Chapter 71: What A Real Boyfriend Would Do

Holding the umbrella, Jiang Miao walked to the department building, constantly lowering his head and raising it.

Due to the afternoon rain, the temperature dropped from over thirty degrees to twenty-seven.

Although it was still quite warm, the drizzle brought a slight respite to the air.

But on the side where Senior Sister was holding his arm, their bodies were pressed close together, and Jiang Miao could clearly feel the warmth coming from her body.

When they entered the department building, Jiang Miao closed the umbrella and noticed his hand holding the handle was covered in rainwater.

I need to replace this umbrella. It’s leaking, Jiang Miao thought, finding an excuse for himself. Su Huaizhou had already let go of his arm, and as the sense of closeness faded, the cool air against his arm brought a sudden chill.

His mood seemed to mirror this feeling of loss.

When they arrived at the classroom for the mock debate, Su Huaizhou put down her bag and took out a sandwich and a carton of milk to start her dinner.

At this time, no one else had come yet, and only Jiang Miao and Su Huaizhou were in the classroom.

“Not bad~” She was reading his novel while eating. When she saw that Peach Jam had released two chapters in the afternoon, a smile bloomed on her face. “Peach Jam is really hard working~”

Jiang Miao sat beside Senior Sister and said helplessly, “Please don’t call me by my pen name in school.”

“But I think you’re starting to get used to it,” Su Huaizhou teased, looking at him mischievously. “You were pretty excited when I called you Peach Jam before.”

Jiang Miao replied, “… Even if I was excited, it didn’t stop you from continuing.”

“Don’t worry.” Su Huaizhou patted his shoulder. “I promise I won’t let it slip when other people are around.”

Jiang Miao glanced at the small hand on his shoulder and suddenly felt a surge of impulsiveness. Gulped nervously, he recalled Congee Boss’s strategy and decided to give it a try.

Do what a real boyfriend would do… Then…

Jiang Miao reached out and gently touched Senior Sister’s lower back.

The moment his palm made contact, Su Huaizhou, who was engrossed in the novel, stiffened noticeably.

But she didn’t say anything. She even sat forward a little, giving Jiang Miao’s hand enough space to stretch out.

There’s hope!

Encouraged, he let his hand gradually press closer to Senior Sister’s lower back until his entire palm was resting there.

Even through her T-shirt, he could feel the smooth texture of her skin underneath.

But soon, he retracted his hand, not daring to continue.

Feeling the absence of his touch, Su Huaizhou immediately turned to look at Jiang Miao.

His heart skipped a beat when he met Senior Sister’s gaze, but then he saw her giggle and say, “Junior Brother, aren’t you too timid when gathering material?”

Jiang Miao: “…”

“It’s not like we haven’t hugged before. Be a bit bolder.”

“Senior Sister… are you really okay with this?”

“I’ve already said it, haven’t I? If you want to get material, you can come to me anytime,” Su Huaizhou said while twirling her hair. “Only by blurring the lines between pretend and real can you achieve your goal of gathering material. Don’t always be restrained.”

“Then I…” Jiang Miao was eager to try again after receiving her encouragement.

But suddenly, footsteps echoed in the corridor outside the classroom.

Jiang Miao instantly pulled back his hand.

Su Huaizhou immediately pretended to continue reading while eating her sandwich and drinking milk, but she couldn’t help silently criticizing Junior Brother.

I gave you the green light, but you didn’t take it.

I’m using this fake boyfriend act as an excuse for you to be more proactive in gathering material, but you’re still so cautious…n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Su Huaizhou didn’t know whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

After all, the more cautious Jiang Miao was, the more it showed how much he respected her.

But Congee Boss was truly exhausted by this.

She almost wanted to tell him right then and there that she was Congee Boss.

But she couldn’t.

If her identity as Congee Boss were exposed, she might as well throw herself into Qiantang River.

However, Su Huaizhou realized that the ‘medicine’ she had used her Congee Boss identity to give to Junior Brother last time wasn’t strong enough!

