Already Forgiven Xia Yanchun

Monday.

Reluctant to leave Xia Yanchun’s soft, fragrant embrace, Shen Nian stayed in bed until six o'clock, only dragging himself up when her alarm finally went off.

Watching the girl on the pillow beside him slowly blink awake, Shen Nian gently pressed his lips to her forehead.

Still groggy, Xia Yanchun wriggled in Shen Nian’s arms. Her feet kicked out aimlessly, toes grazing his calves as she stretched out her body before finally rising in a half-asleep daze.

Sitting on the bed, Xia Yanchun remained silent. She was always a bit spaced out right after waking up; her brain needed a moment to boot up and adjust.

Sleeping with Shen Nian made it incredibly easy to fall into a deep slumber. Even with just five hours of rest, Xia Yanchun felt energetic enough to last the whole day.

That was a quality sleep.

Shen Nian didn't say anything either; he just pinched her cheek and went back to his own place to brush his teeth.

He hadn't boiled water or made breakfast, so today they would have to settle for mass-produced buns from a breakfast stall outside.

However, Xia Yanchun still shoved a carton of whole milk into his hands, just as she always did.

Sitting on the back of his bike, Xia Yanchun rubbed her soft cheek against Shen Nian’s back. "Interest has started accumulating again for today, you know."

"I know, I know. Look at you—consider that twenty bucks of interest a bonus from your buddy here."

"Hmph."

Xia Yanchun flicked Shen Nian’s ear.

By the time they arrived at school, Shen Nian’s ear was slightly red.

The weather had warmed up recently for some reason, and the sun seemed larger than usual. Xia Yanchun hadn't even brought her hot water bottle today.

Although her hands were already warm, Shen Nian still hijacked them, stuffing them into his coat pocket to knead and play with.

Perhaps because she had been called "Big Sister" yesterday, Xia Yanchun was in an exceptionally good mood. She walked ahead with long strides, carrying herself with a swagger that was completely out of character for such a sweet-looking girl.

Shen Nian didn't chase after her; letting her ego inflate a little wasn't a big deal.

With the warmer temperatures, fewer people were sleeping in, so the classroom was more crowded than usual for this hour. Many girls liked to bring steamed buns to eat in class, and others ate boiled eggs from the cafeteria, filling the room with a smell like sulfurous farts.

"Want some?" Seeing Shen Nian arrive, Chen Dong offered him an egg yolk.

Shen Nian recoiled in disgust. "It stinks like hell. Someone who didn't know better would think you were eating sh*t."

"The cafeteria cooked it, what can I do? God knows how they manage to make boiled eggs smell this bad; the ones I boil at home never smell like this."

Shen Nian rubbed his chin, just in time to hear Xia Yanchun muttering as she pulled out her chair to sit. "They probably didn't add salt. You can add a little salt or a few drops of lemon juice when boiling eggs. Either that, or they aren't fully cooked."

"The Class Monitor knows so much?"

"I learned it on Little Red Book."

"Holy crap, a Great God of the Little Red Book realm!"

Shen Nian felt like Chen Dong was acting like a total moron—or was that just his imagination?

It just went to show that people who knew how to cook knew a lot. Shen Nian was envious; all he could do was turn a nondescript cup of goji berry water into a magical kidney-boosting elixir. He was still too weak. Sigh.

Morning classes wrapped up hastily. Shen Nian barely listened, studying on his own. When he ran out of things to study, he boredly watched the scenery, watched Xia Yanchun, or kicked the underside of Ma Mingfan's chair out of pure malice.

He wanted to kill the Demon King.

Shen Nian had pretty much burned through all the exam papers from various regions over the years—monthly exams, midterms, finals, college entrance exam simulations, and actual past papers. Was he going through them too fast?

Bored out of his mind, Shen Nian decided to challenge himself to finish a Jingdu mathematics paper within a single class period.

...

During the lunch break, Shen Nian, Chen Dong, and Ma Mingfan spawned in the cafeteria because there were no torches placed there to prevent it.

Shen Nian was feeling flush recently and ordered two large chicken drumsticks.

"Holy crap, Brother Nian!" Ma Mingfan looked at the drumsticks in Shen Nian's bowl, tears of envy practically flowing from the corners of his mouth.

We agreed to walk this path together, brothers in arms, so why are you suddenly driving a Land Rover?

"You damn fool, can you either speak more or shut up entirely?" Shen Nian said, exasperated.

"Ahem..."

