Why hasn’t Mo Xiangwen arrived yet? Did something come up that made him skip class?
Yan Nuoya propped her delicate chin on one hand and gazed roguishly toward the back door of the classroom.
Mo Xiangwen had mentioned that this was an easy elective, so he might just blow it off entirely.
But this was a core major course. Logically, he should show up.
Even his roommates had made it, yet there was still no sign of him.
“Alright, next up, roll call.”
The teacher on the podium glanced at the classroom, which was noticeably short a few students, then flipped open the roster. He started with the names he knew best.
“Li Xiaoxiao.”
“Here.”
“Dong Xiang.”
“Here.”
The teacher called out several names in a row, neatly skipping over the absent students each time.
That said, judging by his pace, it looked like he planned to go through the entire class roster.
Of all days, why did roll call have to be today?
Yan Nuoya thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone and fired off a message to him.
【Roll call today. Hurry over.】
She cradled her phone and waited for a good while, but no reply came.
When the teacher got to his name, should she answer for him?
But she was just a girl—how could she pull that off?
“Mo Xiangwen.”
“Here.”
Yan Nuoya’s little mouth opened instinctively, then snapped shut.
In the next instant, she collected herself and realized the voice hadn’t come from her. It had originated closer to the back door.
She twisted around to look just as Mo Xiangwen—somehow already there—casually claimed a seat near the rear entrance.
Yan Nuoya pursed her lips, picked up her phone again, and tapped out another message.
【Hurry over. Got something to chat about.】
…
Mo Xiangwen had just slipped into the classroom when he heard the teacher calling roll. He grabbed the nearest empty seat and figured he’d wait until it was done.
If he tried sneaking over to Yan Nuoya’s side right now and the teacher happened to glance up, he’d probably catch some flak.
If the teacher was in a bad mood, it might even lead to unnecessary hassle.
“Fancy that—Classmate Mo, bright and early.”
Hearing someone call his name, Mo Xiangwen turned to see none other than Deputy Class Monitor Li Xiaoxiao.
“Morning, Class Monitor Li.”
“Morning, Classmate Mo.” Li Xiaoxiao gave him an odd once-over. “You sitting next to me like this—won’t Classmate Yan get upset?”
Mo Xiangwen didn’t have a chance to respond before the teacher called his name.
“Mo Xiangwen.”
“That’s you—answer quick,” Li Xiaoxiao prompted.
“Here.” Mo Xiangwen’s reply rang out clear and crisp.
The teacher looked up, confirmed it, and moved on to the next name.
Once his name was cleared, Mo Xiangwen shot Li Xiaoxiao a puzzled glance. “Why would Yan Nuoya get mad?”
He paused, then added for good measure, “Classmate Yan’s got a really good personality. She’s not the type to get upset over nothing.”
“Is that so?” Li Xiaoxiao nodded thoughtfully. “Good to know. She kept staring over this way, and it felt kinda weird.”
Mo Xiangwen froze for a second, then instinctively glanced toward the classroom corner—the spot where he and Yan Nuoya usually parked themselves.
Their eyes met perfectly. Yan Nuoya pointed at her phone.
Suddenly it clicked for Mo Xiangwen. He pulled out his own phone and checked.
At the top was Yan Nuoya’s unread message. Below that sat unread texts from his roommates.
He tapped open the roommates’ messages first. All three were variations on “Hurry up, roll call’s starting.”
Mo Xiangwen dashed off a quick thank-you emoji to the dorm group chat, then switched to Yan Nuoya’s thread.
The first message reminded him about roll call. The second said she had something to discuss.
“What’s going on?” Li Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
“Nothing much.” Mo Xiangwen waved it off. “Anyway, I gotta bounce. See ya, Class Monitor Li.”
“Skipping class?” Li Xiaoxiao stared at him in surprise. “It’s a major course—don’t wanna risk failing finals.”
“Nah, just switching seats.” Mo Xiangwen shook his head. “Don’t worry, I won’t flunk.”
At those words, realization dawned on Li Xiaoxiao’s face.
She waved him off with an exaggerated look of impatience. “Then get lost already. Don’t hang around here drawing aggro for me.”
Mo Xiangwen gave her a speechless look. They were classmates—couldn’t she be a little friendlier?
What happened to serving the class and helping fellow students?
Still, he didn’t waste any more time. While the teacher’s head was down, he crouched low, clutched his folder and textbook close, and stealthily made his way to the back corner.
He had no idea how Yan Nuoya managed it, but her row always stayed completely empty.
“Morning, Nuoya.”
He kept his voice low and flashed her a friendly grin.
“Morning,” Yan Nuoya replied with a gentle nod.
Something felt off. She seemed to have a bit of a low-pressure vibe today.
Mo Xiangwen studied her face. Sure enough, her usual faint smile was there as always.
Probably just under the weather, messing with her mood, he figured.
“Oh, right—you messaged me on QQ earlier about something you wanted to say?”
Yan Nuoya didn’t answer right away. Instead, she fixed him with her bright purple eyes, gazing soulfully.
It wasn’t until goosebumps prickled his skin that she finally spoke. “Didn’t you say last night you’d bring the Game Planning Document today for me to look over?”
Oh, right—the Game Planning Document.
He’d nearly forgotten all about it. No wonder she wanted to talk.
Mo Xiangwen came to his senses and handed over the folder at his side with casual flair. “It’s all in here. Take a look.”
Truth be told, he’d almost left it behind when he headed out that morning.
He hadn’t put much stock in showing it to Yan Nuoya.
They were in the same major, both programmers. In his mind, getting a handle on the requirements before diving in was plenty.
Of course, if she wanted to see it, he wouldn’t say no. A simple request like that deserved fulfilling.
Su Mengli and Su Mengyao had already reviewed their own project materials anyway—they had plenty on their plates.
“Why’d you nearly show up late today?” Yan Nuoya pulled the top document from the folder and asked offhandedly. “During roll call, I thought for sure you’d get marked absent.”
“Passed by the office on the way and popped in.” Mo Xiangwen let out a small yawn, then chuckled softly. “As for roll call, I tipped off my roommates ahead of time. If mine came up first, they’d cover for me.”
“Is that so? Good to hear.”
