A social phobic can also fall in love.

“Do you have time for tutoring on Saturdays and Sundays?” Qi Xing asked.

“Uh…” Yan Tingmo hesitated, then asked him, “Can I?”

“Of course,” Qi Xing smiled and replied, “You’re the only one who can do this job.”

Yan Tingmo was confused. “Why?”

Qi Xing said, “Xing Yi begged me for a long time before I asked you.”

Yan Tingmo didn’t completely believe him, but Qi Xing’s serious expression made him doubt himself for a moment.

Recently, he had been short on money, and although he only occasionally took orders, doing some tutoring for kids wouldn’t be impossible.

“Then, I…” He said dryly, “I’ll give it a try.”

“Great,” Qi Xing said, “Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll take you there.”

Yan Tingmo nodded.

Qi Xing’s gaze fell on the hand Yan Tingmo was resting against the door. “Mo Mo, can I come in?”

“No,” Yan Tingmo looked away. “My roommate is about to come back.”

Seeing he was firm, Qi Xing reluctantly backed down. “Can we at least have dinner together tonight?”

Yan Tingmo wasn’t very willing, but Qi Xing added, “Xing Yi is treating, to thank you.”

That made it harder for Yan Tingmo to refuse. After a moment’s thought, he agreed. “Alright.”

Qi Xing smiled. “I’ll pick you up this afternoon.”

“Mm,” Yan Tingmo replied and made a move to close the door.

Qi Xing sighed with helplessness, smiling as he shook his head, stepping back as Yan Tingmo slammed the door shut.

“That was a bit too hasty…” He rubbed his nose, wondering if he had been too pushy.

It shouldn’t have been the case, as he hadn’t been bothering Yan Tingmo lately. He stood there for a while, thinking, but couldn’t figure it out, so he stopped thinking and left.

Yan Tingmo leaned against the door, listening to the footsteps fade away, then retreated to sit back down in his chair.

The instant noodles were ready, and the rich aroma filled the air. Yan Tingmo inhaled deeply, and his stomach suddenly growled.

So hungry, it smells so good!

He grabbed a plastic fork and took small bites of the noodles. Midway through eating, Zhang Miao came back.

“Mo, what are you eating? It smells so good,” he asked curiously, walking over and glancing at the noodles. “Instant noodles? Aren’t you the one who dislikes them the most?”

Yan Tingmo forced a smile and said, “I like them. I just don’t eat them often.”

“You just don’t like them,” Zhang Miao teased. “I don’t like something, and I usually eat it less.”

Yan Tingmo quietly ate, not responding.

Zhang Miao, apparently just back to grab something, chatted for a bit, picked up a small gift box from the desk, and left again.

Yan Tingmo spent ten minutes finishing the noodles, wiped the grease off his lips with a napkin, then tossed the noodle container in the trash and tied up the garbage bag to throw it away.

The smell of instant noodles lingered heavily in the dorm. He opened the window to let some fresh air in, leaned out the window, and looked at the field, where he had just seen Qi Xing.

Qi Xing was very active and liked to play basketball with his close friends when he was bored.

Yan Tingmo watched him take off his light jacket, revealing a short-sleeved T-shirt underneath. After stretching a little, he started playing basketball.

Yan Tingmo didn’t understand the skills involved in basketball, but he knew that Qi Xing’s dribbling and shooting looked very cool.

He rested his chin in his hand, watching intently.

After a while, Qi Xing suddenly turned his head and glanced in his direction.

He was startled and quickly pulled his upper body back, squatting on the floor to stare at the ground.

From that far away, Qi Xing probably couldn’t see him, right? He comforted himself for a while, then cautiously peered out again, only to find himself meeting Qi Xing’s gaze from across the field.

He froze for a second, blinking, until Qi Xing waved at him, and only then did he snap back to reality.

After averting his gaze, he dared not look outside again, pretending to be busy and hastily tidying his desk.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when he sneaked a glance outside, Qi Xing was already far from the window, drenched in sweat from the game.

At 4 PM.

Qi Xing showed up at the dorm to pick him up as promised.

Yan Tingmo had just woken up, still groggy when he opened the door. He blinked in confusion, wondering why Qi Xing was there. Then, instinctively, he tilted his head and reached out to take his hand, pulling him inside.

“Sit here,” he said, pushing Qi Xing into his chair before climbing back into bed to sleep again.

Qi Xing: “…?” Was he still not awake?

Qi Xing smiled helplessly. Although they had talked before, he had never seen Yan Tingmo in this state. Seeing him like this—dazed and cute—made his heart soften inexplicably.

Since Yan Tingmo wasn’t awake yet, he decided to wait a bit longer.

Yan Tingmo had his feet up on the edge of the bed and was lying face down, fast asleep.

Qi Xing walked to the side of the bed and stared at his profile for a long time. His gaze was gentle, as if afraid Yan Tingmo would catch a cold, so he gently lifted the blanket that had slipped off and covered him.

Yan Tingmo rubbed the blanket, turned over, and continued sleeping.

Qi Xing stretched out his finger and lightly poked the back of Yan Tingmo’s head. He didn’t react, so Qi Xing cheekily moved his finger up along his ear, pinching the tip of his ear.

This time, Yan Tingmo stirred, shaking his head uneasily, mumbling a couple of words, but still not waking up.

“Lazy pig,” Qi Xing said, his voice full of affection, pulling his hand back and sitting in the chair to wait.

