CHAPTER 823: CHAPTER 694: LIKING YOU SINCE THE FIRST GLANCE 36

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Compared to the previous exhaustion and tension from being immersed in endless exercises, as if the nerves would snap at any moment, after the exams, everyone relaxed, and then eagerly dove back into weekly quizzes and monthly exams, never tiring of it. Even if the test papers tortured them thousands of times, they still treated her like their first love; every senior year student could deeply relate to this. After completing their senior year, they felt like they had shed layers of skin.

But none of this mattered much because before the final exams, they got three days off, commonly known as a mood adjustment break.

Jian Dan and several others hurried to the dorm to pack up their things, preparing to go home and take a proper day off, planning to stroll around the lake, walk through parks, take photos, and so on.

After the final exams, there would still be various class reunions and teacher appreciation dinners, making them even busier, so they decided to enjoy themselves first.

Relaxing a bit after exams allows one to maintain flexibility.

Otherwise, how suffocating it would be, being tense for a whole year.

Jian Dan saw Bo Qin, whom she hadn’t seen in almost two years, on the second day of returning home. As she entered, she saw Bo Qin reclining on the sofa, turned to the side, eyes closed as if resting. After a moment of daze, she cautiously walked in, easing her movements.

Lin Ma came out from the kitchen, paused upon seeing her, and lowered her voice, "You’re back?"

Jian Dan responded with a faint "Mhm," raised the bag in her hand, "Lin Ma, I’m going back to my room first. Uncle Qin seems to be asleep; could you get a blanket for him so he doesn’t catch a cold?"

Although the house is kept at a constant temperature all year round, there’s always the worry of catching a cold.

Lin Ma smiled, "Alright, I know. Are you going to have a bite after putting your things down?"

"I’m not eating. I just ate outside and want to sleep. I agreed to go out with Mi Lu and the others tomorrow to stroll around the lake and visit the park, so I’ll skip dinner."

"But it’s rare for Sir to come back. Won’t you keep him company...?"

Jian Dan interrupted Lin Ma with a playful smile, "Then Lin Ma can make more of Uncle Qin’s favorite dishes; I won’t be joining."

If it were before, she certainly couldn’t bear to give up the chance to dine with Bo Qin. But now, after avoiding her for two years, she had forgotten what the most balanced interaction between them was like.

So she might as well, while the timing’s right, put some distance between them — it was meaningless otherwise.

"But..."

Jian Dan didn’t give Lin Ma the chance to speak, quickly heading upstairs. Lin Ma sighed, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a waking Bo Qin, "Sir, you’re awake?"

Bo Qin gave a slight nod, his gaze fixed on the staircase. Lin Ma carried a sweet soup to the dining room, "Miss said she’d eaten outside and wouldn’t be joining you for dinner. What would you like to eat? I’ll prepare it now. I’m going to take this sweet soup up to Miss."

"She’d asked me to make this sweet soup yesterday, and I finally got around to it today."

"I’ll take it up." Bo Qin wearily rubbed his forehead, took the sweet soup from Lin Ma’s hands, and prepared to go upstairs.

Lin Ma watched his back and, for a moment, didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t visited Jian Dan in two years, and now suddenly so close, it puzzled her about this gentleman.

But since he was the master, she naturally couldn’t contradict him, so she simply agreed and headed to the kitchen.

At the foot of the stairs, Bo Qin turned and said, "Lin Ma, prepare dinner. I’ll have Miss come out to eat later."

"Alright."

...

Thud thud thud—

Jian Dan returned to her room, had just changed clothes, and was about to shower. Upon hearing a knock, she assumed it was Lin Ma and absentmindedly called out, "Come in."

She was wearing a nightdress while removing her earrings.

On the vanity were makeup remover and cotton pads, seemingly ready to finish her routine and shower.

The girl seemed to have matured significantly over the past two years, standing straight with a long neck, head tilted to the right, revealing the fair skin of her neck, white and delicate.

Bo Qin awkwardly averted his gaze, turned around, and placed the sweet soup on the small table in the room, "Lin Ma made you sweet soup; come have some now, or it won’t taste good once cold."

Jian Dan froze completely, her movements suddenly stopped, her eyelashes trembled imperceptibly, as she placed the earrings in the jewelry box.

In the mirror, Bo Qin saw Jian Dan’s lowered face, unable to see her eyes, unsure of what she was thinking. But she didn’t respond to his words, leaving him at a loss for what to say.

To explain why he had ignored her for the past two years?

Where to start?

No matter how it’s explained, it seemed there was no reasonable excuse.

And even saying it would be just that — an excuse.

He was never one to make excuses for himself; if something was wrong, it was done, and there was no turning back.

No matter how regretful he felt now, thinking his way of handling things was wrong, ultimately Jian Dan was hurt. Given the situation, nothing he could say would suffice to offset the disappointment Jian Dan had in him over the past two years.