《My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy》


 Chapter 1

    [They were good brothers, but unexpectedly fell in love with the same woman. His happiness was granted by him, his guilt forgiven by him.]


    [Yet he was so mad as to completely trample on brotherly affection! What kind of out-of-control choice will a man struggling with desire and morality make? A campus romance drama about a male lead saving happiness and love - "The Temptation of Saint Sly Noble Academy"]


    The system dramatically read out this background introduction in Song Yi''s brain, while Song Yi''s expression became increasingly frozen. She realized that this embarrassingly cringeworthy content was actually her bedtime reading from last night.


    If it were a crime for a 20-year-old to enjoy reading Mary Sue novels, the law would punish her, rather than having her wake up to find herself transported into the novel as the female protagonist with the same name.


    The novel is set in a noble high school called Saint Sly Noble Academy. The original protagonist was one of the few top students at the school who, due to needing to cover her father''s medical expenses, was "recruited" from her original public high school to Saint Sly in her senior year with a hefty scholarship. She was a typical Cinderella-style female lead.


    Unlike female protagonists like Sancai or Chu Yuxun, the original protagonist was beautiful in appearance and gentle in personality, silently enduring even when bullied.


    The male lead of this book is named Shen Yujing, with a hot temper and impulsive personality that doesn''t consider consequences - a true unruly troublemaker.


    On the first day of school, when the evil female rival was bullying the original protagonist in the cafeteria, he inexplicably stopped her. From then on, he fell in love at first sight with the fragile and beautiful original protagonist, embarking on a frenzy of bullying pursuit.


    Bullying pursuit, as the name suggests, means outwardly bullying but actually pursuing, similar to how elementary school boys always pull the pigtails of girls they like.


    Shen Yujing loved it most when the original protagonist cried pitifully in his arms, making him want to give her the whole world, and in this process he uncontrollably fell deeply in love with her.


    Although this character setup now seems truly sick, in old-school Mary Sue novels this was the classic demon prince - the standard configuration for male leads, and still considered reasonable.


    The second male lead, Jiang Yiheng, has a cold exterior but is only gentle towards the female lead. He is always by the female protagonist''s side, guarding and accompanying her in the name of friendship, never crossing boundaries. Such a lofty person becomes extremely humble in love, causing countless readers to exclaim how heartbreaking it is.


    As for the third male lead Hang Feng, who is also the villain of this book, his true identity is the illegitimate son of a mysterious family. He has despised his own tainted blood since childhood and extremely hates this world.


    Everyone fears and avoids him, and even those who approach him have ulterior motives.


    Until the appearance of the original protagonist, who was like a ray of light in his life, warming and illuminating him, thus becoming his redemption.


    This novel tells the story of how these three "outstanding" boys compete almost madly to win the female protagonist''s love, fighting each other in a life-and-death struggle. In the end, during the summer vacation of their senior year, they finally wake up at the cost of the female protagonist''s death.


    Song Yi: "???"


    That''s just fucking ridiculous.


    Yes, you heard that right. They all have bright futures, while the only unfortunate one who died in the entire book is the female lead.


    And the system''s explanation is even more baffling -


    Because the female lead is everyone''s pure and unobtainable love, and such love is flawless. But in this world, only the dead can truly be perfect.


    Song Yi ignored the system and looked out the bus window. The green trees and blue sky presented a vibrant scene, and the students around her wearing No. 7 High School uniforms were all symbols of the vitality of life.


    She then looked down at her own chest, where the golden badge of Saint Sly was almost dazzling. It should have been the best years of her life, yet the original protagonist hastily ended her life because of these absurd settings.


    For Song Yi, her parents in the real world had died in a fire when she was very young, and she had no other attachments, so after calming down, she accepted all of this.


    The system quickly issued tasks:


    1. Stay alive.


    2. Get into Imperial Capital University and have a wonderful life.


    In the original plot, the most direct cause of the female lead''s death was that all three male leads fell in love with her simultaneously.


    Because the three of them fought over the original protagonist out of jealousy, along with the envy of other girls, it caused the original protagonist to suffer many injuries she shouldn''t have had to bear.


    Being loved by the male leads = female protagonist = death.


    Staying away from male leads = background character = living.


    Plan successful.


    The current timeline is just at the beginning of the story, also the first week of the senior year.


    In this school, classes are determined by monthly exam results. Only the top 30 students in each monthly exam can enter Class A, which is the true elite class.


    The results of this year''s opening simulation exam should be out now. All five transfer students entered Class A, and among them, the most eye-catching was the original protagonist. Not only did she enter Class A, but she even directly took away the school genius Jiang Yiheng''s first place in the grade.


    The forum was buzzing with discussion about this matter.


    [Holy crap! Everyone go look at the monthly exam rankings! I suspect I''ve gone blind. Jiang Yiheng actually came in second this time?!]


    1L: This feels like a dream. It''s been two years, and this is the first time the top spot has changed hands, right? Looks like things are about to change at our Saint Sly! (dog head emoji)


    2L: The first place is called Song Yi, who is that? I''ve never heard of her. There are many unfamiliar names ranking high in Class A''s list this time. What''s going on?


    3L: You guys just don''t understand. It''s already senior year, of course the school will spend money to poach some top students from other schools for the sake of college admission rates. It''s a routine operation.


    4L: But to be fair, this Song Yi really has some skills. Can someone dig up some info on her? What''s her background?


    ...


    At this moment, Song Yi, the center of the forum''s topic, couldn''t even enter Saint Sly''s school gates.


    A male student wearing a red armband stopped her and righteously asked, "Which class are you from? Not wearing a name tag deducts three points from your comprehensive quality score."


    The comprehensive quality score is directly linked to various school scholarships and is a grade that top students pay close attention to.


    The name tag shows the student''s name, class, and student number. Because many students feel this exposes their privacy, they refuse to wear it. This can be said to be a school rule that has been tacitly abandoned.


    This student on duty saw that Song Yi wasn''t wearing any name tag apparel and knew she must be a top student, so he deliberately made things difficult for her.


    Should I just beat him up? Teach him not to look down on people.


    Song Yi was thinking this and preparing to teach this person a lesson when he suddenly changed his expression like a face-changing performance, enthusiastically calling out to someone behind Song Yi, "Good morning, Department Head."


    Song Yi turned around and saw a handsome young man standing not far away. His golden-rimmed glasses hid the emotions in his eyes but added to his cold and noble aura. His extremely thin lips were slightly pursed, giving an impression of undisguised indifference and aloofness.


    The male student wearing the red armband ran up to the young man as if he had found his backbone, pointing at Song Yi and complaining.


    Soon, that cold young man walked towards her and asked, "Name."


    Two against one, probably can''t win.


    A brave man doesn''t suffer immediate losses, so Song Yi answered without hesitation, "Sancai, my name is Dong Sancai."


    Male student: "???"


    The young man expressionlessly flipped open the record book in front of him and said coldly, "Not cooperating with the record, deduct five points."


    "No, no, no!" Song Yi naturally knew this name wouldn''t fool anyone, so she had to smile and say, "Just kidding, you guys really have no sense of humor. My name is a bit difficult to write, I''ll do it myself."


    The young man raised his eyes and looked at Song Yi for a few seconds. Without suspecting anything, he handed her the record book and pen.


    Song Yi took them, placed the book on the table, and bent over to carefully write three large characters -


    Chu, Yu, Xun.


    *


    Senior Year Class A.


    Each desk had a different number carved in the upper left corner, representing the ranking of every person sitting in this classroom.


    It was already late, and most of the students had arrived. Basically everyone seated was an old member of Class A, so when they saw unfamiliar faces, they knew they were this year''s transferred top students. Some even started betting on their rankings.


    Five new outstanding transfer students had joined the class, with four of them ranking in the top ten of their grade. Only one fell short, placing 27th and barely making it into Class A.


    When Song Yi walked in, she naturally attracted countless gazes.


    A chestnut-haired boy sitting in the corner of the fourth row whistled at Song Yi, then joked to the classmate in front of him, "She''s pretty! I bet she''s the one who ranked 27th. Did the school waste our money on a flower vase?"


    Laughter erupted around them, with others chiming in agreement. No one seemed to find his behavior problematic.


    Amidst these less-than-kind stares, Song Yi walked up to the boy''s desk and looked down at the number on it¡ª


    26.


    A ranking that could be considered barely scraping by, though in Class A it was still the bottom of the top.


    Seeing Song Yi approach, the boy assumed he had guessed her ranking correctly. He stood up and extended his hand to her with a disingenuous smile, "Welcome, new deskmate. I''m Quan Le."


    The name instantly reminded Song Yi of his identity¡ªone of the male protagonist Shen Yujing''s questionable friends, another spoiled rich kid. The only thing that made him slightly better than Shen Yujing was that his grades were decent enough to barely keep him in Class A.


    Song Yi didn''t shake his hand. Instead, she responded to his earlier comment, "I thought you''d be more impressive, but you''re only ranked 26th after all."


    Quan Le clearly understood Song Yi was mocking him. His smile instantly stiffened, and he snapped, "Hey, do you understand the situation here? I''m a proper student who paid tuition, while you''re a scholarship student who can only survive in our school by the skin of your teeth based on your grades. If this is the best you can do, I suggest you leave on your own before you get kicked out!"


    Song Yi nodded thoughtfully, unfazed. She asked instead, "So what rank do you think I need to stay here?"


    Quan Le was taken aback, not expecting this response from Song Yi.


    Perhaps it was because her face was so pure and innocent-looking, or maybe her eyes were too clear and deceptive, but for a moment Quan Le forgot that she had just insulted him. He answered, "At least in the top ten of our grade, I suppose."


    "Oh." Song Yi nodded, then turned and walked away.


    "Hey! What''s with that attitude? Where are you going¡ª"


    Quan Le''s shouts died down as he watched Song Yi put her bag down at the desk marked with the number "1".


    He swallowed hard, realizing an absurd answer but unwilling to believe it.


    Someone else spoke up for him, saying, "New student, you might not know this on your first day, but our classroom seats are arranged by rank. You can''t just sit anywhere."


    "I know," Song Yi replied as she set down her bag. She turned back to Quan Le with a smile, extending her hand from afar. "Hello, I''m Song Yi. Unfortunately, I''m not your deskmate."


    A collective gasp arose from the surrounding students as they realized Song Yi was the legendary first-place student. The eyes that had been filled with disdain now turned to shock.


    "Holy crap! She''s that Song Yi? First in the grade!"


    "Beautiful and smart¡ªshe''d be perfect if she wasn''t a scholarship student." S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Quan Le must be so embarrassed. He had no idea she was first in the grade."


    "Shh, stop talking. Quan Le''s face has turned black!"


    The discussions only subsided when the bell rang for class to start.


    Students gradually arrived, leaving only the seat next to Song Yi empty. It belonged to the second male lead, Jiang Yiheng.


    Song Yi didn''t pay much attention to it. In the original plot, a genius student like Jiang Yiheng often participated in various competitions both in and out of school, so it wasn''t unusual for him to miss classes.


    Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom:


    Quan Le rested his chin on his hand, staring at Song Yi''s back for a full ten minutes before turning to look at the boy sitting next to him.


    The bespectacled boy with thick lenses felt uneasy under Quan Le''s gaze. As a scholarship student, he didn''t dare to defy rich kids like Quan Le, so he could only lower his head even more.


    Quan Le spoke up, displeased, "Hey, you''re both scholarship students. Why can Song Yi rank first while you''re only 27th?"


    The boy replied softly, "Song Yi has always been the top student in our grade. This is her normal level. I... My mother was in a car accident recently, so my grades have slipped lately."


    Quan Le beckoned the boy closer, "Listen up. For the sake of your mother''s future recovery and treatment, you must study hard. That''s the only way the school will continue to pay for her medical expenses."


    The boy didn''t understand Quan Le''s intentions, but he knew what he said was true. He could only nod meekly, "I understand."


    "Good." Quan Le turned his gaze back to Song Yi''s silhouette and began to announce his battle plan. "Look at Song Yi. She''s your goal from now on. Whatever Song Yi does, you do double. If she studies for eight hours, you study for sixteen! If she does ten sets of practice papers, you do twenty! Got it?"


    At that moment, the "study role model" Song Yi couldn''t suppress a yawn.


    Seeing that it was self-study time on the schedule, Song Yi took out a book and placed it on her desk. In one smooth, practiced motion, she¡ª


    Laid her head down to sleep.


    System: [... As expected of you]


    Quan Le frowned and looked at the boy next to him. He reached out and pushed the boy''s head down, "What are you looking at? Go to sleep too! You need to rest well to focus better in class! Hurry up and sleep!"


    The boy: "..."


    *


    The school''s online forum was flooded with new posts.


    [I saw that first-place student Song Yi! She''s quite pretty, but I don''t think she''ll last long at our school]


    1L: Can the person above explain clearly? What happened?


    2L: She publicly embarrassed the young master of the Quan family. With Quan Le''s vindictive personality, he''s the second person you least want to offend in our school, right after Shen Yujing.


    3L: Looks like our top student is in for a rough time. Wonder how long she''ll keep that position. We''re in for some good drama.


    ...


    Meanwhile, Song Yi had already fallen into a deep sleep.


    As expected of a noble academy, the desk and chair were perfectly sized and comfortable. Song Yi felt she could sleep like this all day.


    She didn''t know how much time had passed when a cold male voice sounded above her¡ª


    "Hey, Chu Yuxun, wake up."

 Chapter 2

    In her sleep, Song Yi heard these words and felt as if she was seeing ghosts.


    Chu Yuxun? Could it be... she had transmigrated again?


    Well, her name wasn''t Chu Yuxun anyway, so it had nothing to do with her. Even if she had transmigrated again, she could deal with it after waking up.


    Thinking this, Song Yi adjusted herself into a more comfortable sleeping position.


    However, that voice was unwilling to let her go. Not only did it not stop, but it even reached out to pat her shoulder, continuing to call out: "Chu Yuxun?"


    Song Yi, finally realizing that the person was calling her: "?!"


    Is this person sick? Are they crazy?


    "You''re Chu Yuxun, your whole family is Chu Yuxun! Have you read too many Mary Sue novels and now you''re trying to roleplay with me?" Song Yi rubbed her eyes, grumbling as she raised her head. She was about to say something but fell silent under the gaze of everyone in the class staring at her.


    Something seemed off. Why was the entire class looking at her?


    Moreover, the classmate who woke her up looked familiar. It was the one who had recorded her name at the school gate this morning.


    Wait, sitting next to her, in the second-place position.


    Song Yi swallowed hard, confirming with some disbelief: "Jiang... Jiang Yiheng?"


    Suddenly remembering what she had done this morning, Song Yi began to curl her toes in embarrassment. Wasn''t this level of coincidence a bit ridiculous?


    At this moment, the system provided Song Yi with an explanation.


    [The female protagonist''s halo has different levels of attraction with the male protagonist''s halo, the supporting male character''s halo, and the villain''s halo~ Please pay attention to distinguish them~]


    If she had another chance, she would honestly fill in her own name on the roster, definitely not try to fool around like this.


    And now, someone save her, anyone, please come quickly and save her.


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t respond to Song Yi, but looked towards the podium, his voice indifferent, "Teacher, she''s awake."


    The bald teacher standing on the platform looked furious with Song Yi and said directly: "Sleeping and sleep-talking in my class? Go stand outside as punishment!"


    Although it was meant as a punishment, at this moment it sounded more beautiful than heavenly music to Song Yi. She quickly stood up, "Sorry, teacher! I''ll go out right away!"


    With that, Song Yi fled the scene as if her feet were on fire.


    Song Yi stood at the door as punishment. The sunshine was nice, and she still felt a bit sleepy.


    Suddenly, a roar came from the neighboring Class B¡ª


    "Sleeping in my class? Get out and stand!"


    This shout banished all of Song Yi''s drowsiness. She turned her head towards Class B''s door, suddenly feeling sympathy for this unfortunate soul who was in the same boat as her.


    Soon, a girl walked out of Class B''s front door. Under the sunlight, her pink long hair was particularly dazzling. She leaned against the wall in the same leisurely posture as Song Yi, sunbathing.


    Song Yi sighed deeply in her heart¡ª


    This school is really interesting.


    She got points deducted for not wearing a name tag, but this girl can dye her hair such a flamboyant pink? Shouldn''t she be expelled for this? Is no one going to manage this? Where''s the justice?


    Soon, Song Yi realized something else. Pink long hair? Class B? These hints were too obvious! Wasn''t this Murong Huan, the female antagonist from the original plot?


    The fianc¨¦e of the second male lead, Jiang Yiheng, a true rich and beautiful young lady.


    Because Murong Huan had liked Jiang Yiheng since childhood, she couldn''t accept Jiang Yiheng falling in love with another girl. So she constantly caused trouble between the original protagonist and Jiang Yiheng, but it was all in vain. Even after the female lead''s death, the second male lead didn''t fall in love with her. In the end, she was completely disappointed and chose to study abroad.


    Pink hair, the surname Murong, the fianc¨¦e setting, top-tier wealthy family background, all these exaggerated settings combined.


    Song Yi''s lips couldn''t help but curl up in an uncontrollable smile¡ª


    It''s funny! So funny!!! This is the real old-school Mary Sue! It''s hard not to love it!!!


    When she was reading this novel before bed yesterday, she was thinking, with such a Mary Sue setting, why didn''t they collect surnames like Ouyang, Shangguan, Xuanyuan, and match them with hair colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, along with heterochromia? That would truly capture the essence of old-school Mary Sue! She didn''t expect that only the female antagonist Murong Huan would satisfy this strange preference of hers.


    Suddenly, Murong Huan turned around and looked straight in Song Yi''s direction.


    Song Yi: *Smile suddenly stiffens*.


    Murong Huan tied up her pink hair and walked directly towards Song Yi, her eyes appraising as she looked at her, "Are you the new first-place student?"


    Song Yi unhesitatingly waved her hand in denial, "No, I''m not. You''ve got the wrong person."


    Murong Huan expressionlessly turned her phone screen towards Song Yi, which was currently displaying her student information.


    Song Yi could only reluctantly admit, "Okay, I am. Is there something you need?"


    Murong Huan put away her phone and asked: "Are you desk mates with Jiang Yiheng?"


    Song Yi nodded, "Yes."


    "I''m warning you, don''t get too close to Jiang Yiheng, and don''t have any inappropriate thoughts about him, because he''s mine." Murong Huan looked at Song Yi and directly asserted her claim, then offered a carrot after the stick, saying, "I heard you offended Quan Le, right? As long as you obediently listen to me, I''ll help you resolve that issue. This way, you can study peacefully at Saint Slee until graduation."


    Murong Huan leaned in closer to Song Yi''s ear, her voice seemingly smiling but carrying a warning, "You''re a new student so you might not know, but there have been students similar to you in this school before, but they all ended up dropping out. And students who are expelled from Saint Slee can''t be accepted by any school in the entire Imperial Capital."


    So for Murong Huan to extend such an olive branch to a special top student was both a blessing and an act of pity. Anyone who knew what was good for them wouldn''t refuse.


    After hearing all this, Song Yi looked up in surprise¡ª


    My goodness! Who said Murong Huan was a vicious supporting character? This is clearly a female Bodhisattva!!!


    The original protagonist''s wish, which was now her ultimate goal, was to graduate safely from Saint Slee and get into Imperial Capital University. And now Murong Huan was saying she would help her?


    She didn''t like Jiang Yiheng anyway, so why would she want to become enemies with Murong Huan over him? Only a fool would refuse!


    So Song Yi grasped Murong Huan''s hand, her eyes full of gratitude, and said: "Alright! I agree! Thank you! I didn''t expect that someone as beautiful as you would also have such a kind heart! You and Jiang Yiheng are truly a perfect match made in heaven! I will always bless your relationship!"


    Murong Huan was stunned, completely thrown off by Song Yi''s barrage of flattery.


    Murong Huan hadn''t expected Song Yi to be so "sensible," rendering all the threats she had prepared useless. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young lady, pampered since childhood, wasn''t used to such intimate physical contact with others. Murong Huan awkwardly withdrew her hand from Song Yi''s grasp and even took a step back, "Alright, then let''s exchange contact information. I''ll get in touch if needed."


    Song Yi took Murong Huan''s phone and carefully entered her WeChat ID.


    Soon, the class dismissal bell rang.


    Murong Huan glanced inside Class A, or rather at Jiang Yiheng, then turned to leave somewhat reluctantly.


    Their brief interaction at the classroom door was captured by gossipmongers and posted on the school forum¡ª


    [Exciting! Love triangle! Murong Young Miss went to Class A to confront Song Yi!!!]


    1L: Jiang Yiheng used to be the top student for years, and the top three in Class A were all boys. Now Song Yi has come along, not only taking Jiang God''s first place but also becoming his desk mate. No wonder Murong Young Miss is anxious.


    2L: Is this the clich¨¦ plot of two girls fighting over one guy? The pampered rich young miss with an engagement vs. the genius commoner gentle beauty, a red rose and a pure moon flower. If it were me, I''d have a hard time choosing too.


    3L: Could the person above please look in a mirror? Who do you think you are to compare yourself to our Jiang God?


    4L: I think you girls are just mindless fangirls. What Jiang God? Didn''t he easily lose first place to a transfer student?


    5L: The person above is so confident posting anonymously on this website? Jiang God is still way above your level!


    ...


    Looking at these comments, Song Yi fell into deep thought.


    Genius commoner gentle beauty? Pure moon flower? Were they talking about her? This won''t do!


    Thinking about how in the original plot, the three male leads all loved the original protagonist''s gentleness, Song Yi shook her head vigorously. No, no, this absolutely won''t do! Reject stereotypical character settings! Starting with me!


    So Song Yi took out a small mirror and practiced fierce expressions while looking at herself, trying to make herself appear more ferocious.


    Soon she felt the gaze of someone beside her¡ª


    Jiang Yiheng frowned at her, his eyes practically screaming "Is this person crazy?", then he moved his chair away from her as if afraid that mental illness might be contagious, keeping his distance.


    Song Yi: "..."


    This really did make her seem not very smart.


    Seeing the other classmates around her studying, Song Yi quickly put away her little mirror and "followed the local custom" by completing two sets of test papers.


    Soon it was lunchtime, but the students in Class A were really competitive. Some of them didn''t even go eat lunch, instead taking out instant bread and milk to eat while continuing to study.


    Song Yi''s stomach couldn''t handle that. She quickly packed up her things and headed to the cafeteria.


    Saint Slee only had one cafeteria, but its size was incomparable to other schools. It had four floors in total, with food becoming more expensive and delicious on the higher floors.


    The first floor offered very affordable meals. There weren''t many students, basically only the poorest scholarship students would eat here, but the quality was no worse than ordinary restaurants outside.


    Song Yi got a meal with two meat dishes and one vegetable dish, and added an extra large chicken leg for herself. Then she carried her tray to a seat by the window.


    Just as Song Yi was biting into her chicken leg, her eyes met Murong Huan''s. The latter then walked towards Song Yi as if she had confirmed her target.


    Song Yi: "?"


    According to the original plot, her first meeting with Murong Huan should have been in the cafeteria. The other party would say something similar to what she said at the classroom door earlier, and then the original protagonist''s neither servile nor overbearing retort would have angered Murong Huan, causing her to pour all the food from her tray onto her.


    All the food from the tray, poured out.


    Song Yi didn''t say anything. To avoid the tragedy from recurring, she sped up stuffing the braised pork into her mouth.


    Murong Huan walked up to her table and looked down at her, asking, "Why didn''t you reply to my WeChat?"


    Song Yi swallowed the braised pork in her mouth and quickly took out her phone from her pocket. She saw that Murong Huan had sent her a message¡ª


    [Wait for me after school at noon.]


    Song Yi apologized directly, "I''m sorry, I didn''t see it."


    "Whatever." Murong Huan rolled her eyes at Song Yi, then crossed her arms and pulled out the chair opposite her. "Stop looking at me, eat your food."


    Song Yi picked up the last piece of braised pork on her plate, then hesitated and said, "I''m not used to people watching me eat."


    "You think I want to come to this commoner''s cafeteria?" Murong Huan became even more impatient. "My being with you is to warn Quan Le that you''re my person, so he won''t go too far with you, understand?"


    Understanding Murong Huan''s good intentions, Song Yi sincerely marveled again, "You really are a good person."


    At this moment, everyone else in the cafeteria was secretly watching the table where Song Yi and Murong Huan were sitting.


    It was a rare sight to see a top-tier rich kid like Murong Huan appear in the first-floor commoner''s cafeteria. Add to that the fact that sitting opposite her was Song Yi, the parachuted first-place student, it naturally attracted a lot of attention, including¡ª


    Quan Le stood by the elevator, looking with interest towards Song Yi''s direction. He elbowed the blonde boy beside him, "Shen Yujing, want to go watch the show?"


    Shen Yujing''s delicate face was full of impatience, his naturally alluring phoenix eyes carrying a hint of viciousness that didn''t match, as he said, "Are you sick? Is Murong Huan bullying someone anything new?"


    Quan Le looked at Shen Yujing with an expression that said "you just don''t get it", and asked, "Do you know who''s sitting opposite her?"


    "Why should I care?"


    For Shen Yujing, all of life''s matters could be summarized in eight words: None of your business, none of my business.


    Quan Le wasn''t annoyed and instead answered his own question, "It''s our year''s first-place student."


    This answer successfully piqued Shen Yujing''s interest, or rather, his disgust¡ª


    "Fuck, is that turtle egg Jiang Yiheng wearing a skirt now? Is he mentally ill?"

 Chapter 3

    Quan Le: "..."


    It was truly speechless to the extreme, beyond words.


    He didn''t explain further, but instead directly opened a forum post and handed it to Shen Yujing, "See for yourself."


    Shen Yujing quickly understood the situation, and the corner of his lips revealed a malicious smile, "So, Jiang Yiheng lost?"


    Quan Le nodded, "You could say that."


    Shen Yujing shoved the phone back into Quan Le''s hand, "Let''s go watch the fun."


    For Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng was like the proverbial child from another family, always held up as a comparison since childhood.


    Everyone praised Jiang Yiheng for being smart and outstanding, but to Shen Yujing, he was disgustingly hypocritical.


    But even so, he had gotten used to Jiang Yiheng being the top student in their grade. Now that someone could surpass Jiang Yiheng, Shen Yujing''s interest was instantly piqued.


    The arrival of Shen Yujing and Quan Le was like uninvited guests for Song Yi.


    Song Yi didn''t understand - Murong Huan hadn''t bullied her, so what did Shen Yujing have to do with this? Just because he was the male lead didn''t mean he had to be in every scene, right?


    Shen Yujing pulled out the chair next to Murong Huan and sat down, "You''ve made a new friend and didn''t introduce us?"


    Although he was speaking to Murong Huan, his gaze remained fixed on Song Yi''s face the entire time.


    It was an undisguised, blatant appraisal and scrutiny.


    Shen Yujing was somewhat surprised. He hadn''t expected the person with even better grades than that freak Jiang Yiheng to be such a seemingly harmless and fragile girl.


    Look at those delicate shoulders - he was a bit worried that if she stayed up studying until midnight, she might faint from physical exhaustion.


    Her face was only the size of a palm, and her head so small - how could it contain so much knowledge? It was quite remarkable.


    Murong Huan ignored Shen Yujing and frowned at Quan Le, "What are you trying to do?"


    Quan Le shrugged his shoulders innocently, "You''re really wronging me here. I just came with Shen Yujing."


    "That''s right," Shen Yujing nodded, smiling in an unusually good mood, and extended a hand towards Song Yi, "New classmate? Nice to meet you."


    The surrounding girls looked at Song Yi with envious gazes.


    Heaven knows how much they wanted to exchange even a single word with Shen Yujing, let alone shake his hand and become friends!


    Song Yi looked at the last piece of sweet and sour pork ribs on her plate. Following the principle of not wasting food, she mumbled with her mouth full while gnawing on it, "What are you so happy about?"


    Shen Yujing''s smile froze on his face.


    Quan Le: "..."


    He had never seen someone so bad at conversation.


    But for some unknown reason, he actually felt a sense of admiration for Song Yi.


    Shen Yujing had never been treated like this before, but he still patiently said, "I just want to be friends with you."


    This time Song Yi didn''t even bother to look up, directly refusing, "No need, I have plenty of friends."


    "Pfft-"


    Quan Le couldn''t hold back his laughter this time, but quickly composed himself and put on a straight face under Shen Yujing''s warning glare.


    He mustn''t laugh, he mustn''t laugh! He was professionally trained, unless he really couldn''t help it.


    Murong Huan couldn''t bear to watch anymore and said, "Come on, Shen Yujing, can''t you see she''s not interested? Stop embarrassing yourself."


    Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng had never gotten along, so Murong Huan was quite happy to see Shen Yujing being put in his place, and didn''t mind adding fuel to the fire.


    "What does this have to do with you?" Shen Yujing''s eyes turned cold as he spoke, staring at Song Yi, "I''ll give you one more chance."


    This time Song Yi ignored him completely, only getting up to look at Murong Huan, "I''m going back first."


    Murong Huan nodded in response.


    Shen Yujing was thoroughly irritated by her attitude. As Song Yi walked past him, he gripped her wrist tightly, "Who said you could leave?"


    Song Yi frowned at Shen Yujing, "Let go of me."


    Due to her sweet voice, her words of warning actually sounded somewhat like a coquettish complaint.


    A tense atmosphere filled the air between the four of them, and the scent of gossip permeated the entire cafeteria.


    Some male students looked at Shen Yujing with disapproval, unable to understand how he could bully such a gentle and obedient transfer student girl, showing no chivalry at all.


    There were also female students with envy in their eyes, thinking Song Yi was really ungrateful, or perhaps playing hard to get.


    The soft, warm feeling in his palm momentarily dazed Shen Yujing. When he met the girl''s innocent doe eyes, the irritation in his heart dissipated somewhat.


    Although she was a bit impolite, considering she was smarter than Jiang Yiheng, he could forgive her.


    Thinking this, Shen Yujing handed over his phone again, giving Song Yi another chance. He said in a commanding tone, "WeChat ID."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Hadn''t Murong Huan done the same thing this morning? Couldn''t these people come up with something new?


    Song Yi didn''t want to get involved with Shen Yujing, so instead of taking the phone, she said, "I told you, I don''t want to be your friend."


    "Bang-"


    The plate on the table was directly smashed by Shen Yujing, the sharp sound piercing in the quiet atmosphere.


    Silence, is tonight''s Cambridge.


    Silence, is the current cafeteria.


    Others could no longer hide their gossip-hungry hearts and directly looked in their direction.


    Shen Yujing had grown up being the center of attention since childhood, and no one had ever dared to treat him like this. Song Yi''s actions had undoubtedly touched his reverse scale.


    Originally, seeing that her grades could surpass Jiang Yiheng, he wanted to offer her some protection or convenience at school. This was a rare moment of kindness from the young master Shen, who had been used to being willful and arrogant for years.


    He didn''t expect that a mere top student would be so ungrateful. Her level of irritation was no less than Jiang Yiheng''s.


    As for Song Yi, her mood was no better than Shen Yujing''s.


    Why did the male lead have to stick to her like a leech? Was it because of that damn female lead halo? If the fate of the female lead halo was destined to be death, then it wasn''t worth having at all.


    Since she couldn''t stay away from these main characters, it wouldn''t matter if they disliked her.


    Shen Yujing''s grip on Song Yi''s wrist not only didn''t loosen, but tightened, as if using silence to make her compromise.


    Three, two, one.


    Song Yi silently counted down in her heart, but Shen Yujing clearly hadn''t realized the danger that was about to come.


    Song Yi twisted her wrist and grabbed Shen Yujing''s hand, then quickly used her other hand to press on Shen Yujing''s neck, forcefully slamming his face onto the table, "Who gave you permission to touch me? I told you to let go, can''t you understand human speech?"


    Shen Yujing had never been treated like this before, losing face completely in front of so many people.


    However, more than being watched by so many people, what he found more unbelievable at this moment was... that he couldn''t break free from Song Yi''s grip?


    Amidst the exclamations of surrounding classmates and Murong Huan''s dumbfounded expression, Song Yi continued word by word: "Eight streets of Saint Slee Academy, ask around who''s the boss!"


    *


    Rumors spread throughout the school at an extremely exaggerated speed-


    "Did you know? The new transfer student slammed Shen Yujing''s face onto the table! I saw young master Shen''s black face at the scene and was almost scared to tears!"


    "Shh! Let me tell you secretly, the transfer student beat up Shen Yujing! His face was all bruised! My friend at the scene was almost scared to tears!"


    "Oh my god! The transfer student beat up Shen Yujing in the cafeteria, Shen Yujing was almost scared to tears!"


    "What? Shen Yujing was beaten to tears by the transfer student?!"


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing sat in the infirmary with an ashen face, holding an ice pack to his eye.


    Quan Le stood nearby, not daring to breathe loudly, while also truly beginning to ponder a question-


    What was this transfer student''s background?


    At Saint Slee Academy, there was the academic god Jiang Yiheng, and the school bully Shen Yujing.


    The former had won first place in countless city-wide exams, while the latter had fought his way to the point where even the neighboring Saint An Boys'' School dared not provoke him.


    Yet this transfer student came along, not only taking away Jiang Yiheng''s first place but also making Shen Yujing taste defeat in a fight.


    Shen Yujing was known for his explosive temper - anyone who displeased him, male or female, would suffer. sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Quan Le asked, "Why did you let her go just like that today?"


    Shen Yujing''s handsome face bore a bluish-purple mark, which, combined with his expression, added an extra touch of menace.


    Faced with Quan Le''s question, he remained silent for a few seconds before answering, "I couldn''t beat her."


    "Being able to accept defeat" was one of Shen Yujing''s rare virtues, though he hadn''t lost much in recent years, so others hadn''t really noticed this quality.


    Shen Yujing''s frank admission caught Quan Le by surprise. He said, "No way? How can a girl be that strong? If even you can''t beat her, it''s a shame she''s not competing in the Olympics to bring glory to our country."


    Before Shen Yujing could respond, the door to the infirmary opened.


    Shen Yujing''s lackey walked in carrying a bag of chilled drinks. "Boss, if you ask me, what''s there to discuss? Leave it to me. Tonight, I''ll get a few girls to lure that Song Yi to the storage room. I guarantee she''ll be crying and apologizing to you."


    Shen Yujing threw the ice pack in his hand at the boy''s feet, irritably saying, "Get lost."


    "What kind of ridiculous idea is that?" Quan Le also looked at the boy with exasperation. "Alright, we don''t need you here. Just leave the stuff and go."


    "Sure thing, Young Master Quan." The boy put the bag on the table and walked towards the door, but then hesitated.


    He scratched his head, wondering if he should still go bully Song Yi to get revenge for his boss.


    "Ding ding¡ª"


    The boy''s phone rang. He checked and saw it was a WeChat message from his girlfriend.


    [Why didn''t you buy me a cupcake last night? (angry)]


    The boy replied: You said anything was fine.


    [Just because I said anything was fine, you didn''t buy it? People can be shy, you know. Saying they don''t want something means they do want it, and saying anything is fine also means they want it. As long as there''s no clear refusal, it means agreement! Can''t you be less of a blockhead?]


    The boy was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly had an epiphany.


    Right, people can be shy, especially their boss who just got beaten up by a girl. How could such a humiliating incident be left unresolved?


    Moreover, the boss didn''t explicitly refuse his suggestion earlier. Got it! As long as there''s no clear refusal, it means agreement!


    *


    Class A.


    Song Yi''s heroic deed in the cafeteria had spread throughout the school, resulting in countless gazes washing over her as she entered the classroom.


    Before parting, Murong Huan had patted her shoulder and said two words, "Take care."


    While Murong Huan could protect her from offending Quan Le, doing this to Shen Yujing was undoubtedly courting death.


    It wasn''t just Murong Huan who thought this way; everyone did. They looked at Song Yi with complex and sympathetic expressions, knowing that this top student''s days ahead would not be easy.


    However, Song Yi remained calm, sitting at her desk and opening another set of practice questions, continuing to study as if nothing had happened.


    Just as the preparatory bell rang, Jiang Yiheng returned to class right on time, taking his seat next to Song Yi.


    The two had no interaction, living in a state of mutual non-interference, which was Song Yi''s ideal way of getting along.


    Until the break after the second period, when suddenly someone called her name from the doorway.


    The girl had delicate features, wore her hair in twin ponytails, and had adorable dimples when she smiled ¨C a face that easily evoked goodwill.


    The girl said, "You''re Song Yi, right? Teacher Xu wants you to find her after school. Her office is on the third floor of Building A7, the leftmost room."


    Teacher Xu was the homeroom teacher for the senior class, so Song Yi didn''t suspect anything and replied, "Thank you, I got it."


    Song Yi returned to her seat, and a cool voice beside her spoke up, "All teachers'' offices are in Building A3."


    Song Yi was startled and looked up at Jiang Yiheng with confusion, confirming that he was the one who had spoken.


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t respond to Song Yi''s look. He picked up the registration form on his desk and walked out, as if nothing had happened.


    Song Yi rested her chin on her hand, staring at the desktop and thinking. Compared to other male characters in this book, Jiang Yiheng seemed to be a person with a sense of justice.


    So his words were probably meant to tell her that the girl from earlier was suspicious.


    Although this didn''t seem to be part of the original plot, based on Song Yi''s experience of reading hundreds of romance novels, a qualified female protagonist always had to suffer bullying from cannon fodder characters.


    She had even beaten up the male lead, so what was there to be afraid of?


    Song Yi came to terms with the situation, then lowered her head and rummaged through her bag, pulling out a hammer.


    System: [When did you put that in there???]


    Song Yi answered matter-of-factly, "Oh, I just grabbed it on my way out this morning."


    System: [......]


    What kind of normal person casually grabs a hammer?


    *


    After school, Song Yi arrived punctually at the door of the room the girl had mentioned, inwardly feeling somewhat contemptuous.


    Look at the rust on this door; it''s clearly not used often. They really think they can fool her so easily.


    Nevertheless, Song Yi pushed the door open, while simultaneously taking a step back.


    A bucket fell from above. Although Song Yi had consciously dodged it, some dirty water still splashed onto her white sneakers.


    Two girls stood inside the room. Seeing that Song Yi had avoided most of the dirty water, disappointment flashed in their eyes. But they quickly exchanged a glance, then rushed forward to roughly grab Song Yi''s arms, dragging her into the room.


    Song Yi''s eyes showed a frightened expression. She looked at them pitifully, struggling and shouting, "What are you trying to do? Is anyone there? Can someone please help me!"


    _


    Shen Yujing hurriedly walked into Building A7. The bruise under his eye had faded considerably since noon, but his expression was even more grim than before.


    Zhang Yong had just come to him seeking praise, and that''s when Shen Yujing learned what he had done.


    Although Shen Yujing wouldn''t easily forgive Song Yi, he absolutely wouldn''t stoop to such tasteless actions.


    What he wanted was to win fair and square, not to coerce the other party with such underhanded tactics.


    So now, his goal was to rescue Song Yi.


    When he arrived at the room Zhang Yong had told him about, Shen Yujing realized something was wrong upon seeing the iron bucket and puddle of dirty water at the door.


    Had he arrived too late?


    Shen Yujing reached out to push the door, but found it was locked from the inside.


    "Song Yi! Song Yi!"


    Shen Yujing pounded on the door, shouting her name, but the response he got was painful female screams. It seemed the expected bullying was taking place just beyond the door.


    Shen Yujing''s brow furrowed even more. At this moment, he had no time to think of anything else. He took two steps back and forcefully kicked the door lock.


    The old lock swayed precariously and soon fell to the ground.


    With a creaking sound, the door gap widened, and the situation inside was fully revealed to Shen Yujing.


    He saw that the two girls Zhang Yong had sent to teach Song Yi a lesson were tied to chairs, with cloths stuffed in their mouths, frantically struggling and begging him for help. They looked more like the victims.


    And the fragile girl he had imagined might be crying from being bullied was now standing nonchalantly to the side, tilting her head and looking at him while raising... a hammer??? from behind her back.


    Shen Yujing: "......"


    Wait, why is there a hammer? He didn''t understand.


    Moreover, the current situation seemed quite different from what he had imagined.


    "Shen Yujing!" Song Yi called out his name, then enthusiastically extended an invitation, "Want to play whack-a-mole together?"


    The girl''s almond eyes looked utterly innocent, and her smile seemed genuine, but her next words were like a devil''s whisper¡ª


    "Of course, you''re all moles."

 Chapter 4

    Shen Yujing pursed his lips and replied without hesitation, "No, I don''t want to."


    Song Yi wasn''t really interested in playing games with Shen Yujing either, so she got straight to the point: "They both admitted they were acting on Zhang Yong''s orders, and Zhang Yong has always obeyed you. Are you surprised to see me standing here unharmed?"


    Shen Yujing neither confirmed nor denied it. He simply walked forward and untied the ropes binding the two girls, saying, "You two can go now."


    The two girls, already terrified by Song Yi''s threats, quickly fled the scene.


    Song Yi didn''t try to stop them. Instead, she smiled even more gently at Shen Yujing and asked, "You bullied me, so I defended myself. No problem with that, right?"


    As she spoke, Song Yi raised the hammer in her hand and took a few steps towards Shen Yujing, looking as if she might smash his head in at any moment.


    There was less than half a meter between them now.


    Shen Yujing lowered his gaze and said softly, "I didn''t order it. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have needed to rush over here to stop it."


    Shen Yujing wasn''t afraid of fighting Song Yi, but it was in his nature to not tolerate any false accusations.


    Song Yi narrowed her eyes slightly, scanning Shen Yujing from head to toe, trying to determine if he was lying.


    Given this troublemaker''s family background, he had always been bold enough to take responsibility for his actions. There seemed to be no reason for him to deceive her.


    "Alright," Song Yi nodded, choosing to believe Shen Yujing. She handed him the hammer she was holding, "Then I''ll be going now. Consider this a gift for you."


    This hammer wasn''t really a gift; it was a threat.


    If Shen Yujing dared to cause any trouble, she would eventually smash his head in.


    Song Yi didn''t want to have much interaction with Shen Yujing. Making him understand today that she wasn''t some delicate flower was enough, so she prepared to leave.


    However, just as she reached the door, someone grabbed her wrist from behind.


    Song Yi shook off Shen Yujing''s hand and asked, "I''m not holding anything against you anymore. What else do you want?"


    Shen Yujing laughed bitterly, pointing at the bruise under his eye, "You''re not holding anything against me? Did I say I was going to let the incident from this afternoon slide so easily?"


    The reason he hadn''t let Zhang Yong "take care of it" for him was that he wanted to settle the score with Song Yi personally.


    Song Yi was getting impatient: "So what do you want?"


    Shen Yujing slowly raised the hammer Song Yi had just given him, his face expressionless as he said word by word: "You should pay some price, shouldn''t you?"


    Price?


    Song Yi looked up at the words "Saint Yu Boys'' High School" and fell into deep thought. What price did Shen Yujing want her to pay by bringing her here?


    Transfer her to the boys'' high school? Although she didn''t mind, it didn''t seem appropriate.


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi and asked, "Can you fight?"


    Song Yi replied, "Of course."


    Shen Yujing wasn''t annoyed and continued, "I want to teach someone a lesson. If you win against him, we''ll call it even between us."


    Song Yi became interested, "Call it even? You mean if we meet at school in the future, we''ll act like we don''t know each other at all?"


    Shen Yujing tilted his chin up arrogantly and nodded.


    The person Shen Yujing was waiting for was his arch-nemesis, Xu Che from the boys'' high school. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    They had been neighbors as children. According to their parents, both had equally volatile tempers, so they had been at odds since they could walk. This continued as they grew up, with fights breaking out every few days.


    It wasn''t until they separated for high school that the conflicts decreased slightly, but the two high schools were so close that they still couldn''t completely avoid each other.


    If Song Yi could beat Xu Che, or even just fight him to a draw, it would be enough to humiliate him.


    Soon, a provocative voice sounded from behind¡ª


    "Well, well, the young master Shen finally showed up. I thought you had chickened out. I even went to buy a drink nearby and was about to head back."


    Laughter followed, obviously from this person''s lackeys trying to please him.


    Song Yi turned around to see a tall, thin boy with a buzz cut approaching. Unlike the aristocratic uniforms of Saint Slee Academy, the traditional blue and white school uniform draped over his shoulders didn''t look the least bit rustic.


    There was a scar about three centimeters long at the outer end of the boy''s left eyebrow. Rather than marring his appearance, it added a touch of ferocity. His high, straight nose was above lips that were slightly chapped, and he wore a very simple silver earring.


    Xu Che was holding a milk tea he had just bought in his left hand, looking nonchalant. When he saw Song Yi, he extinguished the cigarette in his right hand.


    "Don''t speak too soon. Don''t cry if you lose later," Shen Yujing said, then looked at Song Yi beside him, signaling her to step up.


    Song Yi cooperated by taking a step forward and even formally cupped her fist at Xu Che in greeting.


    Everyone burst into laughter, while Xu Che raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You want a little girl to fight me?"


    Shen Yujing nodded, and Xu Che''s lackeys laughed again.


    "Boss Xu, this little girl is as thin as paper. Don''t knock her out with one punch."


    "What''s this new strategy? That''s not how you use the honey trap tactic. Or is this some kind of scam?"


    "I don''t think so. Shen Yujing is obviously showing off that he has a girlfriend and our Boss Xu doesn''t. This is a blatant psychological attack! Boss Xu, you''ve definitely lost this round!"


    This comment successfully earned an eye roll from Xu Che, "Get lost."


    Song Yi found standing around boring and just wanted to finish quickly and go home. So she took the initiative to step towards Xu Che, "Don''t look down on me. Let''s get started."


    Xu Che''s lackeys continued to make a fuss.


    "That''s right, Boss Xu. Such a pretty little beauty is inviting you, you should at least give her face!"


    "Just don''t hit her face, and go easy on her!"


    Xu Che looked down at her, his expression lazy but with a hint of helplessness, "Little girl, do you like Shen Yujing so much that you have to stand up for him?"


    Xu Che had seen this kind of situation before. Once when he had hit Shen Yujing a bit too hard, a girl who admired Shen Yujing felt sorry for him and tried to bribe Xu Che with money to deliberately lose to Shen Yujing in the future.


    Xu Che didn''t need money, so of course he didn''t agree. But after fighting with Shen Yujing for so many years, he suddenly felt a bit envious of Shen Yujing, because someone cared about him so much.


    Song Yi didn''t understand Xu Che''s strange logic and simply said, "I''d rather die than like him."


    According to the original plot, if she liked Shen Yujing, she would die. If Shen Yujing liked her, she would also die. How unlucky!


    Although there didn''t seem to be anything wrong with these words, Shen Yujing suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable.


    Xu Che didn''t respond to Song Yi''s statement. Instead, he lowered his head and placed the milk tea he was holding into her hand, "Here, hold this. It''s hot."


    Song Yi looked at him, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.


    What was he doing?


    "Consider it my loss," Xu Che said as he turned around, leaving only one sentence behind, "Shen Yujing, don''t embarrass yourself like this next time."


    With Xu Che gone, his lackeys stood there, staring at each other in bewilderment.


    "I get it! Shen Yujing was showing off his girlfriend, right? So our Boss Xu used the gentle approach to make Shen Yujing''s girlfriend fall for him!"


    "Brilliant! Putting such a big green hat on Shen Yujing''s head, our Boss Xu will always have the upper hand over him!"


    "I see! As expected, Boss Xu is clever!"


    The lackeys blindly worshipped and praised Xu Che, then gradually followed after him.


    Song Yi flexed her hand joints and, staring at Xu Che''s retreating figure, asked only two words, "Chase him?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer, but turned and walked in the opposite direction.


    Song Yi looked at one side, then the other, and finally in front of her.


    Quite conveniently, the bus stop was right there.


    Shen Yujing walked alone for a long time, with footsteps always following not too far behind him.


    Finally, he stopped impatiently, "Why are you still following me? Can''t you understand..."


    When he saw the unfamiliar face of an old woman behind him, the irritated words suddenly got stuck in Shen Yujing''s throat.


    The old lady reached out to him, "Young man, can you give me the water bottle in your hand?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Damn it, where did Song Yi go? Did she really just leave him like that?


    Could it be, as Xu Che''s lackeys said, that she was so easily seduced by Xu Che and wanted to put a green hat on his head to make him forever inferior to Xu Che?


    Bah! What nonsense.


    Is Song Yi still considered a girl? On the surface, she looks delicate and fragile, as if a breeze could knock her over. But in reality? She doesn''t have a single trait that a girl should have!


    If it weren''t for... if it weren''t for the fact that her grades could surpass Jiang Yiheng''s, he wouldn''t have let her off so easily.


    *


    The original owner''s family lived in an old residential area, all single-story houses, so each household had its own small courtyard.


    As soon as Song Yi entered, she saw Song''s Father stooped over, one hand leaning on a cane, the other holding a plastic water bottle, watering the flowers in the yard.


    Song Yi hurried forward to support him, "Didn''t the doctor say you should rest? Go back to your room and relax."


    The man was actually only in his forties, but the pressures of life had given him more grey hair than others his age. Having just had surgery, he looked particularly frail at the moment.


    Yet upon seeing Song Yi enter, he still managed a smile, "Yiyi, you''re home. Dinner''s ready, all your favorites."


    Three dishes were laid out on the table: stir-fried cucumber with eggs, tofu with cabbage, and tomato seaweed soup.


    Song Yi: "..."


    In fact, the original owner didn''t really like these dishes either, but because she was understanding, she always chose the cheaper options.


    For Song Yi, who only loved meat, this was undoubtedly a painful ordeal.


    But faced with Song''s Father''s loving gaze, she could only force herself to eat.


    Song''s Father asked about Song Yi''s adjustment to the new school, talking a lot and asking many questions.


    This was the first time Song Yi had felt the care of family, and there was a subtle, strange feeling in her chest. She listened attentively to Song''s Father''s chatter and answered each question seriously.


    After finishing the meal, she took the initiative to carry the dishes to the kitchen, "Dad, you rest. I''ll wash these. Also, didn''t Saint Slee Academy give us a living allowance? You should think about your health too. Buy more meat to eat, so you can recover faster."


    Song''s Father looked at his always-sensible daughter, his eyes slightly reddened. He then agreed and changed the subject, "Oh, Yiyi, have you seen the hammer in the kitchen? The screw on the chair is loose, I need to hammer it back in."


    Song Yi''s hand froze in mid-air as she was washing the dishes, her expression also freezing.


    Haha, hammer, hammer... She had casually given it to Shen Yujing.


    Never mind, she''d buy a new one tomorrow. It wasn''t a big deal.


    Song''s Father continued: "That hammer has been with Dad for over a decade, almost as old as you. Where did it go? I can''t find it..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    It seemed quite important. What the hell was she going to do now?


    *


    At 11:30 PM.


    Shen Yujing had just finished showering and was lying in bed playing with his phone when he noticed a new friend request on WeChat.


    [I''m Song Yi, I need to talk to you about something]


    Shen Yujing sat up in bed like a carp flipping out of water, accepting the request without hesitation.


    Song Yi: Can you return my hammer to me?


    Shen Yujing: Who asks for a gift back after giving it?


    Song Yi: I''ll give you a bigger and newer one in exchange, guaranteed to be more convenient for hitting people.


    Shen Yujing: No way, and what kind of talk is that? Girls should act more like girls.


    Song Yi: So you''re saying you won''t return it to me?


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer directly, instead saying [You''ll see tomorrow]


    After replying to this WeChat message, Shen Yujing tossed his phone aside and looked at the desk with an expression of admiring a work of art. On it sat a¡ª


    Pink hammer.


    It was still the same hammer from earlier that day, only now it had been dyed pink and adorned with a huge bow.


    Shen Yujing''s lips curved slightly upward, his eyes filled with satisfaction at his handiwork.


    Not bad, this was barely starting to look like something a girl should have.

 Chapter 5

    The next morning.


    Learning from yesterday''s lesson, Song Yi took an earlier bus to school. However, as she entered the school gates, she saw a familiar figure.


    Twin ponytails, small dimples - it was the girl who had come to her class yesterday.


    Upon seeing Song Yi, the girl immediately became nervous. She hesitated, biting her lip, "I''m sorry, classmate, I..."


    Song Yi smiled at her and said, "It''s okay, I know you had no choice."


    As Shen Yujing''s follower, Zhang Yong had considerable influence among the students at this school. He often handled matters that Shen Yujing couldn''t deal with directly, and most people didn''t dare to offend him lightly.


    Hearing Song Yi''s words, the girl''s expression relaxed a bit. She extended her hand to Song Yi, "Hello, I''m Lu Qingqing from Class C. If you need any help in the future, feel free to come find me."


    This name made Song Yi''s smile freeze on her face.


    What a coincidence, this wasn''t just some nameless extra in the original plot.


    Lu Qingqing, the third female lead, was a much more sinister female antagonist compared to Murong Huan. S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Her family wasn''t particularly wealthy. The reason she could attend Saint Slee was because her father worked for the Shen Family as Shen Yujing''s father''s secretary.


    Lu Qingqing had harbored a secret crush on Shen Yujing since childhood, so she always saw the original host as a thorn in her side. She would use friendship to get close to the original host, but behind her back, she employed all sorts of underhanded tactics to frame and provoke her.


    If Murong Huan''s dislike for the original host was open and straightforward, then Lu Qingqing''s methods relied on exploiting the original host''s trust and dependence to hurt her so deeply.


    It had to be said that Lu Qingqing''s acting skills were excellent. If Song Yi hadn''t known the original plot, she might have been deceived by her appearance just like the original host.


    Before Song Yi could respond to Lu Qingqing, she heard someone calling her name from behind -


    "Song Yi, why are you still here? Shen Yujing sent you a gift, aren''t you going to check it out?"


    The one speaking was a male student from Class A. Although Song Yi couldn''t remember his name, she had some impression of his face.


    But... Shen Yujing? Gift?


    These two words put together felt odd no matter how she thought about it. Instinct told Song Yi it probably wasn''t anything good.


    Lu Qingqing''s smile obviously became a bit unnatural, but she still said gently, "You should hurry to class then."


    Song Yi felt something was off, so she asked the boy, "What did he send?"


    The boy shook his head, "I don''t know. It''s wrapped in a pink gift box, placed on your desk."


    Sensing Lu Qingqing''s clearly envious gaze beside her, Song Yi turned to her and asked directly, "Do you want it?"


    Lu Qingqing was taken aback and immediately declined, "This is something Shen Yujing sent to you. It wouldn''t be right for me to take it."


    Her mouth said it wasn''t right, but her eyes were clearly filled with anticipation.


    So Song Yi grabbed her hand and said enthusiastically, "It''s fine, come on. I''ll take responsibility if anything happens."


    In the end, Lu Qingqing couldn''t resist this "temptation" and went with Song Yi to Class A.


    She had known Shen Yujing for so many years but had never received even a word of blessing from him, let alone a gift. And today, even if she took the gift, it was because Song Yi wanted to give it to her, so Shen Yujing wouldn''t blame her.


    The pink gift box looked out of place on the desk, with an exaggerated large bow tied around it. Song Yi picked it up and handed it directly to Lu Qingqing.


    Quan Le looked at her with surprise, "Special student, this is a gift from Shen Yujing. So many girls would love to have it but can''t. You should at least take a look."


    "I don''t want it," Song Yi refused without hesitation. Then she put her hands on Lu Qingqing''s shoulders and pushed her out of Class A, "Class is about to start, you should head back first."


    Quan Le followed right behind Song Yi and gave her a thumbs up, "You''re the first person who could refuse Shen Yujing like this."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She remembered that in the original plot, Quan Le had said something similar -


    "You''re the first person who could make Shen Yujing so happy."


    Don''t think about it, don''t think about it. It''s so unlucky.


    So Song Yi ignored Quan Le and the curious gazes of her classmates, opened her textbook, and started studying.


    It wasn''t that Song Yi loved studying, but the original host was the top student in their grade. She was afraid that if her grades dropped too much, she might be kicked out of Saint Slee after the next monthly exam.


    Shen Yujing giving a gift to a girl for the first time, and to a girl who had beaten him up yesterday no less, was shocking enough. But the key point was that this girl didn''t even look at it before giving it away to someone else. This naturally sparked another round of discussion on the school''s forum.


    1L: Tears of envy are flowing out.


    2L: If Shen Yujing gave me a gift, I might faint from happiness. How can Song Yi not appreciate it at all!


    19L: By the way, does anyone know who ended up with Shen Yujing''s gift?


    27L: I know, I know! Lu Qingqing from Class C took it. She seems to be quite familiar with Shen Yujing.


    67L: Breaking news! Shen Yujing has come to Class C! He''s already gone to find Lu Qingqing!


    At that moment, in Class C.


    Lu Qingqing placed the gift box on her desk and looked innocently at Shen Yujing, explaining, "Song Yi said she didn''t want your gift and was going to throw it in the trash. I thought that wasn''t right, so I took it back first, planning to return it to you after school."


    Her words were quite skillful. First, she put the blame on Song Yi, then used the excuse of not wanting to embarrass Shen Yujing. Her words were full of consideration for him.


    Shen Yujing''s face was gloomy, looking like he might explode at any moment. But after a few seconds of silence, he still managed to contain his anger, picked up the gift box, and turned to walk back to Class A.


    Watching Shen Yujing''s back, the corners of Lu Qingqing''s lips curved up slightly.


    Immediately, classmates from Class C gathered around her, eagerly asking -


    "Qingqing, was young master Shen angry just now? He looked so scary."


    "Does Shen Yujing like that Song Yi? Otherwise, why would he give her a gift?"


    "And how did Shen Yujing''s gift end up with you? What exactly happened?"


    Lu Qingqing had always been seen as approachable by her classmates. She explained, "You''ve all misunderstood. I don''t know the details either. I was just doing Shen Yujing a favor."


    Immediately, one of Lu Qingqing''s friends chimed in to support her, "Don''t spread rumors. How could Shen Yujing like that kind of special scholarship student? He and our Qingqing have known each other for so many years. When have you ever seen any other girls around him?"


    At the center of the crowd, Lu Qingqing just smiled gently, without explaining much.


    In reality, Lu Qingqing and Shen Yujing were barely acquainted. At most, they knew each other. Usually, she could get invitations to various Shen Family banquets through her father''s connections.


    But Lu Qingqing never denied others'' speculations about her relationship with Shen Yujing. She always kept her words vague, leaving plenty of room for imagination.


    After all, with her ordinary family background, having Shen Yujing as a "backer" in such a school would make her life much easier.


    How could these young masters and misses born with silver spoons understand her struggles? She had to carefully maintain her status, fearing that one day she might end up in the same boat as those poor special scholarship students.


    So, you see, she wasn''t wrong at all.


    *


    In Class A.


    Amidst the commotion, Shen Yujing walked in expressionlessly and went straight to Song Yi. "Come out with me for a moment."


    "No time," Song Yi remembered how Shen Yujing had refused to return her hammer yesterday, forcing her to wake up early to buy a new one at the market. This made her even more impatient with Shen Yujing, so she didn''t want to bother with him.


    "Bang!"


    A loud noise forced Song Yi to look up at Shen Yujing. "What do you want..."


    Before Song Yi could finish speaking, her gaze followed Shen Yujing''s hand to the desk beside her.


    On Jiang Yiheng''s desk now sat a pink, incredibly ugly, bizarrely shaped... huh? Was that her hammer???


    Huh???


    After not seeing it for one night, how had her little hammer turned into this monstrosity???


    Seeing Song Yi speechless, Shen Yujing impatiently spoke up, "Didn''t you ask me to return it to you?"


    Song Yi: "No need, I don''t need it anymore."


    She felt a twinge of pain in her heart. How had her perfectly good hammer been transformed into this monstrosity by Shen Yujing? Just how much did he hate her to torment her little hammer like this?


    Shen Yujing let out a cold laugh. "Song Yi, are you toying with me?"


    Song Yi lowered her head and continued working on her problems, responding dismissively like a dense guy, "If that''s what you want to think, I can''t help it."


    In the end, that little pink hammer was thrown into Class A''s trash can by Shen Yujing.


    It wasn''t until Shen Yujing left that the entire Class A breathed a collective sigh of relief, but no one dared to discuss loudly what had just happened.


    The online forum, however, was a different story¡ª


    [Shocking! Song Yi didn''t accept Shen Yujing''s gift, angering the young master so much he went to confront her with a hammer in hand!]


    [This time the hammer hit the desk, next time will it hit Song Yi''s head... I''m starting to get scared]


    [What''s going on? Why is Shen Yujing''s temper getting worse and worse?]


    [Using force is one thing, but Song Yi is still a girl. Isn''t Shen Yujing going too far by bringing a weapon?]


    [That''s Shen Yujing for you. Nothing he does should surprise us anymore.]


    [The top student sure is interesting. Want to bet on when the young master Shen will manage to drive her out of Saint Slee?]


    [Bring it on! Place your bets!]


    ...


    At the entrance of Class A.


    Jiang Yiheng had heard the names "Song Yi" and "Shen Yujing" mentioned together countless times on his way here, causing his brows to furrow slightly.


    Although he didn''t know exactly what had happened, it wasn''t any of his business anyway.


    That''s what Jiang Yiheng originally thought, until he returned to his own seat.


    An unusual expression appeared on the young man''s typically calm face. His long, pale fingers pressed against the desktop, the knuckles turning white from excessive force.


    He didn''t care about the relationship between Shen Yujing and Song Yi, nor did he care about what had happened between them.


    Really, not at all.


    But... could someone please tell him, what on earth happened to his desk?


    Where did this huge dent come from???

 Chapter 6

    In the afternoon, during the last self-study period.


    The student council meeting room.


    Jiang Yiheng sat at the head of the table, with a confused Song Yi on his left and an impatient Shen Yujing on his right.


    As the head of the Disciplinary Inspection Department of the student council, Jiang Yiheng had both the responsibility and obligation to intervene in this matter after receiving a report about Shen Yujing''s alleged bullying of Song Yi on campus.


    Shen Yujing leaned back in his chair, irritably ruffling his hair. "I''ve said it eight hundred times already, I wasn''t carrying the hammer to beat her up. Are you incapable of understanding human speech?"


    "Oh," Jiang Yiheng responded, looking at Shen Yujing with a blank expression. "So you were carrying a hammer to smash my desk?"


    "That was an accident too!" Shen Yujing grew even more impatient. "Jiang Yiheng, don''t tell me you''re holding a grudge against me over a broken desk?"


    Ignoring him, Jiang Yiheng turned to Song Yi and asked for confirmation: "You really weren''t threatened by him?"


    Song Yi shook her head and, after a moment''s hesitation, spoke up for Shen Yujing, "It really was a misunderstanding."


    Jiang Yiheng nodded and announced Shen Yujing''s punishment, "According to Article 17 of the student code of conduct, for bringing dangerous items to school and using them to damage school property, you''ll be responsible for cleaning the music classroom on the third floor of Building A3 tonight. The student council will inspect it tomorrow."


    Shen Yujing laughed bitterly, "My family has donated so many buildings to the school, and I can''t even smash one desk?"


    Jiang Yiheng closed the file in front of him and said, "I''m sure your father would be pleased to see you contribute some labor to the school."


    Jiang Yiheng was using Shen Yujing''s father to pressure him, and Shen Yujing was helpless against it.


    Song Yi thought to herself that Jiang Yiheng looked quite handsome when confronting Shen Yujing head-on. Suddenly, she noticed Shen Yujing''s gaze on her.


    Shen Yujing grinned at Song Yi, pointing at her while addressing Jiang Yiheng, "But she''s the one who brought the hammer to school."


    Song Yi: "?"


    No way, how could he be so disloyal?


    Jiang Yiheng frowned at her, seeming somewhat disbelieving, and asked, "Is that true?"


    Song Yi: "...Yes."


    "Then you two can clean together," Jiang Yiheng coldly dropped this sentence before standing up and leaving.


    Song Yi gazed forlornly at his retreating figure, when suddenly a hand landed on her shoulder.


    Shen Yujing''s face was very close, looking at her with an ambiguous smile, "Stop daydreaming, let''s go clean."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Wait, why, how did it end up like this?


    *


    After school, in Building A3.


    Song Yi was still holding a rag and wiping the windows when she turned to look woefully at Shen Yujing, who was holding a broom nearby. "I have a question."


    Shen Yujing looked at her, "Go ahead."


    Song Yi was utterly perplexed, "Aren''t you supposed to be the school bully? Where are all your minions? Why are you cleaning by yourself?"


    What kind of cool, arrogant school bully would actually do the cleaning himself when punished like this? She just couldn''t understand!


    Moreover, Shen Yujing clearly didn''t know how to clean properly. He was inefficient and doing a poor job, completely holding her back!


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer her question, only urging, "Hurry up, we''re not leaving until it''s all clean."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Fine, she''d endure it.


    By the time it got dark outside, a full two hours had passed, and Song Yi''s back and waist were aching. They had finally finished cleaning the classrooms on this floor.


    Of course, if it weren''t for Shen Yujing''s counterproductive help, Song Yi believed they could have finished in just one hour.


    There was still one last storage room left. It was very dusty inside, with tables and chairs in disarray, clearly unused for a long time.


    Cleaning this room thoroughly would be a big job. It took them a full hour to get it reasonably clean.


    Song Yi said, "Let''s change the water one last time and wipe everything down once more, then we should be done."


    "Alright," Shen Yujing responded, taking the bucket downstairs.


    Song Yi glanced at her phone. It was already past 9 PM.


    She rubbed her stomach, feeling hunger pangs as she collapsed into a chair.


    Just a little longer, just a little longer, and she could go home to eat.


    After sitting for a moment, fatigue washed over her. Song Yi had only meant to rest for a bit, but unconsciously her head drooped, and her eyelids grew heavy.


    She wondered why Shen Yujing wasn''t back yet...


    When Shen Yujing returned, he found Song Yi asleep in the chair.


    The girl had fallen asleep from exhaustion. Her small face, with skin so fair and smooth it seemed almost poreless, looked completely soft and gentle with her eyes closed. She appeared incredibly cute, without a trace of her earlier confrontational attitude.


    Shen Yujing found himself staring, transfixed. He reached out his hand, attempting to pinch her slightly chubby cheek.


    Her skin looked so delicate; he wondered if pinching it would leave a red mark.


    If he woke her up, would she get angry?


    But that was fine too. She looked good when she was angry...


    As Shen Yujing''s thoughts wandered, just as his hand was about to touch Song Yi''s face, the sound of a lock clicking came from outside the door.


    Shen Yujing startled, immediately shouting towards the door, "Don''t lock it! There are people inside!"


    However, the person at the door seemed not to hear Shen Yujing''s voice at all, and their footsteps quickly faded away.


    Song Yi, on the other hand, was woken up by Shen Yujing''s shout. She rubbed her eyes and asked, "What happened?"


    Shen Yujing, feeling anxious, turned to look at her, "The door''s been locked from the outside!"


    Song Yi couldn''t understand, "The lights are on in here. Even if the security guard was locking up, wouldn''t they come in to turn off the lights first?"


    "That person seemed deaf. They didn''t hear me no matter how loud I shouted," Shen Yujing found it strange too. He then pulled out his phone from his pocket, looking agitated, "It''s fine, we can just call..."


    However, Shen Yujing''s words trailed off halfway. He turned to Song Yi and said, "My phone''s dead."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.


    Sure enough, although Song Yi''s phone had power, there was no signal.


    How could there be no signal in the school? Unless...


    Song Yi mentally questioned her system, "Did you guys have something to do with this?"


    [The main characters'' auras naturally attract each other. If they spend enough time together, classic Mary Sue novel scenarios will randomly occur! It''s like a surprise blind box~]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Do you want this blessing or not?


    The male and female leads getting trapped together somewhere, cuddling through the night and developing feelings for each other - this kind of "classic Mary Sue scenario" was beyond clich¨¦.


    Then the news would spread throughout the school, and she would definitely be targeted by all the girls who admired Shen Yujing.


    Just thinking about the plot that might unfold, Song Yi shuddered with disgust.


    Shen Yujing noticed Song Yi''s anxiety and deliberately put on an unconcerned appearance, "What are you worried about? This is a school. It''s not like we''ll die from staying one night."


    Song Yi wasn''t really counting on Shen Yujing for help anyway, so she checked all the doors and windows before finally bending down to examine the door lock.


    She then turned back to Shen Yujing, "Come here, we should be able to kick this door open."


    "I don''t want to," Shen Yujing refused without hesitation.


    Song Yi: "You kicked a door open last time."


    Shen Yujing: "This is different."


    Song Yi''s gaze fell on Shen Yujing with a hint of disdain, "Don''t tell me you can''t do it?"


    Shen Yujing let out a cold laugh, "Who do you think you''re looking down on?"


    Song Yi smiled at him, "Then let''s have a competition. We''ll take turns kicking, and see who opens the door first."


    *


    "Boom¡ª"


    "Bang¡ª"


    Shen Yujing and Song Yi took turns kicking at the door lock. Shen Yujing was fired up, determined to kick the door open before Song Yi.


    After several unsuccessful attempts, Shen Yujing turned to search for other tools in the room.


    Song Yi took a deep breath, stepped back, and raised her foot again¡ª


    "Click¡ª"


    The door suddenly opened from the outside, revealing a somewhat familiar face in the dimness. It was Jiang Yiheng.


    At that moment, Song Yi''s leg was already high in the air, about to kick Jiang Yiheng in the stomach. She hurriedly tried to force her leg down, which caused her to lose her balance.


    As a result, under Jiang Yiheng''s indifferent yet slightly puzzled gaze, Song Yi lost control and fell to the ground, performing a perfect split for him.


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Ouch! It hurts!


    After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Yiheng still asked, "What are you doing?"


    Song Yi''s face contorted in pain, but her mind started racing.


    She and Shen Yujing were supposed to clean an entire floor as punishment because of a desk incident. If Jiang Yiheng found out they were trying to break down the door, wouldn''t they end up having to clean the whole building?


    No, no, such a tragedy absolutely cannot happen.


    So Song Yi looked up at Jiang Yiheng, forcing a smile and saying with a straight face, "Actually, I''m practicing dancing. How do you think my split looks?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    At that moment, Shen Yujing, who had found an iron rod in the corner, turned around and was also startled to see the suddenly open door and the inexplicably present Jiang Yiheng.


    Shen Yujing rested the iron rod on his shoulder and sneered, "What''s going on? Why are you here?"


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer Shen Yujing. Instead, he looked down at Song Yi, who was still sitting on the ground, and asked expressionlessly, "So you''re doing splits, right? Then what about him?"


    Song Yi glanced back at Shen Yujing and quickly answered before he could speak, "He''s practicing... pole vaulting! That''s right! Pole vaulting!"


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    He looked down at the iron rod in his hand suspiciously. Could this thing really be used for pole vaulting?


    Jiang Yiheng continued to stare at Song Yi. "Practicing pole vaulting with an iron rod, are you sure?"


    Song Yi unconsciously swallowed and spoke in an even smaller voice, weakly saying, "If you prefer, pole... pole dancing is not out of the question either."


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "...???" S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 7

    As Song Yi watched Jiang Yiheng and Shen Yujing staring at each other intently over the metal pole, she covered her face with one hand, preparing for her flimsy lie to be exposed.


    But Shen Yujing wasn''t concerned about pole dancing anymore. Instead, he asked Jiang Yiheng again, "You still haven''t answered me. Why are you here?"


    Jiang Yiheng explained, "The security guard checked the school''s surveillance cameras before leaving and noticed the light on in this room. I remembered you two were supposed to be cleaning tonight, so I came to check."


    Shen Yujing let out a cold snort, reluctantly accepting this explanation.


    Meanwhile, the system told Song Yi:


    [Kicking down the door? I can''t believe you actually did that! What kind of romantic drama clich¨¦ is this? It''s painful to watch! Absolutely painful! I can''t take it anymore! I really can''t take it anymore!!!]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Oh well, it''s all the same.


    Jiang Yiheng left first, while Song Yi and Shen Yujing walked to the school gate one after another.


    No matter how fast or slow Song Yi walked, Shen Yujing always followed about two meters behind her, neither too close nor too far.


    Song Yi stopped and turned to look at him, "Why are you following me?"


    "What can I do? Does your family own this road?" Shen Yujing asked, then suddenly smiled annoyingly with a look of sudden realization, "I almost forgot, my family paid to build this road too."


    Song Yi: "Oh, I''ll leave quickly then."


    Seeing Song Yi''s indifference towards him, Shen Yujing caught up with her this time, walking alongside her, and said, "It''s so dark. If you''re scared, I can consider having my driver take you home."


    Song Yi didn''t say anything, just gave Shen Yujing a complex look, her face clearly saying ¡ª


    What''s wrong with you?


    It was the first time in Shen Yujing''s life that he had been rejected by a girl. Even as he sat in the back seat of the car, he was still pondering why this had happened.


    Uncle Chen, who had been working for the Shen family for ten years, asked with concern, "Young Master, what happened today? Why are you coming back so late?"


    Mentioning this made Shen Yujing''s head hurt. He rubbed his temples and said, "I just broke a desk and was punished with cleaning duty."


    "What?" Uncle Chen was shocked, then said seriously, "How could they make the Young Master do such a thing? I''ll contact Director Li tomorrow."


    Shen Yujing closed his eyes in irritation, "Forget it, don''t bother. It won''t happen again."


    Seeing the fatigue on Shen Yujing''s face, Uncle Chen immediately understood that he needed rest. He adjusted the car''s air conditioning to a comfortable temperature and played a soft piano piece.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi caught the last bus and returned home.


    Song Yi used the excuse of extra classes at school, and Song''s Father didn''t suspect anything. He just kept putting meat in her bowl, reminding her to take care of her health even when busy with studies.


    Just when Song Yi thought the matter was over, a photo posted on the school forum the next morning stirred up quite a commotion.


    [Shocking! Are Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng dating? (Just kidding, don''t come for me)]


    It was clearly taken from a hidden angle. In the photo, Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng were standing face to face at a classroom door on the third-floor corridor.


    In the dim yellow light, Jiang Yiheng was bending down as if saying something to Song Yi. The scene even had a strangely compatible feel to it.


    Lu Qingqing sent this post to Song Yi, also informing her with concern:


    [Yi Yi, Murong Huan is waiting for you in Class A. Maybe you should avoid her for now. I''m afraid she might do something bad to you]


    Song Yi let out a sigh, feeling exhausted.


    Coming to school every day felt like opening a mystery box, always having to face different "surprises" at the center of gossip. Why was this happening?


    As soon as Song Yi reached the second floor, she saw Murong Huan''s dazzling pink hair in the sunlight.


    She stood at the door of Class A with her arms crossed, her expression serious and hard to read.


    Some students lingered in the corridor, pretending to get water, while others from other classes poked their heads out of windows, clearly wanting to see the drama unfold.


    Murong Huan put her hand directly on Song Yi''s shoulder, then looked coldly at the heads poking out from nearby classrooms, "What''s there to see? If you want to drop out, just say so."


    This threat immediately cowed many people, who sheepishly withdrew their gazes.


    Murong Huan led Song Yi downstairs, only letting go of her hand when they reached the first-floor corridor. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The two stood facing each other.


    Murong Huan looked at her with cold eyes.


    "It''s not like that, I can explain," Song Yi said as she lowered her head to open the photo on her phone, then zoomed in until the image showed... a metal pole sticking out from the doorway.


    Song Yi pointed at it and said to Murong Huan, "Look, this metal pole is Shen Yujing... I mean, Shen Yujing was holding the pole."


    Murong Huan continued to stare silently at Song Yi for a few seconds before she couldn''t help but burst out laughing, "Alright, I was just teasing you. You''re so serious."


    "Huh?"


    Now it was Song Yi''s turn to be confused.


    "I received this photo last night, and I was indeed very angry at first," Murong Huan said as she took out her own phone, opened a WeChat conversation, and handed it to Song Yi.


    It was clearly a WeChat account without a profile picture. After sending Murong Huan this photo, it had also said many things to stir up trouble, such as claiming that Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng were very close on a daily basis.


    Song Yi looked up at Murong Huan, seeing her current attitude, she had an answer in her heart, but was still a bit surprised, "You believe me?"


    "It''s not that I believe you, it''s mainly that I look down on them," Murong Huan said, her eyes filled with undisguised contempt as she continued, "Someone hiding behind the internet, not even daring to reveal their own name, how can I judge what their purpose is in telling me these things? Want to use me as a pawn? Maybe in the next life."


    Song Yi was very moved and agreed with Murong Huan''s words, nodding her head like a pecking chicken.


    Murong Huan continued, "Besides, Xu Che already told me that the person you like is Shen Yujing. To be honest, although Shen Yujing is not as good as Jiang Yiheng, he''s not bad either."


    Song Yi, who had been nodding frantically, suddenly froze: "???"


    No, no! Everything before was fine, but what was that last part?


    Xu Che said that? Just because Shen Yujing asked her to beat him up, his revenge was so strong that he spread rumors about her???


    Just as Song Yi wanted to explain, the system spoke up softly.


    [Murong Huan trusts you now because she thinks you like Shen Yujing. It''s suggested that the host just go along with this misunderstanding~]


    Seeing Song Yi''s face turning almost green, Murong Huan thought she was just embarrassed and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll keep it a secret for you."


    Song Yi: "..."


    This wasn''t about keeping secrets or not.


    But the system had a point. Rather than having Murong Huan misunderstand her relationship with Jiang Yiheng, it might be better to let her think she had a secret crush on Shen Yujing.


    Deviating from the original plot = moving away from the original ending = survival.


    After an internal struggle, Song Yi looked up at Murong Huan with a resigned expression, "You must, absolutely must, keep this a secret for me."


    This is really ridiculous.


    Song Yi thought to herself, her expression becoming increasingly numb.


    Murong Huan, on the other hand, excitedly winked at her, as if they had just made some kind of pact.


    At that moment, on the other side of the wall.


    The sound of a heartbeat became uncontrollably faster, as if about to burst through the chest.


    The blonde boy stood stiffly in place, his blood almost frozen, only his heart beating vigorously and excitedly, as if frantically declaring some subtle emotion to him.


    Shen Yujing could hardly believe what he had just heard. Song Yi actually liked him?


    Shen Yujing thought back to the first day he met Song Yi, and all the little moments between them over the past few days.


    Although he sometimes couldn''t understand many of Song Yi''s actions, once he thought that all of these were because she liked him, it somehow became acceptable.


    So these were all expressions of her liking him.


    Suddenly, everything seemed to make sense...


    No, it still didn''t make sense!


    How did any of her actions indicate liking him? What had he overlooked?!

 Chapter 8

    When Song Yi returned to the classroom, she saw Lu Qingqing waiting for her at the door.


    Song Yi asked with some surprise, "Why are you here?"


    Lu Qingqing immediately grabbed her hand, her eyes full of concern. "You didn''t reply to my messages. I was worried about you."


    "Don''t worry, everything''s fine," Song Yi said as she walked into the classroom.


    But Lu Qingqing followed her, saying softly, "Yi-yi, I believe there''s nothing between you and Jiang Yiheng, but Murong Huan likes him so much. With her personality, she won''t let you off easily. If she bullies you, please don''t keep it to yourself. You must tell me."


    Lu Qingqing seemed to genuinely care about her. If Song Yi didn''t know the original plot, she would surely have been deceived by this facade of kindness.


    At this moment, Song Yi sat down at her desk, took a sip from her water bottle, and said in a flat tone, "I''ve already said it''s fine. Why don''t you believe me? What exactly do you want to hear from me?"


    Lu Qingqing seemed taken aback by Song Yi''s direct confrontation of her intentions and was momentarily stunned.


    Some girls around them looked at Song Yi mockingly and chimed in.


    "Lu Qingqing, don''t bother worrying. Although Murong Huan can be a bit temperamental, some people aren''t even worthy of being considered competition."


    "Yeah, what kind of relationship could Song Yi possibly have with Jiang Yiheng? Someone as perfect as Jiang Yiheng would never be with a scholarship student."


    At school, Jiang Yiheng appeared as the image of a perfect academic god. Although many girls liked him, everyone had tacitly accepted his relationship with Murong Huan.


    Many people dared to be angry but not speak out against Murong Huan, but now that the target had changed to Song Yi, there was nothing to hold them back.


    Lu Qingqing lowered her head to comfort Song Yi, "Don''t take their words to heart."


    Before Song Yi could respond, a card fell to the ground.


    The sharp-eyed girls around them saw the card and let out a gasp of surprise.


    Lu Qingqing''s gentle smile froze on her face, but she tried to keep her voice calm as she asked, "Where did you get this invitation?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    What? Invitation? This piece of paper?


    Song Yi bent down to pick up the card, confused, and looked at Lu Qingqing. "What did you say this is?"


    Lu Qingqing didn''t answer, but a girl nearby quickly replied¡ª


    "It''s an invitation to Shen Yujing''s weekend birthday party!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Help, help me.


    This was what Murong Huan had slipped to her when they parted earlier. She suddenly understood the meaning behind Murong Huan''s thoughtful smile.


    The forum was instantly flooded with posts about this incident.


    [Holy crap! I''m shocked! That top student received an invitation to Shen Yujing''s birthday party!]


    1L: ???


    27L: ?????????? S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    35: Wuwuwu my heart is broken. Didn''t Shen Yujing say he was only inviting friends this time? So envious!


    44: I heard that apart from Shen Yujing''s few friends, only those from top-tier families got invitations. What qualifies this scholarship student?


    51: No, no, no! New information! It wasn''t Shen Yujing who gave it to Song Yi, it was Murong Huan!


    53: ?? I don''t understand this turn of events. So Murong Huan went to find Song Yi early in the morning, not because of Jiang Yiheng, but to give her an invitation to Shen Yujing''s birthday party?


    57: The post about Jiang Yiheng and Song Yi has been deleted! Murong Huan made a post! She said if anyone wants to smear Song Yi, they can come to her directly instead of hiding behind the internet and playing these underhanded tricks.


    66: Wow, what is Murong Huan doing? Giving a scholarship student an invitation to Shen Yujing''s birthday party, and publicly defending her. Has the young lady had a change of heart???


    74: This isn''t Murong Huan''s usual style. I don''t understand.


    91: Don''t understand +1!


    ...


    Not only were others confused, but even Song Yi herself didn''t understand what was going on.


    In the original plot, the protagonist never received this invitation, but another important event happened on this day.


    Shen Yujing''s birthday was on the weekend. At that time, the original protagonist was studying in the school library when she was locked in the bathroom and bullied. This incident was accidentally discovered by Jiang Yiheng, who was attending Shen Yujing''s birthday party.


    So Jiang Yiheng left the party to look for the protagonist, which made Murong Huan even more resentful and jealous.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing also learned about this incident. Because he had the male lead''s halo, he managed to rescue the protagonist before Jiang Yiheng.


    It was because of this incident that the first real spark of ambiguity and attraction occurred between the original protagonist and Shen Yujing. It could be said that this was a key moment in the development of their relationship.


    Thinking about this, Song Yi felt a chill run down her spine.


    It seemed that she would have to attend this birthday party after all, not only to deviate from the original plot but also to put Murong Huan at "ease".


    At this moment, in Class C.


    Hearing the girls around her discussing and envying Song Yi for getting an invitation to Shen Yujing''s birthday party, the hypocritical mask on Lu Qingqing''s face was on the verge of cracking.


    Her left hand, resting on her leg, was tightly clenched, while her right hand gripping the pen had already bled ink through the paper.


    Why? Why was all this happening?


    Murong Huan was supposed to be so stupid, so why hadn''t she fallen into her trap this time? How could she tolerate another woman appearing by Jiang Yiheng''s side?


    And that Song Yi, nothing but a scholarship student, exuding an aura of lowliness that made people feel sick and disgusted just by being near her, let alone having to pretend to be close to her.


    Suddenly, a girl in front turned around and asked expectantly, "Qingqing, do you have an invitation to Shen Yujing''s birthday party?"


    At this moment, many curious gazes were also fixed on Lu Qingqing.


    It was well known that for Shen Yujing''s birthday parties in the past two years, including old Mr. Shen''s birthday banquet and some charity events, Lu Qingqing had basically attended all the parties held by the Shen Family. This had made everyone present envious.


    Suddenly being asked this question, Lu Qingqing quickly adjusted her expression. "Of course, Dad mentioned it to me a couple of days ago. I haven''t seen Uncle Shen in a while, so it''s a good opportunity to pay a visit."


    "Wow! For Shen Yujing, Qingqing is indeed the most special. It''s so good to be family friends with the Shen Family."


    "Are Qingqing and Shen Yujing childhood sweethearts, as the legend goes?"


    "I''m so envious. I don''t ask for much, just to be able to attend the Shen Family''s parties in the future would be great."


    On the surface, Lu Qingqing continued to respond to others'' questions with a faint smile, but inside, she felt somewhat uncertain.


    Her father had made a mistake at work last week, so Lu Qingqing wasn''t confident about getting an invitation to this Shen Family party.


    But since she had already said it, she would achieve her goal no matter what.


    *


    The last class of the morning was Physical Education.


    After a morning of studying, the students had already exhausted their energy. The PE teacher simply led them through some warm-up exercises before letting everyone engage in free activities.


    Song Yi bought a piece of bread from the convenience store to fill her stomach and sat on the steps of the playground reading a book.


    Suddenly, a basketball came flying from afar, hitting the steps next to her and then bouncing off her leg before slowly rolling to the side.


    The pain made Song Yi frown slightly.


    A male voice called out¡ª


    "Hey! Scholarship student! Help throw it back!"


    Song Yi looked up to see Quan Le waving at her from the basketball court not far away.


    Song Yi stood up expressionlessly, hugged the basketball, and walked towards Quan Le.


    Quan Le shouted, "Just throw it over! Hurry up! Don''t dawdle!"


    Song Yi stopped, faced Quan Le''s direction, raised the basketball, and adjusted her angle.


    The next second, she lifted her hand high and forcefully threw towards Quan Le¡ª


    "Bang¡ª"


    The surrounding people''s exclamations accompanied the sound of Quan Le falling to the ground.


    The system slowly spoke.


    [Host, what are you doing?]


    Song Yi shrugged, answering innocently, "He insisted that I throw it over."


    [...]


    He wanted you to throw the ball over, not headshot him!


    *


    In the infirmary.


    Quan Le sat in the infirmary with a grim expression, holding an ice pack to the area under his eye.


    Actually, the basketball had hit his shoulder, but unfortunately, when he was knocked down, he flipped over and his face hit a nearby rock.


    Shen Yujing asked with a mischievous grin, "Isn''t Young Master Quan famous for his vengeful nature? How come you just let her walk away like that?"


    Quan Le: "..."


    This scene felt annoyingly familiar.


    Facing Shen Yujing, Quan Le saw no point in hiding the truth and admitted, "I couldn''t beat her. I really couldn''t."


    The direction and force of that basketball throw was enough for Quan Le to determine that whether it came to fists or basketballs, he was no match for Song Yi.


    If Song Yi hadn''t held back and aimed for his shoulder instead, he might have been lying in a hospital bed with a concussion right now.


    Shen Yujing looked at him and suddenly broke into a wide grin.


    The next second, Quan Le heard something even more exasperating.


    Shen Yujing said with a straight face, "No way! How can a girl have that much strength? If even you can''t beat her, it would be a shame for her not to compete in the Olympics and bring glory to our country."


    Quan Le: "..."


    He was certain now. Shen Yujing was doing this on purpose.


    Who was spreading rumors and tarnishing his reputation out there?


    Come and see for yourselves, who''s really the vengeful one here!

 Chapter 9

    Lunch break time.


    The atmosphere in the classroom was no different from usual, because Quan Le''s last words after being knocked down, spoken to preserve his dignity, were¡ª


    "No one is allowed to speak about what happened today!"


    As a result, not many people knew about the incident, and the forum remained peaceful.


    Song Yi was very satisfied with how Quan Le handled the situation, and after returning to the classroom, she rested her head on her desk.


    Half-asleep, a hand knocked on Song Yi''s desk, accompanied by a calm, detached voice saying, "Come with me for a moment."


    Song Yi drowsily lifted her head to see Jiang Yiheng standing in front of her. Though somewhat reluctant, she rubbed her eyes and followed him.


    At the corridor corner.


    Jiang Yiheng stopped, turned around, and looked down at her, asking, "You hit Quan Le with a basketball?"


    Song Yi felt a headache coming on. Wasn''t everyone supposed to keep quiet about this? How did Jiang Yiheng find out? Quan Le''s words were completely useless!


    Song Yi asked, "May I ask which school rule I''ve violated this time?"


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer her question. His expression grew more serious as he said, "Song Yi, if you want to stay at Saint Slee until graduation peacefully, there are some people you shouldn''t provoke."


    Song Yi looked up at Jiang Yiheng with an amused expression. "What do you mean by that? Just because I''m a special honors student, I should endure others'' bullying without fighting back? Is that what would satisfy you all and grant me your gracious permission to survive?"


    Of course Song Yi wanted to graduate from Saint Slee peacefully and live well, but absolutely not by swallowing her pride and staying silent.


    If one lives in this world always treading carefully and compromising on everything, then life itself loses its meaning.


    When he met the young girl''s eyes, the frankness and questioning in her gaze made Jiang Yiheng feel... guilty for a moment, instinctively wanting to look away.


    Although his words were well-intentioned, he couldn''t refute anything Song Yi had said. He hadn''t meant it that way, but it seemed that''s exactly what he had done.


    Some beliefs are so deeply rooted they''re like decayed leaves in the soil.


    The usually cold and proud young man felt ashamed of his own words for the first time, to the point where he couldn''t even look into Song Yi''s clear eyes.


    When the preparatory bell rang, Song Yi lost her patience and walked straight back to the classroom. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jiang Yiheng stood alone in place, silent for a long while.


    *


    The weekend arrived in the blink of an eye, and Song Yi was happy because she could finally get a good rest.


    However, this wish was quickly dashed.


    At nine o''clock on Saturday morning, Song Yi was completely dazed when she was awakened by a phone call.


    Seeing Murong Huan''s name on the incoming call screen, Song Yi hesitated for a few seconds before answering.


    A cheerful voice came through, "I''m waiting outside your house, you have five minutes to come down."


    Song Yi sat up in bed and pulled back the curtains to look down, seeing an eye-catchingly expensive Maybach parked below her building.


    Song Yi expressed her current mood in a single word: "Huh?"


    Murong Huan immediately became dissatisfied, "What do you mean ''huh''? Don''t dawdle, I''ve never waited for anyone before."


    With that, she hung up the phone.


    Although unable to comprehend the situation, Song Yi still crawled out of bed, quickly finished her morning routine, changed clothes, and went downstairs.


    The sunshine was pleasant, almost dazzling, warming anyone it touched.


    Murong Huan had opened the car door and stuck her head out, waving, "Come quickly!"


    Song Yi raised a hand to shield her forehead and walked to the car, asking puzzled: "Why are you here?"


    Murong Huan said: "Tomorrow is Shen Yujing''s birthday, what gift have you prepared for him?"


    Song Yi was silent for a few seconds before answering sincerely: "Would sincere birthday wishes count?"


    Murong Huan looked at her with an expression of exasperation, but only said: "Never mind, get in the car."


    *


    The largest mall in the Imperial Capital, a shopping paradise.


    Song Yi asked puzzled: "Why are we here?"


    Murong Huan linked arms with Song Yi, dragging her inside, "Of course to buy a birthday gift for Shen Yujing. Choose carefully, don''t worry about the price when I''m here."


    Song Yi: "No..."


    Murong Huan: "Don''t be polite."


    Song Yi: "I haven''t..."


    Murong Huan: "It''s fine, no need to thank me, it''s just pocket change."


    Song Yi: "I..."


    Murong Huan: "I''ll pay, take whatever you want."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Could she just get a word in?


    Finally, Song Yi followed Murong Huan to the luxury brand counters with a numb expression.


    Murong Huan was clearly a regular here, as the sales assistant immediately put down what she was doing when she saw her, enthusiastically bringing tea and snacks.


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan somewhat troubled, "We don''t really need to get something so expensive, right?"


    Murong Huan looked at her seriously, "I''ve already checked ¨C several girls who like Shen Yujing are on the guest list for his birthday party. They''re all your competitors! If your gift is too modest, they''ll look down on you, and you''ll lose at the starting line. I''ve also arranged a dress for you, though it''s being air-shipped from abroad and won''t arrive at your house until tonight."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Although she was touched and grateful for Murong Huan''s kindness, the problem was that she didn''t even like Shen Yujing at all.


    At this moment, Murong Huan waved again, having the sales assistant bring over all the newest watch models.


    Looking at the dazzling diamonds on the watches and the long string of zeros on the price tags, Song Yi felt her hands trembling slightly.


    What exactly... was going on here?


    Finally, under Murong Huan''s expectant gaze, Song Yi could only point to the cheapest watch, though it still cost over ten thousand.


    When they parted, Song Yi quietly slipped the watch into Murong Huan''s pocket and got out of the car carrying an empty bag.


    Song Yi didn''t think Shen Yujing deserved such an expensive gift, and besides, she had thought of a more suitable present for him.


    He would definitely like it.


    He''d better like it.


    Take it or leave it.


    Sunday at five in the morning, at a hardware store in the market.


    Song Yi stood at the counter and asked expressionlessly: "Excuse me, how much is your largest hammer?"


    *


    Sunday afternoon, at the Shen residence.


    Shen Yujing''s birthday party hadn''t officially started yet, but most of the guests had already arrived.


    The party''s protagonist, Shen Yujing, was sitting at his desk, which was piled with gifts.


    But none of these were what he wanted.


    Until the door was knocked on once again, and Uncle Chen walked in carrying several bags, "Young Master, these are also from your classmates, everything is here now."


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Alright, you can go now."


    As soon as Uncle Chen left, Shen Yujing sat at his desk and began opening the gifts one by one.


    A luxury brand suit ¨C definitely not from her.


    A necklace ¨C not it.


    Perfume ¨C not it.


    Car keys ¨C certainly not from her.


    ...


    After opening countless gifts to the point of exhaustion, Shen Yujing finally came across a special present.


    A huge ordinary cardboard box, mismatched with the luxury shopping bag it came in, looking somewhat squeezed ¨C clearly not the original packaging.


    Instinct told Shen Yujing this must be the one.


    He carelessly piled all the opened gifts to one side and cleared a space on his desk specifically for this present.


    Tossing aside the luxury shopping bag, he placed the cardboard box on the desk and carefully opened it to reveal¡ª


    A large iron hammer.


    Even bigger than the last one.


    This was obviously from Song Yi.


    The corners of Shen Yujing''s lips curved upward as he picked up this utterly ordinary iron hammer to examine it carefully.


    Look at that wooden handle, and the slightly rusty head ¨C it couldn''t have cost more than fifty yuan.


    But that didn''t matter. What mattered was that he and Song Yi were of one mind.


    Shen Yujing pulled open the first drawer on his left and took out a pink gift box.


    Inside lay a beautiful necklace, but this was no ordinary necklace.


    Upon closer inspection, the pendant was made of a pink crystal carved into a hammer shape, with diamonds forming the hammerhead ¨C perhaps not the most elegant piece, but certainly expensive.


    Shen Yujing thought¡ª


    They must be the first couple in the world to use a hammer as their token of love.

 Chapter 10

    Shen Yujing was admiring the two hammers, one large and one small, in front of him with great satisfaction, finding them more appealing the longer he looked.


    Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Quan Le''s casual voice rang out, "Hey! Shen Yujing, what are you doing in here?"


    Shen Yujing quickly closed the necklace in front of him and swiftly tucked it into the drawer. He then turned to Quan Le with a stern face, "What''s the rush? Can''t I take a break?"


    "What''s there to rest for? You were up all night gaming, and you''ve only been awake for a few hours. How can you need another break?" Quan Le walked in while speaking, then froze when he saw the hammers on the desk, blurting out a curse, "Holy shit! What the hell is that? Scared me to death!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    What kind of reaction was that? These hammers looked quite nice, what was so scary about them? No taste!


    Quan Le held a fruit plate in one hand while picking up the hammer with the other, "This is quite heavy. Who''s trying to murder you? There are so many people who can''t stand you. After my investigation, there are currently 1,875 suspects. Where would you like me to start?"


    Shen Yujing snatched the hammer back from Quan Le''s hand and rolled his eyes at him in exasperation, "I''d like you to shut up."


    Quan Le was just joking anyway, and while eating fruit, he said, "Everyone''s waiting downstairs. Aren''t you coming?"


    "Yes, of course I''m coming." Shen Yujing placed the hammer in the corner of his desk, deliberately covering it with a bag before heading out.


    Fortunately, Quan Le didn''t show much interest in the hammer and simply followed Shen Yujing.


    At this moment, the main hall of the Shen Family mansion was already filled with guests.


    As soon as Shen Yujing, the protagonist, made his appearance, people immediately surrounded him, engaging in enthusiastic conversation.


    Shen Yujing''s brows were furrowed so tightly they could trap a fly, his impatience clearly written on his face.


    But even so, these people wouldn''t take the hint and leave.


    It was annoying, really annoying.


    He hated these bothersome and pointless social interactions the most.


    He had specifically said he only wanted to invite a few friends, but his father had still taken it upon himself to send out numerous invitations to so-called "important figures."


    His birthday party had become nothing more than a bargaining chip, a ticket into high society.


    It was supposed to be his birthday, a day for his happiness, but everyone except him seemed to be having a good time.


    What''s more ridiculous was that his father had gone abroad with his wife for business negotiations, showing that no one really cared about their son''s birthday.


    The balding middle-aged man in front of him was speaking to Shen Yujing with a fawning smile, while Shen Yujing''s gaze had long since wandered elsewhere in boredom.


    He saw Jiang Yiheng in his white suit, smiling with cultured elegance, though it seemed utterly fake.


    And Murong Huan was standing at a calculated distance from Jiang Yiheng, her eyes seemingly glued to him.


    If Murong Huan was here, where was Song Yi?


    Once this thought occurred to him, Shen Yujing''s eyes swept across the entire hall without any attempt to hide his searching gaze.


    She wasn''t there.


    Shen Yujing suddenly felt disappointed, and more than that, worried.


    Why wasn''t Song Yi here? Could it be that... she had already left?


    While Shen Yujing was anxiously lost in these thoughts, Song Yi was actually in the Shen Family''s back garden.


    Most guests were in the main hall, each holding a glass of red wine, looking noble and elegant.


    But Song Yi was different; she just wanted to eat, so she had discovered this perfect spot in the garden.


    All the tables were laden with food - desserts, cakes, drinks, and lots of fruits and candies.


    There weren''t many people here, just a few children playing around. These treats were probably prepared for them.


    So Song Yi found the farthest table and began eating with her head down.


    The cake was soft and tender, the fruit fresh - one taste was enough to know they were expensive.


    There were many delicious things, but Song Yi''s stomach had its limits, and it was quickly becoming full.


    If only this formal dress had pockets, Song Yi would have loved to pack some to take home.


    Suddenly, a childish voice rang out, "Hey, what''s your name?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    What kind of bossy greeting was that?


    Feeling a tug on her dress, Song Yi swallowed her cake and slowly turned around.


    A little boy about six or seven years old stood behind her. With his slightly curly chestnut hair and handsome features that hadn''t fully developed yet, he was clearly mixed-race. Wearing overalls and carrying a small backpack, he looked absolutely adorable.


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Song Yi couldn''t help but laugh, reaching out to pinch the little boy''s cheeks, "Aren''t you just the cutest little thing?"


    "Don''t touch me! I asked you a question, answer me!" The little boy pushed away Song Yi''s hand, his face puffing up like a steamed bun, clearly dissatisfied with her casual attitude.


    Song Yi bent down and offered him a piece of cake, "Little one, you shouldn''t be so impolite. When someone compliments you for being cute, you should say thank you."


    This time, the little boy knocked the cake out of Song Yi''s hand and lifted his chin even higher, "Don''t call me little one, I''m already in third grade!"


    Song Yi''s smile faded.


    Wasting food, especially such delicious food, was such a detestable act.


    So she asked, "Well, what do you want from me?"


    "I''m allowing you to play games with me," the little boy commanded, still maintaining his arrogant expression.


    Looking at the other children playing happily together not far away, Song Yi directly pointed out the truth, "They won''t let you play with them, will they?"


    The little boy''s face showed embarrassment, quickly turning to angry shame, "I''m the one who doesn''t want to play with them!"


    Song Yi continued eating strawberries while saying, "Your personality is terrible. Like them, I don''t want to play with you either." S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Little boy: "Don''t make things up! I told you, I''m the one who doesn''t want to play with them!"


    Song Yi eating cake: "I think you''re quite pitiful."


    Little boy: "You''re the pitiful one! I just don''t like them! I don''t want to play with them!"


    Song Yi eating grapes: "Are you a broken record? Can you only say that one line? Are you bad at studying too?"


    The little boy froze, then blinked his eyes, and in the next second, they welled up with tears.


    Song Yi: "???"


    Do spoiled kids cry this easily? Was psychological attack super effective?


    The next second, the little boy opened his mouth¡ª


    "Waaah! I... I passed my start-of-term exams!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    In third grade, getting full marks shouldn''t be that difficult, right? Setting the bar at just passing, and from his words, his grades were even worse now than at the start of term - just how bad could they be?


    Had she accidentally hit a nerve and wounded the child''s fragile self-esteem?


    Song Yi had been prepared to deal with a spoiled child, but seeing him cry so miserably suddenly made her feel a bit guilty.


    So she sighed and conceded, "Stop crying, I''ll play games with you¡ª"


    "Please teach me how to study!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    No, wait.


    What kind of direction was this taking? Was he really this eager to learn???


    So when Shen Yujing, after learning of Song Yi''s whereabouts from Murong Huan, came to the garden, this was the scene he encountered¡ª


    Several elementary school workbooks were spread across the table, and his notoriously difficult little cousin was sitting there properly, seriously solving problems with a pencil.


    Next to his cousin, Song Yi wore an apricot-colored formal dress that made her look particularly gentle. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and her fair skin and beautiful collarbones in the sunlight made Shen Yujing momentarily dazed at first glance.


    Song Yi was looking down at his little cousin''s work, and at this moment, her pink lips had lost most of their lipstick from eating fruit, but she didn''t seem to care. She held half a peach in one hand, eating while leaning down to explain problems to his little cousin.


    Then, Shen Yujing watched as Song Yi''s beautiful hand smacked his little cousin''s head hard, saying in exasperation, "You actually know how to do this! Why do you keep making calculation mistakes during exams?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Indeed, life''s greatest illusion was thinking Song Yi was gentle.


    Perhaps because Shen Yujing''s gaze was too complex, Song Yi noticed his stare and looked up.


    Being caught staring was truly embarrassing. Shen Yujing wanted to turn away and pretend he hadn''t noticed, but Song Yi suddenly waved at him.


    Shen Yujing froze for a moment, pointing at himself as if seeking confirmation.


    Song Yi nodded and called out, "Come here quickly!"


    Shen Yujing thought he had it figured out.


    So, Song Yi couldn''t hide her feelings anymore, could she?


    Not only had she gotten an invitation to his birthday party from Murong Huan, but she had also bought a hammer as a token of love just like him, and was even trying to get close to his cousin. Now what could she want from him?


    Shen Yujing was already starting to worry. If Song Yi confessed to him directly, how should he respond?


    He had never dated before, but if he rejected Song Yi outright, would she cry... no, would she hit him?


    Indeed, being liked by someone was such a troublesome thing.


    So Shen Yujing shuffled slowly to Song Yi''s side and asked casually, "What is it?"


    Song Yi looked at him, seeming somewhat hesitant, "I have a question I want to ask you."


    Shen Yujing desperately tried to suppress his rising smile and responded coolly, "Go ahead."


    Song Yi: "How are your math grades¡ª"


    Shen Yujing: "I''m not ready for a relationship right now!"

 Chapter 11

    Shen Yujing''s abrupt and disconnected words caught Song Yi off guard. The phrase "you''re crazy" almost escaped her lips, but considering there was a child present, she managed to hold it back.


    At that moment, while Shen Yujing appeared calm and composed on the surface, his toes were actually curling anxiously inside his leather shoes.


    In that brief instant, he suddenly realized that some things weren''t quite as he had imagined.


    At least... at least Song Yi wasn''t planning to confess her feelings to him today.


    To cover up his embarrassment, Shen Yujing quickly returned to Song Yi''s earlier question, "Math? What math?"


    Song Yi picked up the math workbook from the table and waved it at him, "Elementary school math, third-grade Olympic math problems."


    "Heh." Shen Yujing sat down confidently, taking the workbook from Song Yi''s hands. "Third-grade math problems? You''re really underestimating me."


    The little boy frowned and asked skeptically, "Cousin, Grandpa has always said you''re stupid. Don''t mess with my homework if you can''t do it."


    When Song Yi heard the little boy call Shen Yujing "cousin," she suddenly understood why he had seemed so familiar earlier - he had the same arrogant way of speaking as Shen Yujing, equally irritating.


    Being called stupid in front of Song Yi wounded Shen Yujing''s pride. He immediately smacked the workbook on the little boy''s head, "Shen Luo, don''t talk nonsense about things you don''t understand. I just didn''t bother studying, that doesn''t mean I can''t do it, okay?"


    Shen Luo gave Shen Yujing a look of disdain, "But Brother Quan Le also says your grades are terrible."


    Shen Yujing: "He''s just jealous of me."


    Speak of the devil - Quan Le walked into the garden and was surprised by the scene before him.


    Quan Le asked, "Shen Yujing, top student, what are you all doing here?"


    Shen Yujing replied impatiently, "Teaching this stupid kid Shen Luo math. I heard he ranked last in his class in the final exam, really bringing shame to our family."


    Shen Yujing? Math problems? These two concepts seemed completely incompatible in Quan Le''s mind.


    So he asked worriedly, "Do you really know how to do it?"


    "And you - stop spreading rumors about my bad grades. I just didn''t bother doing the work, doesn''t mean I can''t," Shen Yujing said as he opened the workbook, continuing to mutter, "Nonsense, it''s just third-grade stuff, how could I possibly..."


    Shen Yujing''s words suddenly froze.


    Wait, what kind of problem is this? He couldn''t understand it.


    The smile on Shen Yujing''s face stiffened, but he tried to calm himself down and read the problem again.


    He was now certain - he couldn''t solve it.


    At this moment, Song Yi''s voice calmly spoke up, "I think this problem is beyond the curriculum. The answer I got seems wrong."


    Hearing Song Yi admit she couldn''t solve the problem, Quan Le was quite surprised and couldn''t help but come closer to look.


    The final scene was Shen Luo sitting in the center with his arms crossed, while Song Yi, Quan Le, and Shen Yujing were all hunched over with paper and pen, working on the problem together.


    In the end, they came up with three completely different answers.


    Quan Le: "Trust me, mine is definitely the correct answer."


    Song Yi: "I''m top of the grade, listen to me."


    Shen Yujing: "I''m your cousin, I wouldn''t mislead you."


    Shen Luo: "..."


    He felt like none of these three seemed very reliable.


    Just as the three were about to argue it out, Uncle Chen came over and urged, "Young Master, everyone is waiting for you."


    Finally, all three of them stuffed their answer sheets into Shen Luo''s hands, telling him to think carefully about whose answer to choose when he got home.


    When Murong Huan saw Song Yi and Shen Yujing enter the hall one after another, she gave Song Yi a gossipy look.


    But when she saw Quan Le following right behind them, her expression instantly turned to disappointment.


    She had thought Song Yi and Shen Yujing were alone together - how boring.


    Feeling Murong Huan''s disdainful gaze, Quan Le couldn''t help but wonder what he had done recently to offend this young lady.


    Of course, he wouldn''t find an answer.


    The banquet officially began.


    Shen Yujing had never been good at making small talk, and once again felt irritated by others'' attempts at conversation.


    Someone was obviously trying to curry favor with Shen Yujing, saying with a bright smile, "Young Master Shen, I just returned from abroad. If you need anything, just let me know. I can arrange the most expensive and best things for you."


    Shen Yujing sneered, "Do I look like I''m lacking anything?"


    The person realized their words weren''t elegant enough and continued with an apologetic smile, "Yes, yes, of course Young Master Shen doesn''t lack anything. I just wanted to show my sincerity."


    Quan Le suddenly leaned in and said seriously, "No, you do lack something."


    Shen Yujing raised his eyebrows in surprise, "What?"


    Quan Le said earnestly, "Common sense."


    Song Yi, who happened to be passing by, quietly added, "And decency."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Finally, he turned to Quan Le and uttered one word, "Scram."


    Although it was his birthday party, Shen Yujing didn''t particularly enjoy the atmosphere.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi was happily eating her piece of cake.


    The reason she had stayed at this party until now was just for this cake.


    It was said to be made by an international pastry chef, worth over 100,000 in market value, and impossible to buy even if you had the money.


    But clearly, apart from Song Yi, few people at the party were there for the cake.


    Looking at the cut cake displayed on the main table, thinking about how such delicious food was being ignored, Song Yi went over and took a second piece.


    Suddenly, a ghost-like voice sounded behind her, "Is the cake really that good?"


    Song Yi shuddered in fright, but relaxed when she turned around and saw it was Shen Yujing, asking, "Why are you here again?"


    Shen Yujing said, "I have something to tell you."


    Song Yi had a bad feeling about this, so she quickly finished the cake on her plate and looked down at her high heels.


    Not bad - the heels were high enough that if Shen Yujing tried anything, she could take them off as weapons.


    Shen Yujing looked at her, "Thank you for your gift. I really like it."


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Like a hammer? No way, he must be being sarcastic and mocking her.


    Though Song Yi thought this, she still put on a perfunctory smile and said, "Glad you like it."


    "Come on," Shen Yujing said as he directly grabbed Song Yi''s wrist, "Let''s go upstairs."


    Song Yi immediately broke free from Shen Yujing''s grip and stepped back several steps, "What for?"


    Seeing Song Yi''s wary expression, Shen Yujing had to explain, "You gave me a birthday gift, and I have a gift I want to give you too."


    Song Yi refused without hesitation, "It''s late at night, and it''s not appropriate for a man and woman to be alone together. It''s quite dangerous. Let''s do it another time, another time."


    The system spoke softly.


    [Yes, of course it''s dangerous for a man and woman to be alone - what if you beat Shen Yujing to death and he couldn''t even call for help?]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Crude words but true reasoning.


    However, Shen Yujing misunderstood the meaning behind Song Yi''s words.


    A man and woman alone? Dangerous?


    Was Song Yi trying to hint at something? That if they were alone together, she might not be able to resist her feelings of admiration and confess to him?


    Thinking of this, the corners of Shen Yujing''s lips turned up again.


    This sudden smile made Song Yi''s brows furrow even more deeply.


    She couldn''t understand why Shen Yujing was smiling, and felt goosebumps rising on her skin.


    "I..."


    Before Shen Yujing could finish speaking, suddenly all the lights in the entire villa went dark.


    Everything was pitch black, accompanied by screams and soothing voices.


    "There''s a problem with the circuit breaker, power will be restored soon! Don''t panic! Don''t move around! Just stay where you are!"


    Song Yi suddenly remembered the time at school when she and Shen Yujing were mysteriously locked in the storage room.


    Sure enough, the system spoke again.


    [Host~ Congratulations on triggering another classic Mary Sue novel scenario~ In the darkness of night, the distance between two hearts often grows closer, it''s the easiest time for romantic feelings to develop~ Please cherish this moment!]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Develop romantic feelings with Shen Yujing?


    No way! She absolutely refuses!


    Without any hesitation, Song Yi turned around, determined to flee the scene even in complete darkness.


    However, before she could take her first step, she sensed something strange. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A warm hand grasped hers, with an index finger gently tracing her palm...


    Song Yi: "???"


    Was this place haunted?


    If it wasn''t a ghost... could it be that Shen Yujing was taking advantage of this opportunity to make a move on her? How scandalous of him!


    This was harassment! Harassment!!!


    Song Yi couldn''t take it anymore, so she instinctively grabbed that hand and executed a shoulder throw without hesitation.


    "Thud¡ª" accompanied by a female scream as someone hit the ground.


    Song Yi: "..."


    That didn''t sound like a noise Shen Yujing could make... had she... thrown the wrong person?


    At that moment, the lights suddenly came on.


    Seeing an unfamiliar girl lying on the ground before her, Song Yi was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to apologize and seek forgiveness.


    The girl seemed equally surprised and called out despite her pain: "Song Yi? How can it be you?"


    Standing to the side, Shen Yujing''s beautiful phoenix eyes held some intriguing emotions.


    This girl was also a student at Saint Slee, and apparently the president of some fan club dedicated to him. She had liked him for a long time and confessed to him multiple times, continuing to pursue him despite countless rejections¡ªa fact well-known to everyone.


    Just before the lights went out, he had seen this girl approaching, and Song Yi must have seen her too.


    How unexpected¡ªSong Yi had become so jealous that she would physically confront girls who liked him.


    Though somewhat exasperated, he could somewhat understand her feelings.

 Chapter 12

    Song Yi quickly helped the girl lying on the ground to stand up, "I''m so sorry, I didn''t mean to."


    The girl stood up while holding her waist. Having made such a spectacle of herself in front of Shen Yujing made her extremely angry, and she naturally wouldn''t let Song Yi off so easily. "I think you did it on purpose! Do you know how much this dress costs? Can you even afford to compensate me now that you''ve ruined it?"


    After saying this, the girl still felt unsatisfied. She looked around and grabbed a glass of red wine from the nearest table, then directly splashed it onto Song Yi.


    Song Yi didn''t dodge, knowing she was in the wrong, and accepted being doused with the wine.


    The next second, gasps of surprise erupted from the surrounding crowd.


    Song Yi looked up and saw Shen Yujing, who had somehow already moved to stand in front of her, with slight surprise in her eyes as well.


    The golden-haired young man''s eyes grew even colder. The red wine had soaked almost his entire sleeve, dripping from the cuff of his custom-made suit onto the floor.


    Shen Yujing impatiently took off the suit jacket and threw it on the ground. Wearing just his white shirt, he turned to face the girl who had spoken and asked coldly, "Chen Xue, are you satisfied now?"


    Chen Xue''s eyes were filled with incomprehension. Though somewhat flustered, she still tried to maintain her composure and asked, "Shen Yujing, what are you doing? Who is she to deserve you taking a hit for her?"


    "Before asking that question, you should look at yourself first." The disgust on Shen Yujing''s face was unconcealed. "I''ve rejected you many times. If it weren''t for your father''s reputation, you would have been thrown out of Saint Slee long ago."


    "What about her then?" Chen Xue let out a cold laugh. Since Shen Yujing was being so direct, she decided to completely drop pretenses and questioned, "Shen Yujing, don''t tell me you''ve fallen for a scholarship student?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    How was this any of her business?


    But the girl''s words also made Song Yi suddenly feel anxious for a moment. She looked at the back of Shen Yujing''s head, waiting for his answer.


    Although it seemed ridiculous, what if the main characters'' aura was too strong, or if her personality was too charming, and Shen Yujing had actually fallen for her?


    But fortunately, Shen Yujing directly laughed out loud, clearly showing his disdain for Chen Xue''s words.


    Song Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling reassured.


    While Shen Yujing''s expression showed three parts defiance, one part mockery, and four parts dismissiveness, his hand that had fallen to his side had unconsciously pressed against the nearby table, gripping its corner tightly.


    He was desperately trying to conceal his emotional changes. In all his years, Shen Yujing had received confessions from more girls than he could count on both hands, but he had never confessed to anyone himself, so he absolutely couldn''t show any signs.


    Of course, it wasn''t that he liked her - he was just a little interested, that''s all.


    Besides, Song Yi was clearly the one who liked him, so no matter what, she should be the one to confess first.


    As for whether he would accept or not, and how many times she would need to confess before he might grudgingly give her a chance - well, that would depend on his mood.


    Chen Xue was extremely angry. She stopped talking to Shen Yujing and walked directly towards Song Yi, raising her hand high.


    Song Yi narrowed her eyes, considering at what angle she should teach this hand a lesson.


    After all, being pushed too far wasn''t fun anymore.


    But someone beat her to it.


    Shen Yujing intercepted Chen Xue, grabbed her wrist, and pushed her back several steps. Then he released her hand and only said two words, "Show her out."


    The surroundings instantly fell silent, as everyone could see that Chen Xue''s actions had thoroughly angered the young master Shen.


    Although Shen Yujing usually acted without much restraint, directly expelling a guest at a party like this meant he hadn''t left Chen Xue any face at all, and it would certainly make her the laughingstock of everyone for quite some time.


    Chen Xue looked at him in disbelief, "Shen Yujing, do you know what you''re doing? When my father finds out about this, he''ll definitely..."


    The servants had already walked to Chen Xue''s side, "Miss, please don''t make this difficult for us."


    Leaving on her own was better than being dragged out. Even though she was seething with anger, Chen Xue could only look at Song Yi, throw out a threatening "You just wait" before leaving.


    And in the corner, Lu Qingqing, after witnessing everything that had happened, quickly followed Chen Xue.


    She had found a useful yet foolish pawn.


    *


    Everyone could see that young master Shen wasn''t in a particularly good mood today, so no one dared to joke with him, making this party seem somewhat boring compared to usual.


    While Shen Yujing went upstairs to change clothes, Song Yi, who had already finished her cake, took the opportunity to slip away.


    She had zero interest in Shen Yujing''s gift, because she was afraid his so-called gift might involve hitting her head with that hammer.


    Song Yi walked out of the villa area and then hailed a taxi to go straight home.


    Wanting some fried skewers, Song Yi specifically got off near an elementary school close to her home.


    The fried skewer stand was at the back gate of the school, run by an elderly lady who had been selling there for many years. The food was good quality, reasonably priced, and clean - quite famous in the area.


    Song Yi ordered some pork tenderloin and rice cakes. Besides her, there was only a drunk middle-aged man at the stand.


    The middle-aged man had eaten more than a dozen skewers, then wiped his mouth and was about to leave directly.


    The elderly lady called out to him, "You haven''t paid yet!"


    The man waved his hand dismissively, "Put it on my tab, I''ll pay it all next time!"


    The elderly lady looked anxious, even neglecting the skewers in the pot as she stumbled after the man, grabbing his arm, "This has happened several times already. I''m running a small business here, you can''t keep doing this."


    The man was clearly impatient and directly shook off the elderly lady''s hand, "Don''t touch me! It''s just this little bit of money, what''s the rush? When I win at gambling next time, I''ll pay you back all at once!"


    Mentioning gambling seemed to remind the man of something, and he walked back.


    He directly opened the elderly lady''s cash box and took the largest bills - the tens and twenties, saying, "Old lady, lend me some money, I''ll pay you back later with interest!"


    The elderly lady saw what was happening and hurried back to stop him, but was pushed down to the ground by the man, who cursed, "Get lost, old woman! This little bit of money won''t kill you, what are you saving it for - your coffin?"


    Just as the man was about to leave, suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder.


    The man turned around ready to curse, but when he saw the beautiful young girl smiling at him, he was taken aback and his attitude softened slightly, "Who are you?"


    "Not important," Song Yi grabbed the man''s hair and dragged him back to the elderly lady''s stand.


    "F*ck! Let go! What are you trying to do, you little..."


    The man''s shouting stopped abruptly when Song Yi forcefully pushed his head down, with the boiling oil pot less than ten centimeters from his face. The bubbling hot oil seemed like it might splash onto his face at any moment.


    The man instantly became cowardly, his voice trembling involuntarily, "Miss, we can talk about this... don''t use violence."


    Song Yi didn''t speak but extended her hand toward the man.


    The man immediately understood her meaning and quickly took out the money he had just stolen from the elderly lady''s stand from his pocket, "Here, I''m returning it, just let me go!"


    "There''s more."


    The man asked, "What more?"


    Song Yi pushed down a bit harder as she spoke, "This isn''t the first time you''ve eaten without paying, right? Pay it all back."


    The man was trembling in fear and quickly took money out from his other pocket to give to Song Yi, "Here''s all of it, okay?"


    Song Yi saw a red bill and was finally satisfied enough to let go.


    After regaining his freedom, the man''s eyes were full of resentment and anger, but fear made him leave immediately.


    Song Yi quickly helped the elderly lady up and stuffed all the money into her hands, "Keep all this money. Are you hurt anywhere from the fall?"


    "I''m fine, I''m fine, thank you, young lady." The elderly lady smiled kindly at Song Yi, then suddenly cried out, "The food in the pot is all burnt! Wait a moment, young lady, let grandma fry you some new ones."


    Before leaving, she also left her phone number with the elderly lady, telling her to call if that man ever came back to cause trouble.


    Finally, Song Yi left with twice as many fried skewers as she had originally ordered.


    Song Yi walked while eating until she entered a small alley where she stumbled at the sight before her, blurting out, "Holy crap! Is that a dead person?"


    The System was exasperated but still reminded her. Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Host, go take a closer look]


    Song Yi responded without hesitation, "No way, I don''t want to go to jail."


    [...]


    [Host, don''t you think this might be an important plot point?]


    An important plot point? A dead body lying by the roadside?


    Just as Song Yi was deep in thought, she saw the "corpse" lying not far away move slightly and raise its head in her direction.


    It was a strikingly handsome face, with narrow eyes watching her vigilantly. His white shirt was stained with mud and blood, and on his sickly pale face was a streak of blood, which oddly added to his disheveled yet beautiful appearance.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Oh, suddenly she knew who this was.


    This was Hang Feng, the main antagonist of the book. His first encounter with the original protagonist happened when he was severely injured and had given up on life, lying by the roadside waiting to die.


    The original protagonist, upon witnessing this scene, felt immense pity and secretly brought him back to her home, hiding him in her room and caring for him for three whole days.


    After receiving the original protagonist''s careful attention, Hang Feng naturally fell in love with her, and found a new reason to live in his pursuit of her love.


    Indeed, it proved that one shouldn''t randomly pick up men from the street.


    Song Yi''s gaze fell on Hang Feng as her mind began racing.


    Hang Feng wanted to die right now, right? Perfect, let her add fuel to the fire.


    If the villain died here today, then the future plot would naturally become much simpler!


    Song Yi finished her last fried rice cake, threw the trash in a nearby bin, and walked towards Hang Feng.


    The young man was like an injured lone wolf, currently rejecting everything around him. He spoke with a hoarse voice, "Don''t come near me... I don''t need anyone''s help..."


    If he died here, all his sins would finally end, perhaps this would be the best ending.


    However, even after Hang Feng said this, he saw the young woman stop in front of him and bend down, reaching out as if to help him up.


    Hang Feng closed his eyes, filled with disgust. He didn''t need this kind of pity and help.


    He had already said not to come near him, couldn''t she understand human language? Did she think he would be grateful to her for this? What a daydream.


    However, in the next moment, Hang Feng heard the girl''s soft voice ring out with reproach¡ª


    "You''re young and able-bodied, why would you choose to beg on the streets when you could do anything else? Sigh!"

 Chapter 13

    Hang Feng suddenly opened his eyes, wanting to say something, but only saw the girl''s retreating figure and... five yuan in front of him???


    Damn, what did she take him for?


    "I''m not a beg..." Hang Feng covered his chest with one hand, wanting to explain something but almost couldn''t catch his breath due to excessive anger and anxiety.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi not only didn''t look back but quickened her pace to leave.


    Quick, quick, quick, escape from the original plot! Yeah!!!


    Hang Feng wanted to die, she wanted to live - wasn''t this just perfect? This was absolutely a win-win!


    If Hang Feng died today, she would definitely thank his ancestors for eighteen generations and burn lots and lots of paper money for him!!!


    Thinking this way, Song Yi felt great, and her departing steps became even lighter.


    Meanwhile, in the alley.


    After a while, Hang Feng finally caught his breath.


    The young man''s bloodied palm pressed against the ground to support himself as he stood up. The gravel cut his wound even deeper, but he seemed not to feel the pain at all.


    Looking at the five yuan on the ground, Hang Feng suddenly felt that he still had to live on.


    Monday.


    Early in the morning, what happened at Shen Yujing''s birthday party was being discussed heatedly on the school forum.


    Someone had witnessed the scene where Shen Yujing got angry after Song Yi and Chen Xue had a conflict, and was vividly describing and spreading it.


    [Does anyone know what exactly happened at Shen Yujing''s birthday party? Why didn''t Chen Xue come to school today?]


    Post 1: Obviously avoiding the spotlight. Anyone would feel embarrassed being kicked out of Shen Yujing''s birthday party, especially Chen Xue who likes him so much - it''s a double blow.


    Post 7: But what exactly happened? Is Shen Yujing dating the special scholarship student? Otherwise, how could someone of her status be qualified to attend Shen Yujing''s birthday party?


    Post 14: No way, Shen Yujing wouldn''t possibly be interested in a special scholarship student.


    Post 19: Everyone! I have photos of Song Yi from that day! To be honest, the top student is really beautiful, I was amazed that day [Photo].


    The person posted a secretly taken photo.


    In the picture, Shen Yujing was standing in front of Song Yi confronting Chen Xue, while Song Yi stood behind him looking up at his back.


    Then the focus shifted.


    Post 27: Wow! Is this a movie scene? The prince came to rescue his princess!


    Post 33: Heh, Shen Yujing is indeed a prince, but the other one isn''t. She exudes poverty from head to toe, not wearing any jewelry and wearing some unknown brand dress I''ve never seen before.


    Post 34: To the person above, how could she afford a proper dress? It must be a ninety-nine yuan bargain from some online shop, tsk tsk.


    Post 41: But don''t you think she looks good in it? Even if it''s bought for ninety-nine yuan, she has the aura of someone wearing a ninety-five thousand yuan dress.


    Post 45: +1, I really think she looks beautiful.


    Post 49: Those praising Song Yi must be poor students too, you''re really good at glorifying her.


    ...


    On the other end of the phone, Murong Huan rolled her eyes - what Song Yi wore was actually an expensive custom-made dress she had ordered. What a bunch of ignorant fools.


    Meanwhile, in Class A.


    Song Yi was resting her face on one hand while spinning a pen with the other, looking at math problems.


    Suddenly, the study representative came over and reported to Jiang Yiheng with concern, "Class monitor, Hang Feng hasn''t come to school for ten days now. Should we contact his family?"


    Hearing Hang Feng''s name and thinking about what happened yesterday, Song Yi stopped spinning her pen and immediately perked up her ears to listen.


    She was somewhat expectant, wondering if Hang Feng had died or not.


    System: [...]


    "No need," Jiang Yiheng said calmly. "His situation is special. The director said as long as he attends the monthly exams normally, we don''t need to worry about anything else."


    Due to his status as an illegitimate child, Hang Feng''s identity wasn''t public, making him a very special existence in the class.


    Hang Feng rarely attended classes, but his scores in monthly exams consistently ranked in the top ten of the grade.


    In their first year, some people thought Hang Feng was a scholarship student and bullied him, but they all "coincidentally" didn''t end up well.


    Later, someone saw Hang Feng arrive at school in a limited edition Bugatti, and noticed how respectful the director was towards him, realizing his family background must be extraordinary.


    Although people still didn''t know his true identity, no one dared to provoke him anymore.


    Compared to Jiang Yiheng''s polite but distant manner, Hang Feng''s aura was more cold and sinister, like a venomous snake that no one dared to approach.


    But because of his face that was so delicate it could be described as beautiful, girls still confessed to him, though unfortunately, those love letters all ended up unopened in the trash.


    Such a person, who despised and rejected this world and himself, eventually saw the original host as his only salvation.


    He wouldn''t allow his moon to shine on others, and to keep the moon to himself, he pathologically kept the original host by his side.


    Until finally, unable to bear such a life, the original host chose to end her life by jumping from a tall building.


    It could be said that Hang Feng was the direct cause of the original host''s death, but even so, he was redeemed, became clear-headed, and lived properly as a new person.


    Thinking of this, Song Yi shuddered and cursed in her heart -


    What. A. Psycho!!!


    But fortunately, since Hang Feng rarely came to class, normally they wouldn''t see each other much...


    Wait, who''s that?


    Seeing the black-haired youth walking in through the door, Song Yi''s expression slightly froze.


    He had a bandage on his face, and as soon as he entered, his eyes met directly with Song Yi''s.


    Song Yi immediately lowered her gaze, frantically spinning her pen to release her inner anxiety.


    Speak of the devil - wasn''t Hang Feng injured yesterday? How could he come to school today?


    And wasn''t he supposed to want to die? Why was he still alive?!


    The study representative said with surprise: "Hang Feng? You came to school?"


    Hang Feng ignored him, just walked to the corner seat in the first row and pulled out a math test paper.


    Then... Song Yi watched as Hang Feng walked up to her.


    Other classmates'' gazes immediately turned towards them.


    Hang Feng was known throughout the school for being cold and antisocial, yet he was initiating conversation with someone? With those injuries on his face, was he looking for a fight or seeking revenge?


    Hang Feng slammed the test paper on Jiang Yiheng''s desk, "First place... oh no, you''re second, aren''t you?"


    Then, Hang Feng turned to Song Yi and asked, "So, first place, can you help me with a problem?"


    Obviously, Hang Feng had ulterior motives, but looking at Hang Feng''s math score of 143, Song Yi was silent for a few seconds, then took out her own math test paper with its bright red score -


    137.


    The original host''s math was relatively "weak" compared to her other subjects.


    So Song Yi turned her head and looked sincerely at Jiang Yiheng, who had the highest math score in the entire grade, saying, "Please, could you explain the problems to us?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    So when Murong Huan came to Class A, this was the scene she saw.


    Jiang Yiheng was explaining math problems to Hang Feng and Song Yi. Hang Feng stood there expressionlessly, lost in thought, while Song Yi listened attentively.


    Murong Huan paused, then asked Quan Le, "Is that Hang Feng? He came to school? And what''s going on with them?"


    "Don''t know," Quan Le shrugged and said, "Maybe they''re studying?" Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Speaking of studying, Quan Le immediately turned to their deskmate and seriously asked, "Do you understand that problem?"


    The deskmate shook their head, voice timid, "That problem is beyond the syllabus, the teacher hasn''t covered it... so..."


    "Stop with the ''so.'' If you don''t understand, then listen! How are you going to surpass Song Yi at this rate?" Quan Le never forgot their original goal set for their deskmate.


    So Quan Le looked at their deskmate with disappointment, and as the other person''s head drooped lower and lower, directly grabbed their collar and dragged them towards Jiang Yiheng, forcefully squeezing in.


    Jiang Yiheng put down his pen and asked, "What is it?"


    Then Quan Le looked awkwardly at Jiang Yiheng, and mimicking Song Yi''s manner, said, "Please explain this problem to him too."


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Seeing this scene, Murong Huan left immediately, thinking these Class A bookworms all seemed to have something wrong with their heads.


    By the time Jiang Yiheng finished explaining the problem, the class bell rang.


    Hang Feng showed no intention of lingering either, taking the test paper and returning to his seat.


    He carelessly stuffed the paper into his desk drawer and immediately laid his head down to sleep.


    The teacher, lecturing at the front, had grown accustomed to Hang Feng''s behavior in class, or perhaps was just grateful that he showed up at all.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi rested her chin on her hand, her gaze unconsciously drifting to Hang Feng''s back as her mind wandered.


    How strange, she thought. He should have been seriously injured - in the original plot, it took three whole days of the original character''s care for him to recover. How could he come to school today?


    Was he perhaps faking his injuries before? How calculating.


    Just as Song Yi continued pondering, a piece of chalk hit her forehead, followed by the teacher''s scolding voice, "Song Yi! What are you looking at? Pay attention!"


    Song Yi quickly sat up straight, fixing her eyes on the blackboard and picking up her pen to focus on the lesson.


    At that moment, Hang Feng lifted his head and glanced back at Song Yi, his eyes holding an indecipherable look.


    If he hadn''t seen her photo on the academy''s forum today, he wouldn''t have known who she was, let alone made the last-minute decision to come to school.


    He had been somewhat expecting to see shock or fear in her expression, just like all those others before.


    But she seemed too calm, as if nothing had happened yesterday at all.


    Hang Feng frowned slightly - could it be that she... didn''t remember him?


    The thought of this possibility suddenly made his mood turn sour.


    *


    Today was Monday, and after the second period, everyone had to gather at the playground for the weekly assembly.


    The 80-year-old principal held the microphone on stage, passionately reading his speech about the annual sports meet coming up this Friday.


    He encouraged all third-year students to participate, emphasizing the importance of balancing their rigorous studies with physical activity.


    Song Yi wasn''t interested and went straight to the convenience store after the assembly, picking out her favorite strawberry milk.


    As she was about to pay, a hand suddenly reached out and placed five yuan on the counter. "I''ll pay for hers."


    Song Yi slowly looked up to see Hang Feng, who had appeared out of nowhere, and pressed her lips together.


    Their eyes met as Hang Feng stared intently at her.


    Surely now she would remember who he was.


    Song Yi pointed at the five yuan on the counter and asked him for confirmation: "You''re treating?"


    Hang Feng nodded.


    Song Yi''s face showed a troubled expression as she opened her mouth to speak, seemingly struggling to find the right words.


    Hang Feng gave a slight laugh. Now that he had practically revealed himself, let''s see how she would continue pretending.


    Well, he''d made his point. He wasn''t the type to belabor things.


    Just as Hang Feng was about to say something, Song Yi spoke first¡ª


    "It''s eight yuan. That''s not enough."


    Hang Feng reached for his pocket, only to freeze when he realized it was empty.


    He wasn''t in the habit of carrying cash, and he''d left his phone in the classroom.


    In short, he had no money.


    For the first time in his life, Hang Feng experienced what it felt like to be embarrassed.


    Song Yi understood and looked at him sincerely, "Oh, so you only have the five yuan I gave you? That''s so pitiful."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He wanted to explain himself but didn''t know where to begin.


    From Song Yi''s words, she seemed to remember him, but now there appeared to be a new misunderstanding. Perhaps it was better not to explain at all.


    Song Yi took out a ten-yuan note to pay, then handed him back the two coins in change along with the five-yuan note from the counter, looking at him with sympathy, "We''re classmates after all, you keep it."


    According to the original plot, Hang Feng despised being pitied by others. The reason he fell for the original character was because she was kind and genuine, treating everyone with equal respect.


    Looking down at the seven yuan in his hand, Hang Feng couldn''t help but speak up, finally saying what he couldn''t say that day.


    He enunciated each word clearly: "I. Am. Not. A. Beggar."


    "Mm-hmm." Song Yi nodded obediently in agreement with Hang Feng''s words, as if trying to protect his fragile self-esteem without pointing it out directly, saying, "I know, you''re just poor. It''s okay."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    How did things end up like this? It seemed even harder to explain now.


    Wait a minute, wasn''t she supposed to be a top student too? Why was she pitying him?

 Chapter 14

    Song Yi cast a sympathetic glance at Hang Feng before leaving with her strawberry milk.


    Back in the classroom, it was noisier than usual due to the upcoming sports meet.


    The sports representative approached Song Yi with a registration form and asked, "Song Yi, are there any events you''d like to sign up for?"


    Song Yi shook her head without hesitation, "No thanks, I''m not athletic at all."


    Except for fighting, she thought to herself.


    She had no interest in sports meets - they neither made money nor were worth her time.


    Saint Slee Academy''s Work-Study Department regularly posted short-term job announcements on campus. The jobs didn''t take long and paid well. Song Yi had managed to secure one of these positions early that morning.


    The job was for one week, helping serve food at a first-floor cafeteria window for an hour during lunch. It came with free lunch and a total payment of 500 yuan.


    During the last self-study period of the morning, Song Yi left early for the cafeteria. After receiving brief instructions from the cafeteria Aunties about the rules, she started her shift as soon as lunch break began.


    Song Yi wore a white apron and face mask, holding a ladle in her left hand and a plate in her right, waiting for her first customer of the day.


    The first floor was the budget dining area, usually quiet with few students, making it an easy and relaxed job¡ª


    Wait, what was that huge crowd approaching in the distance?


    Song Yi frowned, realizing things weren''t going to be so simple.


    Leading the group were two familiar faces: Shen Yujing and Quan Le.


    Walking side by side, Quan Le pointed toward Song Yi, "Look! I told you she was here!"


    Shen Yujing appeared calm, merely nodding before quickening his pace toward Song Yi''s window.


    Behind them followed members of the school''s basketball team, all starving after just finishing a game.


    They followed behind Shen Yujing, exchanging confused glances, not quite understanding the situation.


    Earlier, Shen Yujing had come to the basketball court offering to treat them to lunch. While this wasn''t unusual, coming to the first-floor cafeteria was unexpected.


    This was where the common folk ate...


    Though dissatisfied, none dared to voice their complaints.


    Shen Yujing walked straight to the window, gestured to the group behind him, and told Song Yi, "All of them, my treat."


    Noticing the dissatisfaction written on the basketball team members'' faces, Song Yi directly addressed the elephant in the room, asking Shen Yujing, "Are you sure they want to eat here?"


    Shen Yujing turned to look at them, forcing out a single syllable, "Hmm?"


    The basketball team captain, being clever, quickly chimed in, "Of course we do! We''re starving! Everyone, line up and order one by one!"


    The basketball team members promptly formed a long line at the window.


    The supervising Auntie emerged from the kitchen at this moment. Having worked here for ten years, she had never seen such a long line at this window. Surprised, she asked, "Little Song, what''s going on today?"


    "Nothing special," Song Yi picked up her ladle and called out cheerfully, "Order whatever you like! Young Master Shen is treating everyone today!"


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Quan Le burst out laughing and, despite his initial reluctance to eat here, joined the end of the line.


    Behind her mask, Song Yi''s expression was completely hidden, along with all her emotions.


    In reality, while serving food to these people, Song Yi was mentally cursing Shen Yujing.


    This was supposed to be an easy job - little work, good pay, super comfortable. But now, thanks to Shen Yujing, her work had become so much more demanding!


    What was wrong with him? He must be sick in the head!


    By now, the cafeteria had gotten even more crowded.


    People tend to follow the crowd, and seeing the long line at this first-floor window, some curious students joined the queue as well.


    They wanted to know what could be so good here to attract such a crowd.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi, whose arms were getting tired from the repetitive motion: "..."


    How did it come to this? She was so frustrated.


    When it came time to pay, Shen Yujing took out his meal card.


    Indeed, regardless of one''s status or background, Saint Slee Academy''s cafeteria only accepted card payments, no cash.


    Song Yi calculated the total for all several dozen people and entered it into the machine, saying, "You can swipe now."


    Shen Yujing placed his card on the machine, and the next second, the display showed countless zeros. S§×ar?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi''s attention was caught, and she couldn''t help but count the zeros in Shen Yujing''s balance.


    One, two, three, four, five... so many zeros!


    Song Yi swallowed hard, barely believing the number she saw.


    Because Shen Yujing''s meal card had... a whole million yuan!!!


    Talk about eye-opening¡ª


    Since coming to this world, this was the first time Song Yi truly understood the Mary Sue nature of this book''s character settings.


    Honestly, Song Yi felt envious - some male leads casually put a million yuan on their meal cards, while unfortunate female leads like her had to work honestly in the cafeteria for a mere 500 yuan.


    This must be the difference between protagonists.


    She sincerely hoped the Cinderella female lead Mary Sue trend would end soon, so future girls transmigrating into books could at least achieve financial freedom.


    After 12:30 PM, the lunch crowd began to thin out. Seeing how hard Song Yi had worked, the kind Auntie told her to rest early.


    The Auntie took the ladle from Song Yi and said, "Usually we hardly get any business on the first floor. I wonder what happened today to bring so many people."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She knew it was all because of that dog Shen Yujing.


    But she couldn''t explain this to the Auntie, so she just expressed her thanks and took her own lunch to a corner spot.


    Finally able to rest, she could eat her meal.


    When Song Yi was halfway through her lunch, an uninvited guest appeared again.


    Seeing Shen Yujing suddenly sit down beside her, Song Yi felt a headache coming on, and even her food lost its appeal.


    Why was he here again? What kind of trouble was he going to cause now?


    Shen Yujing held a bottle of cola, biting the straw as he watched her, "Done with work already?"


    Song Yi didn''t even look up, "None of your business."


    Shen Yujing asked, "Are you really that short on money?"


    Song Yi: "Obviously."


    Shen Yujing: "As it happens, money is the last thing I''m short of."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Why did her fist suddenly clench?


    If he weren''t the male lead, showing off his wealth to poor people like this on the street, he would definitely, definitely get beaten up.


    He was really asking for it.


    Song Yi stopped eating and looked directly at Shen Yujing, asking, "So?"


    Shen Yujing tilted his chin slightly, deliberately putting on an arrogant air, and said just three words, "Win me over."


    He was simple really - just had too much money to spend and needed someone to help him spend it.


    If Song Yi really needed money, wouldn''t it be easier to just ask him instead of selling her cheap labor here?


    However, Song Yi remained silent for a while, looking down, lost in thought.


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing felt nervous and began to reflect on what he''d just said... had he been disrespectful? Had he hurt her pride?


    Could it be that Song Yi was angry?


    Thinking of this, Shen Yujing suddenly didn''t know what to do. He rubbed his nose, his phoenix eyes flickering with uncertainty.


    After a while, Shen Yujing nudged Song Yi with his elbow and called out awkwardly, "Hey."


    Song Yi picked up her tray and walked away without acknowledging him.


    Heaven knows what an intense internal struggle Song Yi had just gone through.


    Money or dignity.


    Of course, in the end, the latter narrowly won.


    To avoid shamefully falling for him, Song Yi decided it was best to stay away from Shen Yujing.


    Seeing this, Shen Yujing thought Song Yi was even more angry. He forgot about his cola and followed her, trying to find some way to make up for his earlier words, "Why are you leaving? Can''t you listen to what I have to say? I didn''t mean it that way, I wanted to say..."


    Before Shen Yujing could finish, Song Yi suddenly stopped walking.


    Unable to stop in time, his chin collided with the back of her head, causing him to stumble backward two steps. A curse word reached the tip of his tongue, but he forcefully swallowed it back.


    On the electronic display board of the bulletin board, the list of participants for this sports meet was displayed in a continuous scroll.


    At this moment, surprisingly, Song Yi''s name appeared on the cheerleading squad list.


    Shen Yujing glanced at Song Yi with slight surprise, "Oh, so you signed up for the cheerleading squad?"


    Song Yi turned her head towards Shen Yujing with an expressionless face, her voice cold, "What do you think?"


    Shen Yujing paused for a moment, instantly getting the answer, "It wasn''t you?"


    Song Yi nodded, wondering which bastard had added her name to the list.


    Just as Song Yi was thinking about finding the culprit to settle scores, she suddenly noticed the content on the electronic display board changing.


    On the list of pole vault competitors, the three characters spelling out Shen Yujing''s name stood out prominently.


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She seemed to suddenly understand everything.

 Chapter 15

    At that moment, Song Yi and Shen Yujing both recalled that embarrassing evening when they were rescued by Jiang Yiheng from the storage room.


    Shen Yujing: "What kind of person holds a grudge for this long? How petty can he be? Is he even a man?"


    Song Yi: "Well said, I agree."


    As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.


    For the first time in their lives, Song Yi and Shen Yujing formed a united front, deciding to confront Jiang Yiheng together.


    In Class A, Jiang Yiheng''s seat was empty.


    After thinking for a moment, Shen Yujing said, "Student Council. He''s usually there."


    Song Yi: "Alright."


    They quickly changed locations and successfully found Jiang Yiheng in the Disciplinary Inspection Department''s break room.


    At that moment, Jiang Yiheng was reviewing documents. When he saw the two barging in, he adjusted his glasses and asked, "What brings you here?"


    Shen Yujing immediately launched into a tirade, pointing at Jiang Yiheng''s nose: "Damn it, Jiang Yiheng, I really overestimated you. I knew you were shameless, but I didn''t know you were this petty. Do you know what this is? This is personal revenge! Pole vaulting? If you''re really holding such a grudge, why not just sign me up for square dancing?"


    Song Yi corrected him: "It''s pole dancing."


    Shen Yujing''s raised hand froze in mid-air.


    But Song Yi quickly affirmed him again, "But everything else you said was spot on, I agree."


    Hearing Song Yi''s "praise," Shen Yujing immediately forgot his small embarrassment and proudly lifted his head higher, instantly feeling more confident.


    Jiang Yiheng put down his pen and asked, "Did you both come just for this?"


    They nodded in unison.


    Jiang Yiheng got up to pour himself a glass of water before calmly explaining, "The principal issued a temporary notice at noon that every senior student must sign up for at least one event and submit it before 1 PM. Since neither of you could be reached, I made the choices for you."


    "If you have any complaints, you can discuss them with the principal."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi took out her phone and, sure enough, there were multiple mentions and missed calls in the group chat, reminding her to sign up for the sports meet.


    So Shen Yujing and Song Yi, who had arrived with their heads held high, left like deflated balloons. S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The autumn wind felt cool on their skin, and a ginkgo leaf fell on Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing slowly said, "But I don''t even know how to pole vault."


    Song Yi deadpanned: "You think I know how to dance?"


    As if sensing their distress, the sky even started drizzling.


    Shen Yujing: "Cheerleading isn''t that hard, you can just blend in with so many people. Pole vaulting is different, everyone will be watching just me."


    Moreover, given his high profile at school, many people would specifically come to watch his event and discuss it on the forum.


    Thinking about this, Shen Yujing could already envision himself failing at pole vaulting, falling onto the safety mat, and becoming the subject of three hundred mocking comments on the forum.


    "You''re right," Song Yi nodded in agreement, "Let''s switch then."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Never mind, he''d better go practice pole vaulting.


    They parted in silence, both contemplating how to face this challenge with dignity.


    With less than four days until the sports meet, the cheerleading team had just been organized. The school allocated the last self-study period each afternoon for practice, with additional practice times permitted with subject teachers'' approval.


    There were ninety cheerleaders in total, divided into three squads.


    Song Yi was in the main squad, but as luck would have it, the squad leader was... Chen Xue.


    When Chen Xue saw Song Yi, she gave a cold laugh before starting roll call.


    Chen Xue had originally planned to avoid school for a few days, but after learning that Song Yi had joined the cheerleading team, she specially came back in the evening and used her position as the Dance Club''s vice president to become the cheerleading squad leader.


    The cheerleading team was always the most anticipated event by male students at every sports meet. If Song Yi were to get the center position in another squad, she would definitely steal the spotlight, and Chen Xue absolutely wouldn''t allow that to happen.


    Most people present were aware of the forum drama and knew about the hostility between Chen Xue and Song Yi. Anyone wanting a front-row position in the cheerleading performance couldn''t afford to offend Chen Xue, so during the gathering in the break room, no one initiated any conversation with Song Yi.


    After the headcount was completed, they quickly began position assignments.


    Arranged by height, Song Yi stood in the middle row, but after Chen Xue''s adjustments, she was moved to the far left corner of the last row.


    Chen Xue stood in the front row with the roster, "Most of you are members of our Dance Club, and I''m familiar with everyone''s skill level. I''ve arranged the positions based on height and dance ability, aiming for complete fairness. If anyone has any opinions, feel free to share them with me, and I''ll consider them based on the actual situation."


    A girl nearby turned her head and gave Song Yi a sympathetic look.


    Not only had Chen Xue placed Song Yi in the most corner position, but she also put the two tallest girls in the team right in front of her, effectively blocking her completely ¨C clearly targeting her.


    But Song Yi didn''t see it that way; she actually wished Chen Xue would just kick her out of the squad entirely.


    Practice soon began. Song Yi''s position was completely inconspicuous; while others practiced seriously, she just mimicked their movements from the back, waving her hands and kicking her legs, with no one paying attention to her dance skills.


    Song Yi originally thought this was fine, really.


    Until the dance studio door opened¡ª


    Pink long hair gleaming particularly bright in the sunlight, Murong Huan appeared.


    She was wearing a gold formal dress, looking as if she had just rushed over after mock hosting practice, with traces of fatigue on her face.


    As the host of this sports meet, Murong Huan wouldn''t participate in any events, but as the head of the Student Council''s Arts and Culture Department, she had the responsibility to review and follow up on all artistic performances for the sports meet.


    The others around Song Yi became excited, calling out: "President! The President is here!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    What? The Dance Club''s vice president was Chen Xue, and the president was actually Murong Huan?


    Chen Xue and Murong Huan clearly didn''t have a good relationship. She asked warily, "What are you doing here?"


    "To supervise your practice, of course." Murong Huan answered with a smile and walked right in.


    Her gaze swept across everyone appraisingly, finally... landing on Song Yi.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling?


    Murong Huan crossed her arms and looked at Chen Xue, anger appearing in her eyes, "The Dance Club isn''t a place for personal vendettas."


    Chen Xue boldly confronted Murong Huan, saying: "Speak clearly, what kind of person makes insinuations?"


    "Why so defensive?" Murong Huan said coldly, "I don''t think this positioning is appropriate. It must be changed."


    Chen Xue gritted her teeth, "Murong Huan, I''m the cheerleading squad leader here!"


    Murong Huan''s eyes held mockery, "Remember, that''s only because I let you have it."


    If Murong Huan hadn''t been too busy with hosting duties to lead the dance practice, this role wouldn''t have fallen to Chen Xue.


    The others didn''t dare breathe a word at this point, knowing that the president and vice president had never gotten along, and they didn''t dare take sides easily.


    Finally, Chen Xue backed down, taking her frustration out on the others: "What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and follow the president''s arrangements!"


    "Everyone else stay where you are," Murong Huan stepped forward and pointed at Song Yi, "You, come out."


    Song Yi doubtfully pointed at herself, suddenly unsure of Murong Huan''s intentions.


    "Yes, you." Murong Huan turned to Chen Xue beside her and said, "Our squad leader, don''t you think it would be a waste to not put someone as beautiful as Song Yi in the center position?"


    Chen Xue opened the roster in her hands, "But according to our records, she has no dance experience whatsoever. She''s not qualified to stand here."


    Murong Huan responded capriciously, "So what? The audience isn''t made up of professionals anyway. As long as she''s pretty enough, it''s fine."


    The girl next to them looked at Song Yi enviously, "Murong Huan is so nice to you, you two have such a great relationship! I''m so jealous!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Yes, Murong Huan was very good to her, and she was touched.


    But the problem was that she really, really, really couldn''t dance.


    However, under Murong Huan''s expectant gaze and Chen Xue''s hostile glare, Song Yi still reluctantly stepped forward and took the center position.


    Murong Huan looked around, somewhat dissatisfied, and said, "This space is too small, we need somewhere more open."


    So finally, they went to the stage that had been set up for the school''s sports meet.


    On the field, there were many athletes practicing different events, sweating and releasing their youthful energy.


    Only Song Yi stood on the stage in despair, still in the center position.


    Soon, everyone would see her uncoordinated, ridiculous movements.


    Soon, Murong Huan would be embarrassed along with her for choosing her as the center.


    No, this absolutely couldn''t happen! She couldn''t just wait for disaster!


    Standing on the stage, looking at the height of about a meter from the ground, Song Yi hesitated for two seconds before making up her mind.


    Running away might be shameful, but it works.


    So amid the shocked gasps of others, Song Yi used all her acting skills to "accidentally" fall off the stage.


    At this height, spraining an ankle would be normal, right?


    However, Song Yi''s bottom hurt from the fall, and when Murong Huan helped her up, she tentatively moved her foot.


    Nothing... nothing wrong???


    Murong Huan anxiously asked her, "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    Song Yi was silent for a few seconds before answering, "I think... I sprained it?"


    *


    In the infirmary.


    The doctor carefully examined Song Yi''s ankle and said, "There''s nothing wrong, absolutely nothing. These bones are healthier than mine."


    After saying this, the doctor stood up.


    Song Yi immediately grabbed the doctor''s hand, managing to squeeze out a tear, "Doctor, please help me with something."


    In the time that followed, Song Yi fabricated a tragic life story about being an outstanding student who endured school bullying while still working hard to earn scholarships to treat her sick father, moving the doctor to tears.


    Of course, it wasn''t entirely made up - the original owner''s life was even more tragic.


    Finally, Song Yi said, "Please just wrap some bandages or put on a patch, just say that I can''t exercise for the next few days."


    The doctor nodded, "Alright."


    At that moment, the door was pushed open.


    Murong Huan had grown impatient waiting outside and urged, "What''s the situation? What kind of standards does this infirmary have anyway?"


    However, upon seeing the doctor''s tear-stained face, Murong Huan froze completely.


    After a while, Murong Huan''s voice, filled with doubt about herself and the world, trembled as she spoke, "Doctor, can... can her leg be saved?"


    Doctor: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    It wasn''t quite that serious.


    *


    Finally, after explaining to Murong Huan that she had just "sprained" her ankle, Song Yi satisfactorily stood up with eight rounds of bandages wrapped around her leg, limping.


    Murong Huan specifically asked the doctor about various precautions, then came over to support her, asking, "Can you walk? Should I have the driver bring the car in?"


    "No need, no need." Song Yi waved her hand, "putting on a brave face."


    Just as they were about to leave, a heart-wrenching cry suddenly came from outside¡ª


    "Doctor! Doctor! Help us! My brother''s leg is about to break!!!"


    Song Yi pulled Murong Huan to the side, knowing they should make way for such an emergency.


    However... that voice sounded familiar???


    Then, at the doorway¡ª


    Quan Le and Zhang Yong were half-bent over, supporting Shen Yujing on either side, running in while continuing to shout, "Doctor! Doctor! Come save him quickly!"


    Shen Yujing had his head down, looking weak and lifeless, with one foot suspended in the air, his face full of weakness and pain.


    Until their eyes met, Shen Yujing''s originally drooping phoenix eyes suddenly widened.


    Awkwardness and silence filled the entire infirmary.


    When Shen Yujing saw the bandages wrapped around Song Yi''s ankle, he immediately withdrew his hand from Zhang Yong''s shoulder, slowly lowered his head, and used it to cover his face.


    Then Shen Yujing''s suspended foot landed on the ground, and he turned to walk out of the infirmary.


    His movements were so swift and vigorous, showing no trace of his previous weakness - it could be called the greatest medical miracle in human history.


    Quan Le and Murong Huan''s eyes met, both seeing confusion in each other''s gaze.


    What was going on?


    Zhang Yong hadn''t yet caught up with what was happening, but instinctively followed Shen Yujing, shouting as he chased after him, "Yu-bro! Yu-bro! Watch out for your leg! Wasn''t it broken?!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    What a coincidence - she and Shen Yujing had thought of the same thing.

 Chapter 16

    Murong Huan hadn''t quite grasped what was happening and looked at Quan Le with slight disdain, asking, "What are you all doing?"


    Quan Le scratched his head, confusion evident in his eyes, but still answered, "Shen Yujing was just practicing pole vaulting for the sports meet, but something went wrong. He fell and said he might have broken his leg, so we accompanied him to the infirmary."


    "Broken leg?" Murong Huan was skeptical. "Him? As agile as he is? Even Zhang Yong can''t catch up with him when his legs are perfectly fine."


    "I also feel something''s not quite right," Quan Le agreed with Murong Huan''s assessment, then turned his gaze to Song Yi and asked, "Top student? What''s wrong with your foot?"


    Murong Huan answered for her, "Song Yi was practicing dance for the sports meet, but something went wrong too. She fell from the platform and sprained her ankle, so I accompanied her to the infirmary."


    After Murong Huan''s explanation, all three of them fell into silence.


    Quan Le stared intently at Song Yi, trying to find some clues in her expression, and opened his mouth to say, "Well..."


    Song Yi, mimicking Shen Yujing''s earlier behavior, released her grip on Murong Huan''s shoulder, covered her face, and walked toward the exit.


    Her movements were swift and energetic.


    In the end, Quan Le and Murong Huan stood together and spent half an hour criticizing both Shen Yujing and Song Yi, while Zhang Yong stood beside them, completely confused about what was happening.


    Shen Yujing, annoyed by all the noise, turned to Song Yi and said, "Hey, who told you to use the same method? Copying me?"


    Song Yi was exasperated, "Get your facts straight. I arrived at the infirmary first, so if anything, you''re the one copying me!"


    "Huh." Shen Yujing sneered, "I''ve never copied anyone in all these years."


    "Stop arguing! What''s there to fight about?" Murong Huan interrupted them, looking at them as if they were crazy. "So, you two put on this whole act just to avoid participating in the sports meet?"


    Both fell silent, then nodded simultaneously, because that was exactly the case.


    Bringing this up made Shen Yujing even more irritated, "It''s all that old man''s fault. He''s already eighty years old but won''t retire and keeps bothering us with these pointless things."


    Murong Huan said, "But the principal only made it mandatory for third-year students to sign up. If you didn''t want to participate, you could have just not shown up today and been automatically disqualified."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Shen Yujing: "??"


    "That''s right," Quan Le nodded and looked at Shen Yujing, "When I saw you running so fast during self-study period, I thought you were eager to participate in pole vaulting, so I didn''t tell you."


    Song Yi & Shen Yujing: "..."


    How did it turn out like this?


    So, what exactly was the point of their elaborate performance?


    *


    In the end, Song Yi and Shen Yujing got what they wanted ¨C neither had to participate in any events.


    Tuesday evening, during self-study period.


    Sitting in the classroom studying felt much more comfortable than practicing dance. Song Yi completed two sets of test papers in one go.


    Suddenly, a paper ball hit the back of her head and fell to the ground.


    Song Yi turned around to see Quan Le looking at her from the back rows, pointing at the paper ball on the floor.


    Song Yi bent down to pick up the paper ball and opened it, finding only three words: Check your phone.


    Song Yi took out her phone and saw a new WeChat message notification.


    [Lonely Wolf] has added you to a group chat.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Yes, this Lonely Wolf was indeed Shen Yujing.


    At the moment, there were only three people in the group.


    [Lonely Wolf]: I need to announce something very serious.


    [Listen to Me]: ?


    [Song You Leave]: ?


    [Lonely Wolf]: Shen Luo''s teacher just called me.


    [Song You Leave]: Who''s Shen Luo?


    [Listen to Me]: Who''s Shen Luo?


    [Lonely Wolf]: ... My cousin.


    Song Yi finally remembered that Shen Luo was that strange kid with a bad temper who had pestered her about studying during Shen Yujing''s birthday party a few days ago.


    Shen Yujing continued sending messages in the group.


    [Lonely Wolf]: One of his subject teachers said his last homework was terrible and wants to call his parents.


    [Listen to Me]: One subject, which one?


    [Song You Leave]: It definitely wasn''t the subject I tutored him in.


    [Listen to Me]: Couldn''t be mine either.


    [Lonely Wolf]: ? What are you two implying


    [Listen to Me]: Let''s be honest, the top student is first in our grade, and I''m from Class A. Shen Yujing, you''re the most suspicious one.


    [Lonely Wolf]: How is that possible? Don''t look down on me!


    [Listen to Me]: We''ll find out if we go check! We just need to avoid calling the parents, right? Let''s go!


    [Lonely Wolf]: Fine, meet at the school gate at 6 @everyone


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Surely that "everyone" didn''t include her?


    [Listen to Me]: Alright, whoever doesn''t show up is guilty!


    [Lonely Wolf]: Only a bastard would be guilty!


    [Listen to Me]: Fine! Whoever doesn''t show up is a bastard!


    [Lonely Wolf]: Bastard!!!


    Song Yi remained silent.


    Your whole families are bastards!!!


    *


    Evening, after school.


    Quan Le stopped Song Yi and invited her, "Come on, top student, let''s go see the results."


    Song Yi: "I''m not interes..."


    "Let''s hurry over there, and after meeting with the teacher, we can grab a meal at Shen Luo''s elementary school cafeteria ¨C it''s absolutely amazing. You know how our school cafeteria is already quite good, but it''s not even in the same league as theirs," Quan Le continued on his own, then asked Song Yi, "What were you saying just now?"


    Song Yi immediately changed her tune, saying, "I can''t wait, let''s go!"


    They arrived at the school gate together, where Shen Yujing''s car was already waiting, with him sitting in the back seat.


    Song Yi opened the front door, but Quan Le got in before her, "I get carsick, so I need to sit in front. Thanks, top student."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Shen Yujing leaned back in the car, arms crossed, looking at her, "What are you spacing out for? Get in. What''s wrong? Don''t tell me you''re afraid of me?"


    Song Yi rolled her eyes at him before getting in.


    The drive from Saint Slee Academy to Shen Luo''s private elementary school wasn''t far, only about twenty minutes.


    Quan Le sat in the front seat, looking utterly miserable from his motion sickness, constantly making retching sounds.


    Even though Uncle Chen had provided many anti-motion sickness remedies from the car, Quan Le''s condition hadn''t improved much.


    Shen Yujing looked at Quan Le with disgust and said, "This car was my father''s birthday gift to me. If you can''t hold it in, just say so. If you throw up in here, you''ll have to deal with me."


    They were still halfway to the elementary school, and Quan Le looked like he might throw up at any moment.


    Song Yi couldn''t stand watching anymore, as she was starting to feel nauseous herself ¨C from his behavior.


    So Song Yi said, "Let''s stop. We can find another way to get there."


    "That won''t work," Shen Yujing explained, knowing Quan Le well. "He gets motion sickness on any vehicle. It''s congenital. He''s seen countless famous doctors, but nothing helps."


    Song Yi asked, somewhat confused, "Then how do you get to and from school every day?"


    Quan Le''s head was leaning against the window as he answered in a trembling voice, "I have an apartment across from the school. Ever since I was young, we''ve bought properties near places I frequently visit to minimize travel time."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She would never understand the world of the wealthy.


    But Song Yi still insisted, "Stop the car. I''ll take you there."


    Quan Le turned around, his face pale, and asked, "How?"


    How? Of course by¡ª


    Sitting on the back of the shared electric bike''s seat, Quan Le awkwardly stretched out his legs and grabbed the hem of Song Yi''s school uniform jacket, asking, "Will this work?"


    Song Yi gripped the handlebars of the shared electric bike, one foot on the pedal and the other on the ground, "Why wouldn''t it? Hold on tight to me, let''s go!"


    In the luxury car.


    Shen Yujing sat by the window, expressionlessly watching the shared electric bike riding parallel to them, now being the only person left in the car.


    Song Yi and Quan Le seemed to be chatting about something, laughing and appearing quite happy.


    Of course, if Song Yi and Quan Le knew what Shen Yujing was thinking right now, they would both be quite exasperated.


    Please, one was very weak and the other impatient, one doubted the other''s "driving skills," and one found the other too chatty and annoying.


    This scene had absolutely nothing to do with having a pleasant conversation.


    But Shen Yujing watched and felt very uneasy about it.


    Although Quan Le was his friend, and it was normal for Song Yi to help take care of him, he just couldn''t feel happy about it.


    Why was Quan Le acting so fragile? His face was practically pressed against Song Yi''s back. Didn''t he understand the proper distance between men and women?


    And those hands - grabbing the hem of her clothes would have been fine, couldn''t he put them a bit lower?


    Shen Yujing didn''t want to watch anymore and said to Uncle Chen: "Drive faster."


    After saying this, he closed his eyes and leaned against the car window to rest.


    Meanwhile, outside the car.


    Song Yi was riding a shared electric bike with Quan Le, "racing" along the way.


    Seeing that Shen Yujing''s car had sped up, to avoid falling behind, she accelerated to maximum speed.


    Quan Le''s motion sickness had improved slightly, but now the cold wind was making his head spin. He unconsciously gripped Song Yi tighter and shouted: "Top student! What''s going on?"


    Song Yi: "Shen Yujing wants to overtake us."


    Quan Le: "Obviously! Have you seen what kind of car he''s in compared to what we''re riding?"


    How could four wheels and two wheels even compare?


    But Song Yi''s response was simply: "Not happening."


    Since they were already here, they couldn''t fall too far behind.


    Soon enough, Shen Yujing and his four-wheeled vehicle were stopped by a red light, forced to wait for them.


    Shen Yujing rolled down his window, revealing his beautiful almond-shaped eyes as he looked at them, "Want to get in?"


    "No, no," Quan Le immediately refused, and praised: "I think this ride is quite comfortable. Although the wind is strong and the seat is a bit hard, at least I''m not getting carsick!"


    As soon as Quan Le finished speaking, Shen Yujing''s window rolled back up.


    However, the good times didn''t last long. At the next intersection¡ª


    "Stop!"


    A traffic police officer held out his hand to stop Song Yi and Quan Le, "You two, get off."


    Both of them looked confused but dismounted together.


    The officer looked at them sternly, "I''ve been following you two for a while now. Do you know you''re breaking the rules?"


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    Quan Le: "Huh?"


    For the next five minutes, the officer gave them a stern lecture.


    In short, shared electric bikes couldn''t carry passengers, neither of them was wearing helmets, and more outrageously, they had tried to "race" against a Maybach.


    Finally, the officer announced their punishment: a fifty-yuan fine and they had to post an apology on WeChat Moments that needed to get twenty likes.


    Quan Le''s face, which had just recovered from motion sickness, turned pale again. "Can we negotiate? Can we pay a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand instead of posting on Moments?"


    Money wasn''t the issue, but posting on Moments would mean losing all face and dignity.


    "No!" The officer looked at Quan Le, "You two broke the rules! Negotiate? What''s there to negotiate?"


    At this moment, Shen Yujing, seemingly just realizing he''d left the two behind, drove back looking for them.


    Seeing a traffic officer standing in front of Quan Le and Song Yi, Shen Yujing curiously approached, "What are you doing?"


    The officer saw Shen Yujing and the Maybach parked nearby and said: "You''re the one racing with them, right? You also need to post an apology on Moments and get twenty likes before you can leave!"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    While Quan Le and Shen Yujing were being lectured, Song Yi immediately took out her phone and started editing her Moments post. She blocked her father and all Saint Slee classmates, easily gathering twenty likes from her old middle school friends.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le weren''t so lucky - their likes came from Saint Slee students.


    Based on their Moments posts, a legend emerged on the academy''s forum:


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le rode a shared electric bike trying to race a luxury car and were stopped and punished by the police.


    Song Yi perfectly disappeared from this story, and she was quite satisfied with this outcome.


    Of course, that was all aftermath.


    *


    At present, in an elementary school office.


    The young homeroom teacher, who had only been on the job for a few days, held the homework with slightly trembling hands. She kept her eyes down but tried to tell herself¡ª


    Deep breaths! Deep breaths! Don''t be nervous!


    No matter how rich they are, they''re just students! Don''t be afraid! There''s nothing to fear!


    The young men and women before her wore uniforms from the city''s most prestigious private high school, all looking clearly wealthy and privileged.


    None of them looked particularly pleased, and these weren''t the kind of people a young teacher could afford to offend.


    So the homeroom teacher tried to maintain a gentle smile and asked, "May I ask who you are?"


    Shen Yujing: "I''m Shen Luo''s cousin."


    Quan Le: "I''m Shen Luo''s cousin''s friend."


    Song Yi: "I''m... I''m nothing."


    Hearing Shen Yujing introduce himself, the homeroom teacher realized why they were there and quickly got up to offer them chairs, "Please, have a seat."


    The teacher showed them Shen Luo''s grades from the start of this semester and analyzed his learning situation.


    Shen Yujing interrupted the teacher, "I don''t want to know about that. I''m only concerned about the homework he submitted last weekend. Which assignment specifically had problems that made you call us here?"


    Quan Le and Song Yi nodded in agreement.


    The teacher then took out Shen Luo''s homework and said seriously, "Strictly speaking, every assignment."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Quan Le: "??"


    Song Yi: "???"


    During the time that followed, the three listened to the explanation of all the mistakes.


    Actually, their overall work was correct, but they made mistakes in various details.


    For instance, incomplete solution processes, or forgetting to include units and such.


    Finally, Shen Yujing asked, "Teacher, I''d like to ask about one problem."


    Shen Yujing asked about the problem that had caused the three of them to argue endlessly.


    But when the teacher opened Shen Luo''s homework book, they found that he had left that question blank.


    Clearly, Shen Luo didn''t trust any of them.


    The homeroom teacher carefully looked at the question and, under their expectant gazes, said, "Oh my, how careless of Shen Luo, he copied the numbers from the question wrong."


    The three: "..."


    How did this happen?


    What was the point of all their calculations that day?


    Therefore, at dinner in the cafeteria, Shen Yujing''s hand came down hard on his cousin''s forehead, "You can''t even copy a question correctly? Do you ever pay attention in class?"


    Quan Le: "Shen Yujing, you''re not really in a position to criticize him."


    Song Yi: "Well said, I agree."


    The most special classes at Saint Slee Academy were Class A and Class B. The former consisted of academically excellent students, while the latter was mainly filled with children from the wealthiest families.


    The school also placed some students with decent family backgrounds and grades in Class B, creating an illusion of "parallel classes" except for Class A.


    Shen Luo hugged his textbook, his small face and big eyes full of resentment as he glared at Shen Yujing, clearly showing that the relationship between the cousins wasn''t very good.


    Shen Yujing ignored Quan Le''s sarcasm and skillfully snatched Shen Luo''s meal card from his jacket, then led them to eat on the second floor.


    This school''s cafeteria had the same design as Saint Slee''s - affordable prices on the first floor, expensive on the second.


    When Shen Luo''s meal card was swiped, showing a balance of 100,000, Song Yi remained unfazed, having already seen the million in Shen Yujing''s card earlier.


    However, Song Yi was disappointed that the cafeteria food wasn''t as amazing as Quan Le had claimed. It was acceptable, but not worth making a special trip for.


    After dinner, everyone naturally went their separate ways.


    Shen Yujing dragged his cousin into the luxury car, Song Yi took the bus, and Quan Le rode a shared electric bike alone, with a genuinely happy smile on his face.


    Since everyone already knew about the shared bike incident, Quan Le decided to go all in and posted on Moments.


    Quan Le V: Learned a new skill today~ @Song Yi [Photo]


    Quan Le''s photo was a selfie of him on the shared electric bike.


    Song Yi responded very casually with a thumbs up.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing looked at this Moments post with furrowed brows.


    Why hadn''t he found Quan Le so annoying before?


    Just because Song Yi gave him a ride on a shared electric bike? Was that such a big deal that he had to keep talking about it over and over? Was he afraid someone wouldn''t know? Did he really need to post about it on WeChat Moments? Didn''t he have anything better to do?


    Shen Yujing got increasingly irritated until he finally blocked Quan Le''s Moments.


    Ah, the world instantly felt more peaceful.


    * Sear?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next morning.


    Song Yi had just arrived in class and was about to put her phone on silent when she saw new WeChat messages.


    [Listen to Quan]: Good morning bros! Another day of riding shared electric bikes to school! [Picture]


    Song Yi was confused.


    Wait, why hadn''t this group chat been disbanded yet?


    Not only was it still active, but it now had a name¡ª


    [Saint Slee Shared Electric Bike Riding Experience Exchange Headquarters]


    And in the next second, the group name changed.


    [Lonely Wolf] changed the group name to [Everyone''s an Idiot Except Me].


    [Listen to Quan]: ?


    [Song Leave Me]: ??


    [Lonely Wolf]: ...Sorry, misclick.


    [Lonely Wolf] changed the group name back to [Saint Slee Shared Electric Bike Riding Experience Exchange Headquarters].


    Well, it was changed back.


    But Song Yi didn''t understand¡ªwould this strange-sounding group really get a fourth member?


    Thinking this, she quit the group without hesitation.


    [Listen to Quan] invited you to join the group.


    Song Yi quit again.


    [Lonely Wolf] invited you to join the group.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Whatever, let them have their fun.


    So Song Yi stopped paying attention to the group and put her phone in her desk drawer to continue studying.


    The warning bell rang, and most of the class had arrived.


    Song Yi kept her head down, continuing to work on problems when suddenly something was placed on her desk¡ªit was a bottle of strawberry milk, the same kind she''d bought at the convenience store yesterday.


    Song Yi looked up to see Hang Feng standing in front of her.


    Curious glances from around the classroom fell on them, while the dark-haired boy just looked down at her silently, his expression as still as dead water.


    Sensing the strange atmosphere, Jiang Yiheng also looked over.


    Song Yi looked at the bottle of milk and said, "I don''t need this."


    Hang Feng said, "It was yours to begin with."


    Because Song Yi had given him seven yuan yesterday, which he didn''t need.


    Song Yi understood and nodded, "Oh, I see. Then wait a moment."


    She lowered her head and took out a coin from her wallet, placing it in Hang Feng''s hand, "Then this should be yours."


    Hang Feng looked down at the coin in his hand, feeling his blood pressure rising again uncontrollably.


    What exactly was she doing? Being so precise about even one yuan¡ªdid she think he was that poor?


    At that moment, Song Yi also took out a bandage and put it in Hang Feng''s hand, "I see you''re not wearing a bandage today. It''s fine, these aren''t expensive, just keep it."


    The bandage was light, almost weightless, but when Song Yi placed it in his hand, Hang Feng suddenly felt his heart skip a beat.


    In that instant, he felt he could forgive her rudeness, her presumptions, and all that unnecessary and excessive sympathy.


    His body felt somewhat inexplicably stiff, making him turn away wordlessly and return to his seat instead of speaking.


    He touched his cheek¡ªhe''d removed the bandage before washing his face and forgotten to put on a new one.


    This might have been the first time someone had shown genuine concern for him, without pretense, and somehow it didn''t feel as repulsive.


    It wasn''t until the class bell rang that he lowered his head to look at the bandage in his hand.


    He wished he hadn''t looked¡ªhis expression froze.


    The bandage was primarily light-colored, but on the other side were many... turtles?


    No, not turtles¡ªlittle tortoises.


    Hang Feng: "...?"


    He clenched his fist, the flat bandage''s edges digging into his palm.


    After a moment, he relaxed his hand and carefully placed the bandage in his pocket.


    Never mind, she probably didn''t mean anything by it.


    At least, he hoped not.


    *


    Meanwhile, at the back of the classroom.


    Having witnessed everything, Quan Le picked up his phone and started texting Shen Yujing.


    [Wow, that Hang Feng''s only been here two days and he''s already trying to get close to our top student!]


    Perhaps because he was so grateful that Song Yi had taught him how to use the shared bikes, Quan Le had changed from calling her "special honors student" to "top student," showing notably more respect.


    Shen Yujing replied almost instantly.


    [?]


    Quan Le raised his phone and took a picture of the strawberry milk on Song Yi''s desk.


    This time Shen Yujing replied with [.]


    Quan Le didn''t understand, but he soon would, because as soon as class ended, Shen Yujing came to Class A.


    Shen Yujing''s arrival was quite eye-catching, as he was carrying more than ten bottles of strawberry milk.


    As Shen Yujing walked, milk bottles kept falling, and Zhang Yong kept picking them up behind him.


    But when all these strawberry milk bottles were piled on her desk, Song Yi''s mouth twitched slightly as she asked, "What are you doing?"


    Shen Yujing turned his face away and said, "I just passed by the convenience store and saw these were half-price because they''re about to expire, so I bought them all for you since they were cheap."


    Song Yi''s face was expressionless, "They''re about to expire and you bought me so many?"


    Was he trying to make her drink them all or trying to kill her?


    Hearing Song Yi''s response, Shen Yujing''s expression became stiff, then annoyed.


    Hadn''t she missed the point? That was just an excuse he''d made up!


    Noticing the commotion in the classroom, Hang Feng also looked up.


    Seeing Shen Yujing with his arms full of strawberry milk, as a fellow man, Hang Feng naturally understood what the other was thinking.


    But clearly Shen Yujing was overthinking it, because that hadn''t been his intention at all.


    But it didn''t matter, it wasn''t his business.


    Thinking this, Hang Feng was about to put his head down to continue sleeping when he suddenly met Song Yi''s gaze.


    "Hey!" Song Yi called out to Hang Feng directly, waving at him.


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Suddenly he had a bad feeling, hoping it was just his imagination.


    Song Yi held up the strawberry milk in front of her and called his name, "Hang Feng! You need to give me four yuan back!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    When half the class''s attention focused on Hang Feng, he somewhat regretted coming to school today as well.


    Song Yi''s thinking was simple¡ªhadn''t Shen Yujing just said the strawberry milk was half-price today? She''d been overcharged!


    Ever since she''d been forced to work hard in the cafeteria under Shen Yujing''s torment, Song Yi felt that every cent in her life was hard-earned and must be cherished.


    Seeing Hang Feng''s expression turn unpleasant, Song Yi sighed, "Never mind! I know you don''t have money! Keep it!"


    This time, Hang Feng got up and walked to Song Yi''s side, taking out a hundred-yuan note from his pocket and slapping it on her desk.


    The movement was so sudden it pushed Shen Yujing aside.


    Hang Feng leaned on the desk with both hands, looking down at Song Yi, emphasizing each word: "I told you, I have money."


    Song Yi nodded and said one word, "Oh."


    Obviously, it was perfunctory and insincere.


    Shen Yujing looked at Hang Feng, then at Song Yi, "What do you mean? He doesn''t have money?"


    Song Yi answered, "He does, but he only has a hundred yuan. Poor thing."


    So Shen Yujing took the hundred-yuan note and stuffed it back into Hang Feng''s hand, saying disdainfully, "Take it back, what are you trying to prove with just a hundred?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    His hand tightened, nearly crumpling the hundred-yuan note into a ball.


    Were these two even listening to him? Why were they having their own conversation and reaching such strange conclusions? Was it that they couldn''t understand human speech, or was he not speaking human language?


    While Hang Feng was falling into self-doubt, Shen Yujing suddenly found Hang Feng more tolerable, thinking Song Yi probably wouldn''t like someone poorer than her.


    Shen Yujing kindly asked, "You''re in the grade''s top ten, right? Have you applied for the scholarship this year? Those old guys at school have lots of money, might as well take it¡ªpride won''t feed you."


    Song Yi nodded, agreeing with Shen Yujing, "That''s right, I got a lot of money this year, don''t be shy about it."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Under the "caring" gazes of Shen Yujing and Song Yi, Hang Feng, unable to bear it any longer and not wanting to explain to them, threw a hundred yuan on the table and turned to leave.


    At the same time, the bell rang for class to begin, and Jiang Yiheng walked in from the front door, just brushing past Hang Feng.


    Seeing Hang Feng suddenly leave, and noticing that the other students'' eyes were on Song Yi, as well as the presence of Shen Yujing, who shouldn''t be there and was very much in the way, Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and asked, "What''s wrong with Hang Feng?"


    Song Yi thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Maybe he''s applying for a scholarship."


    Shen Yujing agreed wholeheartedly, "He left in a hurry, he seems to really need the money."


    Jiang Yiheng: "¡­¡­"


    As far as he knew, Hang Feng wasn''t short of money.


    Forget it, asking these two probably wouldn''t yield any reliable information.


    So Jiang Yiheng changed the subject and asked Shen Yujing, "Class is starting, are you going to stay here?"


    Shen Yujing blurted out, "I admire your class''s English teacher very much, so I specially came to attend a class."


    Jiang Yiheng: "But the next class is math."


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    Forget it, his math was the worst.


    So Shen Yujing took the strawberry milk that Hang Feng had left on Song Yi''s desk and left.


    These bottles of milk piled up into a small mountain in front of Song Yi, and Jiang Yiheng''s voice was cold, "Starting a small shop?"


    "No, no!" Song Yi quickly denied, then carried all the milk to the lost and found cabinet at the back of the classroom.


    The math teacher soon entered the class, and today''s lesson officially began.


    Quan Le turned back to look at the lost and found cabinet behind him, took down two bottles of milk, one for himself and one for his desk mate, "Why not drink it? Come on, nourish your brain, study hard."


    Three days later, the sports meet.


    The flag-filled playground, the blue sky and white clouds, and the sun were just right, making for a very comfortable weather.


    Murong Huan stood on the podium in a golden gown, a color that could have been tacky but was made even more noble by her presence, and next to her stood Jiang Yiheng in a black suit, as they were co-hosting this sports meet.


    What a match made in heaven, Song Yi thought as she took out her phone and snapped a few photos of them to send to Murong Huan.


    First came the familiar principal''s speech, the eighty-year-old principal standing on the stage with great passion, while the eighteen-year-old boys and girls below were all yawning as they listened.


    Song Yi, with her head down, was reciting English words from a small booklet.


    Because in another week, it would be time for the monthly exam again.


    Although Song Yi''s grades were not bad, the original owner was the top student in the grade, which was still a gap.


    For Song Yi, she had to continue to work hard and get high scores in the exams to be able to receive the generous scholarship from Saint Slee Academy, so that she and her father could have a good life.


    Suddenly, Song Yi felt more and more like the self-reliant heroine of a Mary Sue novel.


    It really was, the will of fate.


    After the principal''s speech, other teachers spoke, and after the opening ceremony was completely over, it was time for the competitions to begin. Students who were not participating in the events could choose to cheer for the athletes or have free time.


    Soon, the cheerleading performance, which closed the opening ceremony and marked the official start of the sports meet, began, with the team members taking the stage.


    Chen Xue stood in the absolute center, and it had to be said that her dance skills were quite good. Song Yi watched sincerely and applauded.


    Alright, it was over, nothing to do with her.


    So next, Song Yi took a detour to the milk tea shop next to the convenience store, bought a cup of her favorite milk tea, and prepared to head to the library to study.


    Song Yi posted a moment on her social media.


    [Seventeen years old, paying in full for a cup of milk tea, the independence of a woman is so cool.]


    Half an hour later.


    Murong Huan, dressed in a golden gown, rushed to the library, her expression anxious, "Song Yi, why are you here? Do you know how long I''ve been looking for you?"


    Song Yi looked up from her book in confusion and asked, "Ah?"


    Murong Huan grabbed her wrist directly, "Don''t ''ah'' anymore, come with me quickly, Shen Yujing is about to participate in the 3000-meter long-distance race! Hurry! Let''s go cheer for him!"


    Song Yi was even more confused, "Isn''t he not participating?"


    Murong Huan: "With his athletic talent, not participating would be a loss for our Class B."


    Song Yi understood, anyway, such an important "highlight" event, the male lead couldn''t really be absent.


    So Song Yi said, "No, I''m not interested."


    Murong Huan was stunned for a moment, then pulled out the chair in front of Song Yi and sat down, staring intently into her eyes.


    Song Yi felt a bit uncomfortable under Murong Huan''s gaze and waved her hand in front of her, "What are you looking at?"


    "I''m looking to see if you have any tricks up your sleeve," Murong Huan said, her beautiful face showing a hint of annoyance, "What''s going on with you? Are you lying to me? Do you still consider me a friend?"


    "Of course, I consider you a friend," Song Yi said helplessly, but had to explain, "But that has nothing to do with my not wanting to watch Shen Yujing''s race."


    "I know that many girls will be cheering for Shen Yujing, and you''ll definitely be jealous, but I promise you, he doesn''t accept drinks from just anyone."


    Song Yi: "That''s not the point."


    As if thinking of something, Murong Huan suddenly asked vigilantly, "Could it be that you don''t like Shen Yujing anymore?"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Like, she had to like him, at least in front of Murong Huan.


    So in the end, Song Yi still followed Murong Huan to the stadium.


    The 3000-meter race was about to start, with a dozen boys standing under the national flag, warming up in preparation.


    Among them, Shen Yujing was the most eye-catching.


    It wasn''t because he was handsome, nor because he had the protagonist''s halo, but because his golden hair was too conspicuous among these ordinary high school students, impossible to ignore.


    Murong Huan pulled Song Yi towards them, or more accurately, dragged her.


    Murong Huan waved from afar and shouted, "Shen Yujing! We''re here to cheer for you!"


    Quan Le, one of the contestants, was a bit surprised and said, "Yo, Murong Huan? Have you changed your ways?"


    Knowing that their personalities were not easy to get along with, once they clashed, it was hard to reconcile, so over the years, they had tacitly agreed to stay out of each other''s way, naturally interacting less and not being very close.


    Shen Yujing didn''t say anything, but his eyes were fixed on Song Yi beside Murong Huan.


    Song Yi felt uncomfortable being stared at and tugged at Murong Huan''s hand, asking, "Do we have to go over?"


    Murong Huan nodded and said, "Just to say hello."


    As the words were spoken, when they stood together¡ª


    Shen Yujing raised his chin haughtily, trying hard to maintain an indifferent expression, "You''re here."


    Quan Le also asked, "Murong Huan? Is that really you? Has the sun come out from the west?"


    Murong Huan patted Song Yi''s shoulder and looked at Shen Yujing, "She has something she wants to say to you."


    The heart raced wildly, uncontrollable nervousness, and inexplicable anticipation.


    Shen Yujing still tried to act calm and asked Song Yi, "What do you want to say?"


    Although Shen Yujing tried hard, the joy in his peach blossom eyes couldn''t hide his current mood.


    For Song Yi, the phrase "caught between a rock and a hard place" was enough to fully express her feelings.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing awkwardly looked at each other, and she could also see Murong Huan standing beside her with her peripheral vision.


    Under the sunlight, Murong Huan''s pink hair and Shen Yujing''s golden hair were both very dazzling.


    Oh no, it could also be said to be glaring.


    Out of the blue, Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said, "I have a wish."


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Go ahead."


    Wish? Shen Yujing already had an answer in his mind.


    Song Yi must be hoping he would win the 3000-meter long-distance race and give her the gold medal as a gift.


    Many girls had already made this request to him, but Shen Yujing hadn''t paid any attention to them.


    If she said a word of encouragement to him, he would reluctantly agree.


    In Shen Yujing''s expectant gaze, Song Yi pointed to her head and sincerely said, "I want to dye this thing green."


    That way, they would be the traffic light trio.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Murong Huan: "??"


    Quan Le: "???"


    Song Yi''s words fell, and the scene fell into a deep silence.


    Until the announcement sounded¡ª


    "Please prepare for the men''s 3000-meter long-distance race..."


    Shen Yujing: "I''m leaving first."


    Quan Le: "Me too."


    The two turned around and left in unison.


    Murong Huan reached out and stroked Song Yi''s hair, "It looks so good, what are you thinking? Don''t mess around."


    Song Yi asked her, "Then why did you dye your hair pink?"


    Murong Huan replied: "It''s natural."


    Song Yi: "???"


    Seeing that Song Yi didn''t believe her, Murong Huan took out her phone and showed her a family photo, "Look, this is my grandmother, she has red hair, this is my mother, her hair color is lighter, and by the time it got to me, it was completely pink!"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­?"


    Such a Mary Sue setting actually exists? Is this scientific??


    Before Song Yi could figure this out, she was pulled by Murong Huan to the crowd of girls to cheer for Shen Yujing.


    There were indeed many girls at school who liked Shen Yujing, and the cheering was on par with a concert.


    Shen Yujing also performed exceptionally well, always far ahead on the track, leading the second place by nearly half a lap.


    In the end, as expected, Shen Yujing, the male lead, naturally won first place and took a photo on the highest step of the podium with the second and third place winners.


    However, when countless girls surrounded Shen Yujing, and he ran towards her¡ª


    Song Yi admitted, she panicked.


    Because the original plot mentioned that after Shen Yujing won a gold medal at the sports meet, he hung it around the original protagonist''s neck in front of everyone.


    As a result, the original protagonist was further bullied by countless girls who liked Shen Yujing.


    This chapter made countless readers exclaim "I''m obsessed," but it made Song Yi realize the danger was approaching. She didn''t want to develop any real romance with Shen Yujing!


    So when Shen Yujing approached her, Song Yi took a step to the side and stretched out a foot.


    "Bang¡ª"


    Shen Yujing fell to the ground.


    And his hand involuntarily grabbed the nearest object, which was Song Yi.


    With another loud crash, Song Yi fell to the ground as well.


    In the midst of everyone''s exclamations, Song Yi tried to stand up but felt a piercing pain in her ankle.


    Damn (a type of plant).


    She suddenly had a bad feeling.


    And the next second, Shen Yujing''s voice also rang out¡ª


    "Quan Le! Help me up! My leg seems to be broken!"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Was this the legendary tragedy of fate?


    Where was the halo of the male and female leads?


    She didn''t understand.

 Chapter 17

    Murong Huan supported Song Yi, while Zhang Yong and Quan Le held Shen Yujing on either side as all five of them appeared in the medical office.


    Quan Le anxiously shouted, "Doctor! Doctor! Help us! My brother''s leg is about to break!!!"


    His words successfully plunged everyone present into silence.


    This scene was all too familiar, except now it had become reality instead of pretense.


    Song Yi, leaning on Murong Huan''s shoulder, tried to find humor in their misery and sighed, "Well, at least we can be thankful we didn''t pretend to be dead that day."


    Otherwise, they might as well have been sent straight to the crematorium.


    The doctor examined both Song Yi and Shen Yujing''s legs and made the diagnosis everyone had expected¡ª


    Song Yi had sprained her ankle, while Shen Yujing had a minor fracture.


    Consequently, Song Yi''s ankle was wrapped with a towel, and Shen Yujing''s lower leg was put in a cast.


    However, they shared one thing in common: both needed rest for the time being.


    Two wheelchairs were brought over, and Song Yi and Shen Yujing were helped into them before being wheeled into the same recovery room.


    The room was spacious, containing three beds that could be separated by curtains.


    Additionally, there was a large space at the foot of the beds to accommodate wheelchair access.


    Murong Huan''s expression was complicated as she said, "You should rest now. I''ll have someone bring you lunch, and I''ll take you home after school."


    "Okay," Song Yi obediently nodded, continuing to look at her foot in despair.


    Her only consolation was that Shen Yujing had it worse than her.


    Quan Le turned to Shen Yujing and similarly advised, "You get some rest too. Just mooch off someone else''s lunch, and at night, drink some cold water to get through it¡ªjust stay alive."


    Shen Yujing: "...Get lost."


    Quan Le and Zhang Yong had other sports events to participate in, while Murong Huan had to return to host, so everyone left, leaving only Shen Yujing and Song Yi in the room.


    Silence, wordlessness, awkwardness.


    Shen Yujing spoke first, saying, "This is so boring."


    He hadn''t even brought his phone with him.


    Song Yi nodded, "Indeed."


    Shen Yujing: "I have a bold idea."


    When Jiang Yiheng rushed over after learning about Song Yi and Shen Yujing''s injuries, he witnessed this scene¡ª


    Despite having one leg in a cast, Shen Yujing remained determined, demonstrating wheelchair maneuvers to Song Yi with serious dedication, "Look, we need to control the wheelchair ourselves, then... like this... and finally... that''s it."


    Song Yi frowned, "What do you mean by ''then like this and finally that''s it''?"


    Shen Yujing said, "It can only be understood through experience, not words. Try to grasp it."


    Jiang Yiheng: "...What are you two doing?"


    Only then did Shen Yujing and Song Yi notice Jiang Yiheng''s arrival.


    Shen Yujing answered, "We''re preparing for a wheelchair race. Want to join?"


    Song Yi nodded, then lowered her head to continue studying her wheelchair.


    It was strange¡ªwhy couldn''t she control it as smoothly? Was she really less clever than Shen Yujing?


    This answer seemed bizarre and even absurd to Jiang Yiheng, so he looked at the gold medal hanging around Shen Yujing''s neck and asked, "Is that a gold medal from the Paralympics?"


    "How can you say something like that?" Shen Yujing rolled his eyes at Jiang Yiheng, then quickly realized something, "Wait, why are you here anyway?"


    "To investigate whether this is a case of school bullying," Jiang Yiheng coldly replied, his gaze falling suspiciously on Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing: "Are you sick? Does my face scream ''violent bully'' to you? Do you know what defamation is?"


    Shen Yujing truly couldn''t understand why every time something happened, Jiang Yiheng would suspect him of bullying others. Was he that kind of person?


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer him but instead looked at Song Yi, "We received an anonymous report from a classmate claiming you deliberately caused Shen Yujing to fall."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Who would do that? Why snitch like this?


    And Shen Yujing: "..."


    So this time they weren''t suspecting him? He was actually the "victim"? This was even more ridiculous.


    Song Yi could only tell a white lie, denying it: "I didn''t. I just tried to step aside when I saw him running over."