He was still so hesitant just to put his arm around her waist. She had been nervously anticipating it for a long time, but in the end, all he did was touch her lower back.

Too clueless!!

How on earth do you write romance novels, Peach Jam?

In your novels, your steamy scenes are as fierce as a tiger, but in reality, you’re as timid as a mouse!

Su Huaizhou was anxious for him.

I personally stepped in to guide you on how to pursue me, but you’re still so cautious and testing the waters over and over.

She sighed.

Looking at the debate team members entering the classroom, Su Huaizhou knew that gathering material was out of the question for now.

After calming down a bit, she could roughly guess Jiang Miao’s concerns.

After all, she was the one who had said she didn’t want to date.

And the whole ‘gathering material’ excuse had also been her idea.

Jiang Miao had no idea that Congee Boss was actually her, so it was naturally impossible for him to make bold moves just like that.

It could only be said that Su Huaizhou had dug her own grave and jumped into it. She clearly knew that Junior Brother liked her, and she liked him a little as well.

However, she just couldn’t bring herself to confess.

But what could she do… After finishing her sandwich, she held her chin and drank her milk while looking at Jiang Miao.

His careful, always-worried-about-offending-her attitude was actually quite cute.

Since it was already like this, she might as well enjoy teasing him a bit more.

However, she couldn’t stop assisting as Congee Boss.

Otherwise, who knew how long Junior Brother would be able to hold himself back?

She needed to push things along so that he would confess to her soon.

Then she would pretend to hesitate for a long time before reluctantly accepting, and that would seal the deal~

…

The mock debate proceeded as scheduled at 6:30 p.m.

The topic was: If there were a button that could instantly give a child a perfect life, would you press it?

It was one of those thought-provoking questions that piqued Jiang Miao’s interest.

Since it was just a mock debate, the atmosphere wasn’t too heated. After nearly an hour of debating, both sides had a basic understanding of each other’s arguments and evidence.

When the debate ended at 7:30 and the other team left the classroom to find a place to hold their own discussion, Jiang Miao carefully retracted his hand from Senior Sister’s waist.

During the debate, the two of them had sat in the last row and watched. Only when everyone’s attention was focused on the front did he dare to slip his arm around her.

But after merely a few minutes, his palm was already sweaty, and he wanted to pull away.

Just as he moved his hand away, Senior Sister grabbed it and held it firmly against her waist, refusing to let him move.

Jiang Miao could only pretend nothing happened and focus on the mock debate to distract himself.

Fortunately, the leader of the opposition team was sitting in the front row as the moderator, leaving only the two of them in the back row.

Otherwise, it would have been easy to get caught.

“Okay.” Su Huaizhou stood up calmly, went to the podium, and picked up a piece of chalk. “Let’s review. Starting with the first speaker…”

Jiang Miao remained sitting in the back row with his hand propping his chin up and his gaze on Senior Sister.

Her white T-shirt was like a towering snowy mountain, from lofty peaks to its gentle snowfield, outlining a dazzling and breathtaking landscape.

His eyes kept drifting to her waist. He could hardly believe that his hand had been resting there just moments ago.

And now, Senior Sister could still calmly and seriously point out the mistakes and shortcomings of the debaters. Her sharp and capable demeanor left Jiang Miao a little dazed.

It was as though she were a completely different person from the playful Senior Sister who loved to tease him.

“Junior Brother, stop daydreaming.” Su Huaizhou threw a piece of chalk over.

It was unclear if she was afraid of hurting him or had poor aim, but the chalk landed on the desk in the row in front of Jiang Miao, nowhere near him.

Even so, he snapped back to attention.

“Jiang Miao, please tell us. If you were on the affirmative side, how would you refute the opposition arguments?” Su Huaizhou asked, pointing at the blackboard with her slender finger.

Written on it were the summarized arguments of the opposition team.

Jiang Miao sighed, knowing there was no escaping this, and met Senior Sister’s mischievous gaze.

It was as though she was punishing him for taking advantage of her just now.

It was clearly Senior Sister who had held his hand and didn’t let him move…