"OK, I agree!"
Ye Fan readily agreed, his deep eyes radiating a brilliant smile.
Ning Xi paced back and forth, hesitating before speaking, "Um... Brother, can we negotiate? When no one is around, I'll call you 'Brother,' but when there are people, I'll still call you by your name. How about that?"
"No way!"
Ye Fan refused decisively without a second thought.
What a joke!
This was a hard-earned benefit he had secured at the expense of their alone time.
Four words—No Compromise Whatsoever!!!
Ning Xi pulled a long face and reluctantly muttered, "Fine, no means no. It's just calling you... Brother. It's not like it'll kill me. Hmph!"
Although she said that, her heart was burning with embarrassment, feeling like she had lost half her life from sheer shyness.
Brother?
So cringy...
Several meters away, Su Ke and Luo Yumeng closely observed the interaction between the two. Although they couldn't hear what was being said, it didn't stop their gossip-loving hearts from going into overdrive.
"Yumeng, do you think what we did might make Xiao Xi feel uncomfortable?" Su Ke asked with some concern.
"No way!" Luo Yumeng covered her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Ke Ke, do you think Ye Fan would agree to this so easily? He must have taken the opportunity to set conditions. What we're doing is subtly matchmaking them."
Su Ke looked surprised. "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable in this area."
"Of course!" Luo Yumeng said proudly, "After reading so many romance novels, I didn't do it for nothing. This is just basic stuff!"
"Tch—" Su Ke rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Did you really think I was complimenting you?"
"…"
"If you put as much effort into studying as you do into reading novels, your grades in the joint exams wouldn't be so bad!"
"…"
At that moment, Ning Xi walked over gracefully.
The two girls immediately stopped talking, their eyes full of inquiry.
"Xiao Xi, how did it go?"
"Ye Fan said..." A trace of slyness flashed through Ning Xi's eyes as she lowered her gaze slightly.
Her expression made the two girls' hearts sink.
It seemed... no good news.
Su Ke waved her hand gently, trying to lighten the mood. "It's okay, it's okay. Yumeng and I didn't have high hopes in the first place. Don't worry about it."
"Exactly!" Luo Yumeng nodded, grabbing Ning Xi's small hand to comfort her. "I'm already second-to-last in the class. I've got nothing to lose. I'm fearless now!"
"Poof—"
Ning Xi couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth as she giggled. "Oh, you two didn't even let me finish. Ye Fan said he agreed."
"…"
"…"
The two girls froze, their expressions stiffening. They immediately realized Ning Xi had tricked them. Both rolled up their sleeves, ready to exact revenge.
The three girls playfully chased and teased each other, becoming a bright and lively scene on North Street.
After wandering around North Street for more than an hour, the three girls lost interest. It was lively, sure, but the crowd was overwhelming. Even buying bubble tea required standing in long lines.
Faced with this situation, Ning Xi suggested going to Ye Fan's house to drink lemonade. She wouldn't stop praising how delicious Ye Fan's lemonade was, making the other two girls drool with anticipation.
And so, around 3:30 PM, the four of them arrived at Ye Fan's house. When Su Ke and Luo Yumeng saw the cherry blossom tree on the wall, they knowingly pulled Ning Xi to sit on the couch.
"Xiao Xi, how far have you two progressed?"
"Exactly, even a cherry blossom tree has been arranged?"
Their curiosity wasn't baseless. After all, both of their homes also had similar cherry blossom trees, all crafted by Ning Xi herself.
From the moment they saw the cherry blossom tree, the two girls began wildly speculating.
Luo Yumeng, who never shied away from saying shocking things, tentatively asked, "Xiao Xi, could it be that you and Ye Fan have already... shared a bed?"
"Bang!"
Ning Xi's face flushed as red as a fiery sunset. Overcome with embarrassment, she raised her hand and flicked Luo Yumeng on the forehead. "What nonsense are you spouting? Ye Fan and I are just desk mates and good friends for now. If you say such out-of-line things again, you'll lose me as a friend!"
Rubbing her forehead, Luo Yumeng admitted defeat. "Okay, okay, I was wrong. I was just joking to lighten the mood. Don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously."
Su Ke couldn't stop laughing. "Xiao Xi, don't mind Yumeng. She just loves to talk nonsense. But seriously, looking at you and Ye Fan, you don't seem like 'just friends.' With such an outstanding guy right in front of you, haven't you thought about it?"
Luo Yumeng secretly gave Su Ke a thumbs-up while perking up her ears, eager to hear Ning Xi's response. Her gossip-loving heart burned with passion.
"You two are too much!"
Ning Xi's face turned even redder. She decisively stood up and moved to the opposite side, gritting her teeth. "And to think I even begged Ye Fan to tutor you two. Do you know what I had to do to get him to agree?"
At this, her face turned crimson once more. "Hmph, you two ungrateful brats!"
Luo Yumeng leaned closer. "Xiao Xi, don't leave us hanging. What did you have to do to get Ye Fan to agree to help us?"
Su Ke added, "Yeah, what did you have to do?"
"…"
Ning Xi held her head in her hands, silently telling herself over and over again.
The world is beautiful. Don't lose your temper. Don't lose your temper…
Just then, Ye Fan came into the living room holding three freshly washed glasses. He caught sight of the scene and glanced at the two girls, asking casually, "Are you two bullying Xiao Xi again?"
"How could we?" Luo Yumeng quickly stood up and sat next to Ning Xi, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Xiao Xi is so adorable. How could we bear to bully her?"
Noticing Luo Yumeng's gesture, Ye Fan's brow twitched. He said lightly, "Do you still want tutoring?"
Luo Yumeng was taken aback. "Huh? What did I do?"
"Take your hand off her."
"…"
Frustrated but understanding the principle of patience, Luo Yumeng obediently removed her hand.
For some reason, Ning Xi felt a sweet warmth in her heart after hearing Ye Fan's words.
Ye Fan took a pitcher of water from the fridge, poured lemonade into three glasses, and sat down beside Ning Xi. From under the coffee table, he retrieved a stack of scratch paper and a pen. Then, he asked the two girls about their current grades in each subject, jotting down notes quickly.
His efficiency was impressive. In just over ten minutes, he had already devised a tutoring plan for the two girls.
"Go buy the practice books and mock test sets listed here. Complete three test papers per subject every day. Write down anything you don't understand and bring it to me the next day at school. As for Sundays, study at home. Don't bother Xiao Xi."
"…"
"…"
So, their version of this cheat was simplified?
Fine.
Better than nothing!
Seeing her two friends focused on the plan, Ning Xi tugged at Ye Fan's sleeve and whispered, "Come to the bedroom. I have something to ask you."
The tutoring plan wasn't what they had discussed before. It was obvious Ye Fan was messing with her.
But she still had to call Ye Fan "Brother." This was so unfair!
Ye Fan nodded thoughtfully and, without caring that the other two were still present, took Ning Xi's delicate hand and led her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
"I protest!"