    Shen Yujing, the victim who knew nothing of the truth, nodded in agreement, "I just tripped over something, that''s why I fell."


    After Shen Yujing said this, everyone fell silent.


    No, wait.


    Wasn''t that a rubber track? What could he have possibly tripped over?


    Shen Yujing looked suspiciously at Song Yi, suddenly forming a bold theory.


    Shen Yujing''s expression suddenly turned serious, "I''ve got it! There''s only one truth!"


    Song Yi, seeing no way to hide it anymore, sighed, "Alright, I conf¡ª"


    Shen Yujing: "Is our school haunted!?"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Huh? Could it be interpreted that way? Well, if that''s what he thought, that would work too.


    Shen Yujing seriously explained, "I heard a rumor before that an honors student from the third year committed suicide by jumping from the roof of Building A9 due to bullying, and where they fell was right on the track field!"


    Song Yi applauded: "What a reasonable deduction!"


    Shen Yujing turned to Jiang Yiheng, "You should report this to those old guys at school. It''s scary to have ghosts appearing in broad daylight like this¡ªit might affect our school''s fortune."


    Song Yi agreed: "I think we need to hold a proper ceremony to help them move on. It''s too pitiful to be trapped in this heartbreaking place after such a miserable life."


    Shen Yujing: "You''re very thoughtful! We should make it grand¡ªafter all, they were a student at Saint Slee, we can''t treat them poorly. If we need more money, we can always ask my dad!"


    Song Yi praised: "You''re so generous and kind."


    Shen Yujing: "Just average, but certainly better than certain cold-faced, sharp-tongued disciplinary committee heads."


    "Snap¡ª"


    Jiang Yiheng closed his folder and stood up to leave. He couldn''t stand it anymore.


    Who would be so idle as to report Shen Yujing being bullied?


    And he must have been crazy to believe it.


    The room''s door closed.


    Song Yi stared at Jiang Yiheng''s retreating figure and asked, "Don''t you think this scene looks familiar?"


    Shen Yujing also looked and replied, "Does the back of his head look similar to Hang Feng''s?"


    Just looking at it made him feel annoyed.


    Song Yi shook her head, "It''s not the back of his head, I can''t quite put my finger on it."


    Shen Yujing: "Then I have no idea."


    At this moment, the system finally couldn''t hold back anymore.


    [It''s the aura! The aura and demeanor are similar! Both Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng are so done with you two!]


    The system''s sudden speech startled Song Yi, "Oh, you''re still alive."


    [...]


    Never mind, it was done with them too.


    "What?" Shen Yujing thought she was talking to him, "Why wouldn''t I be alive?"


    Song Yi covered her forehead with one hand, "I wasn''t talking to you."


    Shen Yujing''s expression immediately turned serious, and he carefully waved his hand in front of Song Yi, "Hey! Song Yi! Are you still Song Yi? Don''t tell me you''re possessed?"


    Song Yi was exasperated but had to change the subject, asking, "Was that story about the honors student you mentioned earlier true?"


    "Of course not," Shen Yujing answered confidently, "I made it up to scare him away. The atmosphere gets too weird when he''s around, always wearing that stern face¡ªwho''s he trying to impress? And you saw it worked, didn''t you?"


    Song Yi opened her mouth to speak but hesitated, finally asking, "Do you really think Jiang Yiheng left because of your ghost story?"


    Shen Yujing: "Wasn''t it? Didn''t you just praise me?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well, it didn''t matter anyway.


    Shen Yujing patted his wheelchair, "Anyway, the important thing is Jiang Yiheng left. Come on! Let''s continue our wheelchair race!"


    *


    At noon.


    Quan Le not only brought their phones but also food.


    Two large bags filled an entire table, and Quan Le called out, "Come on! Time to eat!"


    The table was full of delicious dishes, very abundant and appetizing.


    Shen Yujing picked up his chopsticks, looked at his bowl, but felt something was missing.


    Song Yi slowly spoke up, asking, "So... where''s the rice?"


    Quan Le''s smile froze on his face as he scratched his head. "I... I forgot."


    Having a meal without rice was like having no meal at all.


    Song Yi put down her chopsticks with a troubled expression, suddenly feeling that she had lost her appetite.


    Shen Yujing said, "Don''t worry, I have an idea."


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing with hopeful eyes, suddenly feeling that his figure had become more impressive. As expected of the male lead, he always had some exceptional qualities.


    But in the next second, Shen Yujing took out a fruit knife and used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of broccoli, carefully beginning to cut off the florets.


    Song Yi: "..."


    What was he doing? What kind of operation was this?


    Quan Le also frowned, resting his chin on his hand while watching Shen Yujing''s performance intently. S~ea??h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While cutting, Shen Yujing explained to them: "Have you heard of rice-less fried rice? It''s when you use chopped broccoli or cauliflower florets instead of rice. When my mom was on a diet, she often had our housekeeper make it this way. I tried it once, and it tastes quite similar to rice."


    Quan Le''s eyes suddenly filled with admiration as he looked at Shen Yujing. "That''s amazing, Shen Yujing! You know so much!"


    Shen Yujing modestly replied, "It''s nothing special, I''m just quick to learn."


    These two, one bold enough to praise and the other to accept it, created quite a harmonious scene.


    Song Yi: "..."


    This was truly a travesty.


    Well, she''d endure it.


    *


    After spending a day in the infirmary and getting bored with wheelchair racing, evening finally came.


    As the dismissal bell rang, two bodyguard-like figures carrying a medical stretcher entered. They were dressed in black and wore dark sunglasses, making it impossible to see their expressions or guess their intentions.


    Song Yi instinctively sensed danger and wheeled herself backward, hiding behind Shen Yujing.


    Fortunately, these two men weren''t targeting Song Yi. They went straight for Shen Yujing, one lifting his head and the other his uninjured leg, unceremoniously placing him on the stretcher.


    It was so sudden that Shen Yujing was completely stunned. "What the hell? Who are you people? Do you know who I am..."


    Before Shen Yujing could finish, Quan Le walked in, explaining as he entered, "There''s a new security guard at the gate today who doesn''t recognize me and won''t let my car in."


    Shen Yujing, lying on the stretcher, suppressed his anger and sat up, asking, "So?"


    Quan Le shrugged and said, "So my car can only wait at the school gate, and since you can''t walk that far with your foot, they need to carry you there."


    Shen Yujing immediately grabbed the nearby wheelchair, showing an unyielding attitude, "I refuse. It''s dismissal time, there are lots of people around."


    Song Yi nodded in agreement, "He''s very image-conscious."


    Quan Le sighed helplessly, "Look, young master Shen, that cast won''t come off for at least a month. Your classmates will see it sooner or later. You can''t hide it forever."


    "Still no," Shen Yujing continued to refuse.


    However, Shen Yujing, with his cast and sitting on the stretcher, looked somewhat "fragile," which significantly diminished the impact of his words.


    Quan Le: "But photos of you and Song Yi falling together have already been posted on the forum! Everyone''s discussing who was bullying whom!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Shen Yujing made one last attempt to resist, "At least they haven''t seen the cast on my leg."


    "Huh?"


    Quan Le paused, then scratched his head embarrassedly, "Since they were saying you bullied Song Yi, I posted photos of both of you on the forum to prove your innocence. I wanted them to see clearly that your injuries are actually worse than Song Yi''s! There''s no way you could have deliberately hurt her!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Quan Le''s words successfully broke Shen Yujing''s resistance. He instantly released his grip on the wheelchair and gave up all opposition.


    Shen Yujing sat expressionlessly on the stretcher as the two bodyguards carried him out, with Quan Le walking alongside.


    Watching their retreating figures, Song Yi was oddly reminded of palace dramas where concubines would be carried in sedan chairs to the imperial garden, with maids walking beside them.


    Then again, no concubine would ever be reduced to such a humble carrier.


    On the academy grounds.


    Faced with countless bewildered looks from fellow students, Shen Yujing silently lowered his head, repeatedly telling himself¡ª


    As long as he wasn''t embarrassed, it would be others who felt awkward.


    Quan Le noticed Shen Yujing''s reluctance and said, "What choice do we have? If you tried hopping to the school gate on that leg, you might as well go straight to the hospital for amputation instead of going home."


    Just as Quan Le finished speaking, they heard the sound of wheelchair wheels beside them.


    Shen Yujing casually turned his head, and his expression completely froze.


    They saw Murong Huan pushing Song Yi in her wheelchair, quickly catching up to them with light steps.


    Then¡ª


    Murong Huan loudly asked Song Yi, "What are they doing? Isn''t there a wheelchair in the infirmary? Wouldn''t it be more convenient to push him? Why are they carrying Shen Yujing on a stretcher?"


    Song Yi replied, "Maybe because they like showing off."


    After Song Yi''s response, Murong Huan accelerated, pushing the wheelchair past them.


    A breeze carried their mocking comments¡ª


    "How embarrassing, let''s get away from them quickly."


    Quan Le: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Indeed, it was embarrassing.


    Shen Yujing really wanted to know how Quan Le''s brain worked, what kind of person could come up with such an unnecessarily complicated solution.


    More importantly, why hadn''t he himself realized what was wrong with this situation all along.


    Why! Just! Why! Was! This! Happening!!

 Chapter 18

    Song Yi returned home in a wheelchair.


    When Song''s Father saw this scene, he was so flustered that he didn''t even take off his apron before running out, anxiously asking, "What happened? Did someone bully you? Tell Dad, and I''ll go settle the score with them!"


    The usually gentle man was now both panicked and angry, feeling helpless yet extremely worried.


    "No, no!" Song Yi quickly denied and explained to her father, "I just accidentally twisted my ankle. My classmate helped me get home."


    Song Yi then pointed to Murong Huan, who was standing awkwardly at a distance, neither willing to come in nor leave.


    Song''s Father looked over and paused, "Are you allowed to dye your hair in high school?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Like father, like daughter - they had the same thought upon first seeing Murong Huan''s pink hair.


    So Song Yi explained to her father, "Although it sounds unbelievable, her hair is actually natural, inherited through family genes."


    Song''s Father always believed his daughter was smart and studious, so he immediately accepted her explanation, "Oh, I see. Then invite your classmate in for dinner. She went out of her way to bring you home, we should show our gratitude."


    "Ah." Song Yi was taken aback, unsure if her relationship with Murong Huan had reached that level yet.


    But she could see the expectation in her father''s eyes, clearly hoping Murong Huan would come in.


    Song Yi suddenly remembered that in the original plot, her father had always worried about her social relationships at school, hoping she would bring new friends home, though sadly it never happened.


    Song Yi wheeled herself over to Murong Huan.


    Murong Huan asked her, "Why did you come out again?"


    Song Yi looked up at Murong Huan with a smile and asked, "Are you free today?"


    Murong Huan: "What for?"


    Song Yi said earnestly, "My father wants to invite you for dinner to express our gratitude."


    "And... you''re my only friend since I came to this school. I want to introduce you to my father."


    When their eyes met, seeing the sincerity in Song Yi''s eyes, Murong Huan opened her mouth but couldn''t find the words to refuse, feeling something stir in her heart.


    Friend? And the only one at that.


    This feeling of being treasured as someone''s only special person was something Murong Huan had never experienced before.


    The usually proud young lady was clearly moved by this invitation.


    Finally, Murong Huan put her hand on Song Yi''s wheelchair, pushing her back inside, managing to squeeze out a single word, "Okay."


    *


    The simple two-bedroom apartment was mostly furnished with old items, but everything was clean and tidy.


    The wooden table was set with five dishes and a soup. Though it couldn''t compare to Murong Huan''s usual meals, this was the best the Song family could offer, and it was the first time Song Yi had seen so much meat on their table.


    So Song Yi completely ignored Murong Huan''s presence and eagerly picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of meat.


    Song''s Father gave Song Yi a helpless look, then picked up some spare ribs for Murong Huan, "This child has been like this lately, sees nothing else once food is in front of her. Don''t mind her, come on Huan, try Uncle''s cooking."


    Looking at the ordinary-looking spare ribs before her, Murong Huan wasn''t particularly interested, but under Song''s Father''s expectant gaze, she reluctantly picked up her chopsticks. Might as well take a bite.


    How could home cooking from an ordinary family compare to the five-star hotel chef''s cooking she was used to...


    Wait.


    The moment she bit into the tender meat from the spare rib, Murong Huan''s expression changed.


    The sauce was perfectly seasoned, the cooking time precisely controlled - a moment longer would have made it tough, a moment less and it wouldn''t have been fully flavored.


    It''s... it''s so delicious!!!


    After finishing one spare rib, Murong Huan didn''t need Song''s Father to serve her anymore; her chopsticks automatically reached for the sour fish soup next.


    The fish was tender, sliced extremely thin, and she didn''t encounter a single unwanted bone, showing how meticulous Song''s Father had been in preparing it.


    Once Murong Huan started eating, her chopsticks barely stopped moving.


    When Song Yi was about eighty percent full and ready to drink some soup, she looked up to find her favorite sweet and sour spare ribs... were gone???


    Seeing the small mountain of bones piled up in front of Murong Huan, Song Yi fell silent for a few seconds, somewhat incredulous.


    Feeling Song Yi''s gaze, Murong Huan finally realized just how much she had eaten.


    Her face instantly turned red, and she quickly put down her chopsticks, "I... I''m full."


    Song Yi pushed her plate of sweet and sour pork toward Murong Huan, "Try this one."


    Under Song Yi''s "invitation," Murong Huan shamefully gave in to temptation again.


    She picked up her chopsticks once more and couldn''t help but eat several more pieces.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but smile, "If you like it, you can have it all."


    Although she felt a bit reluctant, Song Yi could enjoy her father''s cooking every day, so she decided to generously let Murong Huan have more today.


    Murong Huan ate a few more pieces before finally putting down her chopsticks when she really couldn''t eat anymore.


    She looked at Song''s Father and couldn''t help but ask, "Uncle, which hotel did you work at before?"


    Song''s Father was taken aback.


    Song Yi answered for him, "My dad is a carpenter, he''s never worked at a hotel."


    Murong Huan was also surprised, "You''re not a professional chef?"


    Song Yi chuckled and looked at her father, "Dad, she''s saying your cooking is as good as a professional chef''s."


    Song''s Father finally understood Murong Huan''s meaning and took a sip of water, somewhat embarrassed, "This child is too kind with her praise. It''s just that since I got sick and had to stay home, I spent time figuring out how to cook well to make our Yi Yi happy with her meals. If you like Uncle''s cooking, you should come play with our Yi Yi more often."


    "Sure!" Murong Huan agreed immediately, then asked Song''s Father about his cooking secrets.


    Song''s Father shared generously, but unfortunately, Murong Huan had never set foot in a kitchen and couldn''t understand any of it.


    In the end, Murong Huan called in her security guard who was standing at the door to record the "recipes," while Song Yi sat to the side feeling like the most redundant person there.


    Murong Huan didn''t leave until half an hour after dinner was over.


    Watching Murong Huan''s retreating figure, Song''s Father remarked, "What a nice child. You should spend more time with her."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Although she couldn''t quite understand the situation, it was certainly interesting.


    Until noon the next day.


    Murong Huan came to Song Yi''s class to bring her lunch, with such an abundance of dishes that they filled two desks.


    Yes, two desks, including Jiang Yiheng''s seat.


    Murong Huan handed chopsticks to Song Yi while saying, "Try these, these are all my favorite dishes. Which ones can Uncle make? Can I have them next time I visit your home?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She now felt that Murong Huan''s friend wasn''t her, but her father.


    At that moment, the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling on the ground could be heard outside the window. Zhang Yong was pushing Shen Yujing past Class A''s door.


    "Stop! Stop!" Upon seeing Murong Huan and Song Yi, Shen Yujing called for a halt, squinting as he looked inside from the doorway, then said, "You can go now."


    Zhang Yong asked confused, "Huh? Aren''t we going to the cafeteria?"


    Shen Yujing said, "I have something to do. Go spend time with your girlfriend."


    At the mention of his girlfriend, Zhang Yong''s face instantly turned red, feeling embarrassed yet eager as he left.


    As soon as Zhang Yong went downstairs, Shen Yujing wheeled himself toward Class A.


    With so many dishes, surely it wouldn''t be too much if he joined in for a meal.


    That''s what Shen Yujing thought, but the next moment his wheelchair got stuck in Class A''s doorway.


    Shen Yujing looked down and discovered a broom inexplicably placed in the corner of the doorway.


    He opened his mouth, wanting to call someone for help, but felt too embarrassed to speak up.


    Fortunately, Murong Huan quickly noticed him.


    Oh my goodness, even with his injuries, Shen Yujing still came to see Song Yi? He really cares about her so much!


    Seeing that Shen Yujing had come all this way but was too shy to say anything, just sitting there at the door.


    So Murong Huan got up and went to the door, pulling Shen Yujing along with his wheelchair inside, "Come in, come in, join us for lunch!"


    Shen Yujing maintained a facade of "reluctant acceptance" but naturally went along with Murong Huan''s actions.


    Murong Huan took out a pair of chopsticks from her thermal bag and cleared out a dessert container to serve as a bowl for Shen Yujing. "Good thing I brought an extra pair of chopsticks. Here, take them."


    Shen Yujing accepted the chopsticks but hesitated, opening and closing his mouth.


    There was no rice.


    Song Yi noticed what Shen Yujing was thinking, so she took out a fruit knife from her drawer and pushed the cauliflower on the table towards him, "Here, let''s eat."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Fortunately, Shen Yujing managed to contact Quan Le with a phone call, who returned with two boxes of rice from the cafeteria.


    #The number of freeloaders increased#


    Song Yi frowned, protecting the sweet and sour ribs in front of her, "Why are you two here as well?"


    Murong Huan nodded in agreement with Song Yi''s words, "Shen Yujing is one thing, but Quan Le, why are you here too?"


    "What''s wrong? I''m just sharing your meal. Why so stingy?" Quan Le said while helping himself to the dishes.


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Yeah, you brought so much food, there''s enough even if another person joins."


    Just as Shen Yujing finished speaking, there was a "creak" as Class A''s door opened.


    All four of them looked up at the doorway simultaneously, where they saw Jiang Yiheng standing there, frowning at them.


    Song Yi glared at Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing pointed at himself and Song Yi in confusion, completely bewildered.


    Song Yi said: "You really jinxed it, here comes another freeloader."


    Quan Le shook his head, "No way, I''ve never seen Jiang Yiheng eat with Murong Huan."


    Murong Huan gave Quan Le a meaningful smile and stuffed a piece of rib directly into his mouth, "If you can''t say anything nice, don''t say anything at all."


    Seeing them, Jiang Yiheng frowned slightly as he walked over.


    Quan Le, who was sitting in Jiang Yiheng''s seat, immediately stood up with his bowl.


    Jiang Yiheng bent down and took out a folder from his drawer.


    But he didn''t leave. Instead, he looked down at the food spread out on his desk.


    Murong Huan said: "Jiang Yiheng, we just wanted to borrow your desk for a while."


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t respond to Murong Huan, only dropping a "clean it up" before leaving.


    Watching Jiang Yiheng''s retreating figure, Murong Huan put down her chopsticks, instantly losing her appetite.


    Being ignored felt terrible, and although it wasn''t the first time, she still couldn''t get used to it.


    Noticing Murong Huan''s change in mood, Song Yi could only pat her shoulder in comfort.


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi, and the usually proud young lady revealed doubt in her eyes as she asked, "Does he hate me that much? He won''t even say a word to me."


    Song Yi quickly consoled her: "It''s not just you. I''ve been his desk mate for two weeks, and I can count the words he''s said to me on one hand."


    At this moment, Shen Yujing, who had been eating quietly, looked up in confusion, "Huh? Didn''t Jiang Yiheng just talk to you? He told you to clean up the desk."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Song Yi took a deep breath and stuffed a piece of meat into Shen Yujing''s mouth, smiling at him, "Just shut up, will you?"


    Shen Yujing nearly choked, coughing while still unable to understand.


    How strange, had he said something wrong?


    Why were they getting angry for no reason?


    *


    Song Yi''s ankle sprain wasn''t serious, and after a week of rest, she could walk normally again. That''s when Jiang Yiheng gave her a task¡ª


    To collect donations from all the third-year classes for a first-year student who had leukemia.


    Song Yi found it strange, "Why me?"


    Although she supported the cause, she wasn''t a class representative nor a student council member, so this task shouldn''t have fallen to her.


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his head to read, only saying, "Three points added to your comprehensive quality score."


    Song Yi: "Alright, when should I go?"


    It was well known that scholarships were determined by a 7:3 ratio of written test scores to comprehensive quality scores, so the comprehensive quality points were particularly important.


    Jiang Yiheng said: "During the third period in the afternoon, go to Building A1. You''ll be with a student from Class B, and student council members will bring you the donation box."


    "Okay," Song Yi nodded in agreement.


    In the afternoon¡ª


    Seeing Shen Yujing sitting in a wheelchair, Song Yi turned to leave.


    So this was the "other student" Jiang Yiheng mentioned? No thanks, she didn''t want those three points anymore!


    After spending a week in a wheelchair, Shen Yujing had found the original wheelchair too basic and lacking in features, so he had spent a fortune on a custom-made new one.


    Now the wheelchair came in handy as Shen Yujing''s electric wheelchair easily caught up with Song Yi at top speed, blocking her path.


    Shen Yujing frowned, "Hey, why did you run away as soon as you saw me? Weren''t we supposed to collect donations?"


    Song Yi couldn''t understand, "Why did your class send you?"


    Shen Yujing wasn''t a class officer, wasn''t in the student council, and didn''t lack money, so what was he doing here?


    Shen Yujing answered very sincerely: "Because they said we wouldn''t have to attend class, so I volunteered."


    Once Shen Yujing volunteered, who would dare compete with him?


    Song Yi understood this principle perfectly, but she just felt a headache coming on, "Your leg hasn''t even healed yet, why can''t you just stay put instead of running around causing trouble?"


    Why did he have to keep popping up in front of her being annoying?


    That''s what Song Yi thought, but Shen Yujing completely misinterpreted it¡ª


    She was worried about him.


    Shen Yujing tried hard to suppress his rising smile and said: "It''s fine, I can handle it."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She wasn''t sure she could handle it.


    At this moment, the student council members spotted them and brought over the donation box, bowing politely: "This student is from our class, he''s really nice but... well, anyway, thank you seniors for your help with this."


    Song Yi looked at the donation box in her arms, thinking of the sick student waiting for this life-saving money, and decided not to waste any more time.


    She took fifty yuan from her pocket, put it in the box, and walked toward the teaching building.


    Shen Yujing skillfully maneuvered his wheelchair to follow Song Yi.


    They took the elevator up from the other end, starting with the first-year classrooms.


    The students had mostly heard about this matter already, so Song Yi didn''t need to say much. They simply went through the procedure, and students came up one by one to donate.


    Shen Yujing followed Song Yi, riding his luxury electric wheelchair from class to class.


    Even though Shen Yujing''s leg was still somewhat ridiculously wrapped in a cast, it didn''t affect the charm radiating from his handsome face.


    So after they finished their presentation in the last classroom, a girl couldn''t help but follow them out. Amid the class''s teasing, she bent down and handed Shen Yujing a love letter.


    The girl had a shy and gentle appearance, and her voice trembled nervously as she spoke, "I''ve liked you for a long time. I hope you''ll accept this."


    Shen Yujing looked at the girl in front of him, remained silent for three seconds, then set his electric wheelchair to maximum speed and left immediately.


    Escape! How to escape? By wheelchair, of course.


    Song Yi: "..." sea??h th§× nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What a weirdo.


    Shen Yujing escaped quickly, leaving the awkwardness to Song Yi alone.


    The girl stood dazed, looking in the direction Shen Yujing had left, her eyes instantly turning red.


    Song Yi looked at the girl and said, "If you don''t mind, you can give me this letter, and I''ll help deliver it to him. But if you feel he was disrespectful and hurt your feelings, you can keep the letter yourself."


    Song Yi gave the choice back to the girl, fully respecting her decision.


    The girl hesitated for a full half minute, biting her lip, but still held out the letter, "Thank you for your trouble. I''ve liked him for a long time, so even if he won''t like me back, I at least hope he knows about it."


    Although Song Yi couldn''t understand this girlish sentiment, she still took the letter, "I''ll do my best."


    Shen Yujing, who had been waiting at the end of the corridor for a long time, looked at her and asked, "What took you so long?"


    Song Yi handed the letter to Shen Yujing, "Take it."


    Shen Yujing was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes in irritation, "Why did you bring it?"


    "It''s someone''s feelings for you."


    Shen Yujing: "But I don''t like her. Accepting it would be more disrespectful to her."


    Song Yi replied calmly, "You can reject her or tell her directly, but not like this¡ªwalking away without saying anything, leaving her embarrassed in front of everyone."


    Shen Yujing remained silent for a few seconds. "And then what? Would that make her feel any less hurt?"


    Throughout his life, Shen Yujing had received countless confessions from girls. Almost every time he rejected them, they would cry in front of him. The worst case even resulted in one girl dropping out of school.


    Since then, Shen Yujing had developed an aversion to receiving confessions or even being liked by others. Rather than rejecting people face-to-face, he preferred to avoid the situation altogether. At least if he couldn''t see what happened afterward, he wouldn''t have to know.


    After hearing Shen Yujing''s explanation, Song Yi said, "She likes you, and you shouldn''t feel guilty about not being able to reciprocate her feelings. However, listening to others earnestly and responding to them is the basic respect required in human communication."


    Song Yi placed the love letter in Shen Yujing''s hand. "At least take a look at it."


    *


    Evening, after school.


    Song Yi was packing up her things. Having spent extra time solving two problems, she was the last person in the classroom.


    While organizing her belongings, she accidentally bumped the desk, causing an envelope to fall out of Jiang Yiheng''s drawer.


    Song Yi picked up the envelope, feeling somewhat exasperated at the exaggerated red hearts on it, but she put it back in Jiang Yiheng''s drawer exactly as she found it.


    Then Song Yi left through the front door with her backpack.


    At that moment, at the back door of the classroom.


    Shen Yujing, who was also delayed because he had played two rounds of games, sat in his wheelchair and watched Song Yi''s series of actions with an expressionless face.


    She had put an envelope in Jiang Yiheng''s drawer.


    A letter. Jiang Yiheng.


    Were they that close?


    Looking at the love letter in his hand, Shen Yujing, who had spent the entire class reflecting on his attitude, suddenly felt... hurt.


    He had been troubled by this matter all class, while Song Yi? She was writing letters to Jiang Yiheng!


    He wanted to see what Song Yi had written.


    So Shen Yujing wheeled himself into Class A and stopped beside Jiang Yiheng''s seat.


    When he took out the pink envelope with hearts from Jiang Yiheng''s drawer, Shen Yujing''s hands were trembling uncontrollably.


    Looking at this envelope that was ninety percent similar to the one in his hand, Shen Yujing suddenly had his answer.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t control his hands as he opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.


    The elegant handwriting expressed a young girl''s affection, with every word and sentence showing her love for Jiang Yiheng.


    Indeed, it was a love letter.


    Song Yi had written a love letter to Jiang Yiheng.


    So that meant the person she liked was actually Jiang Yiheng, not him?


    Shen Yujing sat in his wheelchair, leaning forward to look at this love letter, and remained silent for a long time after realizing this.


    Those usually proud and unrestrained phoenix eyes now held an inexplicable darkness.


    Although he didn''t know why, he felt somewhat sad.


    Finally, Shen Yujing crumpled the love letter and stuffed it into his pocket, then put a different piece of paper into the envelope.


    *


    The next day.


    In the morning, as soon as Jiang Yiheng arrived at the classroom, he noticed an extra love letter in his drawer.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and asked, "Did anyone come to my seat yesterday afternoon?"


    Song Yi shook her head and replied with slight annoyance, "I wasn''t here either. Weren''t you the one who asked me to go to the fundraising speech yesterday afternoon?"


    That was true. So Jiang Yiheng stood up, preparing to throw the love letter in the trash.


    However, in the next second, he noticed something was off.


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his head and opened the envelope, finding not the usual neat letter paper inside, but... a crumpled napkin???


    Curiosity made Jiang Yiheng stop and take out the paper, unfolding it.


    Then, eight crooked characters came into view¡ª


    [Whoever reads this is a pig.]


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."

 Chapter 19

    Jiang Yiheng''s expression darkened as he prepared to throw the napkin along with the envelope into the trash.


    Suddenly, he noticed a detail.


    This wasn''t an ordinary napkin - it had pink strawberry patterns printed on its corners.


    Jiang Yiheng had seen this napkin before.


    So he sat back down and calmly looked at Song Yi, "Could I borrow a napkin?"


    "Sure." Song Yi nodded and handed him a pack of napkins from her drawer.


    Jiang Yiheng opened it and pulled one out - it indeed had the exact same pink strawberry pattern.


    With an expressionless face, Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and handed her both napkins.


    Song Yi was puzzled and didn''t take them, asking instead: "Why are you giving me used napkins?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "Take a look."


    Song Yi: "?"


    What kind of riddle was this?


    Still, Song Yi took the two napkins, and when she saw the writing on them, she couldn''t help but twitch her lips.


    What... what was this?


    Being as clever as she was, Song Yi "understood" Jiang Yiheng''s meaning when she saw the two identical napkins.


    Song Yi looked up at Jiang Yiheng in disbelief and put the napkins back on his desk with disgust, "You''re the pig, you''re so childish!"


    How could Jiang Yiheng be even more annoying than Shen Yujing? She hadn''t noticed this side of him before.


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    He suddenly didn''t know what to say.


    Who would be happy being called a pig for no reason? Song Yi wasn''t one to take things lying down, so she pulled up a photo from her phone gallery and showed it to Jiang Yiheng, saying: "Look."


    Jiang Yiheng looked down to see a photo of a dog staring at the camera, with four characters written on it¡ª


    [Two dogs staring at each other] Sear?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Jiang Yiheng rubbed his temples, trying to stay calm, and said: "Someone else wrote this to me, but these napkins are yours."


    "Huh?" Song Yi was stunned for a moment and looked down at the napkins on the desk.


    These were napkins she had only put there last night - there should have been a complete pack of twelve, but now there were only ten left.


    Minus the one she just gave to Jiang Yiheng, one was indeed missing.


    Song Yi understood now, "I was the last one to leave the classroom yesterday. After I left, someone must have come into our class and deliberately written a note calling you a pig?"


    When Song Yi said this, they both fell silent.


    At first glance, it didn''t seem like a problem, but thinking carefully, it seemed rather strange.


    Song Yi couldn''t understand, "Are there really people this bored in the world?"


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer, but looked at Song Yi''s phone again, silently answering her question¡ª


    Yes, aren''t you one of them?


    Song Yi followed his gaze and found herself making eye contact with the dog in the photo.


    Song Yi: "..."


    She suddenly couldn''t argue back.


    In the end, Jiang Yiheng naturally didn''t investigate who had thrown the letter into his drawer, and simply tossed it in the trash.


    During PE class.


    Because Song Yi''s sprained foot hadn''t fully recovered, she was specially permitted to have free time on the playground.


    Suddenly, her phone started vibrating.


    Song Yi was surprised when she looked down, as the caller was the Old Grandma from the fried food stall.


    Thinking of what happened last time, Song Yi immediately realized what might have happened and quickly answered the phone.


    However, what she heard was a man''s scolding voice, as if the call had been made unintentionally, but it was hung up within two seconds.


    Song Yi immediately understood what was happening and knew she needed to go there right away, so she hurriedly went to find her homeroom teacher to ask for leave.


    But it was during class time, and the office was empty.


    Song Yi stood at the doorway, suddenly feeling anxious, as she was really worried about the Old Grandma''s situation.


    Suddenly, a voice called out from nearby, "Hey, what are you doing here?"


    Song Yi turned around to see Shen Yujing in his wheelchair.


    Although she didn''t know why Shen Yujing was outside during class time, the situation was urgent and none of that mattered now - let''s just say it was the main characters'' auras attracting each other.


    Shen Yujing wheeled forward a bit and waved his hand in front of her, "Hey! Say something."


    Song Yi pushed his hand away and asked, "Do you know any way to leave school early?"


    Saint Slee Academy only opened its gates for one hour at noon at twelve and in the evening at six. At all other times, you needed a leave slip to enter or exit.


    Shen Yujing answered: "Get permission to leave, of course."


    Song Yi: "If I could get permission, would I be asking you?"


    Shen Yujing pondered thoughtfully and asked: "I get it, you want to use some special methods to get out?"


    That was exactly what she meant, so Song Yi nodded, looking at him with some expectation.


    As a school bully in a campus novel, sneaking out should be Shen Yujing''s specialty, right? He must know which walls were lowest and easiest to climb.


    "Simple." Shen Yujing beckoned to her, "Alright, follow me, I guarantee you''ll get out."


    Song Yi immediately followed Shen Yujing, even helpfully pushing his wheelchair.


    Five minutes later.


    After Shen Yujing''s attempt to bribe the security guard resulted in both of them being chased away, Song Yi looked at him expressionlessly, "So this was your so-called method?"


    Shen Yujing was equally puzzled, "Why wasn''t he moved? Did I offer too little?"


    Song Yi: "When you say you''ll give someone a million dollars, not only will they not believe you, they''ll think you escaped from a mental hospital."


    If Shen Yujing had offered a smaller amount, the guard might have agreed.


    But for this guard, he also missed the chance of an unexpected windfall of a million dollars overnight.


    Shen Yujing''s face showed frustration as he asked Song Yi, "Then what should we do?"


    If Class A''s homeroom teacher were here, given how much he liked Song Yi, he would definitely approve their leave.


    If the principal were here, given how many buildings the Shen family had invested in the school, letting them out wouldn''t be a problem either.


    But neither of them was here, and Song Yi and Shen Yujing had to deal with a security guard who didn''t even know them.


    Song Yi: "..."


    If she knew what to do, why would she have asked him?


    So Song Yi said: "You''re so useless."


    These four words represented her most sincere attitude towards Shen Yujing, and successfully provoked him.


    The blonde youth gripped his wheelchair and declared with fighting spirit: "Come on, let''s try again. This time I guarantee I''ll get you out."


    Song Yi followed behind Shen Yujing as he said to the guard¡ª


    "Ten million, open the gate."


    Song Yi: "..."


    In the short moment of following Shen Yujing, she had almost forgotten what money was worth.


    Under the suspicious gaze of the young security guard who was about to call the police, Song Yi quietly pulled Shen Yujing back a bit, "He''s mentally ill, look at his leg, it was injured in a fight recently."


    Shen Yujing: "You''re the one who''s mentally... Ouch!"


    Shen Yujing started to protest, but Song Yi, smiling, pinched his shoulder hard, clearly threatening him.


    Shen Yujing had to change his tune, "It''s just a broken leg! The guy I fought with is paralyzed, he''ll have to spend the rest of his life in bed!"


    Song Yi smiled apologetically at the guard, "See? I told you he has mental problems! He''s completely forgotten what happened recently. That person wasn''t paralyzed at all - he hit him with a stick so hard his brains splattered everywhere. It was horrible! He died before even reaching the hospital!"


    Shen Yujing: "Right! Where''s my iron rod! Today I''m going to beat this..."


    "Stop, stop, stop!" The young security guard was thoroughly confused by their back-and-forth, and remembering that all students at this school were either rich or noble, he didn''t dare to truly offend them. He took out a notebook and said: "Just register your names and classes before you leave."


    "Thank you!" Song Yi said as she took the pen and paper, filling in both her and Shen Yujing''s information.


    The young guard took the notebook and looked at it, but his expression suddenly froze. His gaze toward Shen Yujing instantly changed from "unbending integrity" to "humble servility."


    The security guard: "Oh, it''s Young Master Shen! I''m so sorry I didn''t recognize such an important person! Do you remember me? I used to work at your family''s company! I was promoted here by the captain because of my outstanding security skills!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    So this was something that could have been resolved just by mentioning Shen Yujing''s name? Then what was all that fuss about until now?


    At the entrance of Saint Slee Academy.


    Song Yi said to Shen Yujing: "Thank you for today. I have something to attend to, so I''ll be leaving now."


    After saying this, Song Yi hailed a taxi and left.


    Shen Yujing stood there in silence.


    So Song Yi wasn''t planning to take him along? Apparently, he was just a disposable tool.


    Then why did he even come out here?


    Looking at the empty street, Shen Yujing suddenly felt lonely again.


    Well, he was hungry anyway, might as well go get something to eat.


    *


    Song Yi quickly arrived at Grandma''s skewer stall.


    She found the usually clean tables and chairs knocked over, the place in complete disarray, and Old Grandma was trying her best to salvage the prepared ingredients.


    Seeing Song Yi arrive, Old Grandma asked in surprise, "Young lady, why are you here?"


    Before Song Yi could answer, Old Grandma suddenly realized and said anxiously, "I called you earlier, didn''t I? I''m sorry, young lady... I... I must have pressed the button by accident."


    "It''s okay," Song Yi said while helping Old Grandma clean up the food.


    Old Grandma smiled at her and quickly explained, "I''ll take these fallen ones home to eat myself. I won''t sell them to customers."


    Seeing that Old Grandma''s mood had improved, Song Yi helped set the tables and chairs upright and asked, "Grandma, was it that man from last time who came again?"


    Old Grandma avoided the topic and said, "Nothing really happened. Rushing here like this, won''t it affect your studies?"


    Song Yi shook her head, "We had PE class this morning, so it''s fine."


    Old Grandma opened a container in front of her, changing the subject, "Are you hungry? Look, everything in here is clean. Tell Grandma what you''d like to eat, and I''ll make it for you, okay?"


    As Old Grandma lowered her head, her bangs shifted, revealing a swollen area on the left side of her forehead.


    Though it wasn''t severe and barely noticeable unless looking closely, it still made Song Yi''s blood boil instantly. "Grandma, did he hit you?"


    Old Grandma forced a smile and said, "It''s nothing. He just wanted some money. Next time I won''t argue with him, I''ll just give it to him."


    "How can you say that? Every penny you earn is from your hard work. Why should you give it to him?"


    Old Grandma sighed helplessly but said, "You''re young and don''t understand. He''s a notorious good-for-nothing in this area. It''s better to just pay him off to avoid trouble. At my age, money isn''t that important anymore. I just want peace."


    Song Yi remained silent and went to the nearby pharmacy to buy some disinfectant for Old Grandma, carefully cleaning the wounds on her forehead and hands.


    Only the bandages... she forgot to buy them.


    Looking at her remaining bandages, Song Yi hesitated, but... using them on hands should be fine, right?


    Yes, it should be fine.


    That evening, when Hang Feng returned home and saw the bandages on Grandma''s arm, the young man''s narrow eyes narrowed further, his long eyelashes hiding the dark gleam in his eyes.


    He asked, "What happened?"


    "Just a small scratch, nothing serious," Grandma smiled kindly at him and put the dishes on the table. "Come on, you rarely get to come back home. Let''s eat."


    When Grandma''s arm came close and Hang Feng saw the bandage clearly, his lips twitched uncontrollably.


    What''s with this little turtle?


    Are these kinds of bandages trending nowadays???


    That night, Hang Feng had a dream about Song Yi.


    In the dream, Song Yi stood before him, looking at him with a gentle smile.


    For some reason, their relationship seemed very intimate in the dream, as Hang Feng stepped forward and held her hand.


    Then...


    He wrapped his arm around Song Yi''s waist and lowered his head to kiss her lips.


    Song Yi shyly dodged, insisting that Hang Feng close his eyes before she would kiss him.


    So Hang Feng closed his eyes.


    When he felt the soft touch on his lips, he couldn''t help but open his eyes.


    It would have been better if he hadn''t looked ¨C he was startled to see


    A huge turtle head staring back at him, asking shyly, "Why are you peeking? You''re so naughty!"


    Hang Feng woke up from the dream in shock, his body drenched in cold sweat, his heart racing from the fright.


    After a while, he leaned over his bed and dry heaved.


    He thought he might never want to kiss anyone again in this lifetime.


    Because he''d be afraid they might suddenly turn into turtles.

 Chapter 20

    Meanwhile, Song Yi wasn''t sitting idle.


    She had been too lenient before, which gave that man the courage to go trouble grandmother again.


    This time, she would teach him a proper lesson.


    After inquiring with nearby vendors, Song Yi learned about the man''s identity - a thirty-year-old unemployed drifter who spent his days drinking, occasionally working odd jobs at construction sites, and gambling away whatever money he earned.


    He was extremely shameless, frequently dining at nearby establishments without paying. Most business owners, just trying to make an honest living, didn''t bother confronting him over a bowl of noodles, which only encouraged his behavior.


    Song Yi obtained his address and, after dinner, wandered to his neighborhood to wait.


    It was a very old alley, even more run-down than where the original owner lived. Few people resided here, making it feel extremely desolate, like a forgotten corner of the bustling city.


    There was a dog chained in front of the man''s door, with an empty broken bowl placed before it.


    It was a black dog, its fur filthy and matted, so thin its bones were visible through its skin - clearly, it hadn''t had a proper meal in a long time.


    Unlike most dogs that would bark at strangers, this one looked utterly exhausted, curled up in front of the door, seemingly indifferent to everything around it.


    Song Yi walked over and took out a sausage from her pocket, unwrapped it, and placed it in the dog''s bowl.


    The man was no good person, and his dog was suffering because of him.


    When the dog saw food in its bowl, its eyes suddenly lit up. It stood up and limped to the bowl, lowering its head to eat.


    As it stood, Song Yi noticed its front leg was severely injured, with dried blood matted in its fur.


    Song Yi stepped forward to examine the dog''s wounds - there were deep gashes in addition to the leg injury, and she couldn''t tell which was more severe.


    The little dog, clearly starved for a long time, wolfed down the sausage. Then it barked "woof woof" at her twice, its tail suddenly wagging rapidly high in the air.


    Song Yi gently patted its head and spoke softly, "Good boy, sister is going to punish the bad person who hurt you soon."


    After saying this, she took out her water bottle and poured some water into the dog''s bowl.


    Soon, heavy footsteps sounded behind her - the man was returning home.


    Under the streetlight, he stumbled along holding a bottle of alcohol. He was clearly startled when he saw Song Yi.


    The man pointed his bottle at Song Yi and cursed, "Who are you? Why are you standing in front of my house!"


    He approached, ready to rage, but froze when he clearly saw Song Yi''s face.


    He rubbed his eyes, and upon recognizing Song Yi, suddenly sobered up and asked warily, "What are you doing here? And how did you find my house?"


    Song Yi didn''t answer, only giving him a strange smile while thinking to herself.


    Since the dog had a broken leg and grandmother had facial injuries, she would target his legs and face too.


    Bullying the elderly and abusing animals - he had done the most despicable things. He was truly scum through and through.


    Seeing Song Yi''s silence, the man assumed she was scared, or perhaps the alcohol made him bolder. He continued cursing, "What bad luck! Get lost!"


    After speaking, he kicked over the bowl of water in front of the dog and prepared to ignore Song Yi''s presence and go inside.


    Song Yi grabbed the man''s shoulder and said calmly, "Did I say you could leave?"


    "What else do you want?" The man raised his bottle high. "Get lost! Whatever woman you are, stay away from me! I don''t have money for you!"


    Song Yi continued ignoring him and instead delivered a powerful kick to his shin, causing him to fall to his knees while simultaneously knocking the bottle from his hand.


    "CRASH¡ª"


    The bottle shattered on the ground into countless pieces.


    Song Yi bent down, picked up the largest piece of glass, and held it against the man''s temple from above.


    It seemed that with just a little more pressure, the glass would break his delicate skin.


    The man was now trembling in fear, the memory of having his face held near the oil pot the other day overwhelming him again. Whatever courage the alcohol had given him instantly vanished.


    He begged, "Take it away! Quick, take this away! I won''t dare anymore! Really, I won''t dare again!"


    Song Yi replied, "But you said the same thing last time."


    Realizing begging was useless, the man stammered, "This is illegal! I can call the police to arrest you!"


    "Oh, do you think anyone would believe you?" Song Yi asked while smiling at him, her eyes full of innocence.


    Seeing she wouldn''t be swayed, the man''s fear grew, but he still asked, "What do you want then?"


    Song Yi replied calmly, "Of course, it''s payback."


    She stepped back several paces, picked up a stone from the ground, and narrowed her eyes to aim at the man''s forehead.


    With force, she threw¡ª


    The man couldn''t dodge in time and fell backward, clutching his forehead and crying out in pain as blood trickled between his fingers.


    Song Yi stepped forward again, bent down and pulled his fingers away to examine the wound on his forehead.


    It didn''t seem deep enough.


    Suddenly, a cold voice spoke from behind her, tinged with curiosity, "What are you doing?"


    Song Yi turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face - the person she had met at Saint Yu Boys'' High School when Shen Yujing took her there.


    When the young man saw Song Yi, a flash of surprise crossed his narrow eyes.


    Song Yi frowned as she recalled his name, thinking carefully before saying, "Zhang Che?"


    Xu Che remained silent for a few seconds without correcting her, then looked at the man on the ground with surprise before asking Song Yi, "Did you do this?"


    "Yes," Song Yi nodded, then asked curiously, "But why are you here so late at night?"


    Xu Che pointed at the man on the ground, "Coincidentally, like you, I''m here to settle a score with him."


    The man began trembling even more violently, terrified and wondering what bad luck had brought multiple people to trouble him on the same night.


    Since he was Shen Yujing''s arch-enemy, Song Yi figured this person wouldn''t go easy either.


    Thinking this, she kindly stepped aside and said, "Please."


    Xu Che approached, took out a pack of tissues from his pocket and handed them to Song Yi, saying just one word, "Hands."


    Song Yi looked down and was surprised to find the man''s blood on her hands, so she accepted the tissues.


    Seeing them talking, the man tried to stand up and escape into his house.


    Of course, he failed again.


    Xu Che''s foot connected with the man''s shin, followed by a powerful punch to his back - his attacks were swift, accurate, and fierce.


    Song Yi pretended to cover her eyes with her spread fingers, thinking¡ª


    How brutal.


    But it''s quite satisfying to watch.


    Soon, the man was lying on the ground, wailing and begging Xu Che to spare his life.


    Xu Che bent down, whispered something in the man''s ear, then kicked him aside violently.


    The dog behind the man stood up and, despite its severe leg injury, limped to the furthest extent of its leash to stand in front of its owner.


    It kept barking at Xu Che, and if not for the chain, it might have lunged to bite him. It was completely different from its gentle demeanor earlier.


    It was still trying its best to protect its master, even though he had never shown it any love.


    Song Yi spoke up to stop him, "Enough, if you hit him anymore, he''ll really be in trouble."


    Xu Che turned to look at her and asked, "Why are you still here?"


    Song Yi shrugged and answered honestly, "I was planning to give him a few more kicks after you finished, but now it seems unnecessary."


    Because Xu Che''s methods... were more brutal than hers.


    After hearing Song Yi''s answer, Xu Che said nothing more, only looking contemptuously at the man on the ground before saying one word, "Leave."


    The man could barely stand up, crawling and stumbling as he fled into the house.


    The dog at the door, seeing that its owner was temporarily out of danger, retreated to its original position but still kept a vigilant eye on Xu Che, barking "woof woof" a couple more times.


    Song Yi handed the pack of tissues back to Xu Che, saying, "You''ve got some on your hands too."


    "Thanks," Xu Che thanked her and took back what was originally his tissue, then asked, "Where''s Shen Yujing? Why did he let you come alone?"


    Song Yi frowned, not understanding what this had to do with Shen Yujing.


    But then she remembered their last encounter and understood - this person must have thought she was... Shen Yujing''s underling!


    So Song Yi replied, "This is a personal grudge."


    Xu Che casually asked, "How did he offend you?"


    Song Yi answered, "He bullied an elderly lady who sells fried skewers. The old lady has two grandchildren who rarely visit her. She usually relies on her small food stall to earn some money, only to be bullied by such thugs. It''s quite pitiful."


    Hearing Song Yi''s response, a hint of surprise flashed across Xu Che''s eyes. "I didn''t expect that while Shen Yujing isn''t much himself, his girlfriend is quite decent."


    Hearing Xu Che''s words, Song Yi finally understood what he had misunderstood.


    So she quickly explained, "No, no, no, Shen Yujing and I aren''t boyfriend and girlfriend. We''re just classmates from neighboring classes, and we barely know each other."


    Xu Che lowered his eyes, seemingly deep in thought.


    His long eyelashes concealed the look in his eyes, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking or whether he believed Song Yi''s words.


    After a while, Song Yi felt there was no point in just standing there and prepared to leave.


    But Xu Che suddenly looked at her and asked, "Are you free? Let me treat you to some bubble tea."


    Song Yi rather sheepishly agreed, because she was craving bubble tea.


    Recently, bubble tea prices had skyrocketed. A cup loaded with toppings like eight-treasure porridge would cost at least ten-plus yuan, sometimes even thirty to fifty yuan. She hadn''t indulged in such a "luxurious" expense for quite a while.


    Besides, Xu Che was just an extra character who never even appeared in the original plot, and given his poor relationship with Shen Yujing, he should be a safe person.


    Thinking this way, Song Yi followed Xu Che to a nearby bubble tea shop.


    It was past dinner time, so the bubble tea shop was quiet with few customers.


    Song Yi sat in her seat obediently waiting while Xu Che went to the counter to get their orders. When he returned, he was carrying two identical bubble teas and an extra small cake he had ordered for Song Yi.


    When things seem unusually nice, there must be a catch. Excessive kindness usually means ulterior motives.


    Song Yi took a small bite of the cake with her fork and asked, "So? What''s this about?"


    Xu Che lowered his head to sip his drink through the straw and said, "This bubble tea shop has new items, I wanted to try them."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Huh? What? So what? Then what?


    Xu Che looked at her again and said, "It''s very good."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Huh? What? So what? Then what?


    Why was he looking at her like that? Was she supposed to say something? What should she say?!


    Song Yi hesitated for a moment before taking a sip of her bubble tea.


    It was indeed very good.


    So she gave Xu Che a thumbs up and nodded in agreement, "Not bad."


    And so the two of them sat face to face, silently finishing their bubble teas.


    Watching Xu Che as he was about to leave, Song Yi patted her slightly full stomach and couldn''t help but ask, "So you really just wanted to treat me to bubble tea?"


    Didn''t he want to ask her some questions? Didn''t he want to gather intelligence about Shen Yujing from her?


    What happened to being mortal enemies? Having such a perfect opportunity to learn information from someone close to your rival, and letting it slip away? What kind of school bully are you?!


    Song Yi thought this to herself, looking at Xu Che with anticipation in her eyes.


    Two tigers cannot share the same mountain - Saint Slee Academy and Saint Yu Boys'' High School were so close to each other, they naturally couldn''t have two school bullies either!


    If Xu Che was determined to "take down" Shen Yujing, she would definitely support him wholeheartedly and provide all the help she could.


    If the male lead was gone, surely the whole novel would end with him.


    But Xu Che just frowned at Song Yi, seemingly not understanding what she was expecting.


    Song Yi couldn''t hold back anymore and got straight to the point: "As the saying goes, accepting someone''s food puts you in their debt. Since I drank your bubble tea, feel free to ask anything about Shen Yujing. I promise to tell you everything I know without holding back."


    Xu Che finally understood what Song Yi was thinking and looked at her with amusement, asking, "You think I wanted to get information about Shen Yujing''s weaknesses from you?"


    Song Yi nodded directly, her eyes practically screaming: Isn''t that the case?


    Xu Che seemed somewhat taken aback but still explained, "He hasn''t been coming around to cause trouble lately, I''m not interested in what he''s doing."


    The best relationship between him and Shen Yujing was mutual non-interference.


    "That''s because he broke his leg," Song Yi explained to Xu Che. "Think about it, it would be really stupid of him to come pick a fight with you while in a wheelchair."


    Xu Che: "Broken bone?"


    Song Yi: "Yeah! The cast isn''t even off yet! It''s quite funny! Would you like to come to our school to see?"


    Faced with Song Yi''s enthusiastic invitation, Xu Che remained calm and grabbed the key point, "Why did he break his bone?"


    Song Yi: "Of course it''s because... ah... the process is a bit complicated. In short, he won the 3000-meter gold medal at our school''s sports meet, got too excited, and broke his leg."


    Song Yi: "Um... yes, that''s what happened."


    Xu Che frowned slightly, seemingly pondering the plausibility of Song Yi''s story.


    Of course, this wasn''t something to be examined too closely, or problems would be found.


    So Song Yi simply stood up, "Oh my, it''s getting late, I should go! Thanks for the bubble tea! Zhang Che!"


    Xu Che: "..."


    The young man''s lips curled up helplessly. Never mind.


    *


    The next morning.


    Song Yi arrived at school, starting another ordinary and tiring day in the life of a regular high school girl.


    After memorizing fifty vocabulary words, Song Yi couldn''t help but yawn.


    She really wanted to sleep, but she hadn''t finished reviewing yet, and midterms were in two days.


    Because of this, Song Yi had no choice but to join the intense studying group of other good students in Class A, giving up lunch in the cafeteria and making do with convenience store bread instead.


    Other students who originally hadn''t planned to stay were inspired seeing the top student working so hard. Everyone except Quan Le stayed behind to study.


    You know what they say - it''s not scary that the top student has better grades than you, what''s scary is when they have better grades AND work harder than you!


    Shen Yujing, who had wheeled around the first floor of the cafeteria entrance for the hundredth time without encountering anyone, fell into deep thought and finally decided to check Class A.


    In the middle of the day, seeing Class A almost completely full of students, Shen Yujing was startled.


    He had originally wanted to call out to Song Yi, but after witnessing the shocking scene of an entire class buried in their studies during lunch break, he chose to remain silent.


    Then Shen Yujing quietly wheeled himself away. Never mind, he didn''t seem to fit in there.


    The studying atmosphere was so intense it almost suffocated him.


    Before Shen Yujing''s wheelchair had gone far, Quan Le came walking towards him, thinking Shen Yujing was looking for him and waved, "I''m here!"


    Shen Yujing asked him, "Why aren''t you studying in the classroom?"


    Quan Le: "Why should I study in the classroom?"


    Shen Yujing: "Midterms are coming up, your whole class is studying."


    Quan Le: "That''s them. Diligence makes up for lack of intelligence. Smart people like me and Jiang Yiheng don''t need to stay behind - we can stay in Class A with minimal effort."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He was used to being compared to Jiang Yiheng since childhood, so that was fine.


    But Quan Le was different.


    Sometimes Shen Yujing wondered why Quan Le could get into Class A while he couldn''t, when they both spent their days slacking off together.


    Could it be... that Quan Le was smarter than him too???


    After living for so many years, Shen Yujing suddenly realized this potentially frightening fact about himself.


    Of course, he quickly denied it.


    Impossible, absolutely impossible.


    Afternoon classes.


    Shen Yujing was restlessly playing with his phone when he suddenly noticed a post that had been pushed to the top of the school''s forum. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    [Click here for an IQ Mini Test¡ª¡ª]


    Post #1: They say Jiang Yiheng scored 99 points on this mini test before! He''s a rare genius with high IQ!


    Post #6: I got 80 points! Just an average person QAQ


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    Post #17: I got 88! A slightly talented ordinary person...


    Post #21: You need over 90 points to be considered above average, it''s so hard.


    Shen Yujing fell into deep thought as he stared at the post.


    Jiang Yiheng? A high IQ genius?


    Him? Really? What a joke.


    Shen Yujing clicked on the link. It was time to show everyone his true capabilities.


    Shen Yujing started answering the questions with full confidence¡ªafter all, there was no way he could be just an ordinary person¡ª


    Huh???


    A line of large text popped up on the screen, showing the test result¡ª


    [21 points, Moderate Intellectual Disability]

 Chapter 21

    Shen Yujing lowered his head and began posting on the forum.


    [This stupid test is completely inaccurate. Jiang Yiheng, a high-IQ genius? More like severely mentally challenged!]


    77th comment: Why are you randomly insulting Jiang Yiheng?


    79th comment: How is this test inaccurate? I think it''s quite good.


    86th comment: Could it be that someone''s just bitter about their low score?


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen Yujing sent a message to Zhang Yong.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Delete all posts about the IQ test from the forum.


    [Brave Yong, Fear No Difficulty]: What''s wrong, Brother Yu?


    [Shen Yujing]: Just delete them, why so many questions?


    [Brave Yong, Fear No Difficulty]: Got it!


    Three minutes later, the post was deleted.


    Looking at the now "clean" forum, Shen Yujing felt satisfied.


    Time flew by quickly, and soon it was time for the monthly exam.


    Looking at her recent mock test accuracy rates, Song Yi estimated that staying in Class A wouldn''t be difficult, but continuing to maintain first place in the grade¡ª


    That was almost impossible.


    Not having too high expectations meant less disappointment.


    The seating arrangement for this monthly exam was based on the previous month''s results, which meant Class A students didn''t need to leave, just slightly adjust their positions within the classroom.


    Song Yi sat in the first seat near the door, the "honor seat" reserved for the top student.


    This led to every substitute teacher who hadn''t taught Class A doing a double-take when they saw Jiang Yiheng, whom they were familiar with, sitting in second place. They would then walk up to Song Yi and ask, "What''s your name?"


    Song Yi had answered this question as many times as she had taken tests.


    Perhaps because the previous month''s Saint Slee Academy exam had been particularly difficult and many students had been discouraged, this time''s paper seemed less challenging.


    Song Yi found the questions manageable, and her self-assessment changed from barely staying in Class A to potentially achieving an above-average score.


    After two days of exams, it was finally over.


    Regardless of the results, at least they could temporarily breathe easy.


    However, that same noon, while Song Yi was eating in the cafeteria, an uninvited guest appeared.


    Seeing Lu Qingqing after so long, Song Yi instinctively became wary.


    Lu Qingqing sat down across from Song Yi with a bottle of milk, smiling gently, "Long time no see, Yi-yi. I''ve been too busy studying to come play with you."


    Although Song Yi couldn''t understand what there was to "play" about with Lu Qingqing, she nodded perfunctorily, "Yeah, yeah."


    Lu Qingqing continued, "This month''s exam papers were quite simple, but I still couldn''t solve many problems. I think I''ll do poorly again. If only I could be as smart as you, Yi-yi."


    Song Yi continued eating: "Yeah, yeah."


    Lu Qingqing''s smile froze, "Yi-yi, are you even listening to what I''m saying?"


    Song Yi: "Yeah, ye¡ª"


    Seeing Lu Qingqing''s uncontrollable grimace, Song Yi finally realized something was wrong and quickly corrected herself, "Oh no, of course I was listening carefully."


    "Never mind, you keep eating. I''ll go first." Lu Qingqing looked at her with some resignation and stood up to leave.


    Song Yi lowered her head and responded, "Okay."


    Suddenly, Chen Xue walked over, asking with disgust, "Lu Qingqing, why are you hanging out with this commoner?"


    Lu Qingqing''s beautiful eyebrows furrowed, "Chen Xue, don''t talk like that."


    Chen Xue came closer, and the two argued behind Song Yi''s back for a few more sentences. During this process, someone''s hand, intentionally or not, bumped against Song Yi''s back.


    Throughout all this, Song Yi never raised her head, completely ignoring their existence.


    Even after they left, Song Yi continued eating.


    But as she ate, she felt something wasn''t quite right.


    Song Yi patted her back and felt something uneven near her collar, as if something was hidden underneath.


    She took it out and looked at it¡ªit was a black, round-shaped object.


    Song Yi mentally asked her system: "What is this?"


    [It''s a cheating device. Last year, Saint Slee Academy caught three students using it to cheat]


    Song Yi: "?"


    She lowered her head and carefully studied the small round object, wondering how one could cheat with it. What kind of high-tech device was this?


    [One end connects to the person helping you cheat, the other end attaches to you, and there''s a special earpiece that goes in your ear]


    Song Yi: "Then where''s my special earpiece?"


    [...]


    The system couldn''t take it anymore.


    [They''re trying to frame you for cheating! They''re not trying to help you cheat! This alone is enough!!!]


    Song Yi: "Oh."


    After saying this, she casually put the device back under her collar.


    [???]


    [Host, what are you doing? Hurry up and throw it away!]


    Song Yi continued eating calmly, responding, "Of course I''m playing along with them."


    Although she was somewhat surprised that Lu Qingqing, who seemed quite clever, would make a move against her so early.


    She wanted to see how this drama would unfold.


    Sure enough, at noon, Song Yi''s name was announced over the school speakers.


    [Would Song Yi from Class 3-A please come to the Director of Education''s office immediately!]


    In an instant, all eyes in Class A turned toward Song Yi.


    Song Yi calmly stood up and followed the broadcast''s instructions.


    However, when she arrived at the Director''s office, she saw someone unexpected.


    The twenty-seventh ranked student in Class A, Quan Le''s desk mate, also an excellent student.


    The young man kept his head low, appearing timid, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.


    Seeing Song Yi arrive, the Director''s expression became more serious, and he told them, "Both of you, come closer."


    Song Yi asked, "Teacher, may I ask what this is about?"


    The Director said, "You dare ask me what this is about? Look for yourselves!"


    The Director then played the surveillance video from Class A''s monthly exam.


    In the footage, the twenty-seventh ranked student was constantly lowering his head, seemingly muttering to his fist, and after the exam, he walked to the trash can and threw something away.


    The evidence was now on the office desk¡ªa black round mechanical object similar to what Song Yi had found on herself earlier.


    The Director paused the surveillance footage and slapped the desk while looking at the male student, "Tell me what this is!"


    The boy''s voice trembled as he whispered, "I... I don''t know."


    "You don''t know?" The Director laughed angrily, "Isn''t that you in the footage? Think carefully before you answer. First-time cheating only results in cancellation of your monthly exam results and ineligibility for scholarships this semester. But if your attitude is poor, you could face immediate expulsion!"


    The boy instantly panicked and pointed at Song Yi, "Teacher! It was her! She forced me to do it! She said if I didn''t help her, she''d get Murong Huan to expel me from school!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    This accusation was unfair to both her and Murong Huan.


    The Director frowned, "She''s the top student in the grade. Why would she need to copy from you?"


    The boy quickly explained, "Teacher, you don''t know, but at our previous school, Song Yi was always first in the grade, but her math was slightly weak. I was always first in mathematics at our school, so she needed my help during math exams to maintain her position as top student."


    It sounded like a very reasonable explanation¡ªif Song Yi were an outsider, even she would find it convincing.


    Song Yi raised her hand, "Excuse me, I''d like to say something."


    The Director looked at her, "Go ahead."


    Song Yi pointed at the boy, "He just implicated me just now, right? The surveillance footage doesn''t show me cheating, so how did you know to call me here beforehand?"


    When Song Yi said this, her eyes were filled with two words¡ª


    Sincerity.


    This was a plot hole.


    The Director: "..."


    His face instantly darkened, then he said, "A student anonymously reported both of you for cheating!"


    "Alright." Song Yi nodded, temporarily accepting this explanation, though she didn''t believe it.


    The discipline teacher then asked the male student, "Is there any other evidence?"


    The boy nodded, picked up something from the desk that Song Yi couldn''t understand, pressed it a few times to locate something, and suddenly Song Yi''s collar also made a sound.


    Song Yi: "..."


    So that''s how this thing works, she learned something new.


    Two similar electronic devices were placed on the desk, and the discipline teacher looked at Song Yi, "Is there anything else you want to deny at this point?"


    Before Song Yi could say anything, the office door was suddenly pushed open, and the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling on the floor echoed as Shen Yujing appeared again.


    Song Yi frowned, unable to understand what role he had to play here.


    Was this another instance of the male and female leads'' auras attracting each other?


    Unexpectedly, Shen Yujing was also surprised to see Song Yi, "What brings a good student like you here to get scolded?"


    The discipline teacher frowned, "You skipped two exams and you have the nerve to talk about others? Wait on the side first, I''ll deal with you after I''m done with them."


    Shen Yujing was a regular visitor to the discipline teacher''s office. Although the teacher usually showed some favoritism towards Shen Yujing due to favors from the Shen family, he didn''t spare criticism either.


    So Shen Yujing wheeled his chair to a nearby desk, propped his chin on his hand, and started watching the scene intently.


    The discipline teacher asked Song Yi again: "So do you admit to cheating on this monthly exam?"


    Shen Yujing immediately stood up on one leg from his wheelchair, slammed his hand on the desk, and spoke up for Song Yi, "Hey old man! What nonsense are you talking about? She''s our year''s top student! Why would she need to copy from anyone?"


    The discipline teacher took a deep breath, "I''m only forty-five, who are you calling old man?"


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and asked curiously, "Doesn''t your leg hurt?"


    Hearing Song Yi''s words, Shen Yujing finally noticed his leg and immediately sat back down in the wheelchair, his expression contorted from holding back intense pain.


    Shen Yujing sucked in a sharp breath, "Leg! Leg! My leg!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    The cheating investigation was temporarily suspended as the urgent matter now was to get Shen Yujing to the hospital to prevent his leg condition from worsening.


    Song Yi and the 27th-ranked male student were left there, with the discipline teacher telling them to wait for his return.


    The 27th-ranked student sat in the corner of the sofa, hanging his head lower and lower, not daring to make eye contact with her.


    Song Yi walked up to him and asked with a smile, "You say I threatened you?"


    The boy hung his head even lower, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.


    Song Yi asked again, "Tell me, was it Chen Xue or Lu Qingqing?"


    Only those two had been standing behind her today, but Song Yi suspected they probably planned it together.


    The boy shook his head desperately, "I don''t know anything, I really don''t know anything, please stop asking me."


    Song Yi crouched down to look at the boy, still wearing a faint smile, "You don''t know anything? Shouldn''t I be the truly innocent one here? You think you''re pitiful, so your guilty conscience is eating at you, making you unable to face me, is that it?"


    The boy covered his face with both hands, and after a long while, said with a choked voice, "I''m sorry."


    Well, Song Yi didn''t want to bother with an insignificant character anymore, so she stood up and headed out to return to class.


    By now, rumors had spread throughout both the forum and the school.


    [Damn! Shocking news! The top student Song Yi! She cheated on the monthly exam!]


    1L: ?


    2L: ?


    3L: ?


    16L: I don''t understand, she''s already top of the year, why would she cheat?


    17L: Think about it from another angle - what if she got to be top of the year through cheating?


    19L: Holy crap, that''s scary when you think about it, but even if she copied, would she dare to aim so high?


    29L: I know someone from No. 7 High School, Song Yi''s grades are indeed very good, she''s been consistently top of the year. But the issue is that she''s not very good at math, usually scoring between 125-130, that 137 at the start of school was already her performing above average.


    41L: Hah, what performance above average, she must have started cheating already.


    46L: What are you all playing at being justice warriors? Who can guarantee they''ve never cheated on an exam from childhood to now? You''re being too harsh on others. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    47L: Is cheating to get slightly better grades the same as cheating your way to the top of the year? Moreover, she''s a special merit student who only transferred to our senior year, everyone should know that the school spends a lot of money on these special merit students every year for senior year, this is fraud!


    56L: Agreed! @Saint Slee Academy Student Council, give us an explanation!


    69L: Song Yi get out of Saint Slee! We don''t welcome poor fraudulent cheaters!


    ...


    At the bottom of the teaching building.


    Looking at these posts on the forum, Song Yi remained very calm.


    But the system anxiously asked her [Host, what should we do? Now everyone thinks you cheated! You need to quickly find a way to clear this up!]


    Find a way?


    Song Yi thought for a moment and asked, "Should I redo a math paper in front of everyone, proving with my own ability that I don''t need to cheat, and slap their faces hard?"


    [Yes, yes, yes! That''s a good idea! Brilliant! Though it feels familiar, like I''ve seen it somewhere before?]


    "How could it not be familiar?" Song Yi rolled her eyes and commented, "In nine out of ten campus novels, the female lead gets misunderstood as a poor student, then shocks everyone in the monthly exam only to be suspected of cheating, and they all prove themselves this way."


    [Yes, yes, yes! But this method is really good!]


    Song Yi said, "But I''m different."


    [?]


    Song Yi smiled, "I really don''t know how to do it."


    [???]


    Then what are you being proud about???


    The system was about to cry and asked [Then Host, what should we do?]


    "Take it one step at a time, don''t panic." Song Yi answered very confidently, then walked upstairs.


    The moment Song Yi appeared, all the classmates'' eyes turned to her, each with different thoughts.


    The teacher also paused for a moment and said, "Student Song Yi, you''re back?"


    Song Yi nodded and asked, "Teacher, may I come in?"


    The teacher waved, saying, "Of course."


    Song Yi returned to her seat and took out her books, continuing to listen to the lesson as if nothing had happened.


    Jiang Yiheng glanced at Song Yi, his brows slightly furrowed.


    In Jiang Yiheng''s view, Song Yi''s attitude towards studying these days had been evident to all, and he didn''t believe she would cheat.


    But... never mind, it wasn''t his business.


    The bell rang soon after, and Murong Huan rushed straight to Class A.


    Murong Huan wanted to talk to Song Yi but felt it wasn''t quite convenient, so she directly pulled Jiang Yiheng up, "Give me your seat!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "...?"


    Jiang Yiheng lifted his eyelids slightly, looking at his fianc¨¦e with some surprise.


    Although Murong Huan had always appeared arrogant and domineering in others'' eyes, she had always tried to maintain a gentle appearance in front of him. This seemed to be the first time she had lost control.


    Oh no, or rather... this time she completely ignored his existence.


    So Jiang Yiheng stood up to give Murong Huan his seat, and Murong Huan immediately sat down, grabbing Song Yi''s hand and asking, "What''s going on here? Tell me quickly!"


    Quan Le had somehow also gathered around, with complex emotions in her eyes, and asked, "I heard my desk mate said you threatened him to cheat, is that true?"


    Murong Huan lowered her voice, "If you really did cheat, just tell me, I''ll help you handle this matter."


    Quan Le asked, "How would you handle it?"


    Murong Huan shrugged, "Just make that boy drop out of school, wouldn''t that make the rumors disappear on their own?"


    Quan Le frowned, "But he''s my desk mate, and he''s quite nice, he helps bring me things from the convenience store and voluntarily helps with classroom duties."


    Murong Huan: "I can find you a new follower, what''s the big deal?"


    Quan Le: "No way, his family member is sick, and they rely on his school scholarship for treatment."


    Murong Huan: "That''s really pitiful. I can help pay for his medical expenses."


    Quan Le: "That won''t work either. It just won''t do."


    Murong Huan: "???"


    Murong Huan grew impatient, "Why are you being so wishy-washy? This won''t work, that won''t work - whose side are you on anyway?"


    Quan Le: "This isn''t about taking sides. Can''t you be a bit more reason-"


    "Wait." Song Yi raised her hand to interrupt them and said wearily, "Stop arguing. Can you both listen to me for a moment? I really didn''t cheat. He must have been threatened by someone, that''s why he falsely accused me."


    Murong Huan and Quan Le fell silent for two seconds.


    Murong Huan immediately changed her tune, saying: "Oh, I knew you would never cheat! They''re just spreading rumors!"


    Quan Le nodded vigorously in agreement, then condemned: "How could that guy do this? I''m so disappointed in him. I''ll definitely teach him a lesson for you."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Your attitudes were quite different just now.


    Jiang Yiheng watched them from the side, thinking that while the scene was somewhat noisy, it wasn''t unpleasant.


    Or rather, he felt a bit envious.


    Realizing the next class wasn''t important, Jiang Yiheng left directly for the student council.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi explained the whole situation to them, and anger flashed across both their faces.


    Quan Le: "What should we do now!"


    Murong Huan: "What should we do now!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    These two don''t seem very reliable.


    Quan Le: "Why don''t we go find Shen Yujing? The Shen family is the largest shareholder on the school board. He must be able to help."


    Murong Huan also thought this was a good idea and said: "Alright."


    Song Yi couldn''t understand why these two unreliable people wanted to go find the most unreliable one of all.


    But at the mention of Shen Yujing''s name, Song Yi remembered he was still in the hospital, so she said: "Shen Yujing was just in the office earlier, and then he suddenly stood up..."


    Quan Le found this strange: "Stood up? How could he stand with those legs of his?"


    Song Yi replied: "That''s exactly why he couldn''t stand, so the disciplinary teacher took him to the hospital."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Quan Le: "..."


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    Just then, a student appeared at Class A''s door and called out: "Is Song Yi here? The disciplinary teacher wants you to return to his office right now!"


    Song Yi heard this and stood up, while Quan Le and Murong Huan suddenly followed her.


    Quan Le began condemning Number Twenty-Seven with a blank expression, "To think I considered him a friend, and he would falsely accuse you like this? I want to see exactly what his reason is!"


    Murong Huan gave a cold laugh and said: "He dares to bully someone close to me? That''s like slapping me in the face!"


    Song Yi didn''t understand, thinking these two were speaking like typical arrogant protagonists.


    But she was still moved, so she said: "I can really go by myself. You should both head back."


    Quan Le: "I don''t want to go to class."


    Murong Huan: "Me neither."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well, alright then, let''s go.

 Chapter 22

    After arriving at the Dean of Students'' office, there were three other teachers present, evidently all there because of Song Yi''s "cheating" incident.


    The Dean frowned at Quan Le and Murong Huan standing behind Song Yi, "Why are you two here?"


    Murong Huan couldn''t be bothered to respond, merely letting out a cold snort before walking over to sit on the nearby sofa, crossing her arms as she leaned back. Due to her signature pink hair being particularly eye-catching, all the teachers present knew her identity and dared not offend her easily.


    Quan Le rubbed his nose and said, "Song Yi is my friend, and Wang Qi is my desk mate. Regardless of who''s right or wrong in this matter, I need to understand the situation clearly."


    Although this reason wasn''t entirely convincing, given Murong Huan and Quan Le''s status, the Dean couldn''t simply ask them to leave.


    So the Dean said, "Since you two are here, you might as well serve as student representatives. This way, no one can say we teachers are being unfair."


    Quan Le nodded and sat down next to Murong Huan.


    One of the teachers stood up, "Your name is Song Yi, right? The Dean has explained the whole situation to us, and we''ve already discussed your punishment. If you show a good attitude in admitting your mistake, you''ll receive one demerit, give a self-criticism speech in front of the whole school on Monday, and forfeit this semester''s scholarship."


    The teacher''s voice was quite gentle, as if trying to guide Song Yi back to the right path.


    Song Yi found this ridiculous, "So teachers, you called me here but have already sentenced me to death?"


    The teacher frowned, "We have both witness testimony and physical evidence. What else do you want to argue about?"


    Song Yi nodded, "Yes, I do."


    The Dean slammed the table, "How dare you speak like that? Where are your manners as a student?"


    Song Yi kindly reminded the Dean, "The last person who slammed the table like that is now in the hospital."


    The Dean''s face stiffened.


    Song Yi continued, "I just want to say one thing: I need to see Chen Xue."


    Wang Qi suddenly looked up, disbelief in his eyes, but quickly looked away after meeting Song Yi''s gaze.


    "Chen Xue?" Murong Huan interjected curiously, "What does she have to do with this?"


    "Because she''s the one who threatened Wang Qi," Song Yi smiled at the Dean, "But I''d like to ask why you seemed so panicked when you heard Chen Xue''s name? Do you know something?"


    The Dean angrily replied, "Don''t talk nonsense. I''ll have her come here right now!"


    While waiting for Chen Xue, Murong Huan quietly asked Song Yi, "You said Chen Xue was behind this. Are you sure?"


    "Yes," Song Yi nodded and explained, "Remember that cheating device I told you about? Only Chen Xue and Lu Qingqing could be suspects in this case, but knowing Lu Qingqing, she''s not that stupid. She would never do something like this herself."


    Although Murong Huan had confidence in Song Yi, she still felt nervous at this moment, "But we don''t have evidence. What if they both deny it?"


    Song Yi casually replied, "If she were that tight-lipped, she wouldn''t be just a cannon fodder. She''d at least be at your level."


    She''d at least be a named antagonist with some significance.


    Murong Huan didn''t catch it clearly, "What?"


    Song Yi shook her head, "Nothing."


    Soon after, Chen Xue arrived at the office.


    There was obvious nervousness in her eyes, but she tried to maintain a calm demeanor as she asked, "Dean, why did you call for me?"


    The Dean got straight to the point, "Student Song Yi suspects that you instructed Wang Qi to falsely accuse her of cheating during the monthly exam."


    Chen Xue began her act, putting on an innocent expression, "What? How could that be? I don''t even know this student."


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Murong Huan couldn''t help but laugh, knowing Chen Xue well enough to be certain it was her doing.


    Only then did Chen Xue notice Murong Huan''s presence. Her expression soured, but she still tried to maintain her innocent facade.


    "Whether we know each other or not isn''t important, because he might just be someone you randomly chose," Song Yi looked at Chen Xue, then pointed to the cheating device on the table and asked, "Doesn''t this look familiar?"


    Chen Xue continued her performance, looking in the direction Song Yi pointed and asking, "What is that?"


    Song Yi pulled out a plastic glove from her pocket, walked to the table to pick up the small black electronic device, and approached Chen Xue, "Take another look?"


    Chen Xue still shook her head, "I don''t know. I''ve never seen it before."


    At this point, Quan Le''s puzzled voice came from behind, "Song Yi, why are you wearing gloves?"


    Song Yi replied, "This way we won''t compromise the fingerprints."


    Chen Xue''s expression froze instantly upon hearing Song Yi''s words.


    The system asked curiously [Host, where did you get the gloves?]


    Song Yi: I got them from the fried chicken pizza vendor in the cafeteria.


    The system sincerely praised [That''s brilliant!]


    Although Song Yi had already touched it in the cafeteria, Chen Xue didn''t know that. This was just to scare her; there was no need to actually send it for testing.


    Song Yi removed the glove, wrapped the device inside it, tied it in a knot, and deliberately waved it in front of Chen Xue.


    Chen Xue bit her lower lip hard, clearly becoming frightened.


    Her mind was struggling, as she dared not admit what she had done under these circumstances.


    Song Yi continued, "There''s another thing. Only when Wang Qi found this device on me did I learn it has tracking capabilities. You probably haven''t used it for cheating, otherwise you''d know it can track and store movement patterns for three days."


    More shock appeared in Chen Xue''s eyes as her hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes.


    Song Yi pulled out her phone, searched for the product description page, and showed it to Chen Xue, saying, "Look, it''s clearly written here."


    Song Yi continued, "We can first check for fingerprint residue, then retrieve its movement patterns from the past two days to see if its ''home'' is in certain high-end villa districts."


    Without waiting for Chen Xue''s reaction, Song Yi turned to Wang Qi, "Wang Qi, I''ll ask you one last time: you said I threatened you to cheat, right?"


    "Wang... whatever your name is," Murong Huan also stood up, "I think you know who I am. No matter who threatened you or what kind of threats you received, as long as you tell the truth, with Quan Le and me here, no one can bully you or your family."


    Quan Le looked sincerely at Wang Qi, adding the final push, "I don''t know what deal you made with someone, but think carefully about whether you trust her or me. I can guarantee you''ll be able to stay at Saint Slee, and I''ll take care of your mother''s medical expenses."


    The combined pressure from the three of them finally pushed Wang Qi, who was already on the verge of psychological collapse, over the edge.


    He burst into tears, "I didn''t mean to! We''re all top students, and I know everyone here has it tough. I really didn''t want to harm Song Yi! Someone forced me... it was... it was Lu..."


    Chen Xue immediately interrupted, "It was me! It was me. I was jealous of Song Yi, so I used such methods to frame her!" S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    When Chen Xue said this, her expression clearly showed both resentment and unwillingness.


    Song Yi frowned slightly, she had clearly heard that Wang Qi was about to say "Lu..."


    Lu Qingqing.


    It seemed that Lu Qingqing had contacted Wang Qi, while Chen Xue was responsible for carrying out the plan.


    In the current situation... was Chen Xue protecting Lu Qingqing? There could only be two possibilities.


    Either Chen Xue wasn''t completely foolish and knew that having offended both her and Murong Huan, she needed to rely on Lu Qingqing.


    Or... Lu Qingqing had some leverage over Chen Xue, and she didn''t dare to offend Lu Qingqing.


    Song Yi also knew clearly that as the smartest woman in the original plot, Lu Qingqing wouldn''t fall from grace this early. Since Chen Xue wanted to take all the blame now, there was no use in pursuing the matter further.


    So Song Yi looked at the Dean, "Teacher, now the result is very clear, isn''t it? I''d really like to hear how you plan to handle this."


    Murong Huan calmly spoke up, repeating the punishment that the teacher had just given to Song Yi, "If she shows a good attitude in admitting her mistake, then she''ll receive one demerit, give a self-criticism speech in front of the whole school on Monday, and only lose this semester''s scholarship. We must treat everyone equally, and since Chen Xue acted with malicious intent, shouldn''t her punishment be more severe?"


    "Yes, yes, yes, Miss Murong is absolutely right." The teacher who had been quoted by Murong Huan was so frightened that cold sweat was forming on their forehead, repeatedly agreeing.


    Song Yi once again displayed a dejected expression, "But teacher, because of this incident, many students are discussing my alleged cheating on the forum. This has deeply upset me and seriously affected my mental well-being and daily life."


    The teacher was at a loss for words and looked toward the Director of Student Affairs with a pleading expression.


    As the person in charge, the Director of Student Affairs had to step forward. He said, "We sincerely apologize, Student Song Yi. We misunderstood you in this matter. Regarding Chen Xue, in addition to the punishments that Student Murong just mentioned, we will make a public announcement about this incident and have her perform one month of campus community service. As for compensation for you, we will add dining credit to your campus card, double your scholarship for this semester, and award you full comprehensive quality points."


    Dining credit, doubled scholarship, and full comprehensive quality points.


    It was an offer too tempting to refuse.


    So Song Yi turned her head away and reluctantly said, "I accept."


    That evening after school, on the forum:


    [Breaking! School bulletin board! Detailed explanation of Song Yi''s monthly exam cheating incident posted! Wait for my pictures!]


    1L: Waiting! Can''t wait to see this "genius student goddess" get exposed! How can not expelling her justify our tuition?


    4L: I checked the school rules, cheating once usually results in disciplinary action + scholarship penalty, not expulsion.


    7L: How boring, how much longer do we have to watch this white lotus act?


    9L: Speaking honestly, I''ve always disliked Song Yi... she seems fake and dramatic. Women''s intuition is always right.


    11L: Agree with above +1, who could possibly surpass Scholar Jiang? Jiang Yiheng is Saint Slee Academy''s true star! Scholar Jiang forever!


    12L: OP''s internet is a bit slow, but here it comes! [Image]


    13L: ?


    14L: ??


    15L: ???


    17L: Chen Xue? Huh? Why is she the one getting a demerit? And who''s Wang Qi?


    23L: Damn, I''ve read it all, and I can only say I''m confused but completely shocked.


    26L: If I understand correctly, Chen Xue threatened Wang Qi to falsely accuse Song Yi of cheating in the monthly exam? Song Yi is innocent?


    28L: For those wondering, Wang Qi ranked third in mathematics in the first placement test for our grade. She''s also one of the specially admitted outstanding students.


    36L: Chen Xue is actually this kind of person? My brain can''t process all this drama.


    45L: Poor Song Yi...


    51L: She''s so beautiful and smart. I heard she was supposed to be the cheerleading C-position at the school sports meet, but Chen Xue replaced her only because she injured her leg.


    64L: Seems like there''s quite a history between these two, watching this drama unfold.


    66L: But looking at it now, no matter how bad their relationship is, using such methods to falsely accuse someone is too despicable.


    Suddenly, sympathizers for Song Yi emerged, rushing to speak up for her and criticizing Chen Xue.


    All the previous posts attacking Song Yi were deleted, and some users who had used particularly harsh language were banned for various durations.


    At this moment, Murong Huan took a photo of the bulletin board and posted it on her social media, clearly implying criticism of Chen Xue and showing where she stood.


    However, Murong Huan was still somewhat disappointed with the punishment result, "How can they handle it so simply? It''s not satisfying enough. But never mind, I''ll record her entire self-criticism speech on Monday and play it on loop."


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    Song Yi responded helplessly, "Come on, I''m not even angry anymore, so don''t dwell on it."


    Actually, she had still been a bit angry, but when Song Yi saw the 8,000 dining credit deposited by the school¡ª


    She wasn''t a saint, but she couldn''t help it, they''d given her far too much.


    Murong Huan looked at her and asked, "But what if we hadn''t been able to prove your innocence today?"


    Song Yi pursed her lips and said, "Actually... there was no need to go to such lengths to prove it."


    Murong Huan: "What do you mean?"


    Song Yi: "When the results come out tomorrow, I can prove them wrong with my actual ability."


    Murong Huan was full of admiration for Song Yi at this moment, and the usually proud young lady didn''t hold back her praise, "I knew you were the best!"


    Song Yi shook her head and looked sincerely at Murong Huan, "What I mean is that I''m really bad at math. When they see that my answers have almost nothing to do with the correct ones, any rumors will naturally fall apart."


    Murong Huan: "..."

 Chapter 23

    Two days later, on Friday morning, all the grades were announced.


    Song Yi''s math score was clearly written: 123.


    It wasn''t bad actually, three points higher than she had estimated, and only two points below the class average.


    This time, Song Yi ranked tenth in the class, which was enough to cause quite a stir throughout the entire grade.


    It wasn''t too bad, as this ranking was considerably higher than Song Yi had expected, almost making it into single digits, which gave her an instant boost of confidence.


    Of course, she was still far behind Jiang Yiheng, who ranked first in the grade, and compared to the original owner''s previous performance as well.


    Song Yi''s rankings in other subjects were relatively high in the class, but mathematics alone dragged her entire performance down, as everyone else in the top ten had scored above 140 in math except for her.


    Discussions arose around her, with everyone talking about the recent test results.


    Song Yi felt troubled, realizing she really needed to work harder at mathematics - in an advanced class, falling behind in even one subject wasn''t acceptable.


    News of Song Yi''s significant drop in performance quickly made its way to the school forum, along with a table showing the top ten scores in Class A.


    Post 6: Well, well, this math score completely convinces me that Song Yi wasn''t cheating.


    Post 7: But these fluctuations in her grades are too extreme - dropping from first to tenth in the grade is quite dramatic.


    Post 16: Those commenting above clearly aren''t from Class A. Do you even know how competitive Class A is? Barely five people can maintain stable positions in the top ten. While Song Yi''s drop is significant, it''s actually understandable.


    Post 24: It''s probably because she''s adjusting to a new school and new teachers, which naturally affects academic performance.


    Indeed, after the Chen Xue incident, due to misunderstanding Song Yi, the entire forum had become particularly lenient towards her.


    Even when she dropped from first to tenth place, they found an excuse for her -


    Adjusting to a new school.


    Some kind-hearted girls in class even came to comfort Song Yi, encouraging her that she would definitely reclaim first place next time.


    She could use the adjustment excuse now, but if she couldn''t make it into the top five next time, there would be no more excuses.


    The original owner had always been first in the grade, but Jiang Yiheng was simply too difficult to surpass - naturally gifted students were hard to overcome.


    So Song Yi set her goal for this semester as -


    Second place would do.


    Quan Le and Murong Huan came during break time again, both carrying armfuls of snacks.


    Quan Le walked in front with a joyful expression, while Murong Huan, despite looking somewhat disdainful, honestly followed behind with his own arms full of snacks.


    Song Yi''s desk became a mountain of snacks, and she asked bewilderedly, "What are you doing?"


    Quan Le: "Encouraging you, cheering you on."


    Murong Huan also looked at her seriously and said, "It''s just one test result. Eat up! You need energy to study! I believe you''ll definitely beat Jiang Yiheng next time!"


    Jiang Yiheng, who was solving problems nearby: "?"


    No, something wasn''t right.


    The young man pushed up his glasses, feeling confused, or rather, he couldn''t understand Murong Huan anymore.


    Repeatedly ignoring him, at some point, it seemed Murong Huan''s eyes only saw Song Yi''s existence.


    Well, it was fine - at least his world had become much quieter.


    At noon.


    The noon after monthly test results were released was always Class A''s fixed time for changing seats.


    The desks didn''t need to move, but everyone had to pack their things and move to seats corresponding to their new rankings.


    Finally getting to leave Jiang Yiheng, Song Yi felt happy.


    Although she didn''t interact much with Jiang Yiheng, for the sake of her friendship with Murong Huan, she thought it better to avoid any potential misunderstandings when possible.


    Thinking about this, if she ranked second in the future, wouldn''t she still have to be desk mates with Jiang Yiheng?


    Song Yi shook her head, once again changing her goal: forget it, there''s no need to be too competitive, third place would be fine too.


    Song Yi packed her things in a relatively good mood and moved to her new seat.


    But strangely, while the person originally sitting in ninth place had moved their things, the new ninth-ranked student hadn''t arrived yet.


    Until the entire class had finished changing seats.


    Except for beside Song Yi, all other seats were occupied.


    The teacher walked to the podium, "Alright students, since the seating arrangements are complete, everyone tidy up, class is about to begin." S§×ar?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi frowned and looked again at the seat beside her.


    Something seemed missing from this class, or rather, someone seemed missing.


    Where was her desk mate?


    Suddenly, Song Yi''s expression froze.


    She opened the school forum and found Class A''s score table.


    Opening it, zooming in, ninth place -


    Hang Feng.


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Help! This is terrible!


    She''d rather not have this tenth place ranking at all!!!


    Song Yi painfully asked her system, "Is this also the attraction between protagonist halos?"


    The system responded enthusiastically [No! This is the result of your hard work! Actually, you''re more excellent than you imagine! Keep going! Little Song!]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi took a deep breath, trying to comfort herself.


    It''s okay, it''s okay, Hang Feng had barely attended class since the start of school - she could count his appearances on one hand. Even as desk mates, there wouldn''t be much interaction; it was practically like having a luxurious double seat to herself.


    Song Yi thought this way, feeling slightly more at ease.


    Until after the first class, when the chair beside her was pulled out.


    Song Yi looked up, saw the black-clothed young man sitting beside her, and was just: "?"


    She deeply understood a principle: one shouldn''t carelessly raise flags, or they might end up getting slapped in the face.


    Hang Feng sat in his new seat, lowered his head to stuff several books into the drawer, and took out a bottle of strawberry milk from his pocket, placing it on Song Yi''s desk.


    The next second, he simply laid his head down on the desk to sleep.


    Looking at the milk on the desk, then at Hang Feng.


    After a while, an incredible thought appeared in Song Yi''s mind.


    Song Yi asked, "Could it be that he''s fallen for me?"


    [...]


    The system was speechless [Host, aren''t you aware of what you''ve been doing lately? Where does this confidence even come from?]


    Song Yi answered quite righteously, "I''m just worried, that''s all."


    After all, according to the original plot, all three of them would fall in love with her.


    Song Yi felt she should clarify things, so she poked Hang Feng''s arm with her pen and said one word, "Hey."


    Hang Feng raised his head to look at her, his eyes showing traces of fatigue, and asked, "What is it?"


    Song Yi got straight to the point: "I want to ask you something."


    Hang Feng lowered his gaze, "Go ahead."


    Actually, he hadn''t expected Song Yi to initiate conversation with him today, and was curious about what she might ask.


    Perhaps about how coincidental it was that they became desk mates, and how he felt about it.


    Or maybe she was concerned about why he had been absent for so many days and suddenly showed up today.


    As long as she didn''t ask why he had money to buy milk, he could accept any question.


    But Song Yi just stared at Hang Feng without speaking for a while.


    Being looked at this way, Hang Feng inexplicably felt uncomfortable, even a bit parched.


    He dug out a bottle of mineral water from his drawer and took a sip -


    "Say, you haven''t fallen for me, have you?"


    Song Yi''s voice suddenly rang out sincerely, and in that instant, Hang Feng choked severely on his water.


    "Cough cough cough!"


    Hang Feng lowered his head, covering his mouth with one hand, coughing violently.


    He raised his head, looking at Song Yi with a complicated expression.


    By now, Song Yi had already figured out her direction.


    In the original plot, Hang Feng had liked the original owner''s well-behaved and sensible nature, how she never said unnecessary things, and maintained proper boundaries. Even with countless opportunities to discover his identity''s secret, she never investigated, giving him the utmost respect.


    If that was the case, she would do the opposite!


    She would be proactive! And disrespectful towards him!


    Then Song Yi started rattling off rapidly, "Why aren''t you saying anything? Could it be that I hit the nail on the head? Don''t tell me you really have a secret crush on me? My dad always says that you can tell where a man''s love lies by looking at where he spends his money. You''re even willing to squeeze out eight whole yuan to buy me strawberry milk! If that''s not love, then what is it?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He opened his mouth and spoke with difficulty, "First of all, I''ve said many times, I''m not poor."


    "Oh come on, stop pretending. I''m a top student too, and I don''t look down on poor people," Song Yi looked at Hang Feng with disdain and continued, "Also, why didn''t you deny having a crush on me first? Could it be that I really guessed right? Come on, why are you being so wishy-washy as a grown man? If you like someone, just say you like them, if you don''t, just say you don''t. But I''m sure I''m right - all your behaviors prove that you have a crush on me, and you''re too shy to confess because you''re poor!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Looking at Song Yi now, he felt like he was Sun Wukong, and Song Yi was the endlessly nagging Tang Monk.


    Though he couldn''t remember exactly what Song Yi had been rambling about, his head was throbbing unbearably.


    Hang Feng tried to make sense of Song Yi''s logic and said, "First, I don''t like you. Second, you''re really noisy."


    "Noisy?" Song Yi pointed at herself with an expression that showed she was both amused and annoyed by Hang Feng, "Please, you''re complaining that I''m noisy? You''re the one with a crush on me, okay? Are you being reasonable at all?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He had finally realized that Song Yi was truly a stubborn person.


    From their first meeting, she had decided he was poor, and no amount of explaining had changed her mind.


    And now, since she had decided he had a crush on her, it probably wouldn''t be something he could explain away easily either.


    So¡ª


    Hang Feng stood up and fled the classroom like the wind.


    If he couldn''t win the argument, at least he could escape it, right?


    Watching Hang Feng''s retreating figure, Song Yi was quite surprised.


    She hadn''t expected that her casual performance would achieve such good results - judging by how quickly Hang Feng left, he must really be annoyed with her.


    She was just being an overconfident girl! The power of self-confidence for the win!


    System: [...]


    It couldn''t understand, but it was utterly shocked.


    Song Yi was in a good mood and took out her phone to browse the school forum for a while.


    What she saw gave her quite a shock.


    [Shen Yujing is back! He walked through the school gates by himself!!! [Picture]]


    Song Yi: *insert surprised old man in subway meme*


    Just when she finally got rid of one annoying person, another one comes back. How troublesome.


    That''s what Song Yi thought, but the forum had a completely different reaction.


    1L: Wuwuwu Shen Yujing is so handsome!


    4L: That eyesore of a wheelchair is finally gone, I''m so relieved to see Shen Yujing standing again. Although he''s handsome, seeing him in a cast all this time really affected his image...


    7L: Now that Shen Yujing''s leg has healed, I''m willing to return the title of Saint Slee''s most handsome to him [dog head emoji]


    11L: Hahaha can the people above have some shame!


    ...


    The entire forum was filled with a harmonious atmosphere of laughter and joy. Many of Shen Yujing''s fangirls were ready to hang welcome banners for his return, but Song Yi frowned.


    No, something wasn''t right.


    Putting aside whether yesterday''s standing had worsened Shen Yujing''s injury, it hadn''t been that long since his leg was put in a cast. How could he possibly be walking normally now???


    This didn''t make sense!!!


    The System spoke softly [Host, have you read any wuxia novels?]


    Song Yi: "?"


    [Have you ever seen a male protagonist in a wuxia novel actually die from falling off a cliff?]


    Song Yi: "I don''t understand, speak plainly."


    [For male protagonists, they all have luck on their side. They can face setbacks, but once they hit rock bottom, they''ll bounce back immediately]


    [So in other words, Shen Yujing''s leg could break, but even if the situation worsened - where others might end up with a permanently damaged leg or become lame - he would turn misfortune into blessing and recover completely]


    Song Yi: "What about me?"


    [What?]


    Song Yi: "Aren''t I the female lead? Why don''t I have that kind of luck?"


    She remembered that the original owner had a bad ending.


    [In old-school Mary Sue settings, the male lead''s halo makes him stronger, allowing him to overcome difficulties. The female lead''s halo is attractiveness, allowing her to attract the male lead to help her overcome difficulties.]


    Song Yi: "...?"


    She had a thousand curse words she didn''t know where to begin with - this kind of trashy halo was worse than having none at all.


    Well, no point arguing with this old-school Mary Sue world.


    But at this moment, Song Yi had a bold idea.


    Bouncing back from rock bottom?


    If she were to make Shen Yujing hit his head against a tree, where a normal person might become stupid, would Shen Yujing become smarter?


    System: [Please stop those dangerous thoughts!!!]


    "I''m just joking," Song Yi said as she put down her phone and returned to her studies.


    System: [...]


    It felt that its host didn''t seem to be joking at all.


    Well... let''s deal with it later.


    *


    After the monthly exam, everyone would face something more important¡ª


    The grade trip.


    The entire school was excited about this event, with discussions buzzing everywhere.


    This was a special feature of Saint Slee Academy. After the second monthly exam of each new school year, there would be a three-day trip, aimed at helping everyone relax and better face their upcoming studies.


    However, this trip required a fee, and top students typically didn''t participate.


    Song Yi looked at the destinations the school had chosen in previous years - the fees ranged from five thousand to over ten thousand yuan. Why waste money on this when it could be better spent elsewhere?


    So Song Yi hadn''t included the grade trip in her plans at all and hadn''t submitted a registration form, focusing instead on her studies.


    Until Murong Huan approached her and said, "I asked around, this year''s grade trip has two people per room, and we can room with students from different classes. Let''s go together."


    Song Yi shook her head in refusal, "I''m not going."


    Murong Huan, who rarely faced rejection, asked unhappily, "Why? It''s only once a year, it would be such a shame to miss it."


    Song Yi''s answer was honest, "No money."


    Murong Huan didn''t mind at all, "I''ll pay for your share."


    Song Yi put down her pen and looked at Murong Huan seriously, asking, "Are we friends?"


    Murong Huan nodded without hesitation, "Of course, why else would I come to you?"


    Song Yi smiled at her and said, "Since we''re friends, we should be equals. This money might be small change for you, but for me and my family, it''s a huge expense. I can''t accept benefits without reason, so I can''t agree."


    Murong Huan was stunned for a moment but ended up saying nothing.


    *


    At noon, in the student council.


    Murong Huan, Quan Le, and Shen Yujing sat facing each other in a triangle.


    Murong Huan repeated her earlier conversation with Song Yi, then ran her fingers through her long hair in frustration, saying, "What should we do?"


    Quan Le stroked his chin, "What she said makes sense though, this is a tough one."


    Shen Yujing took a sip of water from his cup and asked, "I understand the reasoning, but why did you come to me?"


    "Yeah," Quan Le also asked curiously, "Why did you come to us?"


    "Uh..."


    On this question, Murong Huan looked at Shen Yujing, holding back the words "because she likes you," and instead said, "Because Song Yi is quite introverted and doesn''t have many friends, and she seems to not really dislike you."


    Shen Yujing maintained a calm expression on the surface, but inside he was practically bursting with joy.


    Sure enough, even to outsiders like Murong Huan, Song Yi seemed to have a better relationship with him.


    Then Murong Huan said to Quan Le, "As for you, I think you''re very... smart, yes, that''s it, smart."


    Quan Le was also satisfied with Murong Huan''s explanation because he too thought he was very smart.


    With both of them successfully convinced, the three continued their discussion.


    Quan Le: "Obviously, the key issue here is that Song Yi has no money, but she''s unwilling to accept help from others."


    Shen Yujing said, "That''s simple. Why don''t we slip 100,000 yuan into her backpack tomorrow? Surely she can treat herself to a trip with some unexpected windfall."


    Quan Le: "..."


    Only a "genius" like Shen Yujing could come up with such a brilliant solution.


    Murong Huan responded wearily, "I think she''d probably get scared and call the police."


    Shen Yujing fell silent.


    Since Shen Yujing''s suggestion was too "reliable," Quan Le continued with his analysis, "To resolve this issue, we actually can''t approach it through Song Yi directly."


    Murong Huan and Shen Yujing nodded together, waiting for him to continue.


    Quan Le blinked and said, "Then it''s simple. We can cover the special student fees for the entire senior class, saying that since it''s the final year, the school doesn''t want to make exceptions and hopes everyone can participate together."


    "That won''t work," Murong Huan objected. "If we do that, those who''ve already paid will feel unfair. Even though everyone can afford it, nobody likes to feel disadvantaged."


    Shen Yujing raised his hand, "I''ve got it. Listen to me."


    "Why don''t we think about this differently - could we choose a less expensive location for this trip?"


    Quan Le clapped his hands, praising, "That''s a great idea! You''re quite clever!"


    Murong Huan nodded in agreement, "This might work."


    The three quickly reached a consensus.


    Since all three families had varying degrees of controlling interest in Saint Slee Academy, that evening they each went home to discuss the matter with their parents.


    The next morning, Saint Slee Academy''s forum had a new pinned announcement about the senior class trip.


    In short, because this was the seniors'' last collective trip, the school decided not to leave any student behind and hoped everyone could enjoy the trip together.


    However, since it was a collective event with the school covering travel and accommodation costs, the destination had changed.


    In previous years, they usually went abroad, but this year it was... jungle exploration???


    This news left many students bewildered.


    [Is this year''s senior trip really going to be this basic? I don''t get it [breaking down]]


    1L: Right? This is supposed to be a Saint Slee Academy class trip, but it sounds more like a spring outing at some ordinary public school.


    6L: So disappointing, I had such high hopes.


    11L: I''ve never been to any jungle in my life. Is it even safe? I don''t want to go.


    17L: Protest! Protest!!!


    ...


    The forum was in an uproar until¡ª


    Shen Yujing posted on his social media.


    Shen Yujing: Helped design some game elements [Picture]


    He attached photos of handwritten cards with encouraging messages.


    When this post was shared to the forum, the entire tone suddenly shifted.


    [Eh??? What did Shen Yujing make? Prizes?]


    [Ahhh! Can I get a blessing card written by Shen Yujing himself? I can''t wait!]


    [Games? I''m in, I''m in! I love playing games!]


    [Wait, if the whole grade has to participate, doesn''t that mean both Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng will be there? Ahhh!!!]


    [That''s right! Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng haven''t participated in the past two years!]


    [I heard there will be lots of group games. Does this mean I might get to interact with God Jiang up close?]


    [Suddenly, jungle exploration doesn''t sound so bad]


    [To the person above, I''m going to buy equipment right now. I''m going to show off my skills during this adventure and make Shen Yujing fall in love with me!]


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    [Dream on! My bodyguard used to specialize in this field, I''m going to stay up all night learning from him!]


    ...


    As everyone inexplicably became competitive, Song Yi watched these puzzling comments on the forum with confusion.


    Were Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng really that appealing to them?


    Weren''t they just ordinary high school boys who happened to be somewhat wealthy and decent-looking? Was it just because they had main character energy?


    In her daze, Song Yi recalled scenes she''d read in novels before.


    Like how the male leads would walk down a path with two rows of girls welcoming them, screaming frantically: "Prince X! We love you! Like mice love rice!"


    Imagining this scene with either Shen Yujing''s or Jiang Yiheng''s face replacing the "prince," Song Yi suddenly felt goosebumps all over her body.


    How terrifying! Stop, please stop!


    She couldn''t think about it anymore - she''d have nightmares.

 Chapter 24

    Since the grade trip was mandatory, Song Yi naturally couldn''t be an exception.


    As school ended in the evening, Lu Qingqing came by again.


    Thinking about how she was the mastermind behind Wang Qi''s incident a few days ago, Song Yi found it difficult to even force a fake smile.


    How annoying, but she couldn''t openly show hostility yet.


    Lu Qingqing enthusiastically linked arms with Song Yi and said, "Yi Yi, we''re going on the trip the day after tomorrow. I''ll come find you in Class A to hang out!"


    Song Yi: "Sure, sure."


    Lu Qingqing looked at her with concern and reminded her, "By the way, we''ll be exploring in the jungle. Although the school must have checked the geographical environment, you should still take precautions and be careful."


    Song Yi: "Sure, sure."


    Lu Qingqing: "..."


    Although Lu Qingqing could tell that Song Yi wasn''t really listening to her, just like that day in the cafeteria, she had to continue: "By the way, Yi Yi, I want to room with you during the trip. Is that okay?"


    Song Yi: "Sure, su..."


    Oh wait, that probably wouldn''t work.


    So Song Yi corrected herself, "That might not be convenient."


    Lu Qingqing frowned slightly, her pretty face showing confusion, "Why not?"


    "Why do you need so many reasons? Because she''s rooming with me! Is that reason enough?"


    An impatient voice rang out as Murong Huan strode over, directly putting her arm around Song Yi''s shoulders, displaying clear hostility toward Lu Qingqing.


    Lu Qingqing''s face showed a hurt expression as she looked at Song Yi, "Yi Yi, is that true? I''m sorry, I didn''t know. I didn''t mean to intrude."


    Murong Huan rolled her eyes, "If you know you''re intruding, why are you still here? Don''t you think you''re being enough of a nuisance?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Something felt oddly strange about these two''s dialogue.


    But she still had to speak up and say to Lu Qingqing: "Sorry about that, definitely next time."


    Murong Huan snorted, "There won''t be a next time."


    Murong Huan''s targeted attitude made Lu Qingqing very uncomfortable. She forced a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with Song Yi, and left.


    Song Yi asked Murong Huan curiously, "You don''t like her?"


    "Of course not." Murong Huan looked at Song Yi with exasperation, "Everyone at Saint Slee knows about her special relationship with Shen Yujing. You need to be careful around her - she''s your number one love rival!"


    Song Yi''s lips twitched slightly, feeling that letting Murong Huan continue misunderstanding wasn''t the right approach.


    So Song Yi tried to explain: "Actually, I think my feelings for Shen Yujing might not be romantic."


    Murong Huan''s eyes widened as she looked at Song Yi in disbelief, "No way, in such a short time, you already...?"


    Murong Huan didn''t finish her sentence, but Song Yi nodded gravely.


    That''s right, although only a short time had passed, she changed her mind quickly - she no longer liked Shen Yujing!


    Murong Huan covered her mouth with one hand and exclaimed, "I can''t believe you''ve fallen in love with him already! Your feelings are so passionate, intense, and quick!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    These words nearly made Song Yi trip over nothing - was that what she meant? Murong Huan''s enterprise-level comprehension ability was really getting out of hand!


    So Song Yi had to say directly: "No, I meant I don''t like him anymore."


    But Murong Huan just snickered, "Are you trying to fool me? Don''t worry, I can keep a secret. If I say I won''t tell Shen Yujing, I absolutely won''t!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Murong Huan''s unwavering conviction made Song Yi feel that any further explanation would be futile and not worth voicing.


    In that moment, she suddenly understood Hang Feng''s earlier frustration of having things to say but being unable to express them. No wonder Hang Feng had walked away when she became too annoying.


    Got it, this method really works well, she''ll use it again next time.


    *


    The night before departing for the grade trip, at the Song residence.


    While eating dinner, Song Yi mentioned to her father about the school organizing a grade trip, meaning she wouldn''t be home for a few days.


    Song''s Father had always worried that his daughter''s personality might make her vulnerable to bullying, so he naturally supported such group activities with both hands and feet.


    So Song''s Father said: "Studying and taking tests every day is so tiring. Go out and have fun, relax a bit, okay?"


    As he spoke, he stood up to get money from his room, asking, "This requires payment, right? Take more money with you then. Buy whatever you want to eat or play with, don''t worry about the cost. If your classmates have something, you should have it too. Don''t shortchange yourself."


    "Dad!" Song Yi called out helplessly, "The school is covering everyone''s expenses. We''re not going anywhere expensive - we''re going jungle exploring."


    Jungle exploring - those words sounded a bit dangerous.


    So instead of getting money, Song''s Father went to find various self-defense items and potentially useful medicines for his daughter. S§×ar?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Looking at an entire backpack full of band-aids, medical alcohol, bandages, and mosquito repellent, Song Yi fell silent.


    She wanted to tell her father that all these preparations weren''t necessary - a prestigious academy like Saint Slee wouldn''t choose dangerous jungle environments for exploration. But faced with her father''s earnestness, she couldn''t bring herself to refuse.


    Never mind, let him pack whatever he wants - she could carry it anyway.


    Finally, besides all the supplies her father had gathered, Song Yi also went to the kitchen and packed the newly bought hammer.


    Better safe than sorry.


    Song Yi packed a few changes of clothes, managed to stuff all her father''s prepared items into her suitcase, and then went to bed early.


    To avoid traffic congestion, the third-year students had to gather at school at seven o''clock the next morning.


    Meanwhile, at the Shen residence.


    Shen Yujing stood face-to-face with his five suitcases, while a row of servants stood nearby with their heads bowed low.


    Unable to understand why there was so much luggage, Shen Yujing looked at the servants, "Didn''t I ask you to pack only useful things? Why is there so much?"


    "Of course it''s because mom is worried about you." A gentle female voice sounded from the doorway as an elegantly dressed lady walked in, "These are all equipment that mom carefully selected after consulting experts. This way, you can overcome any danger you might encounter!"


    Shen Yujing naturally couldn''t accept this explanation, "But it still shouldn''t be this much, right?"


    "Why not? Whether it''s earthquakes, tsunamis, or mudslides, there are different tools here to deal with each situation. Even if Mars crashes into Earth, you''ll definitely be the last one surviving!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He was just going on a grade trip - was all this really necessary? None of these scenarios would possibly happen.


    The person Shen Yujing found most incomprehensible in his life was his own mother, because her personality was like a child''s, always acting on whatever whim struck her.


    Sometimes she seemed to love him very much, thinking ahead and preparing everything for him, but other times she seemed completely indifferent to him.


    Like during his last birthday, such an important day, and he only recently learned why his mother had gone abroad... it was because a gorilla she had adopted overseas shared the same birthday!


    What nonsense! Who was her actual child here?!


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s silence, Shen''s Mother''s beautiful brows furrowed slightly, "Why aren''t you saying anything? Are you still upset that I wasn''t there for your birthday? That was so long ago - aren''t you being too petty?"


    "I''m not." Shen Yujing denied, though his heart said otherwise, "I just think nobody else will bring this much stuff. I''ll look stupid being the only one with so much."


    His words made Shen''s Mother pause in thought, "You have a point."


    She then instructed the servants beside her, "Contact Saint Slee''s trip coordinator and have four of young master''s suitcases sent directly to his hotel room."


    The servant immediately responded, "Yes, madam."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    At seven o''clock the next morning, at Saint Slee Academy.


    Every two classes shared one bus, so naturally Class A and Class B were assigned together.


    As soon as Song Yi got on the bus, she saw Murong Huan waving from the back, "Song Yi! Over here!"


    Song Yi sat down next to Murong Huan and asked, "Why are we sitting so far back?"


    Murong Huan pointed to the seats in front and said, "Because Jiang Yiheng usually sits by the back door."


    Alright then, Song Yi nodded to show she understood.


    "We''re here for a trip, after all," Murong Huan said as she took out a blanket from the bag beside her and covered Song Yi''s legs. She also placed a small pillow behind Song Yi''s lower back and asked, "Do you want to change into slippers?"


    Song Yi replied, "...No need."


    She had thought Song''s Father''s preparations were thorough enough, but she hadn''t expected Murong Huan to treat this so much like a vacation.


    Soon after, their classmates began boarding the bus one after another.


    As expected, when Jiang Yiheng got on the bus, he hesitated upon seeing Song Yi and Murong Huan but still chose to sit in the seat in front of them.


    Song Yi closed her eyes; she had woken up far too early this morning and wanted to take advantage of this time to rest.


    Until¡ª


    "Shen Yujing! Wait for me! This damn suitcase is too heavy!"


    Song Yi was startled awake by the shout, and in her drowsy state, she only heard footsteps beside her.


    She rubbed her eyes and turned to look at the aisle seat, but some intense sunlight from somewhere made her unable to open her eyes properly.


    Suddenly, a cool hand covered Song Yi''s eyes, and an awkward voice said, "Stop looking, just sleep."


    The next moment, something was placed over Song Yi''s face, blocking out the sunlight.


    Drowsiness ultimately won out, and Song Yi couldn''t be bothered to look, so she went back to sleep.


    Soon most people had arrived, and the person in charge was taking attendance, calling out names one by one.


    Song Yi hadn''t slept long before being awakened by the voice. She instinctively reached up to pull at whatever was covering her face¡ª


    Huh? What''s this?


    Song Yi opened her eyes in confusion and focused her gaze to find herself holding a black plastic bag???


    Damn.


    Realizing this thing had been tied over her eyes the whole time, Song Yi felt utterly speechless.


    In this world, the only person who would do something like this was...


    Song Yi turned her head toward the other side of the aisle, holding the plastic bag with an expressionless face. Sure enough, it was Shen Yujing.


    Feeling Song Yi''s gaze, Shen Yujing smiled at her and said, "You''re welcome."


    Song Yi stared at Shen Yujing, holding up one hand and crumpling the plastic bag into a ball, then mouthed: "Do this again, and you''re dead."


    After that, she threw the garbage bag into the trash bag in front of her.


    At this moment, a head popped out from Shen Yujing''s other side, and Quan Le asked curiously, "What did she just say?"


    Shen Yujing thought seriously for three seconds, then confidently answered, "She said ''Thank you very much, sorry for the trouble.''"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Stay calm, don''t get angry, don''t get angry.


    Soon the headcount was complete, and someone came to report to Jiang Yiheng, "Department head, we should have sixty people, but only fifty-nine are here. Hang Feng from Class A hasn''t arrived."


    Jiang Yiheng frowned, "Never mind him, let''s go."


    "Says who?" A cold voice rang out as a young man in black clothes carrying a shoulder bag climbed up the stairs at the back door of the bus.


    Seeing Hang Feng, the person quickly smoothed things over, saying, "It''s good that you''re here, it''s good that you''re here. Now everyone''s present. I''ll go tell the driver."


    Hang Feng got on the bus and scanned the interior.


    The next second, the driver''s voice called out, "Everyone please be seated! We''re departing!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    At this moment, his gaze fell on the only empty seat remaining.


    After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Yiheng still moved aside to make room next to him.


    At this point, Murong Huan stared intently at the back of Hang Feng''s head, her eyes filled with envy and jealousy.


    She lowered her voice and said, "How is this fair? Every time we go out for any activity, Jiang Yiheng always sits alone. Why does Hang Feng get to sit next to him!"


    Song Yi held Murong Huan''s hand, trying to comfort her while reasoning with her, "You saw the situation just now. The bus was about to leave; he couldn''t just let him stand, could he?"


    Murong Huan: "What about now?"


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    Murong Huan called out, "Hang Feng!"


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    Hang Feng turned his head, only to hear Murong Huan say in a commanding tone, "Let''s switch seats!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Song Yi quickly looked at Hang Feng and mouthed again: "You don''t have a secret crush on me, do you?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He was a bit smarter than Shen Yujing, so he understood what Song Yi was saying.


    And precisely because of this, Hang Feng remembered the terror of being completely manipulated by Song Yi that afternoon.


    Faced with Hang Feng''s silence, Song Yi shook her head meaningfully, showing an expression that suggested she had him all figured out.


    She even beckoned to Hang Feng, inviting him to sit beside her.


    Although Song Yi didn''t speak, Hang Feng seemed to hear her saying¡ª


    "I admit, I''m intrigued by your little game. Come sit here, isn''t this what you wanted?"

 Chapter 25

    Hang Feng turned his head back without hesitation, pretending he hadn''t heard or seen anything.


    At this moment, he was both blind and deaf.


    For the sake of his ears and his life, it was safer to stay away from Song Yi.


    Meanwhile, Jiang Yiheng''s hand that had been resting on the armrest relaxed, as if letting out a sigh of relief.


    Because if Hang Feng had agreed to Murong Huan''s request, he would have immediately left his seat as well.


    Murong Huan waved her fist at the back of Hang Feng''s head to vent her frustration.


    But her temper was always quick to come and quick to go, and she soon forgot about Hang Feng as she opened a pack of snacks.


    Nearby, Shen Yujing hung his head, lost in thought.


    What he should have understood, he didn''t, but what he shouldn''t have understood, he did.


    Why? Just why?


    Why did Song Yi actively invite Hang Feng to sit together? Did she really want to sit with him?


    There were only two possibilities.


    Either Song Yi had feelings for Hang Feng, or she was trying to play matchmaker between Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng.


    But wasn''t Song Yi... supposed to like Jiang Yiheng? Neither possibility made sense.


    Could it be that when he switched Song Yi''s love letter that time, it created a misunderstanding between them, causing Song Yi to give up on Jiang Yiheng?


    Thinking about this, Shen Yujing''s emotions became particularly complex, feeling both relieved and guilty.


    He was relieved that he had personally cut off any potential feelings between Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng, but he also felt guilty worrying that Song Yi might be hurt because of this.


    These complicated emotions surrounded Shen Yujing''s heart, tormenting his conscience.


    Just as Shen Yujing was caught in these painful emotions, a sound came from beside him¡ª


    "Ugh!!!"


    A violent retching sound erupted as Quan Le leaned against the car window, looking completely miserable.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He had forgotten that this guy gets carsick.


    So Shen Yujing turned to Quan Le and asked, "Are you okay?"


    Quan Le shook his head, lowering it with an expression that suggested he might throw up any second.


    Shen Yujing: "It''ll take at least two hours to reach our destination, and we haven''t gone far. You can still get off if you want."


    "No way," Quan Le raised his head while gripping the back of the front seat, and said word by word: "I. Want. To. Go. Play."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    They really couldn''t understand Quan Le''s obsession with going out to play.


    The car was quiet except for Quan Le''s continuous retching.


    Sitting next to Quan Le, Shen Yujing felt like the loneliest person in the world.


    Not only could Quan Le not chat with him as usual, but no matter what he was doing, the retching sounds kept drawing his attention, making it impossible to think about anything else.


    And for some reason... his stomach was starting to feel uncomfortable too.


    After a while, Shen Yujing let out his first retch¡ª


    "Ugh!!!"


    Song Yi slowly turned her head to look at Murong Huan, with a complicated expression, "Their noise is making me feel sick too."


    "Tell me about it," Murong Huan peeled an orange and held the peel to her nose, taking a deep breath.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le''s retching sounds began to alternate, competing with each other, one after another, growing louder and louder.


    Hang Feng looked back at them, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.


    He rarely came to school, and now he was sure it had been the right choice ¨C this school seemed to have quite a few strange people.


    Murong Huan couldn''t stand it anymore and said, "This can''t go on."


    Because she could feel her own stomach starting to feel uncomfortable, and at this rate, she would soon join Shen Yujing and Quan Le.


    Song Yi nodded and said, "Can we send them to another class''s bus?"


    Shen Yujing raised his head and gave Song Yi a resentful look.


    Song Yi quickly corrected herself: "Just kidding, just kidding."


    They obviously couldn''t really send them away, so¡ª


    So why did Murong Huan want to switch seats with Shen Yujing in the first place?!


    Looking at Shen Yujing who was still retching despite sitting by the window, Song Yi gave Murong Huan a plaintive look.


    Murong Huan remained oblivious and handed the peeled orange to Quan Le, "Here, take this."


    The orange''s acidic smell could help alleviate the nausea a bit, which was better than nothing for Quan Le.


    After moving away from Quan Le, Shen Yujing finally felt a bit better, so he looked up at Song Yi and said somewhat pitifully, "I want some too."


    Song Yi asked in confusion: "Want what?"


    Shen Yujing weakly pointed a finger in Quan Le''s direction.


    He wanted an orange too.


    Murong Huan said: "I have more in my bag, help yourself."


    When Murong Huan said this to Song Yi, she kept giving her meaningful looks.


    Taking care of Shen Yujing when he was feeling weak would surely help their relationship progress rapidly!


    Since Murong Huan had said so, Song Yi had no reason to refuse Shen Yujing, so she took out an orange from Murong Huan''s magical bag that seemed to contain everything.


    Song Yi peeled the orange, and then¡ª


    Under Shen Yujing''s expectant gaze, she ate the orange herself and gave him all the peels.


    Song Yi said "thoughtfully": "Here, smell these."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He took the orange peels and expressionlessly held them under his nose.


    Song Yi asked him again: "Do you feel better? If you''re going to throw up, please warn me in advance so I can move away."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Although he had thought the same thing when dealing with Quan Le earlier, hearing Song Yi say it still made him feel a bit disappointed.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said: "If you''re still feeling unwell, I have an idea."


    Shen Yujing asked: "What is it?"


    Song Yi: "You could bang your head against the window until you pass out, then you won''t feel carsick anymore."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Was this something a normal person would suggest?


    Song Yi explained: "I''m not trying to trick you, let me give you an example. When normal people knock themselves out, they might get a concussion, but you''re different. If you knock yourself out, not only will you stop feeling carsick now, but when you wake up, you might even find yourself smarter."


    Shen Yujing was completely confused but caught the key phrase, "How am I different from normal people?"


    "Because you''re a male..."


    She had almost finished saying it, but Song Yi forcefully held back the rest of the sentence.


    No, she couldn''t just tell someone "because you''re the male protagonist so you have protagonist privileges" ¨C it would make her sound crazy.


    Shen Yujing asked puzzled: "Male what?"


    Song Yi made something up: "A rare talent with excellent physical qualities, these little things won''t affect you."


    As a rare talent with excellent physical qualities, Shen Yujing felt he shouldn''t get carsick ¨C it would damage his reputation if such a trivial matter got out.


    Maybe it was because he had moved away from Quan Le and no one was retching right next to his ear anymore, but Shen Yujing held the large piece of orange peel under his nose.


    Deep breath, adjust.


    He quickly returned to normal.


    By now, Quan Le seemed to have exhausted himself from retching and finally closed his eyes, leaning against Murong Huan''s shoulder in exhaustion.


    Murong Huan looked at Quan Le with some disgust and pressed a finger against his forehead, "Hey, I order you to sit up right now."


    But the chestnut-haired boy looked extremely weak, unable to even open his eyes, his face and lips pale, showing none of his usual unruly arrogance.


    After a while, Murong Huan awkwardly withdrew her hand.


    Fine, she''d reluctantly let him lean on her just this once.


    On the other side, Shen Yujing, having recovered, naturally couldn''t sit still and behave. S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    His gaze swept around the surroundings, finally settling on the row in front.


    Hang Feng, Jiang Yiheng.


    Shen Yujing often browsed the school''s forum, so he was well aware of their popularity at school.


    Quite coincidentally, in last year''s campus heartthrob rankings, the top three were himself, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng, in that order.


    So in Shen Yujing''s view, these two were quite formidable competitors.


    However, Hang Feng''s identity was quite special. While his mysterious demeanor at school was one thing, Shen Yujing''s family had specifically warned him: getting into conflicts with anyone at school wasn''t a big deal, except with Hang Feng.


    Out of curiosity, Shen Yujing had long ago investigated all domestic and international business partners who had dealings with his family, but he never found anyone with the surname Hang.


    This only made Hang Feng''s identity even more mysterious, leading Shen Yujing to wonder for a long time about the background of this seemingly quiet and reserved guy.


    Unfortunately, since they had no social interaction, Shen Yujing still hadn''t gotten an answer.


    Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08


    And now, with Hang Feng sitting right in front of him, this was a perfect opportunity to unravel the mystery.


    So Shen Yujing called out, "Hang Feng!"


    Hang Feng, sitting in the front row: "..."


    Enough, please stop.


    He wished nobody would call his name anymore; he was starting to develop a fear of his own name.


    Sensing Hang Feng''s aversion, Song Yi became even more energized and joined Shen Yujing in calling out, "Hang Feng! Hang Feng! Can''t you hear Shen Yujing calling you?"


    Jiang Yiheng''s head started to ache. He looked at Hang Feng beside him and said, "Just respond to them, otherwise they won''t quiet down today."


    Hang Feng frowned and asked, "You know them well?"


    Jiang Yiheng replied calmly, "Song Yi''s previous desk mate was me."


    Hang Feng: "..."

 Chapter 26

    Hang Feng turned his head, looking at Shen Yujing expressionlessly, his eyes conveying a clear message¡ª


    "You better have something important to say."


    Shen Yujing looked at him with sincere eyes and said, "Actually, there''s something I''ve wanted to ask you for a long time."


    Hang Feng: "Speak."


    Shen Yujing: "My parents say your family background is extraordinary and your identity is special, so what''s your real background?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He really wanted to curse now, truly.


    Since Shen Yujing already knew his identity was special, did he think asking so directly would get him an honest answer?


    When Song Yi heard Shen Yujing bring up this question, she also became curious.


    In the original plot, Hang Feng''s background was only briefly mentioned, saying he was an illegitimate child from some mysterious family. Even at the grand finale, it was never truly revealed, remaining an enigma.


    So Song Yi chimed in: "Yeah, what''s your background?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    These two must be sick in the head.


    Hang Feng took a deep breath, not wanting to answer this question, and turned his head back around, leaving them with only a view of his proud back.


    Because Hang Feng wouldn''t answer, Song Yi and Shen Yujing started discussing among themselves.


    Shen Yujing said, "My family''s in business, and among all the people we know, there''s no one with the surname Hang. Could his family be in politics?"


    "Probably not," Song Yi rejected Shen Yujing''s guess and shared her own theory. "Based on my novel-reading experience, I think the more mysterious someone is, the more likely they''re of noble birth. I suspect Hang Feng might have royal blood from some foreign royal family."


    After all, in the original plot, the only keyword about Hang Feng''s background was "mysterious family." What kind of identity would be worthy of being called mysterious in such a Mary Sue novel?


    Song Yi thought about it and still felt royal lineage was the most likely possibility, because then Hang Feng would be a genuine prince.


    "I think what you''re saying makes sense." Shen Yujing turned to Song Yi in surprise and added, "Now that you mention it, I suddenly notice how deep Hang Feng''s eyes are. If he''s mixed-race, everything would make sense."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Exactly what made sense?


    Song Yi asked further: "Then which country''s prince could he be?"


    "Don''t know, let me check," Shen Yujing said as he took out his phone and opened Baidu. "Let''s see which country''s people look like him."


    Song Yi reminded him: "He might not look too similar, since he probably only has half royal blood."


    Sitting in front of them, Hang Feng had heard their entire conversation. While his expression remained calm, his hands were clenched at his sides, his whole body trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.


    Who gossips about someone''s identity so openly, as if making sure he could hear every word?


    Were these two idiots? What nonsense were they talking about?! He wasn''t mixed-race! Would anyone show him some respect?!


    He couldn''t take it anymore, he really couldn''t.


    He couldn''t stay in this place for another minute; he needed to leave, to go somewhere without Shen Yujing and Song Yi, to find some peace.


    So when the bus stopped at a red light, Hang Feng didn''t hesitate to get up and move to an empty seat in front.


    With no extra person beside him now, Jiang Yiheng also felt more at ease.


    In some way, perhaps Jiang Yiheng should thank Song Yi and Shen Yujing for driving Hang Feng away.


    Thinking this, Jiang Yiheng closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, preparing to take a short rest.


    Suddenly, a voice came from behind¡ª


    "Eh? Why did Hang Feng leave?"


    Shen Yujing: "Don''t know, could it be that we guessed his identity correctly and he''s afraid of being exposed?"


    Song Yi disagreed: "Probably not. Wasn''t his identity supposed to be very mysterious and special? If we really guessed correctly, he would have threatened us to keep quiet, not just walk away."


    Shen Yujing agreed, "You make sense. Then what else could have made Hang Feng suddenly leave?"


    Song Yi: "Have you considered that the problem might not be with us? I have a bold theory!"


    Shen Yujing was curious and asked, "What is it?"


    Without realizing it, Jiang Yiheng''s attention was also drawn to their conversation. He perked up his ears, suddenly wanting to know why Hang Feng left too.


    The next moment, Song Yi''s voice rang out confidently¡ª


    "I suspect Jiang Yiheng has smelly feet!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "...?"


    Murong Huan: "!!!"


    Murong Huan was the first to speak up, looking at Song Yi with rare anger in her eyes, "Yi Yi! Don''t talk nonsense."


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan seriously and asked, "Isn''t it possible? Has Jiang Yiheng ever taken off his shoes in front of you? Are you really sure he doesn''t have smelly feet? If it''s not because of his smelly feet, then why would Hang Feng leave?"


    Song Yi thought carefully. Hang Feng and Jiang Yiheng were similar in some ways; both were quiet and reserved, though Hang Feng was a bit more extreme.


    But since this method could drive away Hang Feng and make him so repulsed by her, maybe it would work equally well on Jiang Yiheng!


    This series of questions left Murong Huan stunned, or rather, completely brainwashed.


    That''s right.


    Whenever she saw Jiang Yiheng, he was always properly and neatly dressed. She had never seen him wearing slippers or barefoot.


    Could it be... no way... what if...


    Murong Huan looked at Jiang Yiheng with doubt and sympathy in her beautiful big eyes, and carefully asked as if afraid of hurting his self-esteem: "Is it true?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Enough, that''s enough, he couldn''t take it anymore either.


    Wasn''t it obvious why Hang Feng left? Of course it was because Song Yi and Shen Yujing were annoying! Why hadn''t he realized this earlier?


    He wasn''t surprised that Song Yi and Shen Yujing could say such things, but what was wrong with Murong Huan? This series of questions made Jiang Yiheng''s headache return.


    So Jiang Yiheng closed his eyes, deciding to completely ignore their existence.


    It''s okay, just wait until they reach their destination, it won''t be long, he can endure this.


    But Jiang Yiheng''s silence led to their misunderstanding, or rather, his retreat made them even more presumptuous.


    Song Yi''s voice was full of sympathy: "Such a young man, of all ailments to get, he got smelly feet."


    Shen Yujing took the opportunity to smear Jiang Yiheng''s reputation, eliminating this potential competitor, saying: "Modern medicine is so advanced, minor illnesses are easy to cure, but there''s no solution for smelly feet, it''s a lifelong condition."


    Song Yi nodded, strongly agreeing with Shen Yujing''s words, and gave Murong Huan a sympathetic look.


    As if saying: How unfortunate, the man you like has smelly feet.


    Shen Yujing got more excited and continued: "Smelly feet isn''t a disease, but when it stinks, it''s deadly. Think about it, every day you''re in your warm, happy home, with lovely roses in vases, delicious food on the table, how wonderful, right? But what happens? This beautiful life gets ruined at night! Because at night, your boyfriend comes home! Once he arrives, the smell of his feet overpowers all these pleasant scents, and all beauty is destroyed in an instant!"


    As soon as Shen Yujing finished speaking, Jiang Yiheng in the front row stood up, not caring that the vehicle was still moving, and walked straight to a seat further forward.


    Shen Yujing still seemed very excited and continued asking Song Yi, "So, could you date a boyfriend with smelly feet? Absolutely not! It seriously affects quality of life! Am I right?"


    Song Yi was stunned by Shen Yujing''s outburst, but finally nodded, "Right, we can''t."


    Hearing Song Yi''s response, Shen Yujing looked quite satisfied.


    Watching Jiang Yiheng''s retreating figure, Song Yi felt deeply moved, tears almost welling up in her eyes.


    Aww, sure enough! Jiang Yiheng got annoyed too! She was so clever!


    Song Yi was excited inside, but on the surface, she still pretended to ask Shen Yujing innocently, "Why did he leave too?"


    "Isn''t it obvious?" Shen Yujing raised his head confidently, "Because we discovered the truth about his smelly feet, of course he''s feeling insecure! So he had to get away!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She felt like she was playing dumb, but Shen Yujing might actually be truly stupid. sea??h th§× ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, Murong Huan was still lost in thought about Shen Yujing''s previous question.


    Could she date a boyfriend who had smelly feet?


    This question seemed quite serious.


    For anyone else, it would definitely be a no, but this was Jiang Yiheng.


    This tiny... tiny tiny flaw, she couldn''t back down because of it.


    So Murong Huan took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to the butler.


    [Help me find doctors who treat foot odor, bring them to the capital no matter the cost]


    Beside her, Quan Le had been leaning his head against the car window for a while, half-asleep with his eyes closed, when he suddenly started retching.


    Murong Huan asked with a slight headache: "Weren''t you feeling better? Why did it start again?"


    "I don''t know..."


    Quan Le shook his head painfully, feeling dizzy, when he suddenly remembered the words he had just heard.


    Entering keywords¡ª


    Jiang Yiheng, smelly feet.


    Outputting¡ª


    Quan Le covered his chest with one hand, head hanging low, and replied weakly: "Maybe it''s because I got sick from Jiang Yiheng''s smelly feet."


    Murong Huan placed her hand over her eyes and leaned back in her seat resignedly.


    This is so painful.


    Why did it take all these years for her to discover Jiang Yiheng''s flaw?


    It turns out that even the most perfect person has their own defects.


    It''s just smelly feet, right? No problem! Even if Jiang Yiheng has given up on himself, as long as she doesn''t give up on him, there must be a way to cure it completely!!!


    Aliali: 673ef1f3c4f3f33ac4f18b0f


    *


    In the car, front seats.


    Hang Feng frowned at Jiang Yiheng sitting beside him and asked: "Why did you come too?"


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his gaze, "What do you think?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    After a while, both of them leaned back in their seats, closing their eyes to rest.


    Well... never mind...


    Experiencing the current tranquility, the same thought floated through both Hang Feng and Jiang Yiheng''s minds¡ª


    A world without Song Yi and Shen Yujing is so peaceful.


    How nice.

 Chapter 27

    After nearly three hours of driving, they finally reached their destination.


    The bus stopped at the foot of a mountain, where teachers led students from different classes into the hotel to check in.


    Since there were quite a few students in their grade, sharing rooms in pairs was mandatory.


    Song Yi naturally roomed with Murong Huan, while Shen Yujing accepted Quan Le, who had finally stopped feeling nauseous.


    Dragging her luggage into the room, Song Yi collapsed onto the sofa and touched her stomach - she was hungry.


    The teachers gave everyone half an hour to unpack and settle in. After that, they were to gather on the seventh floor of the hotel for lunch and to learn about the afternoon''s activities and disciplinary requirements.


    Meanwhile, in another room.


    Quan Le watched in amazement as Shen Yujing pulled out one, two, three, four boxes from the hotel cabinet.


    He asked in confusion, "Are you here for tourism or moving in? How come you''re so prepared?"


    Shen Yujing shook his head, "My mother had someone deliver these in advance."


    Knowing Shen''s mother''s personality, Quan Le understood and didn''t pursue the matter further.


    Without unpacking anything, Quan Le flopped onto his bed, "I''m going to take a nap, wake me up when it''s time to gather."


    Seeing his condition, Shen Yujing suggested, "Maybe you should just rest in the hotel."


    "No way." Quan Le''s face buried in the bed, shaking his head stubbornly, repeating his earlier statement, "I. Want. To. Go. Out. To. Play."


    Shen Yujing was speechless but left Quan Le alone and went to the bathroom.


    Standing in front of the mirror, he washed his face, then carefully fixed his hair, and checked his clothes.


    Perfect, no problems.


    Thinking about the afternoon''s activities, Shen Yujing changed into more comfortable walking shoes and stuffed some energy-boosting snacks into his pockets.


    He remembered Song Yi was wearing light white canvas shoes today - those hard-soled shoes would definitely hurt after walking for too long.


    Shen Yujing''s eyes scanned the hotel room, finally finding his target¡ª


    Perfect, that''s it.


    So he put the bathroom''s plastic slippers into his prepared backpack to bring for Song Yi, just in case.


    On the seventh floor restaurant.


    The hotel had been booked entirely by Saint Slee Academy, and the entire seventh-floor restaurant was filled with students.


    The lead teacher stood on stage with a microphone, gave a long-winded speech praising the school, and then announced the afternoon''s task¡ª


    Mountain climbing.


    The entire hall immediately erupted in groans.


    Someone shouted, "Teacher, this won''t do! If I''d known we were climbing a mountain, I wouldn''t have come!"


    "What''s going on this year? Coming to such a terrible place and doing such boring activities."


    "I''m not participating! Whoever wants to climb can go ahead!"


    The discussions continued one after another, clearly showing everyone''s dissatisfaction with the arrangement.


    The teacher on stage raised the microphone, "Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet! Let me finish! To cultivate students'' all-round development in moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education, all activities for this trip were discussed and approved by the School Committee. Those with special circumstances can register with teachers, but students who fake illness or intentionally refuse to participate will have points deducted from their comprehensive quality assessment."


    The teacher''s words left no room for negotiation.


    So everyone gave up thoughts of escape and instead asked, "Are there any rewards? We can''t just climb for nothing, right?"


    The teacher responded, "Students who reach the halfway point will receive one point in their comprehensive quality assessment, those who reach the summit will get two points. Additionally, the first three students to reach the summit will receive gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively. These three medals will entitle the winners to be the dance partners of Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng at next month''s school anniversary ceremony!"


    Wild screams erupted from below, instantly drowning out the previous complaints.


    Song Yi: "?"


    Subway, old grandfather, looking at phone.


    Was there something wrong with her ears or was there something wrong with this world? What did the teacher just say? The top three students would get to be dance partners with Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng?


    No, no, she didn''t understand.


    How could a teacher stand on stage and seriously present this kind of thing as a reward! Wouldn''t they feel embarrassed?


    Song Yi turned to Murong Huan and asked, "Being their dance partner counts as a reward?"


    Murong Huan explained, "This has always been the tradition at Saint Slee Academy. It was like this before too. How else would these students be so enthusiastic? It''s all for the chance to spend time with them."


    Song Yi: "...?"


    She didn''t understand, but she was utterly shocked.


    Indeed, even after staying here for so long, she still hadn''t fully integrated into this Mary Sue world.


    But Song Yi still couldn''t understand, "Would those three agree to cooperate with their personalities?"


    Being offered as prizes like objects, would they agree?


    Thinking about this, Murong Huan considered carefully, then shook her head, "They don''t really cooperate much, but they''ll at least dance the first dance, and that''s enough!"


    At this point, Murong Huan clenched her fists with determination, "This time I must get second place! Then I can be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner!"


    Song Yi: "Good luck."


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi, "Why do you look so listless? You should aim for first place, you know? Let''s work hard together!"


    "I''m not interested," Song Yi said as she picked up her milk.


    Murong Huan frowned, reproaching her like someone disappointed in a friend''s lack of ambition, "How can you not be interested? Do you know how many girls in our school compete for this opportunity? Last year, a boy who won the chance to be Shen Yujing''s partner put it up for auction on the forum and sold it for 300,000 yuan!"


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Song Yi choked on her milk and looked up at Murong Huan, "How much did you say?"


    Murong Huan handed her a tissue and continued, "300,000 yuan! I thought it was too low too. Apparently, that person needed money urgently and sold it quickly. Not many people knew about it before the deal was done."


    Song Yi put down her cup and said just one word, "Climb."


    Murong Huan: "Huh?"


    Song Yi said seriously, "We''ll climb! If we''re doing this, we''ll do it the best we can. Since we have to climb the mountain anyway, we should aim for first and second place!"


    Seeing Song Yi''s fighting spirit, Murong Huan was very moved, "I''m so glad you think this way!"


    Murong Huan thought to herself that although Song Yi claimed not to care, she must secretly want to be Shen Yujing''s dance partner.


    Indeed, a young girl''s feelings couldn''t be hidden.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi''s mind was filled with¡ª


    300,000 yuan! 300,000 yuan! We''re going to get rich!!!


    *


    In the afternoon, at the mountain''s base gathering point.


    All students lined up by class, waiting for teachers to finish counting heads before they could start.


    Class A and B were lined up next to each other, so Song Yi was standing right next to Shen Yujing.


    Today, Song Yi''s gaze toward Shen Yujing was unprecedentedly gentle.


    In Song Yi''s eyes, Shen Yujing was no longer just Shen Yujing, but a walking 300,000 yuan. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing touched his face, suddenly feeling self-conscious under Song Yi''s stare.


    But at the same time, he was glad he had washed his face and checked the mirror again before leaving - his image in Song Yi''s eyes must be perfect now.


    Soon the teacher gave the order to begin.


    The mountain would take two to three hours to climb, so different people chose different strategies.


    Some maintained a steady pace to conserve energy, while Song Yi pulled Murong Huan along, charging ahead at the front.


    Murong Huan kept chanting Jiang Yiheng''s name in her heart for motivation.


    Song Yi was doing something similar, except she was chanting "300,000 yuan."


    Getting 300,000 yuan just for climbing a mountain? Where else could you find such a good deal! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Miss this chance and it might never come again!


    About twenty minutes into the climb, they saw the first signpost by the path, which read¡ª


    [Keep going! The long journey has just begun, but I''ll be with you all the way!]


    The crooked handwriting looked somewhat familiar.


    While Song Yi was frowning in thought, Murong Huan provided the answer, "This was written by Shen Yujing. There are postcards in the box under the signpost, all with this message. Only those who climb fast and arrive early can get one."


    Murong Huan turned to Song Yi and asked, "Aren''t you going to take one?"


    "No," Song Yi replied without hesitation, continuing to stride forward without a backward glance.


    What she wanted wasn''t just these few postcards¡ªit was ultimate victory!


    Murong Huan understood Song Yi''s intention and admired her for it¡ª


    Not caring about these trivial items! Making becoming Shen Yujing''s dance partner the ultimate goal! Such determination, ambition, and vision!


    So the two continued climbing together.


    Aliali: 67409081c4f3f33ac40a029f


    Every tenth of the way up, they would encounter a similar signpost with Shen Yujing''s not-so-attractive handwriting offering words of encouragement.


    Halfway up the mountain, Murong Huan was exhausted. She sat down to drink water and rest, saying, "Let''s slow down and take a break. I really can''t go on."


    Song Yi turned around, looking at the distant classmates who were catching up, and said, "Your hundreds of competitors are on their way."


    Murong Huan jumped up instantly, as if suddenly energized, "Let''s go! We can''t lose!"


    She absolutely couldn''t let someone else take the chance to be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner!


    When they reached seventy percent of the way up, Song Yi picked up two tree branches from the roadside, one for Murong Huan and one for herself, as she was tired too.


    But even so, while others were stopping and starting to rest, only these two kept persisting, united by their common goal and belief!


    When they reached eighty percent of the way up, another familiar signpost with Shen Yujing''s handwriting appeared.


    However, this time, instead of the usual clich¨¦ encouragements, it read¡ª


    "Feeling tired now? Hahahahahahaha!!!"

 Chapter 28

    Song Yi: "..."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Song Yi snapped the branch in her hand with a "crack" and took a deep breath.


    The word "anger" filled her mind. If Shen Yujing were in front of her right now, she would definitely break his legs.


    Murong Huan patted her shoulder, trying hard to defend Shen Yujing, "He was just joking."


    Song Yi nodded, "Let''s keep climbing."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Fine, fine QAQ


    Although Murong Huan was reluctant, she was forced to follow Song Yi up without taking a break.


    As Song Yi climbed up, her mind kept repeating¡ª


    Three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand! Three hundred thousand!


    If she could get this three hundred thousand, she would forgive all of Shen Yujing''s stupid and disrespectful behavior.


    Driven by this determination, Song Yi dragged Murong Huan to the mountaintop.


    At their destination stood a huge red flag, along with many staff members wearing Saint Slee Academy uniforms waiting there.


    There was also a row of seats and tables, occupied by members of the Saint Slee Academy student council.


    Jiang Yiheng sat in the middle, with students from the Disciplinary Inspection Department on both sides.


    On the tables in front of them were gold, silver, and bronze medals.


    Victory was in sight, but suddenly there were shouts from behind¡ª


    "Quick! Charge! Overtake them! The medals are ours!"


    The sense of crisis made Song Yi grab Murong Huan''s wrist, leading her in a hundred-meter sprint, "Run! Don''t let them catch up!"


    After climbing all this way, it would be a total waste if they got overtaken at the last moment!


    Charge! The gold and silver medals were theirs! The three hundred thousand was hers!


    Although Murong Huan was exhausted, she was touched by Song Yi pulling her along, so she made an effort to run.


    Murong Huan thought that Song Yi really wanted this gold medal, and although Song Yi wouldn''t say it, she obviously wanted to be Shen Yujing''s dance partner!


    She couldn''t hold Song Yi back! She needed to learn from Song Yi! And get the chance to be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner!


    As the two ran forward desperately, Jiang Yiheng gripped his pen tighter, a look of relief suddenly appearing in his eyes.


    Seeing Murong Huan trying so hard just for the chance to dance with him, it seemed his previous doubts were unfounded - she still liked him as much as before.


    As for beside him...


    Watching Song Yi holding half a tree branch in one hand and pulling Murong Huan with the other, her expression extremely determined, first place seemed certain.


    Those who knew would say Song Yi was participating in a mountain climbing competition, those who didn''t might think she was going to commit a crime.


    Jiang Yiheng raised a hand to cover his face, not wanting to meet Song Yi''s gaze.


    Song Yi hadn''t noticed Jiang Yiheng''s subtle reaction at all, still desperately pulling Murong Huan along as they ran.


    When Song Yi and Murong Huan finally reached the finish line together, just as they were about to cross that line, Murong Huan suddenly stumbled and fell heavily to the ground.


    Song Yi quickly stopped to help Murong Huan, asking with concern: "Are you okay?"


    Murong Huan raised her right hand high in the air, "Wait a moment."


    Song Yi: "What''s wrong?"


    Murong Huan lifted her head to look at Song Yi, then looked at her left hand.


    Song Yi followed Murong Huan''s gaze, and saw¡ª


    Murong Huan''s left hand was pressed against the ground, just past the finish line.


    Song Yi: "..."


    She seemed to watch three hundred thousand slip away from her grasp.


    Money... her money!


    Three minutes later.


    Song Yi looked at the silver medal in her hand, Murong Huan at the gold medal in hers, and along with an unexpected bronze medal winner, the three were forced to take a "winners" photo together.


    Song Yi maintained a blank expression throughout, her entire being could be described as "lost and dejected."


    Murong Huan winked at Song Yi, "It''s simple, we can just swap."


    "Oh right!"


    Perhaps because the shock of "losing three hundred thousand" had been too great, Song Yi''s brain only caught up when Murong Huan said it.


    Yes, she could swap with Murong Huan!


    Murong Huan could fulfill her wish to be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner, and she could get the three hundred thousand! They were sisters! No difference between them!


    Just as Song Yi was happily thinking about what to do with the three hundred thousand once she got it, Jiang Yiheng suddenly passed by them, dropping only one cold and heartless sentence¡ª


    "Due to malicious bidding on the school forum last year, this year any form of trading or exchanging prizes is prohibited, which is also why we just had you take photos together."


    Murong Huan: "??"


    Song Yi: "!!"


    Jiang Yiheng''s figure walked away, while Murong Huan and Song Yi stood rooted to the spot, staring at each other.


    After a while, Song Yi''s voice, devoid of spirit, slowly spoke¡ª


    "So you''re saying, not only do I not get the three hundred thousand, but I have to spend time with Jiang Yiheng?"


    And Murong Huan was also devastated: "Who wants to be Shen Yujing''s dance partner!"


    After all their effort and struggle to get here, what was it all for!!!


    Murong Huan looked at her left palm, her face full of regret, truly one fall that became an eternal regret!


    *


    An hour later, most of the other students gradually reached the mountaintop.


    Many who couldn''t handle it due to foot pain had taken cars up from halfway.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan sat shoulder to shoulder in chairs, both wearing the same expression of dejection and lost spirits.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing and Quan Le strolled over leisurely, holding lemon tea.


    Seeing Song Yi holding a gold medal and a silver medal, Shen Yujing''s lips couldn''t help but curve upward slightly.


    Sure enough, she was first place.


    Earlier at the start of the competition, when he saw Song Yi and Murong Huan charging ahead in the lead, he knew she could definitely do it.


    She must have wanted to be his dance partner after all.


    Shen Yujing walked over with Quan Le, bent down, and waved a hand in front of Song Yi, "Hey, snap out of it."


    Song Yi was completely unaffected, just reaching out to push away Shen Yujing''s hand, her gaze still staring blankly into the distance.


    And Murong Huan sitting beside Song Yi was the same.


    Quan Le asked curiously: "Are they both possessed or something?"


    Shen Yujing said: "They got first and second place, it''s normal to be too tired to recover for a while."


    When Quan Le saw the two medals, he sincerely praised them: "Amazing!"


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, "Being my dance partner isn''t something to take lightly, I''ll have the butler send over the dress and jewelry for you later."


    Song Yi slowly shifted her gaze from the distance to Shen Yujing''s face and said: "You seem to have misunderstood something."


    Murong Huan also said irritably: "I don''t need your dress set."


    Shen Yujing frowned, trying to understand what they meant.


    Quan Le was the first to realize, asking in surprise: "Murong Huan, you got first place?"


    Murong Huan nodded lifelessly, then looked at Shen Yujing with disgust, "Just my rotten luck."


    Shen Yujing asked Song Yi, "Don''t tell me you got the silver medal?"


    Song Yi nodded.


    After hearing Song Yi''s answer, Shen Yujing''s eyes widened, his face writing¡ª


    Un-be-lievable.


    Shen Yujing left with his lemon water, his lone figure sad and lost.


    He was like a ghost, wandering aimlessly on the mountaintop.


    Murong Huan frowned at Shen Yujing''s retreating figure, "Why does he look so unhappy? How is being my dance partner beneath him? Shouldn''t I be the one who''s angry?"


    Song Yi casually replied: "You''ll get used to it, he''s mentally ill."


    Quan Le looked at Song Yi and Murong Huan in front of him, hesitated for a moment, but still went after Shen Yujing.


    At this moment, Shen Yujing felt his emotions were very complicated.


    Shen Yujing felt his intelligence had peaked, and he conducted some brilliant deduction.


    With Song Yi''s abilities, getting first place in the mountain climbing competition should have been effortless, yet somehow Murong Huan got first place instead.


    But rather than first place, Murong Huan would definitely prefer to be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner, so her target must have been second place.


    Therefore, there was only one possibility - Song Yi deliberately fell behind Murong Huan and snatched her second place, all to be Jiang Yiheng''s dance partner.


    Just how much did Song Yi like Jiang Yiheng, to the point of disregarding her friendship with Murong Huan.


    How profound this emotion was, and how complex this relationship had become.


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing felt his heart surrounded by an indescribable emotion.


    It seemed to be a mixture of loss, sadness, and a feeling that Song Yi wasn''t worth it.


    What was so great about Jiang Yiheng anyway? He always had that cold expression on his face as if everyone owed him millions, and he even had smelly feet. Apart from his decent grades, what else did he have to show for himself?


    The more Shen Yujing thought about it, the more confused he became, feeling that Song Yi''s judgment was seriously flawed.


    So he stopped walking, turned to Quan Le, and said, "Let me ask you something."


    Quan Le: "Go ahead?"


    Shen Yujing: "Between me and Jiang Yiheng, who''s better?"


    Quan Le answered without hesitation: "Jiang Yiheng, of course!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Quan Le: "?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    The two stared at each other, both with different degrees of confusion in their eyes.


    Quan Le: "Is there even any question about this?"


    Shen Yujing: "..." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some people just can''t be taught!


    *


    Half an hour later, all the senior year students had gathered and been counted.


    The teacher stood at the front, holding a megaphone, spouting a bunch of encouraging but meaningless words before announcing the next task.


    "Before dinner, all students need to find their partners. You can form groups across different classes freely, but please choose carefully as these groupings will affect all upcoming games and competitions. The teachers suggest that you consider both mental and physical abilities when selecting teammates."


    "The requirement is five people per group, and there must be both boys and girls. Begin forming groups now, you''re dismissed!"


    With the teacher''s announcement, the boys and girls around immediately scattered to find their desired teammates.


    Murong Huan quickly squeezed her way to Song Yi''s side and linked arms with her, saying, "Let''s be together."


    Song Yi said: "Then we still need three more people."


    Murong Huan rested her chin on her hand, "We need to choose our teammates carefully."


    Since they were here, they might as well enjoy themselves.


    And if they were going to play, they might as well play beautifully and win beautifully.


    So the two began selecting teammates, and quite a few people actively approached them.


    Like the small forward from the school soccer team.


    The sunny-natured boy rubbed the back of his head, looking at Song Yi bashfully, "Um, may I join your group?"


    Several boys stood behind him watching, clearly his friends, and they started making teasing noises.


    Song Yi pointed to Murong Huan, passing the buck, "Ask her, I''ll go with whatever she says."


    Murong Huan wore an expression of watching a good show as she sized up the boy from head to toe, then looked at Song Yi with a meaningful tone, "Not bad at all."


    So Murong Huan asked him, "We kind of know each other, but you''ve never actively approached me all these years. What''s this about? You''re not here for our Yi Yi, are you?"


    The boy''s face turned bright red instantly, and he lowered his head even more, but didn''t deny it.


    Song Yi tugged at Murong Huan''s sleeve, "That''s enough teasing."


    "Alright, alright." Murong Huan stopped joking and looked at the boy, "If you want to join then..."


    "Wait!"


    A male voice called out from afar. Shen Yujing walked over and said to the boy: "They already have a group."


    Disappointment flashed across the boy''s face, but seeing it was Shen Yujing, and remembering his family''s company''s recent cooperation with the Shen family, he could only remain silent despite wanting to compete.


    "Sorry," the boy finally nodded slightly to Song Yi, then turned and left.


    Murong Huan watched his retreating figure and said somewhat disdainfully: "If that''s all the determination he has, then forget it."


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le had come together, and he said very naturally: "So now our group has four people, we just need one more."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Where did this confidence come from?


    Compared to the soccer team boy, Murong Huan naturally thought Shen Yujing was more suitable.


    So even though Song Yi clearly wanted to object, Murong Huan had already agreed, and Shen Yujing and Quan Le stuck to them like leeches, making Song Yi''s objection clearly ineffective.


    Murong Huan began analyzing the group''s situation, "So now it looks like we have enough muscle power, we just need someone smart. Why don''t we go find Jiang Yiheng?"


    Shen Yujing snorted, "Why him? I''m not any worse than he is."


    A moment of silence fell over them.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing, opened her mouth, and finally said: "I really envy your confidence."


    The matter was so absurd that Murong Huan couldn''t even be bothered to get angry, instead saying: "As long as you can say that with a straight face."


    Quan Le also sighed, extending a hand to block Shen Yujing behind him, "It''s my fault for failing to teach him properly. Please excuse us."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What kind of attitude was this?


    Even if he wasn''t completely superior to Jiang Yiheng in every way, saying he was slightly better shouldn''t be too much of a stretch, right?


    Just as Shen Yujing was about to protest and demand justice for himself, Song Yi spoke first, "Alright, enough of this useless talk, let''s focus on finding our last teammate."


    So the four of them began discussing potential candidates, and the final conclusion was¡ª


    Everyone had different ideas, and no one could convince the others.


    Since that was the case, they decided to take it one step at a time and see who they might encounter.


    As they walked, they saw Hang Feng, who was currently alone.


    Meeting by chance was fate, so they had to at least chat a bit.


    So Song Yi walked towards Hang Feng and asked directly: "Don''t you have a group yet?"


    Hang Feng stood there with downcast eyes, and the moment he saw Song Yi approaching, he immediately turned up the volume on his earphones, completely ignoring her presence.


    Of course, if possible, what Hang Feng wanted most was for Song Yi to ignore his existence as well.


    Like oil and water, just treat each other as air, as if they were invisible.


    But Song Yi wouldn''t let Hang Feng have his way so easily.


    She walked up to Hang Feng and, catching everyone off guard, directly lifted his chin, forcing him to look her in the eyes.


    Aliali: 67409081c4f3f33ac40a029f


    Meeting the boy''s startled gaze, Song Yi curved one corner of her mouth, then showed a mischievous smile.


    The next moment, her voice rang out, confident and gentle: "What are you being shy about? I know you were waiting for me. I admit it, your little tricks caught my attention."


    "Ninth in the grade, right? I wouldn''t have looked twice at you before, but now I''m giving you a chance to join our group. Eyes don''t lie, I know you''re happy about this."


    "Come on, don''t glare at me. You''re trying to suppress your excitement about joining our group, right? I know how you men are, these are all just playing hard to get!"


    "I refuse."


    After answering, Hang Feng expressionlessly removed Song Yi''s hand and turned to leave, ready to escape this noisy world where she existed.


    But Song Yi immediately chased after him and stretched out her hand to block his path again.


    Hang Feng completely lost his patience, his narrow eyes narrowing further, carrying a hint of dangerous warning.


    He grabbed Song Yi''s wrist and said in a hoarse voice: "I already refused. Don''t you understand human language?"


    Song Yi smiled confidently and said: "Are you just saying that out of spite? I don''t believe you!"

 Chapter 29

    Shen Yujing rubbed his eyes, feeling that the current scene, including the atmosphere between Song Yi and Hang Feng, was very strange.


    No, not just strange¡ªeerie would be a more appropriate description.


    Shen Yujing turned to Murong Huan and asked uncertainly, "Is she always like this?"


    Murong Huan paused before responding, "No... I don''t think so?"


    But looking at Song Yi''s current behavior, she wasn''t quite sure anymore.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t make sense of it, but he still walked over and chimed in, "Hey, we''re doing you a favor by inviting you to join us."


    Hang Feng remained silent.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said in a low voice, "What''s it to you?"


    From Shen Yujing''s perspective, if Hang Feng didn''t join them, Murong Huan would probably lead them to find Jiang Yiheng instead.


    Compared to Jiang Yiheng, Shen Yujing found Hang Feng slightly more tolerable, so he decided to join Song Yi in "inviting" Hang Feng.


    Quan Le chimed in as well: "Yeah, exactly! Look at our team¡ªwe''ve got brains, we''ve got strength, and you wouldn''t even be deadweight. Winning first place would be a piece of cake with you on board! What''s there to hesitate about?"


    Hang Feng looked at the three people in front of him. The way they stood there saying such things was just¡ª


    Completely unconvincing!!!


    Hang Feng still said, "I refuse."


    Song Yi wasn''t genuinely trying to invite Hang Feng anyway, so she sighed and put on a regretful expression, "What a shame, I guess it wasn''t meant to be."


    Seeing that Song Yi wasn''t planning to pursue the matter further, Hang Feng started to leave.


    But before he could get far, Shen Yujing suddenly caught up with him and blocked his path.


    Remembering how much Shen Yujing and Song Yi had talked on their way here this morning, Hang Feng''s expression wasn''t particularly friendly toward him.


    With a cold face, he said, "What else do you want to say?"


    Shen Yujing crossed his arms and looked Hang Feng up and down, saying, "Join us. You know who I am¡ªI can fulfill any request you have."


    "Big talk." Contempt flashed in Hang Feng''s eyes as his expression darkened. "You really think having money means you can control everything?"


    He had always despised rich kids like Shen Yujing who threw their weight around at school just because they were born into privilege, thinking they were above everyone else, never respecting others.


    But in reality? Often these so-called noble and privileged people had to face even more dark and dirty dealings lurking in the shadows.


    Over time, they naturally became assimilated into that kind of person.


    Selfish, cold-blooded, extreme, and self-centered.


    No matter how kind and gentle they appeared on the surface, they were rotten to the core, with even their blood being tainted.


    As Shen Yujing and Hang Feng faced off, everyone could feel the inexplicably tense atmosphere in the air.


    And just then¡ª


    "Hahahahahahaha!"


    Song Yi burst out laughing.


    Both Hang Feng and Shen Yujing looked at her, confusion evident in their eyes.


    Song Yi was laughing so hard she could barely stand straight, holding onto Murong Huan''s arm as she began to "repeat" Hang Feng''s words, "Don''t think you''re so great just because you have some dirty money! Don''t insult me with your filthy wealth!"


    These were the kind of lines that only a Cinderella character would say to the demon prince in old-school idol dramas¡ªwho could relate?


    A silence fell over the scene; at least no one there could relate.


    Murong Huan carefully supported Song Yi, both worried she might fall over from laughing and completely unable to understand what she found so funny.


    Even Quan Le stepped forward and placed a hand on Song Yi''s forehead, "No fever..."


    So Quan Le looked at Hang Feng and said, "See? Your rejection of joining our team has driven Song Yi crazy."


    Song Yi: "?"


    These four people''s reactions were so boring; none of them understood her sense of humor.


    It felt awkward to be the only one laughing, so Song Yi forced herself to stand straight, then looked at Hang Feng, preparing to irritate him enough to leave.


    Song Yi''s mind raced quickly, recalling a classic line from a Mary Sue drama.


    She cleared her throat, raised one hand, looked at Hang Feng, and said seriously, "I, Song Yi, swear to the earth, to the sky, to the clouds, to the wind, to the flowers and rainbows [Note 1]. If you join us, no matter what difficulties we face, we will always stay by your side until we achieve victory."


    Murong Huan felt something odd about Song Yi''s words but couldn''t quite put her finger on what was wrong.


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes to look at Song Yi, seeming to contemplate something.


    Song Yi widened her eyes dramatically and even gave Hang Feng an exaggerated, cheesy wink, appearing extremely enthusiastic.


    Just when Song Yi thought Hang Feng would ignore them and leave as usual, he nodded.


    Hang Feng: "Alright."


    Song Yi: "Those who are meant to leave can''t be kept, if the sand in your palm can''t be held, then let it scatter! Since you''re so unwilling to join us, we won''t..."


    Hang Feng interrupted her, "I said alright."


    Song Yi: "Ah... alright?!"


    Wait! What does he mean by alright?!


    Hang Feng walked to the front, leaving them with these words, "Let''s go, my teammates."


    Shen Yujing also smiled, waving at Song Yi, "Come on, he agreed to join us!"


    Quan Le joined in the celebration like a cheerleader: "Yay! Our new team is formed! We''ve got the strength! We''ve got the brains! It''s a perfect combination! Let''s go! We must get first place this time!"


    Murong Huan sighed, feeling a bit disappointed, as she still preferred having Jiang Yiheng join their team.


    But thinking about it carefully, Jiang Yiheng probably wouldn''t have agreed anyway, so settling for Hang Feng wasn''t bad either.


    At least Hang Feng had excellent grades, and with Song Yi, they had at least two smart people on the team, giving them a good chance of winning.


    #Only Song Yi''s World Achieved Confusion and Sadness#


    As she followed along, Song Yi''s mind remained blank.


    No, wait, she still didn''t understand.


    Why? How? How did it end up like this?


    So Song Yi tried to communicate with her system, asking: What''s his deal?


    Why isn''t he following the usual script?


    The system explained to her.


    [It''s because you just told him ''no matter what difficulties we face, we will always stay by your side''¡ªbeing abandoned is like a childhood trauma for Hang Feng, so he was moved by your words!]


    Song Yi pondered thoughtfully: Childhood trauma, huh? So if I abandon him, he definitely won''t like me?


    [...]


    [Host needs to understand that there''s a difference between not being liked and being hated¡ªthe former will make him stay away from you.]


    As for the latter, the system didn''t say, but Song Yi understood.


    If it was the latter, it would make Hang Feng hate her, leading him to do things that antagonists typically do.


    That wouldn''t do at all.


    So Song Yi took out her phone and started searching¡ª


    "How to make a boy dislike you."


    Comments and answers:


    1L: Pick your nose in front of him.


    2L: Bite your toenails in front of him.


    3L: Tell him there''s no such thing as Ultraman, and there is no light in the world.


    4L: Wipe your mouth with a dishcloth after eating in front of him.


    5L: Use your foot-wiping towel to wipe his mouth.


    ...


    31L: If you use these thirty methods above, he will definitely dislike you! If it still doesn''t work, it proves he really likes you, and then even the editor can''t help you!


    Song Yi: "..."


    Her hand holding the phone trembled slightly.


    If she followed these suggestions and performed all thirty actions in front of Hang Feng.


    No, better yet, find an opportunity to gather Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng together, and do it in front of all three of them, killing three birds with one stone.


    After that, all three of them would probably hate her, but besides that, she wouldn''t have to do anything else.


    Never mind, let''s think about it later... later...


    Since the team was already formed, the group went to the gathering point to fill out the team registration form and received their team number sticker¡ª


    Number 38.


    Song Yi immediately shoved the sticker into Shen Yujing''s hands, "You''re the team captain."


    If someone were to call her "Team 38 Captain" later, it would sound terrible.


    Besides, having a number 38 sticker on her clothes wouldn''t look good either.


    But Shen Yujing, holding this sticker, felt extremely excited and considered this light piece of paper extremely "precious."


    This was not an ordinary sticker - it was a symbol of identity and honor, and more importantly, it represented the trust that Song Yi and the entire team had placed in him.


    So Shen Yujing very formally and solemnly placed this sticker on the most prominent position on his left chest, then proceeded to give his inauguration speech.


    "Thank you everyone for your trust. As the captain of the Celestial Dragon Team, no matter what events we compete in next, I''m confident I can lead us to first place!"


    Quan Le applauded: "Yay!!!"


    Song Yi frowned, "What''s with ''Celestial Dragon Team''? Why such an awful name?"


    Shen Yujing explained to her: "It means ''heaven''s pride, outstanding among men'' - shortened to Celestial Dragon Team. If you prefer, we could be the Celestial Phoenix Team instead."


    Song Yi: "..."


    What nonsense.


    Shen Yujing thought some more: "Or maybe Wild Wolf Team? Wolf King Team?"


    Song Yi, Murong Huan & Quan Le: "..."


    Fine, let''s just stick with Celestial Dragon Team then.


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng hadn''t participated in any of their discussion, just standing neither too far nor too close at a distance of about three meters.


    As team captain, Shen Yujing''s natural sense of duty and responsibility made him step forward.


    He looked at Hang Feng and started criticizing: "What''s wrong with you over there? Why are you standing so far away? Regardless of whether we knew each other before or not, we''re all teammates now. We need unity to win first place, understand?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    It was precisely because they were too noisy that he wanted to stand further away.


    And suddenly, he somewhat regretted his earlier impulse to join this team.


    In Hang Feng''s heart, there was a vague sense of unease and regret, but unfortunately it was too late to back out now.


    Well, let''s see how it goes.


    While waiting for other teams to gather, the Celestial Dragon Team observed the strength of their competition.


    Jiang Yiheng was grouped with other student council members, including that soccer forward who had tried to invite Song Yi earlier.


    Quan Le pointed at them and analyzed: "Jiang Yiheng is really smart, and those two next to him are from the student council too - they''re all in the top fifty of our grade. As for the other two, one''s the soccer team''s forward and the other is the basketball team captain - they both have good stamina."


    Shen Yujing nodded, concluding: "So they''re our strongest competitors, we can''t underestimate them."


    Song Yi: "So what''s the prize for first place?"


    Murong Huan: "Don''t know."


    Song Yi: "Then why do we have to get first place?"


    Shen Yujing: "Because we need to win."


    Quan Le nodded, "Since we''re here anyway."


    Murong Huan lifted her chin somewhat haughtily: "I can''t lose to Jiang Yiheng, he''ll look down on me."


    Song Yi: "..."


    So, nobody could say anything actually useful - why did they need to get first place?! What''s with this inexplicable competitive spirit?!


    Finally, Hang Feng slowly said: "In previous years, the top three teams all received different levels of scholarship money."


    Song Yi: "!!!"


    Money? Why didn''t you say so earlier! That works! Now she''s motivated!


    Shen Yujing: "Oh, it''s about money? Never paid much attention, didn''t know about that."


    Quan Le: "It''s not that we didn''t pay attention, mainly we never got any good rankings - we usually left halfway through."


    Shen Yujing: "No, it''s because we didn''t care, okay? If we wanted to, getting first place would be easy!"


    Quan Le: "But during last year''s grade trip at the shooting range abroad, we got eliminated in the first round because you shot at the opponent''s target!"


    Shen Yujing: "...Shut up."


    Quan Le: "?"


    What did he say wrong?


    Song Yi: "..."


    These two really seemed unreliable - was it too late for her to switch to the soccer forward''s team?


    Of course, having already filled out the registration form, there was clearly no chance of that.


    Over the next hour, students gradually formed their teams, and then the teacher announced the first task of the day.


    From now on, everyone was forbidden from returning to the hotel.


    All over the mountain, the school had placed many "supply packages" containing necessities for "surviving" on the mountain, including physical items, water, flashlights, and other essential supplies.


    Besides these, there might also be some "little surprises."


    Everyone had to collect these resources before six o''clock - the more items found, the greater advantage they would have in the evening''s official activity.


    Song Yi asked curiously: "What exactly are we doing tonight?"


    Murong Huan responded somewhat impatiently, "All this mystery - they better have something new planned."


    Shen Yujing: "It doesn''t matter, whatever the competition is, I''m confident I can lead us to first place!"


    Song Yi glanced at him, holding back words that had reached the tip of her tongue¡ª


    You''re the least reliable-looking one here, you know?


    Of course, Shen Yujing would never realize how useless he appeared in Song Yi''s eyes; he remained full of confidence.


    As team captain, Shen Yujing assigned tasks, "It would waste time if all five of us stay together. I suggest we split into two groups to search for supplies. Let''s meet back here in two hours, how''s that?"


    Murong Huan nodded, "Fine, then I''ll pair with Song Yi, and you three go together."


    Shen Yujing disagreed, "I think we should mix males and females - guys have more strength, girls are more detail-oriented, that way we''ll be more efficient."


    Murong Huan: "So?"


    Shen Yujing: "I''ll pair with Song Yi, and you three go together."


    Murong Huan naturally disagreed, letting out a cold laugh before saying directly: "Dream on."


    She had given Shen Yujing face by letting him be captain, but didn''t expect him to get so presumptuous.


    Who did Shen Yujing think he was? How dare he compete with her for Song Yi - what a fool''s dream!


    On these mountain paths, being alone together was a perfect opportunity to develop feelings and create romantic moments.


    Usually, Murong Huan would have been happy to give Shen Yujing a chance to be alone with Song Yi.


    But today was different - in two hours it would be dark, and if Song Yi wasn''t by her side then, she would be... scared.


    Just like Quan Le''s motion sickness, Murong Huan also had a weakness - she was afraid of the dark.


    Thinking of this, Murong Huan held Song Yi''s wrist even tighter, giving her a pitiful look as if to say¡ª


    You can''t value romance over friendship!


    As expected, Murong Huan and Shen Yujing started arguing.


    They went back and forth, and though it was just two people, they argued with the intensity of an entire platoon.


    Song Yi was getting a headache listening to them, and raised a hand, "Stop."


    Murong Huan: "Are you going with me or with him?"


    Shen Yujing: "You don''t have to go with me, but you absolutely can''t go with her."


    Murong Huan: "Same here!"


    Song Yi: "Then let''s all three go together, and let Hang Feng go with Quan Le."


    Shen Yujing/Murong Huan: "No! You can only choose one!"


    They both looked furious, as if they might flip the mountain over if Song Yi chose the other person.


    Song Yi rubbed her chin, appearing deep in thought, and said: "In that case, there''s only one solution."


    One minute later.


    Murong Huan and Shen Yujing stood to one side while Song Yi grabbed Quan Le''s arm with her left hand and held Hang Feng''s sleeve with her right, saying with satisfaction: "I choose neither of you - you two go together."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    "Meet back here in two hours, everyone do your best!" Song Yi called out, then turned and walked in another direction.


    Quan Le immediately followed, while Hang Feng lagged half a step behind, following neither too close nor too far.


    Shen Yujing and Murong Huan were left staring at each other.


    After a while, Shen Yujing spoke first, "This is all your fault."


    "Heh." Murong Huan let out a cold laugh and said directly: "Idiot."


    It was all because of Shen Yujing that she couldn''t be with Song Yi.


    She had been helping Shen Yujing all this time, but didn''t expect him to be so ungrateful.


    In that case...


    She would introduce Song Yi to an even better guy!


    She would let Song Yi know there were plenty of people in the world better than Shen Yujing!


    Thinking this, Murong Huan turned and left.


    The earlier she went, the earlier she could return - she could collect plenty of supplies on her own, as long as she got back before dark.


    And Shen Yujing naturally had no desire to stay with Murong Huan either, so he walked off in another direction.


    The Celestial Dragon Team hadn''t even officially begun their mission when internal relationships were already falling apart.


    Meanwhile.


    Song Yi and Quan Le walked side by side, with Hang Feng following behind them.


    Quan Le looked around and said, "Why can''t we find the supply package? Is the school playing tricks on us?" S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi replied, "We''re too close to the gathering point. Everything nearby has probably been taken already. Let''s go further and look."


    Quan Le nodded, "Okay."


    Sure enough, after the three of them left this area, they quickly spotted their first supply package.


    It was an ordinary black box with Saint Slee Academy''s initials written in gold ink.


    However, the box was placed in a tree, at a height beyond arm''s reach. Someone would need to climb up to get it.


    Quan Le: "I''ll do it!"


    Quan Le went over confidently but slid down after climbing barely half a meter up the trunk.


    He laughed awkwardly, "Seems like I can''t do it."


    Song Yi looked at him with disapproval, "Don''t try to show off if you can''t handle it."


    Song Yi prepared to demonstrate her skills and show them what she was capable of.


    Under Quan Le''s admiring gaze, Song Yi gripped the tree trunk with her legs and, using her core strength, climbed up smoothly.


    One step, two steps, getting closer and closer.


    When Song Yi finally reached the same height as the supply box, Quan Le applauded and shouted admiringly, "That''s amazing, Song Yi!"


    Song Yi could not only climb the tree but also maintain her balance, turning back to flash a brilliant smile at Quan Le.


    It was nothing, this was child''s play for her.


    But just as Song Yi reached out to grab the box, Hang Feng walked over.


    He grabbed the lowest branches and shook them forcefully.


    "Thud¡ª"


    The box fell straight to the ground as Song Yi and Quan Le watched in bewilderment.


    Hang Feng picked it up, opened it, and began examining its contents.


    Quan Le called up to Song Yi, "You can come down now!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She knew that!


    But who could have guessed the box was just wedged between two branches and wasn''t even secured!


    Song Yi suddenly felt incredibly stupid, just like that time Shen Yujing sat in a wheelchair at the infirmary only to end up being carried away on a stretcher.


    Why take such a complicated route when there was such a simple solution!


    Though feeling foolish, Song Yi had no choice but to climb down.


    While climbing up had been easy, she never expected to accidentally miss her footing on the way down.


    As she fell, Song Yi saw Hang Feng running toward her, reaching out to catch her.


    Of course, he wasn''t successful.


    Song Yi distinctly felt herself bounce off Hang Feng before they both crashed to the ground.


    But it was fine¡ªshe had landed on top of Hang Feng, so she wasn''t hurt.


    At that moment, the system''s voice chimed in¡ª


    [Ding~ Classic Mary Sue novel scene initiating~]


    [Destined encounters always come unexpectedly. Slipping and falling is an essential plot device in Mary Sue novels to develop the protagonists'' relationship~ Please check it out~]


    Song Yi: "..."


    She was used to it, really.


    She just hadn''t expected that besides Shen Yujing, this could happen with the antagonist Hang Feng too.


    It would be fine as long as it wasn''t one of those clich¨¦ scenes where they accidentally kiss while falling¡ª


    Huh??


    Wait, what was this warm sensation on her lips?!


    Song Yi opened her eyes in horror to find herself face-to-face with Hang Feng, practically zero distance between them.


    They... they had kissed?!!!


    Damn.


    That single word filled Song Yi''s mind and seemed to define her entire existence.


    Meanwhile, Quan Le, who had witnessed everything from the sideline, had an expression that practically screamed¡ª


    Holy shit, I can''t believe what I''m seeing.


    Song Yi immediately scrambled to get up, trying to salvage this terrible situation.


    Hang Feng had one hand planted on the ground, his knees bent as he also tried to stand.


    Then, Song Yi slipped again.


    She fell once more, this time straight into Hang Feng''s arms.


    When her nose crashed into Hang Feng''s chest, Song Yi felt pain so intense she nearly cried.


    Hang Feng, who had just sat up but hadn''t managed to stand, had blood on his lower lip and an extremely complicated expression.


    At this moment, he could only maintain his balance with one hand on the ground while awkwardly patting Song Yi''s shoulder with the other, "Hey."


    The usually gloomy youth''s voice carried an indescribable emotion for the first time, "Are you... okay?"


    Aliali: 67409081c4f3f33ac40a029f


    Just then, Shen Yujing''s shocked voice rang out from behind them, almost a desperate cry¡ª


    "What are you doing?!!!"


    At this moment, Shen Yujing felt as if he''d been bathed in green light, unable to believe what he was seeing.


    What were Song Yi and Hang Feng doing?


    And Quan Le! Why was he just standing there? Was he their love security guard or something?!


    The system''s gleeful voice chimed in: [Oho~ Drama time~]


    Meanwhile, only one thought remained in Song Yi''s mind¡ª


    I''m going to kill this Mary Sue!!!


    Today it was just falling and accidental kisses, but what if next time it turned into some CEO''s pregnant runaway wife plot?!


    Whoever wants to be this Mary Sue protagonist can have it! She quits! She absolutely quits!!!

 Chapter 30

    Song Yi screamed internally with all her might, scrambling to her feet using both hands and feet, quickly backing away several steps until she maintained a full three meters of distance from Hang Feng.


    No matter what, she had to get through this current "predicament" first.


    Shen Yujing strode forward, walking up to Song Yi''s side, and repeated his question: "What were you two doing?"


    Song Yi felt a headache coming on.


    What were they doing? How would she know what they were doing? Right now, she just wanted to have a fight to the death with this ridiculous Mary Sue system in her head.


    Quan Le hurriedly walked over and said, "I can testify! It was just an accident. It happened because Song Yi..."


    Hang Feng cut off Quan Le''s words, asking flatly, "How is this any of your business?"


    Shen Yujing looked at him, his anger suppressed by that single sentence.


    Hang Feng raised his wrist, wiping away the blood that had drawn from his lip during the earlier accident, his eyes still cold and distant.


    Hang Feng tugged at one corner of his mouth, giving Shen Yujing an ambiguous smile, "Let''s just say I kissed her. You have no say in this matter."


    "How do I not?" Shen Yujing let out a cold laugh and began rolling up his sleeves. "I kindly invited you to join us, but I didn''t expect you to be this kind of person. Today I''m going to teach you a lesson, you scum. Consider it my civic duty."


    Seeing that the two were about to fight, Quan Le became very anxious. He looked at Song Yi, "Quick, think of something!"


    After all, Shen Yujing''s leg had only recently healed, and if he got into a fight with Hang Feng now, he would definitely lose! And losing would be so embarrassing!!!


    "Listen to me for a moment."


    Song Yi''s voice came from behind the two, eerily calm.


    Hang Feng and Shen Yujing both turned to look at her, seemingly waiting for her decision.


    Song Yi gave Hang Feng a smile, or rather, a forced smile.


    She said, "Since this has already happened, I''m going to..."


    Shen Yujing interrupted: "Take responsibility for him?! No way! This is just a small matter! An accident! It''s not worth sacrificing yourself over!"


    Quan Le: "..."


    Looking at how agitated you are, it doesn''t seem like you really think it''s a small matter.


    But Song Yi just shook her head, "No."


    As she spoke, she looked down beside her, bent over, and picked up a large stone.


    Song Yi held the stone in one hand and charged towards Hang Feng, "Then I''ll just have to kill you!!!"


    Hang Feng: "...?"


    Quan Le: "???"


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    Although no one had processed what was happening, people instinctively avoid danger when faced with it, and Hang Feng was no exception.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing tried desperately to stop Song Yi, shouting: "Let it go! Let it go!"


    The two who were about to fight moments ago suddenly found themselves united in the face of "life and death."


    Even Quan Le anxiously shouted from the side: "Let it go! Sister Yi! Let''s just drop it!"


    Just as Shen Yujing was desperately trying to block her, Song Yi''s gaze shifted away from Hang Feng.


    She looked at Shen Yujing and began to think.


    Even if she killed the antagonist, it might not change anything.


    But what if she killed the male lead?


    If the male lead was gone, everyone could just live however they wanted!


    Shen Yujing suddenly sensed something was wrong. The moment Song Yi''s gaze fell on his forehead, he immediately let go and turned to run.


    This wasn''t right! Something was very wrong! How did he suddenly become the target of danger?!


    Wait! What did this have to do with him?!


    Shen Yujing couldn''t understand, but he knew running was his best option.


    So Quan Le stood there, dumbfounded, watching everything unfold before him.


    One fled, then another fled, while she chased alone, yet none could escape even with wings.


    Hang Feng had long disappeared, and Shen Yujing, while internally cursing his craftiness, fully demonstrated his prowess as the school''s sports day long-distance running champion.


    Song Yi couldn''t catch up and decided to stop pursuing.


    So she stopped and turned to look at Quan Le, the only one still remaining.


    Quan Le swallowed hard, his Adam''s apple bobbing.


    The moment Song Yi took her first step toward him, he too turned and ran.


    Although he had no idea what this had to do with him, he couldn''t rule out the possibility that Song Yi might silence all witnesses!


    Life is precious, staying alive is most important!


    At this moment, the system was also screaming frantically in Song Yi''s mind¡ª


    [Ahhhhh! Host! Host, what are you doing!!!]


    [We''re in a Mary Sue novel! This is supposed to be a sweet romance! Don''t do these illegal things!!!]


    [It was just a kiss, it''s not a big deal! Hang Feng doesn''t deserve to die!!!]


    Seeing the area now empty, Song Yi put down the stone and dusted off her hands.


    Song Yi said: "Right, he doesn''t deserve to die, because we''re all innocent."


    System: [...]


    Of course it understood that Song Yi was being sarcastic about it.


    [Then what does the host want to do?]


    Song Yi replied: "You''re in my head, I can''t do anything to you."


    [...]


    Song Yi picked up the bag Hang Feng had left behind, found some useful supplies inside, and said: "I just want some peace and quiet for a while."


    Song Yi didn''t want to see Hang Feng and Shen Yujing "fighting over her" in front of her, so she simply chased them all away for some peace and quiet.


    As for the gathering later, if anyone dared to mention this incident again, she would have ways to deal with them.


    Things turned out even better than Song Yi had imagined. After experiencing her earlier "madness," not only did Shen Yujing and Hang Feng stop fighting, they could even communicate amicably.


    Perhaps they had become good brothers who had been through life and death together.


    Shen Yujing looked at Hang Feng, confirming for the fiftieth time, "Swear that it was all an accident, and that you don''t have even the slightest inappropriate thoughts about Song Yi."


    Hang Feng: "...I swear."


    Quan Le couldn''t stand it anymore and said: "Since it wasn''t intentional, let''s turn swords into plowshares. No one is allowed to mention this again, don''t provoke Song Yi."


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Let''s let bygones be bygones, pretend this never happened."


    Hang Feng opened his mouth, originally wanting to object, but then remembered the image of Song Yi charging at him with a stone, and couldn''t help but shudder.


    She must be... really upset about it.


    Thinking of this, Hang Feng also nodded and said word by word: "Nothing happened."


    Shen Yujing raised his hand in the air and said: "Come on, let''s form a brotherhood, for our mutual trust!"


    Quan Le: "No, it''s for our survival."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He wanted to say that this wasn''t forming a brotherhood, it was taking an oath.


    In the end, three hands came together in the air, forming a silent alliance.


    Yes, this would do.


    *


    Song Yi walked alone quite comfortably and efficiently, discovering six or seven "supply packs" along the way, filling her bag to the brim.


    When it was time to gather, sure enough, Song Yi had the most abundant harvest.


    Hang Feng kept his eyes lowered as usual and wouldn''t look at her, while Shen Yujing was unusually restrained, still remembering what had happened earlier.


    Song Yi acted as if nothing had happened. She looked around and asked: "Where''s Murong Huan? Why isn''t she back yet? And where''s Quan Le? Wasn''t he just here?"


    Shen Yujing explained: "It''s because Murong Huan hasn''t returned yet, so Quan Le just went to look for her."


    Song Yi frowned, suddenly thinking of something.


    She stared at Shen Yujing, "Wasn''t Murong Huan with you?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    They had argued and split up.


    Thinking about it now, Shen Yujing felt some regret.


    If he hadn''t argued with Murong Huan then, they wouldn''t have separated, and he wouldn''t have seen... Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing shook his head vigorously.


    Don''t think about it anymore! Forget it! Forget everything!


    Seeing that the departure time was getting closer and the sky was getting darker, Song Yi left most of the supplies on the ground and said: "I''ll go look for them too."


    "I''ll go with you!" Shen Yujing immediately followed Song Yi, then looked back at Hang Feng, "You watch the supplies here! Wait for us to come back! Don''t worry! Our Celestial Dragon Team will definitely get first place!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Who the hell is worried?


    And as for that first place, he really couldn''t care less about it.


    However, since he had already joined the team, Hang Feng crouched down and held the opponent''s supply pack in his arms, standing still waiting for them to return.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing walked one after another on the path. By now, there was hardly anyone left in the mountains.


    The weather in late October had already turned chilly, accompanied by cold winds that made people shiver involuntarily.


    It had grown dark, and the path was somewhat rugged. Song Yi took out a flashlight from her bag to light the way.


    Shen Yujing took out his phone intending to call Quan Le, but twice there was no answer.


    The busy tone of the disconnected calls made everyone''s mood even heavier.


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing grabbed Song Yi''s arm.


    Shen Yujing used considerable force, making Song Yi cry out in pain as she stopped to look at him, "What are you doing?"


    Shen Yujing swallowed hard, his gaze falling on the ground not far ahead, then let out a sigh of relief.


    Song Yi followed his gaze and saw the shadows of tree leaves swaying on the ground, which at first glance looked like something floating past.


    Song Yi understood and said, "Don''t tell me you''re afraid of ghosts?"


    "What are you talking about?" Shen Yujing pretended to be relaxed as he let go of Song Yi''s arm and walked forward, "I just lost my balance and steadied myself by holding onto you..."


    Song Yi interrupted Shen Yujing''s words with a sudden scream, "Ahhh!!!"


    "Ahhh!!!"


    Shen Yujing couldn''t help but immediately retreat, once again tightly grabbing Song Yi''s arm.


    Oh no, "grabbing" wasn''t even the right word anymore, as he was practically trying to climb onto Song Yi.


    Song Yi: "..."


    She had thought Shen Yujing was useless, but she hadn''t expected him to be this useless.


    Song Yi used one hand to push away Shen Yujing''s head that was tightly buried in her shoulder, saying with disdain, "Get off me."


    Realizing what he had just done, Shen Yujing immediately let go, but he still didn''t dare to leave Song Yi''s side even half a step.


    When Song Yi moved forward half a step, Shen Yujing would follow exactly half a step, no more no less, just staying right next to her.


    Song Yi exasperatedly stuffed the flashlight into Shen Yujing''s hand, "Here, take it."


    "I''m not afraid of ghosts," Shen Yujing stuffed the flashlight back to her.


    Song Yi: "Being afraid of the dark is the same thing."


    Shen Yujing: "...I''m not afraid of the dark either."


    Song Yi was confused, "Then what are you doing? Just trying to act dramatic?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer, and Song Yi couldn''t be bothered with him anymore, so she quickened her pace forward.


    Whether Shen Yujing was afraid of ghosts or not wasn''t important; the urgent matter was finding Murong Huan first. It was too dangerous for a girl to be alone in the mountains at night.


    After walking for about twenty minutes, they finally saw Murong Huan''s figure.


    Murong Huan was crouching next to a large rock, her face buried in her knees, her whole body curled up in a self-embracing posture.


    Quan Le was standing beside her, looking anxious.


    Song Yi shone the flashlight at them, and after confirming their identities, called out, "Murong Huan! Quan Le!"


    Murong Huan immediately lifted her head, and when she saw Song Yi, she also saw the light.


    Murong Huan immediately ran towards Song Yi, directly hugging her and burying her face in her shoulder.


    The usually haughty young lady had lowered her head, seeming to be choking back sobs.


    Song Yi was stunned for a moment, looked at Quan Le, and her first reaction was, "Did you bully her?"


    "How could that be possible?" Quan Le was truly at a loss for words, "I wouldn''t dare even if I had a hundred lives!"


    Shen Yujing then asked, "But if you found her, why were you just standing there instead of coming back?"


    Speaking of this, Quan Le was also confused, he said, "When I found Murong Huan, she was just crouching there. She wouldn''t respond when I talked to her, and I couldn''t just leave her, so I could only stand beside her."


    Song Yi patted Murong Huan''s back to comfort her, asking, "It''s okay, it''s okay, tell me what happened?"


    Murong Huan finally raised her head, her beautiful eyes slightly red, and reluctantly said three words, "I''m afraid of the dark."


    "Huh?" Quan Le was stunned, "Just that? Come on, what''s there to be afraid of in the dark? It''s not like you can''t see the path."


    Song Yi rolled her eyes at him, "It''s just like your motion sickness, it''s uncontrollable."


    Quan Le immediately shut up.


    Song Yi held one of Murong Huan''s hands, then waved the flashlight in her other hand, "It''s okay, look, we have light, right?"


    Just as Song Yi finished speaking, the flashlight suddenly went out.


    The entire world plunged into darkness.


    Song Yi could clearly feel Murong Huan let go of her hand and immediately crouched down again.


    Unfortunately, as if to spite Song Yi, her flashlight had run out of battery.


    Shen Yujing asked, "Is this our only flashlight?"


    Song Yi answered, "All the others are with Hang Feng."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    That''s as good as having none.


    Quan Le asked, "So what do we do now?"


    Song Yi looked at Quan Le, "Sorry to trouble you."


    Quan Le: "?"


    On the way back, Quan Le took on the responsibility of carrying Murong Huan on his back.


    Murong Huan wrapped her arms around Quan Le''s neck, keeping her face firmly buried in his back the entire time.


    Quan Le: "..."


    She wasn''t particularly heavy, but he was worried she might suffocate herself at this rate.


    Shen Yujing, watching this scene, suddenly asked Song Yi, "Why aren''t you afraid of the dark?"


    If Song Yi was afraid of the dark like Murong Huan, he could reluctantly offer to carry her.


    Song Yi followed his gaze to look at the pair in front, pondered for a moment, "You''re not suggesting that I carry you, are you?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Some things were just impossible to discuss with Song Yi.


    Fortunately, the path wasn''t too long, and the four of them walked quickly, returning in about ten minutes.


    By now, all the teams had assembled and were just waiting for them.


    Seeing that all the students were finally present, the teacher breathed a sigh of relief and began to announce the tasks for the next two days.


    "From now on, you can only return to the hotel after 7 PM when it gets dark. The supplies you now have in your hands are very precious, because neither the hotel nor the school will provide anything except water resources for you in the coming days."


    The crowd immediately erupted in groans.


    Someone shouted, "Teacher! You can''t starve us to death!"


    The teacher said, "Students, let me finish! Everyone now has 100 points, and you''ll work together in groups to earn or use points. Over the next two days, you can earn points by completing a series of tasks, and use these points to purchase different foods and other supplies. The final ranking of the top three will be determined by the total points each group has. Alright, everyone has worked hard today, you can go back and rest now."


    Murong Huan, who still had her eyes covered, breathed a sigh of relief.


    For their safety, the school had set the rule that they could return to the hotel after 7 PM, so this wouldn''t affect her too much.


    Hang Feng said, "We should go back and organize our supplies, see what we''re missing, and use points to buy food when we do tasks tomorrow."


    Everyone agreed with Hang Feng''s suggestion.


    So, that evening, in Hang Feng''s room.


    The five of them sat around the sofa.


    Looking at this single room, Murong Huan asked with some surprise, "Do you live alone?"


    Hang Feng nodded.


    Shen Yujing became agitated, "Why? Weren''t we told it had to be two people per room? Why do you get special treatment!"


    Even he couldn''t manage to get that arrangement, so why could Hang Feng?!


