Dedicated to studying, yet forced into a chaotic situation.

Chapter 16 Everyone says to stop trying to please me (playing hard to get)

[Host, your smile is so wide it stretches to the back of your head.]

"Aren't you happy for me?" Shi Sui asked rhetorically.

She was thrilled to get the top student in her grade to tutor her for free.

[Happy.] The system abruptly changed the subject, [But you absolutely mustn't fall for Xu Chaomu. Many novels about top students and underachievers start their romance with tutoring, and the worst thing for studying is getting emotionally involved.]

[Okay, okay. I'm just a heartless money-making machine.]

"[It's a learning machine!]" the system retorted.

The system's rebuttal was so loud that Shi Sui felt a little dizzy.

After giving the cafeteria lady 10 yuan for a steamed bun, she discovered that there was free soup at the end of the food serving window.

Corn and pork rib soup. It has corn, carrots, and most importantly, pork ribs—quite a lot of them.

So Shi Sui didn't spend any money at noon today. She got two bowls of soup with meat and a little water mixed in, which was much more filling than plain steamed buns.

After leaving the cafeteria, Shi Sui walked towards the classroom.

Near the stadium, a girl carrying a box of electrolyte water was walking by when she lost her balance and tipped to one side.

At the critical moment, Shi Sui quickly stepped forward to help her move the electrolyte water.

"Thank you." The girl almost twisted her ankle. She looked up at the person who had helped her. It was a pretty young woman she didn't recognize, holding the electrolyte water tank in her hands, looking very relaxed.

"Okay, you're welcome." Shi Sui looked at her and asked, "Where are you moving to? Should I help you move?"

It wasn't that she was eager to help, but rather that the girl in front of her looked so small and frail. She was only about 1.6 meters tall, with a small face and thin arms. From a distance, she looked like a delicate little figurine.

(Although—it seems a bit inappropriate to call someone a small figurine? But if I just think it in my mind, probably no one will know, right?)

Okay, so she was just bored and wanted to help others, and also wanted to do some exercise after her meal.

The girl was a little embarrassed: "Thank you, but it's okay... I, I can manage."

“You can’t do that,” Shi Sui said domineeringly. “I’ve been strong since I was a child. I can carry three boxes of electrolyte water at once.”

She hasn't done any physical labor in a long time, and lately studying has been mentally taxing, so she needs to balance work and rest.

"How about we move together?" the girl suggested.

"No need, I can manage on my own." With that, Shi Sui bounced around a couple of times while holding the electrolyte solution.

She was pretty and very enthusiastic, making it hard to refuse her kindness. The girl didn't hesitate any longer: "I need to move this box of water to the gymnasium. I'm Xiao Youran from Class 7 of Grade 11. What's your name?"

"My name is Shi Sui. I'm currently a temporary student in International Class 1. It's unknown which class I'll be in after that."

"Shi Sui?" Xiao Youran was taken aback, remembering that Jiang Tianyao had been pouring out her troubles to her lately.

Honestly, it's hard to connect the girl opposite Jiang Tianyao, who described herself as a "foul-mouthed, physically abusive, and ill-mannered bumpkin," with the person in question.

"What's wrong?" Shi Sui tilted her head.

"It's nothing." Xiao Youran thought that one could only know a person's character after getting to know them. She led the way, "Come on, this is the direction of the stadium."

Shi Sui followed her and soon arrived at the gymnasium, where she placed the electrolyte water in the designated location.

Seeing that she carried a box of electrolyte water for so long without taking a break or even panting, Xiao Youran was truly impressed, and her gaze towards her became warmer.

"Thank you for helping me carry the electrolyte water. There's a really nice French patisserie on campus. Would you like some dessert? It's on me."

“Okay.” Shi Sui did not refuse.

She had long been craving the desserts in big cities, having heard that they used imported animal cream, resulting in a rich and layered flavor, and the designs were also very exquisite.

For the past two months, Jiang's mother has brought Jiang Tianyao delicate desserts at least twice a week. Shi Sui really wanted to eat them, but Jiang's mother would always say shyly, "I don't know what flavors you like, but I'll definitely bring you some next time."

He would never ask her what flavor she liked, and there would never be a next time.

The French pastry shop is not far from the cafeteria. Its storefront is pure white with a long strip of French text that I can't understand.

The desserts inside are dazzling and exquisite, each one looking like it was painted. They are topped with crystal clear jelly, which looks very tempting. The price tags even have cross-section pictures of the desserts, showing their rich layers.

Shi Sui hesitated for a moment and then chose an inexpensive green mango lemon tart, topped with white cream cheese and fragrant wood, which looked very refreshing.

The lemon's tartness, the mango's sweetness, and the mixed aroma of other berries create a very refreshing taste.

This is the best dessert Shi Sui has ever eaten; the cupcakes with paper umbrellas in the town can't compare to this at all.

After finishing the dessert, Xiao Youran thought for a moment and invited, "The electrolyte water box was for the basketball game this afternoon. By the way, could you come and watch the basketball game this afternoon?"

"Well, yes."

When Shi Sui returned to the classroom, she was carrying a delicate cake box.

Xiao Youran said that she ate so cutely that he couldn't help but want to spend money on her and feed her more desserts.

So, she packed a jasmine green grape white chocolate mousse for Shi Sui to take home and enjoy slowly.

Shi Sui was so touched she almost cried, because Xiao Youran was the first person to treat her to dessert, completely different from those bad women who would say they'd buy her something but never spend a penny on her.

Chi Yan was resting on the table when she heard a faint sound. Thinking that her deskmate had returned, she groggily opened her eyes.

I found my deskmate quietly doing his homework, but unlike when I woke up before, there was a dessert on the table.

How did she know he liked desserts? He had never revealed it before; even Yan Ze didn't know he liked sweets.

So, in order not to disturb his deskmate's studies, Chi Yan quietly reached out, took the dessert, opened the cake box, and the sweet aroma immediately filled his nose.

You can tell it's delicious just by smelling it.

He increasingly felt that having a deskmate wasn't so bad.

After Shi Sui finished reciting her English text, just as she was about to enjoy her meal, she glanced at the table and saw that her cake was gone. Why was only the empty box left?

I instinctively looked to the side and saw the boy holding a fork, putting the last small piece of cream mousse into his mouth with elegant and refined movements.

Shi Sui was stunned.

It wasn't because Chi Yan was good-looking, but because no one could have guessed that Chi Yan would steal her dessert!

Although she knew her deskmate was not someone to mess with, she was still heartbroken over the mousse cake. Shi Sui poked his arm and said, "Deskmate, you...you ate my cake..."

His voice was a mixture of grievance and anger.

"Here's the money." Chi Yan's Adam's apple bobbed as he quickly swallowed the cream mousse, and he said lazily, "Don't try to please me with desserts anymore, I don't fall for that."

Shi Sui then noticed that there was an unopened red envelope on her silent WeChat account.

A red envelope containing 200 yuan was received.

Suddenly, I no longer felt heartbroken about the mousse cake.

Not feeling aggrieved or angry at all, Shi Sui leaned closer and asked with a bright smile, "Classmate, would you like something else to eat?"

She's so mean; she sold the cake Xiao Youran gave her just because it cost two hundred yuan.

"No, no..." Chi Yan's ears turned red, and she leaned to the side helplessly. "I told you not to try to please me..."

Unfortunately, it just looked too much like a push-and-pull.

Shi Sui will not give up this shining cash cow.

Being Chi Yan's errand boy was the best-paying job Shi Sui had ever seen.