Chapter 20: Thank you for your hard work, miss.

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Tang Yu stared seriously at the various documents before her, seemingly deep in work mode, though in truth she kept stealing glances at Qin Luo. She had originally come to the library seeking a quiet place to handle her tasks; after all, the student union was always crowded with noisy, incompetent chatterboxes, making it unbearable. That was why she preferred working in the silence of the library.

But she never expected to run into Qin Luo by chance.

This encounter reminded her of the decision she had made the previous night, prompting her to seize the moment and try to find out once and for all whether Qin Luo still had feelings for Xu Ke.

At first, the conversation went quite smoothly. Tang Yu used a novel as a topic to engage Qin Luo, who responded with witty remarks, quickly dissolving the usual distance between them. Their easy banter made them seem like old friends.

However, it wasn’t long before Tang Yu realized she was losing control of the flow.

Or rather, the pace was entirely dictated by this annoying younger brother.

Unable to steer the conversation toward the information she sought, and somewhat embarrassed by Qin Luo’s words, she decided to retreat and look for another opportunity.

She thought that if Qin Luo initiated further conversation, she would steer the topic toward Xu Ke and Yao Yanyan, then naturally extract the answers she wanted.

Unfortunately, despite pretending to study her materials for over ten minutes, Qin Luo didn’t glance at her once.

He was completely absorbed in the book in his hands, his eyes quietly following the lines of text, only occasionally flipping a page with a flick of his fingers.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the nearby window, casting a gentle glow across his profile, accentuating the perfect contours of his face and highlighting a quiet, restrained masculine charm.

In a daze, Tang Yu found herself somewhat entranced.

This annoying younger brother was actually quite handsome… Was the novel really that captivating for him to be so engrossed?

She couldn’t help but scoff silently, then snapped back to focus, forcing herself to shake off the effect Qin Luo had on her and formally return to work.

As she sifted through the piles of documents, she frowned and sighed from time to time; the work was clearly not progressing smoothly.

After some time, she felt a slight stiffness in her neck. Raising her chin, she tried to stretch.

But when she looked up, their eyes met—and Qin Luo, at some point, had put on an unremarkable pair of black-rimmed glasses.

For some reason, Tang Yu instinctively looked away and calmly asked, “What are you looking at?”

“How much score you’ve got…” Qin Luo answered silently in his mind.

[Name: Tang Yu]
[Appearance: 97]
[Figure: 93]
[Special: 97]
[Hobby: Reading]
[Skill: Studying]

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Qin Luo ran through Tang Yu’s basic information in his mind, then removed his glasses and smiled, saying, “They say men look best when working, but this seems to apply to women too. If I had met you instead of Xu Ke over three months ago, I might have pursued you.”

Tang Yu detected the compliment in his words, but having heard similar lines countless times, it didn’t stir much reaction.

It was the latter half of his sentence that made her raise an eyebrow, thinking she had caught a break.

“Thank you,” she replied politely before striking directly, “But honestly, you look quite different now. Before, you would only say such things to Xu Ke, yet now you’ve confessed to Yao Yanyan and even said this to me. Does that mean you don’t like Xu Ke at all anymore?”

Qin Luo smiled but gave no answer, instead abruptly changing the subject. “I noticed you sighed several times just now. Is something wrong with your work? Tell me about it—maybe I can help.”

The abrupt shift irked Tang Yu slightly. This matter was tricky enough that even she felt helpless. Qin Luo was just an ordinary student obsessed with romance; how could he possibly help?

She pressed on firmly. “Xu Ke and Yanyan have already been affected. I don’t want this to disrupt the harmony in our dorm. As their friend, I have an obligation to help them. So please, answer me—do you still like Xu Ke or not?”

Qin Luo still didn’t answer but instead countered, “They’re your friends, so you feel obliged to help them. I’m not your friend, so you can tear open my wounds and question my heart without any psychological burden?”

His tone suddenly became assertive, a stark contrast to the gentle smile he usually wore. Tang Yu was momentarily speechless and felt a pang of guilt.

She instinctively looked away, pressed her lips, and softened her tone: “Sorry, I didn’t consider your feelings. But this is important to all of you, so resolving it sooner is better. Don’t you agree?”

After speaking, she looked at Qin Luo again.

Their eyes met, but neither spoke, letting the subtle tension hang in the air.