    Hang Feng really felt a headache coming on and tried to change the subject, "Can we get to the main point?"


    Shen Yujing: "No."


    Song Yi patted Shen Yujing''s shoulder, "Because he''s the mixed-blood prince."


    Shen Yujing suddenly understood, "Oh, I see."


    Meanwhile, Quan Le, who hadn''t heard anything during the day due to his motion sickness, exclaimed in shock, "What? Hang Feng is a mixed-blood prince? He has royal blood?"


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Yeah, haven''t you noticed he''s special? Didn''t your parents warn you not to bully him?"


    Speaking of this, Quan Le nodded, "Yes, they said he had a special status and such."


    Shen Yujing: "That''s right, how could royalty not be special?"


    Quan Le: "Oh, I see! Then we''re all half-royal relatives now!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    How could these people spread rumors so convincingly right in front of him? It was so outrageous that even he would have believed it if he wasn''t directly involved.


    Hang Feng was tired of denying everything, so he decided to stop.


    Because his intuition told him¡ª


    It was useless.


    No matter how many times he explained, these people would continue spreading whatever version they wanted to believe, as if their brains were merely decorative and couldn''t process human speech.


    Song Yi was the first to change the subject, beginning to inventory all the supplies on the table.


    There was a pile of bread, a stack of cookies, two buckets of instant noodles, three flashlights, a pack of bandages, a lighter, and various other items that weren''t particularly useful.


    Since five people ate quite a bit, the amount of bread and cookies seemed pitiful in comparison, probably not even enough to last until tomorrow.


    Quan Le looked at Shen Yujing: "Didn''t your mom prepare a lot of boxes for you? Bring them all over and let''s see if there''s anything useful."


    Shen Yujing nodded: "Alright."


    Then he and Quan Le went back to retrieve all the boxes and opened them. The contents were truly eye-opening.


    From camping tents to barbecue stands, from medical bandages to oxygen masks, there was even a life jacket.


    Murong Huan was silent for a few seconds before saying: "Did your mom think you were participating in some kind of survival show?"


    Song Yi, however, praised: "The preparation is very thorough. Even if some natural disaster struck and we all died, he could probably survive on his own. But your mother didn''t consider that before facing any danger, we might starve to death first."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Indeed, who could have predicted this? Young Master Shen had never worried about food or drink in his life.


    Saint Slee was supposed to be a prestigious academy, yet now they were letting their students go hungry. It seemed like a joke.


    Hang Feng frowned, "It wasn''t like this in previous years. I don''t know what the school is thinking this year."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Quan Le: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    The three of them suddenly felt guilty, as the school''s arrangements this time were actually their doing.


    If they starved to death here, they would only have themselves to blame.


    Shen Yujing rubbed his nose and quickly changed the subject, "Alright, let''s not get discouraged. I''m sure other groups are in the same situation. Let''s figure out how to distribute these supplies."


    Song Yi looked surprised, rarely hearing something sensible from Shen Yujing''s mouth, so she asked: "How should we divide it?"


    "It''s simple," Shen Yujing picked up the bread and started distributing while muttering, "One for Hang Feng, one for me, one for Song Yi, one for me, one for Quan Le, one for me, one for Murong Huan, one for me, and the last one for me too."


    "Smack!"


    Song Yi''s hand unhesitatingly hit the back of Shen Yujing''s head, saying: "Just shut up."


    Shen Yujing obediently put all the bread down, saying: "I was just joking."


    Song Yi analyzed the situation, "Our group has five people, so we start with five hundred points."


    Shen Yujing took out his phone, "The teacher posted the tasks and supply prices in the group chat. Tasks are divided into three levels: A, B, and C, successfully completing them earns sixty, forty, and twenty points respectively. But... one bread costs eighty points?"


    Murong Huan frowned, "These prices are way too high, especially considering there are five of us."


    It would take at least two tasks to buy one palm-sized bread, and the energy gained from eating it might be less than what was spent earning it.


    All five of them felt it was a losing business.


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing slapped his forehead, "I knew this game mode seemed familiar. Didn''t Saint Yu Boys'' High School use this format last year?"


    Murong Huan paused, "What?"


    Shen Yujing said: "Xu Che''s team won first place then. His follower posted on social media bragging about how they started with five hundred points and ended up winning first place with only four hundred left."


    Hang Feng frowned but remained silent.


    Quan Le, for once, caught the key point, "So basically, these points are meant to be a losing game, and if we can maintain our five hundred points, we''ll likely win first place."


    Shen Yujing nodded, "That''s right."


    Song Yi asked: "How much is the first prize?"


    Hang Feng answered: "First place gets 150,000, second place 80,000, and third place 50,000."


    If they could win first place, split between five people, that would be 30,000 each.


    It was a significant amount, equivalent to at least a year''s living expenses for the Song family.


    So Song Yi said: "I have an idea."


    Aliali: 67413bd3c4f3f33ac4135f05


    *


    At eleven o''clock at night.


    Shen Yujing rolled over, one hand under his head.


    Since Xu Che from Saint Yu Boys'' High School won first place last year, as eternal rivals, he couldn''t lose.


    This time, he absolutely had to win first place!


    In another room.


    Murong Huan lay in bed, looking hesitantly at Song Yi, "Will this method really work?"


    Song Yi nodded, took a deep breath, slowly placed her hands on her stomach, and said: "Let''s sleep."


    Murong Huan: "But... are we really going to sleep like this for two days?"


    Song Yi: "Stay steady, we can win."

 Chapter 31

    The next morning after waking up.


    Song Yi patted her flat stomach and got up to drink three glasses of water.


    Then...


    She fell back down and continued sleeping.


    Meanwhile, Murong Huan was quite confident.


    After all, she naturally had a small appetite, and to maintain her perfect figure, she always ate only until she was 30% full before going to bed hungry every night.


    Going hungry for two days? That was nothing but a trivial matter for her.


    With this thought, Murong Huan got up to freshen up and changed into pretty clothes.


    Song Yi, lying in bed, asked her, "What are you going to do?"


    Murong Huan replied, "Going out for a walk, of course. Want to join?"


    Song Yi shook her head, "No thanks."


    "Then I''ll go by myself," Murong Huan said as she picked up her bag, "I''ll call you if I find anything interesting."


    Song Yi earnestly reminded her, "Come back early and conserve your energy."


    "Got it," Murong Huan said as she left.


    Song Yi lay in bed, trying to go back to sleep but failed.


    So she took out her phone and checked the points ranking in the group chat.


    As expected, other teams had spent money buying supplies to varying degrees.


    Their team was in first place with exactly 500 points.


    The second place team was far behind with only 390 points.


    Good, Song Yi was satisfied, her plan seemed perfect.


    However, what surprised Song Yi was that by noon they were still in first place, but their points had increased by forty.


    Song Yi sent a string of question marks in the temporary WeChat group she created last night.


    [We Are The Champions]


    [Song Leaves You]: What''s going on [Picture]?


    [Lonely Wolf]: Do points fall from the sky?


    [Welcome]: I was walking around outside and saw a task we could complete, so I just did it.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Amazing!


    [Song Leaves You]: Amazing, amazing!


    [Power Is Mine]: Amazing, amazing, amazing!


    [Welcome]: [Shy]


    [Lonely Wolf] patted [Hang Feng]


    [Song Leaves You] patted [Hang Feng]


    [Power Is Mine] patted [Hang Feng]


    [Hang Feng]: ?


    [Lonely Wolf]: Follow the pattern!


    [Power Is Mine]: Not giving face to my sister Huan?


    [Song Leaves You]: Mm-hmm


    [Hang Feng]: .


    A simple period perfectly represented Hang Feng''s speechless state of mind.


    Anyone with sense should have been able to tell that Hang Feng simply couldn''t be bothered to deal with them, but these three were clearly not very self-aware.


    In Song Yi''s view, lying around was too boring, so if she could tease Hang Feng, that would at least be entertaining.


    Finally, after being mentioned in at least a hundred messages, Hang Feng gave in.


    [Hang Feng]: Amazing!


    [Lonely Wolf]: Wrong @Hang Feng.


    [Song Leaves You]: It increases each time, so you need to say "amazing" four times @Hang Feng.


    [Power Is Mine]: Not giving face to my sister Huan? @Hang Feng.


    Hang Feng: "..."


    How could there be such boring people in this world, and three of them at that.


    After a while, Hang Feng sighed.


    Sitting on the sofa, he looked up at the ceiling and suddenly accepted his fate.


    [Hang Feng]: Amazing amazing amazing amazing!


    [Song Leaves You]: He''s so slow to react, it took him half an hour to follow the pattern.


    [Lonely Wolf]: And typing "amazing" four times in a row looks really silly, doesn''t seem very smart.


    [Power Is Mine]: Half an hour has passed? Really not giving face to my sister Huan! Sister Huan, beat him up!


    Hang Feng: "..."


    The young man''s grip on his phone tightened slightly, his hands visibly trembling.


    Obviously, he was angry.


    He must have been possessed by some evil spirit to bother dealing with these utterly boring people.


    Deep breath, deep breath.


    After trying hard to adjust his emotions, Hang Feng didn''t hesitate to mute the group chat.


    After a while, still not feeling secure, he directly turned off his phone.


    Ah, the world was finally completely peaceful.


    *


    In the afternoon.


    Just as Song Yi woke up from her nap, Murong Huan returned.


    The two looked at the current points ranking in the group, their heads close together as they studied it for a while.


    Song Yi came to a conclusion: "The second place team only has 400 points now, about the same as this morning. So our judgment was correct, spending points to buy things was definitely going to be a losing business."


    Murong Huan nodded in agreement and looked at Song Yi with an admiring expression, "Yi Yi, you''re so smart. With us here, Jiang Yiheng''s team can only be second."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Huh? Jiang Yiheng''s team? They''re second?


    Song Yi immediately checked the rankings again, and her smile froze on her face.


    Murong Huan asked, "What''s wrong? We''re 140 points ahead of Jiang Yiheng, isn''t that enough?"


    Song Yi''s lips twitched as she looked at Murong Huan, "But this morning, Jiang Yiheng''s team only had 100 points."


    Most teams had kept at least half their points as a precaution, which was why Jiang Yiheng''s team had left such a deep impression on Song Yi.


    Murong Huan''s smile also froze, and for a moment she couldn''t quite process it.


    After a while, Murong Huan slowly spoke, "You mean they earned a full 300 points in just one morning?"


    Song Yi nodded and said four words, "Terrifying beyond belief."


    When the points table was posted in their five-person group chat, Shen Yujing''s first reaction was also joy.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Holding first place steady!


    [Welcome]: But they only had 100 points this morning.


    [Lonely Wolf]: ???


    [Power Is Mine]: ????


    [Hang Feng]: ...


    Obviously, against these fierce competitors from Jiang Yiheng''s team, the "lying low" strategy wouldn''t work.


    The second meeting was again held in Hang Feng''s room.


    The five were still sitting around the sofa, but their expressions were much more troubled than last night.


    Finally, Song Yi made the decision, "Everyone head out now and complete some simple tasks. Don''t worry about how many points they''re worth, just pick the easy ones."


    By evening.


    Song Yi''s team had earned a total of 750 points, while Jiang Yiheng''s team had caught up to 700 points.


    The third meeting was again held in Hang Feng''s room.


    However, by now, everyone was starving and looked completely exhausted.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t hold back anymore, "Are Jiang Yiheng''s team all crazy?"


    They hadn''t eaten a single bite of food yet and hadn''t spent any points, which was how they''d managed to save up 750 points.


    And what about Jiang Yiheng''s team?


    They now had 700 points, and that was probably after deducting points for food and other expenses - just how many tasks had they actually completed?


    Song Yi analyzed the situation, "We can''t just sit back and wait anymore. Tomorrow we must give it our all."


    Quan Le said, "But we''re already trying our hardest."


    Murong Huan slapped his arm, "Then why are we still gaining fewer points than Jiang Yiheng''s team? Are we not as good as them?"


    Quan Le leaned back on the sofa, "But we really won''t have the energy to bounce around tomorrow on empty stomachs."


    Everyone started discussing how they could possibly defeat Jiang Yiheng''s team.


    After a while, Hang Feng spoke up.


    Hang Feng: "Use points to buy food normally tonight and tomorrow, we can even spend them all, because tomorrow night there will be a chance to completely turn the tables."


    Quan Le: "How do you know?"


    Shen Yujing: "You''re not just making this up because you''re too hungry, are you?"


    But Song Yi interrupted them. In her understanding, Hang Feng wasn''t someone who would joke around or lie.


    Even when faced with questions he couldn''t answer, he would usually choose silence over lies.


    Since Hang Feng said this, it was probably true.


    So Song Yi asked him, "Can you be certain?"


    Hang Feng nodded.


    Shen Yujing still wasn''t convinced and continued pressing, "Why? Give us a reason to believe you."


    Hang Feng remained silent for a long time, until Shen Yujing had almost lost patience and Song Yi thought he wouldn''t answer, before finally speaking.


    Hang Feng said: "Saint Yu Boys'' School did it this way last year. Our school and theirs have always shared the same planning team. Many activities in the past two years have been identical. I have a... friend who studies there."


    "Friend?" Shen Yujing became curious, "Who is it? I know quite a few people there, maybe I know them."


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes, "We haven''t been in touch for a long time."


    Obviously, Hang Feng had no intention of continuing the conversation, and angering the antagonist never ends well.


    With the mindset that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, Song Yi changed the subject, "Alright, we believe you."


    Murong Huan: "So does this mean we can eat now?"


    At the mention of "food," Shen Yujing''s eyes nearly turned green with hunger. He was naturally the first to reach out, "I want to eat! Rice! Lots of rice!"


    Seven hundred points wasn''t particularly much or little, but combined with their remaining food, it was enough for five people to have two full meals.


    The next morning, all five of them went out again to complete some tasks, earning enough for their lunch that day.


    Until¡ª


    Looking at the zero balance in their points, Song Yi doubtfully looked at Hang Feng, "Even if we''ve spent all our points, can we still turn this around?"


    Hang Feng nodded, "One round will be enough to determine the outcome."


    At six in the evening, everyone gathered at the mountaintop.


    According to the rules of this grade trip, everything would end completely at nine o''clock.


    Which meant that in the next three hours, something else was going to happen.


    The teacher once again stood in the center of the crowd with a microphone, giving a long summary of the activity before finally saying, "Everyone has seen their points for this activity. According to previous years'' rules, the top three groups will receive rewards. But students, the current points aren''t final, so don''t be discouraged, because there''s one last activity¡ªJungle Adventure!"


    A wave of discussion arose from below, with some directly asking, "What''s Jungle Adventure?"


    The teacher explained, "Look at that area behind us¡ªwhen you go in, there''s a forest. Groups need to follow the markers and successfully exit the forest to win. Based on the order of completion, first through third place will receive three thousand, two thousand, and one thousand points respectively. Before entering the forest, teachers will give each student a wristband with tracking capabilities. If you encounter danger, you can press the red button at any time, and a teacher will come to escort you out, but at that moment, your entire group will be considered eliminated."


    Song Yi clarified the situation for everyone, "Jiang Yiheng''s group currently has nine hundred points, which means if we''re the first group out of the forest, even if they''re second, we can take first place with a hundred-point advantage."


    Murong Huan nodded and added, "But a thousand points¡ªclearly this forest won''t be easy to exit. There must be some things in there."


    Quan Le asked, "What could it be?"


    Shen Yujing: "No idea."


    Song Yi: "No idea."


    Murong Huan: "No idea."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    But soon, others around them asked the question they were all curious about, "We just need to follow the markers out of the forest? Is it that simple?"


    The teacher smiled, "Of course not."


    A wave of murmurs arose from below.


    The teacher added, "There will be some mildly scary elements. Students with heart conditions or those who are afraid of such things can choose not to participate."


    Even without guaranteed top three placement, after the teacher''s explanation, nearly a quarter of the students chose to give up and return to pack their things.


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan, somewhat reluctantly saying, "If you can''t handle it, we can give up."


    "Who says I can''t handle it?" Murong Huan replied, "I''m just afraid of the dark, but look at that forest¡ªit has lights. If these horror elements were in complete darkness, that wouldn''t be interesting. They definitely need people to see the path and the scary things around them clearly to feel fear."


    Murong Huan''s analysis made perfect sense, so Song Yi turned to Shen Yujing, "What about you?"


    While Murong Huan was only afraid of the dark, Shen Yujing was afraid of ghosts.


    Though Shen Yujing''s face had turned pale, his lips whiter than usual, he still lifted his chin and said, "Don''t be ridiculous! Of course I can do it."


    Song Yi looked at him, "Are you sure?"


    Shen Yujing nodded.


    Song Yi asked with sincere eyes, "Have you bought insurance? Can you list me as the beneficiary?"


    Shen Yujing was taken aback, "What do you mean?"


    Quan Le explained, "Can''t you tell? Song Yi thinks you''re going to die of fright in there."


    This comment directly provoked Shen Yujing, or perhaps sparked his competitive spirit.


    Shen Yujing said, "How many times do I have to say I''m not afraid of ghosts?"


    At that moment, Jiang Yiheng''s group happened to pass by them.


    A boy looked back at them and commented loud enough for everyone to hear, "Who would have thought? Shen Yujing is afraid of ghosts? Looks like their group is going to forfeit!"


    Shen Yujing: "Are they idiots? Is what I said anything like what they understood? What are they even talking about? What rumors are they trying to spread?"


    Hang Feng''s cold voice spoke up: "You''re usually just like them."


    Always interpreting things as they want to, confidently presenting falsehoods as truth.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What was Hang Feng saying now? Was he slandering him too?


    But the urgent matter now wasn''t to reason with Hang Feng, but to clarify that he truly wasn''t afraid of ghosts.


    In anger, Shen Yujing shouted at their retreating backs, "Whoever''s afraid of ghosts is a son of a b*tch!"


    Suddenly, Jiang Yiheng stopped in his tracks and turned back to look thoughtfully at Shen Yujing.


    Naturally, Shen Yujing glared back without backing down.


    The next second, Jiang Yiheng turned and walked away, clearly not considering Shen Yujing much of a competitor.


    "Alright, alright," Murong Huan stepped in to mediate, "If you''re all capable, then let''s go in. Why waste time arguing here?"


    Murong Huan''s words made sense, so everyone headed toward the forest together.


    Just as they stepped through the entrance that the school had set up before the forest, they felt a cool breeze brush across their faces.


    The surroundings were illuminated mainly by blue and green cold light sources which, although lighting up the area in the darkness, made it appear even more eerie and frightening.


    In front of them, a person wearing a creepy smiling mask grinned at them, their voice squeezed out of their throat like a rusty tape, each word popping out one by one: "Wel-come-to-your-ar-ri-val."


    Seeing this environment, Song Yi understood.


    This was just a haunted house, wasn''t it? That''s simple.


    Quan Le also immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought it was something else, this is nothing."


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan on her left, then at Shen Yujing on her right, making sure neither of their expressions had changed before leading everyone forward following the markers.


    When they passed the first fork in the path, Song Yi clearly felt a cold hand reach out from under the ground and grab her ankle.


    Seeing Song Yi suddenly stop, Shen Yujing asked curiously, "What are you doing?"


    Instead of answering Shen Yujing''s question, Song Yi started negotiating with the hand gripping her foot, "I sprained this foot recently, could you be gentler? I don''t want to go back to the hospital."


    After hearing Song Yi''s words, the hand hesitated for a few seconds before withdrawing.


    "Thank you," Song Yi said politely before continuing forward.


    But because of what Song Yi had just said, the others remained standing in place, seemingly hesitant about whether to continue forward.


    Murong Huan called out to Song Yi, "Yi Yi! What just happened?"


    Song Yi replied, "Nothing much, just a hand grabbed my foot."


    Murong Huan: "!!!"


    How terrifying!


    Why could Song Yi be so calm, talking about it as casually as if she were saying "tonight''s chicken leg was delicious"?


    The atmosphere here was already creepy, and even with mental preparation, having a hand suddenly grab your ankle was still quite scary. S~ea??h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While Murong Huan was hesitating, Hang Feng was the first to walk forward.


    His steps were steady, though he paused for a full five seconds midway, clearly struggling with the hand on the ground.


    Seeing Hang Feng had made it across, Shen Yujing immediately followed.


    He walked so fast that those hands couldn''t even catch his feet.


    Meanwhile, Murong Huan and Quan Le looked at each other, then linked arms and supported each other as they walked across, accompanied by occasional screams.


    Song Yi rubbed her ears and looked at Murong Huan, beginning to wonder if she had ever considered studying music¡ªshe truly had the makings of a natural soprano.


    And on the path ahead¡ª


    The red-robed female ghost stood with her back to them, braiding her long hair while emitting wailing sounds like a banshee. After laughing maniacally, she said, "I''ll show you my true face! I''ll make you stay here forever to keep me company!"


    As the red-robed ghost was about to turn around, Song Yi casually remarked, "When the ghost turns around, everyone will discover that her face is still completely covered with hair because she doesn''t have a front face."


    The ghost: "...?"


    Passing by a tombstone, they saw a young girl sitting on it, smiling eerily at them. "This is my first time seeing living humans. Since you''re here, why don''t you stay forever to keep me company!"


    Song Yi sat down on the neighboring tombstone and greeted her enthusiastically, "What a coincidence, I''m actually your neighbor."


    The young ghost: "??"


    The "headless man" holding bloody clothes had a horrifying makeup wound on his neck. He stood there with a vacant smile and began telling his story: "I once had a girlfriend I loved deeply, but she betrayed me for someone else, so I killed her. Afterward, I had nightmares every night where she came to claim my life."


    "A master told me that if I could just wash clean the clothes I wore when I killed her, she would leave me alone. But no matter how much I wash them, they won''t come clean. The blood keeps spreading... Then she came back for revenge! She killed me! She killed me!"


    "I refuse to die like this! My soul is trapped here, unable to reincarnate! So I must kill another woman! I''ll make you take my place..."


    "Wait," Song Yi interrupted him, "Have you considered why you couldn''t wash the clothes clean?"


    The man paused, forgetting his scripted lines, and asked, "Why?"


    Song Yi: "Because you didn''t use Diao Brand laundry detergent [Note 1]."


    The man: "???"


    Shen Yujing & Murong Huan & Quan Le: "OAO."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    For a moment, he couldn''t tell if this was supposed to be a mildly scary forest adventure or Song Yi''s stand-up comedy show.


    Until¡ª


    They encountered Jiang Yiheng''s group.


    The soccer forward who had previously invited Song Yi to join their team was looking down, while the other two student council members besides Jiang Yiheng were particularly arrogant.


    One of them, remembering that they had heard about Shen Yujing being afraid of ghosts, said, "This journey has been so boring. These ghost actors are terrible. Why don''t they bring out a real ghost for us to see?"


    The other one chimed in, "Better not. If there were real ghosts, our fearless young master Shen might just faint."


    They both laughed, clearly showing their unfriendly attitude toward Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing, known for his short temper, wanted to teach them a lesson with his fists.


    Suddenly, Song Yi, who had been facing away from them with her hoodie on, slowly turned around. "Indeed, it''s too boring."


    "I''ve been waiting here for eight hundred years and haven''t seen a single ghost."


    As Song Yi spoke, she turned completely, revealing her face.


    And on her face was a ponytail.


    The air seemed to freeze at that moment as everyone recalled the female ghost they had just encountered.


    In the next second, screams erupted as Jiang Yiheng''s team members fled in panic.


    Song Yi pulled down her hood, expressing disappointment: "Why are they so easily scared?"


    Aliali: 67413bd3c4f3f33ac4135f05


    She had merely worn her clothes inside out and put on a hood, yet such a simple trick had terrified them so much. What happened to all their previous bragging and showing off?


    Shen Yujing let out a sneer, his eyes filled with contempt, and said, "Well done."


    Song Yi asked him, "Why didn''t you run? I thought I would scare you too."


    Shen Yujing shrugged, "I told you, I''m not afraid of ghosts."


    Song Yi didn''t understand but couldn''t be bothered to ask further.


    So she crossed her arms and began admiring the sight of Jiang Yiheng''s five-person team fleeing in panic.


    But as she watched, she furrowed her brows.


    Because among the group, the one running the fastest was... Jiang Yiheng???


    Huh? No way?


    It couldn''t be what she was thinking!

 Chapter 32

    Noticing Song Yi''s complex expression, Murong Huan patted her shoulder and asked, "What are you looking at?"


    To preserve Jiang Yiheng''s "impressive" image in Murong Huan''s mind, Song Yi chose to remain silent and shook her head with deep regret.


    Hang Feng said, "Alright, let''s continue moving forward."


    The five of them walked ahead together.


    Along the way, they encountered many staff members dressed as ghosts, but thanks to Song Yi''s presence, the horrifying atmosphere was significantly diminished.


    As they were about to exit the woods, they came across a fork in the road.


    A female ghost in a white dress smiled at them and said, "Congratulations, you''re just one step away from completing the challenge. Now only the final task remains."


    Just as the female ghost finished speaking, footsteps were heard from behind.


    Song Yi looked back and saw that Jiang Yiheng''s group had arrived as well.


    Unlike their previous arrogance, the members of his group now showed unmistakable fear when facing Song Yi.


    The female ghost said, "What a coincidence, another group has arrived. There are two paths, left and right, each with different tasks. You can choose together."


    Shen Yujing frowned and asked, "Are there any hints?"


    The female ghost shook her head.


    Song Yi looked at Jiang Yiheng and asked, "Which path will you take?"


    Jiang Yiheng replied, "Ladies first."


    Song Yi turned to Hang Feng, "You choose."


    Hang Feng casually pointed, "Left."


    Song Yi nodded, "Fine, then we''ll take the right."


    Hang Feng: "?"


    Song Yi''s reasoning was that in her memory, Hang Feng, being the antagonist, had always had bad luck, so she decided to do the opposite of his choice.


    Since Song Yi''s group chose the right path, Jiang Yiheng''s group naturally took the left one.


    As both teams were about to enter their chosen paths, Murong Huan suddenly looked at Jiang Yiheng''s retreating figure and, after much hesitation, called out, "Jiang Yiheng!"


    Jiang Yiheng paused but didn''t turn around, then continued walking forward.


    Murong Huan stood still and whispered, "Jiang Yiheng, happy birthday."


    After saying this, she took Song Yi''s hand and walked down the right path.


    Song Yi asked with surprise, "It''s Jiang Yiheng''s birthday today? How come there wasn''t any commotion about it?"


    Given Jiang Yiheng''s popularity, if it were his birthday, there should have been reactions both on the forum and among the girls around them.


    Murong Huan explained, "The birthday on his ID card is different from his actual birthday by several months."


    Song Yi nodded thoughtfully. Murong Huan knew so much about him, truly befitting her role as his fianc¨¦e.


    Song Yi didn''t dwell too much on this matter and continued walking alongside Murong Huan, holding up her flashlight.


    But soon, they encountered someone.


    Yes, a person.


    A completely normal person without any ghost or demon special effects makeup, unlike everyone else they had met along the way.


    The person waved at them, "Over here!"


    When they got closer, the person revealed their identity, "Hello, I''m a staff member here. Congratulations, you''re the first group today that''s about to complete the challenge."


    Shen Yujing: "Get to the point, or we''ll end up being second."


    Shen Yujing was quite anxious, worried that Jiang Yiheng might overtake them.


    The staff member smiled and said, "Don''t worry, let me congratulate you again because you''ve chosen the correct path."


    Song Yi detected something in his words and asked, "So what do these two paths mean?"


    The staff member continued explaining, "Between the left and right paths, those who chose the left continue towards completion, while those who chose the right must dress up as ghosts to scare the people who took the left path. If the people on the left path persist and complete the challenge successfully, they win. If the people from the right path succeed in scaring them away, they win."


    "I get it," Shen Yujing suddenly became excited, "We have to scare Jiang Yiheng and his group!"


    Song Yi nodded, confirming, "That''s right."


    The staff member pointed to a temporary small house not far away, "There are many props in there that you can freely choose from. They will arrive here in twenty minutes."


    Everyone thought this task was much more interesting than just walking through the forest encountering ghosts, except for Hang Feng.


    He was truly exhausted.


    What should have been a simple task had dragged on until now, constantly changing in nature.


    But... he also wanted to win first place.


    *


    Inside the house.


    Props were densely packed on both the tables and walls.


    There were toy tongues, various blood-stained clothes, different wigs, fake blood bags.


    There were also various fake weapons and props, and even food items.


    Shen Yujing wasn''t impressed with these items, "I expected something better, these don''t look professional at all."


    He stood aside with his arms crossed, clearly having lost interest in the matter.


    "How professional do you want it to be?" Song Yi used reverse psychology on him, "Could it be that you know you don''t have the ability to scare them away, so you''re using the inadequate props as an excuse to back out?"


    Sure enough, Shen Yujing fell for it.


    He sneered, "Don''t look down on me. Jiang Yiheng? I could scare ten of him with ease!"


    Murong Huan became displeased, "Watch how you talk! Jiang Yiheng is far more outstanding than you in every way."


    Shen Yujing: "I don''t want to argue with you, let''s let the results speak for themselves."


    Ten minutes passed.


    Everyone had changed into different disguises, except for Murong Huan.


    Quan Le complained, "Why aren''t you getting ready? Don''t tell me you''re deliberately holding back because you''re afraid of scaring Jiang Yiheng?"


    Shen Yujing chimed in, "Exactly!"


    To defend Jiang Yiheng''s dignity, Murong Huan immediately grabbed a bloody dress in front of her.


    She would put her heart into the disguise and become the most terrifying sight!


    Only in such circumstances would Jiang Yiheng not be scared, proving his bravery!


    Murong Huan was very serious and worked hard, so her final appearance was more frightening than the other four.


    The floating strands of hair in the air, the pale lips, and the blood-stained baby doll model visible through the torn bloody dress.


    Shen Yujing stepped back and couldn''t help but exclaim, "Good grief!"


    Quan Le closed his eyes and clasped his hands together, "Stay away from me, Amitabha."


    Murong Huan snorted coldly, holding the baby doll model as she went to look in a mirror nearby, startling herself.


    It seemed... really scary.


    But that''s fine! This was exactly the effect she wanted!


    Only when it''s frightening enough, when everyone else runs away in panic, will Jiang Yiheng stand alone calmly, looking at her with those cool eyes.


    Thinking of this scene, Murong Huan couldn''t help but feel her heart rate increase.


    This was the biggest reason why she loved Jiang Yiheng.


    His intelligence beyond his peers, his ability to remain unmoved even when facing great adversity, always mature and calm.


    From childhood to now, no matter what happened, as long as she could be by his side, Murong Huan would feel completely safe.


    Looking at Murong Huan''s current appearance, and thinking about what she had seen earlier...


    No, no, no, she must have misunderstood.


    Shen Yujing was purely mentally disturbed, and Hang Feng had some psychological issues too. As one of the few normal people in this book, he must surely continue to maintain his composure!


    Murong Huan''s current disguise was undoubtedly the best in terms of "horror" for the entire evening, and Song Yi placed great hopes in her.


    It didn''t matter if they couldn''t scare Jiang Yiheng; as long as they frightened one of his teammates into pressing the red button on their wrist, they would win.


    With five minutes left and nothing else to do, Song Yi wandered around the house.


    Soon she discovered a prop - a model birthday cake.


    But on the cake, there was a red button and a green button.


    Pressing the red button would light up all the candles on the cake and automatically play the birthday song.


    This caught everyone''s attention.


    Especially Shen Yujing, who curiously approached and pressed the green button.


    In that instant, the cake model''s shell opened up, and a "human head" suddenly popped out.


    The strong visual impact scared Shen Yujing, who had been squatting, so badly that he fell backward onto his bottom, a scream caught in his throat that he barely managed to suppress.


    He patted his chest, startling me.


    Song Yi: "Are you afraid of ghosts?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    This wasn''t about whether he was afraid of ghosts or not - any normal person would be startled, right?


    To prove this was a normal reaction and not fear of ghosts, Shen Yujing took the cake and tried the same thing on Hang Feng.


    Hang Feng stared at the popping head for three seconds before silently averting his gaze.


    Still not satisfied, Shen Yujing took it to find Quan Le.


    When Quan Le let out a scream, Shen Yujing waved the cake at Song Yi and asked smugly, "See that?"


    Song Yi couldn''t be bothered to respond, and just then the staff outside called out: "Are you all ready? They''re coming!"


    A group of people hurried outside.


    Song Yi snatched the cake back from Shen Yujing, restored it to its original state, and followed them.


    According to their previously agreed order, they would appear based on horror level rankings.


    When Hang Feng, Quan Le, and Shen Yujing took their turns to appear but Jiang Yiheng''s group remained unmoved, Shen Yujing got angry.


    He directly blocked their path, "Can you at least show some reaction?"


    Jiang Yiheng spoke calmly, "Shen Yujing, move aside."


    Shen Yujing was puzzled, "I covered my face, how did you know it was me?"


    Jiang Yiheng''s student council follower couldn''t hold back anymore, "Shen Yujing, your singing is really distinctively terrible."


    Murong Huan nodded in agreement beside Song Yi, and explained to her, "You don''t know, but his singing is seriously off-key. Yet he confidently performs at every school event. The girls who like him and the boys who fear him blindly praise him, so he''s never realized this problem."


    Song Yi shook her head sympathetically, thinking how pitiful Shen Yujing was, living in a web of lies, unable to see his true self. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Just as Shen Yujing was about to argue back three hundred rounds, he saw Song Yi waving at him, gesturing him to come back.


    After a moment''s hesitation, Shen Yujing stepped aside to let Jiang Yiheng and his group pass.


    A while later, it was Song Yi''s turn.


    At the next intersection, she sat with her back to everyone, holding her cake.


    Jiang Yiheng and his group members stopped.


    Someone gathered the courage to ask, "So what kind of ghost are you supposed to be?"


    Song Yi stood up holding the cake, giggled "hehe" twice, and said, "I''m nothing like them, those fake imposters who dare to make fools of themselves here."


    Someone caught the key point in Song Yi''s words and said disdainfully, "Aren''t you all just playing pretend? What makes you any different? Come on, what''s your trick?"


    Song Yi walked up to them, speaking in a low voice, "I''m a real ghost. I''ll give you a chance - trade your life with me, and I can give you anything you want."


    As Song Yi spoke, the weather cooperated perfectly with a gust of wind that made the leaves rustle in the woods, adding to the horror atmosphere.


    Someone rubbed their arms and cursed, "Damn, staying in this creepy place for too long really gets scary at night."


    Another person comforted him, "I can see the gate up ahead, it''s almost over."


    Seeing them start to chat casually, Song Yi suddenly raised her voice several pitches higher, making it sharp and piercing, "Who gave you permission to ignore me! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson!"


    Someone seemed interested and asked, "You say you''re a ghost, can you prove it?"


    Song Yi looked at Jiang Yiheng, suddenly raised the cake in her hands, smiled eerily, and said in a creepy voice, "Happy birthday... hehe..."


    Song Yi pressed the red button, and the birthday candles lit up, playing a light and cheerful birthday song.


    "Happy birthday to you~ Happy birthday to you~"


    The student council member said scornfully, "Our Brother Jiang''s birthday isn''t for another three months. You claim to be a ghost but don''t even know that."


    Another chimed in, "This is hilarious. You could find out Brother Jiang''s birthday just by posting on our school forum."


    But Jiang Yiheng slowly raised his head, his voice carrying an unusual gravity, "Today is my birthday."


    However, no more than five people knew this fact.


    Jiang Yiheng''s words instantly froze the atmosphere.


    Jiang Yiheng looked up at the female ghost before him. She wore a mask so he couldn''t see her face, but he was certain it wasn''t Murong Huan.


    Besides her, only his parents and his deceased grandparents knew about this.


    Jiang Yiheng asked, "Who are you really?"


    Song Yi held up the cake, "Press this green button, and you''ll know the answer."


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    Without hesitation, Jiang Yiheng raised his hand and pressed the green button.


    The next second, the model cake opened again, the head popped out, and the music instantly changed from the birthday song to something terrifying.


    The boys standing in front of Song Yi were clearly frightened, with screams ringing out one after another. Someone even jumped two meters away in fear.


    "Holy shit, what is that? Scared the hell out of me!"


    "This is seriously messed up, when will the school stop with this stuff?"


    Some slightly calmer ones said, "Come on, you guys are such cowards. It''s just a fake head model, why are you so scared? Look at our Brother Jiang, now that''s what you call composure! So cool!"


    Another person immediately started flattering Jiang Yiheng, "How can anyone compare to our Brother Jiang? Without this kind of composure and courage, how could he have led our student council to where it is today?"


    As he spoke, he patted Jiang Yiheng''s shoulder, saying, "Alright, Brother Jiang, let''s not bother with this female ghost. Let''s go..."


    "Ah?! Brother Jiang! What''s wrong, Brother Jiang!"


    "Someone come quick! Jiang Yiheng has fainted!!!"

 Chapter 33

    11 PM.


    At the First People''s Hospital in the Imperial Capital City.


    In the hallway, everyone sat in a row on the seats.


    Murong Huan''s face was filled with worry, and she couldn''t even sit still, pacing back and forth.


    Song Yi looked at her, opened her mouth to try to comfort her, but then thought that she should be the last person to speak at this moment, so she lowered her head.


    Around the corner, the school leaders were all there, waiting for Jiang Yiheng''s specific condition.


    If something really went wrong, given the Jiang family''s background, the entire Saint Slee would suffer.


    Quan Le had just returned from gathering intelligence from the group of leaders. He said seriously, "Even though the school, Song Yi, and Jiang Yiheng himself all share responsibility for this incident, if something serious really happened, to appease the Jiang family''s anger, Song Yi would most likely be expelled."


    "What nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Yujing glared at Quan Le irritably, then put his hand on Song Yi''s shoulder, shaking her, "Don''t be so dejected, I''ll support you even if the sky falls. Rest assured that as long as I''m here, you''ll be able to graduate from Saint Slee peacefully."


    Song Yi shook off Shen Yujing''s hand without saying a word.


    Actually, Song Yi wasn''t worried about Jiang Yiheng''s life safety, after all¡ª


    Have you ever heard of a Mary Sue novel where the second male lead dies of fright? That''s ridiculous, isn''t it?


    But Quan Le''s words had made her fall into deep thought.


    Expulsion.


    With her grades, being in the top ten of her year at Saint Slee, she would be sought after by other schools.


    Even if the Jiang family was powerful enough to cover the sky with one hand, at worst she could continue her life in another city.


    If she really got expelled, would that mean she could leave this place?


    Leaving this book and getting away from the original plot had always been Song Yi''s goal.


    But when the opportunity was really in front of her, Song Yi clasped her hands together, suddenly unsure whether to pray for Jiang Yiheng to be okay or not.


    And Song Yi''s "dazed" action appeared to others as if she was scared stiff.


    Murong Huan also stopped her anxious pacing and quickly walked over, grabbing Song Yi''s hand.


    Murong Huan said, "I''m very close with Uncle and Aunt Jiang. If something really happens, I''ll make sure it won''t affect you."


    After speaking, Murong Huan looked at Quan Le and Hang Feng, "From now on, we need to stick to the same story. Since they didn''t see Song Yi''s face anyway, let''s say it was Shen Yujing who scared Jiang Yiheng unconscious, got it?"


    Quan Le: "Okay!"


    Hang Feng: "Oh."


    Shen Yujing: "Huh?"


    Wait, why, how did they come to this conclusion?


    Shen Yujing: "Why not you?"


    Murong Huan put on an innocent expression, "Because I''m his fianc¨¦e."


    Shen Yujing criticized, "Oh, so you remember you''re Jiang Yiheng''s fianc¨¦e? Why aren''t you on his side? I see you''re quite quick to react. When you marry Jiang Yiheng in the future, will you help others bury his body if they kill him?"


    "That''s because Yi Yi is my best friend!" Murong Huan said as she linked arms with Song Yi and sat down beside her, saying seriously, "Sisters before misters!"


    Heaven knows how much determination it took for her to say those words.


    Even if Jiang Yiheng was just clothes, he was the most beautiful piece of clothing!


    Although Shen Yujing had objected, he still accepted Murong Huan''s proposal. When he saw Jiang Yiheng being wheeled out, he hurriedly reminded everyone, "Remember, I''m the one who scared him unconscious. Don''t let it slip."


    Fortunately, the doctor told them, "The patient is fine. He just fainted due to not eating much these past two days combined with sudden shock. He''ll be fine after resting for a couple of days."


    Shen Yujing pointed at Jiang Yiheng being wheeled away and asked, "Fine? Then why isn''t he awake yet?"


    The doctor was also taken aback, "He was actually awake just now."


    Jiang Yiheng, lying in bed with his eyes tightly shut: "..."


    Song Yi pointed out, "Is he pretending to be asleep?"


    Instantly, everyone jumped up from their chairs and squeezed into Jiang Yiheng''s hospital room along with the school leaders.


    Jiang Yiheng, lying in bed, had to lean against the headboard, expressionlessly accepting the school leaders'' concerns and five burning gazes from the doorway.


    Jiang Yiheng said flatly, "Nothing happened today."


    He naturally understood why these people were gathered here and just wanted to send them away quickly.


    Sure enough, when the school leaders heard Jiang Yiheng let it go, they all broke into smiles, some even bowing to him.


    After the school leaders left, the five people at the door still stood there like five stones.


    Not saying a word, just purely standing there watching him, as if they were paying respects at a grave.


    Finally, Jiang Yiheng couldn''t take it anymore and asked, "Didn''t I say nothing happened today? What else do you want?"


    Murong Huan opened her mouth, words of concern on the tip of her tongue, but the image of Jiang Yiheng fainting today floated in her mind, and with that one fall, it completely shattered all her beautiful fantasies about Jiang Yiheng from the past eighteen years.


    Never mind, she had nothing more to say.


    Song Yi stood there, not knowing why she couldn''t leave either, purely following the crowd mentality.


    But thinking about everything that happened today, Song Yi felt she bore some responsibility.


    So Song Yi bowed to Jiang Yiheng, "I''m sorry! I had no idea you were so afraid of ghosts, or that you were such a coward. I''ll definitely be more careful in the future and absolutely won''t do it again!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Was that even an apology?


    But Jiang Yiheng still held back and said, "It''s fine, you can all leave now."


    Shen Yujing stroked his chin, as if he had taken forever to come to the main point, "So, Jiang Yiheng is really afraid of ghosts, huh? Next time if you can''t handle it, don''t play along. Ah, I''m not saying you''re pretending to be cool, I mean you should be responsible for yourself... Hey Jiang Yiheng, what''s wrong?"


    Jiang Yiheng covered his chest with one hand, started coughing violently, and pointed at Shen Yujing, "Get out!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Before Shen Yujing could understand why Jiang Yiheng suddenly got angry¡ªconsidering he had only seen Jiang Yiheng''s cold face for the past two years¡ªhe was dragged away by Song Yi and Murong Huan, one on each side.


    Down at the hospital entrance.


    Shen Yujing was still marveling: "After being classmates next door for two years, this is the first time I''ve seen a second emotion on Jiang Yiheng''s coffin face."


    Quan Le: "Yeah, yeah, he actually got angry!"


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Although it wasn''t very nice to say, she also wanted to mention that this seemed to be the first time she had seen Jiang Yiheng lose control.


    Murong Huan sighed, "Today was supposed to be his birthday, how did it end up like this, him lying alone in the hospital."


    Song Yi: "..."


    If it hadn''t been for Jiang Yiheng''s birthday, she wouldn''t have thought of that cake, and things wouldn''t have turned out this way.


    But Quan Le suddenly had an idea, "There''s less than an hour left before Jiang Yiheng''s birthday ends. To make it up to him, why don''t we celebrate his birthday!"


    Quan Le''s suggestion received unanimous approval from those who wanted to make amends/apologize/join in the fun.


    Except for Hang Feng, who said, "Do whatever you want, I''m going home."


    But it didn''t matter, the plan would work fine with one less person.


    So, at 11:58 PM, when half the city had gone to rest.


    In the hospital room, moonlight shone through the window, and the young man, exhausted from the past two days, was gradually drifting into dreamland.


    Suddenly, the door opened¡ª


    "Surprise!"


    "Happy Birthday!!!"


    The room lights were turned on, and four people walked in holding a plate, seriously singing happy birthday, with Shen Yujing singing particularly loud.


    "Happy~ Birthday~ to You!"


    Shen Yujing''s singing was as terrible as ever, sounding like a pig being slaughtered, a torture for both the patient Jiang Yiheng and everyone else.


    The young man, startled awake from his dream, instinctively raised his hand to shield against the sudden light and asked, "What do you want now?"


    "To celebrate your birthday, of course! How can you spend your 18th birthday alone in such a cold way?" Song Yi answered and then looked at Murong Huan, "Quick, go give him the cake to blow out the candles, or it''ll be past midnight!"


    Murong Huan carefully carried the plate over and made an effort to speak gently to Jiang Yiheng: "Happy birthday! It was too late, and we couldn''t find a cake anywhere, so we had to make do with this."


    When Jiang Yiheng lowered his hands and saw a steamed bun on the plate in front of him¡ªwith a large hole in the middle holding an enormous red candle¡ªhe began to question everything about this world, including himself.


    What on earth were they doing? Was this something any normal person would do?


    Aliali: 6743211ac4f3f33ac42e7315


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing was urging him on, "Why are you spacing out? Are you too moved? No need to thank us, no need to thank us¡ªhurry up and make a wish!"


    Jiang Yiheng couldn''t take it anymore. He grabbed another cushion beside him and hurled it forcefully toward the doorway. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Enough! He had truly had enough of all this!!!


    The wind from the thrown cushion happened to blow out the red candle stuck in the steamed bun that Murong Huan was holding.


    The moment the candle went out, the three people at the door burst into enthusiastic applause and shouted¡ª


    "Wow! Happy birthday, Jiang Yiheng! May all your birthday wishes come true!!!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Do birthday wishes really come true?


    If so, then his birthday wish would be for these three¡ªno, four people.


    To immediately, instantly, and quickly disappear from his world, and never come back!!!

 Chapter 34

    When leaving Jiang Yiheng''s hospital room, Shen Yujing was still puzzled.


    Shen Yujing: "Why didn''t he look very happy? We had good intentions wanting to celebrate his birthday."


    Murong Huan: "Uncle and Aunt Jiang are abroad most of the year, so he probably rarely celebrates his birthdays..."


    Shen Yujing nodded thoughtfully, "I see now! He wasn''t unhappy, he was too moved to speak!"


    Quan Le praised: "You''re so clever."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well, as long as he''s happy.


    With this, the grade trip truly came to an end.


    However, because of the ambulance''s arrival when Jiang Yiheng fainted at the end, the incident became widely known throughout the school forum.


    But since they didn''t know the specific reason, everyone started making their own guesses.


    The final conclusion they reached was¡ª


    [Jiang Yiheng fainted because he was studying so hard during the holiday trip that his body couldn''t take it anymore!]


    Comment 1: Aww, genius comes from sweat and hard work!


    Comment 6: We''re not only not as smart as God Jiang, we''re not as hardworking either! This really motivated me! Going to do five test papers right now!


    Comment 11: If anyone says nothing in this world is perfect, I''ll tell them about God Jiang.


    Comment 19: This must be what the world of top students is like. I don''t understand it, but I''m deeply impressed.


    ...


    The rumor spread this way, and with no response from anyone involved, within a day, everyone accepted it as truth.


    Perhaps for Jiang Yiheng, fainting from studying too hard was more dignified than fainting from being scared of ghosts.


    Soon, the students put this incident behind them as something more important was approaching.


    It was the school''s anniversary celebration.


    Since this year marked a round number anniversary, the celebration would be more grand than previous years, with recruitment and preparation for various activities starting early.


    During self-study period, Song Yi rested her chin on one hand while unconsciously drawing circles on scratch paper with a pen in the other, recalling the plot from the original novel.


    For ordinary students, the school anniversary mainly meant no classes.


    However, in the original plot, the original protagonist had signed up for piano...


    Wait, something''s not right.


    Song Yi was puzzled - how could someone so poor afford to learn such an elegant instrument as the piano?


    The system''s answer was¡ª


    [Don''t focus on the details. Although she was born poor, as the perfect pure love interest, she naturally excelled in all refined arts including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.]


    Well, it doesn''t matter anyway. Back to recalling the plot.


    The original protagonist signed up to perform music, and while practicing in the school''s piano room, she was accidentally discovered by the second male lead, Jiang Yiheng.


    Her beauty, elegance, and the moving piano music deeply attracted Jiang Yiheng.


    So on the day of the school anniversary, Jiang Yiheng suddenly went on stage and performed a piano duet with her, amazing everyone with their compatibility and chemistry.


    Song Yi: "..."


    She didn''t understand it, but she was deeply shocked.


    But it didn''t matter, since she couldn''t play the piano anyway, she wouldn''t volunteer to perform.


    After the daytime anniversary activities ended, there would be a school-wide dance party in the evening, where students could choose dance partners from any grade or class.


    The whole day would end with fireworks.


    But before the anniversary activities, there was an even more embarrassing event that Song Yi had to face¡ª


    Saint Slee''s annual selection of the school''s most beautiful and handsome students.


    Song Yi''s foot started tapping on the ground as she began to retreat into her own Disney fantasy castle.


    What kind of serious school would hold such a ridiculous beauty contest?!


    Yet at this moment, her classmates seemed to feel no embarrassment at all, excitedly discussing the matter.


    "The voting channel for the school beauty contest is open! Someone posted the link on the forum!"


    "Shen Yujing and Murong Huan have won first place in previous years, will there be any changes this year?"


    "Jiang Yiheng is just as good! He only lost by a dozen votes, I think he has a better chance this year."


    "Who knows? Let''s just join in the fun."


    Suddenly someone turned their attention to Song Yi¡ª


    "Song Yi is very pretty too, I''m voting for Song Yi!"


    "Vote Song Yi for school beauty! And Jiang Yiheng for most handsome!"


    "Yes, yes! Keep it in the family! How prestigious would it be if both winners came from our class!"


    Song Yi: *terrified.jpg*


    What were these people saying? Weren''t they supposed to be good students who only cared about studying in Class A? Why was everyone participating in such a meaningless voting activity?!


    At this moment, Hang Feng, who had been sleeping nearby, raised his head.


    The young man rubbed his eyes, looking somewhat confused.


    After a full thirty seconds, he finally understood what everyone was discussing and why it was so noisy.


    So he looked at Song Yi and asked, "You don''t want to be voted for?"


    Although she didn''t understand why Hang Feng suddenly started talking to her, Song Yi shook her head, "I don''t want to."


    After hearing Song Yi''s answer, Hang Feng took out his phone, opened the school forum, and found the link.


    Then he voted for Song Yi, and after scrolling to the bottom of the boys'' photos, randomly voted for someone he didn''t know.


    The next second, he went back to sleeping on his desk.


    Song Yi, who witnessed Hang Feng''s entire behavior: "???"


    How could this be? Because she didn''t want to be school beauty, he voted for her? And did it right in front of her without any hesitation?


    Hang Feng?! This is just ridiculous!


    However, what came next was even more absurd¡ª S§×arch* The NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Murong Huan walked into Class A with two followers, holding her chin high, "Please everyone vote for Song Yi!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    #What is happening#


    Murong Huan specifically checked Quan Le''s phone, and just as she was about to force him to vote for Song Yi, Song Yi couldn''t hold back anymore and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Murong Huan turned back to Song Yi and winked, "Of course I''m helping you get first place! I know you''re too shy to campaign for votes, so naturally I have to do it!"


    Song Yi immediately snatched Quan Le''s phone from Murong Huan''s hands, returned it to him, and pulled Murong Huan outside.


    Murong Huan was somewhat confused but followed Song Yi passively, asking, "What''s wrong? Are you too moved?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Moved my foot!


    After leaving Class A, the two stood alone in the hallway, and Song Yi looked at Murong Huan, asking, "Why are you helping me get first place?"


    "Obviously," Murong Huan waved her phone, "Look at last year''s rankings. Shen Yujing will probably be first again, and if you two become the school beauty and most handsome, wouldn''t that be perfect? You could be Saint Slee Academy''s model couple!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Murong Huan noticed her expression and realized something, asking, "Don''t you like Shen Yujing?"


    Faced with this question, Song Yi naturally chose to avoid answering. She looked at Murong Huan and said, "Huan Huan, I don''t want to stand out or get too much attention. My dream is just to study well, get into university, and find a decent job to support myself and my father. Can you understand what I mean?"


    "Of course!" Murong Huan answered without hesitation, then frowned, "With your grades, you''ll definitely get into Imperial Capital University, and as for work, you can come work at my family''s company after graduation. Don''t worry, I''ll make sure your salary and benefits are a hundred times better than anywhere else!"


    Song Yi: "...That''s not the point."


    "Huh? Then is it... Uncle!" Murong Huan slapped her forehead and smiled, "It''s been so long since I''ve had Uncle''s cooking! Is it okay if I come home with you this Friday night?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi sighed, then held Murong Huan''s hand, saying sincerely, "Of course you''re welcome anytime you want to come. But what I just said wasn''t a joke. I know you mean well, but these things aren''t..."


    "Alright, alright." Murong Huan interrupted Song Yi, holding her hand back and pouting, "I get it, I won''t campaign for votes anymore, okay? In the future, I''ll ask for your opinion before doing things, don''t be mad. Let''s not talk about this anymore, let''s go to the convenience store!"


    "Okay."


    However, by the time they returned from just buying a carton of milk, Song Yi discovered that her photo had appeared on the school beauty rankings, already in fifth place, and her votes were still steadily increasing.


    Some excited girls told her, "Shen Yujing updated his social media with voting information! He voted for himself!"


    Song Yi could imagine that - it was exactly the kind of thing Shen Yujing would do. In his mind, no one but himself deserved to be the campus prince.


    However, what the girl said next made Song Yi''s expression crumble¡ª


    "But he voted for you in the campus queen category! And after many girls saw that Shen Yujing voted for you, they followed his lead and voted for you too! It''s like he''s helping campaign for you! You''re so lucky!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Her fists suddenly clenched.


    Shen Yujing! Good for nothing except causing trouble!


    The campus prince and princess competition had a three-day voting period. By the end of that day after school, Song Yi discovered she had jumped from fifth place to third place.


    Murong Huan was naturally still in first place, but Song Yi''s votes were neck and neck with second-place Lu Qingqing. At the current rate of increase, she would soon overtake Lu Qingqing.


    Heaven knows how furious Lu Qingqing was when she saw these voting results.


    She had used so many of her connections and constantly urged people around her to vote for her. Although she was prepared to lose to Murong Huan, watching her second place position become unstable made her restless.


    So Lu Qingqing came to find Song Yi.


    Song Yi truly couldn''t understand why Lu Qingqing could keep coming back despite being repeatedly rebuffed.


    But as the saying goes, don''t strike a smiling face, so she asked, "Do you need something?"


    Lu Qingqing gave her a slight smile, "Yi Yi, there''s a new restaurant near school that''s gotten great reviews. Why don''t we go try it together? You can help me with some math problems, and I''ll treat you as thanks, how about it?"


    Lu Qingqing''s words sounded nice, as if she had considered that Song Yi didn''t have much money and was offering a fair exchange of tutoring for food.


    Song Yi''s gaze fell on Lu Qingqing as her mind raced, trying to figure out what scheme she was plotting this time.


    But free food was free food - might as well take it.


    So Song Yi nodded, "Sure."


    At the restaurant.


    This was a trending restaurant that had recently become popular on social media and was a common after-school hangout spot for Saint Slee students. It was Song Yi''s first time here.


    Lu Qingqing appeared very generous, first letting Song Yi order several dishes she liked, then adding seven or eight more dishes herself.


    Song Yi said, "That''s too much, we won''t be able to finish it."


    "It''s fine, we rarely eat together, the most important thing is to enjoy ourselves," Lu Qingqing said as she took out her phone and sat next to Song Yi. "Come on, let''s take a photo together."


    Song Yi raised her hand in a "peace" sign - though it was an outdated pose, her face in the photo was still stunningly pure and beautiful.


    Lu Qingqing was originally a cute and pretty type of beauty, but their similar looks ended up making her appear dull in comparison.


    Looking at the photo, Lu Qingqing''s expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly put away her phone and returned to her seat, acting as if nothing had happened, still wearing her sweet smile.


    Until all the delicious food was served.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but swallow hard, and Lu Qingqing, seeming to notice her eagerness, said, "Go ahead and eat."


    Since Lu Qingqing had said so, Song Yi naturally didn''t hold back.


    This restaurant, being located at the entrance of Saint Slee, had already passed the strict scrutiny of students who were used to fine dining, and the food was indeed excellent.


    Once Song Yi started eating, she couldn''t stop, even beginning to regret eating so much at lunch.


    But just as she was enjoying her meal, Lu Qingqing suddenly spoke up, "I saw today''s campus queen rankings, you have a good chance of surpassing Murong Huan. Although she''s been campaigning for votes too, I''ll help you."


    Lu Qingqing''s words made Song Yi put down her chopsticks.


    Song Yi thoughtfully looked up at Lu Qingqing, detecting some deeper meaning in her words.


    Could Lu Qingqing be... trying to sow discord?


    What an amateur move.


    Though Song Yi felt contempt inside, she still nodded cooperatively on the surface, "Thank you."


    She couldn''t be bothered to explain anything to Lu Qingqing - there was no point.


    Lu Qingqing continued, "No need to thank me, we''re friends after all. But I don''t understand what Murong Huan is thinking. She was already campus queen last year - if I were her, I would definitely have left this year''s opportunity for you. Besides, I think you''re much prettier than her."


    After saying this, Lu Qingqing suddenly acted as if she had just realized something and covered her mouth embarrassedly, "I''m not trying to badmouth her, please don''t misunderstand."


    Perhaps because Lu Qingqing''s face appeared so harmless, if Song Yi didn''t know the plot, she might have believed there was truly no malice.


    As if to change the awkward subject, Lu Qingqing immediately placed a bowl of sweet soup in front of Song Yi, "Try this, it''s their signature dish."


    Song Yi nodded and took a small sip with her spoon, but her expression suddenly froze.


    The sweet pineapple soup with soft rice balls had a good texture, but it was overwhelmingly sweet, almost like drinking concentrated glucose.


    It was as if... something was deliberately being covered up, something they didn''t want her to notice.


    While Song Yi''s sense of taste wasn''t particularly sensitive, her instincts told her something was wrong with this soup.


    She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, carefully analyzing the flavors.


    Pineapple, rock sugar, rose, and... mango.


    That was it - that was the problem. The original owner of her body was allergic to mango.


    Even a small amount would make her body itch, and if she ate too much, her entire face would swell up with blisters that wouldn''t heal for a week.


    With only three days for the campus queen selection, if her face suddenly developed such a serious problem, her support rate would definitely plummet.


    Damn, what a clever plan!


    If Lu Qingqing had come to offer her "advice," she would have seriously considered it.


    But at this point, following Lu Qingqing''s scheme would just make her look stupid.


    Song Yi was caught in a dilemma.


    Should she let her face break out in allergies as planned, or find another way to preserve her dignity?


    Finally, Song Yi decided to combine both approaches.


    With each sip of the sweet soup, she secretly spit it into the coffee cup beside her.


    After the meal.


    Song Yi scratched her cheek, pretending to be uncomfortable, "My face feels really itchy, I don''t know what''s wrong."


    Seeing her plan working, Lu Qingqing immediately showed fake concern, "Are you okay? Do you need to go to the hospital?"


    Song Yi shook her head, making up an excuse, "Maybe it''s just dry skin from the changing seasons. I''ll put on more lotion when I get home and it should be fine."


    Lu Qingqing naturally didn''t keep Song Yi any longer, just reminding her to take care.


    After returning home, Song Yi sat at her desk examining her face.


    She had swallowed two sips of that soup, but fortunately it wasn''t much - her face was only slightly itchy.


    Song Yi took out the original owner''s only makeup item, a lipstick that Murong Huan had given her two days ago, and began dabbing it on her cheeks.


    After a while, she looked up at herself in the mirror.


    Perfect - she had achieved that classic romance novel heroine deliberately making herself look ugly vibe.


    That evening.


    At the Hang residence.


    Hang Feng lay in bed, his phone displaying the campus prince and princess competition page.


    As always, he ranked third on the prince list, while Song Yi was third on the princess list.


    Their names were side by side, so their ID photos were aligned as well.


    Song Yi''s ID photo had a blue background, unlike the other girls'' photos which were clearly taken at professional studios and had been retouched. She faced the camera with a slight smile, bare-faced, looking quite lovely.


    But such an innocent and harmless face had done things that seemed completely at odds with her appearance.


    Though they were desk mates, they seemed to have had no interaction since returning from the grade trip.


    Thinking back to when he first met Song Yi, Hang Feng suddenly felt this distance was for the best.


    Though that''s what he thought, as if possessed, Hang Feng saved Song Yi''s ID photo anyway.


    That night, Hang Feng had another dream.


    In his dream, he returned to that school trip day when he and Song Yi tried to retrieve a box from the tree.


    Just like what happened in reality, Song Yi missed her footing while climbing down, and as he tried to catch her, they both fell to the ground.


    However, this time in the dream, the scene became more dreamy and gentle. The young girl lay in his arms, and their accidental lip contact made the entire atmosphere intimate and romantic.


    Those were doe-like eyes gazing at him with tenderness, timid yet filled with confusion and embarrassment.


    But in the next moment, Song Yi rose and straddled him, placing her hands on the ground on either side of him, leaning down to continue kissing his lips.


    Though her cheeks were flushed red, her actions were surprisingly bold.


    It felt as if a gentle spring breeze passed by, scattering ginkgo leaves all around, while the faint fragrance of osmanthus in the air made his heart race uncontrollably.


    He wanted to refuse, yet his entire body seemed to lose control as if electrified.


    Aliali: 6743211ac4f3f33ac42e7315


    Her kisses moved from his lips to his cheeks, then to his Adam''s apple...


    Suddenly, a thunderclap broke through the sky, shattering everything.


    Only then did Hang Feng feel like he had regained his senses, immediately pushing the young girl away.


    Song Yi fell sitting to the side, looking at him in disbelief, asking, "Why are you rejecting me?"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer, which seemed to enrage Song Yi, who suddenly lunged forward to grab his neck.


    In the next moment, Hang Feng watched helplessly as the beautiful young girl once again... transformed into a turtle head.


    When the giant turtle''s hands gripped his neck, Hang Feng closed his eyes, not wanting to resist at all.


    Fine, just let her strangle him to death.


    He would rather die than wake up from this nightmare and face Song Yi tomorrow.


    It. Was. Too. Terrifying.

 Chapter 35

    The next day.


    When Song Yi came to class wearing a face mask, it caught the attention of her classmates.


    After learning that her face had broken out in red rashes due to an allergic reaction, her classmates expressed their concern.


    This news spread quickly, and the school forum was soon buzzing with the latest gossip¡ª


    [That Song Yi from Class A had an allergic reaction on her face after eating something wrong, breaking out in red rashes]


    [That Song Yi from Class A had an allergic reaction, with red rashes and bumps all over. They say her face is almost rotting]


    [You know Song Yi from Class A? Her face is rotting! They say it''s terrifying!]


    [That Song Yi from Class A, her face is rotting from allergies. They say when she took off her mask, it made her classmates faint!]


    Song Yi: "..."


    Although the rumors had gotten a bit outrageous as they spread, this was exactly the effect she wanted.


    Throughout the morning classes, Hang Feng no longer slept sprawled over his desk as usual, but instead kept glancing up at Song Yi.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but pull her mask up a bit higher, covering her face completely.


    "Hey," the young man''s voice rang out as he pointed at her face, "is it serious?"


    "Very serious," Song Yi said with a straight face. "It might rot, leave scars, or even disfigure me."


    Just as Song Yi was saying this, Jiang Yiheng happened to pass by and stopped in his tracks.


    Seeing both the second male lead and the antagonist staring at her, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. She had to exaggerate even more about her face, using her "ugliness" to scare them away.


    Song Yi wiped away nonexistent tears and said, "My face is ruined. It will rot piece by piece, leaving acne marks and scars, becoming as cratered as the moon''s surface. But it''s okay, I''m prepared for it. This is a hereditary skin condition in my family. My mother was the same way¡ªbeautiful when young, but by the time she was twenty, her entire face was ruined. She had to wear a mask for the rest of her life, otherwise she''d make children cry if she went out!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Faced with their simultaneous silence, Song Yi began to wonder if her performance had been a bit too over-the-top.


    Then Jiang Yiheng suddenly said, "Murong Huan''s grandmother runs a plastic surgery hospital abroad."


    Song Yi looked at him gratefully, "Thanks for letting me know, but it''s fine. This can''t be cured, so I won''t waste time! After all, I believe that a person''s appearance means nothing in life¡ªhaving a sincere and kind heart is what''s most important!"


    Jiang Yiheng silently looked at her for a few seconds before walking away.


    Having gotten rid of one, Song Yi turned to the other, "Hang Feng, why do you keep staring at me? Don''t tell me you like me?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Here we go again?


    Song Yi touched her face again, "Please stop staring at me. I told you my face is ruined. Don''t tell me you still like me even though I''m disfigured? Oh my goodness, your feelings for me are so intense that I can barely handle it! Since you like me so much, then..."


    Before Song Yi could finish, she watched as Hang Feng pulled out a pair of earplugs from his pocket and expressionlessly put them in his ears.


    For Hang Feng, the world became peaceful.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Being able to push Hang Feng to this point could be considered a victory in its own way.


    So Song Yi took out her pen and solved a math worksheet to celebrate.


    The last morning class was Physical Education.


    Not entirely coincidentally, it was a joint class with Chen Xue''s class. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Today''s lesson was shot put. Everyone found it heavy and tiring, so the teacher was understanding and only made them practice for ten minutes before allowing free activity.


    Song Yi sat on the steps, memorizing vocabulary from a textbook.


    Suddenly, someone walked up to her.


    When she looked up and saw Chen Xue, Song Yi put away her book and asked, "Do you need something?"


    Chen Xue sneered, her eyes filled with undisguised schadenfreude, "I heard your face had an allergic reaction?"


    When Chen Xue said this, it attracted the attention of many nearby students. Whether malicious or kind, people are always curious about such things.


    Song Yi nodded, "Yes."


    After getting Song Yi''s confirmation, Chen Xue continued, "We''re all classmates, so let''s not be so distant. We''ll be together for so long anyway, there''s no point in being so secretive."


    With that, Chen Xue reached out to pull off Song Yi''s mask.


    Song Yi had been looking for an opportunity to show her face to everyone anyway, so she naturally pretended to be caught off guard.


    When the mask came off, Song Yi''s "rashes" made the surrounding students gasp, and some even took out their phones to take pictures.


    Song Yi cooperatively stood there like a celebrity, letting them take photos for a full ten seconds before pretending to just realize what was happening. She snatched the mask back from Chen Xue and ran towards the bathroom.


    Chen Xue stood behind her, calling out with fake concern, "I''m sorry, Song Yi!"


    Running all the way to the bathroom, Song Yi felt like she was running towards freedom.


    However, just as she rushed in, she collided with someone coming out.


    Song Yi stumbled back two steps before barely managing to steady herself. Seeing that it was Shen Yujing in front of her, she asked puzzled, "What are you doing here?"


    Shen Yujing shrugged and answered honestly, "Didn''t want to attend class."


    Song Yi: "I mean, why are you coming out of the women''s bathroom? Are you a pervert?"


    As soon as Song Yi finished speaking, Shen Yujing''s face turned "whoosh" red, and he immediately apologized, "Huh? I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to!"


    After speaking, Shen Yujing instinctively looked back at the bathroom sign, then his face returned to normal color, and he declared righteously, "This is the men''s bathroom! You''re the one who went to the wrong place!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Turned out she was the pervert.


    "I''m sorry!" Song Yi also chose to apologize, then turned to head towards the women''s bathroom.


    But Shen Yujing suddenly grabbed her wrist and asked, "Hey, what''s wrong with your face?"


    Song Yi turned to look at him, "Did you wash your hands after using the bathroom?"


    Shen Yujing: "...I did."


    "It''s just an allergic reaction," Song Yi said as she pulled down her mask, revealing her carefully crafted "special effects makeup."


    Shen Yujing''s brows immediately furrowed as he pulled her by the wrist towards the exit, "Let''s go to the hospital."


    Song Yi tried to break free from his hand, "Don''t pull me, I won''t go. This is a hereditary disease, it can''t be cured."


    But Shen Yujing was strangely strong today, "Medical conditions are different from the past. How would you know it can''t be cured if you don''t go?"


    Song Yi: "Well, just pretend I don''t want to go to the hospital. I want to stay like this, okay? Can you mind your own business?"


    Shen Yujing: "No!"


    Song Yi: "Let go! Let go! I need to use the bathroom! The bathroom!!!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    *


    In the end, Song Yi managed to send Shen Yujing away by claiming it was just a temporary allergic reaction.


    On the forum, someone had posted the secretly taken photos of Song Yi, and discussions began.


    Someone even brought over the photos that Lu Qingqing had posted on her social media with Song Yi, discussing the difference between then and now.


    Post 1: Strange, I always thought Song Yi was very beautiful, but in these photos she looks just average.


    Post 4: Yeah, Lu Qingqing actually looks prettier, her dimples when she smiles are so cute.


    Post 6: Are you all guys? Lu Qingqing''s photo is so calculated, look how much she photoshopped herself. I even suspect she deliberately edited Song Yi to look ugly.


    Post 8: Be more confident, aren''t they both fair-skinned? But in these photos, Song Yi looks almost a shade darker than Lu Qingqing.


    Post 11: What''s the point of discussing this now, Song Yi''s face is already like that... sigh!


    Post 13: True, what a pity.


    Whether Song Yi''s face condition was temporary or permanent, at least for now, she had nothing to do with the title of school beauty.


    Watching as the vote gap between her and Lu Qingqing gradually widened, with even fourth place showing signs of catching up, Song Yi finally felt at ease.


    After lunch, back in the classroom.


    To Song Yi''s surprise, her desk drawer was stuffed full of medicines?


    Anti-inflammatory, oil control, scar removal...


    Almost every skin-related medicine had been bought for her.


    There were anonymous medications tucked away in the drawer - a secret gesture of care.


    Song Yi got goosebumps.


    Oh no, could these be from one of the three - Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, or Hang Feng?


    Song Yi pressed her fingers against her philtrum and without hesitation dropped all the medicines on the lost and found desk.


    In the afternoon, Hang Feng didn''t come to class, and Jiang Yiheng was nowhere to be seen due to a competition.


    Song Yi temporarily forgot about the medicine incident and felt in an excellent mood, even completing two extra test papers during breaks and nap time.


    Until evening, when Murong Huan arrived.


    She looked anxiously at Song Yi, "What happened to your face? Come on! My family runs a hospital, I''ll take you straight to my grandmother!"


    "No, no, no."


    Seeing Murong Huan''s worried expression, Song Yi immediately removed her mask and peeled off a "swollen red patch" from her face.


    Murong Huan froze, bewildered, and rubbed her eyes, doubting what she was seeing.


    Knowing Murong Huan''s persistent nature, Song Yi offered a different explanation: "Actually, I feel that beauty brings me too many troubles."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan with hopeful eyes, "Only by losing my beauty can I live like a normal person, you understand?"


    Understanding hell - she didn''t even understand what she was saying herself.


    But after a few seconds of silence, Murong Huan nodded vigorously, "I get it! You''re trying to test Shen Yujing by pretending to be ugly, right? If he truly likes you, he won''t care about your face, and if he doesn''t truly like you, this is a perfect chance to expose him as a scumbag!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Was that what she meant?


    However, Murong Huan''s interpretation gave Song Yi an opportunity to break her preconception about the relationship between her and Shen Yujing.


    So Song Yi nodded and held Murong Huan''s hand, "Actually, I have a favor to ask you."


    The next day at noon.


    In the Student Council Disciplinary Inspection Department meeting room.


    Song Yi sat in the main seat: "..."


    Shen Yujing and Murong Huan sat on her left and right, with Quan Le and Jiang Yiheng sitting beside them respectively.


    Murong Huan wiped nonexistent tears with a tissue and spoke seriously while making up stories: "My grandmother already said that this facial condition is hereditary and incurable. She''ll likely continue getting red rashes in the future, and it might even leave scars."


    Song Yi played along, nodding dramatically.


    Shen Yujing''s gaze toward Song Yi was complex, filled with worry and indescribable emotions.


    Quan Le said: "If your grandmother says it''s hopeless, then it must be serious."


    Everyone knew that Murong Huan''s grandmother was the country''s top dermatology expert. If she thought it was incurable, then finding a cure would be harder than climbing to heaven.


    Shen Yujing didn''t understand, "Then let''s seek treatment abroad! I refuse to believe it''s some rare disease that can''t be cured!"


    Quan Le nodded in agreement, "We can all chip in for the expenses."


    Song Yi was deeply moved but declined: "We''ll see about that later, I just want to focus on studying right now."


    Shen Yujing frowned, "But your face..."


    "That''s exactly what I wanted to discuss," Murong Huan interrupted Shen Yujing and looked at Jiang Yiheng, "So I want to ask for your help in looking after Song Yi, hoping that students will be more respectful to her. At least prevent incidents like Chen Xue removing people''s masks and poking at their wounds from happening again today."


    After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Yiheng nodded: "Alright."


    But Murong Huan suddenly asked: "Do you think looks are important? If you truly like someone, would you change your feelings if their appearance changed?"


    Faced with this question, Shen Yujing fell into deep thought.


    Quan Le jumped in to answer, "Probably yes, appearance is part of why we like someone. If they become completely different from before, it would be hard to accept."


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the meeting room door.


    Hang Feng walked in, surprised to see everyone sitting there, and they were equally surprised to see him.


    Jiang Yiheng said: "Just give me the documents."


    Hang Feng nodded and handed over the stack of papers, turning to leave.


    At that moment, Shen Yujing finally made up his mind and answered: "No, I think the most important thing about liking someone is their soul. No matter how their appearance changes, my feelings won''t change."


    "Really?" Quan Le turned back to look at him in surprise, then asked: "So if the person you like suddenly changed from a beautiful girl into a giant snapping turtle, that would be fine too?!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    "Bang¡ª"


    A loud noise made everyone look over. Hang Feng had apparently hit his leg on a chair and was bent over holding his knee in pain.


    Jiang Yiheng asked: "What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing." The young man squeezed these words through his teeth, then limped away.


    It was all Quan Le''s fault, why did he have to mention snapping turtles? And a person turning into one at that!


    Thinking about the two dreams he had, and the person in his dreams turning into a turtle, Hang Feng felt cold sweat breaking out even in broad daylight.


    Forget it, don''t think about it!


    Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law!


    In the meeting room, somehow, Song Yi felt a sense of desolation watching Hang Feng''s retreating figure.


    However, not having received an answer, Quan Le continued pressing Shen Yujing, "Why aren''t you saying anything? Didn''t you just say the soul is most important? What about the turtle? What about the turtle?"


    Shen Yujing''s face showed signs of distress, his previous determination wavering instantly.


    Right, they only talked about major changes, but it didn''t have to be human! What if the person he liked turned into a turtle?


    Would he have to close off his heart and never love again, spending the rest of his life with a turtle? Could the turtle speak human language? Would he have to talk to himself? Wouldn''t that drive him crazy?


    And would he have to be extra careful when going out? What if they went to a restaurant and the chef accidentally took his turtle to make soup? Could he sue the chef for intentional homicide... no, intentional turtle-cide?


    Quan Le''s simple question had plunged Shen Yujing into endless contemplation and worry. Even as Quan Le dragged him out of the meeting room, his mind was still stuck on this question.


    Meanwhile.


    Murong Huan held Song Yi''s hand, "After today''s observation, I think Shen Yujing is not bad, he''s acceptable!"


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    Murong Huan directly criticized Quan Le, "He actually said feelings would change because of appearance changes, what kind of statement is that? He''s clearly a scumbag!"


    Song Yi asked: "If Jiang Yiheng were a 200-pound balding man, would you still like him?"


    Murong Huan: "Of course not!"


    Song Yi: "Well, there you have it."


    Murong Huan: "Oh, I guess you''re right."


    Song Yi turned to brainwash Murong Huan, "So you see, Quan Le''s answer was clearly more sincere. Unless you love someone deeply enough to follow them through life and death, no one can pass such a test. So Shen Yujing''s answer was just smooth talk - men like that aren''t reliable! They''re not sincere!"


    Murong Huan nodded with partial understanding, "So you''re saying Quan Le is actually more sincere and reliable than Shen Yujing?"


    Song Yi held Murong Huan''s hands, her eyes full of sincerity: "Exactly, so I''ve decided to stop liking Shen Yujing from now on! I want to study hard and work towards becoming an excellent person, only then will I be worthy of being your friend."


    Although Murong Huan didn''t quite understand the logical connection between these statements, she was still dizzily led along by Song Yi''s hand-holding and sweet talk.


    So... Song Yi was studying hard to improve herself to always be worthy of being her friend!


    In that case, she couldn''t hold Song Yi back!


    Murong Huan decided that starting today, she would study hard and learn from Song Yi.


    Song Yi was her best friend! Even slightly more important than Jiang Yiheng!


    *


    That evening, at the Shen residence.


    From afternoon classes until now after school, Shen Yujing was still troubled by the same question.


    That is¡ª


    "So if the person you like suddenly changed from a beautiful girl into a giant snapping turtle, that would be fine too?!"


    Shen Yujing couldn''t figure out the answer, or perhaps he lacked the confidence and courage to make a decision.


    Sitting at his desk, without realizing when it had started, the pen in his hand kept spinning on the paper, drawing circles after circles, creating one... big turtle after another.


    At dinner time, his mother asked, "What soup would you like tomorrow? I''ll ask Aunt Li to make it."


    Shen Yujing kept his head down while eating, glumly responding, "Whatever."


    Mother: "Black chicken soup?"


    Shen Yujing: "Whatever."


    Mother: "Then lamb soup?"


    Shen Yujing: "Whatever."


    Mother: "Soft-shelled turtle soup?"


    Shen Yujing: "What... No! Absolutely no soft-shelled turtle soup!!!"


    Mother puzzled: "Why?"


    Shen Yujing naturally couldn''t explain, "Just no means no, our family absolutely cannot have soft-shelled turtle soup!"


    Soft-shelled turtles and regular turtles are the same thing! Cooking soft-shelled turtle is like cooking turtle! And cooking turtle is like cooking...


    No, no, no! That''s not it! Stop thinking about it!


    Shen Yujing instantly lost his appetite, put down his chopsticks, and went upstairs.


    That night.


    Shen Yujing had a dream.


    In the dream, he was in a church, wearing a suit, about to marry his beautiful bride.


    The only problem was... he didn''t know who his bride was.


    The bride''s face was hidden behind a white veil, and under the priest''s urging, Shen Yujing found himself exchanging rings with her.


    The guests below applauded, as if blessing their love.


    Then the priest announced, "Now the groom may kiss the bride!"


    The applause grew more enthusiastic.


    Shen Yujing, feeling both expectant and curious, reached out his slightly trembling hand and lifted the veil, revealing a familiar face.


    Song Yi looked at him, her eyes showing both shyness and joy.


    The moment he saw Song Yi was the bride, Shen Yujing felt his heart settle down considerably.


    The dream suddenly didn''t feel so illusory anymore, instead taking on a sort of absurd reality.


    And then in the next second¡ª


    Song Yi''s face transformed into a turtle''s head, asking him, "Why aren''t you kissing me? Didn''t you just say the soul was most important? Just because I turned into a turtle, you don''t love me anymore? You lying scumbag! I''ll eat you, you oath-breaking scum, and do society a favor!"


    The next moment, the turtle head opened its mouth wide, attempting to devour Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing screamed while running in his dream, and suddenly, all the guests below simultaneously transformed into turtle heads.


    Aliali: 6743211ac4f3f33ac42e7315


    A group of turtles stood up, all moving to block Shen Yujing''s escape route.


    "Help!!!"


    Shen Yujing woke up from the dream, covered in cold sweat.


    He lay in bed staring at the ceiling for a long while, and after his heartbeat gradually returned to normal, he got up and grabbed his phone, "Hey, Quan Le."


    Quan Le''s voice was hoarse with sleepiness, "What is it?"


    Shen Yujing continued, "I''ve figured it out. I think the most important thing about liking someone is their inner self, not their appearance, so no matter how my future girlfriend might change, I''ll always like her. But the prerequisite is that she has to remain human - she can get old or ugly, but absolutely no mutations, oh, and no gender changes either."


    Quan Le: "...Are you done?"


    Shen Yujing: "Yeah."


    "Beep beep beep¡ª"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"

 Chapter 36

    Due to Shen Yujing''s phone harassment interrupting Quan Le''s sweet dream, he came to class the next morning with two panda eyes.


    He stole two eggs from his deskmate''s breakfast to put on his eyes, so during the long break, he went to the cafeteria to buy new breakfast for his deskmate.


    In the cafeteria, Quan Le saw Song Yi.


    So Quan Le snuck up behind Song Yi and suddenly reached out to swipe his meal card for her right after she finished ordering.


    Song Yi turned around puzzled and asked, "Quan Le? Why are you here?"


    "Buying breakfast." Quan Le waved the two sandwiches in his hand, then flashed his meal card like a rich CEO and asked, "Anything else you want to eat? My treat, swipe as much as you want."


    Looking at the 100,000 balance on Quan Le''s meal card, Song Yi could only comfort herself with the fact that she had seen million-dollar balances before.


    However, judging by Quan Le''s behavior, such unexpected enthusiasm usually meant ulterior motives.


    "This is enough." Song Yi took her jianbing and soy milk from the cafeteria aunt and walked towards the seats, asking, "Tell me, what''s up?"


    Quan Le sat across from Song Yi but denied, "Nothing, it''s just that Murong Huan asked me to take care of you, that''s all."


    Song Yi took a bite of her jianbing, "Next time when you deny something, could you not nod while doing it?"


    Caught by Song Yi, Quan Le awkwardly asked, "Then can you guess?"


    Song Yi stared at Quan Le''s face for two seconds, "Did someone beat you up? Why do you have such a big bruise around your eyes?"


    Quan Le: "...This is because Shen Yujing called me at 3 AM, which made me unable to sleep well for the rest of the night. But that''s not important, it''s actually related to fighting though."


    Song Yi: "Go on."


    Quan Le scratched the back of his head, looking troubled, "You know our school is having its anniversary celebration next month, right? The guys from Saint Yu Boys'' School have been acting up these days, apparently wanting to borrow our school uniforms to sneak in then. My relationship with them and Shen Yujing isn''t great, and they came to me to borrow uniforms? Of course I refused! But..."


    Song Yi interrupted him, "Get to the point."


    Quan Le: "In short, they asked to borrow my uniform and I refused, so they threatened to beat me up."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Are conflicts between high school boys always this random?


    Remembering that Shen Yujing and Xu Che from Saint Yu didn''t get along, Song Yi said, "Then you should go find Shen Yujing."


    At the mention of Shen Yujing, Quan Le''s face immediately fell, "He''s acting like he''s possessed. I went to Class B to find him but he ignored me, just sat there drawing turtles non-stop."


    Song Yi thought this scene sounded quite ghostly too, but still asked, "So why are you looking for me? Want me to be your bodyguard?"


    "No." Quan Le shook his head and reached out a hand to Song Yi, saying sincerely, "Saint Yu''s anniversary is tomorrow! Shen Yujing hates Xu Che so he won''t go to Saint Yu, so I want to invite you to go together! Since Saint Yu''s students want to sneak into our school, let''s beat them to it and sneak into theirs first!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She felt like everything Quan Le said before was just filler, and this was his true purpose.


    But Song Yi still said, "Wake up, Saint Yu is a boys'' school."


    Quan Le paused, "So?"


    Song Yi expressionlessly said, "Why don''t you invite Murong Huan along?"


    Quan Le looked at Song Yi with disdain, "How did you even become tenth in our grade with that brain? Murong Huan is a girl, wouldn''t she be spotted immediately if she tried to sneak in?"


    Song Yi crushed the empty soy milk cup in her hand and smiled at Quan Le without the smile reaching her eyes, "Then what am I in your eyes?"


    Quan Le froze, then smacked his forehead, "Damn, I forgot."


    Song Yi: "..."


    How could someone forget something like this? Ridiculous.


    Suddenly, a hand landed on Song Yi''s shoulder, asking, "What are you guys talking about?"


    Speak of the devil - it was Murong Huan.


    Murong Huan sat down beside Song Yi, then looked at Quan Le, seemingly startled, "What happened? Who beat you up?"


    Quan Le: "..."


    So Song Yi explained what had just happened, of course omitting the part where Quan Le forgot she was a girl.


    "Tomorrow''s Saturday, we only have make-up classes in the morning." Murong Huan''s eyes were full of excitement, "Then I want to join you guys too! Let''s go to Saint Yu together at noon!"


    Quan Le disapproved, "But you''re a girl, you can''t get in."


    "You''re so stupid." Murong Huan rolled her eyes at Quan Le, "Won''t it work if I wear a wig and a cap?"


    Quan Le: "Oh right! You''re so smart! Okay! Then it''s settled! I''ll get three Saint Yu uniforms tonight! The three of us will sneak in together tomorrow!"


    "Great! See you then!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    No, wait.


    Who exactly agreed to this?


    Although Song Yi thought this, she was still forced to join these two.


    That evening, Murong Huan''s car drove Song Yi home.


    When getting out of the car, Murong Huan carefully handed Song Yi a bag, saying, "Look at it when you get home, alone."


    So when Song Yi opened the bag and saw the chest binder inside, her hands holding the bag couldn''t help but tremble slightly.


    She didn''t know what to say, except to praise Murong Huan for being so thoughtful.


    *


    The next morning.


    When the bell rang, Song Yi, Murong Huan, and Quan Le met at Class A''s back door.


    Quan Le patted his backpack, "Got three sets of uniforms ready."


    Murong Huan waved the bag in her hand, "Got the wigs ready!"


    Murong Huan then looked at Song Yi''s chest, nodded with satisfaction, "Alright! Let''s go!"


    The three walked down the corridor side by side. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At that moment, a head poked out from Class B''s doorway.


    Looking at the three''s backs, Shen Yujing frowned.


    How strange, why did Quan Le refuse to have lunch with him?


    He said he had something to do at home, but then went to find Song Yi and Murong Huan? What secret was this guy keeping from him?!


    After thinking for two seconds, Shen Yujing grabbed his bag and followed them.


    He wanted to see what secret these three were keeping from him!


    *


    At Saint Yu High School''s entrance.


    Three people wearing Saint Yu school uniforms stood there, peering around.


    Song Yi looked down at the blue and white uniform she was wearing. After getting used to Saint Slee''s suit uniforms, these ordinary uniforms looked quite ugly.


    But Murong Huan didn''t notice at all. She put her hand on Song Yi''s shoulder and raised her other hand to the sky, excitedly saying, "Let''s go! Charge!"


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan, "Your hair is showing, normal high school students can''t possibly have pink hair."


    "What?" Murong Huan immediately reached up to fix her wig, but because her hair was too long and too much, it would give her away no matter what, so she finally lost patience and just put on a cap.


    She raised her hand to the sky again, "Let''s go! Charge!"


    The three walked through Saint Yu''s gates with light steps.


    Meanwhile, under a big tree not far away.


    Shen Yujing''s head poked out from behind once again.


    Looking at the scene before him, Shen Yujing only had four words in his mind¡ª


    He didn''t understand.


    Which one of Quan Le, Song Yi, and Murong Huan was mentally ill? How did they end up sneaking into Saint Yu? This was completely absurd.


    Suddenly someone patted Shen Yujing''s shoulder, asking, "Hey, who are you? What are you looking at?"


    Shen Yujing turned around to see another boy in blue and white Saint Yu uniform looking at him.


    Seeing Shen Yujing not answering, the boy frowned and questioned, "Who are you? I''m the head of the Student Council''s Disciplinary Committee. Don''t you know to call me senior when you see me? Where are your manners? Remember my face, you need to call me senior whenever you see me! No one else''s authority matters except mine, got it? Alright, first tell me your name."


    Indeed, Disciplinary Committee heads were annoying no matter which school they were from.


    So Shen Yujing cracked his knuckles, then grinned at the boy, "Hello, senior."


    Five minutes later.


    Shen Yujing, now wearing a blue and white uniform, also successfully entered Saint Yu High School.


    Because of his poor relationship with Xu Che, their previous fights had only been at the back gate, so this was Shen Yujing''s first time stepping inside Saint Yu High School.


    The environment at Saint Yu Academy wasn''t as impressive as Saint Slee''s, but it made up for it with its simplicity and spaciousness. One glance at the map was enough to understand how to get around.


    At this moment, Song Yi and the others had already disappeared from sight.


    So Shen Yujing took out his phone and called Quan Le, asking directly, "Where are you?"


    Quan Le answered without hesitation, "At home, of course."


    Shen Yujing didn''t call out the lie, but continued asking, "Specifically where?"


    "Specifically... well... it''s because my grandmother broke her leg! I''m about to go to the hospital to see her! Got to go pack my things! *click*¡ª"


    The call was disconnected.


    Shen Yujing stared at his phone screen expressionlessly, then curved his lips into a slight smirk.


    So Quan Le wouldn''t tell him? Well, he had his ways.


    Then Shen Yujing opened his WeChat and switched to his alternate account.


    [Saint Yu High School xx Chat Group]


    [Shen Erchui]: Alert! I saw Quan Le sneaking around our school! He even forced two of our students to guide him around! Said he wanted them to explain everything to him! His attitude is outrageous! This is absolutely insulting!


    [Brother Wang]: How dare he? Who gave him permission to come to our school? Brothers! Search!


    Sure enough, people in the group quickly started sharing information.


    [Report! Not in the library!]


    [Report! Not in the labs!]


    [Report! Not in the teaching building!]


    [Report! He''s in the cafeteria! He''s asking other students to borrow... no, he must be stealing meal cards!]


    Aliali: 6743211ac4f3f33ac42e7315


    [Brother Wang]: Brothers! Let''s go! Let''s catch him for our Brother Che!


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing stuffed his phone in his pocket, grabbed someone to ask for directions, and headed toward the cafeteria.


    In the cafeteria.


    Quan Le, who was enjoying Saint Yu''s signature hand-grabbed pancake, suddenly felt as if a hand had grabbed his fate by the throat.


    He nearly choked, and when he turned around to see Shen Yujing, he was so startled that he actually did choke, quickly standing up, "Cough! Cough! Cough!"


    Murong Huan and Song Yi were also surprised.


    So Murong Huan asked, "Shen Yujing? Why are you here?"


    Shen Yujing''s gaze lingered on Song Yi''s face for a few seconds before turning to Quan Le, saying with a very serious expression, "Brother, big trouble."


    Quan Le was stunned, "Huh?"


    Shen Yujing said with a straight face, "The Saint Yu people know you''ve snuck in! They''re coming to beat you up!!!"

 Chapter 37

    When Quan Le heard this, he became very nervous. He couldn''t even focus on eating his flatbread wrap, and forgot to ask Shen Yujing why he was here. Instead, he anxiously asked, "What should we do?"


    Shen Yujing replied, "What else can we do? Run, of course."


    "Huh?" Quan Le didn''t quite understand. "Run away? But we''ve had so many fights with Saint Yu Academy and never ran before. Wouldn''t running now mean we''re afraid of them?"


    As a man of principle, Shen Yujing knew when to stand firm and when to yield. "Previous fights were fair competitions, so we had nothing to fear. But now we''re in enemy territory - if a fight breaks out, it''ll be us against a mob. We''d be at a disadvantage."


    Song Yi nodded in agreement with Shen Yujing''s point. "He''s right."


    Although everything was happening suddenly and inexplicably, given Quan Le and Shen Yujing''s status, it would be better to avoid any unnecessary conflicts.


    Murong Huan also said, "You should hide for now."


    The three successfully convinced Quan Le, so he stood up to leave.


    Suddenly, shouts erupted from the doorway¡ª


    "Hurry! Get in there! Quan Le is inside!"


    Quan Le: "!!!"


    Shen Yujing: "..." sea??h th§× N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Quan Le swallowed nervously and asked, "Brother Yu, they seem to be here already. What do we do now?"


    After saying this, Quan Le realized no one was responding to him, so he turned around confused.


    In those few short seconds, Shen Yujing had already put on a hat and face mask, covering himself completely except for his eyes.


    Then, to Quan Le''s bewilderment, Shen Yujing sat down in the chair behind them with his back turned, acting as if he didn''t know them at all.


    Quan Le: "?"


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    But Song Yi translated Shen Yujing''s thoughts, "These people are here for you anyway."


    Quan Le: "!!!"


    And so, Quan Le stood there helplessly holding his flatbread wrap, watching as a group of Saint Yu boys rushed in and surrounded him.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged glances, and both took several steps back, pretending not to know Quan Le.


    The leader looked familiar - Song Yi had seen him before, seemingly one of Xu Che''s followers. Others called him Brother Wang.


    Brother Wang rolled up his sleeves and glared at Quan Le menacingly. "How''s the flatbread wrap?"


    Quan Le: "Delicious."


    Brother Wang snatched the wrap from Quan Le''s hand, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it hard. Then he said, "Who gave you permission to eat Saint Yu''s food?"


    Quan Le: "I''m sorry, I won''t eat it again. I''ll leave now."


    After saying this, Quan Le turned to leave.


    "Leave? Not so fast!" Brother Wang waved his hand. "Grab him! Take him to Brother Che!"


    Just as they were about to grab him, Song Yi couldn''t stand by anymore and said, "Wait."


    Murong Huan also spoke up, "Don''t you dare touch him!"


    Brother Wang frowned, clearly having forgotten that he''d seen Song Yi before. "And who are you people?"


    Song Yi said, "We''re from Saint Slee."


    "How interesting. Since when do Saint Slee people get a say here?"


    Brother Wang smirked, then instantly switched to a blank expression. "Take all three of them!"


    Song Yi spoke up calmly, "No need to grab us. We won''t run - we''re actually here to find you."


    "Oh?"


    This finally caught Brother Wang''s interest. He gestured for his followers to stop and looked at Shen Yujing, asking, "What business do Saint Slee people have with us?"


    Song Yi pointed at Quan Le, "Look at his face - it''s all Shen Yujing''s doing!"


    Quan Le: "?"


    Shen Yujing, sitting with his back turned: "??"


    Song Yi walked over and pointed at Quan Le''s dark circles, putting on a deeply pained expression. "Look at the bruises under his eyes. These are from Shen Yujing''s beating. They might not look severe now, but this was from a month ago, and they still haven''t healed! You can imagine how brutal it was!"


    Brother Wang was completely confused. "Shen Yujing is this cruel even to his own friends? He''s not human!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi nodded vigorously, "Exactly! If he can be this brutal to his friend, imagine how he treats us underlings. We have absolutely no human rights!"


    Song Yi started rolling up her pants leg. "Shen Yujing is a psychopath! He loves beating people up. Look at my leg..."


    "Stop, stop." Brother Wang immediately halted her, his expression growing complex. "I believe you. No need to show us."


    Song Yi wiped nonexistent tears from her eyes and continued her litany of completely fabricated crimes against Shen Yujing. She concluded, "He''s just not a good person. We''ve all seen through him now, so we decided to leave the darkness behind and come to Saint Yu to find you!"


    Murong Huan chimed in, "We''ve heard so much about Xu Che. They say he''s the complete opposite of Shen Yujing. You''re so lucky to have such a great leader!"


    "That''s right." Brother Wang immediately picked up on Murong Huan''s words. "Our Brother Che is a good person. He never retaliates even when that bastard Shen Yujing keeps picking fights with him. We''ve had enough of it and said we should teach Shen Yujing a lesson one of these days, but..."


    "BANG¡ª"


    A loud noise interrupted Brother Wang''s insults as Shen Yujing slammed his hand on the table.


    Brother Wang frowned, finally noticing the outsider sitting there, and asked, "Who are you?"


    The Saint Yu students had instinctively kept their distance. With all the commotion earlier, this person had remained calmly seated, unless...


    Shen Yujing stood up and turned around, about to speak, but Song Yi jumped in first¡ª


    "He''s also a student from our school! If we''re talking about Shen Yujing''s victims, he''s suffered the worst - he can''t even speak anymore!"


    Shen Yujing: "...???"


    What kind of strange role had they assigned him?


    "No way? Shen Yujing even commits crimes? What a beast!" Brother Wang said, pointing at Shen Yujing. "This guy really can''t speak?"


    "That''s right." Song Yi nodded sorrowfully, her face full of condemnation for Shen Yujing as she continued her accusations. "At Saint Slee, with that tyrant Shen Yujing around, our lives are worse than ancient slaves! That''s why we came to find you, hoping you could help bring justice!"


    "This is too much, absolutely too much." Brother Wang couldn''t contain himself anymore. "Don''t worry, now that we know about this, we won''t stand idly by. I''ll report this to Brother Che right away, and on Monday we''ll go to Saint Slee to teach Shen Yujing a good lesson!"


    "Thank you, thank you!" Song Yi appeared deeply moved, bowing and grabbing Brother Wang''s hand. "We really appreciate your help!"


    Brother Wang: "It''s our duty to educate such beasts."


    Song Yi continued flattering Brother Wang until he was practically floating on air, then said, "We should head back now. If someone sees us and reports to Shen Yujing, we''ll be in big trouble when he finds out we came to tell on him!"


    Brother Wang nodded understandingly and waved them off. "Go quickly."


    He looked at Quan Le and ordered one of his followers, "Go buy them each a flatbread wrap!"


    Follower: "Yes!"


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    Quan Le, holding the new flatbread wrap: "..."


    Perhaps because accepting food made him feel indebted, despite having fought with Brother Wang so many times before, this was the first time he felt guilty.


    Brother Wang added, "You should leave quickly and be careful not to be seen. If you''re unlucky and Shen Yujing gives you trouble, come find us."


    Song Yi nodded frantically, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Brother Wang!"


    Murong Huan: "Thank you, Brother Wang."


    Quan Le: "...Thanks."


    Even Shen Yujing, as he passed by with his flatbread wrap, hesitated and, despite his extreme reluctance but out of basic courtesy, muttered a thanks.


    Just as they reached the cafeteria entrance, Brother Wang''s furious roar suddenly erupted behind them¡ª


    "Damn it! How did that mute person suddenly start talking? It''s a trap!"


    "Quick! After them! Capture them all!!!"

 Chapter 38

    The four of them broke into a run, with Brother Wang and his gang chasing behind them, creating quite a chaotic scene.


    When they reached an intersection, Quan Le shouted, "Split up!"


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing went left, while Murong Huan and Quan Le headed right.


    As she kept running, Song Yi realized that Shen Yujing had also disappeared somewhere, leaving her all alone.


    What a mess this had become.


    They were supposed to just come watch the school''s anniversary celebration, how did it turn into a grand escape?


    Fortunately, Song Yi was a fast runner. She managed to shake off the two people following her and dashed into a teaching building.


    Song Yi crouched in a corner on the second floor, occasionally peeking down to check below. Once she confirmed no one was searching for her nearby, she finally let out a sigh of relief.


    Well, since she was here...


    She might as well continue watching the anniversary celebration! No point in wasting the trip!


    Thinking that none of those people would recognize her anyway, Song Yi removed her face mask, crouched in the hallway to finish eating her flatbread, then put her mask back on before heading downstairs. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unfortunately, Song Yi got lost - she couldn''t find Saint Yu''s Grand Hall.


    So she stopped a random Saint Yu student, tapping their arm, "Excuse me, how do I get to the hall?"


    When the boy turned around, she saw a familiar face.


    Song Yi exclaimed in surprise: "It''s you?!"


    Their eyes met, and Xu Che asked with slight confusion: "Who are you?"


    Only then did Song Yi remember she was currently "disguised as a boy," so naturally Xu Che wouldn''t recognize her - to him, she was just a stranger.


    Deciding it wasn''t appropriate to reveal her identity in this situation, Song Yi pretended to be just one of Xu Che''s regular fanboys, "Wang Che! I know you! You''re so brave, who at our school wouldn''t know you? I''ve admired you for so long!"


    Xu Che looked down at her, remained silent for a few seconds, then squeezed out two words: "Really?"


    "Of course!"


    Seeing Xu Che''s "skeptical" expression, Song Yi decided to go all out with the act, showering him with excessive compliments, frantically expressing her admiration for him, and praising the friendly and positive learning environment at Saint Yu High School under his leadership.


    As the saying goes, flattery will get you everywhere.


    But in the end, confusion appeared in Xu Che''s eyes as he asked¡ª


    "But aren''t you Shen Yujing''s friend?"


    In that instant, Song Yi''s smile froze on her face.


    There was good news and bad news.


    The good news was that she was wearing a mask, so Xu Che couldn''t see her embarrassment.


    The bad news was that Xu Che clearly knew who she was, and had just listened to her seriously spouting nonsense for a full five minutes in this situation.


    No, wait, she didn''t understand.


    She was dressed as a boy, wearing a mask, with only her eyes showing - how could he still recognize her?


    When Song Yi couldn''t figure something out, she had to find the answer, so she looked at Xu Che and asked, "How did you know it was me?"


    "I didn''t at first," the young man paused for two seconds, then said: "But you got my name wrong."


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Huh?


    Song Yi: "Aren''t you Li Che?"


    Xu Che''s eyes were full of resignation as he took out a lollipop from his school uniform pocket and said to Song Yi, "Hold out your hand."


    Song Yi extended one hand, palm facing up.


    Xu Che held the candy part and used the stick to write the character "Xu" stroke by stroke in Song Yi''s palm.


    He said: "My name is Xu Che, not Zhang, not Wang, and definitely not Li."


    Song Yi nodded thoughtfully, trying to imprint the name in her mind, and repeated softly, "Xu Che, the ''Xu'' from ''Xu Xian''."


    Xu Che nodded, then casually placed the lollipop he was holding into Song Yi''s hand, "This is for you."


    "I have something to attend to, so I can''t show you the way," Xu Che said, then pointed to the path ahead, saying: "Go straight, then turn left and right, and you''ll reach the hall."


    "Thank you." Song Yi gripped the lollipop and walked in the direction Xu Che had indicated.


    After a few steps, as if remembering something, Song Yi stopped and turned back.


    Xu Che was still standing there watching her, though now he had a lollipop in his mouth as well.


    Song Yi waved at him, "Thanks, Xu Xian!"


    With that, Song Yi continued walking forward.


    Xu Che standing there: "..."


    Well, he was used to it by now.


    Xu Che crunched the lollipop and took out a new one from his pocket.


    This one was orange-flavored, the same as the one he''d given her.


    Xu Che didn''t linger there either, but turned and walked in another direction.


    *


    In the hall.


    The anniversary activities were being held here, with air conditioning running in the massive space, making it quite comfortable.


    Song Yi found a seat in the middle row corner and sent her location to the group chat.


    [We Are The Champions]


    [Song Leave]: Meet at the hall.


    [Welcome]: Okay, I''m nearby, just shook off those people, coming right over.


    [Listen to Quan]: I''m in some teaching building right now, hiding in a cabinet in an empty classroom. Wang Chan was chasing me, he''s really persistent! You guys watch the performance first, I''ll come when it''s safe!


    [Lonely Wolf]: What a coincidence! I''m also hiding in a cabinet, though this one''s weird - it''s lying horizontally on the ground.


    [Listen to Quan]: Let''s both stay hidden, we''re their main targets.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Holy crap! Someone came in! What do I do?!


    [Song Leave]: What''s going on?


    [Listen to Quan]: What?


    [Welcome]: What?


    [Lonely Wolf]: I don''t know! They''re saying something about the female lead dropping out! They''re just going to move the props up anyway, if there''s a problem it''s the actors'' responsibility, not the stage crew''s.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Ahhhh!!!!!


    [Song Leave]: Just say what''s happening, stop screaming, don''t be so dramatic.


    [Lonely Wolf]: They''re lifting me up?! What do I do?!


    [Welcome]: Don''t assume the worst, maybe they''re just moving you to a different spot.


    [Listen to Quan]: Stay calm, brother, stay calm.


    [Lonely Wolf]: I keep moving! I think they''re carrying me out! I don''t know where I''m going! What should I do!


    ...


    Thunderous applause erupted around them, apparently the previous performance had just ended.


    Song Yi looked up to see two hosts on stage announcing the next act.


    "Thank you Class X from Year 1 for their wonderful performance. Next, we''ll enjoy a drama presentation of ''Snow White'' by Class 1 from Year 3! Everyone, please give them a warm welcome!"


    Suddenly, someone squeezed into the seat beside Song Yi.


    It was Murong Huan, breathing heavily, with one hand on Song Yi''s shoulder, saying tiredly: "Finally found you."


    Song Yi patted her hand, "Shh."


    Only then did Murong Huan realize she was in the middle of the hall, so she lowered her voice to ask Song Yi, "What performance is on now?"


    Song Yi: "Should be ''Snow White'' if nothing unexpected happens."


    Murong Huan: "What unexpected things could happen?"


    Song Yi shook her head, "Don''t know, let''s watch."


    As the performance officially began, seven male students in various colored costumes first took the stage, playing the seven dwarfs.


    However, these seven students were all tall and robust - rather than seven dwarfs, they looked more like the Seven Calabash Brothers.


    Of course, that wasn''t important.


    Suddenly Song Yi frowned, "Look at the one in the middle, isn''t that Wang Chan?"


    "What?" Hearing Song Yi''s words, Murong Huan immediately scrutinized their faces carefully, then said: "The first one is definitely the guy who was chasing me earlier! No doubt about it! It''s them!"


    Song Yi fell silent.


    How impressive - these guys were chasing them just moments ago, and now they''re on stage performing in a play. Talk about multi-talented.


    These "dwarfs" made a circle on stage, delivered a few lines expressing their sorrow over Snow White''s poisoned unconscious state, then four dwarfs went to the side to carry out a wooden coffin, while the other three brought many flowers to place on the coffin.


    The seven "dwarfs" gathered around the coffin, creating a scene of "crying" together, grieving over beautiful Snow White''s death and condemning the evil queen.


    At this moment, footsteps could be heard, and under everyone''s anticipation, it was time for the prince to make his entrance.


    However, when the prince appeared, both Song Yi and Murong Huan simultaneously fell into silence.


    Murong Huan rubbed her eyes and said, "Am I seeing things? That''s Xu Che!"


    Song Yi nodded, taking out a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapping it, and popping it into her mouth.


    Xu Che had already taken off his blue and white school uniform and was wearing a Western-style prince costume. He clearly wasn''t there by choice, standing expressionless.


    Even so, many people around them let out gasps of amazement.


    Murong Huan said, "I had no idea Xu Che was this popular."


    Both girls became more interested and watched the performance more intently.


    Xu Che exchanged a few words with the leader of the dwarfs, learning that the girl in the coffin was Snow White.


    With a blank expression, Xu Che asked, "I too am deeply saddened by the princess''s passing. May I join you in paying sincere respects to the princess?"


    Song Yi critiqued Xu Che''s performance, "He looks more like the one who murdered the princess, and the type who''d come back to make sure she''s properly dead."


    "He was obviously dragged into this against his will, don''t be too harsh," Murong Huan defended him, her eyes still showing anticipation. "But wait, Saint Yu doesn''t have any female students, so who''s playing Snow White? You know, the one who needs the prince''s true love''s kiss to wake up."


    Song Yi shattered Murong Huan''s fantasy, "High school students aren''t allowed to do kissing scenes, you know."


    Murong Huan pouted but remained hopeful, "Well, you never know."


    So the two continued watching the performance.


    The seven dwarfs gathered around the coffin and worked together to open the lid.


    The next moment, someone sat up in the coffin.


    "Damn! What kind of place is this? It''s suffocating in this coffin..."


    The last word was cut short as Shen Yujing realized where he was.


    Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap!


    These were the only words cycling through Shen Yujing''s mind.


    What the hell was going on? Why was he on stage? Why was Wang Chan and his group surrounding him, and was that Xu Che standing in front of him???


    Shen Yujing''s brain completely stopped working; he felt like he was living in a dream.


    The audience erupted in exclamations, accompanied by chatter from Saint Yu High School students.


    "Hahahahaha, as expected! Even the mosquitoes at our school are male! Who would''ve thought Snow White would be a guy too!"


    "This is the struggle of being at an all-boys school. Couldn''t they at least ask a girl from another school to help play the princess?"


    "Wait, something''s not right. Why isn''t this princess wearing a dress? Even if it''s a male actor, shouldn''t he be wearing a dress and a wig? Why is he still in our Saint Yu uniform?"


    "Hold on, doesn''t he look familiar?"


    "Now that you mention it, he''s not bad looking. But how dare he dye his hair blonde? Oh wait... isn''t that Shen Yujing?"


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    "Who?"


    "You know, Shen Yujing from Saint Slee Academy!"


    ...


    Meanwhile, Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged bewildered looks.


    Song Yi couldn''t believe that Shen Yujing was playing Snow White. Was something wrong with the world, or was it just her?


    Murong Huan pressed her fingers against her philtrum, "Someone please tell me I''m dreaming. This has to be a dream."


    Song Yi opened her mouth and after a long pause, only managed to say four words: "He''s so extra."


    How could a grown man agree to play Snow White?


    Shen Yujing, true to his nature.


    He really was something else, dramatic as always!

 Chapter 39

    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Do you still want to see the kiss scene between the prince and princess?"


    "No, no, no!" Murong Huan shook her head frantically, her face showing complete rejection.


    She couldn''t imagine that scene. Just thinking about it made her want to¡ª


    Barf!!!


    At this moment, the most awkward situation was actually on stage.


    The seven "dwarfs" stared at Shen Yujing with wide eyes, completely caught off guard that their beloved Snow White had turned into their most hated enemy.


    Shen Yujing was equally uncomfortable, feeling thousands of eyes from the audience fixed on him.


    Never mind the audience - he couldn''t even handle the eight pairs of eyes on stage with him right now.


    One against eight? That would be a mob attack!


    He definitely couldn''t win that fight.


    Wang Chan, as the director of this play, naturally couldn''t just stand there doing nothing. He pointed at Shen Yujing and demanded, "Who are you? Where is our Snow White?"


    Shen Yujing''s mind started working quickly. He sat down in the coffin and played along, "Actually, I am Snow White, but I''ve been cursed by the poisoned apple, which is why I''ve transformed into a man."


    Wang Chan asked him, "Then how do we break this curse?"


    Wang Chan was now sweating nervously, but he couldn''t stop - he had to keep the show going.


    Shen Yujing said with a straight face, "We must find the evil queen. Only by finding her can I return to my original beautiful self!"


    Wang Chan glared at Shen Yujing fiercely. This bastard - they hadn''t even arranged for a queen character, how were they supposed to continue the play?


    Shen Yujing turned and shot him a look, "Follow my lead! Even bad acting is better than stopping now."


    Wang Chan realized Shen Yujing had a point. He could only grit his teeth and play along, "Where shall we look for the queen?"


    Shen Yujing pointed toward the audience and shouted, "The queen is right there! She''s sitting in the tenth row, far left! Stop hiding, evil queen!"


    Song Yi: "?" S§×ar?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Tenth row, far left... could it be...


    When all eyes turned toward her at once, Song Yi fell silent, knowing the answer.


    Under everyone''s scrutiny, Song Yi didn''t know whether to sit or stand.


    With great reluctance, resentment, and resignation, she had no choice but to play along and go up on stage.


    The moment Song Yi arrived, Shen Yujing dramatically crawled out of his coffin and hid behind a prop rock on stage, "Evil queen! You''ve finally shown yourself!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Was it her imagination, or did Shen Yujing seem to be really getting into his role?


    Suddenly, one of the dwarfs approached Song Yi and, with his back to the audience, slipped something into her hand.


    Song Yi looked at it - it was a mirror.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi tremblingly raised the mirror and recited that famous line everyone knew, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"


    One of the dwarfs, facing away from the stage, spoke in a falsetto voice, "It used to be Snow White, but now she''s turned into a man! So you must be the most beautiful woman in the world now, my beautiful queen!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Meanwhile, in the audience.


    Quan Le, who had just arrived, squeezed next to Murong Huan. When she saw Shen Yujing and Song Yi standing on stage, her jaw dropped.


    Quan Le exclaimed in shock, "How did they end up on stage? Did they transfer schools in the brief moment I wasn''t looking?"


    Murong Huan opened her mouth, but could only say, "It''s... an accident."


    Quan Le: "Did Wang Chan catch them? Were they forced to perform?"


    Murong Huan was silent for a few seconds, "You could look at it that way."


    After all, she couldn''t really explain this scene either. Better to just see how things played out.


    And then Song Yi had to watch as Shen Yujing proceeded to accuse her of being evil while "crying bitter tears."


    The seven dwarfs chimed in, all sympathizing with the "poor" Snow White.


    Song Yi looked at Xu Che, confusion in her eyes.


    Were there any normal people left in this world?


    How was this play supposed to end?


    Xu Che played the role of a completely cold-hearted prince, only responding when Shen Yujing or the other dwarfs cued him.


    Of course, the most active performers were Wang Chan and Shen Yujing, who carried the entire show.


    This bizarre performance continued for nearly ten more minutes, until Shen Yujing somehow produced an apple from nowhere, took a bite, and offered the other side to Song Yi, "I became a man because of this apple, but the queen has also suffered from its curse - she weeps tears of blood every night. When her tears and blood run dry, that will be her death! The only way to break this curse is for us to share an apple together, using love and warmth to break this evil spell! Queen, are you willing?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    If she agreed, it would at least force a happy ending.


    But if she refused, who knew how much longer this play would drag on.


    So Song Yi took the apple and bit into it.


    Shen Yujing immediately rushed off stage toward Murong Huan.


    Quan Le was confused: "What''s he doing?"


    Murong Huan: "..."


    She had a bad feeling about this.


    Sure enough, the next second Shen Yujing pulled off Murong Huan''s hat and pushed her to stand up, "Quick! You''re Snow White after the curse is broken!"


    Murong Huan: "???"


    Thinking about how Xu Che and Song Yi were already on stage, Murong Huan decided to take one for the team and went up.


    Shen Yujing''s voice replaced the narrator''s as he shouted from below, "The beautiful Snow White has finally broken the curse! From then on, she and the queen reconciled their differences and lived happily ever after!"


    Shen Yujing led the applause, and the audience followed suit.


    As they took their final bow, only one thought ran through Song Yi''s mind¡ª


    This absurd performance was finally over.


    Even if Snow White didn''t have black hair, pink would do.


    In the break room.


    The space wasn''t large, but it was crammed with more than ten people.


    Wang Chan explained the situation, "I asked around - the guy who was supposed to play Snow White ran away at the last minute, and the props team just put you in there. It was our oversight, our fault, we''re sorry."


    Shen Yujing''s personality was like a spring - if someone was stubborn, he''d be stubborn back; if someone apologized, he could too.


    So Shen Yujing said, "If I hadn''t hidden in there, this wouldn''t have happened. It''s our fault."


    Wang Chan: "If we hadn''t chased you, you wouldn''t have hidden there. It''s our fault."


    Shen Yujing: "If we hadn''t snuck in, you wouldn''t have chased us. It''s our fault."


    Wang Chan: "If our relationship wasn''t so bad, you could have just walked in normally instead of sneaking in. It''s our fault."


    Hearing this, Shen Yujing nodded, "That''s right, it''s your fault."


    Wang Chan: "?"


    "Enough," Xu Che, sitting in the main seat, interrupted their meaningless argument. "Let''s set aside the fact that you snuck in. If it weren''t for you, this play would have ended with no lead actress. Whatever the case, we should thank you."


    Shen Yujing lifted his chin proudly, "It''s rare to hear something sensible from your mouth."


    Wang Chan added, "Actually, I think your acting wasn''t bad at all - better than our team members who''ve been practicing for over a year! Even better than Brother Che! He just has good looks, but his acting isn''t half as good as yours. In the entertainment industry, you''d be a serious actor, while our Brother Che would just be a pretty face!"


    Xu Che: "Stop right there, leave me out of this."


    Shen Yujing immediately became smug, "Of course I''m better than him, it''s all natural talent. You weren''t bad either, you could keep up with my acting. We hadn''t even rehearsed, but you knew what I wanted with every line I said."


    "Of course, I''m the backbone of our troupe, I at least have that much ability. But it''s mainly because of your talent."


    They suddenly started a mutual admiration society, and it looked like Shen Yujing was about to join Wang Chan''s performance troupe. These two people who couldn''t stand each other before had suddenly found common ground in the art of performance, becoming increasingly engrossed in their conversation.


    Until¡ª


    Quan Le exclaimed, "This is bad! The video of your performance was recorded and posted on Saint Yu Academy''s forum, and it''s now spread to Saint Slee''s forum as well!"


    Shen Yujing, Song Yi, and Murong Huan: "..."


    At that moment, on Saint Slee''s forum:


    [Shocking! Shen Yujing, Song Yi, and Murong Huan actually participated in Saint Yu''s drama rehearsal! Video in the first post!]


    3rd comment: ???


    6th comment: Well well, this must be the bizarre version of "Snow White."


    11th comment: Shen Yujing actually played Snow White hahahahaha! I''m dying of laughter!!!


    21st comment: Oh my god, what is this? It''s absurd yet hilarious hahahahaha.


    33rd comment: I have to say, Shen Yujing''s commitment to the role is impressive hahahahaha!


    46th comment: Delicate Princess Shen Yujing, Evil Queen Song Yi, and Snow Princess Murong Huan hahahahaha!


    ...


    The four of them walked away from Saint Yu, all bearing an indescribable melancholy except for Quan Le.


    Song Yi pulled out a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket, which Xu Che had given her just before leaving - an entire handful that nearly filled her pocket.


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Where did you get that candy?"


    Song Yi thought for a moment and said, "I suppose it''s our performance fee."


    Shen Yujing: "Why didn''t I get any?"


    Song Yi grabbed some from her pocket and handed them to Shen Yujing, "Here, take some."


    Only then was Shen Yujing satisfied.


    Song Yi soon parted ways with them as she had an appointment that evening.


    The elderly lady from the skewer shop had called and invited her for dinner at her home.


    Unable to decline, Song Yi accepted.


    Now she needed to hurry home, remove her wig, change into more normal clothes, and then go meet the grandmother.


    Meanwhile...


    Looking at the school forum and the group discussions, Hang Feng''s brows furrowed slightly.


    During the last grade trip, he had accidentally stumbled into these people''s world, but it was only a brief stay.


    After that, they should have gone their separate ways, with no need for further interaction.


    Hang Feng clicked the "leave group" button but, after hesitating for a few seconds, changed it to "mute notifications" instead.


    Whatever, it''s all the same.


    In the evening.


    Grandmother''s voice came from outside, "Xiao Feng, go to the supermarket and buy some milk, and get some snacks that young people like. We''re having a guest tonight."


    Hang Feng walked out in his slippers, yawning and asking casually, "What guest?"


    Seeing the crabs on the table, Hang Feng was even more surprised, "You''re willing to spend money on something this expensive? Must be someone important?"


    "A young person about your age, very kind-hearted, has helped grandmother quite a bit," Grandmother smiled warmly. "Now that you''re back too, I want to prepare a good meal for both of you to enjoy."


    Grandmother then took out a cloth pouch from her chest pocket, "Take some money, buy plenty of food for our guest."


    "No need, I have money," Hang Feng said as he walked out in his slippers.


    Since it was someone who had helped his grandmother, he should put some effort into it.


    At this time, Song Yi had left home.


    Halfway there, she realized she hadn''t brought anything.


    Thinking it would be impolite to visit empty-handed, Song Yi began considering what to buy.


    As she walked, she saw an old man selling softshell turtles by the roadside.


    Softshell turtles were good for making nutritious soup.


    So Song Yi went over and asked, "How much are these?"


    The old man said, "Three hundred for one, last one at the lowest price!"


    Song Yi frowned, "Your turtle is quite small, isn''t three hundred a bit steep?"


    The old man slapped his thigh, "What''s wrong with you, young lady? Well, how much would you offer?"


    Song Yi: "Thirty."


    Old man: "?"


    Song Yi: "If you won''t sell, I''m leaving. It''s dark here, and this place is quite remote. You probably won''t find another customer tonight."


    Old man: "But I can''t sell it for thirty! My cost is more than that. At least two hundred and fifty!"


    Song Yi: "One hundred."


    Old man: "Two hundred and thirty!"


    Song Yi: "One hundred and ten."


    Old man: "One hundred and fifty!"


    Song Yi: "Deal."


    Old man: "?"


    In the end, Song Yi successfully bought the turtle for one hundred and fifty.


    The way to grandmother''s house was easy to find, and Song Yi arrived quickly with the turtle.


    But having drunk too much water before leaving, Song Yi awkwardly asked after greeting, "Grandmother, may I use the bathroom?"


    Grandmother nodded and said, "My grandson will be coming back soon too. The outside bathroom is the one I usually use and hasn''t been cleaned in a while, you can use the one in his room."


    Song Yi nodded and followed grandmother''s directions to the grandson''s room.


    Looking at the turtle she hadn''t yet given to grandmother, Song Yi hesitated but decided to leave the bag with the turtle outside the bathroom door before going in.


    Outside...


    Hang Feng walked in carrying a large bag of snacks, tossed it on the sofa, and headed to his room.


    However, the moment he entered, Hang Feng noticed something unusual.


    Why was there a turtle in his room???


    The turtle had escaped from the plastic bag and was crawling on the floor, its ugly head pointing in Hang Feng''s direction.


    Must be seeing things? Must be dreaming?


    Hang Feng took a deep breath, stepped back, and closed the door.


    Then, opened it again.


    This time, the room was empty.


    Hang Feng let out a long sigh of relief.


    It must be because he hadn''t slept well last night; he must have been seeing things.


    How could there possibly be a turtle in his room? That would be too absurd!


    But the next second, the sound of a toilet flushing came from the bathroom, as if to prove Hang Feng wrong.


    Before Hang Feng could process what was happening, he watched Song Yi walk out of his bathroom.


    Upon seeing Hang Feng, Song Yi was also surprised and asked, "Hang Feng? Why are you here?"


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    But Hang Feng didn''t answer her question. Instead, expressionlessly, he closed the door again.


    Then, turned around and headed straight for the front door without hesitation.


    Grandmother saw Hang Feng''s behavior and asked confusedly, "Xiao Feng! Dinner''s ready! Where are you going?"


    But Hang Feng acted as if he couldn''t hear anything, completely ignoring his grandmother''s calls.


    He walked forward like a zombie, expressionless, moving purely on physical instinct, with no idea where he was going.


    Right now, Hang Feng was experiencing a deep existential crisis about himself, life, and the entire world.


    Something even more absurd than his dreams of Song Yi suddenly turning into a turtle-headed creature had just happened.


    In real life, just moments ago, in his home, in his room.


    He had witnessed with his own eyes¡ª


    A turtle turning into Song Yi.

 Chapter 40

    At this moment, Song Yi was also in a state of complete bewilderment.


    Her mind began racing.


    Why would Hang Feng appear here? What was going on???


    The shock of this incident was so great that Song Yi forgot about the turtle she had brought in and walked out in a daze.


    Grandmother placed the last bowl of soup on the table, "Yi Yi, come sit down, dinner''s about to start."


    "Okay." Song Yi nodded and went to sit down.


    Grandmother wiped her hands, her voice full of resignation, "My grandson just came back, did you see him? I don''t know what''s wrong with this child, he suddenly left again."


    Song Yi swallowed, finding her answer.


    Song Yi asked, "Is your grandson called Hang Feng?"


    "Yes." Grandmother couldn''t help but smile at the mention of her grandson, "Oh, do you know each other?"


    Song Yi opened her mouth and said, "Yes, we''re classmates in the same class."


    Hearing this, Grandmother''s face immediately lit up with joy.


    Grandmother said, "What a coincidence! You''re in the same class, that''s wonderful!"


    Song Yi nodded, "Yes, indeed."


    Just then, the door opened, and Hang Feng walked back in from inside - this time he had returned.


    In that brief time, after getting some cold air outside, Hang Feng had come to his senses.


    First, the hypothesis that the turtle had turned into Song Yi was absolutely impossible - he must have been seeing things earlier, there was no turtle.


    Because it wasn''t scientifically possible.


    Therefore, there was only one reason for Song Yi''s appearance at his house today - she must be the guest Grandmother had invited.


    Only after understanding this did Hang Feng dare to return home.


    Grandmother said, "Xiao Feng! Wash your hands quickly, it''s time to eat."


    The three of them sat at the table.


    Grandmother placed a large crab on both of their plates before saying, "Since you''re classmates, that''s even better! Xiao Feng, let me tell you, Yi Yi is a very good child. Earlier when some thugs tried to eat at Grandmother''s stall without paying, she helped chase them away."


    "It was nothing, Grandmother, please don''t mention it." Song Yi then looked at Hang Feng, "No need to thank me, really, we''re classmates after all, don''t think anything of it."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He suddenly understood Song Yi''s hint.


    The young man remained silent for two seconds, then said quietly, "Thank you."


    Song Yi had initially felt it was quite awkward to encounter Hang Feng in such a place, but her personality was such that the more uncomfortable others became, the more comfortable she felt.


    So when Hang Feng''s head kept drooping lower and lower until it was almost in his bowl under her stare, Grandmother spoke again, "Yi Yi, our Xiao Feng doesn''t usually talk much and is quite solitary. Please take care of him more at school."


    Song Yi nodded, "Yes, we haven''t really talked before, but Hang Feng is an excellent student. Although we haven''t interacted much, I''ve wanted to be friends with him for a long time!"


    Hearing Song Yi praise her grandson this way, Grandmother became even happier. Song Yi''s smile seemed very sincere, and the atmosphere at the dinner table appeared harmonious¡ª


    Except for Hang Feng.


    Because he couldn''t understand how Song Yi could tell such lies so convincingly.


    Never talked before? Whenever she falsely accused him of liking her, didn''t she always ramble on endlessly with nonsense?


    Wanted to be friends with him? Did she mean treating him like a beggar and giving him five yuan?


    No interaction? If kissing could be considered no interaction, then what would count as having interaction?


    Hang Feng lowered his head, gripping his chopsticks tighter.


    After instructing Song Yi, Grandmother turned to Hang Feng, "And you, you must take care of Yi Yi at school, understand? She''s a girl, and if she needs help with anything, you must help her, got it?"


    Hang Feng twisted his lips, "She counts as a girl?"


    Grandmother slammed her chopsticks against her bowl, "How dare you speak like that?"


    Faced with Grandmother''s scolding, Hang Feng chose to remain silent.


    Finally, Grandmother patted Song Yi''s hand, "Sweet child, if you need anything at school, just go find him. If he dares not to help you, come tell Grandmother, and I''ll teach him a lesson!"


    "Okay." Song Yi nodded obediently, giving a sweet smile, "Thank you, Grandmother."


    The more Grandmother looked at Song Yi, the more pleased she became.


    The young girl had helped her so many times, was kind and warm-hearted, and coincidentally was her grandson''s classmate.


    Elderly people tend to be very superstitious about fate, and she felt such coincidences proved that Song Yi was destined to be connected to her, or perhaps to her grandson.


    After dinner was finished, Grandmother accompanied Song Yi to the front door, then turned to Hang Feng, "Xiao Feng, walk Yi Yi home, and take all those snacks with you for her."


    Hang Feng always listened to Grandmother''s words, and he knew that if he didn''t escort Song Yi home at this late hour, Grandmother would nag him about it all night.


    "I know."


    The young man carried the dishes to the kitchen, washed his hands, and came out, grabbing the bag of snacks from the sofa.


    He walked to the door and looked at Song Yi, "Let''s go, I''ll walk you home."


    Song Yi refused, "No need, I can go by myself."


    Hang Feng grabbed Song Yi''s ponytail and pulled her along as he walked outside, saying impatiently, "This isn''t up to you."


    "Let go! It hurts! It hurts!" Song Yi was forced to follow behind Hang Feng, but she wouldn''t submit easily. She immediately reached back and pinched a soft spot at his waist, trying to retaliate.


    The sudden physical contact made Hang Feng instinctively tense his body.


    Feeling the change in texture under her hand, Song Yi curiously felt forward a bit more, looking at Hang Feng in surprise, "Oh, you have abs!"


    The young man''s expression froze, the darkness of night concealing his suddenly reddening ears.


    A moment later, Song Yi clicked her tongue twice and continued asking, "Don''t tell me you specifically worked out to get abs because you knew I like guys with abs? Are you trying to seduce me? I admit it, man, I''m attracted to your little tricks."


    Hang Feng: "...?"


    His face, which had just turned red, instantly darkened again.


    Seeing the door wasn''t completely closed and knowing Grandmother was still inside, to prevent her from hearing things she shouldn''t, Hang Feng could only grit out three words, "Let''s go now."


    Song Yi particularly enjoyed opposing him, saying, "Why? Could it be that I hit the nail on the head and you''re too embarrassed to admit it?"


    As she spoke, Song Yi''s hand deliberately moved up a bit more, then forcefully patted Hang Feng''s abs. She used about seventy to eighty percent of her strength and gave a three-word evaluation, "Not bad at all!"


    Having just finished dinner, when Song Yi patted him like this, Hang Feng felt like something was about to churn in his stomach.


    So Hang Feng lost his patience and shoved the bag of snacks directly into Song Yi''s hands to prevent her from touching his body.


    "Can''t you carry it for me?" Song Yi asked strangely, but before she could finish speaking, she suddenly felt the world spinning.


    Song Yi was stunned because the next second, Hang Feng had thrown her over his shoulder with one arm.


    Song Yi: "???"


    What kind of move was this?


    The system that had been offline for ages finally spoke up slowly.


    [Host, if you didn''t act up, this wouldn''t happen]


    Song Yi felt a bit scared now and said, "I won''t touch anymore! Put me down quickly!"


    "Too late." After saying this, Hang Feng carried her downstairs.


    Hanging in the air gave no sense of security at all. Song Yi held the large bag of snacks with one hand while trying to grab Hang Feng''s shirt with the other to maintain balance.


    Song Yi''s legs were kicking wildly in the air, constantly flailing about.


    Hang Feng''s other hand landed on the side of Song Yi''s thigh, then gave it a hard slap, "Move again and I''ll throw you down."


    Song Yi: "Then throw me, if you keep carrying me like this, I think I''m going to throw up¡ªurgh"


    Hang Feng asked, "Did you consider my feelings when you were slapping my abs?"


    Song Yi: "What do these two things have to do with each other?"


    Hang Feng stopped responding to Song Yi and continued carrying her forward.


    Song Yi couldn''t figure out the connection between these two things no matter how hard she thought, though she didn''t have the energy to think about it anymore.


    Song Yi felt she had never been so vulnerable before, like a sack of rice being roughly carried by Hang Feng.


    In other people''s Mary Sue stories, shouldn''t it at least be a princess carry or a piggyback ride?


    Why did it turn into carrying her like a sack of rice in her case?


    Song Yi had never, until this moment, missed being in a Mary Sue story so much.


    Looking at Hang Feng''s skills and strength, if he were to work in construction, he''d definitely be a good¡ª


    Ugh!


    This couldn''t go on, so Song Yi''s right hand struggled to reach around Hang Feng''s neck from the front and landed on his other shoulder.


    Hang Feng frowned, suddenly feeling a hint of foreboding.


    The girl on his shoulder was being unusually quiet, completely unlike her usual character.


    Was she angry?


    Thinking about this, Hang Feng suddenly felt somewhat irritated, so he stopped walking and tried to negotiate with Song Yi, "If you promise to be quiet, I''ll put you down..."


    Before Hang Feng could finish speaking, Song Yi used his shoulder as a pivot point and executed a graceful 180-degree turn in the air.


    Song Yi''s hands quickly switched positions to wrap around Hang Feng''s neck from behind, and her legs tightly wrapped around his waist.


    In the next second, Song Yi''s hands moved to Hang Feng''s shoulders, using this leverage to swing one leg up onto his shoulder.


    The increased weight on his shoulder made Hang Feng instinctively bend forward, stumbling a step before barely maintaining his balance.


    Hang Feng asked, "What are you trying to do?"


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    But Song Yi didn''t answer him. Instead, she took advantage of this opportunity to successfully swing her other leg onto Hang Feng''s other shoulder, settling herself comfortably on top. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not only that, but Song Yi went even further.


    She grabbed Hang Feng''s hair and commanded with mock seriousness, "Forward! Giddyup!"


    Hang Feng: "...Get down."


    Song Yi giggled and threw his earlier words back at him, "Too late."


    At that moment, a middle-aged man walking by with his five-year-old son''s hand in his.


    The little boy looked at Song Yi and Hang Feng in confusion, then excitedly tugged his father''s hand, shouting, "Dad! That sister can ride a horse! I want to ride a horse too!"


    The middle-aged man helplessly crouched down, letting his son climb onto his shoulders.


    As the father and son passed by them, the man shook his head and remarked, "Young people these days sure know how to have fun!"


    Hang Feng: "..."

 Chapter 41

    Hang Feng: "...Come down."


    Song Yi without hesitation: "I don''t want to."


    Hang Feng: "What will make you come down?"


    Song Yi, sitting on Hang Feng''s shoulders, her mind starting to race, "How about you promise me something!"


    Hang Feng: "Go ahead."


    Song Yi: "Let''s be friends."


    Hang Feng: "?"


    Is this strange way of interacting normal between friends?


    Song Yi continued explaining: "Do you know what''s most important in friendship?"


    Hang Feng didn''t understand what she meant, but still answered: "Sincerity?"


    "No, the most important thing is not breaking the law!" Song Yi said seriously: "You have to promise to just be friends with me, you can''t fall in love with me! You also can''t turn evil and imprison me because of unrequited love, and you can''t do anything against my will. Most importantly, you can''t kill me! Imprisonment is illegal! Murder is also illegal!"


    Hang Feng: "...?"


    What was she talking about? What was going through her head all day? He couldn''t understand a single word. S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While Hang Feng was hesitating for these few seconds, Song Yi started vigorously grabbing his hair, lowering her head to his ear and shouting: "Why aren''t you saying anything? Hang Feng! What are you thinking? You haven''t already fallen in love with me and want to imprison me, have you? Hang Feng! Why are you pretending to be deaf again? Say something, Hang Feng!"


    Hang Feng: "...You''re talking too fast, I can''t get a word in."


    Song Yi paused for two seconds, but her hands didn''t stop, continuing to scratch Hang Feng''s head, "Then speak."


    Only after his neat black hair had been turned into something resembling a bird''s nest by Song Yi did Hang Feng finally speak, "I promise, I won''t."


    Song Yi continued questioning him, "You won''t what? Why aren''t you speaking in complete sentences? Are you trying to find some loophole in the language?"


    Hang Feng was silent for a few seconds, but still repeated according to Song Yi''s request, "I promise to just be friends with you, I won''t imprison you because of unrequited love, I won''t do anything against your will, and I definitely won''t kill you. I know murder is illegal."


    Even after Hang Feng said all this, Song Yi still wasn''t satisfied, "What if you don''t keep your word?"


    Hang Feng: "...May lightning strike me?"


    Song Yi: "Not good enough."


    Lightning might not necessarily kill Hang Feng - in which novel has a villain ever died from being struck by lightning? This still wasn''t safe enough.


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes and said: "If I don''t keep my word, I''ll die before I harm you."


    Song Yi thought about it and felt this was acceptable, so she ruffled Hang Feng''s hair again and said: "Alright, then I''ll reluctantly come down."


    The credibility of promises depends on who makes them. If it were Shen Yujing here now, Song Yi wouldn''t believe anything he said.


    But with Hang Feng, his words carried enough credibility.


    Hang Feng slowly crouched down, and Song Yi easily got down from his shoulders.


    Seeing that the first thing Hang Feng did upon standing was to rub his shoulders, Song Yi voluntarily reached out to help massage them, asking enthusiastically: "My good friend, is this pressure okay?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    "Alright, let''s go," Hang Feng said as he started walking.


    "Okay!" Song Yi''s attitude toward Hang Feng made a complete 180-degree turn, and she quickly caught up with him.


    Song Yi called out: "Slow down! My legs, they''re numb! They''re numb!"


    Hang Feng stopped walking. Although he wanted to scold Song Yi and tell her it served her right - after all, it was her own fault for causing all this trouble.


    But seeing the young girl bent over pitifully rubbing her legs, a trace of sympathy crept into his heart.


    Hang Feng expressionlessly extended an arm, "Hold on."


    Song Yi unhesitatingly took his arm, "Thank you! My good friend!"


    Throughout the entire journey, all their interactions revolved around this phrase "good friend."


    Until Hang Feng escorted Song Yi home.


    Before going inside, Song Yi turned back to wave at Hang Feng, "Goodbye! My good friend! Sweet dreams!"


    After saying this, Song Yi didn''t expect Hang Feng to respond to her "friendship," so she went straight inside.


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Hang Feng watched the door close, then lowered his eyes.


    He opened his mouth and said softly: Goodnight.


    Then, Hang Feng went home, completely unaware that the back of his head still looked like a bird''s nest from Song Yi''s ruffling.


    *


    The phone screen was lit up, with only two simple words in the Baidu search bar¡ª


    Friend.


    What is a friend? This was an unfamiliar word for Hang Feng, because due to his antisocial personality, he had never had friends from childhood to now.


    This was the first time someone had actively wanted to be his friend, even if the circumstances were quite bizarre.


    Should his relationship with Song Yi be considered friendship?


    Suddenly, Hang Feng thought of Song Yi''s words from earlier that day, and the oath she made him take.


    Strangely enough, when he repeated it, he had omitted one sentence, a sentence that seemed unimportant at first glance.


    She said he couldn''t fall in love with her.


    Although this statement itself seemed odd, he hadn''t managed to repeat it completely.


    But thinking carefully, all of Song Yi''s words were strange, as if she was very afraid he would hurt her?


    This confused Hang Feng.


    Although he was usually antisocial, he hadn''t done anything that would make Song Yi fear him, had he?


    Unless...


    She had dreamed about him too? Just like he had repeatedly dreamed about the turtle?


    Thinking about it this way, it seemed somewhat reasonable.


    The night had grown late, and Hang Feng soon got up to go to bed.


    But perhaps because this matter still troubled Hang Feng, he woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty.


    So Hang Feng got up groggily, not even turning on the lights as he went out in his slippers to get some water.


    When Hang Feng returned, in the moonlight he saw something strange on his room''s floor, moving slowly.


    Hang Feng was puzzled and turned on the nearby light.


    When the light came on, Hang Feng saw the true form of that thing, and blood rushed to his head as he stepped back three paces.


    An ugly turtle was arrogantly moving around in his room.


    Looking at the turtle before him, Hang Feng hesitated for a moment but still bent down tentatively to wave at it, "Hey! Song Yi? Song Yi? Is that you?"


    The turtle naturally didn''t respond to him and crawled in another direction.


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He suddenly realized how foolish his action just now had been, but still let out a long sigh of relief and closed his eyes.


    He must be dreaming, right? He must be dreaming again!


    If Song Yi''s dreams were this terrifying, he could understand why she had those inexplicable worries.


    Because now a thought had also surged into Hang Feng''s mind - he wanted to go find Song Yi and make her swear¡ª


    That no matter what, she would never turn into a turtle!!!


    *


    The next morning.


    When Song Yi saw Hang Feng come to class with dark circles under his eyes, she asked very puzzledly: "What happened to you?"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer Song Yi''s question, but instead asked: "Did you bring a gift for my grandmother yesterday?"


    "Yes, I bought a large turtle by the roadside..." Song Yi said and then stopped, suddenly realizing: "Wait, where''s my turtle?"


    She remembered taking the turtle with her to the bathroom, then being so surprised at seeing Hang Feng that she forgot about the turtle she had brought.


    Song Yi asked: "What happened to my turtle? Did it die? Was it hurt?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    The turtle was fine, but he had nearly had a problem last night.


    But under Song Yi''s gaze, Hang Feng still answered: "It''s fine, grandmother is keeping it."


    He didn''t mention the latter half of the story, as it was somewhat embarrassing.


    Song Yi didn''t pay much attention to Hang Feng''s words, because compared to Hang Feng''s dark circles and that turtle, there was something more important today¡ª


    The results of the school beauty and school prince contest would be announced at twelve noon!


    At lunch in the cafeteria.


    Murong Huan took Song Yi to a restaurant on the second floor and ordered a table full of dishes.


    Eleven fifty-nine.


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi and asked: "Do you know why I''m treating you to lunch today?"


    Song Yi thought for a moment, "Because you won first place in the school beauty contest?"


    Murong Huan said: "You''re half right."


    At exactly twelve o''clock, suddenly footsteps sounded behind Song Yi, followed by a banner being unfurled that read¡ª


    "Warmly celebrating Song Yi winning first place in the 15th Saint Slee Academy Beauty Queen Contest!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Huh? She got first place???


    And at that moment, something even more absurd happened.


    Piano accompaniment started playing, and Shen Yujing and Quan Le appeared pushing a cake.


    Quan Le: "Congratulations, Song Yi!"


    Shen Yujing looked at her and said seriously, "You just tied with me for first place, don''t get too proud."


    After speaking, Shen Yujing pulled out another banner from behind him and hung it up, which read¡ª


    "Warmly celebrating Shen Yujing winning first place in the 15th Saint Slee Academy Most Handsome Contest!"


    Song Yi raised her hand to interrupt them, "Wait, you already knew the results?"


    Murong Huan answered, "Voting ended at eleven, and since Jiang Yiheng was the former student council president, he naturally had ways to find out early."


    Song Yi was even more confused, "But would Jiang Yiheng really do something this trivial?"


    "Of course not," Shen Yujing quickly answered. "We used his name to ask the Internet Publicity Department director!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well done, that''s so like you all.


    "But wasn''t I behind Lu Qingqing before? How did I end up first?" Song Yi looked at the three of them suspiciously. "Did any of you stuff the ballot box for me?"


    All three shook their heads in denial: "No, no!"


    Murong Huan opened the forum link, intending to show Song Yi the results, but her expression froze.


    Clearly something unexpected had happened.


    Song Yi asked hopefully, "Am I not the Beauty Queen winner after all?"


    Murong Huan nodded and said, "Right, you''re not."


    Song Yi immediately broke into a happy smile, "That''s great! I knew you should be first, congratulations on keeping your title!"


    Murong Huan shook her head, "It''s not me either."


    "Huh?" Song Yi was stunned for a moment, then said disappointedly, "Oh, Lu Qingqing then."


    Murong Huan looked at Shen Yujing, "Congratulations, you won first place in this year''s Beauty Queen Contest."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Quan Le: "??"


    Song Yi: "??? Hahahahahahaha!"


    Murong Huan explained, "Because you played Snow White at Saint Yu Academy, someone put you on the Beauty Queen list."


    Shen Yujing asked in confusion, "Does Snow White in a school uniform even count?"


    Song Yi was laughing so hard she couldn''t stand straight, pointing at Shen Yujing, "Hahahahaha congratulations, Student Shen Yujing! You''re the Beauty Queen! Our classmates really have an eye for beauty!"


    Song Yi then turned to the waiter nearby, "Do you have scissors and tape?"


    The waiter immediately brought them to Song Yi.


    Holding the scissors and tape, Song Yi carefully cut out the three characters for "Shen Yujing" from his banner, and cut out her own name from the banner Murong Huan had made for her, replacing it with Shen Yujing''s name.


    So now the banner read¡ª


    "Warmly celebrating Shen Yujing winning first place in the 15th Saint Slee Academy Beauty Queen Contest!"


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    Song Yi was very satisfied.


    However, in the next second, Shen Yujing snatched the scissors from Song Yi''s hand, along with the piece of banner with her name on it, and then... stuck it onto what was originally his banner.


    So this banner became¡ª


    "Warmly celebrating Song Yi winning first place in the 15th Saint Slee Academy Most Handsome Contest!"


    Song Yi immediately pressed her hand on the back of Shen Yujing''s neck, "What are you doing?"


    If you can''t take it, why drag others down with you?


    But Shen Yujing wasn''t annoyed, instead he looked at her enthusiastically, "Congratulations, Student Song Yi! You''re the Most Handsome! Our classmates really have an eye for identifying handsome guys!"


    Song Yi: "???"


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi and explained, "Also because of your performance on the Saint Yu Academy stage, everyone thought you looked cute in men''s clothing too, so your support rate for Most Handsome also skyrocketed."


    Song Yi: "..."

 Chapter 42

    The "celebration dinner" went well, with Quan Le and Murong Huan quite happy, but Song Yi and Shen Yujing both maintained expressionless faces.


    Why... why did this happen?


    Who wants to be the campus prince/princess anyway!!!


    The result was somewhat unexpected, with students'' votes being more of an entertainment thing. The forum was filled with "hahahaha," and the topic quickly passed.


    In the time that followed, Song Yi felt her interactions with Hang Feng became much more harmonious.


    Perhaps because Hang Feng had made a vow to Song Yi, she no longer felt the previous resistance towards him, and could even treat him as a half-friend as mentioned in their pledge.


    Song Yi also discovered that Hang Feng was quite good at mathematics.


    Though he might not be as good as Jiang Yiheng, he was certainly capable enough for these standardized test papers.


    So every morning when they met, the first thing would be¡ª


    "Good morning!"


    Song Yi would take out her practice book from her backpack, "I came across this problem last night, look..."


    Hang Feng would usually silently look at Song Yi for two seconds before picking up his pen to help her solve it.


    Hang Feng''s explanations were very clear, with only one drawback¡ª


    He had little patience.


    If Song Yi zoned out or didn''t understand after his first explanation, he would absolutely not explain it a second time.


    But usually, Song Yi didn''t need Hang Feng to explain things twice. At such times, she would take out a sandwich from her bag and hand it to him, saying, "Thank you fee."


    The sandwich shop downstairs had just opened and was running a buy-one-get-one-free promotion, which was perfect for showing appreciation.


    However, Hang Feng had no idea his sandwiches were just "by the way" and thought Song Yi was buying them especially for him.


    Until one Monday morning.


    After explaining the problem this time, Song Yi simply went back to her seat without any gesture.


    Hang Feng looked at her, opened his mouth to say something but ultimately remained silent.


    Song Yi felt his gaze and turned around curiously, "What''s wrong?"


    Hang Feng couldn''t hold back and said quietly, "I haven''t had breakfast."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She understood his hint.


    It was quite awkward because the sandwich shop''s promotion had ended, so she only had one sandwich in her bag today.


    So Song Yi steeled herself and split the sandwich in two.


    Calling it half would be an exaggeration; the portion she gave to Hang Feng was at most one-third.


    Hang Feng didn''t reach out to take it, but instead directly bit the small piece from Song Yi''s hand and turned his head away, no longer looking at her.


    Suddenly, Song Yi felt like she was looking at a puppy.


    She had once owned a little black dog, with black fur and black eyes.


    Whenever she fed it, it would take the food and hide in a corner, as if afraid she would snatch it back.


    By the time Song Yi came to her senses, her hand had already patted Hang Feng''s head several times.


    His hair was somewhat coarse, making Song Yi''s palm feel a bit ticklish, but it reminded her even more of her former pet black dog whose fur wasn''t particularly smooth.


    The young man turned to look at Song Yi, his eyes full of surprise, "What are you doing?"


    This wasn''t the first time Song Yi had patted his head! What strange habit did she have?!


    Song Yi awkwardly withdrew her hand and came up with a poor excuse, "Nice hair texture, what shampoo do you use?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    They both thought simultaneously: That was really far-fetched.


    So Hang Feng didn''t answer Song Yi''s question and continued working on his paper.


    Song Yi also took out a book from her bag, and they both tacitly pretended nothing had happened.


    At that moment, at the doorway.


    Shen Yujing, who happened to pass by and witnessed the whole thing: "?"


    What were they doing?


    Why did Song Yi pat Hang Feng''s head? Why were they... why were they so intimate!!!


    Even during lunch, Shen Yujing was still thinking about this.


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s unexpected appearance in the first floor of the cafeteria, Song Yi asked, "Why are you here?"


    Shen Yujing, holding a burger in his left hand and a cola in his right, said seriously, "Can''t I try this cheap food?"


    Of course he could, whatever he wanted.


    So Song Yi ignored Shen Yujing and sat down in a corner with her food tray.


    And Shen Yujing sat across from her.


    Throughout the entire meal, Song Yi felt Shen Yujing''s gaze fixed on her, never moving away for a moment.


    Song Yi couldn''t take it anymore and said, "If you have something to say, just say it."


    Having his intentions exposed by Song Yi, Shen Yujing inexplicably started stammering, "I saw today... you and Hang Feng... just... just..."


    Song Yi: "Just what? Can you stop testing my patience?"


    So Shen Yujing took a deep breath, "Why did you pat Hang Feng''s head? I saw everything!"


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    She didn''t understand what Shen Yujing was doing or thinking.


    He came to find her out of nowhere just to ask such a bizarre question?


    And judging by his expression, he seemed quite dissatisfied, even hurt?


    Wait, what was he hurt about? She hadn''t patted his head.


    That''s what Song Yi thought, and that''s what she asked.


    Faced with Song Yi''s question, Shen Yujing paused for a moment as if thinking, then replied rather unconvincingly: "Don''t you know women shouldn''t pat men''s heads? It''s very undignified for us, it hurts our self-esteem and dignity! So I''m... I''m angry on Hang Feng''s behalf!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    This answer was quite absurd too.


    Song Yi was stunned and asked, "Is it that serious? Just patting someone''s head hurts their dignity? Then since I''ve done it more than once, does that mean I''ve trampled on his personality?"


    This statement made Shen Yujing''s eyes widen.


    What? Song Yi had patted Hang Feng''s head more than once? What was going on between them that he didn''t know about?


    But... she had never patted his head.


    Sunlight streamed through the glass into the room, making the young man''s golden hair appear softer, but his drooping head showed an inexplicable sadness and grievance.


    Song Yi couldn''t understand Shen Yujing''s sudden emotional state, so she reached out her hand¡ª


    Shen Yujing''s lips curved slightly upward, thinking to himself: if Song Yi would pat his head now too, he could let it go.


    Then the next second, Shen Yujing watched as Song Yi''s hand reached toward him and... took his cola???


    "It would be a waste not to drink it," Song Yi said while inserting the straw and taking a big sip.


    The cola was iced, making it very refreshing.


    Shen Yujing looked up, with some annoyance in his eyes, and asked, "You just wanted my cola?"


    Song Yi bit the straw and asked, "What else?"


    Shen Yujing was silent for a few seconds, then took a step back.


    He said, "The hair oil I use is handmade by world-class master craftsmen, priceless and not available on the market. And every two months, special staff come to my home to provide hair treatment."


    Song Yi: "Oh, so?"


    Was this his reason for coming to show off his wealth?


    Seeing Song Yi''s confused look, Shen Yujing couldn''t hold back anymore.


    He bent down to close the distance between himself and Song Yi, grabbed her hand and pressed it to his forehead, "So feel it! It must feel better than Hang Feng''s messy hair!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    She didn''t understand Shen Yujing''s strange competitive spirit, but she still stroked his hair as he suggested.


    The golden strands were much softer than they looked, not as annoying as their owner''s personality, and they did feel quite nice.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but pat a few more times.


    The young man couldn''t help but lift his chin, like a cat being stroked, contentedly narrowing his eyes, and asked proudly, "Isn''t it better than his?"


    The next second, Song Yi grabbed a lock of Shen Yujing''s hair and shook it hard, asking, "Can you hear the water sloshing around in your brain? What''s there to compare about this!"


    The pain made Shen Yujing bare his teeth at Song Yi, and after she let go, he lowered his head to continue eating his burger.


    The cheap fast food, obviously frozen and reheated chicken, and the overly sweet salad dressing made Shen Yujing lose his appetite to continue eating, so he tossed it aside.


    Song Yi asked curiously, "You''re not going to finish it?"


    Shen Yujing looked at the remaining half of the hamburger with utter disdain. "This tastes awful."


    Song Yi rolled her eyes at him. "Young Master Shen, who asked you to stoop so low as to eat on the first floor? There''s still time to go back upstairs."


    Song Yi was completely exasperated with Shen Yujing. How could anyone think hamburgers were bad? KFC and McDonald''s were her favorites!


    Young master, condescending.


    These words carried a sting that made Shen Yujing uncomfortable and displeased.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t help but look at Song Yi, but she kept her head down, eating without sparing him another glance.


    Was she angry with him?


    The moment this thought crossed his mind, the young man''s entire expression crumbled.


    Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6


    Shen Yujing stared intently at his feet, his hands hanging awkwardly at his sides, not knowing where to put them. Finally, he started fidgeting with the hem of his clothes, his index finger tracing circles, like a child who had done something wrong but didn''t know how to make amends.


    How annoying. Sear?h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing ran his fingers through his hair, feeling his thoughts becoming jumbled.


    This continued until Song Yi finished her meal and stood up with her tray.


    Shen Yujing immediately jumped to his feet, grabbing both the hamburger he had abandoned on the table and the cola Song Yi had left behind, then quickly followed behind her.


    Shen Yujing took an angry bite of the hamburger and gulped down some cola.


    Fine! He would eat it all if that''s what it took!


    Why was she even angry? Why was she ignoring him? What was the deal?!


    He hadn''t even complained about how close she was with Hang Feng, so why was she getting upset over something so trivial?


    This is too much! Really too much!!!

 Chapter 43

    Song Yi walked in front, with Shen Yujing following behind.


    Shen Yujing devoured his hamburger at the speed of Zhu Bajie eating ginseng fruit, then quickly gulped down the remaining cola, ignoring how the ice cubes made his teeth ache.


    After finishing, Shen Yujing quickened his pace to catch up with Song Yi, extending his hand in front of her expectantly, saying, "Look!"


    Song Yi stopped in her tracks and looked up at Shen Yujing, "If you dare ask me to throw away your trash, I promise you''ll die a miserable death."


    "No, no!" Shen Yujing immediately protested, explaining: "Look, I finished everything!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Surely being able to finish one''s meal shouldn''t be something worth praising after elementary school?


    But the expectation in Shen Yujing''s eyes was so obvious that Song Yi felt she should say something.


    So she gave a small applause, "Wow!"


    Although he could sense Song Yi''s perfunctory response, Shen Yujing was still satisfied that she was finally talking to him again, and without any barbs in her words.


    He walked alongside Song Yi as they left the cafeteria, but as luck would have it, they encountered an unwelcome guest right at the exit.


    Seeing Hang Feng walking towards the cafeteria, Shen Yujing alertly moved closer to Song Yi, as if unconsciously declaring his territory.


    However, from a distance, Song Yi had already waved to Hang Feng, "Good afternoon! My deskmate!"


    Actually, Song Yi had initially wanted to call out "my good friend," but considering Shen Yujing''s presence, she changed her greeting.


    Hang Feng had grown accustomed to Song Yi''s random greetings these days, but this time her form of address was different.


    Was it because of...


    His presence?


    Hang Feng''s gaze shifted to Song Yi''s side, where that arrogant and annoying blonde guy stood.


    Although they had interacted during the grade trip before, this didn''t change the fact that in Hang Feng''s eyes, he was no different from a stranger.


    But Song Yi seemed quite familiar with him, as they were often together.


    Usually, when Hang Feng encountered Song Yi, he barely acknowledged her, at most responding with a cold "mm."


    But at this moment, as if possessed, Hang Feng lifted his head.


    He looked in Song Yi''s direction, his lips curving into a slight smile, his voice gentler than usual, "Good afternoon, my deskmate."


    Though Hang Feng''s words were directed at Song Yi, his gaze was fixed on Shen Yujing, lingering for a full three seconds.


    Provocation! This was blatant provocation!


    Being male himself, Shen Yujing naturally understood Hang Feng''s intentions.


    So when passing by Hang Feng, Shen Yujing deliberately said, "Song Yi, isn''t Murong Huan going to find you this afternoon? I''ll go with her."


    As expected, Hang Feng looked up at him, his eyes showing a hint of complex emotions.


    The next second, Song Yi replied without hesitation: "No!"


    Shen Yujing, who had just been directly rejected: "?"


    Weren''t they usually hanging out together? Why was she rejecting him today? And in front of Hang Feng!


    Hang Feng''s gaze toward Shen Yujing also changed after Song Yi''s response, from dangerous scrutiny to something like... contempt.


    Yes, contempt was the word.


    Even after walking far away, Shen Yujing couldn''t help but turn back and give Hang Feng''s retreating figure the middle finger.


    What was that look from Hang Feng supposed to mean? Who was he looking down on! Just wait and see!


    But compared to continuing to curse at Hang Feng, Shen Yujing was more concerned about the person in front of him.


    He strode after Song Yi, then poked her shoulder, "Hey, Song Yi! Hey, Song Yi! Hey..."


    Song Yi stopped in her tracks, suddenly turned around and forcefully poked Shen Yujing''s chin while asking, "Is it fun? Is it fun? Is it fun? If you have something to say, just say it! I''m not deaf!"


    "Oh..."


    Shen Yujing responded glumly, asking, "Why did you reject me? Murong Huan can find you but I can''t?"


    Song Yi said, "Because I''m going with Murong Huan to buy some new things for the student council office building. Do you really want to come along?"


    Given Shen Yujing''s relationship with Jiang Yiheng, he wouldn''t possibly want to help the student council - that would be like working for free for Jiang Yiheng...


    "Sure," Shen Yujing agreed immediately, "See you tonight then."


    Song Yi: "?"


    True to his word, Shen Yujing came with Murong Huan after school that evening.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged glances, clearly neither understanding what he was up to.


    But that wasn''t important; they needed to finish the task first.


    As for Shen Yujing? He could be responsible for carrying things.


    The three of them went to a nearby shopping mall and started buying various items, from a new air conditioner for the student council''s break room to an entrance carpet.


    At the moment, the three were in a kitchenware store.


    Murong Huan picked out a new cup for Jiang Yiheng, a light white cup with silver edges, priced at 888 - quite an auspicious number.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing came around from the other side, holding a specially designed toilet-shaped cup, "I think this one suits Jiang Yiheng better."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    She held her tongue.


    Though both Murong Huan and Song Yi ignored Shen Yujing, he still bought the uniquely... well, bizarrely shaped cup.


    Shen Yujing held up the gift bag, asking, "Song Yi, what do you think of this cup? Is it nice?"


    Song Yi looked at him expressionlessly, "If you dare say you''re going to give it to me, I can''t guarantee what might happen next."


    That had been Shen Yujing''s original intention, but Song Yi''s reaction clearly showed she didn''t like the cup.


    So Shen Yujing quickly changed his tune, "No, I meant that Quan Le''s birthday is coming up in about half a year, this is my early birthday gift for him."


    Song Yi remained silent, but Murong Huan shook her head with a sigh, "Quan Le must have had terrible karma in his past eight lives to have you as a friend."


    Shen Yujing wasn''t one to take things lying down, so he retorted, "As if Jiang Yiheng would like that cup of yours, it''s hideous."


    "It''s still better than yours!"


    "That''s debatable!" S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    While these two were arguing, Song Yi unusually stayed out of it.


    Because something more interesting had caught her attention than their bickering.


    At the entrance of a pet food store not far away, a white dog was lying on the ground, with a young man holding its leash, seemingly arguing with the store clerk about something.


    Seeing Song Yi''s gaze fixed in that direction, Murong Huan first recognized who it was, "Isn''t that Xu Che? What''s he doing there?"


    At the mention of Xu Che''s name, Shen Yujing also became interested, "Let''s go watch the show."


    If Xu Che was bullying someone, he would uphold justice.


    If someone was bullying Xu Che, he would applaud and fan the flames.


    Either way, he would stand opposite to Xu Che.


    So the three walked toward the pet store.


    The little white dog saw Song Yi approaching and suddenly stood up, wagging its tail excitedly at her.


    Looking at the white dog on Xu Che''s leash, Song Yi found it strangely familiar, until she saw the scar on its front leg and was sure.


    Song Yi asked in surprise, "Is this the dog from that man''s house last time?"


    Xu Che nodded, "Yes, I took it with me."


    Song Yi was more confused, "But I remember it was a black dog?"


    Xu Che replied, "It was just dirt. After a bath, it turned out like this."


    Song Yi laughed, then asked, "I remember it was quite hostile towards you, how did it end up following you? It seems quite obedient to you now."


    "It had no choice. If it stayed there, that man wouldn''t have spared it," Xu Che said as he rolled up one sleeve, revealing several clear bite mark scars on his wrist, giving a glimpse of how horrific the scene must have been at the time.


    Song Yi reached out with one hand, her fingertips gently touching those bite marks, her beautiful brows furrowing, "It must have hurt a lot."


    The young girl''s fingertips felt warm, and even that light touch seemed capable of gently dissolving all the pain he had endured.


    Xu Che lowered his gaze and said softly, "It''s just a few bites. Given enough time, it will understand who truly cares for it."


    While the two were talking, Shen Yujing''s gaze kept darting between their faces.


    What did this mean? What exactly were these two talking about?


    What was the last time? What secrets are they keeping from him? Why is he always the last to know everything?


    What is Song Yi doing? Put that hand down! Put it down for him!


    Thinking about what happened after meeting Hang Feng today, Shen Yujing decided to hold back his anger for now and wait until they left Xu Che before asking questions.


    He must interrogate them thoroughly! Just how many things are there that he doesn''t know about!


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    Soon after, Xu Che lowered his sleeve and briefly explained to them what had just happened.


    Since this pet shop catered to high-end customers, the staff didn''t want to serve someone with a common mutt, and they assumed Xu Che couldn''t afford anything in their store just by looking at him. They told them to go to the pet shop across the street to buy some cheap dog food instead of wasting their time.


    Song Yi looked at the shop assistant with amusement and asked, "What makes you think he can''t afford anything here?"


    After all, Xu Che was Shen Yujing''s arch-rival, and to be an arch-rival, one must be equal in all aspects, including family background.


    The shop assistant noticed Song Yi and the others, recognizing the Saint Slee Academy emblem on their uniforms. Their attitude immediately softened as they explained, "You don''t understand. We often get customers like this, bringing in street cats and dogs, wandering around, and when we''re not looking, their pets steal food without paying a cent. We''ve seen plenty of these people! In this day and age, with so many beautiful purebred cats and dogs available, anyone keeping street animals must be too poor to afford anything in our store."


    Hearing this, Shen Yujing let out a derisive laugh.


    He looked at Xu Che, "You''re quite patient, aren''t you? Even after she insulted you like that, you still haven''t told her that your family owns this entire shopping mall?"


    Shop assistant: "???"


    Song Yi: "!!!"


    Song Yi: "The weather''s getting cold. Let''s have this pet shop go bankrupt."

 Chapter 44

    Hearing Shen Yujing''s words, the shop assistant became flustered but still tried to maintain composure, saying, "Don''t joke like that."


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, clearly exasperated, "She thinks I''m joking? Do I look like I have nothing better to do?"


    Murong Huan also said with a bright smile, "His surname is Xu. If you don''t believe it, you can directly ask your mall''s manager to come over."


    The shop assistant''s face instantly turned pale, and she immediately apologized, "Dear customer, please don''t be angry. I... I didn''t mean to. It''s all my fault. Please come in!"


    "Tch." Shen Yujing shook his head disinterestedly, waiting for Xu Che to handle the situation.


    However, Xu Che merely shook his head, tugged at the dog leash in his hand, and said quietly, "Let''s go."


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged glances, including Shen Yujing - all three had confusion in their eyes.


    Just like that... he''s letting it go completely?


    Shen Yujing couldn''t stand it anymore and called out, "Hey Xu Che, what kind of good guy act are you putting on?"


    Others might not understand Xu Che, but Shen Yujing had practically grown up with him. He wasn''t the type to take things lying down; at most, he''d just show some restraint.


    Could it be that because Song Yi was here, Xu Che was pretending to be kind and gentle in front of her? How fake could he be?


    Murong Huan chimed in, "Even if you don''t want to fire her, you should at least manage this store and improve the mall''s management system or security work."


    Even the little dog, still lying on the ground, gave a couple of soft barks at the shop assistant who had just scolded it, as if disagreeing with Xu Che''s approach.


    "You''re mistaken. This is his property, it has nothing to do with me," Xu Che said calmly, bending down to pick up the reluctant dog, and walked forward. "Besides, something rotten to the core might as well go bankrupt soon."


    Song Yi pressed her lips together slightly, hearing from Xu Che''s words that his relationship with his family didn''t seem very good.


    Murong Huan blinked her eyes, looking at the items in her hands, "We''re pretty much done shopping anyway, so where should we go now?"


    Looking at Xu Che''s retreating figure, Shen Yujing touched his chin with his free hand and said, "Since we''ve got nothing better to do, why don''t we¡ªfollow Xu Che!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Song Yi: "Are you some kind of stalker?"


    Murong Huan: "I don''t want to."


    Five minutes later. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Xu Che stopped walking and turned to look at the three trailing behind him, asking, "What are you doing?"


    Song Yi: "Uh..."


    Shen Yujing answered brazenly, "Just happening to go the same way! This mall belongs to your family, right? Why do you care so much?"


    Murong Huan: "It is his family''s mall."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He''d spoken without thinking.


    So Shen Yujing had to change his tune and admit, "It''s just that you seemed unhappy, could you tell us what''s wrong so we can cheer up a bit?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She elbowed Shen Yujing in the stomach, causing him to bend over and step back in pain.


    Song Yi lifted her head, smiled at Xu Che, and pointed at Shen Yujing, "He''s worried about you, but he''d rather die than say it properly. Please excuse him."


    Shen Yujing snorted coldly, staring at the back of Song Yi''s head, and couldn''t help but tug at her ponytail, "Hey, don''t make things up."


    What was she doing? Did she think she was being clever, saying such nonsense?


    Song Yi turned back and glared at him.


    Shen Yujing immediately let go and crossed his arms, looking at Xu Che, still asking, "Hey, are you really okay lately?"


    Earlier at the pet shop entrance, Shen Yujing hadn''t figured it out, but now he understood.


    It was almost time for Uncle Xu''s birthday, and every year during this period, Xu Che''s behavior would become very strange.


    For example, when they were children and the Shen family was still neighbors with the Xu family, strange sounds would come from the Xu household during these days.


    Like a woman''s crying, a man''s roaring and scolding, from arguments to physical fights - the worst times even required police intervention.


    Usually, young Shen Yujing would go to the Xu house to provoke young Xu Che, but during this time, the Xu family''s servants would block him at the door. The entire Xu household seemed to become a forbidden zone, not allowing anyone to enter or leave.


    Shen Yujing had once puzzledly discussed this issue with his mother.


    It should be noted that Mrs. Shen''s level of gossip and information-gathering ability in this area rivaled that of the neighborhood aunties'' chat group.


    But faced with this question, Mrs. Shen had shaken her head without answering, only saying, "It''s such a pity, both children are innocent."


    Although Shen Yujing never really understood what was going on with the Xu family, he just remembered not to look for Xu Che to fight during this time period.


    "It''s nothing," Xu Che only answered Shen Yujing with these two words.


    At this moment, there was a candied hawthorn fruit stand beside him.


    So Xu Che turned back to look at Song Yi, pointed at the candied hawthorn fruits, and asked, "Would you like some?"


    "Huh?" Song Yi was stunned for a moment, but due to her love for food, she instinctively nodded, "Sure."


    Murong Huan protested, "Hey Xu Che, what''s the deal? We''ve known each other for over ten years! I want some too!"


    Shen Yujing: "Then I want some too! Don''t try to exclude me! No way!"


    Xu Che didn''t respond but still bought four sticks of candied hawthorn fruits.


    The candied hawthorn fruits came in three sizes - large, medium, and small. Only one large one was left in the cabinet, with the remaining three being medium-sized.


    Xu Che handed medium-sized ones to Murong Huan and Shen Yujing, then looked down at the two sticks in his hand.


    One large and one small, the contrast was stark.


    After hesitating for a few seconds, Xu Che still handed the large one to Song Yi.


    For some reason, from the first time Xu Che saw Song Yi, he thought she had the look of someone who really enjoyed sweets, so every time they met, he couldn''t help but give her different candies.


    Even her cheeks were fair and clean with a bit of baby fat, looking soft like cotton candy.


    At this moment, Song Yi had already bitten into the first candied hawthorn.


    Her cheek bulged on one side, clearly protruding and moving up and down as she chewed, just like a little hamster.


    If he could pinch it, it would probably feel nice.


    When he realized he had such a strange thought, the young man quickly shifted his gaze away from Song Yi''s face.


    Xu Che said, "You can leave your things with the staff on the third floor, they''ll help you deliver them directly to Saint Slee."


    Although Xu Che disdained acknowledging himself as that person''s son and never viewed his possessions as his future inheritance, doing a favor for friends was still acceptable.


    For Murong Huan, while the young lady enjoyed the shopping process and thus preferred to do things herself, she now felt her hands were tired, and since Xu Che could help them, there was no need to have the driver come up later.


    Except for the water cup she bought for Jiang Yiheng - that she wanted to give to him personally!


    After the other items were deposited, Murong Huan seemed to think of something and looked at Xu Che, asking, "By the way, Xu Che, our school is about to hold its anniversary celebration soon, and there are some open invitation spots available. Would you like to come?"


    Xu Che answered, "We''ll see."


    "Then I''ll save one for you," Murong Huan was the type to act on her thoughts immediately, and after speaking, she took out her phone, "Thanks for the candied hawthorn, why don''t we take a group photo?"


    Xu Che instinctively raised his hand to cover his face but lowered it after hesitating for two seconds.


    Although Song Yi didn''t understand why they needed to take a group photo at this moment, she wouldn''t refuse Murong Huan over such a small matter, so she held up the candied hawthorn with one hand and obediently made a peace sign with the other.


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Shen Yujing burst out laughing, "What kind of pose is that? It was popular ten years ago."


    Song Yi was already used to Shen Yujing''s inability to say anything nice and couldn''t be bothered to respond to him.


    Shen Yujing walked to Song Yi''s other side, put on a serious expression, and even kept his hands straight at his sides.


    Song Yi then mocked him, "How are you any better than me?"


    Shen Yujing, who usually never let anyone have the last word, didn''t argue back this time.


    However, at the moment when Murong Huan pressed the camera button, Shen Yujing suddenly lowered his head and bit into the half-eaten candied haw that Song Yi was holding. His other hand draped over her shoulder, and he pinched her cheek from the other side, creating what could be considered an intimate pose between them.


    Song Yi''s eyes widened in pain as she turned to look at Shen Yujing, her face full of astonishment.


    The scene froze at that moment.


    In the next second, Song Yi used her left hand, which had been making a peace sign, to smack Shen Yujing''s forehead hard. "If you have a death wish, just say so."


    Only then did Shen Yujing remove his hand from pinching Song Yi''s cheek, casually biting off the remaining half of the candied haw.


    Song Yi became even more exasperated, reaching out to smack Shen Yujing''s forehead again to vent her frustration. "You''re stealing my food now? Are you part dog or something, Shen Yujing!"


    Shen Yujing couldn''t understand why she would gently pat Hang Feng''s head, yet always be so aggressive with him.


    So Shen Yujing stood on his tiptoes and took several steps backward, practically wearing the words "you can''t reach me" on his face.


    Song Yi was infuriated by his childish, grade-school-level antics, so she jumped up to try to hit his head.


    With that jump, however, she nearly twisted her ankle upon landing, and due to momentum, Song Yi stumbled forward several steps.


    Shen Yujing instinctively reached out his hand to steady Song Yi.


    Song Yi thought desperately to herself, surely she wasn''t about to fall right into Shen Yujing''s arms?


    Oh heavens, oh earth, these unavoidable romantic clich¨¦s...


    Wait, who grabbed her?


    A strong hand gripped Song Yi''s arm, while another hand extended in front of her body, providing double insurance against her falling forward.


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    Oh? She avoided it!


    Song Yi turned her head in surprise to find Xu Che standing beside her, having calmly executed this series of movements.


    Shen Yujing became irritated and stepped forward to swat away Xu Che''s hand that was blocking Song Yi''s waist. "Where do you think you''re putting your hands? Let me tell you something! Don''t you dare get handsy with her!"


    "Oh, is that so?" Xu Che lowered his head to look at Song Yi''s face, reaching out to gently brush his fingertip against the obvious red mark that contrasted with her surrounding fair skin.


    The sensation was even softer than he had imagined, and the temperature at his fingertip seemed to suddenly rise, causing Xu Che to quickly withdraw his hand.


    The young man''s Adam''s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and then he looked at Shen Yujing with amusement, asking: "Shen Yujing, have you figured it out yet? Who''s really the one bullying her?"


    At this moment, the blonde youth''s eyes were filled with undisguised anger. He grabbed Song Yi''s wrist and pulled her directly to his side.


    Xu Che had no intention of competing with him at this point.


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, and after hesitating for a few seconds, he obediently lowered his head and placed her hand on top of it. His voice became pitiful as he said softly, "Go ahead and hit me, hit me all you want, okay?"


    "But you have to promise that once you''re done hitting me, you won''t be angry anymore."

 Chapter 45

    Song Yi stared at the blonde head before her in silence.


    If Shen Yujing had dared to continue arguing with her, Song Yi would have definitely given him a beating.


    But unexpectedly, Shen Yujing lowered his head, and if she kept dwelling on it, she would appear petty.


    So Song Yi reached out and messed up Shen Yujing''s professionally-maintained blonde hair into a bird''s nest as payback.


    Shen Yujing asked her, "Are you still angry?"


    Song Yi replied with exasperation, "I wouldn''t get angry over something this trivial."


    She was telling the truth - given how annoying Shen Yujing could be, if she took everything seriously, she''d make herself sick with anger.


    "Well then..."


    As he spoke, Shen Yujing bent down and bit off another candied haw from Song Yi''s stick, then immediately ran away, shouting, "You said you wouldn''t get angry over something this small!"


    Song Yi yelled, "Shen Yujing!!!"


    What kind of person was he?! Must be part dog! Why did he have to snatch everything?!


    *


    That evening.


    Murong Huan looked at the group photo they took today, her gaze falling on Shen Yujing and Song Yi.


    In the picture, the boy was pinching the girl''s cheeks while biting the candied haw in her hand, looking just like a candid shot of a couple on a date at an amusement park.


    Of course, this was if one ignored the murderous rage in Song Yi''s eyes that could have killed Shen Yujing.


    "Tsk tsk."


    Murong Huan chose to ignore that part, shaking her head thoughtfully¡ª


    They really matched.


    Even though Song Yi said she didn''t like Shen Yujing anymore, they still looked perfect together!


    But if this photo got out and people saw it, it might negatively affect Yi Yi.


    After some thought, Murong Huan decided to send this photo privately to Song Yi and Shen Yujing as a "memento," and then posted another group photo taken before Shen Yujing pinched Song Yi''s cheeks, where everyone was standing properly.


    The animosity between Shen Yujing and Xu Che was well-known at both schools, so this photo quickly spread among gossipmongers.


    After some discussion, everyone concluded that they must have reconciled privately, otherwise Shen Yujing wouldn''t have participated in Saint Yu Academy''s anniversary theater performance.


    Hang Feng also saw this photo.


    The young man remained silent for a long time before finally unblocking a number from his blacklist and dialing it.


    The call was answered within three rings.


    Hang Feng didn''t speak.


    The cold voice on the other end asked, "Did you call just to stay silent?"


    Hang Feng let out a cold laugh, "Xu Che, weren''t you waiting for my call?"


    As Xu Che''s half-brother, Hang Feng didn''t understand Xu Che''s likes, but he knew what he hated.


    And at the top of that list was definitely having his photo taken.


    So when Xu Che''s photo appeared in Murong Huan''s social media post, Hang Feng immediately understood what he was thinking.


    Xu Che didn''t deny it, and said directly, "Next month is his birthday, you should come back."


    Hang Feng sneered, asking Xu Che, "Do you think that''s possible?"


    Go back? Return to their home?


    Just thinking about facing their so-called father made Hang Feng''s stomach turn with disgust.


    Xu Che said calmly, "His health has seriously deteriorated."


    "Oh?" Hang Feng''s voice showed clear interest, "That''s wonderful, no one wants him dead more than I do."


    Xu Che said, "On this point, I actually agree with you."


    Hang Feng snorted coldly, saying nothing.


    And Xu Che''s last words before hanging up were¡ª


    "Think it through carefully. If you don''t come this time, the next time you see him will be at his funeral. There are some things, some words, that you need to get answers for yourself."


    After the call ended, Hang Feng expressionlessly blocked Xu Che''s number again.


    *


    Time flew by, and suddenly there was only one week left until the school anniversary.


    The atmosphere at Saint Slee Academy had changed completely, with almost everyone''s daily life and studies being affected by the upcoming celebration to varying degrees.


    Today was also the day when the final rankings for the anniversary performances would be announced.


    Performing at Saint Slee Academy''s anniversary celebration was an opportunity that countless students dreamed of, and many had submitted applications. The selection process was as rigorous as a talent show¡ª


    Yeah, right!


    Looking at the final list, Song Yi''s hands trembled slightly.


    Why? Just why?


    Even though she hadn''t applied or participated in any preliminary or final trials, her name still appeared on the list! Wasn''t this too arbitrary?!


    The system responded quietly.


    [This is an important plot point for the development of the relationship between the original character and the second male lead Jiang Yiheng, it''s unavoidable~]


    Song Yi: "If I play terribly, will I get expelled?"


    [...]


    [Host can try...]


    Song Yi carefully reviewed the program list again. There were three people performing piano pieces: herself, Jiang Yiheng, and Lu Qingqing.


    The answer was obvious - Lu Qingqing wanted to use Song Yi as a foil to make herself shine.


    Quan Le curiously peered over, asking, "Wow Song Yi, you can play piano? Looking forward to your performance! We''ll make an even bigger banner to support you!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Really unnecessary.


    Because of the anniversary celebration, all students selected to perform were allowed to use the last self-study period each afternoon to practice, and they could seek guidance from school teachers if needed.


    Those performing instruments were assigned individual practice rooms, while dance performances and such had separate rehearsal rooms.


    Although Song Yi wasn''t particularly eager to play the piano, she was hungry.


    So Song Yi bought a rice ball from the convenience store and, after some hesitation, went to the piano room.


    Well...


    Might as well give it a try.


    However, when she reached the piano room, there was an unexpected visitor inside.


    Upon seeing Jiang Yiheng, Song Yi looked confused at the key in her hand and double-checked the room number.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at her and said, "You''re not at the wrong room, come in."


    Song Yi took a bite of her rice ball as she walked in and asked, "Then why are you here?"


    Jiang Yiheng said, "While reviewing the program list, I noticed some issues with your entry. Did you participate in the preliminary trials?"


    "No, I didn''t even apply, but somehow I got selected." Song Yi shook her head and looked at Jiang Yiheng sincerely, "More importantly, I can''t play the piano at all."


    Song Yi then demonstrated by randomly pressing piano keys, making such a racket that Jiang Yiheng frowned and said just one word, "Stop."


    The situation was obvious - someone was plotting against Song Yi.


    Jiang Yiheng understood this and said, "I''ll give you an explanation after the anniversary, but now that the program list has been submitted..."


    "I understand." Song Yi said while taking out her phone, muttering as she typed into search: "Three-day crash course in piano."


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    This looked extremely unreliable.


    So Jiang Yiheng said, "Since it''s already been submitted, we can''t remove items but we can make changes. If you know any other instrument, that would work."


    He paused here, seemingly considering Song Yi''s family background, and added, "If instruments aren''t convenient, vocals would also work."


    Song Yi thought carefully, "Any instrument would work? Actually, I am good at one."


    Jiang Yiheng asked, "What is it?"


    Song Yi: "Suona."


    Jiang Yiheng: "?"


    Song Yi: "Just kidding, it''s the erhu. I''ve studied it for eight years."


    Jiang Yiheng: "...Alright, let''s go with that." S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Since she could play the erhu, what was there to practice?


    So Song Yi stood up, "I''ll be going then."


    "Wait." Jiang Yiheng called out, his calm expression hiding a hint of awkwardness as he looked at her, "Actually, there''s one more thing I came to tell you."


    Song Yi: "Hmm?"


    Jiang Yiheng said, "You were second place in the mountain climbing competition, so you''re also my partner for the anniversary ball."


    Song Yi: "...So?"


    Could we not bring this up? It just reminded her of losing thirty thousand yuan.


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his gaze to look at her, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, "We need to practice."


    *


    In the dance room, the door was slightly ajar.


    As soft music began to play, the cool-faced young man bowed and extended his hand, inviting Song Yi to dance.


    Song Yi felt nervous, "This is my first time dancing, I might not be very good at it."


    After half an hour of instruction, the teacher left. Song Yi wasn''t sure if she had learned properly, so she placed her hand up in position.


    Soon, other students passed by the hallway.


    Song Yi''s screams kept ringing out. Some people knew Jiang Yiheng was there - while some envied her, others were jealous.


    "Does Song Yi not know how to dance?"


    "Such a common peasant. Just from the noise, you can tell Senior Jiang Yiheng is suffering."


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    "Yeah, she can''t even learn such a simple dance? How stupid."


    Meanwhile, inside the dance room.


    Song Yi crouched in the corner, holding out one hand in front of her, "Don''t come any closer. Let''s end this here."


    Jiang Yiheng looked at her, his usually cool voice carrying a hint of difficulty for the first time, "Song Yi, can we try one more dance?"


    "No." Song Yi refused without hesitation, "I''ll just tell everyone I broke my leg and can''t go. I don''t want to dance with you anymore, really don''t."


    Jiang Yiheng walked up to Song Yi and bent down, extending his hand. His voice was encouraging, "One last time, really the last time. Trust me once more, okay?"


    "Really?"


    After hesitating for a while, Song Yi finally reached out and held Jiang Yiheng''s hand to stand up.


    She looked at Jiang Yiheng with a twisted expression, speaking word by word: "First, promise me that this time you absolutely won''t step on my feet."


    She was in so much pain! Her feet were almost ruined by Jiang Yiheng''s stepping!!!

 Chapter 46

    Jiang Yiheng made a promise, but it proved useless.


    Because a minute later, he stepped on Song Yi''s foot again.


    Song Yi let out a cry, instantly releasing Jiang Yiheng and stumbling three steps backward.


    The distance between them was less than two meters, yet it felt like they were worlds apart.


    Although Song Yi wasn''t particularly gifted at dancing either, she was still better than Jiang Yiheng.


    At least in one aspect - she didn''t step on people''s feet.


    Jiang Yiheng wanted to say something, but his expression showed he was at a loss, so uncertain that he didn''t even know where to put his hands.


    Song Yi stared at Jiang Yiheng''s face and said, "I have a question."


    Jiang Yiheng: "Go ahead."


    Song Yi smiled, though the smile carried a hint of gritted teeth, "Is the reason you''re usually so aloof and barely talk to anyone because you''re trying to hide the fact that you can''t do anything?"


    If anyone from Saint Slee Academy had heard Song Yi''s words, they would have laughed out loud. How could the perfect Student God and Department Head Jiang be incapable of anything?


    The young man remained silent for a few seconds before saying softly, "It''s not that I can''t do anything, it''s just..."


    Song Yi asked, "Just what?"


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his gaze, his voice getting even quieter, "It''s just that you''ve seen all the things I can''t do."


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Really? Why didn''t she believe that?


    They stood there in awkward silence, neither knowing what to do.


    Song Yi firmly stood her ground, "I said last time would be the last time!"


    There wouldn''t be a next time! Absolutely not!


    Her foot! Her foot! It really hurt!


    Song Yi glared angrily at Jiang Yiheng, then walked to a nearby chair and took off her shoe to check her foot.


    Her toes were slightly red, but fortunately not swollen.


    Meanwhile, Jiang Yiheng simply left the dance room.


    Song Yi: "?"


    What kind of person was he? He stepped on her foot like that and left without even saying sorry?


    Song Yi internally condemned Jiang Yiheng. With less than ten minutes until class ended, there wasn''t much point in going back to the classroom now.


    So Song Yi decided to rest there for a while and go downstairs after school.


    But less than five minutes later, footsteps approached, and the door opened again.


    Jiang Yiheng walked in quickly, the bangs on his forehead slightly disheveled, his breathing noticeably uneven, clearly having run back.


    Song Yi looked at him puzzled.


    Jiang Yiheng held a bag, from which he took out an ice pack and a pair of black slippers.


    He knelt on one knee in front of Song Yi and gently pressed the ice pack against the top of her foot.


    The cold sensation made Song Yi uncomfortable, and she instinctively tried to pull her foot away.


    But Jiang Yiheng''s other hand quickly grabbed her ankle, saying just two words: "Don''t move."


    The young man''s hands were exceptionally beautiful, slender and fair, and his touch on her ankle was as cool as jade.


    Song Yi felt awkward and said, "Take it off quickly, it''s not that serious."


    It was just being stepped on a few times - yes, it hurt, but it would get better after a while. This was really making a mountain out of a molehill.


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t speak, only pressed the ice pack a little harder.


    At that moment, a breeze blew through the half-closed door.


    Song Yi frowned and said, "Let go, I won''t move."


    Hearing this, Jiang Yiheng finally released his grip.


    He placed the black slippers beside Song Yi''s feet, "I bought these before, they''ve never been worn."


    Song Yi was wearing black leather shoes today, which would indeed rub against her feet if she kept wearing them.


    So Song Yi nodded, "Alright."


    Jiang Yiheng sat down beside Song Yi and said softly with lowered eyes, "I''m sorry."


    "It''s fine." Song Yi didn''t want to dwell on it, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and asked, "Do you really not know how to dance at all?"


    Jiang Yiheng nodded, "Mm."


    Song Yi didn''t understand, "What about before?"


    Given Jiang Yiheng''s status, shouldn''t he have attended such balls frequently?


    Jiang Yiheng answered, "Hide, and if I couldn''t hide, I''d run away."


    Song Yi: "..."


    What an unexpected answer.


    Song Yi asked again, "What about this time? Why didn''t you hide?"


    When asked this question, Jiang Yiheng remained silent for a long time.


    So long that Song Yi thought he wouldn''t answer, and she removed the ice pack, put on the slippers he''d brought, and was about to leave.


    Suddenly, Jiang Yiheng''s voice sounded behind her, "My mother was a dance artist. She loved dancing very much, and that''s why my father fell in love with her."


    "But she loved dancing too much, far more than she loved my father and me. When she was thirty-five, she became very ill. Treatment would have made her gain weight and caused muscle atrophy, limiting her movement, so she refused treatment. Even when my father and I knelt before her begging, she just kept looking down, arranging her dance dress, without sparing us a glance."


    "So in the end, she completely dedicated her life to dance, wearing her beautiful dance dress, dying on the stage she had loved all her life in what she considered her most perfect form."


    At this point, Jiang Yiheng''s hands fell to his sides, his long fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of his clothes.


    He spoke calmly, as if telling a story about someone else.


    Yet beneath this calmness lay endless pain, suppression, and endurance.


    Song Yi pressed her lips together, and suddenly decided to forgive Jiang Yiheng.


    Poor thing, too pitiful.


    Although Song Yi couldn''t understand this kind of passion - in her view, nothing was more important than being alive - she still looked at Jiang Yiheng and asked, "Then why did you suddenly decide to dance now?"


    "I miss her."


    Jiang Yiheng closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cold face, but looking closely, one could see his eyelashes were actually trembling slightly.


    "She''s been gone for a long time, but for some reason, I''ve been dreaming about her often lately. So I want to experience what she loved so much, I want to know why she was willing to give up my father and me, and her own life, for it."


    Unfortunately, he still couldn''t do it well.


    Perhaps it was the inherent rejection and fear that prevented Jiang Yiheng, who usually had such strong learning abilities, from being able to learn dance.


    Song Yi stared at Jiang Yiheng''s face, her mind starting to turn.


    Song Yi asked him, "So you still want to learn this time, right?"


    Jiang Yiheng opened his eyes to look at her and responded, "Mm."


    "Stay here, wait for me!" Song Yi ran a few steps toward the door, then turned back to emphasize to Jiang Yiheng again, "Wait for me, wait for me!"


    Song Yi ran out with her hurt foot, suddenly becoming excited.


    Oh my god! Oh my god! What an arrangement of fate!


    Jiang Yiheng was afraid to dance because of his mother, but Murong Huan was the president of the dance club!


    Since Jiang Yiheng still wanted to learn to dance, she would go find Murong Huan now! Let Murong Huan teach Jiang Yiheng to dance! What a perfect opportunity for them to develop their relationship!


    She would definitely play matchmaker for this!


    Thinking this, Song Yi looked down at the slippers she was wearing.


    Although they looked like ordinary fluffy slippers, they were surprisingly comfortable to wear, like walking on cotton, and the fleece was extremely soft.


    When the dismissal bell rang, Song Yi had just reached the door of Class B.


    As students gradually packed their bags and walked out, Song Yi waved to Murong Huan, "Over here!"


    Murong Huan saw her and walked over.


    Shen Yujing, who was behind her, also saw this and followed along.


    Murong Huan smiled and asked, "Why did you come looking for me?"


    Song Yi glanced at Shen Yujing but still told Murong Huan everything that had just happened.


    There was surprise in Murong Huan''s eyes, "Did Jiang Yiheng tell you this?"


    Song Yi nodded and reached out to grab Murong Huan''s wrist, "Quick! Jiang Yiheng is still in the dance room! Go teach him to dance! It''s time to show your charm!"


    Behind the two, Shen Yujing burst out laughing and poked Song Yi''s forehead with his finger, "What are you talking about? Do you even know what charm is?"


    Song Yi expressionlessly grabbed Shen Yujing''s wrist and started twisting it in the opposite direction.


    "Ouch! Ouch!"


    Shen Yujing shouted, then looked at Song Yi with anxious eyes, "It''s going to break! It''s going to break!"


    Only then did Song Yi let go, immediately grabbing Murong Huan instead, "What are you hesitating for? Hurry up and go!"


    But Murong Huan stood still, making no move to leave.


    Song Yi noticed something was wrong with Murong Huan and asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi, her voice already carrying a suppressed sob, "I never knew about this. I never knew any of it."


    After speaking, Murong Huan broke free from Song Yi''s grip, ran a few steps in the opposite direction, then stopped in her tracks.


    She turned back to look at Song Yi again, wiping her tears with her wrist, and said, "Yi Yi, I know this isn''t your fault, and I know you''re telling me all this for my own good. But right now, I really... can''t control my emotions. I need to go find him right now, I''m sorry!"


    With that, Murong Huan immediately ran downstairs.


    Shen Yujing asked in confusion, "What''s wrong with her? Why is she crying out of nowhere?"


    Song Yi furrowed her brows, Murong Huan''s reaction making her reconsider if there had been something wrong with what she''d just said.


    Soon, Song Yi figured it out and covered her forehead with her hand - the situation seemed rather problematic.


    Murong Huan had liked Jiang Yiheng for so many years and had known him for just as long, yet she never knew this secret about him.


    Yet Jiang Yiheng had easily shared it with her, and what would all this mean from Murong Huan''s perspective?


    Song Yi couldn''t explain to Murong Huan that it might be because she had the "female protagonist''s halo," making it easier to gain Jiang Yiheng''s trust - that reason would sound too absurd.


    "Huh? So you understand what''s going on?" Shen Yujing asked in confusion, then suddenly exclaimed, "Ah!"


    Song Yi, annoyed by his noise, asked, "What now?"


    "I knew these looked familiar, and I finally remembered!" Shen Yujing pointed at the slippers on Song Yi''s feet and asked, "Why are you wearing Jiang Yiheng''s slippers?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Hadn''t Jiang Yiheng said he''d never worn these slippers? How could even Shen Yujing recognize them?


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    So Song Yi asked, "How do you know?"


    Shen Yujing shrugged and replied, "In our first year of high school, Quan Le and I were going through confiscated snacks in Jiang Yiheng''s office right in front of him, and we accidentally opened a box, which made him furious. Later we found out..."


