At this point, everything had been explained clearly enough.
Liu Anran had something to deal with, so he couldn’t come to pick up Liu Xie.
Hearing this, Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an could almost feel at ease.
But that didn’t include Liu Xie.
Coincidentally, she had been thinking just before class about whether her role for Liu Anran was limited to holding him back and consuming his unnecessary time.
And now, this phone call had made it quite clear to her—that was indeed the case.
She naturally couldn’t demand that Liu Anran come satisfy her unreasonable requests at a time like this. She wasn’t that insufferable of a person.
It was just that she suddenly felt a little lost.
If she was a burden to Liu Anran, then being abandoned in the long run was all but certain.
Because not only did she bring no value, she also constantly demanded Liu Anran’s energy and attention in their day-to-day interactions.
And then there was the fact that, for some inexplicable reason, she could never shift Liu Anran out of the role of her younger brother and into the role of the other half of her life.
Given such a complicated situation, Liu Xie herself felt like she was being troublesome.
“…I understand. Be careful on the road, drive safely, and don’t answer your phone.”
Even though this call she was making was probably being taken by Liu Anran while he was driving.
With that said, Liu Xie forced a smile and was about to hang up.
Beside her, Ye Qingchang also let out a sigh of relief and turned around with a backpack stuffed with books from the entire dormitory.
But Xiao Yi’an didn’t leave. He furrowed his brow and pinched his chin, his gaze shifting between Liu Xie and the phone in her hand.
“Hold on.”
He reached out and blocked the screen of Liu Xie’s phone, effectively preventing her from hanging up.
Liu Xie turned her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
“Ask him to clarify—what kind of matter is it? Is it urgent?”
Xiao Yi’an said in a low voice. Even if Liu Anran on the other end of the line could hear a little, it wouldn’t be clear.
Of course, Liu Anran’s voice could be heard clearly by both Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an, because Liu Xie had a habit of putting calls on speakerphone.
Liu Xie stood there in a daze. Seeing Xiao Yi’an’s serious expression, she tentatively asked, “What kind of thing is it on your end? Is it troublesome?”
After saying that, she quickly added, “I’m not saying you should drop what you’re doing to come accompany me. I’m just concerned about you. No other meaning.”
She was still afraid that Liu Anran would find her troublesome.
For some reason, now that Liu Anran had taken control of the relationship’s momentum, Liu Xie increasingly felt herself being a bit submissive.
“Hm?” Liu Anran, who was driving, stopped at a red light.
The words just spoken echoed in his mind.
Suddenly, he realized he had, in a moment of carelessness, made another mistake.
When communicating, things should be stated clearly and explicitly, without leaving any room for misunderstanding.
At work, he often paid attention to this, but when it came to daily life with Liu Xie, he sometimes forgot.
“It’s because the Old Dean seems to be having some health issues. I was planning to go to the hospital to check on him. I thought bringing you to a place like a hospital wouldn’t be appropriate, so I decided to go alone. That’s the situation.”
Liu Anran explained more thoroughly. If Liu Xie had asked, he could have even told her his current location or how many seconds were left on the traffic light ahead.
Clearly, it was only after hearing Liu Anran’s long explanation that Liu Xie finally relaxed.
Then, she immediately became tense over the content of what he’d just said.
“What’s wrong with the old man?” Her tone also became somewhat rushed, matching Liu Anran’s.
“I don’t know the specifics right now. The hospital called me earlier. Seeing it in person is clearer than talking on the phone,” Liu Anran explained.
“Then why didn’t you bring me along?” There was no trace of the earlier faint sadness on Liu Xie’s face—instead, she sounded stern. “Does the old man count as your elder, but not mine?”
Liu Anran went quiet on the other end for a moment.
“What? You want to face this kind of big deal for you alone again and shut me out?” Liu Xie pressed, step by step.
These things might not seem like a big deal to others, but for Liu Anran, they were huge matters.
After all, the dean was one of the few people Liu Anran could truly confide in.
If something happened to him at a time like this, Liu Xie would end up with a lifeless, gloomy Liu Anran.
Yes, she was a bit selfish in that regard. She just didn’t want Liu Anran to become lifeless.
As for the old man who had served as Liu Anran’s caretaker before she met him, she wasn’t as concerned as her words suggested.
It was just that she seemed completely unaware of how intimidating her words sounded right now.
Even Ye Qingchang, standing nearby, was watching in awe.
“No, that’s not what I meant…” Liu Anran tried to explain, then suddenly realized the explanation was useless. “I’ll be at your school gate in ten minutes. Come out, and I’ll take you with me.”
“Okay.”
Only then did Liu Xie hang up.
After nodding at Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an, she hurried off toward the school gate she frequented the most.
Only Ye Qingchang and Xiao Yi’an remained.
Ye Qingchang’s eyes shifted from dazed to slightly shocked.
“Wait, I thought you were just talking nonsense earlier and was planning to pull you away,” Ye Qingchang said honestly. “But it seems like every word you said happened to hit the mark. To be honest, do you have some kind of connection with Second Boss’s younger brother?”
“How could it be nonsense? I just understand this kind of emotional dynamic well.”
After saying that, Xiao Yi’an stepped past Ye Qingchang and was about to leave.
“As for having a connection—that’s even more impossible. I’m just an ordinary student who enjoys reading melodramatic romance novels.”
But Ye Qingchang reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt.
Fine—what she really didn’t understand wasn’t how Xiao Yi’an managed to hit the mark by coincidence.
She obviously knew that was impossible.
What she didn’t understand was how Xiao Yi’an, who had just been getting his feelings toyed with before, had suddenly become like this.
Perhaps there had been a process, but she just hadn’t noticed it.
So she simply asked, “Why?”
“It’s actually simple. Because we see things from different perspectives. You’re good at solving problems as the proactive side in relationships. I’m better at being the passive party. I know very well what the passive side is thinking and feeling.”
“Including the mental exhaustion that comes with it—that’s a daily occurrence.”
Xiao Yi’an seemed to know exactly what Ye Qingchang was thinking.
Then, he gave a slight wave. “I’m heading off. I still need to prepare the romantic bouquet for our next meeting. Hope Student Ye won’t reject it then.”