Moving On from the Tsundere, I Choose the Perfect Sweetheart

"Seriously, am I that scary?"

Gu Yifan said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Just then, Su Qinghe got a clear look and saw it was Gu Yifan. She couldn’t help but blush, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"S-sorry, I didn’t know it was you."

She said softly.

"What a Hanhan!"

Gu Yifan said, shaking his head in resignation.

Hearing him call her Hanhan, Su Qinghe’s mouth fell slightly open as if to say something, but in the end, she just pouted and said nothing at all.

"Let’s go."

Gu Yifan said.

"Oh, oh..."

Su Qinghe nodded dazedly, not even asking where Gu Yifan was taking her.

...

The April sun wasn’t too harsh yet.

On the grassy soccer field, Gu Yifan lay with a blade of grass dangling from his lips and his hands cradling the back of his head, looking completely at ease.

Su Qinghe, meanwhile, sat quietly on the grass beside him, gazing ahead, lost in thought.

The sunlight was a bit glaring, causing Gu Yifan to narrow his eyes to a slit.

"Hanhan~"

Gu Yifan suddenly turned to Su Qinghe and said.

"Mmm~"

Su Qinghe hummed in response before realizing what he’d called her. Then, in a very soft voice, she said, "I’m not... Hanhan."

However, Gu Yifan just glanced at her and completely ignored the last part of her sentence.

"The mock exam is the day after tomorrow, isn’t it?"

He asked casually.

"Mhm."

Su Qinghe nodded lightly without a second thought.

"Hmm... Do you think you can still take first place in the entire grade this time?"

Gu Yifan asked.

"Huh?"

Su Qinghe was taken aback for a second. After thinking it over seriously, she gave a slight nod.

Seeing her serious expression, Gu Yifan couldn’t help but chuckle. "Tsk, that confident?"

Su Qinghe nodded again with that same serious look and said softly, "There’s no one who can put up a fight."

Gu Yifan nearly lost it when she delivered the line with such a straight face.

’I can’t believe this Hanhan knows how to crack a deadpan joke???’

Gu Yifan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

After a moment’s thought, he raised an eyebrow, turned to her, and said nonchalantly, "And what if I were to make a move? How would you handle that?"

"Huh?"

Su Qinghe froze for a moment, then couldn’t help but furrow her delicate brow.

It was as if Gu Yifan’s question had touched on a blind spot in her knowledge.

She fell silent after that.

...

After a long moment, Su Qinghe turned to Gu Yifan and asked softly, "You want to get first place?"

"That’s right!"

"Otherwise, all the effort I’ve put in recently would be for nothing, right?"

Gu Yifan said with a nod.

"Oh, okay."

Su Qinghe nodded, then looked at him with a serious expression and said, "I get it."

"Hm?"

’I get it?’

It took Gu Yifan a moment to process that, a seed of doubt planting itself in his mind.

Suddenly!

"Wait, Su Hanhan, what are you trying to say?"

"Are you planning to go easy on me so I can get first place??"

Gu Yifan said, completely speechless.

"Er..."

Her little plan exposed, Su Qinghe’s face flushed slightly red.

She mumbled weakly, "I... I wasn’t..."

But as she spoke, her voice grew quieter and quieter.

Seeing her act this way, Gu Yifan was so exasperated he had to laugh. "Seriously, Su Hanhan, are you that confident I can’t outscore you?"

Face flushed, Su Qinghe lowered her head, not daring to say a word.

DING~

Just then, a crisp, mechanical sound rang in Gu Yifan’s mind. The system, which hadn’t popped up in a long time, had reappeared.

"Congratulations to the Host for triggering a random system mission."

"Please make a wager with the Treasure Girl, Su Qinghe, over ’Who is Truly Number One’ and break her long-standing, undefeated record of topping the grade rankings!"

"Upon mission completion, you will be rewarded with a Professional-Grade Singing Skill and one pair of Tear-Proof Black Stockings!"

[Note 1: The Professional-Grade Singing Skill will be transmitted via memory transfer and various physical enhancements, instantly granting the Host a singing ability on par with a professional singer.]

[Note 2: The Tear-Proof Black Stockings are crafted from heavenly silkworm silk. In addition to being more aesthetically pleasing than ordinary stockings, they are warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Most importantly, the special material is completely tear-proof!]

Gu Yifan: "..."

’Hold on!’

’The professional-grade singing skill is a bit useless, but I can at least understand that. But what the hell is this ’one pair of Tear-Proof Black Stockings’?!’

’Damn System, are you for real?!’

Gu Yifan roasted the system in his mind, completely dumbfounded.

However, the system ignored his complaints and continued, "System-issued friendly reminder: If the Host can persuade the Treasure Girl Su Qinghe to wear these Tear-Proof Black Stockings, there will be a special additional reward!"

Gu Yifan: "..."

’F*ck you!’

’You damn System, I knew you were up to no good!’

’But... getting Su Qinghe to wear black stockings...???’

Gu Yifan thought about it for a moment, and the image instantly formed in his mind!

...

Meanwhile, when Su Qinghe saw Gu Yifan suddenly go quiet, she thought he was angry.

She reached out a small hand and gently tugged on Gu Yifan’s sleeve, stammering weakly, "S-sorry, I..."

"Huh?"

Her voice snapped Gu Yifan back to reality.

"Su Qinghe!"

Gu Yifan said suddenly, his expression completely serious.

"Hm?"

Su Qinghe paused, a little bewildered by his sudden seriousness.

"Hmm... How about this!"

Gu Yifan mulled it over for a second, then put both hands on Su Qinghe’s shoulders and said, "Why don’t we make a bet?"

"A bet?"

Su Qinghe’s body went stiff. She lifted her slightly flushed face and stared at Gu Yifan, looking even more confused.

"That’s right!"

"You’re super confident about your grades, right?"

"So, don’t go easy on me. Use every ounce of strength you have and give the exam your all. Let’s see who can get the higher score."

"If your score is higher than mine, I’ll do one thing for you—anything at all, as long as it’s within my power!"

"If I get a higher score, then... I’ll buy you an article of clothing, and you have to wear it for me to see. How about it?"

Gu Yifan nodded, spouting utter nonsense with a perfectly straight face.

’But... black stockings count as clothing, right?’

’Hmm... how could they not!’

’Right!’

’Black stockings are clothing!’

’No doubt about it!’

Gu Yifan muttered to himself in his head.

"Huh?"

"N-no, let’s not, okay?"

Su Qinghe said quietly, "You already bought me clothes last time... I..."

"Alright, no more ’I...’!"

"It’s settled then!"

"Pinky swear!"

Before she could finish, Gu Yifan cut her off, took her pinky with his, and sealed the promise himself!

Su Qinghe: "...-_-||"

Her mouth hung slightly agape as she stared at Gu Yifan with a complicated expression, momentarily at a complete loss for words.

"Alright, let’s go! I’ll treat you to a drink!"

Gu Yifan completely ignored her expression, took her by the hand, and led her toward the small snack shop not far from the field.

...