    Shen Yujing suddenly stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening.


    Because later they found out that everything in that box had been left to Jiang Yiheng by his mother, with his initials embroidered on each item, making them extremely precious to him.


    Jiang Yiheng had given something so important to Song Yi? Even a fool would understand what that meant! Could it be that he liked Song Yi?! S~ea??h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing suddenly understood Murong Huan''s earlier emotions, the usual playful sparkle in his almond-shaped eyes instantly vanishing.


    Song Yi, dissatisfied with Shen Yujing''s sudden silence mid-story, pressed on, "Later you found out what?"


    Shen Yujing''s gaze fell back on Song Yi''s slippers, and he said with a straight face, "Later we found out he had an entire box of identical black slippers, all embroidered with his initials in silver thread!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    What? Was that really it? Then Jiang Yiheng was quite a strange person.

 Chapter 47

    On the other side, the door to the dance room was pushed open.


    Jiang Yiheng looked up and froze when he saw Murong Huan walk in. He asked, "Why are you here?"


    "Disappointed to see me?" Murong Huan had clearly been crying, her rabbit-like eyes red and puffy as she looked at him.


    Jiang Yiheng stood up and asked with furrowed brows, "What''s wrong?"


    In Jiang Yiheng''s memory, his fianc¨¦e had always been someone who never backed down from an argument, always carrying herself with an air of arrogance. This was perhaps the first time he had seen her cry.


    Murong Huan didn''t answer. Instead, she lifted her chin and said, "Take me home today."


    Jiang Yiheng refused directly, "I have things to do."


    "I''ve already sent Song Yi home," Murong Huan said, looking at Jiang Yiheng. "Taking me home isn''t a request¡ªit''s an order from your fianc¨¦e."


    Jiang Yiheng''s gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before he finally nodded, "Let''s go."


    The Jiang Family''s driver saw his young master and the Murong Family''s young lady get into the car together, and respectfully greeted Murong Huan.


    Once in the car, Jiang Yiheng said, "Uncle Sun, to the Murong residence first."


    Uncle Sun nodded in understanding, "Right away."


    Murong Huan also looked at Uncle Sun and said just two words, "Partition."


    Uncle Sun immediately understood the young lady''s meaning and raised the car''s privacy partition, thinking to himself how wonderful youth was.


    At that moment, it felt as if only Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng remained in that space.


    Jiang Yiheng said, "What do you really want to say?"


    Murong Huan looked at him, struggling to control her emotions as she asked, "Do you have someone you like?"


    Though the Murong Family and Jiang Family were equally matched in social status, and Murong Huan herself was exceptional in every way, she still felt inferior when facing Jiang Yiheng.


    In Murong Huan''s eyes, Jiang Yiheng was an almost perfect existence, except for his fear of ghosts.


    Everyone knew that Murong Huan had liked Jiang Yiheng since they were children.


    Nothing in this world could make her give up on Jiang Yiheng, except Jiang Yiheng himself.


    Jiang Yiheng shook his head without hesitation, denying, "No."


    Murong Huan asked, "What about Song Yi? Do you like her?"


    At the mention of that name, the young man instinctively avoided Murong Huan''s gaze.


    Realizing this reaction was unnecessary, Jiang Yiheng still thought carefully before answering, "I don''t dislike her."


    "Then what about me?" Murong Huan continued to look at him, stubbornly asking, "Do you like me?"


    Jiang Yiheng was silent for a few seconds. Though this wasn''t the first time he had to reject her, it was still difficult, because the truth often hurts the most.


    But he said it anyway, "I don''t like you."


    Murong Huan''s lips curved in self-mockery.


    "Don''t dislike" and "don''t like"¡ªthough they sounded similar, they conveyed entirely different meanings.


    Though she had expected this answer, it still hurt. S§×ar?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The young lady raised her head to look out the window, fighting back tears in her voice, "Jiang Yiheng, let me tell you something¡ªif you don''t like me, that''s not my problem. It''s because you have no taste. I''ll ask you one more time, are you sure? No one in this world will ever love you more than I do."


    All Jiang Yiheng could offer in response were those two words.


    "I''m sorry."


    "Who wants your apology!" Murong Huan closed her eyes as she spoke, but tears still rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.


    She was truly heartbroken.


    Jiang Yiheng asked her, "Murong Huan, have you ever thought about why you like me?"


    When faced with this question, Murong Huan paused, then shook her head, "I don''t know."


    She really didn''t know.


    She and Jiang Yiheng had known each other for many, many years. She only remembered liking him since they were young, and couldn''t recall if it was love at first sight or if it developed over time.


    Suddenly, Murong Huan felt confused, and her sadness decreased significantly.


    Hmm... she didn''t feel quite so sad anymore???


    Jiang Yiheng said calmly, "You don''t know why you like me, just as I don''t know why I dislike you."


    Murong Huan couldn''t help but turn to look at him, "What do you mean by that?"


    Jiang Yiheng asked her, "Do you remember? You used to give me many gifts, and I threw them all away. The more you liked me and were nice to me, the more I disliked you."


    Murong Huan almost laughed from anger; extreme sorrow was turning to rage. She pointed a finger at him, "Jiang Yiheng, what are you trying to say? I wanted to end things peacefully, but you''re determined to make me furious, aren''t you?"


    Jiang Yiheng pushed down her hand, "Don''t get angry, let me finish."


    "I did dislike you, even rejected everything associated with you, but I thought about it for a long time, and I don''t understand why I acted that way," Jiang Yiheng calmly explained his thoughts. "Looking back now, I realize some of my previous behavior was excessive, but at the time, I wasn''t even aware of it."


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    Murong Huan snorted, "Is this your roundabout way of apologizing? I don''t accept it."


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer, but continued, "It wasn''t until she appeared that I noticed the change."


    Murong Huan frowned, somewhat exasperated, "Jiang Yiheng, although Song Yi and I are good friends, have you considered that I''ve basically just been rejected? Are you being thoughtless or deliberately trying to drive a wedge between us by expressing your feelings for her in front of me?"


    Jiang Yiheng sighed, "Can you please be patient and let me finish?"


    Murong Huan rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and looked out the window, "Go on."


    Jiang Yiheng said, "You''re not as rude and willful as before, and I''m not as averse to you as I used to be. You never had any female friends before, but she''s your first. Actually, it''s not just us¡ªShen Yujing and Quan Le have changed too."


    This finally caught Murong Huan''s interest, and she turned to face him.


    "Quan Le has always been arrogant, excelling at sarcasm. He used to look down on special admission students the most, even believing they didn''t deserve to be in the same school as him. He was the one who previously proposed to the School Board to stop accepting special admission students, but now he gets along well with Song Yi and his former special admission seat mate. And you know Shen Yujing¡ªhe has a volatile temper and doesn''t take orders from anyone. He used to cause chaos in school, always stirring up trouble every few days, but he''s been behaving for a while now. Then there''s Hang Feng, who has attended more classes this semester than in the past two years combined."


    "Strange, isn''t it?" Jiang Yiheng looked into Murong Huan''s eyes, "Though we don''t know why, it seems we''ve all changed since she appeared."


    "It''s as if... we''ve truly come alive for the first time."

 Chapter 48

    Jiang Yiheng''s words left Murong Huan in silence for a long time.


    She seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.


    But since Jiang Yiheng said that, Murong Huan suddenly began to ponder some questions.


    Like her life, her past, and her persistent liking for Jiang Yiheng over the years.


    It had always been without reason, but because he was so outstanding, she had never doubted that there was anything wrong with it.


    But when she thought about it carefully...


    She didn''t really like Jiang Yiheng''s type, did she? Apart from being handsome, having good grades, and coming from a good family, there were no other merits.


    What''s more, she had been chasing after him like a dog for so many years, and the usually proud young lady was also very humble in love... what a joke!


    Why should she be humble in love? It was so absurd!


    Suddenly realizing this, Murong Huan wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and glared fiercely at Jiang Yiheng, "I think you''re right, so now I have the right to suspect, did you put a spell on me?"


    Countless gifts she gave to Jiang Yiheng were discarded on the roadside, countless expressions of her affection were ignored, countless invitations to meet were rejected, and over the years, except in front of their parents, he barely paid any attention to her!


    Was she masochistic? Why should she have spent so many years on someone who would never give her any response, and even lost her dignity to beg her father to arrange a marriage with the Jiang family.


    The more Murong Huan thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt, a sense of unease creeping up her heart.


    Murong Huan didn''t let Jiang Yiheng continue to send her home, but got off the car halfway.


    She looked at Jiang Yiheng sitting in the car, dressed in a uniform, his expression cold and handsome, impeccable in every way, just like in her memory.


    But now, she understood.


    Murong Huan looked up at Jiang Yiheng, "I will cancel the engagement, remember, I broke up with you."


    Jiang Yiheng nodded, "Okay."


    Until the Jiang family''s car drove away, Murong Huan was still standing alone on the roadside.


    Blue sky, white clouds, green grass.


    She took a deep breath, feeling that she had figured it out, but her eyes still couldn''t help but get a little wet.


    So many years of emotional investment made liking him, although inexplicable, also seem natural.


    Suddenly, a voice sounded behind her¡ª


    "Hey? What are you standing here for?"


    Murong Huan turned around and saw Quan Le riding a shared electric scooter.


    Quan Le parked the scooter next to Murong Huan and asked, "Why aren''t you talking?"


    Murong Huan didn''t answer but pointed at the scooter and asked, "Why are you riding this thing? Don''t you think it''s cheap?"


    "I get car sick, comfort is the most important," Quan Le answered without hesitation.


    Quan Le then moved forward a bit and asked her, "Where are you going? Need a ride?"


    After hesitating for a moment, Murong Huan sat behind Quan Le.


    Quan Le''s voice was cheerful, "Hold on tight! Let''s go!"


    "By the way, Murong Huan, be careful, if you see a traffic police officer, jump off the scooter and run away, or we''ll both have to post an apology on social media! So embarrassing!"


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    *


    The next day.


    Song Yi went to Class B, her arms full of snacks, peeking around in Class B looking for Murong Huan.


    Suddenly, a hand pressed down on her head from behind, "Pull your neck back a bit, it''s tiring to watch."


    Shen Yujing said and then let go, taking a bag of biscuits from Song Yi''s arms without hesitation, tearing it open and asking, "What do you want from me?"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    He was really narcissistic.


    Song Yi asked, "Where''s Murong Huan? I can''t see her."


    "Isn''t she here? I just saw her," Shen Yujing said, looking around puzzled, then pointed to a distance, "There! Murong Huan? What are you doing there?"


    Song Yi followed Shen Yujing''s finger and saw Murong Huan standing at the door of Class A, her arms also full of snacks, obviously also looking for Song Yi.


    The sun was good, warm on people''s bodies.


    Basking in the sun, the two girls smiled at each other from a distance of one class.


    The girl''s eyes curved, her dimples faintly visible at the corners of her lips.


    Some tacit understanding had already formed, no need to explain, no need to apologize to each other.


    *


    Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng''s engagement was canceled.


    Although it was a bit more difficult than expected, after Murong Huan''s crying, shouting, and threats at home, Murong''s Father could only agree.


    But for the sake of cooperation between the two families and the impact, this matter was not made public for the time being.


    After the engagement was canceled, the relationship between Jiang Yiheng and Murong Huan became unexpectedly harmonious.


    For example, now.


    The night before the school anniversary dance, Murong Huan was still guiding Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng in practicing dance, with Shen Yujing sitting behind them watching the fun.


    Shen Yujing, with his legs crossed, laughed mockingly, "I say, Jiang Yiheng, your level of incoordination is really a bit ridiculous, isn''t it?"


    In Shen Yujing''s view, Jiang Yiheng, the "perfect student" who had always been number one in everything since childhood, actually had something he was not good at?


    It was interesting.


    But Murong Huan glared at Shen Yujing, "Shut up! Don''t think you''re so great! Jiang Yiheng has made a lot of progress!"


    "Yes, yes," Song Yi nodded as a witness, "He only stepped on my feet three times today, it''s a big improvement."


    Tomorrow, she would stuff more cotton into her high heels, and even if Jiang Yiheng stepped on her again, it shouldn''t hurt.


    This hard time was finally coming to an end!


    When Song Yi learned about Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng canceling their engagement, she was very surprised.


    She asked Murong Huan many questions about her feelings for Jiang Yiheng, and after confirming that Murong Huan really didn''t like Jiang Yiheng anymore and wasn''t just hiding her emotions, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    At the same time, Song Yi also realized something: the current plot development had completely deviated from the original plot.


    Murong Huan, as the villainess, didn''t go crazy for Jiang Yiheng, and she herself had avoided many ambiguous entanglements with the three male leads, everything was developing in a good direction.


    They all lived like this, ordinary and mundane, and the people in front of her, apart from being excessively wealthy, didn''t seem to be much different from ordinary people.


    After practicing the dance one more time, this time it was perfect, Jiang Yiheng successfully completed the whole dance without stepping on Song Yi''s feet once.


    Even if it might just be a fluke, Song Yi still felt so moved that she wanted to cry.


    Sob sob sob... it''s over! Finally over!


    The bell rang at six, signaling the end of classes at Saint Slee Academy.


    Murong Huan came over and wrapped an arm around Song Yi''s, cooing, "Yiyi, can I come to your house for dinner tonight?"


    Shen Yujing looked at Murong Huan and asked sincerely, "What''s wrong with your house?"


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Murong Huan was speechless but still explained, "My house is fine, I just miss Uncle Song''s cooking."


    Shen Yujing, who always caught the wrong point, asked again, "You''ve eaten at Song Yi''s house?"


    "Of course," Murong Huan answered proudly, "And not just once, Uncle Song''s cooking is delicious!"


    Shen Yujing immediately became dissatisfied, clamoring, "Why can Murong Huan eat at your house? I want to go too!"


    Murong Huan retorted, "What''s it to you? I''m Song Yi''s best friend, what right do you have to compare with me?"


    "I''m Song Yi''s best friend!"


    Shen Yujing said, looking at Song Yi with a face full of¡ª


    You''re done if you dare to say we''re not.


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Song Yi said, "Why don''t we all go?"


    "Okay!/No way!"


    "No way!/Okay?"


    Shen Yujing and Murong Huan turned their heads in different directions, both with impatient expressions.


    But obviously, they had both accepted the decision to go together.


    Song Yi hesitated for a moment, looking at Jiang Yiheng, who was left behind, and asked, "Do you want to come?"


    Song Yi thought Jiang Yiheng would refuse, really.


    After all, such a top student like Jiang Yiheng, busy practicing dance during the day, should have something to do at night, right?


    Jiang Yiheng nodded and said softly, "It would be my honor."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Forget it, okay.


    One more or one less doesn''t make a difference, so let''s just bring them all.


    After all, my dad will be very happy to see me bringing so many friends home.


    However, what Song Yi didn''t expect was¡ª


    There was no one home.


    "Ah¡­¡­"


    Song Yi took out her phone and looked at Murong Huan apologetically, "I''ll call my dad to ask."


    While Song Yi was on the phone, Shen Yujing began to examine the house. He had never been to such a place before.


    The old bungalow, narrow space, the entire house might not be as big as a storage room in his home.


    How did Song Yi live in such a place?


    Shen Yujing frowned, the furnishings in the house were also very old, and the only compliment he could give was that it was clean and tidy.


    Murong Huan saw what Shen Yujing was thinking and said softly, "I was also very shocked the first time I came. Although I knew Yi was a top student, my subconscious always thought that such a beautiful girl should live in a beautiful house, without any worries, growing up happily in love."


    Murong Huan''s words suddenly made Shen Yujing realize.


    Right, Song Yi is a top student, the school paid to bring her from No. 7 High School, her family must be in need of money.


    Jiang Yiheng, on the other hand, didn''t join their discussion. He just bent down in the courtyard, playing with the flowers and plants.


    None of them were expensive varieties, and some flower pots were even replaced with broken bowls, but together they looked surprisingly harmonious and beautiful.


    At this moment, Song Yi finally finished her call and said apologetically, "My dad went out on business and might be back very late today."


    Shen Yujing was a bit disappointed and said, "I''m starving."


    Starving?


    Song Yi thought for a moment and found three packets of instant noodles in her room.


    Song Yi asked them, "Do you need to eat something to tide you over?"


    Surprisingly, no one answered her. The three of them stared at the instant noodles in Song Yi''s hand.


    Murong Huan was the first to speak, asking, "Is this instant noodles?"


    Shen Yujing: "I''ve never had it before!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "Neither have I."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Of course, they would be.


    So Song Yi asked, "Have you ever taken a bus?"


    The three of them shook their heads in unison.


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Indeed, it''s the world of Mary Sue.


    So Song Yi cooked all three packets of instant noodles, divided them into three bowls, and served them.


    Shen Yujing picked up his chopsticks first, carefully scooped up a spoonful of noodles, and asked, "Can I eat it directly?"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Otherwise?


    Shen Yujing looked at the noodles in his chopsticks, "This stuff doesn''t seem very healthy."


    Song Yi looked at him expressionlessly, "It''s the only food we have, eat it or leave it."


    Murong Huan also found it hard to swallow, "It smells sour and stinky, is it expired? Or let''s just go out to eat, I''ll treat."


    Song Yi: "Because it''s Laotan Pickled Vegetable Beef Noodles, the pickled vegetables are naturally sour."


    Even though Song Yi said that, the two of them still didn''t move, their expressions clearly showing they were still struggling with the pickled vegetable beef noodles, both thinking that something so smelly must be very hard to eat.


    Shen Yujing used his chopsticks to flip the noodles and asked, "I see the pickled vegetables, where''s the beef?"


    "I think you look like a cow." Song Yi: "Are you going to eat it or not? If not, I''ll eat it."


    As soon as Song Yi finished speaking, Jiang Yiheng picked up his chopsticks and, with a look of determination, scooped up a mouthful of noodles.


    Shen Yujing and Murong Huan both looked at him. They knew Jiang Yiheng usually had a light taste, so this instant noodles definitely wasn''t...


    Jiang Yiheng started eating.


    Murong Huan and Shen Yujing exchanged a glance, both seeing the confusion in each other''s eyes.


    Then the two tentatively picked up their chopsticks again, both breaking through their psychological barriers and putting the strange-tasting noodles into their mouths.


    And with that simple bite, both of them froze, then even started to compete to eat the noodles in their bowls.


    Song Yi sat there watching the three of them, as if looking at three bottomless pits.


    Absurd, really absurd.


    Had these three never eaten before? The delicacies at home couldn''t compare to a bowl of instant noodles outside?


    Shen Yujing was the first to put down his chopsticks, looking at Song Yi with his beautiful peach blossom eyes full of expectation, and asked, "Is there more?"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    The portion of instant noodles was a mystery. For most people, one piece wasn''t enough, but two were unnecessary.


    So now, it was clear that none of the three were full.


    But there really were no more instant noodles at home, the last three packets were in these three stomachs.


    Song Yi hesitated for a moment and asked, "Have you ever had Luosifen?"


    As expected, the three shook their heads in unison.


    Shen Yujing proudly answered first, "But I''ve heard of it! It''s said to be very smelly!"


    Murong Huan showed disdain on her face, "Can it be any smellier than these pickled noodles?"


    As she said this, it was as if she had already become a warrior who had overcome a great difficulty, full of confidence for what was to come.


    Jiang Yiheng said, "I''m fine with anything."


    Murong Huan seemed eager, "Then let''s go now!"


    Thinking about the school celebration tomorrow, Song Yi didn''t plan to wash her hair tonight, so she wasn''t suitable for eating Luosifen.


    So she said, "Next time, we''ll bring Quan Le along."


    "Alright." Murong Huan was convinced by this reason.


    But Shen Yujing said, "But I''m still not full."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Bottomless pit, really a bottomless pit.


    Song Yi took out a bag of biscuits from her pocket and put it in Shen Yujing''s hand, pushing him up with the other hand and said, "Goodbye."


    After sending all three away, Song Yi felt her world was finally quiet.


    Tomorrow is the school celebration, although the performance is something she is good at, the erhu, she still needs to prepare.


    Song Yi opened her wardrobe, inside was a cheap second-hand erhu.


    Besides that, there was the costume for tomorrow''s performance, which Murong Huan had sent over earlier.


    This was the first time Song Yi opened it, inside was a light purple cheongsam, with very fine workmanship.


    Traditional Hua Country musical instruments paired with a cheongsam were very suitable, Murong Huan had good taste, and Song Yi was very satisfied with this outfit.


    The next morning.


    Because of the school celebration, the class time was half an hour later than usual.


    Song Yi had breakfast at home, still wearing the Saint Slee Academy uniform when she left, carrying the erhu and putting the cheongsam for the performance in her schoolbag.


    When Song Yi arrived at Class A, she saw the class culture committee member was counting the number of students participating in the stage performance.


    The culture committee member looked at Song Yi and said, "Students participating in the performance don''t need to attend the opening ceremony, you can go directly to the backstage for makeup and preparation."


    Song Yi nodded in agreement.


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing walked into Class A and handed a bag to Song Yi.


    In the curious gazes of everyone, Shen Yujing said awkwardly, "Good luck with the performance."


    After saying that, the golden-haired boy immediately fled Class A, as if he didn''t dare to stay for a moment longer.


    Song Yi looked down and saw that the bag contained a white gauze dress and a silver crown.


    Immediately, a girl came to Song Yi''s side, exclaimed, "Is this the performance dress? Shen Yujing personally prepared it for you! Wow!"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    She didn''t seem to have told Shen Yujing that she wasn''t planning to perform the piano, this outfit seemed unnecessary.


    But now Shen Yujing had left, Song Yi didn''t want to chase after him to return it, so she just took the bag and headed to the school backstage.


    Rest room.


    Many students who had stage performances today had already arrived, changing into their costumes and starting to do makeup.


    Song Yi''s program was scheduled later, so she wasn''t in a hurry, putting Shen Yujing''s gift bag aside and finding a spot in a corner to sit down.


    Soon, the news of Shen Yujing giving Song Yi a dress spread throughout the school through the forum.


    Although Song Yi was sitting in the corner, she could still feel countless gazes and some whispers around her.


    Song Yi sent a WeChat message to Shen Yujing.


    ¡¾Song You Leave¡¿: Don''t give me things anymore.


    ¡¾Lonely Wolf¡¿: Don''t you like it?


    [Lonely Wolf]: Good thing I came prepared! I have one in pink and one in blue. Should I have the driver bring them over now?


    [Lonely Wolf]: Song Yi? Song Yi?


    [Song You Left]: Others might misunderstand if they see it.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Misunderstand what?


    [Song You Left]: You have too many girls who like you. I don''t want to cause unnecessary trouble.


    [Lonely Wolf]: What do I care who likes me? Who dares to bully you?


    Song Yi: "..."


    It was pointless trying to reason with Shen Yujing.


    Suddenly, a girl walked over and asked gently, "Senior Song Yi? Someone''s looking for you at the entrance."


    Meanwhile.


    Shen Yujing sat in the cafeteria, staring at the chat window lost in thought.


    After a while, he looked up at Quan Le across from him and asked, "If you give something to a girl and she''s not happy about it, saying she doesn''t want to be misunderstood because too many girls like you, what does that mean?"


    Quan Le, while playing a game, replied, "Are you stupid? When she says you have too many girls who like you, isn''t she obviously jealous?"


    Shen Yujing''s Adam''s apple bobbed as he swallowed, stammering, "R-really?"


    Quan Le threw down his phone and shouted excitedly, "Pentakill! Pentakill! Ahhhh I got a pentakill!"


    Quan Le was so excited he almost jumped up, then looked back at Shen Yujing, "What were you saying just now?"


    Shen Yujing: "...Nothing."


    Backstage.


    Song Yi went to the entrance and waited for two full minutes but didn''t see anyone who was supposedly looking for her, so she went back.


    When she returned, Song Yi noticed something was wrong.


    A corner of the dress was visible from the bag on the table, clearly hastily stuffed back in.


    When Song Yi took it out to look, sure enough, the once beautiful white tulle dress was now in tatters.


    So calling her away was just a diversion tactic.


    Song Yi looked down at the dress, then turned to look at the people around her, asking, "Did anyone come here and touch my things?"


    The other girls all avoided Song Yi''s gaze, saying things like "Don''t know" or "Didn''t notice." Sear?h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Some genuinely hadn''t noticed, but others were too guilty to answer, and some were even accomplices.


    A girl with a high ponytail walked over, looked at Song Yi''s dress, and said, "The performance club has some formal dresses stored here. Though they might not fit perfectly, at least they could work as a backup."


    Song Yi shook her head, "Thanks, but no need."


    After all, she wasn''t planning to wear the dress Shen Yujing gave her anyway. She was a bit angry, but it wasn''t a big deal.


    Soon Murong Huan arrived, carrying a huge box. She opened it on the table in front of Song Yi, revealing it was full of makeup.


    Murong Huan urged Song Yi, "Hurry up and change your clothes, I''ll do your makeup."


    Song Yi: "There''s no need, it''s not that impor¡ª"


    Murong Huan pouted at Song Yi, looking aggrieved, "I brought all these makeup products specially because I wanted to do your makeup perfectly myself."


    Song Yi: "...Alright."


    *


    Finally, the principal finished his tedious speech, and the student performances officially began.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le sat in the front row, leaning against each other and yawning.


    It wasn''t that the performances were bad; they just didn''t have an eye for appreciating beauty.


    Quan Le said, "Don''t they get dizzy spinning around like that while dancing?"


    Shen Yujing added, "Doesn''t their throat hurt singing that high?"


    They both clapped half-heartedly, "Amazing."


    Then they both fell completely asleep leaning against each other.


    After waking up, Shen Yujing rubbed his eyes and asked, "When does the piano performance start?"


    Quan Le looked at the program list in his hand, blearily looked at the stage, and after confirming where they were in the program, answered, "Three more performances before Jiang Yiheng."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Quan Le wondered if Jiang Yiheng was really who he wanted to know about.


    Shen Yujing stopped asking Quan Le and instead took the performance list from his hand to look at it himself.


    There were three piano performers in total, appearing in the order: Lu Qingqing, Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng.


    To give the audience a "surprise element," only the performers'' names and order were announced, not the specific pieces they would perform.


    At this moment, Lu Qingqing had already taken the stage.


    She wore a white tulle dress, sat elegantly at the piano, and smiled gently at the audience below.


    Shen Yujing nudged Quan Le and suddenly asked, "What do you think of her dress?"


    Quan Le asked puzzled, "It''s fine, I guess. You like it? Want me to buy you one?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer because he was thinking about the dress he gave Song Yi, which was also a similar white tulle dress.


    But suddenly he felt excited about seeing how Song Yi would look in that dress.


    Soon, Lu Qingqing''s performance ended.


    As she left the stage, she looked toward the entrance to the stage, her lips curving into a smile.


    Her performance this time was very successful, almost perfect, and now it was Song Yi''s turn.


    From her investigation of Song Yi, someone from that kind of family background could only know the basics of piano even if she played. Especially with her and Jiang Yiheng''s performances for comparison, Song Yi would definitely look worse.


    And besides... would someone who didn''t even have a formal dress dare to go on stage?


    As Lu Qingqing thought this, her smile suddenly froze on her face.


    The moment Song Yi stepped onto the stage, her mere presence attracted countless gazes.


    Unlike what Lu Qingqing had imagined, she wasn''t wearing a formal dress, but a light purple qipao.


    This qipao looked as if it had been tailored specifically for Song Yi, hugging her waist and showcasing the gentle beauty of the female form. The light purple added a touch of elegance, yet was appropriately understated for her age, not gaudy at all.


    She carried a small handbag at her wrist, decorated with a string of pearls, making her skin look as white as jade.


    Someone in the audience exclaimed¡ª


    "She looks amazing!!!"


    Discussion immediately broke out.


    "Damn, is that Song Yi? She''s so beautiful!"


    "That figure, that face, absolutely stunning! Who''s falling for her? I am!"


    "Wuwuwuwu she''s so elegant, looks so good in a qipao!"


    "Good at studies and beautiful, besides not being rich, what flaws does she have?"


    "On how to fall in love in one second - I''m smitten!"


    ...


    Looking at Song Yi on stage, Shen Yujing was also momentarily stunned.


    Suddenly he felt glad that Song Yi hadn''t worn the white tulle dress he chose. Compared to how elegant she looked in the qipao, that girlish white tulle dress seemed rather commonplace.


    As Song Yi sat at the piano, just when everyone thought she was about to play, she suddenly turned back and signaled to the staff.


    Then the audience watched as¡ª


    A staff member came on stage holding an erhu.


    The discussions started again¡ª


    Aliali: 67467efbc4f3f33ac45e4cd7


    "Huh? She''s not playing the piano?"


    "What''s that? An erhu?"


    "I don''t understand, but I''m shocked."


    "Whatever, Song Yi could be sawing logs up there and I''d still watch."


    Quan Le looked at Shen Yujing and squeezed out a few words, "Haha... she''s quite unique."


    Shen Yujing remained silent, his gaze fixed on Song Yi on stage.


    Shen Yujing didn''t care much about what Song Yi performed, because it all sounded the same to him anyway, as he couldn''t understand any of it.


    At this moment, Song Yi took the erhu in her hands, then opened her small bag and magically pulled out a black hat and a pair of sunglasses.


    Song Yi put on the hat and sunglasses, looked at the audience seriously, and said, "Hello everyone, I''m Song Yi from Class 3A. Today I''ll present an erhu solo¡ª


    ''Moon Reflected in the Second Spring''!"

 Chapter 49

    There was a commotion from the audience below.


    Some people laughed, while others asked in disbelief, "Erquan Yingyue? Is she joking?"


    "It''s the school anniversary celebration today. What is she thinking, playing this kind of instrument at such an occasion?"


    "Uh... dressed so beautifully to play this?"


    "Pfft¡ªso much for being an honors student, what a disappointment."


    In these students'' eyes, the erhu was often associated with beggars playing outside shopping malls. Such an instrument seemed unworthy of appearing on the prestigious Saint Slee Academy''s anniversary stage.


    True elegant ladies typically excelled at refined instruments like the piano or violin.


    Lu Qingqing had already left the stage, and her worries had ceased the moment she saw Song Yi take out the erhu.


    Lu Qingqing''s heart was full of contempt. What good was an attractive appearance if it was just a deception? That poor person''s essence couldn''t be hidden¡ªclearly someone who couldn''t play piano and had to find something random to save face.


    Unfortunately, Song Yi was too clever for her own good. Running away would have been more dignified than this.


    Thinking this, Lu Qingqing walked over to Shen Yujing''s side. With tender eyes full of affection, she asked, "May I sit here?"


    Shen Yujing gave her a strange look and said, "Sit wherever you want."


    Why was she asking him? He wasn''t reserving seats.


    Although Shen Yujing''s response wasn''t particularly polite, Lu Qingqing still carefully arranged her dress and sat down after receiving his permission.


    As soon as she sat down, Lu Qingqing said, "Shen Yujing, my father asked me to..."


    "Shh." Shen Yujing pressed his index finger to his lips, signaling Lu Qingqing to be quiet. "If you want to sit, just sit. Don''t talk so much¡ªyou''re disturbing me from watching the performance."


    The smile froze on Lu Qingqing''s face, but she quickly adjusted and returned to normal, forcing herself to smile while watching the stage.


    What was there to watch in this kind of performance?


    A poor person playing erhu to beg? It certainly suited Song Yi¡ªat least it would be a useful skill for her future.


    Lu Qingqing thought this way, her smile growing increasingly cold.


    She wanted to see just how well Song Yi could perform.


    Many others shared similar thoughts, and some raised their phones to record the scene on stage.


    Most people here had attended concerts by famous musicians, so they had little interest in Song Yi''s erhu solo. However, they couldn''t deny her beautiful face¡ªpeople''s appreciation for beauty was universal, even with her wearing a black hat and sunglasses.


    Under the audience''s mixture of mockery and curiosity, Song Yi began her performance with complete composure.


    At first, there was still quiet chattering from below, but gradually these voices died down.


    The young woman sat on stage, her sunglasses concealing most of her facial expressions. Her back was perfectly straight, completely unbothered by the gazes from below as she played her music.


    As she played, Song Yi lowered her head, her long hair falling forward over her shoulders. She seemed to be immersed in her own world, and as her hands moved, sorrowful music began to fill the air.


    Soon, the surroundings fell into complete silence.


    Quan Le rubbed his arms and whispered, "I''m getting goosebumps."


    Shen Yujing tilted his chin up and reluctantly commented, "It''s actually not bad." sea??h th§× N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Lu Qingqing glanced at Shen Yujing, then pressed her lips together.


    She knew she shouldn''t disturb Shen Yujing at this moment, but she couldn''t bear to do nothing.


    So Lu Qingqing quickly took out her phone and took a selfie, capturing half of Shen Yujing''s face in the photo.


    Then, like a guilty thief, she lowered her head and turned the screen brightness to minimum, cropping the image.


    In the final photo, there was just the smiling girl, and beside her, only an ear and some golden hair of the boy were visible¡ªlike an unintentional piece of evidence of their intimacy, but enough for everyone to know who he was.


    Lu Qingqing originally wanted to post it on social media, but remembering Shen Yujing was still beside her, she decided to wait until later.


    Lu Qingqing put away her phone, the music in her ears becoming irritating.


    It wasn''t that it didn''t sound good, it just made her feel uncomfortable.


    Lu Qingqing lowered her gaze to her dress, and amid this annoying erhu sound, she unexpectedly recalled some things from her past.


    Like her father, and her family.


    Compared to these privileged elites, she didn''t have a wealthy family. In her childhood, she didn''t even have her own room.


    When she was young, the family of three slept on one bed. After she started elementary school, her father bought a folding bed and slept in the living room, while she shared the bedroom with her mother.


    Although life was hard then, and she would envy her classmates'' chips and yogurt at school, the young Lu Qingqing knew that her parents loved her, and she shouldn''t compare herself with others.


    She needed to study hard, get into a good university, find a good job, and then buy her parents a big house.


    Soon enough, Lu Qingqing''s wish of living in a big house came true, though not through her studies, but because her father was promoted by the company''s chairman.


    Lu''s father was a hardworking person, and by chance, Boss Shen discovered his capabilities and directly promoted him to secretary and assistant.


    Lu Qingqing was happy then because she got her own room and her first beautiful princess dress.


    From then on, her life seemed to become smoother.


    She was naturally pretty, and after her mother''s grooming, she became like a little princess in class, loved by teachers and admired by classmates.


    Lu Qingqing was very happy. She felt fortunate to have a big house, beautiful dresses, endless snacks and yogurt. However, the young Lu Qingqing hadn''t realized that the price for all these possessions would be the loss of her happy family.


    Her father came home later and later, often reeking of alcohol. Her mother cried more frequently, and their arguments increased.


    The first time her father took her to attend a Shen family banquet, he said, "Everything we have now is given by the Shen family. Qingqing, you don''t want to go back to that tiny one-room apartment, right? Dad will work very hard, and you need to be sensible too. Make Boss Shen and Mrs. Shen like you, then we''ll get even more things in the future."


    Make Boss Shen and Mrs. Shen like her?


    Lu Qingqing didn''t fully understand this logic then, but she knew she didn''t want to return to that damp, poor-smelling house, nor did she want to have only two shirts to change during summer again.


    She loved beautiful dresses, playing piano, dancing, and being praised as a little princess.


    Rather than Boss Shen and Mrs. Shen, wouldn''t it be better if the Shen family''s handsome young master liked her?


    So Lu Qingqing fell in love with Shen Yujing at first sight, though it might not have been love at all. She wanted him to like her, so she could live depending on him.


    Just like her father, only using a different method.


    Until her mother screamed madly at her father, "What kind of work requirements? Don''t tell me getting hotel rooms with women is also work-related!"


    Her father''s palm struck her mother''s face as he said coldly, "Don''t say these things in front of the child."


    Her mother, with disheveled hair, gave a cold laugh at her father, "You dare to do it but are afraid of people talking about it? Qingqing will be most ashamed of having you as her father in the future!"


    Lu''s father looked at Lu Qingqing, who was hiding in the corner, and asked, "Qingqing, I''m giving you a choice now. Do you want to go back to our old house, or do you want to persuade your mother to go back to her room and rest?"


    Lu Qingqing hesitated for a long time before walking to her mother and saying, "Mom, Dad is doing this for our family''s good."


    The girl was only in third grade, but growing up in such an environment had made her mature early. She understood everything and made her choice.


    Lu Qingqing smiled at her mother and said, "Mom, this is good enough. We just need money. You can buy the newest bags, I can travel abroad, and everyone will envy us. Nothing else matters."


    Lu Qingqing would never forget that day¡ªher usually gentle and loving mother looked at her not as her beloved daughter, but as if she were looking at a devil.


    That was one of the last times Lu Qingqing remembered seeing her mother, as they divorced soon after.


    Before leaving, her mother asked, "Qingqing, do you want to come with mommy?"


    Lu Qingqing shook her head and said, "I like our home as it is."


    After that, she never saw her mother again.


    Though it happened long ago and should have been mostly forgotten, suddenly remembering it still brought tears to her eyes.


    Lu Qingqing quickly wiped her eyes and looked up at the stage in confusion.


    The erhu performance wasn''t particularly skillful compared to concerts she had attended before, but somehow it had an incredibly moving power to touch people''s hearts.


    How strange, was it because she had been under too much stress lately?


    Lu Qingqing thought this, but quickly realized something was amiss, as she wasn''t the only one affected.


    A girl in the back row was already crying, saying through sobs, "It reminds me of my grandfather. The erhu was his favorite instrument. He used to sit in the garden playing it. I thought it was noisy and unpleasant back then, but now..."


    The girl couldn''t finish her sentence before burying her face in her friend''s shoulder, crying uncontrollably.


    A male student to the right was also wiping away tears, trying to be discreet about it out of embarrassment, but Lu Qingqing still noticed.


    Even a girl in the front row turned around with red eyes asking to borrow tissues.


    Lu Qingqing: "..."


    This was bizarre, truly bizarre. What exactly was wrong?


    Lu Qingqing turned to look at her left side, where the blonde youth was gazing intently at the stage, clearly focused on listening, yet completely unaffected by the sorrowful music.


    Lu Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief.


    She knew it - playing an erhu couldn''t possibly be this mystical.


    But in the next second, Shen Yujing looked strangely at Quan Le and asked, "What are you doing? Are you crying?"


    Lu Qingqing: "..."


    Something still seemed off.


    At that moment, Murong Huan stood nearby with her arms crossed watching the stage. The usually proud young lady''s eyes were red for the second time in recent days.


    The first time was because of Jiang Yiheng, and this time was also because of him.


    The first time was because she liked him and couldn''t let go, this time was because thinking about all these years of unrequited love felt like such a waste of time, and being such a devoted follower for so many years was embarrassing.


    Wuu wuu wuu, it still makes me so angry.


    Why did I like him for so many years... wuu wuu...


    Meanwhile, Jiang Yiheng, who was standing next to the principal and directors, furrowed his brow.


    Song Yi''s performance was good, very moving, to the point where he felt an inexplicable sadness.


    This strange feeling surrounded his heart, and Jiang Yiheng quickly realized the reason.


    Perhaps it was because seeing Song Yi reminded him of tonight''s banquet, where he would have to step onto the dance floor.


    It''s alright, this step had to be taken eventually.


    Jiang Yiheng lifted the corners of his mouth, trying hard to suppress his current less-than-comfortable feelings.


    Suddenly, one of the leaders spoke up, "This student is really excellent. I suddenly miss my daughter - she''s been studying abroad for so long without coming home."


    "I''m thinking about our past years, when Saint Slee Academy was just starting to recruit students and faced so many difficulties. If it weren''t for Old Shen''s investment, we might have gone bankrupt by now."


    "Yes, indeed." Someone agreed, reminiscing about the past. "Principal, do you remember? You were the one who led us to seek out Old Mr. Shen back then."


    At this point, the 80-year-old principal lifted his head and adjusted his reading glasses.


    It was then that others noticed the principal was crying.


    Everyone rushed to offer tissues and consolation, creating a moment of chaos among the leadership group.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi, sitting on stage, hadn''t yet realized what kind of impact her performance had made on the entire Saint Slee Academy.


    As the piece ended, thunderous applause erupted.


    Song Yi stood up and politely bowed to the audience, just about to leave the stage when the host suddenly appeared.


    The delicate-looking youth in a white suit was probably a second-year student; Song Yi hadn''t seen him much before.


    The youth smiled at Song Yi and said, "Senior, please stay."


    The youth then turned to face the audience, "I''m sure everyone, like me, was moved by Senior Song Yi''s performance. Besides us, there''s also someone special who has something to say - our principal! Let''s welcome him with applause!"


    Scattered applause followed. The 80-year-old principal was known for being long-winded, and clearly, no one was in the mood to hear him ramble at this moment.


    However, Song Yi found it strange - why would the principal have anything to say about her erhu performance?


    Still, Song Yi stepped back a couple of paces to give the principal center stage.


    When she saw the principal''s red eyes and nose, clearly showing he had just been crying, Song Yi fell silent.


    What was going on?


    Was her playing so terrible that it had moved the principal to tears?


    Fortunately, the situation wasn''t as bad as Song Yi had imagined. The principal stood on stage and passionately praised her performance.


    For once, the principal didn''t ramble but spoke concisely: "What is art? This is art! Truly good music can strike directly at one''s soul! I recalled many things from the past, including the most difficult days of my life. I believe many students felt the same way - I saw many people crying, didn''t I? Don''t feel embarrassed. We were moved by art, crying for art!"


    Song Yi silently hugged her erhu closer.


    It really wasn''t quite at the level of "art" - such praise seemed a bit exaggerated.


    The audience burst into enthusiastic applause once again.


    As soon as Song Yi left the stage, Murong Huan rushed over to grab her hand, repeatedly saying, "You performed so wonderfully just now! You almost moved me to tears! I nearly cried, and Quan Le actually did cry! Look! He''s still wiping his nose!"


    Quan Le, who had appeared at some point, also had red eyes, but unusually, he didn''t deny it and instead awkwardly said, "I admit, I was truly moved by your performance."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Huh?


    What was all this about?


    What confused Song Yi even more came later - her erhu performance video was recorded by students and posted on the forum.


    Soon, it wasn''t just Saint Slee Academy''s forum; students from other schools began sharing the video as well.


    [Look! Beautiful girl in qipao playing erhu!]


    [When she seriously announced she would play "Moon Reflected on Er-Quan," I thought it would be a joke, but it turned out to be a real expert performance]


    [Wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu wuu so touching I can''t control myself]


    [Is it just me? I cried for as long as she played]


    [Does this music have emotions? Why do I suddenly feel so sad?]


    [It reminded me of my saddest memories...]


    [Same as above +1]


    Within less than an hour, the video spread wildly across all high school forums in the Imperial Capital, with everyone discussing this young woman in sunglasses and qipao playing the erhu.


    The video thumbnail looked strange, making people click out of curiosity, but they ended up being moved to tears by her performance.


    At the end, when she took off her sunglasses during the bow, revealing her beautiful face and giving a shy smile to the audience.


    [Ahhhhh I declare I''m in love]


    [Her smile instantly healed all the sadness from listening to the entire "Moon Reflected on Er-Quan"]


    [So, is she an amateur? Or a performing arts student from some school?]


    [Could this be promotion for a future debut?]


    [I''m calling dibs on being a die-hard fan when she debuts!]


    [Everyone needs to calm down, she''s from Saint Slee Academy, which means her family is either extremely wealthy or she''s exceptionally smart. Don''t try to turn every talented beautiful girl into a potential celebrity]


    Saint Yu High School was no exception to the buzz.


    A young man sat in the last row, leaning back in his chair, holding a milk tea and wearing earphones, having watched the video on his phone three full times.


    It wasn''t quite moving enough to make him cry as others claimed, but it did remind him of certain things.


    Like his not-so-well-behaved younger brother, who wasn''t really that close to him.


    And his grandmother, that frail old woman who never took the initiative to see him because she despised his parents.


    Despite saying they wanted to minimize encounters to avoid Hang Feng seeing them, every time the elderly person saw him, their eyes couldn''t hide their love. The calendar at home clearly marked the times he would visit each month, and when parting, they would secretly slip money and candies into his pocket.


    Though well aware that he wasn''t short of money, to avoid disappointing their younger grandson, the elderly person could only express their care for their older grandson in such clumsy ways.


    Actually, this feeling wasn''t unpleasant at all. It made him suddenly miss them, realizing it had been a long time since he''d gone back to visit her.


    And the elderly person didn''t know that the son she had resented for half her life - his nominal father - was actually near death.


    They say death absolves all sins; he wondered if she would forgive him.


    Xu Che thought about this as he lowered his head to bite the bubble tea straw, though he didn''t actually sip it. He just maintained that position while spacing out, seemingly lost in thought.


    *


    Meanwhile.


    At noon, in Saint Slee Academy''s cafeteria.


    Looking at the forum''s unanimous praise for Song Yi, and thinking about how everyone had red eyes this morning, Shen Yujing still couldn''t understand.


    He looked at Quan Le beside him, then at Murong Huan in front of him, and asked, "Did you all really cry?"


    Murong Huan: "My eyes just got a bit red, that''s all."


    Quan Le: "I just had to wipe my nose, that''s all."


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s skeptical gaze, Murong Huan slammed her chopsticks on the table. "Hey, don''t look at us like that! So what if we cried? We''re not ashamed to admit it. Everyone was crying today anyway, so no one can mock anyone else!"


    Aliali: 674865d2c4f3f33ac47821b0


    "Exactly," Quan Le nodded in agreement. "Didn''t you see how everyone was praising Song Yi? They said her performance could make people recall their most painful and sad memories. It''s normal to cry!"


    Song Yi couldn''t bear to watch anymore and tried to mediate: "Let''s just eat and not argue."


    Though Song Yi had initially found this situation unreasonable too, when she remembered that she was the protagonist, everything suddenly made sense.


    Being the protagonist meant nothing was impossible, hmm.


    Shen Yujing thought for a few seconds and said, "But forget about crying, I didn''t feel sad at all."


    Murong Huan let out a cold laugh, "Heh."


    Quan Le rolled her eyes, "Heh heh."


    Song Yi nodded perfunctorily: "Mm-hmm, let''s eat, let''s eat."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    How could he convince them that he wasn''t just saving face? He really wasn''t affected at all!

 Chapter 50

    Shen Yujing wanted to howl in frustration, but clearly, no one would believe him.


    He could only silently put on his headphones and secretly replay the video recording in his pocket once more.


    While the erhu music was indeed sorrowful, it had no substantial effect on him - if anything, it made his food taste even better.


    Shen Yujing posted on Saint Slee Academy''s anonymous forum:


    [Why don''t I feel sad when listening to Song Yila''s erhu?]


    1st post: Oh my, OP must have a heart of steel


    6th post: As someone who went through a box of tissues, I can''t believe this.


    9th post: I don''t understand, are there really people who don''t get emotional listening to Song Yila''s erhu?


    12th post: Is OP some kind of cold-blooded monster? Even Song Yi''s erhu can''t move you?


    15th post: +1 to the above, besides a cold-blooded monster, I can''t imagine anyone remaining unmoved by Song Yi''s erhu performance


    ...


    Shen Yujing''s hands trembled slightly as he held his phone.


    Why... why was this happening?


    Why was everyone moved by Song Yi''s performance while he alone seemed so out of place?


    Could it be that these people were right - was he really a cold-blooded monster?


    No! Impossible!


    At that moment, Quan Le suddenly looked up at Shen Yujing, "Seriously, were you really completely unmoved by Song Yi''s performance? Didn''t it make you think of anything sad at all?"


    Murong Huan put down his chopsticks and analyzed, "If Shen Yujing really didn''t feel anything, then..."


    "That''s impossible!" Shen Yujing couldn''t bear to hear more and immediately interrupted Murong Huan, "I was sad! Of course I was sad! How could I be unmoved? How could I be a cold-blooded monster!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Quan Le: "No one called you a cold-blooded monster, why are you so worked up?"


    "I..."


    Shen Yujing opened his mouth, wanting to explain but suddenly started stammering.


    Oh right, it was the people on the forum who said that, not them - why was he feeling guilty?


    So Shen Yujing immediately relaxed and said, "Never mind, let''s eat."


    Although Song Yi and the others found Shen Yujing''s reaction strange, they didn''t think too much about it.


    Just as lunch was about to end, someone suddenly walked past their table.


    A pair of fair, slender fingers placed a strawberry milk on the table in front of them. Song Yi looked up and said with some surprise, "Hang Feng? What brings you here?"


    "Congratulations, your performance was wonderful." The young man lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on Song Yi''s face, his thin lips slightly pursed.


    His expression carried complex emotions, as if he had gathered all his courage to come find Song Yi.


    "Thank you." Song Yi looked up and smiled at Hang Feng, then tried to return the strawberry milk to his hand, "But this isn''t necessary."


    Hang Feng didn''t take it back, his narrow eyes showing a hint of stubbornness as he looked at her, "You said you''d be friends with me."


    Song Yi narrowed her eyes, her memory returning to that night.


    Well, that did seem to have happened.


    Since she had already said those words, it wouldn''t be appropriate to refuse now.


    So Song Yi moved the milk aside slightly, "Well, thank you then."


    "Hey." Shen Yujing looked at Hang Feng and suddenly extended his hand, "Let''s be friends too."


    Before Hang Feng could react, Shen Yujing forcefully shook his hand and immediately sat back down.


    The next second, Song Yi watched as Shen Yujing snatched away the strawberry milk that "symbolized friendship" from her hands.


    Song Yi asked curiously, "What are you doing?"


    Shen Yujing inserted the straw and took a drink, saying matter-of-factly, "We''re all friends here."


    Then he looked at Hang Feng and asked, "Want something to eat? My treat?"


    Hang Feng ignored Shen Yujing and instead expressionlessly took out another bottle of strawberry milk from his other pocket, placing it again in front of Song Yi.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    How did he have a backup plan?


    So Shen Yujing immediately looked at Quan Le, signaling him with his eyes.


    Years of understanding allowed Quan Le to catch his meaning instantly. He immediately stood up, also wanting to shake hands with Hang Feng, "Why don''t we become friends too..."


    "No." This time Hang Feng reacted quickly, instantly pulling his hand behind his back, then looked at Shen Yujing, "That goes for you too."


    After saying this, Hang Feng turned and left, clearly not taking any of them seriously.


    Murong Huan took a sip of the drink on the table, expressing what both Shen Yujing and Quan Le were thinking, "What an irritating personality."


    "Alright, alright, let''s go." Song Yi said as she picked up the strawberry milk in front of her and was the first to stand up and walk away.


    She was still wearing the qipao she had performed in earlier, not having had the chance to change into her own clothes.


    Shen Yujing quickly caught up, walking alongside Song Yi, and asked, "By the way, why aren''t you wearing the clothes I gave you?"


    Although Song Yi looked beautiful in the qipao, Shen Yujing also wanted to see if the clothes he had carefully chosen would suit her.


    Mentioning those clothes seemed to suddenly remind Song Yi, and she looked at Shen Yujing, saying, "I forgot to tell you, the clothes you gave me were so beautiful that someone got jealous and cut them up."


    Hearing this, Shen Yujing''s brows furrowed so tightly they could have killed a fly, and he said, "Let me see it."


    Since it was something Shen Yujing had given her, he naturally had the right to see how badly it had been damaged, so Song Yi led him to the backstage dressing room.


    Because it was lunchtime, the room was empty.


    At Song Yi''s position from the morning, the destroyed tulle dress still lay there.


    It was lonely, existing in its destroyed state.


    Shen Yujing picked up the bag and said, "I''ll investigate this thoroughly."


    "There''s no need," Song Yi said, "Just don''t give me things like this anymore."


    Shen Yujing didn''t understand and asked, "Why?"


    "I told you today, I don''t want to be misunderstood. It was because some girl who likes you misunderstood our relationship that this happened to me." Song Yi looked into Shen Yujing''s eyes, "Last time it was Chen Xue falsely accusing me of cheating on exams, this time it''s destroying my performance dress - who knows what they''ll do next?"


    "Shen Yujing, I can''t keep bearing their senseless malice just because of your so-called kindness, can I?"


    Just like the original protagonist.


    Actually, at the root of it all, although Shen Yujing had bullied the original protagonist in the original plot, he hadn''t really done anything truly terrible to her - at most just pulling her braids and hiding her love letters.


    The harm he brought to the original protagonist was instead due to his overly flamboyant actions and direct displays of kindness toward her, which made others jealous and act maliciously.


    "But..."


    Shen Yujing opened his mouth, trying to explain something.


    Like how he gave her the dress out of goodwill, how this wasn''t the result he wanted, and perhaps to say sorry.


    Song Yi said seriously, "Shen Yujing, actually I find it more comfortable being around you than Jiang Yiheng or Hang Feng. So I''m still quite willing to continue being friends with you, and if you feel the same way, then don''t be so nice to me anymore."


    Shen Yujing looked at her, his peach blossom eyes showing confusion, "But if I''m not nice to you, how can we still be considered friends?"


    Isn''t this how friends are supposed to be? What''s wrong with it?


    "Hmm..."


    This question made Song Yi think for a moment, then she said, "Then just don''t treat me specially, treat me the same way you treat Quan Le. You wouldn''t give Quan Le a dress, so don''t give me one either in the future."


    Song Yi started walking out as she finished speaking, "Alright then, don''t investigate about this dress either. I know who did it."


    "Who?"


    Song Yi''s last sentence successfully caught Shen Yujing''s attention again. He followed her out carrying the bag, "Who is it? Who? Why won''t you tell me? Who is it?"


    Song Yi lowered her head to play with her phone, casually taking another sip of strawberry milk.


    Both playing piano, both wearing white tulle dresses, performing one after another - who would be most affected by her successful performance?


    The answer was too obvious.


    Song Yi walked very quickly, directly leaving Shen Yujing behind.


    Or perhaps for Shen Yujing, rather than catching up with Song Yi, he had a more serious question to ponder.


    Don''t treat her specially, treat her the same way as Quan Le.


    Song Yi''s words were right - they were friends, yes, just friends, so of course there shouldn''t be any special treatment.


    So Shen Yujing took out his phone and called the butler, "That blue evening gown from yesterday, send it to the Quan family right away."


    "Who is it for? Who else could it be for? Of course it''s for Quan Le."


    After making that call, Shen Yujing felt much better.


    That''s right, he only saw Song Yi as a regular friend too, and wouldn''t give her any special treatment.


    Since Song Yi had a dress, Quan Le should have one too - that''s what treating everyone equally means.


    That must have been what she meant, right?


    Definitely, he was so clever.


    *


    Evening, at the academy ballroom.


    Song Yi changed into a black evening gown, which was also prepared by Murong Huan.


    The thin spaghetti straps design and black color made her skin appear even more fair. Murong Huan had deliberately added some highlighter to her beautiful collarbones, making them shimmer under the lights.


    Murong Huan held Song Yi''s shoulders with both hands and looked at her with satisfaction, saying: "So beautiful! Just absolutely beautiful!"


    Song Yi helplessly grabbed her arm, "Alright, that''s enough, you''re being too dramatic. I''m tired of hearing your constant compliments even if you''re not tired of giving them."


    Murong Huan said: "Let me tell you, when I was little, my wish was to have a human-sized Barbie doll, and your appearance has fulfilled all my fantasies! Yi Yi, let''s go out and play every weekend, I''ve prepared more than ten princess dresses for you..."


    Song Yi covered her ears with both hands.


    Enough, really enough.


    Who would have known that Murong Huan, who appeared to be such a cool and aloof queen on the outside, would be so obsessed with princess dresses and Barbie dolls in private!


    But fortunately for today''s occasion, Murong Huan didn''t persist with her princess dresses, instead reminding her: "Did you put cotton padding in the high heels? I really can''t trust his dancing skills."


    Song Yi wore a lifeless expression, "Whatever, if he breaks my legs, that''s fine too. Then I won''t have to work hard for the rest of my life and can just lie around like a lazy fish."


    Murong Huan laughed at Song Yi''s joke.


    While the daytime school celebration was an activity for both teachers and students, the evening ball was exclusively for students.


    Everyone present could invite dance partners, and after the first dance ended, they could move freely.


    They could either stay in the ballroom or go anywhere else in the school, as all activity rooms in the school were unlocked today.


    At this moment, Jiang Yiheng and Shen Yujing arrived together.


    Both wore black and white suits respectively, but their expressions were equally serious and heavy.


    Jiang Yiheng was naturally worried about his dancing skills, while Shen Yujing was somewhat dissatisfied.


    He had been so close, just a little more and Song Yi would have been his dance partner! Just a little more!


    The four gathered together.


    Murong Huan pointed to a corner and directed: "You two should stay in that direction later. If you really can''t dance well, just hide there, no one will see you." sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Okay." Song Yi nodded, then lifted one foot towards Jiang Yiheng and waved it, "Don''t feel too much pressure, I''ve put many layers of cotton padding this time, so it''s okay if you step on me. Of course, don''t do it on purpose."


    "Okay." Jiang Yiheng nodded.


    As the music started playing, all the students quickly found their dance partners and entered the dance floor.


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng also moved towards the corner as Murong Huan had suggested earlier.


    Dancing on the side meant that even if something went wrong, it wouldn''t affect others.


    Jiang Yiheng''s hand rested on Song Yi''s waist, his eyes lowered to watch their feet, moving his steps as rigorously as if he were reciting mathematical formulas.


    Although Jiang Yiheng''s dancing wasn''t particularly graceful, he was performing exceptionally well today, having not stepped on Song Yi''s feet for quite a while.


    So Song Yi praised him, saying: "You''re doing very well today."


    After receiving the affirmation, Jiang Yiheng felt his heartbeat gradually return to normal, and much of his previous nervousness dissipated.


    Just then, suddenly all the lights in the ballroom went dark, and the venue was plunged into darkness.


    Someone screamed.


    Song Yi: "..."


    This scene felt so familiar, hadn''t something similar happened at the Shen family''s banquet?


    So Song Yi asked in her heart: "Again?"


    [...]


    The system replied somewhat grievously [It''s not me]


    The system quickly cleared its name, as someone''s voice rang out, "Dear boys and girls, please don''t panic, this is just a little game we''ve added to make tonight''s ball more interesting."


    "The lights will go out again for ten seconds, during which you can decide whether to continue dancing with your original partner, or take a risk and hold the hand of someone nearby whose name you don''t know, treating it as fate. Ten, nine, eight..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    What kind of clich¨¦ and boring game was this, couldn''t a normal high school "gathering" just be normal?


    But given Jiang Yiheng''s personality, he probably wouldn''t participate in such a boring game to switch partners...


    Huh? Why did the hand on her waist let go???


    You really can''t judge a book by its cover - who would have thought that Jiang Yiheng, despite his cool and dignified appearance, actually liked seeking thrills.


    She had wasted so much time practicing dance with Jiang Yiheng, how heartless...


    Wait, that''s not right!


    With Jiang Yiheng''s dancing skills, they had only just managed to look somewhat decent after all their practice together. If he suddenly found someone else, wouldn''t he be exposed?


    So Jiang Yiheng definitely didn''t let go of her voluntarily! But what exactly happened then???


    Before Song Yi could figure out the answer, suddenly a strong hand gripped her shoulder and pulled her into an embrace.


    Her nose bumped into the person''s chin, causing Song Yi to grunt in pain. She put her hand on their arm to create some distance between them and asked: "Who are you?"


    It was just a brief embrace that quickly released.


    When the lights came back on, there was no one in front of Song Yi, as if it had been her imagination, or just an unremarkable little incident.


    Song Yi wasn''t sure if it was her imagination, but she thought she had smelled... strawberry milk.


    Suddenly, a scream broke out nearby, interrupting Song Yi''s thoughts.


    "What the hell! What''s going on!"


    Song Yi was startled and looked towards the source of the voice - it was Shen Yujing speaking.


    Song Yi''s brows furrowed.


    The scene before her was strange, because Shen Yujing was holding Jiang Yiheng''s wrist.


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    The blonde young master immediately let go, his face showing an expression of horror as he asked in disbelief: "How is it you?"


    Jiang Yiheng said expressionlessly: "You''re the one who pulled me over."


    Shen Yujing laughed in anger, explaining for himself: "An accident! This was just an accident!"


    "An accident?" With Jiang Yiheng''s intelligence, he immediately understood Shen Yujing''s original intention.


    So Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and directly translated for Shen Yujing, saying: "He wanted to dance with you."


    Just then, the voice from earlier rang out again.


    "Congratulations to everyone who has either reconfirmed or found new dance partners, now please continue dancing with your partner!"


    Song Yi tugged at the corner of her lips and took two steps back, "Then I won''t disturb you, please continue, continue."


    Jiang Yiheng: "...???"


    Shen Yujing: "...!!!"

 Chapter 51

    Song Yi withdrew from the dance floor without hesitation, feeling like she was the odd one out.


    In the dance floor, Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng exchanged a three-second glance before turning and walking in opposite directions, clearly showing their mutual dislike.


    Song Yi walked to a corner, grabbed a small cake to eat, and opened a can of cola.


    Since Saint Slee was a high school, there were no alcoholic beverages, only cola, sprite, and some milk.


    Song Yi''s gaze inadvertently fell on the dance floor, where she saw Murong Huan having a great time, dancing with a young man in a white suit.


    He looked familiar - the second-year student who had hosted the school anniversary celebration earlier today.


    Song Yi''s gaze shifted away from them, pausing briefly when it reached the entrance.


    Hang Feng''s silhouette hurriedly departed, as if he had some urgent matter to attend to.


    Song Yi bit down on her cola straw, thinking seriously.


    In the original plot, this school anniversary segment mainly focused on the romantic development between the original character and Jiang Yiheng, plus some jealousy from Shen Yujing, but had little to do with Hang Feng.


    Well, since it wasn''t relevant, she might as well let him be.


    Song Yi put down her cola and walked outside, wanting some fresh air away from the noise.


    However, upon stepping out, she unexpectedly saw some surprising people, including Chen Xue.


    On such an important day, contrary to Chen Xue''s typically flamboyant personality, she wasn''t wearing a formal dress in the dance hall, but instead was lurking behind the teaching building in her school uniform, looking rather suspicious.


    She received a phone call and seemed to get into an argument with the person on the other end, then hung up and walked away.


    Song Yi heard Chen Xue shout "Lu Qingqing''s" name during the phone argument.


    Not being one to mind her own business, she followed without hesitation.


    If anyone had passed by at that moment, they would have witnessed quite a scene¡ª


    A girl in school uniform striding forward anxiously, followed by a young lady in a black formal dress tiptoeing behind her, creating an oddly eerie picture.


    Song Yi managed to follow Chen Xue without being discovered, all the way to the music building.


    A light was on in the corner classroom on the first floor of the music building, and Chen Xue went in around the corner.


    Neither the front nor back door was properly closed, so Song Yi didn''t even need to press her ear against the door to clearly hear Lu Qingqing''s voice.


    Perhaps because both Chen Xue and Lu Qingqing thought that on such an important day, no one would come to such a remote music building, they had zero vigilance, or maybe the situation they were dealing with was so urgent that they had no time to think about such things.


    Song Yi took out her phone and opened the recording function.


    Lu Qingqing''s voice came from behind the door, "Shen Yujing is already going to check the surveillance footage. We can''t keep using the excuse that the cameras were broken - it''s too basic. We need to figure something out now!"


    "Figure something out?" Chen Xue laughed coldly, "Now you come to me? This has nothing to do with me! What benefit would I get from cutting up Song Yi''s dress? You''re the one who''s afraid she''ll outshine you!"


    Lu Qingqing had calmed down, "What''s the use of saying all this now? We''re in the same boat. If Shen Yujing finds me, do you think you can escape? Those recent forum posts blackmailing Song Yi - more than half of them came from you. Would you like to see the evidence?"


    "You''re despicable!"


    Lu Qingqing continued, "Ever since we framed her for cheating in the last monthly exam, there''s been no turning back. Either we drive Song Yi out of Saint Slee, or we watch her shine alone in the future. Which would you prefer? Your choice."


    Chen Xue grew angrier, "Of course I don''t want that!"


    Standing at the door, Song Yi thought: "?"


    No, wait. She couldn''t understand the cause and effect relationship between these things.


    Although she didn''t particularly like them, their relationship wasn''t exactly life-or-death, was it? Was it really necessary to target her like this?


    She could somewhat understand Lu Qingqing''s reasoning, but what was Chen Xue thinking?


    Chen Xue''s family background was far superior to Lu Qingqing''s, yet whether it was taking the blame for Lu Qingqing in the previous cheating incident or now, she acted completely like Lu Qingqing''s subordinate, following her every command.


    While Song Yi was still confused, Chen Xue''s voice rang out, asking, "So what do we do now?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    She was convinced just like that? Isn''t that a bit too hasty?


    What was wrong with Chen Xue''s brain? How could she be so easily manipulated by Lu Qingqing?


    Lu Qingqing said, "If you take the blame for this, given the recent business cooperation between the Shen family and your Chen family, Shen Yujing wouldn''t dare touch you."


    Chen Xue let out a cold laugh, "Lu Qingqing, do you really think I''m that stupid?"


    Lu Qingqing''s voice remained calm, "If Shen Yujing is determined to stand up for Song Yi, this incident could be seen as either simple damage to a dress or, more seriously, as school bullying. Especially in a place like Saint Slee where there''s such a stark divide between rich and poor, this topic tends to attract public attention and discussion. If it''s investigated thoroughly, neither of us can escape involvement, but Uncle Shen will definitely protect me, which means you''ll end up taking all the blame."


    "But if you take the blame voluntarily, just like last time, nothing major will happen. After all... this wouldn''t be your first time, would it?"


    Chen Xue wasn''t clear about Lu Qingqing''s exact family situation, or rather, most students at Saint Slee weren''t.


    They only knew that Lu Qingqing''s father was a trusted right-hand man to the Shen family, and her mother''s identity was mysterious, supposedly a wealthy heiress from City A - in any case, someone from a prestigious family.


    Combined with the "special" relationship Lu Qingqing had deliberately cultivated with Shen Yujing over the years, some people even believed she was the Shen family''s chosen daughter-in-law, surrounding her entire person with a mysterious aura.


    This was how she had successfully fooled Chen Xue.


    Just a door apart.


    While Chen Xue was hesitating, Song Yi was rolling her eyes, then directly pushed the door open and started applauding them.


    In the empty room, the sudden applause sounded jarring and eerie.


    Faced with Song Yi''s unexpected appearance, both Lu Qingqing and Chen Xue''s expressions turned pale instantly.


    Realizing that Song Yi must have heard everything they had just said, Lu Qingqing''s hand gripped a nearby desk for support, trying but failing to maintain her usual fake smile, which now looked stiff and powerless.


    Because it was clear that in this situation, there was no point in pretending anymore.


    "Why are you here?" Chen Xue yelled at Song Yi, then realized, "You followed me?"


    "Not completely stupid after all." Song Yi pulled out a nearby chair and sat down, crossing her arms as she looked at them, "So? Have you two reached a conclusion after all that exhausting arguing? I''m tired just from listening."


    Chen Xue retorted, "What''s it to you?"


    "Don''t be so hasty." Song Yi looked at Chen Xue with exasperation, "You''re so stupid."


    "What did you say?" Chen Xue slammed her hand on the desk, seemingly trying to "intimidate" Song Yi.


    "You''re too stupid to even see the situation clearly. I''m trying to help you." Song Yi disgustedly shifted her gaze from Chen Xue to Lu Qingqing, contemplatively asking, "Do you really like Shen Yujing that much? Because he repeatedly targeted me, you clearly hate me, yet you keep smiling at me every day. You''ve done so many underhanded things behind my back, yet still pretend to be my friend. Isn''t all this acting exhausting?"


    "Oh, of course you wouldn''t be tired, since you''ve been acting for so many years." Song Yi gave Lu Qingqing a malicious smile, directly attacking someone''s weak spot for the first time, "After all, you love acting, don''t you? Your mother is just an ordinary working-class woman, yet with your words alone, you''ve made everyone believe she''s some wealthy heiress."


    Chen Xue''s face showed bewilderment, while Lu Qingqing''s usually hypocritical mask was completely torn off, "Stop it! Shut up!"


    Song Yi wasn''t the kind of person who would just obey. She had grown weary of maintaining this superficial peace. Taking a step forward, she continued, "As for your father, he''s nothing but a dog of the Shen family. Are you envious of him? Is that why you''re so desperately clinging to Shen Yujing? After all, just wagging your tail gets you the master''s leftovers - I suppose that''s enough to satisfy someone like you?"


    Song Yi''s words were so direct that they nearly broke Lu Qingqing, who lunged forward and grabbed her throat. "Shut up! Just shut up! You''re nothing but a crazy woman full of lies!"


    The gentler people appear in daily life, the more terrifying they become when they finally snap. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi didn''t struggle. Instead, she looked at Chen Xue beside her, coughing while letting out a cold laugh. "Being deceived, used, and threatened by a poor man''s daughter... don''t you find it... *cough cough*... ridiculous?"


    Chen Xue''s hands clenched into fists at her sides. Just thinking about how she had taken the blame for Lu Qingqing last time, causing her to hang her head in shame at school for so many days, made her blood boil.


    That incident had barely blown over, and now they were almost repeating the same mistake. She was trembling with anger.


    And all of this was because she had been deceived by Lu Qingqing, allowing herself to be used.


    Chen Xue couldn''t take it anymore. She rushed forward and separated Lu Qingqing and Song Yi, gripping Lu Qingqing''s wrist tightly. "Is what she''s saying true?"


    Lu Qingqing naturally couldn''t answer this question.


    Song Yi, covering her throat and coughing, supported herself against the table. Then she looked up with a smile and said, "If I''ve spoken even one lie, may Shen Yujing be struck dead by five thunderbolts from heaven."


    Chen Xue''s anger was uncontrollable now. Her palm struck Lu Qingqing''s face without hesitation. "Who do you think you are? How dare you deceive me?"


    Lu Qingqing was forced to kneel on the ground by Chen Xue, her face contorted in pain.


    Song Yi unhurriedly added from the side, "Not just deceived - she threatened you too."


    "SLAP¡ª"


    Chen Xue''s second slap landed.


    For Chen Xue, her mind was flooded with rage at being deceived and used, along with an intense satisfaction at being freed from her recent panic.


    She needed something to vent her frustrations on, to release all the anxiety and humiliation she''d endured from being gossiped about, and Lu Qingqing, the root cause of it all, was the perfect target.


    A taste of blood spread in her mouth as Lu Qingqing raised her head, looking at Chen Xue with gritted teeth.


    But then, looking past Chen Xue, Lu Qingqing''s gaze fell on Song Yi.


    The black-haired girl in the black dress stood before her, looking down. Even with the red marks on her neck from being choked earlier, her cold eyes held undisguised mockery.


    The alliance of interests between Lu Qingqing and Chen Xue had been incredibly fragile, easily shattered by just a few words from her.


    So Song Yi only needed to expose the truth, then stand aside and watch them "tear each other apart."


    But Song Yi still looked at Lu Qingqing and asked, "Do you truly love Shen Yujing?"


    This was actually a question Song Yi had pondered for a long time, but she''d never found a definitive answer.


    Was Lu Qingqing''s extreme and twisted behavior toward Shen Yujing born from genuine love, or did her vanity lead to psychological extremes that then transformed into love for Shen Yujing?


    Could love for someone really breed so much malice? She couldn''t understand.


    Perhaps Chen Xue also wanted to know the answer to this question, so she temporarily loosened her grip. After all, until now, she had viewed Lu Qingqing as a temporary ally in their rivalry for love.


    "Who loves him?" Lu Qingqing spat blood onto the ground, then sneered, "Immature, disrespectful, self-centered, never considering others'' feelings - I would never love someone like that. I think you''re all ridiculous. What do you even see in him? A useless face that will inevitably age in twenty years?"


    Chen Xue immediately defended Shen Yujing, "You can''t talk about him like that! He''s... he''s actually a very good person!"


    Lu Qingqing couldn''t be bothered to argue with her. Instead, she turned to Song Yi, suddenly showing a somewhat eerie smile. "But what does it matter? So what if he has so many flaws? As long as his surname is Shen, as long as he''s the only heir to the Shen family, I''ll love him. Even if he doesn''t love me back, as long as I''m somewhat special to him, I can enjoy countless privileges at Saint Slee just by using this connection. That''s enough for me."


    Lu Qingqing''s words were quite clear - she didn''t love Shen Yujing; she loved his money and the vanity that came from being close to him and being admired by others.


    "Well said," Song Yi affirmed Lu Qingqing, then tilted her head toward the back door and called out, "Did you hear that clearly? She says she doesn''t love you."


    As Song Yi''s words fell, Lu Qingqing''s already unpleasant expression grew even worse. Her instincts told her the person at the door was...


    Shen Yujing walked in through the back door, his expression far from pleasant.


    The young master who had grown up pampered had never lacked people trying to please him, his ears always filled with excessive praise and flattery. Today was the first time in his life he had heard someone practically cursing him to his face.


    The moment she saw Shen Yujing enter, Chen Xue instantly felt relieved that she had been defending him earlier.


    When Song Yi had heard Lu Qingqing and Chen Xue arguing and mentioning that Shen Yujing would investigate this matter, she had texted him to come over.


    Since they had such strong opinions about her, they might as well all get together and clear things up face to face, solving any problems directly.


    Lu Qingqing looked at Song Yi and screamed in a frenzy, "You bitch!"


    Song Yi looked at her expressionlessly, but her actions showed no mercy as she delivered a clean, sharp slap. "Mind your language."


    The stinging pain in her cheek didn''t make Lu Qingqing back down. Her eyes turned red with pain and suppressed emotion as she asked, word by word, "Why?"


    Why treat her like this?


    Why expose the lies she had so carefully maintained?


    Why set her up like this, making her reveal these base thoughts in front of Shen Yujing?


    Why could someone even poorer than her live as freely as those born with silver spoons?


    Why did she have to appear at Saint Slee and effortlessly obtain everything she had wanted?


    Just... why?


    Lu Qingqing couldn''t accept it.


    These three words contained too many meanings, making Song Yi furrow her brows, momentarily unsure how to respond.


    So Song Yi said, "I only asked you one question."


    Shen Yujing walked to Song Yi''s side. He had wanted to say something, but seeing Lu Qingqing in such a wretched state, he simply said, "Stand up first."


    "I don''t need your fake kindness." Lu Qingqing bit her lower lip hard, her heart racing uncontrollably, telling her what fear truly was.


    Lu Qingqing had never imagined Shen Yujing would hear these words, so she hadn''t considered the consequences of facing all this.


    Now she grew even more hateful of Song Yi in her heart. She appeared gentle and kind on the surface but had so many evil intentions - how shameless!


    Song Yi crossed her arms as she looked at Lu Qingqing, her voice calm, "You should still get up, unless you want to keep kneeling while talking to us?"


    Hearing Song Yi''s words, Lu Qingqing finally realized her current state.


    She had been slapped, had her facade torn away, and had directly confessed all her vain thoughts. She was like someone stripped of their clothes and disguises, standing naked before everyone, displaying her ugly thoughts.


    Those things she had carefully hidden, occasionally self-loathing yet always convincing herself she hadn''t done wrong, were like a bucket of cold water dumped over her.


    As she calmed down, more emotions flooded in - shame, disgust, fear. The mixture of these emotions caused her pain.


    Shen Yujing looked at her and asked directly, "So you were the one who destroyed that dress?"


    Lu Qingqing didn''t answer, but her silence was confirmation enough.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t understand. He felt he wasn''t very close to Lu Qingqing, but in his memory, she had been an extremely gentle and obedient girl.


    Their occasional meetings were either at family dinners or at school, and they had no other social interactions beyond that.


    Shen Yujing''s impression of Lu Qingqing had always been decent enough, as she was sufficiently quiet, so he didn''t find her disagreeable.


    However, he couldn''t understand - if Lu Qingqing disliked him so much, or if she only liked his status and money, why didn''t she just try to please him? Why did she have to target Song Yi?


    Shen Yujing voiced his confusion, and Lu Qingqing gave him her answer.


    "Do I need a reason? We were born different - everything you naturally possess is something I can barely touch even if I fight for it with my life. Compared to you, I accept that I wasn''t born lucky! But her? Who does she think she is! She''s even less worthy than me!"


    So, what right did Song Yi have? How could she not be jealous?


    Hearing these words, Shen Yujing''s eyes filled with complex emotions. He clearly understood what she meant, but he couldn''t comprehend it, let alone agree with it.


    Lu Qingqing stared intently at Shen Yujing, yet it was as if she was looking through him at someone else.


    The confusion, rejection, disgust, and even slight pity in his eyes reminded her strongly of someone else.


    She felt like she was looking at her mother, and suddenly she missed her.


    If her parents had been as wealthy and powerful as Shen Yujing''s parents, they wouldn''t have had to live in such a cramped room, or experience so many helpless moments struggling for survival, or even...


    If they had been born wealthy, perhaps they too would have been naturally selfless and kind.


    The previously frenzied young woman slowly lowered her head, once again slumping to the ground, this time leaning weakly against the wall.


    The screaming, anger, and outburst.


    After everything ended, there was only lake-like calmness, or perhaps exhaustion.


    Tonight, she had said too many things she shouldn''t have.


    She covered her eyes with her hands, her head drooping lifelessly, and her palms quickly became wet.


    Since this matter had nothing to do with her, Chen Xue looked toward Shen Yujing and said with annoyance at Lu Qingqing, "How should we handle this? I''m willing to be a witness and cooperate whenever needed."


    Shen Yujing said, "I will report this to the board of directors, and as for the following procedures..."


    "Apologize to me," Song Yi interrupted Shen Yujing''s words, walking in front of Lu Qingqing, her voice calm.


    Lu Qingqing''s slightly trembling body froze, but she didn''t meet her gaze.


    At this point, what difference would an apology make? Song Yi was just using this opportunity to humiliate her again.


    Lu Qingqing had prepared herself for the worst outcome - being expelled from Saint Slee. She just hoped... hoped it wouldn''t affect her father.


    If it did affect him, well, that would just be his bad luck for having a daughter like her.


    As Lu Qingqing was thinking this, suddenly Song Yi''s hand fell on her shoulder, repeating, "Apologize to me, and promise to stay away from my life from now on. Your feelings for Shen Yujing are your business, don''t involve unrelated people."


    At this moment, Song Yi''s voice sounded like heaven''s music to Lu Qingqing.


    Because Song Yi said, "This is the last chance I''m giving you."


    She said she was giving her a chance.


    *


    Night sky, evening breeze, empty playground.


    Shen Yujing and Song Yi stood under a tree, both unusually silent.


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, about to say something, but stopped when he saw the marks on her neck.


    The red marks on her fair skin were so striking that even in the darkness, they could be described as shocking to the eye.


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    Shen Yujing had just agreed to let Lu Qingqing off, but seeing these marks made him feel angry and regretful again.


    Song Yi naturally knew what he was looking at and said, "It''s fine, this matter is over."


    Song Yi was willing to let Lu Qingqing go because Chen Xue would naturally handle certain things, no need for her to act.


    For Lu Qingqing, having her carefully maintained image destroyed would be more painful than being expelled from Saint Slee - this was the real price she should pay.


    Shen Yujing took off his suit jacket and placed it on Song Yi''s shoulders, his hands lingering there.


    He instinctively wanted to touch her but hesitated and withdrew his hands.


    Under the moonlight.


    The golden-haired youth lowered his head, his voice very soft, saying, "I''m sorry."


    This was the first time he saw with his own eyes that his kindness toward her could become a weapon for others to hurt her.


    He knew he had been wrong.

 Chapter 52

    Shen Yujing''s sudden display of weakness and submission made Song Yi furrow her brows.


    No, she couldn''t understand what this was all about.


    Could this be some kind of trick?


    Song Yi extended her hand, pressing her index finger against Shen Yujing''s forehead, forcing him to look up.


    With confusion in her eyes, the young girl asked, "Why are you suddenly apologizing?"


    "It''s... it''s..."


    Shen Yujing pressed his lips together, saying with difficulty, "It''s about what you said at noon, about not wanting me to be nice to you."


    Song Yi laughed, looking at Shen Yujing with interest, "Did you suddenly come to your senses?"


    "Because they can''t hurt me, but they might hurt you," Shen Yujing said, then stared intently at Song Yi, asking, "Right?"


    Looking at how serious Shen Yujing was while saying this, Song Yi suddenly felt touched.


    The feeling was complex, like having the most mischievous dog at home that breaks things every day, and just when you''ve become numb to it, it suddenly starts behaving well?


    This was truly unbelievable!


    So Song Yi''s hand touched Shen Yujing again, this time resting on his forehead.


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "What are you doing?"


    Song Yi then placed her hand on her own forehead, muttering, "No fever either."


    Shen Yujing was speechless - just how much did Song Yi distrust him!?


    Shen Yujing awkwardly turned his head away, "So will you accept my apology or not?"


    "I was never angry with you," Song Yi looked at him, her eyes curving into a smile. "Although you''re indeed quite annoying, your words aren''t very pleasant, and anyone who sees you would easily get angry, but actually... you''re much better than I expected."


    Indeed, compared to the Mary Sue setting of the demon prince in the original plot, while Shen Yujing was still foolish, he clearly wasn''t evil, and he would even take the initiative to apologize to her...


    Wait, something''s not right.


    Shen Yujing taking the initiative to apologize? That''s what wasn''t right!


    A passage from the original plot suddenly floated through Song Yi''s mind.


    [Shen Yujing stood at the doorway, looking at the girl sulking with her head on the desk, regret filling his heart. He didn''t want her to be sad, but as the demon prince, he had never bowed to anyone, and had never said sorry in his life]


    Now she finally understood what was wrong.


    Shen Yujing''s character setting was that of a demon prince, and how could a demon apologize?


    Seeing Song Yi''s smile suddenly stiffen, Shen Yujing immediately sensed something was wrong.


    He quickly asked nervously, "You said you weren''t angry with me, you''re not going to change your mind, are you?"


    Song Yi tried hard to keep a straight face, looking at him expressionlessly, "Hmm, unless you apologize to me one more time."


    Shen Yujing responded without hesitation, "I''m sorry! I''ll say it as many times as you want as long as you''re not angry."


    Song Yi: "..."


    That was way too easy, he should at least struggle a little?


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, waving his hand in front of her, "What are you thinking about?"


    "Nothing," Song Yi shook her head and started walking back.


    Shen Yujing followed behind Song Yi but stopped at the doorway when she re-entered the ballroom.


    The moonlight shone on the young man, his arm still draped with the suit jacket Song Yi had just returned to him.


    He stood at the doorway, repeatedly checking his phone, and only turned to re-enter the hall after five minutes had passed.


    *


    At this moment, at the Hang residence.


    Hang Feng sat at his desk, a bottle of strawberry milk placed on it.


    Quite some time had passed, but his heart was still racing, unable to calm down.


    Hang Feng grew up in darkness as a child, living with his mother, so poor that they couldn''t afford to turn on the lights at night.


    Eventually, he got used to it, and his vision in the dark became better than most people''s.


    So earlier at the ball, during that moment when the lights went out.


    Despicable thoughts crawled into the young man''s mind, desire and greed sprouting like malicious vines that wrapped around his entire heart, urging him to abandon his dance partner and walk towards Song Yi.


    He didn''t really know why he did it, but a voice in his heart kept telling him that he craved her warmth and her touch.


    Yes, it was shameless.


    It was just an embrace that lasted for a moment in the darkness, his fingertips barely lingering, yet it somehow gave him a bit of courage.


    The courage to return to that house and face those people again.


    Hang Feng didn''t want to go back, but it had indeed been too long since he''d seen that person.


    And today, Xu Che had actually come to Saint Slee.


    Xu Che looked at him, repeating the same nonsense from their last phone call.


    Saying that his father was dying, saying that no matter how much he hated him, he should at least see him one last time.


    Hang Feng knew that Xu Che wouldn''t lie about something like this.


    Even though he felt it was karma, a sense of sadness still emerged from the depths of his heart.


    His hand fell on the photo album on the desk, where a woman in the photo held a young child with a gentle smile, but the photo had been abruptly torn in half.


    The missing half of the photo should have shown his father, but the photo had been torn for so long that he had almost forgotten what that man looked like.


    If he didn''t go this time, would their next meeting be at the funeral?


    This was something he had been looking forward to for a long time, hadn''t it? He used to dream about his so-called father dying soon. S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But now that this dream was actually coming true, he couldn''t help but ask himself¡ª


    If it really happened this way, would he have regrets?


    Not regret about his death, but regret that he hadn''t paid any price.


    How could he die so easily? He was getting off too lightly.


    He picked up the strawberry milk in front of him, the sweetness entering his mouth through the straw, but he couldn''t suppress the bitterness rising in his heart.


    He was still hesitant.


    *


    The Saint Slee Academy''s anniversary celebration had ended, but the forum posts were still discussing this event, until¡ª


    [How many lies can vanity make a person tell? Let''s expose Lu Qingqing, Shen Yujing''s "childhood friend"]


    Post 1: As we all know, Lu Qingqing and Shen Yujing have a good relationship, Lu Qingqing''s father is Boss Shen''s assistant, and the two families have always been close. And Lu Qingqing''s mother, haven''t we all received snacks that her "mother" brought back from abroad? But have you noticed something? Lu Qingqing always gives vague answers about her mother''s questions and deliberately leads us to believe that her mother is a rich heiress from City A. But in reality, her mother works as a nurse at a tertiary hospital in our city, and I heard she''s quite capable at her job, about to be promoted to head nurse next year. There''s no intention here to look down on medical staff, but isn''t it laughable that the daughter of an ordinary nurse and Boss Shen''s secretary has been pretending to be from a wealthy family at Saint Slee for so long?


    Post 2: To add more, Shen Yujing himself has denied having a close relationship with Lu Qingqing. The invitations to the Shen family''s banquets were just Boss Shen''s "favor" to his secretary. They''re not actually close at all, and they''re definitely not childhood friends as Lu Qingqing claims.


    Post 3: ???


    Post 6: This is shocking my whole family.


    Post 12: Is this real? I heard her mother''s family was in real estate, and because of strict property regulations in recent years, they just didn''t want to talk about it much.


    Post 19: Oh my, she appears so gentle and kind, but is she actually so calculating? This is terrifying when you think about it.


    Post 31: If you don''t have the family background, don''t try to put on airs. What a waste that this acting talent isn''t in the entertainment industry.


    Post 46: I can''t believe I envied her for being Shen Yujing''s childhood friend for so long... turns out it was all lies.


    Post 57: I was Lu Qingqing''s middle school classmate, and I always thought she was close with Shen Yujing. After telling these lies for so many years, has she started believing them herself?


    Post 61: Why say so much? Get this liar out of Saint Slee!!!


    ...


    Lu Qingqing curled up alone in a corner, hugging herself tightly.


    The online abuse cut into her like knives, hurting so much she wanted to cry.


    She wanted to refute these people, wanted to say no, it wasn''t like that.


    But her trembling hands fell on the screen, and along with her tears, she cried until the screen was almost blurred.


    She didn''t know how to refute because those people were right.


    She was exactly that kind of person, vain and hypocritical, utterly terrible.


    When her disguise was torn away and all lies were exposed, the remaining shreds of self-respect and shame left her in unbearable pain.


    Her phone screen kept lighting up with messages from her former "best friends."


    [Is what they''re saying on the forum true?]


    [Why haven''t you come to school? Are you scared? Don''t know how to face us, right?]


    [I never thought you were this kind of person. Don''t say you know me at school anymore. I''m embarrassed to have been your friend.]


    [Qingqing, I''m saying this for your own good. Things have gotten so bad, maybe you should transfer schools.]


    Lu Qingqing violently threw her phone to the ground and broke down crying.


    Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Lu''s father stormed in, fuming with anger.


    Instinctively sensing danger, Lu Qingqing curled up further into the corner, trembling as she called out, "Dad?"


    Lu''s father grabbed Lu Qingqing''s ankle and dragged her out, "Ungrateful daughter! Get out here! I''m going to teach you a proper lesson today!"


    Lu Qingqing struggled desperately, "I can walk by myself! Let go of me! Let go!"


    Lu''s father released her, only to grab a clothes pole from near the door, then began beating Lu Qingqing mercilessly with it.


    He berated her while striking, "Worthless child! How could you be so useless? You dared to offend young master Shen? Don''t you know we all depend on Boss Shen? You actually... actually!"


    Lu''s father stopped speaking, but his strikes grew even harder, venting his fury on his daughter like he was taking revenge.


    After what seemed like forever.


    The door to the Lu residence closed as Boss Shen''s phone call had summoned Lu''s father away, finally giving Lu Qingqing a chance to catch her breath.


    Lu Qingqing lay on the floor, her body covered in purple bruises from the beating, the pain bringing tears to her eyes.


    Her phone lay not far from her.


    Through her tear-blurred vision, Lu Qingqing reached out almost as if possessed and picked up her phone.


    She dialed a number she hadn''t contacted in a long time.


    The call was answered after three rings. Both sides were silent at first, then a woman''s voice asked hopefully, gently yet cautiously: "Qingqing? Is that you, Qingqing?"


    Lu Qingqing cried out, "Mom, I miss you so much..."


    *


    Almost everyone at Saint Slee was discussing Lu Qingqing''s situation, even Class A, which was usually focused solely on studying.


    While everyone around was talking about the same thing, creating a boring and noisy atmosphere.


    Song Yi lifted her head from her test paper, looking at her perfect score in mathematics with a touched yawn.


    Finally! Finally! Heaven rewards those who work hard!


    Song Yi truly didn''t have much talent for mathematics, so she had given up on all Olympic math competitions and extension problems.


    As long as the questions weren''t tricky or particularly difficult, she could handle them well enough with her understanding of the basic patterns.


    Thinking about this, Song Yi turned her head happily to look out the wind...


    Oh no, instead she caught sight of her deskmate.


    For some reason, Hang Feng kept staring at her today.


    Yet whenever she looked his way, he would lower his head like a guilty thief.


    So Song Yi poked Hang Feng''s shoulder with her pen and asked, "Do you have something you want to tell me?"


    Hang Feng kept his head down in silence.


    "Hey, if you have something to say, just say it. It''s weird how you keep stealing glances at me," Song Yi said, switching from her pen to her hand and leaning closer to his face. "I''ve told you so many times that I know you have a crush on me. Don''t be shy, if you like me just say it directly. After all, everyone should experience being rejected by a beauty at least once in their life."


    Hang Feng looked up at her with a complicated expression.


    Song Yi batted her eyes at Hang Feng dramatically and asked, "Why are you staring? Has my beauty stunned you again? Don''t tell me you''re having impure thoughts about me?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Seeing that Hang Feng was about to turn away again, Song Yi stopped joking and said, "Alright, alright, just tell me what''s on your mind. It''s really creepy being stared at by you all morning."


    Hang Feng pressed his lips together, then took out a bottle of strawberry milk from his pocket and placed it on Song Yi''s desk.


    Song Yi looked even more confused - unexpected kindness usually meant ulterior motives.


    Hang Feng then took out several lollipops from his other pocket and handed them to Song Yi.


    When Song Yi took them, she ended up pulling out... a whole string of lollipops from Hang Feng''s pocket?


    Song Yi: "?"


    Song Yi looked at him with both disdain and suspicion, saying, "You didn''t specially arrange this, did you?"


    So lame, really so lame.


    Hang Feng: "...No, they came packaged like this when I bought them."


    Song Yi unhesitatingly accepted the string of lollipops and strawberry milk, asking, "Is this payment? Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes and said, "My... father''s birthday is tomorrow."


    He hesitated but chose to use the word "father" in front of Song Yi to refer to that man.


    Song Yi inserted the straw into the milk and took a sip, "So you want me to help you pick out a birthday gift for your father?"


    "No." Hang Feng looked at her seriously and said, "I want you to come home with me to attend his birthday party."


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Song Yi couldn''t help it; she sprayed out a mouthful of milk.


    Hang Feng, who was sitting face to face with her: "..."


    Song Yi quickly pulled out some napkins from her pocket and reached to wipe Hang Feng''s face, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I really didn''t mean to."


    Hang Feng said nothing, just expressionlessly took the napkins from Song Yi''s hand and wiped his face clean himself.


    Song Yi''s mind was filled with just three words: This is bad.


    But instinctively, she pushed the half-drunk strawberry milk on the desk back into Hang Feng''s hands, along with the string of lollipops, "Take them back, take them back, I can''t accept these, I really can''t do this."


    Why would Hang Feng want to bring her to his father''s birthday party? How terrifying!


    Unless...


    Song Yi asked her previous question again, but this time with more fear, "You''re not actually in love with me, are you? Taking me home to meet your parents so soon? This is moving too fast, this won''t do, this won''t do!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Hang Feng placed the half-drunk strawberry milk back in front of Song Yi, then hung the string of lollipops around her neck.


    Song Yi: *frozen.jpg*


    Don''t dare to move, don''t dare to move.


    Hang Feng said, "My father doesn''t have long to live."


    Song Yi quickly responded, "I get it, you want me to pretend to be your girlfriend so he can die peacefully."


    That''s how it always goes in TV dramas.


    Hang Feng was silent for a few seconds, then said, "No, I hope he dies sooner."


    Song Yi: "!"


    Oh right, the original plot had mentioned that Hang Feng''s family background and relationship with his father weren''t good, which made sense.


    So Song Yi asked, "Then what''s my role in this?"


    Hang Feng looked at her seriously and said, "After thinking it through, I felt you were the most annoying person I know."


    Song Yi frowned - that wasn''t exactly a compliment, was it?


    So Song Yi said, "Explain in detail."


    Hang Feng: "I want to bring you to my father''s birthday party. You can act however you want - if you can annoy him to death, that would be best."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Now she was getting angry, really getting angry.


    She took the string of lollipops from around her neck and tied it around Hang Feng''s neck, saying expressionlessly, "I might as well strangle you instead."


    Hang Feng watched Song Yi''s actions without resistance, simply letting her do as she pleased.


    Song Yi was the type of person who would get more fired up if others challenged her, but would lose interest if they backed down.


    So Song Yi took back the lollipops rather boredly and asked, "You''re not serious, are you?"


    Hang Feng nodded, "Mm."


    Help Hang Feng annoy his father to death?


    It sounded absurd, but... it actually seemed really interesting!


    Song Yi''s mind turned for a moment before she asked Hang Feng for confirmation, "What if he really dies from anger?"


    Hang Feng replied calmly, "I''ll handle it."


    With him there, Song Yi wouldn''t have to bear any consequences no matter what happened.


    Song Yi understood Hang Feng''s meaning and nodded solemnly, "Well, I suppose I''ll reluctantly agree!"


    *


    Saturday morning, at the villa.


    Song Yi, wearing a black coat, followed behind Hang Feng as they got out of the car, looking at everything before her with surprise.


    Although Hang Feng clearly wasn''t some mixed-race noble, he was obviously wealthy or prestigious, just as the original plot had mentioned.


    Today, Hang Feng was wearing a black suit, his usually reticent face appearing even more aloof. He simply extended his hand to her and said, "Take my arm."


    Song Yi wanted to refuse but noticed that all the couples entering the villa were walking arm in arm.


    To avoid standing out, Song Yi reluctantly took Hang Feng''s arm and urged him, "Let''s go, let''s go."


    The servant at the entrance was stunned upon seeing Hang Feng, exclaiming in disbelief: "Young Master? You''ve returned."


    Hang Feng didn''t respond and simply continued walking inside with Song Yi.


    At that moment, other servants who spotted Hang Feng immediately ran inside.


    Rather inappropriately, a phrase suddenly popped into Song Yi''s mind¡ª


    "Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"


    The place was decorated festively, with red as the primary color scheme, but it wasn''t gaudy. The garden was adorned just right.


    To reach the back hall, they needed to cross through this garden.


    Many well-dressed people were present, and when they saw Hang Feng, some began whispering among themselves.


    Actually, not many people here could recognize Hang Feng''s identity at first glance, but there were always some who could.


    Song Yi''s voice was filled with excitement as she said, "This place is quite beautiful. Later, we''ll turn it upside down and make his birthday unforgettable!"


    She was eager and ready!


    After all, it was Hang Feng''s father! Who cares if he gets angry! It''s not a big deal!


    When they reached the back hall, they saw an unhappy-looking noble lady standing at the entrance.


    Upon seeing Hang Feng, the woman sneered, "You dare to set foot here? Just looking at you makes me sick."


    Hang Feng looked up at the woman and asked, "Where is he?"


    "Have you no manners? Regardless of everything, I''m still your elder. Do you know what respect means? Well, your mother died so early, there was no one to teach you these things." The woman laughed coldly and pointed towards the stairs, "He''s in the bedroom."


    Song Yi could clearly feel Hang Feng''s body stiffen, though he was trying to maintain his composure.


    The mention of his mother, especially in such an insulting way, was like deliberately stabbing Hang Feng in the heart.


    Song Yi was prepared for Hang Feng to explode, even starting to consider whether she should take action herself.


    This woman looked physically weak - one kick to her shin would probably make her fall to her knees.


    Just as Song Yi was seriously contemplating this, Hang Feng suddenly withdrew his arm from her grasp.


    When Song Yi thought Hang Feng was about to take action himself, he instead grabbed her wrist.


    Song Yi: "?"


    Feeling confused, Song Yi was pulled upstairs by Hang Feng. She asked, "We''re just letting this go? After what she said about you, how can you tolerate this?"


    Hang Feng''s voice was hoarse, but he still answered, "It''s my father''s fault. She, like my mother, is just a pitiful person."


    His first love was tricked into becoming a mistress, while his legitimate wife discovered her husband''s mistress was also pregnant when she was near her due date.


    Who was more pitiful? He couldn''t say.


    In the bedroom.


    The door was pushed open, and a man lay on the bed with his eyes half-closed.


    Song Yi was somewhat hesitant to enter and asked, "Is he asleep?"


    The man lying on the bed gave a light cough, clearly answering Song Yi''s question.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng walked in side by side.


    Hang Feng directly called his father by name, "Xu Yuanguo."


    Song Yi looked at Hang Feng with surprise - these father and son were on a first-name basis, such filial piety indeed.


    Xu Yuanguo was preparing to get up from the bed to teach his long-absent rebellious son a lesson when he suddenly felt something strange placed on his face.


    At that moment, Song Yi had taken out a crushed white chrysanthemum from her suit pocket, placed it on Xu Yuanguo''s face, and then gave him a deep bow.


    She then turned around and seriously grabbed Hang Feng''s hand, "Mr. Hang, please rest assured, I am a professional mortician. I will ensure your father passes on with dignity."


    Xu Yuanguo took the foreign object off his face, and upon seeing the chrysanthemum and hearing the woman''s nonsense, his hands began trembling with anger.


    He threw the white chrysanthemum on the ground and said angrily, "You rebellious child! I''m not dead yet!"


    "But you will be soon, right? Just practicing in advance, don''t interrupt," Song Yi turned back to look at Xu Yuanguo impatiently, then said to Hang Feng, "Sir, thirty-one times is really the minimum, it can''t be any less! Your father was a respectable person in life, we must ensure he leaves this world clean and proper!"


    "Hang Feng!" Xu Yuanguo was so angry he called out his son''s name directly, getting out of bed and demanding, "Who is she? Get the servants to throw her out immediately!"


    Seeing that Xu Yuanguo was about to throw her out himself, Song Yi quickly hid behind Hang Feng, holding onto his arms with both hands and only peeking out her head.


    "Uncle, uncle! Please don''t be angry, I was just joking, just joking! I know Hang Feng, he brought me here to meet you!"


    Xu Yuanguo was trembling with anger but still looked at Hang Feng, "Is this true?"


    "Yes." Hang Feng nodded, acknowledging Song Yi''s identity, "She''s my friend."


    "Slap¡ª"


    A sudden slap landed on Hang Feng''s face. Although it wasn''t very hard, it was enough to make him look up at Song Yi in shock.


    The previously furious Xu Yuanguo was also stunned, clearly not understanding what was happening.


    Song Yi covered her mouth with one hand, stepped back three steps, appearing on the verge of tears.


    The next moment, she placed one hand on her belly and pointed at Hang Feng with the other, "Friend? Is that all I am to you? I''m only seventeen! I''ve already had three abortions because of you! This is my fourth child, and even if you don''t love her or look forward to her arrival, I must keep her!"


    She then turned to Xu Yuanguo with a pleading expression, "You''re his father, right? I''m begging you, please help me keep this child, your future grandchild, please?"


    Xu Yuanguo''s brows were furrowed so tightly they could have crushed a fly. He looked up at his long-absent son with scrutiny.


    He was also wondering if his seventeen-year-old son had really become such a playboy.


    This was really...


    Seeing Xu Yuanguo''s hesitation, Song Yi grabbed the hem of his clothes with one hand, pretending to kneel before him while continuing her dramatic performance with cries and shouts.


    "Please save us! If I lose this child, I won''t live either! You heartless scoundrel! Going around deceiving women''s feelings and using us, then living your own carefree life! You''re happy with your lover, but what about me? What do my child and I mean to you?!"


    Xu Yuanguo: "..."


    Perhaps because this crazy woman was grabbing him and shaking violently, he suddenly felt a strange sense of guilt.


    It felt as if the one being scolded wasn''t his seventeen-year-old playboy son Hang Feng, but himself.


    Just as Song Yi was giving her all to this performance, a cold voice spoke from behind¡ª


    "Don''t you know very well whether that child is mine or not?"


    If possible, Song Yi really wanted to spit out a mouthful of blood. Her hand holding Xu Yuanguo''s clothes began trembling uncontrollably.


    She suddenly remembered the last thing she had said to Hang Feng before entering the villa: "Watch my performance later, just follow my lead."


    She wanted him to imitate! Not surpass her!


    Song Yi felt a bit embarrassed, really just a bit.


    Suddenly, the bedroom bathroom door opened.


    A young man wearing a light white suit walked out, looking at them with a somewhat complex expression, clearly having heard their entire conversation.


    Song Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Xu Che?"


    Huh? What? Why? She didn''t understand.


    Why was Xu Che here too? And in Xu Yuanguo''s bedroom!


    Xu Che, Xu Yuanguo, both surnamed Xu - the answer was actually quite obvious.


    Song Yi looked at Xu Che, then at Hang Feng, and suddenly understood something.


    How exciting, how dramatic, how interesting!


    And so Song Yi''s acting impulse suddenly took over. She pointed at Hang Feng, "Since you''ve already discovered that the child isn''t yours, at this point, I don''t need to deceive you anymore!"


    After saying this, Song Yi turned back to look at Xu Che, crying out hoarsely: "Xu Che, say something, Xu Che!"


    Xu Che''s brows were furrowed; clearly, it would take any normal person some time to process such an absurd scene before them.


    Xu Che''s appearance was unexpected to begin with, so Song Yi was just improvising wildly, not really expecting anything from him.


    So Song Yi pointed at Xu Yuanguo, preparing to give him a piece of her mind.


    Aliali: 674843b7c4f3f33ac47659ac


    She had already decided what to say - she would berate him for his poor parenting, for raising two sons who both turned out to be scoundrels.


    Meanwhile, Xu Yuanguo''s expression was quite complex - so it turned out that the most promiscuous one wasn''t his younger son, but his elder son?


    At this moment, Xu Che seemed to finally understand what was happening.


    He lifted his head and gave Hang Feng a wicked smile, speaking somewhat vengefully, "So you found out? The child is indeed mine."


    "Cough cough!"


    Xu Che''s sudden dramatic flair caught Song Yi off guard and made her lose her composure.


    What was supposed to be a solo performance suddenly turned into an ensemble piece, which was quite unexpected.


    Suddenly, there was a heavy thud beside them.


    Song Yi turned her head to see that Xu Yuanguo, who had been standing just moments ago, had collapsed.


    Evidently, as a father, he had fainted from the shock of witnessing this dramatic scene of brotherly rivalry that violated all normal family ethics.

 Chapter 53

    Xu Yuanguo lay on the ground, with Song Yi and his two sons standing before him - a rather peculiar scene.


    Song Yi looked at Hang Feng and asked, "What should we do?"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer, but instead turned to Xu Che and said, "You''re the one who made him faint from anger."


    "Yes," Xu Che didn''t deny it, and added, "So you came after all."


    Hang Feng: "Like you said, he''s nearly dying, so I had to come take a look."


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Wait, wait a minute, why does this scene feel so bizarrely wrong?!


    Who are you two? Your own father just fainted from anger, and you''re both standing there having such a casual conversation next to him? What''s wrong with you?


    Besides, he''s not even dead yet! If you two keep discussing like this, you might as well start planning the funeral banquet!


    So among those present, only Song Yi, who had no real connection to Xu Yuanguo, suggested, "Hey, could you two maybe chat later and call a doctor first?"


    Hang Feng extended his foot, nudging Xu Yuanguo''s leg with his leather shoe. "Hey, wake up."


    Xu Che placed his hand under Xu Yuanguo''s nose and calmly said, "It''s fine, he''s still breathing. He won''t die just yet."


    Song Yi: "..."


    The father might be trash, but these two sons were truly ruthless.


    They didn''t completely abandon Xu Yuanguo on the floor though - Xu Che did call the family doctor.


    But still¡ª


    Song Yi looked at them and asked, "Before the doctor arrives, don''t you think we should move him to the bed?"


    What''s the point of leaving him lying on the floor like this? Aren''t you worried about what people might think?!


    The two brothers looked left and right, but clearly neither cared about the well-being of the man on the floor.


    Hang Feng answered carelessly, "He''s already unconscious, what difference does it make where he lies? Why be picky about it?"


    Xu Che added, "He''s quite dirty, better not soil the clean bed."


    Song Yi: "..."


    These brothers truly shared the same blood.


    Though they looked quite different and had contrasting personalities, they were clearly united in their hatred for their father.


    Since both sons had spoken their minds, it wasn''t Song Yi''s place as an outsider to say anything more.


    The family doctor arrived quickly, and upon entering, he paused for a moment before asking Xu Che, "Young Master, what happened?"


    Xu Che pointed at Hang Feng and replied expressionlessly, "My father saw my brother return and got too excited, so he fainted."


    Xu Che''s response was quite skillful.


    Though it wasn''t exactly what happened, it somehow didn''t sound entirely wrong either.


    When Hang Feng heard Xu Che say the word "brother," his brows furrowed, disgust evident in his eyes as he said, "I have nothing to do with your Xu family."


    The family doctor finally noticed Hang Feng''s presence and hurriedly addressed him as "Young Master" before rushing to examine Xu Yuanguo.


    Fortunately, it wasn''t serious - just a surge of anger affecting his heart. He''d be fine after some rest.


    During the arduous process of the family doctor trying to lift Xu Yuanguo onto the bed, Hang Feng and Xu Che stood with their arms crossed, one on each side, neither showing any intention to help.


    After finally getting Xu Yuanguo onto the bed, the family doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead.


    As a doctor who knew about the strained relationship between the Xu patriarch and his sons, having witnessed many instances of life and death, he couldn''t help but offer some unsolicited advice.


    The doctor said, "Pardon my presumption, but Mr. Xu might not have much time left. How can there be lasting grudges between father and son? Mr. Xu is a good person, regardless of what happened in the past, shouldn''t you let him pass peacefully? Otherwise, when he''s gone..."


    "We''ll definitely throw a feast! Definitely!"


    Song Yi interrupted the doctor''s words, then smiled at him while simultaneously grabbing Hang Feng''s hand.


    Hang Feng''s hand had unconsciously clenched into a fist at his side, showing signs of both restraint and fury.


    Well, who wouldn''t be angry when faced with such a terrible father and having to listen to a stranger who knew nothing lecture them about being unfilial?


    To prevent Hang Feng from attacking the doctor - who, though somewhat meddlesome and not very bright, wasn''t a bad person - Song Yi gripped his hand harder, trying to uncurl his fingers while whispering in his ear, "Hang! Listen to me! Stay calm! Let''s stay calm!"


    Xu Che''s gaze fell on their "clasped" hands.


    The not-so-bright doctor, still unaware that Song Yi was trying to help him, continued rambling, "How can you speak like that? You young people are just immature and don''t understand. No matter what a father has done, he will always be your father. I''ve seen countless patients'' relatives, some who acted tough too, but when the patient actually passes..."


    However, the doctor''s lecture was interrupted once again.


    Xu Che said, "Please leave."


    Clearly, he didn''t agree with this person''s viewpoint either.


    The doctor was taken aback, but seeing that it was the eldest young master speaking, he could only pack up his things and leave.


    Looking at Xu Yuanguo still lying on the bed, Song Yi asked, "So what do we do now?"


    Xu Che answered, "The doctor said he''ll wake up within half an hour, and in another hour he has to meet with guests. He''s invited an important business partner this time, something he absolutely won''t miss."


    "Right," Hang Feng nodded, his eyes growing colder, "That''s just like him, still desperately trying to make money even when he''s dying. What''s he going to do, take it all with him to his grave?"


    Hearing Hang Feng''s words, Xu Che gave him a complex look but remained silent.


    What Xu Che had just said made Song Yi notice something important, and she asked, "What if we ruined this business deal of his? Would that make him really angry?"


    "Oh?" Hang Feng turned his head, looking at her with interest, "How would we ruin it?"


    "Hang Feng." Xu Che called his name disapprovingly, only saying six words, "Family shame should stay private."


    "Heh." Hang Feng let out a light laugh, his eyes suddenly turning red, not from wanting to cry but from suppressed anger about to explode, "Family shame? Don''t worry, even if it gets exposed, you''ll still be the legitimate heir, it won''t affect you at all."


    To the Xu family, he was that family shame, nothing more.


    "That''s not what I meant." Xu Che felt he couldn''t explain properly and changed the subject, "What do you want to do?"


    Song Yi smiled at Xu Che and extended her hand, "Makeup, give me some, quickly."


    Xu Che got a set of makeup from the household staff, and when he handed the makeup bag to Song Yi, his face was full of awkwardness.


    Heaven knows what kind of expression that garden helper girl had when she heard such a strange request from the young master of the house - probably thinking he was some kind of pervert.


    Hang Feng looked at Song Yi curiously and asked, "We already made him faint from anger, putting on makeup now won''t change how he sees you."


    "Who said I was going to put it on myself?" Song Yi took out some blush and approached Xu Yuanguo, frantically brushing it across his cheeks.


    Hang Feng found it amusing and picked up an eyeliner pencil, asking Song Yi, "What''s this?"


    Song Yi said, "Eyeliner, but you can use it to write on your dad''s face."


    Hang Feng thought for a moment, uncapped the eyeliner, and wrote one character on Xu Yuanguo''s forehead¡ª


    Death.


    Song Yi: "..." S§×arch* The Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    It was clear how much he hated him.


    But Song Yi didn''t stop what she was doing, using her not-so-skilled makeup techniques to give Xu Yuanguo smokey eyes that made him look like he''d been punched twice.


    Finally, Song Yi took out a lipstick and dotted a red spot in the center of Xu Yuanguo''s forehead. If it weren''t for his illness making him so thin, he would have looked exactly like a comical New Year painting mascot.


    Just then, Xu Yuanguo, with his eyes still closed, started coughing, clearly about to wake up.


    Song Yi quickly gathered all the makeup and backed away several steps to maintain distance from Xu Yuanguo.


    So when Xu Yuanguo opened his eyes, what he saw was his younger son, who had been rebellious since the age of seventeen, sitting by his bedside.


    Hang Feng''s expression lacked its usual coldness and resistance; instead, his lips curved upward in an odd, half-smile.


    Of course, upon seeing Xu Yuanguo awake, Hang Feng immediately stood up and kept his distance.


    Xu Yuanguo''s gaze swept across the entire room, pausing when he saw Song Yi.


    The presence of this strange girl reminded Xu Yuanguo that everything that had just happened wasn''t a nightmare but reality.


    So Xu Yuanguo placed his hand over his heart and began coughing violently again.


    He was unaware of the bizarre makeup on his face, so naturally, he didn''t know that it took great effort for the three people present not to laugh at him.


    Both Xu Che and Hang Feng simply watched him impassively, neither showing any intention of coming forward to show concern.


    Song Yi observed the scene before her and shook her head, thinking¡ª


    So this is what it''s like in wealthy families.


    After Xu Yuanguo finally recovered, he pointed at Song Yi and angrily questioned his two sons, "Why is she still here?"


    Hang Feng placed his hand on Song Yi''s shoulder and replied, "Don''t you already know? Do you need to hear it again?"


    Xu Che knocked Hang Feng''s hand away, saying, "Keep your hands to yourself."


    This gesture from Xu Che took on a different meaning in Xu Yuanguo''s eyes¡ª


    What a disaster! What a disaster!


    What kind of situation was this? His two sons were both completely infatuated with the same woman? And they were fighting over her shamelessly right in front of him?


    Xu Yuanguo angrily scolded, "Do you know what you''re doing? Women like her are a dime a dozen. Have I ever been too strict with you? And now both of you are in love with the same woman? This kind of worthless..."


    "Stop." Song Yi directly interrupted Xu Yuanguo, looking at him innocently, "Because they both like me, that makes me worthless? Then if two women both liked you and both bore your children, what does that make you? Are you worthless too?"


    Song Yi''s expression grew more disdainful as she looked at Xu Yuanguo, enunciating each word clearly: "You''re truly shameless and have no self-respect, you rotten cucumber. Men like you deserve to be drowned."


    These words made Xu Yuanguo''s eyes widen; he clearly couldn''t believe what he was hearing.


    In all his years, this was the first time someone had pointed at him and spoken such harsh words.


    More importantly, how could this young girl, who looked so pure and beautiful, say such things? Was she crazy?


    At this moment, Xu Che calmly spoke up, "Watch yourself, don''t faint again. Mr. Smith has already arrived."


    Xu Yuanguo was reminded of today''s most important matter by Xu Che''s words. He had an appointment with Mr. Smith from America to discuss a billion-dollar cooperation deal.


    If this cooperation with Mr. Smith went smoothly, the Xu family''s position in the industry would be permanently secured.


    Whether it was the Shen family, the Jiang family, or that Murong¡ªall these hypocrites, these so-called century-old aristocratic families, would have to bow their heads before him.


    Thinking of this, ambition once again filled Xu Yuanguo''s heart.


    His background was merely that of a nouveau riche, and even marrying Xu Che''s mother was considered marrying above his station in their social circle.


    Over the years, he had endured plenty of ridicule, but as his abilities grew and the Xu corporation expanded, those who once looked down on him changed their attitude.


    They called him Chairman Xu, bowing and scraping, all carefully trying to curry favor with him.


    Except for those few self-important aristocratic families who looked down on his origins, and to this day excluded the Xu family from any philanthropy or investment opportunities by default. He had spent half his life fighting in business, yet still hadn''t won these people''s respect.


    And now, he had been diagnosed with cancer.


    Rather than lying helplessly in a hospital bed waiting to die, losing his hair through rounds of chemotherapy, Xu Yuanguo wanted to use this time to do something meaningful.


    And Mr. Smith''s arrival represented a turning point for him.


    As long as his name, Xu Yuanguo''s name, was the one signed on that contract, the power structure of the entire Imperial Capital would have to be reshuffled.


    By then, those aristocratic families would all be scrambling to curry favor with him, fighting for scraps from his table.


    There were priorities to consider; compared to dealing with this worthless woman before him, he naturally needed to meet with Mr. Smith first.


    So Xu Yuanguo got out of bed, changed his shoes, and put on the suit jacket that was hanging in the wardrobe.


    He looked very serious, as if he was about to face a silent battle, but with such strange makeup on his face, the air of authority he usually carried was greatly diminished.


    He no longer looked like a cold, powerful boss, but rather like a clown about to perform in a circus.


    Song Yi tugged at Hang Feng''s clothes and whispered, "I really want to laugh."


    Just then, Xu Che stepped to the side, coincidentally blocking Song Yi from view.


    So Song Yi lowered her head and directly patted Hang Feng''s arm to release her emotions, laughing uncontrollably.


    It was so funny, really so funny.


    Just imagine, it was like a general going to battle, but instead of drawing a sword when facing the enemy, he pulls out a magical fairy wand.


    Xu Yuanguo didn''t bother looking at the three of them again, just coldly left a warning for his eldest son to "handle this situation" before hurrying downstairs.


    Meanwhile, in the garden.


    Shen Yujing sat expressionlessly, while beside him, Shen''s Mother was enthusiastically chatting with friends.


    "Everyone, look, this is my son. Isn''t he handsome? He inherited at least this good trait from me..."


    So noisy, so noisy.


    Looking at the group of wealthy ladies surrounding him, Shen Yujing felt like a monkey in a park being gawked at.


    It all started last night when Shen Yujing, lying in bed playing games, was suddenly kicked onto the floor.


    Getting up from the carpet, Shen Yujing asked furiously, "What are you doing!"


    Shen''s Mother put on a surprised expression, dramatically covering her mouth with her hand, "My precious son, so this is where you were! You didn''t even hear mother calling you several times. Mother thought you''d been captured by monsters in the game!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He wordlessly quit the game, flopped back onto the bed, turned over and buried his face in the pillow, "If you have something to say, can you just say it directly without all this nonsense?"


    "Oh my!" Shen''s Mother reached out to pull Shen Yujing up, "Mother wants to discuss something with you."


    Shen Yujing responded without hesitation: "I refuse."


    To be fair, Shen Yujing wasn''t an particularly clever person.


    But when it came to his mother, he always maintained twelve parts vigilance and keen insight.


    For example, right now, based on Shen Yujing''s understanding of his mother, when she used the word "discuss," it definitely wasn''t going to be anything good.


    Sure enough, she wanted to take him to attend a banquet.


    Shen Yujing hated those boring social occasions the most; they were a complete waste of time and life.


    But Shen''s Mother said: "Your Aunt Shang mentioned last time that Xu Che is growing more and more handsome, and there are countless girls in our circle who like him. They were all discussing which family''s sons and daughters are the most good-looking, but no one mentioned your name! As your mother, I felt so angry for you. My son is so handsome, yet they all lack eyes to see it!"


    And so Shen Yujing was successfully manipulated into coming here, to "fight for his mother''s pride"!


    Of course, sitting here now, he realized he had been tricked.


    Why were so many people surrounding him?!


    And that auntie, could she please stop reaching for his face? It''s really scary!


    Shen Yujing sat there, unable to bear it any longer, and looked at his mother, saying: "I want to go home."


    Shen''s Mother: "Don''t be a spoilsport, you''re already here."


    Shen Yujing: "Then I''ll walk around by myself."


    He definitely couldn''t stay here any longer.


    Shen''s Mother pointed to the distance and said: "Wait a bit longer, your Uncle Xu is coming over, at least say hello to him."


    Fine.


    Shen Yujing decided to reluctantly wait one more minute, just one minute.


    Out of boredom, Shen Yujing looked up at Xu Yuanguo, but unconsciously frowned.


    Even from a distance, he could see that Xu Yuanguo''s face was strangely marked with patches of black and red.


    So Shen Yujing asked his mother, "What''s painted on his face?"


    Shen''s Mother glanced over and casually replied, "Probably some kind of birthday god makeup. I didn''t expect him to become so fashionable."


    All along the way, Xu Yuanguo could sense that something was very wrong.


    Wherever he went, whether passing by servants or guests, regardless of their age or gender, everyone would look at him and then break into smiles.


    Why were they smiling at him like that?


    Could it be... they were trying to curry favor with him?


    Suddenly, Xu Yuanguo felt more confident, and he couldn''t help but let his lips curl up slightly.


    Once he signs the contract with Mr. Smith today, everyone will have to curry favor with him like this! He''ll be the one truly holding the economic lifeline of the Imperial Capital!


    As Xu Yuanguo drew closer, the noble ladies could now clearly see his today''s "makeup."


    Red cheeks, black circles around the eyes, and a character for "death" written on his forehead - the sight was particularly eerie.


    Suddenly, someone whispered, "What''s going on with Chairman Xu?"


    Another person quietly responded, "I heard he''s been very ill lately. Could this be some kind of black magic keeping him alive?"


    "I''ve heard about this too. They say if strange things suddenly happen to someone who''s dying, you must pretend not to see it. Otherwise, whoever points it out will have their own lifespan transferred to extend the dying person''s life!"


    "Stop talking! This is too terrifying! Let''s all pretend we don''t see anything!"


    ...


    At this moment, Shen Yujing narrowed his eyes.


    The young master, who had been feeling bored until now, finally found something interesting. Doing such strange things just to extend his life?


    Come on, couldn''t people believe in science? This was completely ridiculous and far-fetched.


    When Xu Yuanguo walked over, he politely greeted the ladies and prepared to head to the front hall to find Mr. Smith.


    But Shen Yujing suddenly called out, "Uncle Xu!"


    Xu Yuanguo stopped, looking somewhat impatient but still managing a smile, "Oh, it''s Yujing. Uncle has something to do right now. Can we talk later?"


    Shen Yujing ignored his request and asked directly, "Uncle Xu, why is there a death character on your forehead?"


    Xu Yuanguo froze. Faced with Shen Yujing''s sincere gaze, he suddenly felt cold sweat breaking out all over his body.


    Aliali: 674b1625c4f3f33ac49d2fc3


    On his forehead... there was a death character?


    What did that mean?


    Could it be that Shen Yujing could see his lifespan, and he really didn''t have much time left?


    With a trembling voice, Xu Yuanguo asked, "What did you say?"


    Shen Yujing repeated, "You have a death character on your forehead."


    He said it very loudly and sincerely, clearly not joking.


    Xu Yuanguo suddenly felt his legs going weak.


    It''s over... it''s all over.


    They say children''s eyes can see things that adults can''t.


    Although he knew his body couldn''t last much longer, he never thought... it would be this soon...

 Chapter 54

    In an instant, Xu Yuanguo''s face turned pale, though others couldn''t tell due to his strange makeup.


    His entire body trembled, and his legs felt weak beyond his control.


    Fortunately, Xu Yuanguo managed to steady himself by grabbing onto a nearby table, preventing himself from fainting in front of so many people. A sense of helplessness enveloped him completely, as if Death itself had descended beside him.


    No matter how much money he had made, no one could escape the cycle of life and death. Xu Yuanguo knew this well, but he hadn''t expected that day to come so soon.


    He looked at Shen Yujing; the young man before him was handsome and looked at him with sincere eyes, showing no signs of deception.


    He too had once been young, just like this Shen boy, and had experienced such beautiful youth.


    However, unlike Shen Yujing, he hadn''t been born into privilege or had such a noble background. He had spent half his life fighting and struggling to achieve everything he had today, only to be diagnosed with a terminal illness when he was just one step away from the finish line.


    Perhaps this was fate''s cruel joke.


    Thinking about this, the sorrow in Xu Yuanguo''s eyes deepened.


    Xu Yuanguo looked at Shen Yujing as if seeing his own lost youth through him.


    He felt regret, unwillingness, and had so many unfulfilled acts of revenge.


    But alas... alas!


    Xu Yuanguo stared intently at Shen Yujing, his mind racing chaotically, not even hearing people calling his name nearby.


    To the wealthy ladies present, Xu Yuanguo''s current state appeared completely deranged.


    Everyone''s minds involuntarily recalled what one of the ladies had said earlier¡ª


    "They say if strange things happen to someone who''s about to die from illness, you must pretend not to see it. Otherwise, the person who points it out will have their own lifespan used to extend the dying person''s life!"


    But Shen Yujing hadn''t pretended not to see it; he had directly pointed out Xu Yuanguo''s strangeness.


    So...


    Now that Xu Yuanguo had his sights set on Shen Yujing, Shen Yujing''s lifespan would be taken to extend Xu Yuanguo''s life!


    Xu Yuanguo knew nothing of these thoughts; he just wanted to confirm one more time, to make one last struggle.


    He turned to the other wealthy ladies standing nearby and asked, "Is there anything on my face that shouldn''t be there?"


    These people, already believing in the "seeing strange things will cost you your life" theory, immediately shook their heads in unison¡ª


    "No, no! There''s nothing at all!"


    "Mr. Xu looks very healthy!"


    "Don''t listen to what children say, how could that be possible?"


    Shen''s Mother could no longer remain seated. She stood up and positioned herself behind Shen Yujing, looking at Xu Yuanguo with an agitated voice: "If you want to take someone''s life force, take mine, not my son''s!"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Xu Yuanguo: "?"


    Xu Yuanguo''s gaze fell on Shen''s Mother ¨C what was this crazy woman saying now?


    Suddenly, an even more incredible thought occurred to Xu Yuanguo.


    He remembered hearing from his elders when he was young that when someone was about to die, ghosts would possess people around them, using their mouths to tell the dying person that their time was running out, reminding them to quickly fulfill any unfulfilled wishes and leave without regrets.


    And Shen''s wife was known in their circles for being religious and frequently visiting temples, so her reaction was different from others.


    So perhaps now, a ghost had possessed Shen Yujing, and Shen''s Mother could see it, which was why she was scolding it to leave her son alone. The others couldn''t see anything, which was why they said he looked normal.


    Completely unaware that in Shen''s Mother''s eyes he was the ghost, Xu Yuanguo felt his palms grow cold with this thought, breaking out in cold sweat.


    Under Shen''s Mother''s vigilant gaze, Xu Yuanguo also wanted to distance himself from "the ghost possessing Shen Yujing," and turned to leave with unsteady steps, looking lost and dazed.


    Even with his last breath, he had to find Mr. Smith...


    Watching Xu Yuanguo''s retreating figure, Shen''s Mother finally let out a long breath, turned back and patted her son''s face, "Baby, don''t be afraid, mommy''s here. No one can bully you, not even ghosts."


    The completely confused baby¡¤Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Though he didn''t understand, Shen Yujing, who was used to his mother acting like a drama queen for a couple of days each month, expressionlessly removed her hand.


    Just as Shen Yujing was about to seriously correct his mother''s choice of words, a surprised female voice sounded from behind him¡ª


    "Oh my god, he''s still a baby!"


    Followed by a flat male voice''s perfunctory agreement: "Oh my god."


    Another slightly hoarse male voice pronounced word by word: "Stay away from mama''s boys."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Shen Yujing angrily turned around, intending to teach these ignorant people a lesson.


    However, when he clearly saw the three people before him, Shen Yujing was so startled that he stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.


    Shen''s Mother reached out to steady her son, saying somewhat reproachfully, "Baby, what''s wrong with you, can''t you even stand steady?"


    "Don''t call me such strange names!" Shen Yujing broke free from his mother''s hand, then rubbed his eyes to confirm that standing before him were¡ª


    Xu Che, Song Yi, and Hang Feng.


    Except for the one in the middle, the other two looked quite disagreeable, especially the one on the left.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t hide his surprise, temporarily even forgetting about his mother calling him baby in public, and asked, "How come you''re all together?"


    Besides Xu Che being here making sense, the other two were completely unexpected!


    Xu Che looked at Shen Yujing, then pointed at Hang Feng, "My brother."


    Shen Yujing''s eyes widened as he looked at Xu Che, then at Hang Feng, his face clearly showing four words¡ª


    Are you kidding me?


    Shen Yujing looked at his mother and finally asked the mystery that had puzzled him for years, "So all this time Hang Feng''s surname is also Xu? Then why am I allowed to fight Xu Che but not Hang Feng?"


    They''re all from the same family, why the different treatment?


    Shen Yujing and Xu Che had been fighting for so many years without family intervention, but he had been warned not to bully Hang Feng ¨C why was that?


    Shen Yujing couldn''t figure it out, while Shen''s Mother''s face showed a rare expression of embarrassment, as if thinking "why does this child say everything out loud?"


    The wealthy ladies around them mostly knew that the Xu family had another son, reportedly born to Xu Yuanguo''s mistress, but except for Shen''s Mother, most were seeing Hang Feng for the first time.


    When it came to such gossip about the hosts, sensible people naturally kept their distance to avoid hearing something they shouldn''t and bringing trouble upon themselves.


    Of course, with their departure, the rumor that "Mr. Xu is seriously ill and needs dark magic to extend his life, and anyone who dares to point out his peculiarity today will have their lifespan stolen" spread throughout the Xu household instantly.


    Whether it was the old ladies sitting at the village entrance or these wealthy ladies, rich or poor, everyone loved gossip.


    At this moment, Shen''s Mother also found it inappropriate to answer this question in front of Hang Feng and Xu Che, so she changed the subject: "Xiao Jing, are these all your classmates and friends?"


    Song Yi finally looked at Shen''s Mother ¨C a woman in her forties who maintained herself so well she looked just over thirty, elegant in a light-colored formal dress paired with pearl accessories that made her look luxurious without being excessive, clearly someone who lived a life of privilege.


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Yes, but why won''t you let me fight..."


    But Hang Feng calmly interrupted Shen Yujing''s words, saying: "No, we''re all in Class A, Shen Yujing is in Class B."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Song Yi couldn''t help but burst out laughing.


    Shen''s Mother looked at her son with some resignation and said, "I didn''t expect much from him anyway. Xiao Feng, Xiao Che, long time no see."


    Xu Che and Hang Feng naturally both politely greeted Shen''s Mother.


    Shen''s Mother''s gaze fell on Song Yi, asking with a smile: "How come there''s such a pretty girl here? What''s your name?"


    Being complimented by a great beauty like Shen''s Mother, Song Yi suddenly felt a bit shy, and followed Hang Feng and Xu Che in saying "Hello, Auntie," then told her name.


    Shen''s Mother smiled at Song Yi and said, "Why call me Auntie? You''re so pretty, just call me sister."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Although she didn''t understand the logic behind Shen''s Mother''s words, any chance to take advantage of Shen Yujing was worth taking.


    So Song Yi immediately changed her tone, smiling with crescent eyes, "Hello, sister."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    How did classmates suddenly end up with a generational gap between them?


    Meanwhile, Shen''s Mother took quite a liking to this pretty young girl with her sweet words. She wanted to say more but was suddenly pushed aside by her son.


    Shen Yujing frowned and said, "Mom, why don''t you go have tea and snacks with the other ladies? What are you doing hanging around here?"


    What Shen Yujing said made sense, so Shen''s Mother decided not to disturb the children''s interaction anymore. She smiled and said, "I''ll leave then. If Shen Yujing bullies anyone, come find me right away."


    After saying this, she left, ignoring Shen Yujing''s darkened face.


    Shen Yujing''s gaze shifted between Xu Che and Hang Feng again, still asking in disbelief, "Are you two really brothers?"


    "No/Yes."


    Two voices rang out simultaneously with different answers.


    Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che and asked, "Which is it? Are you just one-sidedly clinging to him?"


    At this moment, Hang Feng silently walked past Shen Yujing and left, clearly not wanting to answer this question or even stay there any longer.


    Watching Hang Feng''s retreating figure, Xu Che rubbed his brow, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally explained to Shen Yujing, "Same father, different mothers."


    "Holy crap," Shen Yujing exclaimed in shock, squeezing out three words, "What a scumbag."


    "Enough, that''s not important," Xu Che obviously didn''t want to continue discussing this topic with Shen Yujing and instead asked, "Why are you here?"


    "I don''t even know," Shen Yujing looked more confused as he spoke, "My mom was being all mysterious before, never talking about Hang Feng''s background, but today she suddenly brought me here."


    Since he had never heard about it before, Shen Yujing was completely unprepared.


    Xu Che looked down at his wrist watch and said, "Because my father is planning to publicly acknowledge Hang Feng''s identity today."


    "Wh...what?" Song Yi''s eyes widened as she looked at Xu Che in disbelief, "What did you say? Acknowledge his identity?"


    Xu Che nodded.


    Song Yi was stunned. Wait, what kind of plot development was this?


    She clearly remembered that in the original story, Xu Yuanguo never acknowledged Hang Feng as his son until his death, and never revealed his existence to anyone.


    This was a crucial reason that led to Hang Feng''s final mental breakdown and descent into extremism.


    But now, Xu Yuanguo was actually going to acknowledge this son? This plot wasn''t right at all. Did she get a fake script?


    The seemingly retired system came out at this moment to defend itself.


    [Please don''t slander us.]


    [Each script represents a truly existing development, but due to the butterfly effect, plot deviations are normal. The host should first reflect on what she did rather than doubt others.]


    Song Yi was very puzzled and asked in her heart, "What does this have to do with me? I just met his father for the first time today."


    Song Yi couldn''t figure it out, but the system just brushed her off again with the words "butterfly effect."


    But regardless, this was a positive development.


    If Xu Yuanguo acknowledged Hang Feng as his son, then Hang Feng''s inner hatred wouldn''t be pushed to extremes, and he might not do those twisted things.


    Yes, logically speaking, this was actually a good development.


    Suddenly, a servant ran over and looked at Xu Che, "Young Master, the Madam is looking for you."


    Xu Che looked at Song Yi apologetically, "Excuse me."


    Shen Yujing took a sip of orange juice and muttered, "I''m still here, what about me?"


    Song Yi waved her hand, "It''s fine, it''s fine."


    After all, Xu Che had no obligation to entertain her, the one who brought her here was...


    Huh? Wait.


    Where''s Hang Feng?!


    Song Yi expressed deep criticism towards Hang Feng''s behavior of seeking her out when he needed something and then disappearing afterward.


    Then she and Shen Yujing proceeded to eat their way through all the cakes and snacks in the garden.


    Until another servant came to remind them that today''s banquet was about to begin and asked them to go to the main hall.


    As soon as Song Yi entered, she couldn''t help but exclaim "Oh ho!"


    Shen Yujing asked her, "What''s wrong?"


    Song Yi''s gaze turned to the center of the crowd, where Xu Yuanguo was giving a speech on stage, and she asked incredulously, "Why hasn''t he washed his face yet? With so many people watching, hasn''t anyone reminded him?"


    Shen Yujing was also puzzled, "I reminded him, but he didn''t believe me. What''s strange is that when I told him there was the character for ''death'' on his face, everyone else argued with me, saying there was nothing there."


    So Song Yi grabbed a passing servant who was serving red wine, pointed at Xu Yuanguo on stage, and asked, "What character is written on your Mr. Xu''s face?"


    The servant looked at Song Yi as if facing a great enemy, "Miss, what are you talking about? Our Mr. Xu''s face is perfectly clean, there''s nothing there!"


    After saying this, the servant fled.


    Song Yi: "?"


    Shen Yujing slowly spoke, "Have you considered one possibility?"


    Song Yi looked at him and asked, "What?"


    Shen Yujing said seriously, "Maybe it''s not them who have a problem, but our eyes."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She felt that these people should be able to see the character on Xu Yuanguo''s face, and she didn''t think there was anything wrong with her eyes.


    The only possibility was that something had gone wrong in between.


    But Xu Yuanguo seemed completely unaware, still standing on stage talking about his upcoming investment and development plans.


    Xu Yuanguo appeared to be in excellent spirits, as if he had encountered something wonderful.


    Song Yi grabbed another piece of cake and asked Shen Yujing beside her, "Why does he look so happy?"


    Shen Yujing answered randomly, "Maybe he thinks he''s handsome."


    Soon, Song Yi got her answer.


    Because Xu Yuanguo announced from the stage that he had secured a cooperation deal with the Smith Family from Country M.


    Song Yi frowned. That Mr. Smith must be the important client they mentioned earlier.


    So even with such a frightening ugly face, Xu Yuanguo still successfully secured the cooperation.


    He stood on stage looking extremely pleased, completely unaffected.


    Therefore, Song Yi''s mission here had naturally failed.


    Seeing Song Yi''s worried expression, Shen Yujing asked, "You don''t look very happy."


    Song Yi didn''t deny it, but looked up at the stage and asked thoughtfully, "Why can such a scumbag live so smoothly, having both family and career?"


    How unfair.


    This was supposed to be a Mary Sue novel world, couldn''t it be simpler with good being rewarded and evil being punished?


    Song Yi''s gaze fell on a corner, and she immediately called out, "Hang Feng!"


    Song Yi quickly walked over, and Shen Yujing hesitated before following her, "Hey, wait for me!"


    The three gathered together.


    Song Yi said, "So you''re here. I thought you had left."


    But Hang Feng stood there silently, eyes downcast.


    The man on stage was still talking endlessly, announcing his chosen plot of land for development and construction.


    Song Yi patted Hang Feng''s shoulder, trying to call out, "Brother Hang? Brother Hang?"


    Since Hang Feng was the youngest among them, even a few days younger than Song Yi, she suddenly had the idea to call him this.


    Hang Feng looked up, his narrow eyes slightly reddened, clearly suppressing some emotion.


    Song Yi was startled and quickly glanced at Shen Yujing, then pointed at Hang Feng, gesturing for him to go comfort him.


    Shen Yujing found it very strange - he wasn''t close to Hang Feng, what could he say?


    Song Yi maintained a smile on her face while grabbing Shen Yujing''s arm and forcefully pulling him over.


    Shen Yujing had no choice but to reluctantly start comforting.


    "Are you okay?"


    "Are you okay?"


    "Are you okay?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    What clumsy comfort tactics, not even bothering to change the words, might as well have "perfunctory" written on his forehead.


    So Song Yi asked, "Can you say something else?"


    Shen Yujing changed his words and asked, "How are you feeling?"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer Shen Yujing''s question. Instead, he looked up at Xu Yuanguo with an intense glare and replied through gritted teeth, "My mother''s grave is on the land he wants to develop."


    "Damn it," Song Yi said.


    "Hell," Shen Yujing said.


    Both of them felt the surge of anger simultaneously.


    What kind of person would do this? No, this wasn''t even human behavior.


    They''re already so wealthy, yet they''d still stoop so low for a bit more money?


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing''s gazes toward Hang Feng changed simultaneously, filled with genuine pity.


    They exchanged another glance, reaching a silent understanding.


    Then Shen Yujing patted Hang Feng''s shoulder, "Stop listening, brother."


    Song Yi patted Hang Feng''s other shoulder, "Let''s go get something to eat."


    Hang Feng looked up, his gaze falling on them with a hint of bewilderment.


    Shen Yujing said, "In times like these, you should have a drink, shouldn''t you?"


    Song Yi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Listening to more will only make you feel worse."


    After a few seconds of silence, Hang Feng finally nodded.


    Indeed, he just wanted to leave this place, to escape from this suffocating environment that brought him so much pain.


    His decision to return had been a mistake from the start.


    Before leaving, Song Yi turned off her phone screen and put it in her pocket. The last WeChat conversation page showed¡ª


    [XC, Song You Leave, Lonely Wolf]


    [XC]: Please take him away first, I''ll handle things here.


    [Song You Leave]: Mission accomplished.


    [Lonely Wolf]: This favor isn''t free, you''ll owe me one.


    ...


    At the restaurant.


    Shen Yujing placed several bottles of beer on the table, saying, "Since you two are underage, going to a bar wouldn''t be convenient. This will have to do. We''ve got not just beer, but food and meat too."


    Hang Feng remained silent, opening a bottle of beer and taking a long drink.


    Song Yi took out her phone and opened WeChat.


    [XC, Song You Leave, Lonely Wolf]


    [Song You Leave]: Come over soon, he''ll probably be drunk.


    [XC]: Okay.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing, "This won''t do. You should drink with him." S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Otherwise, Hang Feng might pass out before Xu Che arrives.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Song Yi snatched the beer bottle from Hang Feng''s hand, placed glasses in front of both Shen Yujing and Hang Feng, and said, "Just drinking is boring, why don''t we play a game? Rock, paper, scissors - loser takes a drink."


    Hang Feng frowned; it had been a long time since he''d heard such a childish suggestion.


    But Shen Yujing raised his hand enthusiastically, "Bring it on! I accept your challenge!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Who wants to accept such a challenge?


    First round of rock, paper, scissors.


    Shen Yujing lost and took a drink without hesitation. "Again!"


    Second round.


    Song Yi lost and finished her glass.


    Third round.


    Shen Yujing lost again. He smiled at Song Yi, "No worries, I can handle my alcohol. He''s feeling down, so we should let him win a few rounds, right? Trust me, I''ve got everything under control."


    ...


    A bowl of rice sat on the table with three pairs of chopsticks stuck in it.


    Shen Yujing was thoroughly drunk, his face red all the way to his ears.


    He put his arms around Song Yi and Hang Feng''s shoulders, holding them on either side, and shouted while looking up, "Today! Is... is the day we become sworn brothers! I am... Guan Bei!"


    Song Yi struggled to support Shen Yujing while ducking her head out from under his arm. Playing along to keep him off guard, she shouted, "I am Zhang Yu!"


    Shen Yujing turned to Hang Feng, pointing at him with his free hand, "Sp... speak up!"


    Hang Feng opened his mouth slowly, "I am... Liu Fei...?"


    "Excellent!"


    Shen Yujing was very satisfied and pointed toward the entrance.


    To Song Yi and Hang Feng''s shock, the usually unruly young master showed no concern for his dignity and dropped to his knees, shouting, "We three brothers may not have been born on the same day, but we shall die on the same day!"


    Hang Feng''s face showed complete rejection; he thought Shen Yujing had lost his mind.


    But the alcohol was getting to her too, and suddenly Song Yi thought this was a perfect opportunity.


    Dying on the same day? The main characters couldn''t all die.


    If this oath came true, she would be completely safe.


    When the second "thud" sounded, Hang Feng''s eyes widened.


    He looked at Shen Yujing kneeling on his left, then at Song Yi kneeling on his right, doubting both himself and the entire world.


    Was the world crazy, or was he?


    Suddenly, two hands reached out from either side, grabbing his legs and pulling him down.


    There''s no reasoning with drunk people, and Hang Feng was forced to kneel as well.


    His knees hurt, and his heart felt numb.


    He wanted to break free but couldn''t.


    Never mind, Hang Feng consoled himself.


    They''re just two drunks acting silly. Tomorrow morning they''ll forget all about this, and nobody will know what happened here...


    Aliali: 6748b055c4f3f33ac47cab0e


    "Creak¡ª"


    The door opened.


    Xu Che had clearly rushed over, one hand on the doorframe as he caught his breath.


    Then his eyes met with Hang Feng''s, who was kneeling on the floor.


    Oh, not just Hang Feng, but also Shen Yujing and Song Yi.


    All three were kneeling, when suddenly a hand pressed down on Hang Feng''s head, and all three bowed toward Xu Che in unison.


    Shen Yujing shouted: "Master! I am Sun Wukong!"


    Song Yi: "Master! I am Sha Wujing!"


    Zhu Bajie/Hang Feng: "..."


    Tang Seng/Xu Che: "..."

 Chapter 55

    Shame.


    Humiliation.


    Might as well die.


    These words kept circling in Hang Feng''s mind.


    For Hang Feng, he had always been trying to maintain his pitiful yet laughable self-esteem in front of his "brother" Xu Che.


    But at this moment, all his persistence seemed to have vanished into thin air.


    Hang Feng''s face was pressed against the ground, and if possible, he didn''t want to lift his head up anymore.


    End it, stop it, let everything freeze at this second, so he wouldn''t have to face what was about to happen next.


    Of course, Hang Feng''s wish was a bit unrealistic and impossible to fulfill.


    Because Shen Yujing had already released his hand from pressing Hang Feng''s neck, got up from the ground on his own, and even shouted, "Brotherhood ceremony complete!"


    Song Yi''s mind was also fuzzy, but instinct made her get up after seeing Shen Yujing rise, and she didn''t forget to dust off the dirt on her knees.


    Then, Song Yi dizzily looked at Hang Feng and asked, "Hang Feng? Why are you kneeling here?"


    "Kneeling?" Shen Yujing spun around in place, stumbling as he walked toward Hang Feng, and despite his confusion, he still showed a smile, "Why is he kneeling here? That''s so silly!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    He began to wonder if these two were actually drunk or deliberately messing with him.


    But Hang Feng also realized that he was now the only one still kneeling on the ground.


    So Hang Feng immediately stood up, both his aching knees and the scene before him giving him a headache.


    Xu Che reached out to stop Song Yi, who was spinning in circles, and frowned at Hang Feng, asking, "What''s going on here?"


    "How should I know?" Hang Feng felt irritated but still grabbed Shen Yujing, who was about to crash into the wall, and continued, "They brought me here, talking about playing drinking games."


    Xu Che asked, "And then?"


    Hang Feng said, "Then they just kept losing and drank all the alcohol."


    Their eyes met, and at that moment, they both saw a complex emotion called speechlessness in each other''s eyes.


    The usually antagonistic brothers experienced a strange resonance in this troubled world for the first time.


    Xu Che changed the subject, saying, "He revealed your identity today. Your classmates and friends should all know by now, if nothing unexpected happened."


    Hang Feng replied flatly, "I don''t have friends."


    "Is that so?" Xu Che raised the corner of his lips, pointing at the two beside them, asking, "Aren''t they your friends after becoming sworn siblings?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Strange emotions welled up in his heart, making Hang Feng feel even more irritated.


    Since Xu Che was here and could handle everything, there was nothing left for him to do.


    Just as Hang Feng was about to leave, Xu Che blocked his path.


    Xu Che''s smile faded as he placed his hand against the wall by the door, saying, "They came here to keep you company. Should you really abandon them? That''s not how you treat people."


    The brothers'' eyes met, both trying to detect different emotions in each other''s gaze.


    It was like a silent confrontation.


    Finally, Hang Feng yielded and asked, "What should we do?"


    Xu Che said, "I have an apartment near your school. Let''s take them there first."


    After speaking, Xu Che waved his hand in front of Song Yi, "Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?"


    Song Yi sat in the chair feeling both headache and dizziness, her eyelids unusually heavy. She wanted to try hard to open them but found it very difficult.


    But even in this state, there was something strange waving back and forth in front of her, which was extremely annoying and disturbing her sleep.


    So Song Yi simply reached out and grabbed that thing directly.


    There, that''s better, it won''t bother her anymore.


    Thinking this, Song Yi tried to grip tightly what was in her hand to prevent it from escaping, then tilted her head and fell back into sleep.


    Xu Che said, "Go help Shen Yujing up, let''s get them to the car first."


    Hang Feng disagreed, asking, "Why should I help Shen Yujing?"


    Xu Che raised his hand and waved it in the air, his large hand tightly gripped by Song Yi''s small one, the movement not enough to separate them.


    No answer was needed, as the gesture spoke louder than words.


    Hang Feng frowned but still pulled one of Shen Yujing''s arms over his shoulder and helped him out the door.


    Watching the two leave, Xu Che looked down at the girl sitting in the chair and suddenly found himself in a dilemma.


    While Shen Yujing was drunk and acting silly, he hadn''t lost his ability to move, but Song Yi was clearly different - she was sitting quietly here, sound asleep.


    At this moment, Song Yi''s grip on his hand loosened, and she raised her hand to rub her eyes, seemingly uncomfortable with someone staring at her even with her eyes closed, so she turned her face in another direction to continue resting.


    Xu Che hesitated for a few seconds before bending down to lift her up in his arms and walking out.


    The sudden loss of gravity made Song Yi feel insecure, so she instinctively wrapped her arms around Xu Che''s shoulders.


    The sky had already begun to darken, with the last rays of sunset falling on the girl''s seaweed-like long hair and her seemingly soft lips.


    Xu Che took one quick glance down before rapidly averting his gaze, the coldness in his expression diminishing slightly, and the skin from his earlobe to the nape of his neck, beneath his silver earring, seemed to turn slightly red.


    Of course, it only seemed that way.


    He tightened his grip, holding the girl closer, then quickened his pace to catch up with Hang Feng.


    Fortunately, the car was parked nearby.


    Xu Che placed Song Yi in the back seat and put several sobering candies in her jacket pocket.


    He then sat in the driver''s seat and looked at Hang Feng, "You sit between them, help keep them steady."


    "I wouldn''t sit with you anyway." Hang Feng silently withdrew his hand that was about to open the passenger door and expressionlessly opened the back door, squeezing into the middle position from beside Shen Yujing.


    The back seat was fairly spacious, and these two were asleep, so it shouldn''t be a problem, or so Hang Feng thought.


    But the moment the car started moving, two heads fell onto Hang Feng''s shoulders, one on each side.


    Hang Feng mercilessly reached out and pushed both of them away simultaneously, leaving no room for negotiation.


    But the peace didn''t last long, as with the car''s movement, both of them leaned back towards him again.


    Hang Feng in the middle: "?"


    He pushed them away again and tightened their seatbelts to the maximum, ensuring that no matter what happened, they would be firmly secured in their positions.


    Xu Che, watching the whole scene through the rearview mirror: "..."


    This was something only Hang Feng would do.


    To prevent Shen Yujing and Song Yi from being strangled by their seatbelts in their sleep, Xu Che increased his driving speed.


    Song Yi felt like she had taken a nap, and when her head stopped hurting so much, she opened her eyes.


    The room''s light was harsh, and before Song Yi could clearly see the scene before her, she first heard arguing voices¡ª


    "Do I need him to acknowledge my identity? Should I cry tears of gratitude for his grace, is that what you want to see?"


    "Hang Feng, you know that''s not what I meant."


    "So what? Going there today was the biggest mistake. Just looking at him makes me sick."


    Song Yi raised her hand to rub her eyes and supported herself to sit up on the bed.


    Within her field of vision, Shen Yujing was lying on the sofa not far away.


    He was sprawled out carelessly, arms wide open, and if the sofa hadn''t been large enough, he might have fallen to the floor the next second.


    The room''s door wasn''t completely closed, leaving a gap through which the voices from outside could clearly be heard.


    Song Yi sat on the bed listening for a while, using this time to recall what had happened earlier.


    She and Shen Yujing had wanted to get Hang Feng drunk, but everyone except Hang Feng ended up drunk instead.


    Thinking about this, Song Yi felt quite frustrated.


    She looked at Shen Yujing with disdain and muttered, "Totally useless."


    Song Yi got up and walked to Shen Yujing''s side, bent down and patted his face, "Hey, wake up, wake up!"


    Shen Yujing frowned in his sleep, then waved his hand in the air before turning over to face the inside of the sofa, turning his back to Song Yi.


    Song Yi: "..."


    She decided she shouldn''t count on Shen Yujing.


    While Shen Yujing was still passed out drunk, Xu Che and Hang Feng were arguing in the living room.


    Realizing this situation, Song Yi chose to lie back down in bed, thinking it would be better to pretend to be asleep.


    Suddenly, there was a sound of something falling to the floor - what appeared to be several yellow candies had dropped.


    Song Yi picked one up and saw it was labeled "hangover candy."


    Though she didn''t know where they came from, they seemed potentially useful.


    So Song Yi unwrapped one and put it in her mouth, then lay back down on the bed.


    The door was open, and the sounds of arguing from outside remained clear.


    Xu Che and Hang Feng argued for a long time, until Song Yi started feeling drowsy as she listened.


    Whatever, let them be.


    She didn''t care anymore; she wanted to sleep.


    As drowsiness overtook her again, Song Yi pulled the blanket over her head and fell asleep once more to the sound of Xu Che and Hang Feng''s arguing.


    Meanwhile, in the living room.


    As brothers, Xu Che and Hang Feng had spoken more words to each other today than in their entire lives combined.


    But it was all arguments, all disagreements, all conflicts.


    Even though they shared a mutual hatred for the man they called father, it couldn''t change the fact that they had many fundamental differences in their views.


    Like two exhausted wolves, they sat at opposite ends of the living room, both choosing silence for the moment.


    Hang Feng laughed coldly, "You were there today. He wanted to disturb my mother''s grave! All for his real estate development - he''s nothing but a beast!"


    "Hang Feng," Xu Che called his name disapprovingly, "Don''t tell me you can''t see it - he doesn''t really want to develop that land. It''s just his way of trying to make you compromise."


    To make Hang Feng compromise, to make him obediently return to this family, to change his surname from Hang to Xu, to become Xu Yuanguo''s son again.


    Hang Feng spat out just two words: "Dream on."


    Xu Che continued trying to persuade him: "It''s just a temporary setback. His health won''t last much longer anyway."


    Hang Feng replied word by word: "Not. Possible."


    "Being flexible doesn''t equal shame. Sometimes excessive pride is just foolishness. After he dies, you can even build a landfill on his grave - I won''t stop you." Xu Che said this while checking the time on his phone, then got up to leave, dropping one final comment.


    "Think it through - do you really want to disturb your mother''s peace?"


    After Xu Che''s words, the sound of the door closing followed.


    The whole house fell back into silence.


    Hang Feng sat alone in the corner of the sofa, head buried between his knees, eyes red.


    He understood the logic in what Xu Che had said, but he just couldn''t get past his own feelings about it.


    If only he could ask his mother what she would want him to do.


    Hang Feng felt his mind was in complete chaos, with no answers to be found.


    And suddenly¡ª


    There was a creaking sound as the bedroom door opened.


    Song Yi poked her head out to look at Hang Feng and asked, "Did he leave?"


    "Mm." Hang Feng nodded, quickly wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes to hide any signs of distress from Song Yi.


    Song Yi gave Hang Feng a smile and said, "I''m hungry."


    Hang Feng paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you want to eat? I''ll go buy it."


    Song Yi thought for a few seconds and answered, "River snail rice noodles."


    Shen Yujing woke up to a strange, awful smell.


    He had never smelled anything so bizarre in his life - it was as if... as if a toilet had exploded.


    Seeing the unfamiliar environment around him, Shen Yujing quickly got up from the sofa, sniffed hard, and began searching for the source of the smell.


    Shen Yujing walked forward step by step, and when he opened the door, the intense odor rushed into his nose.


    At that moment, Song Yi and Hang Feng were sitting at the table, both heads down eating something.


    Shen Yujing opened his mouth to speak¡ª


    "Ugh!"


    Shen Yujing''s exclamation successfully drew Song Yi and Hang Feng''s attention to his presence.


    Song Yi looked up at Shen Yujing, her eyes and even the tip of her nose bright red, with tears in her eyes.


    Shen Yujing took a big step forward, staring at Hang Feng accusingly, "What did you do to her?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Hang Feng: "?"


    Shen Yujing grabbed a tissue and pressed it against Song Yi''s face, "Why are you crying? You look awful. Did he bully you? Tell me what happened."


    Song Yi helplessly removed the tissue from her face, pointed at the bowl in front of her, and said, "Don''t jump to conclusions. I''m just eating - it''s spicy."


    Shen Yujing followed Song Yi''s gaze and, seeing the "noodles" floating in a sea of chili oil, finally believed her explanation.


    "You two have quite the appetite, eating when it smells like a toilet exploded in here." Shen Yujing said while covering his nose, "Why are you just sitting there? Hurry up and call someone to fix it!"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi waved at Shen Yujing, "Come here, sit down."


    Song Yi pushed an unopened package of river snail rice noodles in front of Shen Yujing and handed him a pair of disposable chopsticks, "Try it."


    Shen Yujing suspiciously accepted the chopsticks and asked, "What is this?"


    Song Yi didn''t answer, just helped him open the lid.


    The overwhelming smell that hit him made Shen Yujing jump up immediately, backing away several steps in shock, "What is this thing?"


    He held his nose tightly, looking like he might faint at any moment.


    "The river snail rice noodles I mentioned to you guys last time," Song Yi rolled her eyes at Shen Yujing, "If you don''t want to eat it, fine. I''ll go find Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng tomorrow."


    Wait, these were the river snail rice noodles they had talked about eating together.


    If he ate them now, he''d beat Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng to it.


    Next time when everyone ate together, he could proudly say he''d already tried them.


    This sense of "dignity" made Shen Yujing grip his chopsticks tighter as he trembled, sitting back down beside Song Yi with shaking hands.


    Even though the smell was... but... it should taste good, right?


    As it turned out, Shen Yujing was right.


    When the first bite of river snail rice noodles entered his mouth, his eyes widened.


    Then without another word, he hunched over and started eating continuously.


    Delicious! Really delicious!


    One mouthful after another, Shen Yujing gradually got used to the nauseating smell.


    After finishing the bowl, Shen Yujing took out his phone to snap a picture of the empty bowl and posted it on his social media.


    [Lonely Wolf]: River snail rice noodles [thumbs up] [picture]


    Murong Huan was the first to comment.


    [Welcome]: ?


    [Welcome]: You ate river snail rice noodles without me?


    [Welcome]: Unbelievable!!!


    [Jiang Yiheng]: .


    A single period was enough to express his feelings.


    Seeing Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng''s reactions made Shen Yujing feel even better, his vanity thoroughly satisfied.


    By now it was getting late, and all three of them left the apartment.


    The Shen family''s driver had been waiting downstairs.


    Shen Yujing was startled to see him, as if he''d seen a ghost, and asked, "Why are you here?"


    The driver respectfully replied, "Young Master Xu contacted the family."


    "Talks too much." Shen Yujing expressed his attitude toward Xu Che in three words, then asked Song Yi and Hang Feng, "Get in the car, I''ll drive you home."


    "No need." Song Yi pointed to the bus stop not far away, then started walking in that direction.


    Hang Feng followed behind her.


    Looking at the scene before him, Shen Yujing frowned, inexplicably reminded of the day Song Yi and Quan Le rode a shared electric bike racing with him, ending with everyone getting caught by the traffic police.


    Well, considering how rough Hang Feng''s day had been, he''d reluctantly let Song Yi comfort Hang Feng in his place.


    So Shen Yujing closed the car window, shut his eyes, and said, "Let''s go home." Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Meanwhile, at the bus stop.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng quickly caught their bus, but it was somewhat crowded, so Song Yi stood by the back door holding the handrail.


    Hang Feng stood beside her.


    Song Yi sniffed and waved at Hang Feng.


    Hang Feng looked at her and lowered his head, bringing his ear closer.


    Song Yi put one hand near his ear and said, "I think we smell like the noodles. Remember to shower and change clothes when you get home."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Did she need to remind him of that? It''s not like he didn''t know!


    The bus continued moving forward until it reached a stop where there was an empty seat.


    A young couple next to it was being courteous to each other.


    "Darling, you should sit down."


    "It''s okay baby, I''m not tired, you sit."


    "No, dear, I think you''ve had a tougher day today."


    "But baby..."


    "Stop." Song Yi held out her hand, "Neither of you is tired, right? Well, I am, so I''ll sit."


    So Song Yi squeezed between the couple and sat down by the window, leaning her head against it and closing her eyes once again.


    She was still a bit sleepy and wanted to rest a while longer.


    The young couple beside her were now glaring at her with fury in their eyes.


    "Hey, what do you..."


    The man was about to lose his temper and reached out to touch Song Yi, but suddenly felt a searing pain in his hand.


    Hang Feng, expressionless, had grabbed the man''s hand and twisted it backward, using his eyes to signal him to move aside.


    The man''s face turned pale from the pain, but not wanting to lose face in front of his girlfriend, he endured it and stepped back.


    Hang Feng stood beside Song Yi, creating a small world that separated her position from the rest of the carriage with his presence.


    It wasn''t that he cared too much about Song Yi; he mainly just didn''t want her to get hurt.


    Meanwhile, at the Shen residence.


    When Shen Yujing returned home, his mother was displeased that he stepped in with his left foot first.


    Shen''s Mother asked, "Where were you? Why are you only coming back now, and reeking of alcohol?"


    Shen Yujing answered honestly enough, "Was drinking with Hang Feng."


    Shen''s Mother''s gaze was vigilant, looking at Shen Yujing with suspicion, "Just Hang Feng? I heard there was a girl there too."


    "You mean Song Yi?" Shen Yujing replied with feigned calmness, "The one you met today."


    Shen Yujing sat down on the sofa and took a sip from the water in front of him.


    Shen''s Mother suddenly asked, "That pretty young lady? Do you like her?"


    "Pfft¡ªcough cough!"


    Shen Yujing nearly choked to death on his mineral water. "What nonsense are you talking about? I''m still a student, my job is to study. Stop thinking about all this random stuff!"


    "But your grades are terrible," Shen''s Mother pointed out bluntly. "You can''t look back on your youth with poor grades, few friends, and not even a hint of puppy love, can you? That would be embarrassing¡ªdon''t tell people you''re my son if that''s the case."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Well, she had a point.


    "Nothing else matters, what''s important is whether you like her or not."


    Shen''s Mother leaned in closer, her entire face screaming five words¡ª


    I want to hear the gossip.


    Shen Yujing put down his water and turned his face in the other direction, avoiding his mother''s gaze, saying, "We''re just... friends."


    "Just friends?" Shen''s Mother rolled her eyes, "Did you notice your expression when you saw her today? At least try to be more subtle in public. If you can''t win her over, don''t embarrass me!"


    "Stop it, you''re so annoying!" Shen Yujing interrupted his mother irritably, running his hand through his golden hair before standing up and heading upstairs, "This is ridiculous! There''s no talking to you!"


    Shen''s Mother watched her son''s retreating back and shook her head with a sigh, commenting, "Such terrible acting."


    Who hasn''t been young before?


    From what she saw at the Xu residence today, she could tell all three boys had feelings for that young lady.


    When they all stood together, it was like a scene straight out of a teen drama.


    Well, it made sense¡ªafter all, that young lady was exceptionally striking in both looks and temperament, so gentle, well-behaved, and adorable. Who wouldn''t like her?


    At this moment, Shen''s Mother, who had the wrong first impression of Song Yi, thought this to herself while secretly casting a supporting vote for her son.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing had returned to his room.


    He sat at his desk, his mother''s words repeating in his mind¡ª


    "Nothing else matters, what''s important is whether you like her or not."


    Shen Yujing opened the drawer in front of him and laid everything inside on the desk.


    On the left was a huge iron hammer, Song Yi''s birthday gift to him.


    On the right was a small gift box containing a pink crystal necklace shaped like a hammer, adorned with gems¡ªthe gift he never managed to give to Song Yi.


    Did he like Song Yi?


    Shen Yujing''s brows furrowed; he couldn''t find the answer.


    As the saying goes, books contain houses of gold, books contain beauties like jade¡ªwhen you encounter problems, read more books.


    So Shen Yujing went to his father''s study to look for books.


    An entire wall of bookshelves packed with various finance textbooks, world classics, and one copy of "Hans Christian Andersen''s Fairy Tales."


    This book looked quite old, probably something his mother used to read to him at bedtime and had left here.


    But in this study, Shen Yujing felt this might be the only book he could actually understand.


    Aliali: 674846b2c4f3f33ac476861b


    So he took this book back to his room and randomly opened to a story¡ª


    "The Flying Trunk"


    The story-loving protagonist Sven quickly squandered his inherited fortune and was left with nothing but an old trunk, but this magical old trunk could fly and took Sven to the princess of his dreams. Sven tried everything to marry the princess, but in the end discovered that what he loved wasn''t money or the princess¡ªhe loved telling stories. [Note 1]


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    He didn''t understand, but he was deeply shocked.


    But his father had said that reading brings wisdom, and any question can find its answer in books.


    Could it be... could it be...


    Shen Yujing''s gaze turned to the hammer in front of him, and suddenly he had a bold idea.


    Could it be that he didn''t like Song Yi, but rather... the hammer?


    Huh? What the hammer was he thinking?

 Chapter 56

    Huh? This doesn''t make sense, does it?


    This can''t be right, can it?


    This isn''t logical.


    Yes, this definitely doesn''t make sense.


    Shen Yujing made an effort to push this strange thought out of his mind, then quickly stuffed both the hammer and necklace from the desk into the drawer.


    Out of sight, out of mind.


    Shen Yujing found a lock and secured the drawer, finally letting out a sigh of relief.


    Whether it''s the hammer or Song Yi... he shouldn''t think about either of them anymore!


    *


    At the Xu residence.


    After a busy day, Xu Yuanguo returned to his study and sat at his desk.


    Although many strange things had happened today, securing the cooperation with Mr. Smith was enough.


    As for Hang Feng...


    Thinking about this son gave Xu Yuanguo a headache, but he couldn''t help feeling a sense of sorrow.


    Though he was his own flesh and blood, the relationship between father and son was like that of enemies.


    Xu Yuanguo used to not care about such things. He didn''t care what others thought of him, nor did he care about so-called blood ties in this world. He didn''t even trust the person who shared his bed - he and his wife had been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time.


    Until recently, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.


    These days, he kept dreaming about Hang Feng''s mother, Hang Ran, night after night. She was a gentle and beautiful woman.


    In his hazy memories, everything returned to many years ago.


    Back then, Xu Yuanguo had just started university. His father''s countless business ventures had failed, and he only had a few hundred yuan to his name - his monthly living allowance.


    So during the first month, Xu Yuanguo declined all class activities, spending all his time in the library.


    He was afraid of socializing and afraid others would discover his poverty.


    After spending an entire semester in the library, Xu Yuanguo received his first "love letter" in life.


    He looked up to see a pretty girl sitting by the window, smiling at him shyly with a blushing face.


    Xu Yuanguo knew her as Hang Ran, the beauty of the Foreign Languages Department, and one of the names most frequently mentioned during late-night talks in the boys'' dormitory.


    Xu Yuanguo looked down at the note in his hand¡ª


    [I''ve been watching you for a whole semester. You come to the library every day. You''re so hardworking. Can we be friends?]


    For the first time, Xu Yuanguo wrote down his contact information on a note, and from then on, he shared many firsts with Hang Ran.


    The first time sitting and chatting with someone on the moonlit playground, the first time receiving a gift, the first time holding a girl''s hand, and the first time staying out all night.


    Xu Yuanguo was also a top student in the Finance Department, and his relationship with the beauty of the Foreign Languages Department drew countless envious looks. Most people thought they were a match made in heaven.


    Even his roommates teased him: "You''re so quiet usually, how did you manage to win over the beauty from the Foreign Languages Department? Share your secrets with us."


    This was Xu Yuanguo''s first relationship too - he had no experience to share, only a naive yet insecure heart.


    Although Hang Ran''s family wasn''t well-off either, the Xu family was already in debt at that time.


    He worked multiple part-time jobs desperately, buying beautiful roses for the girl he liked and sending the remaining money home, while surviving on steamed buns and pickled vegetables himself.


    Even so, Xu Yuanguo felt happy because Hang Ran was like the moon in the sky to him - so gentle and beautiful.


    Since he had managed to reach the moon, he had to treat her well.


    That was what Xu Yuanguo thought, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.


    In the second semester of Xu Yuanguo''s sophomore year, while his parents were buried in massive debt, his father''s final business venture - though desperate - actually succeeded, and the Xu family suddenly became well-known nouveau riche in the area.


    This sudden wealth shocked Xu Yuanguo''s mind, making his whole body tremble with excitement beyond control.


    Xu Yuanguo remembered that day when his mother transferred 100,000 yuan to his card as pocket money. He held Hang Ran''s hand tightly, repeatedly saying "I can give you a good life now."


    At that time, Xu Yuanguo thanked both heaven and his parents, feeling that his daily prayers had finally been answered.


    After graduation, Xu Yuanguo started working at his family''s company. He had a natural business acumen, and his cooperation with his father made the company more and more successful.


    His mother also liked Hang Ran very much, practically considering her as her future daughter-in-law.


    On the surface, everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction, until¡ª


    The daughter of the Chen family fell in love with Xu Yuanguo at first sight.


    She despised people who deliberately tried to please her, so Xu Yuanguo''s cold and distant attitude actually attracted her, even though he already had a girlfriend.


    But what did that matter? The pampered young lady didn''t care about such things - she had to get what she wanted.


    When the Chen family proposed a marriage alliance to the Xu family, Xu Yuanguo''s father was tempted. The business empire he had built with such difficulty would be more secure under the Chen family''s protection.


    That night, father and son talked until dawn.


    "Marrying the Chen family''s daughter doesn''t mean you can''t keep Hang Ran on the side. Dad will help you keep it secret from them. If Hang Ran truly loves you, she won''t begrudge your success or our family''s prosperity."


    "This is how things work in our circle. After a few years, everyone goes their own way anyway. It''s not like you have to face just one woman for the rest of your life. What''s there to hesitate about?"


    Xu Yuanguo''s resistance gradually turned to hesitation, and both men tacitly agreed to keep this from his mother.


    Conveniently, Xu''s mother was ill, so Hang Ran accompanied her to neighboring City A for treatment and rest for three whole months.


    A modest wedding ceremony was held quietly in the capital - this was the Chen family''s compromise.


    On their wedding night, looking at the refined and beautiful daughter of the Chen family, Xu Yuanguo naturally didn''t refuse.


    Just as his father said, men of their status couldn''t have just one woman.


    He would still treat Hang Ran well, he would compensate her even more. If Hang Ran truly loved him, she should understand.


    Their years of love - he couldn''t possibly mistreat her.


    This was how Xu Yuanguo thought, trying to convince his somewhat guilty conscience.


    When Mrs. Xu and Hang Ran returned to the capital, Mrs. Xu rarely went out due to her health. Xu Yuanguo used this as an excuse not to bring the Chen family''s daughter home, and he kept running between the Chen family''s daughter and Hang Ran.


    This absurd situation somehow managed to stay hidden for nearly three months before being exposed.


    That day, his mother was furious, cursing him as a beast.


    The usually gentle Hang Ran looked at Xu Yuanguo, crying until her voice was hoarse and she couldn''t speak a complete sentence.


    The Chen family''s daughter merely supported her visibly swollen belly, looking at everything with a cold expression, only dropping one sentence, "Deal with your old flame, and don''t appear before me in the future. It''s disgusting to look at."


    Later, Hang Ran left, and his mother completely ignored his existence at home.


    On the day the Chen family''s daughter gave birth, he also learned that Hang Ran was pregnant.


    And after that...


    The events after that became blurry in his memory.


    His mother, disapproving of his and his father''s actions, left the family and stubbornly lived with Hang Ran and Hang Feng.


    Hang Ran passed away early, and his mother raised Hang Feng alone.


    He tried every possible way to send them money, but it was always returned.


    Just as she had said, she only recognized Hang Ran as her daughter-in-law, and she truly lived by those words.


    "Knock knock¡ª"


    A knocking sound interrupted Xu Yuanguo''s reminiscence.


    Xu Che walked in, asking coldly, "Did you need something?"


    Facing this son who had grown up under his nose, Xu Yuanguo suddenly felt nothing but estrangement.


    There was an inexplicably long scar at the tail of his eyebrow, he always kept his eyes lowered, never looking directly at his father, inappropriately wearing an earring, his whole being emanating only indifference and ruthlessness.


    He didn''t look anything like his son, not like a child who had received a proper upper-class education, but rather like a street thug.


    Xu Yuanguo suppressed this strange feeling and asked, "Did you go see Hang Feng?"


    "Yes," Xu Che nodded, "He''s fine."


    "And you?" Xu Yuanguo frowned, "Raise your head. Is this how you should speak to your father?"


    Xu Che raised his head, his eyes showing obvious impatience, "As you can see, I''m also fine. If you have something to say, just say it."


    Xu Yuanguo opened the drawer in front of him and placed a document on the desk, "Take a look at this."


    The word "Will" caught Xu Che''s attention, making him frown, but he still opened the first page.


    Xu Yuanguo said, "I''m leaving you five houses, all the family cars, and a bank card. Your mother and I originally split the company shares equally, so her portion will be yours. My portion will go entirely to Hang Feng, and as for my other assets, they''ll all go to him as well. Do you have any objections? You can speak up if you do."


    Xu Che''s hand rested on the table, his index finger curled as he tapped lightly on the surface, saying only one word, "Yes."


    "What?"


    Xu Yuanguo looked at his son with surprise. This child had never cared about anything from childhood to adulthood, yet now he seemed to have developed an interest in fighting for inheritance?


    If Xu Che''s reasoning was sound enough, he wouldn''t be opposed to reconsidering the distribution of the inheritance and leaving more to Xu Che.


    Xu Che closed the will in front of him and pushed it back to Xu Yuanguo, his lips curling in mockery as he said, "Give him the houses, cars, and bank cards too. What you own, he might not want, but I certainly don''t care for any of it."


    "You!"


    Xu Yuanguo stood up angrily, slamming his hand on the table, "Do you know what you''re saying? What kind of child speaks to their father like this? This is unfilial!"


    Xu Che replied, "I learned it from you, of course. Grandmother has lived such a hard life all these years - is this how you show filial piety as a son?"


    Xu Yuanguo raised his hand high and slapped Xu Che across the face. "Look at yourself! Is this how your mother taught you to behave?"


    Xu Che''s face was struck to one side, the handprint stark against his fair skin.


    Yet his expression remained indifferent, as if he couldn''t feel the pain. He looked up at Xu Yuanguo with a smile and said, "What am I like? What should I be like? A selfish mother, an extremely hypocritical father - two wrong people came together and gave birth to the wrong me."


    "I often wonder, when facing Aunt Hang Ran, when facing grandmother, when facing Hang Feng - don''t you feel any guilt at all?"


    Xu Che picked up the will in front of him and threw it into the trash bin with a laugh. "Giving everything to Hang Feng - you think this makes up for everything? You think you''ll be able to face Aunt Hang Ran in the afterlife? Or perhaps you''re hoping this will would move Hang Feng, that he''ll attend your funeral when you die and acknowledge you as his father?"


    Xu Yuanguo was so angered by Xu Che''s words, as if they had struck a nerve, that he raised his hand again.


    However, this time the slap didn''t land as smoothly as before.


    Xu Che expressionlessly caught Xu Yuanguo''s wrist, saying, "That''s enough. I''m only tolerating this because you''re dying. Don''t push your luck."


    Xu Yuanguo stared at his eldest son in disbelief.


    He had long grown accustomed to Xu Che''s cold nature, but he never imagined his son would harbor such hatred toward him as a father.


    He knew he had wronged Hang Feng, Hang Ran, and even his mother.


    But Xu Yuanguo felt he had never deprived Xu Che of food or clothing. He had provided his son with a privileged life, only to raise an ungrateful wolf in return!


    Xu Che released Xu Yuanguo''s hand and turned to leave, saying, "Be careful not to faint from anger again. This time, no one will call an ambulance for you."


    "Also, take a good look in the mirror."


    *


    Xu Che never claimed to be kind; he only considered himself normal.


    A normal person with shame, values, and principles.


    In such a family, it was precisely because of being normal that he suffered.


    He tried his best to distance himself from this family, yet found himself trapped in a vortex, constantly sinking deeper.


    He had met Hang Feng''s mother before. Though her face was now blurry in his memory, he vaguely remembered she was a gentle woman, nothing like his own mother who, in her fits of madness, would grab his throat and tell him to kill Hang Feng, this illegitimate child, then cry about her tragic fate.


    How ridiculous - she made herself sound like a victim.


    But wasn''t all of this her own doing?


    If his mother hadn''t interfered in someone else''s relationship, if his father had shown any sense of responsibility or commitment to his lover, this mistaken marriage would never have begun.


    These two people together became a bitter couple, torturing each other for so many years - they deserved it all.


    And what about him?


    As the child of such people, perhaps he deserved this too.


    The young man closed his eyes as moonlight and lamplight fell across his brow.


    That three-centimeter scar, though long healed, looked particularly striking at that moment.


    When he was thirteen, he had secretly gone to visit his grandmother. On his way back, he saw Hang Feng being bullied by three thugs in an alley.


    After Hang Feng left, he fought those three thugs alone.


    Though he didn''t win, he didn''t lose either. He got a scar above his eyebrow, but those three never dared appear on that street again.


    This was the only time he had ever fulfilled his responsibility as an older brother, even if no one knew about it, nor needed to know.


    *


    The next day.


    When Xu Yuanguo acknowledged his second son''s identity at his birthday celebration, the news spread quickly throughout their social circle.


    The Saint Slee Forum was flooded with discussions about this event.


    [Shocking! Hang Feng''s identity revealed! He''s the Xu family''s second young master!]


    1L: Second young master? Does he have brothers and sisters?


    7L: You mean Xu Che from Saint Yu Boys'' High School? I remember he was Shen Yujing''s arch-enemy.


    16L: No wonder those who bullied him all met with misfortune.


    31L: Wait, the Xu family has two sons? My family does business with them, and I always heard they only had one child.


    37L: Hold on, don''t forget Xu Che and Hang Feng are the same age!


    43L: !!


    47L: Damn, is this some kind of soap opera?


    58L: I have a bold guess... could Hang Feng be illegitimate?


    67L: I think so. He doesn''t even have the Xu surname, and Mrs. Xu''s surname is Chen.


    77L: An illegitimate child in Class A? Does he deserve it? What is the school thinking?


    81L: Just thinking about sharing a school with such impure blood makes me uncomfortable.


    88L: Not just sharing a school - he''s in Class A enjoying better educational resources than us.


    ...


    At this moment, the seat beside Song Yi was still empty; Hang Feng hadn''t come to school.


    Song Yi rested her cheek on her hand, lost in thought, asking her system internally -


    "Is this what you meant by a mysterious family?"


    Though the Xu family was wealthy, their assets didn''t compare to the Shen family''s. How could this possibly relate to being a mysterious family?


    The system responded confidently.


    [They''re now partnering with the Smith family from the United States. They will be in the future]


    Song Yi: "..."


    This plot, this book, everything here just seemed so perfunctory.


    At that moment, Song Yi''s phone vibrated.


    She opened it to find a WeChat message from Shen Yujing.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Did Hang Feng come to school?


    [Song You Leave]: No.


    [Lonely Wolf]: I messaged him but he''s not responding.


    [Song You Leave]: ?


    [Song You Leave]: You''re concerned about him?


    [Lonely Wolf]: This relationship between him and Xu Che proves they don''t get along. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.


    [Song You Leave]: ...


    At first glance it seemed to make sense, but Song Yi hadn''t met someone this boring in a long time.


    The class bell rang, and the teacher walked in and stood at the podium, announcing details about tomorrow''s monthly exam.


    Another monthly exam was approaching.


    Song Yi took out her math practice test from her drawer, but paused when she opened last Friday''s paper.


    The only wrong question had been annotated with two different solution methods in red pen, and the familiar handwriting was clearly Hang Feng''s.


    Song Yi turned her head to look at Hang Feng''s empty seat, hesitated for a moment, then placed her strawberry milk from today on his desk as thanks.


    However, the next day, Hang Feng still didn''t come to school.


    The strawberry milk Song Yi had left yesterday had disappeared - perhaps thrown away by the people cleaning up for the exam. S§×arch* The N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before the exam started, Shen Yujing also came by, followed by a bewildered Murong Huan who had been dragged along.


    Shen Yujing asked Song Yi, "Hasn''t Hang Feng arrived yet?"


    Song Yi shook her head and then asked Murong Huan, "Why are you here too?"


    Mentioning this question, Murong Huan also felt exasperated and said, "Who knows what''s wrong with Shen Yujing? He said it wasn''t convenient to come see you alone, so he had to drag me along."


    At this moment, Shen Yujing turned to Jiang Yiheng, "Where''s Hang Feng?"


    Jiang Yiheng placed his stationery at the corner of the desk and looked up at Shen Yujing with confusion, "How would I know?"


    "Isn''t the student council in charge of these things? Nobody cares when students don''t show up for days?"


    Jiang Yiheng replied, "Hang Feng barely attended classes in the past two years either."


    The implication in Jiang Yiheng''s words was clear: you never cared before.


    Shen Yujing was stumped by this response, momentarily unable to counter, but still said, "Jiang Yiheng, how can you be so cold? We''ve known each other for so long, aren''t we at least half-friends? Isn''t it normal to show some concern?"


    Just as Shen Yujing finished speaking, the preparatory bell rang, indicating that the exam would begin in five minutes.


    "Alright, let''s go now and talk about this tonight," Murong Huan looked at Shen Yujing and said sincerely, "Even if Hang Feng misses the Chinese exam, his total score will still be higher than yours. Stop worrying about him and worry about yourself first."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Song Yi nodded, agreeing with Murong Huan''s words, "She''s right."


    Shen Yujing looked at Murong Huan, puzzled, "But you''re only ranked one place higher than me in class?"


    "Right, I know!" Quan Le chimed in from behind, grinning, "Shen Yujing is last, and Murong Huan is second to last!"


    Murong Huan: "That''s still better than you, isn''t it?"


    Shen Yujing: "Better how? Last time I only needed one more correct multiple choice question to surpass you!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    What''s there to argue about?


    What''s there to be proud of, hey!


    Shen Yujing defended himself, "That''s because I wasn''t taking it seriously before!"


    "Who was?" Murong Huan rolled her eyes dramatically, "Even so, I still scored better than you!"


    Shen Yujing: "Murong Huan! Just you wait!"


    Murong Huan also got angry, "Fine, bring it on! I''ll show you what it means to lose completely!"


    "Good!" Song Yi patted both their shoulders simultaneously, "I really admire your fighting spirit, but the exam''s about to start. Quick, get back to your seats. Let this exam''s results determine the winner, that''s it."


    Shen Yujing and Murong Huan glared at each other, then marched off proudly - one through the front door and one through the back door, clearly not pleased with the sight of each other at the moment.


    They say the top two students are bound to be rivals, and the bottom two are bound to be friends, but this rule clearly didn''t apply to Shen Yujing and Murong Huan.


    Song Yi helplessly watched their retreating figures, then took her pen out of her pencil case, preparing for the exam.


    There was only one Chinese exam in the afternoon, so school ended early.


    Song Yi was among the last few to leave the exam room, but to her surprise, Shen Yujing was standing not far away, obviously waiting for her.


    The moment he saw Song Yi, Shen Yujing looked around, and after making sure no one was around, waved at her.


    Song Yi walked over, puzzled, asking, "What''s wrong?"


    "Have you seen those posts on the forum? I''ve already had Zhang Yong delete many of them, but people keep posting more." Shen Yujing said while scratching his head, adding frustratedly, "These people really have too much time on their hands."


    Song Yi: "So?"


    Shen Yujing proposed his idea, "So let''s go find Hang Feng! What''s he thinking, hiding like this? He''s acting like a coward, it''ll only make those people look down on him more! We need to help him!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    So? Why? She didn''t understand.


    Song Yi''s gaze fell on Shen Yujing, studying him carefully for a moment before asking, "Why? Don''t use Xu Che as an excuse, you need to give me a real reason."


    Given the relationship between Shen Yujing and Hang Feng, there was no need for him to be this concerned even if something had happened to Hang Feng, right? This was really strange.


    When faced with this question, Shen Yujing''s expression became even more complex.


    He said, "Actually, I haven''t figured it out either, but I''ve noticed that these past couple of days I''ve had a very complicated feeling about Hang Feng."


    Song Yi''s gaze became equally complicated, "Tell me more."


    Aliali: 674b9881c4f3f33ac4a482ee


    "I don''t know," Shen Yujing shook his head honestly, then tried his best to describe it, "Actually, I wasn''t that close with him before, but suddenly I feel like he''s very important, extremely important."


    Shen Yujing looked up at Song Yi again after finishing, "Actually, it''s not just him, I feel the same way about you too!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    No, please don''t.


    Shen Yujing continued, "I suddenly feel like you both are very important people to me, more than just friends, as if I made some kind of oath with you both. Do you know why? It''s really strange!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    O...oath?


    Suddenly, the sealed memories were forcefully opened.


    The scenes from that drunken day started playing like a movie in Song Yi''s mind.


    Song Yi: "Ah... I suppose the Peach Garden Oath counts as an oath too?"

 Chapter 60

    The next day.


    Song Yi received a bank card where Murong Huan, Shen Yujing, and Quan Le''s families would deposit their tutoring fees.


    Although they were willing to pay ten or twenty times the market price, Song Yi felt uneasy accepting such amounts.


    After discussing it among the four of them, they decided each would pay three times the market rate.


    Song Yi felt very embarrassed but "reluctantly" accepted.


    Well, only a fool would turn down good money.


    After half a month of tutoring, the three students showed noticeable improvement. The four of them often spent time together at school, which caught the attention of other students.


    People started discussing on the school forum:


    [Has anyone noticed? Murong Huan, Quan Le, Shen Yujing, and Song Yi have been inseparable lately. Are they close friends?]


    2nd post: Murong Huan and Song Yi have been close for ages


    6th post: OP is so bored... Don''t you have anything better to do? You''ll gossip about anything.


    9th post: Stop stalking people. If you like Shen Yujing, just go for it. Why throw shade here?


    11th post: I''m the OP! No no no, you''ve got it wrong. I''m just really confused. Yesterday I saw the three of them going to the library to find Song Yi, and when they came out, her eyes were red. Think about it - are Shen Yujing and Murong Huan the type to study in the library? What else could they be doing there?


    15th post: Quietly agreeing with OP. I saw Shen Yujing throwing books around. They seemed to be arguing. Song Yi probably cried because they bullied her.


    17th post: Oh wow, that''s too much.


    24th post: Wasn''t Shen Yujing and Quan Le not even on good terms with Murong Huan before? What''s this? Forming a temporary alliance to bully the top student?


    29th post: I don''t get it. Why would the three of them bully Song Yi?


    31st post: Quan Le is slightly better... but with Shen Yujing and Murong Huan''s tempers, do they even need a reason to bully someone?


    33rd post: True.


    36th post: Yeah.


    ...


    If Song Yi had seen this post, she would have called it ridiculous.


    Although no one would believe it, they were actually studying together in the library yesterday.


    Shen Yujing threw the book because he and Murong Huan had different answers to a problem, which led to their argument.


    Of course, in the end, they were both wrong.


    As for her red eyes, it was just because she was tired and had yawned. How did that get interpreted as crying?


    Unfortunately, all four were too busy studying to check the forum, missing the best opportunity to clear up the rumors. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As the story spread, it began to sound more and more true, catching the attention of the Student Council''s Disciplinary Committee Head, Jiang Yiheng.


    When Murong Huan and Shen Yujing came to Class A to find Song Yi and Quan Le after school, Jiang Yiheng stopped them.


    Shen Yujing asked puzzled, "What do you want?"


    Jiang Yiheng looked Shen Yujing up and down, then turned to Song Yi and asked, "Where are you all going?"


    "I don''t know," Song Yi answered honestly.


    Their tutoring locations weren''t fixed - sometimes at Murong Huan''s house, sometimes at Quan Le''s or Shen Yujing''s, and sometimes the three would follow her home for dinner.


    But Song Yi''s answer made Jiang Yiheng misunderstand¡ª


    He thought she didn''t know where she was being taken because of bullying.


    Jiang Yiheng''s gaze fell on Song Yi as he said, "You can tell me if something''s wrong."


    Song Yi: "?"


    What could be wrong?


    She was earning money tutoring three classmates - honest work! Why was Jiang Yiheng looking at them like he was investigating some serious crime?


    But Song Yi didn''t want to explain everything to Jiang Yiheng, so she just shook her head and said, "Nothing''s wrong."


    As Song Yi reached for her backpack and turned to Murong Huan saying "Let''s go," she exposed a small red mark on her arm - just an imprint from falling asleep during self-study.


    This made Jiang Yiheng frown even more deeply. Although Song Yi and Murong Huan were close friends, and they were even in the same group during the grade trip, high school friendships were fragile. It wasn''t unusual for friends to become enemies over small matters.


    So Jiang Yiheng directly stated his purpose, looking at the other three, "We received anonymous reports that you three are involved in school bullying."


    Shen Yujing, Murong Huan, and Quan Le all pointed at themselves and simultaneously went "Huh?"


    Quan Le was the first to ask, "School bullying? Who are we bullying?"


    "Don''t make baseless accusations."


    Shen Yujing was even more confused, as he hadn''t done anything lately.


    Murong Huan also looked completely bewildered.


    Under their puzzled gazes, Jiang Yiheng turned to Song Yi, "So have these three been bullying you?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    This wasn''t the first time Jiang Yiheng had suspected her of being bullied or bullying others.


    Before Song Yi could answer, Murong Huan rolled her eyes and said, "You''re always getting this report and that report. If you want to know what''s going on, just come and see."


    Quan Le nodded, clearly finding it amusing, and said, "Let''s go."


    And so¡ª


    That evening, there were five people studying instead of four.


    At the Shen residence.


    A huge whiteboard for teaching had been set up in Shen Yujing''s room.


    Song Yi sat on the nearby sofa, seriously applauding, "Everyone, welcome Teacher Jiang!"


    Scattered applause followed.


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    His face clearly showed disbelief as he picked up the three students'' workbooks. Only after seeing the correction marks did he accept what was happening before his eyes.


    Yes, he wasn''t seeing things.


    The three notorious troublemakers of Saint Slee were gathered together, quietly accepting tutoring from Song Yi.


    Jiang Yiheng''s gaze returned to Song Yi, more complex than before, and he asked, "How did you manage this?"


    How did she manage to control all three of them at once? Actually getting them to attend lessons together? The school teachers would be shocked if they saw this.


    "They came to me," Song Yi shrugged, with a genuine smile. "When classmates want to learn, how could I refuse?"


    Song Yi then handed Jiang Yiheng a pen and a workbook, continuing, "Since you''re here, why don''t you teach them pages fifty-two to fifty-five?"


    Jiang Yiheng seemed not to have processed it all yet. He looked down at the workbook in his hands, and although the situation felt bizarre, he thought it would be wrong to discourage them now that they were finally studying.


    So after some hesitation, Jiang Yiheng began his explanation on the whiteboard.


    Song Yi opened a bag of sunflower seeds and sat nearby like an exam proctor, watching the three students.


    "Murong Huan! No looking in the mirror!"


    "Shen Yujing! I saw you open that game, turn off your phone!"


    "Quan Le? What are you daydreaming about? Is pen spinning that interesting?"


    The three: "..."


    Finally, Murong Huan turned to Song Yi with a pitiful look, "He''s explaining too fast."


    Quan Le nodded, "I understand what he''s saying, but I''m not quite getting the middle calculation process."


    Shen Yujing: "Can''t understand him. He''s not very good."


    Song Yi finally looked at the whiteboard and saw that Jiang Yiheng''s teaching method was quite complex. Even Quan Le had to think hard to keep up, let alone Shen Yujing and Murong Huan.


    So Song Yi took the pen from Jiang Yiheng and explained the problem in a different way.


    Jiang Yiheng sat in Song Yi''s original spot, his eyes following the movement of her pen.


    She used simpler formulas that, although appearing more complex, were easier for students with weaker foundations to understand, and better to master.


    The same was true for the following problems. Song Yi always found the best way to explain things to the three of them, grouping similar problem types together, and gradually increasing the difficulty through repeated practice to enhance retention.


    After more than an hour, the day''s tutoring session was coming to an end.


    Meanwhile, downstairs at the Shen residence.


    Shen''s Mother walked in wearing high heels, handed her suitcase to the butler, and removed her sunglasses. As she walked inside, she anxiously asked, "What''s going on? Tell me everything!"


    She was happily playing with her beloved adopted gorilla son abroad and was about to buy him another villa with a private amusement park when she suddenly received a call from the butler.


    She heard that her somewhat immature biological son had been acting strangely lately, giving the butler a bank card number and asking him to transfer some money into it.


    Though the amount wasn''t particularly large, since Shen Yujing usually didn''t pursue branded goods or luxury cars and rarely spent money, this sudden request for funds seemed very suspicious.


    Shen''s Mother thought it over and concluded that, given her son''s intelligence, he might have fallen victim to a scam.


    Deciding her biological son was more important, she couldn''t stay to play with her adopted son anymore. She even left her husband in the middle of business negotiations and rushed back to the country on her private jet.


    After entering the main hall, the butler handed the luggage to the servant and poured tea for Shen''s Mother before saying, "Madam, please mind your volume. The young master and his classmates are upstairs."


    Hearing this, Shen''s Mother lowered her voice and asked, "Alright, now quickly tell me what exactly he''s been up to lately?"


    The butler replied, "The young master has been spending a lot of time with several of his classmates lately. Sometimes he brings them home, but most times he returns very late and refuses to let me pick him up."


    Hearing the butler''s description, Shen''s Mother frowned and asked, "Who are these people?"


    The butler continued, "Miss Murong from the Murong family, young master Quan Le, the top student of the senior class at Saint Slee Academy Miss Song Yi, and today, young master Jiang Yiheng from the Jiang family."


    Shen''s Mother could match faces to these three names, and her intuition told her that her son''s recent strange behavior must have something to do with them.


    Just as Shen''s Mother was about to ask more questions, she heard footsteps.


    A group of people came down the stairs one after another.


