Mai Dong was pleasantly surprised, how could he have the heart to compare the value of their gifts?
Yan Xuming took the gift, he didn’t need to open it to know what was inside. Mai Dong had made it clear. He placed the gift beside him and expressed his thanks, “Thank you.”
“En, you’re welcome.” Mai Dong was still a bit dazed. He was handed a box and, after a slight delay, finally retracted his hands that were still hanging in the air. He couldn’t wait and asked, “Can I open it now?”
The hot pot base had arrived, and a bit of steam rose after a while. Yan Xuming nodded after his face appeared through the white mist.
The box was exquisite, and Mai Dong wondered if it was purchased like that or if Yan Xuming had personally wrapped it.
Mai Dong, of course, preferred to believe in the latter possibility. Upon opening it, he found a fluffy brown bear notebook, so adorable that Mai Dong didn’t dare to touch it at first.
He looked up in surprise and once again confirmed, “Is this for me?”
Yan Xuming asked, “Do you like it?”
Mai Dong nodded his head vigorously, “Like it!”
Of course, he liked it, he liked it very much.
Mai Dong had never imagined receiving a gift from Yan Xuming, and especially not such a lovely one. This was different; it was a diary, proving that Yan Xuming had specifically chosen it for Mai Dong. Moreover, Mai Dong had never thought of buying a furry notebook for himself in winter.
No matter how he thought about it, this seemed a bit ambiguous. Yan Xuming knew that all the entries in his diary were about him, yet he still gave him a diary.
He’s definitely flirting with me, right? Mai Dong thought.
The meal was harmonious, with Yan Xuming acting gentlemanly and taking care of tasks like dividing the meat and serving condiments for Mai Dong. The selected condiments were considerate, including sesame sauce, dipping oil, and a seafood sauce specifically for the shrimp balls, catering to Mai Dong’s varied tastes.
Mai Dong was being taken care of so well that he didn’t even dare to speak easily, fearing he might accidentally burst the current pink bubble.
Having eaten their fill and enjoyed their drinks, Mai Dong rubbed his belly and leaned against the sofa, letting out a content burp. He was really a bit on top, forgetting to maintain his image in front of Yan Xuming.
When Yan Xuming chuckled and asked if he was full, Mai Dong snapped back to reality, hastily adjusting his posture, and honestly replied, “Full!”
Yan Xuming then asked again, “Any coupons?”
Mai Dong froze for a moment, secretly saying that it wasn’t good.
Where did he have any coupons ah! Du Chuan had secured that coupon by setting an alarm to snatch it up; he heard there were only a hundred released. Getting one coupon was just an excuse to invite Yan Xuming out to eat!
Mai Dong cleared his throat and lied, “Uh, I had some yesterday, but I gave them to my roommates. It’s okay, I’ll take care of the bill!” Saying this, he pulled out his phone and ran to the front desk to settle the bill. Strange thoughts of his roommates’ questioning flashed through his mind, asking if he was treating tonight.
After paying, he returned to his seat to pack up. He carefully placed the diary back in its box. Suddenly, he heard Yan Xuming ask, “Will you still write in your diary tonight?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Lf kbeiv vfolclafis kglaf jcv rtbeiv yf jyif ab kglaf j iba. Lf tjv j iba bc tlr wlcv. Vb, tf cbvvfv, “Tfr.”
“Qlii sbe kglaf jybea tjnlcu vlccfg klat wf abcluta?”
“… En.”
“Qlii erf atf cbafybbx P ujnf sbe?”
“En!”
“Ktf biv bcf, mjc P rff la?”
“En!… En?”
Zjl Gbcu ibbxfv ja tlw, wffalcu j qjlg bo ojwliljg fsfr atja mjgglfv j afjrlcu wfjclcu.
The temperature in the hot pot restaurant was high, and Yan Xuming was wearing a black trench coat that Mai Dong really liked. However, once he took it off, he revealed a dark green vertical-striped shirt underneath. Only a few buttons were fastened, and the top two buttons were left completely open.
Mai Dong blushed upon seeing this and quickly averted his gaze. “You’ve seen enough!”
Yan Xuming leaned on his hand. “Not finished.”
Mai Dong argued, “No, this is my diary!”
Yan Xuming seemed a bit regretful and sad. “I thought you’d give it to me if I wanted to see it.”
Mai Dong couldn’t bear his tone and immediately softened, wavering, “Um… well, if you really want to see it, I’ll get it for you?”
Yan Xuming’s momentary sadness disappeared, “Okay.”
Mai Dong knew he was playing scoundrel with him, but he had no way to resist. However, Mai Dong didn’t see himself as someone who would easily be taken advantage of and be a punching bag. Since Yan Xuming was playing tricks with him, he decided to ask the questions in his heart. So, Mai Dong looked at him.
“Why did you withdraw that message last night? I clearly saw it…” The first half of the sentence was assertive, but the latter half faintly died down.
If it were Mai Dong withdrawing a message and being exposed face-to-face, he would undoubtedly be at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain. However, Yan Xuming showed no sign of embarrassment and casually explained, “I thought my words made you uncomfortable since you didn’t reply right away.”
So, it wasn’t a sudden change of heart about being flirtatious with him.
Mai Dong felt a bit delighted but didn’t want to show it. He thought that since both of them were engaging in this flirting game, their status was now equal. Mai Dong had his pride, especially after being forcibly exposed by Du Chuan for wearing insoles today–He didn’t want to embarrass himself again.
So Mai Dong nodded calmly, “Oh, don’t withdraw it next time, okay?”
Yan Xuming behaved as if he was following his words, “Okay.”
After the meal, the two of them returned to school together. At first, they maintained a polite social distance. When crossing the road, Yan Xuming grabbed Mai Dong’s wrist and didn’t let go until they safely crossed.
