Chapter 35

Su Miao Miao stood completely stunned in place.

Before her remaining sanity could discern the extent of this intimacy, her body had already instinctively reacted.

Visible to the naked eye, a blush gradually spread on the girl’s fair cheeks.

Nervously, her finely curled eyelashes quivered slightly, her enticing lips parted, stuttering to a loss for words.

“How… how could you…”

Seeing the girl, almost stunned by his sudden actions, Shang Yan felt pleased and chuckled softly.

“What about me?”

“You just…”

Su Miao Miao was on the brink of jumping up to accuse him from the overwhelming sensation of heat all over her body, but her leg was still held in his warm palm.

She could only stare at him in shock and indignation.

She wanted to accuse him, but the word “kiss” and the words that followed were stuck in her throat, unable to be spoken.

He even asked her what was wrong.

“…”

Su Miao Miao was so frustrated that all she could do was glare at him.

Shang Yan smiled with his eyes lowered.

He unrolled the girl’s jeans and stood up.

As if nothing had happened, Shang Yan calmly pulled back the chair and sat next to the girl.

He opened the lunch box in front of him.

Su Miao Miao turned back in annoyance.

Before she could sit properly, the voice beside her suddenly asked, “Do you hate it?” in a casual tone.

“?”

Su Miao Miao turned her head.

“…”

The person beside her calmly opened the lunch box in front of him, putting on the disposable gloves inside. Then, he lifted his eyes lazily, looking at her with a half-smile—

“Would what I just did make you feel disgusted or repulsed?”

Su Miao Miao was stunned once again.

After a brief moment, she furrowed her delicate brows, beginning to recall her previous feelings.

The panic that almost made her jump…

The embarrassment that made her wish for a hole to hide in…

The irritation that made her want to kick away the half-kneeling boy in front of her…

In the midst of such complex and intertwining emotions, the one thing that was conspicuously absent was the disgust that Shang Yan mentioned.

As she grasped this realization, the beautiful features on the girl’s face almost scrunched together in thought.

How could there be no disgust… It should be there.

Shang Yan observed the subtle changes in Su Miao Miao’s expression.

He chuckled softly, unwrapping a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks to eat his lunch.

Seeing that he didn’t press further, Su Miao Miao felt relieved and opened her own lunch box.

Inside, there were still exquisite dishes, none repeated for two weeks, completely avoiding her dietary restrictions.

Su Miao Miao blinked, murmuring softly to herself.

“What did you say?”

Shang Yan paused with his chopsticks in hand, turning to her.

Su Miao Miao lowered her head, her voice soft and subdued, “Thank you, Master.”

“Thank you for what?”

“For the lunch, and… the milk.”

A smirk played on Shang Yan’s lips.

He leaned against his cheek, his hand propping his head, and asked meaningfully, “How are you thanking me?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao choked up.

Shang Yan grinned, “How about I give you another kiss?”

“…!”

The girl swiftly pulled back her leg under the chair, looking at him warily.

Like a fluffy ball of fur bristling all over.

Shang Yan chuckled silently, his voice showing no hint of displeasure.

He turned back.

Picking up a sticky rice ball.

“Plenty of time ahead.”

He bit into the slippery rice ball, chewed, then swallowed with a meaningful chuckle, “I’m not in a rush.”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

***

The lunch break at Sanzhong is relatively long for the students.

After lunch, Qi Wenyue, absent-minded throughout the afternoon, managed to convince Liao Lanxin, the top student, to abandon the idea of going back to the classroom directly and successfully dragged him to the sports field.

The two wandered around the garden area for a few laps, then ran to a secluded spot under a tree and sat down on a bench.

Qi Wenyue sat in silence, lost in her thoughts.

Liao Lanxin remained silent, basking in the sun with arms propped up.

After a long silence, Qi Wenyue couldn’t hold it in anymore and turned her head, asking plaintively, “Desk mate, don’t you think something’s off with me this afternoon?”

“Mm,” Liao Lanxin responded indifferently.

Qi Wenyue felt even more aggrieved by this cold “Mm.”

“Don’t you care about me, ask me what’s wrong?” she asked.

Liao Lanxin glanced at Qi Wenyue expressionlessly. “If I ask, will you tell me?”

Qi Wenyue took a deep breath, shaking her head in pain.

Before she could speak, Liao Lanxin lazily averted her gaze—”If you could say it, you would have blurted it out already. Since you haven’t, it means you can’t—that’s why would I bother asking?”

Qi Wenyue: “…”

Qi Wenyue: “Desk mate, if you keep being so clever, it makes life feel meaningless to me.”

“You?” Liao Lanxin closed her eyes, stretching lazily.

“At best, you’re like a goldfish in human form.”

Qi Wenyue: “…”

The forest fell into quietude for a while. Qi Wenyue rubbed her face in desolation.