    Upon seeing his mother, Shen Yujing''s eyes widened as he asked, "Why are you back?"


    "Why can''t I come back?" Shen''s Mother looked at Murong Huan and smiled, "Huan Huan? Long time no see."


    "Auntie!" Murong Huan rushed forward to greet Shen''s Mother.


    Despite their age difference, the two outgoing personalities got along surprisingly well.


    Shen Yujing rolled his eyes at the scene and said, "Alright, everyone should leave now. I''m not keeping you for dinner."


    "We haven''t prepared anything special today anyway," Shen''s Mother nodded and smiled, "Next time, have Shen Yujing let us know in advance so we can prepare dishes you all like."


    Everyone politely agreed, then bid farewell to Shen''s Mother and left.


    Shen''s Mother''s gaze lingered on Song Yi''s retreating figure. After they had all left, she turned to Shen Yujing and said, "Dad and Mom have been gone for a whole half month. How have you been managing on your own?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Could this even be called managing on his own?


    Living in his own house with everything from food to accommodation perfectly arranged by the butler and servants, except for having one less person nagging in his ear, there was absolutely no difference from before!


    Shen''s Mother had clearly just asked casually, not really caring whether Shen Yujing was independent or not. She continued, "And that girl, Song Yi, right? You even brought her home this time? What''s this, have you made up your mind about her?"


    Shen Yujing''s face was written all over with irritation as he directly said, "Can you stop making things up?"


    "Don''t try to deny it. I''m a very open-minded parent, I support your puppy love," Shen''s Mother looked at Shen Yujing with an all-knowing expression and said, "I told you last time too, wouldn''t it be too pitiful to look back on your youth and find that not only were your grades poor and you had few friends, but you didn''t even have a taste of innocent love?"


    Poor grades? Well, they''d been poor for so many years, no way to change that now.


    Few friends? With his temperament, having Quan Le as a friend was already a miracle, impossible to have any other friends.


    Innocent love? With that beautiful face that inherited her good looks, attracting girls wouldn''t be a problem, so perhaps only the path of love was still somewhat viable.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    There was no point in arguing, really no point.


    He was already used to such ineffective communication with his mother, so instead of arguing, he directly asked, "Why did you suddenly come back?"


    Just as Shen''s Mother was about to answer, the butler suddenly came to her side and said in a low voice, "We''ve found out who owns the bank card, and there are two other accounts transferring the same amount of money into it. We''ve identified one of them as belonging to the Quan family."


    Shen Yujing crossed his arms and said, "Hey, what are you trying to say? If you''re not going to tell me, I''m leaving."


    Shen''s Mother said with a complicated expression, "Go wherever you want."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Coming back mysteriously, saying all these mysterious things to him, and then mysteriously telling him to leave?


    Fine, he''ll leave then.


    Shen Yujing turned and went upstairs.


    Meanwhile, Shen''s Mother remained standing there, thoughtfully watching his retreating figure, her expression growing increasingly troubled.


    So it turned out her son hadn''t fallen victim to an online scam, but rather a double scam involving both emotions and money?


    That girl called Song Yi perhaps wasn''t as simple as she appeared, otherwise how could she trick three people into transferring money to her at the same time?


    Shen''s Mother clearly looked unhappy. The daughter-in-law she thought she had secured seemed to be slipping away. Although this girl was beautiful and clever, but...


    It seemed uncertain whether her son could still pursue the third path of love, besides his already hopeless paths of friendship and academics.


    *


    The next day, in class.


    Song Yi sneezed eight times in a row and quietly wrapped her clothes tighter around herself.


    Jiang Yiheng turned his head to look at her and asked, "Do you have a cold?"


    "No," Song Yi immediately shook her head in denial, then sneezed for the ninth time, "I just don''t know why I keep sneezing."


    After speaking, Song Yi took out a mask from her pocket and put it on.


    Perhaps it was because of the recent temperature drop, or maybe because the classroom was too stuffy and poorly ventilated.


    Thinking this, Song Yi went to the corridor during break time to get some fresh air.


    Suddenly, footsteps approached, and a bottle of Want Want milk was held out in front of her, with a band-aid on the index finger of the hand holding it.


    Song Yi looked up puzzled, and upon seeing Hang Feng, she took the milk.


    It was warm.


    Song Yi was thirsty, so she immediately opened the milk and took a sip, then asked, "What happened to your hand?"


    Hang Feng looked down at his hand, remained silent for a few seconds before saying, "Got bitten."


    "Huh?" Song Yi asked curiously, "Bitten by what?"


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Hang Feng: "A turtle."


    "You keep turtles?" Song Yi was surprised, then commented, "That''s quite an unusual hobby."


    Hang Feng: "It''s the one you sent last time."


    Song Yi: "..."


    But Song Yi still didn''t understand, "Didn''t you make turtle soup with it?"


    Hang Feng said, "Grandmother thinks these creatures have spirits and shouldn''t be killed carelessly, so we kept it as a pet."


    A cold wind blew past, making Song Yi shiver involuntarily. She said, "Oh, I see. Let''s stop chatting, I should go back inside..."


    Before Song Yi could finish speaking, she saw Hang Feng lower his head and remove his scarf, then wrap it around her neck.


    The scarf still carried his body warmth, leaving Song Yi momentarily stunned.


    The young man''s narrow eyes were downcast, not meeting her gaze as he said, "My father won''t last many more days, and grandmother hasn''t been in a good mood lately. If you have time, could you come visit her?"


    So that''s why.


    Song Yi looked down at the milk in her hand, instantly understanding.


    The milk, the scarf - it was all because he had a favor to ask.


    So Song Yi nodded in agreement, "Tomorrow''s Friday, and I happen to be free. I''ll go with you after school."


    "Okay." Hang Feng raised his eyes to look at her, his thin face carrying a somewhat pale beauty, the slight dark circles under his eyes now visible to her.


    Song Yi only then realized that for Hang Feng, no matter how much he hated Xu Yuanguo, that man was still his father.


    Humans are emotional creatures, and at times like these, the contradiction between hatred and the innate dependence of blood ties becomes extremely apparent.


    Song Yi opened her mouth wanting to comfort Hang Feng, but didn''t know what to say, and finally could only say, "You should go back too. Get some rest early tonight and have a good sleep."


    *


    After school.


    Song Yi was today''s class duty student, so she was the last one to leave Class A.


    At this moment, most people had already left the school, with only ginkgo leaves scattered on the ground and occasional students passing by.


    When Song Yi reached the school gate, a BMW stopped in front of her, and the window slowly rolled down¡ª


    Shen''s Mother took off her sunglasses, revealing an irritated expression, and muttered, "If I wasn''t worried about being recognized, I wouldn''t be driving this kind of car!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Shen''s Mother then turned to look at Song Yi, showing a smile, "Young lady, we''ve met before. I have something to discuss with you. Would you mind getting in the car?"


    *


    At the caf¨¦.


    Looking at the 50-million-yuan check on the table, Song Yi''s hands trembled as she held her coffee.


    Holy crap!


    Holy crap!!


    Holy crap!!!


    Those Mary Sue novels weren''t lying! The rich CEO''s mother really does come with a check to find the ordinary female lead! This is real! This is... this is too good to be true!


    Song Yi was extremely excited but still tried to maintain an innocent, confused expression as she looked at Shen''s Mother and asked, "Auntie, what do you mean by this?"


    Song Yi had already imagined that Shen''s Mother would next say something cool like "Take these 50 million and leave my son."


    Then she would cry prettily and say, "No! We''re true love! You need to offer more!"


    It would be foolish not to make money when you can!


    Although she and Shen Yujing had only just established a bit of friendship, but in front of 50 million¡ª


    Sorry, who is he again?


    Song Yi had it all planned out perfectly, but then Shen''s Mother looked at her and said, "I heard you''ve been getting close to my son, is that right?"


    Song Yi neither confirmed nor denied it, instead responding with the all-purpose white lotus phrase: "Shen Yujing and I are just friends."


    "Very good." Shen''s Mother nodded, then pushed the 50-million check closer to Song Yi and said, "I''ll give you 50 million to start playing with my son''s feelings from today onwards."


    Song Yi put on an "utterly offended" expression and began to recite her prepared lines, "No! We''re true..."


    Huh? Wait!


    This isn''t the right script?!


    Song Yi looked at Shen''s Mother in confusion, asking in disbelief, "What did you say?"


    Did she hear wrong? What kind of nonsense was that just now?


    Shen''s Mother smiled brightly and repeated, "I said, I want you to play with my son''s feelings."


    Song Yi was still in a state of "doubting her own ears" and asked, "W-why?"


    "Because I think his attitude needs adjusting." Shen''s Mother shrugged and said with interest, "I want to see him cry from heartbreak. You know, sons grow distant from their mothers when they grow up. It''s been many years since I''ve seen him cry."


    Shen''s Mother looked at Song Yi and continued, "Oh, and if he cries really hard, I''ll add another 10 million."


    Aliali: 6748809ec4f3f33ac479c8e7


    Song Yi: "..."


    She didn''t understand, but she was utterly shocked.


    Although Song Yi was tempted by the money, the task of "playing with Shen Yujing''s feelings" was obviously much more difficult than "leaving my son."


    So Song Yi reluctantly pushed the check back, righteously saying, "I''m sorry, I can''t accept your offer."


    It wasn''t that she didn''t want to earn the money; she just didn''t have the ability.


    But Shen''s Mother stared into Song Yi''s eyes, as if trying to see through something.


    The next moment, Shen''s Mother slapped the table, "I knew it! Someone as beautiful as you couldn''t be the type to care only about money! There must be some misunderstanding!"


    Shen''s Mother then grabbed Song Yi''s hands across the table, "You''ve passed my test! There aren''t many good girls like you nowadays!"


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Huh?

 Chapter 61

    #What Is This All About#


    Song Yi didn''t understand, really didn''t understand.


    Her hand was warmly held by Shen''s Mother, and her entire brain seemed to have crashed.


    After a while, Song Yi pulled her hand back, forcing a smile, "So, Auntie, did you come to see me today just to ask this?"


    "Yes," Shen''s Mother admitted directly, taking a sip of the coffee in front of her, "I''m mainly worried that my silly son might get tricked, so I need to find out what kind of person you are. After all, his brain isn''t the best, but if he had half the intelligence of his younger brother, I wouldn''t have to worry so much."


    Shen Yujing''s younger brother? Was there such a character in the original plot?


    Song Yi was confused, so she asked directly, "Does Shen Yujing have a brother?"


    "Yes," Shen''s Mother replied immediately, then took out her phone from her pocket and handed it to Song Yi, "Look, this is a photo of our family of four."


    Curious, Song Yi took the phone, only to have her expression freeze.


    In the photo, a large black gorilla was holding a bunch of bananas high in the air, with Shen''s Mother smiling brightly beside it. Shen Yujing, on the other hand, had a deadpan expression and was standing far away, almost out of the frame.


    Shen''s Mother was still enthusiastically introducing to Song Yi, "This is my adopted son, a gorilla I adopted abroad. His name is Jerry. He''s very smart, with the intelligence of a ten-year-old human!"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Shocked, it was a bit absurd.


    She suddenly understood where Shen Yujing''s personality came from; it was inherited from his mother.


    Compared to Shen''s Mother, Shen Yujing suddenly seemed like a normal person.


    Oh no, he was a normal person.


    Song Yi''s voice trembled as she asked, "Then... who is the other person? You said there were four in the family, right?"


    Shen''s Mother stood up, bent over, and pointed to the far left of the picture, "Look, the one lying on the ground. That''s my husband, he''s human."


    Song Yi zoomed in on the picture.


    In the lower left corner, a middle-aged man in a suit and glasses was lying on his back, with a banana peel flying in mid-air.


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    When returning the phone to Shen''s Mother, Song Yi thought: What a magical family.


    Shen''s Mother asked, "So, is my son handsome?"


    Song Yi was stunned for a moment, then tried hard to think of adjectives to praise, "Very tall, very strong, with the aura of a male gorilla, looks very smart."


    "Ah?" This time it was Shen''s Mother who was stunned, she laughed, "What? I was talking about Shen Yujing, my real son."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­Handsome, very handsome."


    Hearing this "expected" answer, Shen''s Mother smiled contentedly and chatted with Song Yi for a while more.


    Before leaving, Shen''s Mother said, "If you encounter any problems at school, go find Shen Yujing. Although he''s not very smart, he''s still a good person. If he doesn''t help you, I''ll teach him a lesson."


    "Okay," Song Yi nodded obediently, her gaze lingering reluctantly on the check Shen''s Mother had put away, then regretfully retracting her eyes.


    Fifty million! That was a full fifty million!


    Song Yi felt sad. Since coming to this world, she seemed to have many opportunities for sudden wealth, but she kept missing them.


    Song Yi watched Shen''s Mother leave, then sat down and finished the small cake and milk tea Shen''s Mother had ordered for her.


    Delicious, really delicious.


    She thought about the fifty million, tears in her eyes as she commented.


    *


    The next evening after school.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng met at the school gate.


    Seeing Hang Feng come out of the school, Song Yi handed him the bag in her hand, saying, "Thank you for the scarf."


    "It''s nothing," Hang Feng took the bag from Song Yi, saying, "Let''s go."


    Song Yi and Hang Feng chose to take the bus home.


    But once on the bus, they encountered a familiar situation.


    A couple stood in front of an empty seat¡ª


    "Honey, you sit first."


    "It''s okay, baby, I''m not tired."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    This scene was so familiar, go for it!


    Hang Feng: "¡­¡­"


    He reached out and grabbed the collar of Song Yi''s shirt, lowering his voice to her ear, "Don''t go over."


    Song Yi asked in confusion, "Why?"


    Hang Feng said, "They are being polite. If you go over now, it might make them angry."


    He was really worried that Song Yi, every time she encountered such a situation on the bus, would rush over and eventually get into a fight.


    Song Yi was silent for a few seconds, understanding Hang Feng''s meaning.


    So she suddenly reached out and held her waist, pushing her abdomen forward as she squeezed over there.


    Hang Feng: "?"


    Song Yi walked over while saying, "Excuse me, excuse me, thank you."


    Under everyone''s gaze, Song Yi sat down on the empty seat with a serious expression, smiling at the couple, "Thank you."


    The couple: "¡­¡­?"


    Song Yi then looked towards Hang Feng''s direction, waving, "Honey, come over here."


    Today was Friday, the only day of the week when they could dress freely.


    So Song Yi and Hang Feng were not wearing school uniforms, but it was still clear that they were not adults.


    Under everyone''s strange gazes¡ª


    Hang Feng was petrified.


    Yes, petrified.


    He felt his feet glued to the ground, lacking the courage to lift them.


    An aunt couldn''t stand it and shouted, "Hey, your girlfriend is calling you, why don''t you come over?"


    Hang Feng walked over with a stiff face.


    The bus arrived at the station and started moving again.


    The process seemed short, yet also long.


    He looked down at Song Yi, whispering, "Why did you say that?"


    Song Yi said, "I had to find a suitable reason to sit down, didn''t I?"


    Hang Feng: "¡­¡­Don''t do that again."


    Song Yi looked up at him, sincerely asking, "What if they get angry and beat me up?"


    Hang Feng said, "¡­¡­Beat them back."


    He would rather fight for Song Yi.


    Hearing Hang Feng''s answer, Song Yi laughed, taking out a piece of candy from her pocket and handing it to Hang Feng, "Do you want to eat it?"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer but directly took the candy, showing his answer with his actions.


    He put the candy in his pocket, his gaze shifting to the window.


    Song Yi tugged at Hang Feng''s shirt corner, saying, "Don''t keep a straight face, Grandma will be worried if she sees you like this."


    Hang Feng glanced at Song Yi, then quickly looked away.


    Thinking about her actions just now, maybe... she just wanted to cheer him up.


    Hang Feng''s hand was still in his pocket, tightly holding the candy, and he squeezed out a word from his throat, "Mm."


    Soon, the bus arrived at their stop.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng got off one after the other, heading towards Hang Feng''s home.


    When Grandma saw Song Yi, she wiped her slightly red eyes and looked at Hang Feng with some reproach, "You really are, why didn''t you tell me in advance that Yi Yi was coming? There''s nothing prepared at home."


    "It''s okay, Grandma, I love all the dishes you make," Song Yi said with a smile, her gaze falling on the large fish tank on the balcony, where a big turtle was swimming.


    Obviously, it was the one she had given them before.


    So Song Yi walked over, bent down to take a look, then looked at Grandma in surprise, "Grandma, you''ve raised this turtle so well, I think it''s even bigger than the last time I saw it."


    Grandma''s attention was drawn by Song Yi, and she came over to chat with her.


    Old people''s lives are mostly lonely, with few people to talk to, and Hang Feng, although a sensible grandson, is also quiet and doesn''t talk much.


    Today, Song Yi''s arrival gave Grandma someone to talk to.


    Like Hang Feng, Grandma was also more concerned about her grandson, holding Song Yi''s hand and asking her to chat more with Hang Feng.


    Song Yi, with dual tasks, obediently nodded in agreement. S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Hang Feng didn''t know what they were talking about, but seeing the scene in front of him, he felt an unexpected harmony.


    So he turned around and went into the kitchen, putting on the apron hanging by the door, and started preparing dinner.


    The electric rice cooker was simmering with sparerib soup, the green vegetables were washed and put into the pot, and the young man''s long, fair hands handled these tasks quite skillfully.


    Until¡ª


    While searching for bowls and plates, he noticed a black bag that seemed out of place and conspicuous.


    When Hang Feng opened it, he found it was filled with money - an entire bag of cash.


    The young man crouched down, slightly hunched over, his face as dark as the pot on the stove.


    And so, an inevitable argument began.


    When Song Yi saw Hang Feng emerge from the kitchen and throw the bag of money onto the ground, she felt bewildered.


    Hang Feng started arguing with Grandmother, while Song Yi tried to mediate between them.


    But before they could exchange many words, Hang Feng stormed out, slamming the door behind him.


    Grandmother sat in her chair, tears streaming down her face as she tried to wipe them away.


    Song Yi glanced at Hang Feng''s retreating figure, then got some tissues to wipe Grandmother''s tears while patiently listening to her explain what had happened.


    The money had been delivered personally by Xu Yuanguo today. Grandmother hadn''t opened the door to her son, but discovered he had left the bag of money before leaving.


    She couldn''t just leave the money outside, so Grandmother had brought it in, planning to find a way to return it.


    But Hang Feng had clearly lost control earlier, not giving Grandmother a chance to explain.


    "It''s alright, Grandmother. I''ll go find him now and explain everything to him for you," Song Yi consoled Grandmother, urging her not to be too upset before rushing out.


    Standing at the empty intersection, she tried calling Hang Feng, but he wouldn''t answer - there was no way to contact him.


    Song Yi thought for a moment, then ran toward the intersection where she had first met Hang Feng.


    Sure enough, the young man was crouching there alone, holding a foxtail grass stem, writing something indiscernible on the ground.


    Upon hearing footsteps, Hang Feng quickly erased whatever he had written and looked up in Song Yi''s direction.


    His eyes were rimmed red, his eyelashes damp, clearly having just cried, even his nose tip was flushed.


    He said, "Don''t try to comfort me. I was too impulsive earlier. I was wrong, and I''ll go back to apologize to Grandmother soon."


    If Grandmother had been someone who cared about money, she would never have moved out to live with his mother in the first place.


    He had let momentary anger cloud his judgment, making him unable to understand even such simple logic, leading him to argue with Grandmother.


    Hang Feng was very regretful, but he needed some time to let his emotions settle.


    But Song Yi didn''t respond to his words. Instead, she walked up to him, stopped in front, took out five yuan from her pocket, placed it before him, and said seriously, "Young and able-bodied, why resort to begging when you could do anything else? Ah!"


    After speaking, Song Yi started walking away.


    But after taking several steps, she noticed Hang Feng hadn''t reacted at all.


    "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Song Yi turned back to look at him, saying somewhat frustratedly, "Do I have to spell it out? Please stop crying, okay? Why are you so hard to console?"


    The same scene, familiar lines and actions, everything replaying like a movie scene.


    Aliali: 67484cc0c4f3f33ac476d3de


    Her intention was obvious.


    So Hang Feng picked up the five yuan and stood up, walking past Song Yi.


    Song Yi called out, "Where are you going?"


    "Convenience store," Hang Feng replied calmly without looking back. "Want to come? I can treat you to strawberry milk."


    Song Yi shouted, "Strawberry milk costs eight yuan! Do you have enough money?"


    "Not enough, I only have the five yuan you gave me."


    "Oh, you poor thing!"


    "Mm-hmm."


    "But don''t worry! I can treat you!"


    "Okay."

 Chapter 62

    Hang Family.


    Hang Feng stood before his grandmother, holding a strawberry milk in his hand, and lowered his head to apologize for his recent behavior.


    Grandmother''s eyes were still red, but she reached out to help him sit down, "It''s not your fault, dear. This is also something Grandma didn''t handle well. Grandma will find a courier to send this bag of money back home tomorrow. We don''t care about it."


    Hang Feng took a sip of the strawberry milk in his hand, the sweetness seemingly masking the bitterness emanating from his throat.


    He looked up, as if finally making a decision, "Grandmother, if you want to see him one last time, I can accompany you back."


    Grandmother was stunned for a moment, desperately suppressing the emotion of longing, shaking her head repeatedly, murmuring, "No... no, we can''t see him."


    "There won''t be another chance." Hang Feng''s gaze fell on the bag of money in the corner, remaining silent for a few seconds.


    As a child who had seen his father only a few times, knowing that the other party was on the brink of death, his emotions were already so complicated, let alone Grandmother''s? That was her son, whom she had raised with her own hands.


    Grandmother had already given enough for him over the years; she couldn''t leave with regrets.


    Hang Feng''s voice was hoarse as he spoke, "Then just consider it accompanying me back, let''s return the money to him ourselves."


    *


    This meeting wasn''t particularly pleasant either, but at least it was better than the last one.


    It was still in Xu Yuanguo''s room. The man knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he grasped his mother''s hand, begging for her forgiveness.


    Hang Feng stood at the door, not stepping inside.


    He watched all this like a stranger, an outsider, coldly observing.


    Compared to the last meeting, Xu Yuanguo''s hair was even more gray, and he looked haggard, not like a man in his early forties at all.


    This illness had almost taken away most of his life.


    And soon, there would be nothing left.


    The boy''s Adam''s apple moved, suppressing the painful emotion that shouldn''t exist.


    After all, they were blood relatives, even if Hang Feng never acknowledged it, at this moment, his blood was also suppressing something, screaming silently.


    He shouldn''t sympathize with Xu Yuanguo; this was his just deserts, the retribution from heaven, he deserved it.


    But Hang Feng couldn''t help but think of the beautiful face of his mother in the photos, described by Grandmother as the gentlest and kindest person in the world.


    If his mother were still alive, would she forgive him?


    Even if she didn''t forgive, she probably wouldn''t want to see them as father and son at odds like this.


    Unfortunately, he didn''t inherit her kindness.


    Hang Feng closed his eyes and turned to leave.


    In the corridor, Xu Che stood there in a black woolen coat, his expression calm as he looked in his direction.


    When their eyes met, Xu Che spoke first, "I didn''t expect you to come here again."


    Hang Feng: "There won''t be a next time."


    Hearing the resistance in Hang Feng''s words, Xu Che quickly explained, "I just felt surprised, no other meaning."


    "Doesn''t matter." Hang Feng didn''t seem to care about Xu Che''s thoughts at all, passing by him and heading downstairs.


    Xu Che glanced at the direction of Xu Yuanguo''s bedroom, hesitated for a few seconds, and then followed Hang Feng, saying, "Wait."


    Hang Feng looked at him impatiently, "What else do you want?"


    Xu Che said, "You need to attend his funeral."


    Hang Feng sneered, only saying three words, "Why should I?"


    What was the relationship between him and Xu Che? Why was he speaking to him in such a commanding tone?


    Coming to the Xu family twice was already more than enough; he wouldn''t attend Xu Yuanguo''s funeral.


    Xu Che didn''t mind Hang Feng''s attitude and said, "His lawyer will announce the will on that day."


    "What does that have to do with me?" Hang Feng''s narrow eyes were full of sarcastic emotions, "Why did you specially inform me? Do you hope I attend his funeral just to wait for his little charity?"


    "Or perhaps to thank the entire Xu family for their magnanimity, not only allowing me, a bastard, to live in this world but also generously sharing some of the inheritance with me? Should I be sensible and obediently take your ''generosity'' and leave, spending the rest of my life in gratitude?"


    Hang Feng''s words were always sharp, especially when it came to anything related to Xu Yuanguo, he didn''t hide it at all.


    Even though he knew Xu Che was innocent too.


    But it wasn''t Xu Che who lost his mother, it wasn''t Xu Che who lived with the identity of a bastard all these years. They were always different people.


    Hang Feng''s words were like sharp knives, stabbing at Xu Che''s heart, making him frown.


    "If this makes you feel better, then you can continue." Xu Che crossed his arms and looked at him, saying, "But I still need to correct you on one point, it''s not leftover scraps, he''s giving you everything."


    As Xu Che''s words fell, Hang Feng sneered, "You''re better at humiliating people than your mother."


    Xu Che naturally knew he wouldn''t believe it, so he said, "The will is on the third shelf of his study bookshelf; you can go see it anytime."


    Hang Feng looked up in astonishment, trying to find evidence in Xu Che''s eyes that he was playing a trick on him.


    Xu Che just pointed to the right and said, "Let''s go."


    *


    Xu Yuanguo''s study.


    The will was laid out on the table, and the two boys stood facing each other, both in silence.


    After a long time, Hang Feng pulled at the corners of his mouth, suddenly showing a smile, "So much money, what should I do with it?"


    "Anything you want."


    "Alright." Hang Feng nodded, as if seriously making a plan, "Then I''ll level his grave and build a bar on the land above it."


    Xu Che agreed with Hang Feng''s suggestion, saying, "That''s possible."


    Hang Feng still stared at the contract in front of him, his eyes full of disgust.


    Xu Yuanguo left almost all his inheritance to him, what did that mean?


    Was he showing his preference for his first love''s son, expressing his determination before his death?


    It was utterly meaningless.


    Compared to what he had endured over the years, Xu Yuanguo''s monetary compensation was too insignificant.


    Thinking this way, Hang Feng still felt a bitter taste in his heart.


    It was strange, this feeling often occurred recently and was very strong, making him increasingly fond of sweet foods.


    Unfortunately, there was no strawberry milk today. Hang Feng didn''t have much hope as he reached into his pocket, but suddenly stopped.


    He felt a piece of candy wrapped in paper, given to him by Song Yi on the bus that day.


    So Hang Feng took out the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.


    Xu Che''s gaze also stopped on Hang Feng''s hand for a moment.


    This was his favorite candy.


    Because it was hard to buy, not available in the country, so he always asked someone to bring it back from abroad.


    Xu Che had the answer in his heart, but he still asked, "What are you eating?"


    Hang Feng didn''t expect Xu Che''s concern to be so specific, so he directly replied, "What''s it to you?"


    Xu Che lied without changing his expression, "I saw Qi eating this candy before, she seemed to like it a lot, I wanted to buy it for her."


    Qi was Xu Che''s cousin, and also Hang Feng''s cousin.


    Qi was young but very cute, Hang Feng hadn''t met her, but he often saw her photos on Grandmother''s phone, so he had some affection for her.


    So Hang Feng replied, "Not sure, a friend gave it to me, I can ask."


    "No need." Xu Che''s gaze lowered, his hand tightening in his pocket.


    What Hang Feng didn''t know was that his pocket also contained various candies.


    Unfortunately, there was no more of that candy.


    His favorite candy, she gave it to someone else.


    Probably didn''t suit her taste, just a piece of candy.


    Um... just a piece of candy, not a big deal, doesn''t matter.


    *


    Winter had truly arrived, and the weather was getting colder.


    Waking up early every day had become a very painful task for Song Yi, relying entirely on her determination to muster the courage to crawl out of bed.


    The date for the final exams had also been set, with the last exam on the morning of January 13th, which was also Song Yi''s birthday.


    So, Murong Huan and Quan Le decided that since the final exams were over, they definitely needed to relax. With Song Yi''s birthday coming up, it was the perfect occasion for a gathering.


    The two of them volunteered to plan a birthday surprise for Song Yi.


    When Shen Yujing heard about this, he was also interested, and the three of them quickly formed a temporary alliance.


    Song Yi, who was busy writing in the exam room, had no idea about this. If it weren''t for her father''s morning blessing, she would have even forgotten about her birthday.


    It wasn''t until Song Yi finished her exam and walked out of the exam room that she saw¡ª


    Hot air balloons floating in the sky, each with a banner attached¡ª


    "Happy 80th Birthday, Song Yi!"


    "May your blessings be as vast as the East Sea and your life as long as the South Mountain!"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    Her toes curled, and she wanted to escape Saint Slee immediately.


    She couldn''t stand this embarrassing scene for another moment.


    But the tackiness didn''t end there.


    As countless unfamiliar classmates approached her, each holding a rose and handing it to her while saying "Happy Birthday,"


    Song Yi''s smile was forced.


    It was so tacky, really so tacky!


    Who came up with this idea? It was almost as if they were going to light candles in the shape of a heart and have everyone sing "Happy Birthday" in the middle.


    But Song Yi soon realized something was wrong, because these roses¡­


    There were just too many!


    Song Yi was sure she couldn''t hold any more, yet there were still crowds of people coming towards her with roses.


    So many people? Was this a birthday surprise or some kind of campus attendance task?


    The excess roses were placed at Song Yi''s feet.


    Although it was awkward, Song Yi still had to politely nod and thank them, "Thank you, thank you, really thank you."


    At this moment, behind a distant tree, three figures were struggling to hide.


    To say they were hiding was a bit of an exaggeration; they weren''t discovered just because Song Yi hadn''t looked in that direction.


    Watching Song Yi from afar, Murong Huan complained, "Who was in charge of the roses? Why so many? She can''t even hold them all."


    Quan Le rolled his eyes, "That''s better than someone who made the eighteen into eighty on the banner, right?"


    Shen Yujing sneered, "That''s because you said ''grand celebration'' and misled me. Who knew you couldn''t even tell the difference between eighteen and eighty?"


    "Alright, alright!" Seeing the two of them about to argue, Murong Huan quickly interrupted, "Let''s hurry to the next location to continue setting up; we''re running out of time!"


    Quan Le and Shen Yujing glared at each other but didn''t say anything more.


    Surrounded by roses, holding a bunch in her arms and with more at her feet, Song Yi was at a loss about where to go.


    But soon, she found her answer.


    Because she saw a pink arrow on a tree not far away, with words written on it¡ª


    [Please follow the arrow''s direction]


    The handwriting was ugly and familiar, the same as when they climbed a mountain during a grade trip.


    Yes, it was so distinctive; it was Shen Yujing''s handwriting.


    Carrying the roses in her arms, Song Yi carefully stepped out of the pile of roses on the ground and followed the arrow''s direction.


    Until she reached the back of the playground, where an unused teaching building stood. Rarely anyone came here, usually only for temporary club activities.


    At this moment, inside a performance classroom in the teaching building. Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The entire venue had been meticulously decorated with balloons, roses, and birthday decorations.


    Murong Huan pushed a three-tiered birthday cake to the back door, parked the cart, and started calling out names, "Shen Yujing!"


    Shen Yujing: "What?"


    Murong Huan: "You need to say ''here!''"


    Shen Yujing: "I don''t want to."


    Murong Huan: "Jiang Yiheng!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "Mm."


    Murong Huan: "Hang Feng!"


    Hang Feng glanced at her but didn''t speak.


    Murong Huan: "Quan Le!"


    Quan Le: "Here!"


    Good, everyone was present.


    Murong Huan then started assigning tasks, handing a speech draft to Shen Yujing, "You hide in the corner of the stage. When Song Yi enters, after all the surprises are shown and the birthday song stops, you start reading the lines on the paper."


    Shen Yujing: "Why me?"


    "Why so many questions? Today, I''m the overall commander, so you all have to listen to me." Murong Huan said, pointing at Jiang Yiheng, "You stand in the middle of the stage. When the back lights come on and Song Yi reaches the center of the stage, pull the rope to let the ribbons fall on her."


    Jiang Yiheng nodded, accepting the simple task without further discussion.


    "Hang Feng, you go to the sound system and control the lights to turn on in sequence according to the music''s rhythm. Be careful not to miss the beat."


    "Quan Le! Just¡­ find a cool place to stay."


    With the tasks assigned, footsteps were heard outside the room.


    Everyone held their breath as the lights inside the room were turned off.


    There was a knock on the door, but no one answered, so Song Yi pushed the door open.


    Hang Feng started playing instrumental music, everything proceeding as Murong Huan had planned.


    Except for Shen Yujing, who had no involvement and was crouching in the corner of the stage, unable to leave yet.


    As soon as Song Yi entered, she saw the romantic surprise prepared for her, as expected.


    Although a bit tacky¡­ it was also a bit touching.


    Listening to others singing the birthday song for Song Yi, Shen Yujing felt sad; the happiness was all theirs, and he had nothing.


    Shen Yujing was feeling down when he suddenly noticed something strange in front of him.


    A black, handbrake-like object, the amazing part was that it was on the floor.


    Shen Yujing wanted to touch it, so when the birthday song stopped, he picked up the microphone as agreed and read the lines on the paper¡ª


    "I made a bet with the gods, betting on your heart¡­ huh?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t finish reading because his foot stepped on the handbrake-like object, and a loud noise echoed through the room.


    Murong Huan''s scream followed: "The floor collapsed? How could the floor collapse!"


    Everyone rushed over to help Song Yi.


    Fortunately, the floor was a raised platform, so even if it collapsed, it wasn''t deep.


    The unfortunate part was¡­


    When Song Yi fell, her body leaned forward, and her face directly landed in the three-tiered cake, looking extremely disheveled.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at the stage and explained, "This stage can be extended; there should be a button to control it, raising it when needed and retracting it when not."


    Quan Le asked, "Where''s the button? Who pressed the button¡­ Shen Yujing? Was it you, Shen Yujing?"


    Murong Huan and Hang Feng helped Song Yi up, one on each side.


    When Song Yi''s face emerged from the cake, her eyes were covered in cream, and she couldn''t open them.


    Her entire face was smeared with white cream, and her bewildered expression made the scene both tragic and funny.


    Aliali: 6748ac5ec4f3f33ac47c6ad8


    "Ah! Yi Yi¡­"


    Murong Huan quickly looked for tissues in her bag.


    Shen Yujing, with a stiff expression, walked over, facing the situation.


    An extendable stage? He had never seen such a thing before!


    Shen Yujing stood in front of Song Yi, stuttering to explain, "I¡­ I''m sorry, I¡­ I didn''t mean¡­"


    Song Yi used Hang Feng''s hand to wipe her face, and at least her vision was somewhat clear. She looked at the culprit, Shen Yujing.


    Song Yi asked again, "You did this?"


    Shen Yujing nodded, still trying to explain, "I really didn''t mean¡­"


    Without hesitation, Song Yi grabbed a large handful of cake and smeared it on Shen Yujing''s face.


    She said word by word, gritting her teeth, "I bet with the devil, betting on your eternal damnation."

 Chapter 63

    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He licked the cream from his lips - it was actually quite tasty.


    In the next moment, Shen Yujing wiped the cream off his face and promptly smeared it onto Quan Le''s face beside him, shouting while running away: "Song Yi! I''m sorry! But still, happy birthday!"


    Quan Le: "...?"


    Was this really a valid reason for Shen Yujing to smear cream on his face?


    Quan Le wasn''t one to take such treatment lying down, so he grabbed a handful of cake and chased after Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing ran in a circle before hiding behind Song Yi and Murong Huan, occasionally poking his head out to taunt Quan Le, "Can''t catch me, can''t catch me!"


    Determined to defend his dignity, Quan Le kept his eyes fixed on Shen Yujing, waiting for the right moment to strike¡ª


    "Splat!" His hand landed squarely on Murong Huan''s face.


    Accompanied by Shen Yujing''s loud laughter, Murong Huan roared, "Quan Le! I''m going to kill you!!!"


    The original attacker, Quan Le, was now forced to join Shen Yujing in their escape, and as they ran, they continued to assault each other with whatever cake remained on their hands.


    Of course, in the end, neither of them managed to escape, and they even managed to drag Jiang Yiheng into their mess.


    As chaos ensued, Shen Yujing suggested: Since the cake was no longer edible anyway, they might as well have some fun with it.


    Everyone held pieces of cake, eyeing those around them warily. Though their faces were covered in cream, their eyes sparkled with laughter.


    Among them all, Shen Yujing and Murong Huan were having the most fun, sparing no one as they chased people around the room.


    Murong Huan seemed to have forgotten she once had a crush on Jiang Yiheng, as she didn''t hesitate to smash an entire piece of cake onto that handsome face she had admired for so many years.


    Jiang Yiheng stood frozen in place, his usually cold eyes narrowing slightly as he wiped cream from his nose bridge.


    He reached into his pocket for some napkins, about to clean himself up.


    Seeing Jiang Yiheng''s silence, Murong Huan thought he was angry. Her previous bravado instantly deflated as she began, "I''m sorr¡ªah!" S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Before Murong Huan could finish her apology, Jiang Yiheng raised his hand and immediately smeared the cream back onto her face.


    Murong Huan continued to roar: "Jiang Yiheng!!!"


    Why? Why had Jiang Yiheng joined in this madness too?!


    Meanwhile, Song Yi had cornered Shen Yujing with a large chunk of cream.


    Shen Yujing shouted: "Don''t come any closer! Stay back! If you come any closer, I''ll call for help!"


    Song Yi smiled wickedly, like a bandit who had captured an innocent maiden, saying: "Go ahead and shout. No one''s coming to save you today, no matter how loud you yell!"


    So Shen Yujing called out: "Hang Feng! Hang Feng!"


    What good would calling Hang Feng do? Song Yi remained unmoved, coldly smearing the cream all over Shen Yujing''s face.


    Shen Yujing resigned himself to his fate, and she even placed a strawberry on his nose bridge, making him look like a clown with a red nose, both ridiculous and amusing.


    Song Yi finally withdrew her hand, satisfied, but when she turned around, she saw Hang Feng standing right behind her, startling her into taking two stumbling steps backward.


    Shen Yujing shifted to the side, making room for Song Yi, "I told you Hang Feng was behind you, but you wouldn''t listen."


    Song Yi: "..."


    How was she supposed to know that''s what he meant?


    The two of them huddled together in the corner, looking small, weak, and pitiful as they faced Hang Feng.


    Compared to their cream-covered, disheveled appearance, Hang Feng was spotlessly clean from head to toe - the very picture of dignity.


    Hang Feng held a plate of cake in his left hand, looking down at them thoughtfully as he said, "I only have one piece of cake here. I wonder which of you I should hit?"


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing had never been more in sync in their lives. They pointed at each other simultaneously, saying in unison: "Him/Her!"


    Song Yi said: "Your face is already covered in cream anyway, a bit more won''t hurt."


    Shen Yujing rolled his eyes and said: "You''re the birthday girl, this blessing should go to you."


    After arguing for a while without reaching a conclusion, they decided to settle it with rock-paper-scissors.


    Best two out of three, Shen Yujing won by a narrow margin.


    Shen Yujing breathed a sigh of relief and immediately slipped behind Hang Feng, making faces at Song Yi, saying: "You lost!"


    Song Yi, crouching alone in the corner: "..."


    He''s really gloating? She really wanted to strangle him.


    Hang Feng asked: "How much should I use?"


    Song Yi was startled, realizing from Hang Feng''s tone that there was room for negotiation.


    So she began bargaining, saying: "How about just a little bit? Just on the nose, okay?"


    She had just managed to clean her face, and she really didn''t want to go through all that trouble again!


    Hang Feng looked down at Song Yi, whose fair face still showed traces of redness from vigorously wiping off the previous cream.


    Her almond eyes gazed up at him, filled with pleading and hope, making it impossible to refuse.


    His long, elegant fingers scooped up a tiny bit of cream from the cake and gently dabbed it on the tip of the girl''s nose - just that small dollop of cream looked incredibly cute.


    She smiled at him, clearly relieved.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing, who had been ready to enjoy the show, frowned and said, "What''s this? No fun at all."


    Song Yi''s smile instantly vanished as she glared at Shen Yujing through gritted teeth, and the war began anew.


    Finally, when everyone was exhausted, some lying down, others sprawled about, only¡ª


    Jiang Yiheng was methodically wiping cream off his face with tissues, saying: "I''m the head of the Disciplinary Committee."


    Everyone looked at him in confusion.


    Murong Huan: "Huh? Why bring that up now?"


    Jiang Yiheng glanced around the messy classroom and said: "You have one hour to clean this place up before you can leave."


    Everyone: "???"


    Shen Yujing stood up and asked: "What about you?"


    Jiang Yiheng said: "I haven''t moved from this spot. I''ll clean the area where I''m standing."


    Everyone: "..."


    How calculating!!!


    Jiang Yiheng looked at them and continued: "Don''t count on getting anyone else to clean this up. I''m sure your parents would rather see everyone contribute some labor to the school - consider it exercise."


    Quan Le, who was about to call cleaning services on his phone: "..."


    Finally, everyone pitched in with the cleanup - some with rags, others with mops, all joining in the effort.


    Jiang Yiheng stood by the door with his arms crossed, watching them until Song Yi walked in with a basin of water to clean the walls. He took the basin from her hands, saying, "Let me do it."


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    Jiang Yiheng placed the basin on a chair, took out a cloth, wrung it dry, and began wiping the cream off the wall. With his back to Song Yi, he said softly, "Happy birthday."


    That evening, everyone gathered at Song Yi''s home.


    Feeling remorseful about his actions earlier, Shen Yujing ordered an even bigger and more beautiful cake, which made Murong Huan roll her eyes.


    Gifts piled up on the table as everyone sat around it. Song''s Father was beaming with joy as dish after dish was brought to the table until it was completely full.


    Murong Huan stared at the food before her, swallowing hungrily.


    Quan Le sat beside her with his arms crossed, laughing at her, "Look at how unsophisticated you are, they''re just ordinary home-cooked dishes."


    Murong Huan sneered, "Just wait until you eat your words."


    Song''s Father smiled at them and said: "If you''re hungry, go ahead and eat. I''ll bring out the last dish and then we''ll be complete."


    "Thank you, Uncle."


    Everyone said in unison, though their upbringing prevented them from picking up their chopsticks before the host was seated.


    Song''s Father turned and went into the kitchen, quickly returning with a small pot.


    Song Yi stood up and cleared a space in the center of the table for her father to set down the pot.


    The pot was still covered, but the aroma from all the dishes on the table was already making everyone''s mouths water.


    Quan Le couldn''t help but swallow as well, silently taking back his earlier mockery of Murong Huan, as he too was now hungry.


    Song''s Father picked up his chopsticks, served a piece of spare rib to Song Yi who was sitting beside him, and said: "Everyone, please eat. If anything isn''t to your liking, let me know and I''ll improve it next time."


    Murong Huan was no stranger to this place. Being relatively familiar with Song''s Father, she didn''t stand on ceremony and started eating the sweet and sour pork in front of her.


    Mmm...


    It was so delicious! She felt incredibly happy!


    Actually, Murong Huan had thought multiple times about asking Uncle Song to be the chef at her house. Since his health wasn''t good, he could just sit on the side and supervise others.


    This thought had lingered in Murong Huan''s mind for too long, and today she finally couldn''t hold back anymore. She looked up¡ª


    "Uncle Song, which hotel do you work as a chef at?"


    Shen Yujing beat her to speak first, his voice sincere.


    It felt familiar because when Murong Huan first tasted Song''s Father''s cooking, she had naturally assumed that such skill and technique must belong to a professional.


    Song Yi had to explain again: "My father isn''t a chef, he''s a carpenter. The table and chairs you''re sitting on were all made by him."


    "Wow!" Quan Le exclaimed enthusiastically, quickly swallowing the meat in his mouth before eagerly continuing, "Have you ever considered becoming a chef? How about coming to my house? I used to think our chef was pretty good, but compared to you, it''s like heaven and earth!"


    Murong Huan stared at Quan Le with disbelief.


    What kind of person was he? How dare he try to steal her potential chef!


    So Murong Huan jabbed Quan Le hard with her elbow and said sarcastically, "Look at how undignified you''re being. It''s just ordinary home cooking! Our young master Quan has eaten all sorts of fine cuisine, why are you making such a fuss?"


    Quan Le: "..."


    Talk about being slapped in the face.


    Taking advantage of Quan Le''s moment of embarrassment, Murong Huan immediately turned to Song''s Father, joining the competition, "Uncle, don''t listen to him. Yi and I are the closest friends. If you want to be a chef, you should definitely come to my house first. We have many chefs, you won''t need to do any hard work, just supervise from the side. That way you won''t get too tired, and I''ll pay you ten times the normal salary."


    Quan Le quickly interjected, "No, Uncle! Her house is too far! I have many houses in the Imperial Capital. You can choose whichever one is convenient, and I''ll buy you the one next door. We''ll be neighbors, and your commute will be so convenient!"


    Song''s Father smiled as he watched Murong Huan and Quan Le''s argument, clearly not taking their words seriously.


    After all, from Song''s Father''s normal perspective¡ª


    Who would actually believe offers of ten times the salary or gifting a house just for a convenient commute!


    Song Yi couldn''t watch anymore. Before they could say anything more outrageous that might frighten her father, she interrupted them, "My father''s health isn''t good, so he won''t be working outside for now. Don''t even think about it, you two. Just eat your food."


    After Song Yi''s words, both of them realized neither had any hope, and they snorted, turning away from each other.


    Song''s Father quickly tried to ease the tension, saying with a smile, "Uncle hasn''t revealed the last dish yet. Would you like to guess what soup it is?"


    This successfully caught Murong Huan''s attention. She thought for a moment, "Corn and pork rib soup?"


    Quan Le took a deep breath, "I think it''s chicken soup."


    Shen Yujing rested his chin on his hand, "Fish soup?"


    Song''s Father looked at Shen Yujing and praised, "You''re half right."


    Although Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer, they also looked at the covered pot in the center of the table.


    Under everyone''s expectant and curious gaze, Song''s Father lifted the lid to reveal what was inside.


    Hang Feng took a sip of water from his cup, his gaze casually glancing toward the center of the table¡ª


    "Cough, cough, cough!"


    Hang Feng choked on his water and bent down, coughing violently.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi''s voice cheerfully rang out¡ª


    "Yay! It''s turtle soup!"


    Shen Yujing gave Hang Feng a disdainful look but still unusually handed him a tissue.


    Aliali: 674b6b12c4f3f33ac4a257b6


    Song Yi started serving the soup to everyone. Everyone accepted their bowls except for Shen Yujing and Hang Feng.


    For some reason, Shen Yujing suddenly remembered a question Quan Le had once asked him¡ª


    "What if the person you like turned into a turtle?"


    And then that night he had a nightmare, and turtles became forbidden items in the Shen family kitchen ever since.


    Shen Yujing quickly protected his bowl, shaking his head in refusal, "I never drink this."


    Song Yi then looked at Hang Feng, saying, "You should drink more, look how pale your face is."


    Song Yi reached for Hang Feng''s bowl as she spoke.


    In an instant, before Hang Feng''s brain could even react, his body instinctively copied Shen Yujing''s posture and protected his bowl.


    He shook his head like a rattle drum, and having just finished coughing, he hadn''t fully recovered when he anxiously choked again.


    "No- cough cough! No- no tur- turtle soup!"

 Chapter 64

    Song Yi: "?"


    She looked at Hang Feng, then at Shen Yujing, feeling that both of them were acting rather strange.


    If they didn''t want to drink, that was fine, but why did they look as if drinking a sip of turtle soup would be the death of them?


    In the end, Song Yi served herself a bowl of soup and sat down.


    The broth was delicious and the meat tender. Song Yi thought regretfully: Shen Yujing and Hang Feng were really missing out by not drinking this soup.


    Everyone felt satisfied after finishing the meal.


    As darkness fell, the final event was naturally the cake.


    The cake Shen Yujing ordered was even prettier than Murong Huan''s, also being three-tiered.


    Thinking about her tragic experience at school today, Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said, "Don''t move around."


    She then carefully walked towards the cake. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Murong Huan helped Song Yi open the cake box and lit the candles.


    Song''s Father had already cleared away the empty dishes from the table, making room for the enormous cake.


    Murong Huan placed a birthday hat on Song Yi''s head before turning to get the candles.


    Unlike ordinary candles, this one was shaped like a cute little girl with black hair, wearing a Saint Slee school uniform of the same color as Song Yi''s ¨C clearly custom-made in her image.


    This candle was something Murong Huan had ordered well in advance, originally planning to put it on the birthday cake she bought, but unexpectedly, Shen Yujing ended up benefiting from it.


    The little girl candle wore a birthday hat with a wick protruding from the top.


    When the candle was lit, the room lights were turned off.


    Everyone gathered around the table, staring at the cake... or rather, at the little girl''s birthday hat.


    They all chose to remain quiet, as the scene somehow had an oddly eerie feel to it.


    Soon, the birthday hat began to melt, and the flame reached the little girl''s hair.


    Shen Yujing spoke in an ominous tone: "Song Yi, your hair is about to disappear. You''re going to go bald."


    Song Yi: "..."


    It was Jiang Yiheng who finally spoke up: "Stop watching, let''s make a wish first."


    "Yes, yes, yes," Quan Le nodded, "What''s there to look at? It''s just a very... ordinary candle, right? Let''s sing the birthday song quickly!"


    Right, very ordinary indeed.


    Everyone began singing the birthday song for Song Yi, though some voices were rather discordant, managing to go off-key even with such a simple tune.


    "Happy birthday~ to~ you! Happy~ birth~day to you~"


    Song Yi stood before the cake, hands clasped together and eyes closed, trying hard to ignore the off-key singing around her.


    This is so wonderful, she thought. If only it could stay like this forever.


    She wished for everyone around her to be safe and sound, to continue getting along like this, staying happy and worry-free.


    She hoped everyone could completely break free from the constraints of the original plot, each finding their own new life and beautiful future.


    *


    Meanwhile, at the Hang Family residence.


    Grandmother placed the steaming dishes on the table, trying to maintain a stern expression, but her eyes betrayed undisguised affection.


    It hadn''t been long since their last meeting, but she thought he seemed to have grown taller.


    Xu Che was used to this by now. Every time he visited Grandmother, she would say they should meet less often while continuously expressing her concern for him, her eyes never leaving him for a moment.


    She clearly missed and loved him deeply, but to avoid hurting Hang Feng, she deliberately maintained her distance, always saying that keeping things as they were was for the best.


    A sour feeling crept into his heart ¨C was it envy?


    Xu Che thought there must be some.


    He envied Hang Feng, who at least had someone who loved him wholeheartedly, unlike himself who had to be so cautious even just being here.


    Was there jealousy too?


    Xu Che wasn''t sure about that, but he didn''t need an answer right now.


    As Grandmother often said, with their complicated family situation, maintaining the status quo without causing any disturbance was good enough.


    As for the future...


    Well, that could wait until Xu Yuanguo''s death.


    Hang Feng lived so far from Xu Yuanguo that his intense hatred had been dulled by time, allowing some familial sentiment and sorrow to develop before Xu Yuanguo''s death.


    But for Xu Che, it was precisely their daily interaction that continuously deepened his initially vague hatred, completely erasing any hope for familial affection he once had.


    Ironically, the person who most wanted Xu Yuanguo dead might not be Hang Feng, but him.


    Because to Xu Che, once Xu Yuanguo died, everything would end.


    When his mother learned that Xu Yuanguo had left everything to the illegitimate son she despised most, she might go mad.


    But none of that mattered anymore. Years of torment and pain were finally coming to an end.


    The youth thought this as a flash of cold resentment passed through his downcast eyes.


    This was Xu Che''s first time staying for dinner, and when Grandmother handed him the chopsticks, he was so nervous he didn''t know which hand to use.


    The seemingly fierce youth now sat uneasily, carefully picking up some food with his chopsticks.


    It was bland, lacking flavor ¨C she must have forgotten to add salt.


    Yet to Xu Che, this was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten.


    He didn''t speak, just lowered his head and ate faster.


    Grandmother poured him a glass of water and caringly advised: "Don''t eat so quickly, it''s not good for your stomach."


    Xu Che remained silent, but his movements only quickened.


    Like someone who had been thirsting in the desert facing clean water, Xu Che didn''t know if there would be a next time, so he wanted to eat as much of Grandmother''s cooking as possible, as if making up for all the familial love he had missed over the years.


    Only when he felt his stomach reaching its limit did Xu Che reluctantly put down his chopsticks.


    He looked up at the clock on the wall and asked Grandmother again: "Are you sure Hang Feng won''t suddenly come back?"


    If possible, he didn''t want to leave Grandmother so early.


    He wanted to stay by her side longer, rather than return to that cold, oppressive, suffocating home.


    Grandmother smiled: "He''s attending a friend''s birthday party, he won''t be back this early."


    Xu Che breathed a sigh of relief, but then seemed to realize something and asked: "He has friends?"


    In Xu Che''s memory, his younger brother had always been introverted since childhood. He now had friends? That was a good thing.


    "Yes," Grandmother nodded, smiling as she said: "They go to the same school, Saint Slee, and they were even desk mates."


    Same school as Hang Feng ¨C Xu Che had a vague idea in his mind.


    But he still casually asked: "What''s their name?"


    Grandmother answered: "Song Yi. ''Song'' as in the Song Dynasty, ''Yi'' as in ''lovely person'' ¨C it''s a beautiful name."


    As expected.


    Xu Che pressed his lips together, his hand unconsciously tightening at his side.


    Same school, former desk mates, helped him a lot.


    So that''s why they were friends.


    Grandmother, unaware of Xu Che''s thoughts, continued: "The young lady is beautiful and kind-hearted, she''s helped Hang Feng and me so much lately. Look, she hung the calendar and clock on the wall, and even gave us that turtle. Hang Feng takes care of it daily. Though he doesn''t talk much, he''s very attentive when it comes to looking after animals."


    Turtle?


    Xu Che''s gaze followed Grandmother''s pointing finger toward the balcony.


    In the fish tank, a turtle lay there, only its shell visible from a distance.


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    For some reason, he suddenly thought of that candy ¨C his favorite candy.


    It was something he usually couldn''t even bring himself to eat, yet he had given it to her.


    But somehow, that piece of candy had ended up in Hang Feng''s hands.


    Was it because they were friends? Just because they were friends?


    Xu Che had always wanted to be a good older brother, but his relationship with Hang Feng wasn''t suitable, and he never had the chance to fulfill this dream.


    Suddenly, he felt the urge to compete for something.


    This feeling was strange and contradictory ¨C his heart didn''t hurt, but there was an odd itch that kept making him think about it.


    But what exactly it was, and why, he hadn''t yet figured out.


    The young boy pursed his lips, and as if moved by some mysterious force, he lifted his head to look at his grandmother. In a soft voice, he asked, "Grandma, may I take that snapping turtle home with me?"


    "I... I really like it."

 Chapter 65

    At the convenience store.


    Since winter break was officially starting today, they wouldn''t be seeing each other as frequently during this period. Murong Huan held Song Yi''s hand, looking at her with reluctance to part.


    The table was filled with various drinks, while only strawberry milk sat in front of Hang Feng.


    Song Yi looked at Murong Huan helplessly and said, "It''s just a break, it won''t affect anything. We can meet whenever you want."


    Murong Huan pouted, "But still..."


    She understood the logic, but she just couldn''t bear to part!


    Jiang Yiheng looked out the window and said coldly, "Don''t just think about the break. With your grades, Song Yi''s tutoring sessions probably can''t stop."


    Murong Huan embarrassedly ruffled her hair and shouted, "Jiang Yiheng! You''re really good at humiliating people!"


    Hang Feng, however, caught the key point and asked Song Yi, "What tutoring?"


    Song Yi pointed at the three people in front of her and said, "I tutor them."


    "Oh right," Quan Le said while scratching his head troubledly, "I haven''t finished my last assignment."


    He looked towards Murong Huan as he spoke.


    Murong Huan immediately became alert, "Don''t look at me, I won''t let you copy my work."


    Quan Le looked at Murong Huan pitifully and said, "Please?"


    Murong Huan frowned, "What will you trade for it?"


    "I..."


    "That''s enough," Song Yi interrupted their "transaction" with a meaningful smile, "Is this how you usually handle my assignments when I''m not around?"


    They should at least wait until she leaves to discuss this!


    Murong Huan & Quan Le: "..."


    Song Yi continued, "This assignment isn''t urgent, you can write it next time. After all, we''ll be going over the final exam papers the day after tomorrow." S~ea??h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    At this point, Song Yi deliberately put on a troubled expression and said, "By then, the test results should be out. The one who shows the least improvement will be in trouble."


    She didn''t finish her sentence but gave a threatening look to the three people before her.


    Quan Le complained loudly, "That''s not fair! My grades are better than theirs, so I''ll definitely lose if we''re looking at improvement!"


    Shen Yujing crossed his arms, "That''s what you get for doing well before."


    Quan Le: "You!"


    Seeing that everyone at the table was about to start arguing, Jiang Yiheng quickly stepped in to stop them, "Can you two be quiet? It''s Song Yi''s birthday today, cause less trouble."


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le glared at each other before looking away in different directions, dissatisfied.


    Murong Huan then said, "Since it''s Song Yi''s birthday, why don''t we play a game?"


    Shen Yujing, who loved games the most, immediately became interested and asked, "What game?"


    Murong Huan spoke seriously, enunciating each word, "Guardian Angel."


    Jiang Yiheng looked over and asked, "What''s that?"


    Song Yi frowned slightly, feeling like she had seen this kind of game in some Mary Sue novels.


    But except for Song Yi, the others clearly hadn''t heard of this game, so Murong Huan began to explain.


    "Guardian Angel, as the name suggests, means to guard and protect others." As Murong Huan spoke, she took out a prepared stack of sticky notes and a pen from her pocket, saying, "There are six of us in total. We''ll write our names on six pieces of paper, then draw lots. Whoever you draw, you''ll have to protect them for the next week. After seven days, we''ll each grade our guardian angel''s performance, and the guardian angel with the highest score wins. If your protected person discovers your identity as their guardian angel during this time, you automatically fail at being their guardian."


    "Sounds interesting," Shen Yujing nodded, but added, "But it''s winter break now, and we won''t be able to meet often. How can we protect each other?"


    "Then let''s have tutoring sessions for a week," Murong Huan said with a bright smile. "Since Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng all have good grades, they can all tutor us three. We''ll stay together this week."


    Quan Le: "Great idea!"


    Song Yi shrugged, "I''m fine with it. It''s a good chance for you all to do more practice problems during the break."


    Usually, she taught three students by herself, but with Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng joining as helpers, it would be easier with two more assistants - not a bad thing at all.


    Jiang Yiheng pressed his lips together but nodded.


    Everyone''s eyes turned to Hang Feng, waiting for his answer.


    Hang Feng took a sip of his strawberry milk and said, "Okay."


    "Yay!" Murong Huan cheered, then carefully wrote down everyone''s names on the sticky notes.


    Six pieces of paper were folded similarly and placed on the table, and everyone took turns picking their papers.


    Song Yi didn''t have much expectation. According to Mary Sue novel patterns and the so-called protagonist''s halo attraction law, she would probably draw Shen Yujing.


    Thinking about having to protect Shen Yujing for a week, Song Yi suddenly felt this task might be more difficult than imagined.


    But the good thing was that Shen Yujing wasn''t very clever, so the chance of being discovered as his guardian angel wasn''t very high.


    With these thoughts, Song Yi opened her paper, but was surprised at the name she saw.


    She had miscalculated - it was him?


    Had the Mary Sue halo stopped working?


    Although Song Yi didn''t understand, she didn''t mind.


    Murong Huan announced loudly, "Everyone should have seen who they''re protecting now, right? Remember not to let others find out."


    Quan Le snickered and said, "Don''t let others find out? Don''t tell me you wrote your own name on all the papers?"


    "Nonsense!" Murong Huan rolled her eyes at Quan Le, "I''m not that kind of person, these are the game rules!"


    "Fine," Quan Le nodded and stood up, looking at Hang Feng with a casual expression, "What do you want to eat tomorrow? Should I bring you breakfast?"


    Shen Yujing frowned at Quan Le, "Don''t tell me the person you''re protecting is Hang Feng?"


    Jiang Yiheng spoke calmly, analyzing, "Impossible. Who would be stupid enough to expose themselves so blatantly right from the start? He''s just trying to confuse your judgment."


    Shen Yujing nodded thoughtfully, agreeing, "You have a point."


    Quan Le didn''t answer Shen Yujing''s question. It was getting late, and soon he left arm in arm with Shen Yujing.


    Today''s gathering came to an end, and everyone went their separate ways.


    Walking home, Song Yi took out the crumpled paper from her pocket, looked at that person''s name one more time, then tore it up and threw it in the trash.


    Song Yi pondered somewhat worriedly about what to do next as she walked home.


    *


    At the Hang residence.


    When Hang Feng returned home and opened the refrigerator to get water, he was surprised to find several leftover dishes inside.


    Hang Feng looked at his grandmother and asked, "Did you cook all these dishes today?"


    Usually, when his grandmother was home alone, she wouldn''t even bother cooking one dish, often just eating porridge with some pickled vegetables.


    No matter how many times Hang Feng told her otherwise, she wouldn''t change, always thinking she should save money on her own meals whenever possible.


    Grandmother came out with a mop and answered, "I... I made a mistake, I forgot you were going to Song Yi''s birthday celebration today, so I made extra dishes."


    Hang Feng nodded, not questioning this explanation.


    He walked to his grandmother''s side and tried to take the mop, saying, "It''s so late, you should go to sleep. I''ll mop the floor."


    But his grandmother stubbornly held onto the mop, saying, "You need to study, go rest quickly."


    Hang Feng said helplessly, "I finished my exams today, tomorrow''s the start of break."


    Even with him saying this, his grandmother wouldn''t give him the mop. She couldn''t bear to let her grandson do any hard work.


    Hang Feng had no choice but to think about thoroughly cleaning the house some day when his grandmother wasn''t home.


    Hang Feng walked to the balcony, planning to get his change of clothes for a shower, but froze when his eyes fell on the balcony corner.


    He strode back to the living room and asked his grandmother, "Grandmother, where are the fish tank and the turtle from the balcony?"


    "The turtle..." His grandmother gripped the mop tightly before saying, "Today while I was at my stall, I got into an argument with someone. That person fell and got hurt, and I had to pay several hundred yuan in compensation, so... so..."


    Grandma wasn''t good at lying, so her speech became hesitant and stumbling.


    But to Hang Feng, it seemed like she was just trying not to worry him by avoiding the details of what happened.


    Hearing Grandma''s words, Hang Feng naturally forgot about the turtle and asked, "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    "I''m fine, I''m fine," Grandma quickly waved her hand dismissively.


    After making sure Grandma wasn''t injured, Hang Feng gave her a few words of caution and this time forcefully took the mop from her hands, saying, "You should go rest."


    Afraid that Hang Feng would investigate further about the turtle, Grandma hesitated before letting go of the mop.


    It should be fine, right...


    Is it because people overthink things when they get old?


    Although Hang Feng usually took care of that turtle, it wasn''t really anything important, was it?


    She just couldn''t let him know that Xu Che had taken it, or else a small matter would turn into a big one.


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    Thinking about the relationship between her two grandsons, Grandma''s back seemed to become more hunched.


    Never mind.


    Children must find their own way in life; things... will get better in the future.


    After finishing mopping the living room, Hang Feng went to take a shower.


    He didn''t think about the turtle anymore; although it was a pity, what mattered was that Grandma was okay.


    The paper slip he had drawn today was lying on the table, and looking at the name written on it, Hang Feng once again fell into silence.


    That night, almost everyone was pondering the same question¡ª


    What does it mean to protect someone? What exactly counts as protection?


    Is it about being good to him/her? But specifically, how should one do that?


    And most importantly, it must not be discovered.

 Chapter 66

    The next morning, everyone agreed to meet at Murong Huan''s house.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng were heading in the same direction, so they arranged to meet at a spot and go together.


    At the intersection, Song Yi saw Hang Feng and waved to him from afar.


    When she got closer, Hang Feng handed her breakfast, saying, "Let''s go."


    Looking at the steaming soy milk and pancake roll in her hands, Song Yi asked in surprise, "How did you know I hadn''t eaten breakfast?"


    Hang Feng replied, "Even if you had, you could eat a second serving."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She took back her hard-earned feeling of being touched.


    The two walked side by side to the bus stop. Song Yi sipped her soy milk and ate her pancake roll while studying Hang Feng.


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng was looking into the distance, watching for the bus''s arrival.


    Song Yi took a bite of her pancake roll and nudged Hang Feng with her elbow. "Hey."


    Hang Feng turned to look at her. "What?"


    Song Yi asked in a low voice, "You''re being so nice to me today. Is it because you''re my guardian angel?"


    "Mm-hmm." Hang Feng nodded perfunctorily. "I am."


    Song Yi: "..."


    She had genuinely suspected it, but Hang Feng''s attitude immediately ruled it out.


    Who would admit to something so straightforwardly? The quicker the admission, the more fake it seemed.


    So Song Yi ignored Hang Feng and went back to eating her breakfast, while Hang Feng didn''t say anything more.


    The bus arrived shortly, and they boarded one after another.


    Perhaps because most schools were on break, the bus wasn''t very crowded today, so they sat in the double seats nearest to the back door.


    Having lost sleep last night over the guardian angel matter, Song Yi was feeling drowsy.


    Sitting in the window seat, she rested her head lightly against the window and closed her eyes.


    For some reason, scenes from many idol dramas she had watched floated through Song Yi''s mind.


    When the female lead leans against the window, the wind should gently blow her bangs, the sunlight should tenderly shine on her face, everything should be aesthetic...


    "Bang¡ª"


    A sharp turn shattered Song Yi''s fantasy as her forehead hit the window, making her face contort in pain.


    Hang Feng quickly turned to her and asked, "What happened?"


    An elderly lady carrying groceries in the front row turned around to look at Song Yi.


    Song Yi clutched her forehead, drawing in several sharp breaths before saying, "I... I hit the window."


    Hang Feng''s expression showed his exasperation, and Song Yi herself was equally frustrated about the situation.


    As if it wasn''t enough that she could twist her ankle while walking, now she could hit her head during a bus turn. As a female lead, she was really quite unlucky.


    Hang Feng said, "Let me take a look."


    "No." Song Yi covered her forehead and looked out the window. She really didn''t want anyone to see her grimacing in pain¡ªit was quite embarrassing after all.


    After a moment of silence, Hang Feng asked again, "Is it okay?"


    Song Yi tentatively removed her hand and gently touched her forehead. Though it still hurt, it was getting better.


    So she answered, "It should be fine now."


    Hang Feng''s voice came coldly, "I meant is the window okay? That sound was quite loud."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Her fist clenched.


    She looked at Hang Feng, her anger momentarily overshadowing the pain, and said through gritted teeth, "Hang Feng!"


    But Hang Feng didn''t speak. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand against Song Yi''s right cheek to prevent her from turning away again.


    His gaze fell on Song Yi''s forehead, carefully examining where she had been hurt. Her fair skin had turned red¡ªit looked like quite a hard bump.


    He said, "So stupid."


    Song Yi: "???"


    Wait, what was he saying?


    He actually insulted her? He dared to insult her!!!


    Song Yi grew even angrier. Like a little lion showing its claws, she swatted away Hang Feng''s hand. "You''re the stupid one! You''re the stupidest! What are you looking at? What''s there to see?"


    "Good thing I''m not your guardian angel, or you would have made me die of anger today!"


    After saying this, Song Yi turned back to the window, leaving only the back of her head facing Hang Feng.


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng''s gaze lowered, and he unconsciously reached to touch the note in his pocket.


    From what Song Yi just said, it didn''t seem like she was lying¡ªshe really wasn''t his guardian angel. His spark of hope was extinguished as quickly as it had been lit.


    Well, how many coincidences could there be in this world anyway?


    But things were good as they were now.


    *


    Song Yi had thought she wouldn''t speak another word to Hang Feng before reaching Murong Huan''s house, but halfway through the bus ride, he pulled her off the bus.


    Knowing Hang Feng wasn''t the type to suddenly go crazy, she didn''t resist and followed him to the entrance of a small shop.


    Song Yi asked curiously, "What are we doing here?"


    Hang Feng said, "Buying something."


    Song Yi said, "Your words are as clear as mud."


    Hang Feng didn''t say anything more and just went inside.


    Song Yi stood at the entrance and yawned, curious to see what Hang Feng was up to.


    Soon, Hang Feng came out holding a frozen bottle of mineral water.


    Song Yi asked puzzled, "You''re drinking such cold water in the middle of winter?"


    Hang Feng handed the mineral water to Song Yi. "Hold this, it''s for icing the bump."


    Although she understood Hang Feng''s intention, Song Yi stepped back, her face full of rejection. "Cold! Cold! I don''t want it!"


    In this winter weather, the wind felt like slaps on her face, let alone icing it. It would be the death of her.


    Song Yi wasn''t afraid of much, but she was terrified of cold.


    Getting out of her warm bed every morning already felt like losing half her life. In this temperature, holding a frozen water bottle would be like preparing for death.


    Besides, the bump would go down in a couple of days anyway, no need for ice.


    As she thought this, she lowered her head to tighten her scarf, afraid of even a slight cold breeze on her neck.


    But in that moment when she lowered her head, she suddenly felt an icy sensation on her forehead that almost made her cry out.


    Song Yi tried to escape, but Hang Feng''s other hand quickly grabbed her arm. "Don''t move," he said.


    Song Yi looked up at him with wide eyes. "Hang Feng! Let me go! It''s cold!"


    Hang Feng didn''t answer. His narrow eyes looked at her somewhat unyieldingly, his grip on her arm not loosening at all. He only said two words, "Bear it."


    Song Yi: "..."


    How infuriating.


    But just as she was about to teach Hang Feng a lesson, she realized that the pain in her forehead had indeed eased considerably. The ice really was working.


    Of course, it might also be because the sensation was so cold that it had simply numbed her.


    They remained in this standoff for nearly five minutes.


    Hang Feng said, "We should go, or we''ll be late."


    Song Yi smiled insincerely and said, "How can we go like this?"


    Hang Feng said, "I''ll give you two choices: either you hold it yourself, or I''ll hold it for you."


    Song Yi answered without hesitation, "I choose you holding it."


    By now, her forehead was so numb from the cold that she couldn''t feel pain or cold anymore, just shivers.


    Song Yi absolutely refused to let her hands touch that water bottle again, absolutely not!


    So they returned to the bus stop in this rather strange position.


    Song Yi sat on the bus stop bench, and Hang Feng sat beside her, still holding the water bottle pressed against the swelling on her forehead, continuing even after they got back on the bus.


    The young man''s hand remained raised, holding the water bottle, with the bone-chilling cold transferring through his body temperature. His knuckles had turned white from the cold, and his entire hand felt stiff.


    Song Yi also felt it wasn''t right to let Hang Feng keep holding it like this, so she said, "That should be enough, right? I don''t feel pain anymore."


    But Hang Feng said, "It hasn''t been twenty minutes yet."


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    Seeing that she couldn''t persuade Hang Feng, Song Yi hesitated for a moment before reluctantly taking off one of her gloves and offering it to him, saying, "At least wear this while holding it."


    After all, he was helping her, and it wouldn''t be right if he got too cold.


    But Hang Feng still refused, saying, "No need, keep it on yourself."


    At that moment, the bus made another turn, passing by an upscale residential area.


    At the crossroads, Xu Che, wearing a black coat, stood holding a dog leash with his little white dog.


    He was waiting for the bus to pass before crossing, but when he casually glanced up, he couldn''t hide his surprise at what he saw.


    Through the back window of the bus, he witnessed a scene of such perfect harmony that it could only be described as beautiful. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    A young girl sat by the window, showing her lovely profile, though her face was full of reluctance as someone had rather amusingly placed a bottle of mineral water on her forehead.


    The young man sitting next to her, holding the water bottle with gentle eyes, was none other than his usually expressionless brother, Hang Feng.


    They looked, undeniably, like a perfect match.

 Chapter 67

    The bus passed by.


    The green light quickly turned on, and pedestrians around started crossing the road.


    The little dog turned back to bark "woof woof" at Xu Che, urging him to move forward.


    But Xu Che just gripped the dog leash tightly. Instead of walking forward, he reached into his pocket and took out a piece of candy.


    It was a brand of milk candy that he didn''t particularly like because it was too sweet.


    Another traffic light cycle passed as the candy melted on his tongue.


    It was even sweeter than expected, sickeningly sweet.


    He didn''t like it.


    *


    At the Murong Family home.


    Everyone gathered around Song Yi, examining the wound on her forehead.


    Shen Yujing laughed heartily, "No way? You got that from hitting the car window? Song Yi, you''re really something else."


    Song Yi didn''t hesitate to pinch Shen Yujing''s arm, saying with a forced smile: "Do you have a death wish?"


    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry!" Shen Yujing immediately apologized and handed her the hot tea, "Here, warm your hands and calm down."


    The heating in Murong Huan''s room was on full blast, but the two who had just come in from outside were still quite cold.


    Song Yi took the teacup but passed it to Hang Feng, saying: "Hold this."


    Hang Feng had been holding a frozen water bottle to help ice her injury the whole way here, so he must have been colder.


    Hang Feng took the hot tea with his right hand, and when his stiff left hand lightly touched the cup, he quickly pulled away because it felt too hot.


    Seeing this, Murong Huan stood up and went downstairs, saying: "I''ll ask the housekeeper to bring you a hot water bottle."


    Quan Le immediately followed her, "I want one too!"


    Shen Yujing frowned, his gaze falling on the teacup before turning to Song Yi, "That was tea I gave to you, why did you give it to him?"


    Song Yi rolled her eyes, "Why do you care so much?"


    Shen Yujing asked suspiciously: "Don''t tell me you''re his guardian angel?"


    Song Yi neither confirmed nor denied it, instead saying with a smile: "You''ll have to guess."


    Murong Huan quickly returned with Quan Le, handing an electric hot water bottle to Hang Feng, "Here, take this."


    "Thank you," Hang Feng accepted the hot water bottle but didn''t put down the hot tea in his hand.


    With everyone present, today''s lesson could officially begin.


    There were six people in total: three academic stars and two poor students, plus one mediocre student who was reluctantly grouped with the poor performers.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng took turns teaching the three, while Jiang Yiheng was responsible for grading their previous assignments.


    At first glance, it seemed quite organized with a decent study atmosphere.


    At noon, lunch was prepared by the Murong family''s chef, with a full table of dishes from various cuisines.


    However, after taking a bite, Murong Huan frowned and said glumly: "It''s still not as good as your dad''s cooking."


    Shen Yujing nodded, "Though it''s better than what we have at my house, it really can''t compare to your dad''s."


    Song Yi: "?"


    She carefully picked up some food with her chopsticks and tasted it, finding it delicious.


    Song Yi only had three ratings for food: delicious, average, and bad, so she couldn''t really tell much difference.


    But given Shen Yujing and Murong Huan''s family backgrounds, what delicacies hadn''t they tried before?


    Song Yi had originally thought they were just flattering her father, but now it seemed they genuinely thought Song''s Father''s cooking was better, so...


    Still skeptical, Song Yi decided to ask the most honest smart person present.


    So she turned to Jiang Yiheng and asked: "Which do you think tastes better, this food or my dad''s cooking? Be honest."


    Jiang Yiheng thought for a moment before saying: "In terms of knife skills, the Murong family''s chef is slightly better, but Song''s Father does everything else better."


    Since even Jiang Yiheng said so, Song Yi had to believe it whether she wanted to or not.


    It seemed like a waste for Song''s Father to work as a carpenter with such culinary talent. She thought she should find an opportunity to have a good talk with him about possibly changing careers.


    In the afternoon, they returned to their routine study session.


    Compared to sitting in a classroom with dozens of students where one could slack off at any time, this almost one-on-one supervised study made Murong Huan feel miserable.


    So she raised her hand, "I request a ten-minute break!"


    Song Yi checked the time on her phone and nodded: "Request approved."


    Shen Yujing and Hang Feng also put down their pens at the same time, leaning back in their chairs looking half-dead from exhaustion.


    All three were filled with regret and wondered: Study like this for seven days? Someone might die.


    But besides studying, everyone still had something else on their minds¡ª


    Protecting the person they were supposed to guard, and finding their own guardian angel.


    Quan Le lay back in his chair and shouted: "I''m so thirsty!"


    Jiang Yiheng said expressionlessly: "If you''re thirsty, why don''t you get water yourself?"


    Quan Le: "..."


    He sat up and said: "Where''s my guardian angel? I''m going to die of thirst if no one gets me water!"


    Murong Huan rolled her eyes and said: "You''re truly an idiot. Being your guardian angel doesn''t mean being your servant. If you can''t even get your own water, you might as well die of thirst."


    Quan Le retorted: "I''m just trying to find an opportunity to flush out who it is!"


    As he spoke, his gaze swept across everyone in the room, landing suspiciously on Jiang Yiheng, "Jiang Yiheng! Why are you avoiding my eyes? Are you feeling guilty? You''re my guardian angel, aren''t you?"


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer Quan Le''s question, only saying: "Ten minutes are up."


    Song Yi picked up the practice book and handed it to Hang Feng, "Shall we finish teaching them math first?"


    Hang Feng nodded, "Sure."


    Then Jiang Yiheng calmly spoke up: "There''s a third solution to the last math problem. I noticed you both only wrote down two methods."


    "Please don''t torture me like this." Song Yi waved her hands repeatedly. She wasn''t interested in participating in any math Olympics; being able to score high on tests was enough for her. She really had no interest in how many different ways there were to solve a single problem.


    However, Hang Feng furrowed his brows, his gaze falling on the last problem, seemingly pondering how to find the third solution.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and arranged: "You go ahead and explain the multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions to Shen Yujing and the others. I''ll explain the last problem to Hang Feng."


    "Alright." Song Yi agreed and walked to the whiteboard, tapping it with her hand, "Sit up, sit up, everyone pay attention to the lesson!"


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng glanced up at Jiang Yiheng, doubt in his eyes.


    Jiang Yiheng turned to the last page of the test paper and explained in a cool voice: "Teaching you should be much easier than teaching those three."


    The next day, the tutoring continued.


    However, near noon, the class group chat exploded with discussions about the final exam results.


    "The final grades are out, you can check them in the academic system," Murong Huan said while picking up her phone, giving Shen Yujing a fierce look.


    After more than a month of hard study, Murong Huan felt her accuracy was very high when they were reviewing papers yesterday. This time she would definitely win! She would crush Shen Yujing under her feet and let him know there was a gap, a huge gap between their intelligence!


    However, coincidentally, Shen Yujing thought the same way, as he was also very confident this time.


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng''s grades didn''t need to be checked because they had already been mentioned in the group chat.


    Song Yi dramatically covered her mouth, "Sorry, Genius Jiang, I beat you by a few points again, barely holding onto first place."


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng both had extremely high scores in all subjects, neck and neck with each other, but Jiang Yiheng scored slightly lower than Song Yi in Chinese, which was why his total score was lower than hers.


    Jiang Yiheng glanced at Song Yi and said: "You seem very happy? Then I can rule out you being my guardian angel."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Jiang Yiheng''s focus was quite unique.


    The next moment, Quan Le''s cheer rang out, "Eighteenth place! I ranked eighteenth! This is the first time I''ve made it into the top twenty in Class A! I''m no longer the last in our class!"


    Quan Le stood up with his phone and walked out, "I''m going to call my dad and tell him the good news. I might finally get that new car I''ve been eyeing for so long!"


    Song Yi looked at Hang Feng and asked with concern: "How did you do?"


    Hang Feng put away his phone and said: "Fourth place."


    "A true display of ability." Song Yi extended her hand towards Hang Feng, saying solemnly, "Congratulations on returning to Class A."


    Hang Feng pressed his lips together and reached out his own hand¡ª


    "Ah!!!"


    A scream from Murong Huan beside them made Song Yi instantly withdraw her hand and hurry over to ask, "What''s wrong? What happened?"


    Hang Feng lowered his gaze at his hand still suspended in mid-air, paused for two seconds before slowly lowering it.


    Murong Huan looked at Song Yi with a devastated expression, "Ninth place! I got ninth place!"


    Song Yi was stunned for a moment, then reached out to stroke her cheek like comforting a kitten, "Ninth place is great, you''ve improved a lot."


    Song Yi genuinely felt this way, after all, they had been focusing on strengthening fundamentals lately. At this rate, Murong Huan would be a top student in Class B when school started.


    Shen Yujing spoke up from the side, saying: "It''s a tie for ninth place."


    "Huh?" Song Yi was taken aback, then seemed to realize something, "So who''s the other ninth place?"


    Shen Yujing turned his phone screen toward Song Yi, showing an insufferably smug smile, and said: "It''s me."


    In Shen Yujing''s view, not losing was winning, and he always maintained a good attitude.


    Song Yi: "..."


    It was quite a coincidence that those two always got the same ranking in every exam.


    Song Yi silently put an arm around Murong Huan, "It''s okay, you''ll definitely surpass him next time."


    To this, Shen Yujing replied with two words, "Dream on."


    He looked extremely proud, as if he had a tail that would be wagging if he had one.


    Despite the small drama, everyone was generally satisfied with their grades. Their efforts over this period had paid off well.


    However, Hang Feng didn''t show up for the tutoring session the next morning.


    Jiang Yiheng frowned and asked, "Why did only you come?"


    Song Yi answered, "His grandmother needs to set up her stall somewhere far today, so Hang Feng went to help her get there."


    After speaking, Song Yi took a sip of her hot milk tea and asked Shen Yujing beside her, "What are Murong Huan and Quan Le doing?"


    Murong Huan and Quan Le were each sitting in different corners of the sofa, both holding notebooks, heads down, writing something unknown.


    Shen Yujing answered, "They''ve been trying to solve the mystery since early morning, analyzing who everyone''s guardian angel is."


    Song Yi walked over with interest and asked, "So have you figured anything out?"


    Quan Le looked up and said seriously, "I think my guardian angel is..."


    As he spoke, he pointed at Song Yi with a solemn expression.


    Song Yi: "?"


    She swallowed and forced a smile, "How could it be me? What are you talking about?"


    Quan Le said word by word: "Move aside."


    Song Yi: "?"


    Song Yi stepped back and saw that Quan Le was actually pointing at Shen Yujing behind her.


    Shen Yujing was equally puzzled, "Come on, how could I possibly be your guardian angel?"


    Quan Le gave a cold laugh and said, "If the person you''re supposed to protect isn''t me, why would you specifically buy my favorite milk tea! Admit it, Shen Yujing! There''s only one truth!"


    Shen Yujing: "Because I like that flavor too, don''t we always drink it together? What''s wrong with you, being so suspicious?"


    Quan Le: "..."


    Well... that did seem to be true.


    Since Shen Yujing had disproven his theory, Quan Le lowered his head and continued calculating, muttering, "Did Shen Yujing really not draw my name? That seems impossible..."


    Shen Yujing was even more exasperated and said, "Please, me drawing you? If it was that disgusting, I wouldn''t even be here today."


    "Wouldn''t be here?" Quan Le caught the key point and looked up, "Could it be that Hang Feng drew my name? Is that why he was too disgusted to come?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    This was a first ¨C he''d never seen someone so eager to consider themselves disgusting.


    Regardless, Quan Le hadn''t suspected her, and Song Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.


    Ever since drawing Quan Le''s name that day, Song Yi had felt quite at ease.


    After all, among this group, only Shen Yujing and Quan Le were a bit slow-witted, so the chances of being discovered shouldn''t be too high.


    "But that''s not right, Hang Feng barely spoke to me yesterday," Quan Le once again overthrew his own deduction, waving his pen around the room...


    Remembering how she had specifically helped Quan Le with several problems yesterday, Song Yi feared he might recall this detail. She quickly turned to Shen Yujing and said loudly, "Disgusting? You find it disgusting if you drew Quan Le? Shen Yujing, that''s going too far! I can''t stand by and watch this!"


    Song Yi''s voice was extremely loud, naturally attracting Quan Le''s attention.


    He suddenly also grabbed onto this point he had overlooked, slapping his thigh in anger, "That''s right, Shen Yujing, how dare you say I''m disgusting? Is the person you drew not disgusting then?"


    "Of course not." Shen Yujing looked at Quan Le righteously, unusually serious, "You can''t compare at all to the person I drew. They''re far more excellent, intelligent, and likable than you."


    "Huh?" This time it was Quan Le''s turn to be stunned, then he muttered to himself, "More excellent than me, smarter than me, and more likable than me? Is there even such a person here? You probably couldn''t find someone like that in all of Saint Slee."


    Song Yi & Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    It was rare to see someone so narcissistic these days.


    Murong Huan directly smacked the back of Quan Le''s head, her disdain obvious.


    Then Song Yi said, "Oh right, there''s something else ¨C tomorrow is Hang Feng''s birthday."


    "Birthday? Yay!" Murong Huan got excited, "I didn''t expect your birthdays to be so close together. Let''s do something special tomorrow!"


    Shen Yujing cast a suspicious glance at Song Yi, "Don''t tell me you drew Hang Feng?"


    Song Yi pressed her lips together, but went along with it, "Indeed, I admit it, Hang Feng is the person I''m supposed to protect."


    As Song Yi said this, her gaze quickly swept across everyone''s faces, but she didn''t notice anything unusual. All four showed different degrees of surprise.


    Murong Huan asked, "Yi Yi, the game rules say we can''t admit it, why did you tell us?"


    Song Yi said, "This is just a game, it''s not a big deal. Of course a friend''s birthday is more important."


    Murong Huan was convinced by this reasoning and nodded, "That''s true."


    Jiang Yiheng also unusually took the initiative to say, "He''s quite introverted, but since he''s willing to spend time with us now, let''s all celebrate his birthday tomorrow."


    Quan Le nodded too, saying, "We celebrated Song Yi''s birthday, so it wouldn''t be right not to celebrate his. We can''t show favoritism."


    Shen Yujing shrugged, "I''m fine with whatever."


    Murong Huan raised her hand enthusiastically, "Then leave it to me!"


    Song Yi was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Murong Huan and cautioned, "No roses."


    Murong Huan responded somewhat exasperatedly, "Of course not! How could I give roses? He''s a boy!"


    The next day¡ª


    Song Yi stared at the person-sized Ultraman model and five different custom-made high-end Ultraman onesies in front of her, lost in thought.


    She slowly turned her head to look at Murong Huan, struggling to force a smile, "This is what boys should have?"


    Murong Huan nodded, very confidently saying, "I asked my seven male cousins, and they all said Ultraman was what they wanted most!"


    Song Yi: "How old are your cousins?"


    Murong Huan: "Some are in elementary school, some in middle school, why?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    How could she explain? It was obviously a generation gap! What high school student still likes Ultraman? Isn''t that childish and embarrassing...


    "Wow! So cool!!!" sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The door was pushed open as Shen Yujing and Quan Le walked in side by side, both exclaiming the same thing in unison, their faces showing looks of admiration.


    Murong Huan became even more proud and said, "See? I told you all boys love Ultraman!"


    As she spoke, she picked up two Ultraman onesies and handed them over, "Quick, look, these are what we''re wearing today."


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le instantly rushed over, both reaching for them and almost getting into a fight.


    "I want Tiga''s! I want Tiga!"


    "No way! Tiga is the coolest! Give me the Tiga costume!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Is she abnormal, or is this world abnormal?


    Of course, Jiang Yiheng''s arrival soon made Song Yi breathe a sigh of relief.


    The young man stood by the door, looking with disgust at the two people who were almost wrestling over a Ultraman Tiga onesie, and asked, "Are they performing a bullfight?"


    "They''re fighting," Song Yi briefly explained the current situation to Jiang Yiheng.


    Jiang Yiheng went from initially saying "I don''t understand" to later declaring "I think they''re sick in the head."


    Jiang Yiheng directly stated, "I''m not going to wear something like that."


    Song Yi also refused flatly, "I don''t want to either."


    Murong Huan said, "That''s fine, you two can just be in charge of pushing the cake. The three of us wearing it will be impressive enough!"


    Song Yi opened her mouth, saying with a complicated expression, "Huan Huan, you should really spend less time playing with these two."


    Murong Huan asked, "Why?"


    Song Yi: "Because poor brain function might be contagious."


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le, in the midst of their fight, turned their heads and demanded, "Who are you saying has poor brain function?"


    Quan Le chimed in, "Yeah! Who are you talking about?"


    Song Yi: "...I meant Hang Feng."


    Satisfied with this answer, Shen Yujing and Quan Le simultaneously turned back to continue their fight over the Ultraman Tiga onesie.


    Song Yi turned to Jiang Yiheng beside her and exclaimed loudly, "Jiang Yiheng! Something terrible has happened!"


    Jiang Yiheng played along and asked, "What is it?"


    Aliali: 6749083ac4f3f33ac4814cd4


    Song Yi said, "Two of my friends are fighting! But there''s something even more horrifying!"


    Jiang Yiheng: "What''s that?"


    Song Yi enunciated each word clearly: "The ugly one is about to win!!!"


    As soon as Song Yi finished speaking, Shen Yujing and Quan Le instantly let go of the onesie.


    Quan Le stepped back, waving his hands repeatedly, saying, "I give up, I give up."


    Shen Yujing stuffed the Ultraman Tiga onesie into Quan Le''s hands, "No, no, no, I''m the one who lost!"


    The atmosphere between the two suddenly shifted from wrestling to "respectful and friendly," as they started being courteous to each other, making the scene before them harmonious to the point of being bizarre.


    Jiang Yiheng & Murong Huan: "..."


    Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.


    As expected of Song Yi.

 Chapter 68

    In the end, neither Shen Yujing nor Quan Le would agree to wear the Ultraman bodysuit they had fought over earlier, tossing it aside.


    In their view, whoever wore that costume would be the epitome of "ugliness."


    Shen Yujing asked them, "Who do you think it would suit better, him or me?"


    Quan Le also looked over with anticipation.


    Jiang Yiheng said: "It suits you both."


    Murong Huan translated for him, "You''d both look equally ridiculous."


    Though angry, both boys turned to Song Yi, waiting for her final verdict.


    Song Yi hesitated for a moment, then looked at Shen Yujing and said sincerely, "I think it suits you better."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Shen Yujing was furious and wanted to argue with Song Yi, while Quan Le burst out laughing, taking it as proof that he was more handsome than Shen Yujing, and praised Song Yi''s good taste.


    Just then, a servant came up and knocked on the door, saying, "Miss, your classmate is here."


    Since everyone was already here, could it be... Hang Feng?


    Everyone quickly exchanged glances and began hastily cleaning up the items in front of them.


    This was meant to be a surprise! Hang Feng wasn''t supposed to see it until evening!


    Everyone scrambled around - some grabbing clothes, others hiding gifts, while Song Yi and Murong Huan worked together to hide the huge Ultraman costume in the closet.


    When the door opened¡ª


    The class monitor from Class B stood before them, awkwardly adjusting his glasses as he looked at Quan Le and Shen Yujing, who had collided and fallen while rushing to hide things.


    Quan Le immediately released his grip on the Ultraman bodysuit, sighing in relief as he collapsed onto the floor.


    Murong Huan stepped forward and asked, "Class monitor? Why are you at my house?"


    The monitor finally explained his reason for coming, "Murong Huan, is Hang Feng here?"


    Murong Huan shook her head, "No, he''s not."


    The monitor continued, "Hang Feng didn''t fill out the holiday safety guarantee form last night, and we haven''t been able to contact him. I heard he''s been with you all these past few days, so I thought you might know something."


    Quan Le interjected, "We haven''t seen that guy since yesterday, and he hasn''t come today either."


    At this, Song Yi furrowed her brow.


    Hang Feng had said yesterday he needed to accompany his grandmother, but he never showed up afterward.


    Today, because they were preparing his birthday surprise, they had casually announced in the group chat that there would be no tutoring, while secretly gathering here without him in the afternoon.


    But... Hang Feng hadn''t responded to their messages.


    Song Yi checked her phone again to confirm this and told Jiang Yiheng, "Hang Feng hasn''t said anything in the group chat for almost two days, and he hasn''t replied to my messages either."


    "Why all the secrecy?" Shen Yujing said as he took out his phone to call Hang Feng, "Why can''t we just ask him directly?"


    However, Shen Yujing''s expression quickly stiffened.


    He lowered his phone and looked at them, "Hang Feng''s phone is turned off."


    Everyone realized something was wrong.


    Because they had been busy preparing Hang Feng''s birthday surprise, his absence over the past two days had actually been convenient for them, but they had overlooked why he wasn''t around.


    Murong Huan worriedly said, "Could something have happened?"


    Song Yi took out her phone and called grandmother, but there was no answer.


    The study committee member, feeling awkward standing there, said, "Since you don''t know his situation either, I''ll go ask others."


    With that, he closed the door and left.


    Just as everyone was at a loss, grandmother called back.


    Song Yi anxiously asked, "Grandmother, is Hang Feng at home?"


    There was silence for a few seconds before the elderly voice weakly responded, "Yi Yi, Hang Feng... he''s gone to attend his father''s funeral. It happened early this morning."


    The phone was on speaker, and grandmother''s voice clearly echoed throughout the room, which immediately fell into silence.


    Song Yi opened her mouth but didn''t know what to say, only managing to offer a few words of comfort to grandmother.


    After the call ended, everyone remained silent.


    Today was his birthday, and simultaneously his father''s funeral - that would be an unbearable blow for anyone.


    Song Yi looked toward Jiang Yiheng, the most reliable person present, and asked, "Do you have the Xu family''s contact information? I feel something''s not right about this."


    Jiang Yiheng, sensing Song Yi''s hesitation, asked, "You suspect he didn''t go to his father''s funeral?"


    Song Yi nodded. Although she had no evidence, based on her understanding of Hang Feng, she felt he wouldn''t attend his father''s funeral.


    Especially not on such a significant day.


    Jiang Yiheng hesitated before saying, "My parents haven''t received any notice about this, which means the Xu family probably hasn''t made this public."


    It would be impolite for the Jiang family to call and inquire now.


    Shen Yujing said, "I''ll call Xu Che and ask."


    Shen Yujing made the call, and this time Xu Che answered.


    A cold young voice came through, asking, "What is it?"


    Shen Yujing pressed his lips together and asked, "Is Hang Feng with you?"


    Xu Che''s voice carried a hint of mockery as he countered, "Why would he be here?"


    Shen Yujing blurted out, "But isn''t today..."


    He caught himself halfway, suddenly realizing he might be speaking out of turn.


    "Yes." Xu Che admitted directly, saying, "But with that scumbag''s death, forget about Hang Feng - I wouldn''t be here either if it wasn''t absolutely necessary."


    Xu Che''s mood seemed terrible, and he hung up immediately after speaking.


    But this call confirmed to everyone that Hang Feng wasn''t at the Xu residence - he had lied to grandmother.


    So where could he be? This became the new question.


    Murong Huan took out her phone and said directly, "I''ll have my bodyguards search for him right away."


    Everyone felt they couldn''t just sit around, so Jiang Yiheng, being the most level-headed, started organizing.


    Jiang Yiheng said, "Study spots, libraries, his home, and his part-time work locations - all the places he might go, let''s split up and search."


    "Alright."


    Everyone agreed and divided up different locations to search for Hang Feng.


    Shen Yujing went to check all of Hang Feng''s part-time work locations, and after confirming he hadn''t been there, he stopped in his tracks.


    Standing by the roadside, Shen Yujing ran his hands through his hair until it was nearly a mess, his face written all over with worry.


    To think something like this had happened? How pitiful.


    Hang Feng''s father had passed away - who was also Xu Che''s father.


    The young man pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then hailed a passing taxi. After getting in, he gave the address of the Xu residence.


    Half an hour later, at the Xu residence.


    As always, Shen Yujing acted like he owned the place and rushed in, completely ignoring the servants'' attempts to stop him. He found Xu Che in the study.


    The black-haired youth was sitting in a corner, his eyes cold as he looked up.


    Two servants followed behind Shen Yujing, wanting to stop him but not daring to, and could only say helplessly, "Young Master, we... we couldn''t stop Young Master Shen."


    Xu Che put the figurine he was holding into his pocket and stood up, saying, "You may leave."


    The two servants exchanged glances before retreating together, closing the door.


    Xu Che sat down on the sofa and asked, "Why are you here?"


    Shen Yujing''s frown deepened as he walked up to Xu Che and said word by word, "Of course I''m here to fight you."


    "Let me make this clear - I won''t go easy on you just because you''re in a bad mood."


    *


    Song Yi was responsible for searching for Hang Feng at school.


    The security guard said that since it was winter break, no students had entered or left all day.


    Song Yi picked up her phone, and messages from the group chat kept popping up, but they all shared the same news - no one had found Hang Feng.


    It was an overcast day, the air carried a chill, and the wind kept blowing.


    Even with a scarf, Song Yi could still feel the cold wind creeping down her neck.


    Song Yi thought for a moment - this wasn''t the first time she had searched for Hang Feng.


    Last time was in... the alley where they first met.


    Song Yi went into the bakery across the street, bought a small cake, then got a cup of hot milk tea, before taking a taxi to that alley.


    However, it was empty here, with only the cold wind blowing fallen yellow ginkgo leaves on the ground, making it look extremely lonely.


    A child poked their head out from behind a door, curiously watching Song Yi.


    Song Yi asked him, "Little friend? Has anyone been here today?"


    The little boy remained silent, just staring at her with his round eyes.


    Song Yi pulled out a piece of candy from her pocket and offered it to him.


    Only then did the little boy smile and say, "A big brother came today and sat here for two whole hours."


    It must have been Hang Feng, no doubt about it. S~ea??h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Song Yi thanked the child and tried calling Hang Feng again, but there was no answer.


    Wait, no answer?


    Shen Yujing had said earlier that the phone was turned off, which meant Hang Feng must have turned his phone back on by now.


    So Song Yi didn''t give up, making one call after another, and finally, after seven or eight attempts, the call connected.


    The other end was quiet, with only the sound of breathing.


    Song Yi anxiously said, "Hang Feng? Where are you? Are you alright? We''ve all been looking for you."


    There was still no answer from the other end, only the sound of someone sipping the last drops of a drink.


    Song Yi called his name again, "Hang Feng?"


    A hoarse voice responded, "I''m fine. I''ll be home later, don''t worry."


    Just as Song Yi was about to say something, she felt a chill on the tip of her nose.


    She looked up to see snowflakes falling from the sky.


    It was snowing - the first snow of the year.


    At that moment, the call disconnected, leaving only the dial tone.


    The milk tea in her hand had grown lukewarm, and perhaps because of the snow, everything felt colder.


    Song Yi stood there, processing the information from the phone call.


    What was Hang Feng drinking?


    Ah... strawberry milk!


    That particular brand of strawberry milk was only available at specific convenience stores, and the nearest one was less than five hundred meters away.


    With this realization, Song Yi ran toward that convenience store.


    It was nearly dinner time, and pedestrians hurried home with their umbrellas. The young girl''s running figure didn''t seem too out of place among them.


    Snowflakes landed on her hair tips, shoulders, and everywhere else on her body.


    They fell briefly before melting away, leaving behind their coldness.


    The sky grew darker.


    Song Yi hurriedly ran to the convenience store area and, sure enough, saw a familiar figure.


    The young man was sitting in a blind spot with his back to the convenience store, perched on abandoned steps, his figure thin beneath his coat.


    Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward him.


    At that moment, Hang Feng was looking at messages on his phone.


    Many people had called and messaged him, concerned about where he''d gone. It seemed like many people cared about him.


    This was a warmth Hang Feng had never experienced before, supporting him to stay clear-headed and calm throughout this day.


    Of course, his red-rimmed eyes couldn''t be helped - that was a physiological response he couldn''t control.


    Hang Feng naturally hated Xu Yuanguo, but the blood ties treacherously held him momentarily bound in emotions of sadness.


    Suddenly, a hand covered Hang Feng''s eyes from behind.


    Hang Feng''s body tensed slightly, but the familiar sweet scent in the air and the fuzzy gloves told him exactly who was behind him.


    The girl''s voice rang out dramatically, playfully asking, "Guess who?"


    After a few seconds of silence, Hang Feng said, "Song Yi."


    Song Yi removed her hand, speaking in a disappointed tone, "You guessed it already? Well, since you won, I''ll give you a present."


    Song Yi sat down beside him as she spoke.


    Hang Feng lowered his gaze, neither looking at Song Yi nor rejecting her presence.


    Song Yi busied herself unwrapping a cake, inserting candles, and placing it aside. After a moment''s hesitation, she stood up and moved in front of Hang Feng.


    She bent down, removed her scarf, and carefully wrapped it around Hang Feng''s neck, making sure to wind it twice to keep out the wind.


    Then Song Yi took hold of the young man''s ice-cold, stiff hands and removed her own pink fuzzy gloves.


    ''Ice'' was the only word in Song Yi''s mind - Hang Feng''s hands were so cold they made her want to shiver.


    However, when he felt the warm touch on his skin, Hang Feng''s heart jumped, and he instinctively tried to withdraw his hand.


    But Song Yi held on more firmly, forcefully putting her pink gloves on his hands.


    Hang Feng kept his eyes on the ground, his voice still hoarse, "Why did you come?"


    "Ta-da~"


    Song Yi lifted the birthday cake between them and crouched in front of Hang Feng.


    She lit the candles and said, "Of course I came to celebrate your birthday. Quick, blow out the candles."


    Hang Feng looked up at her, his usually narrow, indifferent eyes now tinged with red.


    Aliali: 675431e8ab2494648e02a601


    The girl seemed oblivious as she held up the cake, urging him, "Hurry and blow out the candles. Remember to close your eyes, put your hands together, and make a wish."


    Hang Feng didn''t follow her instructions, instead perfunctorily blowing out the candles and asking coldly, "Is that enough?"


    "Yes," Song Yi nodded, seriously looking down at the cake in her hands, saying, "You didn''t make a wish? How greedy. Well then, I can only wish that all your wishes come true."


    Despite his outward display of coldness and stubbornness, the ache in his eyes grew stronger.


    He looked at her and asked again, "Why did you come?"


    Song Yi didn''t answer this question, instead reaching out to wipe away the tears on his cheeks.


    Her warm hand touched his cold face, her fingertips gently erasing the traces of tears.


    Hang Feng didn''t pull away, just kept staring into her eyes, as if searching for some answer in her face.


    Snowflakes landed on Song Yi''s eyelashes as she looked up at him with a smile, saying, "Don''t cry, Hang Feng."


    "Happy birthday, be happy."

 Chapter 69

    When others in the group chat received the address and rushed over, they found Song Yi happily eating a small cake while Hang Feng stood beside her with an exasperated expression, holding her milk tea.


    Everyone: "..."


    Something seemed off about this scene. Who was supposed to be comforting whom?


    Murong Huan was the first to jog over. She glanced at Song Yi, then looked at Hang Feng, opening and closing her mouth hesitantly.


    Miss Murong had never really comforted anyone in her life, so she didn''t know how to begin.


    Hang Feng stood up just as Quan Le came over, concernedly grabbing his arm and looking him up and down. "Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine," Hang Feng shook his head and handed the milk tea to Song Yi.


    Song Yi had just finished her cake and tossed it into a nearby trash bin before coming back to take the milk tea.


    Jiang Yiheng was the last to walk over. He glanced at Hang Feng and said, "We''ve booked a private room at the hotel next door. We still need to celebrate your birthday."


    Hang Feng pressed his lips together, then nodded.


    He had never celebrated his birthday with friends before, and had never even had friends.


    This was his first time experiencing what it felt like to be cared for by friends.


    It felt... not unpleasant.


    However, Hang Feng''s rare good mood didn''t last long. When the hotel room door opened, everyone fell silent.


    On the sofa¡ª


    Shen Yujing and another young man were wrestling on the ground. Shen Yujing seemed to have the upper hand, and in his hand he was holding... an Ultraman onesie.


    They could only recognize Shen Yujing because his blonde hair was too distinctive.


    After hearing the door open, Shen Yujing immediately let go and stood up, revealing the face of the person lying on the ground.


    Well, it was Xu Che.


    Wait... Xu Che???


    Song Yi''s eyes widened, and she instinctively glanced at Hang Feng, then used her eyes to question Shen Yujing: Why was Xu Che here?


    Shen Yujing turned around with his bruised face and smiled at the door, saying, "Oh, you''re here?"


    Everyone who saw this scene felt very complicated emotions. Murong Huan was the first to ask, "What are you two doing?"


    Shen Yujing answered matter-of-factly, "Fighting, can''t you tell?"


    Song Yi pointed at the onesie in Shen Yujing''s hand and asked, "Why are you holding that?"


    "Long story short," Shen Yujing proudly lifted his chin, "I just had a fight with Xu Che, and I won. According to our old rules, I get to make one request."


    Jiang Yiheng pushed up his glasses and asked expressionlessly, "What did you request? Another fight?"


    "No," Shen Yujing shook his head and waved the onesie in his hand, proudly declaring, "I invited him to wear cool Ultraman onesies with me! But because he refused, we started fighting again."


    Song Yi: "..."


    What an absurd and ridiculous thing, but considering it was Shen Yujing doing it, it somehow made sense.


    By now, Xu Che had already stood up. He lowered his head to dust off his clothes, his gaze looking past the crowd toward Hang Feng.


    The human barrier that was Shen Yujing also looked over and asked, "Why are you all being so weird, just standing at the door? Come in!"


    Song Yi looked at Hang Feng, concern in her eyes.


    If Hang Feng didn''t want to be in the same room as Xu Che, it would be awkward for the birthday boy to just leave.


    But fortunately, Hang Feng didn''t say anything and simply walked in, pulling out a random chair to sit down.


    Song Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to Hang Feng.


    Shen Yujing came over and pulled out the chair on Song Yi''s other side, saying quietly, "How about that? On such an important day, I brought the brothers together for an honest conversation. Aren''t I clever?"


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing with a complicated expression and said, "You''re such a genius."


    Hearing Song Yi''s praise, Shen Yujing smiled despite the bruise on his cheek.


    Song Yi silently turned her head away and said, "Stop smiling."


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Why won''t you let me smile?"


    "It''s too ugly," Song Yi said, shaking her head in distress, and repeated, "It''s really too ugly."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Suddenly feeling insecure, Shen Yujing, who had always been most proud of his handsome face, was being told he was ugly for the first time.


    So Shen Yujing turned to Quan Le on his other side and asked, "Am I really that ugly?"


    "Today you are," Quan Le said, then added as if to comfort him, "But Xu Che is just as ugly as you, so it''s okay, you have him for company."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Thanks, but that wasn''t comforting at all.


    Xu Che and Hang Feng were seated facing each other, meaning they could see each other just by looking up, which was quite awkward.


    So one looked down at his hands while the other stared at the tableware, both trying their best to be invisible.


    This continued until the food was served and the waiter thoughtfully closed the door.


    Shen Yujing couldn''t stand it anymore. He looked at Xu Che and shouted, "Hey! Are you even a man? What are you hesitating about?"


    Everyone turned to look at Shen Yujing at that moment.


    Shen Yujing suddenly felt like a hero. Since he was the one who brought Xu Che here, he had to take responsibility!


    Suddenly filled with a sense of mission, Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che and criticized him mercilessly, "You''ve always cared about Hang Feng, always wanted to see him, and considered him your brother, wanting to fulfill your duties as an older brother. Why are you glaring at me? Am I wrong? If that''s how you feel, just say it! You keep it all bottled up inside, but Hang Feng isn''t a mind reader, how could he possibly understand?"


    After finishing, Shen Yujing turned to Song Yi, "Get up!"


    Song Yi: "Huh?"


    Shen Yujing stood up and put his hand on Song Yi''s shoulder, "Get up, let me have this seat."


    Although Song Yi was confused, she still got up and switched seats with Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing looked at Hang Feng and said, "I''ve known your stubborn brother for many years now, and I can tell you his personality is even more difficult than yours, so he doesn''t have many friends either and lives quite miserably. Don''t hold it against him."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Really? But didn''t you perform in a play with Xu Che''s friends at the Saint Yu Academy''s anniversary?


    But Shen Yujing naturally ignored this point and continued rambling, "When your brother and I were in middle school, he would often disappear after class. I secretly followed him twice and found him at an elementary school. I didn''t understand it then, but thinking about it now, that must have been your school, right?"


    Hang Feng frowned slightly, his gaze still fixed on his hands, but he didn''t stop Shen Yujing from continuing.


    So Shen Yujing kept talking, bringing up all of Xu Che''s strange behaviors from their years of friendship, embellishing them all as "concern" for Hang Feng.


    But Shen Yujing didn''t know that he had accidentally hit close to the truth, or rather, that most of Xu Che''s care and special treatment over the years had indeed been directed at his brother Hang Feng.


    Finally, Shen Yujing glanced at Xu Che again and said, "See that scar on your brother''s forehead? Isn''t it ugly? Let me tell you, that scar is¡ª"


    Xu Che cut him off sharply, "Shen Yujing, stop talking."


    "Why?" Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che and said righteously, "I won today."


    Implying that since he won today, Xu Che couldn''t stop him from doing whatever he wanted.


    Before Xu Che could say anything more, Hang Feng looked up at him, his eyes complex with emotion, and said, "Won''t let him tell me? Then you tell me yourself."


    The others sat on the side, their reactions evolving from initial amusement to being touched, and now they didn''t dare move a muscle.


    Xu Che remained silent for a long while before slowly beginning to recount what had happened years ago.


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes again, but this time no one saw that his hands resting on his legs were slightly trembling.


    From what Hang Feng knew of Xu Che, he wouldn''t lie.


    Which meant... Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    All these years, in places where he couldn''t see, Xu Che had been protecting him well.


    Xu Che had fulfilled his duties as a brother, but knowing that he was disliked, he tried his best to stay out of sight.


    Perhaps it was because of losing their father today that the power of blood ties seemed to come alive in this moment, telling Hang Feng something while simultaneously drawing him in.


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    Now that Xu Yuanguo was dead, perhaps between him and Xu Che, they could...


    At this moment, Shen Yujing''s casual voice rang out again: "But do you know how Xu Che got that wound on his hand? It has nothing to do with you! He was bitten by a turtle he keeps at home! Haha! If I hadn''t accidentally seen it today, I wouldn''t have known that Xu Che actually keeps a turtle as a pet! Isn''t that hilarious?"


    After speaking, Shen Yujing was surprised to find that no one responded to him.


    Really? No one''s laughing at something this funny? What are they doing?


    Shen Yujing raised his head, about to ask, when he noticed Murong Huan desperately winking at him, seemingly trying to hint at something.


    Confused, Shen Yujing followed Murong Huan''s gaze, only to see that Hang Feng beside him had also lifted his head again.


    However, this time, Hang Feng''s eyes were ice-cold, without any of the earlier hesitation and softening that had been like melting snow.


    Huh? Something seems off here. Shouldn''t they be reconciling as brothers and crying together now?


    How strange, this script wasn''t going the way Shen Yujing had imagined.


    Hang Feng stared at Xu Che, spitting out each word through gritted teeth: "You stole my turtle?"

 Chapter 70

    The scene was completely silent, with no one daring to interject.


    Or rather, except for Hang Feng and Xu Che, who knew exactly what was going on, nobody else could understand what they were talking about.


    Shen Yujing''s face was full of confusion: Was that turtle really so important that it needed to be stolen?


    Xu Che frowned but neither confirmed nor denied, only saying, "Hang Feng, mind your words."


    Hang Feng sneered, "Just answer directly, is that turtle in your room mine or not?"


    In Hang Feng''s view, he didn''t believe grandmother would give his belongings to Xu Che.


    Or rather, Hang Feng didn''t want to believe it.


    Xu Che lowered his gaze, the bruise on his face now looking more prominent. After a few seconds of silence, he said, "Yes, but grandmother agreed to let me take it. That''s not stealing."


    Song Yi''s eyes widened.


    What?


    That turtle they were fighting over... could it be the one she had sent to the Hang family?


    Shen Yujing noticed Song Yi''s unusual expression and asked suspiciously, "Do you know something?"


    Song Yi lowered her voice and said, "I think that turtle was the one I bought."


    Shen Yujing still didn''t understand and asked, "Was that turtle expensive?"


    What kind of valuable item could make Hang Feng and Xu Che fight over it in front of everyone?


    Song Yi shook her head and said seriously, "Original price was 300, I bargained it down to 150."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    That didn''t sound very expensive at all.


    But seeing the two brothers about to come to blows, Shen Yujing continued trying to fulfill his role as mediator, saying, "It''s just a turtle, right? If you both like it so much, I''ll give you each ten. No, make it a hundred."


    Never mind ten or a hundred, he could open a turtle pet shop for both of them if they wanted. Was this really worth fighting over?


    Shen Yujing was thinking this casually when the next moment he saw Hang Feng stand up.


    Hang Feng walked up to Xu Che and grabbed his collar, his eyes brimming with barely contained fury.


    Everyone knew Hang Feng as a quiet and antisocial person, and this was the first time they had seen him display his emotions so openly.


    Xu Che looked up at him and calmly gripped Hang Feng''s wrist, saying, "Violence won''t solve anything."


    "Heh." Hang Feng suddenly laughed, looking mockingly at the bruise on Xu Che''s face from his earlier fight with Shen Yujing. "You''re not very credible saying that. I thought you liked solving problems with violence."


    "Or is it because you can''t win in a fight that you resort to such despicable methods to steal things that don''t belong to you?"


    "Hang Feng." Xu Che''s voice turned cold, carrying a warning. "The will has been read. The company shares and property are all yours. I''ve never fought you for what belongs to you, but this is different."


    Some things were never labeled as Hang Feng''s property, so why shouldn''t he fight for them?


    Hang Feng said word by word: "It''s still not yours to take."


    The others couldn''t quite understand the hidden meaning in their words, and they all stared at each other awkwardly, wishing they could disappear from this tense atmosphere.


    Only Jiang Yiheng frowned and looked up thoughtfully at Hang Feng.


    Just as the atmosphere was becoming increasingly hostile and the two seemed about to come to blows, there was a sudden urgent knocking at the door.


    Jiang Yiheng said, "Hang Feng, let go first."


    Hang Feng didn''t move.


    Song Yi also said, "If you want to fight, hold it in. Don''t make a scene outside."


    After a few seconds of silence, Hang Feng finally let go.


    Quan Le, being closest to the door, got up to open it, then cried out in surprise, "Who are you? Hey..."


    Before Quan Le could finish speaking, he was pushed aside by two bodyguards who were leading the group.


    Quan Le stumbled back two steps before barely managing to steady himself, then watched helplessly as a group of bodyguards entered the private room.


    Murong Huan walked to Quan Le''s side, the young lady''s face full of anger, "Hey, who are you people? Who gave you permission to come in!"


    The bodyguards, all wearing sunglasses and keeping their heads down, didn''t respond to Murong Huan''s questions.


    Everyone else also stood up from their seats, all realizing something wasn''t right.


    Even Hang Feng and Xu Che simultaneously shifted their attention from each other to look at these bodyguards.


    At that moment, the sound of high heels clicking on the floor could be heard as a woman wearing an expensive fur coat walked in. Her heavy makeup was smeared by tears, but it couldn''t hide her fierce expression.


    Song Yi had seen this person before, at Xu Yuanguo''s birthday...


    This was Xu Che''s mother!


    Not just Song Yi, but almost everyone recognized the woman''s identity.


    Jiang Yiheng stood up and walked forward, politely saying, "Auntie."


    "Ah, it''s the young master from the Jiang family." Xu''s Mother glanced at Jiang Yiheng, not even bothering to force a polite smile, and said directly, "I''m very sorry to interrupt your gathering with your friends. I''ll make it up to you another time."


    After speaking, Xu''s Mother turned to look at Xu Che, her voice growing colder, "Come here right now."


    Xu Che stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Hang Feng, his voice emotionless, "Why are you here?"


    Xu''s Mother took two steps forward, crossing her arms, and said, "Get out of my way."


    Xu Che said, "You''re the one who shouldn''t be here."


    Xu''s Mother couldn''t be bothered to argue with her son and directly turned to the bodyguards, ordering, "Whatever it takes, bring the young master and that bastard back today."


    "Yes!"


    The bodyguards answered in unison and began moving toward Xu Che and Hang Feng.


    Xu Che acted immediately, engaging in a fight with the nearest bodyguard.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing exchanged glances before quickly rushing forward to stand in front of Hang Feng.


    Shen Yujing licked his lips and sneered, "Didn''t expect to have to fight twice today. Xu Che, you''re going to owe me for this."


    Some of the bodyguards recognized Shen Yujing''s identity and hesitated to act, looking uncertainly at Xu''s Mother, "Madam, this..."


    Xu''s Mother replied without hesitation, "Just don''t cause any serious injury. I''ll take responsibility if anything happens."


    If the Shen family couldn''t properly raise their son and let him meddle in others'' family affairs, she was just helping to teach him a lesson.


    Everyone became entangled in the fight.


    Shen Yujing was dealing with two bodyguards simultaneously while shouting, "Quan Le! Are you just going to stand there watching?"


    "Coming, coming!" Quan Le shouted back before joining the fray.


    Jiang Yiheng glanced at the frightened Murong Huan and said, "Go get help."


    After speaking, Jiang Yiheng blocked the last bodyguard who was trying to get through, his expression blank.


    It was complete chaos.


    The numbers were roughly even on both sides, and the bodyguards varied in skill level, making it difficult to determine a winner.


    Shen Yujing fought viciously, targeting faces, making the bodyguards reluctant to approach him.


    After dealing with the bodyguard in front of him, Shen Yujing quickly moved toward Song Yi, intending to help her, only to see her knock down a bodyguard and step on him.


    Song Yi turned to look at him and asked, "Need something?"


    Shen Yujing shook his head, "No... nothing."


    Naturally, Xu Che and Hang Feng were holding their own. Despite being enemies moments ago, they were now fighting side by side, managing to hold their ground against three opponents.


    While Jiang Yiheng usually appeared to be a cold academic type, surprisingly his fighting skills were decent. Though his face was bruised, his opponent wasn''t unscathed either.


    The weakest link turned out to be Quan Le, who chose not to engage directly but instead dodged around the private room, managing to avoid getting hit.


    Just then, the door was kicked open again from the outside, and more bodyguards rushed in.


    Song Yi''s eyes widened as she exchanged a horrified look with Shen Yujing¡ª


    No way? More of them? They really couldn''t handle any more!


    Fortunately, Murong Huan emerged behind these bodyguards.


    Murong Huan''s bodyguards were clearly more skilled, quickly subduing the other group.


    Xu''s Mother''s eyes widened in anger as she looked at Murong Huan, "You!"


    Murong Huan''s face was full of impatience as she said, "I respect you enough to call you Auntie Xu, but don''t take advantage of that. If you don''t leave now, we''ll call the police."


    Xu''s Mother laughed too, but her expression was very strange. She shouted in an almost distorted voice, "Fine! Call the police! I want to see where in this world a mother needs to call the police to get her son to come home? Even if the police come, when they learn there''s an unfilial son drinking and partying at a hotel on the day of his father''s death, they definitely won''t take your side!"


    After speaking, Xu''s Mother quickly walked inside and suddenly grabbed Xu Che''s hand.


    Her voice carried laughter but seemed like crying at the same time. She reached out to touch Xu Che''s face, saying emotionally, "Son, your biased good-for-nothing father did terrible things, but it doesn''t matter. Mom stands with you. Come home with Mom, and Mom will fight to get everything back for you! You are his legitimate son! We are his legitimate family! Everything belongs to you! Only you!"


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Hang Feng''s inappropriate laughter rang out, the youth''s eyes now containing nothing but coldness.


    "What are you laughing at, you bastard?" Xu''s Mother looked at Hang Feng, her eyes full of hatred. If Xu Che hadn''t been holding her back, she would have pounced on Hang Feng and torn him apart right then.


    Hang Feng pulled at the corner of his mouth and said coldly, "This bastard is laughing at how you spent your whole life trying to keep that man, only to end up with nothing."


    Hang Feng''s words struck at Xu''s Mother''s deepest pain. She screamed, "What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard? You''re just as shameless as your dead mother! Using who knows what tricks to fool Xu Yuanguo! Taking advantage and still acting smug! You''re not human! You''ll both die terrible deaths..."


    "Slap¡ª"


    A crisp slap landed on Xu''s Mother''s face.


    Xu''s Mother held her face, looking at Hang Feng in disbelief, unable to believe this bastard dared to hit her.


    Xu Che frowned but said nothing.


    The previously gloomy youth now showed a smile and said, "I''ve tolerated you for so many years, not because I was afraid of you, but because I always thought you were like my mother¡ªa pitiful person deceived by Xu Yuanguo."


    "Until today, when I opened the belongings my mother left behind, her diary."


    For all these years, Hang Feng hadn''t had the courage to open that diary. Yesterday was the first time, and it was also the first time he learned the truth about those years.


    Of course, this couldn''t absolve Xu Yuanguo, but it let Hang Feng know that all these years he had been sympathizing with a woman who brought everything upon herself.


    "Bastard?" Hang Feng pulled at the corner of his mouth, looking at Xu''s Mother. "I don''t deserve that title."


    "As for his dirty money, I''ll leave enough for grandmother''s retirement, and donate the rest to charity organizations."


    After speaking, Hang Feng walked straight out.


    Xu Che''s voice came clearly: "Sorry."


    When he heard these two words, Hang Feng''s footsteps paused, then quickened as he left.


    Meanwhile, Xu''s Mother screamed at his back like a madwoman.


    Xu Che looked at them and said in a relatively calm voice, "Could you all please leave?"


    "Ah... okay." Song Yi was the first to nod, as it was indeed awkward and unnecessary for them to stay at this point.


    Song Yi then urged everyone, "Let''s go, let''s go."


    The table of food was scattered in mess on the floor, and the birthday cake was still in the private room, not yet brought out.


    This birthday was certainly terrible for Hang Feng.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing arrived at Hang Feng''s door. They were responsible for delivering everyone''s birthday gifts to him, but they just left them at the door without knocking to disturb him.


    The two walked away side by side.


    Shen Yujing suddenly sighed and asked, "Did I do something wrong?"


    Song Yi looked at him in surprise, "Why would you think that?"


    Shen Yujing stopped walking, his beautiful phoenix eyes showing disappointment, his head drooping down, looking somewhat dejected, "If I hadn''t brought Xu Che today, none of this would have happened."


    "But your intentions were good. You can''t be blamed for their family''s internal mess," Song Yi said, pursing her lips. "Besides, they were actually almost reconciling today, it was just an unfortunate coincidence."


    At this point, Shen Yujing also became gloomy, "Who knew that turtle was so important to both of them?"


    Brothers both liking turtles? How strange, even stranger than his mom liking gorillas.


    Song Yi said, "It''s not about liking the turtle, it''s about what the turtle represents¡ªgrandmother''s attitude."


    Shen Yujing nodded somewhat comprehendingly. There was a cut under his left eye that had appeared at some point, still showing traces of blood.


    Song Yi frowned and took out a band-aid from her bag.


    Shen Yujing looked at her, "What are you doing?"


    "Don''t move." Song Yi said as she opened the band-aid and reached up to put it on his face.


    Their eyes met, and they were so close they could feel each other''s breath.


    Shen Yujing''s heart suddenly started beating uncontrollably, and his eyes nervously darted around, not knowing where to look.


    But Song Yi seemed unaware, focusing entirely on carefully placing the band-aid on Shen Yujing''s face.


    Shen Yujing instinctively reached up to touch the band-aid, but Song Yi grabbed his hand, "Don''t touch it."


    Shen Yujing''s eyes darted away as he said, "You... you can just tell me with words."


    Don''t get physical, it''s... it''s embarrassing!


    Shen Yujing felt scared because his heart was beating so fast, at this rate wouldn''t it jump out of his chest?


    Song Yi let go of his hand but looked at him very seriously and said, "Wow, Shen Yujing, you''re so handsome!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    For a moment, the young man''s mind went blank.


    What did he just hear? Song Yi complimenting him? Calling him handsome?


    Shen Yujing, who had fallen into depression at the dinner table after Song Yi commented on how ugly he looked, suddenly felt like he''d gone from hell to heaven, his vanity greatly inflated. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He said somewhat bashfully, "Really? But didn''t you just say I looked ugly today with my injury when I smiled?"


    "That was because I had poor judgment," Song Yi said seriously. "Scars are medals of honor for men. You''re handsome, really incredibly handsome."


    At this moment, being praised by Song Yi made Shen Yujing feel not only his heart pounding but his cheeks burning hot, even his ears turning red.


    Song Yi''s last words to him before leaving were, "Shen Yujing, believe in yourself, you are the most handsome."


    Even though he had grown up surrounded by sweet words and had heard thousands of compliments about his looks, for Shen Yujing, none of them carried the power of this single compliment from Song Yi.


    On the way home, the new driver kept glancing at Shen Yujing through the rearview mirror.


    Shen Yujing unabashedly lifted his head to let him look his fill, pride evident in his bearing.


    At the Shen residence.


    As soon as Shen Yujing entered, he was surprised to find several newspapers on the living room sofa.


    He looked at his mother, who was playing on her phone nearby, and asked, "Dad''s home?"


    His father, who was usually either working or on his way to work year-round, was home today?


    Shen''s Mother was engrossed in her phone game and didn''t even lift her head as she answered, "Yeah, the mirror at his company broke, so he came home to use the mirror."


    Shen Yujing remembered¡ªthere was a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror in his father''s room, supposedly the most truthful mirror in the world, which his father had bought at an overseas auction for several million and had air-shipped back to the country.


    This expensive mirror was so rare that there were only two in the whole world¡ªone in his father''s study and one in his father''s company.


    It''s no exaggeration to say that Shen''s Father was the most narcissistic person Shen Yujing had ever known.


    Shen Yujing had always despised his father''s behavior, believing that being a man of responsibility was most important¡ªwhy care so much about looks?


    But today was different. Thinking of Song Yi''s compliment about his handsomeness, Shen Yujing suddenly wanted to look in the mirror too¡ªthe most expensive mirror.


    After knocking and receiving his father''s permission, Shen Yujing walked in.


    Shen''s Father stood with his back to him in front of the floor-length mirror, adjusting his tie, with a pile of suits beside him, apparently having finished selecting his outfit.


    Shen''s Father asked the mirror: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the most handsome man of them all?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Here we go again!


    Although Shen Yujing felt a headache coming on, he still walked over and stood beside his father in front of the mirror.


    Aliali: 675457d0bd5e46c3089d162d


    The father and son looked very similar, with almost identical facial features except for their hair color.


    However, Shen''s Father''s face carried the extra gravitas of a mature man. He looked at his son, who usually detested looking in mirrors, and asked, "What brings you here?"


    Shen Yujing remained silent and instead raised his head to look at his reflection in the mirror.


    Song Yi was right - he was indeed very handsome.


    Those alluring phoenix eyes, that high-bridged nose, those crimson thin lips, and that perfect jawline.


    Shen Yujing proudly lifted his chin, but his smile quickly froze.


    Oh no, wait, what was that?


    He stepped closer to examine the area under his eyes...


    But Shen''s Father''s confused voice rang out before Shen Yujing could speak¡ª


    "Son? Why did you stick a turtle on your face?"

 Chapter 71

    Shen Yujing: "..." S§×ar?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He suddenly remembered Song Yi''s earlier behavior when she grabbed his hand to prevent him from touching the bandage.


    Everything suddenly made sense.


    She wasn''t genuinely complimenting his looks! She just wanted to distract him and let him embarrass himself with this turtle-patterned bandage!


    Then Shen''s Father asked, "Why is your face swollen? Did you get into another fight with that Xu boy?"


    "Yeah," Shen Yujing nodded, but then paused, "How did you know?"


    Shen''s Father said, "Who else would dare to actually fight you? Everyone else just carefully lets you win."


    Shen Yujing was displeased, "What are you talking about? I always win fair and square!"


    "Whatever you say." Shen''s Father didn''t care much and said, "Have a good dinner at home tonight, I''m heading out."


    Shen Yujing didn''t understand and asked, "You''ve already come home, aren''t you eating dinner here today?"


    "Your mother and I are eating out," Shen''s Father said while checking his watch, "It''s almost time, got to go."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He could only stand there silently, watching his father''s departing figure with exasperation.


    The sound of a car starting soon echoed, and the Shen household became empty once again.


    His parents were going out for a romantic candlelit dinner, leaving him alone at home, and this was...


    This was awesome!!!


    So Shen Yujing walked to the hallway and shouted downstairs, "Aunt Zhang! I''m hungry! I want Sichuan cuisine! Make it spicy! Everything super spicy!"


    Shen''s Mother rarely ate spicy food for the sake of her skin, which meant all the food in the Shen household was quite bland.


    Finally, Shen Yujing had his chance, and he was going to enjoy it to the fullest!


    After hearing Aunt Zhang''s response, Shen Yujing returned to his room.


    He sat at his desk, pulled open the drawer, and took out the birthday gift Song Yi had given him¡ª


    That ordinary-looking hammer.


    Then Shen Yujing placed the hammer on his figurine shelf, right in the center position, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked it, the more satisfied he felt.


    Shen Yujing opened the drawer again and took out the hammer-shaped crystal diamond necklace he had specially commissioned.


    Yesterday was Song Yi''s birthday, and while Shen Yujing and Murong Huan had given her lipstick and perfume, he had kept this necklace, thinking he''d give it to her for the New Year instead.


    Shen Yujing picked up the mirror beside his desk and looked at his face.


    Suddenly, the bandage on his face didn''t seem so ugly anymore.


    Was it a turtle or a tortoise?


    Well, he couldn''t tell, but they were basically the same thing anyway.


    Besides, it was something Song Yi had given him.


    Thinking about how Song Yi said the turtle that Hang Feng and Xu Che were fighting over was from her, and now she had given him a turtle-patterned bandage.


    Shen Yujing figured it out - Song Yi must really like turtles.


    Although he didn''t understand it, Shen Yujing decided to respect her preference.


    After all, everyone has their own aesthetic taste, just like how his mother had accepted a gorilla as her godson, so if Song Yi wanted to accept a turtle as her godfather, that wouldn''t be impossible either.


    Just as Shen Yujing was deciding to accept the diversity of human aesthetics, something still felt off to him.


    If Song Yi liked turtles, what about Hang Feng and Xu Che? Why were they fighting over that turtle?


    Although Song Yi had explained to Shen Yujing today that it was because of her grandmother, he hadn''t understood it then and had completely forgotten about it now.


    He even started wondering if Xu Che and Hang Feng also liked turtles. That seemed rather absurd.


    Shen Yujing''s smile froze.


    No, something still felt wrong no matter how he thought about it, but what exactly was the problem?


    *


    At the Song residence.


    After her shower, Song Yi saw that Hang Feng had sent her a message.


    [I''m home, everything''s fine, thank you all for today]


    Song Yi thought for a moment and replied: [Good, take a hot bath and get some rest early]


    Hang Feng replied: [Good night]


    Song Yi put her phone aside, stretched, and looked out the window.


    Everything had temporarily come to an end, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.


    Snowflakes were continuously falling outside the window, creating a beautiful scene that helped calm her mind.


    It was just that too many things had happened today, leaving her in no mood to properly enjoy the snow scene, which was quite a shame.


    The snow was falling heavier than in the evening, and if they were lucky, there would be snow accumulation by tomorrow morning.


    Song Yi took out her phone, took a photo of the falling snow outside the window, and posted it on her social media.


    Song Yi: It''s the first snow of the year! [Photo]


    People quickly started interacting with her post.


    Murong Huan: Should we build snowmen and have a snowball fight!


    Song Yi immediately declined Murong Huan''s offer, saying: I''d love to, but I can''t, I''m really sensitive to cold.


    Just thinking about grabbing snow with her hands made Song Yi shiver all over, let alone actually building snowmen and having snowball fights.


    Murong Huan replied with a dejected: Okay then.


    Soon after, Xu Che also posted on his social media.


    Xu Che: It''s the first snow, beautiful [Photo]


    His photo showed a snowflake landing on his palm.


    Song Yi liked his post and then got ready for bed.


    Xu Che quickly sent her a message.


    [Not asleep yet?]


    Song Yi was surprised but replied: [About to]


    Xu Che said: [Just found out your birthday was the day before yesterday, happy birthday. I gave your gift to Murong Huan to pass to you]


    Although she felt a bit awkward, since Xu Che had already mentioned giving the gift, it wouldn''t be appropriate to decline.


    So Song Yi replied [Thank you!]


    After thinking for a moment, she sent a second message [QWQ]


    This should make it look cuter and friendlier.


    Meanwhile, at the Shen residence.


    Shen Yujing stared at the two consecutive snow photos in his social media feed, deep in thought.


    Why did Xu Che have to post something similar right after Song Yi posted hers?


    Shen Yujing checked Xu Che''s profile again; his previous post was from several months ago.


    Something still felt off, that strange feeling continued to linger in Shen Yujing''s heart, growing increasingly uncomfortable.


    Even by twelve-thirty at night, Shen Yujing still couldn''t figure out what was bothering him.


    So he took out his phone and called Xu Che, who answered almost immediately.


    Xu Che''s voice came through, carrying a hint of impatience, "What do you want now?"


    Shen Yujing asked directly, "Why did you make that post? Do you really like snow that much?"


    Xu Che was silent for two seconds, then said, "Just took a random photo."


    Shen Yujing pressed on, "Then why were you fighting with Hang Feng over the turtle? Do you really like turtles that much?"


    "Beep beep¡ª"


    The call was hung up.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What kind of person does that? Where are his manners?


    But coming back to the question - why? What was really going on?


    Still feeling frustrated, Shen Yujing went back to look at the two posts again, his attention focusing on the conversation between Song Yi and Murong Huan.


    Murong Huan had invited her to build snowmen and have a snowball fight, but Song Yi had said [I''d love to, but I can''t, I''m too sensitive to cold]


    Shen Yujing started thinking about his recent encounters with Song Yi, how she always wore scarves and gloves, bundled up from head to toe.


    Even then, just a slight breeze would make her nose turn red from the cold.


    She really seemed to be sensitive to cold, yet she also seemed to love snow.


    *


    The next day, Song Yi woke up from her warm bed.


    The alarm went off at eight o''clock, and although Song Yi was reluctant, she had to leave her cozy blankets.


    Have breakfast, then go meet Murong Huan.


    When Song Yi came out of the bathroom after washing up, her father handed her several packed buns and pastries, saying, "Take these to eat on the way."


    "Huh?" Song Yi was confused and glanced at the clock on the wall, saying, "There''s still time, I can eat before leaving."


    "Your classmate came early, you''d better hurry. It''s cold outside, don''t keep them waiting," her father said while taking out two cups of warmed milk and putting them in Song Yi''s pocket, "Take these too, share with your classmate."


    Huh?


    Song Yi was still in a somewhat sleepy state and asked, "Then why didn''t you invite them in?"


    "I told her already, but that child insisted on waiting for you outside," Song''s Father said, then urged, "Alright, hurry up and go."


    "Okay." Song Yi nodded obediently, holding breakfast portions for two people, feeling somewhat confused but still walked out the door.


    Coming to find her so early? Could it be Hang Feng?


    The snow today was thicker than Song Yi had imagined. Her feet sank comfortably into the soft snow as she walked.


    However, just as she reached the front gate, a snowball flew from afar and landed near her feet.


    Song Yi stepped back and asked, "Who''s there?"


    There was no response.


    Song Yi walked out of her yard carrying the breakfast, and immediately spotted a snowman nearly as tall as a person built not far away.


    The snowman was quite tall, though not particularly well-made, with a somewhat misshapen head.


    A carrot and two buttons served as the snowman''s nose and eyes, and its creator had comically placed a hat on its head, using two tree branches as its arms.


    At that moment, from behind the snowman, a golden-haired head wearing a white knit cap suddenly peeked out, the handsome face flushed red from the cold.


    Song Yi called out the name of the person before her in surprise, "Shen Yujing?"


    The young man had spent the entire morning building a snowman, shivering from the cold, yet still managed to force a smile as he waved to Song Yi, calling out, "Good morning!"


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    It should have been such a beautiful scene, but there was one small mishap, just one.


    Because with Shen Yujing''s greeting wave, a snowball inadvertently flew from his hand.


    Perhaps because the cold weather slows down one''s mental reactions, by the time Song Yi realized what was happening, it was too late. The snowball hit her square in the face.


    Cold, so cold that Song Yi trembled, so cold that she lost her reason, so cold that she wanted to perish together with Shen Yujing.


    Song Yi''s roar rang out¡ª


    "SHEN YUJING!!!"


    Song Yi no longer cared about how much she feared the cold. For the first time in her life, she bravely grabbed a handful of snow from the ground and began chasing after Shen Yujing.


    When she caught him, she would push his face into the snow! She would make him cry and apologize!!!


    Shen Yujing was now panicking too, frantically running away while shouting, "I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I really didn''t mean to!"


    "Hey! Song Yi! Please calm down! Stop chasing me!!!"

 Chapter 72

    Shen Yujing had never found Song Yi so terrifying before.


    He wanted to run away, but hearing Song Yi''s angry shout behind him made him feel guilty.


    So Shen Yujing stopped in his tracks, turned to face Song Yi, and tried to reason with her, "Calm down! Let''s talk..."


    Let''s talk this through!


    Of course, before Shen Yujing could finish his sentence, he watched helplessly as Song Yi slipped and suddenly lunged toward him.


    Instinctively, Shen Yujing reached out to catch Song Yi, but neither of them was prepared for the tremendous force.


    So when they fell, seeing the rocks and snow on the ground, Shen Yujing immediately used his other hand to protect her head against his chest.


    In those brief two seconds, countless images flashed through Song Yi''s mind.


    She suddenly remembered that school trip and that dramatic, accidental kiss with Hang Feng.


    Surely this kind of thing wouldn''t happen again?


    Being a Mary Sue protagonist in this world was really scary...


    Well, no.


    The pain on her face made Song Yi clearly realize that she had crashed into Shen Yujing''s chest, not some awkward body part.


    Though surprising, it was also unexpected.


    Despite being in a similar situation, the person before her, who had more of a Mary Sue aura than the antagonist, had somehow avoided the typical Mary Sue scenario.


    What did this mean?


    Song Yi''s mind raced with thoughts.


    At that moment, the young man let out a pained groan, and after ensuring her safety, the hand that had been protecting her head released its hold. He then tugged at her ponytail and called out weakly, "Hey, get up first."


    Song Yi snapped back to reality and quickly scrambled up, then reached out to help Shen Yujing, asking worriedly, "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"


    After standing up, Shen Yujing adjusted his hat, pulling it down to cover his head completely.


    He quickly wiped his hand behind his back, then forced a smile, acting casual, "It was just a fall, what could happen?"


    Song Yi pressed her lips together, raising her ice-cold hands to her mouth to warm them with her breath, then looked at the breakfast she was holding in her other hand.


    The bag hadn''t been tied properly, and the food inside was covered in snow, with two buns having rolled onto the ground.


    She threw the food into a nearby trash can, then took out two cartons of milk from her backpack, handing one to Shen Yujing, saying, "It''s from my dad."


    Shen Yujing took it, lowered his head to drink the milk through the straw, glanced at Song Yi, but seemed hesitant to speak, pressing his lips together.


    Song Yi: "If you have something to say, just say it."


    Shen Yujing took a deep breath, then stepped forward.


    Under Song Yi''s confused gaze, he reached out and pulled her into his arms.


    Shen Yujing''s embrace was light, seemingly a hug, but his hand only rested on Song Yi''s shoulder, maintaining a centimeter of space between their bodies.


    The hug came suddenly, but because Shen Yujing kept his distance, Song Yi, though not returning the embrace, didn''t feel uncomfortable and patiently asked, "What''s wrong?"


    His voice was low as he said, "I''m sorry, I wanted to make you happy, but I messed up again."


    At this point, Shen Yujing suddenly felt somewhat sad.


    It always seemed to be this way - he would try to do something nice, but would always make some basic mistake, causing the result to be the opposite of his intention.


    He had come here wanting to make her happy, but in the end, he had only made her angry.


    He was useless, couldn''t do anything right.


    The young man''s usually cheerful almond-shaped eyes drooped, filled with disappointment and dejection.


    Song Yi felt somewhat helpless. She raised her hand to ruffle Shen Yujing''s golden hair but remembered he was wearing a hat today, so she lowered it and instead patted his shoulder comfortingly.


    With Shen Yujing, Song Yi''s anger always came quickly but dissipated just as fast, because she knew he never meant any harm.


    And between friends, some friction was normal.


    If Shen Yujing had been pushing his luck right now, she would have definitely hit him, but since he apologized, she might as well forgive him. S§×arch* The n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi said, "It''s okay, I''m not really angry. I actually really liked that snowman."


    Shen Yujing''s voice still sounded gloomy as he said, "But..."


    Song Yi interrupted him, saying, "No buts. If you feel guilty, then help me take some photos?"


    Song Yi stood in front of the snowman and made a peace sign.


    Shen Yujing held Song Yi''s phone and crouched down as she requested, shooting from a low angle to make her legs look longer.


    After taking several photos, Song Yi reached out her hand, "Let me see the pictures."


    Shen Yujing smugly handed over the phone.


    Song Yi''s face darkened as soon as she looked at the screen, because what she saw was a close-up selfie of Shen Yujing.


    Song Yi shouted, "Shen Yujing!"


    How dare he take such liberties!


    Song Yi reached out to grab Shen Yujing''s hat, determined to mess up his hair as revenge for his mischief.


    Shen Yujing immediately protected his hat, backing away while shouting, "No, no, no! I was just joking! It''s just one selfie! The rest are all of you! All of you!"


    They left the place while playfully quarreling.


    The snowman now stood lonely on the ground.


    Not far away, a young man stood under a tree, silently watching everything.


    He looked down at the strawberry milk in his hand, which he had specially heated but had now gone cold, and chose to leave without approaching, as if he had never been there.


    *


    At the Murong family''s entrance.


    As soon as the Shen family''s car stopped, Shen Yujing said, "You go in first, I have something to do. I''ll come back in the afternoon."


    "What thing?" Song Yi narrowed her eyes, looking at Shen Yujing suspiciously.


    If he really had something to do, he wouldn''t have needed to come find her in the first place, and throughout the journey, Shen Yujing hadn''t touched his phone, nor had anyone contacted him.


    Shen Yujing hesitated for a few seconds but couldn''t come up with a suitable excuse, his face full of distress.


    Song Yi continued to look into his eyes, suddenly feeling that something wasn''t quite right.


    Shen Yujing usually acted like someone with severe ADHD, talkative and energetic, but today after getting in the car, he had been listless.


    Seeing Song Yi staring at him, Shen Yujing unconsciously pulled his hat down further, avoiding her gaze, "Why do you keep looking at me?"


    "Shouldn''t I be asking why you''re afraid to look at me?" Song Yi said as she leaned closer to Shen Yujing.


    Their faces got closer and closer, and Shen Yujing''s eyes widened, "What are you trying to do?"


    Just as Shen Yujing finished speaking, Song Yi''s hand suddenly grabbed his hat and pulled it off.


    Shen Yujing frantically reached out to grab it back but was too late.


    Song Yi looked down at the hat, seemingly finding nothing unusual.


    Shen Yujing''s whole body tensed up, his voice slightly trembling, but he still tried to sound calm, "Do you like this hat? I can get you one tomorrow too?"


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing once, then expressionlessly turned the hat inside out.


    The cream-colored hat had obvious red bloodstains on it.


    Clearly, it was from when he fell earlier.


    Song Yi looked up at the driver and said directly, "To the hospital."


    Shen Yujing smiled at her again, saying, "You''re overreacting, it''s just a scratch. I can have the family doctor disinfect it when I get home."


    Song Yi smiled back at him and said, "Either we go to the hospital now, or I knock you out and take you there. Your choice."


    *


    At the hospital.


    Shen Yujing sat inside, his face contorted in pain from the disinfection, yet still trying to act tough as he told Song Yi, "It doesn''t hurt! Not at all!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Who would believe someone saying it doesn''t hurt while looking like they''re about to cry?


    To preserve what little dignity Shen Yujing had left, Song Yi decided to wait outside.


    Song Yi absent-mindedly observed her surroundings when her gaze fell on the corridor below.


    A familiar figure appeared, walking hurriedly, and quickly disappeared from her line of sight.


    Was that him?


    Song Yi was somewhat surprised when footsteps quickly approached. Shen Yujing had finished disinfecting and bandaging the wound, and he walked up to Song Yi, asking, "What are you looking at?"


    "Xu Che," Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing, then pointed to the corridor below, "I just saw Xu Che."


    "Xu Che?" Shen Yujing found it strange, "What''s he doing here?"


    Instead of answering, Song Yi walked toward the elevator.


    There was a sign posted there, showing which departments were on each floor of the hospital.


    They were currently on the seventh floor, and Xu Che had appeared on the sixth floor.


    The sixth floor only had two departments: Psychology and Dental.


    Shen Yujing and Song Yi exchanged glances, both seeing worry in each other''s eyes.


    "Damn it," Shen Yujing cursed under his breath, then added in disbelief, "I''ve always said there was something wrong with his personality, keeping everything bottled up inside without talking to anyone. Could he be sick?"


    Shen Yujing had a nagging suspicion - could it be depression? He''d heard this illness was very serious. The daughter of his distant cousin''s aunt''s neighbor''s uncle had committed suicide because of it.


    Song Yi clearly shared the same concern, but she pressed her lips together, unsure what to say.


    Shen Yujing grabbed Song Yi''s wrist and said, "Come on!"


    Song Yi looked up at him, "Where to?"


    "Let''s go wait for him on the sixth floor," Shen Yujing said as he pulled Song Yi by the wrist toward the stairs.


    *


    Sixth floor, stairwell.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing had a disagreement.


    Aliali: 6753e6bfab2494648efd332d


    Song Yi said, "This won''t work. We can''t do anything right now."


    Shen Yujing argued back, "We can''t just leave Xu Che alone. What if he does something rash?"


    Song Yi frowned, "We need to think this through carefully."


    "What''s there to think about? Let''s just ask him directly. Whatever''s making him unhappy, he can tell us, and we''ll help him solve it, right?"


    Song Yi hesitated before speculating, "It''s probably because of his family."


    Growing up in that kind of family, both Xu Che and Hang Feng had been unfortunate.


    Shen Yujing said, "Then we''ll go talk sense into Hang Feng. His poor brother is sick now, and their terrible father is already dead, isn''t he? What could be stopping brothers from opening up to each other now? I''ll buy them each another hundred turtles if that''s what it takes!"


    Song Yi said, "For Xu Che, his parents must have had a big impact on him too."


    "That''s even simpler then! Starting today, I''ll be his dad and you''ll be his mom. Let''s give him the warmth of family!"


    "...Get lost."

 Chapter 73

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 Chapter 74

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 Chapter 76

    After breaking the eighth vase, there was no more space for Shen Yujing to stand in his father''s study.


    Looking at the mess on the floor, Shen''s Mother said, "Wonderful!"


    Shen Yujing felt a bit embarrassed, "I''ve broken so many vases, why are you praising..."


    Shen''s Mother interrupted him, saying, "Finally got rid of all these eyesores."


    Shen Yujing fell silent.


    Oh, so she wasn''t praising his practice after all.


    Wait a minute? So his mother wasn''t really trying to teach him etiquette, she just wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of his father''s ugly decorations in the study.


    That''s what Shen Yujing thought, and that''s what he asked, and then he saw an expression of shock on his mother''s face.


    Shen''s Mother exclaimed in surprise, "You actually figured it out? Have you gotten smarter?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Was there even anything to figure out when she made it so obvious?


    What kind of image did his mother have of him in her mind!


    Shen''s Mother then sighed, seemingly troubled, "But honestly, how come you haven''t inherited any of my elegance? You really haven''t inherited any of my good points, you''re just like your father, it''s so frustrating."


    Although Shen''s Mother hadn''t been very dedicated in her teaching, she was still dissatisfied with Shen Yujing''s training results.


    Shen Yujing mumbled, "Being like you would be even scarier."


    In Shen Yujing''s view, although his father had a serious narcissism problem, he was otherwise a normal person.


    As for his mother...


    At that moment, Shen Yujing recalled his tragic past of being forced to wear girls'' clothes and participate in fashion shows abroad during kindergarten.


    Better not mention it, better not.


    Then Shen''s Mother asked him, "By the way, have you been getting injured a lot lately? Finally got beaten up for being too arrogant outside?"


    The word "finally" carried a hint of anticipation.


    Shen Yujing said, "No, it was an accident."


    "Then tell me, what''s all this about? Why suddenly want to learn etiquette?"


    "Because..."


    Shen Yujing pressed his lips together, the words reaching his mouth suddenly became difficult to express.


    Because he felt he lacked restraint, and wasn''t very smart, couldn''t see through other people''s thoughts and feelings, and would occasionally do things that made others unhappy.


    Even when he had good intentions, the process would always be complicated. S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn''t like being this way, always causing trouble and holding others back.


    He wanted to change.


    "I''m your mother, what can''t you tell me?" Shen''s Mother rolled her eyes, then found it interesting, as it was rare to see her little troublemaker with such an expression.


    So Shen''s Mother said, "Let me guess, do you have a girl you like?"


    Shen Yujing immediately refuted, "Don''t make things up!"


    But Shen''s Mother ignored Shen Yujing''s protest and continued guessing, "The girl you like... is it that young lady from the banquet last time?"


    Shen Yujing''s eyes widened, his face turning red up to his ears.


    He wanted to continue denying it, but this time Shen''s Mother didn''t give him a chance to speak, directly saying, "Actually, Mom has met that young lady once without you knowing. She even praised you."


    Shen Yujing was stunned, "Praised me?"


    "Yes." Shen''s Mother nodded, showing a mysterious smile, and said, "She said you''re handsome."


    "At least she has good taste." Shen Yujing turned his face away, not daring to make eye contact with his mother anymore.


    Is that even considered praise? At most, she was just stating the obvious.


    Though that''s what he thought, the corners of his lips had already turned up honestly.


    Shen''s Mother had clearly seen through her son and said directly, "I''ve told you everything you needed to know last time. If you like a girl, you need to be proactive, don''t be like your father, standing there like a wooden block."


    Shen Yujing didn''t know much about his parents'' love story, because from a young age, his only wish was for his parents to appear less in his life so he could have some peace and quiet.


    But this time was different, Shen Yujing became interested and asked, "What happened with Dad back then?"


    "He was like an idiot."


    Shen''s Mother first gave this concise summary, then continued, "I was the one who pursued him, but when I confessed to him, he rejected me because he thought he was the most handsome person in the world and no one was worthy of being with him."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    That definitely sounded like something his father would say.


    But thinking about the current power dynamic between his parents at home, Shen Yujing still didn''t understand, "Then what about now? How did he become so obedient to you?"


    Shen''s Mother answered matter-of-factly, "I took him to see ten plastic surgeons to prove that my bone structure was a once-in-eight-thousand-years beauty, that he wasn''t as good-looking as me."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Huh?


    Shen Yujing asked skeptically, "Then he believed you were more beautiful than him and fell in love with you?"


    "Of course not, he thought all those doctors had poor aesthetic judgment."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen''s Mother explained, "I pursued him for a while but got fed up with his attitude, so I stopped paying attention to him and started dating another guy who was pursuing me. That''s when your father realized he was jealous, that he actually liked me all along."


    "You know about the ''chase wife crematorium''? It''s common in TV dramas. That''s how it works - if a guy wants to know whether he likes a girl or not, he needs to see if he gets jealous or minds when that girl is with someone else."


    Is that so?


    Even after showering and lying in bed that night, Shen Yujing was still thinking about this.


    To know if he liked Song Yi, he needed to see if he got jealous or minded when Song Yi was with someone else.


    Song Yi seemed to spend a lot of time with Hang Feng.


    Hang Feng''s grandmother even knew Song Yi, which proved there were many secrets and stories between them that he didn''t know about.


    Shen Yujing remembered that day in the hotel private room, when he was fighting with Xu Che, others went to find Song Yi and Hang Feng.


    According to Quan Le, when they found Song Yi and Hang Feng, Hang Feng was wearing Song Yi''s scarf, and they were alone together.


    After that, Hang Feng got better and was willing to spend time with them again, even came to the hotel for his birthday.


    Suddenly, a strong sense of discomfort surged up, making Shen Yujing frown.


    Song Yi and Hang Feng seemed to have quite a connection.


    Like in this Guardian Angel game, Hang Feng drew the lot to protect Song Yi, while Song Yi drew the lot to protect Quan Le.


    Thinking of this, Shen Yujing suddenly sat up in bed like a carp flipping.


    Right, there was also Quan Le.


    It was Song Yi who taught Quan Le how to ride shared electric bikes, which is still Quan Le''s preferred mode of transportation.


    Was it the shared electric bikes that Quan Le liked? Of course not! What he liked... was Song Yi!


    Moreover, Quan Le and Song Yi were in the same class, which meant they spent every day together at school, with countless opportunities to interact!


    As for Jiang Yiheng, his engagement with Murong Huan was now essentially over, so theoretically, he could be with Song Yi.


    Shen Yujing also remembered that day after school when he saw Song Yi''s love letter to Jiang Yiheng. If he hadn''t interfered, would Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng be... together by now?


    And that day, Song Yi came back wearing Jiang Yiheng''s slippers, which were left to him by his mother, something so precious, this proved...


    Only horror remained on Shen Yujing''s face, and he suddenly realized his back was covered in cold sweat.


    He hadn''t realized until he analyzed it, but now it was truly frightening.


    It turned out he had so many potential love rivals around him?


    Huh? Wait, why did he use the term ''love rivals''?


    Could it be...


    Just thinking about Song Yi being with any of Hang Feng/Quan Le/Jiang Yiheng, Shen Yujing felt he couldn''t accept it at all. His heart was completely wrapped in an indescribable sourness, and there was even jealousy lurking and clamoring within.


    The last time he tried to fool himself into thinking he liked the hammer, that ridiculous thought seemed no longer able to stop the truth from growing.


    She was the most special existence in the world to him, he might actually like her a little.


    But thinking about having so many love rivals besides himself, Shen Yujing felt very troubled.


    Shen Yujing lay back down, pulling the blanket completely over his head, covering himself entirely.


    How annoying!


    Thinking about this, Shen Yujing felt increasingly frustrated and annoyed. The thought of those three guys made him even more irritated.


    Aliali: 6754af46bd5e46c308a44aee


    What was wrong with these people? There were so many girls in their school, so why did they all have to like the same person he liked? Where was their sense of loyalty? Were they even bros anymore?


    At least he still had Xu Che - thankfully, Xu Che went to a different school.


    With that perpetual scowl on Xu Che''s face, how could he possibly have any girl he liked? Even if he did, forget about actively pursuing someone - it would be a miracle if he didn''t scare all the girls away.


    Besides, in Shen Yujing''s opinion, the most important person to Xu Che was definitely his little brother Hang Feng. There couldn''t possibly be room for anyone else.


    Hmm... Xu Che couldn''t possibly like Song Yi. That was absolutely impossible.


    This thought made Shen Yujing feel a bit better. At least... at least he still had Xu Che as a true friend.


    So Shen Yujing took out his phone and sent Xu Che a WeChat message in the middle of the night.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Xu Che, you''re truly my best bro! You''re my only real brother! Let''s be brothers for life!


    After a long while, Xu Che replied with a single character, or rather, just a symbol.


    [?]

 Chapter 77

    Xu Che naturally didn''t understand why Shen Yujing was acting crazy in the middle of the night, but Shen Yujing didn''t need him to understand.


    In his heart, he had already written off the conflict between himself and Xu Che, and unilaterally decided that from now on, Xu Che would be his best friend.


    In this world, there couldn''t possibly be a more upright guy who was worse with girls than Xu Che!


    Of course, if Quan Le could guarantee he wouldn''t fall for Song Yi, he might consider letting them tie for first place.


    Meanwhile, at the Song residence.


    After finishing a week of tutoring and completing all the school exam papers, there was still plenty of winter vacation homework left, so the tutoring sessions were temporarily put on hold.


    Song Yi had a good night''s sleep and didn''t wake up until eleven in the morning.


    For her, this marked the official start of her winter vacation.


    When she got up today, there was hot breakfast waiting in the pot, but Song''s Father was nowhere to be seen.


    Song Yi walked to the living room and found a note on the table that read¡ª


    [Uncle Jiang''s son has returned from abroad, and they''re hosting several tables at his grandmother''s house. They asked me to help with the cooking. If you wake up, come directly over for lunch at twelve.]


    Uncle Jiang?


    Song Yi furrowed her brow, taking a while to recall this person from her memories.


    He seemed to be their former neighbor who had made some money in business and moved away.


    But his parents were used to living here, so they never moved.


    The Jiang family lived only a few hundred meters away, so there was no rush to leave.


    So Song Yi brushed her teeth, grabbed a warm bun from the pot to fill her stomach, and went back to her room.


    She had been so busy coming and going these past few days that she hadn''t even opened her birthday presents.


    Song Yi first opened a black bag, which was from Jiang Yiheng. It was filled with the most popular college entrance exam practice papers from recent years, including some rare authentic questions that were impossible to buy even with money.


    Song Yi: "..."


    This gift was very much in Jiang Yiheng''s style.


    The second was Quan Le''s gift, a beautiful down jacket in taro purple that felt extremely nice to touch.


    Song Yi tried it on immediately, standing in front of the mirror thinking she looked just like a taro snow mochi.


    Song Yi loved this gift; it was both warm and pretty.


    The third gift she opened was from Hang Feng, which turned out to be a handwritten notebook of difficult Olympic math problems.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Hang Feng and Jiang Yiheng should really be brothers.


    Underneath the notebook was a box containing a Buddhist prayer bead bracelet and a safety charm, along with a card.


    Song Yi curiously picked up the card, which read¡ª


    [Grandmother got these while praying at the temple.]


    Song Yi looked at the card for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. She could already imagine how awkward Hang Feng must have looked while writing this.


    Just a few days ago, she had talked to grandmother on the phone about this, and grandmother mentioned that Hang Feng had voluntarily offered to go to the temple and got safety charms and bracelets for both her and Xu Che.


    Hang Feng really cared about his brother Xu Che, so for her it must be... gratitude?


    Song Yi didn''t think too deeply about it, but still placed the safety charm under her pillow and put on the bracelet. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Given that something like transmigrating into a book could happen, Song Yi naturally believed in spirits and ghosts, and respected them.


    Murong Huan had given her a complete set of expensive skincare and makeup products, absolutely comprehensive, and clearly carefully curated rather than just buying whatever was expensive.


    In stark contrast was Shen Yujing''s gift, which was similar to Murong Huan''s yet completely different.


    A luxury brand lipstick set and a carefully packaged black box.


    Song Yi opened it expecting typical male aesthetic choices like Barbie pink, only to find herself deep in thought upon seeing a rainbow of colors - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and others she couldn''t imagine wearing on her lips.


    Clearly, this was one of those luxury brand bundle sets designed to rip off rich fools.


    Well, Shen Yujing did seem like a rich fool.


    Song Yi then opened the other black box, and her expression became even more frozen.


    As she turned it, the black box separated into many layers, revealing yet another cosmetic item.


    When opened, each layer formed a petal shape, rotating 360 degrees in different directions, creating a flower shape when fully opened.


    The first layer contained lipsticks, the second eyeshadows, the third blush, the fourth highlighters, the fifth powder compacts, the sixth...


    Song Yi: "..."


    Was this the legendary social media influencer''s all-in-one fashion must-have blooming eyeshadow palette?


    It looked just like a cheap children''s makeup toy from a street stall, but the luxury brand logo on top told Song Yi this thing was actually very expensive.


    She couldn''t bear to look at it anymore, really couldn''t.


    Song Yi put it away, stuffing it into the bottom drawer of her desk, clearly disgusted.


    And finally, there was Xu Che''s gift.


    A medium-sized box filled with candies.


    Among these candies was a plastic capsule toy.


    Song Yi was somewhat afraid, worried that it might be another mini blooming eyeshadow palette.


    Taking a deep breath and gathering her courage, she opened it.


    Inside was a bracelet with a moon design, very beautiful.


    But...


    Song Yi frowned at the bracelet, wondering why it was gold-colored.


    Surely it couldn''t be pure gold???


    Just as Song Yi was pondering this, she noticed another card beside it.


    [It''s gold-plated. Bought it because the design looked nice. Happy birthday]


    Song Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief and put away all the gifts.


    It was about time for lunch, so to avoid oil stains, Song Yi changed into a long black down jacket, put on a hat, mask, and scarf, bundling herself up completely.


    Having to go out in such cold weather for a meal made Song Yi feel tired, but she pressed forward against the cold wind.


    Fortunately, Uncle Jiang''s house wasn''t far, and Song Yi arrived quickly.


    Aunt Jiang recognized Song Yi and led her to sit in the courtyard, saying, "Your father''s in the kitchen, food will be ready soon. Have some snacks first to tide you over."


    The house had four tables set up, each seating more than ten people, not too crowded but lively.


    They were all strangers to Song Yi, and she had no interest in talking to them, so she quietly sat in a corner eating peanuts from the fruit platter, occasionally pouring herself some hot water.


    At some point, a young man with yellow hair stood not far from Song Yi, exchanged a few words with his friends, then walked over.


    The yellow-haired youth pulled out a chair and sat in front of Song Yi, asking, "Which family are you from? I haven''t seen you before."


    Song Yi finally looked up. Her face was exceptionally fair, and her nose had turned slightly red from the cold during her walk, creating a striking contrast that only added to her cuteness.


    Song Yi was still holding her cup of hot water and hadn''t heard clearly what the young man said, so she looked at him with her beautiful almond eyes somewhat confusedly, asking, "Who are you?"


    Under Song Yi''s gaze, the young man couldn''t help but swallow before saying, "I''m Jiang Qi, the son of the house owner. Who are you?"


    Song Yi lowered her eyes again, carefully taking a sip of her hot water before answering, "I''m Song Yi. My father is helping cook for your family."


    Only then did Jiang Qi realize that the girl before him was Uncle Song''s child. In his memory, she had been a quiet little girl who always kept her head down and was too shy to talk to people, but after a few years...


    She had become so beautiful.


    This thought caused a moment of shock in the young man''s eyes, and upon realizing this, he took out his phone.


    He rubbed his nose, somewhat awkwardly saying, "Let''s exchange WeChat then. I''m a student at Saint Yu Academy. Where do you go to school?"


    Song Yi took another look at the young man before her.


    He was decent-looking, not strikingly handsome but pleasant enough to look at, tall and thin.


    But that yellow hair...


    Song Yi frowned slightly. It was clearly carelessly styled, giving him a malnourished appearance, not looking like a good student at all.


    So Song Yi directly answered, "No, thank you."


    She was in her senior year of high school, and her goal was to study hard, not to hang out with people from outside school who didn''t seem to take their studies seriously.


    Jiang Qi was taken aback, his face showing visible discomfort as he clearly hadn''t expected Song Yi to reject him so directly.


    Laughter erupted from behind as two male students who had been watching from the sidelines approached. Due to the presence of adults, they kept their voices low.


    "Little sister, you should know that before our brother Jiang Qi went abroad, he was ranked top 2 among the most popular guys at Saint Yu Academy!"


    Song Yi, always quick to catch the important details, asked curiously, "Then who''s top 1?"


    "Well, that would be¡ª"


    Before the student could finish, the door opened, and he changed his words, "Speak of the devil, here comes top 1."


    Song Yi looked up toward the doorway to see a young man in a black coat walking in with a lollipop in his mouth.


    Song Yi found it amusing and thought to herself: Didn''t he just get his teeth fixed? At this rate, he''ll be back at the hospital in no time.


    The moment Xu Che''s eyes met Song Yi''s, he instinctively reached to remove the lollipop from his mouth, but his hand froze awkwardly in mid-air, unsure where to put the candy.


    Jiang Qi temporarily forgot about asking for Song Yi''s WeChat contact and turned to look at Xu Che, saying with slight annoyance, "What took you so long? We''ve been waiting for you to start the game."


    After a moment''s hesitation, Xu Che walked past Song Yi and Jiang Qi, tossing the lollipop into a distant trash bin before walking back.


    Aliali: 6754d302bd5e46c308a67379


    Jiang Qi was about to put his hand on Xu Che''s shoulder but watched in surprise as Xu Che walked past him again, completely ignoring him.


    Jiang Qi protested, "Hey, what are you¡ª"


    Before he could finish, he saw the same girl who had just given him the cold shoulder smile brightly at Xu Che, "What a coincidence, you''re here too."


    "Mm," Xu Che responded, pulling out a lollipop from his pocket and offering it to Song Yi, "Want one?"


    Song Yi took it but still held out her hand, saying matter-of-factly, "Give me the rest too. You should eat less candy with your teeth like that. I''ll help take care of them for you."


    Without any hesitation, Xu Che emptied his pockets of all remaining candy, keeping none for himself, and gave everything to Song Yi.


    Jiang Qi and the other two boys who had been watching from the side were completely bewildered.


    One boy muttered in confusion, "What''s going on?"


    The other responded, "No idea, but she knows Brother Che? No wonder¡ªwho''d be interested in number two when they know number one?"


    Hearing this, Jiang Qi''s face instantly darkened.

 Chapter 78

    To make his presence felt, Jiang Qi became somewhat displeased and said, "Xu Che, we haven''t seen each other for so long, and the first thing you do when you come to my house is talk to someone else?"


    Thinking about this, Jiang Qi felt increasingly irritated. It was one thing for this girl to be indifferent to him, but why was Xu Che ignoring him too?


    Hearing Jiang Qi''s words, Xu Che finally looked up and countered, "Wasn''t I the one who picked you up at the airport yesterday?"


    After a moment of silence, Jiang Qi still asked, "How do you two know each other?"


    Xu Che thought for a moment before answering, "She''s from Saint Slee Academy, a friend of Murong Huan and Shen Yujing."


    "Saint Slee?" Jiang Qi was stunned, then looked at Song Yi with surprise. "How did you get in?"


    His father had become a famous wealthy businessman in this area after making his fortune, but even with his family background, they couldn''t meet Saint Slee Academy''s admission requirements back then. He had to settle for Saint Yu Academy, an all-boys school, and left for abroad after just a year.


    Song Yi said, "They invited me."


    Jiang Qi: "?"


    Jiang Qi sneered, "How is that possible? Doesn''t Saint Slee require at least a building donation just to get in?"


    The other two boys also laughed, naturally assuming Song Yi was bragging.


    But Xu Che said, "She''s the top student in her grade at Saint Slee."


    The smiles froze on all three faces simultaneously.


    Jiang Qi put away his phone and looked Song Yi up and down.


    Xu Che wasn''t the type to joke around with them, so this must be true.


    Suddenly, one of the boys said, "Wait, she looks kind of familiar."


    Familiar?


    Song Yi narrowed her eyes, thinking about why they might find her familiar, and immediately felt exasperated.


    Sure enough, another boy said, "Che-bro, wasn''t she in that Snow White play during your school anniversary?"


    "Oh right, I remember now. Shen Yujing and Murong Huan were in that too."


    "But it''s strange, Che-bro, weren''t you not on good terms with Shen Yujing? How come you''re hanging out with his friends now? Is it because they performed well in the play?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    No, please, nobody mention that incident again!


    Xu Che seemed to notice Song Yi''s aversion to the topic and changed the subject, "Anyway, weren''t we going to play games?"


    At the mention of "playing games," Jiang Qi''s attention was immediately caught. He opened the game and said, "Why are we still one person short? Where''s Wang Chan?"


    One of them answered, "He''s got stomach problems, still in the bathroom."


    Jiang Qi''s face darkened again. He just wanted to play a game, why were they always short on people?


    Xu Che looked at Song Yi and asked, "Want to join us in the game?"


    Song Yi looked at his phone screen - it was a game she occasionally played to pass time - and said, "Sure."


    Jiang Qi wasn''t happy about this and said, "Xu Che, I can''t control your friendship with her, but how can we bring a girl into our game?"


    In Jiang Qi''s view, gaming was serious business, not to be taken lightly, regardless of how pretty Song Yi might be. It was a matter of principle.


    Xu Che frowned and said, "I''ll carry her. We won''t lose."


    Another boy tried to persuade Jiang Qi, "With Che-bro carrying, what''s there to worry about?"


    Jiang Qi glared at that boy. Was he afraid?


    Fine, let''s play then. He was just two matches away from reaching Glory King rank, which was already difficult enough. He wanted to see how Xu Che could possibly win with someone dragging them down.


    When Song Yi opened the game, her Diamond rank prompted more mockery from Jiang Qi.


    Jiang Qi said, "Just try not to feed too much. Better yet, just stay at the fountain - that would be the biggest help you could give us."


    If she stayed out of the battlefield, they''d be fighting four versus five, but if she joined, it would be like four versus six.


    Xu Che switched to a Star rank account and created a five-player room, inviting them all in. He asked Song Yi, "Which hero do you want to play?"


    Song Yi was easy-going, "Anything works. You guys pick first, I''ll fill."


    In real life, she often played games to relieve boredom and had even won places in national college e-sports tournaments. She just didn''t have much time now and only played occasionally to relax.


    Jiang Qi was in first position, so he immediately picked a marksman, as marksmen were crucial this season.


    Xu Che naturally took the jungle position, and of the other two boys, one picked a warrior, while the other asked Song Yi, "Mage or support, which do you want?"


    Song Yi long-pressed that boy''s ID, saw that his specialty was mage, and said, "I''ll take support then."


    Xu Che clearly wanted to look after Song Yi and said, "Take Yao or Ming Shying, just follow me."


    Jiang Qi glanced at Song Yi again, any goodwill he had felt due to her pretty face now completely gone.


    In Jiang Qi''s view, he hated playing games with girls the most, as they were impossible to carry.


    So Jiang Qi said, "What a great hero choice. Take all the kills when we''re winning, and when we lose, it''s not your fault anyway." Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Not only did Song Yi pick support, but she was going to use this kind of passive hero?


    Jiang Qi was thoroughly contemptuous, but Song Yi completely ignored him and picked Zhu Bajie, then asked Xu Che, "Do you like the pig? We could switch to the bull if you prefer."


    Xu Che: "...I like it."


    Since Xu Che said he liked it, Song Yi locked in the hero.


    Jiang Qi frowned but didn''t say anything this time.


    This was even worse than picking a passive hero. At least those heroes wouldn''t drag them down too much. He wanted to see how many deaths Song Yi would rack up with Zhu Bajie.


    The game started quickly.


    Song Yi took Smite as her spell and immediately went to hide in the enemy''s bush, constantly harassing their jungler as they tried to take the blue buff.


    Xu Che, showing great coordination, took advantage of this time to steal the enemy''s red buff, and thanks to Song Yi''s delay tactics, he managed to take their blue buff as well.


    The start was very smooth, making the enemy jungler so angry they started cursing in all chat.


    In the time that followed, Song Yi''s performance remained stable. She rotated between all three lanes, helping wherever needed.


    Of course, she rarely visited Jiang Qi''s marksman lane, only helping when he was at a disadvantage.


    Even so, she still managed to save his life twice in critical moments.


    Especially during a late-game team fight, when the enemy Zhuge Liang''s ultimate was aimed at Jiang Qi who had only a sliver of health left. Just when he thought he was surely dead, Song Yi''s Zhu Bajie jumped out from the bush and took the damage for him.


    At that moment, Song Yi was also left with just a tick of health and naturally died from the damage.


    Although in the game, it was normal for supports to protect marksmen, Jiang Qi remembered how he had mocked Song Yi earlier. It felt like... she was being very magnanimous, helping him without holding a grudge, making him feel somewhat indebted to her.


    As Jiang Qi thought about this, he hadn''t even noticed that his eyes kept darting to the minimap, unable to help but track the movements of that Zhu Bajie.


    At this moment, Song Yi was controlling her Zhu Bajie, circling around the dragon pit continuously, occasionally hitting the dragon to make it attack the enemy''s two fragile heroes.


    When Jiang Qi saw Song Yi being chased and attacked by the enemy marksman and support at the dragon pit, he immediately rushed up from the bottom lane where he had been clearing minions, wanting to help Song Yi without a second thought.


    However, just as Jiang Qi was about to arrive, he saw Xu Che take down the enemy marksman first, and then quickly attack the support...


    Oh no, he didn''t kill it.


    Xu Che had beaten the support until its health bar was empty, then left it for Song Yi.


    Jiang Qi looked up at Xu Che in confusion, leaving his hero standing still.


    Xu Che''s voice came calmly, "Song Yi, my internet''s lagging a bit, can you chase them down?"


    "Sure." Song Yi controlled her Zhu Bajie to move forward, chased the enemy support and landed a basic attack, easily securing the kill.


    Jiang Qi wondered how Xu Che could be lagging when his fingers hadn''t even touched the screen. Was this just a sophisticated way of giving away kills?


    Just as Jiang Qi was feeling contemptuous, his screen suddenly went black.


    Jiang Qi: "..."


    Damn, who ambushed him?


    Jiang Qi was furious. No longer paying attention to Song Yi and Xu Che, he chased after his ambusher relentlessly after respawning.


    Naturally, they won this round without any surprise, and they won quickly. While Wang Chan was still in the bathroom, they started a second round.


    Song Yi smiled at Jiang Qi and asked, "How was that?"


    Jiang Qi kept a cold face and said, "It was just support, nothing special."


    Just support, nothing special.


    This time, following the order, only Song Yi and Xu Che were left, with jungle and support positions remaining.


    Song Yi was in fourth position, and this time she directly chose the jungle role.


    Everyone looked at her in astonishment, especially Jiang Qi, who became anxious.


    Jiang Qi said, "This is my promotion match, what are you trying to do?"


    Song Yi replied without hesitation, "Playing jungle, of course."


    Jiang Qi stood up immediately, barely containing his anger.


    Did Song Yi deliberately go against him because she knew this was his promotion match?


    Jiang Qi said, "If you don''t want to play seriously..."


    "Jiang Qi." Xu Che interrupted him and said, "We won''t lose."


    Jiang Qi was furious at this point and asked, "How can you guarantee that? How can I trust a Diamond rank player to jungle in my promotion match?"


    Xu Che replied without looking up, "If she doesn''t play well, I''ll switch with her. Is that acceptable?"


    Hearing Xu Che''s words, Jiang Qi reluctantly sat down, though his expression remained unpleasant.


    In Jiang Qi''s mind, it was one thing for Song Yi to coast by playing a support mage, but jungle was such a crucial role for controlling the game''s pace. How could a girl possibly play...


    The game sound effect rang out: "First Blood!"


    Aliali: 67545689bd5e46c3089cfa86


    Jiang Qi: "?"


    "Double Kill!"


    Jiang Qi: "??"


    What was happening? How long had the game been going? Who had already secured two kills?


    Jiang Qi couldn''t even focus on farming minions anymore. He clicked on the map to zoom in, bewildered, and saw Song Yi controlling her jungle champion standing in their blue buff area, having successfully killed both enemy champions who had tried to steal her buff.


    Song Yi let out a sigh of relief and muttered, "That was close, so close, really scared me there."


    Jiang Qi stared at the champion on the screen, noticed Song Yi''s remaining half bar of health, and fell into deep thought.


    What the hell... where was that "close"?


    Wasn''t that complete domination???


    Damn, she might actually be something else.

 Chapter 79

    After realizing that Song Yi''s skills were more impressive than he had imagined, Jiang Qi changed his previous dismissive attitude and sat up straight to play the game seriously.As one of the two most important output positions, he couldn''t afford to be inferior to Song Yi.


    Losing a game to a girl, and being a King while losing to a Diamond, would be a laughingstock.


    So Jiang Qi''s expression was extremely serious; this game was no longer just a game but a silent duel between him and Song Yi.


    Of course, Song Yi never paid any attention to him; it was just his one-sided perception.


    But the opposing team seemed to have noticed the strength of the jungler and, after several successful interventions, switched targets to focus on Jiang Qi.


    Jiang Qi''s palms were sweating with tension. After accidentally dying in a double team from the opposing side, he looked at Xu Che and asked, "Why aren''t you assisting me as a support?"


    The opposing support and shooter were like conjoined twins, and he couldn''t handle them alone!


    Xu Che, however, looked at him with some surprise, "When have you ever needed a support while playing?"


    Jiang Qi was instantly rendered speechless.


    That''s right, usually when he played the shooter role, he preferred to be alone and hated having a support near him.


    He felt he could take on two opponents by himself, and winning that way felt more rewarding.


    But today...


    Jiang Qi realized something was wrong; his performance and state today were off.


    Clearly, it was due to Song Yi''s influence.


    Until the end of this round, Song Yi was the MVP, with output and participation rates far surpassing his.


    Jiang Qi''s pride was hurt; he stared at the screen, biting his lower lip tightly.


    The atmosphere in the room fell into a silent awkwardness.


    It was Jiang''s Father''s voice that broke the silence, "Why are you kids still playing with your phones? Go wash up and eat."


    Jiang Qi''s two underlings looked at each other and, to ease the tension, immediately suggested going to wash their hands.


    Then they saw Wang Chan coming out of the bathroom, heading towards the sink with a pale face and holding his stomach. Upon seeing Song Yi, he paused and asked, "Why are you here? What about Shen Yujing?"


    Everyone was surprised that Wang Chan''s first concern upon seeing Song Yi was Shen Yujing. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Especially Jiang Qi, who had just returned from abroad and was a bit confused.


    Jiang Qi asked, "Have you all become good friends with Shen Yujing during my absence?"


    He clearly remembered that Shen Yujing''s name was almost universally despised at Saint Yu Academy.


    Mentioning Shen Yujing''s name, Wang Chan''s face instantly regained color, and he seemed to have more energy as he continued to ask Song Yi, "Is he here?"


    Song Yi: "He didn''t come."


    Wang Chan''s face immediately showed disappointment.


    Even Xu Che was puzzled and asked, "Why are you looking for him?"


    Wang Chan washed his hands while answering somewhat shyly, "It''s because of the school anniversary last time; he performed in the stage play with us. I think... I think..."


    Jiang Qi, being impatient, couldn''t stand the hesitation and directly asked, "What do you think? Why are you stuttering?"


    Wang Chan continued, "I just think he has a lot of talent in stage performances and want to exchange some ideas with him."


    Xu Che: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Jiang Qi: "???"


    All three of them thought simultaneously: What is this all about?


    Wang Chan, obviously still regretting Shen Yujing''s absence, looked like he had missed a life mentor.


    In a daze, Song Yi recalled her experience at Saint Yu Academy and how Wang Chan had chased after them, threatening to make them pay.


    Men, your name is absurd.


    Song Yi couldn''t figure it out and didn''t want to think about it anymore. After washing her hands, she went to the table to eat.


    Song''s Father''s cooking was really good; everyone who ate praised the dishes.


    Song''s Father, a humble man, scratched his head shyly at all the compliments, only knowing to keep giving his daughter meat, his face almost buried in his bowl.


    "How good can home-cooked dishes be? It''s a bit exaggerated," Jiang Qi said disdainfully, but after taking a bite of the meat, his opinion changed, and his usually sharp mouth finally quieted down.


    Jiang Qi ate quickly, partly because Song''s Father''s cooking was indeed delicious, and partly because he was eager to finish eating and continue playing the game.


    When Jiang Qi put down his chopsticks first and looked at Song Yi, he asked, "Let''s go, play the game."


    Song Yi wiped her mouth with a tissue and said, "I''m going home."


    Who would want to play games with him? It''s so strange.


    Every minute and second of a high school student''s time is precious, okay?


    Oh, of course, although her time isn''t that precious, she''s already shown Jiang Qi up, so playing games with him would be a waste of her time.


    Jiang Qi didn''t expect Song Yi to refuse so directly, and his face couldn''t help but show some embarrassment.


    He lowered his voice and said, "I''ll give you skins, play or not?"


    "No, I''m going home," Song Yi refused even more decisively.


    Skins in the game are so expensive, and it''s foolish to spend money on something you can''t see or touch.


    And is it the skin that matters in the game? It''s the skill!


    If you have poor skills, you''re just a noob.


    But if you have poor skills and many fancy skins, you''re just a flashy noob, so Song Yi remained unmoved.


    When Song Yi stood up, Xu Che looked at her and said, "We can play together, without Jiang Qi."


    Another boy chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, you play better than Jiang Qi."


    Jiang Qi: "?"


    Ah? What is Xu Che saying? Who is his good brother?


    Not including him? Just leaving him behind? Isn''t he the main character today?


    Just as Jiang Qi was about to get angry, Song Yi also refused Xu Che.


    She said, "Two games a day are enough; playing too much is no longer a pastime."


    It''s indulging in trivial pleasures and could become addictive.


    Seeing this, Xu Che no longer tried to persuade Song Yi and just said, "Be careful on your way home."


    "Okay," Song Yi nodded and headed towards the door. After a few steps, she turned back to Xu Che and said, "Thank you for the candy."


    "I''m glad you like it," Xu Che said, then pursed his lips and added, "The fruit-filled candy is very good; it''s my favorite. You... you can try it."


    At that moment, the words Xu Che had been about to say changed direction.


    He had originally wanted to say that it was his favorite candy, so she shouldn''t give it to others and should eat it all herself.


    The boy frowned, and the scar on his brow became more pronounced.


    He was born with a fierce and cold appearance, but upon realizing he was frowning at Song Yi, he immediately smiled, though the corners of his mouth didn''t rise much, it was indeed a smile, as if trying his best to convey friendly emotions to her.


    Song Yi nodded in agreement and this time truly left.


    In Song Yi''s view¡ª


    Going home! Tired!


    Since she''s full and satisfied! It''s time to take a nap!


    But Song Yi didn''t get to take a nap, because Murong Huan''s call came soon after.


    On the phone, Murong Huan''s voice was excited, "Yi Yi! I''m calling to book you early! Do you have any plans for New Year''s Eve?"


    "No," Song Yi yawned and asked, "What''s up?"


    "My dad gave me a castle as a New Year''s gift! It''s said that a real noble from Country X once lived there! Why don''t we go there to celebrate New Year''s Eve together?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    A castle, a birthday gift, it sounds so exaggerated and Mary Sue.


    But thinking of Murong Huan, it seems quite normal.


    Song Yi replied, "That place is too far; my dad might worry."


    "It''s okay, Quan Le and I have already talked about it; everyone is going, and there will be many people! And tell your dad that it''s a private plane from my family, safe!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She once again felt what it meant to be truly rich.


    That evening, when Song Yi mentioned this to her father, he agreed immediately, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief.


    He had been worrying about how to explain to his daughter that he wouldn''t be home during the day for the next few days. Now that his daughter was going out with her friends, it was perfect.


    Song''s Father simply reminded Song Yi to be careful and to call him if anything happened, and he also transferred some money to her via WeChat.


    *


    That night.


    Before going to bed, thinking that her account was just one game away from reaching the rank of "Epic," Song Yi decided to open the game and play one more match before sleeping. However, as soon as she logged in, she noticed that she had 99 unread messages in her mailbox.


    Song Yi was taken aback, but she was even more shocked when she opened them.


    Gift Center:


    ¡¾Xu Che¡¿has sent you 1 skin ¡¾Doomsday Mecha¡¿


    ¡¾Xu Che¡¿has sent you 1 skin ¡¾Swan Dream¡¿


    Aliali: 675703c78ac4f9fc89ebc062


    ¡¾Xu Che¡¿has sent you 1 skin ¡¾Sword and Shadow¡¿


    ...


    There were so many messages that when Song Yi clicked on "One-Click Claim," the game intimacy between her and Xu Che instantly broke through a thousand points, indicating just how many gifts he had sent.


    Song Yi calmed herself down and sent a message to Xu Che via WeChat.


    ¡¾Why did you send me so many skins?¡¿


    Xu Che quickly replied to her WeChat.


    ¡¾A friend''s father works at the company, and these skins are free for internal use. Why not take them?¡¿


    Song Yi: "!!!"


    So that''s how it is!


    What a great deal!

 Chapter 80

    On New Year''s Eve.To spend New Year''s together, everyone had been studying hard at home for a week, completing their winter holiday homework in advance.


    At nine in the morning, everyone gathered in the VIP lounge at the airport.


    Everyone arrived as promised, and to Song Yi''s surprise, Xu Che came too.


    She glanced at Hang Feng, but fortunately, he showed no unusual reaction.


    Shen Yujing had his hand on Xu Che''s shoulder, grinning foolishly: "I invited Xu Che."


    In Shen Yujing''s view, everyone present was dangerous.


    Like Quan Le, Hang Feng, and Jiang Yiheng.


    When he learned who would be joining for New Year''s, Shen Yujing felt isolated and helpless.


    After much consideration, he approached Murong Huan and suggested inviting Xu Che along.


    Murong Huan and Xu Che had a decent relationship, and after confirming it wouldn''t be an issue with Hang Feng, everyone gathered here.


    Shen Yujing thought himself clever for finding someone who could temporarily stand on his side.


    With some time before the flight, everyone chatted while waiting.


    Murong Huan''s sharp eyes noticed the clothes Song Yi was wearing and said, "You''re wearing the birthday gift from Quan Le! It took us three hours of shopping together to pick this out, do you like it?"


    "Of course," Song Yi replied with a smile, even turning around in front of Murong Huan to show off the coat properly. "You have the best taste. I''m going to wear it tonight while staying up for the New Year too."


    Quan Le lifted his chin, clearly proud of this.


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng''s gaze fell on Song Yi''s wrist. Though he wasn''t part of the conversation, seeing her wearing that Buddhist bracelet made his lips curl up involuntarily, even easing much of his tension and uncertainty about spending two days with Xu Che.


    On the other side, Shen Yujing''s expression grew serious, his gaze toward Quan Le becoming more complex.


    How calculating of Quan Le to give Song Yi something as practical as clothes!


    What would she think of when wearing this coat every day? Of course, the person who gave it to her!


    Who would have thought that Quan Le would be the one he needed to guard against the most!


    At that moment, Song Yi discovered cute bear patterns inside the coat''s collar and huddled with Murong Huan to look at them.


    Quan Le leaned in too, "Really? What does it look like? Let me see too!"


    Shen Yujing grew anxious and couldn''t sit still anymore.


    He walked right up and grabbed Quan Le''s collar, pulling him back.


    What''s there to look at? Why stand so close? They''re practically touching!


    Quan Le turned around bewildered, "What are you doing?"


    Why suddenly grab someone''s collar like that?


    Shen Yujing pulled him toward the exit, saying coldly: "Bathroom."


    Quan Le: "?"


    Hadn''t they just gone before entering the lounge? How could he need to go again so soon?


    Frequent urination in men isn''t good... that''s a prostate problem, and it could lead to...


    Thinking this, Quan Le''s expression became complicated, his gaze toward Shen Yujing turning sympathetic. sea??h th§× N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    So Quan Le broke free from Shen Yujing''s grip on his collar and instead put his arm around Shen Yujing''s shoulders.


    He said: "Come on, I''ll go with you to the bathroom. Don''t worry, no one will make fun of you with me around."


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Huh? Make fun of him for what?


    As Shen Yujing followed Quan Le out in confusion, he heard Quan Le sigh beside him and say softly: "Poor thing."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Was Quan Le calling him pitiful? In the way he thought?


    Could it be that Quan Le had seen through his intention to prevent him from getting close to Song Yi, so... so...


    Shen Yujing understood - Quan Le was provoking him!


    Because his gift wasn''t as well-liked by Song Yi as Quan Le''s.


    Hah, Shen Yujing laughed from anger, then pressed his hand on Quan Le''s head as they stumbled out together in an extremely twisted "friendly" pose.


    But Quan Le thought Shen Yujing was acting out because he''d hit upon his sensitive issue.


    After all, for a man, having problems anywhere else is fine, but there...


    Ah, never mind.


    Poor thing, really.


    Watching Shen Yujing and Quan Le''s retreating figures, Murong Huan frowned and asked, "Are they fighting?"


    Song Yi replied, "No, this is proof that they''re good friends."


    *


    On the plane.


    Naturally, Song Yi sat with Murong Huan, and just as Quan Le was about to find Shen Yujing, he saw Shen Yujing pulling Xu Che to sit behind Song Yi and Murong Huan.


    Quan Le frowned, never expecting Shen Yujing to be this kind of person.


    Just because he knew Shen Yujing''s secret, he was going to distance himself?


    Quan Le felt quite wronged.


    At this point, only Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng were left.


    Quan Le felt he was more familiar with Jiang Yiheng and was about to invite him to sit together.


    But before boarding, Jiang Yiheng had already thought it through.


    Most people here were too noisy.


    Recalling his tragic experience from the last grade trip, Jiang Yiheng had already chosen the most suitable person, so he decided to sit with Hang Feng.


    There''s no such thing as true empathy in this world, but he and Hang Feng... should be able to understand each other.


    The left-out Quan Le: "?"


    After the plane stabilized at cruising altitude, Murong Huan raised her selfie stick and said, "Everyone look at the camera, let''s take a group photo!"


    Everyone looked at the camera - some cooperatively making peace signs, others expressionless, but all participated.


    Murong Huan looked down satisfied and posted the group photo to her Moments.


    Murong Huan V: New Year''s trip with friends (happy) [Photo]


    Because everyone in the photo was highly popular among Saint Slee students, Murong Huan''s post instantly sparked numerous discussions and was naturally reposted to the Saint Slee forum.


    [Shocking news, family! Murong Huan''s Moments post is quite something!]


    1L: Sharing [Photo]


    6L: Awww they''re really such good friends, I''m jealous.


    14L: I wish I had friends like this too! To go on New Year''s trips together!


    22L: When did Song Yi start hanging out with this group... I''m curious.


    27L: Not just Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng and Murong Huan traveling together? Are they getting engaged after graduation?


    31L: Hey, that''s nothing, isn''t the most surprising thing that Xu Che is in this photo?


    37L: The Xu Che from Saint Yu Academy? Weren''t he and Shen Yujing always at odds?


    41L: They''re even sitting together, looking quite friendly


    47L: Isn''t Xu Che Hang Feng''s half-brother from the same father?


    51L: Damn! These relationships are complicated.


    57L: I don''t understand, but I''m shocked.


    ...


    At the Jiang residence.


    Jiang Qi leaned back in his chair, holding his phone, clicking on the Saint Slee forum link his friend sent him.


    He remained silent for a long while after seeing the group photo.


    It seemed Xu Che had an even better relationship with the Saint Slee crowd than he''d imagined.


    At this moment, two other followers stood before him, clearly looking incredulous as well.


    "How could..."


    One follower muttered: "Wasn''t Brother Che on the worst terms with Shen Yujing? How are they going on a New Year''s trip together now?"


    "If they''re such good friends, what was the point of us helping him oppose Shen Yujing?"


    "Yeah, isn''t he just making fools of us?"


    Both looked very dissatisfied, and various student group chats at Saint Yu Academy were also discussing this matter.


    Jiang Qi gave a cold laugh, seemingly trying hard to suppress his anger.


    One follower stepped closer to Jiang Qi and said: "Brother Jiang, what Brother Che did isn''t right. He''s the one who made Shen Yujing our enemy at Saint Yu Academy, but what now? We helped him, yet he secretly reconciled with the enemy and became brothers. What does that make us? Last time at your house too, he kept protecting that girl from Saint Slee."


    "Yeah, Brother Jiang, I''d say what Brother Che did amounts to betraying Saint Yu Academy, betraying us."


    Jiang Qi''s face was dark, and his fingers gripping his phone trembled uncontrollably, as if he was holding back some strong emotions.


    *


    After a nap on the plane, they finally arrived at their destination.


    The Murong family''s car was already waiting, a long stretch Lincoln that directly took everyone to their destination.


