Chapter 30: Shipping the CP
Lin Yuejiu blinked and gave him a small smile.
Xu Nianshen hooked the corner of his lips.
Du Zhuo didn’t notice the brief eye contact between them—he only saw Xu Nianshen smiling.
“Study-God Xu, what were you just smiling about?”
Xu Nianshen’s expression returned to its usual calm. “I wasn’t smiling.”
Du Zhuo: “??? You clearly just smiled!”
Xu Nianshen remained composed. “You saw wrong.”
Du Zhuo was starting to question his sanity. “Did I… see wrong?”
“Mm.”
He scratched his head. Had he really seen wrong?
—
Everyone boarded the bus. Lin Yuejiu sat with Chen Qianxi, Xu Nianshen sat with Du Zhuo—one pair in the first row, the other in the last.
The bus was full of chatter as everyone speculated about where they were going. The principal hadn’t said a word, and the homeroom teacher refused to reveal anything.
When they finally arrived, everyone got off the bus.
“Oh my! An aquarium?!”
“The principal actually picked a good place…”
“Calm down, I’m already Zen about it.”
“Knew it—we shouldn’t have expected the principal to take us anywhere truly amazing.”
“Same here. Still, going anywhere at all is nice.”
Chen Qianxi looked disappointed. “Ah, why the aquarium? I thought we’d go to an amusement park.”
Lin Yuejiu smiled. “The aquarium’s nice too. You can see so many deep-sea creatures.”
“You like it?”
“I was always busy studying before, so I hardly ever came.”
Chen Qianxi perked up again. “Well, in that case, I’ll risk life and limb for you—no, for the fairy!”
Although everyone had been grumbling, once inside, they were quickly captivated. After a brief introduction from the aquarium staff about several iconic animals, they were allowed to explore freely.
The moment freedom was granted, Chen Qianxi bolted off like she’d been unleashed, vanishing from Lin Yuejiu’s sight.
Lin Yuejiu sighed helplessly and began strolling through at her own pace. She eventually came to a white dolphin, her eyes gradually lighting up.
The dolphin seemed to notice her too. It happily spun in circles and nudged her hand with its nose. Lin Yuejiu, intrigued, pointed in another direction, and the dolphin followed her gesture, making her laugh with delight.
The dolphin keeper, seeing her interest, smiled and told her she could interact more closely. Lin Yuejiu stepped up onto a slightly higher platform, and the dolphin surfaced. The keeper handed her some food, and she happily fed it while the dolphin ate eagerly.
When it was done, she leaned closer, and the dolphin swam up to give her a kiss on the cheek.
Her eyes widened for an instant, then curved into a bright smile.
Not far away, Xu Nianshen quietly took out his phone and captured the moment.
After pocketing his phone, he walked over. Lin Yuejiu turned her head, spotting him almost immediately. “Oh, you’re here too?”
“Got separated from the others.”
“Same here—Qianxi ran too fast, I couldn’t catch up.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Mm, a while. This dolphin is so fun, and so cute!”
Lin Yuejiu pointed excitedly at the white dolphin. “Especially this one—just now it gave me a bunch of kisses!”
Xu Nianshen watched her, smiling faintly as she beamed like a child.
After they’d finished watching the dolphin, they walked forward together.
“Have you seen any other animals?”
“I saw the sea turtles.”
“Are the turtles cute?”
“Not bad.”
“Hey, what’s that over there? Come on, let’s check it out!” Lin Yuejiu tugged on his wrist, pulling him forward. Xu Nianshen lowered his gaze to glance at her but said nothing, letting her hold on to him.
“It’s a shark.” Lin Yuejiu leaned closer to the glass. A shark slowly swam past, and she quickly drew her face back.
Xu Nianshen noticed the small movement and smiled faintly. “Scared?”
“Well, it’s a shark… who wouldn’t be scared? They look fierce, with those sharp teeth and strong attack power.”
“If you’re scared, we can skip it and see something else.”
Lin Yuejiu was about to nod when she spotted another shark. She grabbed his arm again. “Hey, what’s that shark doing?”
“Which one?”
“That one.”
Following her finger, Xu Nianshen saw a shark with its mouth wide open, swimming slowly.
Lin Yuejiu turned to him. He leaned slightly toward her, standing quite close. She blinked and asked, “Is it hungry? Is it about to eat?”
Xu Nianshen kept his gaze on the shark, observing for a moment before speaking. “That shark is sleeping.”
“??? Sleeping?”
He gave a quiet “Mm.” “When sharks sleep, they open their mouths wide to use the least amount of energy while continuously getting oxygen through their gills, all while keeping in motion.”
Lin Yuejiu nodded in understanding. “Huh, I learned something new.”
“Come on, let’s see the next one.”
They continued walking side by side, seeing many other marine creatures.
A notification tone came from her phone—it was a message from the class group chat.
Class monitor: [@Everyone, there’s a mermaid show here! If you want to watch, come quick!]
Lin Yuejiu turned off the screen and looked at him. “Want to go?”
“Nothing else to do—let’s go.”
They arrived a bit late and ended up sitting in the back row for the show.
Chen Qianxi came in a few steps later. She was about to greet Lin Yuejiu, but then she noticed Xu Nianshen sitting beside her and stopped, her expression shifting.
Study-God Xu… sitting with her best friend?
Oh, right—they’re childhood friends. No wonder the usually cold and distant Study-God Xu would interact with her differently than he did with others.
Suddenly, memories surfaced—during the sports meet, Study-God Xu, who never stepped into the stadium, had come in. Not only that, but he had waited at the finish line for her. And when she ran to the finish, they even hugged! Later, he personally bandaged her injury!
Back then, everyone’s attention had been on Yuejiu’s injury, so no one noticed anything unusual, and it never became a topic. But looking at them now… something did feel off.
Could it be… he was caring too much?
No, wait—they’re childhood friends. That’s normal, right?
Chen Qianxi frowned slightly, but her gaze returned to the two sitting together. Xu Nianshen tilted his head, his slender fingers hooking a loose strand of hair by Lin Yuejiu’s cheek and tucking it behind her ear. From a slightly different angle, it would almost look like he was kissing her on the side of her face.
Lin Yuejiu was focused on the performance and didn’t notice a thing.
But Chen Qianxi noticed. She stared, her mouth falling open.
He’s acting strange!!!
No—I’m the one acting strange!!
What’s with this interaction??
Is this hair-tucking thing for real?
Is that serious expression for real?
What on earth is going on here?!
She stared at their backs. The more she looked, the more harmonious they seemed. The more she looked, the more they matched. The more she looked, the more they looked like a couple.
Chen Qianxi touched her chin, scrutinizing them carefully.
Damn it… they are a couple.
No wait—they’re not boyfriend and girlfriend.
Her eyes suddenly lit up again.
They’re not a couple… but I can totally ship them as one!
Yes! I’m shipping this CP! Nianshen × Yuejiu CP!
