’t cried there, he wouldn’t have been dragged into this misunderstanding.

She looked at Gu Yifan, full of guilt, and said, "I..."

"Alright, it’s fine. Let them say what they want!"

Gu Yifan waved his hand, cutting her off again. "Anyway, the college entrance exams are in less than three months. Once the tests are over, everyone will go their separate ways, and none of this will matter."

"So you don’t have to take it to heart!"

Su Qinghe bit her lip. "But, if it weren’t for me..."

"Listen to me, don’t overthink it."

"There now~"

Gu Yifan reached out and gently ruffled her hair, speaking with a smile.

HIC...

Gu Yifan’s sudden intimate gesture made Su Qinghe freeze.

SWOOSH~

Her face flushed red, and her little heart started beating wildly—THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.

Flustered, she quickly lowered her head, looking like a frightened little rabbit, not daring to meet Gu Yifan’s eyes.

Seeing her like this, Gu Yifan couldn’t help but smile.

He picked up Su Qinghe’s phone, lit up the screen to check the time, and saw that it was already 2:20 in the afternoon.

Hm?

Suddenly, his hand paused.

There was only one reason.

Su Qinghe’s phone wallpaper was a photo of someone’s back, facing the mountain wind and gazing at the rising sun...

...and the back in that photo happened to be his own!

Uh...

’When did she take this photo?’

Gu Yifan was a little surprised.

He looked at it carefully. Judging by the angle, Su Qinghe must have secretly taken it from behind him when he wasn’t looking on the day they watched the sunrise from the mountaintop.

"Wh-what’s wrong?"

Seemingly noticing that something was off with Gu Yifan, Su Qinghe lifted her head and asked him in a small voice.

"Huh?"

"Nothing!"

Gu Yifan said, waving his hand.

He didn’t mention the photo.

"Here, your phone!"

Handing the phone back to Su Qinghe, he said, "It’s getting late, class is about to start. Let’s head down!"

"Oh, okay~"

Su Qinghe didn’t overthink it and nodded lightly.

Then, the two of them went downstairs.

......

Downstairs at the senior year building, the two of them arranged a time for their tutoring session and then parted ways.

RING—RING—

Just as Gu Yifan walked into the Senior Year Class 1 classroom, the bell for class began to ring.

He had just sat down in his seat when he saw Han Ning, who sat diagonally across from him, turn back to glance at him.

Han Ning’s eyes were still a little red and swollen. Although she had reapplied her makeup, it was obvious she had been crying not long ago.

’This time, she probably won’t come pestering me again, right?’

Gu Yifan thought to himself.

Just then, the homeroom teacher, Ye Xiangying, also walked in from outside the classroom.

Seeing this, Han Ning looked away.

’But what was with that last look she gave me?’

’An eye-roll? Was she being tsundere?’

Gu Yifan didn’t get it. He found it a bit baffling.

"Class is starting!"

At that moment, Homeroom Teacher Ye Xiangying’s voice rang out, her words signaling the official start of the afternoon’s classes.

RUSTLE~

"Hello, Teacher!"

Gu Yifan stood up with the rest of the class and shouted.

"Hello, students. Please be seated!"

After sitting down, Gu Yifan shook his head, no longer bothering to figure out the meaning behind Han Ning’s look.

’The 30-day period for the Divine-level Learning Ability Card... a whole day has already passed without me realizing it!’

Gu Yifan had already decided that he had to review all the key concepts from first-year high school math today. Otherwise, he might not have enough time later on!

’The sooner I finish, the sooner I can relax!’

Otherwise, with his current grades, he couldn’t even be sure he’d score higher than Wang Jibao. There would be no way to face Ms. Chen back home!

So, after Homeroom Teacher Ye Xiangying announced that the period would be for self-study, Gu Yifan secretly started reviewing his first-year math textbook.

He had to do it secretly because their homeroom teacher taught English, and it wouldn’t look good to be studying math during her self-study period.

After all, it wasn’t the final sprint before the exams yet, when you could choose which subjects to review freely.

...

Time always flies when you’re completely absorbed in something.

Before he knew it, it was the last class of the afternoon.

For the entire afternoon, aside from getting up to use the restroom twice, Gu Yifan had spent every other moment cramming first-year math.

He wasn’t the only one. Everyone else was the same, racing against the clock to study.

Han Ning was, the other students in the class were, and even that damn Wang Zibo was...

Uh... okay, that bastard was focused, alright, but what he was so damn focused on was a novel!

For the past few self-study periods, Wang Zibo had been engrossed, devouring his copy of *The Story I Must Tell About the School Beauty*.

’Looks like this guy has completely given up.’

Just like in his previous life, he probably wouldn’t be able to escape a "pork stir-fried with rattan strips" on the day the exam results came out!

Gu Yifan had originally thought about dragging him along to their tutoring sessions with Su Qinghe, but seeing him like this, he figured the guy was a lost cause.

Besides, Gu Yifan hadn’t even sorted out his own grade problems yet, so he couldn’t be bothered with him.

At most, he would ask after school if Wang Zibo wanted to join their tutoring sessions. If he didn’t want to, Gu Yifan wouldn’t press the issue.

In short, he would let him choose for himself.

After all, having knocked around for so many years in his past life, Gu Yifan clearly understood one thing: only when you make a choice for yourself can you live with the regret without blaming anyone else.

But if someone else chooses for you, and you end up regretting it, there will always be some resentment, however small.

This was true even for fathers and sons, or the closest of brothers!

...