Today's theory class had group work distribution in the second half.
Lin Shan glanced at Xie Jiaran, who kept zoning out, and nudged him back to reality.
"Jiaran, what are you thinking about? Why so absent-minded?"
Xie Jiaran stopped midway through a subconscious lip-biting motion and quickly let go, seemingly remembering something.
"Nothing, didn't sleep well last night, a bit tired."
Lin Shan asked, "Didn't sleep well again? Bad dream?"
Xie Jiaran was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No, it was a very busy dream."
"Busy?"
"Mm..."
After lying down last night, it took him half as much again as usual to fall asleep.
Once he fell into the dream, he transformed from a human into a kitten, snuggled in Liang Sunian's arms, trapped under the covers, and was petted and coaxed to meow the whole night...
His vague and fleeting gaze piqued Lin Shan's curiosity. "What kind of dream keeps you busy? A five-thousand-meter run?"
"Something like that." Xie Jiaran didn't want to discuss it further and bluntly reminded him, "It's your turn to share your discussion points."
Each group in the class had five members, with ten minutes to discuss the theme and another ten to assign tasks.
Their group, besides Xie Jiaran, Lin Shan, and Su Xiaoyue, included a girl named Linlin and the group leader, Wu Guangkang.
As usual, Xie Jiaran was assigned the easiest task—creating the project directory.
This wasn't uncommon. In the past, no matter which group Xie Jiaran was in, he always ended up with the lightest or relatively lighter task compared to the other members.
He didn't mind what task he got, whether it was complicated or difficult, but it seemed everyone didn't trust him much. They probably thought that aside from drawing, he wasn't reliable for anything else.
After receiving the pre-printed task list from the group leader, Xie Jiaran hadn't even finished reading it when Linlin, sitting diagonally across from him, timidly raised her hand. "Um, group leader, I don't think I can handle the PPT summary..."
"Huh?" Wu Guangkang looked at his task list and asked her, "How about we switch, and you do the data collection and comparison while I do the PPT summary?"
Linlin hesitated, "But I'm even worse at data comparison..."
Su Xiaoyue and Lin Shan exchanged a glance and both offered to switch tasks with her. Unfortunately, their tasks were still too difficult for her, making the switch pointless.
Linlin, feeling guilty and self-critical, was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, never mind, I'll just—"
"You can switch with me." Xie Jiaran said calmly, pushing his task list towards her. "Mine is simple; just organize the directory after everyone finishes their parts."
In the past, he might not have done this because explaining and proving himself was both troublesome and something he wasn't good at.
But today, he wanted to try. Liang Sunian had told him he should communicate more with his classmates.
So when the other four looked at him in surprise, he tried to explain, "Actually, I think my theoretical knowledge is quite decent, but—"
"But won't it take up your time?" Linlin asked with wide eyes, filled with anxiety.
"?"
Xie Jiaran showed a puzzled expression. "Why would it? I'm a group member too, isn't it natural to do group work?"
"You have to prepare for the national finals of the college art exhibition," Wu Guangkang explained. "We're worried that doing group work will waste your time and affect your competition."
Su Xiaoyue nodded, "Yeah, you shouldn't be distracted by this."
"...It won't."
Xie Jiaran didn't expect this to be the reason. He was speechless for a moment before saying, "There's plenty of time left to prepare for the competition. It won't affect it."
After repeatedly assuring them that the group work wouldn't interfere with his participation in the competition, Linlin finally agreed to switch tasks with him.
The reality was far from what he had assumed, leaving Xie Jiaran with a complex mix of emotions. He glanced down at the new task list. He had to admit, maybe he should have tried this sooner.
The theory class was held in the Art Building. During the fifteen-minute break, Xie Jiaran decided to use the time to go to the convenience store next to the cafeteria to buy a new notebook.
Passing by a classroom with an open door, he casually looked in and saw Liang Sunian sitting in the back row with Xiao Chi and others.
If it wasn't a mandatory class in the Science Building, it was likely an elective for the law students.
The teacher was holding the class late. Liang Sunian had an unopened book on his desk and was sitting lazily, playing Snake on his phone hidden in the drawer.
Xiao Chi leaned over to peek a few times and reached out to disturb him, only to have Liang Sunian swiftly slap his hand away.
The slanting sunlight streamed into the classroom, outlining Liang Sunian's well-defined profile with a soft glow, making him appear both gentle and bright. Xie Jiaran lingered a moment longer before looking away and heading downstairs.
"One strawberry green tea, right? Room temperature or iced?"
"Without ice, please."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
Xie Jiaran clipped the receipt to the first page of his new notebook and stepped aside. His phone in his pocket started vibrating. He thought it was Lin Shan urging him, but it turned out to be a Weibo private message from the girl he had previously commissioned for an avatar.
Plum Sauce Wine: 【Hey there, I'm here! I've brought the photo of my idol!】
Plum Sauce Wine: 【Image】
Plum Sauce Wine: 【This one! My boyfriend picked it out after much deliberation. He's the campus idol from the neighboring school!】
Xie Jiaran frowned as soon as he saw the thumbnail. When he enlarged the image, his frown deepened.
How could her boyfriend's careful selection end up being a picture of Liang Sunian?
Drawing Liang Sunian for someone else's boyfriend avatar...
Putting Liang Sunian's features on someone else...
No matter how he thought about it, it felt uncomfortable.
What did his good looks have to do with anyone else?
He clearly didn't have a girlfriend.
The girl kept messaging him, discussing the details of the commission.
Feeling inexplicably stifled, Xie Jiaran closed the image and simply replied:
【Sorry, I can't draw this. I'll refund your deposit shortly.】
YOU ARE READING
Give Me a Hug
RomanceXie Jiaran has a mild case of skin hunger but suffers from severe mysophobia; he even hesitates to shake hands with others without making sure he has wet wipes with him. As a result, whenever his skin hunger acts up, he can only reluctantly use slee...