Yan Tingmo woke up about half an hour later, sitting up groggily, taking a while to shake off his drowsiness before fully waking up.

“You’re awake.”

Qi Xing spoke suddenly, startling him so much that he almost fell out of bed.

Qi Xing quickly rushed over and helped him up with his height advantage.

“What are you doing here?” Yan Tingmo asked, still disoriented.

“Guess,” Qi Xing replied mischievously, “I came because you missed me so much.”

Yan Tingmo didn’t believe him. “You’re lying.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you.” Qi Xing lifted his hand and pointed to Yan Tingmo’s left chest. “If you don’t believe me, ask it—does it want me?”

Yan Tingmo’s face inexplicably turned red. He stammered, “I don’t.”

Qi Xing caught the subtle reaction and, though he didn’t show it, was secretly pleased. “Really miss me?”

Yan Tingmo bit his lip, then pushed him away as he tried to get out of bed.

Qi Xing blocked him firmly. “Mo Mo, if you say yes, or tell me you miss me, I’ll move.”

Yan Tingmo’s ears turned red. “You have no shame!”

Qi Xing raised an eyebrow. “What is face?”

“I don’t want to talk to you!” Yan Tingmo puffed up his cheeks, curling into a ball and hiding in the corner, really ignoring him.

Qi Xing chuckled softly, cleared his throat, and said, “Alright, I won’t tease you. Get up, let’s go eat.”

Yan Tingmo cautiously peeked out one eye at him. Qi Xing explained, “You opened the door and let me in. After I came in, you just lay down and fell asleep.”

Hearing his explanation, Yan Tingmo realized that it was entirely possible for him to do such a thing. He didn’t usually have a bad temper, but he was used to being lazy in bed. Sometimes, he just lay there so long that he ended up falling asleep, only to wake up a while later.

With no reason to be angry, he wasn’t sure whether to get up or not. Qi Xing raised his hand to check his watch, reminding him, “We’ll be late in ten minutes.”

“Huh?” Yan Tingmo blinked, then quickly threw the blanket aside and jumped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom.

Qi Xing was about to follow, but Yan Tingmo was so quick—like a little bunny, hopping around—that he was already gone.

Looking at the messy blanket, Qi Xing kneeled by the bed and neatly arranged it. Two minutes later, Yan Tingmo came out of the bathroom, his eyelashes and bangs damp, clinging together in wet strands.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Xing Yi had arrived early at the entrance of A University. By the time Qi Xing and Yan Tingmo came out, he had already started counting birds on the telephone poles out of boredom.

Qi Xing suddenly slapped him on the shoulder from behind. Xing Yi turned around, expression calm, as if to say, “You better have a reason for this.”

“Let’s go, I’m treating you to dinner,” Qi Xing said, feigning generosity.

Xing Yi rolled his eyes. He could tell that Qi Xing’s sudden generosity was not out of the goodness of his heart.

Half an hour later.

His suspicion was confirmed.

“What did you say?” He asked in confusion. “Do I have an uncle?”

Qi Xing shot him a threatening look. “Don’t you?”

Xing Yi suddenly realized, thinking that Qi Xing had something up his sleeve. He nodded along with his words, “Ah, yes, I have an uncle.”

“Right.” Qi Xing began his scheme: “Your uncle’s son, daughter, and niece want to learn how to paint, right? Mo Mo happens to study fine arts. What do you think? Can he teach your uncle’s son, daughter, and niece?”

Xing Yi was shocked. “My uncle’s son, daughter, and niece?”

Yan Tingmo also cast a confused glance at him. He was genuinely curious about who Xing Yi’s uncle’s son, daughter, and niece were, and how they should be addressed. But judging by his bewildered expression, he probably had no idea either.

Xing Yi tried to figure out the family relationships on his own but couldn’t make sense of it.

“You’re crazy,” he finally snapped, irritated.

Qi Xing pretended to be clueless. “Just say whether you want to hire a tutor or not.”

Xing Yi wanted to retort, “I don’t even have an uncle, where would all these relatives come from?” But when he glanced at Yan Tingmo, he hesitated. Yan Tingmo’s eyes were so clear and full of hope for this part-time job that he couldn’t bring himself to deny or reject it. After thinking for a moment, he said, “My uncle’s son, daughter, and niece aren’t looking for a tutor.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, both Qi Xing and Yan Tingmo’s expressions changed. The former glared at Xing Yi darkly, and the latter looked disappointed, lowering his gaze.

“However…” Xing Yi continued, “My paternal uncle’s son is actually looking for an art teacher. If Mo Mo is willing, I would be very grateful.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Xing was satisfied, and Yan Tingmo’s eyes widened. He tentatively asked, “Can I?”

“You can,” Xing Yi replied firmly. “It’s settled. Since tomorrow is the weekend, I’ll arrange for you to meet my cousin.”

Yan Tingmo quickly nodded, feeling excited about this unexpected part-time job.

While he wasn’t paying attention, Xing Yi secretly kicked Qi Xing under the table.

Not hearing his usual pain-filled response, what he did hear was Yan Tingmo’s scream.

“Ah!”

Oh no.

Xing Yi quickly retracted his leg.

Qi Xing was also startled by Yan Tingmo’s shout, looking worried. “Mo Mo, what’s wrong?”

Yan Tingmo frowned slightly, rubbing his calf. “It felt like someone kicked me.”

Qi Xing narrowed his eyes sharply at Xing Yi, who pretended to be deaf and stared at the ceiling.