Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

The answer to the limit problem is 1/2.

Li Chen threw his pen onto the draft paper.

The pen rolled twice and then stopped.

He felt like this pen, being manipulated at will by the person opposite him, powerless to resist.

Yan Xi was still reading.

Her fingers turned the pages very lightly; apart from the slight rustling sound of the paper rubbing together, there was no other sound.

That sense of aloofness and superiority has returned.

The female demon who had grabbed his wrist and counted his pulse just now seemed to be just a hallucination caused by Li Chen's lack of oxygen to his brain.

The only remaining sensation was the intense heat on my left wrist.

"I'll go get some water."

Li Chen grabbed the thermos from the corner of the table and got up as if fleeing.

Yan Xi didn't even raise her head, only letting out a single syllable "hmm".

Five meters away from that table, the oxygen content in Li Chen's lungs returned to normal.

The tea room is at the end of the corridor.

The old-fashioned water dispenser's work light flickered on and off, emitting a weary hum.

Hot water was poured into the cup, and white steam rose, blurring the view.

Li Chen stared at the water level, trying to cool down his feverish cheeks.

"Hey, isn't this the prop from that 'Great Adventure' game?"

A sneer came from behind.

Undisguised, carrying a certain sense of superiority.

Li Chen's fingers, which were twisting the cup lid, paused.

Without even turning around, he knew who it was just from that unsettling tone of voice.

Turn around.

really.

Three boys blocked the narrow exit of the tea room in a fan shape.

The leader was wearing limited-edition sneakers, and the green Submariner on his wrist shone brightly under the fluorescent lights.

Zhou Kai.

I heard it's that "deeply affectionate" rich second-generation from the School of Economics and Management who has been pursuing Yan Xi for two years, but hasn't even been able to get her WeChat verification.

"What's up?"

Li Chen spoke calmly as he tightened the lid of the cup.

"It's nothing serious."

Zhou Kai took a step forward, the strong scent of cologne emanating from him shattering the tranquility of the tea room.

He reached out, wanting to pat Li Chen's face like he used to do with his obedient junior classmates.

Li Chen turned his head.

His hand missed its target and froze in mid-air.

Zhou Kai's fake smile cracked for a moment, then he put on a "wise old man" expression.

"Junior, you should have some self-awareness."

He withdrew his hand, put it in his pocket, and looked Li Chen up and down with disdain.

"Yan Xi played that truth or dare game with you only because you're not bad looking, and she just wanted to amuse herself with you."

"You think you can even touch a woman of that caliber?"

The henchman next to him immediately chimed in, his voice shrill:

"Exactly, don't think that adding each other on WeChat or having breakfast together means you're dating."

"When she gets tired of you and kicks you aside like trash, the whole school will be laughing at you."

"Be smart and find an excuse to get lost."

The tea room was cramped.

The air was thick with a nauseating smell of gunpowder.

Li Chen's expression instantly turned cold.

He is not a fool.

His blushing and heart racing in front of Yan Xi was a kind of fun, something he enjoyed.

But he didn't need to act subservient in front of these random passersby.

"Are you done talking?"

Li Chen looked up, his gaze as if he were looking at livestock, which infuriated the two of them.

"If you're here to discuss advanced mathematics problems, you're welcome."

"If they're here to teach me how to be a decent human being..."

He took half a step forward, his height of 1.85 meters giving him the advantage of looking down at Zhou Kai.

"Sorry, but you don't deserve it, given your character of gossiping behind people's backs."

Dead silence.

Only the water dispenser continued its tireless humming.

The two henchmen looked at each other in bewilderment.

No one expected that this seemingly innocent junior could utter such a sharp remark.

Zhou Kai was hit where it hurt, and his face turned a deep purplish-red.

He had spent three years in the School of Economics and Management and had never been treated so disrespectfully by a freshman.

"You're asking for it?"

Enraged, Zhou Kai shoved Li Chen in the chest, yelling, "Don't think you're above everyone else just because Yan Xi is protecting you. Believe me, I'll make sure you can't stay at Linjiang University anymore..."

Li Chen didn't move.

He was calculating.

If you pour a cup of freshly boiled water at the other person's feet, would that be considered self-defense?

Just then.

A clear, cold voice rang out in the room.

"When did it become your place to lecture my people?"

The sound wasn't loud.

However, this caused Zhou Kai's pushing motion to be abruptly halted in mid-air.

Li Chen turned around.

Yan Xi was standing at the doorway at some point.

She had one hand in the pocket of her cardigan and the other holding the heavy textbook.

She didn't look at Zhou Kai, or even give those three people a second glance.

Their gazes were fixed solely on Li Chen.

His gaze was indifferent, yet it carried a suffocatingly protective undertone.

"Yan... Yan Xi?"

Zhou Kai's arrogance instantly vanished by half, and an awkward, twisted smile appeared on his face. "No, it's a misunderstanding. We were just having a chat with our junior..."

"To exchange feelings?"

Yan Xi finally turned her head.

His gaze swept indifferently across Zhou Kai's face.

"Blocking people in the break room and resorting to physical violence—is this how your School of Economics and Management communicates?"

Zhou Kai's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his lips trembled as he couldn't utter a word.

Yan Xi ignored him.

She stepped into the tea room.

The high heels clicked crisply on the floor tiles.

Every step felt like stepping on Zhou Kai's taut nerves.

She walked up to Li Chen and stopped.

Her gaze swept over Li Chen's shoulder, where he had almost been shoved, and her brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

then.

She extended her right hand in full view of everyone.

Li Chen was still in a daze.

The next second, a slightly cool sensation came over me.

Yan Xi's fingers forcefully slipped through his fingers, their palms pressed together, their fingers interlocked.