After a few seconds, Qin Luo suddenly said, “Tell me why you were sighing just now, and I’ll tell you the answer.”

Tang Yu frowned. “It’s work-related. Why are you so interested?”

Qin Luo shrugged. “Like I said, maybe I can help. Or just think of me as simply curious. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

Seeing his indifferent attitude, Tang Yu felt helpless. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Even if I told you, you couldn’t help. It’s about the school anniversary celebration.”

“This year marks the 30th anniversary of the school’s founding. The administration plans to combine the graduation ceremony with the anniversary event, making it more grand than usual.”

“Normally, this scale wouldn’t be a problem for me. But the school leaders gave me a tough task—they want to find a star with enough influence to perform at the opening.”

“Nowadays, it’s common for universities to hire celebrities for ceremonies. As long as the money’s there, any star can be booked. But the leaders refuse to allocate a large budget, so the funds aren’t enough for a big name, and they disdain smaller stars.”

“Our school isn’t a music, film, or drama academy. Even finding alumni to perform as a favor is impossible. Sometimes I wonder what those leaders are thinking—do they really see me as some wish-granting machine capable of handling everything? It’s just…”

Whether from pressure or frustration from the administration, Tang Yu, usually composed and generous, lost her composure, pouring out her grievances.

When she finished, she realized her outburst, quickly cleared her throat, and composed herself. “Sorry, maybe the pressure’s been too much lately, and I couldn’t help but complain to you. Don’t mind me… Now, can you tell me the answer?”

Qin Luo still didn’t cooperate, sighing softly: “You’re so popular at school, admired by classmates and trusted by the administration, yet you keep all this pressure and grievance inside, so now you can only vent to someone like me who’s not even a friend… That’s tough, miss.”

Tang Yu bit her lip, wanting to say something but remained silent.

She had heard such comforting words many times before, yet for some reason, Qin Luo’s soft voice seemed to reach her heart, especially when he said “miss,” which stirred her emotions.

She took a few breaths to steady her inexplicable turmoil and said lightly, “It’s nothing, it’s my duty. And though we don’t have much interaction, at least now we can say we’re friends… Also, don’t call me ‘miss’—it’s awkward.”

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Awkward? I think you enjoyed calling me “annoying younger brother” in your head earlier.

Qin Luo silently scoffed, while Tang Yu didn’t forget her mission and pressed again, “So, can you tell me now?”

Qin Luo shook his head and suddenly stood up, taking his phone and leaving.

Tang Yu frowned immediately, irritation rising.

She had been so cooperative, not even arguing over minor rudeness, hoping to finally get an answer from Qin Luo. But now, it seemed he was just leaving.

He never intended to cooperate; this made Tang Yu feel mocked.

She had her pride, having been labeled “intelligent” and “talented” since childhood. Being toyed with by a man like this naturally stung with humiliation.

She wanted to call out to Qin Luo, to use her strongest tone to make him comply.

Yet before she could speak, she noticed Qin Luo hadn’t left but had moved to the window, facing outside as he made a call.

Since they were in the library, Qin Luo deliberately lowered his voice. The distance meant Tang Yu could only catch fragments of the conversation.

Who was he calling at this hour? Xu Ke or Yao Yanyan?

Curiosity gnawed at her, but her good upbringing forbade her from eavesdropping, so she could only barely hear some words.

“Yes, this is Qin Luo…”

“About the matter we discussed earlier, I have a question…”

“Okay, I’ll wait for your reply…”

Hearing the muffled voice, Tang Yu’s expression grew curious. Qin Luo didn’t seem to be calling either of her two roommates—who then was it?

Curiosity is a woman’s nature. Although she knew it wasn’t her business, she couldn’t help but wonder.

Before she could listen further, Qin Luo ended the call and returned.

He sat back down and smiled at Tang Yu: “Wait a moment. A friend is coming to see me soon. I’ll answer your question afterward.”

Tang Yu narrowed her eyes, watching him a moment before replying calmly, “My patience has limits. I hope you’re not deliberately toying with me.”

Qin Luo smiled without replying, picking up another book to read. Tang Yu didn’t initiate further conversation, lowering her head to resume her work.

About half an hour later, a man in a suit approached.

Seeing Qin Luo, his eyes lit up, and his steps quickened. He greeted warmly, “Hello, are you Teacher Qin?”