    As Murong Huan had said, it was an extremely beautiful castle, a very typical Gothic architecture, looking retro and luxurious.


    When they arrived, servants and butlers came out to help them with their luggage.


    Yes, all of them were the Murong family''s butlers and servants.


    Murong Huan frowned and said, "Why are you here? I said I didn''t need anyone."


    Shen Yujing asked casually, "But if they''re not here, what will we eat?"


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    The butler bowed respectfully and said, "Miss, Shen Shao is right. For the next two days, we will stay in the building on the far side, preparing meals, afternoon tea, and snacks for everyone during mealtimes, and we will not appear to disturb you and your friends at other times."


    Only then did Murong Huan reluctantly accept.


    The servants helped everyone carry their luggage to the second floor and prepared the rooms. Murong Huan pulled Song Yi''s hand and said, "Let''s share a room."


    Song Yi nodded and agreed, "Okay."


    Apart from them sharing a room, everyone else had their own separate rooms.


    The butlers and servants quickly left, as if they had never been there.


    Murong Huan was the "main organizer" of this trip, and she had already started making arrangements. "Everyone go back to their rooms to sort out their things, and meet in the living room on the first floor in half an hour."


    As she spoke, Murong Huan pulled Song Yi back to their room first, took out her favorite lipstick, applied it herself, and then pinched Song Yi''s chin to help her apply some too.


    "So beautiful," Murong Huan''s hand still pinched Song Yi''s chin, exaggeratedly puckering her lips at her, "Mwah."


    Song Yi pushed her away, and the two of them laughed together on the bed.


    Until they started packing, Song Yi''s bulging suitcase caught Murong Huan''s curiosity. She asked, "Did you bring a lot of stuff for just two days?"


    Song Yi opened her suitcase and showed Murong Huan the contents.


    Couplets, lucky characters, and unopened red lanterns.


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    She regretted asking that question.


    Did these things really have to appear in her castle? She couldn''t imagine that scene.


    Song Yi said, "My dad made me bring them. He thinks there should always be a festive atmosphere, no matter where we are."


    So Song Yi took out a stack of lucky characters and picked up some tape, "Come on, let''s go stick them up."


    Murong Huan was silent for three seconds before deciding to compromise, everything for Song Yi''s happiness.


    When the first lucky character was stuck on Quan Le''s room door, Quan Le opened the door and saw their handiwork, his expression was extremely complicated, as if he was questioning himself.


    Murong Huan burst out laughing, suddenly feeling that this was quite interesting.


    So for the rest of the time, Murong Huan was very cooperative and even more proactive than Song Yi.


    Soon, all the couplets and lucky characters in Song Yi''s suitcase were stuck on every door on the second floor, and Murong Huan''s originally imagined European castle had turned into a mixed Chinese-Western, red and hot New Year style.


    However... it was quite interesting.


    Murong Huan looked at everything in front of her with satisfaction, thinking carefully, it was like this that it felt like New Year!


    Soon, everyone came out of their rooms one by one, all finding couplets and lucky characters stuck on their doors.


    Although they felt it was a bit out of place, since it was Murong Huan''s arrangement, no one said much.


    Except for Shen Yujing¡ª


    "Hahahahahahahaha what style is this? This castle looks eerie and scary, are we using Eastern methods to ward off ghosts? Murong Huan, should I praise your creativity, at least it looks pretty funny."


    Murong Huan was speechless, and seeing that the two were about to argue, Song Yi quickly pulled Murong Huan back a step. She looked at Shen Yujing and said, "I brought these, Huan Huan helped me stick them up."


    Shen Yujing''s smile instantly froze on his face.


    "Uh..."


    Shen Yujing''s gaze swept around again, trying to find something to say to save face, "Actually, if you look closely, I think it''s pretty good. The combination of Eastern and Western elements is very good, even though we are abroad, we can still feel the joy of the New Year."


    Song Yi rolled her eyes at this, it was really quite a stretch.


    Murong Huan just snorted coldly, she only said one word: "Heh."


    Thinking it was funny when she stuck them up, but after knowing Song Yi did it, he tried his best to praise them?


    Heh! Shen Yujing!


    Heh! Men!


    Heh! Bastard!


    In the living room.


    Everyone sat around the sofa.


    The table was filled with various pastries and fruits, Song Yi ate while listening to Murong Huan talk.


    Murong Huan''s arrangement was this, before dinner, everyone would play a game together.


    Quan Le obviously agreed, asking, "Great, what game?"


    Shen Yujing''s eyes also lit up with interest.


    Murong Huan stood up, proudly answering in front of everyone''s expectant/puzzled gazes, "The name of this game is¡ª


    Hide and Seek!"


    Everyone: "¡­¡­"


    How old are they, playing hide and seek?


    Seeing that everyone didn''t seem very interested, Murong Huan explained, "This isn''t just any hide and seek, because there are many settings in the rooms of this castle. Like secret doors, cellars, and so on. My father also said that there are many treasures left behind by the previous owner, and if anyone finds them, they can take them back. But everyone should remember to keep their phones with them, in case something happens and they need to contact someone."


    The game instantly turned from hide and seek into treasure hunting.


    Although those present were basically not short of money, people are always curious about the unknown, just like knowing they are a black man who can''t draw anything good from blind boxes, but still enjoy the thrill of buying them.


    So this time, no one raised any objections.


    Murong Huan announced the rules of the game, saying, "The activity range is limited to this main building, two people are in charge of finding, the remaining five people hide. If the hiding people are not all found, they win. If everyone is caught, the two people in charge of finding win."


    Very simple game rules, nothing to discuss, so everyone quickly decided the two people in charge of finding through rock-paper-scissors.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le.


    These two used to be the little devils of Saint Slee, and after so many years, they were also very tacit, which made the game seem difficult for others.


    Only Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief¡ª


    Yay!


    It''s two idiots in charge of finding? Then this game is simple.


    Because there were too many rooms on the three floors of this main building, the hiding people had five minutes to hide.


    And Shen Yujing and Quan Le sat on the sofa with pillows over their eyes, counting down together from three hundred.


    Naturally, everyone first left the first floor, dispersing to the second and third floors.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan chose the third floor.


    They pushed open several rooms, but couldn''t find a suitable hiding place.


    Murong Huan''s hand rested on her chin, full of doubts, "I remember there are secret doors connecting two rooms on the third floor, but I can''t remember."


    Song Yi said helplessly, "If you can''t remember, forget about the secret doors, let''s just find a place to hide first."


    Murong Huan nodded, agreeing with Song Yi''s opinion.


    The two quickly found a storage room, filled with many cabinets, the door was also blocked by chairs and other things.


    If it were usual, Murong Huan would have complained about the butler''s incompetence, but today she only felt that this place was very suitable for hiding.


    So Murong Huan turned back and waved to Song Yi, signaling her to come quickly.


    Murong Huan didn''t dare to make a sound, she was afraid that others would hear and come to compete with her for such a good place.


    The two of them struggled to cross the chairs and entered the inner part of the room, but when Song Yi opened the door and saw Jiang Yiheng inside the cabinet, the three of them fell into silence.


    Murong Huan was furious, asking, "How did you get here?"


    Jiang Yiheng calmly replied, "I was here first."


    "Then why didn''t you make a sound?"


    Jiang Yiheng answered, "I thought it was Shen Yujing and the others who had come."


    There was no flaw in this response, and Murong Huan couldn''t refute it.


    Song Yi frowned and said, "Stop talking, we need to hurry up, we''re really running out of time."


    Murong Huan glared at Jiang Yiheng resentfully, then, with great difficulty, she and Song Yi climbed out again, giving Jiang Yiheng the middle finger as they left.


    Jiang Yiheng remained indifferent, then silently closed the cabinet door again.


    At that moment, Shen Yujing and Quan Le''s voices echoed from downstairs¡ª


    "60, 59, 58..."


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged a glance, both realizing that time was running out.


    So they pushed open two doors, finding neither suitable for hiding, and when the third door was pushed open, they didn''t bother to choose further, each hiding in a separate cabinet.


    Of course, Song Yi regretted it the moment she pulled the cabinet door open.


    It would have been better to hide under a bed than in such an obvious place.


    However, as soon as she pushed the cabinet door closed from the inside, Song Yi felt something was wrong.


    Because her shoulder seemed to have bumped into something, and it was clear...


    There was someone next to her!


    This sudden thrill was too much, especially in this ancient castle with its history and stories.


    Although Song Yi wasn''t afraid of ghosts, she was afraid of people. What if it was a thief or a robber who had sneaked in?


    Instinctively, Song Yi wanted to step back and call for help, but a force suddenly gripped her waist, pulling her closer, and a large hand covered her mouth, accompanied by a cold voice, "It''s me."


    Song Yi widened her eyes, looking at the person in front of her.


    Unfortunately, the cabinet was too tightly closed, and in the darkness, she couldn''t see anything. The voice of the young man had been too tense for her to recognize who it was.


    But Song Yi could feel that this person meant her no harm, so it must be someone who happened to be hiding here.


    Song Yi breathed a sigh of relief and began to deduce.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le were downstairs, Jiang Yiheng was in the previous room.


    So the person in front of her... must be either Hang Feng or Xu Che.


    So Song Yi reached out and directly felt the person''s head.


    Oh, this prickly feeling, a buzz cut.


    Song Yi already had her answer, but just in case, what if Hang Feng always wore a wig? It wasn''t impossible.


    Song Yi''s hand moved down to his forehead, and when she felt the scar on his brow, she could finally confirm it was Xu Che.


    After confirming that Song Yi had calmed down, Xu Che released his hand and whispered, "What a coincidence."


    Song Yi: "..."


    There''s no need to greet each other at a time like this!


    What a coincidence, so much so that if Shen Yujing and Quan Le came in, they could catch three at once, a real harvest.


    In the darkness, the two stood very close, as Xu Che had pulled Song Yi closer just now, and now his warm breath fell on her skin.


    Of course, Song Yi felt it on her forehead, as Xu Che was much taller than her.


    Even so, standing like this was quite awkward.


    So Song Yi turned slightly to the side, facing the cabinet door, and took a step to the side, creating a distance of about one hand''s width between them.


    Song Yi took out her phone, dimmed the screen brightness to the lowest, and found that Shen Yujing had sent a message in the group.


    ¡¾Lonely Wolf¡¿: I said to start the search from the third floor @Quan Le, where are you?


    ¡¾Quan Le¡¿: Coming, coming


    Song Yi: "..."


    How stupid, searching for people and making sure everyone knows.


    To be honest, Song Yi wasn''t nervous at all, because... the place she hid was too stupid!


    If they didn''t find her, it would be a ghost, and catching three at once, like stocking up for the New Year.


    So Song Yi stood there resignedly, ready for the inevitable discovery.


    Sure enough, soon they heard the sound of the door being pushed open, and Shen Yujing said, "You take the left, I''ll take the right, search!"


    Quan Le: "Okay!"


    Song Yi closed her eyes in numbness, waiting for the end.


    At that moment, Shen Yujing was full of fighting spirit.


    You know, just now in that room, Quan Le caught Jiang Yiheng before him, just one step away!


    Although he and Quan Le were nominal allies, Shen Yujing was actually holding a grudge, he wanted to win against Quan Le, wanted to find more people than him.


    So Shen Yujing had kept a trick up his sleeve, this room had two cabinets, one big and one small, and he chose the big one himself, because the chances of someone hiding in it were greater.


    So Shen Yujing walked over, and when he pulled the cabinet door open, he saw Song Yi standing facing him.


    Shen Yujing''s breath caught, and at the same time, he felt his heartbeat accelerate.


    The girl''s eyes were tightly closed, but her long eyelashes couldn''t help but tremble slightly, obviously nervous because he had found her.


    Was she so afraid of being found?


    Realizing this, Shen Yujing instantly changed his mind, to hell with it, winning or losing didn''t matter.


    What''s the point of winning this game? Why did he have to compete with Quan Le, wasn''t it childish!


    Shen Yujing instantly contradicted himself, then in Song Yi''s shocked gaze after opening her eyes, he solemnly closed the cabinet door again.


    Shen Yujing''s voice sounded: "There''s no one here!"


    "Ah... okay!" Quan Le''s voice sounded more flustered, and he immediately closed the door in front of him, "You... you go first."


    Shen Yujing instantly became nervous, had Quan Le realized something was wrong with him? Did he want to check this side after he left?


    "Let''s go together!" Saying that, Shen Yujing pulled Quan Le out.


    Hearing the footsteps of the two men walking away, Song Yi opened the door and called out, "Huan Huan? How is it?"


    Murong Huan also opened the door, her expression somewhat complicated, stuttering, "He pulled the other cabinet door, didn''t see me."


    This made Murong Huan herself feel a bit guilty.


    Because when the door was opened, she was ready to punch the person in front of her.


    But as soon as she stepped out, Quan Le pushed her back in, and he forcibly closed the door.


    Murong Huan pursed her lips, her mood suddenly becoming somewhat complicated.


    Was Quan Le... protecting her?


    Realizing this possibility, Murong Huan subconsciously didn''t tell Song Yi the truth.


    It wasn''t that she wanted to hide it from her, it just felt strange, and before confirming this feeling, it was better not to say it easily.


    Thinking of her lips accidentally brushing against Quan Le''s chin, Murong Huan''s cheeks instantly turned red.


    Because her mind was too chaotic, Murong Huan forgot to ask Song Yi why she wasn''t discovered.


    She raised her hand and rubbed her lips vigorously, then reached out to pull Song Yi, "Let''s hurry up and change places."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Why change?


    Didn''t Shen Yujing and Quan Le already search here? Isn''t it safe now?


    But before Song Yi could figure it out, she was already dragged away by Murong Huan.


    She only had time to look back at Xu Che.


    Song Yi missed the best time to tell Murong Huan that Xu Che was also here, so she didn''t bring it up again.


    In the end, Song Yi and Murong Huan were discovered during the change of positions.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le''s expressions were complex, both clearly wondering: Why did she run out again? Did she want him to win?


    And this game, the final winner was Xu Che, because he was the only one left unfound.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le were puzzled, asking, "Where did you hide?"


    Xu Che was silent for a moment, then said, "In a room on the second floor."


    Everyone didn''t delve deeper, and Murong Huan suggested whether they should continue the treasure hunt.


    But Shen Yujing''s gaze suddenly fell on Quan Le''s collar.


    Quan Le was wearing a white jacket today, so the red mark on his collar was very obvious, like a... lipstick mark.


    Shen Yujing narrowed his eyes, he clearly remembered there wasn''t one before.


    There were only two girls here.


    Aliali: 67256f1f2f514816a83511d8


    Shen Yujing''s gaze fell on Song Yi and Murong Huan, then his expression stiffened.


    Murong Huan''s lip color was very light, obviously she hadn''t put anything on.


    But Song Yi was different, her usually pink and tender lips were now shiny.


    Shen Yujing stiffly turned his head and took another look at the lipstick mark on Quan Le''s collar.


    The color also matched.


    So before, in that room, Quan Le had noticed the abnormality on his side and found another opportunity to sneak back in.


    The deduction was sound, the logic reasonable.


    Fuck.


    The next second¡ª


    Quan Le''s painful cries rang out: "Shen Yujing? What are you crazy for? Why are you suddenly choking my neck? Help¡ªhelp!"

 Chapter 81

    Shen Yujing''s sudden move was too abrupt, and everyone quickly pulled the two apart to prevent the situation from escalating further.During the scuffle, the mark on Quan Leyi''s collar was rubbed off by Shen Yujing''s force, no longer visible as a lipstick stain.


    Xu Che restrained Shen Yujing, while Hang Feng held back Quan Leyi.


    Murong Huan glared at Shen Yujing, "What are you doing out of the blue?"


    Song Yi also pulled Murong Huan, saying, "Don''t be too hasty, let''s hear what they have to say first."


    Shen Yujing pointed at Quan Leyi, his voice filled with anger, "What did you do, don''t you know? You let me down so much!"


    Under Shen Yujing''s accusations, Quan Leyi felt guilty.


    Earlier, after packing his luggage, he went to the bathroom and happened to run into Hang Feng at the door, where they exchanged a few words.


    To be precise, it was Quan Leyi who was educating Hang Feng about the prostate and potential issues it might cause.


    Could it be that Shen Yujing overheard this conversation?


    Though the two were not on the same wavelength, they somehow managed to converse.


    After much hesitation, Quan Leyi managed to squeeze out a few words, "I understand."


    Shen Yujing pressed further, "What do you understand?"


    Quan Leyi lowered his head, mumbling, "I won''t do it again."


    He truly understood; this was Shen Yujing''s privacy, and he would be careful not to mention it outside anymore.


    Shen Yujing interpreted Quan Leyi''s words as a promise not to use such underhanded tactics again and to compete fairly.


    Shen Yujing also knew that emotions were not something one could control, otherwise he wouldn''t...


    Forget it, he understood. sea??h th§× NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Thus, Shen Yujing decided to reluctantly forgive Quan Leyi for now, saying, "Let''s just leave it at that."


    He also realized that his direct action just now was too hasty.


    Quickly glancing at Song Yi, he saw her face was only slightly bewildered, but certainly not disgusted or annoyed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.


    As long as she didn''t dislike him.


    However, everyone else present was completely confused.


    They couldn''t understand why they fought or why they made up.


    But since the two involved parties didn''t bring it up again, the matter was dropped.


    At this moment, Jiang Yiheng stepped in to change the subject, taking out a pocket watch from his pocket, "I found this on the table."


    A very exquisite pocket watch, inside was a black-and-white photo of a puppy, and it was also inlaid with a blue gemstone, seemingly valuable.


    "Wow!" Quan Le was intrigued, saying, "There really is treasure inside!"


    Murong Huan encouraged everyone to stand up, "Let''s start searching from the first floor!"


    After a thorough search, they indeed found many valuable items.


    Such as some exquisite and beautiful jewelry, some obviously meticulously carved items, and many antique vases that looked to be of considerable age.


    When they reached the second floor, everyone split up.


    Upon entering a room, Song Yi felt the carpet under her feet was uneven.


    There was a noticeable bump, indicating the floor wasn''t flat.


    So Song Yi crouched down, lifting the carpet to reveal a golden key hidden underneath.


    At the same time, Shen Yujing''s voice came from the opposite room¡ª


    "Holy crap! There''s a cellar here!"


    Everyone gathered around, clearly curious.


    Shen Yujing frowned, "But this door is locked; we need to find the key."


    The group began searching the room for the key, accompanied by Quan Le''s pessimistic remarks, "Finding the cellar is good enough; that tiny key, are we going to look for it until tomorrow?"


    Song Yi looked at the key in her hand, crouched down, and tried inserting it into the lock, twisting.


    Then, the door opened.


    Everyone: "???"


    Jiang Yiheng asked her, "How did you find it?"


    Song Yi replied, "I found it under the carpet in the opposite room."


    Shen Yujing could only say two words, "Awesome," before stepping forward to pull open the cellar door.


    The stairs led to the cellar, and looking down, it was pitch black, nothing visible.


    Song Yi, intrigued, said, "Wow, are we starting an adventure quest? Let''s go down together!"


    Murong Huan took a step back; she was always afraid of the dark and didn''t hide her fear.


    Quan Le noticed Murong Huan''s reluctance and said, "Then Murong Huan and I will stay upstairs; if anything happens, we can be there to help."


    Song Yi nodded but soon fell into thought.


    No, leaving Quan Le and Murong Huan alone, even if something happened, no one could save them.


    Although as protagonists, they wouldn''t die in such a place, it was safer to be cautious.


    After all, who knows... if someone might break a leg.


    So Song Yi looked at the group and said, "Jiang Yiheng, you stay upstairs with them too."


    Jiang Yiheng was so scared of ghosts, and it was so dark down there; if he fainted, it would be troublesome.


    And comparatively, Jiang Yiheng would be the reliable one upstairs.


    Jiang Yiheng was already hesitating on how to refuse, and since Song Yi gave him an out, he agreed.


    So it was decided that Song Yi, Shen Yujing, Hang Feng, and Xu Che would go down to investigate.


    Song Yi, full of curiosity, was about to rush down first when someone tugged at her hat.


    Curiously turning around, she saw Shen Yujing and asked, "What are you doing?"


    Shen Yujing let go, awkwardly saying, "Move aside, I''ll go first."


    Who knows what''s down there; it''s quite dangerous for her to go first.


    Song Yi asked, "Why?"


    "Why so many questions? I just want to be first, is that okay? If there''s anything good, I get to see it first!" Shen Yujing said as he started down the stairs.


    On the surface, he seemed calm, but he was a bit nervous.


    Who knows what kind of weird things are in this old castle''s basement? Maybe a coffin... maybe a vampire...


    Ugh, ugh, ugh!


    Meanwhile, Song Yi looked at him with a speechless expression.


    Seriously, even the order of going down has to be first? So childish.


    Despite thinking that, Song Yi still took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and helped illuminate the way for Shen Yujing.


    Song Yi went down second, followed by Hang Feng, with Xu Che bringing up the rear.


    Once all four were on the ground, Song Yi said, "Why are all three of you staring at me? Get your phones out and turn on the flashlight."


    All three remained silent.


    Shen Yujing said, "Didn''t bring it."


    Hang Feng: "Me neither."


    Xu Che: "Same."


    Song Yi: "???"


    In this modern age, is it possible to be without a phone? These three are so unreliable!


    So Song Yi used her phone to scan the entire room, showing everyone the layout.


    It was a very ordinary room, filled with many boxes, but there was one particularly large box.


    How to put it, it was big enough to fit a person inside.


    Shen Yujing immediately tensed up, pointing at the largest box, "Could it be... could it be..."


    Song Yi asked, "Could it be what?"


    Shen Yujing swallowed hard, "Could it be a coffin!"


    Xu Che followed up, his voice indifferent, "If you say so, could there be a vampire in the coffin?"


    "It''s not impossible, I tell you, these things are spooky..."


    Shen Yujing''s words trailed off halfway as he suddenly realized.


    No, Xu Che wasn''t discussing the possibility of a vampire with him; he was mocking him!


    Shen Yujing: "What do you mean?"


    "Speculation is useless; we need to see for ourselves," Xu Che said as he moved forward.


    It was a matter of dignity, so Shen Yujing also picked up his pace, trying to open the coffin¡ªoh, the box¡ªbefore Xu Che.


    Still standing in place, Hang Feng asked Song Yi, "Should we follow them?"


    "No need, let them check it out," Song Yi held up her phone, curiously watching their backs, saying, "Actually, I think Shen Yujing''s right; we should be careful."


    Crossing into a book is real, and reviving a vampire in a castle isn''t entirely impossible. It''s just a difference between campus romance and western fantasy monsters.


    Hmm, no big deal.


    And soon, Shen Yujing''s voice rang out as he took a step back and exclaimed, "Holy crap!"


    Song Yi asked, "What''s wrong?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t answer, and Xu Che was unusually silent, clearly both were stunned by the sight before them.


    Curious, Song Yi walked over and squeezed between Shen Yujing and Xu Che to peek into the box.


    After seeing what was inside, she couldn''t help but exclaim, "Holy crap!"


    The box, stretching two meters long, was filled with gold and silver treasures, almost blinding them under the flashlight''s light.


    Song Yi''s voice trembled: "We''re... we''re..."


    Hang Feng asked, "What?"


    Song Yi swallowed hard and enunciated clearly, "We''re, rich, now."


    When all the boxes were carried to the surface by the servants, everyone was in a state of shock.


    Originally just for fun, the "treasure hunt" unexpectedly turned up real treasure.


    A dozen or so boxes filled with gold, silver, jade, and jewelry, looked incredibly valuable... no, priceless.


    Song Yi took Murong Huan''s hand and said, "This house was a great buy, a great buy."


    Murong Huan chuckled, also recovering from the surprise of sudden wealth.


    She said, "You found them, so take a look and take whatever you like, as much as you want, no restrictions."


    Song Yi was about to politely decline when she saw Shen Yujing rushing to the largest box, not holding back at all, and saying, "Actually, I had my eye on this one."


    Shen Yujing rummaged through the box and found a jade carving... of something unidentifiable.


    It looked oddly shaped, like a mushroom.


    So Song Yi asked, "What did you get?"


    Shen Yujing held the base of the jade, his peach blossom eyes full of anticipation as he asked Song Yi, "Don''t you think it looks like a hammer?"


    Song Yi: "......?"


    Huh? She thought Shen Yujing looked like a hammer.


    Not getting a response from Song Yi, Shen Yujing was a bit disappointed but still carefully guarded the "jade hammer" in his hand.


    Under Murong Huan''s urging, everyone still picked a piece of jewelry as a "New Year''s gift."


    Song Yi chose a green gemstone silver ring, making her fingers look even more slender and fair.


    By some strange impulse, Hang Feng also bent down and picked a ring from the boxes.


    Of course, he never let his emotions show as blatantly as before. This ring was not similar to Song Yi''s, or even related in any way.


    But among everyone present, only he and Song Yi chose rings.


    The boxes were soon carried away by the servants, to be transported back home by air ahead of them.


    By now, dinner was ready, and under the steward''s guidance, they arrived at the dining room.


    A long table was set with a variety of delicious dishes, arranged neatly, making people''s appetites soar.


    Murong Huan naturally sat in the main seat, while Song Yi sat in the first seat to her left.


    This time, Shen Yujing was unusually quick to react, immediately pulling out the chair next to Song Yi and quickly occupying the best spot.


    Excellent, only he was sitting next to Song Yi.


    Shen Yujing was quite satisfied with his agility and then watched as Xu Che pulled out the chair directly opposite Song Yi.


    Perfect, Song Yi''s left was him and directly opposite was Xu Che, Hang Feng, Jiang Yiheng, and Quan Le were all far away, he could relax now.


    Thinking this, Shen Yujing''s mood greatly improved, and he even ate two bowls of rice.


    After everyone had their fill, the servants led them to the next-door lounge.


    The same long table was set with fruits and desserts, and the room''s layout was also quite reasonable. Although not very big, it had everything from mahjong tables to billiard tables and karaoke.


    Of course, these things didn''t quite match the castle, clearly newly added.


    Seeing these, one could momentarily forget where they were.


    But after a day of rushing around, everyone had just overeaten, so they weren''t in the mood to eat more for now.


    So Murong Huan suggested again, "Let''s play a game, the loser has to eat a piece of dessert, how about it?"


    The desserts were small, forcing down two wasn''t impossible.


    This time, the game was simple, truth or dare, with seven cards, the person with the highest card could ask the one with the lowest card a truth or dare.


    The first round''s loser was Murong Huan herself, her smile immediately froze.


    And the one with the highest card was... Jiang Yiheng.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Truth or dare?"


    Murong Huan pursed her lips, a bit troubled but still said, "Truth."


    Although she thought Jiang Yiheng wouldn''t make her do anything too outrageous, it was too cold outside, what if he wanted her to run a lap or something, quite exhausting.


    Jiang Yiheng was silent for a few seconds before asking, "Why did you invite us to go abroad for New Year''s?"


    Murong Huan''s eyes flashed with shock, then she instinctively denied, "What else? Of course... it''s fun."


    Jiang Yiheng''s gaze directly met Murong Huan''s, seemingly asking, "Lying, isn''t that a violation?"


    Murong Huan''s face instantly turned pale.


    Quan Le couldn''t stand it and said, "Jiang Yiheng, what are you doing? We said it''s just for fun, so many questions? What exactly do you want..."


    Quan Le''s words were cut off as he saw Murong Huan''s eyes already reddened.


    Quan Le: "!!!"


    Song Yi also frowned.


    Murong Huan stood up directly and looked at Jiang Yiheng, "Okay, I''ll answer you. Because my parents are getting a divorce, so I don''t want to stay at home, okay?"


    After saying that, Murong Huan walked out directly, from her back one could see the usually arrogant young lady now wiping her tears.


    Quan Le couldn''t understand and glared at Jiang Yiheng, then got up and followed.


    Seeing Quan Le go after her first, Song Yi looked at Jiang Yiheng somewhat puzzled and asked, "Since you could tell she was unhappy today, shouldn''t we just make her happy? Why point it out so directly?"


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi blankly.


    Huh? She and Jiang Yiheng both saw that Murong Huan was unhappy today? How was that seen? He didn''t feel it at all?


    Jiang Yiheng also got up and walked out, leaving only a sentence, "Given her personality, saying something out is better than keeping it in."


    Shen Yujing dragged his chair closer to Song Yi and looked towards the door, asking, "What''s going on?"


    Song Yi pursed her lips, puffed her cheeks, and looked a bit troubled.


    What Jiang Yiheng said, she couldn''t refute.


    Although she and Murong Huan were best friends, they knew each other too briefly, what Jiang Yiheng said might be the most correct way to handle it for Murong Huan.


    At the corner of the corridor.


    The girl sobbed there, her cries very wronged.


    Quan Le stood behind her, his eyes filled with worry and panic, but he could only anxiously wait, not knowing how to comfort her.


    Or perhaps he was afraid that comforting her now would make Murong Huan feel embarrassed and cry even harder.


    Just as Quan Le hesitated, Jiang Yiheng walked past him.


    Quan Le asked, "Why are you here?"


    Clearly, he made Murong Huan cry, how dare he come over?


    Jiang Yiheng didn''t answer Quan Le''s question but went to Murong Huan and handed her a clean handkerchief.


    Murong Huan''s head was still buried in her arms, not lifting it to respond.


    Jiang Yiheng lowered his eyes and gently placed the handkerchief beside Murong Huan''s hand.


    Murong Huan instinctively hooked her finger and picked it up, soon hearing the sound of her using Jiang Yiheng''s handkerchief to wipe her nose.


    Under the moonlight, the usually cold boy''s lips slightly lifted, saying, "Cry enough and take a break, no second handkerchief."


    Murong Huan clenched the already dirty handkerchief in her hand, looked up at him, and asked, "Why are you here?"


    "They''ll be worried; cry enough and go back soon." Jiang Yiheng paused for a moment and then added, "There are cookies in the room; if you don''t hurry back, they''ll be all gone."


    Murong Huan was taken aback and said, "So you still remember those things."


    She suddenly recalled many past events.


    When she was little, Murong Huan was very well-behaved, so she was often bullied and teased. She would seek comfort from Jiang Yiheng.


    Of course, the process of seeking comfort was Jiang Yiheng sitting at his desk doing homework, while Murong Huan sat beside him, crying and eating cookies brought by the housekeeper.


    Aliali: 6722a0872f514816a80d09ca


    By the time she finished eating, she was too tired to cry anymore, wiped her tears, had a meal at the Jiang''s house, and then went home.


    Back then, although Jiang Yiheng didn''t like her, he wasn''t too repulsed either. At least, no matter how noisy she was, he never asked her to leave. He just lowered his head and did his homework, occasionally reaching out to hand her a tissue.


    But later, as her parents'' relationship grew increasingly strained, Murong Huan understood that being well-behaved and sensible wouldn''t make people like her.


    Just as her father didn''t like her mother, Jiang Yiheng didn''t like her.


    So she started to become willful and unreasonable, thinking that this way she could get everything she wanted, but she never expected to push Jiang Yiheng even further away.


    "It''s mainly because you came too often before; I wouldn''t forget that," Jiang Yiheng said, then looked at Quan Le, "I''m going back first. Keep an eye on her and get back soon."


    After Jiang Yiheng left, Quan Le glanced at Murong Huan and then quickly looked away, his hand that had been hanging by his side clenching tightly.


    Yes, he had almost forgotten.


    No matter how Murong Huan''s relationship with Jiang Yiheng was, she was still his fianc¨¦e in name.


    And, they had spent more than a decade together as childhood sweethearts.

 Chapter 82

    When Murong Huan returned, her eyes were still slightly red, but her expression appeared much more relaxed than before.Some things don''t need to be deliberately concealed; being open about them often feels much better.


    Seeing everyone staring at her, Murong Huan mumbled that it was embarrassing, then picked up the cards and said, "Let''s continue playing! I''ve shared such private matters with you all, now let''s see who loses next!"


    Murong Huan spoke while shuffling and dealing the cards again.


    In this round, Song Yi got the highest card, while Xu Che got the lowest.


    Song Yi looked at him with a smile and eagerly asked, "Truth or dare?"


    Xu Che hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Dare."


    "Excellent," Song Yi nodded, then turned to look at Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing was momentarily stunned, then broke into laughter, saying cheerfully, "Are you thinking of asking me for ideas to mess with him? I''ve known Xu Che for so many years; you''ve definitely come to the right person! I have plenty of..."


    Song Yi interrupted Shen Yujing and announced loudly, "Since it''s a dare, you have to princess-carry Shen Yujing while doing ten squats!"


    Xu Che: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    The smile froze on Shen Yujing''s face, his half-spoken words abruptly cut off.


    Everyone burst into laughter, even Hang Feng couldn''t help but smile as he looked at Xu Che, quite eager to witness this scene.


    Song Yi turned to Shen Yujing again, deliberately putting on an apologetic expression, "Sorry, but I have plenty of ideas in this department too."


    While Shen Yujing''s methods would only target Xu Che, her approach was different - she could torment two people at once! What a bargain!


    Just as Shen Yujing was about to say something, he saw Xu Che standing up and walking towards him.


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    Help! Save me!


    Shen Yujing immediately jumped up and tried to run towards the door, but Murong Huan mercilessly blocked his path, while Quan Le cooperatively blocked the doorway.


    Seeing no escape route, Shen Yujing changed his target and rushed towards the window. With his hand on the windowsill, he shouted with a resigned expression, "I refuse! Princess carry? I might as well jump down and die right here!"


    Though Shen Yujing said this, he soon felt a force grabbing his ankles and pulling him backward.


    Looking back, he saw Song Yi grabbing his left leg, and even more absurdly, Hang Feng holding his right leg!


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He thought he was going crazy!


    Despite Shen Yujing''s vigorous resistance, he eventually surrendered exhaustedly under everyone''s united effort.


    When Xu Che finally princess-carried him, Shen Yujing felt life had lost all meaning.


    Opening his eyes, he could see Quan Le and Hang Feng filming him with their phones.


    Shen Yujing shouted, "What are you two doing?"


    Hang Feng, feeling satisfied, put away his phone.


    "For internal appreciation only, won''t be shared outside," Quan Le answered seriously, then immediately posted it to their group chat.


    This was the most humiliating second of Shen Yujing''s life. After experiencing this, he stumbled back to his seat in a daze.


    Why was it that even though Xu Che was the one being punished, he was the one who suffered?


    He couldn''t understand! Couldn''t! Understand!!!


    Though he didn''t understand, when he raised his head again, there was determination in his eyes. "Come on! Let''s continue! Continue!"


    Now that he had been so humiliated, no one else would be spared! No one!


    Everything went according to Shen Yujing''s wishes - everyone took turns suffering, no one was spared.


    For instance, Jiang Yiheng had to recite the multiplication table and post it on social media, Song Yi had to eat a cookie using only her nose and facial movements, the usually expressionless Hang Feng had to perform a rap, and Quan Le had to dance to a girl group song.


    The atmosphere was very lively, and Murong Huan said, "Let''s do one last round before we change games. We''ve had too many dares, so this time everyone has to choose truth no matter who gets picked."


    And so the final unfortunate person turned out to be Shen Yujing, with Murong Huan as the questioner.


    Truth? Shen Yujing wasn''t afraid of that.


    For Shen Yujing, his greatest virtue was his straightforwardness. In his dozen or so years of life, he hadn''t done many things he regretted, and he rarely even talked behind people''s backs because he usually preferred direct confrontation.


    Murong Huan thought for a moment and asked, "What''s your biggest fear?"


    "Nothing," Shen Yujing answered without hesitation.


    What could he possibly be afraid of? Ridiculous!


    "Then who do you hate the most? Anyone from our school?"


    Shen Yujing said, "No one."


    This was also true - he preferred to resolve issues face-to-face and wasn''t one to hold grudges.


    Well... previously Jiang Yiheng and Xu Che would have counted, but they were on good terms now, so no one.


    Murong Huan grew impatient and asked dissatisfied, "Can''t you be more cooperative? You keep saying ''nothing'' to everything I ask. How are we supposed to play like this? Then have you ever done anything that makes you feel guilty? Something that still makes your conscience ache when you think about it?"


    When asked this question, Shen Yujing fell silent.


    Murong Huan noticed his change in expression and immediately slapped the table, "Shen Yujing, you''re hiding something! That instinctive reaction was too real! If you say ''nothing'' again, you''re clearly just making excuses!"


    Something that made him feel guilty, that still troubled his conscience... there was indeed one thing.


    Shen Yujing remembered that evening when he saw Song Yi slip a love letter into Jiang Yiheng''s desk drawer, and what he did afterward.


    He had replaced Song Yi''s love letter to Jiang Yiheng with a note calling Jiang Yiheng a pig.


    Even now, thinking about it still made him feel complicated.


    Did he regret it? A little, since it was truly unethical.


    But if given another chance, would he do it again?


    The answer was still yes.


    His actions then were unconscious and instinctive because he hadn''t yet understood his own feelings.


    Now that he understood, he certainly wouldn''t have let it happen.


    The more he thought about it, the more Shen Yujing felt he was despicable, like a rat in the gutter, doing things that couldn''t bear the light of day.


    During Shen Yujing''s silence, Quan Le couldn''t hold back anymore and asked, "Last year at my birthday, were you the one who hid cabbage in my cake?"


    "Ah... yes," Shen Yujing was startled but nodded in admission, remembering that had indeed happened.


    Quan Le roared, "I knew it! And you blamed it on Zhang Yong! Shen Yujing! I really misjudged you!"


    "Just that?" Murong Huan was clearly disappointed, having expected some shocking gossip or embarrassing story about Shen Yujing.


    At that moment, Murong Huan''s phone screen lit up, and she excitedly stood up, "Let''s go, the fireworks are all set up, let''s hurry and watch!"


    Everyone gradually stood up, and at this point, no one questioned whether Shen Yujing had answered the truth question honestly.


    Shen Yujing leaned back in his chair, secretly breathing a sigh of relief, as if he had just escaped a crisis.


    Fortunately, by coincidence, Quan Le had helped him deflect that question.


    But still...


    Thinking about that incident, Shen Yujing still felt very uneasy.


    If Song Yi found out about it in the future, would she blame him?


    Would it be better to confess such mistakes on his own rather than apologizing after being exposed?


    Shen Yujing ran his fingers through his hair, his face full of worry.


    As Quan Le passed by him, he directly grabbed Shen Yujing''s hat and pulled, "I haven''t even settled the score about the cabbage incident with you yet, why are you sitting here looking so troubled? Let''s go!"


    *


    On the third-floor balcony, fireworks were set up along the edge, with safety measures in place to ensure they could see the fireworks while staying completely safe.


    Where they were sitting, there were many small fireworks like sparklers arranged nearby, convenient for them to play with and take photos.


    On the nearby table, beautiful candles were arranged, illuminating the night.


    The butler brought bowls of small tangyuan (sweet rice balls), saying, "Everyone can have some food, there''s still an hour until midnight."


    Having rested for a while, everyone had recovered some energy. They accepted the tangyuan and chatted while eating, only setting off a few small fireworks for fun at this point.


    Quan Le had already started playing with the fireworks, sometimes waving sparklers in front of Murong Huan, sometimes using smoke from small fireworks to draw in the air, until he picked up something unknown and pulled it in Song Yi''s direction¡ª


    Watching the "fireworks" spray towards Song Yi, Shen Yujing felt his blood run cold.


    He suddenly rose and shielded Song Yi with his body. The young man''s chin rested against her forehead as his hands firmly protected her beneath him.


    In that moment, Shen Yujing could hear his own heart pounding violently.


    There was uncertainty, unease, and undisguised fear accompanied by his trembling body.


    He didn''t know if these fireworks would burn him when they fell on his body, or if there would be any more serious consequences, but at this moment he only wanted to protect her.


    Shen Yujing''s mind went blank, but instinct made him say, "I''m sorry."


    Song Yi''s voice now sounded soft and gentle as she asked, "What for?"


    What did he have to be sorry about?


    "I''m sorry! I shouldn''t have switched your love letter to Jiang Yiheng with a note calling him a pig." At this point, Shen Yujing suddenly felt somewhat aggrieved.


    Looking at Song Yi''s gaze, what kind of man had she fallen for? At a time like this, he just stood there watching, clearly not worried about her at all!


    Thinking of this, Shen Yujing''s voice carried an unmistakable sob as he said, "Jiang Yiheng isn''t good enough for you. If I''m gone, you can''t choose him. Well, if I''m gone, I won''t know who you choose anyway..."


    "No," Song Yi interrupted Shen Yujing, pushing him up slightly.


    They faced each other, eyes meeting.


    At this moment, only one emotion remained on Song Yi''s face: bewilderment. She asked, "What are you talking about?"


    Why was he suddenly speaking as if giving his last words?


    And when had she ever written a love letter to Jiang Yiheng? What was all this about?


    But what happened next shocked Song Yi even more.


    Because now Shen Yujing''s eyes were red as he stared at her, clearly... crying?


    Song Yi couldn''t understand at all. She reached out to touch Shen Yujing''s eyes, and only after feeling the moisture did she confirm he was actually crying.


    Song Yi immediately felt uncomfortable and said awkwardly, "Whatever it is, get up first and then we can talk."


    "I can''t, I''m..."


    I can''t get up because I''m injured.


    The words were on the tip of Shen Yujing''s tongue, but suddenly something felt wrong.


    Wait, if he was injured, why didn''t anything hurt?


    Shen Yujing maintained his position "sofa-cornering" Song Yi, supporting himself with one hand while reaching behind his back with the other to feel around.


    His clothes were fine, his neck wasn''t broken, there was no blood on his head - he seemed... completely unharmed?!


    So Shen Yujing quickly scrambled up, turned around, and saw golden shimmering pieces scattered on the floor.


    Shen Yujing looked at Quan Le in disbelief, "What''s that in your hand?"


    Aliali: 67213af83a4784313d774913


    Quan Le answered, "A party popper, haven''t you seen one before?"


    Then Quan Le pulled another one towards Shen Yujing, "You like them? Happy New Year!"


    Shen Yujing, face covered in golden sparkles: "..."


    A party popper? Wasn''t it a firecracker? How could this be?


    How embarrassing! He was so embarrassed!


    At this moment, Jiang Yiheng''s voice rang out, filled with incredulity, "You should also explain what you meant about switching Song Yi''s love letter to me?"


    "Yes," Song Yi nodded, completely puzzled, "When did I ever write a love letter to Jiang Yiheng?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    How did he end up confessing to that too? sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe they should ask Quan Le to replace that party popper with a bomb and just blow him away.

 Chapter 83

    The situation became quite awkward, at least for Shen Yujing.His first attempt at "playing the hero" not only failed but also led to revealing his secret.


    Murong Huan looked back and forth between Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng, clearly unable to connect the dots from what Shen Yujing had said.


    Meanwhile, everyone else was staring at Song Yi, obviously waiting for her response.


    When faced with everyone''s "interrogation," Shen Yujing took three steps back, his face filled with complicated emotions.


    Even if he wanted to explain, he didn''t know where to begin.


    Of course, he had already revealed quite enough information.


    Jiang Yiheng rested his hand on his chin, pondering aloud, "The note calling me a pig..."


    Jiang Yiheng had caught onto this key point, and Song Yi suddenly remembered too.


    Song Yi said, "Right! I remember now, it was that napkin, wasn''t it? So you were the one who wrote it?"


    "Yes," Shen Yujing nodded in admission. "That day after school, I saw you put that envelope in Jiang Yiheng''s drawer, and I couldn''t help... couldn''t help but open and read it. It was a love letter. Then... then..."


    Then he replaced the love letter with a note calling Jiang Yiheng a pig.


    Song Yi''s brain worked overtime, searching through the dusty corners of her memory, "That was someone else''s love letter to Jiang Yiheng. I just accidentally knocked it down and picked it up!"


    "What?" Shen Yujing froze, looking at Song Yi in disbelief. "Really?"


    "Of course," Song Yi pressed her fingers against her temple, feeling a headache coming on. "How could I possibly write a love letter to Jiang Yiheng? I had only known him for a few days back then?"


    More importantly, Murong Huan had liked Jiang Yiheng at that time, so she would never have done something like that.


    Shen Yujing mumbled, "Maybe it was love at first sight. Isn''t that the type you like - good grades and handsome?"


    A flash of disappointment crossed Jiang Yiheng''s face before he turned to Shen Yujing and said flatly, "Thank you."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Quan Le explained to him, "He''s thanking you for calling him smart and handsome."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Since when did Jiang Yiheng become so shameless? Was that even the point?


    But Shen Yujing still confirmed with Song Yi, "You''re not lying to me? That love letter really wasn''t from you?"


    Song Yi sat back down in her seat and said, "I''m certain. I''ve never written a love letter to anyone."


    Shen Yujing let out a long sigh of relief.


    Thank goodness, it had all been a misunderstanding.


    Shen Yujing took the party popper from Quan Le''s hand and pulled it, aiming at Jiang Yiheng.


    Golden confetti fell on Jiang Yiheng''s face as he removed his glasses, enunciating each syllable, "Shen. Yu. Jing."


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing was already looking for his next victim with the party popper, cheerfully calling out, "Happy New Year!"


    Soon, the group was back to their lively celebrations. sea??h th§× Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Colorful confetti danced in the air, with everyone covered in bits and pieces, looking disheveled yet contentedly lounging in their spots.


    "It''s eleven fifty-eight!" Murong Huan called out, quickly standing up to brush off the confetti from her clothes, saying, "Quick, get the lighter, it''s time to light the fireworks!"


    Xu Che was in charge of lighting the fireworks. For some reason, this moment suddenly felt ceremonial, with everyone counting down the final ten seconds in unison.


    During the last three seconds, Xu Che lit the fireworks.


    These fireworks were specially designed - lighting one would trigger all of them.


    As Xu Che stepped back, the countdown ended, and the fireworks burst into the sky.


    "Happy New Year!"


    Someone shouted first, setting the mood.


    Then came a chorus of "Happy New Year" greetings, accompanied by continuous laughter.


    Song Yi stood by the half wall, looking up at the sky.


    The starry sky, accompanied by the continuous blooming and fading of fireworks, created a truly beautiful scene.


    Song Yi had always thought the fireworks scenes in TV dramas and novels were clich¨¦ and created artificial romance, but now that she was standing here herself, she finally understood how special it was.


    The constant bursting of fireworks drowned out all other sounds, as if allowing her to immerse herself in her own world and truly appreciate this fireworks display.


    Song Yi looked back and saw that Quan Le and Murong Huan had somehow started playing around again, with Murong Huan holding a sparkler, laughing happily.


    It was wonderful.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but smile too; she loved the current atmosphere.


    Everything felt beautiful and warm to her.


    She seemed to have truly fallen in love with everything here.


    Compared to the loneliness of her real life, she preferred growing up in this kind of atmosphere.


    For Song Yi, this was no longer just a story in a book; everything happening around her felt real.


    And they were all living, breathing people who laughed, played, cared for her, and showed her kindness.


    Xu Che stood on the other side, turning to look at her, mouthing a few words.


    Although Song Yi couldn''t hear him, she could see what he was saying: Happy New Year.


    Happy New Year, may everyone stay happy forever.


    *


    Everyone had worked hard today, staying up late and playing around, before finally retiring to their rooms to rest.


    Murong Huan was already fast asleep in bed, but Song Yi couldn''t sleep.


    Because after a long time, it was the first time the system had initiated conversation with her.


    [Don''t be so surprised, I''m really leaving, just saying goodbye]


    [As systems, we choose people who aren''t very happy in their real lives to come to the book world, giving them a chance to change their fate]


    [Making our hosts happy is the destiny of every system''s existence]


    [Now you''ve completely avoided the Bad Ending, and you have your own life, plus you''ve gained many friendships and love that weren''t calculated in the data. So host, from now on, don''t treat this as a book world anymore, because everything here belongs to your brand new life]


    [My mission is complete, and I need to find my next host]


    [I''m glad to have known you, and honored to have accompanied you]


    [Goodbye, my Host #0113]


    The mechanical voice faded, accompanied by an electrical sound, just like when she first came to this world, as if something was being extracted from her body.


    Song Yi opened her lips, murmuring, "Goodbye."


    Her voice was so soft it was barely audible, and the system had already left.


    Though she had initially been forced into this world and compelled to execute this mission, it hadn''t been the best start.


    She hadn''t even particularly liked the people she first met.


    But somehow, at some point, she had completely integrated into this world, becoming one of them.


    Like these people at the castle now - in the original plot, they weren''t supposed to gather here, let alone become friends.


    Song Yi pressed her lips together, trying hard to make her lips curve upward into a smile.


    But for some reason, her eyes still couldn''t help but turn red.


    Perhaps it was because of the system''s departure - its familiar presence, which she had grown accustomed to, was now completely gone.


    Suddenly, Song Yi wanted to feel the cool breeze.


    So she got out of bed, put on her slippers, and tiptoed out, careful not to wake Murong Huan.


    On the balcony.


    The traces of earlier fireworks had already been cleaned up by the servants. She sat on the long bench with a cup of hot milk in her hands, looking up at the moon in the sky.


    This was a rare moment of tranquility.


    Until the door opened.


    Song Yi turned around and, seeing who it was, asked in surprise, "Shen Yujing? Why are you here?"


    The young man stood at the door, instinctively hiding something behind his back when he heard Song Yi speak.


    Song Yi naturally noticed this and asked, "What are you holding?"


    Shen Yujing hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down beside Song Yi, handing her the gift bag before seriously turning away, no longer looking at her.


    Song Yi looked down at the bag in her lap, poked Shen Yujing''s shoulder with one finger, and asked, "What''s inside?"


    Shen Yujing wouldn''t look at her, but his voice sounded awkward as he said, "New Year''s gift."


    A gift?


    Song Yi became curious and lowered her head to open the bag. Inside were two boxes, one large and one small.


    Song Yi first opened the small box, and what caught her eye was a necklace, though it was quite unique.


    It was a hammer-shaped necklace, with the handle made of pink crystal and the head composed of diamonds.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but laugh, asking, "Is this your New Year''s gift?"


    She then held the gift box up in front of Shen Yujing.


    "You don''t like it?" Seeing Song Yi''s gesture, Shen Yujing pressed his lips together, suddenly feeling at a loss.


    Song Yi looked at him helplessly and said, "I want you to help me put it on."


    Hearing this, Shen Yujing froze for a moment, then broke into an almost disbelieving smile, quickly saying, "Alright, I''ll help you put it on."


    Though he agreed, when it actually came to helping Song Yi with the necklace, Shen Yujing was all thumbs.


    It was just a matter of fastening the clasp, yet he failed several times despite repeated attempts.


    Looking at her fair neck before him, with the young woman''s beautiful shoulder line exposed as she bent her head, perhaps because he was so close, he caught a faint fragrance from her skin.


    Startled by his thoughts, the necklace slipped from his hands.


    Song Yi caught the falling necklace and turned to ask him, "What are you doing? How can you not manage such a simple task?"


    "Who says I can''t? My... my hands are stiff from the cold!" Shen Yujing quickly made up an excuse, hastily taking the necklace back from Song Yi''s hands and pushing her to turn around. "It''s your fault for moving around, otherwise I would have fastened it already."


    Song Yi rolled her eyes heavenward, not bothering to argue with him.


    Shen Yujing was still nervous, but thankfully heaven finally gave him a break, and this time he managed to fasten the clasp successfully.


    Shen Yujing breathed a sigh of relief, quickly withdrawing his hands and turning his face away, suddenly too shy to look at her.


    Song Yi turned back around, wrapping her fluffy robe more tightly around herself, and reached for the larger box in the gift bag.


    This time when she opened it, inside was... a piece of fabric???


    Song Yi curiously took it out and asked, "What''s this? A blanket?"


    This blanket was really ugly, with red and white colors haphazardly pieced together.


    But it felt nice to touch, and would probably be warm to cover her legs with...


    "Blanket? What blanket?" Shen Yujing became agitated, looking at Song Yi. "Look carefully at what this is!"


    Huh? It''s not a blanket?


    Song Yi paused, holding up the piece of fabric higher.


    It was fluffy and extremely large; she had to spread her arms completely to hold it up, and it almost blocked her entire field of vision.


    Song Yi stared at the fabric for a minute, while Shen Yujing stared at her for a minute, determined to wait for an answer.


    Song Yi was silent for two seconds before saying, "...If this isn''t a blanket, what else could it be?"


    Shen Yujing grew anxious and exclaimed, "It''s a scarf!"


    Song Yi: "?"


    So she draped the piece of fabric¡ªno, scarf¡ªover herself in front of Shen Yujing.


    The scarf was so large it was like a bath towel, enough to wrap around most of her body with plenty left over.


    Song Yi repeated Shen Yujing''s words, but this time as a question: "This is a scarf? More like a bath towel."


    Shen Yujing''s pride instantly crumbled. He reached out to pull at the scarf Song Yi was wearing, his face showing traces of anger as he said, "I knitted this myself! If you don''t like it, give it back!"


    Song Yi was stunned for a moment, and suddenly understood why the scarf''s quality was so good, why the color combination was so ugly, and why Shen Yujing was angry.


    He knitted it himself?


    Imagining Shen Yujing frowning while holding yarn and eventually getting himself tangled up in it, Song Yi found it incredibly amusing.


    So Song Yi protected the scarf wrapped around her, partly wanting to tease him, and said, "No way, you said this was my New Year''s gift. Who takes back a gift after giving it?"


    "Aren''t you complaining about it? Then I''ll take it back!"


    I''ll take it back and knit a better-looking one to give her.


    Thinking this, Shen Yujing put more strength into trying to grab the scarf from Song Yi.


    Song Yi hadn''t expected Shen Yujing to actually try to take the scarf back, and when she didn''t use enough strength to resist, she fell forward toward him.


    Shen Yujing had originally intended to leave the gifts at Song Yi''s door, but when passing by, he had noticed the balcony light was on and decided to check if she was there, which she actually was.


    So he was dressed quite thinly, wearing only pajamas with a light jacket, and after standing in the cold wind for so long, his limbs had become stiff with cold.


    Aliali: 672125f93a4784313d7613c1


    When something suddenly fell into his arms, warm and fluffy, Shen Yujing''s first thought was... this feels quite warm?


    Instinctively, Shen Yujing held the young woman in his arms a bit tighter, and when he realized what he had done, his face instantly turned red to the ears.


    This embrace came too suddenly, but surprisingly, Song Yi didn''t feel any aversion to the physical contact.


    Perhaps it was because she suddenly remembered earlier that evening, when Shen Yujing had mistaken the party popper for a firecracker and frantically shielded her with his body, and those eyes that, though red with fear, still looked at her with concern.


    The young man''s thoughts might be clumsy, but they were sincere enough to make one feel helpless or amused, yet impossible to truly dislike.


    Just as Song Yi was lost in thought, she felt the hand around her shoulders and back not only didn''t let go but actually held her more tightly.


    The young man lowered his head, his chin resting on her forehead, his voice very low, suddenly carrying an inexplicable mix of melancholy and sincerity.


    He said, "It''s okay if you think this scarf is ugly. I''ll learn, I''ll definitely knit you prettier ones until you like them."


    "It''s okay if I have flaws you don''t like, I''ll learn and change those too. I''ll definitely do better than others, until..."


    Until you like me too.

 Chapter 84

    However, some words reached this point, and there was no courage to continue.Shen Yujing could only hear his own heart beating frantically, completely exposing his current panic and helplessness.


    Words spoken to this point could still barely be classified as friendship.


    But if he continued, it would truly be breaking through that thin paper window.


    Shen Yujing pressed his lips together, and ultimately didn''t have the courage to say the final words.


    Though he remained silent, he still didn''t let go of her hand.


    The girl''s body was soft and fragrant, like holding a doll, and most importantly, she was warm.


    Just as Shen Yujing was hesitating about what to say next, he felt a hand rest on his back.


    This was Song Yi''s first time hugging him, and she said, "Happy New Year."


    After thinking for a moment, Song Yi added, "It''s okay if it''s ugly, as long as it''s warm. There''s no need to knit a second one - you''d be better off doing more practice papers with that time."


    As for him... it''s okay if he''s a bit silly, as long as he has no ill intentions.


    Shen Yujing''s heart beat faster and faster, until finally he pushed Song Yi away.


    The young man''s face was as red as an apple, and he turned his head away, not daring to look at Song Yi.


    This won''t do, this won''t do - if this continues, his heart will truly explode, he''ll die.


    Song Yi only then noticed he was wearing just a thin jacket, and asked, "Aren''t you cold?"


    "...Cold."


    Song Yi asked him again, "Then why don''t you go back?"


    Instead of answering, Shen Yujing asked, "What about you?"


    Song Yi said, "I want to watch the stars a bit longer."


    They say that when people die, they become stars hanging in the sky. Although her system hadn''t died but rather went to accompany new task-takers, Song Yi still wanted to remember it this way.


    Hmm... the biggest and brightest star in the sky would be her parents. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    And the second brightest would be her system.


    This way, it would always be watching over her, accompanying her, just like they did.


    Hearing Song Yi say this, Shen Yujing said, "Then I won''t leave either. I want to watch the stars too."


    Song Yi naturally couldn''t be bothered to mind him, but soon Shen Yujing sneezed for the first time.


    Song Yi looked at him: "Do you still want to continue watching?"


    Shen Yujing stubbornly answered, "Of course... achoo!"


    Song Yi handed him the scarf in her hand, "Then you should wear this first."


    Shen Yujing took it and draped it over himself, and after a while couldn''t help but look at Song Yi again.


    She was looking up at the starry sky, but her eyes were somehow slightly red, along with the tip of her nose.


    The moonlight fell on her face, and the young girl looked quiet and beautiful, as if she was missing someone.


    A cold wind blew past.


    Shen Yujing opened up the scarf he was wearing and carefully draped one end over Song Yi''s shoulders, then moved a bit closer to her.


    Song Yi silently allowed his actions.


    At this moment, Shen Yujing suddenly felt grateful that the scarf he had knitted was so big and long - it was useful after all.


    *


    At this moment, in the room.


    The black bangs on the young man''s forehead were soaked with sweat, and his usually gloomy and cold face bore an indescribable pain.


    Clearly, Hang Feng was currently trapped in a nightmare.


    In the dream, it was still Saint Slee Academy, still all of them.


    Only the story was completely different from now.


    In the dream, Shen Yujing had fallen for Song Yi very early on, pursuing her with fervent passion.


    The school bully and the top student of their grade - this matter had caused such a stir in school that almost everyone knew about it. Countless people were watching the drama unfold, or rather, waiting to see Song Yi become a laughingstock.


    These matters originally had nothing to do with Hang Feng; he had only heard some rumors but had no interest in them.


    Until that day at the alley entrance, when she rescued him while he was covered in injuries.


    That day he had originally not wanted to live, but she took careful care of him, making him rekindle hope for living and a slight attachment to this world.


    The scenes in dreams always pass in an instant, like rapidly turning pages in a book.


    The next second was a scene from Class A.


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng''s relationship gradually became closer, which sparked rumors and led to Murong Huan''s pranks.


    She was locked in the bathroom, doused with dirty water.


    Hang Feng wanted to protect her, but was too timid to appear before her.


    So he quietly left his jacket on the washstand to cover her upper body, helped open the door, and fled the scene.


    But later, Song Yi still discovered the jacket was his. She took the initiative to find him and thank him, very grateful, wanting to be friends with him.


    But once desire opens its door, it can never be stopped again.


    He wasn''t satisfied with just being her friend. He began to envy her closeness and care for others, he wanted to become the most special existence in her heart, he wanted to possess her exclusively.


    These malicious thoughts grew like vines in the young man''s heart until senior year when Song Yi and Shen Yujing got together, and he could no longer suppress his desires.


    So he chose the most extreme method - he pretended to be sick and lured Song Yi to an apartment Xu Yuanguo had given him, then imprisoned her there.


    He finally privatized the moon, but not through love - through malice.


    Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng couldn''t contact Song Yi; she seemed to have vanished from this world.


    One month passed, two months passed, and they were still persistently searching.


    Police cars passed by Hang Feng''s house, but none of them suspected him.


    After all, everyone knew that Hang Feng was Song Yi''s most cherished friend.


    Anyone might hurt Song Yi, but Hang Feng definitely wouldn''t - when faced with police questioning, he had almost cried while fighting with Shen Yujing.


    On the surface, he blamed Shen Yujing for not protecting his girlfriend well, but behind the scenes, he wore a smile.


    At night when he returned home, he would caress his beloved girl''s face and kiss her lips that had long lost their color.


    In his view, she was his, his alone.


    In the dream, Hang Feng seemed to stand at a god''s perspective watching everything unfold. He reached out countless times trying to stop it all from happening, but could only grasp air.


    He was like a powerless spectator, desperately wanting to prevent everything, yet merely an outsider to the play.


    Until the day before school started.


    The young man sat at his desk, looking up with a slight smile as he asked the girl, "We''re going to move. I''ve already applied for off-campus housing at Imperial Capital University. Everything will be the same as now. Don''t worry, I''ll never abandon you no matter what, after all, I''m the person who loves you most in this world."


    But the girl''s eyes looking at him had long lost their former care, leaving only endless pain and hatred.


    So in the deep night, she no longer hesitated. She fell from the high-rise, choosing to end her life.


    She was like a butterfly yearning for freedom - falling, then perishing.


    In his own dream, the present Hang Feng chased after Song Yi, but he couldn''t touch her, couldn''t stop her.


    And that previous "fake" Hang Feng was still sleeping sweetly in bed, unaware of what had happened.


    So the real Hang Feng chose to jump down with her, but unfortunately, he was ultimately an outsider to this dream.


    No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t change any of it.


    He stood on the ground unharmed, while the girl''s body in the white lace dress gradually became soaked with blood.


    "No... no!"


    Hang Feng shouted, suddenly awakening from the dream, his back completely drenched in sweat.


    His cheeks also felt cold; he slowly reached up to touch them and found they were all tears.


    It turned out he had been crying uncontrollably in his dream.


    The young man got up and sat leaning against the bed.


    He slowly closed his eyes, his mind full of scenes from the dream, and the heart-wrenching sight of Song Yi jumping from the building.


    Aliali: 67507c33d781fc2288ca86ff


    He desperately comforted himself - this is a dream, just a dream, don''t think too much about it.


    Dreams and reality are opposites, everyone is fine, none of these things will happen, and he would absolutely never do such things.


    But then...


    He thought of the scene when he sent her home that day.


    Those vows she had made him make, which seemed ridiculous at the time, now matched eerily with the dream.


    The girl''s light voice seemed to ring in his ears again.


    "You have to promise me to just be friends, you can''t fall in love with me! And you can''t imprison me because of unrequited love! Most importantly, you can''t kill me! Imprisonment is illegal! Murder is also illegal!"


    At that moment, he thought it was utterly absurd, but now, the coincidence between these two things seemed to quietly point toward one answer¡ª


    Those events might have actually happened.


    He had once destroyed his moon.

 Chapter 85

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    Some take way time first do after on now them know some like me about can when no into good his for know at these how from look to but come know want my be from by work want.

 Chapter 86

    After the "gorilla incident" ended, everyone rested for the night and boarded their flight back home the next day.At the airport, they unexpectedly saw Shen''s Mother.


    The usually elegant and beautiful woman had removed her sunglasses, revealing swollen red eyes. Looking in their direction, she called out emotionally, "Son!"


    With that, Shen''s Mother came running towards them in her four-inch heels, arms wide open.


    Shen Yujing was surprised, unable to immediately comprehend his mother''s sudden display of affection.


    Could it be because she learned he had fallen ill abroad? Was she so worried that she came to the airport to pick him up?


    Though awkward, Shen Yujing reluctantly opened his arms.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan huddled together, saying, "Their mother-son relationship must be really good."


    The next moment, Shen''s Mother ran right past Shen Yujing, heading straight for the staff behind them.


    Shen''s Mother''s excited voice rang out from behind them: "Where''s my son? How is he?"


    The staff member replied, "Ma''am, please wait. Since the gorilla was transported on your private jet, we need you to complete some paperwork..."


    Everyone: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    His outstretched arms slowly lowered, so embarrassed he didn''t know where to put them.


    Clearly, Shen''s Mother''s gorilla had also been sent back to the country, so the son she was urgently looking for wasn''t her biological one.


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Someone''s laughter broke the silence, though it wasn''t clear who started it.


    Shen Yujing immediately turned to look at Song Yi and Murong Huan, but both shook their heads - it wasn''t them.


    Then Quan Le innocently waved his hands, saying earnestly, "I''m trying to hold it in... haha... I''m really trying!"


    Shen Yujing''s gaze swept quickly over them before catching the true culprit - Xu Che.


    Xu Che suppressed his smile and tried to put on a serious face, saying, "Sorry, it was too funny, I couldn''t help it."


    Shen Yujing walked over to Hang Feng, put a hand on his shoulder, and said, "Your brother has issues, Hang Feng. I''m very touched that you bravely stood in front of me yesterday. I''ll remember that. From today on, we''re true friends. Since that''s the case, I can reluctantly be your brother instead. Kick Xu Che out and follow me from now on."


    "Heh." Xu Che let out a light laugh, making his attitude clear.


    No matter what conflicts or disagreements he had with Hang Feng, as an older brother, he was still far better than an unreliable person like Shen Yujing. There was no comparison.


    Moreover, Shen Yujing''s request was too outrageous. Hang Feng wouldn''t just casually...


    The youth''s voice was hoarse as he called out: "Brother."


    Xu Che: "??"


    Everyone: "!!"


    Shen Yujing was stunned for a second before immediately breaking into a smile: "Did you hear that, Xu Che?"


    Song Yi and Murong Huan hugged each other, both laughing so hard they nearly collapsed.


    Xu Che expressionlessly grabbed one of Hang Feng''s shoulders, while Shen Yujing desperately protected Hang Feng, still provocatively shouting: "Don''t touch my brother! This is my brother!"


    Shen Yujing then turned to Hang Feng, solemnly saying, "From now on, you''re the third son in our family, and Jerry will be your second brother! Don''t worry, your brothers will take good care of you!"


    Hang Feng''s expression instantly froze.


    Xu Che stepped back, completely withdrawing from this brotherly tug-of-war, and said to Hang Feng: "Congratulations."


    Quan Le didn''t understand and asked, "What is Xu Che congratulating him for?"


    Jiang Yiheng pushed up his glasses and translated: "Congratulating Hang Feng on becoming a gorilla''s brother."


    Laughter erupted, and Hang Feng disgustedly removed Shen Yujing''s hand.


    This trip finally ended amid laughter, though the scars on the youth''s wrist would perhaps remain with him forever, just like this friendship.


    Whole pages of his diary were filled with her name. What he wrote wasn''t just her name, but rather unspoken feelings and vague, confused emotions that he couldn''t express aloud. Yet he didn''t know if he would ever have the chance or courage to say them again.


    Today was good enough - she liked him becoming their friend like this.


    As long as she liked it, he could stay this way forever.


    Finally, the diary was closed and placed in the deepest drawer.


    *


    At the Song residence.


    After returning home, Song Yi slept for another whole day, not waking until evening when it was already dark.


    But what struck Song Yi as strange was that her father hadn''t returned yet.


    On the table were fifty yuan and a note from her father telling her to go out for dinner.


    This was something that had almost never happened before, and he hadn''t explained what he was doing.


    Song Yi curiously picked up her phone and called her father.


    His voice quickly came through, "Yi Yi, what''s wrong? Did something happen at home?"


    "No," Song Yi answered, then added, "I just miss your cooking, Dad. Where are you? Why aren''t you home so late?"


    Song''s Father paused for two seconds before saying, "Another friend asked me to help cook. Their mother is visiting the Imperial Capital for the first time and wants to taste authentic Imperial Capital cuisine. Your father had nothing else to do anyway..."


    Before Song''s Father could finish, there was the sound of a plate breaking in the background, followed by a man''s scolding: "How can you not even wash a bowl properly? So careless!"


    "I have to go now. Get something to eat and go to bed early. Dad will be back soon."


    Song''s Father hung up immediately, not giving Song Yi a chance to say anything more.


    Song Yi frowned, resting her chin on her hand, deep in thought.


    Obviously, something wasn''t right. The panic in her father''s voice clearly indicated he was hiding something from her.


    And that man''s words were a key piece of information.


    Plates - it must be somewhere they prepare food.


    But from his tone, he seemed to be someone in management scolding subordinates.


    The answer was obvious.


    Her father must have found a job to supplement their household income but was keeping it from her to avoid worrying her.


    Having slept all day, Song Yi wasn''t particularly sleepy, so she sat on the couch watching TV while waiting for her father to return.


    At eleven-thirty, the sound of keys turning in the lock could be heard.


    Seeing the living room light on and his daughter still sitting on the couch, Song''s Father was startled for a moment before smiling and asking, "Why aren''t you resting yet?"


    Song Yi got up and walked to her father, leaning in to smell him - there was an obvious smell of cooking oil and smoke.


    Song''s Father became somewhat uncomfortable and asked, "What are you doing, child?"


    Song Yi crossed her arms and looked at her father with an interrogating expression: "Where did you go to cook? You''ve been busy for several days, haven''t you?"


    Song''s Father smiled somewhat sheepishly - indeed, nothing could be hidden from his daughter who had been clever since childhood.


    So Song''s Father said, "I found a job at a restaurant. They liked my cooking skills and asked me to stay on as a chef."


    "Really?" Song Yi was surprised, then felt happy, "How did you come around to this? I was planning to find time to talk to you about this again."


    Song''s Father became even more embarrassed and said, "Wasn''t it when you brought those kids home for your birthday? They all praised my cooking. Your father thought that since your friends have eaten at good places, their approval means I must be really good. I wasn''t hiding it from you; I just wanted to wait until it was officially confirmed before telling you."


    Song Yi smiled and asked, "That''s great news. With your cooking skills, even if this restaurant doesn''t want you, we''ll find somewhere better. By the way, which restaurant is it?"


    Song''s Father named the restaurant, but something about it didn''t seem quite right to Song Yi.


    This was considered one of the more upscale restaurants in the Imperial Capital, located inside a shopping mall. Given her father''s personality, he wouldn''t actively seek out such a place for work.


    So Song Yi asked, "How did you think to apply there?"


    At this point, Song''s Father went to his room and brought out a folded flyer, handing it to Song Yi.


    He said, "I saw it earlier near our house entrance. A young person gave it to me. It had application instructions on it, so I thought I''d give it a try. After all, such a big restaurant wouldn''t try to deceive me."


    Song Yi opened the flyer, her expression becoming complicated.


    First of all, who would distribute flyers in their alley?


    Secondly, what kind of flyer would have "Hiring Chefs" written at the bottom?


    And yes, it was written - handwritten!


    This was ridiculous...


    Wait... this terrible handwriting looked oddly familiar...


    So Song Yi took a photo of the flyer with her phone and searched for detailed information about the restaurant. As expected, the owner''s surname was Shen. S§×ar?h the Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi then sent the photo to Shen Yujing with a question mark.


    The "typing" indicator in the upper left corner kept appearing for a full minute, only to result in another "?" being sent back.


    It seemed rather suspicious no matter how you looked at it.


    Having lost her patience, Song Yi called him directly.


    On the other end, Shen Yujing nearly dropped his phone in panic when he saw the incoming call, but he quickly answered.


    Song Yi asked him, "Did you deliberately come to distribute that flyer at my house?"


    Shen Yujing immediately denied it: "No, I''ve never even heard of that restaurant."


    Song Yi chuckled and said, "Really? But I looked up the restaurant, and your father is listed as the legal representative."


    Shen Yujing: "...Well, maybe I forgot about it. You know I never pay attention to these things."


    Song Yi continued, "Is that so? But my dad said a young person gave it to him."


    Shen Yujing blurted out, "That was Xu Che, it has nothing to do with me."


    They both fell silent.


    Song Yi only said one word, "Oh?"


    Knowing that honesty was the best policy, Shen Yujing had to confess.


    He said, "My hair color is too recognizable, and later I thought about asking Quan Le but your dad had met him before, so I asked Xu Che to help out."


    Song Yi asked incredulously, "Is that the point? So did you arrange this job for my dad?"


    "No, no, no!" Shen Yujing immediately denied, his voice tinged with panic, "I didn''t, I really didn''t. I just saw that the restaurant was hiring chefs, so I slightly guided uncle in that direction."


    "That''s all?"


    "Then... then I just put in a word with them to give him an interview opportunity."


    "That''s all?"


    "Really, that''s all. Uncle''s skills are good enough that he doesn''t need me pulling strings. Wait, Song Yi, why don''t you believe me?" Shen Yujing responded righteously, but after he finished speaking, he heard no response for a while.


    Shen Yujing grew nervous again and asked, "Hey, are you mad at me? I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have acted on my own, I just..."


    Before he could say "wanted to help you," he heard a giggle from the other end of the phone.


    Song Yi said sincerely, "Shen Yujing, you did well."


    "Thank you, really. Good night."


    Then the call ended.


    Standing by the window, Shen Yujing habitually ran his fingers through his hair to calm his racing heart.


    His golden hair became messy again, but the young man''s lips couldn''t help but curve upward, revealing undisguised pride.


    She praised him for doing well, and she even thanked him.


    His almond-shaped eyes were filled with joy as Shen Yujing pressed his fingers against his smiling lips in the mirror, repeatedly telling himself: it''s nothing, this isn''t a big deal, there''s no need to be so happy, really no need.


    But... but this was the first time she had praised him.


    He finally seemed to have done something right, something that made her happy.


    She was happy, so he was happy too.


    It was a strange feeling, more blissful and satisfying than receiving the most expensive gift in the world.


    It was as if from this moment on, his heart began beating for someone else.


    It was love.


    He truly, genuinely liked her.

 Chapter 87

    As a senior in high school, Song Yi''s winter vacation was naturally short. After returning, it wasn''t long before the new semester began.This time, after discussing with her father, Song Yi applied to stay in the dormitory.


    Song Yi chose a two-bedroom apartment, but when she moved in the night before the semester started, seeing her roommate, she was lost in thought.


    "Surprise!" Murong Huan shouted, pulling out a bouquet of roses from behind and dramatically handing it to Song Yi: "Welcome, my roommate!"


    Song Yi took the roses with a mix of helplessness and amusement, asking, "Why are you also staying in the dorm?"


    "I just want to be with you all the time," Murong Huan muttered in reply.


    Song Yi stared at her, waving the flowers in her hand, and said, "Confession is lenient, resistance is strict."


    "I want you to continue tutoring me," Murong Huan pursed her lips and said, "My dad said that if I don''t get into one of the top five prestigious universities in the capital, it''s a disgrace to the family, and he''ll send me abroad to study."


    With Murong Huan''s current grades, getting into a regular first-tier university should be doable, but her goal is still a bit out of reach.


    Seeing Song Yi''s hesitant expression, Murong Huan lowered her head, looking a bit sad, and said, "I don''t want to be separated from my mom, so I have to stay. As long as I can get into one of the top five, any major will do. After returning from abroad, I''ve found many prestigious professors to tutor me, but I always feel lost when they teach, only you, Yi Yi..."


    Murong Huan suddenly felt a bit embarrassed as she said this.


    After all, this is the last semester of senior year, and studying is extremely important for Song Yi.


    If Song Yi refuses her, she can understand.


    "Okay," Song Yi smiled at her, "I''ll do my best, but you also have to promise me to give it your all."


    Murong Huan looked up at her with eyes full of joy, then hugged her tightly, shouting, "Ahhh! Yi Yi, I knew you were the best!"


    Song Yi took out a piece of paper and started listing a plan for Murong Huan, saying, "First, let''s rule out Imperial Capital University and A University, then let''s look at the lowest admission scores of the remaining three last year."


    "..."


    "So from today on, after class at 6 PM, finish dinner and return to the dorm by 6:30, then give yourself half an hour to wash up, study until 11:30, then spend half an hour reviewing before going to bed. Classes start at 7:30 AM, so wake up at 6:30, review for half an hour, and then go to class."


    "Also, I can''t supervise you during the day in Class B, so until you can transfer to Class A, you and Shen Yujing should keep each other in check, right? Since you both have the same ranking, remember to apply to be classmates with the teacher."


    Song Yi went on and on, then handed the specially arranged "Study Plan" to Murong Huan, saying, "Here, you can start following this strictly from today."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Her hand holding the plan was trembling slightly.


    The next day, the first day of the new semester, classes officially began.


    Shen Yujing looked at Murong Huan beside him strangely, opened the mineral water in front of him, and asked, "Why are we classmates?"


    Their Class B doesn''t arrange seats by grades.


    Murong Huan looked straight ahead at the podium, answering indifferently, "I applied to the teacher."


    "Pfft¡ª¡ª"


    Hearing this, Shen Yujing almost choked to death on the water.


    Murong Huan looked at him disdainfully, "What are you doing? Looking like you''ve seen a ghost?"


    "Isn''t it like seeing a ghost?" Shen Yujing wiped his chin with a paper, then looked at Murong Huan with a complex expression, asking, "Don''t tell me you have any intentions towards me? That''s not okay, although it''s not illegal, it''s against the natural order."


    "Hmph." A single word fully expressed Murong Huan''s current mood. She took out a book from the drawer and placed it on the table, saying, "If it weren''t for Yi Yi asking us to supervise each other, do you think I''d want to sit with you?"


    Shen Yujing was even more confused. Just as he was about to ask why, he felt his phone vibrate in the drawer. After opening it and seeing the WeChat message from Song Yi, he naturally understood the whole story.


    So Shen Yujing smiled confidently, "Is this mutual supervision? This is clearly me leading you to study together. Don''t worry, I will definitely surpass you in the next monthly exam."


    "Daydreaming," Murong Huan said and then opened the exercise book in front of her, starting to write.


    Shen Yujing also took out a new test paper from the drawer.


    Both of them, having the same score in two exams, were determined to prove in the next exam that they were definitely not on the same level! Sear?h the ¦Çov§×lFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    In Class A.


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng were already fixed classmates, and this time, as the fourth-place student, Hang Feng sat behind them.


    Someone poked Song Yi''s shoulder with a pen, and she turned around to ask, "What''s up?"


    Hang Feng took out two bottles of strawberry milk from the drawer and pushed them towards Song Yi.


    Song Yi naturally understood and picked up one of the bottles, but Hang Feng said, "And that one."


    She was stunned for a moment, and seeing Hang Feng glance at Jiang Yiheng, she immediately understood his intention.


    Song Yi picked up the other bottle of strawberry milk and handed it to Jiang Yiheng, saying, "Here, Hang Feng gave it to you."


    Jiang Yiheng took the strawberry milk, a bit surprised, and looked at Hang Feng.


    Hang Feng lowered his eyes to avoid their gaze and said, "There''s a geometry problem on page 17 of the math homework for the winter vacation, the second question, I got different answers when I calculated it twice."


    At this, Song Yi also said, "I remember that question too, it was indeed quite tricky."


    Jiang Yiheng said, "That question is out of the syllabus. How about this, let''s have lunch together at noon, and I''ll explain it to you two."


    "Okay," Hang Feng nodded in agreement, then opened the book in front of him.


    Jiang Yiheng also turned around and continued writing his test paper.


    Seeing the two of them get back to studying, Song Yi took out some of her stash of small breads from her drawer and gave them to the two, then continued reading.


    At this moment, at Saint Yu Boys'' High School.


    The group photo of Xu Che and the people from Saint Slee had spread widely at Saint Yu, and since almost everyone at Saint Yu knew that Xu Che and Shen Yujing didn''t get along, this incident had also sparked some discussion in the school.


    Some thought that Xu Che was afraid of Shen Yujing and was willing to make peace, which was a disgrace to Saint Yu, but most people only talked behind his back, not daring to confront Xu Che directly, except for¡ª¡ª


    Jiang Qi.


    In the equipment room.


    Jiang Qi looked at Xu Che with a cold smile, "Had a lot of fun playing with those guys from Saint Slee? What exactly is your relationship with them?"


    Xu Che sat on a chair by the window, gently rubbing his temples, the slight frown indicating his current mood.


    After hesitating for a while, he softly answered, "Friends."


    "Hmph!" Jiang Qi seemed to be angered by this answer. He looked at Xu Che and said, "Before I left, we were each other''s only friends. Especially that Shen Yujing, you''ve always hated him the most, haven''t you? Xu Che, I think you''ve gone crazy."


    Xu Che looked up at Jiang Qi, his eyes indifferent, as if he couldn''t be bothered to argue.


    He said, "Jiang Qi, do you want to be my friend, or my only friend?"


    Jiang Qi was stunned.


    Xu Che continued, "Friendship isn''t about demanding or expecting the other person to do something, it''s about exchanging sincerity with sincerity."


    "I used to think we were friends, but later I realized that the kind of relationship that makes people comfortable shouldn''t be like ours. Even though Shen Yujing and I have fought countless times since we were kids, I know he would never use any underhanded tricks on me behind my back."


    Jiang Qi''s voice also turned cold, asking, "What do you mean?"


    "Didn''t you start spreading our group photo on the forum of Saint Yu Academy?" Xu Che looked at him, his eyes not angry but more like he couldn''t be bothered to argue, then casually unwrapped a lollipop and bit it into pieces.


    The sweetness of the candy spread, from the taste buds to the rest of the mouth.


    He said, "If you want to establish your authority at school, or if you want to take them to fight, it''s all up to you. I won''t compete with you over anything. I need to go study."


    His life wouldn''t stagnate at this boys'' school, and the outcomes of all things might not be sealed in this winter.


    Xu Che was a rational person, so he was also sufficiently sober.


    In a time with nothing, there was no need to fight for some things to the point of bloodshed.


    If you want something, if you desire something, then work harder to grow.


    Become the best option, be the person who deserves her the most, and then return the power of choice back to her hands.


    *


    Dinner time.


    Shen Yujing took out a notebook from his pocket and read aloud with great pride, "Report! Today, Murong Huan took out her phone in the classroom eleven times. I caught her daydreaming five times, secretly applying lipstick twice, and most importantly, she only scored 71 on the class exercise, while I scored 82!"


    Murong Huan sneered and opened her own notebook, "Today, Shen Yujing took out his phone fifteen times, turned around to talk to classmates five times, was pointed out by the teacher once. He played with a Rubik''s Cube twice, ate something secretly once, and threw a rubber at a classmate once."


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    What is this all about! Who wants to hear this stuff! Isn''t this observation a bit too detailed, huh!


    At this moment, Shen Yujing and Murong Huan both stared at her, their faces showing dissatisfaction, like a big dog and a small cat simultaneously seeking comfort and praise from their owner.


    Song Yi didn''t directly answer but asked, "So, what was the third period class in your B Class? How many points did the teacher cover?"


    "Math|English!"


    The two answered simultaneously but gave two different answers, then glared at each other and started arguing.


    Song Yi took a deep breath, picked up an orange from the table, and threw one at each of their foreheads, smiling, "Your third period class was a self-study, because your Chinese teacher had a stomachache in the office."


    Shen Yujing & Murong Huan: "¡­¡­Oh"


    Song Yi said helplessly, "I asked you two to supervise each other so that you could both improve, not so that you would be too distracted to listen to class, understand?"


    The two nodded in unison.


    Song Yi was satisfied with their reaction and then took out two printed materials from her backpack, handing them to each, saying, "This is some practice questions I, Hang Feng, and Jiang Yiheng compiled together. You two find time this week to finish them and come to me."


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    The life of the second semester of senior year officially began. Except for a so-called "housewarming party" a week after Shen Yujing and Quan Le moved into the boys'' dormitory, everyone else was busy studying and reading, and nothing particularly special happened.


    Their senior year life seemed to truly become the same as that of ordinary students.


    Soon, the oath-taking ceremony arrived, and all the third-year students sat in the auditorium, most of them yawning, with only the eighty-year-old principal passionately reading a speech on stage.


    The seats of Class A and Class B were adjacent. Murong Huan''s head rested on Song Yi''s shoulder, weakly saying, "When will this end? Doing this kind of superficial stuff in senior year, is it interesting?"


    Song Yi took out a vocabulary book from her pocket and handed it to Murong Huan, "Don''t waste time, memorize twenty words before it ends."


    Murong Huan: "¡­¡­"


    Sitting in the back row, Shen Yujing witnessed the interaction between Song Yi and Murong Huan and rolled his eyes.


    He knew Song Yi was playing favorites, but luckily, he had a backup plan.


    Thinking this, Shen Yujing took out a book titled "75 Must-Memorize Ancient Poems for High School Students" from his pocket.


    Soon, the principal''s speech ended, followed by several teachers and directors who also spoke a lot of nonsense. The final process was the speech by outstanding student representatives.


    Naturally, Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng were the first to take the stage. The moment they stood on the platform, some students even started taking photos with their phones.


    Immediately, a post began to circulate on the Saint Slee campus forum.


    [Check out our grade top 1 and top 2! Handsome guy and beautiful girl! So pleasing to the eye, so pleasing to the eye]


    1L: They look really good, especially our school uniform, it looks like an idol drama on them.


    3L: +1 for the previous comment, I looked down at my own school uniform, this is the difference between a buyer''s show and a seller''s show.


    7L: Sent it to my sister, she thought it was my new little idol.


    11L: Our Jiang and Yi are way better than those recently debuted boy and girl groups.


    15L: So good-looking, I suddenly feel a bit unworthy to be in the same school as them.


    21L: Just being in the same school feels unworthy? I''m in the same class as them, I don''t even dare to look at them, and then there''s Hang Feng, why do some people get all the looks and talent, shedding tears of a loser.


    ¡­


    Shen Yujing flipped through it casually and then put the phone away because Jiang Yiheng finished his speech, and now it was Song Yi''s turn.


    The girl stood on the stage, her expression a bit stiff, obviously not yet accustomed to speaking these too formal words in front of so many people.


    But fortunately, Song Yi quickly found her rhythm, talking about her study methods and encouraging words, which were also some standard lines, but because her voice was gentle, it sounded very comfortable.


    The old principal was also very satisfied with his two top students. After they finished speaking, he asked, "Which university and major do you want to apply for? Have you thought about it specifically?"


    Jiang Yiheng answered, "A University''s Medical Department."


    This was A University''s flagship major, and he had turned down the previous offer of a guaranteed admission after winning a mathematics competition.


    It was Song Yi''s turn. After thinking for a moment, she answered, "Imperial Capital University''s Film and Theater Directing."


    For Song Yi, this was what she wanted to do most at the moment, and it could also be considered a dream.


    Since this world had become real for her, she also wanted to use the camera to record this world, to make the stories she filmed and told into another kind of reality in the movies.


    Next, other outstanding student representatives took turns speaking.


    In the audience, Shen Yujing was lost in thought. So, Song Yi wanted to go to Imperial Capital University.


    There were many universities in the capital, but the five major prestigious schools were in the same area, and the rest were a bit far from that area, all outside his consideration.


    He wanted to be in the same school as her.


    It was Friday, Shen Yujing''s day to go home every week. Shen''s Father also occasionally missed his son since he started boarding, so he specially rushed back to prepare a reunion dinner for the three of them.


    While waiting for the dishes to be served at the dinner table, Shen Yujing was memorizing vocabulary with his head down, a scene that shocked Shen''s Father and Shen''s Mother into looking at each other in disbelief.


    Shen''s Father whispered, "What''s going on? Has he finally gone crazy because of you?"


    Shen''s Mother glared at her husband, "Isn''t it a good thing if our son wants to study hard? Even if he can''t learn well, you can''t dampen his enthusiasm like this."


    "Other people''s sons wanting to study hard is a good thing, but my son is different. If he wants to study hard, it''s probably something big." Shen''s Father summarized his current feelings with this sentence based on his understanding of Shen Yujing, then called out, "Shen Yujing."


    No one responded.


    "Shen Yujing?"


    "Shen Yujing!"


    Shen''s Father directly took away the vocabulary book from Shen Yujing''s hands, finally getting him to look up, blankly staring at his father, "What''s wrong?"


    "I thought you were possessed, although you weren''t that smart to begin with, at least you still have this face that looks like mine." Shen''s Father complained to his wife and then asked Shen Yujing, "What are you doing? Studying? What''s with this possessed look."


    Shen Yujing answered seriously, "I want to get into Imperial Capital University."


    Shen''s Father was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand, "Got it, I thought it was something big. I''ll ask your Uncle Lu to contact them later, see how many buildings we need to donate to get you in."


    Reflecting on the determination and joy in Song Yi''s eyes as she spoke of her dreams on stage today, Shen Yujing suddenly felt that if he continued to be her university classmate in the same school through such underhanded means, it would be tainting her dreams.


    So Shen Yujing said, "Dad, what I mean is that I want to get in on my own."


    Shen''s Mother interjected, "Let''s continue discussing the donation of the building."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    It wasn''t that his parents didn''t trust him; this statement sounded like a fairy tale even to him.


    Given his grades, there was only one way to get into Imperial Capital University.


    Shen Yujing looked up at his father, his eyes unusually serious: "Dad, I want to study performing arts and enter Imperial Capital University through the arts exam."


    He had already looked into it; Imperial Capital University''s performing arts department selects students based on a 50/50 split between academic and professional scores. As long as he gets a passing grade in the school exam, he has a great chance. Moreover, performing arts and film and theater directing both fall under the Film Academy.


    This way, not only would he and Song Yi be in the same university, but they would also be in the same college.


    Didn''t Song Yi want to be a director? Then he would go and be her leading man¡ªit''s the perfect match!


    And... there''s a bit of embarrassment here. Shen Yujing had actually once harbored a real dream of becoming an actor when he was a child, but he had forgotten it due to his playful nature.


    "Becoming a star, huh?" Shen''s Father frowned, clearly considering the feasibility of this idea.


    Aliali: 675e95b59234b3e7f2f07a3d


    Seeing his father''s hesitation, Shen Yujing quickly added, "Dad, I''m not acting on a whim. I really..."


    "Alright," Shen''s Father agreed directly, then added with some emotion, "In fact, I''ve always felt that my face was wasted not entering the entertainment industry. I never expected my son to fulfill this dream for me. Of course, I must support it."


    Shen Yujing didn''t expect to persuade his father so easily. He then looked at Shen''s Mother, "Mom, what do you think?"


    Shen''s Mother was busy scheduling a time to visit Jerry with a friend. She never interfered with Shen Yujing''s choices and simply said, "Sure, have the butler hire the best acting teacher for you."


    Shen''s Father added, "I won''t pull any strings for your arts exam. If you can''t even pass that, entering the entertainment industry would be a disgrace to me. But once you''re in university, I can gift you a film company. Then you can choose whatever you want to act in or direct."


    Shen''s Mother finally looked up from her son''s photo with a gorilla, saying, "That''s a good idea. I like watching fantasy romance films. You should act in more of those, understand?"


    "His face is so upright, he should be in war films, patriotic ones. Carrying guns and cannons through..."


    Before Shen Yujing even started his arts exam, his parents were already arguing about what kind of films he should act in once he debuts, all the way to what color suit he should wear when he wins the Triple Crown award.


    Shen Yujing nodded superficially perfunctorily, but in reality, he had already quietly slipped his earplugs out of his pocket, splitting them in half and inserting one into each ear.


    It was great; the world was finally quiet.

 Chapter 88

    Shen Yujing''s one-month suspension from school to attend an art exam caused quite a stir on the forum of Saint Slee Academy.Murong Huan fumed, "How cunning can he be? Who would think of such a scheme?"


    What was the point of competing with him anymore? Where was the fairness in that?


    Song Yi munched on chips and said, "Why don''t you go too?"


    Truth be told, with just the faces of Shen Yujing and Murong Huan, they had already won over half the competition in the art exam. Moreover, if they both took the acting exam, they actually had quite a good chance of succeeding.


    "No way," Murong Huan immediately refused, her hands clutching her hair in agony. "I''m already suffering enough from studying cultural subjects every day. If I had to learn those artsy things too, my brain would explode."


    Seeing her frantic state, Song Yi laughed and said, "You''ve been working hard these days. After tomorrow''s evening exam, I''ll reward you with a night off."


    Determined to study hard, Murong Huan didn''t even go home on weekends. Most of the time, Song Yi stayed with her.


    "Really?" Murong Huan''s eyes lit up instantly. "Then I want to eat barbecue! Barbecue!"


    Song Yi said, "Anything you want. Come on, finish this paper first, and then we''ll go to the cafeteria for dinner."


    Murong Huan: "......QAQ"


    *


    At seven-thirty in the evening, Murong Huan''s family car dropped them off at a barbecue shop in an alley.


    Song Yi asked in surprise, "Why did we come to this place?"


    The shop looked unremarkable from the outside, but upon closer inspection, it was packed with people, indicating excellent business and undoubtedly delicious food.


    Murong Huan explained, "Quan Le said the only good thing in Saint Yu Cafeteria is the hand-held pancakes, and the best place nearby is this shop."


    Song Yi nodded and said, "Yeah, last time at Saint Yu, eating a hand-held pancake turned into a chase and an involuntary participation in a drama performance."


    Recalling the unfortunate experience, both of them wore expressions of shared suffering.


    Murong Huan: "Let''s forget the past and enjoy some barbecue."


    "Alright," Song Yi agreed.


    But perhaps they weren''t meant to visit Saint Yu''s territory, as they always seemed to encounter some trouble.


    Like today.


    Just as Song Yi and Murong Huan were about to enter the shop, a boy sprinted in, brushing past Murong Huan''s shoulder without stopping to apologize. He shouted, "Boss, the usual!" and made a beeline for the last empty seat.


    Murong Huan reacted quickly, grabbing the boy by the collar.


    "What''s your problem?" The boy, initially annoyed, paused when he saw Murong Huan''s stunning face and asked, "What do you want?"


    The usually pampered young lady, already furious from being bumped into, said directly, "This is our seat. Get up."


    The boy grinned, "Does the seat have your names on it? Whoever sits down first owns it. Which law says people can''t run to eat? But... since you''re so pretty, sharing the table isn''t out of the question."


    As he spoke, he reached out to pull Murong Huan''s arm, saying, "Come, sit down."


    "Smack!"


    Murong Huan''s hand landed on the boy''s face, her anger palpable.


    "Damn it!" The boy also got angry and stood up. "Who do you think you are? Don''t you know who my big brother is?"


    Before he finished, a voice came from behind: "Hao, what are you doing?"


    The boy, nicknamed Hao, covered his injured face and looked towards Song Yi and Murong Huan''s direction, "Jiang Qi, these two girls are trying to steal our seats, and they even hit me."


    "Can''t even handle girls, what a disgrace," Jiang Qi''s voice, laced with mockery, approached them.


    Song Yi turned around and her expression changed slightly.


    It was a familiar face.


    Not too familiar, just someone she had played games with, though the experience hadn''t been particularly pleasant.


    Seeing Song Yi, Jiang Qi was also taken aback and said, "Why are you here?"


    Seeing that Song Yi and Jiang Qi knew each other, the boy who had been hit, though still angry, dared not speak up, fearing they might be Jiang Qi''s friends.


    Jiang Qi walked over and asked the boy named Hao, "What''s the situation?"


    "Jiang Qi, these two girls suddenly came to take the seat I had saved for everyone. I refused, and they hit me." Hao said, moving his hand to show the half of his face that had been hit, looking like he had suffered greatly.


    Murong Huan fumed, "Who are you? Twisting the truth like that, do you have no shame?"


    Hao asked Murong Huan, "Didn''t I sit down first? Didn''t you want this seat? Didn''t you hit me?"


    Murong Huan was so angry she couldn''t speak, only pointing at Hao and saying, "You!"


    "What about me? Isn''t everything I said true?"


    Song Yi pressed down Murong Huan''s hand, realizing she had been led astray by the boy''s words. She looked at Jiang Qi, about to say something.


    But Jiang Qi said directly, "The situation is clear. Please leave."


    Song Yi frowned: "?"


    Jiang Qi''s eyes showed disgust: "Don''t think that just because you''re friends with Xu Che, we won''t do anything. Be smart."


    As Jiang Qi''s words fell, the other underlings behind him started discussing.


    "What? They''re friends with Xu Che?"


    "They''re the ones in that group photo, right? They also know Shen Yujing."


    "Looks like they''re from Saint Slee. It''s really bad luck to eat barbecue here."


    "Get lost, Saint Slee people aren''t welcome in Saint Yu''s territory!" Hao shouted again, then laughed, "But we can make an exception. Unless you two become our girlfriends, we have six of us, and we can take turns! With looks and figures like yours, we''re in for a treat!"


    Laughter erupted.


    Jiang Qi frowned at Hao, his voice more irritable, "You caused this mess, shut up."


    Hao obediently covered his mouth, signaling he wouldn''t speak, but still made faces at Song Yi.


    This look was too disgusting.


    So Song Yi looked at Hao and suddenly smiled sweetly, asking, "Do you want me to be your girlfriend? Just yours."


    The others started jeering, while Hao was stunned. He had only been joking, never expecting Song Yi to react this way.


    Though he had initially been mocking, the sight of the beautiful girl in front of him, with her enchanting eyes and gentle voice, was like a claw scratching at his heart. Unable to resist the "temptation," he said, "It''s not impossible."


    "It''s possible, but there''s a condition," Song Yi said, taking the boy''s hand in a coquettish manner.


    "Song Yi!" Jiang Qi frowned at her, his thin lips still sharp, "What are you doing? Can''t you understand when we say get lost?"


    Murong Huan also widened her eyes, asking, "Yi Yi, what are you doing?"


    The other boys continued to jeer, "Jiang Qi, you might not want them, but we do. Hao''s never had such luck before, you can''t ruin his chance at love!"


    Hao, feeling the warmth of Song Yi''s hand on his, was captivated by her beauty, feeling like his soul was being pulled away.


    "Come," Song Yi winked at him, pulling him towards the exit, "I''ll take you somewhere."


    Hao''s gaze couldn''t leave Song Yi''s face, from her beautiful eyes to her red lips, to the outline of her figure under her sweater, all showing the unique charm of a young girl. He swallowed hard, unable to resist following Song Yi.


    Jiang Qi glanced at Murong Huan and immediately followed.


    Until¡ª


    "Bang¡ª"


    At the entrance of the barbecue shop, the boy was thrown to the ground, his face hitting the floor, howling in pain.


    At this moment, the other customers in the shop, all Saint Yu students, wanted to watch the drama but didn''t dare to look up, fearing they might offend the group.


    The girl''s left foot stepped on the boy''s back. Her voice was still soft and sweet, but it was rare for her to truly lose her temper. She said, "Didn''t your parents teach you how to respect people? Come on, get up and touch me, play with me. Why are you hesitating?"


    Murong Huan, who was standing beside them, thought, "¡­¡­!!"


    She widened her eyes and covered her mouth to avoid screaming, but her heart was completely in fangirl mode.


    So... so mighty! So cool! Ahhhh, Song Yi is amazing!


    Jiang Qi walked over and stopped her, saying, "Song Yi, that''s enough."


    Murong Huan stood in front of Song Yi, lifting her chin to meet Jiang Qi''s gaze. "What business is it of yours? Don''t say you want to beat him up, even if he dies here today, my Murong family can handle it."


    At the mention of the Murong name, Jiang Qi''s expression instantly darkened.


    He had almost forgotten that Xu Che''s friends were all from wealthy and influential families, all of whom his family couldn''t afford to offend.


    Was it because of this? So that''s why Xu Che abandoned him and became friends with these people? Was it all because of their wealth?


    Jiang Qi had already been thinking about letting the matter go, but after considering this, he sneered and looked at Murong Huan, saying, "You talk so big, have you ever really killed anyone?"


    Murong Huan''s expression stiffened.


    Exaggeration! Do you understand exaggeration?


    Murong Huan glared at Jiang Qi, then turned to look at Song Yi, grabbing her hand. "Come on, I''ll take you to eat somewhere else. As for this place, I''ll buy it in a couple of days and you can eat at my house."


    Song Yi''s foot withdrew from the boy''s back, and she looked at Murong Huan, nodding. "Let''s go."


    It wasn''t that she couldn''t live without this barbecue, it was just that she was really angry.


    But at this moment, the boy named Hao got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt, and looked at them with a mix of anger and fear, only daring to shout at them, "Just you wait! Next time, you''ll see!"


    Song Yi rolled her eyes at him, gesturing with her hand, "Why wait for next time? Come at me now."


    The boy immediately backed down, saying, "I''m... not in good shape today!"


    Even the other boys standing with him felt a bit embarrassed, but they also realized that the girl who could easily knock Hao down was someone they might not be able to beat either.


    To avoid repeating the same mistake, they all tacitly chose to remain silent.


    Just as Song Yi and Murong Huan were about to leave, a cold male voice sounded from behind: "What are you making them wait for?"


    Xu Che appeared out of nowhere and walked up to them.


    Jiang Qi suddenly laughed, saying, "You still dare to show up, traitor of Saint Yu. Are you now going to openly protect the people from Saint Slee?"


    The remaining boys looked at each other. They didn''t feel comfortable fighting girls, as losing would be embarrassing and winning wouldn''t save face either.


    But if it was Xu Che, things were different. Losing was normal, but if they won, it would be a matter of great pride.


    Jiang Qi glanced at one of the boys, who was quite clever and understood immediately. He spoke with a cocky tone, "Of course, we''re waiting to go to a hotel. Do you also want to meddle in this?"


    Xu Che''s expression grew even darker as he looked at Jiang Qi, then moved to an empty spot nearby.


    Jiang Qi followed suit.


    And then... they started fighting?


    Xu Che and Jiang Qi fought fiercely, both of them quite ruthless.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged a glance, both of them feeling a bit bewildered by the situation.


    Murong Huan tugged at Song Yi''s sleeve, asking, "Should we help?"


    It looked like Xu Che and Jiang Qi were having a one-on-one fight, so Song Yi shook her head, "Wait."


    But soon, a second shameless guy joined in.


    Song Yi immediately stepped in, turning the 1v1 solo into a 2v2 team match.


    Song Yi and Xu Che clearly had the upper hand, quickly forcing the guy on Jiang Qi''s side to back off, stumbling and eventually retreating from the "battlefield."


    There were three left, except for the one who had been beaten by Song Yi and didn''t dare to join, the other two rushed in.


    Three against two? Disgraceful!


    Murong Huan took a deep breath, though she still wasn''t quite brave enough to truly participate in such a brawl, for Song Yi''s sake, she mustered up her courage and picked up a stick from the roadside, screaming as she charged in.


    Murong Huan grabbed one of the boys, chasing him with the stick, shouting loudly to bolster her courage while wildly swinging the stick.


    As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes, so even though the boy could probably beat Murong Huan, under her fierce attack, he instinctively chose to run.


    Xu Che and Song Yi were now two against two, and winning should have been easy, until the boy''s sleeve caught on the necklace around Song Yi''s neck, yanking it forward.


    With a "clap" sound, the necklace fell to the ground.


    Seeing the boy''s foot about to step on the necklace, Song Yi''s knee slammed into the boy''s abdomen, and she quickly bent down to pick it up.


    The necklace had been torn off by brute force, so it was now broken.


    The boy was stunned, looking at the obviously expensive necklace, and immediately backed down.


    Song Yi expressionlessly put the necklace into her pocket.


    Jiang Qi handed his phone to Song Yi, saying, "Here''s my WeChat, contact me directly if you need compensation."


    Song Yi didn''t want any contact with Jiang Qi, so she knocked his phone to the ground and turned to walk towards Murong Huan, calling out, "Huan Huan! Let''s go!"


    Knowing he was in the wrong, Jiang Qi bent down to pick up his phone and finally chose to keep quiet.


    Murong Huan then threw the stick at the boy and ran towards Song Yi, hugging her arm and mumbling, "I was so scared, I really thought he would turn around and fight me!"


    Murong Huan even showed her hand to Song Yi, looking pitiful, "Look, it''s scratched."


    Seeing the small scratch on Murong Huan''s hand, Song Yi suddenly thought of something and turned back, calling out, "Xu Che, come with us, you need to get your chin looked at too."


    "Mm," Xu Che responded, coldly glanced at Jiang Qi, and then followed them.


    At a nearby clinic.


    After buying alcohol, gauze, band-aids, and other supplies, Xu Che and Murong Huan sat side by side on a bench by the road, looking like two kindergarten kids with their heads hanging low, being scolded by Song Yi.


    "I have to say, you two are quite capable. The most important thing in a fight is not to get hurt, do you understand?" Song Yi said, pressing the cotton swab on Murong Huan''s wound a bit harder.


    Murong Huan cried out in pain, then answered pitifully, "I''m already hurt, don''t scold me."


    Song Yi said, as she finished bandaging Murong Huan, "Yes, it''s so serious, the blood has dried up and the wound has healed, it''s hard to clean."


    Murong Huan pouted, "But it hurts."


    "What business do you have in a fight? Next time, just stand aside and watch from a distance." Song Yi withdrew her hand, then stood up and looked at Xu Che, saying, "Look up."


    The boy obediently lifted his head, revealing a two-centimeter-long wound on his chin, but it didn''t seem too serious, just a slight scrape.


    "Luckily, it''s not deep, or else you''d be left with a scar," Song Yi murmured, then gave him a simple disinfecting and cleaning.


    Throughout the process, Xu Che kept his eyes on Song Yi''s chin, so as not to make her feel pressured by being stared at.


    Compared to the scrape on his chin, the bruise on Xu Che''s cheek looked more serious.


    Song Yi gently applied ointment to the bruise, rubbing it in with her fingertips, and asked, "Does it hurt? Should I be gentler?"


    "No," Xu Che lowered his eyes, remaining silent for a moment.


    "Did you hear what the doctor said? Apply the medicine yourself when you get home," Song Yi handed the ointment to Xu Che, then gave the band-aids to Murong Huan.


    Xu Che suddenly said, "Let me treat you to dinner, as an apology for what happened today."


    "No need/Sure!"


    Song Yi and Murong Huan''s voices rang out simultaneously, but with two different answers.


    Murong Huan cheerfully said, "Anyway, we''re going to eat, right? Free food, why not?"


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­"


    That''s so Murong Huan.


    So the three of them found a small mall nearby and had dinner at a hot pot restaurant inside.


    During their conversation, Xu Che inquired about Hang Feng''s recent situation. Song Yi pondered for a moment before replying, "He''s quite different from before, recently he''s become much more cheerful."


    "Exactly," Murong Huan nodded in agreement, adding, "He even initiates conversations with me now."


    Hearing this, Xu Che felt a bit more at ease.


    Before parting ways, Xu Che still insisted on paying Song Yi back for the necklace Jiang Qi had broken.


    Song Yi immediately waved her hands in refusal.


    Xu Che then said, "Don''t worry, I''ll get the money back from Jiang Qi, I''m just temporarily paying you on his behalf."


    Song Yi pursed her lips and replied, "It was a gift, I really don''t know the price of this necklace, and it should be fixable, there''s no need."


    Murong Huan suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Who gave it to you?"


    Xu Che''s gaze also remained fixed.


    Song Yi said, "Shen Yujing."


    Upon hearing this answer, Murong Huan asked, "Was it a birthday gift?"


    "Um..."


    A birthday gift made sense, but if it were a New Year''s gift alone, Murong Huan would definitely find it strange.


    This was the first time Song Yi deliberately lied to Murong Huan. She didn''t know why she did it, perhaps because it was a trivial matter and she didn''t want to spend time explaining it.


    *


    That evening, Shen Yujing, who should have been at an art exam training session, called.


    Seeing the caller ID, Song Yi instinctively hid the necklace on the table, only to realize it was just a voice call and breathed a sigh of relief, laughing at her own paranoia.


    Song Yi answered the call.


    The young man''s voice came through, as usual, loud and carefree: "Long time no see, Song Yi!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi: "If I''m not mistaken, you''ve only been off school for three days." S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What kind of "long time no see" was that?


    Shen Yujing answered with conviction, "For us third-year high school students, every day is precious. Three days is a long time!"


    This logic was quite peculiar.


    "Alright," Song Yi didn''t want to argue with him, and directly asked, "Why are you calling me so late?"


    Shen Yujing said, "I''ve been in class these days. The initial audition at Imperial Capital University is just a monologue, you can recite any poem. After hearing me read a passage, all the teachers said there''s no need for further practice."


    Song Yi asked, "Because it''s so bad, there''s no hope?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    The young man, like a raging lion, shouted loudly, "Song Yi! Can you wish me some good for once?"


    Song Yi picked up some melon seeds and started nibbling, saying, "I know you''ll pass for sure, just kidding. So, what''s the real problem?"


    "Our second round will test voice, stage presence, acting, and singing. All of it."


    "Mm."


    "Voice, stage presence, acting, and singing."


    "Mm, I know."


    "Singing! Vocal music!"


    "Mm, I know... cough cough!" Song Yi almost choked on a melon seed upon hearing this.


    What? Singing? Vocal music?


    With Shen Yujing''s level of singing, even a birthday song goes off-key; he''d be a laughingstock.


    So Song Yi asked, "Why did you suddenly want to study acting?"


    Shen Yujing answered honestly, "I want to go to Imperial Capital University, and I really like acting. I want to try my best once, I can''t rely on my parents for everything my whole life."


    Song Yi pursed her lips. Since Shen Yujing had set his goal, she decided to encourage him.


    So Song Yi said, "Usually, the judges in such performance exams won''t make you sing an entire song. Although your singing is indeed terrible, if you focus on just one part from now on, you should be fine."


    "I think I can definitely do it... no, what do you mean by my singing is terrible?"


    "Don''t you know?"


    "..."


    Shen Yujing was annoyed but couldn''t refute, so he said, "I won''t talk to you anymore, I have to study now. I''ve been taking acting classes during the day and cultural classes at night."


    Song Yi teased him, "Art classes during the day, cultural classes at night, our young master Shen is really not slacking off, secretly working hard to surprise everyone?"


    Shen Yujing confidently replied, "Of course, then you''ll see what a natural actor I am."


    Song Yi stopped teasing him and spoke seriously, "Then work hard, we''re all waiting for you to come back."


    "Got it, remember to tell Quan Le to study hard too. Whoever doesn''t get into Imperial Capital University is a grandson. Alright, I won''t talk anymore, get some rest, goodnight."


    "Mm, goodnight."


    Song Yi''s voice fell, and she hung up the phone.


    The young man stood in the temporary performance room at home, closed his eyes, and placed the phone on his chest.


    Deep breath, it''s fine.


    He kept the conversation within five minutes, should be no problem.


    He chatted with her, "accidentally" expressed his desire to go to Imperial Capital University, and further proved that he was studying hard.


    Not only did she cheer him on, but she also said goodnight to him.


    Well done, Shen Yujing!


    This call was really well-made, just like him.


    *


    The first monthly exam results of the semester were out.


    Murong Huan ranked third in her class and was so happy that she jumped and shouted, hugging Song Yi.


    "Alright, alright," Song Yi pressed her hand on Murong Huan''s shoulder, trying to calm her down.


    Murong Huan pinched her own face to make sure she wasn''t dreaming, then said, "Tonight, let''s call Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng, we''re going out to eat, I have to treat on such a joyous occasion!"


    Upon hearing Jiang Yiheng''s name, Quan Le rolled his eyes, "Look at you, so easily pleased. Just got third in your class, B class? When you can get into our A class, then you can be happy."


    Quan Le''s rank in this exam was the same as last time, but in the A class, known as the "king of internal competition," not slipping back was considered progress.


    Murong Huan grabbed Quan Le''s shoulder and shouted, "Are you sick? Your A class is like having one foot in the door of Imperial Capital University, why don''t you just let me die faster? And you, what are you proud of with your eighteenth place? Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng have taken the top three spots in your class, what''s with such a big gap in the same class?"


    "You!" Quan Le was so angry he reached out to grab Murong Huan''s hair.


    "Stop, stop," Song Yi intervened, saying, "I''ll go tell them, whoever starts a fight tonight won''t get to eat."


    Quan Le and Murong Huan immediately retracted their hands and, like two elementary school students, moved a step away from each other, not looking at each other.


    Of course, this dinner was eaten in the Saint Yu Cafeteria.


    Even though Murong Huan was a hundred times dissatisfied, saying, "I''m treating, and we''re eating here?"


    "Finish eating and go back to study," Song Yi answered resolutely.


    Murong Huan: "QAQ."


    Suddenly, Quan Le stood up, took out a tablet from his bag, and placed it on the table.


    Jiang Yiheng asked, "What are you doing?"


    "Making a call," Quan Le replied, then opened the WeChat chat page with Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing''s face appeared on the screen, also on the dinner table.


    He had a black headband on, looking like he had just finished exercising, his cheeks still sweaty, but he waved at the camera: "Hi! My friends!"


    Everyone: "..."


    Only Murong Huan was very cooperative with Shen Yujing, shouting, "Long time no see, Shen Yujing! Tell you a good news! I got third place in our class!"


    Shen Yujing''s expression was obviously a bit speechless, he said, "I''ve stopped attending classes, who''s going to compete with you? I''m here today to show you all a treasure."


    Quan Le asked curiously, "What?"


    Shen Yujing answered seriously, "My enchanting voice."


    After saying that, Shen Yujing took a step back and began to prepare.


    Song Yi picked up her chopsticks and said, "Don''t mind him, just eat."


    Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng lowered their heads, while Quan Le and Murong Huan still had some expectations for Shen Yujing''s performance, eating while waiting.


    Then¡ª


    When Shen Yujing''s throat sang the first line of the song, the green pepper Song Yi was holding fell onto the table, and Quan Le choked on a mouthful of water.


    The same familiar voice, the same familiar terrible singing.


    But everyone remained silent, no one made the next move, as if they were all stunned by the singing.


    Until Murong Huan, feeling utterly hopeless, said, "If I keep listening, I really won''t be able to eat dinner."


    Hang Feng, closest to the tablet, directly reached out and pressed the disconnect button, ending the video call.


    In that instant, everyone couldn''t help but breathe a sigh of relief and looked at Hang Feng with grateful eyes.


    Thankfully, thankfully, it was finally over.


    As for when Shen Yujing on the other end would realize they had hung up, that no longer mattered.


    God opens a door for someone, but also closes a window, how fair.


    After dinner.


    Hang Feng said, "My grandma sent some homemade pastries to the door for you all, do you want to go get them?"


    Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng both nodded to indicate they could.


    Murong Huan replied, "Song Yi can go, just bring some back for me to eat."


    Quan Le said, "Then I''ll go back with Murong Huan."


    It was already dark outside, and although this was a school campus, Murong Huan being a girl needed someone to accompany her, so they split into two groups like this.


    Before leaving, Song Yi couldn''t help but turn back to urge Murong Huan, "You go back and take a shower first, when I get back I want to see you already correcting the test papers."


    Jiang Yiheng also glanced at them and said, "Study hard."


    Murong Huan pouted and said, "I know."


    Quan Le looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Are you really just going back to do homework?"


    Murong Huan took a sip of milk and asked, "What else?"


    Quan Le asked her, "Isn''t today a big day for you? I can open the north gate of the school, want to go out and play?"


    Hearing this, Murong Huan''s face clearly showed hesitation.


    She was obviously tempted, but reason won over this temptation.


    Quan Le didn''t know about the agreement between Murong Huan and her father, still trying to persuade her to go out and play.


    But in the end, Murong Huan still waved her hand and said, "No, it''s such an important time, don''t try to lead me astray."


    "I was just asking, if you don''t want to, then don''t." Quan Le mumbled, and then suddenly thought of Jiang Yiheng''s earlier reminder to study hard.


    How? Did his one sentence have such a big impact, could Murong Huan be so obedient?


    Didn''t she say she didn''t like him, didn''t she say she wanted to break off the engagement? Why is she still...


    Forget it.


    Quan Le was annoyed and didn''t want to think about it anymore, looking at Murong Huan: "Let''s go, I''ll take you back."


    *


    At the school gate.


    Grandma just called, saying the usual road was under construction, so she would be a bit late.


    The driver from the Jiang family had been waiting for a long time, so Jiang Yiheng left first, leaving Song Yi and Hang Feng to wait.


    Hang Feng suddenly asked her, "Song Yi, have you been happy recently?"


    "Ah?" This question was too sudden, making Song Yi instinctively pause, then she replied, "Pretty good, everyday is just a bit tiring with studying, nothing else."


    "That''s good." After saying that, Hang Feng averted his eyes again.


    Song Yi frowned, she felt something was off.


    Or rather, she had felt something was not quite right for a long time.


    Hang Feng had some changes recently, better than before when they got along well, he would often take the initiative to communicate and help each other, even inviting Jiang Yiheng and Quan Le together...


    Yes, the problem is here!


    It seems the same as before, Hang Feng seems to be more integrated with them than before, but he started to avoid being alone with her.


    If Jiang Yiheng hadn''t left first today, they would still be waiting together as a trio.


    Song Yi thought so and asked: "Hang Feng, I feel like you''ve been avoiding me on purpose recently, haven''t you?"


    The night hid the panic in the boy''s eyes, his voice was calm, saying: "No, you''re overthinking."


    If it were really nothing, he would have asked her strangely "Why do you think that?", instead of directly denying it.


    Obviously, there was something on his mind.


    Song Yi stood in front of Hang Feng, "Lower your head, look at me."


    Hang Feng looked down at her, his eyes complex.


    Song Yi directly asked: "Are we friends?"


    "......Yes."


    Song Yi was obviously a bit angry, she said: "If I did something wrong recently, you can directly tell me, but don''t always avoid it, and don''t treat me like a fool."


    "If there''s a problem, you have to say it, you can''t keep it in your heart, like this the gap will only get bigger, I don''t like this."


    The girl''s voice was clear and crisp, yet extremely earnest.


    And Hang Feng''s gaze unconsciously fell on her lips.


    The crimson lips moved incessantly, accusing him, overlapping with the image of the pale lips he had kissed in his dreams.


    These days, these invisible shackles had already made him suffer and conflicted.


    In a trance, he asked: "If I said, liking you could kill you, or maybe it already did once, you wouldn''t regret it?"


    Hang Feng''s words made Song Yi freeze, even in that instant her blood felt cold.


    He likes her.


    Liking her could kill her.


    It already happened once.


    Some deliberately forgotten memories surfaced in her mind, but unlike before, this time it turned into a series of text descriptions.


    Those things were no longer the life the original owner had experienced, but really just text left on paper.


    But Hang Feng... what does he know?


    Even in such shock, Song Yi tried her best to calm down.


    She looked at Hang Feng with a strange expression and said, "What are you talking about? What''s with the death talk? It''s not auspicious at night."


    Hang Feng still looked down at her, a pair of narrow eyes now slightly red, as if trying to endure something.


    He slowly spoke, as if he was lost in memories.


    "I had a dream, that night in the castle, but I feel it wasn''t just a dream."


    "I dreamed you came to our school, but everything that happened next was different from now. You were bullied, you treated me well, but in the end you were still with Shen Yujing. But I was unwilling, because in the dream I also liked you.


    "So I did something very wrong to you, I tricked you into my home, and then imprisoned you. In the end, you jumped from the building, and then..."


    Then, there''s no need to say more.


    Indeed...


    If someone held Song Yi''s hand at this moment, they would be surprised why it was all sweat.


    Not nervous, not afraid, but sad.


    That night in the castle, when the system left.


    Clearly said this world was no longer a book, clearly said everyone was a living person, clearly said this was a real world.


    She went through so much, just to separate the content of the book from herself, she cared about every friend around her, she liked the life like this now.


    But why, did Hang Feng have to dream about all this.


    Didn''t they say it was over? Didn''t they say she was going to have a new life? This is a breach of the agreement.


    Song Yi forced herself not to cry, she was very clear, if she admitted the authenticity of this dream tonight, then regret and pain would accompany Hang Feng''s life.


    They were not characters in a book, they were not puppets, so none of them should ruin their lives because of these so-called dogshit settings.


    Absolutely not.


    Song Yi took a deep breath, then put her hand on Hang Feng''s forehead, showing a puzzled expression and said, "What are you talking about? You''re not even feverish."


    Hang Feng grabbed Song Yi''s wrist and said, "That oath I made when I sent you home that day."


    "I remember, I just said it casually." Song Yi looked at Hang Feng with a helpless expression, then said, "I just read a few novels about domineering CEOs those days, can''t you take a joke like this?"


    Hang Feng frowned: "What do you mean?"


    "I say you really are sick." Song Yi rolled her eyes, "You''re so wronged just because of an oath, such a small thing you still remember it now? It''s said that daydreaming comes from thinking, you can have such a strange dream, you must have thought about this a lot, right? Do you also like domineering CEO novels?"


    Hang Feng''s voice was hoarse, saying: "Is this really just a dream?"


    Song Yi retorted, "Otherwise? You don''t actually think this really happened, do you? You think you''ve been reborn? If you''re so good at imagining, why don''t you write a novel?"


    But after hearing Song Yi''s words, Hang Feng remained silent, as if pondering the truth of it all.


    Song Yi took a deep breath, seemingly feeling a bit tired, and asked him, "I''ll ask you the simplest question, if I really did fall in love with someone else and got married, would you imprison me? Would you kill me?"


    "No," Hang Feng replied without hesitation, then repeated his previous vow, saying, "I promised you that if that day ever comes, I would die before hurting you."


    "And... as long as he truly loves you, I would bless you, I would genuinely be happy for you."


    "Then what''s there to be concerned about? You seem so quiet and reserved, I wonder what you''re thinking about all the time. And talking about ''going dark'' and ''imprisoning''¡ªare you still in your rebellious phase? Don''t you feel ashamed saying that out loud?" Song Yi said, then very disdainfully rubbed her arms, continuing to complain, "I''m getting goosebumps just thinking about it."


    At that moment, Grandma''s voice rang out, "Yi Yi, Xiao Feng, over here!"


    Song Yi quickly ran over, affectionately greeting Grandma, and took the pastries from her.


    Aliali: 675e95b59234b3e7f2f07a3d


    Before heading back to the dormitory, Song Yi looked at Hang Feng and admonished, "Alright, I''ll pretend I never heard tonight''s conversation. If you dare to tell Murong Huan about this and make me lose face, it''s not over between us."


    After saying that, Song Yi turned and walked towards the dormitory.


    And Grandma called out, "Xiao Feng, let''s go home, what are you spacing out for?"


    "It''s nothing, Grandma."


    Hang Feng followed behind Grandma, and the two of them boarded the last bus of the day.


    The young man sat with his eyes downcast by the window, while Song Yi''s words today lingered in his mind.


    As the saying goes, thoughts during the day lead to dreams at night, so it seems reasonable.


    Just as she said, since he could be sure he wouldn''t do those things. Then whether all this was a real event or a bizarre dream, was there really a need to delve into it?


    The answer is¡ª


    No.

 Chapter 89

    For Shen Yujing, this month had been incredibly grueling.During the day, he studied art major courses, and at night, he crammed for his liberal arts exams. He hadn''t had a single peaceful night''s sleep.


    His daily routine included waking up at seven in the morning to practice vocal exercises, and over the course of a month, his poor singing had driven away ten vocal coaches.


    However, apart from music, Shen Yujing''s performance in other areas was quite outstanding, especially his talent for solo performances.


    Although he had never received systematic acting training before, several acting professors were full of praise for his acting skills, saying that with his looks and natural talent, it would be a loss to the entertainment industry if he didn''t become a star.


    Shen Yujing, who was used to being praised, felt a bit smug and his confidence soared.


    The preliminary exam was conducted online via video recording, so Shen Yujing easily passed.


    Before he knew it, the day of the second round of the Imperial Capital University''s art department entrance exam had arrived.


    That morning, Shen Yujing got up early, put on a high-end custom-made suit, and adjusted his hairstyle in front of the mirror.


    This was the moment of truth. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing took a deep breath and walked downstairs.


    Today, Shen''s Father and Shen''s Mother were already seated at the dining table, waiting for him to have breakfast together.


    Shen''s Father glanced over his son and said, "Not bad."


    Shen''s Mother, unusually enthusiastic, pulled Shen Yujing to sit beside her and said, "Good boy, eat your breakfast. Eat a lot before going to the exam."


    Shen Yujing only drank a little porridge. Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, he had no appetite at all.


    For the past decade, Shen Yujing''s life had been too smooth. Whatever he wanted, he could easily obtain. This was the first time in his life that he had put in 100% effort for something.


    He hoped that fate would be kind to him and bring a good outcome.


    At the entrance of Imperial Capital University.


    Other candidates either came with art exam institutions, teachers, or friends, arriving in groups of three or two.


    Standing alone at the entrance of Imperial Capital University, Shen Yujing took a deep breath.


    What was there to be afraid of? Shen Yujing had never been afraid of anyone in his life!


    Thinking this, Shen Yujing straightened his back and walked in. But as soon as he entered the campus, he got lost.


    Shen Yujing followed a boy holding an admission ticket, assuming everyone here was taking the art exam. Then, he ended up at the dance exam venue.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    This wasn''t going to work. He needed to ask someone.


    So, Shen Yujing turned around and walked towards the volunteer at the entrance.


    Suddenly, a tall and thin boy approached him. Upon seeing Shen Yujing, the boy paused for a moment. "Shen Yujing?"


    Shen Yujing was also taken aback. Who was this?


    He stopped, searched his memory, and confirmed that he didn''t know this person. He asked, "Do you know me?"


    "Of course, you''re quite a celebrity at Saint Slee," the boy replied with a smile and introduced himself. "Nice to meet you. I''m Cheng Kan, a graduate from Saint Slee last year, so I guess I''m your senior."


    Shen Yujing''s expression remained cold.


    Just an alumnus of the same school. Did everyone think they could be his senior these days?


    "I saw a post on the high school forum saying you''re studying acting too, right?" Cheng Kan said, extending his hand. "Let me introduce myself. I was the third place in the Imperial Capital City acting provincial exam last year and the top scorer in the Imperial Capital University acting entrance exam. I also got admission certificates from the four major art schools. If you have any professional questions, feel free to ask me."


    The usually arrogant golden-haired boy''s eyes showed a hint of surprise. His gaze toward Cheng Kan had completely changed.


    In the next moment, Shen Yujing shook Cheng Kan''s hand and smiled, saying, "Nice to meet you, senior."


    Cheng Kan led Shen Yujing to the acting exam building and even found a student in charge of exam logistics to help Shen Yujing get in.


    During this time, Shen Yujing exchanged contact information with Cheng Kan and learned that Cheng Kan had already signed with an agency and starred in several web dramas as the male lead, gaining some online fame.


    When they entered the building, the student leading Shen Yujing asked, "Do you know our Kan God?"


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Just met. Why do you call him Kan God?"


    "You don''t know. Cheng Kan isn''t the most popular in our year, but he''s the most talented in every aspect," the student said, looking at Shen Yujing and smiling. "With your looks, you''ll probably be our junior next year. Then you''ll understand."


    By now, they had reached the second floor. The student stopped talking and handed Shen Yujing over to a leading girl, saying, "Take him to line up."


    There were many acting students on the second floor, divided into groups of ten, anxiously waiting for their turn to be interviewed.


    Shen Yujing waited for nearly an hour before finally following the line into the classroom.


    Each student took turns performing on stage, with teachers seated below, while other students waited on both sides.


    In a group of ten, Shen Yujing was the last to perform.


    The students in this group were all quite talented, each with their own specialty.


    Some had studied opera for ten years, others could play five instruments, and some had been dancing since they were young.


    Finally, it was Shen Yujing''s turn.


    As soon as he stepped onto the stage, the teachers below exchanged glances.


    The male teacher on the far left with glasses said, "This face is promising."


    The slightly overweight male teacher on the right also agreed, "After sitting here all morning, we finally have a good candidate."


    Only the main examiner in the middle, Director Yang, remained motionless. She was a beautiful and elegant woman in her thirties. She looked up at Shen Yujing and said, "First, introduce yourself."


    Shen Yujing bowed to the teachers and said, "Hello, teachers. My name is Shen Yujing. I''m eighteen years old, one hundred and eighty-five centimeters tall, and I come from Saint Slee Academy."


    "Wait a minute, Saint Slee?" Director Yang interrupted Shen Yujing. "I''ve heard that the students at this school are either very wealthy, very noble, or exceptionally talented. Which one are you?"


    Shen Yujing honestly replied, "I''m the kind who lives off my family''s wealth and waits to die."


    "Pfft¡ª" The male teacher with glasses laughed, then immediately apologized, "Sorry, Director Yang. Please continue."


    Director Yang looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "The wealthy type, huh? But this year, we haven''t received any notice to give special treatment to any candidate, nor have we heard that the price of admission certificates has been inflated."


    The two male teachers both showed anxious expressions¡ª


    Director Yang! Such confidential matters shouldn''t be discussed in front of the students!


    Director Yang continued to ask, "So why do you want to study acting? If you want to be an actor, wouldn''t it be easier to just enter the entertainment industry with your family''s wealth?"


    Shen Yujing looked into the female teacher''s eyes and said seriously, "Because I''ve been living off my family for too long. I want to try hard for something I like once."


    This reason was acceptable.


    Director Yang nodded and tapped her pen on the table, saying, "Continue. You can decide the order of vocal, lines, body, and performance yourself. Let me see the results of your efforts."


    Before coming to the exam, Shen Yujing''s vocal coach had advised him that if he could choose the order, he should put vocal performance in the middle.


    Putting it at the beginning would leave a bad first impression if his singing was terrible, and putting it at the end might leave a lasting negative impression if his acting wasn''t good.


    He first performed a simple line, which was quite good.


    Next, he chose to perform sword dancing instead of the usual dance performance. His powerful and elegant moves impressed the teachers below.


    The slightly overweight male teacher directly praised, "This skill is impressive. You probably won''t need a stunt double for action scenes in movies."


    Finally, it was time for the vocal performance. Thinking about singing, Shen Yujing felt a bit uneasy.


    This led to his already terrible singing becoming even worse, completely off-key.


    The three teachers below: "..."


    The other students waiting on the sides: "!!!"


    One girl who had been blushing after being impressed by Shen Yujing''s looks earlier now covered her ears in pain.


    When she got back, she was going to post on her social media¡ª


    Even handsome guys aren''t perfect!


    The originally appreciative chubby male teacher fell into deep thought, his voice trembling as he said, "Well... singing isn''t everything. Acting is what really matters for an actor..."


    The bespectacled male teacher chimed in, "Exactly. This kid has great potential. His looks are outstanding; we haven''t seen such a striking candidate in the past two years. If we don''t grab him, what if he becomes famous in another school?"


    "The rules of the exam are clear," Director Yang responded. "Having a weak area is acceptable, but being this extreme is not." He then glanced at the bespectacled teacher and added, "Besides, if he becomes famous, so be it. Many celebrities don''t need a college degree. We''re a performing arts program; we need actors."


    With that, Director Yang directly crossed out Shen Yujing''s name.


    The two male teachers exchanged glances, knowing full well that this meant Shen Yujing was out of the running.


    Yang Yuan had never liked Shen Yujing, not from the moment he walked into the room.


    A student from Saint Slee? From a wealthy family?


    If that were the case, why not just spend money to debut in the entertainment industry? Why come to their esteemed institution to compete with ordinary students for a chance to succeed?


    Yang Yuan had seen too many like him¡ªpolitely calling her "Teacher" on the surface, but behind the scenes, a single phone call could manipulate the rankings of the arts exam, completely undermining the fairness of the test.


    She detested such students, for they never took their studies seriously. Their sole purpose for attending school was to attach a prestigious alumni title to their name, which she found utterly despicable.


    As a teacher, she held such students in the lowest regard.


    Aliali: 675e95b59234b3e7f2f07a3d


    At that moment, Shen Yujing''s vocal performance finally came to an end.


    He stepped forward and drew a slip of paper from the box in front of Yang Yuan, which would be the topic for his next solo performance.


    As Shen Yujing approached, the chubby male teacher couldn''t help but feel a pang of regret.


    With a face like his, even if he couldn''t sing, he could still be made into a star. If only he could be nurtured under his guidance, within two years, he would undoubtedly become the next big thing in the entertainment industry.


    What a pity... what a pity.


    Shen Yujing felt his performance today was flawless. Completely oblivious to the torment his singing had caused the teachers, a slight smile even crept onto his lips.


    Until he opened the slip of paper in front of him, revealing the topic for his solo performance.


    There were only three words¡ª


    ¡¾Gorilla¡¿


    Shen Yujing: "......?"

 Chapter 90

    Shen Yujing stood on the stage and began his performance.For the classmates¡ª


    His awful singing had already diminished everyone''s expectations, and they also felt that there was one less competitor.


    For Yang Yuan, not interrupting him and allowing him to finish his performance was already the greatest respect she could show.


    The slightly overweight male teacher also knew how highly regarded Yang Yuan was in the performing arts department, and the outcome was already set, so there wasn''t much to watch.


    Only the bespectacled male teacher continued to watch Shen Yujing''s performance, though he didn''t hold out much hope.


    What a boy who could be described as beautiful! If he were to play a heartbroken role and cry beautifully enough, he might still have a chance to stay. Unfortunately, he chose to play a gorilla.


    You see, animal roles are the foundation of performing arts training.


    They seem simple, but they are actually the most difficult.


    Without dialogue, it''s often hard to showcase much, relying mainly on the actor''s movements and plot design to add points. Only veteran actors can truly excel in such roles.


    These young kids, probably at the age where they are most vain and concerned about their image, wouldn''t be willing to play such roles.


    And even if he wanted to perform well, he probably didn''t have the skills, not even knowing how a gorilla walks...


    Hmm??


    The male teacher pushed his glasses up and widened his eyes to look at Shen Yujing. This kid has something!


    The teacher knocked on Yang Yuan''s desk, "Director Yang, take a look!"


    Yang Yuan, who was already impatient, lifted her head, but her gaze froze the moment it landed on the boy performing on stage.


    Outside the exam hall.


    Shen Yujing walked out of the building and glanced back at the exam hall before dusting off his clothes, his expression complicated.


    During his performance, for some reason, all he could think about was Jerry.


    As a result, all his actions were based on his memories of watching Jerry with his mother.


    Shen Yujing still remembered the moment his performance ended. The nine students sitting beside him looked at him in stunned silence, and the three teachers below the stage had equally complex expressions.


    Embarrassing.


    Young Master Shen had never been so embarrassed in his life.


    He didn''t even need to think to know how pathetic his performance had been, not even resembling a human!


    He also remembered the types of roles his previous acting teacher had said he performed best in, roles that had absolutely nothing to do with a gorilla.


    It''s over. He''s done for.


    Shen Yujing felt his steps becoming unsteady, his mind blank, and his heart directionless as he walked forward until¡ª


    "Excuse me, classmate. We are from the Imperial Capital Entertainment News. Can we interview you?"


    A reporter, directing a cameraman, rushed up and blocked Shen Yujing''s path.


    Shen Yujing looked up at the people in front of him. If it had been any other day, he would have been annoyed and left.


    But today, he felt like a shell of himself, so he numbly asked, "What do you want to ask?"


    The reporter asked, "Are you a performing arts student this year?"


    "Yes."


    "How would you evaluate your performance today?"


    Shen Yujing blurted out, "A complete mess."


    The reporter''s smile froze on her face.


    The young man in front of her, in terms of looks and demeanor, was among the top in the entire group of performing arts students. She had expected such a student to be confident and sure of victory, which was why she approached him for an interview. She hadn''t expected such an answer.


    But the reporter wasn''t ready to give up and continued to ask Shen Yujing several more questions.


    However, Shen Yujing remained lifeless, as if the next question might make him keel over on the spot.


    The reporter knew the conversation wasn''t going anywhere, but since it was live, she had to awkwardly say a few words of encouragement before moving on to interview the next student.


    At that moment, outside Imperial Capital University.


    Song Yi, Quan Le, and Murong Huan stood there waiting. They had thought it was too silly, so Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng had both declined the invitation to join them.


    The three had just been watching the live broadcast together and naturally saw Shen Yujing''s interview.


    Murong Huan was a bit uneasy and said, "Why does Shen Yujing look like a walking corpse? Did he not perform well?"


    Quan Le immediately stopped her, "Don''t say that!"


    Song Yi also frowned, "Stop talking."


    Shen Yujing was usually someone who couldn''t hide his emotions. If he had performed well, he would be over the moon. His current expression suggested something had gone wrong.


    "What should we do?" Quan Le looked down at the banner in his hand that read "Congratulations on Shen Yujing''s Great Success" and quickly hid it, afraid it might backfire.


    Song Yi said, "Let''s see how he reacts when he comes out. We''ll improvise and have a meal together first."


    Murong Huan and Quan Le both nodded in agreement.


    Ten minutes later.


    Quan Le asked curiously, "He just finished the interview, right? Why hasn''t he come out yet?"


    Meanwhile, by the playground of Imperial Capital University.


    A girl stopped Shen Yujing as he was about to leave. With her friends cheering her on, she handed him her phone, her face flushed as she said, "Can we exchange WeChat? I''m from the photography department at Imperial Capital University. You can call me senior in advance. If you get into our school, you can ask me anything."


    Shen Yujing''s gaze fell on the girl''s face.


    She had a sweet appearance, a typical baby face with big eyes and extremely fair skin. She had a pretty butterfly hairpin in her hair.


    So Shen Yujing asked, "Where did you buy your hairpin?"


    "Huh?" The girl was taken aback and touched her hair, "What did you say?"


    Shen Yujing said, "I think it''s very nice. I want to buy one for the girl I like."


    The girl understood Shen Yujing''s rejection; he already had someone he liked.


    She quickly retracted her phone, though slightly embarrassed, and pointed to the other side of the playground, saying, "That''s our school''s commercial street. Go straight in and take the first left. The first shop on the left sells accessories."


    After saying that, the girl, feeling embarrassed and upset, ran off.


    "Thank you..."


    Shen Yujing was about to thank her when he suddenly realized she was gone.


    Wait, what did this senior come to talk to him about again?


    Shen Yujing scratched his hair and suddenly couldn''t remember.


    Forget it, it''s not important.


    Commercial street, go straight, first left, got it.


    *


    Accessories shop.


    Other girls were secretly watching Shen Yujing and whispering among themselves.


    The shop wasn''t too big or too small, but there were quite a few customers¡ªmostly girls, with the occasional guy there to accompany his girlfriend. It was rare to see someone like Shen Yujing, a single guy coming in on his own.


    Shen Yujing, however, didn''t notice any of this. He felt overwhelmed the moment he entered the shop, with so many items that his eyes were spinning.


    All kinds of accessories were dazzling, and there were even things he had no idea what they were for.


    How was he supposed to choose?


    Shen Yujing didn''t know where to start.


    The shop owner was a well-made-up woman. She walked over and asked, "Are you picking a gift for your girlfriend?"


    Shen Yujing looked at the shop owner and replied, "Ah... no."


    Not yet his girlfriend.


    The woman smiled and said, "No? Then are you buying it for yourself?"


    Some girls around them giggled.


    Shen Yujing felt a bit embarrassed but still explained, "No, it''s for the girl I like."


    "Not together yet?" The shop owner immediately understood Shen Yujing''s situation and said, "In that case, you should pick something the girl likes. That way, you can win her heart. Do you need me to recommend something?"


    Shen Yujing immediately nodded but said, "Hairpins, I want hairpins."


    "Alright." The shop owner nodded and led Shen Yujing to a wall, saying, "These are our shop''s most popular styles. Pick one you think suits her."


    Shen Yujing took out his phone from his pocket, found a photo of them together, zoomed in on Song Yi''s part, and then compared each hairpin to the photo to see which one looked better.


    The shop owner: "..."


    She had been running this shop for five years and had never seen such a method before.


    Well, never mind.


    Fifteen minutes later.


    The shop owner stared in shock at the blond boy in front of her holding a basket. "What are you...?"


    Looking back now, the wall she had taken him to earlier was almost completely empty.


    Shen Yujing said, "I''ll take them all."


    Because he had tried each one and thought every hairclip looked beautiful on Song Yi.


    Little kids make choices; adults take it all.


    Thinking about how Song Yi would look wearing these hairclips, Shen Yujing''s lips unconsciously curled into a smile, and even the frustration from his poor exam performance seemed to lessen.


    Shop owner: "......"


    She had failed to recognize a true patron.


    *


    In front of Imperial Capital University.


    Shen Yujing walked out carrying a bag stuffed to the brim.


    Quan Le''s sharp eyes spotted him first and waved vigorously. "Shen Yujing!"


    At the sight of Song Yi also being there, Shen Yujing instinctively hid the bag behind his back.


    He wanted to give her a gift, but not in front of Quan Le and Murong Huan.


    The next second, as Quan Le approached, Shen Yujing turned and bolted, sprinting a hundred meters to his family''s car parked not far away.


    Just as he started to move, Quan Le: "???"


    Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged a glance: "......"


    Shen Yujing opened the back door and tossed the bag inside. "Take the things I bought back home. You can go now."


    The driver replied, "Yes, Young Master."


    "Wait!" Shen Yujing''s body leaned back in and he opened the bag, grabbing a handful of hairclips and putting them in his pocket. "Alright, you can go now."


    Watching his family''s car drive away, Shen Yujing finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to walk towards Song Yi.


    Quan Le complained, "Shen Yujing, what are you doing? I came to see you out of the goodness of my heart, and you run off like you''ve seen a ghost? Do you even have a conscience?"


    Murong Huan tugged on Quan Le''s sleeve and whispered harshly, "Stop it!"


    Does he even have a brain? Shen Yujing was so depressed during that interview earlier. Can''t he just be quiet today?


    Song Yi simply said, "The exam''s over, so it''s done. Want to go eat together?"


    *


    At the Japanese restaurant.


    Throughout the meal, Quan Le kept trying to bring up the exam, only for Murong Huan to kick him hard each time to stop him.


    Shen Yujing seemed relatively calm the entire time, at least not as half-dead as he had been during the interview.


    But Song Yi still noticed that Shen Yujing hadn''t smiled once today.


    Clearly, he was still holding back his emotions.


    So when Murong Huan suggested they go out to play after the meal, Song Yi interrupted her directly. "You have to go back to the dorm and study. The mock exam is next week. I''m going home to grab a few things and then I''ll head back to the dorm to supervise you."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Murong Huan was about to say something to argue but didn''t dare when she saw Song Yi''s serious expression.


    Then suddenly, Quan Le accidentally dropped a banner on the ground that read, "Congratulations to Shen Yujing on a Great Victory." The words seemed somewhat ironic in this context.


    Murong Huan quickly picked up the banner and dragged Quan Le out, shouting, "We''re leaving! We''re leaving right now!"


    Only Shen Yujing and Song Yi were left.


    Shen Yujing spoke up first, as if he hadn''t seen the banner. "Do you need to go back and get something? Then I''ll take you."


    Although it seemed unnecessary to escort her during the day, Song Yi had something she wanted to ask Shen Yujing, so she nodded in agreement.


    Throughout the journey, Shen Yujing talked to Song Yi about recent events, mostly related to the art exam. At times, he even gesticulated excitedly.


    Finally, as they approached the alley where Song Yi''s house was, she stopped.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "So, what exactly happened during the exam today?"


    Shen Yujing swallowed hard and then avoided Song Yi''s gaze, forcing a smile. "Nothing really happened. It was just average. We''ll know the results when they come out."


    Song Yi directly pointed out, "Nothing happened? Then why did you look like that during the interview?"


    "What?" Shen Yujing widened his eyes in surprise, clearly not expecting Song Yi to say such a thing.


    Song Yi asked with some doubt, "You didn''t know that interview was live, did you?"


    Shen Yujing: "......"


    Indeed, he hadn''t known.


    Song Yi sat down on a bench by the roadside and looked up at Shen Yujing. "So, tell me, what''s going on?"


    "It''s just that I didn''t do well. I got a topic I''m not good at in my strongest subject," Shen Yujing lowered his eyes, no longer hiding the dejection on his face. "I thought this exam would secure my qualification, but..."


    He didn''t elaborate, but it was clear he was disappointed. "Is this God''s way of telling me I''m not cut out for this path?"


    He had always been fickle, never sticking with anything. If even the heavens thought his sudden dream was laughable, then maybe he wasn''t meant for this.


    Even the reason he chose this path wasn''t truly out of love.


    "Shen Yujing, what are you being so melodramatic about?" Song Yi wasn''t used to seeing this side of Shen Yujing. She patted the bench next to her and ordered, "Sit down."


    Shen Yujing obediently sat beside her, but his head was still drooping, clearly disheartened.


    Song Yi asked him, "What happens if you don''t pass the art exam?"


    "I won''t get into Imperial Capital University."


    Shen Yujing was very clear that with his grades, he could barely touch the edges of a double-first-class university. Top schools like Imperial Capital University and A University were out of his reach.


    Song Yi looked at him and continued, "So what? What happens if you don''t go to Imperial Capital University?"


    "It would mean..."


    The boy fell silent for a few seconds, then looked up into Song Yi''s eyes. "It would mean getting further and further away from you."


    Sometimes, Shen Yujing felt like he and Song Yi were from two different worlds.


    Beautiful, outstanding, flawless¡ªSong Yi was perfect in his eyes. She was the brightest star in any crowd, and all he could see was her.


    But he was different from her.


    Wild, unruly, poor at studying, with nothing remarkable to his name. All he had done over the years was skip classes and fight.


    The only things going for him were his looks and his family''s wealth, but even those weren''t really his. If you had to be strict about it, he really had nothing.


    If they weren''t in the same school, more and more outstanding people would appear by her side, and eventually, her eyes would no longer see him.


    So he really, really wanted to stay by her side forever.


    Was it inferiority complex?


    In his eighteen years of life, Shen Yujing had never felt this strange emotion before.


    At this moment, Song Yi was momentarily stunned, her instincts making her avoid Shen Yujing''s gaze.


    Her heart seemed to be beating abnormally. It must be...


    Yes, it must be because she was angry with him.


    Song Yi poked Shen Yujing''s forehead with her index finger and said, "Is getting into university for my sake?"


    "Yes."


    The boy grabbed her wrist, answering with utter certainty.


    Those usually playful peach blossom eyes were now unusually serious, revealing his true feelings.


    Studying performance art to get into Imperial Capital University was for Song Yi. Along the way, he had also grown to like performance art, at least more than studying.


    But the most important reason was still her.


    Song Yi opened her mouth, but this answer left her momentarily at a loss for words. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next second, Shen Yujing let go of her hand and smiled to cover his awkwardness. "Of course, it''s for all of you. You, Hang Feng, Jiang Yiheng¡ªall of you are top students. Even Quan Le isn''t bad, and Xu Che is doing well too. The only one who could keep up with me in being at the bottom was Murong Huan, and even she''s turned over a new leaf and is studying hard now. I can''t be the only one lagging behind, can I? I wouldn''t even have the face to hang out with you guys in the future."


    Song Yi: "......"


    Her hand reached out again, grabbing Shen Yujing''s ear and shouting at him, "You think studying is just for having fun together in the future? Getting into college is for your own life! Of course, getting the certificate is great, but if you don''t, there''s no need to feel down. There are still two months left! Get back here and study!"


    Shen Yujing''s ear was pulled so hard it hurt. He immediately raised his hands in surrender, yelling, "I was joking! Joking! I''ll study! I''ll study! Don''t be mad!"


    Song Yi finally let go of his ear, took a deep breath, and turned her face away, refusing to look at him.


    Soon, Song Yi felt a hand tugging at her hair and poking her shoulder. A tentative voice came from behind her, "Song Yi? Song Yi? Are you really mad?"


    Song Yi ignored him, until¡ª


    Shen Yujing''s hand suddenly pressed down on her head.


    Song Yi: "???"


    Did he want to die?


    Song Yi turned around, furious, and reached up to touch her head, only to pause in surprise.


    When she pulled her hand back, she found a hairclip, shaped like a little mushroom, quite cute.


    Shen Yujing rubbed his nose and said, "I''ll be back at school on Monday for the mock exam, and then I''ll continue attending classes. Whether I get this certificate or not, I''ll do my best to score as high as possible in the cultural courses. So I''ll work hard, you can trust me."


    "That''s more like it," Song Yi said, barely satisfied with Shen Yujing''s response. She looked down at the clip in her hand, her tone softening as she added, "It''s pretty cute."


    "Do you like it?" Shen Yujing quickly pulled out two more clips from his pocket, "I''ve got more here, all for you. Let me put them on you."


    Song Yi nodded in agreement.


    Shen Yujing carefully fastened the hairclips onto Song Yi''s hair. Just as he had imagined when he bought them, they looked great on her!


    One, two, three¡ª


    Song Yi couldn''t take it anymore and looked up, saying clearly, "Shen Yujing, are you out of your mind?"


    Shen Yujing was startled and asked, "What? Didn''t you say you liked them?"


    Song Yi took a deep breath and said clearly, "Even if I like them, you can''t put a dozen on me at once!"


    "I just wanted to see which one looked best..."


    Before Shen Yujing could finish, Song Yi took a clip from her own hair and fastened it onto his head.


    With his golden hair mixed with a large red bow, he looked a bit ridiculous.


    Just as Shen Yujing reached up to take it off, Song Yi suddenly burst out laughing, "Pfft!"


    Shen Yujing stopped mid-motion and asked awkwardly, "What are you laughing at?"


    "It fits, it looks good, and your taste is not bad," Song Yi said, then continued to take several more clips from her hair and fasten them onto Shen Yujing''s head, until the number on both of them was about the same. Only then did she let go and release her hand with satisfaction.


    Then, with her right hand on Shen Yujing''s neck and her left hand holding her phone, she snapped a quick photo of the two of them, completely catching him off guard.


    After taking the photo, Song Yi immediately let go and stood up, heading towards home, "Goodbye!"


    "Song Yi!!!"


    Shen Yujing chased after her, "Give me the phone! Delete it!"


    "No way!" Song Yi hid the phone behind her back, "We''re friends, right? Can''t we take a photo together?"


    "We can take photos, but not..."


    Song Yi asked him, "Not what?"


    Shen Yujing pointed to the clips on his head, "What do you think?"


    If this photo got out, would he still have any face left?


    As the two of them were at a standoff, a female voice suddenly called out from behind Shen Yujing¡ª


    "Golden retriever! Hey, golden retriever! Come here!"


    Shen Yujing: "!!!?"


    Who was so rude? Calling someone "golden retriever" instead of "handsome guy"?


    Shen Yujing initially didn''t want to pay attention, but the voice grew closer¡ª


    "Golden retriever! Why aren''t you listening to me!"


    Shen Yujing couldn''t take it anymore and turned around, saying directly, "Who are you? Why should I listen to you?"


    As soon as he finished speaking, the scene fell into an eerie silence.


    A young girl was holding a dog leash, and at the other end of the leash was a large golden retriever gnawing on a bone someone had discarded by the roadside.


    The girl seemed startled by Shen Yujing and pointed at the dog in front of her, her voice trembling slightly, "I wasn''t calling you, I... I was calling it."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    From behind, Song Yi, who had witnessed the whole scene, was laughing so hard she couldn''t stand up straight. She also called out, "Golden retriever? Golden retriever, say something!"


    Under the fearful gaze of the girl walking the dog, Shen Yujing felt extremely awkward. He turned around, grabbed Song Yi''s wrist, and pulled her forward, grumbling, "Alright, stop laughing and get back to your house quickly."


    "You''re a golden retriever, and it''s a golden retriever. Chinese culture is indeed profound," Song Yi continued to laugh, then added, "But do you like dogs? I think golden retrievers are really cute, well-behaved, smart, and sensible. Much better than you, and everyone says they''re the ideal boyfriend type."


    Shen Yujing was stunned and couldn''t help but glance back at the golden retriever still gnawing on the bone on the ground.


    Is that it?


    *


    That evening, Shen''s Mother''s screams echoed through the Shen household.


    "Ah! Shen Yujing! Why do you suddenly want to raise a dog?!!!"


    A small golden retriever was lying at Shen Yujing''s feet, quiet and well-behaved, its black, shiny eyes timidly surveying the house.


    Shen Yujing said confidently, "You can raise a gorilla, so why can''t I raise a dog?"


    After saying that, Shen Yujing picked up the little golden retriever and carried it upstairs.


    Shen''s Mother was about to say something more, but Shen''s Father quickly stopped her, "Alright, alright, we saw the interview. The kid''s had a bad day today. Wanting to raise a little pet is nothing. Let him cheer up a bit."


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    "But the owl I adopted from abroad is about to arrive! I''ve already made a name tag for it. It''s our third daughter, and now this dog comes first? What''s going on?"


    "The fourth daughter is fine too. It''s all the same. Don''t be mad, don''t be mad."


    *


    Upstairs, Shen Yujing closed the door, tossed a toy to the little golden retriever, and let it play on its own.


    Shen Yujing sat at his desk, opened a test paper, but his mind was full of Song Yi''s words from earlier.


    He picked up the test paper, rolled it into a tube, and extended it in front of the little golden retriever, saying, "Hey, tell me, how do I become the ideal boyfriend?"


    The little golden retriever looked up at him, and the two of them stared at each other.


    After a while, the golden retriever opened its mouth: "Yip?!"


    Shen Yujing''s test paper hit his forehead.


    He was going crazy. Definitely going crazy.

 Chapter 91

    Monday noon.The video of Shen Yujing''s online interview had a certain degree of circulation within Saint Slee, quickly fermenting and becoming known to almost all the teachers and students in the school. So, before Shen Yujing returned to school, everyone held a small meeting.


    At the convenience store.


    Jiang Yiheng spoke first, saying, "I''ve deleted all the content related to Shen Yujing''s interview video, and I''ve also banned some accounts that were clearly stirring up trouble for varying durations."


    Hang Feng took out a collection of incorrect questions from his backpack, "These are the problems Shen Yujing struggled with recently. I''ve basically sorted them all out."


    Murong Huan, chewing gum, said, "I''ve already told everyone in Class B not to mention the art exam to Shen Yujing."


    At that moment, Quan Le burst through the door, panting, and sat down, immediately opening a can of cola and taking a big gulp.


    Murong Huan looked at Quan Le and asked, "Don''t just drink, did you get the job done?"


    "Of course," Quan Le said between breaths, "I''ve gone to every teacher in your class and given them a heads-up."


    "Good," Song Yi collected the error collection Hang Feng prepared for Shen Yujing along with her own typical problems.


    Murong Huan raised a hand in the air, saying, "Operation Protect Shen Yujing''s Self-Esteem is officially launched! Squad assemble!"


    Quan Le raised his hand: "Hooray!"


    The other three: "..."


    Under Murong Huan and Quan Le''s expectant gazes, Song Yi was the first to place her hand on top, and Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng reluctantly followed.


    This strange little squad... well, it''ll do.


    In the afternoon, it was the day of the mock exam.


    Before the exam, Shen Yujing entered his examination room. Due to his previous absence, he was placed in the worst exam room at Saint Slee.


    The students around him were truly the idle rich second-generation, some even missing several subjects, and among them... Shen Yujing knew quite a few.


    When someone saw Shen Yujing, they came over to greet him, "Yujing? Long time no see in our exam room."


    This guy had a decent relationship with Shen Yujing before, occasionally going out to play games or have a meal together.


    The guy continued, "Yujing, how about we just take the exam for show this afternoon? I heard there''s a new bar opening tomorrow morning, want to go? I''ll treat."


    Shen Yujing rejected without hesitation, "No, I''m going to study."


    The guy was stunned, apparently not expecting Shen Yujing to refuse, "Study? Yujing, are you changing your ways?"


    Another guy also came over with a grin, saying, "Our Yujing is really serious about studying this year, even went to an art exam recently. Can''t forget us when you become a big star, huh?"


    Shen Yujing looked at them, his eyes showing irritation, "This is an exam room, either study or get out."


    The two guys exchanged glances, clearly feeling awkward, and left awkwardly.


    As they returned to their seats at the back, they muttered, "What''s with the attitude? Studying for a few days and thinking he''s a good student now? He''s the same as us, what''s with the sudden holier-than-thou act?"


    If it were in the past, Shen Yujing would have already gone over to punch them, but now he felt it was pointless to argue.


    Not studying is one thing, but thinking it''s cool to be a bad student? What kind of nonsense is that? People like that are just societal scum...


    Wait.


    Shen Yujing suddenly frowned.


    But not long ago, he was indeed exactly the same as them.


    The tip of the pen left a large blot of ink on the paper.


    It turns out that after meeting beautiful people and things, one really does come to despise their former self.


    *


    The next afternoon, after the mock exam, the school had a half-day holiday.


    In the boys'' dormitory.


    Seeing the group of people standing in a row by his bed, Shen Yujing, who had been woken up from his nap, lay in bed weakly and said, "What are you doing? Preparing my funeral?"


    Jiang Yiheng''s voice sounded, "Shen Yujing, is this the time for you to be sleeping?"


    Song Yi''s voice was passionate, "Every minute of life is precious, don''t waste it."


    Murong Huan sincerely asked, "Why sleep so much before death? You''ll sleep forever after." [Note 1]


    Hang Feng coldly said, "In the time we''ve been talking, you''ve wasted three minutes of study time."


    Quan Le shouted in his ear, "Get up! Study! Now! Get! Up!!!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen Yujing pulled the blanket over his head.


    Of course, he was still forcibly dragged out and made to sit at the desk in the living room.


    Song Yi smiled and handed a pen to Shen Yujing, saying, "Come on, tell us your answers to each question so we can estimate your score."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    His hand holding the pen trembled slightly.


    But under the supervision of these people, he still gritted his teeth and wrote down the answers to the objective questions.


    As for the subjective questions, they had a general idea of how many Shen Yujing could get right.


    "Better than I expected," Song Yi looked at Hang Feng and Jiang Yiheng and asked, "What do you think?"


    "Not bad," Jiang Yiheng nodded, "As long as he doesn''t mess up the later questions too badly, his score shouldn''t be much worse than last month''s. Not regressing during a month of absence is the biggest progress."


    "He''s made significant progress in Chinese. Previously, the multiple-choice questions were a major source of lost points, but this time it''s better," Hang Feng''s gaze fell on the paper, "If you just look at the Chinese subject, he''s definitely improved compared to last time."


    After receiving the unanimous approval of the three, Shen Yujing proudly raised his head, of course!


    Don''t look at him having been absent for a month, but during that month, he didn''t slack off on his cultural studies at all, all for this moment to make everyone look at him in a new light.


    Murong Huan was even more surprised, saying, "Shen Yujing, you studied behind my back?"


    Shen Yujing proudly replied, "That''s called competing with you openly."


    And two days later, the results of the mock exam came out, just as expected.


    In Class A.


    The homeroom teacher stood on the podium, speaking passionately with spittle flying, "Students, you performed exceptionally well in this exam! Very well! In the mock exam involving fifteen schools in our district, our class took thirteen of the top fifty spots, a proportion that can be described as excellent. You''ve all worked hard! I especially want to commend three of our students, everyone should know who they are."


    "First is our class''s Song Yi, who performed as stable as ever, taking the first place in the district mock exam. Let''s applaud!"


    The students clapped.


    The teacher continued, "The second and fourth places also came from our school and our class, Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng. Let''s also give them a round of applause!"


    But after the applause, someone asked, "Teacher, which school took third place?"


    "Saint Yu Boys'' High School," the teacher said, flipping through the list in front of him, "His name is Xu Che, only one and a half points behind Jiang Yiheng. Jiang Yiheng, you need to work harder next time and keep the position for us. Hang Feng, you''re only one point behind third place, just one more point and the top three would all be from our school and our class."


    The teacher looked at Hang Feng and continued, "Of course, I''m not saying you''re not good, just that you can be even better. Next time, surpass this third place, okay?"


    Hang Feng nodded, indicating he understood, "Okay, teacher, I''ll try my best."


    "Good, good," the teacher nodded, waving his hand, "Carry on with self-study."


    Before leaving the class, the teacher''s face was filled with an unconcealed joy, clearly heading to the office to enjoy the compliments from other teachers.


    Meanwhile, in Class B.


    The teacher had just announced that starting from this mock exam, Class B would also adopt the ranking-based class system like Class A.


    Murong Huan widened her eyes in shock, looking at her deskmate and blurting out, "What the hell!"


    Shen Yujing packed his things, "What a coincidence, it''s us again."


    Murong Huan opened her mouth, wanting to say something but was too angry to speak.


    She looked at Shen Yujing and said, "What''s going on? Don''t tell me you''re the third place, right?"


    This time, her progress was not significant, moving from third to second place, but being able to stabilize this result, Murong Huan already felt quite satisfied.


    But Shen Yujing? Was he third?


    This was a huge blow to Murong Huan.


    She had worked hard for a month, focusing solely on studying, while Shen Yujing juggled both art exams and cultural courses, and his results were almost comparable to hers?


    This made it seem like Shen Yujing was smarter than her! Was this reasonable?


    Murong Huan buried her face on the desk, deeply overwhelmed, unable to comprehend.


    Soon, the homeroom teacher came to analyze the overall performance of this exam with them, specifically praising Murong Huan and Shen Yujing.


    "Everyone, don''t lose heart. Learn from our classmates Murong Huan and Shen Yujing! They were once at the bottom of our class, but through their continuous hard work, they have now become our top students. What reason do you have not to learn from them and become as excellent as they are?"


    After the teacher finished speaking, she walked down from the podium and looked at Shen Yujing with a very gratified expression: "Good boy, even if you don''t make it through the art exam, it''s okay. As long as you keep working hard like this, I believe you can get into a very good university through cultural courses."


    Why did the teacher keep mentioning the art exam?


    Murong Huan rolled her eyes to the ceiling, cursing Quan Le in her heart for his incompetence.


    Sure enough, Shen Yujing''s expression immediately fell, and he gave a smile that could almost be described as a wry one, saying, "Teacher, but I still want to study acting more."


    "Alright, alright, keep working hard, and the teacher will always support you. If you have any questions or needs, feel free to come to the office at any time."


    Under Murong Huan''s threatening gaze, the homeroom teacher realized she had said something inappropriate, so after a few words of concern, she quickly left.


    Shen Yujing''s gaze followed the teacher''s departure with a hint of confusion, saying, "Did he win the lottery today? Why is he speaking to me so gently?"


    The next second, Shen Yujing figured it out, and he sighed again, lowering his head.


    Yes, it was because he had failed the art exam, and everyone felt sorry for him.


    At this moment, Murong Huan suddenly felt the air pressure around her drop. Seeing Shen Yujing suddenly looking gloomy again, she thought, "..."


    Who can save her? Is she really going to have to comfort Shen Yujing alone? That''s not possible! She can''t do it!


    And at this moment, someone really came to her rescue.


    The language representative from Class B, a girl who often wore her hair in a high ponytail, walked up to Shen Yujing. She was also the top student in Class B.


    Murong Huan immediately became nervous, saying, "Han Qianqian, what are you doing?"


    You should know that Han Qianqian, because of her excellent grades, had always looked down on people in Class B and had even once mocked Murong Huan and Shen Yujing for living off their family backgrounds. Of course, Murong Huan had retorted back in response.


    Han Qianqian looked at Murong Huan with a complicated expression, then handed her reading comprehension workbook to Shen Yujing, "Here, take this. I''ve already finished it, so you can look at it if you''re bored."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Shen Yujing was also taken aback, but this material was indeed very useful to him, so he accepted it, saying, "Thank you."


    Next, the representatives from each subject stood up one after another, handing Shen Yujing some study materials or notes.


    Murong Huan: "???"


    What was going on here?


    So after class, Murong Huan pulled Han Qianqian to the hallway and asked, "What''s going on with you guys today? Why are you all being so nice to Shen Yujing?"


    Han Qianqian was a bit awkward, saying, "Although I didn''t like you two before, your performance in the recent exams has really impressed me. Encouraging classmates to improve together is what our class leaders should do. So we, the representatives, discussed and decided that each of us would help Shen Yujing with our best subjects. As the teacher said, even if he doesn''t go through the art exam, he can still get into a good university."


    Murong Huan pursed her lips, looking at Han Qianqian with some surprise, saying, "For the first time, I think you''re actually a good person."


    "You!" Han Qianqian''s expression immediately changed, and she sneered, "What does it matter if I''m a good person or not? Anyway, I''m someone you''ll never surpass in exams."


    After saying that, Han Qianqian turned around and walked proudly back to the classroom.


    Murong Huan was amused, pointing at Han Qianqian''s back and shouting, "Hey! I was complimenting you, okay? What kind of person are you?"


    Apparently, everyone thought Shen Yujing had failed the art exam, so they were all trying to help and encourage him. This continued until a month later¡ª


    "Excuse me, where is Shen Yujing? Could he accept an interview with us?" S~ea??h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "We were here first! It won''t take long, just a few simple questions!"


    "It''s said that Shen Yujing decided to study acting at the last minute in his senior year and only studied for a month before taking the exam. Do you know anything about this?"


    ...


    At the gate of Saint Slee Academy, the scene was chaotic with reporters crowding around.


    Cameras were set up everywhere, and countless media outlets had sent reporters, all eager to interview this "genius boy" who had topped the professional exam for the performance department at Imperial Capital University.


    You should know that this year''s art exam for the performance department at Imperial Capital University was extremely competitive.


    Not only were there child stars who were well-known household names, but also popular idols from idol groups, and even a talented actress who had been nominated for a film award.


    Just as the media and fans were excitedly speculating who would win the top spot in this fierce competition, an entirely unfamiliar name appeared before them, naturally causing a huge sensation.


    And at this moment, the leading actor was being interrogated in the disciplinary committee''s restroom at the student council.


    "Tch." Murong Huan crossed her arms, laughing in anger, "Shen Yujing, is this what you meant by a complete disaster?"


    Quan Le also clutched his chest, showing an expression of unforgivable betrayal after being deceived by Shen Yujing: "If you did well, you did well. Why hide it from us for so long? Do you still consider us friends?"


    Jiang Yiheng said, "Your art exam score is already at a level where it''s far ahead. According to the 50-50 ratio of professional and cultural courses for admission, as long as you reach the undergraduate line, you''re guaranteed a spot. There''s no need for extra lessons."


    After saying that, Jiang Yiheng turned around and walked out.


    "In fact, there''s no need to attend classes either." Hang Feng said, his eyes also showing some reproach, then followed Jiang Yiheng and left together.


    Murong Huan and Quan Le also followed suit, leaving together.


    Quan Le didn''t forget to shout as he turned back, "I hereby announce! The Protect Shen Yujing''s Pride Task Force is disbanded on the spot!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What task force? What is this?


    But now Shen Yujing didn''t have time to think about it in detail. He looked at Song Yi, anxiously saying, "Listen to me, let me explain."


    "Mm." Song Yi nodded, "Explain."


    Shen Yujing quickly said, "I really don''t know why I got in, and I don''t know why I not only got in but also got first place. I..."


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing with a half-smile, continuing his words, "And you don''t know why your first place is ten points ahead of the second place, right?"


    "Yes! You really understand me!" Shen Yujing nodded, then became anxious, almost grabbing his hair, saying, "I didn''t lie to you. I called my dad to confirm, and he didn''t donate a building to Imperial Capital University. I really don''t know why!"


    Song Yi looked at him expressionlessly, and after three seconds, she turned and left.


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    He just said the truth, didn''t he? Why was everyone reacting like this to him?


    He really didn''t know!


    No, that''s not right, getting in isn''t a good thing? What are they doing? Can''t they wish him well?


    At this moment, on Weibo.


    The discussion about the first place in the professional exam for the performance department at Imperial Capital University was also heating up, even making it to two trending topics.


    #Imperial Capital University Performance First Place Shen Yujing#


    #Shen Yujing a Complete Disaster#


    As soon as the news broke, marketing accounts quickly jumped on the bandwagon, posting a video of Shen Yujing being interviewed by reporters on the day of his art exam.


    The reporter asked, "How would you evaluate your performance today?"


    "A complete disaster."


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    In the video, the golden-haired boy looked utterly defeated as he answered the reporter''s question. His expression was so heartbroken that it was impossible not to believe him.


    No one could have guessed that the same student who claimed his performance was a disaster would end up topping the rankings.


    [Isn''t this the classic case of the top student pretending to have done poorly to make the rest of us feel worse?]


    [He''s handsome though, and I get why he got first place just by looking at his face.]


    [Indeed, he''s way better than those so-called idol heartthrobs. His victory isn''t surprising at all.]


    [Give me three minutes, and I want all his information!]


    [Hey, get a grip! Did you even watch the video? Looks aren''t everything! He''s full of lies. If getting first place is a disaster, does he want to be the examiner himself?]


    [True, I hereby crown him the king of humblebragging for the year.]


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    No, that''s not true. He really didn''t mean it that way.

 Chapter 92

    Shen Yujing sat alone in the lounge, feeling a bit down, but when he opened the door, he froze in place.Quan Le stood in the middle holding a cake and said with a smile, "We only found out you won first place, and there wasn''t much time to prepare anything, so we quickly bought a cake from the school. It''ll have to do."


    Jiang Yiheng chuckled, "That''s called ''making do''? At least it''s better than a bun and a candle."


    Everyone except Hang Feng: "¡­¡­"


    Guilty.jpg.


    Seeing that it was a day to celebrate Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng said, "But still, congratulations. Not bad."


    "Yeah," Song Yi nodded and smiled, "First place? Good job. You didn''t embarrass us."


    Murong Huan chimed in excitedly, "Alright, enough chit-chat. Hurry up and light the candles and blow them out. It''s an ice cream cake, and it''ll melt if we leave it too long."


    Hang Feng took out a lighter from his pocket and lit the candles.


    Shen Yujing, who had been completely bewildered the entire time, closed his eyes and blew out the candles under everyone''s urging.


    Finally, Shen Yujing figured it out and asked, "So you guys believe me, right?"


    Jiang Yiheng said, "Because you don''t have the intelligence to lie."


    Shen Yujing: "£¿"


    Song Yi explained for Jiang Yiheng, "He means that with your personality, if you knew you did really well, you wouldn''t be able to resist bragging until now."


    "Exactly," Murong Huan agreed, "And you have no reason to lie to us."


    Hang Feng commented, "Looks like someone really got lucky this time."


    "At first glance, all your words seem fine," Shen Yujing frowned, "But when you think about it, why does everyone sound so awkward?"


    It seemed like no one was actually praising him?


    "Don''t overthink it," Quan Le put his hand on Shen Yujing''s shoulder, "Come on! Let''s go to the cafeteria! Shen Yujing''s celebration dinner, and he''s paying!"


    Shen Yujing: "Okay... wait, why am I paying?"


    *


    Shen Yujing''s first place in the art exam had caused quite a stir online, and in Saint Slee, it was practically common knowledge.


    However, within less than a day, all the trending topics were taken down, and the marketing accounts with tens of thousands of retweets of Shen Yujing''s photos had all deleted their posts. This was because Shen Yujing didn''t want to be overly exposed online so early, and his father agreed with his decision.


    Even so, Shen''s Father, who usually had a stern face, couldn''t hide his smile, and even poured himself a drink at the dinner table, which was rare.


    Shen''s Mother wasn''t at the dinner yet because she was busy cooking dinner for Shen Yujing''s golden retriever, calling it "good boy" repeatedly, clearly very fond of it.


    At the dinner table with only Shen Yujing and his father, Shen''s Father began to plan his son''s future.


    "Son, I asked your art exam teacher, and he said your score was exceptionally high. It''s like Imperial Capital University has already made it clear they''ll admit you. Your academic scores are fine too. How about I send you abroad for some acting training instead of going to school?"


    Shen Yujing refused without hesitation, "I''m not going. I want to go to school."


    "Huh?" Shen''s Father frowned in confusion, "I thought you hated school the most. You used to fake being sick all the time just to skip classes, and I always caught you."


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    Shen Yujing: "That was ages ago."


    Shen''s Father asked, "So, you mean you''ve fallen in love with studying now?"


    "Not exactly," Shen Yujing thought for a moment, "I just feel that no matter which path I choose in the future, having more knowledge is never a bad thing. Even if I become a celebrity, I can''t be illiterate. Having a good college entrance exam score is always a plus."


    "You''re right," Shen''s Father nodded in agreement and didn''t mention the acting training again, "Then study hard. Remember, no matter which path you choose, your mother and I will always support you. We''ll be your most reliable..."


    Shen''s Mother''s scream interrupted, "Tom! What are you doing, Tom? Why did you knock over the bowl? Is my cooking not good? Answer me!"


    "Woof! Yip! Woof woof woof!"


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    This was hardly comforting.


    *


    Meanwhile, at the Song household.


    Song Yi was sorting out clothes to put in the washing machine when she habitually reached into her pocket to check for tissues and instead pulled out a hairclip.


    The corners of her lips curved in a slight smile; she was used to this by now.


    Back in her room, there was a box on her desk filled with hairclips, some opened but most still in their packaging.


    Song Yi couldn''t figure out what had gotten into Shen Yujing. Ever since he returned from the Imperial Capital University art exam, every time they met, she would find a hairclip in her pocket or bag when she got home.


    At first, she found it a bit annoying, but over time, she got used to it, and sometimes she even wondered what kind of hairclip she would find today.


    Song Yi picked up the hairclip she had just found; it was a cute little strawberry shape.


    At that moment, her phone vibrated.


    Song Yi picked it up and was a bit surprised to see a message from Shen Yujing.


    [Only a month left until the college entrance exam, and I''m a bit nervous.]


    Song Yi: "£¿"


    [Song You Leave]: What are you nervous about? You''re practically already in Imperial Capital University.


    [Lonely Wolf]: I''m worried you and Quan Le won''t get in, and then we won''t be college classmates.


    [Song You Leave]: ¡­¡­


    I''ve seen shameless people, but never this shameless.


    [Lonely Wolf]: I''m joking. I actually want to ask you something.


    [Song You Leave]: Go ahead.


    [Lonely Wolf]: Are you free tomorrow? My mom''s birthday is next week, and I want to pick out a birthday gift for her. Can you come with me to choose one?


    * sea??h th§× Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The next morning.


    Song Yi arrived at the agreed mall entrance but didn''t see Shen Yujing.


    She called him and asked directly, "Where are you?"


    "On my way, on my way!" came the hurried reply before the call was abruptly ended.


    Song Yi: "£¿"


    Shen Yujing had invited her out, and not only was he late, but he also hung up on her? He''d better have a reasonable explanation.


    Song Yi sat on a bench by the mall entrance, waiting for Shen Yujing. Her gaze fell on a large mascot interacting with some kids nearby.


    The weather was nice that day, not too cold, and the sunlight felt comfortable and relaxing.


    Song Yi squinted slightly, then saw a fat cat lying on the ground beside her, also enjoying the sun. Suddenly, she felt her mood improve.


    Indeed, this semester had been too hectic, and she hadn''t had much time to relax like this in a long time.


    For the sake of the sunshine, she wouldn''t hold it against Shen Yujing.


    Just as Song Yi was about to close her eyes, a cup of milk tea was suddenly handed to her. Shen Yujing arrived out of breath and sat down beside her, taking a big gulp from his own cup.


    Song Yi took the milk tea but still felt a bit puzzled and asked, "Did you go buy this and that''s why you were late? I thought you didn''t like sweet things?"


    "I passed by and saw this new store with a long line. So I googled it; it seems to be a unique brand from An City, the first time it''s opened in our Imperial Capital," Shen Yujing explained, then took another sip and complained, "The taste is just average."


    Song Yi inserted a straw and took a sip, saying, "I think it''s pretty good. Not too sweet, and the tea base is refreshing."


    "Is that so?" Shen Yujing frowned and took a small sip, savoring it carefully.


    It was strange. Why did it suddenly taste better after she said it was good?


    Oh well, that wasn''t important.


    After resting for two minutes, Shen Yujing stood up and said, "Come on, let''s go pick out a gift for my mom."


    Shen Yujing took Song Yi to the jewelry counter on the seventh floor, saying he wanted to choose a necklace for his mother.


    The shop assistant brought out all the latest styles for them to choose from and gave detailed explanations for each.


    Song Yi eventually picked one and said, "This one looks elegant and suits your mom well."


    Shen Yujing said, "You should know my mom. Her taste tends to lean more towards the younger side. Don''t think about what suits her; just pick one based on your own taste."


    Song Yi nodded to show she understood, then selected the most beautiful necklace she could find among the options.


    Shen Yujing was quite pleased, so he directly told the shop assistant, "Wrap both, I''ll pay by card."


    The matter of gifts was resolved rather easily, and it was already past eleven o''clock.


    So Shen Yujing said, "It''s lunchtime now, I''ll treat you to lunch as a thank you for helping me pick out a gift for my mom."


    Song Yi naturally didn''t stand on ceremony with him and simply said, "Sure."


    Shen Yujing then asked her, "I saw on Weibo the other day that a new barbecue place opened here, it''s a trendy restaurant with a beautiful environment and good reviews. Want to try it?"


    "Whatever," Song Yi was indifferent. What was there to be picky about when someone else was paying?


    Ten minutes later, at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.


    The two of them stood there, both lost in thought.


    Shen Yujing raised his phone and compared the photo on it with the restaurant in front of them.


    Song Yi said, "Stop looking, it''s the same place. Just add ten filters and it''ll look about right."


    "Is this the same place? Isn''t this just misleading people?" Shen Yujing was very puzzled by the plain-looking barbecue restaurant in front of him and the incredibly romantic, pink-bubble-filled "date paradise" on his phone.


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s incredulous expression, Song Yi asked him, "So, are we eating here or going somewhere else?"


    "Let''s go..."


    Before Shen Yujing could finish his sentence, he saw a waiter in uniform carrying a large bouquet of roses walking into the restaurant, with another waiter following behind him and reminding, "Be careful, there''s a ring hidden in those flowers! The guest is proposing today!"


    Proposing?


    Shen Yujing and Song Yi exchanged a glance.


    Shen Yujing said, "I want to watch the show."


    Song Yi: "To be honest, me too."


    Thus, the two reached a consensus and walked into the barbecue restaurant together.


    The interior of the restaurant had nothing to do with what Shen Yujing had imagined. Every table was adorned with a fake rose, looking ugly and old-fashioned.


    The internet photos were misleading.


    However, although the place looked plain and disappointing, its strong point was that as a restaurant, the food was genuinely delicious.


    Song Yi scooped up several pieces of crispy pork belly and sincerely praised, "This is the best barbecue I''ve had in the Imperial Capital."


    "I agree," Shen Yujing fully supported Song Yi''s opinion. If this place focused on its food quality rather than its environment in its online promotions, its business would probably be even better.


    "But..."


    Song Yi put down her chopsticks and looked around at the other customers with some curiosity, saying, "Why are all the customers here couples?"


    Shen Yujing rubbed his nose, suddenly feeling a bit guilty, but still said, "I don''t know."


    Obviously, Song Yi didn''t pay much attention to it, just asking casually.


    After all, the gap between this place and the internet photos was so big that no one would think it had the audacity to promote itself as a date paradise online.


    Halfway through their meal, Song Yi noticed in the corner of her eye that the bouquet of roses was being taken out again.


    Song Yi: "!!!"


    Song Yi immediately put down her chopsticks and shared the latest gossip with Shen Yujing, saying, "They''re taking out the flowers, the proposal is about to happen."


    "What?" Shen Yujing also stopped eating barbecue, wiped his mouth, and turned back to look.


    The waiters found a small cart, pushed the bouquet of roses out, and finally stopped at a table two seats away from Song Yi and Shen Yujing.


    This distance was perfect, not too close, not too far, allowing them to clearly see the expressions and reactions of the protagonists, an ideal spot for watching the drama unfold.


    At that table sat a couple, the man in a sharp suit and the woman in a graceful long dress, looking extremely compatible.


    Song Yi took a bite of the watermelon on the side and praised, "Handsome man, beautiful woman."


    Shen Yujing took a bite of the honeydew melon and said, "Perfect match, perfect match."


    Aliali: 67613dfc87939c8e13ac5983


    Next, as they had imagined, the scene unfolded: the man picked up the roses and held them in the air, not sure what he said, as the distance was too far to hear.


    The woman''s eyes reddened, presumably moved to tears.


    Shen Yujing looked at the fresh roses in the man''s hand, then disdainfully picked up the fake flower on their table, the contrast stark.


    Song Yi asked Shen Yujing, "Do you like flowers?"


    Shen Yujing was caught off guard by Song Yi''s question.


    What did she mean? If he said he liked them, would she give him flowers?


    That didn''t seem right, he was a man, if anyone should buy them, it should be him...


    Song Yi''s next words shattered Shen Yujing''s fantasy, as she said, "Don''t be envious, our graves will grow them on their own someday."


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    He didn''t like them that much anymore.

 Chapter 93

    In the next moment, the man knelt down on both knees, took the ring out from the roses, and held both the rose and the ring in his hands, his eyes red as he gazed at his girlfriend, looking extremely affectionate.From the crowd, it was unclear who started shouting first, "Marry him! Marry him!"


    Human herd mentality is strong. Once someone takes the lead, others follow suit.


    Only Song Yi frowned, watching the man, thinking to herself: How strange, it''s the first time I''ve seen a marriage proposal with both knees on the ground.


    Shen Yujing, on the other hand, didn''t have time to think too much. He was already swept up in the lively atmosphere and started shouting along, "Marry him! Marry him!"


    The next second, the woman took the rose, but contrary to everyone''s expectations, instead of accepting the proposal, she threw the rose directly at the man''s face and said, "I came today to break up with you. Three times in half a year, I hope you, such a scumbag, die early!"


    After saying that, the woman got up and left, the sound of her high heels hitting the ground quick and sorrowful.


    The scene fell into silence. No one could have expected that this would be the end of the matter.


    The man, who had been hit in the face with the rose, was publicly exposed for his infidelity. Some people were whispering and condemning him.


    The man in the suit, naturally, was extremely angry and in need of someone to vent his frustration on.


    Surrounded by men who looked stronger than him, the man in the suit scanned the area and set his sights on a blonde teenager not far away, intending to make an example of him.


    So he walked over and said, "Who are you? What right do you have to speak about the conflict between my girlfriend and me? What does it have to do with you?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He just joined in the fun, what does it have to do with him?


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s silence, the man in the suit assumed he was scared and decided to use this to regain his "face."


    He looked at Shen Yujing''s blonde hair and said directly, "How old are you? Why dye your hair? I should teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents."


    With that, the man in the suit reached out to grab Shen Yujing''s hair, intending to give him a "lesson."


    The man in the suit thought about making the boy lose face in front of his girlfriend, who looked delicate and weak. He imagined her being scared to tears by the scene...


    Huh?


    Suddenly, the man in the suit felt a hand on his arm, holding it in mid-air, making it impossible for him to push down with force.


    He looked up at the owner of the hand, who was the blonde boy''s delicate and weak-looking girlfriend.


    Song Yi looked at the man in the suit with a smile, "What do you want to do? You deserved to be dumped for cheating. Are you taking out your frustration on unrelated people now? Out of all the people here, you picked a student. Trying to pick on the weak, huh?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Was he a weakling?


    "What did you say?" the man in the suit shouted angrily. He tried to break free but, realizing he was completely at the mercy of the young girl, his face turned even more grim.


    At this point, someone couldn''t stand it anymore and stood up, saying, "You''re really something, taking out your frustration on a kid."


    Someone else commented, "Yeah, as a man, isn''t this just embarrassing?"


    A woman in a suit, who also happened to be a lawyer, stood up and said, "I warn you, I''m a lawyer. If you dare to lay a hand on these two students, I''ll call the police immediately."


    The man in the suit''s face turned black.


    Bullying two students? Look who''s bullying who!


    Realizing this, he quickly understood that if these people saw his strength was no match for the girl''s, it would be even more humiliating.


    After weighing his options, the man in the suit turned and walked out.


    Of course, he left a couple of threatening words, but it looked more like a hasty escape.


    Song Yi didn''t have any intention of holding him back, so she simply let go of his hand.


    The lawyer sister looked at Song Yi and asked, "Are you two alright?"


    As she spoke, she handed Song Yi a small cake from the table, saying, "Don''t bother with such a scumbag. Here, this dessert is for you."


    Song Yi smiled sweetly and said, "I''m fine, thank you, sister."


    After saying that, the lawyer sister glanced at Shen Yujing, smiled, and looked at her boyfriend not far away as she returned, saying, "Student-era love is so beautiful. Look how well they match."


    The voice wasn''t loud, but it was just enough for Song Yi and Shen Yujing to hear.


    Shen Yujing felt his face heat up and unconsciously lowered his head.


    Song Yi: "¡­?"


    Why was Shen Yujing''s expression so strange? Was it really that big of a deal?


    At that moment, a waiter brought over a two-person serving of juice, saying, "Sorry for the inconvenience, customers. This is our newly launched juice, a small gesture from us to make up for the unpleasantness."


    Strawberry juice, served in a large glass jug with two straws sticking out.


    Shen Yujing''s mind couldn''t help but recall scenes from Korean dramas he had watched with his mother.


    For example, the intimate moments where the male and female leads shared such a drink, each holding their straw, looking at each other after taking a sip...


    Just as Shen Yujing was lost in these thoughts, he heard Song Yi ask him, "Want to drink?"


    "Ah¡­ sure," Shen Yujing replied. He reached out to grab his straw.


    The next second, he watched as Song Yi took both straws out of the glass jug.


    Shen Yujing''s hand, still in mid-air: "?"


    Song Yi lifted the glass jug, poured a bit of juice into a drinking glass, and asked Shen Yujing, "Cup, give it here."


    Shen Yujing handed over the cup in a daze, and Song Yi filled it to the brim.


    Looking at the grilled meat in the bowl and the juice in the cup, Shen Yujing''s mind suddenly flashed the phrase: "Drink big cups, eat big bowls."


    Setting down the glass jug, Song Yi muttered curiously, "Why design a jug like this? There''s only one hole in the top, and the lid can''t be removed. It''s not convenient to pour."


    Shen Yujing fell silent for a few seconds and said, "Didn''t you think that putting two straws in the jug was for you to drink directly?"


    "Drink directly?" Song Yi picked up the straw that had been set aside, puzzled, "With such a long straw, wouldn''t it be hard to take a sip?"


    Shen Yujing: "¡­"


    Forget it, it''s impossible to explain.


    Just as Shen Yujing gave up on discussing the juice, he saw Song Yi put the two straws back into the jug, biting the straw and taking a sip.


    She then said in surprise, "There are strawberry seeds and coconut jelly at the bottom. You have to use the straw to drink them."


    "Is that so?" Shen Yujing held the other straw, aiming it toward himself, and took a sip.


    Indeed, the strawberry seeds were sweet and sour, perfectly complementing the juice.


    When he looked up, his nose lightly touched the girl''s nose, and the distance between them was too close.


    Shen Yujing froze for a moment, then swallowed the juice.


    Song Yi stared at him wide-eyed, her expression equally surprised.


    Time seemed to stop at that moment, until a "click" sound broke the silence.


    Shen Yujing, as if waking from a dream, immediately straightened up and turned to look at the source of the sound.


    A waiter held a Polaroid in his hand, smiling as he handed them the photo, saying, "It''s our store''s rule to give every guest a photo we consider the most atmospheric. I wish you a pleasant meal."


    The photo was in Shen Yujing''s hands. It was just like the scenes he had imagined from the Korean dramas, except Song Yi was even prettier than the leading ladies, but...


    Shen Yujing examined the photo in his hand, then looked up at Song Yi''s current state and asked, "Why are your eyes so wide open?"


    Song Yi''s hand was still on her chest, saying, "How could I have expected you to suddenly lean in?"


    "Isn''t this for both of us? Why can''t I drink it?" Shen Yujing said, thinking for a moment, then added, "I see, are you scared?"


    Song Yi looked at him in confusion, "What do I have to be scared of?"


    Shen Yujing swallowed hard, suppressing his unease as he pretended to be calm and retorted, "How would I know what you''re thinking?"


    "You''re the one with something to hide," Song Yi said, losing patience with the argument. She directly extended her hand and said, "Give me the photo."


    Shen Yujing promptly stuffed the photo into his pocket and said, "It''s mine."


    Song Yi looked at him and smiled, enunciating each word clearly: "Shen. Yu. Jing."


    Shen Yujing tried to negotiate, saying, "I''ll give it to you, but you have to give me that photo of us together, and delete it from your phone."


    Song Yi frowned and asked, "What photo?"


    Shen Yujing''s expression suddenly became strange, and he stammered, "It''s... it''s..."


    Song Yi was even more confused and said, "What is it?"


    Shen ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Yujing didn''t answer but instead took out a hairclip from his pocket and handed it to Song Yi.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Oh, she understood now.


    So, Song Yi put the hairclip in her pocket, took out her phone, found the photo of Shen Yujing with a head full of hairclips, and showed it to him with a smirk, "So that''s the photo you want, huh? Let''s meet halfway¡ªI''ll send it to you, and you give me the photo."


    Such a gem would definitely come in handy for future blackmailing of Shen Yujing.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He fell silent for two seconds before nodding, "Deal."


    As soon as he received the photo, Shen Yujing handed over the instant film print in his hand.


    Song Yi took the print and looked at the image of herself, her eyebrows furrowing even more.


    Her eyes were wide open like copper bells, and she looked really ugly.


    So, Song Yi handed it back to Shen Yujing without hesitation, saying, "Forget it, I don''t want it."


    Shen Yujing, however, quickly took the print and carefully slipped it into his phone case.


    After finishing their meal, the two prepared to head back, but they both stopped in their tracks upon seeing the claw machine on the first floor of the mall.


    When Song Yi''s gaze lingered on the claw machine for three seconds, Shen Yujing immediately walked over to the coin vending machine and made a purchase.


    Song Yi asked him, "Do you want to try?"


    Shen Yujing: "I think you want to."


    Song Yi: "Don''t be ridiculous."


    Shen Yujing: "I already bought the coins."


    Song Yi gave a reluctant expression and said, "Fine, I''ll show you my skills."


    Shen Yujing asked her, "How about a competition? See who can grab more?"


    Song Yi grabbed a handful of coins and confidently said, "Bring it on!"


    Fifteen minutes later.


    Fifty coins were spent, and the score was¡ª


    Zero to zero.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi said, "This mall is really outrageous."


    Shen Yujing nodded in agreement, "If you can''t afford to play, don''t play."


    Song Yi said, "How about another fifty coins?"


    Shen Yujing: "Sure."


    This time, it was Song Yi who bought the coins and then split them evenly with Shen Yujing.


    Another fifteen minutes passed, and the competition was fiercely intense, with both of them evenly matched, still at zero to zero.


    Both of them were empty-handed, with nothing to show for their efforts.


    Shen Yujing: "There must be something wrong with the machine."


    Song Yi: "I think you''re right."


    Shen Yujing: "Let''s go then."


    Song Yi: "Okay."


    Just as the two were about to leave, an excited shout came from behind, "Wow! I got a doll!"


    They both turned around to see three elementary school students gathered around the same machine, cheering with excitement over their successful grab.


    Song Yi & Shen Yujing: "..."


    To preserve their dignity, the two chose to remain silent and ignore the scene, walking away together. Sear?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    After sending Song Yi into the taxi, Shen Yujing turned around and headed back to the mall.


    Still at the claw machine, this time Shen Yujing bought a hundred coins. He simply didn''t believe¡ª


    Hmm?


    Just then, the three elementary school students passed by Shen Yujing, each of them now holding several dolls.


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    The golden-haired teenager quickly stepped forward, blocking the path of the three kids. He stared at the dolls in their hands, as if deep in thought.


    The three elementary school students were clearly startled and exchanged glances.


    The only girl among them hid slightly behind the two boys, timidly said, "My dad said that if a senior student stops us to ask for money, we should just give it to them first and tell him later."


    So, the three kids dropped the dolls on the ground and quickly took out all their pocket money, which added up to less than thirty.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Did he look that much like a highway robber to them?


    He took a step forward, and the three kids took a step back in unison.


    Shen Yujing tried to force a somewhat "friendly" smile and said, "Tell me, kids, do you want to eat some little cakes?"


    The eyes of the three kids lit up.


    Shen Yujing pointed at the dolls on the ground and asked through gritted teeth, "Quick, tell me, how the hell do you grab these things?"

 Chapter 94

    Evening.Shen Yujing was at home, quite satisfied as he admired the two dolls on his desk, both of which he had caught today.


