Proud senior schoolgirl was tender and sweet, we fell in love

At least for tonight, that was the case.

The hand she had poised to retract the message relaxed upon seeing Xie Xiao's reply.

She stared at that sentence for a while before replying with a simple, "Mhm."

Then, she put down her phone, picked up her pajamas, and went into the bathroom.

Her heartbeat was still fast, without reason, or perhaps there was a reason—was it because Xie Xiao had held her hand?

Whatever the reason was, as long as it was related to Xie Xiao, it wasn't unacceptable.

On the other side, Xie Xiao, after taking a shower and coming out, looked at the time—it had been just ten minutes.

Well, he hadn't expected Luo Yanran to suggest a video call.

But thinking about what she had been through tonight, she must be scared, right?

He recalled that when he held her hand earlier, she seemed tense...

Thinking of holding hands, Xie Xiao looked at his palm and cursed inwardly.

That soft sensation seemed to linger in his palm.

At first, he didn't have the chance to pay attention to it.

But now, as he looked at his palm, he couldn't help but recollect the expression on Luo Yanran's face at that time.

Actually, he didn't remember it very clearly, but it definitely wasn't one of disgust...

He couldn't help but curl his lips in a smile, but he still sent a message to Lin Yu first.

There was no immediate reply from the other side, so they must be busy.

Xie Xiao had some impression of Lin Yu's family situation, but all he knew was what Lin Yu had told him.

Lin Yu said his parents died early, leaving him and his grandmother to depend on each other.

But Lin Yu had never mentioned owing money...

And two million—that wasn't a small amount.

Xie Xiao couldn't help frowning.

His finger lightly tapped on the phone screen, and given Lin Yu's expression today, he probably didn't know about the 2 million either...

Thinking about his grandmother facing such pressure alone for all these years, Xie Xiao felt a pang of sympathy. He was already sympathetic, so Lin Yu must feel even worse, right?

Xie Xiao sighed softly. No matter what, he was determined to help Lin Yu after figuring everything out...

He looked at the two stock codes he had just written down on the desk. These two stocks were expected to be the fastest growing in the next two years.

In his previous life, after Xie Xiao became paralyzed, Old Xie, fearing he would be bored, had prepared many books for him.

It was then that Xie Xiao became interested in stock market research.

So, Zhou Mianmian was worrying unnecessarily; even a paralyzed Xie Xiao would not have been destitute.

Xie Qingxiao and Yang Lan, knowing his interest in stocks, didn't think twice about helping him open an account and gave him a hundred thousand yuan.

At that time, the family's financial situation was already quite bad.

But without a word of complaint, Xie Qingxiao and Yang Lan gave what Xie Xiao asked for.

As long as it could distract him and keep him from brooding, anything was fine.

To some extent, they spoiled Xie Xiao.

Fortunately, Xie Xiao proved to be responsible; he didn't squander the hundred thousand yuan.

Instead, he made countless hundreds of thousands.

Alleviating the family's financial crisis...

Because Xie Xiao always kept researching, he remembered it all very clearly.

But suggesting a high school student to trade stocks...

Especially someone with Lin Yu's temperament, emmm...

Xie Xiao was somewhat worried.

However, before he could worry too much, his phone vibrated.

A video call notification popped up.

Xie Xiao's heartbeat skipped a beat, and he immediately tapped to answer the call.

What if she suddenly got shy?

The signal was good at home, and the video call went through immediately.

The light on the screen wasn't white, it was a dim yellow that made everything seem very gentle.

Xie Xiao saw a hand holding a phone, steadied on the tabletop.

There was a painting hanging on the wall opposite the video call; it depicted a little girl with a cat.

The little girl was beautiful, and although she was at some distance, Xie Xiao instinctively knew it was Luo Yanran.

Behind the painting, a set of clothes appeared, and then someone sat down in a chair,

and that beautiful face appeared.

Her hair wasn't tied up, it draped down her back, still slightly damp.

Xie Xiao's Adam's apple moved up and down, and he unconsciously straightened his body and called out, "Teacher Xiao Luo."

Luo Yanran, seeing the refreshing-looking boy in a short sleeve on the screen, couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright? Aren't you cold?"

Xie Xiao paused, glanced at his short sleeves, "I'm fine, my room is quite warm."

Luo Yanran responded with an 'oh,' then didn't know what else to say.

She hadn't felt anything before and had called out of excitement, but now she was at a loss for words.

Actually, Luo Yanran was also wearing a nightgown, but she had added a coat over it, which looked much warmer than Xie Xiao's short sleeves.

Xie Xiao looked at her hair, "Aren't you going to dry your hair?"

By now, both had forgotten Luo Yanran's initial reason was that her cat wanted to see Xie Xiao.

"It's fine, the roots are dry," Luo Yanran said nonchalantly, flipping her hair casually. A disobedient strand stuck to her neck and teasingly dipped into the slightly v-neck collar.

Xie Xiao's gaze followed the strand and lingered on the collar.

The pajamas weren't actually revealing.

But maybe because Luo Yanran's... development was quite good.

Even the curveless nightgown seemed to take on curves when she wore it.

Just then, there was a knock on Luo Yanran's door. She said "just a moment" and went to see who it was.

Xie Xiao expelled a deep breath, realizing he had almost forgotten to breathe.

He silently cursed himself for being like a dirty rascal.

But, for a boy of his age...

Those who understand, understand; the slightest tease is too much to resist.

So when Xie Xiao had just taken out the test paper and saw Luo Yanran return with a cup of milk, he was taken aback.

The milk was in a glass cup; her fair hand held it, making the milk look white, her hand also white.

But that wasn't the point.

Xie Xiao forced a question through the corner of his mouth, "You're going to drink milk?"

Luo Yanran hadn't initially realized anything was off.

She hummed affirmatively, "I'm used to drinking it every night."

No wonder...

Xie Xiao couldn't help but let his mind wander.

But Luo Yanran was looking at the test paper in his hand, "Are you going to work on the test paper?"

She moved her cup aside and turned on the desk lamp.

Suddenly, her face became much clearer.

Close enough that even her delicate, fine skin was plainly visible.

Xie Xiao couldn't help leaning back in his chair, as if that would distance him a bit more from her.

But the face on the phone screen was still clear.

Luo Yanran took out a test paper and placed it on the desk, feeling relieved as she had run out of things to say.

Working on test papers was still doable.

Then, remembering her aunt's admonition, she picked up the cup of milk and took a sip.

Then, out of habit, she licked her lips.

This had been her habit since childhood; she always managed to drink milk in a way that left a white ring around her mouth.

Then she heard a sound coming from the phone, something falling on the desk.

She looked up in confusion just in time to see Xie Xiao rise to his feet, "I'll go to the bathroom!"