Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 165: ...Do You Hear What You’re Saying.

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: ...Do You Hear What You’re Saying.

"They all love to poke fun at Susu. It’s just so annoying to listen to." Chen Ni grabbed a slice of melon for herself and sat down to chat with everyone. She had a cheerful personality and had already gotten to know both Huang Feng and Qian Jia.

Chen Ni had always seen Xu Su as her own sister and was extremely protective of her. She would get indignant over many jokes that Xu Su herself didn’t even mind.

"Don’t talk about that. It’s no big deal." Xu Su interrupted her with a smile. "Go get your schoolbag. You’ve already finished your first year of high school, so let me see your grades. By the way, the top student from our school came with us this time. We can have him give you some pointers."

Having been suddenly called on, Xi Zirong looked up. His gaze met Xu Su’s smiling eyes, and he paused for a moment before smiling back. "Okay."

Chen Ni didn’t move, her face flushing red. She knew how bad her grades were. Showing them to the top student from a key city high school? ’Isn’t this social suicide?’

Only after Xu Su urged her again did she slowly get up.

Chen Dong was holding back a laugh nearby, but Xu Su happened to see him. She shot him a look. "You go get yours too. Now that you’re in Third High School, you have even less reason to slack off."

If she could, Xu Su would have loved to pour all the knowledge in her head into her two younger relatives. She really didn’t want Chen Ni and Chen Dong to fail to even get into college.

Given a second chance at life, she didn’t just want to change her own future, but the futures of her loved ones as well.

Huang Feng was a little amazed. "I never realized Susu could be such a big sister."

Xu Su was usually quite good-tempered around her friends. Seeing her pull out her big-sister authority now, it wasn’t just Huang Feng who was surprised; even Xi Zirong glanced over, intrigued.

However, he remembered Xu Su’s warning and didn’t dare say anything, lest the Chen family notice something was up. Still, he couldn’t hide the tenderness in his eyes.

And so, on that hot afternoon, Xu Su meticulously checked Chen Ni’s academic progress. She created a simple and quick study plan for her, deciding not to teach anything too complex for now. The most important thing was to build a solid foundation.

As for Chen Dong’s grades, they were handed over to the top student, Xi Zirong.

It was likely Xi Zirong’s first time encountering a student this hopeless. The look on his face after glancing at a few of Chen Dong’s test papers made Xu Su burst out laughing.

In the two years she’d known Xi Zirong, it was the first time she had ever seen such a helpless expression on his face. It was clear just how stumped he was.

It wasn’t just Xu Su; Huang Feng and the others couldn’t hold back their laughter either.

Laughed at by a group of top students from a key high school, Chen Dong felt extremely awkward. His tanned face flushed red.

Xi Zirong cleared his throat, shot Xu Su a helpless look, and began to dutifully walk Chen Dong through the fundamental concepts.

Life in the countryside was tranquil. They waited until the sun began to set and the heat subsided before Xu Su stopped tutoring Chen Ni and led her friends on a walk down the small country paths.

When they ran into villagers along the way, most greeted them kindly.

Some would joke around, asking if she’d brought her boyfriend home and things like that.

Xu Su mostly just smiled without responding, politely addressing them as "Uncle" or "Auntie." She was so courteous and polite that no one could find any fault with her.

Who could say that Grandma Xu hadn’t raised the child well?

They had dinner at Uncle Xu’s house again. After reheating the leftovers from lunch and adding a couple of new dishes, they all enjoyed a lively meal. Afterward, Xu Su led her classmates to go wash up.

Unlike the other girls in the village who had to wash in their rooms with basins of water, Grandma Xu’s family had their own separate bathroom. It had been built back when Xu Su’s grandpa was still alive, and both of her uncles’ families shared it.

Last year, for convenience, Uncle Xu had even installed a shower pipe. Although the bathroom’s decor was a bit crude, it was one of a kind in Chen Family Village.

The bathroom was in a small, separate room behind the house. The two boys finished washing first. When it was Huang Feng’s turn, she was too scared to go alone and called for Xu Su to accompany her.

Xu Su: "...Do you hear yourself right now?"

’Even though we’re both girls, showering together... isn’t that a bit much?’

Xi Zirong was just coming out of the bathroom, drying his hair with a towel. A drop of water slid down the bridge of his nose. When he heard what Huang Feng said, his expression darkened.

"But it’s so dark in there! I really don’t dare to stay in there alone."

Don’t be fooled by Huang Feng’s usual carefree attitude; she was actually the most timid of them all.

Xu Su looked at Qian Jia. "Why don’t you two wash together? Don’t be scared, I’ll stand guard for you outside."

After finally getting the two girls into the bathroom, Xu Su turned her head and noticed Xi Zirong standing nearby, not having moved.

Her eyes widened. "Why don’t you go find Xu Ran? He’s outside with my cousin, enjoying the cool air. What are you doing just standing here?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

’There are two girls showering in there. Doesn’t this guy know to make himself scarce?’

Xi Zirong stopped drying his hair and leaned in close. "I was worried you’d be scared standing guard here by yourself."

Night had fallen by now, and their surroundings were extremely dim. The faint yellow light in the backyard only made it seem more eerie.

"This is my home. I grew up here. What’s there to be afraid of?" Xu Su shot him an exasperated look.

Xi Zirong bent down and gave her a quick kiss, agreeing good-naturedly, "Alright, I’m going."

He was wearing a white T-shirt with a pair of capri-length sweatpants and Chen Dong’s slippers on his feet. As he leaned in, Xu Su could smell his familiar scent.

...It was the scent of the shampoo she always used.

Caught off guard by the sudden kiss, Xu Su covered her face, but before she could even say anything, he was already walking away.

Xu Su felt a mix of shy indignation. ’This guy is getting more and more shameless.’

Huang Feng and Qian Jia were very loyal friends. When it was Xu Su’s turn to shower, they both insisted on standing guard outside for her, afraid she would be scared.

It took a lot of persuading from Xu Su to finally get them to leave.

She was familiar with every brick and tile of this home; there was no way she would ever feel scared here.

Grandma Xu’s house didn’t have a hairdryer, so after her shower, Xu Su simply walked out while drying her hair with a thick towel, ready to join everyone to enjoy the cool evening air.

The courtyard was already lively. The young people were sitting on two bamboo cots, while a few of the adults, finished with their chores, had brought out bamboo chairs from the house. They sat fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans.

Every now and then, they would shoo away the mosquitoes for the teenagers on the cots.

The moonlight was as gentle as water, and the farmhouse courtyard, illuminated by a sky full of stars, looked incredibly beautiful.

Xu Su felt that even in ten or twenty years, she would never forget this scene.

To Xu Su, this peaceful and serene image was a landscape that would be forever etched in the depths of her memory.

What she didn’t know was that, in someone else’s eyes, she herself was a stunning picture.

Having just showered, Xu Su had changed out of her school uniform.

She was wearing a loose, gray short-sleeved shirt with a slightly wide collar, which would occasionally reveal her delicate collarbones as she dried her hair. To stay cool, she wore a pair of black athletic shorts, her slender, shapely legs so pale they seemed to gleam in the darkness.

These were clothes Xu Su normally wore to sleep. She had bought them with Huang Feng and Qian Jia on the shopping street across from First High School. They were casual enough to be worn outside, and right now, all three girls were wearing similar styles.

It was a common, everyday outfit seen anywhere on the street, yet on Xu Su, it somehow looked alluring.

Especially when droplets of water from her hair slowly trickled down, dampening her gray shirt...