    By Monday, he would give these two dolls to Song Yi.


    After taking a shower, Shen Yujing suddenly received a barrage of calls from Quan Le.


    He picked up the phone, speaking slowly and deliberately, "What''s the matter so late at night? You''d better have something urgent."


    Quan Le''s voice came through the phone, sounding particularly anxious, "Shen Yujing! Something big has happened, something big!"


    "Spit it out."


    Quan Le: "You know that little forward from our school''s soccer team, right?"


    Shen Yujing, feeling confused, retorted, "Who? Why would I know him?"


    Quan Le: "It''s that guy who wanted to invite Song Yi to join their group during the grade trip."


    Shen Yujing: "......"


    Shen Yujing: "Oh, I remember now. The one with the dimples, right?"


    Quan Le: "Yes, yes, yes!"


    Shen Yujing, with interest, asked, "What''s he done?"


    Quan Le excitedly exclaimed, "It''s not that he''s done anything, but our street dance club member is his friend, and he heard that he likes Song Yi!"


    Shen Yujing''s expression stiffened. He was silent for a moment before answering in a stiff, unnatural voice, "Isn''t that normal?"


    Shen Yujing picked up his water cup, ready to take a sip to calm himself down.


    Someone likes Song Yi? That''s normal. She''s so good; if no one liked her, they''d all be blind.


    Quan Le continued, "But he''s already prepared! He''s planning to confess to Song Yi on Monday!"


    Shen Yujing''s hand holding the water cup trembled slightly, but he still tried to remain calm, saying, "If he wants to confess, let him. Song Yi doesn''t know him well; she won''t agree."


    "That''s not necessarily true," Quan Le''s voice took on a gossipy tone as he said, "This guy''s name is Shang Yi, and he''s quite popular at our school. Almost every month, there are girls confessing to him."


    "And, Murong Huan and I have discussed this. Based on Song Yi''s favorite characters in the dramas she watches, her ideal type is probably someone like Shang Yi, who''s sunny and outgoing! Surprised? Impressed?"


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    Wasn''t he sunny? Wasn''t he outgoing? What was he lacking compared to that Shang Yi guy?


    What the hell?!


    Quan Le''s voice continued to shout from the other end, "Shen Yujing? What''s wrong, Shen Yujing? What was that sound? Did you faint?"


    Looking at the shattered glass on the floor, Shen Yujing took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, forcing out two words, "I''m... fine."


    *


    That night, before washing her clothes, Song Yi habitually reached into her pocket.


    But soon she realized that today Shen Yujing had already given her the hairclip in person, so there definitely wouldn''t be anything...


    Huh?


    Why was there still something?


    Song Yi curiously took out the small bag from her pocket, inside of which was the second necklace she had helped Shen Yujing pick out at the jewelry store today.


    He had told her to choose based on her own taste, but in the end, it was for her?


    Song Yi threw her clothes into the washing machine and took the necklace back to her room. Before she could pick up her phone to call Shen Yujing, his call notification popped up first.


    Song Yi answered directly.


    Shen Yujing''s voice came through, "Hey Song Yi, I need to tell you..."


    "Wait, let me speak first," Song Yi interrupted him.


    "...Alright, go ahead."


    Song Yi got straight to the point, "Why is the necklace I helped you pick out today in my possession?"


    Shen Yujing''s voice sounded a bit awkward, "It''s... it''s a thank-you gift."


    Without thinking, Song Yi refused, "This is too expensive. I''ll bring it to you on Monday at school. You should give it to your mother together."


    "But!" Shen Yujing''s voice sounded a bit anxious, then he explained in a small voice, "The necklace I gave you before was broken, so I wanted to give you a new one."


    "I''ve been too busy lately; I''ll get it repaired after the college entrance exam..."


    Song Yi paused here, immediately sensing something was off, and suspiciously asked, "Wait, how do you know my necklace was broken?"


    Shen Yujing''s voice unconsciously lowered, "I saw you haven''t been wearing it recently, so... I asked Murong Huan about it."


    Song Yi said, "I''ve kept it well; I''ll get it repaired after the exam."


    Shen Yujing responded, "Okay."


    Then Song Yi said, "If there''s nothing else..."


    Shen Yujing interrupted her, "If you''re done, then listen to me."


    The young man''s voice was clear, yet mixed with an indescribable nervousness, "Song Yi, come out now. I''m waiting for you at your doorstep."


    In fact, Shen Yujing had been standing at Song''s Father''s doorstep for almost an hour. He had originally wanted to pretend it was a coincidence, but neither Song Yi nor Song''s Father had come out, so he couldn''t hold back and called Song Yi.


    He didn''t know why he had come to Song''s Father''s house, but after talking to Quan Le, he felt completely unable to control his own actions.


    Soon, the door opened.


    Song Yi, wearing slippers and a sleeprobe, walked out, holding a small bag containing the necklace Shen Yujing had given her today. She asked him in surprise, "Why are you here?"


    Song Yi was wearing a fluffy rabbit-themed sleeprobe, with two big ears on her head that swayed with her movements, looking incredibly cute.


    Obviously, Song Yi herself didn''t realize this, while Shen Yujing struggled to restrain the urge to reach out and pinch those two rabbit ears.


    It was strange. All the anxious feelings in his heart seemed to be soothed the moment he saw her.


    That little forward from the soccer team still wants to confess to Song Yi? Did he even know where Song Yi lived? Song Yi probably didn''t even remember who he was.


    Him? He had no comparison to himself at all; he wasn''t even worth being called a rival!


    Thinking of this, Shen Yujing felt much better. He asked, "It''s already May. Why are you still wearing such thick clothes?"


    "I''m cold," Song Yi gave Shen Yujing a small eye-roll and directly stuffed the small bag into the pocket of his coat, looking at him, "What''s the matter, really?"


    "Ta-da~"


    Shen Yujing took out two plush dolls from behind him, trying his best to smile at her, "What do you think? Impressive, right?"


    One was a white cat and the other a golden dog, looking quite a pair.


    Song Yi widened her eyes, took the two dolls, and then her lips curved up. She looked at Shen Yujing in disbelief, "Did you catch these?"


    "Of course," Shen Yujing nodded proudly, "Do you like them? These are my trophies."


    "I like them," Song Yi directly nodded, her hands unable to let go of the two dolls.


    Seeing her happy, Shen Yujing''s lips also unconsciously lifted. Still, he spoke in a disdainful tone, "Your taste really isn''t good."


    Song Yi looked up: "?"


    "They''re so ugly. I guess my luck with claw machines isn''t great," Shen Yujing looked at the two dolls, shaking his head, "Since you like them, I''ll give them to you."


    Song Yi looked at him with a smile, "Shen Yujing, what are you pretending for?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t expect Song Yi to react this way. He was a bit nervous but still pretended to be calm and retorted, "What do you mean?"


    "You say your luck with claw machines isn''t good, but I think your lying skills need work," Song Yi hugged the dolls and looked up at Shen Yujing, "I was trying to catch these dolls all day today. Obviously, you caught them specially for me, so why pretend it''s a coincidence?"


    "I didn''t..."


    Shen Yujing instinctively wanted to deny it, but when his eyes met Song Yi''s, he fell silent.


    Indeed, he had chosen these two dolls specially.


    And he hadn''t been able to catch them himself; it was those elementary school kids who had helped him. Of course, this detail could be omitted; it wasn''t the main point.


    Shen Yujing pursed his lips and said, "Yes, I caught them specially for you. Satisfied?"


    Then he muttered, "What''s the point of seeing through it and saying it out loud? Don''t I need to save face?"


    "What''s there to hide?" Song Yi looked at him, asking, "You specially caught dolls for me; I would be very touched. What''s there to be afraid of saying directly?"


    This time, Shen Yujing chose to remain silent.


    It was simple for him to be good to her because he liked her.


    But why did he feel so awkward every time he wanted to be nice to her? Why did he need to find various excuses to cover up the true intention behind his actions? What was he afraid of?


    Shen Yujing suddenly couldn''t figure this out.


    Song Yi''s voice was now tinged with dissatisfaction as she said, "Shen Yujing, it''s really cold outside. My hands are almost frozen. Don''t pretend like you can''t hear me."


    As Song Yi spoke, she waved her hand in front of Shen Yujing. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed the hand that was flailing in the air. The girl''s hand was even slimmer than it looked, and it was colder than he had imagined.


    As Song Yi had said, she was extremely afraid of the cold.


    So, Shen Yujing took the two stuffed animals and placed them into the pocket of her robe. He then pulled her hands toward his lips, gently blew on them, and held them, trying to warm them up.


    The distance between the two was very close, so close that if Shen Yujing slightly leaned down, he could easily place a kiss on Song Yi''s cheek.


    Yet, Shen Yujing seemed unaware of their current situation. He continued to earnestly repeat the action of warming her hands.


    "Hey..."


    Song Yi opened her mouth, but when the words reached her lips, she didn''t know what to say.


    The air tonight was chilly, but Song Yi felt that her hands, wrapped in Shen Yujing''s palms, were unusually warm.


    She didn''t speak but instead looked up at Shen Yujing, her gaze fixed on his face, unwavering, as if waiting for him to say something.


    Finally, Shen Yujing let go of Song Yi''s hands and spoke with a self-deprecating tone, "Fine, I''ll say it. What''s there to be afraid of? If I don''t say it now, some random guy might beat me to it." S~ea??h the N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    There was confusion in Song Yi''s eyes, and the next moment, she felt her hat being pulled down, the brim covering her eyes.


    Her world suddenly plunged into darkness.


    Shen Yujing held the two bunny ears of the hat and pulled it down, afraid that Song Yi would see his nervous expression.


    He heard his own voice, trembling.


    "Song Yi, listen carefully. What I''m about to say is very important. I didn''t want to say it in such a casual setting."


    "I knew this day would come eventually, but I didn''t expect it to be so sudden. I wasn''t prepared. I had imagined many scenarios. For example, I thought about finding a sunny afternoon, sitting on the grass in the park, and casually asking you if you were considering dating anyone, like me. Or maybe inviting you to a movie and swapping your ticket for a love letter at the end. Or... forget it, there are no more ''or''s."


    "You''re right, I am scared. I''m scared that if I''m too direct with my kindness, you''ll see right through my feelings for you. I''m afraid that if you get something too easily, you won''t cherish it. I''m more afraid that my feelings for you might be something you don''t need at all. I''m afraid you don''t like me, and I''ll feel embarrassed and ashamed."


    "But ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????now, I don''t want to pretend anymore. Embarrassed or not, I''ve never really saved face in front of you anyway."


    "Tell me your ideal type, and I''ll do whatever it takes to match it. I can be sunny and outgoing, or mature and understanding. If you like guys with dimples, I can even get them. I''ll definitely be better than him, so please don''t accept his confession, okay?"


    Shen Yujing lowered his head, driven by the desire to place a kiss on Song Yi''s cheek. But after hesitating for a few seconds, he placed his hand between them instead.


    "Song Yi, I... like you."

 Chapter 95

    The brain seemed to go blank for a moment, unable to believe what it had just heard.The intense pounding of the heart drowned out all other sounds.


    But after calming down a bit, this situation wasn''t entirely unexpected for Song Yi.


    Ever since she arrived in this world, Shen Yujing had always been by her side, and they had experienced so much together.


    When he said he liked her, she was shocked, but there was also a sense of "I knew it."


    When did this realization start?


    Song Yi tried to find the answer, and it probably began on New Year''s Eve.


    The young man had given her a not-so-pretty but warm scarf as a New Year''s gift, along with a necklace that held special meaning for them¡ªa gift that only she possessed.


    Even though it was so cold that night, he shivered but still insisted on staying with her to watch the stars.


    At that moment, Song Yi should have vaguely realized that Shen Yujing''s feelings for her might be more than just friendship.


    No, maybe it was even earlier.


    Perhaps it was that afternoon during hide-and-seek.


    For Shen Yujing, who was always competitive and eager to win, he usually wouldn''t bother with meaningless contests. Yet, in this game with a competitive nature, when he closed the door, he chose to concede.


    If it wasn''t for care, if it wasn''t for liking, she wouldn''t have become his special one.


    But at that time, their emotions were still too subtle, so no one took the initiative to break the silence, and they continued in this naive state.


    So, when did she start to feel that Shen Yujing was different from others?


    When it came to her own feelings, finding the answer was actually quite easy.


    It was because of that morning, when a snowman was waiting for her in front of her house.


    Song Yi had always been afraid of the cold, so when she was a child, watching her peers build snowmen and have snowball fights, she always felt envious.


    She had tried it herself, sneaking out in the middle of the night to build a snowman alone, but the moment her hand touched the snow, the cold made her give up without hesitation.


    But all these years, it was the first time someone had made a snowman just for her.


    It was pretty ugly, but she really liked it.


    And that day, to protect her, Shen Yujing got injured, trying to hide it from her.


    Unfortunately, he was too clumsy, and his acting skills were laughable.


    This made Song Yi think of the New Year''s Eve fireworks, when Shen Yujing had stood in front of her, shielding her with reckless abandon.


    He was still clumsy, no, downright foolish.


    Shen Yujing always messed things up, and most of the "sorry" she had heard since coming to this world were from him.


    But Shen Yujing didn''t know that she had never truly been angry with him. S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The moved, warmth, and happiness he brought her far outweighed those minor mishaps.


    Being with Shen Yujing was always the most natural and relaxing time for Song Yi, and it was only in front of him that she felt like her true self.


    So, Song Yi asked herself, could this level of specialness be considered liking?


    Yes.


    The decision came easier than expected.


    Song Yi was absolutely not the type to take the initiative. As Shen Yujing had just said, she was afraid that her feelings, if expressed too easily, would become cheap.


    But she also didn''t like self-deception or hesitation. The sincerity of the young man''s feelings was so naked and genuine that it gradually calmed her suspicious and restless heart.


    She understood him, so she trusted him.


    Song Yi took a deep breath, and even with her hat covering her eyes, she still closed them tightly.


    "Then let''s try it."


    The air seemed to quiet down for a moment.


    No, not seemed¡ªit really was quiet, with only the sound of the wind passing by.


    A bad feeling crept up.


    Song Yi opened her eyes and lifted her hat to look ahead¡ª


    No one was there.


    Song Yi: "¡­¡­?"


    Did he come here just to mess with her at night? Shen Yujing, you''re not human!!


    *


    At the alley entrance.


    Shen Yujing sprinted all the way here, bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath.


    His face was flushed, and he was so nervous that breathing felt difficult.


    Today, confessing to Song Yi had already drained all the courage Shen Yujing had. He was afraid of hearing a rejection, so his body acted faster than his mind¡ª


    Yes, he ran away.


    But now, with the cold wind blowing, Shen Yujing quickly calmed down.


    Wait, what was he doing?


    Confessing and then running away? Was that something a normal person would do?


    No, absolutely not.


    Today, even if he died, he had to die knowing the truth. What was this all about?


    Yes, he had to go back, go back...


    So Shen Yujing took a deep breath and turned around, running back toward Song Yi''s house.


    When Shen Yujing reappeared, he was surprised to find that Song Yi was still waiting for him.


    Song ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Yi stood at her doorstep, arms crossed, smiling faintly as she looked at him. "Oh, what was the young master doing? Looks like you were in quite a hurry."


    Shen Yujing: "¡­¡­"


    He moved closer to Song Yi, reaching out again to tug at the bunny ears on her robe. "I still have something to say."


    Song Yi directly stopped his hand. "Then say it. Don''t pull my clothes."


    "I..."


    The young man''s lips parted, but then he didn''t know what to say, his courage vanishing the moment he looked into Song Yi''s eyes.


    So Shen Yujing could only lower his head and mumble, "Don''t you have anything you want to say to me?"


    Song Yi asked, "Are you waiting for my answer?"


    "Yes." Shen Yujing nodded, feeling his whole body tense up uncontrollably, as if awaiting a verdict.


    Song Yi paused for a moment before saying, "I''ll give you my answer after the college entrance exam. I don''t want to start a relationship too early."


    After saying that, Song Yi let go of his hand and turned to go inside. Before closing the door, she said to Shen Yujing, "Understand? Good night."


    Shen Yujing lifted his head, staring at her back with puppy-dog eyes, feeling a bit disappointed but quickly replied, "Good night!"


    Standing there, Shen Yujing began to think about what Song Yi had just said.


    What did she mean by "understand"? Did she mean she''d give him an answer after the college entrance exam? So he had to wait for three months.


    But the next second, Shen Yujing''s lips curled up.


    But Song Yi said she didn''t want to start a relationship too early, which meant she definitely wouldn''t accept Shang Yi''s confession tomorrow!


    That must be what she meant, right? He got it!


    Even if he didn''t succeed, his rival didn''t either! No bad news was the best news!


    *


    Monday.


    During the break after the second period, Shen Yujing received a text from Quan Le.


    ¡¾Quan Le¡¿: Crystal in danger! Hurry!


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    He immediately bolted out of Class B and sneaked into Class A.


    Quan Le was sitting by the window, frantically waving at Shen Yujing to come over.


    Shen Yujing quickly went over, and the two squeezed into one seat, both leaning out to look.


    At the moment, no one in Class A noticed their odd behavior, as everyone else was also distracted by what was happening outside. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl together were always a sight to behold.


    Even Jiang Yiheng put down his pen, and Hang Feng lifted his head from the desk where he had been resting.


    The news that Shang Yi was going to confess to Song Yi today had spread like wildfire. By now, everyone in Class A except Song Yi knew about it, and it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say half the grade was aware.


    Shang Yi and Song Yi were standing in the corridor, and it seemed they were talking about something, the atmosphere relatively calm.


    Until Shang Yi took a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Song Yi with both hands. "This is my heart, I hope you can accept it. There''s also a letter inside with my contact information."


    Song Yi pushed the gift back and looked at him. "So, after all that, are you confessing to me?"


    Shang Yi''s face showed embarrassment. He first nodded and then shook his head, explaining, "Yes... but not exactly. If you feel it''s too sudden, we can start by being friends."


    After saying that, he tried to give Song Yi a smile, his two little tiger teeth indeed looking cute.


    Meanwhile, in Class A.


    Quan Le was desperately holding back Shen Yujing, whispering in his ear, "Calm down! Calm down! So many people are watching!"


    ¡°I¡¯m very calm, I¡¯m extremely calm.¡± Shen Yujing said with a cold smile, then glared at Shang Yi with gritted teeth, saying: ¡°What are you laughing at? Are tiger teeth really that special? Fox¡ªspirit!¡±

 Chapter 96

    Shen Yujing was talking tough, but the moment Song Yi turned to head back to the classroom, he instantly sprang up from his chair and dashed back to Class B in a flash.Quan Le, who was still holding his hands in the air as if pressing Shen Yujing down: "?"


    So fast. No wonder he won first place in the long-distance race.


    And the moment Song Yi returned to the classroom, Jiang Yiheng immediately averted his gaze, lowering his head to continue solving problems as if nothing had happened.


    On the other hand, Hang Feng looked up at Song Yi, poking her shoulder with a pen and asking, "Why didn¡¯t you accept that guy¡¯s gift?"


    Song Yi replied, "He wanted to be friends with me, but I don¡¯t need more friends."


    Jiang Yiheng calmly interjected, "I heard he was planning to confess to you."


    Song Yi nodded, not closing the door completely, "Maybe. But I¡¯m not interested anyway."


    At this point, Hang Feng¡¯s deskmate, a girl sitting at the center of the gossip, couldn¡¯t resist joining the conversation. She asked, "Song Yi, don¡¯t you like Shang Yi¡¯s type?"


    The question caught Song Yi off guard.


    After thinking for a moment, she answered, "He¡¯s my type, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll like him."


    The girl nodded, somewhat understanding but not daring to press further since she wasn¡¯t very close with Song Yi.


    Jiang Yiheng stood up, taking the stack of papers on his desk to the teacher¡¯s office.


    Meanwhile, Hang Feng turned his head, glancing at the seat by the window, where a plain-looking boy with glasses now sat.


    Then, he slumped back on his desk to continue sleeping, perhaps trying to escape something.


    *


    The news of Shang Yi¡¯s failed confession to Song Yi quickly spread on the forum.


    ¡¾Shang Yi¡¯s confession to Song Yi failed! I was there! I saw Song Yi return his gift, and Shang Yi¡¯s face looked so awful.¡¿


    2nd floor: I was there too. I thought they got along pretty well before, so I thought Song Yi would say yes.


    7th floor: Karma¡¯s a thing. Finally, Shang Yi got rejected. Reminds me of that girl who cried so much after being rejected by him that she transferred schools¡­


    16th floor: Hey, that wasn¡¯t Shang Yi¡¯s fault, right? If you don¡¯t like someone, you should reject them. You can¡¯t just string them along.


    21st floor: Exactly, so Song Yi isn¡¯t wrong either.


    27th floor: Let¡¯s be real, Shang Yi is good-looking, but it¡¯s not surprising Song Yi isn¡¯t interested. Just look at the people she¡¯s surrounded by.


    29th floor: Agreed.


    31st floor: They¡¯re always together. Are they secretly dating and just not public about it?


    37th floor: Honestly, I have some tea about Song Yi¡¯s love life, but I can¡¯t guarantee it¡¯s true. Anyone want to hear?


    39th floor: Spill it! [Ears]


    41st floor: I want to hear it too! Tell us!


    46th floor: I¡¯m the 37th-floor poster. I saw Song Yi coming to the boys¡¯ dorm at night once. The second time, I couldn¡¯t resist following her, and she went to Quan Le¡¯s room in Class A.


    49th floor: Wait, Quan Le? Are they dating?


    53rd floor: Speaking of that, I remember seeing Quan Le waiting outside our girls¡¯ dorm one night. I went out to buy snacks, and when I came back, Song Yi came downstairs. Quan Le handed her a bag, and they were chatting and laughing.


    57th floor: That¡¯s proof, right? That¡¯s proof!


    61st floor: Wow, so Song Yi likes Quan Le¡¯s type?


    67th floor: I heard from a friend in Class A that on Song Yi¡¯s first day transferring here, she and Quan Le had some conflict. Quan Le seemed to target her back then!


    71st floor: Enemies to lovers? From disdain to submission? That¡¯s suddenly so intriguing!


    77th floor: I¡¯m shipping it! They¡¯re such a good match!


    ¡­


    Evening, dormitory.


    Looking at the forum post, Shen Yujing expressionlessly turned to Quan Le, who was sitting next to him playing games.


    This time, however, he chose to stay calm and didn¡¯t go for Quan Le¡¯s neck again. Instead, he handed him his phone.


    Quan Le didn¡¯t even look at it, saying, "What is it? Wait, let me finish this game first."


    Shen Yujing didn¡¯t respond, just silently stared at him.


    A bad feeling crept into Quan Le¡¯s heart. He glanced up at Shen Yujing, and his hands froze mid-game.


    Shen Yujing didn¡¯t say a word, but his expression seemed to scream: If you don¡¯t look at this now, you won¡¯t live to finish your game.


    Quan Le quickly exited the game, tossed his phone aside, and took Shen Yujing¡¯s phone. His face immediately stiffened.


    He exclaimed, "What is this nonsense? It¡¯s slander!"


    Shen Yujing continued to stare at him without saying a word.


    Quan Le, unnerved by the gaze, hurriedly explained, "You were there every time she came to our dorm! We were just doing homework together. Murong Huan was there too! And when I went to find her? Oh, that was because Murong Huan was feeling unwell and insisted on eating strawberry cake. Boys aren¡¯t allowed in the girls¡¯ dorm, so I bought it and asked Song Yi to deliver it for me!"


    After his explanation, Quan Le felt even more wronged than Dou E.


    What kind of improper relationship did he have with Song Yi? How did they suddenly end up with shippers? How terrifying!


    Shen Yujing found Quan Le¡¯s explanation somewhat acceptable, so he took his phone back and said, "Alright, go back to your game."


    "Okay¡­"


    Wait, okay?


    Quan Le suddenly realized something was off. He looked at Shen Yujing suspiciously and asked, "You¡¯ve been acting weird these past few days."


    Shen Yujing¡¯s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm facade. "What do you mean I¡¯ve been acting weird?"


    "I can¡¯t put my finger on it," Quan Le said, resting his chin on his hand. "It¡¯s like ever since I called you that day and told you Shang Yi was going to¡­"


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    Shen Yujing immediately cut him off, "I haven¡¯t even scolded you yet. The college entrance exam is just a few days away, and you¡¯re still playing games? Don¡¯t you want to get into Imperial Capital University?"


    Quan Le, successfully distracted, replied, "I don¡¯t want to."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Shen Yujing: "You ranked 15th in the last mock exam, right? If you¡¯re not going to Imperial Capital University, where are you going? A University?"


    "Not that either," Quan Le pursed his lips and looked seriously at Shen Yujing. "What do you think about me going to S University?"


    "Are you insane?" Shen Yujing blurted out.


    Although S University is one of the top five prestigious schools, Imperial Capital University and A University are the undisputed top two. Quan Le¡¯s grades would be wasted at S University.


    "But the major I like is at S University," Quan Le said, turning off his phone screen and sitting down at his desk. "Forget it, I should study."


    Meanwhile, on the other side.


    Song Yi was analyzing Murong Huan¡¯s situation with a list of the most competitive schools and majors.


    "I¡¯ve told you, your goal is to aim for S University. Based on last year¡¯s admissions, there are a few less competitive majors you can apply for. Once you¡¯re in, you can figure out how to transfer to the major you really want. The most important thing is to get in first, so you have options."


    Murong Huan nodded vigorously, showing she understood.


    Song Yi patted her shoulder and said, "Alright, let¡¯s get to work. After finishing three practice exams, we¡¯ll go over yesterday¡¯s mistakes! And your reading comprehension still has issues. As for English vocabulary, we¡¯ll review it before bed¡­"


    Murong Huan slowly raised her hands to cover her ears, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with nothing but exhaustion.


    But that¡¯s just how it is. If you want to see results from your hard work, no one¡¯s senior year is easy.


    Time flew by, and before they knew it, the college entrance exam was approaching.


    May 31st was the last day of classes at Saint Slee Academy. After this, the students would go home to study on their own.


    In the afternoon, there was a class meeting, followed by an announcement over the loudspeaker for all senior classes to gather in the auditorium.


    The 80-year-old principal stood on stage, for the first time without his usual passionate demeanor. Instead, he wiped away tears, repeatedly reminding them not to slack off and to do their best in the upcoming exams.


    Sending off a graduating class every year was always the saddest part of the job.


    Many students in the audience also began to cry.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan leaned on each other. Song Yi¡¯s eyes were red, while Murong Huan was already crying, her face a mess of tears and snot.


    Quan Le sat on the other side, handing tissues to Murong Huan while muttering, "Is it really worth crying over? You girls cry way too easily."


    "What do you know?" Murong Huan glared at Quan Le, then turned and clung to Song Yi''s arm, continuing to cry. "I used to hate school so much. Every day, I would think about how I couldn¡¯t wait to graduate. But ever since you came, Yi, I¡¯ve found school so much more fun. Being with you every day made me so happy. The thought of not being able to see you every day after graduation makes me so sad, wuwuwu..." S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Quan Le was even more confused. He interrupted, "What¡¯s there to cry about? Song Yi is going to Imperial Capital University, and you¡¯re going to S University. You¡¯re literally just a street apart. It¡¯s a ten-minute bike ride to see each other."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well, he had a point.


    Murong Huan, infuriated, reached out to pinch Quan Le. "Can¡¯t you just shut up and let the moment be? Do you have to ruin everything?"


    Seeing things were about to escalate, Song Yi quickly turned to Quan Le to change the subject. "Which school are you planning to go to?"


    Quan Le paused, letting Murong Huan continue to bully him without retaliating, and instead fell into deep thought.


    Murong Huan found this odd and asked, "Why are you so conflicted? Tell us, and maybe we can help you figure it out."


    Quan Le shrugged. "What¡¯s there to say? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll be going to the same school as you anyway."


    Murong Huan scoffed. "As if I care!"


    And just like that, they were bickering again.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Well, it was the last day. She decided to let them be.


    After the principal¡¯s speech ended and the teachers announced the dismissal, everyone returned to their classrooms to pack up their things.


    When Song Yi came out with her backpack, she saw Murong Huan, Shen Yujing, and Quan Le standing at the entrance, waiting for her. Even Jiang Yiheng, who had already left the classroom, was being held back by them.


    Song Yi asked, "What are you all doing? Aren¡¯t you going home?"


    Murong Huan was still peeking around. "Where¡¯s Hang Feng? We¡¯ll talk once he comes out."


    As soon as she finished speaking, Hang Feng emerged from Class A and stopped in his tracks when he saw the scene before him.


    Hang Feng looked at Song Yi and asked, "What¡¯s going on?"


    Song Yi shook her head, equally clueless.


    Murong Huan took a deep breath, rolled up a piece of A4 paper to act as a makeshift microphone, and began speaking with utmost seriousness.


    "I, Murong Huan, on behalf of Quan Le and Shen Yujing, would like to sincerely thank you three top students for your tireless tutoring this semester."


    Quan Le nodded, though a little embarrassed, and added, "I always thought my limit was barely staying in Class A. If it weren¡¯t for you guys, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve the grades I have now."


    Shen Yujing, on the other hand, turned his face away, muttering, "Although I think most of my improvement is because I¡¯m naturally smart, I can¡¯t deny that you three played a huge part in it."


    Murong Huan¡¯s hands pressed down on their necks, forcing them to bow together.


    In the next moment, Murong Huan stepped forward and hugged Song Yi, her voice choked with emotion. "Yi, meeting you was the best thing that happened to me in my senior year. I want to be friends with you for life."


    Song Yi hugged her back, her voice warm with laughter. "Me too."


    In this touching and heartfelt moment, Shen Yujing and Jiang Yiheng exchanged awkward glances, while Quan Le and Hang Feng stared at each other in confusion. Finally¡ª


    Quan Le and Shen Yujing hugged each other.


    Quan Le exclaimed, "Bro! You¡¯re my bro for life!"


    Shen Yujing declared, "We¡¯ll never part!"


    Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng exchanged a look, their faces a mix of emotions too complicated to put into words.


    Jiang Yiheng said, "Let¡¯s go."


    Hang Feng replied, "Alright."

 Chapter 97

    The final days of intense review before the college entrance exams began.Song''s Father took a week off specifically to prepare a variety of meals for Song Yi, ensuring she had three full meals a day, along with an endless supply of snacks and desserts.


    Apart from cooking, Song''s Father would stay out of the house to avoid disturbing Song Yi''s studies.


    To be honest, Song Yi was confident in her ability to get into the directing program at the Imperial University. It wasn¡¯t much of a challenge for her.


    But since the college entrance exam was a once-in-a-lifetime event, she wanted to give it her all and achieve the best possible score.


    Everyone else shared the same mindset. Regardless of their confidence levels, no one wanted to waste this final stretch of study time.


    On the last day before the exams, at Saint Yu Boys'' High School, classes weren¡¯t canceled. Instead, students were required to stay in their classrooms to review, with teachers rotating at the front desk to answer any questions that arose.


    During lunch break, Xu Che stayed in the classroom, holding a sandwich in his left hand and a pen in his right.


    The classroom door opened, and a sophomore boy walked in.


    The boy immediately greeted Jiang Qi, saying, "Brother Jiang, long time no see."


    Then, his gaze shifted to Xu Che, and he sneered, "Oh, who¡¯s this? Isn¡¯t it our former top dog, Brother Che? What¡¯s going on? Suddenly playing the role of a good student? It¡¯s kinda hard to get used to."


    Xu Che ignored him and continued filling in the answer to the last multiple-choice question.


    Outside the window, a few sophomores were peeking in, watching the scene unfold.


    The boy wanted to establish his authority among the sophomores, but since Jiang Qi was the current leader at school, he didn¡¯t dare challenge him. Instead, he turned his attention to Xu Che.


    Sure, Xu Che used to be strong, but since he had already lost to Jiang Qi, maybe he could lose to this boy too.


    And even if something happened, Jiang Qi and Xu Che had their own issues, so Jiang Qi would probably side with him.


    Feeling reassured, the boy grabbed the sandwich from Xu Che¡¯s hand and mocked, "Eating this dry thing? Is it even worth it? Too busy studying to go to the cafeteria?"


    He laughed, his voice grating like a duck¡¯s quack.


    Suddenly, his laughter stopped as someone grabbed his wrist and twisted it counterclockwise.


    The pain made the boy widen his eyes. "Who the hell dares¡ªBrother Jiang?"


    The person gripping his wrist was none other than Jiang Qi, who looked utterly annoyed. "Throw it in the trash and buy a new one," he ordered.


    The boy quickly nodded and left.


    Xu Che still didn¡¯t look up, his hand never leaving the pen. "What do you want?" he asked.


    Jiang Qi shrugged. "I¡¯m going abroad again."


    "What¡¯s that got to do with me?"


    "Exactly, nothing to do with you," Jiang Qi nodded, his gaze lingering on Xu Che for a few seconds before adding, "Whether you believe me or not, that day at the barbecue place, I never intended to lay a hand on those two girls."


    After saying that, he returned to his seat and lay down to sleep.


    He didn¡¯t care. It wasn¡¯t like Xu Che was his only friend.


    Well, they weren¡¯t even friends anymore.


    But whatever.


    By the time the evening bell rang, students began to leave one after another. Jiang Qi woke up groggily, only to freeze when he noticed something on his desk.


    A single honeydew-flavored lollipop lay there, all by itself.


    *


    That night, Murong Huan sent a message in the group chat.


    ¡¾Welcome¡¿: It¡¯s the last day. Reviewing won¡¯t make much of a difference now. Why not hang out and relax? It¡¯ll help us be in better shape for tomorrow.


    ¡¾Welcome¡¿: [Picture]


    ¡¾Welcome¡¿: I bought some sky lanterns. Who¡¯s in?


    ¡¾Lonely Wolf¡¿: Me!


    ¡¾Listen to Me¡¿: Me too!


    ¡¾Song, Don¡¯t Leave¡¿: Me three!


    ¡¾Welcome¡¿: Great! Since everyone¡¯s so enthusiastic, let¡¯s meet at 7 PM at the restaurant across from Chunshan Park. We¡¯ll have dinner and then release the sky lanterns. @everyone, see you there!


    In this group, Jiang Yiheng, Hang Feng, and Xu Che never had much say. Their participation was always assumed.


    So at 7 PM, everyone gathered at the restaurant Murong Huan had mentioned.


    The private room wasn¡¯t particularly large, and Quan Le frowned. "It¡¯s our last high school gathering before the exams. Shouldn¡¯t we eat something better?"


    Murong Huan retorted, "That¡¯s exactly why we should stick to something simple. We don¡¯t want any stomach issues before the big day."


    Song Yi nodded in agreement. "I think Murong Huan¡¯s right."


    Shen Yujing also nodded. "Quan Le, you¡¯re being unreasonable."


    Quan Le: "?"


    He looked to Xu Che for support, but Xu Che simply said, "She¡¯s right. We should be careful with our diet the day before the exam. Avoid anything too spicy or greasy, especially if you have a sensitive stomach."


    Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng had already picked up their chopsticks.


    Quan Le: "¡­Fine, fine!"


    After dinner, Murong Huan suggested, "How about we play a game?"


    Everyone turned to her, waiting for the rules.


    Murong Huan explained seriously, "It¡¯s called ¡®Fold Your Fingers.¡¯ We¡¯ll take turns saying something we¡¯ve done. If no one else has done it, they fold a finger. The first to fold all five fingers loses, and the last person standing gets to decide where we go for our graduation trip. How¡¯s that?"


    Everyone: "¡­?"


    Since when was there a graduation trip planned?


    Though no one understood why Murong Huan always came up with these quirky little games, since it was the last day, Song Yi decided to humor her. "Sure," she said.


    No one objected, so the game began.


    Shen Yujing was the first to speak, proudly declaring, "I¡¯ve ranked first in my class!"


    Murong Huan frowned, disbelief written all over her face. "You?"


    "First grade of elementary school. It only happened once, but it still counts," Shen Yujing shot back, challenging her. "Anyone who hasn¡¯t ranked first, fold a finger."


    Only Murong Huan and Quan Le folded a finger. She glared at Shen Yujing as if to say, "You¡¯re dead," while Quan Le angrily muttered, "Shen Yujing, just you wait!"


    The two, who had been at odds earlier over the dinner location, suddenly found themselves united against Shen Yujing.


    As the game continued, each statement caused different people to fold fingers. Surprisingly, Song Yi was the first to be eliminated because she hadn¡¯t skipped school for as many consecutive days as Hang Feng had.


    Jiang Yiheng, Hang Feng, and Murong Huan were soon eliminated as well, leaving only Xu Che, Shen Yujing, and Quan Le in the running.


    When Quan Le folded his last finger, he looked devastated but also gained the final question.


    The decisive moment had arrived.


    Murong Huan patted Quan Le¡¯s shoulder and gave him a meaningful look, glancing toward Shen Yujing.


    Quan Le caught on. He needed to come up with a question that would make Shen Yujing lose.


    Fold a finger if you don¡¯t have a scar on your eyebrow? Fold a finger if your hair isn¡¯t black?


    No, that was too obvious.


    Suddenly, an idea struck him.


    He smiled and said, "Fold a finger if the person you like is here."


    If he couldn¡¯t see through Shen Yujing¡¯s feelings after three years in Class A, he¡¯d be a fool.


    The room fell into an awkward silence.


    Song Yi glanced at Shen Yujing and, as expected, his ears turned red.


    Shen Yujing took a deep breath and mouthed to Quan Le, "You¡¯re dead."


    Then, he folded his last finger and admitted, "I lose."


    Murong Huan¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She pointed at Shen Yujing and exclaimed, "What the¡ªwhat the¡ªwhat the¡ª?!"


    Shen Yujing looked puzzled. "Why are you so surprised?"


    "You¡¯re not secretly in love with me, are you¡­? Mmmph?!"


    Before she could finish, Quan Le covered her mouth from behind.


    Murong Huan: "???"


    What was Quan Le doing? Had she said something wrong?


    Quan Le quickly turned to Xu Che and said, "Congrats, you win. You get to pick the graduation trip destination. We¡¯ll all follow your lead."


    With that, Quan Le grabbed the bag of sky lanterns with one hand and dragged Murong Huan out with the other, calling over his shoulder, "Let¡¯s go! Time to release the lanterns!"


    Everyone followed.


    As Hang Feng passed by Xu Che, he muttered sarcastically, "Even in a game like this, you¡¯d lie. Is admitting you like her really that hard?"


    Whether he was talking to Xu Che or himself, even Hang Feng didn¡¯t know.


    *


    By the lake in Chunshan Park¡­


    Everyone held their own pens, writing their wishes on their Kongming lanterns.


    Shen Yujing finished first, then picked up a lighter and went to the side to light his lantern alone.


    His wish was extremely simple, just two words¡ª


    Song Yi.


    After a moment of thought, Shen Yujing added two more words: "Be happy."


    If he had to choose between his own happiness and Song Yi''s, he would choose Song Yi''s happiness.


    Of course, a win-win situation would be the best.


    Murong Huan looked up curiously in the direction Shen Yujing had gone and asked Quan Le beside her, "What''s Shen Yujing doing? Why is he hiding while releasing a Kongming lantern? Is he afraid someone will see it?"


    Quan Le remained silent and didn''t answer. After putting down his pen, he also went to the opposite side of Shen Yujing.


    Murong Huan: "¡­?"


    Are their wishes that mysterious?


    How strange.


    Murong Huan was someone who had no secrets. She lowered her head and openly wrote on her Kongming lantern¡ª


    1. Become more beautiful.


    2. May my mom be happy.


    3. Have a boyfriend who loves me very much, tall and handsome, and absolutely adores me.


    After finishing, Murong Huan wanted to release her lantern but realized she didn''t have a lighter nearby. She immediately waved at Quan Le, "Hey, Quan Le! I need a lighter!"


    With that, she started walking toward Quan Le.


    Quan Le, however, seemed flustered. He quickly lit his own lantern and released it, covering Murong Huan''s eyes with his hand the moment she got close.


    Murong Huan: ???


    What is it that he doesn''t want me to see?


    Murong Huan struggled fiercely and finally escaped from Quan Le''s grip. She looked up at the sky.


    The Kongming lantern hadn''t flown too high yet, but in the flickering light, the writing was already hard to make out. She could only vaguely recognize one word¡­ "Huan"?


    Murong Huan looked at Quan Le suspiciously and asked, "Did you write my name?"


    Quan Le was taken aback and looked up, surprised. "You can tell? Your eyesight is pretty good."


    Murong Huan stared at him intently, "What did you write about me?"


    Quan Le lowered his gaze to look at her, his expression unusually gentle. He asked, "Don''t you already know what I wrote?"


    Suddenly, Murong Huan felt an indescribable tension, her entire body stiffening unnaturally.


    What would Quan Le say? Could it be what she was thinking¡­


    Quan Le''s laughter broke the silence, "Of course, I wished for you to go bald soon!"


    Murong Huan: "???"


    She grabbed Quan Le by the neck and started chasing him, "Are you looking to die?"


    Xu Che and Hang Feng stood together, silent and not speaking to each other. But when the Kongming lanterns were released, they both tacitly did not look up, nor did they check what each other had written.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi also put down her pen and looked at the wish she had written on her lantern.


    May everyone stay safe and happy.


    And may I become a director with my own representative works.


    One by one, the Kongming lanterns rose into the sky, carrying their wishes, dreams, and hopes.


    Murong Huan yawned and said, "It''s getting late. Let''s all head back. Good luck on tomorrow''s exams!"


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi and said, "I''ll walk you¡ª"


    But Murong Huan grabbed Song Yi''s hand and said, "No, I''ll walk her back."


    They exchanged some words of encouragement for the exams and then gradually dispersed.


    Only Shen Yujing remained standing in place, watching Song Yi''s retreating figure. His mind drifted back to that night when they had stood together at her doorstep.


    She had said she would give him an answer after the college entrance exams.


    Soon.


    He was looking forward to it, but more than that, he felt nervous.


    Instead of leaving with the others, Shen Yujing turned and walked back into the park, venting his emotions by playing a few rounds of basketball.


    As the sound of "missed shots" echoed, Shen Yujing felt even more anxious. He put down the basketball and prepared to leave.


    As he returned to the spot where they had released the Kongming lanterns, he unexpectedly noticed a broken lantern hanging on the railing nearby.


    It seemed like it hadn''t flown very high before the wind extinguished its flame and caused it to fall.


    Curiosity got the better of Shen Yujing, and he approached it. But when he picked up the lantern and saw the wish written on it, he froze.


    [I hope Song Yi never finds out I like her. I hope we can always remain friends.


    ¡ªJiang Yiheng


    June 6, 2022]


    Jiang Yiheng¡­ also likes her?


    Shen Yujing''s Adam''s apple moved slightly as he lowered his gaze, his emotions hidden behind his lashes.


    After a long silence, Shen Yujing took the lantern in his hand and walked to a nearby stall selling Kongming lanterns. He bought one of the same color.


    Then, using Jiang Yiheng''s lantern as a reference, he carefully copied the words onto the new lantern, lit it, and released it into the sky.


    Was this Jiang Yiheng''s wish?


    Coincidentally, it was also his own.


    *


    On the day of the college entrance exams, they were assigned to different testing centers.


    Shen Yujing was assigned to No. 7 High School, but his car was parked early at No. 9 High School, which was a ten-minute drive away.


    The driver asked anxiously, "Young master, why are we at No. 9 High School? You should get to your testing center early."


    "Don''t worry. I scouted the place yesterday. I know exactly where my classroom and seat are," Shen Yujing replied, taking a sip of water from his thermos while keeping his eyes fixed on the window.


    Finally, Song Yi and Hang Feng appeared together at the school gate.


    Shen Yujing frowned, clearly displeased.


    But there was nothing he could do. Out of their group, only Song Yi and Hang Feng had been assigned to the same testing center.


    He watched Song Yi enter the school until her figure was no longer visible. Only then did Shen Yujing turn away, close his eyes, and say, "Let''s go."


    He had come all this way just to see her once.


    Just one glance was enough to calm his nerves.


    After all, she was the direction he had been striving toward all along.


    *


    The two-day college entrance exams came to an end.


    Song Yi left the testing center around the same time as most people. As soon as she stepped out of the school gate, she spotted a very conspicuous head of golden hair in the crowd.


    Song Yi: "?"


    Shen Yujing waved at her from a distance, shouting, "Song Yi! Over here!"


    Song Yi walked over and asked, "Why are you here?"


    It was so noisy around them that Song Yi had to shout to be heard.


    As soon as she finished speaking, someone bumped into her from the side.


    Song Yi lost her balance, and Shen Yujing quickly steadied her by holding her shoulders. He said loudly, "It''s too noisy here. Let''s talk in the car!"


    Inside the car.


    Looking at the crowd outside, Song Yi asked, "Why did you come here?"


    "I finished early," Shen Yujing replied with a smile, then added, "I''m taking you somewhere."


    Song Yi asked, "Where?"


    Shen Yujing looked into her eyes and said, "The place where you''re supposed to give me your answer."


    His tone was serious, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes fixed solely on her, as if his heart held no one else.


    *


    The movie theater.


    An empty private screening room¡ªclearly booked for just the two of them.


    As they entered, Shen Yujing cautiously brushed his hand against Song Yi''s. When she didn''t pull away, he took it as a sign to hold her hand firmly.


    They sat in the back row, with a bucket of popcorn and two sodas between them.


    And now, their hands were still tightly clasped.


    After a few seconds of silence, Song Yi asked, "You''re not planning to watch the movie with me and then hand me a love letter disguised as a ticket stub at the end, are you?"


    They had talked about this that night. Doing something so clich¨¦ would be boring.


    Shen Yujing: "¡­No."


    In the next moment, the lights in the room dimmed, and the screen in front of them lit up.


    Song Yi felt the hand holding hers loosen. She turned to see Shen Yujing burying his face in his lap.


    Just as she was about to ask what he was doing, Shen Yujing''s voice echoed through the surround sound system, and his figure appeared on the screen.


    It was a pre-recorded video. Too embarrassed to watch himself on screen, Shen Yujing now looked like an ostrich hiding from danger.


    Shen Yujing''s voice came from the screen, filled with both amusement and nervousness, "Song Yi, first of all, congratulations on finishing the college entrance exams. You can finally relax a little and look forward to the new chapter of your life."


    "Secondly, I wanted to remind you of our agreement. Today is the day you''re supposed to give me your answer. My last confession was too rushed, so before you answer this time, I have a few more things to say."


    "First, I really like you. I think you''ve noticed, so there''s no point in hiding it. But my feelings for you are my own, so no matter what decision you make today, I''ll accept it. Don''t feel pressured. If you don''t like me, just say so. Tell me what I need to improve on or what I haven''t done well enough yet."


    "But don''t think I''ll give up just because you reject me. Once I work on those shortcomings, I''ll confess to you again. Of course, if you have a boyfriend by then, that''s a different story. But I hope that won''t be the case."


    ¡°I chose to confess to you in the cinema because I hope you can achieve your dream of becoming an outstanding director. I¡­ well, I don¡¯t know what else to say.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it. Song Yi, I like you.¡±


    ¡°Song Yi, I like you.¡±


    The sound from the surrounding speakers and the hoarse voice of the boy beside her echoed simultaneously. The young man looked up at her, his eyes filled with nervousness and apprehension. He whispered, ¡°So, what about you? What¡¯s your answer?¡±


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing, and the two of them locked eyes in the dimly lit environment.


    Outwardly, it seemed calm, but inside, her heart was racing wildly. Some answers were on the verge of being spoken.


    In the next second, Song Yi closed her eyes, as if making up her mind.


    The moment his lips felt the soft warmth, Shen Yujing felt as if all the blood in his body had turned cold¡ªoverwhelmed by sheer joy and shock.


    He heard the girl¡¯s voice, unusually shy yet firm and sincere.


    She said, ¡°Shen Yujing, this is my answer.¡±


    After saying this, Song Yi immediately stood up and walked out, even knocking over the bucket of popcorn between them in her haste.


    She glanced back at the spilled popcorn on the floor, hesitated for a second, but then quickly left.


    What more was there to understand?


    Shen Yujing immediately chased after Song Yi and stopped her at the entrance.


    Song Yi, sounding a little nervous, asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Shen Yujing grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, insisting, ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡±


    Song Yi, her face flushed, asked softly, ¡°Do what?¡±


    Shen Yujing lowered his gaze, his eyes slowly moving down to her pink lips. He chuckled softly, ¡°You know what I mean.¡±


    With that, he leaned in and kissed her again.


    The sensation was even softer than he had imagined, and it tasted sweet. She must have eaten orange-flavored candy earlier.


    His hand instinctively wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.


    Song Yi¡¯s hands, which had been pressed between them, gradually moved to lightly wrap around his neck, and then she pinched his back, mumbling with a mix of anger and embarrassment, ¡°Shen Yujing, are you a dog? If you¡¯re going to kiss me, do it properly¡­ don¡¯t bite me¡­¡±


    *


    That night.


    Song Yi sat on her bed in her pajamas after taking a shower, her hands covering her face, which still felt warm.


    Thinking about that kiss earlier¡­


    She was fuming!


    What kind of kissing technique did Shen Yujing have? Was that a kiss or was he trying to bite her? People who didn¡¯t know better might think they had some deep-seated grudge!


    Her phone lay beside her, displaying Shen Yujing¡¯s latest social media post.


    It was a simple photo of their hands intertwined, with no caption.


    But anyone with eyes could tell what the post meant, and the comments were flooded with questions about whose hand was in the picture.


    Just then, her phone vibrated.


    Song Yi picked it up and saw a message from Hang Feng.


    ¡¾Let¡¯s meet. I¡¯ll be waiting at the place where we first met.¡¿


    That alley.


    Song Yi hesitated for a few seconds, then got up, changed into outdoor clothes, and left.


    *


    Hang Feng had been waiting for a while. Under the moonlight, his shadow stretched long, exuding a sense of loneliness.


    Song Yi approached from a distance, waving and calling out, ¡°Hang Feng!¡±


    Hang Feng looked up in her direction, his gaze pausing on the small cut on her lip before he said, ¡°You came.¡±


    Song Yi got straight to the point, ¡°What¡¯s the matter? It¡¯s so late.¡±


    Hang Feng pursed his lips and then asked directly, ¡°Are you and Shen Yujing together now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Song Yi admitted without hesitation. ¡°We got together today.¡±


    It was the answer he had expected, but hearing it from her lips made it feel final.


    Hang Feng¡¯s narrow eyes looked at her, filled with an indescribable loneliness and melancholy. He forced a smile and said, ¡°Congratulations. But¡­ what if I had confessed to you before him? Could it have been me?¡±


    Could the person standing by her side have been him? Even just a little bit?


    Song Yi bit her lower lip, remaining silent for a long time before finally saying two words, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Those two words answered everything.


    ¡°I know,¡± Hang Feng said with a faint smile, this time more natural. ¡°I promised you that if you ended up with someone else, I would sincerely wish you happiness.¡±


    ¡°Song Yi, I like you, so I hope he likes you even more than I do. Only then would he deserve your choice.¡±


    That day¡¯s meeting ended with a hug.


    A completely platonic hug, free of any lingering emotions.


    But deep down, he knew he was lying to himself¡ª


    Hang Feng mocked himself silently.


    *


    In early July, the college admission results were announced.


    Jiang Yiheng was accepted into the prestigious medical program at University A, while Hang Feng surprised everyone by also choosing University A, majoring in the relatively niche field of psychology. S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing were both admitted to Capital University, with Song Yi in the Film and Drama Directing program and Shen Yujing in the Acting program. Xu Che chose to study Finance at Capital University.


    Murong Huan narrowly made it into the Museum Studies program at University S and burst into tears when she saw that Quan Le had also been admitted to University S.


    Murong Huan cried and scolded him, ¡°Are you out of your mind? You could have gone to Capital University¡­¡±


    Quan Le helplessly handed her tissues to wipe her tears and asked, ¡°It¡¯s my choice. Why are you crying?¡±


    Murong Huan crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it at his face, sobbing, ¡°Who asked you to make such a stupid choice for me? It¡¯s so dumb¡­¡±


    Quan Le couldn¡¯t help but laugh and pinched her cheek, saying, ¡°Hey, Miss Murong, your self-confidence is as strong as ever. It¡¯s not like I gave up my future just because I like you and want to be with you. University S has the best law program in the country, you know?¡±


    Murong Huan looked up at him and asked, ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°I said University S has the best law program¡­¡±


    Murong Huan interrupted him, ¡°No, the part before that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I gave up my future just because I like you and want to be with you¡­¡±


    Quan Le paused mid-sentence, his face clearly saying, ¡°Oh crap.¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±


    Murong Huan burst into laughter, saying, ¡°With a brain like yours, how do you expect to be a lawyer? Don¡¯t let the opposing lawyer twist you into knots in court.¡±


    Quan Le¡¯s expression suddenly turned serious. ¡°Hey, Murong Huan, is this funny to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it is,¡± Murong Huan said, deliberately exaggerating her grin, even though her nose and eyes were still red from crying.


    Quan Le, exasperated, reached out with both hands to pinch her cheeks, gritting his teeth, ¡°I think you¡¯re the one with the problem here. Can¡¯t you focus on the important part? I like you. Can you at least react to that?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­ let go! Isn¡¯t it normal for you to like me? What kind of reaction are you expecting? Dream on¡­ Stop pinching my face!!!¡±


    *


    Hang Feng and Xu Che rarely got together, but this time it was to celebrate their grandmother¡¯s birthday.


    Their grandmother¡¯s long-cherished wish was for her two grandsons to reconcile, and now it had finally come true.


    What¡¯s more, in the same year, both of them had been admitted to prestigious universities¡ªa blessing that must have come from their ancestors¡¯ good deeds.


    The grandmother¡¯s smile was unstoppable as she tremblingly took out two red envelopes from her clothes and handed them to Xu Che and Hang Feng, saying, ¡°You two must get along well. Even if I die now, I can close my eyes in peace.¡±


    ¡°From now on, be good to each other. You¡¯re brothers for life. My only wish is for the two of you.¡±


    Both of them accepted the red envelopes, still feeling a bit awkward as they exchanged glances, but eventually nodded in agreement.


    *


    At the Jiang residence.


    Jiang Yiheng and Murong Huan¡¯s engagement was officially called off. His father wasn¡¯t too concerned about it but frowned and asked, ¡°Why medicine?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng sat by the piano, his hands resting on the keys but not pressing them.


    He replied calmly, ¡°One day, I¡¯ll find a way to treat this disease. So that those who suffer from it can recover more easily, without having to endure obesity, muscle atrophy, or loss of mobility.¡±


    Jiang¡¯s father was silent for a long time before finally walking over to Jiang Yiheng and placing a hand on his shoulder.


    Looking up, they saw a family portrait hanging on the wall, with a woman smiling gently at the camera.


    She hadn¡¯t been forgotten, so she would never truly be gone.


    Meanwhile, at the Shen residence.


    Shen Yujing was balancing a vase on his head as he practiced walking, complaining, ¡°Is this really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Song Yi and Shen¡¯s mother sat together, munching on sunflower seeds as they supervised Shen Yujing¡¯s ¡°posture training.¡±


    Shen''s Mother laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. Tom, the golden retriever, was already lying at their feet, his mouth wide open as if he were laughing at Shen Yujing too.


    After the fifth vase shattered, Shen Yujing gave up. He said, "I''m not practicing anymore. I think you guys are just..."


    Before he could finish saying "messing with me," Song Yi frowned.


    She was the first to question Shen Yujing, "How can you give up so easily when faced with difficulties? Do you really have so little perseverance? How can I trust you to be my male lead when school starts?"


    "Don''t be mad, don''t take it out on him," Shen''s Mother reached out to pat Song Yi''s back, pretending to "comfort" her. "I''ll hire the youngest and most handsome male star to act in your movie. We don''t need him anyway."


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    The youngest and most handsome male star? No way! That''s not acceptable!


    Song Yi''s male lead has to be him!


    Shen Yujing gritted his teeth and picked up the sixth vase. He would practice, alright? He would practice!


    A long time later, Shen Yujing asked Song Yi a question he had been wanting to ask for a while¡ª


    What exactly do you like about me?


    Song Yi thought for a moment, then sat on Shen Yujing''s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. She asked, "Do you want to hear the truth?"


    Shen Yujing''s hands encircled her waist to keep her from falling, and he nodded with a slightly awkward expression, saying, "Of course."


    Song Yi thought for a bit and said, "Probably your clumsiness."


    Shen Yujing frowned, displeased. "Is that even a good thing?"


    "Because you''re so clumsy, I can see right through you. I can tell when you''re genuinely being nice to me."


    Having heard too many insincere lies and seen too many acts of kindness, she found such honesty all the more precious.


    As she spoke, Song Yi buried her face in Shen Yujing''s shoulder, habitually ruffling his golden hair into a messy state. She kissed his chin, as if coaxing him, "But hey, if I like it, then it''s not a flaw."


    "Don''t frown. My male lead looks best when he smiles."


    "Mm... I know, Director Song."


    ¡ªEnd

 Chapter 98

    Today was the first day of enrollment at the university.The Shen family''s car dropped off Song Yi and Shen Yujing together at Imperial Capital University.


    After the car stopped, the driver got up to open the trunk and help with the luggage.


    "Don''t move, don''t move. Go back to the car, I''ll handle it myself," Shen Yujing dismissed him and instead took Song Yi''s suitcase out himself.


    With both his and Song Yi''s suitcases in hand, Shen Yujing pushed them forward under the glaring sunlight. Song Yi stood beside him, holding an umbrella, as they walked side by side into the campus.


    At the entrance, Shen Yujing glanced at the map provided to new students. The registration point for the Film Academy was relatively far.


    As they passed a small convenience store, Song Yi tugged at Shen Yujing''s wrist and said, "Wait, I want to buy a cola."


    "Alright," Shen Yujing replied. "I''ll go get it."


    Song Yi shook her head. "No need, I can go in myself."


    She then looked at Shen Yujing and added, "There are too many people here today. Don''t wander off, just wait for me here."


    Song Yi entered the store and picked up a cola for herself and an orange juice, Shen Yujing''s favorite.


    However, when she came out, Shen Yujing was nowhere to be seen. The spot where he had been standing was now surrounded by a crowd¡ªmen and women, all seemingly engaged in something.


    "Song Yi! Song Yi!"


    Just as Song Yi was trying to figure out what was happening, Shen Yujing''s voice suddenly rang out.


    He poked his head out from the crowd, his face filled with panic, and called out as if seeking help, "I''m here! Come over! Hurry!"


    Song Yi: "¡­?"


    Song Yi walked toward Shen Yujing, only to hear him desperately explaining to the people around him, "I told you I have a girlfriend! I''m not lying! I really do¡­ Yes, of course, I like girls¡­ What do you mean by that?"


    As soon as Song Yi approached, Shen Yujing quickly grabbed her wrist and pulled her close, placing his hand on her shoulder. His face was full of irritation as he declared, "See? This is my girlfriend."


    The people around them glanced at Shen Yujing, then at Song Yi, and quickly dispersed.


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing with confusion. "What''s going on?"


    Shen Yujing rested his head on her shoulder and let out a long sigh. "I don''t know. A bunch of people just surrounded me out of nowhere, asking for my WeChat. No matter what I said, they wouldn''t leave."


    Song Yi glanced at the retreating crowd and mused, "Men and women alike. Shen Yujing, your charm hasn''t faded, huh?"


    Shen Yujing wanted to retort but didn''t know what to say. Instead, he sulked and reached for Song Yi''s hand.


    Song Yi asked, "Also, couldn''t you just walk away when they approached you?"


    Shen Yujing looked even more aggrieved. "You told me to wait here for you."


    Song Yi: "¡­"


    She handed the orange juice to Shen Yujing and said, "Alright, alright, let''s go."


    Shen Yujing took a sip of the orange juice, then stuffed it into his backpack. He picked up both suitcases again, and the two of them quickly made their way to the registration area.


    The Film Academy''s registration booth was set up in the distance, with many seniors sitting inside. Some were responsible for collecting information from new students, while others were tasked with guiding them to their dormitories.


    Among them, Shen Yujing spotted a familiar face.


    "Shen Yujing!" Cheng Kan waved at him with a smile. "You''re here!"


    The two had been chatting occasionally on WeChat recently, and while they weren''t particularly close, they were on friendly terms.


    Shen Yujing was surprised. "You''re volunteering?"


    "Yeah, I was just wondering if I''d run into you," Cheng Kan said, but his gaze shifted to Song Yi''s face, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. "You''re¡­ Song Yi? I''ve seen your photos on Shen Yujing''s WeChat moments. It''s a pleasure to meet you."


    Song Yi smiled softly. "Hello."


    A hint of unease crept into Shen Yujing''s heart. He forced a smile and said, "Yes, this is my girlfriend. She''s in the directing department."


    Cheng Kan remarked, "The directing department? With looks like that, I thought she was studying acting."


    Shen Yujing''s expression darkened. "Cut it out. You''ve seen my WeChat moments and even checked the Saint Slee forums. Don''t you know how well she performs academically? Acting? No way."


    "I was just complimenting her beauty," Cheng Kan chuckled and didn''t press further. Instead, he quickly helped them complete the registration and paperwork.


    Next was dormitory assignment. Since they were in the same college, Song Yi and Shen Yujing''s dormitory buildings were opposite each other and very close, which Shen Yujing found quite satisfying.


    Cheng Kan turned to him and said, "Only volunteers are allowed into the girls'' dormitory. You go ahead and drop off your luggage in your dorm. I''ll help your girlfriend carry hers up."


    Shen Yujing didn''t respond immediately. Instead, he silently stared at the badge on Cheng Kan''s chest.


    Then he looked up and smiled. "Senior, can I ask you for a favor?"


    In the end, Cheng Kan ended up carrying Shen Yujing''s suitcase up to his dorm, while Shen Yujing, wearing a volunteer badge, accompanied Song Yi to her room.


    When the dormitory door opened, two girls were already inside. They had arrived the day before and had already settled in.


    Both seemed quiet or perhaps a bit reserved since it was their first meeting. They greeted Song Yi and then returned to their respective spots.


    Shen Yujing, meanwhile, followed Song Yi inside and busied himself with setting up her bed, climbing up and down to install the bed curtains.


    Song Yi looked up at him, a bit unsure. "Are you sure you can handle this?"


    "Of course," Shen Yujing replied without hesitation.


    Before the semester started, he had practiced installing bed curtains dozens of times at home.


    Shen Yujing quickly finished and climbed down from the ladder. He walked over to Song Yi and asked, "Is there anything else you need help with?"


    At that moment, the bespectacled girl next to them timidly peeked over and smiled shyly at Song Yi. "Your boyfriend is so good to you."


    Song Yi smiled and thanked her.


    Shen Yujing''s ego was thoroughly stroked, and he continued to help Song Yi organize her things.


    Then, the other roommate with long black hair turned around and said, "Song Yi? The girl in bed four is from the same high school as me. She should be here in about an hour. Do you want to go out for dinner together tonight?"


    "Sure," Song Yi agreed immediately and took out her phone to add the girl on WeChat.


    When Song Yi returned to her desk, Shen Yujing tugged at her sleeve and whispered, "Didn''t we agree to¡­"


    "Shh," Song Yi interrupted him, shaking her head.


    Shen Yujing pursed his lips and said, "Fine."


    After Shen Yujing returned to his own dorm, all three of his roommates had arrived.


    They were all young guys and seemed quite outgoing, chatting and laughing together. One of them even expressed admiration for Shen Yujing, who had ranked first in the art school entrance exams.


    Shen Yujing wore a polite but distant smile and eventually suggested, "How about we all go out for dinner tonight? My treat."


    "Sure!" his roommates agreed enthusiastically.


    That evening, at a hotpot restaurant.


    Song Yi couldn''t help but feel a bit exasperated when she noticed Shen Yujing sitting at a table diagonally across from her, winking at her.


    Her roommate chuckled. "Your boyfriend is really protective of you, huh?"


    The curly-haired girl who had arrived late that afternoon leaned over to look. "Which one is your boyfriend?"


    "Over there," another roommate pointed. "The one at the table who''s the most handsome."


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing''s roommates were confused as they followed his gaze to Song Yi''s table.


    The guy in a basketball jersey sitting next to Shen Yujing asked, "Which one do you like?"


    Another roommate answered before Shen Yujing could, "The one in the white dress is pretty. She looks so pure."


    The third chimed in, "Should we go ask for her WeChat later?"


    Shen Yujing picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and glared at the two guys. "Stop staring. That''s my girlfriend."


    The table fell into an awkward silence.


    By the end of the meal, Song Yi''s table discovered that Shen Yujing had already paid their bill, and they teased him about it.


    Finally, the curly-haired girl pushed Song Yi toward Shen Yujing and said, "She''s all yours now. Just make sure to bring her back before curfew. We can''t break the rules on the first day."


    After her roommates left, Song Yi turned to Shen Yujing and asked, "Why did you come here?"


    Shen Yujing handed her a cup of milk tea and said, "It''s the first day of school, and everything''s still unfamiliar. I was worried about you. I won''t do it again."


    Song Yi took the milk tea and asked, "There''s a night market nearby. Want to check it out?"


    Shen Yujing asked, "What''s a night market?"


    Song Yi thought for a moment and explained, "You can think of it as a place where people do business at night. There are lots of food stalls, as well as books, accessories, clothes, toys, and things like that. It''s kind of like shopping at a mall."


    "Sounds good," Shen Yujing nodded in agreement, then added, "Didn¡¯t we agree to have dinner together next Saturday? Let¡¯s pick out some gifts for him."


    Saturday.


    At the dinner table.


    Murong Huan¡¯s hand trembled slightly as she stared at the screaming chicken in front of her. "This is the gift you got me?"


    Song Yi fell silent for a few seconds, unable to bear looking at the scene.


    "Yep," Shen Yujing nodded and said, "You¡¯re always yelling at Quan Le, right? That¡¯s not good for your throat. From now on, just press this screaming chicken, and Quan Le will know you¡¯re mad." S§×ar?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Murong Huan: "..."


    She clenched her fists, gritting her teeth, "Shen Yujing! Today, I¡¯ll show you how I express my anger without this screaming chicken!"


    Quan Le quickly stopped Murong Huan, saying, "Don¡¯t be mad, don¡¯t take it out on him."


    To divert Murong Huan¡¯s attention, Quan Le opened the bag in front of him to see what gift Shen Yujing had given him.


    The moment he pulled out a red mask, Quan Le¡¯s expression froze. He looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "What is this?"


    Shen Yujing replied, "A Guan Gong mask."


    Quan Le: "So?"


    Shen Yujing got a little flustered and said, "Guan Gong! Guan Yu! Guan Yunzhang!"


    Quan Le: "I¡¯m asking why you¡¯re giving me a mask!"


    "Because you¡¯re shameless¡­ oh, no, that¡¯s not what I meant," Shen Yujing shook his head and explained, "Guan Yu is the God of War, representing loyalty and righteousness. In my heart, you¡¯re always that kind of person¡ªmy best brother."


    Even though the mask looked cheap and ugly, and Shen Yujing¡¯s words sounded a bit like he was just making things up, Quan Le was easily convinced.


    Fine, he¡¯d reluctantly accept the mask.


    Meanwhile, Xu Che and Hang Feng opened the boxes in front of them, their expressions almost identical in their complexity.


    Xu Che held up a "metal ring" and asked, "What is this?"


    Hang Feng took his gift out of the box¡ªa metal ring almost identical to Xu Che¡¯s¡ªand looked at Shen Yujing with a puzzled expression, waiting for an explanation.


    "It¡¯s a friendship bracelet," Shen Yujing said. "Put it on first."


    Though both Xu Che and Hang Feng were skeptical, they followed Shen Yujing¡¯s instructions and put the rings on their wrists.


    Shen Yujing then said, "Bring your hands closer together."


    *BANG!*


    The two rings seemed to have a powerful magnetic pull, and Xu Che and Hang Feng couldn¡¯t control it as the rings snapped together.


    Hang Feng: "?"


    Xu Che: "?"


    Xu Che took a deep breath and looked at Shen Yujing, "What is this thing?"


    "It¡¯s a brotherhood bracelet," Shen Yujing explained matter-of-factly. "It¡¯s electronically controlled and will automatically release in an hour."


    Xu Che: "..."


    Hang Feng: "..."


    Hang Feng: "What am I supposed to do for this hour?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Oops¡­ he forgot about that.


    Everyone¡¯s gifts were bizarre. Jiang Yiheng looked at the bag in front of him and suddenly lost the courage to open it.


    But Shen Yujing wasn¡¯t about to let him off so easily. He urged, "Jiang Yiheng! What are you doing? Why aren¡¯t you opening your gift?"


    Jiang Yiheng¡¯s instincts told him there was probably nothing good inside.


    So he asked cautiously, "First, tell me what¡¯s in it."


    "Huh?" This time, it was Shen Yujing¡¯s turn to hesitate. He looked a bit troubled, "That¡¯s not really appropriate."


    Song Yi¡¯s curious gaze fell on Shen Yujing because Jiang Yiheng¡¯s gift was the most special. She couldn¡¯t tell what it was, and Shen Yujing had kept it a secret, saying it was for Jiang Yiheng¡¯s dignity as a man.


    Jiang Yiheng coldly spat out one word, "Talk."


    If Shen Yujing didn¡¯t explain first, he might not have the courage to open the gift today. Who knew what strange thing might be inside?


    "You¡¯re forcing me to say it," Shen Yujing sighed with a look of resignation, then said, "Jiang Yiheng, out of everyone here, your gift is the most expensive¡ªit cost me a full hundred bucks!"


    The other four: "?"


    Huh? So their gifts weren¡¯t even worth a hundred?


    But¡­ even ten bucks for this stuff felt like a rip-off!


    Shen Yujing¡¯s expression turned mysterious again as he continued, "Your gift is truly special. I only saw this old master right before we left. He was sitting alone in a dark corner with a few boxes in front of him. He said they contained a secret formula passed down in his family for a hundred years. Everyone who¡¯s used it has¡­"


    Jiang Yiheng frowned and cut him off, "Get to the point."


    "Alright," Shen Yujing nodded, his voice dripping with sincerity, "It¡¯s foot odor powder."


    Jiang Yiheng: "..."


    Enough!!!

 Chapter 99

    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¡ª


    "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¡ª


    [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."


    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¡ª


    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? S§×ar?h the N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    She hadn''t heard a word of it.

 Chapter 100

    Imperial Capital University was the first to go on vacation, and Song Yi''s birthday was approaching.Originally, everyone had planned to get together, but due to S University adding more practical sessions, A University starting late and ending early, Xu Che and Hang Feng needing to accompany their grandmother for a health check-up, and a series of other reasons, the gathering fell through.


    The lively atmosphere they had imagined was now reduced to just Song Yi and Shen Yujing.


    Seeing Song Yi feeling down because her friends couldn¡¯t gather, Shen Yujing now faced the challenge of how to cheer her up.


    After proposing ten different travel destinations and plans, all of which were rejected by Song Yi, Shen Yujing began to feel at a loss.


    What on earth... should he do?


    Sitting on the sofa in his living room, Shen Yujing and Tom stared at each other.


    He waved a ball in front of Tom and asked, "Do you want to play?"


    "Woof! Woof!" Tom barked enthusiastically, his eyes filled with excitement.


    Shen Yujing continued, "Then tell me, how can I make Song Yi happy?"


    "Woof! Woof!" Tom barked the same way, his eyes still fixed on the ball in Shen Yujing''s hand, as if eager to play.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen Yujing recalled Song Yi''s earlier praise and the pet store staff''s confident assurance that a Golden Retriever was the ideal boyfriend he wanted.


    Forget it, why was he arguing with a dog? Not only was the gender wrong, but he couldn¡¯t expect much from it anyway.


    So Shen Yujing threw the ball far away, and Tom fetched it back. He half-heartedly played the game with him.


    Until Shen''s Mother appeared. Seeing her son''s troubled expression, she sensed something was wrong.


    Shen''s Mother sat on the other side of the sofa and said, "Silly dog... no, silly son, what''s on your mind? Tell your mom."


    Shen Yujing glanced at his mother but still looked hesitant.


    Shen''s Mother took a sip of water and asked, "Did you have a fight with Yi Yi?"


    "No."


    "Then what could make you frown like a bitter melon? Hurry up and get back to normal, or your dad will start wondering why you didn¡¯t inherit his good looks."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen Yujing lowered his head in frustration and said, "Her birthday is coming up."


    Shen''s Mother looked at him and asked, "So? Don¡¯t know what gift to choose?"


    "Not that." Shen Yujing explained the situation to his mother.


    "I see," Shen''s Mother nodded, unconcerned. "It¡¯s not a big deal. Just make her happier, that¡¯s all."


    Easier said than done.


    Shen''s Mother then suggested that Shen Yujing think about any unfulfilled wishes Song Yi might have and fulfill them on her birthday.


    Wishes?


    This question left Shen Yujing momentarily stumped.


    For Shen Yujing, if he didn¡¯t know, he would ask, but he couldn¡¯t ask Song Yi directly.


    So he called Song''s Father. After a long silence, Song''s Father said, "When she was little, she always wanted to go to an amusement park, but I... didn¡¯t have the money or time to take her. Later, when I finally had some extra money and offered to take her, she always said she was too grown-up for such places. But I think she still wants to go; she¡¯s just being considerate, not wanting me to spend money."


    "I understand."


    After hanging up, Shen Yujing looked up at the moon outside the window, his mind now clear.


    On Song Yi''s birthday.


    She was pulled out of her house by Shen Yujing, who was being unusually secretive. "Where are we going? Why all the mystery?"


    "You¡¯ll see when we get there," Shen Yujing said as he fastened Song Yi''s seatbelt in the passenger seat before driving off.


    When the car stopped in front of the largest amusement park in Imperial Capital, Song Yi''s eyes widened in surprise, and a smile crept onto her lips.


    Shen Yujing said, "I called Song''s Father. He said not taking you to an amusement park when you were little has always been his regret, so now I¡¯m here to make up for it."


    Song Yi looked at him, pondering, "So you want to be my dad now?"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    What kind of logic was that?!


    Seeing Shen Yujing''s stiff expression, Song Yi burst out laughing. "Just kidding!"


    Truth be told, Song Yi had never been to an amusement park in real life either.


    Because such places are for kids accompanied by their parents, young people with friends or lovers, and she had always been alone, with no reason to go.


    But now it was different.


    She had heard that amusement parks were lively places, filled with young parents bringing their kids, couples taking photos, and friends hanging out together¡ªit was supposed to be the happiest, most joyful place in the world.


    Wait a minute...


    Looking at the amusement park, which, aside from the staff in mascot costumes, could only be described as "empty," Song Yi''s smile froze. What was going on?


    She turned to Shen Yujing and asked, "Where is everyone else?"


    Shen Yujing replied matter-of-factly, "I booked the whole place. This way, we don¡¯t have to wait in line and can play whatever we want."


    Song Yi: "..."


    What could she say? Even after living in this world for so long, she was still occasionally shocked by these over-the-top, Mary Sue-like actions.


    While Shen Yujing wasn¡¯t wrong, this just didn¡¯t feel right.


    Seeing Song Yi''s expression, Shen Yujing immediately realized she might not like his approach and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    Song Yi replied bluntly, "Amusement parks are supposed to be lively. With just the two of us, it¡¯s too quiet."


    Shen Yujing thought for a moment, then called the park management and said, "All families with children can enter for free today."


    "Uh... it¡¯s my girlfriend¡¯s birthday. I just want her to be happy, but she wants more people to be happy too."


    The news that families with children could enter for free quickly spread, and the amusement park gradually filled with people.


    Song Yi placed a small strawberry headband on Shen Yujing''s head, ignoring his look of utter disdain, and dragged him into a photo, saying she would post it on social media for everyone to laugh at him.


    However, the moment Song Yi pressed the shutter, Shen Yujing quickly kissed the corner of her lips.


    Song Yi looked at him, both embarrassed and annoyed. "Shen Yujing! We¡¯re in public!"


    Shen Yujing raised his chin, looking smug. "I don¡¯t care. You have to post this one."


    Of course, his slightly arrogant expression, paired with the pink strawberry headband, made him look rather adorable.


    Song Yi instantly decided not to argue with him and said, "Fine, but you¡¯re not allowed to take off the headband all day."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    If his girlfriend, who rarely showed affection publicly, was willing to post a kissing photo with him on social media to acknowledge their relationship, he¡¯d wear a strawberry headband¡ªheck, he¡¯d do anything.


    Well, almost anything.


    So Shen Yujing readily agreed to the deal.


    Even on the roller coaster, where Shen Yujing was too scared to open his eyes, one hand tightly gripping Song Yi''s for comfort, the other hand firmly held onto the headband on his head.


    After playing most of the rides in the amusement park, on their way out, Shen Yujing spotted a sugar painting stall by the roadside.


    Countless children and their parents surrounded the stall, clamoring to buy sugar paintings of cartoon characters like Pretty Sheep or Ultraman.


    Shen Yujing turned to Song Yi and asked, "Want one?"


    "Only kids buy those," Song Yi said, though her gaze lingered on the stall, clearly interested.


    "I¡¯m a kid, and I want one. Wait here," Shen Yujing said before squeezing into the crowd of children. Standing among them, he didn¡¯t look out of place at all.


    When he returned, Shen Yujing was holding a sugar painting of a little girl.


    He held it up, comparing it to Song Yi''s face, and said, "I showed him your photo, but it doesn¡¯t look like you at all. It¡¯s not even half as pretty as you."


    Song Yi sighed, "Enough, it¡¯s cute."


    Shen Yujing brought the sugar painting closer and kissed the little girl¡¯s face on it.


    He said, "Kissing it is like kissing you, so you know how much I like you."


    The next second, a crisp "crack" sounded, and a crack appeared on the little girl¡¯s neck.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Song Yi: "So killing it is like killing me? To show me how much you dislike me?"


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    Seeing Song Yi suddenly turn and walk away, he immediately chased after her, "Wait! Listen to me! The candy isn''t actually bad, look..."


    The two of them bantered playfully as they walked. Song Yi wasn''t really angry over such a trivial matter; she was just teasing him.


    That evening, the two returned to the apartment they rented near Imperial Capital University. Shen Yujing had insisted on cooking a meal for her himself.


    During their time living together, Shen Yujing, who couldn''t cook, didn''t want Song Yi to go through the trouble. Most of the time, he had meals prepared by Shen Corporation''s hotel and delivered to them.


    However, given Shen Yujing''s generally unreliable demeanor, Song Yi didn''t have much confidence in his culinary skills.


    And, unsurprisingly, her expectations were met.


    Staring at the bizarrely colored dishes on the table, Song Yi''s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly.


    When they opened the rice cooker, instead of finding fluffy rice, they were greeted with a pot of cold water and uncooked grains. Both of them fell into a stunned silence.


    Shen Yujing quickly closed the rice cooker lid and said, "Let''s just go out to eat."


    Song Yi didn''t respond immediately but instead asked, "Can you at least cook noodles?"


    "Of course I can," Shen Yujing replied, covering his face with his hand, clearly embarrassed by his cooking skills but still clinging to the last shred of his dignity.


    Cooking noodles didn''t require much skill, especially with Song Yi by his side. Shen Yujing''s role was essentially limited to boiling water and draining the noodles.


    Meanwhile, Song Yi fried two eggs in another pan and tossed some washed greens into the pot.


    The colorful, inedible dishes were eventually thrown into the trash, and the two sat at the table, each holding a bowl of noodles.


    Shen Yujing pursed his lips, feeling utterly useless.


    The dishes he could make at home were at least passable, but here, under pressure, he had completely botched things.


    So, while Song Yi got up to fetch some milk, Shen Yujing quietly opened his phone and signed up for a cooking class.


    He would work hard in secret and eventually surprise Song Yi!


    The noodles, at least, were decent¡ªnothing extraordinary, but edible.


    After dinner, Shen Yujing brought out a cake from the fridge. It was a plain, unremarkable little cake, nothing like the extravagant layered cakes one might expect for a special occasion.


    Song Yi''s eyes fell on the cake, and she immediately realized, "Did you make this?"


    "Not exactly," Shen Yujing admitted honestly. "I had a cake shop chef come to the house to make it. I didn''t do much, but I did draw the little figures on top, and I also piped the cream."


    It wasn''t that Shen Yujing didn''t want to make the cake himself, but after the chef asked, "Do you really want your girlfriend to celebrate her birthday with a subpar cake?" he decided to compromise.


    The cake featured two little figures, reminiscent of a once-popular "internet-famous cake" that Song Yi had seen in the real world.


    She used to think such cakes were ugly... and she still did. But looking at those two little figures, she could imagine Shen Yujing nervously drawing them.


    The candles were lit, and the room dimmed.


    Song Yi closed her eyes and, accompanied by Shen Yujing''s off-key rendition of the birthday song, blew out the candles.


    This year''s wish was...


    No wish.


    Because last year''s wish had already come true.


    Everyone had broken free from the constraints of their original storylines, each living their own lives and heading toward a bright future.


    They had succeeded.


    Later that night.


    After her shower, Song Yi emerged from the bathroom in her nightgown, towel-drying her damp hair as she walked toward the couch.


    Even with the air conditioning on, Song Yi, who was always sensitive to the cold, immediately slipped on her fluffy robe. She sat down and reached out to Shen Yujing, saying, "The hairdryer is behind you. Hand it to me, quick."


    Shen Yujing handed her the hairdryer and knelt beside her, helping to dry her hair.


    Though usually clumsy, he showed rare patience when it came to things related to her.


    The two chatted idly until Shen Yujing''s gaze fell on the exposed sliver of skin at the neckline of Song Yi''s loose nightgown. He froze, and as his fingers brushed against her warm shoulder while smoothing her hair, he pulled back as if shocked.


    Song Yi, feeling the warm air from the hairdryer on her face, tugged at Shen Yujing''s shirt in annoyance. "Can you focus, please?"


    By then, Shen Yujing was already distracted. His awkward kneeling position on the couch made it hard to maintain balance, and he ended up collapsing onto the cushions.


    His face buried in the crook of Song Yi''s neck, he was overwhelmed by her sweet, gentle scent, his face instantly flushing red.


    Song Yi took the hairdryer from Shen Yujing''s hand, turned it off, and set it aside. "It''s dry enough," she said.


    As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Yujing lifted his head and kissed the corner of her lips. His voice softened, almost pleading, "Did you have a good birthday? Can I get a reward?"


    Song Yi was momentarily stunned, then asked, "What kind of reward do you want?"


    Shen Yujing closed his eyes, tilting his chin up in an obvious hint.


    He looked calm and composed, except for the faint trembling of his eyelashes, betraying his nervousness.


    After all, while kisses usually happened naturally when the mood was right, actively asking for one made him feel shy.


    Song Yi seemed amused by his reaction and pushed him away lightly.


    Just as Shen Yujing was about to express his disappointment, Song Yi flipped over and sat on his lap.


    She placed her hands on his shoulders, leaned down, and gently brushed her lips against his. Seeing his face turn bright red, she teased, "Shen Yujing, it''s not our first kiss. Why are you still so nervous?"


    "Of course I am," Shen Yujing replied without hesitation, his embarrassment evident.


    "I can feel your heartbeat. Are your arms shaking too... Mmm!" S§×arch* The ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unable to take the teasing any longer, Shen Yujing wrapped his arms around Song Yi''s waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss to silence her playful taunts.


    Somehow, they ended up in the bedroom.


    Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow over the room.


    Song Yi, who was rarely ever nervous, now showed a hint of tension. She reached out as if to push Shen Yujing away, but her hands ended up clutching his shoulders instead.


    Shen Yujing looked down at her, his eyes dark with restraint. His voice was low and measured as he said, "Song Yi, if you''re scared, you can still push me away. It''s not too late."


    Song Yi, who had been wrestling with her thoughts, was taken aback. She retorted, "Scared? What''s there to be scared of?"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi looked up at him, her almond-shaped eyes wide and challenging as she said, "I think it''s you who doesn''t know what you''re doing!"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    "You''re the one who doesn''t know how, and yet you''re saying I''m scared? You... Ah, Shen Yujing! Where are your hands going... Mmm..."


    His kisses trailed to her earlobe, his voice tinged with defiance as he murmured, "You''ll find out soon enough whether I know what I''m doing."


    ...


    "Hey, Shen Yujing! That''s not the right spot! Not there!"


    "See? You really don''t know what you''re doing! Shen Yujing, you big idiot! Big idiot!!!"

 Chapter 101

    "Little Jing, what do you want to be when you grow up?"Uncles and aunts surrounded little Shen Yujing, teasing him with snacks and toys.


    The young boy stood in the center of the crowd, his face cold and indifferent. He arrogantly tossed out a reply, "I want to be a hero who saves the world."


    This statement made everyone laugh.


    Someone continued to ask Shen Yujing, "But being a hero is very busy and tiring. What will you do then?"


    Shen Yujing''s face scrunched up like a little bun. He thought seriously for a moment but still insisted, "I''m not afraid."


    Another uncle chimed in, "What if you''re so busy that you don¡¯t have time to get a girlfriend or marry? Aren¡¯t you afraid of that?"


    Of course, as soon as these words were spoken, the people around quickly interrupted, scolding him for saying such things to a child.


    But at that time, Shen Yujing still shook his head and said, "I¡¯m not afraid."


    Back then, he didn¡¯t understand what the uncle was talking about, and even when he entered adolescence and finally understood, he still didn¡¯t care.


    High school life was beautiful for Shen Yujing. Thanks to his looks, family background, and physical prowess, he pretty much ruled the school.


    Many girls had handed him love letters, but at that time, Shen Yujing still had his hero dream. He believed that a true hero shouldn¡¯t be held back by romantic entanglements, so he had no interest in such things.


    As for his heroic deeds, they mostly consisted of being the school bully, occasionally leading his gang to fight at Saint Yu Academy.


    His days were simple, even mundane.


    Just when Shen Yujing was starting to feel bored and uninterested in this kind of life, Quan Le dragged him to see some excitement.


    It started with a ridiculous misunderstanding about Jiang Yiheng wearing a skirt, and ended with his face being pressed against a table by a seemingly delicate girl.


    For Shen Yujing, it was the day his "hero dream" shattered, and he lost all face in front of the entire school.


    At the time, Shen Yujing thought he had lost fair and square, and he accepted it. But he swore he never wanted to see Song Yi again. From then on, they would go their separate ways...


    And then he was proven wrong.


    When he found out that Zhang Yong had misunderstood his intentions and sent people to cause trouble for Song Yi, Shen Yujing felt nothing but irritation.


    Sure, he had been humiliated because of her, but wasn¡¯t it even more humiliating to secretly seek revenge after losing a fight?


    One thing was one thing, so Shen Yujing decided to be magnanimous and help her out just this once.


    Of course, when he arrived at the scene, everything was completely different from what he had imagined.


    He was in a daze the entire time, barely aware of what he said or did.


    It wasn¡¯t until he returned home and saw the hammer on his desk that he fell into deep thought.


    Over the years, many girls had given him gifts, but this was the first time he had actually accepted one.


    This ordinary-looking hammer...


    Shen Yujing picked it up and casually tapped it against his desk. When he saw the crack appear on his top-tier, custom-made desk, he fell silent.


    This was no ordinary hammer.


    He couldn¡¯t possibly keep such an expensive gift, could he?


    Sure enough, that very evening, Song Yi called him.


    In response to Song Yi¡¯s request to have the hammer returned, Shen Yujing didn¡¯t outwardly agree, but he secretly decided to modify it. sea??h th§× n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    How could such a gentle-looking girl wield such a heavy tool? And the hammer itself didn¡¯t seem to suit her at all.


    After turning the hammer pink, Shen Yujing was quite pleased with his handiwork.


    Of course, Shen Yujing¡¯s "thoughtfulness" was not appreciated by Song Yi, and the hammer eventually ended up in the trash.


    Shen Yujing was indeed annoyed at first, but then he heard a "shocking secret"¡ªSong Yi actually liked him.


    If a girl liked him, it wouldn¡¯t be very gentlemanly of him to hold a grudge, would it?


    And when Song Yi gave him an even bigger hammer for his birthday, Shen Yujing¡¯s last bit of resentment disappeared.


    She must have felt guilty and wanted to make up for it by giving him a bigger one. Well, since she was being so sincere, he decided to let it go.


    But what Shen Yujing couldn¡¯t understand was, if she liked him, why didn¡¯t she try to create opportunities to meet him? Instead, she seemed to be avoiding him at every turn.


    Of course, Song Yi didn¡¯t succeed in avoiding him.


    Because Jiang Yiheng, that scoundrel, decided to meddle and signed both of them up for the sports day event.


    It was during this time, when Shen Yujing was pretending to have a broken leg and Song Yi was pretending to limp, that they ran into each other in the infirmary. It was then that Shen Yujing finally started to find this girl a little interesting.


    After all, in this world, anyone who could come up with such a clever idea¡ªone that matched his own thought process¡ªwas definitely no ordinary person.


    On the day of the sports event, as if fate had decided to punish them for their lies, Shen Yujing actually broke his leg, and Song Yi sprained her ankle.


    While in the infirmary, Jiang Yiheng asked if their "accidents" were really just accidents.


    Shen Yujing had seen it happen¡ªhe knew Song Yi¡¯s foot had tripped him.


    But... she couldn¡¯t have done it on purpose, right?


    So he refuted Jiang Yiheng and covered up the incident.


    In the infirmary, perhaps out of boredom, Song Yi played wheelchair races with him for a long time.


    It was a game that all of Shen Yujing¡¯s lackeys found boring, but she was willing to play along.


    See? She must like him.


    But this thought was quickly overturned when Shen Yujing saw the love letter Song Yi had written to Jiang Yiheng.


    Shen Yujing didn¡¯t know how to express his feelings at that moment.


    How could she just casually write a love letter to someone else? Didn¡¯t she say she liked him?


    As it turned out, his decision to never get involved in romance was the right one¡ªpeople¡¯s feelings were too fickle.


    Even as he tried to comfort himself with these thoughts, Shen Yujing couldn¡¯t help but angrily replace the love letter.


    At that moment, he felt like the evil sorcerer from a fairy tale, doing shameful deeds behind the scenes to ruin the beautiful love story between the princess and the prince.


    At the time, he hadn¡¯t yet realized that the real reason driving his actions was his own feelings.


    It was a strange emotion that Shen Yujing himself hadn¡¯t yet recognized, but it kept him by Song Yi¡¯s side.


    Whether it was during their interactions on the class trip or when they attended Saint Yu Academy¡¯s anniversary celebration, their relationship gradually improved during this time.


    Even though he was clumsy, he could feel Song Yi¡¯s attitude toward him changing¡ªfrom initial rejection and confrontation to gradually becoming friends.


    Shen Yujing really enjoyed spending time with her.


    Because Song Yi was the first person in his life who he found truly interesting.


    When he was with her, even though things didn¡¯t always go his way, he always felt happy.


    And for some reason, the people he used to dislike had somehow become his friends during this time.


    It must have been her influence. After all, no one could dislike her.


    At the very least, he especially liked her.


    So later, when Shen Yujing realized that his feelings for her were more than just friendship, he fell into distress.


    Young Master Shen had always been used to getting whatever he wanted. The world revolved around him, and if he wanted something, he only had to say the word.


    But now, things had become complicated.


    There were more people around Song Yi, and many of them were outstanding. Compared to them, Shen Yujing felt like he had no particular advantage. If he were Song Yi, he probably wouldn¡¯t choose himself either.


    All he could offer was his heart.


    But who didn¡¯t have a heart? It wasn¡¯t something unique to him.


    To this end, Shen Yujing read five campus romance novels and carefully analyzed how to become the "male lead."


    Of course, the male lead here referred to the person who would end up with Song Yi.


    After a rigorous analysis of the data, Shen Yujing came to a conclusion¡ª


    It was difficult. Extremely difficult.


    The novels all said that the person who ended up with the female lead had to be the most outstanding one.


    Especially the cold, aloof top student and the soft, delicate transfer student¡ªthese were the most popular romance novel tropes.


    Might as well just give Jiang Yiheng the title of male lead, since it clearly wasn¡¯t going to be him.


    Some novels also said that the male lead could be a lonely, brooding figure who despised the world but poured all his affection onto the female lead, becoming her only salvation.


    Even if the whole world stood against her, he would betray the world for her sake. Only then would he be worthy of being the male lead.


    Shen Yujing couldn¡¯t understand why anyone would want to betray the world. He didn¡¯t need Song Yi to save him because...


    He didn¡¯t have any tragic backstory.


    Shen Yujing kept reading and found another trope¡ªthe silent, ruthless school bully. When others passed by, they would see the usually cold and menacing boss pinning the female lead against a wall and kissing her.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He seemed to talk a bit too much and couldn''t quite fit the image of a cold, intimidating figure.


    Could Xu Che barely qualify as one?


    So, the three of them each had their own path, but he didn''t?


    Shen Yujing was deeply dissatisfied, so he randomly found a forum and made a post.


    [Hey, does anyone know of any romance novels where the male lead is a school bully who seems bad-tempered (but definitely not cold or antisocial¡ªhe''s actually pretty sunny and easy to get along with)? He might sometimes tease the female lead, but it''s never intentional, and he actually likes her! I''m looking for a campus romance, thanks!]


    Soon, someone replied to him.


    1st floor: Huh, OP''s taste is a bit weird. Isn''t this the kind of outdated Mary Sue trope that was popular years ago? Who writes male leads like that nowadays?


    3rd floor: Yeah, the male lead has to be strong and deeply devoted, right? How could someone like that even be a male lead?


    5th floor: Honestly, I''d just skip over a male lead like that. I don''t get the appeal at all.


    6th floor: Boring. Next post, please.


    ...


    Shen Yujing''s expression froze, and his heart sank.


    So, was he the only one who was completely ruled out? Was there really no chance at all?


    Shen Yujing tossed his phone aside and decided to go to sleep.


    He figured that once he woke up, he''d forget all about this. Yeah, that''s right.


    Much later, after he and Song Yi had officially started dating, Shen Yujing would sometimes think back to the day he confessed his feelings.


    Novels are so unreliable!


    Real life is real life, and it has nothing to do with novels!


    If you like someone, you just like them. There''s no need to consult so many "references." What matters most is being willing to open your heart to them.


    And for Shen Yujing, it was Song Yi''s existence that truly made him understand what liking someone really meant.


    Shen Yujing had always been a competitive person, someone who cared a lot about winning and losing.


    But after meeting Song Yi, none of that mattered anymore.


    Because Song Yi liked him, and that meant he had already won completely for the rest of his life. He no longer needed to compete with anyone.


    His dream wasn''t to be a hero anymore. It was her.

 Chapter 102

    In the blink of an eye, the New Year had arrived once again.This time, Shen Yujing chose to have the New Year''s Eve dinner at Song Yi''s home.


    Before Shen Yujing left, Shen''s Mother sighed and looked at her husband, saying, "They haven''t been together for long, and he''s already not spending New Year''s at home. What will happen if they get married later? Does he even still think about this family? Or us?"


    Shen''s Father quickly comforted her, "It''s fine. It''s just the two of us now, and we can have our own little world. Maybe we can go on a trip next year."


    Shen Yujing rolled his eyes at them and muttered, "It''s precisely because of you two that I don''t want to spend New Year''s at home," before hurriedly leaving.


    The trunk of his car was filled with gifts for Song''s Father and Song Yi. Although it wasn''t his first time having dinner at the Song Family, this was a formal visit on such an important occasion, and it felt different.


    Song''s Father had a good impression of Shen Yujing and greeted him with a warm smile in the courtyard.


    Shen Yujing tried his best to resist the urge to peek inside the house and asked, "Uncle, where is Song Yi?"


    "She''s still lazing around in her room. You know how she is¡ªshe hates going out in the winter," Song''s Father replied, then urged, "Come in quickly, it''s freezing."


    As soon as he entered, Shen Yujing placed the gifts on the cabinet by the door and glanced at Song Yi''s closed bedroom door.


    Song''s Father headed to the kitchen and said, "Yujing, why don''t you go keep her company? I''ll heat up the fish. The dishes are mostly ready, so we can eat soon."


    "Alright," Shen Yujing replied, then knocked on Song Yi''s door.


    "Come in," a soft, slightly tired voice responded, different from her usual tone.


    Shen Yujing pushed the door open and saw Song Yi still lying in bed. He asked, puzzled, "Why are you still sleeping? What time is it?"


    Song Yi shook her head, her face filled with exhaustion as she looked up at the ceiling. "Huanhuan and Quan Le had a fight last night. She came to me in the middle of the night, and I spent hours comforting her. I barely got any sleep."


    "Quan Le mentioned it to me too. What a mess... Forget it, I''ll scold him later," Shen Yujing said as he walked over to Song Yi''s bedside. He picked up her robe, which was lying nearby, and asked, "Are you getting up? Or do you want to sleep a bit more?"


    Song Yi raised a hand in the air, her answer obvious.


    Shen Yujing helped her sit up and put the robe on her. He glanced at the lone slipper on the floor and asked, "Where''s your other shoe?"


    Song Yi peeked over and replied, "I think I kicked it under the bed."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    With no other choice, he knelt down and reached under the bed, but he couldn''t quite reach it. Eventually, he had to stretch halfway under the bed to retrieve the slipper.


    Song Yi looked down at Shen Yujing in this position and found it amusing. She playfully placed her foot on his... backside.


    "Song Yi!"


    Shen Yujing''s low growl echoed through the room, clearly exasperated by her antics, while Song Yi burst into laughter.


    When he finally pulled the slipper out from under the bed and was about to lecture her on how inappropriate her behavior was, he saw her pouting at him, her lips slightly pursed, looking both adorable and pitiful.


    But something still felt off to Shen Yujing, and he quickly realized why.


    Shen Yujing: "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Song Yi scoffed, "You haven''t even apologized for scolding me earlier!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Did she really not realize what she had just done? And now she was blaming him for scolding her?


    Shen Yujing thought so, and acted accordingly.


    Almost immediately, Song Yi kicked him in the leg again, clearly in a bad mood.


    Shen Yujing quickly reached out and grabbed her ankle, saying, "Don''t stick your feet out, you''ll catch a chill."


    After that, he pulled the nearby blanket over her feet, his eyes reflecting a natural concern.


    Shen Yujing''s gesture caught Song Yi off guard, and her earlier fiery demeanor softened. She lifted her arms as if in surrender and said, "Hug me."


    Shen Yujing moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her and tightening her robe.


    Song Yi nestled comfortably against his chest, her arms tightly encircling him in return.


    Shen Yujing sighed and opened his coat, enveloping her entirely within it.


    As winter deepened, Song Yi''s sensitivity to the cold became more apparent, her hands and feet often icy.


    Shen Yujing, on the other hand, was the complete opposite¡ªhe was like a little sun, exceptionally resistant to the cold. S§×arch* The n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without realizing it, Song Yi had grown fond of physical contact with him, often initiating hugs.


    This pleased Shen Yujing immensely; if he had a tail, it would surely be wagging up to the sky by now.


    Wouldn¡¯t it be great if it were winter all year round? Wait, no¡ªthat might not be ideal for her, given how much she hated the cold. Perhaps it would be better if it were always summer...


    Shen Yujing shivered at the thought, just as a cold hand slipped under his shirt and rested on his abdomen, seeking warmth from his body heat.


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    Feeling Song Yi''s hand on his abs, Shen Yujing immediately straightened his back and subtly sucked in his stomach to make his muscles more pronounced.


    He pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "What¡¯s wrong?"


    "Have you been slacking off at the gym lately?" Song Yi withdrew her hand, her tone genuinely curious.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    He hadn¡¯t been to the gym since returning home, but was it that noticeable? Was his physique not perfect enough? Even without going...


    "Maybe it¡¯s not as good as Hang Feng¡¯s back in high school..."


    Song Yi muttered under her breath, then released Shen Yujing and got up to put on her shoes.


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    He stared at her in disbelief, his expression that of a wronged man, and said slowly, "You¡¯ve touched Hang Feng¡¯s abs?"


    Only then did Song Yi realize what she had just revealed. She covered her mouth and whispered, "Can you pretend you didn¡¯t hear that?"


    Shen Yujing looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. "What do you think?"


    The tables had turned.


    Now it was Song Yi¡¯s turn. She reached out and pinched Shen Yujing¡¯s shoulder, asking, "Does that feel good?"


    Shen Yujing stared at her, expressionless.


    Song Yi took his hand and gently shook it.


    Shen Yujing closed his eyes, completely unresponsive.


    Song Yi leaned in and planted a quick kiss on the corner of his lips, then pointed at him accusingly, "Shen Yujing, stop pretending! I saw you smile!"


    The young man licked his lips, then flipped her over, pinning her down, one hand cushioning her head.


    Song Yi lay on the bed, pushing at him, "Get up already, I know you¡¯re not mad anymore."


    "I was never mad," he said, leaning down to look at her, his voice low. "I was just a little jealous."


    Just as Shen Yujing lowered his head, the door swung open, and Song''s Father¡¯s voice rang out, "Why aren¡¯t you coming out for dinner?"


    The door slammed shut a second later.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi: "..."


    The atmosphere was extremely awkward for a moment.


    Song Yi quickly pushed Shen Yujing away and stood up, saying, "Let''s eat."


    "Okay... okay," Shen Yujing momentarily forgot what he was about to do, and now he couldn''t think of anything else.


    They sat at the table to eat, both of them lowering their heads as if trying to hide.


    Honestly, who wouldn''t feel awkward after being caught in such a situation by their father or future father-in-law?


    Including Song''s Father, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a red envelope, smiling at them, "Happy New Year."


    Shen Yujing instinctively reached out to refuse, "No, no need..."


    Song Yi directly stuffed it into his pocket, saying, "No need to decline."


    "That''s right, it''s not much money. I just hope you both have a smooth and successful year ahead," Song''s Father said with a smile. "When the time comes for the ''change of address'' gift..."


    Song Yi widened her eyes and interrupted, "Dad!"


    Song''s Father caught himself and immediately shook his head, laughing, "I spoke too soon. I got ahead of myself."


    Shen Yujing shook his head, "It''s not too soon. My mom is already thinking about what to prepare after Song Yi marries me."


    "Shen Yujing!" Song Yi pinched his leg, "What are you thinking? I wouldn''t get married so early."


    What are you even talking about? Who would marry him so soon? Dream on!


    "I know, I know. It''s just preparation in advance. If there''s anything you don''t like, we can always change it," Shen Yujing said.


    Song Yi retorted, "Who prepares this far in advance?"


    Shen Yujing immediately responded, "Because no one values you as much as I do."


    As soon as he said that, everyone fell silent for a moment.


    Song Yi averted her gaze, lowered her head, and took a bite of her food without saying anything.


    Shen Yujing, on the other hand, quickly took a sip of the Sprite by his side.


    Yes, it was Sprite, because Song''s Father thought they were still kids, and since he didn''t have the habit of drinking alcohol, he naturally didn''t prepare any.


    So when Shen Yujing shamelessly lay down on her bed after taking a shower that night, Song Yi sat on the inner side of the bed, both annoyed and amused, looking at him, "Shen Yujing, you''re really putting on quite the act."


    "Actually, I never told you this, but my constitution is such that I get drunk from drinking Sprite," Shen Yujing said with a straight face, even covering his eyes with one hand.


    Song Yi retorted, "Who would admit they''re drunk if they were? Who would admit they''re a thief if they were one?"


    Shen Yujing immediately changed his tune, "Then I''m not drunk."


    "If you''re not drunk, then get down," Song Yi said, kicking him lightly.


    Shen Yujing got up reluctantly, knowing he had been caught anyway.


    He grabbed a pillow and moved to the folding single bed nearby, pulling the blanket up a bit before turning his back to Song Yi.


    Song Yi glanced at him, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes.


    The folding bed was old and hard, and even with a layer of padding, it wasn''t comfortable.


    Plus, it was only 1.8 meters long, so Shen Yujing''s feet dangled off the edge when he lay down, forcing him to curl up to sleep.


    Finally, Song Yi relented, calling out, "Shen Yujing?"


    Shen Yujing didn''t respond.


    Song Yi sighed, "Come up."


    In an instant, Shen Yujing sprang up like a carp, grabbed his pillow, and walked over.


    Song Yi scooted over to make room, took the pillow from Shen Yujing, and placed it next to hers, looking up to warn him, "Just sleep under the blanket. No funny business."


    But as soon as he sat down, Shen Yujing pushed his luck, "I want to hold your hand."


    Song Yi reluctantly reached out her hand.


    "I want to hug you."


    "I want to kiss you."


    "I want to..."


    "Are you done yet?" Song Yi finally interrupted Shen Yujing''s endless demands, saying, "I''m tired, let''s sleep."


    Yet, in the end, she still ended up snuggling into Shen Yujing''s arms because it was cold.


    Despite Song Yi being so slender, she always felt soft and warm when held. The sweet fragrance emanating from her made Shen Yujing''s thoughts wander, and he even missed a few words of what she was saying.


    Song Yi suddenly spoke up, "Honestly, it''s too quiet when we''re together during class or at home. Sometimes when you come back late from rehearsals, I get bored."


    Shen Yujing lowered his head and kissed her forehead, asking, "What do you suggest then? Should we have Murong Huan come over to hang out with you every weekend?"


    "Not that," Song Yi replied, placing a hand on his shoulder to prop herself up halfway, looking down at him seriously. "I want to discuss something with you."


    Shen Yujing pulled the blanket up a bit more to cover her shoulders and said, "Go on."


    Song Yi looked at him, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Shen Yujing, let''s bring a little life into our home."


    "Cough, cough, cough!" Shen Yujing choked on his own breath, his face turning red. He pressed Song Yi''s face against his chest and pulled the blanket over her head, exasperated. "What are you even saying?!"


    "I''m being serious," Song Yi protested, struggling to free her head from the blanket. "I''ve been thinking about this for a while."


    Shen Yujing flatly refused, "No, it''s too sudden."


    "It''s not that sudden, though. We could do it before the semester starts," Song Yi continued, coaxing him. "And then it could call you ''Dad'' and me ''Mom,'' okay?"


    For a moment, Shen Yujing had to admit that his heart wavered shamefully.


    If they did that... would it mean he and Song Yi were truly a family?


    But in the next second, rationality took over again.


    He looked at Song Yi with an unusually serious expression. "No."


    Song Yi pouted, clearly unhappy. "Why not?"


    Shen Yujing suddenly felt a headache coming on. Did he really need to explain why this wasn''t a good idea? She was usually so smart¡ªwhat was she thinking right now?


    Shen Yujing said firmly, "You''re still too young. Absolutely not. It''s too impulsive."


    Song Yi laughed in frustration and then punched him lightly on the chest. "Why not, Shen Yujing? You can have a dog, so why can''t I have a cat?"


    "Whether you agree or not, I''m giving you a heads-up out of courtesy! I''m going to get one! I''ll go pick one out at the pet store tomorrow!"


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Huh? A cat? Just a cat?


    Oh, never mind then.

 Chapter 103

    The alarm rang, jolting someone awake from their dream.The sunlight streaming through the window had already filled the room¡ªtoday was a perfect day to sleep in.


    The 8 a.m. elective class forced Song Yi to crawl out of bed, while Shen Yujing, lying beside her, sleepily opened his eyes and asked, "Do you have class this morning?"


    "Yeah," Song Yi replied, her back to Shen Yujing as she changed her clothes. She then slipped on her slippers and headed out.


    After taking a few steps, she felt something was off¡ªher waist ached, her legs were sore, and overall, she felt uncomfortable.


    Thinking about last night...


    And then looking at Shen Yujing, who was now lying on his side, ready to go back to sleep, Song Yi suddenly felt a surge of irritation.


    She walked back to the bed and called out, "Shen Yujing!"


    The young man reluctantly opened his eyes and asked, "What is it?"


    "Get up," Song Yi said, reaching out to pat his head.


    The heaviness of his eyelids made Shen Yujing close his eyes again, muttering, "I''m not getting up. I don''t have class today."


    "No, you''re getting up. You''re coming with me to my elective!" Song Yi declared, grabbing at Shen Yujing''s blanket.


    "I don''t want to," Shen Yujing clung to his blanket, looking as if he was ready to die with his bed.


    "You don''t get to say no," Song Yi chuckled in frustration, pinching his ear. "Last night, when I said no, did you stop? Stop pretending to be dead and get up!"


    Shen Yujing: "..." Sear?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Guilty.


    Shen Yujing crawled out of bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas. He grabbed a hoodie from the chair and pulled it on, saying, "Fine, I''m up, I''m up. Happy now?"


    With that, he pushed Song Yi toward the bathroom.


    The two stood side by side in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing their teeth. Song Yi leaned closer to the mirror, confirming that a pimple had indeed sprouted on her forehead. She elbowed Shen Yujing in frustration.


    Shen Yujing, caught off guard, stumbled a step to the side: "?"


    Having lived together for a year, Shen Yujing was well-acquainted with Song Yi''s temper, especially her occasional morning grumpiness.


    So, he leaned back against the counter, rinsed his mouth, and then draped an arm over Song Yi''s shoulders, pulling her into a hug.


    Song Yi, who was washing her face, complained, "Don''t touch my arm, you''re bothering me."


    Shen Yujing let go with a pout, splashed some cold water on his face to wake himself up, and then planted a kiss behind Song Yi''s ear before finally letting go and heading to the living room.


    When Song Yi came out of the bathroom, she saw a table set with bread, milk, and a poorly fried but edible egg¡ªa testament to Shen Yujing''s long-practiced efforts.


    Shen Yujing was sitting on the couch, holding Song Yi''s bag and stuffing it with his favorite snacks.


    "What are you doing?" Song Yi asked as she sat down at the table and sipped her milk. "Hurry up and eat breakfast."


    "You have a full schedule today, right? Aren''t you meeting with your group to discuss assignments at noon? I''m packing you some snacks so you can eat whenever you''re hungry," Shen Yujing explained, finally zipping up the bag and hanging it on the back of Song Yi''s chair. He then sat down across from her.


    Before leaving, Shen Yujing glanced at the fat cat sleeping on the couch and made sure its food and water bowls were full before closing the door.


    The cat was strange¡ªit slept later than they did and woke up earlier, yet it was plump and healthy.


    As soon as they stepped outside, Shen Yujing yawned, so Song Yi took the wheel today.


    Shen Yujing sat in the passenger seat, opening Song Yi''s bag and munching on the snacks he had packed.


    Song Yi gave him a look of disbelief. "Did you pack those for yourself?"


    Shen Yujing handed her a piece of biscuit, saying, "There''s plenty. Enough for both of us."


    Song Yi took a bite and then said, "Yogurt."


    Shen Yujing immediately opened a bottle and held it to her lips, letting her take a sip.


    They arrived at school shortly after.


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing''s relationship was no secret at school¡ªthey were widely recognized as the "model couple" of the film academy.


    But today was different. This semester''s elective class was mixed with students from the year below.


    So, Shen Yujing let Song Yi enter the classroom first while he stopped by the vending machine to buy a bottle of water. When he walked in, he saw two boys sitting in the empty seats in front of Song Yi, holding up their phones and talking to her.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Where did these guys come from?


    Shen Yujing silently stood behind the two boys, listening as they asked his girlfriend for her WeChat. Finally, he reached out and tapped both of them on the shoulder.


    One of them turned around and said, "You here for her WeChat too? Get in line."


    The other added, "Yeah, who are you? Never seen you before."


    Song Yi pursed her lips, holding back a laugh as she looked up at Shen Yujing and asked, "Classmate, do you want my WeChat too?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What the hell?


    He buys a bottle of water and suddenly he''s just a classmate?


    Shen Yujing was instantly annoyed. He replied, "Yeah, I want your WeChat. I want to be your boyfriend."


    One of the boys laughed at him. "Where''s this guy from? Doesn''t know his place..."


    Before he could finish, Song Yi took Shen Yujing''s hand, and the boy''s expression froze.


    Song Yi looked at them helplessly and said, "I told you I have a boyfriend."


    The two boys exchanged awkward glances before slinking away.


    The class bell rang soon after.


    Shen Yujing glanced back at the two boys, giving them a warning look before turning around.


    Since it wasn''t his class, Shen Yujing decided to take a nap.


    Song Yi nudged his shoulder a few times, but it was no use.


    Oh well, let him be.


    Shen Yujing was woken up by a piece of chalk hitting his head. He looked up in confusion to see the stern middle-aged male teacher standing at the podium, saying, "The boy with the yellow hair, stand up and answer this question."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Yellow hair? That''s not me.


    So, he shifted positions and went back to sleep.


    Another piece of chalk hit his head. Shen Yujing sat up and made eye contact with the teacher, realizing he was the one being called on.


    Soft laughter rippled through the classroom.


    Shen Yujing double-checked, "Are you calling on me?"


    "Who else?" The teacher tapped the desk to quiet the class. "Answer the question."


    Answer? Answer what?


    Shen Yujing shot a pleading look at Song Yi.


    Song Yi''s hand rested on the book in front of her, and she tapped out two numbers.


    Shen Yujing carefully read them, then confidently answered, "Thirteen!"


    The teacher frowned, the class erupted in laughter, and Song Yi covered her face with her hand, clearly exasperated.


    "Thirteen? Where did you get thirteen? This is a multiple-choice question! You''re standing for the next ten minutes!"


    The teacher continued with the lesson, and Shen Yujing forced himself to pay attention. The correct answer turned out to be B.


    Oh, B, 13¡ªclose enough.


    For the rest of the class, Shen Yujing didn''t dare sleep again, forcing himself to stay awake until the end.


    After class, the two headed to the cafeteria for lunch.


    Song Yi picked up a bite of vegetables and said, "I have to meet with my group to discuss our assignment after lunch. You should head back early."


    Shen Yujing: "Okay... no."


    "No?" Song Yi looked at him curiously. "What do you want to do then?"


    "Stay with you," Shen Yujing said with a grin. "I suddenly think class isn''t so bad. The teacher for your afternoon class is also in charge of our play rehearsals. I know him, so it''s fine if I sit in."


    In the afternoon¡ª


    "Shen Yujing? How many of my classes have you skipped? You don''t go to your own classes, but you show up in the directing department?"


    The young male teacher stood at the front of the room, looking at Shen Yujing with a mix of exasperation and fondness.


    After all, Shen Yujing was one of his favorite students in the acting program¡ªtalented, full of potential, and always at the top of his class in practical exams.


    His only flaw? He wasn''t diligent enough.


    While other students stayed late to practice, Shen Yujing would grab his bag and leave the moment class ended, not a minute more.


    When asked why he didn''t put in more effort, Shen Yujing would just smile and say, "Teacher, you don''t like overtime either, right?" leaving the teacher speechless.


    The teacher had mixed feelings about Shen Yujing¡ªboth fondness and frustration. To her surprise, she saw him in the directing department today.


    A classmate quickly chimed in, "Of course, he''s here to accompany his girlfriend to class!"


    The teacher¡¯s gaze fell on Song Yi, who was sitting next to Shen Yujing, and she was momentarily stunned.


    Who would have thought? This guy, who seemed so carefree, had managed to date the smartest and most diligent girl in the entire directing department.


    The teacher picked up her microphone and said, "Accompanying your girlfriend to class? Well, then you better study hard. Can you even match half of Song Yi¡¯s effort, Shen Yujing?"


    "Understood! I¡¯ll strive to be a great director¡­"


    The teacher glared at him, "What do you mean, a director?"


    Shen Yujing finished his sentence, "A great director¡¯s supportive man."


    Laughter erupted around them, but the looks directed at the couple were filled with admiration and goodwill, without a hint of malice.


    Since starting university, Shen Yujing¡¯s greatest improvement had been his social skills. Plus, the directing department often needed talented acting students from the same school, so Shen Yujing had more friends in the directing class than even Song Yi did.


    The teacher could only sigh and tell him to pay attention in class.


    After school, as Song Yi and Shen Yujing were about to leave, a female classmate approached them.


    The girl, known for her gentle demeanor, was the class¡¯s celebrated "talented artist." Her short films had won awards in various student competitions across the Imperial Capital.


    Song Yi wasn¡¯t particularly close to her, but if there was one person in the class deserving of respect, it was this girl.


    The girl turned to Song Yi and asked, "Song Yi, do you and your boyfriend have time this weekend?"


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing exchanged a glance before Song Yi replied, "Yes, we do. Why?"


    The girl explained, "I recently finished a ten-minute romance script, and my teacher helped me revise it. I¡¯m planning to film it and submit it to a competition. Would you and your boyfriend consider playing the lead roles?"


    "Ah¡­"


    Song Yi hesitated, "I¡¯m not a professional actress. I might not be suitable."


    The girl mustered her courage and continued, "But I think you have a great presence, even more so than many acting students. When I was writing the script, I imagined you and your boyfriend as the leads. You two look so perfect together, like the main couple from a novel."


    Little did the girl know, her words had struck a chord with Shen Yujing. He tugged on Song Yi¡¯s sleeve and said, "We¡¯re classmates. Let¡¯s help her out."


    Song Yi then suggested, "He can play the male lead for you. As for the female lead, I can connect you with some acting students I¡¯ve worked with before. They¡¯re all very nice."


    "But¡­"


    The girl looked slightly troubled and added, "There¡¯s a kissing scene in the script, so I really wanted a real couple to play the roles."


    At the mention of a kissing scene, Shen Yujing¡¯s lips curled into a wide grin. "We¡¯ll do it! We¡¯re in!"


    "One kissing scene? Is that enough? We can add more if needed!"


    "Shen! Yu! Jing!!!"


    ¡­


    Years later, when someone compiled a list of Shen Yujing¡¯s filmography, they discovered that he had only filmed one kissing scene¡ªin a short film he made during university as a class assignment.


    The female lead in that short film was Song Yi, who later became known in the industry as a leading figure in modern realist filmmaking. The two of them went on to collaborate on a film that received eleven nominations at an international film festival, winning seven awards, including Best Director and Best Actor, creating a sensation at the time.

 Chapter 104

    For Hang Feng, if life could be described in colors, the first decade and a half of his existence was painted in shades of gray.Dull, monotonous, and uneventful¡ªa straight line from one point to another.


    But then, Song Yi appeared, and everything began to change.


    A purple five-dollar bill, a pink strawberry milk, and an olive-green turtle¡ªthese strange and random things inexplicably entered his life, shattering the monotony he had grown accustomed to.


    At first, Hang Feng was naturally resistant.


    From the moment she tossed that five-dollar bill at him, treating him like a beggar, this peculiar story seemed to spiral out of control.


    He had never met someone like Song Yi before. Even when he ignored her, she would chatter away for hours, saying things that left him at a loss for words.


    No matter what he did, in Song Yi''s eyes, it was always interpreted as a sign that he liked her.


    Back then, Hang Feng found it laughable, annoying, and even somewhat repulsive.


    He wished Song Yi would stay away, so his life could return to its quiet, undisturbed state.


    For Hang Feng, merely surviving was already a struggle; he had no energy to deal with any disruptions.


    Little did he know that Song Yi would become the biggest surprise of his life.


    As she had jokingly predicted, by the end of the story, he had indeed fallen for her.


    A young man''s love is subtle and silent, like the quiet of a moonless night.


    He wanted to stay by her side, and gradually, his gaze began to linger on her. Yet, he had no idea how to express his feelings.


    To Hang Feng, they were from entirely different worlds.


    The fact that she was willing to be his friend, to pull him out of his small world and introduce him to everything beyond it, felt like an impossible dream.


    The more she treated him kindly, the more he felt unworthy of her.


    Even when she said things that weren''t particularly endearing or appeared in situations that caught him off guard, these unexpected interactions only deepened his affection for her.


    An accidental kiss, strange vows under the streetlights, her nonsensical ramblings, her companionship on his birthday, the scarf that carried her warmth, her gentle hand wiping away his tears, and the way she held up a cake, wishing all his dreams would come true.


    Unknowingly, they had shared so many moments together.


    These memories would stay with him for a lifetime, never to be forgotten.


    He might never meet someone like her again.


    She was someone who feared the cold, yet her presence warmed everyone around her.


    Her kindness toward him didn''t feel special¡ªit was simply a reflection of her innate goodness.


    He kept telling himself not to get too close, like a moth drawn to a flame, knowing it would end in nothing.


    But if emotions could be restrained by reason, they wouldn''t be love.


    Her arrival was like a dull star discovering its moon in the endless darkness.


    Though the moon didn''t belong to him, its light reached him just as it did everyone else.


    For Hang Feng, this was already the rarest blessing in his life.


    So he approached her cautiously, as if standing near her light would make him shine too.


    But a moon as pure and radiant as her shouldn''t have too much to do with a star like him. She deserved the sun by her side.


    After all, she deserved the best this world had to offer.


    Hang Feng didn''t know what was best for Song Yi, but he was certain it wasn''t him.


    Someone like him had no right to stand beside her.


    He carefully concealed his feelings, maintaining their friendship and cherishing every day they spent together.


    He harbored a selfish wish: that this balance would remain unbroken, so he could stay by her side a little longer, even if just for one more day.


    But when Xu Che took away the turtle Song Yi had given him, a growing sense of unease settled in.


    The natural bond of blood made Hang Feng instinctively understand why Xu Che had done it.


    It felt as though something was tearing apart, screaming to disrupt the fragile peace.


    Love, once a secret, suddenly felt like a vulnerability that exposed his fragile pride.


    At the same time, Hang Feng found it absurd.


    Was Xu Che... competing with him?


    How laughable, that Xu Che thought Song Yi was his to claim.


    This subtle feeling of possessiveness took hold of his heart, and for a moment, Hang Feng wished it could be true.


    But alas, their shared bloodline destined them to the same insecurities and habitual restraint. Neither would be the first to break the silence.


    It wasn''t until the day after their college entrance exams, when Shen Yujing posted a photo on social media, that Hang Feng could no longer deceive himself.


    For the first time in his life, he took the initiative, even though he knew it was too late. He confessed his feelings, telling her that he liked her too.


    He remembered the vow Song Yi had asked him to make, and the dream they had shared.


    Whether it was real or not, he would keep his promise.


    Their meeting ended with a friendly hug. He held his moon gently, then chose to let her remain just that¡ªa moon.


    Whether it was a lie, love, or something more complicated, it was time to let it end.


    Hang Feng believed that Song Yi, being so intelligent, would make the best choice for herself.


    Even as he tried to console himself, the thought of Shen Yujing¡ªthat idiot¡ªmade him laugh bitterly.


    What did Shen Yujing have that he didn''t?


    After much thought, he realized it was simply that he could never be as completely open and honest with her as Shen Yujing was.


    And knowing Song Yi, she valued absolute transparency¡ªsomething he could never offer.


    It wasn''t that he had any dark secrets to hide, but years of hardship and habit had made it impossible for him to believe that someone could love him completely.


    To Hang Feng, loving him was simply not worth it.


    Perhaps it was for the best.


    He couldn''t promise that loving Song Yi wouldn''t hurt her, no matter how carefully he tried to hide his own thorns.


    Someone who had never been fully loved found it hard to love others in return.


    He was like that, Jiang Yiheng was like that, and even Xu Che was the same.


    Maybe that was why she chose Shen Yujing.


    He hoped Shen Yujing would love her well, so he could accept his defeat with grace.


    In time, perhaps all of this would fade. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Maybe his life wouldn''t remain stuck in that summer, and he would move on to new beginnings, perhaps even meet someone new.


    But the moment that thought crossed his mind, he dismissed it.


    No, it was impossible.


    For him, there would never be anyone better than her.


    He would always remember that eighteenth birthday, the warmth she had brought into his life, and the hand that had pulled him out of the darkness.


    Her arrival had ushered him into a completely different life, showing him that there were things in this world worth holding onto.


    She would have a bright future, a loving husband, and a happy family. She would undoubtedly become the happiest person in the world.


    If Shen Yujing allowed it, he would stand by her side as a groomsman on her wedding day.


    But for Hang Feng, the eighteen-year-old version of himself would always be with the eighteen-year-old Song Yi.


    In that old alley, in that school, during that year they had crossed paths, in every day and night he had loved her.


    Closing his eyes, Hang Feng couldn''t help but recall that dream.


    It had been a terrible nightmare, but now he was grateful for it.


    Because he knew it would never come true.


    No one in this world wished for Song Yi''s happiness more than he did.


    As for his own happiness? It lay in seeing her smile.


    That was enough.


    Perhaps one day, when he became a skilled psychologist, he could even counsel himself.


    For now, he wasn''t ready to forget what it felt like to love her.

 Chapter 105

    "Let''s get started."A clear voice rang out as Song Yi took a step forward, her gaze fixed on him with seriousness.


    Xu Che extinguished the cigarette in his left hand while holding a milk tea in his right. He lowered his eyes, thoughtfully observing the young girl in front of him.


    She was wearing the uniform of Saint Slee, her appearance exceptionally gentle and well-behaved. Yet, her almond-shaped eyes stared at him with a hint of impatience, as if she couldn¡¯t wait to challenge him.


    The girl stood protectively in front of Shen Yujing, clearly having come here for his sake.


    The surrounding onlookers were egging him on, urging him to teach this overconfident girl a lesson.


    Xu Che felt a sense of helplessness. His gaze shifted to Shen Yujing, intending to mock him, but for some reason, his eyes returned to the girl. He asked, "Do you really like Shen Yujing that much? Are you so eager to stand up for him?"


    Song Yi immediately denied it, but her expression seemed off, making Xu Che think she was just embarrassed at being called out.


    He decided not to press further. It wasn¡¯t his place to pry into her private matters, and it would make him seem petty.


    Still, Xu Che couldn¡¯t help but feel a twinge of envy. After all, this was the first time a girl had stood up for Shen Yujing out of affection.


    As if guided by some inexplicable impulse, Xu Che handed the milk tea in his hand to the girl. He then threw a few mocking remarks at Shen Yujing before walking away.


    This was the first time Xu Che had voluntarily backed down in a confrontation with Shen Yujing.


    That night, for reasons unknown, Xu Che couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    After much thought, he concluded it was because he hadn¡¯t had his milk tea that day.


    He had a sweet tooth, especially for milk tea, and made it a point to drink at least three cups a week. Today was supposed to be one of those days.


    Xu Che got up, went to the fridge downstairs, and made himself a cup using the ingredients he had.


    As the sweetness spread in his mouth, he finally felt at ease.


    At that moment, Xu Che didn¡¯t realize why he had instinctively given his favorite drink to her during their first meeting.


    Their second encounter took place in an alley.


    That afternoon, he had planned to visit his grandmother¡¯s fried skewer stall, only to find it already closed. After asking the neighbors, he learned that some troublemakers had harassed his grandmother.


    So, that evening, Xu Che set out to teach the troublemaker a lesson, but to his surprise, someone had beaten him to it.


    He saw the troublemaker kneeling on the ground, clutching a wound on his forehead in fear, while a girl, with her back to Xu Che, stepped closer to him. Xu Che couldn¡¯t help but interrupt the scene.


    To his astonishment, the girl was none other than Song Yi. Even more surprising was that she had also come for his grandmother.


    To express his gratitude, Xu Che offered to treat her to milk tea.


    He genuinely wanted to buy her a cup, but Song Yi kept glancing at him, clearly wanting to say something.


    After finishing the milk tea, Xu Che frowned and waited for her to speak.


    As expected, Song Yi told him she could provide information about Shen Yujing¡¯s weaknesses to help him.


    The thing was, Xu Che had never considered Shen Yujing an enemy and didn¡¯t need such information. S§×arch* The N??elFir§×.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The conversation somehow shifted to why Shen Yujing had broken his leg, which instantly changed Song Yi¡¯s expression. She quickly ended the conversation and left in a hurry.


    Before leaving, she even called him by the wrong name.


    This girl was a bit strange¡ªperhaps forgetful, but kind-hearted.


    That was Xu Che¡¯s impression of Song Yi so far.


    The next time they met, she once again called him by the wrong name, this time wearing the uniform of Saint Yu Academy.


    She always seemed to appear in places he least expected.


    Eventually, things took an even more absurd turn when they ended up performing in a play together.


    There was no rehearsal, no script¡ªjust improvisation and random adaptations.


    Of course, the main characters were Shen Yujing and Wang Chan, while he and Song Yi played minor roles.


    In the end, it could be considered¡­ a success.


    As payment, he gave Song Yi a piece of candy.


    It was strange. Every time he saw her, he felt an urge to give her candy or sweets.


    These were his favorite things, and he wanted her to try them, hoping she¡¯d like them too.


    But before he could delve deeper into these feelings, Xu Che had more pressing matters to attend to.


    His father¡­ or rather, he should refer to him as Mr. Xu.


    Mr. Xu¡¯s health was deteriorating. For the first time, Xu Che saw a look of desolation on the face of this usually domineering man. It turned out he, too, had nights where he couldn¡¯t sleep, haunted by regrets. Perhaps he even had a shred of conscience left.


    Then again, it might not be genuine remorse. When faced with death, people often think of those they¡¯ve wronged.


    Xu Che wasn¡¯t sure how he felt about it¡ªperhaps pity. Not pity for Xu Yuanguo, but for himself and Hang Feng.


    So, Xu Che decided to help, hoping Hang Feng would come back to see the dying man and the will that represented his guilt.


    How ironic. Who cared about his measly inheritance? Even if Xu Yuanguo wanted to give it to him, Xu Che would find it tainted.


    He didn¡¯t want Xu Yuanguo¡¯s money. He wished for Xu Yuanguo to die sooner.


    To Xu Che, that man was the root of all evil.


    Once the most urgent matters were settled, his attention returned to Song Yi.


    Her presence was¡­ special.


    He thought it might be love.


    The innocent affection of a young man, wanting to give his favorite things to the person he liked, without expecting anything in return.


    But when Xu Che saw Hang Feng holding the candy he had given to Song Yi, he realized his previous assumption was wrong.


    He did care.


    It didn¡¯t feel good to see something so important to him being overlooked by someone he cared about.


    Moreover, Xu Che began to notice that the relationship between Song Yi and Hang Feng seemed far closer than he had imagined.


    So, one day, he couldn¡¯t resist and asked his grandmother for the turtle.


    For Xu Che, this was the extent of what he could do. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to compete with Hang Feng.


    Unless Hang Feng confessed to Song Yi and was rejected, leaving no possibility between them, Xu Che wouldn¡¯t cross that line.


    Because he was the older brother.


    A brother who had spent years thinking only of his younger sibling, whose wish was for his brother to find happiness.


    Even if they both fell for the same girl.


    Even with the grudges of the previous generation, he couldn¡¯t erase the guilt or fully let go, yet he had to suppress his own feelings.


    He felt like a coward.


    Unknowingly, he had become the very person he used to despise.


    He and Hang Feng seemed to have reached an unspoken agreement, choosing to avoid the issue to maintain their peaceful lives.


    But not everyone was as weak-willed as they were.


    In this world, everyone¡¯s starting point was different, like opening a blind box.


    Some were lucky, born into loving families, growing up surrounded by affection, and as adults, they could express love freely and love others wholeheartedly.


    Xu Che had always envied Shen Yujing the most, because Shen Yujing had the warmth of family that Xu Che could never have.


    He had often wondered what his life would have been like if he had been born into an ordinary family. Would he have turned out completely different?


    But there were no ¡°what ifs¡± in life, and he had long accepted his fate.


    So, when Song Yi and Shen Yujing got together, a voice inside him said, ¡°As expected.¡±


    Because he liked her, he had tried to understand her and guess her feelings.


    Shen Yujing was likely her type, and they were a good match. So, Xu Che forced himself to offer his blessings.


    In the end, Shen Yujing was just fortunate. His rivals were all passive by nature, so they had already lost at the starting line.


    This competition had ended before it even began.


    Xu Che sometimes regretted not choosing Saint Slee. If he and Song Yi had been in the same class, would they have had more opportunities to interact?


    Like the butterfly effect, if they had shared more experiences, would the outcome have been different?


    But at times, he was relieved he hadn¡¯t chosen Saint Slee. With fewer interactions, his feelings for her remained within controllable limits.


    Could he deceive others, or even himself? Was that really control?


    The young man''s lips curled into a mocking smile, the milk tea in his hand had long gone cold without him noticing.


    He took a sip, and for the first time, it tasted bitter, devoid of its usual sweetness.


    It seemed he might never enjoy this drink again.


    That summer after the college entrance exams.


    Grandma had gone to bed early, and the two brothers sat at the table in the yard. Two cans of beer sat on the table, yet both remained silent, the cicadas'' incessant chirping filling the air.


    Hang Feng opened the two cans of beer, handing one to Xu Che, and asked, "What do you think?"


    Hang Feng didn¡¯t mention her name, but the unspoken bond between brothers made it clear to Xu Che what he was asking about.


    Xu Che''s voice was calm as he took the beer. "It¡¯s fine. They¡¯re a good match."


    "True, Shen Yujing really likes her, and with his personality, he¡¯d never let her suffer. She made the right choice," Hang Feng said, though he quickly took another swig of beer, as if the cold liquid could drown out the frustration in his heart.


    They didn¡¯t continue the conversation, as if by mutual agreement, they had marked it as forbidden territory, a line neither would cross.


    Xu Che glanced at him for a few seconds, then got up and brought out all the beer from the fridge, placing it on the table.


    Hang Feng didn¡¯t refuse, opening can after can.


    The warm breeze carried the heat of the summer night, signaling that this season was finally coming to an end.


    Both brothers knew that, for them, high school life was truly over.


    A long while later.


    Looking at his younger brother, who had fallen asleep on the table, Xu Che put down the last can of beer and pulled out a piece of candy from his pocket¡ªSong Yi¡¯s favorite. He unwrapped it slowly.


    His voice was soft, as if he were speaking to Hang Feng, or perhaps just to himself.


    "Wait a little longer. Maybe she¡¯ll find a better choice."


    And he wanted to be that better choice.


    Life is long, and no one knows what will happen next.


    So, this might not truly be the end.


    Of course, no matter what the future holds, the most important thing will always be her happiness.

 Chapter 106

    According to the previous game''s agreement, the winner would decide the destination of their post-graduation trip, and the one with the decision-making power was naturally Xu Che.Later, Xu Che casually asked Song Yi where she wanted to go.


    Song Yi thought seriously for a moment, her gaze falling on the surrounding urban skyscrapers, and suddenly she felt a bit dazed.


    She said she wanted to go to the countryside, with its simple houses and ponds, and the chickens, ducks, and geese raised by the elderly. It was the place where she grew up as a child.


    When everyone was bumping along the road in an expensive luxury car, Murong Huan wore an expression of utter despair as she looked at Xu Che in the driver''s seat and asked, "How much longer until we get there?"


    Xu Che''s answer was always the same two words: "Soon."


    Which was as good as saying nothing.


    Hang Feng also frowned and asked, "Where exactly are we going?"


    This time, Xu Che simply didn''t respond.


    "Why is it such a secret? Why all the mystery?" Shen Yujing chimed in, then rummaged through his bag and pulled out two preserved plums. He handed one to Song Yi and was about to unwrap the other when he noticed Quan Le''s pleading gaze.


    Quan Le stretched out a hand, his face twisted in pain, and said word by word, "Give it... give it to me... ugh¡ª"


    Murong Huan, sitting next to him, clutched her chest, her expression also turning pained, and she quickly snatched the plum from Shen Yujing''s hand and shoved it into Quan Le''s mouth.


    However, eating a single preserved plum wasn''t going to do much for Quan Le, who suffered from severe motion sickness.


    He couldn''t take it anymore and slowly raised a hand, saying, "Stop the car! Stop the car!"


    The car pulled over to the side of the road.


    The road seemed to have been built just a few years ago, but it was clear that the materials used were of poor quality, as it was still quite bumpy.


    Wildflowers and weeds lined the roadside, and not far away, simple houses came into view.


    Song Yi crunched the candy in her mouth, already realizing what their final destination was.


    Quan Le staggered out of the car, leaning on the door for support, and then pulled an electric scooter out of the trunk.


    Everyone: "..."


    Sitting on his little electric scooter, helmet securely fastened, Quan Le finally felt like the air in the world had become fresh again.


    Murong Huan: "..."


    So that''s why, even though Xu Che was driving, Quan Le had insisted on bringing his own car¡ªit was because of this electric scooter.


    Quan Le called out to Murong Huan, "Want to hop on the back?"


    Murong Huan simply rolled up the window, which was answer enough.


    Who would want to ride on the back of such a dinky little scooter? It wasn''t cool at all! Maybe if Quan Le learned to ride a motorcycle, then they could talk!


    The Quan family''s luxury car continued moving forward, while the young master Quan Le himself rode his little electric scooter, following at a steady distance like a little tail.


    After a few more minutes of driving, the others also began to sense that something was off.


    Murong Huan was the first to speak up, "What kind of place is this? It looks so run-down."


    Shen Yujing looked out the window at the houses and said, "It''s strange. This place doesn''t look very wealthy, but why does every household live in a villa? They''re just a bit small, though."


    Seeing the completely clueless expressions on everyone''s faces, Song Yi said, "This is the countryside."


    Jiang Yiheng adjusted his glasses and asked, "Why did we come here?"


    Murong Huan added, "Yeah, there are so many cities and countries we could have traveled to. What can we even do here?"


    Murong Huan wasn''t very fond of this place because she had brought two whole suitcases of pretty clothes, all ready for photo ops. But coming to a place like this... her plans seemed unlikely to pan out.


    Xu Che kept his eyes on the road and said calmly, "You''ve been to all the bustling commercial streets in the world, all the so-called tourist hotspots. You''ve seen all the beautiful scenery. What''s the point of going to those places again?"


    What he said wasn''t wrong, but still...


    Murong Huan pressed him, "Then what''s the point of coming here?"


    Xu Che shot back, "Have you ever been to a place like this?"


    Murong Huan was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head and replied, "No."


    Xu Che said, "That''s why you''re here."


    Murong Huan: "!!!"


    It sounded like she didn''t quite get it, but at the same time, it made a lot of sense!


    So she turned to Song Yi, deep in thought, and said, "I feel like Xu Che just talked me in circles."


    "He''s not wrong," Song Yi smiled softly and said to Murong Huan, "Places you haven''t been to, sights you haven''t seen¡ªthose are the ones you should go see."


    Shen Yujing directly told Murong Huan, "Why are you overthinking it? Didn''t we agree to let Xu Che decide? You win some, you lose some. Even if this place has no meaning, since Xu Che won, if he wanted to ride a merry-go-round at an amusement park for three days, we''d have to follow."


    Murong Huan was stunned for a moment, and her gaze toward Shen Yujing shifted slightly as she said, "Wow, Shen Yujing, you actually made a smart point for once?"


    Shen Yujing grinned and continued, "Mainly, I can''t figure out why we''re here either. If you can''t figure something out, don''t waste your brainpower trying."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    She took back her earlier compliment about Shen Yujing being smart.


    About half an hour later, the car finally stopped in front of a house.


    It was a three-story self-built villa in the countryside, with a fairly large yard enclosed by a tightly shut iron gate.


    Shen Yujing was the first to get out of the car, curiously examining the house, then looking back at the small convenience store across the street and the chickens and ducks in front of it.


    He bent down and even reached out to pull at the dogtail grass on the ground, as everything here was new and fascinating to him.


    Though he still didn''t understand why they had come here, Shen Yujing found everything interesting, even the dogtail grass.


    The others also got out of the car one by one.


    Quan Le''s little electric scooter slowly caught up and stopped at the gate. He looked around at the surroundings with some surprise and said, "So this is the kind of place it is."


    Xu Che took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the gate.


    In the corner of the yard were cages containing chickens, ducks, and geese.


    At the edge of the yard were the bathroom and kitchen.


    Going up the steps led to the main hall.


    Xu Che said, "There are four rooms on the first floor and three on the second. Take a look and pick your keys."


    Everyone gradually picked their keys.


    Song Yi and Murong Huan took rooms on the second floor, while Hang Feng, Jiang Yiheng, and Quan Le chose the first floor.


    Xu Che held a key for the first floor in his left hand and one for the second floor in his right. He looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "Which one do you want?"


    Shen Yujing hesitated.


    Of course, he wanted to stay next to Song Yi, but he also saw Song Yi holding up a finger, subtly hinting that he should choose the first floor.


    That made sense. Before coming, Song Yi had specifically reminded him not to get too close to her during this trip and to act as they had before.


    Shen Yujing could understand. After all, they had just transitioned from friends to lovers, and this shift in their dynamic would take time. Otherwise, the others might feel awkward.


    But if he didn''t stay on the second floor, that would mean Xu Che would.


    So Shen Yujing smiled and said to Xu Che, "Let''s share a room."


    Xu Che: "?"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Of course, Xu Che understood what Shen Yujing meant, so he chose the first floor.


    When he saw Shen Yujing inexplicably squeezing into his room, Quan Le: "?"


    "Is this really necessary? It''s just being on the same floor, not even sharing a room," Quan Le said, utterly baffled, clutching his pillow tightly.


    Shen Yujing snatched the pillow from Quan Le''s hands and said, "It is necessary. You don''t have a girlfriend, so you wouldn''t understand."


    Quan Le: "...?"


    Was that a personal attack?


    The two of them then started fighting over the only pillow until a knock came at the door, and Xu Che''s voice sounded from outside, "If you''re done packing, come out."


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le exchanged a glance and, with some semblance of understanding, simultaneously let go and stood up.


    In the living room, everyone gathered around the table, except for¡ª


    Quan Le asked, puzzled, "Where''s Murong Huan?"


    Song Yi pointed toward the yard.


    Everyone looked over to see Murong Huan, who had initially been disdainful about coming here, now happily holding a bamboo winnowing basket and scattering corn kernels on the ground to feed the chickens.


    Her pink hair was tied up high, with a headband across her forehead, and the sleeves of her sun-protective jacket were rolled up. It looked like she had instantly adapted to the environment.


    Everyone: "..."


    Shen Yujing stroked his chin, still unable to comprehend what he was seeing, and said, "Why does she look so happy?"


    Quan Le paused for two seconds before replying, "Maybe this is her true nature."


    Xu Che said, "There are a lot of vegetables growing in the yard. Everyone, pick some to prepare for dinner."


    "Got it," everyone nodded in unison, then took baskets and gloves from Xu Che.


    While the others were picking vegetables, Murong Huan was busy herding chickens.


    While the others were sorting vegetables, Murong Huan was chasing ducks.


    While the others were busy chopping and washing vegetables, Murong Huan suddenly let out a scream: "Ahhhh!"


    Everyone turned their heads toward the entrance, only to see Murong Huan being chased around the yard by a goose, screaming continuously as she ran.


    Quan Le immediately rushed out, shouting, "Don''t be afraid! I''ll protect you!"


    One minute later.


    The two of them started running together, yelling, "Help! Help us!"


    "Aren''t you going to save them?" Shen Yujing asked in disbelief, looking at everyone.


    The group fell silent. S§×arch* The N?vel(F)ire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Unable to stand by any longer, the loyal Shen Yujing grabbed a kitchen knife and strode out, declaring, "I''m coming, bro! We''re having goose for dinner tonight!"


    Two minutes later.


    Shen Yujing turned around and started running back, screaming, "Help! Song Yi! Xu Che! Help me!!!"


    Xu Che calmly lowered his head and continued washing vegetables, his disdain evident on his face, showing no intention of helping.


    Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng exchanged glances, both feeling utterly speechless and exasperated by the chaotic scene unfolding before them.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Useless! Absolutely useless!


    Seeing that Shen Yujing was about to bring the goose back with him, Song Yi had no choice but to pick up another kitchen knife.


    Five minutes later, the goose lay peacefully on the chopping board, looking quite serene.


    Shen Yujing wiped away nonexistent tears, clasped his hands together, and said, "Rest in peace."


    Quan Le also put on a mournful expression and said, "You suffered in this life. I hope you can find peace in the next and live a good life."


    Murong Huan, however, sneered, "Serves you right for bullying me!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    Could the three of you tone down the drama to match the size of your courage?


    Hang Feng had already quietly distanced himself from the trio.


    Xu Che, meanwhile, picked up a green onion, dipped it in water, and flicked it at Shen Yujing''s face.


    Shen Yujing, now drenched, spat out, "...Pfft!"


    Furious, Shen Yujing demanded, "What was that for?"


    Xu Che replied with a straight face, "To ward off evil spirits, so the goose''s ghost doesn''t haunt you."


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    Since when does a wet green onion ward off evil spirits? Can you stop saying such nonsense with such a serious expression?

 Chapter 107

    Finally, with everyone''s efforts, the goose was served on the table.Murong Huan held a bowl of goose soup in her left hand, containing its most flapping wing, and strutted proudly toward the group of chickens, ducks, and geese.


    She exuded confidence, like a triumphant general returning with the head of the enemy leader to flaunt her victory.


    Watching Murong Huan''s back, Song Yi''s mind suddenly popped out a few words: "The queen is back, shining with confidence."


    The next second, "Her Majesty" Murong Huan screamed, dropped the bowl in her hand, and ran back wailing. This time, her reaction was quick, as she swiftly closed the door behind her.


    Laughter erupted in the room.


    Even Hang Feng couldn''t hold back, saying, "Can you stop provoking those geese?"


    "It''s not a goose," Murong Huan leaned against the door, taking deep breaths to calm herself down.


    "Then what is it?" Xu Che put down his chopsticks, stood up, and fetched a new bowl for Murong Huan, placing it on the table along with a serving of rice.


    Murong Huan enunciated each word, "It''s a duck."


    "Ducks aren''t that aggressive," Song Yi looked at Murong Huan and said, "Alright, come and eat."


    Murong Huan quickly sat down next to Song Yi, clinging to her arm for a sense of security. Then she turned to Song Yi and asked curiously, "Yi Yi, you seem to know a lot about these things."


    "Not really," Song Yi smiled. "I grew up with my grandparents, and the environment was similar to here. My grandpa used to raise a lot of chickens, ducks, and geese. He loved eating ducks. Every day, they would line up and go to the pond."


    Murong Huan found this interesting and pressed, "And then? What happened next?"


    Song Yi continued, "One day, the ducks lined up and went to the pond as usual. My grandpa was used to them coming back on their own, but they never returned."


    Shen Yujing was also intrigued and asked, "Why?"


    "Apparently, someone caught and ate them. Later, my grandpa went to confront the person, but they were poor and couldn''t compensate us with money. Instead, they gave us a lot of dates and fish they caught from the pond as an apology." Song Yi''s lips curled into a smile as she added, "Back then, I didn''t realize how sad my grandpa was. I was just happy because the fish tasted really good."


    Quan Le asked curiously, "Are there fish in the pond outside? Can we eat them?"


    Before Song Yi could answer, Xu Che looked at her and said, "There''s no pond outside, but I know there''s a big pond at the village entrance. It''s a few minutes'' drive away. Do you want to check it out after lunch?"


    Song Yi agreed immediately, "Sure."


    The others also seemed interested.


    Among the group, most of them usually spent their time shopping, gaming all night, or studying. Except for Song Yi, none of them had ever participated in fishing, an activity beloved by the elderly.


    So after lunch, everyone pitched in to wash the dishes and clean the yard before preparing to go fishing.


    Murong Huan, holding her phone, searched for "Outdoor Fishing Guide" and asked, "Do we need to find some long branches first? And then dig for worms?"


    "No need for that trouble," Xu Che said, gesturing for Jiang Yiheng to follow him to the third floor. They returned with all the necessary fishing tools, one set for each person.


    After distributing the fishing rods, Xu Che said, "As for buckets, just look around the kitchen and take whatever is suitable."


    "Wow," Murong Huan looked at Xu Che with admiration. "You even prepared all this in advance. You''re so thoughtful. If it weren''t for the saying ''don''t eat the grass near your nest,'' I might have fallen for someone as considerate as you."


    Quan Le''s eyes widened in shock as he glanced at Murong Huan, then sarcastically remarked, "Yeah, right. Let''s go fishing and maybe use the pond water to take a good look at yourself."


    Murong Huan was instantly annoyed. She raised her fishing rod and chased after Quan Le, shouting, "What do you mean by that, Quan Le?"


    Quan Le, running away, replied, "Be confident! You don''t need to ask me¡ªit''s exactly what you''re thinking!"


    While fleeing, Quan Le bumped into Hang Feng, who was walking toward them, and quickly hid behind him.


    Just as Murong Huan''s fishing rod was about to swing toward Hang Feng''s face, Hang Feng instinctively raised his hand to block it. In the process, the basin of water he was holding accidentally splashed onto Xu Che and Shen Yujing.


    Most of the water landed on Xu Che, with just a bit splashing onto Shen Yujing.


    But Shen Yujing dramatically spat out, "Pah! Pah! Pah!" and stepped back. As he was about to scold Hang Feng, his arm bumped into a clothesline nearby, causing a hanger to fall and hit Jiang Yiheng on the head. Before it hit the ground, it also struck a chicken nearby.


    The chicken, being naturally aggressive (though aimlessly so), squawked and charged forward. In the end, it pecked at Murong Huan''s leg.


    Murong Huan screamed and immediately let go of her fishing rod, running away. But before she could take two steps, she accidentally stepped on a stone and ended up pulling Quan Le down with her. Both of them fell to the ground, clutching their backs and unable to get up due to the pain in their bottoms.


    When Song Yi came out of the restroom, she was met with this chaotic scene.


    Everyone looked quite disheveled, with a large rooster proudly strutting among them, its comb held high.


    Of course, every time it got close to Murong Huan, it was met with another round of screams.


    Song Yi rubbed her eyes and took another look to make sure she wasn''t dreaming.


    Then she asked, "What the hell happened here?"


    Everyone: "..."


    They really couldn''t explain how things had escalated to this point.


    Some were holding their sore bottoms, others were changing clothes, and a few were washing their faces.


    Half an hour later, the group finally regrouped.


    Seeing Murong Huan sitting beside her with a pained expression, Song Yi asked, "Are you okay?"


    "Not really," Murong Huan shook her head, one hand supporting the seat to keep her upper body slightly suspended, which made her feel... a little less pain.


    As the car started, Quan Le followed behind on his electric scooter.


    The entire journey was filled with his screams¡ª


    "Ouch! Ouch! This is killing me!"


    Song Yi and Shen Yujing burst into laughter, while the others tried to maintain a straight face, though their lips couldn''t help but twitch upward.


    Compared to Quan Le, Murong Huan quickly forgot her own pain. She laughed heartily, "Quan Le''s butt hurts, and he gets carsick too! Riding that scooter is making it even worse! Hahaha!"


    After laughing, Murong Huan immediately reached for her phone. She had to record this memorable moment!


    So focused on capturing Quan Le''s misery, Murong Huan forgot that she was also suffering. When her bottom touched the seat again, she let out a cry, "Ouch! Ouch!"


    For the entire ride, Murong Huan insisted on filming Quan Le, even though she was in pain herself. But the thought of Quan Le bouncing around on that scooter, in even more pain than her, made her feel like she could endure anything.


    Perhaps this was the legendary "cutting off your nose to spite your face."


    Luckily, the drive only took a few minutes. Murong Huan was the first to jump out of the car, clutching her fishing rod as she rushed toward the pond.


    Even though she was clearly in pain, she was determined to fish.


    If it weren''t for fishing, she wouldn''t have fallen in the first place, so today she was going to catch the most fish!


    By the pond, apart from the group, there were also two elderly men. When they saw Song Yi and the others arriving, they stared intently and even started discussing loudly.


    "These kids look quite handsome!"


    "Yeah, they definitely look like they''re from the city."


    "Are they here to fish?"


    "Can these youngsters even catch anything?"


    ...


    Song Yi and Hang Feng were the first to get into the groove. After baiting their hooks, they each found a good spot to sit and fish.


    Shen Yujing, who didn''t know much about fishing, mimicked their actions and sat down about a meter away from Song Yi.


    The others also chose their spots one after another.


    The two old men''s voices rang out again.


    "They look like they know what they''re doing. Do you think they''ll catch anything?"


    "It''s not that hard. Let''s see which kid catches the first fish."


    "I bet it''ll be that bald boy in black. He looks like my grandson, and my grandson is a great fisherman. He must be just as smart and capable."


    Xu Che, who had a buzz cut: "?"


    Quan Le shouted, "Bald! Bald! Xu Che is bald!"


    Shen Yujing shouted, "Grandson, grandson! Xu Che is the grandson!"


    Xu Che: "..."


    His hand holding the fishing rod trembled slightly, but on the surface, he tried hard to maintain a calm demeanor.


    From Xu Che''s understanding of Shen Yujing, the more you engage with someone like him, the more they''ll egg you on. It''s better to pretend not to... S§×ar?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Anyway, it can''t be the one with the yellow hair. My granddaughter would never associate with someone who dyes their hair all messy like that. What''s so good-looking about it?"


    The old man''s voice rang out again, this time with a hint of disdain, continuing, "And the one with the red hair is no good either. What are these kids even doing?"


    Xu Che remained silent.


    But compared to Shen Yujing and Murong Huan, at least he was being complimented.


    The two old men continued chatting.


    "The boy with yellow hair and the girl with red hair, both messing around with their hair like that¡ªare they dating or something?"


    "Who knows? I don''t understand young people these days. They don''t seem to be doing anything serious..."


    Shen Yujing, the one with yellow (?) hair: "?"


    Murong Huan, the one with red (?) hair: "..."


    Shen Yujing asked Song Yi, "What does ''delinquent'' mean?"


    Song Yi replied, "You look like a troublemaker."


    Shen Yujing then asked, "What about ''dating''?"


    Song Yi continued to explain, "It means being in a romantic relationship."


    "Whoosh¡ª"


    Shen Yujing stood up, looking at the two old men across from him, and shouted anxiously, "Hey! Can you stop talking nonsense? What are you even saying? I could call the police, you know? I''ll sue you for... slander! Defamation!"


    Murong Huan also got worked up, shouting, "Yeah! Can''t you two open your eyes and see? I''m so beautiful¡ªwho here could possibly match up to me?"


    Murong Huan, known for her fiery temper, grabbed her fishing rod and was about to confront the two old men to set the record straight.


    Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, Xu Che, and Hang Feng: "..."


    Quan Le: "?"


    What do you mean no one? What do you mean no one matches up?


    The two old men exchanged glances, realizing that Murong Huan was serious about confronting them, and quickly got up to leave.


    Of course, they continued muttering as they walked away.


    "Kids these days have no respect for their elders."


    "We''ve eaten more salt than they''ve walked roads. It''s really something..."


    "In our time, when someone older than you spoke, you listened. These kids nowadays have no manners at all."


    "Yeah, they don''t even know how to fish properly. Forget it, let''s just go."


    Murong Huan, furious, shouted after them, "Hey! Don''t act all high and mighty just because you''re old! What good is eating all that salt? Watch out for high blood pressure!"


    After yelling, Murong Huan finally felt a bit better and sat back down to continue fishing.


    Five minutes later.


    Ten minutes later.


    Half an hour later.


    Looking at her motionless fishing rod, Murong Huan yawned, her eyes showing a hint of confusion.


    She glanced at Quan Le and Jiang Yiheng''s buckets, both empty, and breathed a sigh of relief. It''s fine, as long as no one else is catching anything...


    "I got one! I got one!"


    Shen Yujing''s cheerful voice rang out as he held up his bucket with a triumphant smile.


    Murong Huan''s eyes widened in disbelief. No way! Shen Yujing caught a fish before her?


    Murong Huan didn''t even bother with her own bucket anymore and rushed over to Shen Yujing, asking, "You caught that?"


    Shen Yujing proudly replied, "Of course¡ª


    not."


    He pointed to Song Yi''s bucket.


    It was one thing not to look, but once she did, Murong Huan was shocked. Song Yi''s bucket already had two fish, and with the one in Shen Yujing''s bucket, that made three.


    Murong Huan then checked Xu Che and Hang Feng''s buckets and found that they each had a fish too.


    Murong Huan: "!!!"


    So it was just the two useless ones sitting next to her!


    Seeing Murong Huan''s stunned expression, Song Yi explained, "Choosing the right fishing spot and technique is crucial. See how I''m near the water plants? That area has more oxygen, which attracts fish. Also, with the weather being so hot, if the bait is too close to the surface, the fish won''t bite because they avoid the heat. So you need to find a shaded spot and cast the bait deeper."


    Murong Huan frowned and said, "That sounds great, but I don''t get it."


    Shen Yujing, for once, sided with Murong Huan, saying, "I don''t get it either."


    "But it''s so sunny," Murong Huan said, pulling her hat down further, feeling like staying out in the sun for so long was pure torture.


    Song Yi also raised a hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight.


    Xu Che had just caught his second fish and stood up, saying, "This should be enough for us for a couple of days. Let''s head back."


    "Hooray!" Murong Huan was the first to run to the car.


    Shen Yujing took the buckets from Song Yi, carrying one in each hand, and followed her to the car.


    By the time they got back, it was still a while before dinner.


    Shen Yujing and Xu Che spent some time on the third floor rummaging around and found a few net-like hammocks, which they tied between the trees at the back door.


    Thanks to the shade from the trees, it was cool and comfortable, and lying in the hammocks with the breeze felt amazing.


    Murong Huan was the first to climb into a hammock and started to relax.


    Murong Huan: "Don''t wake me up unless the sky is falling."


    The others, equally exhausted, also climbed into their hammocks to rest.


    Song Yi was no exception. She lay in her hammock, played with her phone for a bit, and soon fell into a peaceful sleep.


    But when she woke up again, it was because of Murong Huan''s scream.


    What now?


    Song Yi rubbed her tired eyes and looked in the direction of the noise. Murong Huan was sitting in her hammock, and beneath her, a chicken was pecking at her leg through the net.


    Song Yi: "..."


    Out of all the people here, the chickens seemed to know that Murong Huan was scared of them and decided to target her.


    Song Yi got up, ready to rescue Murong Huan.


    But Murong Huan had already jumped out of the hammock and started running. However, after just a few steps, she grabbed one end of another hammock tied to a tree, trying to shake it for help, but accidentally pulled the rope loose.


    The unfortunate person in that hammock was Quan Le. As the rope came undone, he fell to the ground with a thud, instinctively reaching back to grab something, only to end up pulling on Shen Yujing''s hammock.


    Quan Le''s hand pressed down uncontrollably, causing Shen Yujing''s hammock to spin.


    Shen Yujing, caught off guard in his sleep: "?"


    "Thud¡ª" Shen Yujing fell face-first onto the ground.


    The scene was too brutal to watch, so Song Yi closed her eyes.


    The next second, an angry voice erupted, "Who did this? Who''s responsible?"


    The blond-haired Shen Yujing lifted his head, spat out some dirt, and glared around, his face smeared with mud, looking utterly disheveled.


    He immediately picked up a nearby rock and charged at Quan Le, ready to fight.


    Quan Le, terrified, took off running, circling the area.


    Then, halfway through, Shen Yujing bumped into Xu Che, who was just getting out of his hammock.


    The chaos escalated.


    Quan Le, running for his life, yelled, "I told you, it wasn''t on purpose! Shen Yujing, don''t take it so seriously!"


    Shen Yujing, hot on his heels, shouted back, equally miserable, "If you''d just look back for a second, you''d see it''s not me chasing you! It''s Xu Che who won''t let me go!!!"


    In the midst of the chaos, someone even threw a clump of mud at them.


    After some careful deduction, Shen Yujing reasonably suspected it was Jiang Yiheng.


    Jiang Yiheng: "?"


    His objection was ignored, and he was dragged into the fray, making the situation even more chaotic.


    Meanwhile, Murong Huan remained trapped in a corner, surrounded by chickens, screaming for help to no avail.


    Perhaps this is what they mean when they say human joys and sorrows are not interconnected.

 Chapter 108

    This trip was supposed to be warm and wonderful¡ªYeah, right! :)


    Everyone was sitting in a row, covered in mud and dust. Shen Yujing¡¯s golden hair even had a dogtail grass stuck in it, while Murong Huan clutched a large rock, glaring fiercely at the chickens, ducks, and geese in the yard as if she had a lifelong vendetta against all beak-bearing creatures.


    Song Yi, the one caught in the middle, felt a headache coming on¡ªa big one.


    She first reached out to pluck the dogtail grass from Shen Yujing¡¯s head and tossed it back at his face. Her gaze swept over the group with a mix of exasperation and disbelief.


    She turned to Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng, who were sitting on the far left, and asked, ¡°Why are you two also¡­¡±


    Why are you acting so weird too?!


    What on earth is going on? Can this world not leave her with at least one normal person?!


    Jiang Yiheng frowned, completely unaware of the mud Shen Yujing had smeared on his face earlier, and said, ¡°Shen Yujing dragged me into this.¡±


    The implication was clear: he hadn¡¯t wanted to participate in the first place.


    Suddenly, Song Yi felt a pang of guilt.


    The reason Shen Yujing had dragged Jiang Yiheng into the mess was because he had mistaken Jiang Yiheng for the one who had sneak-attacked him, when in reality, it had been her.


    So Song Yi quickly changed the subject, turning to Hang Feng. ¡°And what about you? What happened to you?¡±


    Hang Feng replied flatly, ¡°Quan Le stepped on my foot.¡±


    Song Yi looked puzzled. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Was stepping on someone¡¯s foot really enough to make someone as calm as Hang Feng join in the chaos?


    Hang Feng continued expressionlessly, ¡°Then Shen Yujing stepped on my foot too, and so did Xu Che.¡±


    Song Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Three times? Okay, yeah, that¡¯s understandable.


    Shen Yujing immediately stood up, protesting, ¡°That¡¯s because Xu Che was chasing me!¡±


    Quan Le also stood up, shouting, ¡°And that¡¯s because Shen Yujing was chasing me!¡±


    The two of them exchanged a glance and said in unison, ¡°It¡¯s all Xu Che¡¯s fault!¡±


    Xu Che: ¡°¡­¡±


    Song Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    She had a feeling things weren¡¯t quite as they seemed, but at this point, it was impossible to untangle the mess.


    So Song Yi rubbed her temples and said, ¡°Stop, stop, stop. Enough arguing. Let¡¯s just end it here.¡±


    Whoever was right or wrong, it didn¡¯t matter anymore. It was time to move on.


    Some needed to shower, some needed to change clothes, and some needed to¡­ fight chickens.


    The last one, of course, referred to Murong Huan.


    Song Yi grabbed Murong Huan by the shoulders and dragged her out to the yard. Murong Huan resisted with her eyes tightly shut, still waving the large rock in her hand. ¡°Stay away from me! I know martial arts!¡±


    Song Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    Song Yi sighed and said, ¡°Pick the chicken you hate the most. We¡¯ll make soup out of it tonight. And pick a duck you hate for braised duck.¡±


    Hearing this, Murong Huan perked up. Turning the beak-bearing creatures that had tormented her into a delicious meal?


    Thinking back to the delicious goose they¡¯d had for lunch, Murong Huan suddenly felt energized. She pointed at the most arrogant rooster in the yard and declared, ¡°That one! Soup! Make soup out of it!¡±


    The rooster, as if understanding her words, suddenly flapped its wings and charged straight at her.


    Murong Huan: ¡°???¡±


    Murong Huan immediately broke free from Song Yi¡¯s grip and bolted.


    After running a few steps, she realized nothing was chasing her.


    Hesitantly, she turned around and saw Song Yi holding the flapping rooster. Relieved, Murong Huan suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of security.


    She shouted, ¡°Wuwuwu, Yi Yi, I love you! I want to marry you!¡±


    Shen Yujing, who had just walked out of the living room: ¡°?¡±


    Quan Le, who had just come out of the bathroom: ¡°?¡±


    No! This can¡¯t happen!!!


    In the kitchen.


    Jiang Yiheng had come to help Song Yi prepare the chicken and duck.


    The young man¡¯s hands, usually used to playing the piano, were now stained with blood as he worked meticulously, his brow slightly furrowed.


    Murong Huan walked in and popped a candy into Song Yi¡¯s mouth. Then she turned to Jiang Yiheng and said, ¡°Can you not look so expressionless while doing this? Smile a little, will you?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng didn¡¯t look up. ¡°Why?¡±


    Murong Huan answered honestly, ¡°Because in TV shows, serial killers always look like that¡ªexpressionless and terrifying.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng raised his head and gave Murong Huan and Song Yi a smile¡ªa forced, unnatural one.


    Murong Huan took three steps back, then turned and ran without hesitation.


    Too scary! Better not smile at all. That smile made him look even more like a serial killer¡ªa creepy one at that!


    Jiang Yiheng asked, puzzled, ¡°Why did she leave?¡±


    Song Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    She had a guess but didn¡¯t want to say outright, ¡°You look like a serial killer when you don¡¯t smile, and even more so when you do.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng seemed to realize something. He looked down at the blood on his hands and asked, ¡°Is it really that scary?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Song Yi quickly shook her head and said earnestly, ¡°Having blood on your hands doesn¡¯t always mean you¡¯re a bad person. It could also mean you¡¯re a doctor saving lives.¡±


    Like Jiang Yiheng, who had chosen to study medicine. In the future, he would surely save lives and stand in operating rooms.


    He was quick at everything, brilliant, a true genius. Song Yi believed he would become an outstanding doctor and achieve his dreams.


    Jiang Yiheng pursed his lips, the corners of his mouth curling slightly, but he only said, ¡°Hmm.¡±


    His hands kept moving, and though his movements were a bit clumsy, he followed all the steps correctly. Overall, it was going smoothly.


    After watching the whole process, Song Yi asked in surprise, ¡°You actually know how to do this?¡±


    She had been prepared to take over if Jiang Yiheng struggled, but it seemed her worry was unnecessary.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Jiang Yiheng replied casually. ¡°I looked up the process and watched a few videos during lunch.¡±


    ¡°And you just¡­ figured it out?¡± Song Yi shook her head. ¡°As expected of a genius.¡±


    Whether it was studying or everyday tasks, he could master anything effortlessly.


    Just then, Shen Yujing passed by the kitchen door.


    He frowned slightly. Killing a chicken? Who couldn¡¯t do that?


    Three minutes later, Shen Yujing burst into the kitchen holding a hen. Song Yi asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Shen Yujing made up an excuse. ¡°Let¡¯s kill another one. Quan Le eats too much. One won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Song Yi said, reaching out to take the hen from him.


    But Shen Yujing dodged her hand and said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I can handle it. Just watch.¡±


    Song Yi looked at him skeptically. ¡°Are you sure you can do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shen Yujing replied confidently, then shot a smug glance at Jiang Yiheng. ¡°If he can do it, there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng, who had been inexplicably dragged into the comparison, simply said, ¡°Oh.¡±


    Just one word, conveying his utter indifference to Shen Yujing¡¯s provocation.


    Song Yi swallowed hard. She wanted to tell Shen Yujing not to be overconfident, but she didn¡¯t want to crush his enthusiasm.


    And so, Shen Yujing began his first-ever attempt at killing a chicken.


    Shen Yujing had never killed a chicken before. Heck, he hadn¡¯t even stepped on an ant in his life.


    But back to the chicken¡ªhe hadn¡¯t killed one, hadn¡¯t watched any tutorial videos, and hadn¡¯t even seen Jiang Yiheng¡¯s demonstration earlier.


    This was going to be¡­ challenging.


    But he had already made his declaration. To prove he was better than Jiang Yiheng, Shen Yujing bravely grabbed the struggling chicken, pressed it into the basin, closed his eyes, and raised the cleaver.


    With a deep breath, he brought the cleaver down.


    He felt something wet under his hand and looked down to see blood.


    He took another deep breath, mentally praising himself: Don¡¯t be scared! You¡¯re doing great, Shen Yujing!


    But¡­ what now?


    What was the next step?


    Shen Yujing swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling very awkward.


    Song Yi glanced at him and said, ¡°Pour hot water over it to remove the feathers.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Shen Yujing said, pulling the chicken out of the basin and rinsing off the blood. Then he grabbed the thermos and poured hot water into the basin.


    The next second, he heard a sound¡ªa sound that should not have come from a supposedly dead chicken.


    The chicken let out a squawk and¡­


    Flapped its wings and jumped out of the basin?!


    The chicken seemed to know exactly who had tried to kill it. It didn¡¯t even bother to flee; instead, it charged straight at Shen Yujing, pecking furiously at his legs, as if seeking revenge for its near-death experience.


    Shen Yujing, completely stunned by the scene, only reacted after being pecked seven or eight times. He leaped up from the stool in a panic.


    Clutching Song Yi tightly, he wailed, ¡°What do I do? What do I do? The soul of the chicken I just killed has come back to haunt me! Ahhh, I was wrong! I shouldn¡¯t have taken a life!¡±


    Song Yi, suddenly pulled into his tight embrace, lightly punched his shoulder and said, ¡°Hey.¡±


    Shen Yujing continued shouting on his own, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared! I¡¯ll protect you! No¡­ you should run!¡±


    Song Yi: ¡°¡­¡±


    If he wanted her to run, could he at least let go of her first? How was she supposed to run like this? S~ea??h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Exasperated, Song Yi called his name and said, ¡°Shen Yujing, have you ever considered the possibility¡­¡±


    Shen Yujing: ¡°What possibility?¡±


    Song Yi took a deep breath and said, ¡°The possibility that you didn¡¯t use enough force when killing the chicken earlier. It was just stunned from a superficial wound, and now it¡¯s woken up from being scalded by the boiling water.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng: ¡°¡­¡±


    Shen Yujing: ¡°!!!¡±

 Chapter 109

    The atmosphere was extremely awkward, really.Shen Yujing''s pride and dignity had been thoroughly humiliated by a chicken.


    So, Shen Yujing prepared to rush out, catch the chicken again, and this time give it a clean, swift end!


    But as soon as he took a step, his collar was grabbed from behind by Song Yi.


    "That chicken has already survived a great ordeal," the girl''s voice sounded helpless as she continued, "Save your energy."


    In the end, Shen Yujing was forced to wash vegetables on the side, but he still insisted stubbornly, "It was an accident, just an accident! Believe me, I can kill a chicken. Whatever Jiang Yiheng can do, I can do too."


    Song Yi nodded perfunctorily, swiftly chopping the chicken on the cutting board into pieces, saying, "Sure, sure."


    Jiang Yiheng, as usual, responded with a simple, "Oh."


    The entire kitchen was enveloped in an air of indifference.


    Shen Yujing, knowing his pride was at stake, washed the vegetables with even more vigor, trying to prove that he was "at least somewhat useful."


    Dinner time, at the dining table.


    Quan Le, who had just returned from outside, asked, "Why did I see a hen in the yard with blood on its neck? Its butt was missing a patch of feathers, it looked so funny!"


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Enough, do you really have to be so observant at a time like this?!


    After Song Yi recounted what had happened earlier, the dining table was filled with laughter and chatter.


    Murong Huan laughed heartily, saying, "Shen Yujing, you finally got what you deserved, hahahaha!"


    Shen Yujing didn''t say anything, but Xu Che was the first to speak up, saying, "Don''t talk about Shen Yujing like that."


    Murong Huan: "?"


    Shen Yujing: "!"


    Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che with deep gratitude, saying, "I never expected, Xu Che, that you would be the one who treats me the best in the end!"


    Xu Che picked up a piece of chicken and calmly finished his sentence, "Shen Yujing might be a Buddhist, so he doesn''t kill living beings. We should respect that."


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    It would have been better if you hadn''t said anything at all!


    The theme of the meal was teasing and mocking Shen Yujing. After Murong Huan, there was now a second unlucky soul who wanted nothing to do with chickens, ducks, or geese.


    Later that night.


    After her shower, Song Yi walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas, only to find Murong Huan sitting at her desk playing with her phone.


    Hearing Song Yi come out, Murong Huan turned her head and said, "Yi Yi? I''ve been waiting for you. Now that you''re done, let''s go downstairs quickly."


    Song Yi asked curiously, "Go where?"


    Murong Huan replied cheerfully, "To Jiang Yiheng''s room!"


    Song Yi glanced at Murong Huan''s nightgown, then down at her own pajamas, and asked with some suspicion, "What are we going to Jiang Yiheng''s room for at this hour?"


    Murong Huan quickly explained, "Not just us, everyone. Quan Le and I discussed it. Since we''re all here, we should do something meaningful at night."


    Knowing Murong Huan''s personality well, Song Yi cut straight to the point, "What game are you planning to play this time?"


    Murong Huan rested her chin on the back of the chair, looking at Song Yi seriously, "We''re going to help Jiang Yiheng overcome his fear of ghosts!"


    Song Yi frowned, "What do you mean?"


    "No need to ask, you''ll find out soon enough!" Murong Huan said as she stood up and reached out to pull Song Yi.


    "Wait a second," Song Yi bent down and pulled out two light jackets from her suitcase, handing one to Murong Huan. The two of them then headed downstairs together.


    Jiang Yiheng''s room.


    Looking at the group of people who had inexplicably gathered in his room, Jiang Yiheng adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.


    Among them, he spotted Hang Feng, the one who often shared his misfortunes, and whom he trusted the most.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at Hang Feng and asked, "What are you all doing here?"


    Hang Feng shook his head, indicating that he had no idea either.


    Of course, Xu Che was equally clueless, as he had only followed because Song Yi and Murong Huan had come to fetch him.


    As the spokesperson for the group, Murong Huan closed the door and announced the night''s activity¡ª


    Taking turns telling Jiang Yiheng ghost stories.


    The goal was twofold: to toughen his nerves and to turn it into a "competition."


    The first one to scare Jiang Yiheng with their ghost story would be the winner of the night.


    Jiang Yiheng: "?"


    Did anyone ask for his opinion on this bizarre activity?


    Clearly, his thoughts weren''t particularly important at the moment.


    The competitive Shen Yujing and Quan Le had already taken their seats on the sofa, and even Song Yi''s eyes sparkled with anticipation.


    Jiang Yiheng looked at Murong Huan and said, "Give me a reason."


    A reason to indulge them in such a pointless game!


    Murong Huan looked at him with a serious expression, "Jiang Yiheng, do you know? As a god-like figure in our school for three years, you had a perfect reputation. But your one flaw was fainting during that grade trip because you were scared. Even though most people don''t know the truth, if something like that happens again, it''s bound to come out eventually!"


    "What if something similar happens in college, and we''re not around to protect you? What if the girl you like finds out you''re afraid of ghosts? You won''t be able to go to haunted houses, escape rooms, or watch horror movies together. You''ll miss out on so much fun in life!"


    Murong Huan spoke with great passion, her expression full of disdain, as if she could already picture Jiang Yiheng crying while watching a horror movie with his girlfriend.


    Quan Le chimed in, "Yeah! It''s so embarrassing!"


    Shen Yujing also shot him a look of disdain.


    No one could resist a challenge¡ªexcept Jiang Yiheng.


    His gaze lingered on Song Yi for a brief moment before he said, "I like brave girls."


    Implying that as long as the other person wasn''t afraid, it was fine.


    Murong Huan was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting Jiang Yiheng to respond like that, and then asked, "But why would a brave girl like you?"


    This made Jiang Yiheng pause, and then he said, "Let''s begin."


    Xu Che & Hang Feng: "...?"


    Everyone else: "Yay!"


    Since Jiang Yiheng himself had agreed, the others had no choice but to join in the game.


    The lights in the room were turned off, and everyone sat cross-legged around Jiang Yiheng''s bed.


    Moonlight shone on everyone''s faces, the cicadas outside were noisy, but the room was eerily quiet.


    Murong Huan picked up the air conditioner remote and turned the temperature down a bit, adding to the atmosphere.


    She was the first to speak, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy who walked to school by himself every day. His teachers and family praised him for being sensible and smart. He was a very kind child, and every day he would give a boiled egg from his home to the old scavenger at the school gate. Over time, the two became familiar."


    "Later, the boy noticed that the old man''s clothes had become cleaner, and every time he handed over the egg, the old man would give him a meat bun in return¡ª"


    Song Yi asked curiously, "Was the bun filled with human flesh?"


    Murong Huan: "?" S§×arch* The Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    "Yi Yi! What are you doing?" Murong Huan exclaimed in frustration, "Even if you know the ending, don''t spoil it!"


    Song Yi: "..."


    She really didn''t know, but it was just too obvious.


    So Murong Huan''s story ended abruptly without being finished.


    Next up was Quan Le. His story was slightly better than Murong Huan''s, at least Song Yi couldn''t guess the ending, but it still wasn''t particularly scary.


    Then, Murong Huan''s phone suddenly lit up, shining on Jiang Yiheng''s face, and she excitedly shouted, "Jiang Yiheng is scared! His expression changed!"


    Jiang Yiheng''s hand tightened around the blanket, but he didn''t refute her claim.


    The third to go was Hang Feng. He held up his phone and read a ghost story he found online.


    His tone was stiff¡ªHang Feng had never done something so pointless in his life... or maybe he had, but only with this group of people.


    After Hang Feng finished his story, Song Yi rubbed her arms and commented, "That was chilling. Even real ghosts might find it boring."


    Jiang Yiheng''s voice was calm as he said, "This is all pointless."


    He was afraid of ghosts, but that didn''t mean he could be scared by such dull stories. The exaggerated voices they used just made them sound ridiculous!


    Jiang Yiheng''s words, however, struck a nerve with Shen Yujing, who felt a hint of provocation. Was Jiang Yiheng looking down on them?


    So Shen Yujing patted Xu Che''s shoulder and said, "Hey! Show him what we''re made of! Let him know we''re not to be underestimated!"


    Xu Che looked at him in confusion, "Why me?"


    Shen Yujing replied, "Because I''m the best. The weaker ones go first. I''ll save the best for last."


    Xu Che couldn''t be bothered to argue with Shen Yujing. Instead of telling a ghost story, he suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know why I chose this place for our trip?"


    Murong Huan chimed in, "Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s because we¡¯re unfamiliar with this place?"


    "That was just a random excuse to brush you off," Xu Che chuckled lightly. "Actually, this is the house where I lived with my grandfather when I was a child. My grandfather was a formidable businessman back in the day, but after his health declined, he came to the countryside to recuperate alone. At that time, things weren¡¯t great at home either, so I came to live with him."


    "I spent half a year here, and it was the only happy period of my childhood. Every morning, while I was washing up, he would prepare breakfast and then take me by the hand to the village¡¯s little store. Even though he always said those cheap snacks were unhealthy, he would still buy me whatever I had my eyes on."


    "But he never admitted it was for me. Every time, he would pretend to dig out a box from under the bed, open it, and say it was something he didn¡¯t need anymore, then tell me to throw it away."


    "He always said that a boy should have a sense of responsibility, that he should stand tall and be capable. He told me I had to be smart and outstanding so I could inherit the family business someday. Even after moving here, he was strict with me. If I fell behind in my studies, he¡¯d make me stand or even kneel in the yard as punishment, and sometimes he¡¯d hit my back with a stick."


    "But eventually, he couldn¡¯t hit me anymore. His health deteriorated, and he could no longer get up from his wheelchair. The household servants and doctors came to take care of him. He didn¡¯t go back to the hospital but chose to spend his final days in his hometown, quietly embracing death¡ªor perhaps, as he put it, freeing himself from the weariness of life and truly finding peace."


    This was the first time anyone had heard Xu Che share a story about his past. Everyone¡¯s expressions shifted slightly, and even Hang Feng furrowed his brow.


    Song Yi pursed her lips and said, "You¡¯ve turned out really well. You haven¡¯t let your grandfather down."


    "Yeah," Murong Huan nodded in agreement. "You¡¯re amazing, truly. Look, my personality clashes with Shen Yujing and Quan Le all the time, but I get along with you just fine. If I approve of you, it means you¡¯re really something special."


    Quan Le: "What are you trying to say?"


    Shen Yujing: "She¡¯s saying you¡¯re not as outstanding as Xu Che."


    Quan Le: "Why are you so happy about that? She lumped you in with me."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    For this group, the atmosphere was unusually warm and touching.


    Jiang Yiheng opened his mouth, but he wasn¡¯t good at comforting people. In the end, he managed to squeeze out a few dry words: "It¡¯s all in the past now."


    At that moment, Quan Le suddenly spoke up, "Jiang Yiheng, why don¡¯t you check under the bed? Maybe Xu Che¡¯s grandfather left him a gift there."


    Everyone: "?"


    Quan Le knew his suggestion was absurd, but he pressed on, "Look, Xu Che¡¯s so sad right now. Just take a peek under there, just one look. Don¡¯t be so heartless!"


    Though it made no sense, Jiang Yiheng, half-pushed by Quan Le, actually leaned down to look.


    He thought, *Fine, just one glance. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything there¡ª*


    Under the bed, something faintly glowed. A blurry face emerged, and a pair of eyes stared straight at him.


    Jiang Yiheng: "!!!"


    "Why did Jiang Yiheng fall to the floor? Did he faint again?"


    "Why do you say ''again''?"


    "Jiang Yiheng! Are you okay, Jiang Yiheng?"


    "Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!"


    "What¡¯s going on here?"


    "Holy¡ªShen Yujing, what the hell are you doing under the bed?"


    The scene was utter chaos.


    Shen Yujing, now flustered, quickly explained, "My slipper got kicked under the bed, so I went to get it! I just crawled in a bit further and used my phone for light, that¡¯s all! I didn¡¯t do anything else!"


    He really had no idea how things had escalated like this.


    Quan Le was also stunned. "Huh? Then why did you look at me like that? Weren¡¯t you trying to team up with me to scare Jiang Yiheng?"


    Shen Yujing waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! That¡¯s not it at all! Don¡¯t make things up!"


    Song Yi shouted, "Stop arguing! Hurry up and get Jiang Yiheng onto the bed! Quick!!!"


    Jiang Yiheng, still unconscious: "..."


    If Jiang Yiheng could go back in time, he probably wouldn¡¯t have opened that door when Shen Yujing and Song Yi were locked in the music classroom after being punished with cleaning duty. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t have wanted anything to do with them at all.


    It¡¯s not that life is hard. It¡¯s just that his life is hard.


    Ah, people. Ah, fate.


    A thousand words could be summed up in one¡ª


    Sigh.

 Chapter 110

    In the first year after graduation,Song Yi gained nominations at all three major domestic film festivals for a movie centered on the theme of child trafficking. This new director, previously unknown, skyrocketed to fame overnight, becoming a leading figure among the younger generation of directors.


    What also pleasantly surprised the audience was the participation of the popular young actor, Shen Yujing. He played the male lead in the film¡ªa brother who, after his younger sibling was abducted by traffickers due to his own childhood mischief, spent half his life searching for his lost brother. S§×ar?h the n?velFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    No one had high expectations for Shen Yujing''s performance, believing his age and lack of experience wouldn''t do justice to such a complex role. To everyone''s astonishment, his acting shattered the stereotype that "idols lack acting skills."


    In the following years, Song Yi continued to focus on exploring realistic themes, while Shen Yujing became her go-to actor. Although he often played supporting roles or antagonists, he appeared in almost every one of Song Yi''s films.


    Regarding this, Shen Yujing commented, "It''s mainly because Song Yi immerses herself in the lives of her subjects before filming each movie. Sometimes for a few months, other times up to half a year. I accompany her, observe a lot, and naturally, my performances turn out better than others''."


    Rumors circulated that the two belonged to the same talent agency, with Song Yi managing Shen Yujing''s studio. Some even speculated about their close relationship. However, neither of them ever responded to these rumors.


    Four years later, Shen Yujing finally landed the male lead in one of Song Yi''s films.


    This movie earned eleven nominations at an international film festival, with Song Yi and Shen Yujing winning Best Director and Best Actor, respectively. Song Yi became the first Chinese woman to win the Best Director award at this prestigious event.


    Upon their return to China, the two were inundated with collaboration offers and media attention.


    The label of "realist cinema" seemed firmly attached to Song Yi. Just as the industry expected her to continue in this direction, cementing her name in the annals of Chinese realist film history, she made a decision that stunned everyone.


    A youth-themed drama with an entirely new cast suddenly began filming, with Song Yi''s name listed as the director.


    Shen Yujing also joined the project, though only in a cameo role, credited as a special guest appearance.


    A director who had just won an international award turning to an ordinary youth drama? This news sounded more unbelievable than any tabloid gossip.


    Soon, it was discovered that while the actors were all newcomers, the production team was top-notch. The screenwriter and cinematographer had both won multiple domestic awards, and the investor was none other than the Imperial Capital Shen Corporation.


    With a strong team and ample funding, the project seemed puzzling. The seemingly uninspired youth theme and the inclusion of non-professional actors left everyone wondering what Song Yi was aiming for.


    However, given her current achievements, even if she never made another notable work, she could comfortably rest on her laurels.


    On the first day of filming, most of the actors had initially thought they were part of a low-budget web series that might not even air. But upon seeing the star-studded crew and the lavish investment, they were wide-eyed with amazement.


    Most of them were students from acting schools, largely unknown, with many being freshmen. For them, this opportunity felt like a dream come true.


    Shen Yujing stood behind Song Yi and asked, "Why did you choose them?"


    Song Yi smiled and replied, "Because they are the most suitable candidates in my eyes. Only students can truly portray students."


    When Shen Yujing noticed the male lead''s golden, tousled hair¡ªnow dyed black¡ªhe suddenly understood the kind of story this drama would tell.


    Shen Yujing wanted to stay with the crew throughout, but his role was minor and only appeared in the later stages. His agent had booked him another project to maintain his popularity, so he had no choice but to leave Song Yi''s set and focus on his own work.


    On set, Song Yi was extremely strict with the actors. It wasn''t uncommon for a single scene to take an entire day to shoot.


    For the actors, being part of such a high-profile production was a valuable learning experience, one they might never get again in their lifetime.


    Even if some felt exhausted or dissatisfied, the thought of the immense attention and anticipation surrounding the drama kept them going.


    Out of the seven main cast members¡ªfive males and two females¡ªfour roles underwent multiple recastings within the first month of filming.


    The entire month felt less like filming and more like an immersive audition process, testing the actors'' limits.


    Finally, Shen Yujing wrapped up his other project and returned to the set.


    He arrived alone, dragging his luggage, without his agent or assistant, and moved straight into the hotel next to Song Yi''s room.


    Sitting alone at a table full of dishes, Shen Yujing waited hungrily, his stomach growling as he leaned back on the couch, yawning.


    It wasn''t until 9 PM that the door finally opened.


    The moment he saw Song Yi, Shen Yujing rushed over, reaching out to hug her.


    Song Yi closed the door behind her and pushed him away gently, saying, "I haven''t showered yet."


    "I don''t mind," Shen Yujing replied, pulling her into his arms. Finally, after so long, he felt like he had found a place to relax.


    Song Yi knew how demanding his previous project had been, filled with veteran actors, so she reached up and ruffled his hair, saying, "Be good and get some rest."


    "Okay," Shen Yujing agreed, then led her to the table. Seeing the cold dishes, he frowned. "Wait a second, I''ll heat them up."


    As soon as Song Yi saw the food, she realized, "Did my dad make these?"


    "Yep," Shen Yujing replied.


    After years on set, Shen Yujing had mastered the art of using a microwave.


    Once the dishes were heated and back on the table, he added, "By the way, your dad mentioned you haven''t visited him in three weeks. He misses you."


    "I should have time next week..." Song Yi started, then paused and glared at Shen Yujing. "That''s *my* dad!"


    Who told him to call him "dad"?


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Song Yi had been particularly busy lately, so Shen Yujing often visited her family. At some point, her father had started asking him to address him as "dad."


    It had become a habit, and he forgot to hold back in front of Song Yi.


    "It''s bound to happen sooner or later. Are you going to dump me and marry someone else?" Shen Yujing tried to sound confident, then picked up some food and placed it in Song Yi''s bowl. "Try this. It''s one of your dad''s new creations. He''s waiting for your feedback."


    Song Yi gave up on correcting him and simply took a bite of the tofu in front of her. It was tender and flavorful, with just the right amount of seasoning.


    "Delicious," Song Yi said succinctly.


    Shen Yujing quickly added more to her bowl. "Then eat more. You''ve lost so much weight. Are these actors not as good as me? Is directing them too exhausting?"


    Song Yi laughed at his self-praise. "Enough already. Don''t flatter yourself."


    "Am I wrong? I''m an award-winning actor. How can these newcomers compare? Forget acting¡ªjust look at this face. Is that blonde male lead even half as handsome as I was in my youth?"


    Shen Yujing proudly lifted his chin and continued, "Though I think he''s the best-looking among the cast. I guess in your eyes, I was the most handsome back then too."


    Song Yi, exasperated, picked up a chicken wing and stuffed it into his mouth. "Can''t you just eat and stop talking?"


    Later that night, after showering, Shen Yujing returned to Song Yi''s room.


    Song Yi was sitting on the bed, reading a book. "What is it?" she asked.


    "I want to sleep with you," Shen Yujing declared as he climbed onto the bed and pulled up the blanket beside her.


    "Okay," Song Yi replied without looking up. "Then sleep."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Did she think he meant just sleeping? Of course not!


    Shen Yujing moved closer, resting his head on her lap and wrapping his arms around her waist.


    Song Yi, unfazed, simply placed the book she was holding on his face and said, "Stop moving around."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Why did he feel like Song Yi was using him as a bookshelf?


    Though he was quite annoyed, Shen Yujing could only stay still, maintaining this posture, feeling the pages of the book flip against his face.


    Just then, there was a knock on the door.


    Song Yi put the book down, pushed Shen Yujing, and said, "Get up, I¡¯ll go answer the door."


    "Who¡¯s coming to see you this late?" Shen Yujing grumbled as he sat up, putting on his slippers and following her off the bed.


    Song Yi walked to the door and opened it, surprised to see the male lead of the film crew standing there.


    The young man, with his golden hair, stood awkwardly at the door, forcing a smile when he saw Song Yi.


    The boy¡¯s name was Han Ming, a freshman in the acting department. He was the third male lead the crew had hired since filming began, as the previous two had left within ten days.


    Everyone said Director Song¡¯s standards were high, and he could feel it too. By his calculations¡­ tomorrow would be his last day.


    Unlike the others in the crew, Han Ming was quite popular due to his striking looks, having gained a following on social media as one of the top performers in this year¡¯s art school entrance exams.


    But for Han Ming, this opportunity was something he never dared to dream of, and he had to seize it.


    The gap between being an internet celebrity and a real star was just too vast.


    A couple of days ago, he overheard a crucial piece of information while the director and screenwriter were chatting.


    The inspiration for this film was based on Director Song¡¯s high school life, and the character he was playing was her first love.


    Since it was her first love, it naturally ended without a proper conclusion¡ªotherwise, there¡¯d be no need to film it as a memory.


    If he could grasp this opportunity and ¡°impress¡± Director Song, she could make him a star just as she had done with Shen Yujing!


    With that thought, the hesitation and fear in his eyes were instantly replaced by a burning desire for power and fame.


    After all, how many people in the entertainment industry spend their entire lives without ever making it big? Now, the chance to rise to the top was right in front of him. Missing it would be a lifelong regret.


    So, Han Ming mustered up his courage and said, "Director Song, I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"


    Song Yi loosened her grip on the door, about to let Han Ming in, when another large hand covered hers and pulled the door open. At the same time, she was pulled into someone¡¯s embrace.


    Shen Yujing¡¯s voice was cold, his peach-blossom eyes filled with hostility as he glared at the young man. "What do you want? Can¡¯t you just say it here? Why do you need to come in?"


    The three questions in a row clearly expressed Shen Yujing¡¯s displeasure.


    What time was it? Why was the male lead of the crew coming to see the director at this hour?


    And this kid didn¡¯t look trustworthy at all. The way he looked at Song Yi was like a wolf eyeing a fat sheep, instantly putting Shen Yujing on guard.


    "Shen Yujing," Song Yi called his name, clearly trying to stop him from saying more.


    Then she smiled apologetically at Han Ming and said, "He¡¯s got a bad temper. Don¡¯t mind him. Just say what you need to say."


    Han Ming¡¯s gaze fell on Shen Yujing, and when he saw the half-open robe revealing his chest, he smirked mockingly.