"Hold on, you guys." Chen Dong tapped his chopsticks, his face solemn. "I have something to tell you."

"I woke up at 6:14 this morning. By the time I finished a bowl of noodles, it was 6:30. I bought a bottle of water, then Shen Nian arrived. We chatted for a bit, and then morning study started."

Shen Nian laughed out of sheer absurdity. "Why didn't you tell us such huge news earlier?"

Ma Mingfan twitched his lips. "We told you that you could tell your brothers anything, but that doesn't mean you have to tell your brothers everything."

"What a pinhead."

...

After lunch, Ma Mingfan and Chen Dong went back to the dorms, while Shen Nian headed to the classroom and chatted with a few girls for a while.

Once they left to get food, Shen Nian sat there waiting for Xia Yanchun.

At this time of day, the classroom became a private little space belonging only to him and her.

Xia Yanchun had made a rare trip to the campus store; she was holding a room-temperature Pepsi and looked like she had already taken a sip on the way back.

It was unusual for Xia Yanchun to buy cola.

"Here, I bought this for you." She placed the cola on Shen Nian's desk.

"Why are you letting me drink this again?"

"I never said you couldn't drink it, just that you should drink less. You used to down one or two bottles a day, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Shen Nian smiled and immediately took a swig. Unfortunately, the cola was room temperature; it lacked soul and didn't hit the spot.

Room temperature cola < Oriental Leaf Tea.

"I'm sleeping here today." Xia Yanchun pulled out the chair next to him and sat down, unzipping her outer jacket. It was warm today, so she didn't need such thick layers.

Xia Yanchun was wearing a long-sleeved base layer with a round neckline, so Shen Nian couldn't catch even a glimpse of anything extra. He resigned himself to finishing the cola, then abducted her hand again to have his way with it inside his pocket.

He’d enjoy the feeling for now. Once his darling Chun fell asleep, he would sneak out to spend the remaining four thousand yuan and complete the side quest.

Spend ten thousand, get rewarded twenty thousand—oh System, why are you so good to me?

The girl's small face pressed against his shoulder, filling his nose with her unique fragrance. Shen Nian glanced sideways, seeing only the fluffy top of her head and a few mischievous strands of hair tickling him.

"Sleepy?" Shen Nian smoothed her hair with his free hand.

"No, I just don't have anything to do."

"Finally got some downtime, huh?"

"Mhm."

"Want to... go sleep at home?"

Xia Yanchun twitched her finger.

She was tempted, but it seemed like too much of a hassle.

Besides, she wasn't really that tired; she just wanted to sit with Shen Nian for a while. Leaning on him was so comfortable that she might just doze off eventually.

Since she didn't answer, Shen Nian didn't press the issue; driving back and forth was indeed a bit of a pain.

"We have math this afternoon, so you should try to sleep," Shen Nian whispered.

"I know."

"If you can't sleep, I'll give you a massage."

Xia Yanchun’s eyes lit up. Such a treat!

And Shen Nian had offered it voluntarily, too.

She pulled her small hand out of Shen Nian’s pocket and laid her arm across the desk. Xia Yanchun adjusted into a more comfortable position, curling up on the desk like a little cat.

The person beside her was true to his word. Using both hands, he began to massage her, applying pressure with his fingertips.

Since her body wasn't actually tired, the massage wasn't exactly relaxing—in fact, it hurt a little.

Her skin was smooth and slippery. Shen Nian shifted from massaging to gently pressing. To call it a massage was a stretch; it was more like he was just feeling her up.

"I've finished with the hands; next up are the feet." Shen Nian suddenly stopped what he was doing and spoke with deadly seriousness.

"Pervert."

"I give you a massage out of the goodness of my heart, and my only reward is being called a pervert? I was even willing to ignore the hygiene issue to rub your feet... Forget it, I won't lower myself to argue with a woman. Since we aren't doing feet, let's massage your legs instead." Shen Nian waved his hand with exaggerated magnanimity. A real man possessed a heart vast enough to embrace the heavens and the earth; why would he hold a grudge over something so petty?

He had already forgiven Xia Yanchun for her lack of manners.

"..." Xia Yanchun looked at him like he was a lunatic.

"Hehe, just kidding."

Xia Yanchun dismissed Shen Nian's words as nothing but hot air.

If she had actually agreed, Shen Nian wouldn't be joking anymore; he would likely have his hands on her by now. After all, Shen Nian was precisely that sort of person.