An Ran blurts out the request before she can stop herself. Silence falls between them as, the kind that makes her cheeks burn. Xu Haoran tilts his head, studying her like she's just told him she wants to major in rocket science.
"Business management?" he repeats slowly, his lips quirking. "You? Don't tell me you're suddenly dreaming of boardrooms and suits."
Her face reddens. "I… I just want to learn more. It could be useful."
Xu Haoran chuckles, low and amused. "Useful? Literature girl wants to play entrepreneur now?" He leans forward, eyes glittering with mischief. "Careful, An Ran. If you overreach, you'll trip. You're already struggling in your own field, want me to remind you of that presentation?"
She bites her lip, unable to reply. The reminder stings more than she wants to admit.
For a moment he just watches her squirm, then he sighs dramatically and digs into his folder. "Lucky you. I used to be in business before switching. Hated it. But.." he pulls out a stack of papers, "I still have my old notes. Not bad, if I say so myself."
He moves them toward her. "Take them. But remember…" his grin widens, teasing now, "you owe me. Don't think I'll forget."
Her heart stutters, both with relief and embarrassment. She clutches the notes carefully, whispering a shy, "Thank you."
"Mm." He leans back in his chair, smirk never fading. "Don't thank me yet. If you really use them, I expect results. Otherwise, I'll take them back and make you pay me another way."
Before An Ran can even reply, a sharp voice cuts through the air.
"Xu Haoran."
His name. Crisp, cold, unmistakable.
An Ran's head jerks up, glasses sliding slightly down her nose. Xiao Yuxi stands there, arms crossed, her shadow falling over An Ran like a warning.
Her eyes narrow, and a bitter taste rises in her mouth. Again. This girl again. No matter where she turns, An Ran keeps showing up, quiet, pitiful, yet somehow drawing eyes that should never stray from her. Yuxi's teeth grit as she stares, fury coiling in her stomach. Why Xu Haoran? Is she planning to seduce him? He was supposed to be on her side, her ally, someone untouchable. And yet here he was, handing notes to a nobody as if she mattered.
The thought makes her pulse spike. An Ran's presence felt like a crack in the walls Yuxi had carefully built around herself. If people started seeing that girl too often beside Xu Haoran… no, she wouldn't allow it. She couldn't afford to.
Xu Haoran raises an eyebrow, glancing lazily between the two. For a heartbeat, he looks amused by the tension. "Well." He slides his hands into his pockets, flashing An Ran a lazy grin. "Toodle loo, An Ran. Don't forget, you owe me."
And just like that, he strolls off, falling into step beside Xiao Yuxi as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She doesn't say a word to An Ran, only narrows her eyes once more before turning on her heel, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
As their footsteps faded down the hall, An Ran let out a long, shaky sigh. The notes in her hands felt heavier than they should, her fingers pressing into the paper as though it could ground her. For a fleeting second, she wondered if she'd imagined Xu Haoran's smirk, if she'd only read too much into it.
She shook her head, adjusting her glasses. No. I can't keep letting people pull me around like this.
Her phone burned in her pocket, a silent reminder of the number she'd collected days ago. Qin Mo Ran. She hesitated, thumb hovering over the screen. Would he even reply? Or worse, would he think she was being clingy?
Her lips pressed into a line. Still, before she could second-guess herself again, she typed quickly.Are you free to go to the library now?
She pressed send, pulse quickening. Seconds dragged like hours, until her phone buzzed sooner than she dared expect.
Yes.
Her heart leapt. Without allowing herself time to think, she hurried down the hall, clutching the notes tightly against her chest. The distance from the staff office to the library felt longer than usual; by the time she pushed open the heavy doors, a thin sheen of sweat clung to her temples.
He was already there. At their usual spot by the window, Qin Mo Ran sat slouched over, his head resting against the desk, the hood of his black jacket shadowing his face.
An Ran sank into the seat across from him, her chest still rising and falling. She pushed her glasses up nervously, gaze drifting to the jacket he always wore. Why is he always covering himself? The thought slipped unbidden, but she swallowed it down.
For a moment, the library's silence wrapped around them like glass. She folded her hands atop the notes, watching him, waiting, wondering.