    So this was the so-called popular idol? Wasn¡¯t he just like him, knocking on the director¡¯s door in the middle of the night? Acting all high and mighty like he owned the place? What made him so special?


    Han Ming believed his looks were no worse than Shen Yujing¡¯s, and he had the advantage of being younger. If Song Yi was tired of Shen Yujing, it was time for a change.


    Han Ming looked at Song Yi and got straight to the point. "Director Song, I¡¯m 18 years old, 181 cm tall, in great shape, with abs, and I¡¯m very obedient. What do you think of my overall condition?"


    Song Yi was stunned for a moment, not understanding what he was saying, and replied, "Uh¡­ that¡¯s good."


    But what did that have to do with her? Why was he randomly sharing these useless details?


    However, Song Yi¡¯s response made Han Ming misinterpret her as being ¡°satisfied¡± with him. So he pointed at Shen Yujing and continued, "And I can do everything he can. I¡¯m sure I can make you feel even better. Would you consider me?"


    Song Yi: "???"


    Huh? Consider what? What was Han Ming even talking about?


    Shen Yujing: "!!!"


    Was this kid trying to steal his girl right in front of him?


    And what kind of indecent nonsense was he spouting? Was this something Song Yi should even be hearing?


    Don¡¯t stop him! He was going to kill this shameless, despicable scum!!!

 Chapter 111

    The atmosphere was incredibly awkward, really.When Song Yi realized what Han Ming meant by "more comfortable," her face flushed crimson.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t out of shyness¡ªno.


    Shen Yujing looked even more agitated, his fists clenched as if he was ready to punch Han Ming.


    But Song Yi held Shen Yujing back, sneering at the still somewhat naive-looking young man and asking, "Han Ming, what do you want?"


    What could he possibly want, to be willing to pay such a high "price"?


    Seeing Shen Yujing, his "competitor," so furious and Song Yi already starting to discuss "terms," Han Ming felt victory within reach, his voice trembling with excitement.


    He said, "I want to be the male lead in your project."


    Song Yi frowned slightly but replied, "I already discussed this with the screenwriter yesterday. We both agreed that you¡¯re the most suitable candidate for the male lead at the moment."


    Han Ming was stunned, his excitement evident in his eyes.


    But Song Yi¡¯s next words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.


    She said, "If you hadn¡¯t knocked on my door tonight to say all this, you would¡¯ve received the formal contract in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, now I¡¯m announcing that you¡¯re no longer suitable for this role. We¡¯ll continue searching for a new male lead."


    Han Ming¡¯s smile froze, and then, as if realizing something, he said bluntly, "Director Song, the fact that I came to you tonight already shows my attitude. We¡¯re all in the same circle, all foxes who¡¯ve been around for centuries. Why are you playing this game with me?"


    Still putting on that high-and-mighty act¡ªwasn¡¯t this just meant to humiliate him?


    Song Yi asked, "What game am I playing?"


    Han Ming glanced at Shen Yujing and shot back, "If you¡¯re really as noble as you claim, then what is he? Just another person who climbed their way up by selling their body."


    Song Yi: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "???"


    Who sold their body to get ahead? How could he say something so outrageous?


    But Song Yi suddenly laughed. She took Shen Yujing¡¯s hand to calm him down and continued, "Don¡¯t project your own thoughts onto others. After you leave tomorrow, I¡¯ll pretend tonight never happened."


    Shen Yujing coldly added, "And if you ever show your face in front of us again, watch your legs."


    With that, he slammed the door shut.


    Standing outside the door, Han Ming¡¯s eyes flashed with hatred, followed by an overwhelming sense of humiliation and shame.


    Shen Yujing sat sulking at the foot of the bed, his back to Song Yi, radiating an aura of "don¡¯t talk to me."


    Song Yi sighed and walked over to him, resting her chin on his shoulder from behind. "What are you thinking about?"


    "Of course, I¡¯m thinking about that idiot from earlier," Shen Yujing said, growing more agitated as he spoke. "Where does he get the nerve to act like that after seeing me with you? And to do something like that¡ªdoes he have no shame?"


    Song Yi patted his head like she was comforting a puppy. "Alright, don¡¯t be upset. You can help with the auditions and vote for the new actor, okay?"


    "...Fine," Shen Yujing reluctantly agreed, but then added, "But I still feel a bit unhappy."


    Song Yi, unusually patient, asked, "Why?"


    Shen Yujing looked at her, his expression both pitiful and serious. "I think the main reason this happened is because of you."


    "Because of me?"


    Song Yi immediately let go of his arm, her expression shifting. "How is it my fault?"


    "Of course, it¡¯s your fault. We¡¯ve been together for so long, but aside from Murong Huan and a few others, who even knows about us?" Shen Yujing finally found an outlet for his frustration and continued accusingly, "It¡¯s because you won¡¯t acknowledge me, won¡¯t give me a proper title, that these lowlifes think you¡¯re still single and that they have a chance."


    Song Yi pursed her lips, considering his words.


    Shen Yujing went on, "And that idiot earlier¡ªhe thought I was just some kept man you were supporting. But I¡¯m your boyfriend! We¡¯re in a legitimate relationship, yet he made it sound like we were sneaking around."


    The more he spoke, the more wronged he felt, and his eyes began to redden.


    Song Yi: "...?"


    Is this really necessary?


    She quickly reached up to wipe away his tears. "Why are you crying while talking?"


    "I¡¯m not crying!"


    Shen Yujing immediately denied it, wiping his tears away himself. He opened his mouth to explain further but then couldn¡¯t find the right words. Instead, he buried his face in Song Yi¡¯s shoulder.


    The gesture was sudden, but feeling the dampness against her neck, Song Yi gently patted his back to comfort him.


    Her voice softened. "Alright, alright, it¡¯s my fault. I¡¯ll listen to whatever you have to say, okay?"


    Shen Yujing, who had initially felt embarrassed and wanted to save face, suddenly gave up all pretenses when she started comforting him.


    He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his voice trembling with emotion. "There are so many attractive people in the entertainment industry. Today it¡¯s Han Ming, tomorrow it¡¯ll be Wang Ming or Li Ming. He¡¯s only eighteen. I¡¯m still young now, and I¡¯m better than him in every way, but what about ten or twenty years from now? What if another eighteen-year-old comes along? What will I have to compete with then?"


    Song Yi couldn¡¯t help but laugh. "What are you thinking about all day? I would never..."


    "Don¡¯t say anything yet, let me finish," Shen Yujing rambled on like a spilled bag of beans. "And what was he even saying earlier? That he could do everything I can? Could he ever love you as much as I do?"


    "What have I done wrong? Why won¡¯t you make our relationship public? Am I really that embarrassing to you?"


    Song Yi paused, then replied, "But every time the media catches us together, you have the photos deleted. I thought you didn¡¯t want to announce it yet."


    Shen Yujing looked up at her, his nose red from crying. "Of course, I want to. I dream about it. But I knew you didn¡¯t like it."


    Because he knew she didn¡¯t like it, even though he wanted to plaster the words "boyfriend" on his face and parade it around for everyone to see, he held back for her sake.


    Song Yi didn¡¯t like being judged, whether it was praise or criticism. She didn¡¯t like her private life being discussed by others.


    But now, her fame in the country had reached a point where she couldn¡¯t avoid the attention. She was always the center of gossip.


    If this was making Shen Yujing feel insecure, then...


    Song Yi kissed the tear stains on his face and said what was on her mind. "Then I¡¯ll give you that title, okay?"


    Shen Yujing froze, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes suddenly filled with hope. He asked her to confirm, "Really? You¡¯re not lying to me?"


    Song Yi opened her phone and handed it to him. "Think of the announcement post yourself."


    Shen Yujing took the phone and, under Song Yi¡¯s exasperated gaze, typed out a long string of self-praise and overly sentimental words before deleting it all.


    Song Yi asked, "What¡¯s wrong now?"


    "I can¡¯t be so casual about this," Shen Yujing said seriously. "This is the post that officially acknowledges me. It¡¯s important. I need to think about what to say."


    "Fine, take your time."


    "Why should I take my time?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    What did she say wrong this time?


    "Are you hoping I take my time so you can delay it as much as possible?"


    Song Yi: "??"


    "Do you still not want to give me that title?"


    Song Yi: "???"


    Faced with Shen Yujing¡¯s unreasonable barrage of questions, Song Yi felt her fists clench, but seeing how beautifully he cried, she resisted the urge to punch him in the face and just rolled her eyes.


    At that moment, Shen Yujing¡¯s face showed a hint of frustration. "This isn¡¯t how it¡¯s supposed to go. Shouldn¡¯t you be annoyed with me by now?"


    Song Yi said, "What part of me doesn¡¯t look annoyed to you?"


    Shen Yujing looked at her, his eyes filled with sincerity. "If you¡¯re annoyed, then why aren¡¯t you kissing me? Why aren¡¯t you using a kiss to shut me up?"


    Even though his words were ridiculous and he was being utterly unreasonable, his red eyes and innocent expression made it seem like she had done something to betray him.


    Song Yi chuckled, then reached out to lift Shen Yujing¡¯s chin.


    Shen Yujing closed his eyes, his lips slightly parted, waiting for her kiss. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But the next second, the pain in his chin made him grunt in surprise.


    Song Yi not only didn¡¯t kiss him but also bit his chin hard, saying, ¡°Stop acting, will you? I see your acting skills have really improved. Who did you learn from outside?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t,¡± Shen Yujing denied guiltily.


    Under Song Yi¡¯s suspicious gaze, he couldn¡¯t bear the psychological pressure of lying to her and handed her his phone.


    Shen Yujing¡¯s phone was open to a chat page with a male actor he had collaborated with before. The actor was well-known in the industry as a devoted husband who had been happily married for over a decade without a single fight.


    The actor had sent him a document titled¡ª


    **¡°The Art of Being a Spoiled Man: How to Make a Woman Treasure You¡±**


    1. Constantly express your love for her and make sure she always knows and believes in your sincerity.


    2. Show vulnerability when appropriate. Competitiveness is for outsiders, not your loved one.


    3. Be genuine in your interactions. If something bothers you, bring it up immediately. Don¡¯t suppress your feelings under the guise of being considerate. A child who doesn¡¯t speak up gets no candy, and it only makes both parties feel miserable.


    4. Never force your partner to do anything. If you really want something, suggest it in a subtle way.


    ...


    Song Yi rolled her eyes and handed the phone back to Shen Yujing. She turned off the light and said bluntly, ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Does what you said earlier still count?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are we going public or not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Will you give me a title?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Song Yi!!!¡±


    Shen Yujing immediately lost his temper, tickling her as a half-threat, ¡°Will you or not? You can¡¯t go back on your word!¡±


    Song Yi laughed while dodging his touch, shouting, ¡°Point four from *The Art of Being a Spoiled Man*! You need to be subtle! Subtle!¡±


    Suddenly, Shen Yujing realized something and asked, ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±


    Song Yi admitted directly, ¡°You caught that? Looks like reading really does help. You¡¯ve definitely gotten smarter.¡±


    Shen Yujing: ¡°!!!¡±


    ...


    The next morning.


    Shen Yujing updated his Weibo with a photo.


    A young boy and girl, still bearing traces of youthful innocence, sat on a roadside bench. Both wore hair clips, with Shen Yujing sporting an especially exaggerated red bow on his head.


    The boy looked reluctant, while the girl smiled with her eyes curved into crescents. The scene was unexpectedly harmonious, and the two looked perfectly matched.


    The caption read¡ª


    **[My first love in this lifetime.]**


    It was his first love, his fate, and the story of his life.


    The person he had loved since his youth was still by his side, making him the happiest and luckiest man in the world.


    She had seen the most awkward and clumsy version of him as a boy, yet she fell in love with the sincerity that was reserved solely for her, along with all the joy he brought into her life.


    Perhaps love is like a commodity, requiring a high price to exchange and effort to maintain its freshness. But only genuine sincerity can make it last a lifetime.


    The first snow will melt, and the sun and moon will take turns in the sky.


    It seems like nothing in this world remains unchanged¡ªexcept for the fact that he will always love her.

 Chapter 112

    [The previous chapter has been revised. Please refresh to re-read qwq]Entertainment Daily V: Shocking! According to industry insiders, the recently rising female director Song Yi has a hidden love life that few know about. Many young and handsome idols in the entertainment industry have had inappropriate relationships with her, including her go-to actor, Shen Yujing, who has won the Best Actor award.


    It¡¯s widely known that Shen Yujing has appeared in every one of Song Yi¡¯s films, and her latest project is no exception. People once thought their relationship was that of a mentor and prodigy, but it seems things are not so simple. Shen Yujing is only making a cameo appearance in Song Yi¡¯s new drama, but he arrived at the set yesterday, and some have witnessed him entering the same room as Song Yi. The media has reached out to both teams for comment, but no definitive response has been given.


    The comments below are filled with question marks, as people are utterly shocked by this revelation.


    ¡¾£¿£¿£¿¡¿


    ¡¾The entertainment industry has been too quiet lately¡­ such a heavyweight scandal?¡¿


    ¡¾Give me a moment to process this¡­ no way¡­ I actually liked Shen Yujing¡­¡¿


    ¡¾I knew it! Shen Yujing¡¯s Best Actor award must have been rigged.¡¿


    Of course, Shen Yujing¡¯s fans quickly came to his defense.


    ¡¾Can the people above stop spreading rumors? There¡¯s not even a single photo, and you¡¯re calling this a ¡°revelation¡±?¡¿


    ¡¾Haha, next you¡¯ll say some rich woman has bought out the entire male entertainment industry. Eating fake gossip won¡¯t give you a stomachache?¡¿


    ¡¾¡­Can you at least make your baseless claims somewhat believable? Where¡¯s the evidence?¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing¡¯s studio, stop pretending to be dead. It¡¯s time to work!¡¿


    Song Yi is a well-known figure, and Shen Yujing has a decent reputation in the industry, so most netizens are taking a wait-and-see approach, waiting for more concrete evidence to either confirm or debunk the rumors.


    At this moment, the appearance of a ¡°witness¡± pushed the credibility of this revelation to its peak.


    New actor Han Ming liked a Weibo post about Shen Yujing and Song Yi, and he also updated his own Weibo.


    Han Ming V: I believe that heaven will never let down good people. After the darkness, light will surely shine. Everything we¡¯re experiencing now is to help us become better people in the future.


    His fans quickly commented below, asking what had happened.


    Soon after, some gossip accounts ¡°exposed¡± that Han Ming had been removed from Song Yi¡¯s new drama.


    Connecting the dots, the ¡°answer¡± became quite obvious.


    Some speculated¡ª


    ¡¾Could it be that Song Yi took a liking to Han Ming, offered him the male lead role in exchange for his compliance, and then kicked him out after he refused?¡¿


    Han Ming liked this comment, but five minutes later, he deleted his Weibo post and unliked all the comments.


    However, it was already too late. Gossip accounts had already taken screenshots and reposted them, sparking intense discussions about the incident.


    ¡¾Holy crap! It¡¯s confirmed! New actor Han Ming is calling out Song Yi!¡¿


    ¡¾Wow, this scandal is shattering my worldview¡­¡¿


    ¡¾Song Yi is young and beautiful, with such achievements. What doesn¡¯t she have? Why can¡¯t she just date normally? Why does she have to do something like this¡­¡¿


    ¡¾The person above clearly doesn¡¯t understand. This is how rich people are, especially someone like Song Yi, who achieved fame and fortune at a young age. She¡¯s never struggled, and success came too easily. After having money and fame, all that¡¯s left in life is seeking thrills.¡¿


    ¡¾But I¡¯m even more shocked about Shen Yujing. He¡¯s really good at acting, huh? I always thought he was a ray of sunshine.¡¿


    ¡¾Same here. It¡¯s not surprising when anyone in the entertainment industry falls from grace, but if it¡¯s Shen Yujing, it¡¯s really hard to accept. He¡¯s built up such a good public image.¡¿


    ¡¾Whose idol just fell from grace? Oh, it¡¯s mine.¡¿


    ¡¾Can we stop talking about this nonsense? I¡¯m genuinely disgusted. Can the broadcasting authority ban artists and directors with no moral integrity?¡¿


    Comments were flying everywhere, but with Han Ming stepping forward as a ¡°key witness,¡± the situation took a turn for the worse.


    Shen Yujing gripped his phone tightly as his manager¡¯s voice continued to echo in his ear.


    ¡°What exactly is the nature of your relationship with Song Yi? Are you two dating¡­ or is it something else? Shen Yujing! If you don¡¯t speak up, the company can¡¯t help you!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll clarify it myself,¡± Shen Yujing said, hanging up the phone in frustration.


    What a mess.


    Today was supposed to be a ¡°big day¡± for him and Song Yi. They were supposed to publicly announce their relationship and receive everyone¡¯s blessings, but this Han guy had to stir up all this trouble.


    Meanwhile, the entire internet was now sympathizing with Han Ming.


    As Han Ming had hoped, regardless of whether Shen Yujing and Song Yi could explain the situation, he had already gained attention.


    In this day and age, even negative attention is still attention.


    In just half an hour, brands had already reached out to him, offering opportunities like live-streaming product promotions.


    His fan group, which originally had 2,000 members, was now overflowing, with everyone tagging Han Ming and asking for more juicy details. Media outlets also privately messaged him, hoping to interview him.


    However, many of Shen Yujing¡¯s fans also attacked him, warning him about the consequences of spreading rumors.


    Han Ming wasn¡¯t worried. All he had done was post a ¡°motivational¡± Weibo and liked a couple of comments. He hadn¡¯t done anything¡ªit was all the netizens and gossip accounts making assumptions.


    He was completely innocent.


    Han Ming kept anxiously checking his phone. Ideally, Song Yi would compromise and give him the male lead role, or at least pay him to keep quiet.


    But instead of Song Yi, he was met with Shen Yujing, who went live on a broadcast.


    Shen Yujing sat at a desk, his face showing a hint of anger, clearly unhappy about the situation.


    This move by Shen Yujing caught all the gossip accounts and haters off guard.


    When other celebrities face major scandals, whether true or false, they usually stay silent and let their company issue a statement. Who would go live on a broadcast like this?


    There wasn¡¯t even enough time to draft a proper PR statement.


    But Shen Yujing didn¡¯t want to post a PR statement on Weibo or issue a clarification himself, because he couldn¡¯t write one.


    He had nothing to hide, so he was willing to answer any questions. He chose the most straightforward way to address the doubts¡ªby directly engaging with everyone who questioned them.


    The number of viewers in Shen Yujing¡¯s live broadcast room was skyrocketing by the thousands. Fans and haters alike didn¡¯t want to miss this prime opportunity to witness the drama firsthand.


    ¡¾Holy crap, I¡¯m in! It¡¯s so crowded!¡¿


    ¡¾Ding! Scandal-watching pass!¡¿


    ¡¾A personal press conference by a celebrity to clarify rumors? This is historic!¡¿


    ¡¾I feel like a frantic groundhog jumping around in a melon field.¡¿


    Shen Yujing looked directly into the camera and said, ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Shen Yujing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the chat. I¡¯ll answer whatever I can see.¡±


    His straightforward attitude and calm demeanor didn¡¯t seem intimidating at all.


    ¡¾Wow! Is Shen Yujing bare-faced? He¡¯s so handsome!¡¿


    ¡¾Let¡¯s be real, his looks are unbeatable. That blonde hair when he debuted made him look like he stepped out of a manga!¡¿


    ¡¾Hey, the focus today isn¡¯t his face, okay?¡¿


    ¡¾Haha, he¡¯s definitely wearing light makeup. He¡¯s prepared, right?¡¿


    While some were arguing in the chat, most were here for the drama. The biggest question on everyone¡¯s mind was¡ª


    What exactly is the relationship between Song Yi and Shen Yujing?


    ¡°Song Yi and I,¡± Shen Yujing said, his expression softening slightly as he mentioned her name. The corners of his lips curled into a smile. ¡°We¡¯re in a relationship. There¡¯s absolutely no truth to the inappropriate rumors circulating online.¡±


    ¡¾£¿£¡£¡£¡¡¿


    ¡¾Holy crap! Did I just hear that? They¡¯re in a relationship?!¡¿


    ¡¾Wait, is this an official announcement?¡¿ S§×ar?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡¾Honestly, I¡¯ve shipped Song Yi and Shen Yujing before, but I never thought such an obscure ship would actually be real???¡¿


    Of course, some remained skeptical.


    ¡¾Haha, this is obviously a PR move. They got exposed, so now they¡¯re claiming to be in a relationship. Do they think we¡¯re stupid?¡¿


    ¡¾Well, at least admitting to a relationship is better than those rumors, right?¡¿


    Most of the comments, however, came from Shen Yujing¡¯s fans, particularly his ¡°mom fans.¡±


    ¡¾A girlfriend? My baby boy has grown up!¡¿


    ¡¾Wow, my little piggy has gone out to snatch someone else¡¯s cabbage.¡¿


    ¡¾Congrats, my dear! After everything that¡¯s happened in the entertainment industry this year, as long as you don¡¯t break the law, I support you dating!¡¿


    ¡¾I was feeling quite sad at first, but when I thought about the fact that my idol''s girlfriend is Song Yi, it suddenly didn''t seem so bad.¡¿


    ¡¾She has the education, the looks, and the awards¡ªwho wouldn''t be satisfied and even feel proud? I won''t say who.¡¿


    Some passersby were curious.


    ¡¾But isn''t there a rumor that Song Yi is deeply attached to her first love? Could it be that Shen Yujing is just a substitute for her?¡¿


    ¡¾That''s true. I''ve seen a few of Song Yi''s interviews, and she mentioned her first love several times. Every time she talks about it, it sounds so beautiful.¡¿


    ¡¾Who doesn''t have a past? What matters most is that they love each other now!¡¿


    The comments were more harmonious than expected, and Shen Yujing''s mood improved significantly.


    After answering a few questions, he firmly denied the false rumors circulating online. He then chatted with the netizens for a while, expressing that both he and Song Yi would continue to focus on their careers for the time being, before ending the live stream.


    The top trending topic on Weibo was Shen Yujing''s live stream clarifying the rumors.


    Most people thought Shen Yujing would deny his relationship with Song Yi, but instead, he used the opportunity to officially announce it.


    Of course, some fans couldn''t accept it, with some turning against him and others breaking down emotionally.


    However, since Shen Yujing hasn''t acted in many idol dramas, the majority of his fans are "mom fans," career fans, and fans who admire his looks and personality. The proportion of "girlfriend fans" is relatively small, so the impact wasn''t too significant.


    For these fans, if they feel sad about their idol announcing a relationship, it''s usually because they think the partner isn''t good enough for him. But Song Yi is more than qualified, which essentially resolves that conflict.


    For the "mom fans," having such a beautiful and talented "daughter-in-law" is a source of pride.


    For the career fans, with Shen Yujing and Song Yi together, there''s no need to worry about future movie opportunities. Plus, Song Yi isn''t just some internet celebrity, which avoids all the fan wars¡ªsomething they are very satisfied with.


    For the fans who admire his looks, a handsome guy paired with a beautiful girl is like double the beauty¡ªa dream come true for any fan of good looks. Who could resist that?


    As for the personality fans, they''re basically life-long fans. As long as Shen Yujing is breathing, they''ll continue to love him. Whether he announces a relationship or not doesn''t matter to them.


    So, compared to "Shen Yujing announcing his relationship," people were more focused on whether "they are truly in love or if they were forced to admit it due to circumstances."


    The anti-fans seized this point and amplified it, spreading slander online, but overall, it was still within Han Ming''s control.


    Until¡ª


    Shen Yujing updated his Weibo with a photo.


    The picture showed a somewhat youthful-looking boy and girl sitting on a bench by the roadside. Both had several hair clips on their heads, with Shen Yujing wearing an exaggerated red bow.


    The boy looked reluctant, while the girl smiled with her eyes curved, creating an unexpectedly harmonious and perfectly matched scene.


    At this moment, no words were needed to explain anything. All the rumors were instantly debunked.


    Looking at this Weibo post, Han Ming clenched his fists at his sides, his face turning pale.


    He didn''t need to look any further; he already knew he had lost.


    His phone kept buzzing with notifications. Almost all the brands that had previously wanted to collaborate with him had removed him, and his agent called to inform him that the company was terminating his contract and would be suing him for breach of contract.


    On Weibo, Shen Yujing''s post sparked massive discussions.


    ¡¾Is this a photo of Shen Yujing and Song Yi from high school?! Where are those who said it was all PR? Come out and apologize!¡¿


    ¡¾Ahhhh! I''m dying from how perfect they are together!¡¿


    ¡¾So youthful!!! The blonde hair and red bow are absolutely iconic!¡¿


    ¡¾How have these two always been so good-looking?! I''m drooling with envy!¡¿


    ¡¾Where''s Han Ming? Didn''t he claim to be wronged? Come out and confront Shen Yujing!¡¿


    ¡¾Hahaha, did you not watch Shen Yujing''s live stream? He even invited Han Ming to join, but Han Ming was online and didn''t dare to accept!¡¿


    ¡¾It''s obvious who''s guilty here.¡¿


    ¡¾Han Ming, stop playing the victim. Come out and tell everyone about your "suffering."¡¿


    Of course, someone raised a crucial question.


    ¡¾Song Yi''s new drama is adapted from her high school life. In the leaked photos, the male lead isn''t always the same person, but he always has blonde hair. Shen Yujing had blonde hair in high school, and they both attended Saint Slee Academy, so...¡¿


    Someone immediately followed up.


    ¡¾So is it possible that Song Yi''s first love...was actually Shen Yujing???¡¿


    ¡¾Holy cow! This story just keeps getting juicier!¡¿


    ¡¾Thinking back to Song Yi''s interviews where she mentioned her first love, I suddenly feel so emotional. She really stood by him through his humble beginnings, and even in front of a crowd, she subtly expressed her love to the fullest.¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing also had interviews in the past where he talked about his first love. I dug them up¡ªhigh school classmate, top student, kind-hearted, with almond-shaped eyes. All these traits match Song Yi perfectly!¡¿


    ¡¾So these two have been showing off their love right under our noses all along? How did we not notice? Ugh, I''m so touched!¡¿


    Shen Yujing directly replied to this comment with a simple sentence, essentially confirming their speculation.


    ¡¾She is my first love, my destiny, and my entire life.¡¿


    She is his first love, his fate, and everything to him.


    The fact that he has been with the person he loved since his youth is the happiest and luckiest thing in the world.


    And she, who has seen the most awkward and clumsy side of the boy, has also fallen in love with the sincerity that belongs only to her, as well as all the joy he brings her.


    Perhaps love is like a commodity, requiring a high price to exchange and effort to maintain its freshness, but only true sincerity can last a lifetime.


    The first snow will melt, and the sun and moon will take turns.


    It seems like nothing in this world remains unchanged, except for the fact that he will always love her.

 Chapter 113

    In the third year of their marriage, Song Yi and Shen Yujing welcomed a lovely daughter.It is said that babies often look quite unattractive when they first come out of their mother''s womb, and Shen Yujing had mentally prepared himself for this. However, when he laid eyes on the beautiful little baby, he was stunned.


    Even the medical staff couldn''t help but praise, saying they had never seen such a beautiful newborn before.


    Song Yi, still lying on the hospital bed, exhausted and about to fall asleep, muttered her last words before drifting off: "Why does she still look so Mary Sue-like..."


    Though Shen Yujing didn''t understand the meaning of her words, he adored his daughter nonetheless.


    He spent three whole days flipping through dictionaries to choose a name for her, and in the end, he settled on the name¡ª


    Song Chaochao.


    Because he wanted Song Yi to be with him morning and night, year after year.


    Song Yi teased him, saying the name was chosen too casually, but she ultimately agreed to it.


    Quan Le and Murong Huan''s son was born just three days after Song Chaochao, and before Song Yi could even leave the hospital, Murong Huan was admitted to the same ward.


    On the day of delivery, Murong Huan''s screams of pain and curses directed at Quan Le were so loud they could be heard through the door.


    Both Shen Yujing and Quan Le were first-time fathers, and they were completely overwhelmed. For several days, they spent their days taking care of their wives and their nights watching over their children, not daring to close their eyes even for a moment.


    When Shen Yujing saw Quan Le''s wrinkly newborn son, he couldn''t help but mock, "Your son is so ugly!"


    Quan Le laughed heartily and replied, "Your future son-in-law is so ugly!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    What on earth?


    Quan Le pulled out his phone and played a video for Shen Yujing.


    It was from the day Shen Yujing found out Song Yi was pregnant. Overjoyed, he had gotten drunk and declared at the dinner table that Quan Le and Murong Huan should also have a child. If they had a boy and a girl, they would arrange a marriage between them.


    Though Shen Yujing had forgotten about it the next day, less than a week later, Murong Huan was also confirmed to be pregnant.


    Quan Le said, "We have both the witnesses and the evidence. You can''t back out now."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Shen Yujing turned and walked away, practically fleeing the scene.


    Quan Le immediately chased after him, shouting, "Future in-law! Where are you going?"


    Shen Yujing: "Who wants that pink-haired brat as my son-in-law? I refuse!"


    "He can dye it black! Or even gold! We can negotiate!"


    By the time Song Chaochao turned three, she had grown increasingly beautiful. Whenever the nanny took her out, they were frequently stopped by talent scouts.


    Everyone who saw Song Chaochao would praise her, saying she looked like a real-life Barbie doll.


    Murong Huan, in particular, was so fond of her that she almost wanted to steal her every time she visited.


    Quan Le and Murong Huan had brought up the idea of an arranged marriage multiple times, but Shen Yujing always firmly rejected it.


    "No way! That brat from Quan Le''s family isn''t worthy of my precious daughter!"


    Shen Yujing couldn''t help but feel more and more satisfied every time he looked at his well-behaved, adorable, and beautiful daughter.


    There was only one flaw¡ª


    She was too smart.


    Every time they played building blocks together, Song Chaochao would always win.


    Over time, she lost interest in playing with Shen Yujing because winning all the time was just too boring.


    Shen Yujing had been troubled by this for a while.


    One night, lying in bed with Song Yi in his arms, he gently kissed her forehead and said, "Honey, there''s something I can''t figure out."


    "Hmm?"


    Song Yi was already half-asleep, her face buried in his chest as she mumbled, "What is it?"


    Shen Yujing sighed, "Is Song Chaochao really my biological daughter?"


    Song Yi: "?"


    Song Yi immediately let go of Shen Yujing and sat up in bed, asking, "What did you just say?"


    Shen Yujing quickly sat up as well, trying to calm her down. "Wait, wait! I didn''t mean it like that."


    Song Yi asked, "Then what did you mean?" S§×ar?h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing took her hand in his and said earnestly, "I''ve always thought that if we ever had a daughter, I would make sure she grew up carefree, surrounded by our love, and be the happiest little princess in the world. She would be the cutest child, calling us Mommy and Daddy sweetly, loving pink and Elsa. But..."


    But Song Chaochao didn''t like any of those things. She didn''t even like the color pink! How could a little girl not like pink? Shen Yujing was utterly baffled.


    On top of that, while other children in kindergarten fought over Barbie dolls or cried because they didn''t want to leave their parents, Song Chaochao remained unusually calm.


    For example, on her first day of school, Song Yi couldn''t make it, so Shen Yujing took her alone.


    While other children clung to their parents'' legs, crying and refusing to enter the kindergarten, Shen Yujing was hoping for an emotional farewell with his daughter.


    Instead, Song Chaochao just frowned at him and asked, "Dad, why aren''t you leaving yet?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Wasn''t ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????that a bit too cold?


    Not only that, as she walked past Quan Yi, who was crying and throwing a tantrum, Song Chaochao said in her sweet, childish voice, "Crybaby."


    This infuriated Quan Yi, who had been clinging to Murong Huan. He immediately let go and ran after Song Chaochao, crying and shouting, "I''m not a crybaby... waaah... I''m not..."


    Murong Huan and Quan Le stood there, dumbfounded, before turning to Shen Yujing with grateful looks.


    Quan Le said, "Thank you, Chaochao. If it weren''t for her, we wouldn''t have been able to get him inside today."


    Murong Huan nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with admiration as she watched the two children walk away. "How can there be such a well-behaved and sensible child like Chaochao? I wish she were my daughter."


    Indeed, how could there be such a well-behaved and sensible child like Song Chaochao? Shen Yujing also found it hard to understand.


    When he first saw his daughter, Shen Yujing had vowed to be a good father and become her hero.


    But now, it seemed that goal was harder to achieve than he thought.


    Finally, Shen Yujing summed up all his thoughts with one sentence: "I never imagined I''d have such a smart daughter in my life."


    Song Yi pursed her lips and said, "Maybe it''s because we''ve both been so busy this year, often sending her to Jiang Yiheng''s house. We haven''t spent enough time with her, so she''s become more mature than other kids."


    "Maybe we''re looking at the wrong person," Shen Yujing mused. "I suddenly feel like Chaochao''s personality isn''t like yours or mine. She''s more like Jiang Yiheng!"


    As soon as Shen Yujing said this, both of them fell silent.


    Yes, that seemed to be the case.


    Song Chaochao and Jiang Yiheng did share a special bond. During her first birthday, when she was supposed to pick an object to symbolize her future, she chose Jiang Yiheng''s gift. Among their friends, Song Chaochao was also the closest to Jiang Yiheng.


    At first, when they started sending Song Chaochao to Jiang Yiheng''s house, he had been reluctant, thinking children were a hassle. But at some point, whenever Song Yi and Shen Yujing were busy with work, Jiang Yiheng would voluntarily come and take Chaochao away.


    Shen Yujing covered his eyes with one hand, "painfully" saying, "I''m going to push all my work this year aside and spend more time with her."


    Song Yi asked, exasperated, "Do you really think Chaochao wants you to play building blocks with her?"


    Shen Yujing replied, "We could do puzzles instead."


    Song Yi: "..."


    After a moment of thought, Song Yi said, "I have an idea. It won''t interfere with your work, and it will give you a chance to bond with Chaochao while showing her your capabilities as a father."


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "What is it?"


    "The reality show *Brave Dads* sent you an invitation a couple of days ago. They want you to bring Chaochao along and participate in the show."


    In Song Chaochao''s room.


    Song Yi opened the door and saw her daughter sitting on the bed, playing with a music box. When Song Chaochao noticed her mother, she tossed the music box aside and sweetly called out, "Mommy!"


    Song Yi walked over, sat on the bed, and hugged her daughter, kissing her on the cheek. "Mommy wants to talk to you about something."


    Song Chaochao blinked her big, dark eyes and asked in her adorable voice, "What is it?"


    "Dad wants to take you out to play in a few days. We''ll stay outside for a few nights with other dads and their kids. Is that okay?"


    Song Chaochao pouted her little lips and asked, "Is Mom not coming?"


    "Mom doesn''t have time," Song Yi replied, pinching her daughter''s cheek. "There might be some little puppies there. Mom knows Chaochao is the bravest. Can you help Mom take care of Dad?"


    Thinking about her dad, who often got into arguments with dogs, Song Chaochao''s little mind was filled with big worries.


    If Dad went out alone, it really didn¡¯t seem very safe.


    So, Song Chaochao reluctantly agreed, saying, "Okay, if Dad gets into another argument with a dog outside, I¡¯ll call Mom right away."


    The day before the variety show recording.


    Looking at the five suitcases Song Yi had packed, Shen Yujing fell into deep thought.


    For a moment, his memory flashed back to the suitcase his mother had packed for him during his high school trip.


    Indeed, when people live together for a long time, their thought processes start to align.


    Song Yi, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t anxious or nervous. This variety show had a 24-hour live stream for each guest, so she could keep an eye on Shen Yujing and Chaochao¡¯s every move at any time.


    At that moment, the program crew¡¯s car had already parked at their doorstep, and the live stream officially began.


    Shen Yujing had once posted a photo of his daughter on Weibo, and even at such a young age, she had already gained a group of fans. Now, countless netizens eagerly awaited their appearance in the live stream.


    ¡¾Ahhh! Finally, it¡¯s the family I¡¯ve been most looking forward to!¡¿


    ¡¾I remember Shen Yujing¡¯s daughter is super cute and looks a lot like Song Yi. I¡¯m so excited!¡¿


    ¡¾They¡¯re getting out of the car! It¡¯s happening! Ahhh, it¡¯s finally starting!!!¡¿


    When the program crew entered the house, they saw Song Yi sitting on the sofa eating fruit, while Song Chaochao stood by the door with a small suitcase, waiting obediently.


    The cameraman immediately zoomed in on Song Chaochao at the door.


    The comments exploded with excitement.


    ¡¾Ahhh! Such an adorable baby!¡¿


    ¡¾A little angel! So beautiful!¡¿


    ¡¾How do I skip marriage and kids and just have a child as cute as Shen Yujing¡¯s daughter? Asking for a friend, it¡¯s urgent.¡¿


    ¡¾Song Yi looks so beautiful today too. Even eating grapes on the sofa, she¡¯s so elegant! Shen Yujing, stealing my wife is an unforgivable crime!¡¿


    ¡¾Wait¡­ what is Shen Yujing doing?¡¿


    ¡¾Huh? Where¡¯s Shen Yujing?¡¿


    At that moment, the camera panned to a corner of the living room.


    Shen Yujing was standing in place, spinning in circles and muttering to himself, "I can do this, I can do this. I¡¯m my daughter¡¯s hero. Don¡¯t be nervous, don¡¯t be nervous¡­"


    Song Chaochao, standing by the door, glanced back at him and said, "Dad, don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯ll protect you."


    The comments section burst into laughter.


    ¡¾Hahahaha, this is hilarious! How is the baby so cute? Hahaha!¡¿


    ¡¾Such a serious tone from such a little kid saying the most unlikely thing, hahaha!¡¿


    ¡¾Wife is Song Yi, daughter is so beautiful and cute. Another day of being jealous of Shen Yujing, sob sob.¡¿


    ¡¾The real winner in life: Shen Yujing.¡¿


    ¡¾Let¡¯s get started already! I can¡¯t wait to see the recording!¡¿

 Chapter 114

    Although Song Chaochao is very smart, she still doesn¡¯t fully understand terms like "variety show recording staff" or "livestreaming" for now.So Song Yi explained it to her like this: "We¡¯re going out to play, and there will be lots of brothers and sisters there. They¡¯ll record us, and later, you¡¯ll be able to see yourself on TV."


    Song Chaochao loves taking photos and enjoys going out to play, so she¡¯s filled with excitement about this now.


    Seeing Shen Yujing dawdling, Song Chaochao quickly ran over, grabbed his hand, and called out, "Dad, hurry up! The brothers and sisters are waiting for you!"


    The livestream comments were immediately drawn to Song Chaochao.


    ¡¾Aww, the little one is so considerate!¡¿


    ¡¾She knows the staff are waiting, so she¡¯s urging Shen Yujing to hurry. So sweet!¡¿


    ¡¾I always thought Shen Yujing¡¯s daughter would be a little troublemaker, but she¡¯s melting my heart!¡¿


    ¡¾Soft and adorable, just like a little princess!¡¿


    "Alright, alright," Shen Yujing quickly nodded, forcing a standard smile to cover up his current flustered state. S~ea??h the novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The staff member said, "Mr. Shen, could you and Ms. Song introduce yourselves and your little one to the audience?"


    "Sure," Shen Yujing agreed, then took Song Chaochao¡¯s hand and walked over to the couch, sitting her on his lap.


    Song Chaochao frowned slightly. She was already three years old and didn¡¯t like sitting on adults¡¯ laps.


    But since they were taking photos, she decided to give her dad some face and reluctantly sat still.


    Shen Yujing was naturally the one to introduce himself.


    He scratched the back of his head sheepishly and began, "Hello everyone, I¡¯m Shen Yujing. As you all know, my wife is Song Yi, and this is my daughter, Song Chaochao. She¡¯s three years old."


    After that, there was an awkward silence.


    Shen Yujing was usually quite talkative and good at livening up the atmosphere, so the program¡¯s PD was a bit surprised and asked, "Mr. Shen, is that all?"


    Shen Yujing looked puzzled. "What else should I say?"


    The PD prompted, "For example, you could talk about your understanding of our show, your expectations for the upcoming guests, or your hopes for the recording process."


    "Nope, I haven¡¯t looked into it," Shen Yujing shook his head without hesitation.


    This caught the PD off guard, and they awkwardly asked, "Then why did you decide to join our show?"


    Shen Yujing¡¯s lips curled into a smile. "My wife wanted me to, so of course I came."


    The livestream comments immediately latched onto this.


    ¡¾OMG, did anyone notice? Every time Song Yi is mentioned, Shen Yujing loses all composure and smiles like a lovestruck fool (sorry not sorry)!¡¿


    ¡¾How much does he love her? Even after being together for so long, just mentioning her name makes him grin like that. I¡¯m melting!¡¿


    ¡¾The love in Shen Yujing¡¯s eyes is impossible to hide!¡¿


    ¡¾If Song Yi were my wife, I¡¯d love her even more than Shen Yujing does (lol).¡¿


    ¡¾He doesn¡¯t say "I love you" directly, but every word screams his love for her. This is what true love looks like. I admit, I¡¯m jealous.¡¿


    The PD realized they wouldn¡¯t get much more out of Shen Yujing and quickly shifted the focus to Song Yi.


    "Ms. Song, what made you think of having Mr. Shen bring Chaochao to our show?"


    Song Yi smiled warmly. "He¡¯s usually so busy with work, so this is a rare opportunity for him to spend more time with Chaochao. I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how they do."


    The show¡¯s car soon took Shen Yujing, Song Chaochao, and their luggage away.


    Song Yi stood at the door, watching them leave.


    Shen Yujing stuck his head out of the car window, waving repeatedly and calling out with a reluctant expression, "Wait for me, honey! I¡¯ll be back soon! Really soon!"


    Beside him, Song Chaochao sat quietly, holding a thermos cup and sipping water through a straw.


    As the car started moving, she tugged at Shen Yujing¡¯s sleeve.


    Shen Yujing turned to his daughter. "What is it?"


    The little girl, still biting the straw, mumbled, "Teacher said it¡¯s dangerous to stick your head out of the car."


    Shen Yujing: "!"


    Though he wanted to keep waving goodbye to Song Yi, his rational side told him that as a father, he had to set a good example for his child.


    So Shen Yujing sat up straight, looking ahead, and asked, "Is Dad doing the right thing now?"


    Instead of praise, Song Chaochao responded by holding up a seatbelt with her chubby little hand.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    The livestream comments erupted with laughter.


    ¡¾HAHAHAHA I¡¯m dying! Shen Yujing, you¡¯re hopeless! (Points finger)¡¿


    ¡¾Safety education starts young! Give little Chaochao a gold star!¡¿


    ¡¾Kids are so adorable. Their world is so black and white¡ªthey know exactly what¡¯s right and wrong and aren¡¯t afraid to point it out.¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing looks so awkward, but Chaochao is so serious about correcting him. So precious!¡¿


    Rather than feeling embarrassed, Shen Yujing was touched. His precious daughter was looking out for him!


    So he obediently fastened his seatbelt as instructed and then asked with a hint of pride, "How¡¯s this? Anything else?"


    Song Chaochao let go of the straw, looked at her scatterbrained father, and pulled out a sticker from her pocket.


    She carefully peeled off a little red flower and stuck it on Shen Yujing¡¯s hand.


    Netizens: ???


    Shen Yujing: !!!


    Shen Yujing¡¯s lips twitched as he tried to suppress his joy at being acknowledged by his daughter.


    After all, even though Song Chaochao was a bit more mature than other kids her age, she was still just a preschooler.


    Thanks to the influence of Shen Yujing and Song Yi¡¯s genes, the three-year-old Song Chaochao had inherited their strong competitive streak.


    In the simple world of kindergarten, her competitive nature mostly manifested in her desire for the little red flowers that symbolized honor.


    So when Song Chaochao gave Shen Yujing that red flower, it meant she approved of and praised his behavior.


    ¡¾Criticize when something¡¯s wrong, reward with a red flower when it¡¯s right! Chaochao knows exactly how it works!¡¿


    ¡¾This brings back childhood memories¡ªthose little red flowers meant everything to us!¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing can¡¯t hide his excitement over that little sticker, hahaha!¡¿


    ¡¾If Chaochao gave me a red flower, I¡¯d be jumping for joy!¡¿


    Throughout the ride, Shen Yujing kept glancing at the red flower on his hand and then at his daughter.


    This trip was definitely the right decision.


    At the same time, he thought to himself: The most reliable and smartest person in the world is, without a doubt, his wife!


    When Shen Yujing and Song Chaochao arrived at the destination, the other three families soon joined them.


    The host, Cheng Chen, arrived first with his son. Seeing Shen Yujing, he placed a hand on his son¡¯s shoulder and said with a smile, "Yujing, long time no see! Let me introduce you¡ªthis is my son, Xiao Qi. He¡¯s four and super energetic. He can¡¯t sit still for a second. If he causes any trouble, I apologize in advance."


    Before ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Cheng Chen could finish, his son had already broken free and run off to grab a toy in the corner.


    "It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine," Shen Yujing said, placing a hand on Song Chaochao¡¯s shoulder. "This is my daughter. She¡¯s pretty well-behaved, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issues."


    The second to arrive was Olympic swimming champion Jiang Chun and his three-year-old daughter, Jiang Qi. The little girl was about the same age as Song Chaochao but seemed much quieter and even a bit shy, hiding behind Jiang Chun and clutching his clothes, too timid to peek out.


    Jiang Chun had brought his daughter to the show in hopes that she would interact more with other kids and become a bit more outgoing.


    The last to arrive was Meng Shang, a legendary figure in the comedy world.


    He introduced his son, saying, "My son is three and a half. He just came back from abroad. He¡¯s not very talkative and is scared of small animals like cats and dogs. I¡¯d appreciate it if everyone could look out for him."


    Everyone naturally nodded and agreed.


    The livestream comments were generally pleased with the lineup.


    ¡¾Ahhh, all the little ones are so cute! I¡¯m so excited!¡¿


    ¡¾I¡¯m not a fan of Xiao Qi. He seems too hyper and annoying.¡¿


    ¡¾Can¡¯t the people in front stop being so harsh on kids? Seriously, they must have too much free time.¡¿


    ¡¾I think this setup is great. The other three kids seem pretty quiet, so having Xiao Qi being lively is just what they need to get everyone involved.¡¿


    Finally, Meng Shang remembered to introduce her son¡¯s name, saying, ¡°His nationality is still being transferred, so you can call him Jerry for now.¡±


    Shen Yujing: ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±


    Song Chaochao: ¡°¡­¡±


    For once, the father and daughter shared the same train of thought, as they both immediately thought of the gorilla at home.


    Of course, Jerry wasn¡¯t just any gorilla¡ªit was Shen Yujing¡¯s younger brother and Song Chaochao¡¯s uncle.


    Meng Shang looked at Shen Yujing curiously and asked, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Shen Yujing quickly shook his head and said, ¡°Oh, I just realized your son is mixed-race. No wonder he¡¯s so good-looking.¡±


    No parent dislikes hearing compliments about their child, so after Shen Yujing changed the subject, Meng Shang forgot to press further about why they were laughing.


    Song Chaochao¡¯s gaze lingered curiously on the child beside her, as he would soon be one of her new friends.


    Shortly after, the production team announced the specific situation and tasks for the group.


    They were given an initial fund of 100 yuan, but they had to survive in the house for three days and two nights. The money was clearly not enough.


    This meant they first had to prepare lunch for the day and then find ways to earn more money.


    The PD asked, ¡°Which of the dads here knows how to cook?¡±


    The room fell into an awkward silence.


    It was a bit embarrassing, as none of the wealthy individuals present had ever needed to cook for themselves.


    Only Shen Yujing hesitated before raising his hand. He asked, ¡°Is knowing how to make chicken soup enough? I can also skin and clean the chicken.¡±


    Years ago, during a graduation trip, Shen Yujing had embarrassed himself while trying to kill a chicken. After that, he spent a month practicing with his family¡¯s chef, mastering the art of killing and cooking chicken, all to avenge that humiliating moment.

 Chapter 115

    Shen Yujing''s response was met with silence.It was Cheng Chen who stepped in with a smile, saying, "Yujing is still so good at joking."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He wasn¡¯t joking.


    Of course, for now, no one believed him, and the conversation quickly shifted to what they should cook for lunch.


    Meng Shang said, "Although I¡¯ve never cooked before, I¡¯ve helped my wife in the kitchen. I remember a few simple dishes we could try."


    "Alright," Jiang Chun nodded in agreement. "Let¡¯s start by checking what¡¯s in the fridge."


    In the end, Cheng Chen stayed in the living room to watch over the four kids while the other three dads headed to the kitchen to figure out what they could make for lunch.


    They opened every compartment of the fridge, revealing a decent variety of ingredients: several types of leafy greens, two cuts of meat, a few tomatoes, two full rows of eggs, a large bag of ham sausages, some seaweed, and plenty of seasonings.


    However, Shen Yujing was disappointed. There was no chicken in sight, so he couldn¡¯t showcase his cooking skills.


    Meng Shang, relying on his memory, began picking out ingredients confidently. "We can make scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, stir-fried cucumber with ham, saut¨¦ed baby bok choy, and a seaweed egg drop soup."


    His tone was so assured that it inspired confidence in the others.


    Shen Yujing and Jiang Chun decided to trust Meng Shang and started washing and chopping vegetables to assist him.


    Though they were a bit clumsy and inexperienced, everyone was serious about preparing a homemade lunch for their children.


    The live chat began to cheer them on, but¡ª


    [Go, Jiang Chun! You¡¯re a champion! Even in cooking... Wait, don¡¯t use so much seaweed! It¡¯ll expand and become a disaster!]


    [Shen Yujing, be careful with that knife! Don¡¯t rub your eyes after handling the peppers!]


    [Meng Shang seems so reliable... Oh no, are you not wearing your contacts? There¡¯s a huge piece of eggshell in the egg mixture! Can¡¯t you see it?]


    Someone ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????summed it up mournfully:


    [This isn¡¯t going to end well, is it?]


    [As long as it¡¯s edible... as long as it¡¯s edible...]


    The camera shifted to the living room.


    Since Little Qi was the most energetic of the children, Cheng Chen, as his father, naturally took charge of keeping an eye on the group.


    At the moment, Little Qi was running around the living room, holding an Ultraman toy high in the air.


    The other three children, however, were much calmer.


    Jerry sat quietly on the couch, clutching a small bunny plushie and tugging at its ears.


    Song Chaochao confidently walked over to the corner play area and climbed onto the swing.


    Her feet barely touched the ground, and she gripped the swing ropes tightly, trying hard to get herself moving.


    Jiang Qi stood nearby, watching with wide eyes filled with envy but too shy to approach.


    Song Chaochao noticed her gaze and looked up. "Do you want to play?"


    Jiang Qi stared at her but didn¡¯t respond, nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt and tucking her hands underneath.


    Song Chaochao continued, "I¡¯ll let you have the swing, but you have to push me for a while first."


    Jiang Qi hesitated but eventually walked behind Song Chaochao and gave the swing a gentle push.


    In a soft voice, she said, "You have to keep your promise."


    "Of course," Song Chaochao replied with a smile. "I¡¯ve been teaching my dad since I was little that you always keep your promises."


    The live chat erupted with laughter.


    [Hahahaha at first glance it sounds fine, but when you think about it, it¡¯s hilarious!]


    ["I¡¯ve been teaching my dad since I was little" hahahaha]


    [The best part is how serious Chaochao sounds¡ªit¡¯s impossible not to believe her!]


    [Shen Yujing: ???]


    [Once again, the family hierarchy is crystal clear hahaha]


    Jiang Qi dutifully pushed Song Chaochao for five minutes, after which Song Chaochao hopped off and said, "Your turn."


    Jiang Qi carefully climbed onto the swing.


    Just then, Little Qi, who had been running around with his Ultraman toy, suddenly noticed what was happening and rushed over.


    "I¡¯m a boy, so I¡¯m stronger. Let me push her," he declared.


    Song Chaochao immediately objected. "No."


    This was her deal with Jiang Qi¡ªJiang Qi had pushed her, so it was only fair that she pushed Jiang Qi in return. Little Qi had no place in their agreement.


    But Little Qi ignored her and grabbed the swing ropes to start pushing.


    Song Chaochao wasn¡¯t about to back down. She grabbed the ropes too, pushing alongside him and saying, "We don¡¯t need your help!"


    Neither of them let go, and the swing began to sway higher and higher. Jiang Qi, frightened, gripped the ropes tightly and whispered, "Stop pushing... please stop..."


    But Song Chaochao and Little Qi were locked in a battle of wills, neither willing to give in.


    Cheng Chen had stepped away to fetch a water bottle from the kitchen, and by the time he returned, the situation had spiraled out of control.


    Just as it seemed like Shen Yujing¡¯s daughter and his own son were about to come to blows over the swing, Jiang Qi fell off and landed on the floor, crying loudly.


    Little Qi and Song Chaochao froze, unsure of what to do.


    Cheng Chen hurried over, scolding his son while picking up Jiang Qi to check for injuries. Thankfully, there were no visible wounds¡ªshe was just shaken up.


    He tried to comfort her, but her cries only grew louder, quickly drawing the attention of the three dads in the kitchen.


    They abandoned their cooking and rushed to the living room.


    Jiang Chun scooped up his daughter, wiping her tears as he asked, "What happened?"


    Cheng Chen, realizing his son was likely at fault, quickly apologized and raised his hand to spank Little Qi. "What¡¯s wrong with you? I told you to behave! Can¡¯t you be more responsible?"


    Little Qi, tears welling up in his eyes, protested, "I didn¡¯t mean to!"


    The live chat chimed in:


    [Kids this age need to be disciplined, whether it was intentional or not.]


    [I always thought Little Qi was the most troublesome. Boys are just so rowdy.]


    [Hey, that¡¯s not fair. Song Chaochao was involved too. Why is it all Little Qi¡¯s fault?]


    [Exactly. I think Song Chaochao¡¯s not owning up to her part. If we¡¯re talking about parenting, Shen Yujing¡¯s the one to blame, isn¡¯t he?]


    As Cheng Chen raised his hand again, ready to discipline Little Qi further, Song Chaochao hesitated for a moment before running over and grabbing his arm. "Uncle... it¡¯s not just his fault. You should hit me too."


    The live chat exploded with laughter.


    [First Little Qi, then herself¡ªSong Chaochao¡¯s got it all figured out hahaha]


    [Fair and just Song Chaochao!]


    [What happened to those who said she wouldn¡¯t admit her mistake? Where¡¯s your apology now?]


    [Honestly, I don¡¯t think Song Chaochao did anything wrong. She and Jiang Qi had an agreement, and Little Qi barged in.]


    ...


    The chat was in chaos, and so was the scene in the living room.


    Jiang Qi, who seemed so quiet and gentle, was now wailing at the top of her lungs.


    Cheng Chen felt awkward. After all, Song Chaochao was Shen Yujing¡¯s daughter, and he couldn¡¯t exactly scold her. Plus, knowing his son, Little Qi was probably the main culprit.


    Shen Yujing frowned and turned to Song Chaochao. "Chaochao, tell me what happened."


    After Song Chaochao explained, everyone finally understood the sequence of events.


    Jiang Qi, now calmed down by Jiang Chun, was still sniffling, her eyes red as she clung to her father¡¯s leg.


    Shen Yujing patted Song Chaochao on the shoulder and said, "Hey."


    Song Chaochao walked over to Jiang Qi and said, "I¡¯m sorry."


    Jiang Qi peeked out from behind her father, looked at Song Chaochao for a few seconds, and then whispered, "It¡¯s... it¡¯s okay."


    Cheng Chen, following Shen Yujing¡¯s lead, patted his son on the shoulder.


    Little Qi didn¡¯t move, instead asking tearfully, "Why are you hitting me again?"


    Cheng Chen: "..."


    Why does it seem like the intelligence of other people''s daughters and their own sons is different?


    So Cheng Chen''s hand landed on Little Qi''s head this time, and he said, "You go and apologize too!"


    Little Qi pursed his lips, looking reluctant as he walked forward.


    Jiang Qi immediately pulled her head back, clearly even more unwilling to face Little Qi.


    Jiang Chun helplessly reached out and pulled her daughter out from behind her, saying, "Dad''s here, he won''t dare to bully you. How about we listen to what Little Qi has to say, okay?"


    Jiang Qi hesitated for a few seconds but eventually nodded.


    Little Qi looked at Jiang Qi and said, "I''m sorry."


    Conflicts between children come and go quickly. Just moments ago, they were crying and making a fuss, but in the blink of an eye, they had made up.


    This time, Jiang Qi was sitting on the swing, and Little Qi stood obediently behind her, pushing the swing while Song Chaochao stood nearby, diligently supervising.


    If the swing went a little too high¡ª


    "Little Qi, be careful! Don''t let her fall again."


    If the swing went too low¡ª


    "You''re not even pushing properly, are you?"


    Little Qi felt miserable. He began to regret not sticking to playing with his Ultraman toys and instead coming here to cause trouble.


    The comments section also became much more harmonious.


    ¡¾They''re just kids, it''s normal for them to have little fights and friction.¡¿


    ¡¾They''re playing together just fine now, so some of the commenters should stop overanalyzing things with adult mindsets.¡¿


    ¡¾Little Qi looks reluctant, but he''s still dutifully pushing the swing. This scene is so funny.¡¿


    ¡¾Isn''t it all thanks to Song Chaochao? Peace is all thanks to our little treasure, Chaochao!¡¿


    This time, Cheng Chen went back to the kitchen, and the responsibility of supervising the kids fell to Shen Yujing.


    The scene before him was heartwarming, but Shen Yujing soon noticed something amiss.


    Seeing Jerry still sitting alone in the corner of the sofa, Shen Yujing, adhering to the principle of fairness, decided not to leave any child out.


    He walked over to Song Chaochao and said, "Can you take Jerry to play with you? Look at him sitting there all alone; he seems so lonely."


    Song Chaochao followed Shen Yujing''s pointing finger and nodded, saying, "Okay."


    Then Song Chaochao picked up a building block and walked over, saying, "Jerry, do you want to build blocks with us? We can make a really big castle."


    Song Chaochao held a block in her left hand and extended her right hand toward Jerry, clearly inviting him.


    The mixed-race boy had strikingly beautiful blue eyes and long eyelashes. He looked up at Song Chaochao, hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually reached out and took her hand.


    The comments section completely derailed.


    ¡¾OMG, I feel guilty, but I''m shipping these two kids.¡¿


    ¡¾Chaochao is such a little angel, spreading love to everyone and making sure no one feels left out.¡¿


    ¡¾How can such a young child be so well-behaved and considerate? She''s just too adorable.¡¿


    ¡¾Childhood sweethearts in the making, folks. I''m guilty too, but I''m the first to invest in this ship.¡¿


    ...


    At that moment, Song Chaochao held Jerry''s hand and led him toward the pile of blocks near Shen Yujing.


    For some reason, the more Shen Yujing looked at the scene, the more it bothered him.


    It was as if he could already see his daughter in the future, holding the hand of some other guy and calling him "father-in-law"...


    Ugh, no! Sear?h the N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    What kind of nonsense was this? Get out of his head!


    Just as Shen Yujing was feeling annoyed, Song Chaochao suddenly stopped.


    She let go of Jerry''s hand, placed the block in Shen Yujing''s hand, and said, "Dad, I brought him over. You play with him now."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Was that what he meant?


    Jerry: "..."


    Comments: ???

 Chapter 116

    The barrage of comments erupted into laughter.¡¾Hahahaha, Shen Yujing''s face is full of shock. I feel like he probably didn''t mean it that way.¡¿


    ¡¾Song Chaochao''s inner thoughts: Dad is so useless. Why does he need my help to make friends?¡¿


    ¡¾Jerry also looks confused. He probably didn''t expect his friend to be Song Chaochao''s dad instead of Song Chaochao herself, right?¡¿


    ¡¾I''m dying of laughter hahahaha¡¿


    ...


    At this moment, Shen Yujing was clearly exasperated. He felt it was necessary to have a serious talk with his daughter.


    So Shen Yujing reached out and took his daughter''s hand, explaining, "What Dad meant was for you to play with Jerry, not to bring Jerry to play with Dad."


    "But..."


    The little girl furrowed her pretty brows and looked at Shen Yujing, asking, "If I play with Jerry, won''t Dad be all alone and lonely?"


    Shen Yujing was momentarily stunned, and a wave of emotion surged in his heart.


    He hadn''t expected that his daughter was actually thinking of him, worrying that he might feel lonely even in such a situation.


    Under the gaze of Song Chaochao''s almond-shaped eyes, which so resembled Song Yi''s, Shen Yujing couldn''t bring himself to say anything that might upset his precious daughter.


    So Shen Yujing tightened his grip on the building blocks in his hand and turned to Jerry, saying, "Come and play with... uh, Uncle here and build some blocks."


    Jerry: "...?"


    Song Chaochao then looked at Jerry and said, "Don''t worry, you''ll definitely win."


    The live audience watching was also moved.


    ¡¾Chaochao is really thoughtful of her dad. She''s such a caring little angel!¡¿


    ¡¾Not only is she worried about her dad being lonely, but she also reassures Jerry that he''ll win. She''s taking care of both their feelings.¡¿


    ¡¾@Shen Yujing, you''re surrounded. Hand over your daughter now!¡¿


    The father and daughter reached a consensus, and Jerry, who didn''t know how to say no, was forced to sit in front of the building blocks, listening to Shen Yujing explain how to stack them.


    Shen Yujing spoke confidently, "These blocks are really simple. Each piece is a different color, and you just need to follow the instructions and stack them in order."


    After all, it was a toy for toddlers, so it wasn''t difficult at all.


    Although Shen Yujing had a strong competitive streak, he wasn''t planning to win against such a young child, so he took his time stacking the blocks.


    But when his blocks collapsed for the third time, and Jerry had already completed more than half of his structure, Shen Yujing fell into deep thought.


    This was bad. Things seemed to be a bit more complicated than he had imagined.


    Losing to a three-year-old on purpose was one thing, but actually being worse than a three-year-old was a whole different story!


    The more anxious Shen Yujing became, the more mistakes he made. By the time Jerry finished his stack, Shen Yujing''s blocks had collapsed for the fifth time.


    Shen Yujing raised a hand to cover his eyes. He suddenly regretted telling his daughter to bring Jerry over to play.


    Jerry glanced at Shen Yujing, then looked at the house he had built, his eyes lighting up.


    The expressions on their faces were a stark contrast.


    Song Chaochao sat on the sofa watching all of this, wearing an "I knew it" expression.


    Then she got up and walked over, pulling out a red flower sticker from her bag and placing it on Jerry''s cheek under Shen Yujing''s envious gaze.


    The brown-haired child touched the sticker on his face in disbelief, then looked up at Song Chaochao with a smile, pointing to the block house he had built and whispering, "This... is for you."


    Even though she knew the block house would collapse at the slightest touch and couldn''t be taken away, Song Chaochao still said, "Thank you."


    The ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????barrage of comments was harmonious.


    ¡¾I thought Shen Yujing would let Jerry win on purpose, but I didn''t expect him to lose even after trying his best. Shen Yujing, your trembling hands are both pitiful and hilarious.¡¿


    ¡¾I thought Song Chaochao said Jerry would win just to comfort him, but it turns out she knew her dad too well hahaha¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing looks really disappointed that he didn''t get his daughter''s special red flower reward hahaha¡¿


    Just as Shen Yujing was sulking, the other dads had finished cooking and brought the dishes out from the kitchen, calling everyone to wash their hands and eat.


    At the dining table.


    Since the dishes were simple, the dads, despite their poor knife skills and mediocre cooking, managed to make something edible by following instructions step by step.


    Although Jiang Qi put down her chopsticks halfway through and complained that she didn''t want to eat anymore, she ended up finishing her meal under the influence of Little Qi, who ate everything without being picky, Song Chaochao, who kept eating despite the food being bad, and Jerry, who quietly ate his meal.


    Lunch was more or less taken care of.


    But with limited ingredients left in the fridge and a tight budget, they had to start thinking about the most serious problem¡ª


    How to make money.


    And just then, the production team added an even stricter rule: their earnings could only be exchanged for items from their workplace, not cash.


    However, after obtaining the items, they could sell them to get money.


    Jiang Chun frowned and said, "It was already hard enough. Why add this restriction?"


    As a host, Cheng Chen, who often appeared on variety shows, understood the production team''s intentions. He explained, "If there weren''t such restrictions, we could quickly gather enough money for the next few days through live streams or other means."


    If the tasks were too easy, the show would lose its entertainment value.


    "I see," Shen Yujing nodded. "So, theoretically, the most convenient places for us to work would be restaurants or supermarkets, right?"


    Meng Shang nodded in agreement. "That''s correct."


    After all, these were the places where they could quickly obtain the necessities for daily life.


    With three days to go, as long as they could secure food and drink, everything else would be manageable.


    But since this was a dad-and-kid show, there was another restriction: they had to bring their children along while working.


    Working with kids in tow would double the difficulty.


    The dads set out with their children to look for jobs.


    Shen Yujing sat in the driver''s seat, while Song Chaochao sat in the passenger seat. The two headed toward their first destination¡ª


    A large chain supermarket.


    Upon arrival, they unexpectedly ran into Meng Shang, who had also brought his son there.


    The supermarket manager informed them that they only needed one cashier for the day. Out of courtesy, Shen Yujing left with Song Chaochao.


    As they left, the PD reminded Shen Yujing that, although it wasn''t explicitly stated, for the sake of the show''s entertainment value, he couldn''t take on the same type of job as the others.


    By now, Meng Shang was working as a cashier at the supermarket, Jiang Chun had become a waiter at a hotpot restaurant, and Cheng Chen had even found a job as a security guard at a fishing base.


    That left Shen Yujing. After ruling out the above options, he went upstairs and found¡ª


    A restaurant specializing in chicken soup.


    When the staff saw Shen Yujing enter the restaurant with the crew, they immediately surrounded him enthusiastically. Upon learning that he was there to apply for a job, they quickly contacted the manager.


    No store would turn down a celebrity working there for a variety show. Free advertising was always welcome.


    The crew quietly reminded Shen Yujing that he couldn''t take on cashier or waiter roles either.


    The manager warmly welcomed Shen Yujing, but when he expressed interest in working in the kitchen, the manager hesitated. After all, the food served to customers couldn''t afford to be subpar, and having Shen Yujing mess around in the kitchen could harm the restaurant''s reputation.


    Sensing the manager''s hesitation, Shen Yujing said, "You don''t trust me, do you? How about this: have a chef supervise me while I cook. If you''re satisfied with the taste of the soup I make, I''ll stay. If not, I''ll leave."


    The manager agreed to Shen Yujing''s proposal and assigned an experienced chef to supervise his work.


    As for Song Chaochao, the manager even assigned a part-time college student to accompany her and keep her entertained.


    At this moment, the live-stream comments were showing some distrust toward Shen Yujing, as the audience was unaware of the show''s behind-the-scenes rules and even blamed him a little.


    [Ah, this... I remember Shen Yujing lost to Jerry in the block-stacking game earlier. I really don¡¯t have much faith in him.]


    [It¡¯s just a task, why does he have to go into the kitchen? Is he really trying to ruin their reputation?]


    [This is putting the restaurant in a tough spot. With Shen Yujing¡¯s massive popularity, it¡¯s a missed opportunity not to use him for promotion, but letting him into the kitchen seems so unprofessional.]


    [Don¡¯t be so harsh, it¡¯s just to test Shen Yujing, right?]


    [Does anyone really think Shen Yujing can cook? He¡¯s definitely going to fail. How does he even dare?]


    [I agree, this is just a waste of time...]


    No one had high expectations for Shen Yujing, except for one person¡ª


    Song Chaochao.


    The little girl sat quietly by the window, idly chewing on her straw.


    How boring.


    Thinking this, Song Chaochao knew her dad wouldn¡¯t be out anytime soon. Maybe she should go out and play? S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    As Song Chaochao hopped off her chair and headed outside, the staff member assigned to follow her was about to stop her, but the show¡¯s PD shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just follow and film her.¡±


    After all, judging by the live-stream comments, the audience was highly interested in Song Chaochao and loved watching her segments.


    The crew followed at a distance, curious to see what she would do.


    Song Chaochao wandered around the mall floor for a while, then carefully stepped onto the escalator to go downstairs.


    The PD quickly caught up and asked, ¡°Chaochao, where are you going?¡±


    Song Chaochao pointed at a nearby coin-operated ride and said, ¡°I want to ride the rocking horse.¡±


    Song Chaochao loved things that moved, like rocking horses and swings.


    When she reached the ride, she climbed onto it and pressed the button, mimicking how her dad usually did it.


    But the ride didn¡¯t budge.


    Frowning, Song Chaochao tapped the button, thinking it might be broken.


    The PD said, ¡°Chaochao, do you need me to put in some coins? We can deduct it from your dad¡¯s salary.¡±


    This made Song Chaochao realize that the ride required money to work. But since her dad was still working to earn money, she shouldn¡¯t spend it.


    Yet, Song Chaochao really wanted to ride it.


    Her little face scrunched up like a dumpling, clearly struggling to make a decision.


    The PD¡¯s heart melted at the scene, and so did the live-stream audience.


    [Ahhh! Let our Chaochao ride the rocking horse! Let her ride it now!]


    [She wants to ride it so badly but doesn¡¯t want to spend her dad¡¯s money. Sweetheart, you don¡¯t have to be so responsible!]


    [I¡¯ll pay for it! Let her ride, please!]


    Even though the comments were filled with pleas, the crew couldn¡¯t go against the show¡¯s rules. When Song Chaochao hopped off the ride and said, ¡°I won¡¯t ride it,¡± everyone felt a deep sense of guilt.


    Who could say no to such an adorable little angel? They truly were heartless monsters!


    Just as Song Chaochao was about to head back to her dad, she heard crying nearby.


    Curious, she looked over and saw Jerry standing not far away, with a small poodle in front of him.


    The little boy was crying, his eyes red, as he hid behind a staff member, who was trying to comfort him and shoo away the unleashed dog, but to no avail.


    The staff member tried to lead Jerry away, but the poodle kept following them.


    Seeing Jerry cry even harder, Song Chaochao ran over, waving and calling out, ¡°Jerry! Jerry!¡±


    When Jerry saw Song Chaochao, he quickly wiped his tears, not wanting her to see him cry, but his fear was still evident.


    Song Chaochao ran up to Jerry and gently patted the dog¡¯s head. She crouched beside the dog and said in a soft, serious voice, ¡°Good doggy, don¡¯t go over there. I know you¡¯re a good dog.¡±


    Her gentle tone seemed to calm the dog, and it stayed still, letting her pet it.


    At that moment, a woman ran over, apologizing profusely, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! I left my dog at the pet store while I went to buy something, but it must have run out. I¡¯m really sorry!¡±


    The woman glanced at Jerry and Song Chaochao, apologizing again.


    Song Chaochao shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. Your dog is very cute.¡±


    The woman smiled, complimenting Song Chaochao¡¯s cuteness before quickly leading her dog away.


    Song Chaochao then turned to Jerry, who was still hiding behind the staff member, and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay now. The dog¡¯s gone. You can come out.¡±


    Jerry hesitated but eventually stepped out, though he still clung to the staff member¡¯s sleeve, clearly still a bit scared.


    Song Chaochao asked, ¡°Where¡¯s your dad?¡±


    Jerry replied, ¡°He¡¯s still in the supermarket.¡±


    Song Chaochao said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take you back, okay?¡±


    Jerry nodded.


    Song Chaochao held out her hand and said, ¡°If you¡¯re scared, you can hold my hand.¡±


    Jerry took her hand, his eyes now filled with trust in Song Chaochao.


    The live-stream audience was in awe of the adorable scene.


    [Human babies are just too cute!]


    [This looks like two dolls holding hands. It¡¯s so heartwarming!]


    [This is like the childhood version of a romance novel¡¯s main couple! Isn¡¯t there a director who wants to cast them in a drama?]


    [I¡¯d gladly give up ten pounds of fat for my future child to be as cute as them!]


    [I¡¯ll give twenty pounds!]


    ¡­


    Meanwhile, the camera shifted back to the chicken soup restaurant.


    During the cooking process, some of Shen Yujing¡¯s steps confused the head chef, but he didn¡¯t question them. Though Shen Yujing¡¯s skilled handling was surprising, the chef still doubted the popular star could actually make a delicious pot of chicken soup.


    After simmering for over an hour, it was time to serve the soup. Shen Yujing lifted the lid, and the aroma instantly filled the kitchen.


    When the first bowl was handed to the supervising chef, he took a sip, his eyes widening as he quickly went back for more, even blowing on a piece of chicken before eagerly eating it.


    The rest of the kitchen staff couldn¡¯t help but glance over, curious about how the celebrity¡¯s soup tasted. Most didn¡¯t believe he could pull it off and were just waiting for the verdict.


    But after the first sip, the chef paused, then kept drinking and eating, seemingly unable to stop.


    The live-stream comments were baffled.


    [???]


    [What¡¯s going on? Why isn¡¯t he saying anything?]


    [Is it good? He hasn¡¯t stopped eating.]


    [I think it¡¯s bad. Look at his furrowed brow. He¡¯s probably thinking of a polite way to reject Shen Yujing.]


    Finally, someone in the kitchen couldn¡¯t hold back and asked, ¡°Chef Zhang? How is it?¡±


    Another chimed in, ¡°Yeah, Chef Zhang, give us your thoughts.¡±


    Chef Zhang put down his bowl, looked at Shen Yujing, and said, ¡°You passed.¡±


    Everyone: ???


    Live-stream comments: ???


    Shen Yujing simply smiled and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t nervous at all. He had always been confident in his cooking skills, especially when it came to chicken dishes. After all, he had been taught by some of the best chefs in the country, and even Song Yi often praised his cooking. How could it not be good?


    The live-stream audience began debating.


    [Is this for real? Can Shen Yujing actually cook? Won¡¯t his skills ruin the restaurant¡¯s reputation?]


    [Is this just a setup to give Shen Yujing a new image?]


    [If so, that¡¯s pretty lame.]


    The doubts in the comments mirrored the kitchen staff¡¯s skepticism.


    So they took turns pausing their work and lined up to taste the chicken soup Shen Yujing had just finished cooking. Initially, everyone approached with skepticism, but in the end, they all left after finishing every last drop in their bowls.


    The soup was rich but not greasy, perfectly cooked, and carried a level of freshness that surpassed what they usually made. Yet, it wasn¡¯t just a result of heavy seasoning. Everyone was genuinely impressed by Shen Yujing¡¯s ¡°addition¡± to the team.


    The live chat was equally stunned. If one person was satisfied, it might have been scripted by the show¡¯s producers, but with so many people praising it, it was clear that Shen Yujing¡¯s cooking skills were the real deal.


    ¡¾Can I still make it to the shop to taste Shen Yujing¡¯s handmade chicken soup?¡¿


    ¡¾Is it really that good? I don¡¯t believe it unless I get a sip too!¡¿


    ¡¾Does anyone remember that Shen Yujing mentioned he could make chicken soup before he started cooking at noon?¡¿


    Meanwhile, Song Yi, who was also watching the live stream, couldn¡¯t help but smile at the scene.


    She dug through her phone¡¯s photo album and found a picture of Shen Yujing cooking for her.


    On the dining table were five dishes, four of which could only be described as disastrous, with only a pot of chicken soup in the center looking presentable.


    Song Yi V: I can confirm, Shen Yujing really can make chicken soup. Though, that¡¯s pretty much all he can make ¡¾Picture¡¿


    Song Yi¡¯s comment section was instantly flooded by fans of the two and curious onlookers.


    ¡¾Hahahaha, so that¡¯s the case!¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing is hilariously dedicated to this one dish (dog emoji)¡¿


    ¡¾Honestly, with those other dishes as a comparison, even I can tell that pot of soup must be amazing¡¿


    At this point, Shen Yujing had successfully secured the job thanks to his excellent chicken soup skills.


    Meanwhile, at the supermarket.


    Song Chaochao had brought Jerry back, and Meng Shang was still busy at the checkout. Seeing Jerry looking so lonely, Song Chaochao decided to stay and keep him company.


    They sat on a bench next to the supermarket, with a row of claw machines behind them.


    Several girls passed by during their time there, and before leaving, they handed over the plush toys they had won to the two kids.


    People tend to follow the crowd, and after seeing others give their toys to these two adorable children, more and more followed suit.


    After sitting there for four hours, Song Chaochao and Jerry were surrounded by dozens of neatly arranged plush toys, filling up two entire benches.


    Jerry, holding two large stuffed animals, asked softly, ¡°What are they doing?¡±


    Song Chaochao replied, ¡°They¡¯re giving you toys because they like you.¡±


    Hearing the word ¡°like,¡± Jerry shyly touched the little red flower sticker on his cheek.


    Then, with a hint of worry, he looked toward his father and asked, ¡°When will Dad be done? I want to go home.¡±


    Song Chaochao¡¯s mind quickly came up with an idea. She picked up the largest plush toy and walked over to a PD, speaking in a sweet, childlike voice, ¡°Miss, would you like to buy a toy? You can pick any one, and they¡¯re all very affordable.¡±

 Chapter 117

    Dads work to earn money, so if they had enough money, they wouldn¡¯t need to work.Therefore, Song Chaochao thought of selling the dolls around her to make some extra money, so that the dads could go home and rest earlier.


    Her actions were something the PD sister couldn¡¯t resist, but according to the rules, they couldn¡¯t participate in completing the task.


    So the PD sister suppressed her urge to buy the dolls from Song Chaochao and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Chaochao, we can¡¯t buy your dolls.¡±


    A look of disappointment flashed across Song Chaochao¡¯s face. She lowered her head and looked at the dolls in her hands, asking, ¡°Why? Are they not cute enough?¡±


    The barrage of comments exploded once again.


    ¡¾Ahhhh so cute! Too adorable! Sob sob, sister thinks they¡¯re cute!¡¿


    ¡¾Her little pouty expression isn¡¯t asking if the dolls aren¡¯t cute, but rather if *she* isn¡¯t cute enough.¡¿


    ¡¾Is the production team made of stone? How can they stay so unmoved!¡¿


    Of course, the production team couldn¡¯t stay unmoved.


    The PD sister who had just rejected Song Chaochao pointed her in the right direction, saying, ¡°Although we can¡¯t buy your dolls, I¡¯m sure there are people who would love to buy them.¡±


    The PD borrowed a cardboard sign and a marker from the staff and asked Song Chaochao, ¡°Shall I help you make a sign? How much do you want to sell each doll for?¡±


    ¡°Any amount is fine,¡± Song Chaochao said with a smile. ¡°These dolls were also gifts from the older brothers and sisters, but we can¡¯t take so many with us. If someone really likes them, they can just take them.¡±


    After hearing this, the PD wrote on the sign: ¡°Selling dolls, any amount is fine, or you can just take them.¡± She read it out loud to Song Chaochao, and after getting her approval, placed the sign between Song Chaochao and Jerry¡¯s seats.


    The production team stepped back a bit, giving the two kids space to handle things on their own.


    Soon, someone was drawn in.


    Two high school girls, who had been watching for a while, walked over.


    This was Song Chaochao¡¯s first time doing something like this, and she was a little nervous, but she mustered her courage and said, ¡°We have some really cute dolls here.¡±


    The two girls picked out a small rabbit each and asked Song Chaochao, ¡°How much for these?¡±


    Song Chaochao smiled sweetly and said, ¡°Any amount is fine.¡±


    The girls exchanged a glance, and one of them took out twenty yuan and handed it to Song Chaochao, asking, ¡°Is this enough?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Song Chaochao said, though she didn¡¯t really recognize the value of the bill. She bowed seriously and said, ¡°Thank you!¡±


    Jerry, not understanding either, instinctively stood up and bowed alongside Song Chaochao.


    The two girls laughed, and the other one took out ten yuan and handed it to Song Chaochao, saying, ¡°Here¡¯s our milk tea money for today.¡±


    Although Song Chaochao didn¡¯t know what milk tea was, she assumed it must be something the sister really liked.


    So she pushed the money back, waving the bill in her hand and saying, ¡°Really, this is enough.¡±


    After the first sale, more and more people started coming over.


    Each doll that was taken away was exchanged for a bill placed in Song Chaochao¡¯s hand.


    The most surprising part was that several pink bills were given¡ªclearly, some people saw the two kids and decided to give more.


    The staff were shocked, but they quickly realized this could be a highlight of the show and focused the cameras on the two children.


    The audience was deeply moved.


    ¡¾Everyone is so kind!¡¿


    ¡¾This isn¡¯t just buying dolls¡ªit¡¯s everyone¡¯s love.¡¿


    ¡¾This is so heartwarming. If I were nearby, I¡¯d definitely buy a doll from Chaochao.¡¿


    ¡¾But let¡¯s be honest, Chaochao is so smart! Zero investment, pure profit!¡¿


    ¡¾Jerry is so cute too, always staying by Chaochao¡¯s side like her little sidekick.¡¿


    ¡­¡­


    By 6 PM, all the dads had finished work and received their earnings for the day.


    Meng Shang came back with a large bag of bread and milk from the supermarket, Jiang Chun brought a big bag of vegetables, meat, and various hot pot bases from the hot pot restaurant, Cheng Chen carried a bucket with two lively fish, and Shen Yujing held two already-prepared chickens in each hand. Everyone returned with a full load, and the day had gone smoothly.


    The production team announced that after dinner, they would reveal which family had earned the most, and based on the value of the goods and money earned, each dad and their child would be assigned rooms of different levels.


    After everyone gathered back at the lodging, they shared their results and started preparing dinner together.


    Jiang Chun suggested making hot pot for dinner¡ªsimple and convenient, with multiple soup bases.


    After a busy afternoon, everyone was tired, so dinner was quite enjoyable.


    Once the dishes were cleared, the production team announced the winner of the day.


    Based on the market value of the items each person brought back, Shen Yujing¡¯s two chickens only ranked third, meaning they wouldn¡¯t get a good room.


    A flicker of disappointment crossed Shen Yujing¡¯s eyes, but it also ignited his competitive spirit.


    Tomorrow, he would work harder to ensure his daughter got the best room.


    But the next moment, the production team announced the final result¡ª


    ¡°Shen Yujing and Song Chaochao are in first place! Let¡¯s give them a round of applause!¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Song Chaochao clapped her hands happily, her face beaming with joy.


    Shen Yujing: ¡°¡­¡­?¡±


    Little Qi, with a hint of dissatisfaction, tugged at Cheng Chen and said, ¡°Dad! Tomorrow we¡¯ll get first place too!¡±


    Cheng Chen quickly reassured his son, ¡°Of course, Dad will work even harder tomorrow.¡±


    Jiang Qi remained quiet, as she wasn¡¯t particularly concerned about winning or losing.


    Jerry stood nearby, clapping enthusiastically, clearly happy for Song Chaochao.


    Meng Shang gave his son a curious look, surprised that he would be so affected by someone else¡¯s success.


    But then he remembered how, when he got off work, he saw the two little kids waiting for him on a bench by the entrance. The sight had made him smile without realizing it.


    Looking at Song Chaochao now, Meng Shang found the well-behaved little girl particularly endearing. No wonder his usually reserved son had warmed up to her so quickly.


    Meanwhile, Shen Yujing was still confused. He couldn¡¯t understand how his family had ended up in first place.


    When he voiced his doubts, the production team kindly explained by showing him a video of Song Chaochao and Jerry selling the dolls. They announced, ¡°Chaochao and Jerry sold dolls and earned a total of five hundred yuan. Based on their contributions, Chaochao gets three hundred yuan, and Jerry gets two hundred. Adding this to your earnings, you¡¯re now in first place.¡±


    The audience had mostly guessed the reason, but they were still amused by Shen Yujing¡¯s bewildered expression.


    ¡¾Hahahaha Shen Yujing¡¯s face is like: Who am I? Where am I? What¡¯s happening?¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing is genuinely questioning his life right now hahahaha¡¿ Sear?h the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡¾It¡¯s all because our Chaochao is too capable, leaving Dad with no role to play hahahaha¡¿


    ¡¾Shen Yujing, just sit back and let Chaochao carry you!¡¿


    ¡¾Shen¡¤Forced to live off his daughter¡¯s success¡¤Yu¡¤Helpless¡¤Jing¡¿


    With the kids¡¯ permission, this ¡°windfall¡± would serve as the shared activity fund for the four families over the next few days.


    This meant they wouldn¡¯t need to worry about earning money anymore.


    Usually, variety shows try to make tasks challenging to keep things interesting, but Song Chaochao had found a clever way to bypass the rules and complete the task effortlessly. It was truly unpredictable.


    Shen Yujing proudly held his daughter¡¯s hand and headed upstairs, moving into the largest room under the envious gazes of the others.


    The room was furnished with two incredibly soft and comfortable beds, a sofa, a TV, a fridge, and a private bathroom¡ªeverything one could need. The entire room was beautifully decorated, truly befitting the title of the best room.


    In the corner, a row of suitcases was neatly arranged, all packed by Song Yi earlier.


    Before going to sleep, there was one last thing to do: make a phone call. The show''s production team had allotted each family only ten minutes of call time, and each child was responsible for making the call, with the father not allowed to interfere in any way.


    So ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????when Little Qi called his kindergarten teacher, the live chat erupted in laughter.


    Upon hearing about this, Shen Yujing wasn¡¯t nervous because he knew his daughter wouldn¡¯t do something so silly. She would definitely call Song Yi.


    Sure enough, when Song Yi¡¯s voice came through the phone, Shen Yujing immediately stood up and walked behind Song Chaochao, waving frantically at the phone screen.


    Song Chaochao sweetly called out, ¡°Mommy, I miss you so much.¡±


    Shen Yujing chimed in, ¡°Honey, I miss you too!¡±


    Song Yi laughed at the father-daughter duo and asked through the screen, ¡°How was your day? Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°Not tired,¡± Shen Yujing shook his head, smiling. ¡°You know I¡¯m good at making chicken soup.¡±


    Song Yi nodded seriously and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re not tired. After all, it¡¯s Chaochao who earned the money.¡±


    Song Chaochao burst into laughter, while Shen Yujing played along, putting on an exaggerated look of embarrassment.


    The live chat found this scene heartwarming.


    [You can really tell that Shen Yujing¡¯s family is so harmonious.]


    [They¡¯re laughing, and he¡¯s playing along. It¡¯s so sweet!]


    [The hardworking big dog and little kitten are now acting spoiled for their mistress! Couple goals!]


    [Off-topic, but can we dream of a reality show with Song Yi and Shen Yujing as a couple?]


    Song Yi reminded them of a few things to take care of, and when the call reached the seven-minute mark, Song Chaochao said, ¡°I understand, Mommy. Goodbye!¡±


    Unaware of the exact time limit, Song Yi waved goodbye, thinking the time was up.


    Shen Yujing was momentarily stunned, not having had the chance to tell his daughter that there was still time left. Before he could react, Song Chaochao dialed another number.


    Seeing the name ¡°Jiang Yiheng¡± flash on the screen, Shen Yujing rolled his eyes.


    It turned out Song Chaochao hadn¡¯t misjudged the time¡ªshe had saved some of it to call Jiang Yiheng.


    The call was quickly answered.


    A slightly hoarse male voice, tinged with exhaustion, asked, ¡°Shen Yujing, what¡¯s the matter at this hour?¡±


    Song Chaochao held the phone to her mouth and called out in her adorable voice, ¡°Uncle Jiang!¡±


    There was a pause on the other end, and then the voice softened considerably. ¡°Chaochao? What¡¯s up so late?¡±


    Though the words were similar, the tone was worlds apart.


    Song Chaochao grinned, her eyes crinkling, and said, ¡°Daddy and I are out playing. We¡¯ll be back in a couple of days.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng replied, ¡°I know. I¡¯m watching your show.¡±


    Song Chaochao bit her finger, puzzled. ¡°How do you know, Uncle Jiang? What¡¯s a show?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng explained, ¡°Your dad told me. A show means you¡¯ll appear on TV.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Song Chaochao nodded, not fully understanding but not dwelling on it. Instead, she happily shared what had happened that day.


    When the time was up, the staff reluctantly stepped in to remind her. Song Chaochao held the phone, pouting with a pleading look on her face¡ªshe still had more to say to Uncle Jiang.


    Jiang Yiheng, clearly trying to console her, said, ¡°Be good, Chaochao. Hang up now, and I¡¯ll come see you when you¡¯re back, okay?¡±


    Only then did Song Chaochao agree, saying goodbye obediently before handing the phone back to the staff.


    Shen Yujing, who had been watching the whole time, looked utterly resigned.


    He should have known. Thankfully, the show had set a time limit for calls, not the number of calls. Otherwise, he feared his daughter would only call Jiang Yiheng.


    After washing up, Song Chaochao lay in bed, but she couldn¡¯t sleep because she missed her own bed.


    Shen Yujing also couldn¡¯t sleep¡ªhe missed his wife.


    Song Chaochao sat up, clutching her teddy bear, and called out, ¡°Daddy!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Yujing quickly turned on the bedside lamp and sat up to look at her.


    Song Chaochao said, ¡°I can¡¯t sleep. Tell me a story.¡±


    At home, if she couldn¡¯t sleep, either her mom or the nanny would tell her a story.


    ¡°A story, huh¡­¡±


    Shen Yujing scratched the back of his head, looking a bit troubled.


    But he couldn¡¯t bring himself to refuse his daughter¡¯s rare request. So he slipped on his slippers, pulled up a chair, and sat by her bed.


    The production team had been about to turn off the room¡¯s camera and end the live stream, but seeing this, they decided to keep it going.


    Shen Yujing racked his brain and finally said, ¡°How about I tell you the story of Cinderella?¡±


    Song Chaochao replied, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that one.¡±


    ¡°What about Hansel and Gretel?¡±


    Song Chaochao frowned. ¡°Heard that too.¡±


    Shen Yujing grew more anxious. He felt sure that any story he knew, his daughter had already heard.


    Thankfully, Song Chaochao gave him an out. ¡°I want to hear Snow White. Mommy said she¡¯d tell me when I get back.¡±


    Snow White? That was easy¡ªhe had it down pat!


    Not only had he heard it, but he¡¯d even acted in it!


    Confidently, Shen Yujing began to tell the story with great seriousness.


    ¡°Once upon a time, in a kingdom, a king and queen gave birth to a princess. She had skin as white as snow and hair as black as ebony. She was so beautiful that everyone called her Snow White.¡±


    ¡°But the queen fell ill and passed away not long after giving birth. The king married a new queen. This queen was very jealous, and when she learned that Snow White was more beautiful than her, she ordered a huntsman to kill her.¡±


    At this point, Song Chaochao gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, her face full of worry. ¡°What happened to Snow White?¡±


    The live chat found her reaction adorable.


    [This is the first time I¡¯ve seen a kid so engrossed in a story, hahaha!]


    [Chaochao is so mature and capable, but I just realized she¡¯s still a kid. If Shen Yujing said Snow White died, she might cry, hahaha!]


    [My niece cried for a whole day after hearing The Little Mermaid. I had to buy her a new Barbie to cheer her up.]


    [I¡¯m glad Snow White has a happy ending. I can¡¯t bear to see Chaochao cry!]


    Shen Yujing continued the story.


    ¡°The huntsman spared Snow White, and she wandered into the forest, where she met seven dwarfs and lived with them. But soon, the queen found out and decided to take matters into her own hands. She brought a poisoned apple and tricked Snow White into eating it.¡±


    ¡°Snow White stopped breathing, and the dwarfs, thinking she was dead, placed her in a glass coffin. But then, to their surprise, Snow White turned into a man.¡±


    ¡°Snow became a man because of the poisoned apple, but the queen was also cursed. Every night, she would cry tears of blood. When her tears and blood dried up, she would die! In the end, Snow White and the queen shared the apple, breaking the curse!¡±


    The live chat fell silent for a moment before erupting in confusion.


    [¡­What?]


    [This story sounds so weird, but I can¡¯t put my finger on why.]


    [Guys, wake up. Shen Yujing started making stuff up halfway through.]


    [At first glance, it seems fine, but when you think about it, it¡¯s just absurd.]


    [Hahaha, Shen Yujing, you never disappoint. I can¡¯t stop laughing!]


    Song Chaochao also found it strange. She asked, ¡°But Daddy, where¡¯s the prince?¡±


    Don¡¯t fairy tales always have princes? Shouldn¡¯t the ending always be the prince and princess living happily ever after?


    Shen Yujing was momentarily stunned, then casually made up a story: ¡°Later, the queen chose the most handsome prince and introduced him to Snow White, and they lived happily ever after.¡±


    Hearing the ending she wanted, Song Chaochao was finally satisfied. She lay back down and said, ¡°Daddy, I¡¯m sleepy. Goodnight.¡±


    After finishing the story, Shen Yujing also felt a sense of accomplishment. He leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead, saying, ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    The lights were turned off again, and they all had sweet dreams for the night.


    Early the next morning, while the children were still asleep, the dads were called up by the production team and given today¡¯s task¡ª


    To give Jerry a happy birthday.


    When he saw this task, Meng Shang was so moved that he teared up. With red eyes, he bowed to everyone to express his gratitude.


    The four dads gathered together and began to think about how to make Jerry¡¯s birthday special.


    Shen Yujing raised the key question: ¡°What exactly makes a birthday happy?¡±


    A staff member answered, ¡°If Jerry smiles happily, that¡¯s enough.¡±


    Make Jerry happy?


    Well, he¡¯s just a kid, so they¡¯d have to buy him his favorite gift.


    So Cheng Chen asked, ¡°What does Jerry usually like?¡±


    Meng Shang paused for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Aside from being afraid of small animals like cats and dogs, he¡¯s usually very quiet and well-behaved. He hardly ever cries and rarely causes any trouble for adults.¡±


    Shen Yujing suggested, ¡°Then let¡¯s get him an Ultraman. No boy would dislike that.¡±


    His proposal was also supported by Jiang Chun, so it was tentatively decided.


    The group of grown men couldn¡¯t think of anything particularly romantic or surprising. After discussing, they decided to make the dinner extra delicious tonight, buy Jerry a gift and a cake, and decorate the living room with some balloons and flowers. That should be enough.


    After breakfast, the children were taken to the youth interest center, where they each chose what they wanted to learn that day.


    Song Chaochao chose art, so she sat in her seat and listened attentively to the teacher¡¯s instructions.


    The art teacher also liked this obedient and adorable little girl and patiently taught her how to use watercolors, repeatedly reminding her not to put any of the materials in her mouth.


    Meanwhile, the four dads set off for the mall, armed with their entire budget of six hundred yuan to buy everything they needed for the day.


    First, they bought a two-hundred-yuan Ultraman, which was their biggest single expense of the day. The original price was three hundred yuan, but after all three dads except Meng Shang took turns bargaining, they managed to get it down to that price.


    The live chat at this moment raised a question¡ª


    [But the top left corner of the box clearly says the suggested retail price is 198¡­]


    [Store owner: That¡¯s a suggestion. I don¡¯t take their suggestions.]


    [I feel like all four of them just got scammed¡­]


    [Not only did they get scammed, but they also thought they got a good deal¡­]

 Chapter 118

    ¡¾Hahahaha this is exactly how dads shop¡¿¡¾Bargaining for nothing, hahahaha¡¿


    Of course, none of the four dads realized this, and they all happily walked away with their Ultraman toys.


    Next, they went to the mall to buy decorations like balloons, streamers, and party poppers, and then they ordered a small cake together. Overall, the process went smoothly.


    By noon, the kids were still at their extracurricular classes and hadn¡¯t returned yet. The dads went home, ate instant noodles for lunch, and then started cleaning and decorating the house.


    Meanwhile, at the cafeteria of the extracurricular classes.


    The four kids were led by their teachers to the same table and began their lunch.


    The cafeteria food was pretty good, at least better than what the dads could cook. Plus, after a morning of classes, the kids were hungry and happily digging in with their spoons.


    Until Little Qi snatched the cheese stick from Jerry¡¯s plate and popped it into his own mouth.


    Jerry froze, chopsticks in hand, and looked up at Little Qi with teary eyes, his face turning red.


    The teachers immediately sensed trouble and tried to comfort Jerry, saying, ¡°Jerry, don¡¯t cry. The teacher will get you a new cheese stick, okay?¡±


    Jerry shook his head, threw his spoon on the table, and pointed at Little Qi, his voice trembling with tears, ¡°No¡­ I want that one¡­¡±


    Despite the teacher¡¯s efforts to console him, Jerry couldn¡¯t stop crying.


    Realizing he had done something wrong, Little Qi quickly ran over and handed Jerry a new cheese stick, saying, ¡°Here, take this one. Please stop crying, okay?¡±


    Jerry shook his head again, crying even harder.


    Meanwhile, Jiang Qi, looking at Little Qi and then at Jerry, seemed to get caught up in the emotions and started wailing too.


    The scene quickly descended into chaos.


    The teachers were busy comforting Little Qi and Jiang Qi, while others tried to explain to Little Qi why his actions were wrong.


    The live chat also erupted in debate over the incident.


    ¡¾I¡¯m so annoyed with Little Qi. He¡¯s so rude and always causing trouble.¡¿


    ¡¾How is Little Qi rude? He¡¯s only a year older than Jerry, and he always apologizes when he does something wrong. Don¡¯t judge kids by adult standards, okay?¡¿


    ¡¾Jiang Qi is so adorable, hahaha. Even though she doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, she just starts crying along with everyone else.¡¿


    ¡¾This reminds me of my kindergarten days. All the kids were crying because they missed their parents, and even though I wasn¡¯t sad, I started crying too just because everyone else was.¡¿


    ¡¾Wait, look at Song Chaochao. She¡¯s just quietly eating her food, completely unaffected by the chaos around her.¡¿


    ¡¾Haha, Chaochao¡¯s only focus is on eating. The world¡¯s drama doesn¡¯t concern her.¡¿


    And indeed, that was the case.


    While Song Chaochao understood what was happening, she thought it was Little Qi¡¯s fault, and since the teachers were handling it, she didn¡¯t need to intervene. She just kept eating, not wanting to add to the teachers¡¯ workload.


    But even after Song Chaochao finished her meal, Jerry was still crying, his voice hoarse from sobbing, looking utterly pitiful.


    Song ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Chaochao wiped her mouth, picked up the untouched cheese stick next to her, and handed it to Jerry, saying, ¡°Here, you can have mine. Don¡¯t be sad anymore.¡±


    Jerry shook his head again, his voice choked with tears, ¡°You¡­ eat it.¡±


    At that moment, Song Chaochao noticed that the teachers had already brought all the cheese sticks to Jerry, but he was still crying.


    She realized that Jerry wasn¡¯t just crying over the cheese stick¡ªthere had to be another reason.


    With that thought, Song Chaochao hopped off her chair and walked over to Jerry, asking, ¡°Jerry, why are you really crying?¡±


    Jerry looked at Song Chaochao, his long lashes wet with tears, making him look even more pitiful.


    He spoke with a trembling voice, ¡°I¡­ I want my mom. She used to give me cheese sticks every day¡­ wuwu¡­¡±


    The live chat was filled with sympathy. Meng Shang and his wife had announced their divorce six months ago, and custody had gone to Meng Shang, who had only recently brought Jerry back to the country.


    ¡¾I¡¯ve been enjoying the show so much that I almost forgot about this.¡¿


    ¡¾Sigh¡­ adult issues always end up affecting the kids.¡¿


    ¡¾Seeing such a little kid cry like this makes me feel so sad too.¡¿


    ¡¾My parents divorced a long time ago, and I haven¡¯t seen my dad since elementary school.¡¿


    ¡¾Same here. My mom has a new family, and I only get to see her once a year during the holidays.¡¿


    ¡¾Only people from divorced families can truly understand this feeling.¡¿


    Many viewers were reminded of their own experiences, but Song Chaochao just looked at Jerry and continued, ¡°She gave you cheese sticks? And then what?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡±


    Jerry¡¯s crying was interrupted by the question, and he thought for a moment before answering, ¡°Then she would pat my head and tell me I¡¯m a good boy.¡±


    Song Chaochao forced the cheese stick into Jerry¡¯s hand and then reached up to pat his head, saying, ¡°Jerry, you¡¯re a good boy. Stop crying, or you¡¯ll get ugly.¡±


    Jerry was stunned for a moment, looking at Song Chaochao, who was about the same height as him. He wiped his tears and actually stopped crying.


    ¡¾This is so heartwarming! Kids¡¯ friendships are the purest!¡¿


    ¡¾Chaochao is such a sweetheart!¡¿


    ¡¾Jerry is so well-behaved too! Kids are so easy to comfort.¡¿


    ¡¾Everything¡¯s perfect, except for Chaochao¡¯s half-hearted head pat, hahaha!¡¿


    After lunch, it was time for the kids¡¯ nap.


    The four were taken to two separate rooms. Jiang Qi and Song Chaochao were in one, while Little Qi and Jerry were in the other.


    Song Chaochao lay down on the bed, and just as the teacher was about to close the door and leave, she sat up again.


    The little girl stood on the bed, looking at the teacher with pleading eyes, and said, ¡°Miss, I want to make a phone call.¡±


    At that moment, all the staff were outside eating, so no one was there to stop Song Chaochao from making this unusual request.


    When Song Chaochao got the teacher¡¯s phone, she dialed a number she knew by heart.


    ¡°Uncle Jiang, I have a friend named Jerry¡ªnot our Uncle Jerry, but a little boy my age.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his birthday today, and I heard my dad say they want to make him happy. I want to make him happy too.¡±


    ¡­


    When the camera returned to the house.


    The cake had been placed in the fridge, and the dads had decorated the living room with balloons and other decorations, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.


    Despite a few mishaps like popping balloons and tripping over decorations, the final result was quite nice.


    After finishing the decorations, the dads went back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.


    Shen Yujing made a braised chicken that looked, smelled, and tasted amazing, no less impressive than the stew from the day before.


    As for the other dishes¡­ well, they were edible.


    By 5 p.m., the kids were brought back by the show¡¯s car.


    Each of them had attended different extracurricular classes and couldn¡¯t wait to show their dads what they had learned.


    Little Qi had taken a calligraphy class and handed Cheng Chen a piece of paper, saying it was a birthday gift for his dad.


    When Cheng Chen opened it, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh. The paper had only one word written on it:


    ¡°Handsome.¡±


    The live chat exploded with laughter.


    ¡¾Hahahahaha, what a sincere compliment!¡¿


    ¡¾Cheng Chen: Thanks, son.¡¿


    ¡¾No need for this, Cheng Chen. We all know you¡¯re handsome.¡¿


    Jerry, on the other hand, presented a small cup he had made in his pottery class. Though the teacher had helped him quite a bit, it was the first birthday gift he had ever given Meng Shang, and Meng Shang was deeply moved.


    As for Jiang Qi, she sang a song for her dad, but she forgot the lyrics after just a couple of lines. The usually quiet little girl was so upset she almost cried.


    Finally, there was Song Chaochao, who was holding a rolled-up piece of paper.


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "You also went to learn calligraphy? Let me guess, does it say ''the most handsome'' on it?"


    Laughter erupted around him, and the barrage of comments followed suit.


    ¡¾Hahaha, Shen Yujing, are you being narcissistic or what?¡¿


    ¡¾Cheng Chen: Who dares to challenge me?¡¿


    ¡¾But I agree! Shen Yujing is indeed the most handsome!¡¿


    ¡¾The person above +1, it would be a lifelong regret if Shen Yujing doesn''t act in a Mary Sue idol drama.¡¿


    ¡¾His life itself is an idol drama, no need to watch him act¡ªjust see how he lives!¡¿


    ¡¾Hahaha, Song Chaochao''s expression looks so done with Shen Yujing.¡¿


    Amid the laughter, Song Chaochao unfolded the paper in her hand, revealing her drawing from the day.


    Shen Yujing held the drawing, and the camera zoomed in on his face, capturing his complex expression.


    Viewers began speculating about Shen Yujing''s thoughts.


    ¡¾I remember Chaochao mentioned she wanted to draw a family portrait. Can''t wait to see it!¡¿


    ¡¾Chaochao is so smart; her drawing must be beautiful too!¡¿


    ¡¾Is Shen Yujing tearing up from being moved?¡¿


    ¡¾Well, receiving a gift from your daughter, who wouldn''t be touched?¡¿


    ¡¾Ugh! Shen Yujing, the grudge of stealing my wife and daughter will never be forgiven!¡¿


    Cheng Chen also asked curiously, "Shen Yujing, let us see it too."


    When Shen Yujing turned the drawing around, everyone fell silent.


    In the picture, a woman held a little girl''s hand, presumably Song Yi and Song Chaochao.


    At their feet lay a golden... something. It was hard to tell what species it was.


    Cheng Chen glanced at Shen Yujing''s golden hair and tentatively asked, "Is this... you?"


    Shen Yujing shook his head expressionlessly.


    Shen Yujing: "We have a golden retriever at home."


    That thing clearly wasn''t human, with its limbs so close together!


    "Pfft¡ª"


    Jiang Chun couldn''t hold back her laughter and, after meeting Shen Yujing''s resentful gaze, quickly covered her mouth, saying, "Sorry... hahaha, I can''t help it!"


    The others burst into laughter as well.


    Shen Yujing looked seriously at Song Chaochao and asked, "Then where''s Dad?"


    Song Chaochao pouted and shouted, "Bad Dad!"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He hadn''t even scolded her yet, so why was she upset?


    Meng Shang picked up the drawing again, examined it carefully, and said, "It looks like this is you."


    Song Chaochao nodded in agreement.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He found it hard to believe and took another look at the drawing, still unable to make sense of it.


    Shen Yujing asked, "Can you explain to me how this is supposed to be a person?"


    Song Chaochao pointed at the drawing and said seriously, "You''re sitting on the sofa, lowering your head to massage Mom''s legs."


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Laughter erupted once more.


    The cameraman gave the drawing a close-up, satisfying the viewers'' curiosity.


    ¡¾Hahaha, Shen Yujing: I don''t get it.¡¿


    ¡¾Chaochao''s drawing skills are... well, not great. Haha, even geniuses aren''t good at everything!¡¿


    ¡¾True, I''m with Shen Yujing on this one. That golden thing doesn''t look very human.¡¿


    ¡¾Song Chaochao: Hmph, QAQ!¡¿


    Since Song Chaochao insisted it was him, Shen Yujing looked again and finally managed to vaguely recognize it as... maybe... possibly... a person.


    Shen Yujing immediately apologized to Song Chaochao and promised to frame the drawing in the living room once they got home, finally earning back his daughter''s smile.


    The children played for a while longer, and before they knew it, it was 6:30 PM¡ªtime for dinner.


    The TV was still playing *Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf*, and the kids were called to the dining table.


    After dinner, the cake was brought out amidst Little Qi''s excited screams and the applause of Song Chaochao and Jiang Qi.


    They all put a birthday hat on Jerry and sang "Happy Birthday," creating a heartwarming scene.


    Finally, Jerry closed his eyes, blew out the candles, and everyone asked him what he wished for.


    Jerry blinked at Meng Shang and said, "I want Dad and Mom."


    Meng Shang''s smile faltered for a second before he patted his son''s head and said, "Mom and Dad will always love you."


    By 8 PM, the children had all gone to bed.


    What Shen Yujing didn''t understand was why his daughter had repeatedly reminded him to wake her up at 11 PM.


    Though puzzled, Shen Yujing respected his daughter''s wishes and agreed.


    At 11 PM in the living room.


    All the families had gone to bed, leaving only Shen Yujing and Song Chaochao sitting in the living room.


    Shen Yujing asked curiously, "Chaochao, what are we doing?"


    Song Chaochao shook her head, her little face serious.


    The live stream viewers chimed in again.


    ¡¾Hahaha, it''s Shen Yujing and his daughter again.¡¿


    ¡¾Why do you two never sleep at night?¡¿


    ¡¾True, this live stream always ends up focusing on Shen Yujing and Song Chaochao.¡¿


    Song Chaochao looked at Shen Yujing and said, "Dad, let''s wait a little longer. If the auntie comes, we need to open the door for her."


    "Auntie?" Shen Yujing asked, confused. "What auntie?"


    Song Chaochao thought for a moment and replied, "A very beautiful auntie."


    Shen Yujing: "...?"


    That had even less to do with him.


    Shen Yujing was even more bewildered, but seeing his daughter struggling to keep her eyes open yet determined to stay awake, he felt both amused and touched. He agreed to wait.


    Shen Yujing said, "Then close your eyes and rest for a bit, Chaochao. I''ll wake you up when the auntie arrives, okay?"


    Song Chaochao nodded obediently, sitting next to Shen Yujing, and soon her little head drooped again.


    Shen Yujing adjusted her into a comfortable sleeping position, covered her with a blanket, and leaned back on the sofa, his own eyelids growing heavy.


    Though exhausted, Shen Yujing remembered his daughter''s task and dared not fall asleep, glancing at the door every few minutes.


    By 12:30 AM.


    He thought the auntie Song Chaochao mentioned probably wasn''t coming, or perhaps it was just something someone had said that the child took seriously.


    Shen Yujing rubbed his eyes and was about to carry Song Chaochao upstairs when he suddenly heard a knock at the door.


    Shen Yujing walked over, puzzled, and frowned when he opened the door to see a woman with brown curly hair and a striking figure.


    Shen Yujing asked, "Who are you?"


    The woman, though of Western appearance, spoke fluent Chinese. "Hello, I''m Jerry''s mom. Mr. Jiang Yiheng contacted me. May I come in?"


    Shen Yujing was stunned, realizing this was the person his daughter had been waiting for.


    The live stream viewers were equally shocked.


    ¡¾!!! Jerry''s mom?¡¿


    ¡¾The best birthday surprise for Jerry!¡¿


    ¡¾Aww, he cried earlier because he missed his mom, and now he gets to see her tonight!¡¿


    ¡¾Who''s Jiang Yiheng? The name sounds familiar. What''s his connection?¡¿


    ¡¾He''s Shen Yujing''s friend, right? I remember him as the deputy chief physician of the oncology department at Capital Provincial Hospital. Shen Yujing once video-called him during a variety show. He''s super handsome!!!¡¿


    ¡¾Not just handsome! As a nurse at Capital Provincial Hospital, I have to say Dr. Jiang is a rare genius! He joined our hospital right after his Ph.D.¡¿


    ¡¾It must have been Chaochao who contacted him, right? She''s so thoughtful! She knew exactly what Jerry wanted most.¡¿


    ¡¾Adults have to consider many things, but for a child, the best birthday gift is letting Jerry see the person he misses most.¡¿


    At that moment, Song Chaochao was awakened by the noise and mumbled sleepily, "Dad..."


    "Please, come in," Shen Yujing said, stepping aside.


    As the woman entered, Song Chaochao''s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Are you Jerry''s mom?"


    "Yes," the woman replied with a smile. "And you must be the little girl Mr. Jiang mentioned¡ªChaochao, right?"


    "Mm-hmm," Song Chaochao nodded vigorously, then took the woman''s hand and said, "I''ll take you to Jerry!"


    Watching the scene, Shen Yujing felt both helpless and moved, following behind them.


    As they climbed the stairs, the woman kept asking Song Chaochao about Jerry¡ªwhat he liked to eat recently, if he had been unhappy lately, and how Meng Shang treated him. Song Chaochao answered each question earnestly.


    They finally stopped outside Meng Shang and Jerry''s room.


    The woman''s smile faded, and for a moment, her expression stiffened.


    Song Chaochao asked, "Auntie, why didn¡¯t you knock?"


    "I was a little scared," the woman pursed her lips and admitted her thoughts honestly.


    It had been several months since she last saw her son, and she missed him dearly. However, she wasn¡¯t sure how things would unfold when they finally met.


    There was also her ex-husband. Although their separation hadn¡¯t been particularly messy, it was still unexpected to see him again after all this time.


    Her decision to come here had been impulsive. When she heard that her son had cried because he missed her, she couldn¡¯t hold back any longer.


    Song Chaochao tilted her head curiously. "Auntie, you¡¯re so beautiful. What is there to be scared of?"


    Though the two things weren¡¯t directly related, the comment effectively eased the woman¡¯s tension.


    She smiled and patted Song Chaochao¡¯s head. "Thank you, little one."


    With that, she mustered her courage and knocked on the door.


    When Meng Shang opened the door and saw his ex-wife standing there, he froze for a moment before realizing what was happening. "You¡¯re here too," he said.


    He turned and walked back into the house, calling out, "Jerry, get up and see who¡¯s here!"


    The little boy, who had been woken from his nap, was initially grumpy. But the moment he saw the mother he had been longing for, his usually reserved demeanor completely transformed.


    He let out an excited shout and rushed forward, throwing himself into the woman¡¯s arms. "Mom!"


    "Good boy," the woman said as she picked Jerry up. "Mom was half an hour late and missed your birthday. Are you mad at me?"


    "No," Jerry shook his head vigorously, then shyly planted a kiss on his mother¡¯s cheek. "I¡¯m just so happy you¡¯re here!"


    The scene moved even the viewers in the comments section.


    ¡¾This is so heartwarming. Sure, it¡¯s a clich¨¦ happy ending, but I¡¯m a sucker for it.¡¿


    ¡¾Same here. Even in 2022, I still cry over scenes like this.¡¿


    ¡¾Happy birthday to our dear Jerry! May you always be happy!¡¿


    ¡¾Let¡¯s not forget to praise Song Chaochao too. Without her, we wouldn¡¯t have seen this touching moment!¡¿


    ¡¾Does anyone else feel like Song Chaochao treats Jerry differently compared to Little Qi and Jiang Qi? Why is that?¡¿


    ¡¾Stop talking, I¡¯m not human¡ªI just want to ship them!¡¿


    ¡­¡­


    This question also puzzled Shen Yujing.


    So, he asked his daughter, "Between Jerry, Little Qi, and Jiang Qi, do you like Jerry the most?"


    Song Chaochao nodded.


    Shen Yujing pressed further, "Why is that?"


    Song Chaochao¡¯s eyes curved into a smile. "Because of Uncle."


    Both were named Jerry, so she felt a special connection. S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Shen Yujing facepalmed. He hadn¡¯t expected that answer.


    But... he could understand.


    A long time later.


    A handsome boy with brown curls and blue eyes sat in the sunlight, a pen in his hand.


    On the paper in front of him, he carefully wrote three characters¡ª


    Meng Zhaomu.


    It was his Chinese name, chosen because of her.

 Chapter 119

    Jiang Yiheng, the eternal top student at Saint Slee, was the undisputed golden child that every parent envied.For him, studying was just a habitual act, an ordinary task that he simply excelled at.


    That was until Song Yi appeared and snatched away his top spot, finally making him take notice of this girl.


    She wasn¡¯t what he had imagined¡ªnot the typical obedient, studious type. Instead, she was often at the center of gossip and rumors.


    Someone like her, achieving first place must have been a fluke, right?


    That¡¯s what Jiang Yiheng thought at the time, and his attitude toward her was somewhat dismissive.


    Or perhaps it was an unconscious fear, as her presence disrupted the balance he had always known, marking the beginning of an unforeseen change.


    Within days of arriving at the school, Song Yi had already become entangled with Quan Le, Shen Yujing, and Murong Huan to varying degrees.


    The incident where she hit Quan Le with a basketball spread like wildfire, and Quan Le was notoriously averse to top students.


    Perhaps out of some sense of sympathy, Jiang Yiheng took the initiative to approach Song Yi, offering what he thought was well-meaning advice.


    If she wanted to graduate peacefully, it would be best to keep a low profile.


    But when faced with her sarcastic retort, Jiang Yiheng experienced self-doubt for the first time in his life, even feeling a hint of shame.


    What he had always taken for granted and adhered to seemed inherently flawed.


    He thought he wasn¡¯t that kind of person, but it seemed he had always acted that way.


    Fortunately, things didn¡¯t spiral out of control. After the second monthly exam, he reclaimed his top spot, while Song Yi¡¯s ranking slipped, and they were no longer desk mates.


    At that point, he felt relieved. Her appearance was just a fleeting anomaly, and they would no longer have any interaction.


    Whether in academics or life¡­


    Well, except for the grade trip.


    That day, she was incredibly noisy, saying all sorts of strange things that gave Jiang Yiheng a headache.


    In the end, Song Yi even accused him of having smelly feet. He looked up, annoyed, but when he met her sparkling, mischievous eyes, he found himself inexplicably unwilling to argue.


    He could tell she was doing it on purpose, even gloating with Hang Feng about having provoked him.


    He didn¡¯t understand what she was trying to achieve, but if he got angry, it would only play into her hands.


    When they arrived at their destination, the games began.


    In the first hiking competition, she unexpectedly came in second, becoming his dance partner.


    It was clearly an accident, as she was visibly disappointed when she found out she couldn¡¯t switch partners¡ªshe didn¡¯t want to dance with him.


    It seemed like fate kept forcing them together in ways neither of them wanted.


    When it came to team assignments, Jiang Yiheng, having few friends, was prepared to be paired with her again.


    Some things just became habits.


    But this time was different. In the student council group chat, someone posted a photo of Song Yi¡¯s team¡ªthey already had five members. They hadn¡¯t chosen him; instead, they went to Hang Feng.


    At that moment, a student council member approached Jiang Yiheng nervously, asking, ¡°President, can we be on your team?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng closed his phone and nodded calmly.


    During that competition, Jiang Yiheng wanted to win.


    Perhaps unconsciously, he wanted to prove to those people that not choosing him was a mistake.


    But in the end, the outcome was far from ideal¡ªit was perhaps the most humiliating moment of Jiang Yiheng¡¯s life.


    He fainted.


    When he woke up in the hospital, he regretted joining the grade trip.


    At midnight, just as he thought the exhausting day was finally over, he was startled awake by what could only be described as a terrifying rendition of ¡°Happy Birthday.¡±


    Seeing a white bun with a red candle stuck in it, his only wish was¡ª


    Silence.


    He wanted a quiet life, for these people to disappear from his sight.


    But to say he felt no warmth at all would be a lie.


    It was the first time so many people had sung ¡°Happy Birthday¡± to him. Though the scene wasn¡¯t exactly picturesque, it was still special.


    Jiang Yiheng thought maybe he didn¡¯t dislike them as much as he thought.


    During that time, he watched as many things happened among them, but he no longer got involved.


    That was until the school festival approached, and he had to rehearse a dance with Song Yi.


    He kept stepping on her feet, and she winced in pain, her face pale.


    Jiang Yiheng didn¡¯t know why, but all his fears, weaknesses, and vulnerabilities were laid bare before Song Yi, yet he didn¡¯t feel the need to hide them from her.


    Perhaps it was a sense of resignation. With her, he didn¡¯t want to pretend.


    He noticed something strange¡ªsince her arrival, everything in the world seemed the same, yet also completely different.


    Each of them had changed because of her, as if breaking free from a set of predetermined routines and becoming real, living individuals. Sear?h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    If he had to explain it scientifically¡­ well, there was no explanation. So, he attributed it all to her. No one could dislike her.


    That vibrant girl had shattered everyone¡¯s rigid, monotonous lives.


    Jiang Yiheng was too intelligent not to realize Song Yi¡¯s uniqueness early on, and he knew very well that she and he were not on the same path.


    In Jiang Yiheng¡¯s heart, nothing was more important than his mother. His life plan didn¡¯t include a romantic partner, not even her.


    So, very early on, he had made his decision¡ªto let her go.


    If asked if he regretted it, maybe he did, but it didn¡¯t matter anymore.


    If he couldn¡¯t hold onto or protect what he gained, his rationality would always choose to never have it in the first place.


    His youthful affection was restrained, too controlled.


    This group of people had given him a sense of friendship he had never experienced before, and that was enough.


    Perhaps everyone felt the same, and the delicate balance remained unbroken.


    The wish he wrote on the sky lantern that summer might have been his true feelings, or perhaps just self-deception.


    Years later, he became the person he had always aspired to be¡ªa doctor dedicated to saving lives, immersed in research.


    People tried to introduce him to suitable women, concerned about his personal life. Knowing their intentions were kind, he simply declined with a smile.


    In this life, his true goal remained unfulfilled¡ªhe hadn¡¯t yet developed a treatment for his mother¡¯s illness.


    The year Shen Yujing and Song Yi got married, he genuinely wished them happiness.


    But that night, he returned alone to his research lab.


    Surrounded by cold instruments and various specimens, he spent the night in solitude.


    Turns out, he still cared a little.


    But that tiny bit of affection marked the end, just like his youth.


    Later, Shen Yujing and Song Yi had a beautiful daughter.


    She was an adorable child. At her first birthday celebration, she crawled around the table and eventually picked up the gift he had brought¡ªan old-fashioned longevity lock.


    Everyone joked that Chaochao must really like Jiang Yiheng, but¡ª


    That didn¡¯t give Shen Yujing and Song Yi the right to dump their daughter on him.


    Whether it was a minor cold or a sneeze, they¡¯d call him for advice. Because of Song Chaochao, Jiang Yiheng made his first friend in years¡ªa pediatrician at his hospital.


    When Shen Yujing first showed up at his doorstep with a stroller, Jiang Yiheng felt like his life had become absurdly surreal.


    Gripping the doorframe, he refused to let them in and asked bluntly, ¡°Why?¡±


    Shen Yujing looked at him seriously and said, ¡°We have to respect the child¡¯s wishes.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng: ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°Song Yi and I are going on a trip. We were going to leave Chaochao with the nanny, but she kept crying¡­¡±


    Jiang Yiheng cut him off: ¡°Get to the point.¡±


    ¡°So we showed her photos of all our friends one by one. She only stopped crying when she saw you and heard your name.¡±


    Jiang ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Yiheng: ¡°¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Shen Yujing was messing with him.


    But the moment he looked down and saw the child in the stroller smiling at him, Jiang Yiheng let go of his grip.


    He had never imagined in his life that he would end up taking care of a child, let alone the child of his romantic rival from his youth.


    Jiang Yiheng, expressionless, searched for a nanny tutorial video because he had tried it before¡ªif anyone other than him appeared in the house, the child would indeed start crying.


    But as long as he was around, she would stay quiet and calm.


    Even when he was working, leaving Song Chaochao in the crib beside him, she would obediently stay there, clutching her toy, only poking her head out to call him when she was hungry: "Un... Uncle, food."


    For a child her age, her vocabulary was quite extensive, perhaps inherited from Shen Yujing''s talkative nature, but she wasn''t as noisy as her father.


    Jiang Yiheng had always thought he was the type of person who disliked children¡ªuntil he met Song Chaochao.


    The little one was well-behaved and clingy to him. As long as he was within her line of sight, she wouldn¡¯t cry or fuss.


    Jiang Yiheng took care of her so well that even Shen Yujing grew accustomed to it, often dropping the child off at Jiang Yiheng''s place whenever something came up.


    Eventually, Jiang Yiheng got used to it too. Song Chaochao was like a half-daughter to him.


    Because of this, Jiang Yiheng even began to experience the kind of worries only a father should have.


    Seeing Quan Le''s mischievous son and recalling how Quan Le always brought up the idea of an "arranged marriage" whenever they met, Jiang Yiheng turned to Shen Yujing during a dinner and asked, "Are you really going to pair Chaochao with that Quan Yi kid?"


    Shen Yujing sneered and said, "In his dreams! If that Quan Yi kid dares to lay a finger on my daughter, I''ll make sure his whole family learns how to write the character ''Shen''!"


    Later, Shen Yujing indeed made good on his word.


    When Song Chaochao turned seventeen, one of the Shen family''s cats went missing, so Shen Yujing checked the home surveillance footage.


    As luck would have it, he happened to see the moment when Quan Yi, the kid from the Quan family, pinned his precious daughter on the sofa and kissed her. Shen Yujing completely lost his temper, grabbed a broom from behind him, and stormed out.


    "Wait."


    Jiang Yiheng''s voice, still relatively calm, rang out.


    Shen Yujing, furious, shouted, "Don''t try to stop me, or I''ll take you down with me today!"


    Jiang Yiheng, expressionless, picked up another mop and said, "What I meant was, wait for me. I''m coming with you."


    Well, after all the effort they had put into protecting their precious cabbage, only to have it trampled by someone else''s pig, the two old fathers were indeed quite devastated.


    Quan Yi, you''re in danger.

 Chapter 120

    Everyone knew that Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng were childhood sweethearts. They had been engaged since they were young, and their relationship was widely recognized as legitimate.


    But no one knew that Quan Le had also known Murong Huan for a long time.


    Back then, Murong Huan had pink hair, always the most eye-catching person in any crowd. Yet, despite her striking appearance, she was quiet and well-behaved, a stark contrast to her flamboyant hair color.


    At that time, Quan Le had no interest in this little girl. She looked so delicate and pure, and he thought she might burst into tears at the slightest touch. He didn¡¯t want to get involved with someone like that.


    Later, when he heard her name again, it was during middle school.


    By then, Murong Huan¡¯s personality had completely changed. It was said that she had a terrible temper and would often stir up trouble at school.


    In fact, there was even a ranking of the ¡°Three Troublemakers¡± at school. Shen Yujing was undeniably in first place, followed closely by Murong Huan and Quan Le.


    Quan Le found it amusing that he was ranked below Murong Huan.


    He didn¡¯t care enough to argue with the rankings, but he couldn¡¯t help but notice her presence again.


    Compared to her previous overly sweet and docile demeanor, she now seemed more genuine and lively.


    And she was truly beautiful¡ªthe most stunning person he had ever seen in real life, like a life-sized Barbie doll from his cousin¡¯s collection.


    So, after his cousin proudly showed off her collection of dolls, Quan Le shamelessly took one with pink hair, the one that looked the most like Murong Huan, before leaving.


    His cousin cried loudly behind him, while his father scolded him and awkwardly apologized to his uncle.


    But Quan Le didn¡¯t care. He was already in the backseat of the car, playing with the doll. S§×arch* The N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The doll¡¯s eyes were made of glass, sparkling and clear.


    He couldn¡¯t resist tugging at the doll¡¯s pink hair, which felt surprisingly soft.


    The next day, when he saw Murong Huan at school, Quan Le narrowed his eyes slightly.


    In front of everyone, he reached out and tugged at her hair.


    Amid Murong Huan¡¯s furious shouts, Quan Le ran away as fast as he could, fearing for his life if he stayed even a second longer.


    After escaping, he leaned against a wall and looked down at his fingertips.


    The smooth texture he had just felt was even more pleasant than the doll¡¯s hair.


    Of course, Murong Huan put a bounty on him for a week at school, and Quan Le didn¡¯t dare to do something like that again.


    Soon, Murong Huan forgot about the incident. Her temper was quick to flare up but just as quick to fade. Besides, rather than seeking revenge on Quan Le, she was more focused on Jiang Yiheng.


    Watching the girl trail behind Jiang Yiheng with a homemade lunchbox, Quan Le noticed how her once proud and domineering expression had been replaced by cautious attempts to please.


    Quan Le bit down on the straw of his cola, a look of boredom crossing his face.


    She wasn¡¯t so special after all.


    And besides, she liked Jiang Yiheng.


    Everyone knew that Murong Huan was Jiang Yiheng¡¯s fianc¨¦e.


    Quan Le was a person who knew his limits, so he restrained himself and didn¡¯t look at Murong Huan again.


    He had no interest in puppy love.


    That was until high school.


    Somehow, Murong Huan¡¯s life no longer revolved solely around Jiang Yiheng. She began to make friends, and the two of them crossed paths again.


    Many people couldn¡¯t understand it. They said that two tigers couldn¡¯t share the same mountain, but Murong Huan, Quan Le, and Shen Yujing¡ªthree tigers¡ªgot along surprisingly well.


    But Quan Le knew the reason. He was smart, after all. If he weren¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay in Class A without studying much.


    Murong Huan really liked a girl named Song Yi, and Shen Yujing clearly treated her differently too. Song Yi was the glue that held their group together.


    As for Quan Le himself¡­ well, he was in a good mood lately, so he didn¡¯t mind joining in on the fun.


    Quan Le¡¯s choice wasn¡¯t wrong. Spending time with these people brought some joy to his otherwise dull senior year of high school, and he didn¡¯t dislike them.


    Then, everything changed.


    Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng called off their engagement.


    Quan Le didn¡¯t know the details, but that day after school, he saw Murong Huan walking out of the school building with red, teary eyes.


    He wouldn¡¯t admit that he had specifically asked for her location after hearing someone say she had been crying.


    He simply leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and chuckled lightly, asking, ¡°Who made our princess cry?¡±


    ¡°None of your business!¡± Murong Huan glared at him fiercely before storming off.


    Quan Le frowned. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just trying to care for you.¡±


    But Murong Huan ignored him and kept walking.


    Quan Le followed her, maintaining a distance that wasn¡¯t too close but wasn¡¯t too far either. He walked leisurely behind her, occasionally coughing to remind her of his presence.


    Finally, Murong Huan couldn¡¯t take it anymore. She turned around angrily and shouted, ¡°Are you crazy? Why are you following me?¡±


    Quan Le shrugged and pointed toward the gate, implying that he was just heading in the same direction.


    As if!


    Murong Huan could clearly see that he was following her on purpose. Her hand was still raised, pointing at him, but tears started falling again.


    ¡°You¡¯re insane¡­ sob¡­¡±


    She wanted to scold him, but her words were drowned out by her sobs.


    She was heartbroken because of Jiang Yiheng.


    The person she had loved for so many years had shattered her last bit of hope today.


    In her daze, she thought she heard a sigh.


    Quan Le stepped forward, placed a hand on her shoulder, and turned her toward the gate. Then, he wrapped his arm around her and led her outside.


    ¡°Sob¡­ let go of me¡­¡±


    Quan Le lightly tapped her head and said, ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t care about people seeing your ugly crying face, I¡¯ll let go now.¡±


    When he released her, Murong Huan suddenly grabbed his shoulder and buried her face in his chest.


    He looked down.


    Her fair cheeks were streaked with tears, her long lashes trembling as her eyes remained tightly shut. She looked utterly pitiful, a far cry from her usual proud and domineering self.


    He didn¡¯t like seeing her like this.


    In the end, Quan Le took off his jacket and draped it over her head, shielding her tear-streaked face, before wrapping his arm around her again.


    He heard himself say in a mocking tone, ¡°Keep your head down. You look so ugly when you cry.¡±


    Despite his words, his grip around her shoulder tightened slightly.


    Somewhere deep inside, a voice told Quan Le that an opportunity had arisen.


    But what kind of opportunity? He didn¡¯t know.


    *


    Quan Le took Murong Huan to the apartment he had bought off-campus.


    As soon as they entered and sat down on the sofa, Murong Huan pulled the jacket off her head and threw it at Quan Le¡¯s face before breaking into loud, unrestrained sobs.


    Rubbing his aching nose, Quan Le thought to himself, ¡°Just my luck.¡±


    He bent down, placed both hands on her shoulders, and said in an unusually serious tone, ¡°Hey, stop for a second and look at me.¡±


    Murong Huan raised her head, her eyes still red and swollen.


    Then, she yelled in frustration, ¡°Quan Le, are you out of your mind? How can I just stop crying like this?¡±


    She pushed his shoulders, trying to make him let go.


    The sudden movement caught Quan Le off guard. He was already leaning forward, so the push made him lose his balance.


    As he stumbled and tried to steady himself, his lips accidentally brushed against something warm and wet.


    He looked down and realized he had kissed her tear-stained cheek.


    The atmosphere instantly became awkward. Murong Huan¡¯s entire body froze, and she didn¡¯t dare to move.


    Stay calm, stay calm.


    Quan Le told himself that only by remaining completely composed could he survive this situation.


    He needed to take control before Murong Huan exploded.


    ¡°This was an accident.¡± Quan Le spoke while his hand still rested on the sofa behind Murong Huan, though his expression feigned calmness as he looked at her. He recited a line he had heard a few days ago while accompanying his cousin to watch a romantic drama¡ª


    ¡°But if you keep crying, I might really kiss you.¡±


    The cringe factor was off the charts.


    So much so that Murong Huan took a deep breath and said, ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stop crying. Now get up!¡±


    Quan Le looked down at Murong Huan for a few seconds, confirming that she had indeed stopped crying, before finally letting go and sitting down beside her.


    Forget it, it was just an accident, an accident, nothing more.


    Quan Le tried to hypnotize himself, then picked up a tissue and handed it to Murong Huan, maintaining his composed fa?ade as he said, ¡°Here, wipe your face.¡±


    Murong Huan didn¡¯t take the tissue. Instead, she suddenly grabbed Quan Le¡¯s left arm and pressed her face against it, smearing all her tears onto his white shirt.


    ¡°?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????You!¡±


    Quan Le¡¯s other hand, which had initially been raised to push her away, froze when he heard Murong Huan¡¯s muffled sobs again.


    In the end, his right hand gently landed on the girl¡¯s back, pulling her into his arms and patting her back to comfort her.


    He muttered in frustration, ¡°Didn¡¯t we agree you¡¯d stop crying? You¡¯re so unreliable.¡±


    In response, Murong Huan only cried louder.


    Whatever, whatever.


    Reasoning with Murong Huan was pointless because she never listened to reason.


    Quan Le reluctantly conceded, ¡°Fine, you can cry for five more minutes¡­ Hey, Murong Huan! Who said you could pull on my clothes? Don¡¯t wipe your tears on my chest! It¡¯s cold! So cold!¡±


    Despite his words, he held her even tighter in his arms, showing no intention of pushing her away.


    He rested his chin lightly on Murong Huan¡¯s forehead, feeling the tremors of her body as she cried. It made his heart ache for her.


    Quan Le really couldn¡¯t stand seeing Murong Huan cry. What he loved most was her unreasonable, headstrong self¡ªthat was the Murong Huan who felt most alive to him.


    After a long while, Quan Le sighed softly and said in a very low voice, ¡°Murong Huan, why don¡¯t you stop liking him?¡±


    Try liking me instead.


    But those words lingered on the tip of his tongue, unspoken for now.


    Because he wasn¡¯t ready yet.


    He didn¡¯t feel worthy.

 Chapter 121

    That day, Murong Huan cried for a long time, only stopping when the sky had turned completely dark.


    Looking at the mountain of tissues piled on the coffee table, Quan Le simply bent down and tidied them all into the trash bin, then stood up to pour Murong Huan a cup of hot water.


    Murong Huan held the cup in her left hand, while her right hand clutched the hem of Quan Le''s shirt, still pouting with frustration.


    Then Quan Le heard Murong Huan speak: "I''m hungry."


    Quan Le asked helplessly, "What do you want to eat? Should I order takeout?"


    Murong Huan replied, "Rice. I want to eat a lot of rice, and I also want fried chicken, chips, milk tea, and cake. I want to eat all the high-calorie foods."


    For Murong Huan, the past decade or so of her life had been spent meticulously maintaining her weight. Even if she occasionally indulged outside, she would always go back to strict dieting and exercise to keep her figure forever slender and beautiful.


    But now, she wanted to let loose and indulge just once.


    "Alright, alright," Quan Le nodded in agreement, one by one, and ordered everything Murong Huan had mentioned on the takeout app.


    When the food arrived, a pile of bags filled the table.


    Quan Le opened them one by one and placed them on the table, then looked at Murong Huan and said, "Let''s eat."


    Murong Huan sat at the table but stared at the food before her with a serious expression.


    Quan Le frowned, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "What''s wrong now, my lady? Did I miss something you wanted to eat?"


    "No," Murong Huan shook her head. "I just think I can''t finish all this."


    Quan Le: "..."


    Looking at the entire table full of food, it would be strange if she *could* finish it.


    But then Murong Huan looked at him and said, "Don''t waste it. You have to finish it all."


    "Got it," Quan Le agreed, then handed her a pair of chopsticks and said, "Hurry up and eat."


    Murong Huan lowered her head and started eating, but within two minutes, she was already complaining again. "Why did you put my favorite Kung Pao chicken so far away?"


    Quan Le stood up, intending to swap the Kung Pao chicken with the dish in front of Murong Huan, but she wasn''t happy about that either.


    Murong Huan: "I like this dish too!"


    In short, there wasn''t enough space in front of Murong Huan for all the dishes, but she wanted to eat everything. If she couldn''t reach something, she would get upset again.


    So in the end, Murong Huan was in charge of eating, while Quan Le had to sit on her right side and serve her, picking up dishes for her. If he was even slightly slow, she would get unhappy.


    What a headache.


    Quan Le thought this, but he still remembered to remind her, "Don''t eat too much. I ordered a lot of desserts too."


    "I know, I know. I have it under control."


    Murong Huan said this, but in the end, she still ate until she was stuffed. She lay on Quan Le''s sofa, holding a cup of milk tea, one hand resting on her stomach, and looked at the untouched pieces of cake in front of her with a reluctant expression.


    Quan Le immediately understood what she meant and helplessly picked up a bag to pack the untouched cakes for her. "Is this okay?"


    Only then did Murong Huan nod in satisfaction. She then pointed at a cheesecake she had only taken one bite of and said, "This one''s good too. Pack it for me as well."


    When Murong''s family driver arrived downstairs, Murong Huan naturally left with a bag of cakes.


    As she walked out the door, she turned back to look at Quan Le, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.


    Quan Le asked, "Do you want me to walk you down?"


    "No," Murong Huan refused without thinking. But just as the elevator doors were closing, she softly added, "Thank you."


    When the elevator reached the first floor, Murong Huan''s phone buzzed in her coat pocket.


    She took it out and saw a message.


    ¡¾Quan Le¡¿: I heard you. You should thank me.


    Murong Huan: "...?"


    Murong Huan found Quan Le utterly ridiculous and decided to take back any gratitude she had felt for him that day.


    However, what she didn''t know was that as she walked out of the neighborhood, Quan Le stood on his balcony, watching her retreating figure until she completely disappeared from sight.


    The young man lowered his eyelashes. Now that he was alone, there was no need to hide anything.


    Seeing the girl he liked so heartbroken over another boy made him feel miserable too.


    He could only hope that things between them were truly over.


    Quan Le thought his luck wasn''t too bad, because the heavens seemed to have heard his selfish wish.


    Murong Huan and Jiang Yiheng''s interactions became more and more ordinary, as if she had never liked him for so many years, and they were just ordinary friends.


    In the process, the relationship between all of them grew closer than before. They even started studying together.


    In the "Guardian Angel" game, the person Quan Le drew was Murong Huan.


    And as soon as the game started, Murong Huan was eager to find out who her guardian angel was. She seemed really determined to win.


    So Quan Le simply revealed himself. He started being gentle with Murong Huan and took care of her, though this didn''t include waking her up at 7 a.m. every day to exercise¡ªthat was just him being bored.


    Or perhaps he hadn''t yet realized that he just wanted to see her.


    Later, Murong Huan only gave him 60 points, but passing was good enough. Since it was her who gave him the score, he was still satisfied.


    Throughout the entire Guardian Angel game, Quan Le''s only regret was not figuring out who his own guardian angel was.


    But ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????of course, his eyes were only on Murong Huan. How could he have noticed anyone else?


    Later, things developed just as he had imagined. He and Murong Huan had many more interactions.


    He would eventually replace Jiang Yiheng in her heart. It was only a matter of time.


    Quan Le had always thought this way, until that night at the castle. Sear?h the nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He saw Murong Huan crying, and Jiang Yiheng comforted her in a way that only the two of them understood.


    At that moment, Quan Le suddenly felt a sense of crisis.


    He realized something cruel: no matter how long he stayed by Murong Huan''s side, no matter how much effort he put in, the past couldn''t be changed.


    She and Jiang Yiheng had genuinely shared over a decade of good times, and during those years, he had just been an insignificant bystander.


    That night, the moonlight shone on her, and her tears fell, carrying the same moonlight.


    He could only stand beside her, silent like a knight.


    Quietly watching, watching the prince comfort his princess.


    The scene was beautiful, but it had nothing to do with him. In the end, he was just an outsider.


    So what?


    If Murong Huan could come to like him in the future, that would naturally be the best outcome for him.


    If not, then... he would just be a friend by her side.


    It didn''t matter.


    But perhaps the heavens were kind, because in the end, he got his wish.


    During the summer vacation of their senior year, on a rainy night.


    Quan Le and Murong Huan had planned to watch a movie together, but they ended up trapped in a convenience store by a sudden downpour.


    To make matters worse, there were no umbrellas left in the store, so the two of them had to wait for their respective drivers to pick them up.


    The convenience store was empty except for the two of them, and the silence was almost awkward.


    Murong Huan still seemed a bit doubtful. She looked at Quan Le and asked, "You really, really didn''t choose S University because of me?"


    Quan Le took a sip of his drink before answering, "Really."


    Murong Huan let out a sigh of relief. Even though she had heard the answer before, she couldn''t help but double-check.


    "Just kidding."


    Quan Le smiled and said, "I chose it because I liked the program, but also because I like you."


    It was a bit of both.


    "You already said that yesterday," Murong Huan pursed her lips, then raised her chin again. "I don''t care. This is your own choice. Don''t blame me if you regret it later."


    Quan Le said, "I won''t regret it. The law program at Imperial University and S University really aren''t on the same level."


    Murong Huan paused, then angrily pinched Quan Le''s arm. "That''s not what I meant by regret!"


    Quan Le was stunned for a moment, then realized what Murong Huan meant.


    He turned to look at her, wanting to confirm. "You mean..."


    Before Quan Le could finish, his lips were met with a soft warmth.


    The girl''s lips carried the sweet scent of the peach gummies she had just eaten. She kissed him briefly, then quickly pulled away.


    She still held her chin high, maintaining an air of pride as she said, "Don¡¯t get too cocky just yet. What I mean is, I¡¯m giving you a chance, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m stuck on you."


    "I know."


    Quan Le reached out and took Murong Huan¡¯s hand, his voice low and teasing as he said with a mischievous grin, "Then how about another kiss?"


    Murong Huan swallowed nervously and retorted, "Why should I? Unless... you beg me!"


    The young man¡¯s voice was uncharacteristically gentle as he replied, "Please, my lady."

 Chapter 122

    It was the 49th year since the apocalypse descended.


    The three major safe zones had been established. Although humanity had not yet eradicated the zombies or resolved the crisis at its root, they had gained enough capability to ensure basic safety for their travels. Social order had largely stabilized, though the overall economic level had regressed by several decades compared to pre-apocalyptic times. Most of the superpowered individuals had joined one of the three safe zones, and ordinary people had also chosen to align themselves with these zones. Humanity had once again grown accustomed to communal living. Aside from occasional zombie attacks, life was relatively peaceful.


    Yet, on such an ordinary day, an event significant enough to be recorded in history occurred.


    In the northern part of the city, within the jurisdiction of Zone C, a zombie corpse was discovered. However, during the process of transporting it for disposal, the corpse reverted to its human form.


    Jiang ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Yiheng, the head of Zone C and the only S-rank healer-type superpowered individual in the apocalypse, conducted research and found that the corpse had transformed due to being contaminated with the blood of the person who had killed it. That person''s blood possessed a purifying ability, which had caused the zombie to revert to its human form. This ability was recorded as the "Spirit of Purification."


    The last time someone with blood containing the "Spirit of Purification" appeared was in the 10th year of the apocalypse. It was precisely because of that individual that countless ordinary lives were saved back then. However, due to the extreme actions of the head of the only safe zone at the time, who attempted to extract the "Spirit of Purification," that person chose to commit suicide by contaminating their blood, leaving behind no useful information.


    Forty years later, that former head remained a figure of criticism for everyone. If not for his extreme actions, the "Spirit of Purification" might have been extracted earlier, and the apocalypse could have already ended.


    At this moment, in the research lab of Zone C.


    After reviewing the data, Jiang Yiheng turned to Murong Huan beside him with a serious expression and said, "This is a matter of great importance. You must personally go and inform the heads of Zone A and Zone B. We have new leads on the ''Spirit of Purification.'' Ask them to send people to Zone C as soon as possible."


    "Why?" Murong Huan''s eyes showed confusion as she asked, "Can''t we just investigate it ourselves in Zone C? Why do we need to inform them? If we find this person, it won''t be a three-way division anymore. Especially Zone B¡ªthey''re too warlike. Only if Zone C takes control of everything can we achieve true peace."


    Jiang Yiheng set down the test tube in front of him, removed his white gloves, and walked over to the sink to wash his hands, even though they hadn''t touched anything.


    His voice was calm as he said, "War and plunder only bring tragedy. True peace can only come by ending the apocalypse."


    Murong Huan''s beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of confusion, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she nodded and said, "Understood."


    She had been entrusted to Jiang Yiheng''s care by her parents since she was a child. To her, he was like an older brother. Although there were things she couldn''t fully understand about him, she would always follow his decisions. Because she knew Jiang Yiheng was a good person¡ªsomeone who cared for everyone and wanted to save them all.


    *


    Zone B.


    After waiting in the hall for half an hour, Murong Huan''s face was dark with impatience. By the time the tea beside her had been refilled countless times, she could no longer hold back and snapped, "Stop pouring! What''s going on here? Where is Shen Yujing?"


    The person responsible for serving her tea trembled in fear, quickly setting down the teapot and replying respectfully, "Miss Murong, the leader took a small team to the western part of the city today. They''re searching for high-level crystal cores in an area overrun by zombies."


    Murong Huan asked again, "What about Quan Le?"


    "Vice-leader Quan went with him."


    Murong Huan: "..."


    Are the people in Zone B out of their minds? Is it really necessary for both the leader and vice-leader to go for something like this? Not a single person in charge is left in such a large safe zone? If I didn''t know better, I''d think they were going to a market fair instead of hunting for crystal cores!


    Murong Huan had no patience left. She decided to head to Zone A to find Xu Che first.


    Just as she stood up, she saw Shen Yujing and Quan Le walking toward her.


    The two were chatting casually¡ª


    "That zombie today was so disgusting. Wasn''t it supposed to be a high-level one? Ugh, it stank so bad."


    "Quan Le, stop talking and don''t wipe your dirty hands on my clothes!"


    "I washed them."


    "Get lost!"


    As soon as Shen Yujing finished speaking, he noticed Murong Huan sitting in the hall.


    He exchanged a glance with Quan Le, and both of their eyes showed surprise for a moment.


    The next second, Shen Yujing put on a stern expression and said, "Murong Huan? What are you doing here? Zone B isn''t welcoming to you."


    Murong Huan didn''t answer directly. Instead, she asked, "Do you know why you''re called Zone B?"


    Quan Le jumped in to answer, "Because we were the second safe zone established."


    Murong Huan sneered, "No, it''s because you''re both idiots."


    She often wondered how Zone B managed to survive under the leadership of these two. If it weren''t for their formidable combat abilities, the zone would have fallen to the zombies long ago.


    Shen Yujing and Quan Le both possessed dual abilities. Shen Yujing had speed and fire, while Quan Le controlled wind and lightning.


    "What did you say?" Quan Le rolled up his sleeves, "Don''t think I won''t hit you just because you''re a woman!"


    Shen Yujing frowned and patted Quan Le''s shoulder, saying, "Calm down."


    Shen Yujing knew Murong Huan didn''t like them. If it weren''t for something urgent, she wouldn''t have come here personally.


    So he asked, "Did Jiang Yiheng send you to find us?"


    "Yes," Murong Huan nodded, her expression practically screaming "not completely stupid," and then took a letter out of her pocket and handed it to Shen Yujing. "Meet at Zone C, 5 PM the day after tomorrow."


    Not wanting to talk too much with the people from Zone B, Murong Huan had prepared this letter in advance.


    Quan Le looked at her in confusion, "Meet? Who''s going to Zone C?"


    But Murong Huan ignored him and walked away.


    Watching her retreating figure, even in the apocalypse, Murong Huan still looked as refined and beautiful as someone from the normal world. Her pink hair never seemed to gather even a speck of dust...


    Oh, right, Murong Huan had water-based abilities. He had almost forgotten that.


    Quan Le shook his head, pushing these random thoughts out of his mind, and turned to Shen Yujing, "What''s in the letter?"


    Before Quan Le could finish speaking, he saw the letter turn to ash and vanish into thin air.


    Shen Yujing''s voice, however, was uncharacteristically serious as he said, "Pack up and arrange everything for Zone B. We must leave tomorrow."


    *


    Meanwhile, in Zone A.


    Zone A''s management was clearly more orderly than Zone B''s. After hearing Murong Huan''s purpose for visiting, someone respectfully escorted her inside. S§×arch* The nov§×lF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Xu Che was already waiting in the meeting room. After listening to Murong Huan''s explanation, he nodded and said, "Understood. We''ll be there on time."


    Everything seemed normal, except that as she was leaving, a zombie suddenly emerged from a nearby door.


    Murong Huan was so startled that she immediately used her plant-based abilities to bind the zombie.


    A cold, polite voice sounded behind her.


    "Apologies, but please release it."


    Murong Huan turned around in surprise to see a black-haired young man standing at the door, his deep eyes fixed on the zombie as he murmured something.


    Murong Huan released her hold, and the zombie mechanically walked into another room.


    The young man didn''t look at her again but followed the zombie into the room.


    The door closed, and Murong Huan finally let out a sigh of relief.


    She recognized this young man¡ªHang Feng from Zone A, Xu Che''s younger brother.


    His psychic abilities, at their peak, could control nearly a hundred zombies simultaneously. He could also control superpowered individuals, though the effect was significantly weaker. Still, it was enough to make people wary.


    He was a terrifying individual, and it was best to stay far away from him.


    Murong Huan furrowed her brows and quickened her pace to leave Zone A.


    *


    Nighttime.


    Deep within the forest, the corpses of zombies were piled into mountains. Shattered crystal cores littered the ground, their once-powerful glow now faded. The stench of rotting flesh filled every corner of the air, turning this place into a living hell.


    A girl jumped down from a tree, dressed in a light white dress. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, making her look like an ethereal spirit who had mistakenly wandered into this human world.


    Her soft pink lips parted slightly, and her innocent almond-shaped eyes gazed with a hint of pity at the scene before her. In the end, she only uttered three words¡ª


    "Disgusting."


    Yes, the corpses of these zombies were truly disgusting.


    She had actually been born in such a place.


    The girl lowered her head to look at her limbs. Her fair skin bore no scars, as if she had never suffered any harm.


    Even so, she still cut her arm, letting her blood drip onto each of the zombie corpses.


    The grotesque bodies gradually returned to their human forms, and only then did the girl''s brows finally relax.


    She wasn''t pitying these people¡ªshe just found their ugliness an eyesore.


    Barefoot, she walked to the riverbank, seemingly oblivious or indifferent to the blood and mud staining her feet.


    The once murky water suddenly turned clear, reflecting the girl''s face on its surface. A faint smile played on her lips, but her eyes remained devoid of any emotion.


    She reached up to touch her face, and a memory from long ago surfaced in her mind.


    She had been asleep for too long, and had nearly forgotten all of this¡ªeven her own appearance and name.


    What was her name again?


    Never mind, she couldn''t remember.


    *


    C District.


    The leaders of the three factions had gathered here, engaged in a serious discussion about the "Purification Spirit."


    Finally, Xu Che seized the key point, saying, "We can''t confirm any of the factors mentioned above, but the prerequisite is that we must first find this person."


    "Right." Jiang Yiheng nodded, then turned to Shen Yujing and said, "This matter will require your B District''s assistance."


    Shen Yujing, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, so you need our help now? Well, let''s hear it."


    "I heard that your B District has a bronze mirror called ''Devouring Sea,'' which can lock onto a target using any object," Jiang Yiheng said, pulling a test tube from his pocket. "This contains blood infused with the Purification Spirit."


    "Ah..."


    Shen Yujing narrowed his eyes, as if deep in thought.


    Finally, he said, "I''ll bring it to you tomorrow."


    Hang Feng, who had been quiet and almost entirely silent until now, suddenly spoke up. "The Devouring Sea is on you right now."


    The others: "..."


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    He glared at Xu Che and said, "Can you tell your brother not to randomly read people''s minds? Is having a psychic ability so impressive? It''s so rude!"


    Hang Feng, meanwhile, calmly took a sip of water and said, "I didn''t know. I was just bluffing."


    Psychic abilities were mainly used for control, and while they could also read thoughts, it was far too draining.


    Except in special circumstances, Hang Feng rarely used it.


    Shen Yujing: "..."


    Damn, all''s fair in war!


    But now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to take out the "Devouring Sea" from the ring on his hand¡ªhis personal storage space.


    This kind of storage space couldn''t compare to the infinite capacity of spatial abilities, but it was enough to hold basic items and was highly sought after in the trading market. Almost everyone had one.


    A bronze mirror shaped like a gorilla was placed on the table. The gorilla''s belly was a glass mirror, and it held a banana in its hand.


    Murong Huan barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes and asked, "...Are you serious?"


    Shen Yujing sneered, "Never seen something valuable before?"


    "He wouldn''t joke about something like this," Jiang Yiheng cut off whatever retort Murong Huan was about to make. He stood up and dripped the blood onto the glass surface of the mirror.


    In the next moment, the mirror''s surface blurred, and then a projection appeared in the air¡ª


    A deserted supermarket. A barefoot girl stood on the ground, her gaze wandering aimlessly before she sat down on the steps at the entrance, seemingly dejected.


    The blood couldn''t sustain the image for long, and the scene ended there.


    Xu Che was the first to recognize the location. "The surrounding area has old-style safety walls. It''s the site of the former safety zone managed by Si. She''s on the outskirts."


    The group stood up and began filing out. Although they were technically half-rivals, they shared a rare moment of unity now.


    Three cars set off one after another, leaving the C District base and heading straight for the old safety zone.


    Meanwhile, the girl remained seated on the steps, her gaze hollow as she stared into the distance, as if waiting for something.


    Since she hadn''t moved, the group found her easily.


    The three cars came to a stop almost simultaneously, and the doors opened.


    "She''s over there!"


    Murong Huan was about to rush forward toward the girl on the steps, but Quan Le grabbed her arm and warned, "Calm down. Tone down your eagerness. Don''t scare her."


    Murong Huan realized she was being too impulsive and quickly composed herself, but she still retorted, "You should watch yourself too."


    The steps weren''t long, and the distance between them wasn''t far.


    When the girl in the white dress saw the group, she stood up from the steps and asked with a faint smile, "Are you here for me? Because of... my blood?"


    The girl was being so direct that there was no need for them to beat around the bush.


    Jiang Yiheng stepped forward and said, "We need your help. We can assure you that we won''t harm you. All experiments and research will prioritize your safety."


    Jiang Yiheng had prepared a lot more to say, but things went much more smoothly than expected. The girl simply nodded and agreed.


    "Alright," she said.


    As the girl stepped down, Jiang Yiheng opened the car door and gestured for her to get in.


    "Wait," Hang Feng suddenly stepped forward and said, "She should ride in our car. My ability can protect her better."


    The latter part was, of course, a lie. What Hang Feng meant was that as a psychic, he could read the girl''s thoughts and gather more useful information.


    Murong Huan, however, raised a hand to block Hang Feng and the girl, saying, "That won''t be necessary for now. We can discuss the details later."


    "Stop pretending. The real issue is who gets to take her in their car and gather more intel, right?" Quan Le rolled his eyes and said, "We''re supposed to be temporary allies here. Can we stop being so suspicious of each other?"


    Murong Huan didn''t lower her hand, her stance clear.


    Hang Feng, too, kept his gaze fixed on the girl with the Purification Spirit.


    At that moment, someone squeezed through from the back.


    Shen Yujing pulled out a pair of slippers from his storage space and placed them on the ground. "Stop arguing. A car can fit five people. If you''re worried, just send someone from your own team to ride along. And you," he turned to the girl, "put these on first."


    When Shen Yujing had seen the girl in the mirror back at the C District safety zone, his attention had been drawn to her feet.


    Her feet were as beautiful and fair as the rest of her, but they were marred by traces of mud and a few dried bloodstains from cuts caused by gravel. Even though the wounds seemed to have healed, they still looked painful.


    The girl''s gaze lingered on Shen Yujing for a few seconds before she pointed at him and said, "I''ll ride in his car."

 Chapter 123

    Since it was the decision of the person involved, others naturally had to respect it.


    Hang Feng and Murong Huan''s gazes simultaneously fell on Shen Yujing and Quan Le. Rather than handing the girl over to each other, they would prefer her to board the vehicle from Zone B¡ª


    After all, with the intelligence level of Zone B, they probably wouldn¡¯t be able to extract any classified information.


    Once the girl sat in the back seat, Shen Yujing returned to the driver''s seat and started the car, heading in the direction of Zone C.


    The vehicles from Zone A and Zone C followed closely behind.


    Quan Le, curious, turned to look at her and asked, ¡°I¡¯m Quan Le, the deputy leader of Zone B. He¡¯s Shen Yujing, the leader. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    The girl pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and replied, ¡°My name is Song Yi. ¡®Song¡¯ as in the Song dynasty, and ¡®Yi¡¯ as in the word for ¡®graceful.¡¯¡±


    After introducing herself, Song Yi revealed a hint of fear and asked, ¡°Will the place you¡¯re taking me to be dangerous? Will they dissect me for my blood?¡±


    ¡°Pfft¡ª¡±


    Quan Le couldn¡¯t help but laugh at her words and immediately shook his head. ¡°Although Jiang Yiheng is a bit reserved, he¡¯s a good person. He wouldn¡¯t do something so cruel, right, Shen Yujing?¡±


    Quan Le glanced at Shen Yujing but was surprised to find him¡­ silent, giving him a complicated look.


    Quan Le: ¡°?¡±


    What¡¯s going on? What does that look mean?


    Quan Le didn¡¯t understand, but Song Yi¡¯s soft, delicate voice sounded again, asking, ¡°Could I have some water and food, please? I¡¯m very hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ sure.¡± Quan Le nodded repeatedly, pulling out a bottle of water and some bread and biscuits from his storage space, handing them over to her.


    Song Yi unwrapped the food and began eating.


    It was true; she had been starving for a long time and desperately needed human food to replenish her energy and strength.


    At that moment, a few pieces of chocolate were tossed over from the front seat.


    Song Yi looked up in surprise and heard the blond boy driving the car say somewhat awkwardly, ¡°I don¡¯t like these. You can have them.¡±


    She had prepared herself for the possibility that these two might try to probe her for information or even for the worst-case scenario¡ªbeing knocked out and waking up in a research lab.


    But none of what she had imagined happened. They arrived at their destination safely.


    Along the way, the brown-haired boy named Quan Le introduced her to everyone who had appeared earlier and explained the location they were heading to.


    Upon arrival, the first thing that happened was a blood draw.


    The doctor¡ªor rather, the leader of Zone C, Jiang Yiheng¡ªlooked at her with an apologetic expression and said, ¡°For research purposes, we might need to draw a bit more blood than usual.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Song Yi shook her head, but when she saw the needle pierce her vein, she instinctively pulled her hand back.


    The needle was forcefully removed, and a bead of blood welled up from the wound.


    Jiang Yiheng frowned slightly, quickly wiping the blood away, and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just a bit afraid of this.¡± Song Yi forced a smile, her face pale.


    Once the bleeding on her arm stopped, she extended her hand again and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Please continue.¡±


    As she spoke, she closed her eyes, and scenes from many years ago flashed through her mind.


    There had been another doctor like this, saying he only needed her blood for a small experiment, but in the end, he wanted her life.


    She had slept for forty years, and when she woke up, she was still young.


    Because of her extraordinary blood, the true power of the Purification Spirit was far greater than these people imagined. But they were too foolish and shortsighted, exposing their greed for immediate gains.


    She was somewhat curious about how this story would unfold.


    Of course, she was also prepared for history to repeat itself.


    Suddenly, a hand covered her eyes, completely blocking her view of the hazy world around her.


    Shen Yujing¡¯s voice sounded behind her, tinged with impatience and urgency. ¡°Jiang Yiheng, it looks like your eyes are about to pop out of your head. Hurry up and get it over with.¡±


    Song Yi nodded. ¡°Yes.¡±


    She hoped they would quickly reveal their ambitions, expose their dirty intentions, and then she could let the tragedy repeat itself, like restarting a game cycle, with the same inevitable outcome.


    Give them hope, only to destroy everything before they could succeed.


    This feeling¡­ was somewhat amusing.


    Before her last ¡°death,¡± Song Yi had seen too many ugly faces.


    Too many people had tried to get close to her, first for her beauty, and later for her blood.


    Jiang Yiheng drew three tubes of blood, fewer than Song Yi had expected.


    Once it was confirmed that the process was over, Shen Yujing removed his hand and took a step back.


    Jiang Yiheng looked up at Murong Huan and said, ¡°Take Miss Song to the room we prepared for her to rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Murong Huan walked over to Song Yi and extended a hand. ¡°Can you walk? Do you need me to support you?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m fine for now.¡± Song Yi stood up, wearing the oversized slippers Shen Yujing had taken from his storage space, and followed Murong Huan out of the room.


    The door closed, and the room fell silent once more.


    Shen Yujing looked at Jiang Yiheng and asked, ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng replied calmly, ¡°Continue the research.¡±


    Hang Feng, however, said indifferently, ¡°Research? Wasn¡¯t the best solution already known over thirty years ago? It just failed back then.¡±


    Over thirty years ago, that attempt had failed, but it had been the best solution.


    A chill ran down Quan Le¡¯s spine as he understood what Hang Feng was implying. He suddenly realized why Shen Yujing had given him that strange look in the car earlier.


    Quan Le and Shen Yujing exchanged glances, and then Quan Le said angrily, ¡°Jiang Yiheng? You¡¯re not actually planning to take her life, are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the simplest solution,¡± Xu Che¡¯s voice interjected. After a pause, he added, ¡°Sacrificing one person to save everyone is a cost-effective choice. But unless it¡¯s absolutely necessary, it¡¯s not the best solution.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s absolutely necessary, it¡¯s still not acceptable,¡± Shen Yujing sneered. ¡°Is this how you treat someone after luring them here? Planning to burn the bridge already? Isn¡¯t that a bit too quick?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng suddenly looked up at him, pushing his glasses up and asking, ¡°Shen Yujing, have you ever seen what a normal world looks like?¡±


    Shen Yujing was taken aback.


    Jiang Yiheng¡¯s voice was calmer than usual, but there was a faint tremor that most people wouldn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°A peaceful world, where there are no zombies that could harm humans at any moment, and no constant threat of death. A world where everyone lives ordinary, mundane lives¡ªgoing to school, working, enjoying weekends. They don¡¯t need to kill zombies with their own hands, don¡¯t need to study the *Zombie Defense Manual* from birth, and will never have blood on their hands. That¡¯s what an ordinary life looks like. Don¡¯t you want to experience that, even if it¡¯s just for a day?¡±


    ¡°As Xu Che said, that¡¯s the worst-case scenario. I¡¯ll do everything in my power to prevent that outcome.¡±


    The blond boy¡¯s face turned pale.


    Because he had to admit, Jiang Yiheng¡¯s description of that world had moved him. That was also the original purpose of their search for the ¡°Purification Spirit¡±¡ªto end the apocalypse completely and let everyone live a peaceful life.


    But¡­


    Thinking of the trust in Song Yi¡¯s eyes when she looked at him before getting into the car, the fact that she had chosen him¡­


    At that moment, Quan Le suddenly interrupted the argument, saying, ¡°Enough. Let¡¯s wait for the specific results to come out before we argue. There¡¯s no point in fighting now. I¡¯m hungry¡ªwhere¡¯s the canteen in Zone C?¡±


    Jiang Yiheng pressed a button on the side, and someone immediately came in to take Quan Le to the canteen.


    Of course, before leaving, Quan Le dragged Shen Yujing along with him.


    Seeing Shen Yujing¡¯s grim expression, Quan Le whispered, ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to hurt that girl.¡±


    Shen Yujing replied, ¡°But they might not feel the same way.¡±


    The ¡°they¡± he referred to were, naturally, the people from Zone A and Zone C.


    ¡°But we can¡¯t argue with them now. We¡¯re allies. If you completely pit Zone B against them, they¡¯ll keep us in the dark about any progress.¡±


    Quan Le paused, then added with a hint of reproach, ¡°You¡¯re too impatient. Let¡¯s take this one step at a time.¡±


    Area B had its drawbacks, primarily the unreliability of its two leaders. However, the silver lining was that whenever the two of them were together, at least one of them would have their wits about them.


    Shen Yujing nodded, reluctantly agreeing with Quan Le''s assessment. "I understand," he said.


    Meanwhile, on the other side.


    Song Yi followed Murong Huan to her room.


    It was a modest one-bedroom apartment, but it was well-equipped, clearly the best that Area C could offer.


    Soon, food was brought in.


    Murong Huan explained the rules to Song Yi: the shower only worked between 6 PM and 9 PM, and there were a few unworn clothes in the wardrobe.


    Song Yi nodded, taking mental notes.


    As Murong Huan was about to leave, Song Yi smiled and said, "Thank you."


    Murong Huan hesitated at the door, then turned back to look at her. "Be careful. Try not to go out too much. If your... uniqueness is discovered, it could put you in danger."


    Song Yi replied, "Got it."


    The door closed, and the room fell silent once more. S~ea??h the n??el Fire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Song Yi ate some warm food and then took a shower.


    Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, water droplets falling to the floor.


    She stood by the window, gazing at the peaceful scene outside.


    But the peace felt dull, almost boring.


    It seemed she needed to stir things up to speed things along instead of wasting time here.


    She picked up an empty bowl from the table and smashed it on the floor, shattering it into pieces.


    Song Yi picked up one of the shards and cut her arm, then manipulated the blood to fly out the window, heading straight for the boundary between Area B and Area C.


    The allure of the Purification Spirit was deadly to zombies, like moths to a flame, regardless of the consequences.


    As Song Yi had anticipated.


    The next morning, while everyone was having breakfast at the long table, someone came to report that a zombie attack had occurred at the boundary between Area B and Area C.


    Jiang Yiheng stood up immediately. "What are the casualties?"


    The messenger replied respectfully, "It''s unclear why the zombies chose that location, but fortunately, there aren''t many people living there. Some buildings were destroyed, and our forces have subdued the zombies, but..."


    "But what?"


    "But more zombies are coming, as if they''re being controlled."


    "Excuse me, I need to go. Murong Huan, you''re in charge of the base." Jiang Yiheng looked at the others, then stood up and prepared to leave.


    "Wait," Shen Yujing put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and stood up as well. "Since this is happening at the boundary of our two safe zones, I have a responsibility too. I''ll go with you."


    Quan Le also nodded in agreement.


    At that moment, another messenger arrived.


    "Leader, we have a problem. The second wave of zombies is much stronger than the first. We can only hold our ground for now. We need to mobilize a large number of ability users immediately!"


    Xu Che and Hang Feng exchanged glances. "Since we''re here, we can''t just stand by and do nothing. Area A will help too."


    It was clear to everyone that this organized zombie attack was no accident. The priority was to subdue the zombies and ensure the safety of the civilians.


    Song Yi spoke up, "Take me with you. I can help."


    Everyone knew she was right. The power of the Purification Spirit was far more effective than any emergency medicine they had developed.


    But Jiang Yiheng immediately objected, "It''s too dangerous. Go back and rest."


    Song Yi pursed her lips, her gaze sweeping over the faces in the room. Finally, she tugged at Shen Yujing''s sleeve.


    She didn''t say anything, but her eyes conveyed her thoughts clearly.


    She wanted to go with them.


    Shen Yujing spoke up, "Jiang Yiheng, if this is really as dangerous as you say, and you die, no one else can continue researching her. And she''s right¡ªif something goes wrong, she can save us."


    Jiang Yiheng remained silent.


    Shen Yujing added, "I''ll protect her, alright? Let''s not waste any more time."


    "Do as you wish."


    Jiang Yiheng knew the situation was urgent, so he followed the others, and everyone else followed suit.


    On the way to the boundary between Areas B and C, Quan Le was driving.


    Shen Yujing didn''t sit in the passenger seat but instead sat next to Song Yi.


    He waved his hand in the air, rummaging through his storage space for something.


    Song Yi watched with interest until two red strings appeared in his palm.


    The blonde boy clumsily tied one of the strings around his own wrist, then turned to Song Yi. "Give me your hand."


    Song Yi frowned but didn''t move.


    This wasn''t an ordinary red string. It was called a "Red Thread of Fate."


    Not the traditional kind, though. This one allowed the two people wearing it to sense each other''s danger and instantly teleport to the other''s side if needed.


    Shen Yujing opened his mouth to explain, but in the end, all he said was, "Trust me. I won''t harm you."


    Song Yi already knew that, since he had tied one around his own wrist.


    After a few seconds of hesitation, she extended her hand, allowing Shen Yujing to tie the red string around her wrist.


    Shen Yujing explained, "If you sense danger, just channel a bit of your energy into the string. It''ll act as a summon, and I''ll appear in front of you immediately. If you feel a strong sense of unease, just... untie the string."


    Song Yi looked down at the red string on her wrist and asked, "Why?"


    Quan Le chimed in, "Because that means he''s in danger. During a fight with zombies, he can''t guarantee that his energy won''t accidentally activate the Red Thread of Fate. If he summons you, it''ll just complicate things."


    Shen Yujing nodded. "Exactly."


    Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and asked, "But if you''re in danger, why should I untie it? Wouldn''t it be easier to just summon you back?"


    "That won''t work," Shen Yujing shook his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. His peach-blossom eyes seemed to glow as he said, "That would be desertion. I would never abandon an ally on the battlefield."


    "Understood," Song Yi lowered her head and pulled her sleeve down to cover the red string.


    It was a bit distracting... or so she thought.


    *


    When they arrived at their destination, Song Yi wasn''t allowed to join the fight. She could only watch from a distance.


    Both ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Area B and Area C had mobilized their ability users to fend off the zombies. The zombies attracted by her blood were limited in number, so the situation was under control, and the danger had mostly passed.


    Just then, there was a sharp knock on the car window, startling her.


    Song Yi turned to look outside. Standing there was a black-haired boy with an ambiguous smile on his face.


    It was... Hang Feng, the deputy leader of Area A.


    Song Yi didn''t have much of an impression of him, as he usually stayed silent, following Xu Che around.


    She rolled down the window and asked, "What do you want?"


    Hang Feng extended his left hand, revealing a zombie crystal in his palm.


    A sense of wariness crept into Song Yi''s heart. She shook her head. "I don''t need this."


    "Is that so?" Hang Feng lowered his gaze, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I wasn''t planning to give it to you anyway."


    Song Yi asked cautiously, "Then what do you want?"


    Hang Feng said softly, "I''m a psychic ability user."


    Song Yi remained silent, waiting for him to continue.


    Sure enough, he went on, "I can control zombies... and I can also read their thoughts."


    Song Yi scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Zombies don''t have intelligence."


    "Exactly. They only have their most primal instincts," Hang Feng clenched the crystal in his hand and looked at Song Yi again, his eyes turning cold. "Like an extreme craving for something pure."


    He enunciated each word clearly, "For example... the Purification Spirit."


    The moment Song Yi''s smile froze, Hang Feng knew he had guessed correctly.


    Looking at the scene not far away, Song Yi quickly calmed down. She said directly, "You have no evidence."


    Without any evidence, no matter what he said, it was just speculation.


    Her blood had long been covered by the stains of countless zombies, making it impossible to trace.


    "I don''t need evidence."


    The crystal core in Hang Feng''s hand turned into powder in an instant, scattering into the air. He looked at Song Yi with a faint smile and said, "Don''t be afraid. I''m not your enemy. I want to be your ally because I know you hate all humans."


    The black-haired boy leaned down, his lips lightly brushing against the girl''s earlobe. His breath was icy as he whispered, "How did someone who died forty years ago come back to life?"


    "I''m also curious¡ªhow many secrets are still hidden in your blood?"

 Chapter 124

    When her "secret" was exposed, there was no fear as she had imagined.


    But an alliance? She didn¡¯t need such a thing.


    Song Yi lowered her gaze and channeled her ability into the red string bracelet in her hand.


    Shen Yujing, who had just blown up a zombie¡¯s head, instantly appeared, staring at Hang Feng standing in front of him¡ª


    Shen Yujing: ¡°?¡±


    What was he doing?


    Without a second thought, Shen Yujing stepped forward, grabbed Hang Feng by the collar, and pulled him away, sneering as he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Hang Feng¡¯s gaze fell on the red string bracelet in Song Yi¡¯s hand, and he immediately understood why Shen Yujing had appeared.


    Hang Feng took a step back, breaking free from Shen Yujing¡¯s grip, and said expressionlessly, ¡°I was worried she might be in danger alone, so I came to check.¡±


    After speaking, he walked toward the pile of zombies and joined the fight.


    Shen Yujing turned to Song Yi and asked nervously, ¡°He¡¯s lying, right? Did he do anything to you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Song Yi replied with a guilty expression. ¡°I was just startled when he suddenly showed up, so I¡­¡±


    Song Yi didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but Shen Yujing understood. ¡°It¡¯s fine. As long as it¡¯s just a misunderstanding.¡±


    Song Yi smiled at him and said, ¡°Bend down a little.¡±


    Shen Yujing was momentarily confused but obediently complied.


    Song Yi pricked her index finger and gently dabbed her blood on Shen Yujing¡¯s face, where a scratch from the recent battle had been.


    Shen Yujing was stunned for a moment, then quickly felt the wound heal. He said sheepishly, ¡°It¡¯s just a minor injury. This is too much of a waste.¡±


    Her blood, in these times, was the most precious treasure.


    Just then, Quan Le¡¯s angry shout echoed from nearby¡ª


    ¡°Shen Yujing, what the hell are you doing?! These zombies are all coming at me! You¡¯re such a terrible teammate! You really just run when things get tough!¡±


    Shen Yujing: ¡°¡­¡±


    He shouted back, ¡°I¡¯m not running, you idiot! Screw off!¡±


    After yelling, Shen Yujing pulled out a band-aid from his personal space and handed it to Song Yi. He turned to leave but then spun back around, stammering, ¡°Earlier¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ scare you, did I? I¡¯m not usually like that. Really, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Song Yi said, genuinely amused. ¡°You should hurry back. He¡¯s going to lose his patience.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Shen Yujing nodded and immediately returned to the zombie-infested area to continue fighting.


    Nearly half an hour later, the zombies in the area were mostly cleared.


    One of the fire-ability users had suffered a severe leg injury. Without immediate treatment, amputation would be necessary.


    Song Yi wanted to go over, but Jiang Yiheng stopped her.


    He held a test tube and said, ¡°Do it in the car. The fewer people who know about this, the better.¡±


    Song Yi extended her hand, and after the tube was filled with her blood, her face grew even paler.


    Jiang Yiheng paused, then said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With that, he hurried off toward the injured person.


    Soon after, everyone regrouped and set off on their way back.


    In the A-zone vehicle.


    Xu Che, driving with his eyes fixed on the road, asked, ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡±


    ¡°Just as you guessed, it¡¯s her,¡± Hang Feng said casually, raising a hand to his forehead. ¡°But she refused to cooperate with me. I told you, I don¡¯t look like a bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Xu Che responded with just a single word.


    Hang Feng didn¡¯t press further, only asking, ¡°So what now? Should we tell Jiang Yiheng about this?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯ve figured it out, he probably has too,¡± Xu Che said coolly. ¡°Song Yi, the person from the tenth year of the apocalypse, codenamed SY. If I¡¯m not mistaken, she never intended to hide it from us.¡±


    Hang Feng asked again, ¡°Then what¡¯s her goal?¡±


    Xu Che accelerated the car, the wind roaring past their ears.


    After a long pause, he said, ¡°That¡¯s a question for Jiang Yiheng. I feel like he¡¯s been hiding something from us.¡±


    *


    C-zone research lab.


    The A-zone and C-zone teams had gathered again, but this time, the B-zone was excluded.


    Hang Feng, his narrow eyes filled with irritation, said bluntly, ¡°The foundation of cooperation is trust. If Leader Jiang can¡¯t trust us from the A-zone, then this partnership ends here.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng wasn¡¯t angered. Instead, he asked, ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    Xu Che smiled and said, ¡°About Song Yi¡ªor rather, SY¡ªhow much information are you still keeping from us? Since the apocalypse began, nothing in this world is purely good. The Spirit of Purification can¡¯t only have benefits. What are its drawbacks?¡±


    ¡°Xu Che, I¡¯ve always said you¡¯re the opponent I admire most. You haven¡¯t disappointed me yet,¡± Jiang Yiheng said, then glanced at Murong Huan. ¡°Bring me what I prepared.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Murong Huan turned and fetched a sealed bag containing what looked like a newspaper.


    In the tenth year of the apocalypse, the economic order had briefly stabilized, and this was one of the rare pieces of documentation from that time.


    Jiang Yiheng took out the contents and spread them on the table. ¡°Take a look.¡±


    The newspaper featured an interview with the highest-level healer at the time, who was also the head of the only safe zone¡¯s shrine, as well as reports following his death.


    Jiang Yiheng said, ¡°To avoid public panic, some things weren¡¯t disclosed. But in reality, everyone involved in that research died from blood diseases within three years.¡±


    Jiang Yiheng then looked at Xu Che and said, ¡°As you said, nothing in this world is purely good. The Spirit of Purification doesn¡¯t only bring benefits. This is its drawback.¡±


    SY didn¡¯t just commit suicide; she also used the Spirit of Purification to kill those who had once wanted her dead.


    Hang Feng asked directly, ¡°So why has Song Yi appeared now?¡±


    A sweet but cold voice answered, ¡°Because when I died, it hurt far more than it did for them. My hatred hasn¡¯t faded.¡±


    Song Yi pushed open the slightly ajar door and walked in, smiling at Hang Feng. ¡°Your acting was too clumsy. If you hadn¡¯t kept glancing at the ring on your hand, you might have actually fooled me.¡±


    In the apocalypse, rings were generally used for two purposes: storage or communication.


    Song Yi smiled at everyone and said, ¡°Congratulations on figuring out another use for the Spirit of Purification. Do you also want to die this way? It won¡¯t hurt much.¡±


    *


    Three days later, in the morning.


    Shen Yujing noticed something was off.


    While having breakfast, he turned to Quan Le and asked directly, ¡°Do you feel like something¡¯s been off these past few days?¡±


    Quan Le looked down at the bun in his hand and said, ¡°The meat filling seems a bit skimpy these days. Is C-zone going bankrupt?¡±


    Shen Yujing glared at him. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the buns.¡±


    At the entrance, Xu Che and Hang Feng walked in but immediately turned and left upon seeing them.


    Quan Le realized something and whispered, watching their retreating figures, ¡°Have they been acting strange lately?¡±


    Shen Yujing added, ¡°They¡¯re clearly avoiding us.¡±


    As ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Shen Yujing spoke, Quan Le frowned.


    He hadn¡¯t thought much about it before, but now that Shen Yujing brought it up, he couldn¡¯t ignore it.


    Quan Le asked, ¡°What are they hiding?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen Song Yi these past few days either.¡±


    As soon as Shen Yujing said this, the two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously put down their utensils and headed straight for the living quarters.


    The residential area was segregated by gender, so when they reached the building, someone stopped Shen Yujing and Quan Le.


    Shen Yujing said bluntly, ¡°Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡±


    The guard looked uneasy. Of course, he recognized Shen Yujing, but this was against the rules.


    Shen Yujing demanded, ¡°Take us to Song Yi¡¯s room.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The guard was startled and flipped through the registration book. ¡°She left yesterday.¡±


    Shen Yujing sneered, ¡°Killing someone in C-zone territory isn¡¯t a big deal for me.¡± Sear?h the Nov§×l?ire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    The guard¡¯s face turned pale with fear, his legs trembling. ¡°Leader Shen, I wouldn¡¯t dare lie to you even if I had a hundred lives.¡±


    Seeing him so frightened, Quan Le took a step closer and said, "I think he''s telling the truth."


    The man quickly turned the registration book over for Shen Yujing to see, saying, "Look, it''s written here. Vice-leader Murong Huan personally took Song Yi away. Leader Xu from Area A was also there at the time. I really don''t know anything else..."


    Murong Huan and Xu Che?


    Upon hearing these two names, Shen Yujing and Quan Le immediately had their answer.


    The two of them quickly walked out, no longer arguing with the gatekeeper.


    Shen Yujing''s voice was serious as he said, "Murong Huan and Xu Che came together. I suspect they took Song Yi to the lab."


    "This is all your fault," Quan Le said irritably, scratching his head. "Your refusal was too obvious during the discussion that day. They were on guard against us."


    Shen Yujing sneered, "Do I have a problem? Should I have been as hypocritical as them?"


    Quan Le replied, "Could there be some misunderstanding? I always felt that Murong Huan isn''t that kind of person."


    Over the years, he had interacted with Murong Huan a few times. Although the girl had a fiery temper and a strong personality, she wasn''t a bad person.


    Once, they had fought side by side during a zombie siege. For the sake of ordinary people''s survival, Murong Huan had nearly lost her life.


    He still remembered her bravery at that time, which had given him hope for survival. That was how they both managed to make it through.


    Shen Yujing, however, said, "Area C is under Jiang Yiheng''s control."


    Quan Le added, "But Area C rarely gets involved in wars. They mainly take in the wounded. Jiang Yiheng doesn''t seem like an ambitious person."


    "He''s a kind person," Shen Yujing directly stated what Quan Le hadn''t said, then continued, "That''s why he wants to save more people. Since you don''t believe it, let''s go ask him directly and see for ourselves what he''s really doing."


    When the two arrived at the door of Jiang Yiheng''s research lab, the guard didn''t stop them but respectfully let them in.


    Quan Le asked in surprise, "You''re just letting us in like this?"


    The guard replied, "Leader Jiang already gave the order. He said you would come."


    "Stop wasting time talking to him. Let''s go," Shen Yujing said, stepping inside first.


    They took the stairs up to the third floor and opened the door to the lab.


    Jiang Yiheng was indeed inside, and besides him, Xu Che and Hang Feng were also there.


    Xu Che looked at him and said, "You''re here too, though later than I expected."


    "What are you doing?" Shen Yujing stood at the door, not stepping inside, and continued to ask, "Where is Song Yi?"


    Jiang Yiheng, who had been facing away from him, turned around and took a step to the side, revealing the young girl sitting on the instrument behind him.


    The girl sat there with her eyes closed. If not for the restraints binding her, she looked as gentle and beautiful as if she were asleep.


    Shen Yujing''s eyes widened as he struggled to control his anger. "What are you doing?"


    Jiang Yiheng took off his gloves, adjusted his glasses, and said calmly, "As you can see, we''ve restrained her."


    Shen Yujing''s voice trembled as he asked, "And then?"


    Jiang Yiheng explained calmly, "Once we drain her blood, we can extract the Purification Spirit from it. Placing the Purification Spirit in an area with a high concentration of zombies will act like a contagion. If even one zombie is infected, it will destroy all the zombies in the shortest time possible."


    "If the world is completely rid of zombies, everything will return to peace. In five or ten years, we can truly live the ordinary lives we had before the apocalypse."


    "Are you insane?" Shen Yujing stepped forward and punched Jiang Yiheng in the face, grabbing his collar and shouting, "This is a human life we''re talking about!"


    "But every year, people still die because of the zombies. I''m saving more lives," Jiang Yiheng said, pushing his crooked glasses back into place and smiling. "Shen Yujing, you can just be a bystander. You don''t have to play the role of the villain here."


    "You''re all lunatics. You scientists are all lunatics," Shen Yujing said, letting go of Jiang Yiheng and preparing to punch him again, but this time Xu Che stopped him.


    Shen Yujing and Xu Che had been friends for several years.


    But later, because two tigers cannot share one mountain, they chose different paths in life and grew distant.


    Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che with suspicion, but more than that, with disappointment.


    The young man''s Adam''s apple bobbed as he spoke, his voice tinged with an unconscious fear. "Xu Che, let go. It''s not too late yet."


    Song Yi wasn''t dead yet. There was still time.


    "It''s too late, because I agree with him," Xu Che said, looking at Shen Yujing. "I''ve always said that trading one life for the sake of everyone else is a fair deal."


    "Do you think you''re some kind of saint for this? But this isn''t fair! What did she do wrong? Why should her life be the price?"


    The young man shouted these words, his usually carefree peach-blossom eyes now filled with rage.


    "Let him go first," Xu Che said, holding Shen Yujing''s other hand. "What if we told you that the Purification Spirit''s power isn''t limited to ending the apocalypse?"


    Shen Yujing let go and asked, "What else? Healing? Bringing the dead back to life?"


    "No," Jiang Yiheng said, straightening his clothes. "It''s immortality."


    As soon as Jiang Yiheng''s words fell, the room was plunged into an eerie silence.


    Then Quan Le''s awkward laughter broke the silence. "You''re insane? How could anyone achieve immortality in this world?"


    "The Purification Spirit can," Jiang Yiheng said. "Because Song Yi isn''t just Song Yi. She''s also the SY from ten years ago."


    Quan Le''s smile faded. "Are you saying she''s the one who possessed the Purification Spirit ten years ago?"


    "From the very beginning, there has only ever been one person who possessed the Purification Spirit," Jiang Yiheng continued. "Back then, those who tried to kill her weren''t just trying to end the apocalypse. They were also after immortality."


    Jiang Yiheng then went on to explain the newspaper articles and events he had shown to Xu Che and Hang Feng earlier, recounting them to Shen Yujing and Quan Le.


    Shen Yujing listened in silence for a long time.


    When he finally looked up, Xu Che asked, "Do you understand now?"


    "I understand your ass!" Shen Yujing sneered. "If we do this, how are we any different from those people? Don''t forget, they all died from blood diseases. None of them had a good ending!"


    "That''s because they failed to kill SY. SY died by suicide, which was actually a feigned death. But we''re different. If we successfully extract the Purification Spirit, we''ll be the winners," Jiang Yiheng paused, then added, "And this secret will remain a secret forever."


    "Immortality is something humanity has pursued for thousands of years, and now it''s right in front of us. Shen Yujing, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."


    Ordinary people don''t think about death until they reach old age or fall ill.


    But in the apocalypse, people face the threat of death every moment. It''s a constant fear that haunts them.


    Immortality¡ªthose two words were undeniably tempting.


    After a long silence, Shen Yujing asked, "What do we need to do?"


    Jiang Yiheng replied, "Just stand by and watch. I''ll handle the rest."


    But Shen Yujing stepped in front of him and said, "Why should I? How do I know you won''t tamper with anything? You give the orders, and I''ll carry them out. That''s the only way I''ll feel at ease."


    At first glance, Shen Yujing''s reasoning seemed sound.


    So Jiang Yiheng called Murong Huan in and instructed her to prepare some things.


    Shen Yujing pointed at the restraints on Song Yi and asked, "What are these for?"


    "They''re for controlling her. The purple wire prevents her from waking up, the blue one ensures that even if she does wake up, we can still control her body. The green one controls her thoughts, and..."


    Shen Yujing interrupted, "Where''s the master switch?"


    Jiang Yiheng asked warily, "Why do you want to know?"


    "I''m afraid I might accidentally touch it. If she wakes up during the process, I won''t be able to continue because of the guilt."


    Jiang Yiheng continued preparing his things, lowering his head as he said, "The main control is this remote in my hand. Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll accidentally touch it during the process."


    But the moment his words fell, Shen Yujing immediately snatched the remote and quickly positioned himself in front of Song Yi.


    Quan Le rolled his eyes. Seeing this play out, he knew it would happen. He didn¡¯t trust Shen Yujing one bit.


    But as a brother, he still stepped forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Yujing, making his stance clear.


    Xu Che asked, "Shen Yujing, what are you trying to do?"


    Shen Yujing pressed the button in his hand and sneered, "I don¡¯t care about immortality."


    Besides, what would he even do with such a long life?


    Turtles live for thousands of years, and tortoises for tens of thousands. If you want to live that long, why not just become a turtle?


    Jiang Yiheng¡¯s expression remained calm as he said, "Four against two. You¡¯re bound to lose."


    Shen Yujing¡¯s left hand began to gather energy, flames flickering into existence as he replied, "Then let¡¯s all go down together. But do you dare?"


    "We dare, but it¡¯s not worth it," Jiang Yiheng took a step forward, then asked, "Do you really have to save her? That¡¯s not worth it either."


    Shen Yujing replied, "I promised to protect her."


    A person can¡¯t go back on their word.


    And he still remembered that when they first met, she had chosen him.


    From the very beginning, she had trusted him, and he couldn¡¯t betray that trust.


    There was no need for further explanation.


    At that moment, Hang Feng spoke up impatiently, "Isn¡¯t this enough? How long are you going to keep this act up?"


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Quan Le: "??"


    The two exchanged glances: "???"


    Xu Che¡¯s voice, slightly hoarse, broke the silence, "Song Yi, you¡¯ve lost."


    Shen Yujing turned to look at the girl behind him, only to see her lazily yawn and respond with a casual "Mm."


    Shen Yujing was confused, but he still instinctively shielded Song Yi, turning to Xu Che and asking, "What do you mean?"


    "We made a bet," Murong Huan couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. "The bet was about your choice. If you had agreed to kill Song Yi in exchange for immortality, we would have lost, and our lives would have been in her hands. But thankfully, we won the bet."


    Shen Yujing looked at Song Yi, still somewhat skeptical. As he muttered, "The green control line," he reached out to remove the green wire from her body.


    Everyone: "..."


    "I¡¯m not being controlled," Song Yi reached out and grabbed Shen Yujing¡¯s hand, stopping him.


    Her expression softened with relief, but then she smiled and said, "Yes, I lost."


    "Besides, the Purification Spirit has always granted immortality, but it doesn¡¯t have the power to kill all the zombies and end the apocalypse. That was just a lofty excuse made up by those people to cover up their greed."


    She still remembered how dark those days, referred to as "SY," had been.


    There was once a girl who treated her exceptionally well, like an older sister.


    But later, after those people confirmed that her blood could grant immortality, the way they looked at her became filled with greed¡ªincluding that girl.


    So in the end, SY killed everyone, and she didn¡¯t spare her either.


    Song Yi had never imagined that in this apocalyptic world, there could still be someone who truly resisted the temptation of immortality.


    Tears welled up in the girl¡¯s eyes.


    Shen Yujing was startled, instinctively raising his hand to wipe her tears, quickly comforting her, "It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay. I¡¯m here. They can¡¯t hurt you."


    But Song Yi said, "I lost."


    Shen Yujing froze, then immediately became alert, asking, "Does losing mean you have to pay with your life?"


    "No," Song Yi forced a smile and said, "There¡¯s no punishment. I¡¯m happy to have lost."


    She had lost, but in a way, she had also won.


    It turned out that there really were people like this in the world. It was just that she hadn¡¯t met them before. So there was no need to resent the world just because of a streak of bad luck.


    She reached out and hugged Shen Yujing, burying her face in his shoulder.


    Feeling the dampness on his shoulder, Shen Yujing realized the girl in his arms was crying.


    His eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to glare at Quan Le, his entire face screaming one question: What do I do?


    Quan Le frantically waved his arms in the air, signaling for Shen Yujing to hug Song Yi back.


    Shen Yujing: "?"


    Is that really the right thing to do? Wouldn¡¯t that make him seem like a creep?


    But feeling the girl in his arms crying harder, he couldn¡¯t care less and quickly held her tighter, gently patting her back to comfort her.


    Many years later, in the Apocalypse Museum.


    Song Yi came across an obscure collection of poems, documenting the works of poets from the tenth year of the apocalypse.


    Among them was a blond poet who would visit SY¡¯s grave every year to place a bouquet of flowers.


    Even though he had never met SY, he wrote many poems lamenting the tragedy of her life¡ªhow she had been punished for simply possessing something precious.


    Later, the poet died after falling into a river while drunk.


    That same year, Shen Yujing, the leader of District A, was born.


    Perhaps some things are destined to come full circle, and maybe she wasn¡¯t the only one waiting all these years.


    No matter how many times they are separated, he and she will always find each other again, in every cycle of fate.


    And he will always love her.


    ¡ªThe End.