Professional Substitute

Chapter 7: Exclusive Guardian

The next day, Mo Qinglan arrived at class with a bulging backpack.

The third and fourth periods in the morning were Personality Psychology. Ruan Danfei had arrived early and waved at her, patting the seat beside her with enthusiasm. In university course selection, apart from mandatory courses for the same major, the probability of choosing the same elective class is quite low. Ruan Danfei, a management major, chose this course purely to catch a glimpse of the campus heartthrob Gu Tianyi and to see how the department beauty Mo Qinglan pursued him.

"Wow, what did you bring?" Ruan Danfei asked, reaching out to unzip the backpack without hesitation. With a "snap," her hand was smacked away. Mo Qinglan smiled but showed no mercy. "That's a secret. But this is for you." "Boo-hoo, Qingqing, you're prioritizing romance over..." Before she could finish saying "friendship," a beautifully packaged box of macarons was pushed in front of her. Ruan Danfei came from a well-off family and had seen a lot of delicious and fun things, but Mo Qinglan's treats always managed to surprise her.

"You eat so well! This brand is very popular in Europe. Qingqing, you're like my real sister!" See, it's not just Mo Qinglan who forgets loyalty for benefits. These macarons were taken from Sheng Yunzhou. Mo Qinglan didn't like sweets, so she gave them away without feeling any heartache. Besides, Ruan Danfei could help her deal with other potential competitors, making this a profitable deal.

"There won't be any more in the future," Mo Qinglan said casually. "Sister, tell me, what have I done wrong recently?" Ruan Danfei, the silly girl, was teary-eyed, quickly pledging her loyalty. "Oh, these macarons are out of supply." With the patron gone, the supply was naturally cut off. Mo Qinglan wouldn't spend her own money on them.

"But there will be other things, don't worry. As long as I have something to eat, so will you, Feifei." This was full of camaraderie. Ruan Danfei was moved to tears, "Having you as a sister is great. By the way, why hasn't the campus heartthrob arrived yet? Professor Li in the psychology class loves to take attendance."

In the past, when they had the same classes, Mo Qinglan would always go to the school gate to pick him up. Gu Tianyi would always say indifferently, "I know the way; you don't need to pick me up." Mo Qinglan would smile sweetly, like a swaying flower. "I just want to walk with you a bit more. In case some love-struck fool throws a sandbag or an apple at you, I can block it for you."

"No one throws sandbags," Gu Tianyi would quietly retort. Who would confess by throwing sandbags? That would be foolish, right? "Foolish" was Mo Qinglan's catchphrase. Gu Tianyi didn't understand why a girl would speak so crudely. Mo Qinglan giggled. She clearly saw that the usually aloof Gu Tianyi had reddened ears.

"I'll block peach blossoms, chrysanthemums, and roses for you." Gu Tianyi was speechless. Gu Tianyi was at a loss. Seeing that she wouldn't change, he let her be. After a year together, Mo Qinglan estimated that the Pavlovian effect should have taken hold, and once a habit was formed, it was time to close the net. So today, she didn't wait for Gu Tianyi and came to the class by herself.

"Don't worry, he'll definitely arrive before roll call." This sentence was for Ruan Danfei.

As classmates gradually entered the classroom, they couldn't help but first look at Mo Qinglan. "Did Mo Qinglan catch the campus heartthrob today?" This had become a long-standing hot topic on the campus BBS. It was said that someone even serialized a story on a youth literature website about it, with considerable profits.

Expressionless, Teacher Li Lixia arrived, took out the attendance list, and began calling names. The classroom was instantly shrouded in gloom. Attendance scores would be included in the overall grade, affecting the final credits.

"Gu Tianyi!" "Here!" This response came from the classroom door. Today, Gu Tianyi wore a casual sky-blue T-shirt and long pants, looking full of energy. However, he seemed a bit disheveled, probably from running too fast, slightly out of breath, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

Under everyone's gaze, Gu Tianyi walked to a quiet corner in the back row. When taking out his books and notes, he glanced in Mo Qinglan's direction. Coincidentally, Mo Qinglan was also looking at him, smiling brightly, and gave him an "OK" gesture. Gu Tianyi immediately lowered his head. No one noticed, but the corners of his mouth slightly curved upward.

