Living Only For Myself: Make Those Who Hate Me Regret It-Chapter 51 - 50: "Why Are You Crying?

"I don’t mean to drive you away. If you choose the science track, I can tutor you." Teacher Wu said with a smile, "Your teacher here was an all-around top student back in my day."

"It’s mainly that you’re two adolescents, always so close to each other. Even though you say it’s all for your grades, as a teacher, I’m a little worried."

They were high school students who had taken health class. Moreover, Xu Su was thirty on the inside, so she understood what he meant in an instant.

Hearing her respected teacher say this, Xu Su felt her face flush for the first time. "We won’t. We’re really not dating. I..."

Teacher Wu raised a hand to stop her. "Alright, I’m just giving you a reminder. You’re still young. Perhaps your family situation has made your life more difficult than your classmates’, but you’re a smart kid. For the past six months, you’ve been disciplined in your studies, and your grades have been stable."

"I want to tell you that you definitely have a bright future ahead of you. So, before you make any decisions now, try to think long-term and don’t do anything your future self will regret."

In Teacher Wu’s eyes, Xu Su was a beautiful student from a poor family, neglected by her parents. Only by studying hard could she escape the confines of her upbringing.

Xu Su was not some naive girl who was ignorant of the ways of the world. She understood that her teacher saw her getting closer and closer to Xi Zirong and was afraid she would go down the wrong path.

After all, biologically, boys and girls are inherently different. If they truly made a mistake, it would always be the girl who suffered the consequences, the one who had to bear the bitter fruit.

Xi Zirong’s family and gender afforded him the luxury of making countless mistakes in this regard, but if Xu Su took a single misstep, her life would be ruined.

Xu Su’s eyes started to turn red. Although she wasn’t of an age that needed such admonishment, she was still grateful for Teacher Wu’s care.

In both her past life and this one, this was the first time anyone had said such things to her. Even her own parents would only fan the flames when their own interests were at stake.

Xu Su couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She rarely cried. A long, long time ago, she had learned that crying was useless.

After her grandmother had a stroke that left her paralyzed and no longer lucid, there was no one left to truly dote on her from the bottom of their heart.

’Even Zhou Mochen, who would die for me without a second thought... didn’t he only feel regret after the damage was already done?’

A box of tissues was offered to her from the side. Xu Su pulled out two, wiped her tears away, and composed herself before saying firmly, "Teacher, I won’t make any mistakes."

The office lights were bright, clearly revealing that the girl’s eyes and nose were red from crying, giving her an air of utter fragility.

Teacher Wu was silent for a moment, then waved his hand. "As long as you understand. You can go back now."

Xu Su didn’t move. She looked at Teacher Wu. "There’s something I need to ask you for help with."

"What is it?"

"I want to board at the school next semester, but my parents might not be willing to pay the dormitory fees for me."

Xu Su organized her words before speaking slowly. "I know the school scholarship isn’t distributed until after the next semester starts, so... could I ask you to reserve a dorm spot for me? I’ll pay the fees after I receive the scholarship money."

The office fell silent. When Xu Su didn’t hear a reply for a long time, she couldn’t help but look up.

Through his glasses, Xu Su could vaguely see the anger in his eyes... and his fingers, which had turned white from gripping the tissue box too tightly.

’He must be angry that parents like that exist.’

Xu Su didn’t understand it either. Why did parents like that exist, and why did she have to be the one to get them?

Teacher Wu said, "I can talk to the school. We could even have your dorm fees completely waived."

Xu Su shook her head. "There are many students from low-income families at this school. I don’t need special treatment. Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll work hard to get the first-tier scholarship."

As she finally left, Xu Su gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Teacher."

Back in the classroom, the final evening self-study session was already halfway over. The bright lights left Xu Su’s red eyes and nose with nowhere to hide.

Every student could see that she had been crying.

The moment Xi Zirong saw her, his usually cool and detached expression changed, his eyes filling with panic.

He wanted to ask her what had happened, but unfortunately, Xu Su was in no mood to deal with him, ignoring his palpable anxiety.

For the remaining half of the class, Xi Zirong was visibly worried but didn’t dare to ask, his conflicted and hesitant look noticed by the other students.

The students all privately concluded that Old Wu was trying to break up the lovebirds.

This continued until the third evening self-study session ended, and the day students began to pack up.

After slowly organizing her books, Xu Su walked out of the classroom and out of the academic building.

As she reached a corner, she was suddenly pulled into a dark area untouched by the lights.

Pulled like this, Xu Su’s back hit the wall. Her heart was pounding in fear, but then she heard a familiar voice.

"Why were you crying?"

Xi Zirong didn’t let go of her hand, lowering his head to carefully study the girl in front of him.

Xu Su instantly turned her face away, not letting him see, and tried to shake off his hand to leave.

Xi Zirong’s heart clenched in panic. He reached out to block her. "I’m sorry. It’s my fault. Xu Su, don’t ignore me."

Trapped in the corner and unable to leave, Xu Su pushed at the ’human wall’ in front of her, her expression sour. "I’m not in the mood to talk. Don’t block me. I need to go home."

On the third push, she finally shoved him away.

Looking at the boy, who seemed very upset with his head lowered, Xu Su’s intention to walk straight away wavered. After a moment’s thought, she explained, "It has nothing to do with you. Teacher Wu didn’t say anything bad about me."

As she brushed past him, her wrist was grabbed again. Xi Zirong said, "Then why did you cry?"

Xu Su turned her head to look at him, her gaze meeting his. This time, the boy didn’t look away first. His focused eyes stared at her, as if he were determined to know the answer.

"I was crying about something else. It has nothing to do with us... Xi Zirong, I really have to go home now."

The boy didn’t move...

Xu Su tried to pull her hand away but was held even tighter. Then she heard Xi Zirong say, "I want to hug you."

"..." Xu Su almost couldn’t believe her ears. "What did you say?"

Her wrist was released. Xi Zirong said, "You heard wrong."

"..."

Xu Su walked away without looking back.

The cool breeze blew against her, finally clearing away her jumbled thoughts.

’Sure enough, as long as they’re male, it doesn’t matter how old they are—they’re all the same.’

It was only when she saw Zhou Mochen’s car that Xu Su realized she had another hurdle to cross.

As soon as she got in the car, Zhou Mochen handed her a thermos as usual. "Why are you out a little late today?"

Xu Su turned her face to the side and took a few sips of the brown sugar ginger tea, then kept her head down, not wanting him to see her face and realize she had been crying.

But who was Zhou Mochen? When it came to matters concerning Xu Su, he was always meticulously observant.

The car hadn’t even gone halfway down the road when it screeched to a halt. He turned to his side, directly cupped her face, and his gaze instantly darkened. "What happened?"