Dr. God Mai had already forgotten what he was thinking when they left the hot pot restaurant. What equal status and what embarrassing oneself? They were all thrown to the wind. Now, every step felt like walking on clouds. With one hand holding his precious gift box and the other held by Yan Xuming, Mai Dong felt like a puppet on strings, following wherever Yan Xuming led.
At the school gate, the two encountered Yan Xuming’s elective course teacher.
This professor was in her forties and was well-known for being friendly. She often invited students to her home for meals. It was rumored that many graduate students in related fields applied to Nanjing University just to be under her guidance. It was also the first time Mai Dong learned about Yan Xuming’s close relationship with her. He stood obediently on the side, unable to resist eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Professor, you just left?”
“Yes ah, some first-year graduate student had something to discuss with me. I helped him choose a research topic, and it took me until now. Did you go out to play?”
“Went out for dinner.”
“I heard them say that you’ve become the president ah. You’re busy?”
“A bit busy, but it’s manageable. After all, there’s still time to dine off-campus, right?”
As they chatted, the professor suddenly focused her gaze on Mai Dong.
Mai Dong instantly felt a guilty sense of eavesdropping and being caught. Awkwardly, he greeted, “Professor.”
Unexpectedly, the professor could even recall his name, “Mai Dong, right?”
Mai Dong was genuinely startled and instinctively glanced at Yan Xuming. Yan Xuming, in a comforting manner, shook his head. Only then did Mai Dong bite the bullet and replied, “Um, hello, Professor. I’m Mai Dong from the School of Foreign Languages.”
The professor smiled warmly, “I know you. Your instructors always praise you. You excel in your major course, but you seem unwilling to participate in extracurricular activities, is that right?”
Now Mai Dong was really embarrassed. He felt like he was the most inconspicuous student in the School of Foreign Languages, yet how did even professors from other departments know his name? Seeking help, he glanced at Yan Xuming, truly unsure how to respond.
Yan Xuming subtly pulled him, positioning Mai Dong beside him, and spoke, “Please don’t trouble him. This one here is a xueba. He can handle nothing but studies.”
The other party smiled and waved her hand. She exchanged a few more words with Yan Xuming, and then the three of them bid farewell.
Watching the professor’s figure fade into the distance, Mai Dong finally raised his hand and rubbed his face.
Just moments ago, he had followed Yan Xuming with a forced smile, his face almost stiff from smiling. After rubbing his face, he couldn’t help but ask, “Why does she know about me ah?”
Yan Xuming raised an eyebrow, “You think you’re ordinary?”
Mai Dong blinked, unsure, “Ah?”
Yan Xuming said, “Have you ever looked at the final exam scores for the whole class?”
Mai Dong thought for a moment and realized he indeed hadn’t. Why would he care about other people’s grades? After the results were out, checking his own score on the website was sufficient. He shook his head honestly.
Yan Xuming almost wanted to pinch his face, “Do you think getting a perfect score in college exams is that easy? Does everyone achieve full marks like you?”
Mai Dong was taken aback. He looked at Yan Xuming, “You can’t get it either?”
Yan Xuming was silent, it was rare for Yan Xuming to be so silent.
Mai Dong quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it! I really haven’t cared about others’ grades, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t find information about their grades…”
The two walked in silence. Unable to hold back, Mai Dong asked, “But your high school grades were better than mine… Though we’re in different years, I always compared my grades to yours, and I’ve never surpassed you.” The moment Mai Dong voiced his question, he sensed something was amiss.
In high school, they were all students. Although there was a student council in high school, it was merely a formality. All high school students had one primary duty—study.
But university was different. With relative freedom, some joined clubs, others became part of the student union, a few worked part-time every day to earn money, and there were even those who skipped classes regularly to play games. Yan Xuming had too many responsibilities, needing to allocate a significant amount of time and energy to student union duties.
Meanwhile, Mai Dong, like in high school, only needed to focus on studying.
Yan Xuming didn’t feel the need to explain, he just smiled gently. He found this version of Mai Dong very cute.
But Mai Dong figured it out himself and spoke up to save face for Yan Xuming, “So, if you didn’t join the student union, your grades would definitely still be better than mine. Anyway, in my heart, you’re the best person.”
The two said their goodbyes under the dormitory building. Despite parting ways, Mai Dong’s mind lingered on the topic of grades. For the first time, he wanted to inquire about other people’s grades. Feeling hesitant to ask Yan Xuming, he decided to inquire with his roommate.
The first thing he did upon returning to the dormitory was to catch the unlucky Du Chuan, “Du Chuan, how did you score on last semester’s literary translation exam ah?”
Du Chuan turned around in horror, pressing two fingers against Mai Dong’s forehead, chanting, “Evil spirits and monsters, begone!”
Mai Dong looked at him in confusion.
Beside them, Wu Zimo laughed wildly, “You really stepped on a mine ah. He’s retaking the exam this semester, and scored something like 47, if I remember correctly.”
Forty… seven? Mai Dong’s worldview was slowly restructuring. He turned to Wu Zimo, “And you?”
Wu Zimo flipped his bangs, looking quite proud, “61, awesome, right!”
Mai Dong wore an awkward expression, “Awesome… where?”
Wu Zimo almost wanted to choke Mai Dong, “I passed ah!! I passed!!!”
Mai Dong: “…”
LOL love how relaxed mai dong could get around yan xuming (albeit unconsciously), even letting out a burp in front of him 😂 and no, you little study demon you, not everyone can get perfect scores in exams 😩
Poor baby 😂 His worldview crushed into shambles!
Thank You for the new chapter (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ♡
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚
Love the roommates and their interactions !! (ʃƪ＾3＾）