During the break, Mo Qinglan placed her large backpack with a "clang" on the chair next to him. All eyes immediately focused on her. Mo Qinglan was about to make a move. Everyone was excited.

"Handsome, let's go hiking and camping this weekend. How about it? I've already bought the picnic food." Mo Qinglan put her hands on her hips, her fox-like eyes sparkling, her smile radiant. The boys were envious, whispering, "What's in the picnic?" Ruan Danfei looked at the two remaining macarons in her hand and suddenly found them less appealing. The quantity couldn't compare.

Gu Tianyi, with his head down reading, replied, "I don't want to." Mo Qinglan wasn't angry, her tone still sweet, "Once something is given, there's no reason to take it back. If you don't want it, just throw it away." With that, she unzipped her backpack and dumped all the picnic snacks onto the floor.

Everyone was shocked. Instant noodles, sausages. Sausages, instant noodles. A few girls couldn't help but burst out laughing. "You're inviting the campus heartthrob to camp and eat instant noodles and sausages? Hahaha..." How stingy, how cheap, and how embarrassing!

Ruan Danfei looked at the macarons in the box and once again felt grateful to her sister. At least they were a hundred times better than instant noodles.

Gu Tianyi's mouth opened slightly, unable to close for a long time, his eyes full of confusion. Unexpectedly, another boy stepped forward, picked up a box of instant noodles, "If no one wants it, I'll take it." Perhaps the girls didn't understand. In the boys' dormitory, the most popular food was instant noodles. Woke up late and missed the cafeteria? Instant noodles. Hungry after studying late at night? Instant noodles. Playing games with the brothers? Each with a bowl of instant noodles. On Zhang San's table, the game console, tablet, and headphones remained untouched, but the instant noodles were gone by morning.

Mo Qinglan suddenly shouted, "Academic God Gu is giving everyone instant noodles, take them if you want." The crowd moved like a tornado, and several boys divided up the instant noodles. Everyone was all smiles, "Thanks, beauty."

Mo Qinglan pointed her thumb in Gu Tianyi's direction, "Don't thank me, thank Academic God Gu. If you see him in trouble in the future, lend a hand." What trouble could Gu Tianyi have? Nothing more than being harassed by beauties. Of course, the boys didn't want the girls to only have eyes for Gu Tianyi, so helping to block the peach blossoms was a small favor. Hey, a win-win.

"Thanks, Brother Gu." "Thanks, Academic God Gu." Everyone responded cheerfully and dispersed.

When the bell rang, everyone returned to their seats, except Mo Qinglan, who sat next to Gu Tianyi. She certainly didn't expect to move Gu Tianyi with instant noodles; that was for the other boys to see. The boys might not say it, but who didn't have some criticism of Gu Tianyi in their hearts? Taking this opportunity to form a good relationship with Gu Tianyi and recruit those boys to divert the hostility of Cloud City's girls towards Mo Qinglan was killing multiple birds with one stone.

I'm so clever. No wonder I make money! Mo Qinglan, in a good mood, tore a piece of scrap paper with a "swish," quickly folded it into a heart shape, wrote a few words on it, and pushed it to Gu Tianyi. Gu Tianyi opened it and saw it read: "Why were you late today?"

Without hesitation, he wrote on the heart, "I got lost." Once, Gu Tianyi had confidently said he knew the way. But after she waited for him for a year, he had grown accustomed to her presence. He thought she was delayed today, so he waited for her at the school gate until the last five minutes before class. He ran all the way here. It turned out that walking alone could be a bit lonely.

Mo Qinglan's lips curled as she picked up the pen and scribbled, "Okay, then I'll continue waiting for you in the future." The note exchange should have ended here. Mo Qinglan didn't expect Gu Tianyi to pass it back again, filled with tiny words.

"What are your plans for the summer vacation?" "I should stay in Cloud City and work part-time to earn next semester's tuition." In fact, she had already earned enough for tuition, but it was all used to pay off debts. Life was not easy, and she cherished every moment.

After hesitating for two seconds, Gu Tianyi wrote on the paper, "The first Saturday of summer vacation is my birthday. Can you come?"

Mo Qinglan: "..."