My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

It was clear that the gift Shen Yujing had carefully prepared was not well-received, and he nearly got beaten up by everyone present.

Throughout the entire dinner, Hang Feng and Xu Che were bound together by a metal ring on their left and right hands, leaving only their other hands "free" to finish the meal.

Until—

"Why the hell hasn't this ring been unlocked yet?"

Xu Che rarely cursed.

Shen Yujing looked up at him in surprise and asked, "Mind your language. What's the rush?"

Xu Che: "..."

Hang Feng gritted his teeth and said, "It's been an hour and a half already."

Shen Yujing was stunned and said, "You still can't open it? Check the instructions in front of you."

Hang Feng's free hand was his right, which was relatively more convenient, so he directly opened the box in front of him and took out the card inside.

Immediately, his face darkened, and he handed the card to Xu Che.

After reading it, Xu Che looked directly at Shen Yujing, but a faint smile appeared on his face.

Shen Yujing: "..."

He felt like something was off.

At that moment, Song Yi reached out to Xu Che and said, "Let me take a look."

Xu Che closed his eyes and handed the card to Song Yi, clearly... suppressing his anger.

The card Song Yi received was the instruction manual for the ring, which read—

[The ring will automatically unlock after one hour.]

Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing with a sympathetic expression.

That night, Shen Yujing fled the private room howling, not daring to stay a moment longer.

However, he poked his head back in from the door and shouted, "I... I helped you two brothers bond!"

Song Yi and Murong Huan collapsed onto the sofa laughing.

Xu Che and Hang Feng's faces darkened in unison, and they vowed to get their revenge the next time they saw Shen Yujing.

The atmosphere was extremely "harmonious," and even Jiang Yiheng found his secret foot odor remedy powder much more pleasant to look at.

At least... well, at least he couldn't quite put his finger on what he was relieved about, but he felt a strange sense of gratitude.

Life went on in its usual uneventful way, pretty much what they had imagined college life to be like.

Although their specialized courses were tiring, the group never missed their bi-weekly dinners, no matter how busy they were.

Shen Yujing and Song Yi quickly applied for off-campus housing and rented an ordinary two-bedroom apartment.

However, Shen Yujing never managed to enter Song Yi's room after 11 PM.

Until Song Yi faced her first specialized course final exam, which involved writing, directing, and editing a 15-minute short film during the practical week, with no fixed theme.

Song Yi struggled with choosing a topic, sitting cross-legged in front of the coffee table at midnight, her laptop open, staring blankly at the screen.

Shen Yujing came out of the kitchen with a plate of cut fruit and sat down on the floor beside her. He picked up a piece of honeydew with a fork and held it to Song Yi's lips, coaxing her, "Open up."

Song Yi took a bite, still expressionless as she stared at her screen, deep in thought over the rejected topics.

Shen Yujing adjusted the air conditioner temperature with the remote and leaned over to look at Song Yi's laptop, reading out the topics.

"Human trafficking, domestic violence, child abuse..."

Reading these topics left Shen Yujing silent. He then asked, "These realistic themes are hard to film, and..."

And they usually don't score well.

"Yeah," Song Yi nodded, resting her head on Shen Yujing's shoulder, her voice sounding utterly exhausted. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be stuck here this late."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Although their professors encouraged diverse topics, past assignments had shown that high scores usually went to uplifting and positive themes.

Creativity is subjective, and the same work could receive different scores and critiques from different professors.

Shen Yujing wrapped his arm around Song Yi's shoulder and fed her another piece of apple, saying, "I think whatever you come up with will be the best."

"But the professor won't think so."

Song Yi sighed, looking more troubled.

Shen Yujing thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't you just make something he likes? Something warm and kind, where good people are rewarded, or hardworking people achieve success."

This wasn't an idea Song Yi hadn't considered before.

She consistently scored high in all her classes and was well-liked by her professors, except for this microfilm production class, where the professor was an old-fashioned and somewhat rigid man who favored overly positive and formulaic themes.

For regular assignments, it was manageable, but for the final, she needed to cater to his preferences to get a good grade.

She knew this, but the lack of creative passion for such topics made it hard for her to commit, leaving her in a dilemma.

That night, Shen Yujing quietly stayed by Song Yi's side, not disturbing her.

Until—

1 AM.

Shen Yujing couldn't hold on any longer. He slumped over the coffee table, lifting his head to look at Song Yi with bloodshot eyes, tiredly asking, "Aren't you going to rest? Think about it tomorrow. This isn't good for your health."

Song Yi shook her head, picked up a bottle of artificial tears, and dropped some into her eyes. She closed them to rest and said, "You go to bed first."

Shen Yujing didn't get up. Instead, he turned his head to a more comfortable position and mumbled, "I've acted in so many of your scripts. Can't you write one just for me and film it?"

As he spoke, Shen Yujing was already half-asleep, his eyes closing.

Suddenly, he felt a warm touch on his cheek and instantly woke up, looking at Song Yi with shock and a hint of suppressed shyness.

Even after being together for so long, whenever Song Yi hugged or kissed him, Shen Yujing couldn't help but feel his heart race.

His drowsiness vanished instantly. Shen Yujing sat up straight and said, "Keep thinking. I'll stay with you."

"I'm done thinking," Song Yi said, closing her laptop and smiling as she leaned in to kiss the corner of Shen Yujing's lips. "Thanks to you, I've got it figured out."

"Huh?" Shen Yujing was confused. "What do you mean, thanks to me?"

"Don't worry about it. You'll find out soon enough," Song Yi said as she stood up, reaching out her hand to Shen Yujing. "Get up. You have an early class tomorrow. Go to bed."

Shen Yujing took Song Yi's hand and stood up but didn't let go, keeping her from leaving.

Song Yi turned to him and asked, "What now? Still not sleepy?"

"I..."

Shen Yujing opened his mouth but hesitated, only managing to say one word.

Song Yi: "Just say it."

Shen Yujing lowered his head and whispered, "I... I want to sleep with you tonight."

Song Yi looked at him. "Say that again."

"I... I won't say it. You should get some rest," Shen Yujing said, catching the hint of "threat" in Song Yi's tone. He quickly let go of her hand and hurried to his room.

As Shen Yujing's door closed, Song Yi still looked puzzled.

What exactly had Shen Yujing just said?

She hadn't heard a word of it.