That hand was soft, yet it carried an undeniable strength.

Li Chen felt the blood in his body instantly reverse and rush to the top of his head.

The toughness she had shown when facing Zhou Kai vanished instantly.

Only one thought remained in my mind—

Holy crap! She took my hand.

They were still holding hands.

Yan Xi raised their clasped hands and showed them to Zhou Kai.

The movements were natural and domineering, as if he were displaying a piece of private property.

"Did you see it clearly?"

Yan Xi's voice was cold, exuding an unquestionable arrogance.

"I chose him."

"It's not a game, not a dare, and certainly not a tool for killing time."

"If you want trouble in the future, come at me directly."

She paused, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips, but her eyes looked as if she were looking at trash.

"If I see anyone pointing fingers at him behind his back again, I won't mind giving you all a good 'publicity' for your glorious deeds."

Zhou Kai's face turned deathly pale.

Looking at those two hands clasped tightly together, I felt an intense irritation.

We've lost completely.

Not only did they lose to this freshman, but they also lost to Yan Xi's damned protectiveness.

"I'm...I'm sorry."

Zhou Kai lowered his head, like a defeated rooster, and slipped away along the wall with his two henchmen.

The tea room returned to silence.

Li Chen felt he should say something.

For example, "Thank you, senior," or "You're so handsome."

But his brain was overloaded, and all his senses were focused on his left hand.

Her fingers were long and slender, with neatly trimmed nails. When she held his hand, her fingertips gently caressed the back of his hand.

That tingling sensation traveled all the way from the nerve endings to the heart.

"Are you stupid?"

Yan Xi released her grip.

When that warm, smooth touch disappeared, Li Chen felt a strange emptiness in his heart.

She took out a pack of tissues from her pocket, pulled out one, and carefully wiped Li Chen's cuff with the hand that Zhou Kai had almost touched.

Even if there is actually no dust there.

"In the future, if you encounter a mad dog like this, there's no need to reason with them."

Yan Xi threw the tissue into the trash can, her tone returning to its usual languidness, "Just splash the water over there."

Li Chen was stunned.

Yan Xi paused, looked up at him, and a helpless smile flashed in her eyes.

"Are you still thinking about them at a time like this?"

"No, that's not it..."

Li Chen said seriously, "I'm afraid of having to pay compensation if I spill something on someone, and I'm... pretty poor right now."

Yan Xi paused for a second.

Then, her shoulders trembled slightly, and she laughed out loud.

It wasn't just a polite smile; I was genuinely amused.

Her eyebrows and eyes curved, shattering her usual aloofness, making her so vivid that it was impossible to look away.

"OK."

Yan Xi stopped laughing and reached out to poke Li Chen's forehead.

"If you can't afford to pay it, I'll pay it for you."

"Is the water ready?"

"alright."

Li Chen shook the thermos in his hand.

"Let's go then."

Yan Xi turned and walked back, "If we don't go back now, our spot will be taken."

Li Chen followed behind her.

Looking at her slender back, a bittersweet feeling welled up inside me.

The scene he had just witnessed kept replaying in his mind like a movie.

"I chose him."

"It's not just for fun."

Although reason told her that this might just be a polite way of putting Zhou Kai down, or to save face for herself.

But when that hand gripped his, the firmness and protectiveness were genuine.

Is this... what it feels like to be kept by a rich woman?

Li Chen couldn't help but smile.

If it's this bowl of soft rice.

He really wants to eat like that for the rest of his life.

Take a few quick steps to catch up with her and walk alongside her.

"Yan Xi".

He called her name softly.

"Hmm?" Yan Xi looked straight ahead.

"Just now……"

Li Chen hesitated for a moment, but still mustered up his courage and said, "Your hands are quite soft."

Yan Xi suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She turned her head and looked at the junior student beside her who seemed innocent but could occasionally be quite blunt.

Li Chen regretted it as soon as he said it.

What is this? Teasing a female senior?

Just when he thought he was about to be scolded or ridiculed again.

Yan Xi suddenly stretched out her hand in front of him.

My palm is open; it's fair and has clear lines.

"Haven't you touched it enough?"

She raised an eyebrow, her tone playful, and a dangerous glint flashed in her cat-like eyes.

"How about I'll let you hold my hand for another five minutes? It'll be charged by the second."

Li Chen: "..."

Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

It's the 302 dormitory group chat.

Zhao Zixuan posted a photo.

The photo is very blurry; it was obviously taken secretly.

The background is the entrance to the tea room, where Yan Xi is holding up her and her partner's intertwined hands, confronting the three boys with an air of dominance.

[Zhao Zixuan]: Holy crap!! What kind of domineering female CEO protecting her little wife story is this?! Lao Li, you can do whatever you want in Linjiang from now on!!

[Wang Qiang]: This hand-holding... This isn't holding hands, it's like they kicked over my dog ​​food bowl!

[Chen Mo]: Based on my observation, those three boys fled at a speed of approximately 3 meters per second. Yan Xi's combat strength assessment: SSS level. Old Li, you're really enjoying this gigolo lifestyle...

Li Chen stared at the screen, remaining silent for a moment.

Where are these bastards hiding to take pictures?

Then, he looked at Yan Xi beside him.

She had already sat back down and opened that dry architecture book.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her, making even her hair glow.

"Aren't you going to sit down?"

Yan Xi didn't even look up, and tapped the table with the tip of her pen.

"If you can't solve this calculus problem, the fee for holding hands earlier will be doubled."

Li Chen smiled, sat down, and picked up a pen.

"it is good."

At this moment, even that bunch of mathematical symbols that make your head spin suddenly look neat and tidy.