“Desk mate, I learned a shocking secret today, and carrying this secret feels so painful—and I’m afraid the person involved will silence me, it’s terrifying to even think about it…”

Liao Lanxin’s figure froze.

After two seconds, she opened her eyes, remembering what Qi Wenyue had said to Su Miao Miao before leaving the classroom—

That seemingly nonsensical yet heartfelt “Be careful.”

Narrowing her eyes, Liao Lanxin turned her head.

“What secret?”

Qi Wenyue put on a face of “I’d rather die than tell”—”I won’t say it. I will keep this secret until the very last second of my life.”

Liao Lanxin: “…”

So much drama.

Liao Lanxin looked at her disdainfully, “What, did you catch Shang Yan finally losing control and making a move on Su Miao Miao?”

Qi Wenyue: “……….”

Qi Wenyue: “????!!”

Qi Wenyue almost leaped off the bench with a high-difficulty standing jump, springing a meter away as if electrified. She pointed at Liao Lanxin, her expression fierce—”How, how did you know!?”

Liao Lanxin seemed somewhat surprised.

“Well, you really made a move… I remember, shouldn’t Shang Yan’s patience be better than this?”

Qi Wenyue couldn’t control her expression anymore: “You, you…You, you already noticed as our seatmate!?”

“Sitting in front and behind them, so close, how could you not have noticed?”

“…I sit close too, why did I always think they were just a simple master-disciple relationship?”

Liao Lanxin looked at her calmly.

“This question might involve species differences and inter species evolution. I suspect even if I explained it, you wouldn’t understand, so let’s skip that.”

Qi Wenyue: “…”

Qi Wenyue: “Are you not surprised at all? That’s Shang Yan, Shang Yanluo, from our sophomore year! Do you believe that he, of all people, would…”

As the image of the boy leaning in to kiss the girl reappeared in her mind, with eyes so infatuated it bordered on gluttonous.

Before Qi Wenyue could finish her sentence, she shuddered. After a moment, she covered her face with her hands: “I-I-I feel like my whole worldview has been shattered…”

Just as Liao Lanxin was about to say something, they suddenly heard approaching footsteps, followed by a familiar female voice sounding a bit impatient—

“What do you want to talk to me about? We’re not even close!”

“…?”

Qi Wenyue lowered her hands, looking over curiously.

As the owner of the voice approached, Liao Lanxin hesitated, pulling Qi Wenyue by the hand and preemptively covering her mouth, then swiftly pulling her into the shadow of a sturdy tree behind the bench.

“?”

With her mouth covered, Qi Wenyue looked at Liao Lanxin in confusion.

Liao Lanxin raised a finger to her lips, silently gesturing for her to remain quiet.

Qi Wenyue blinked in understanding.Liao Lanxin then released her hand.

In front of the large tree, the two sets of footsteps finally stopped near the bench—

“Shu Wei, what do you want to say in the end!”

It was the same cold female voice from before, tinged with impatience.

Behind the tree, Qi Wenyue widened her eyes in surprise.

She turned her head and silently mouthed to Liao Lanxin, “Shu Wei and Wen Susu??”

Liao Lanxin nodded subtly, indicating for her to keep listening.

“I just want to ask you a question.”

“Hmph… Ask me a question? Shu Wei, are you mistaken about something? Are we friends? Why should I answer your question?”

“Because telling me would benefit both of us.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Su Miao Miao is acquainted with you, right? And your families’ relationship is quite exceptional, isn’t it?”

“—! How do you know?”

“I had someone look into Su Miao Miao’s enrollment information and background, but surprisingly, we couldn’t find anything—someone in school told me that she was admitted midway, and it was your father who used his connections to make it happen.”

Shu Wei let out a cold laugh.

“So I figured you must know her secrets. Especially, what illness she’s actually suffering from!”

“…”

Behind the tree, Liao Lanxin and Qi Wenyue exchanged a glance.

In front of the tree, after a long silence, Wen Susu furrowed her brows and asked, “Why do you want to know this? Aren’t you and Shang Yan done? …Could it be, you’re still thinking about him?”

At this remark, Shu Wei’s expression turned cold in an instant.

By now, she could almost feel the merciless grip around her neck and the suffocating sensation as if she was being pressed against the wall.

The more she thought about it, the more unpleasant her expression became.

“…It’s none of your business!”

Wen Susu’s expression turned frosty, “If that’s the case, then don’t come asking me.”

“Wait.”

Shu Wei stopped her, blocking Wen Susu’s path, and said, “…Fine, I’ll tell you the truth. I have no feelings for Shang Yan at all now—but Su Miao Miao, she has seriously crossed me! I must make her pay for it!”

Wen Susu’s gaze flickered slightly.

After a few moments of hesitation, she shook her head—”I can’t tell you. If my father finds out I leaked this information, he might just disown me.”

Shu Wei furrowed her brow, “Does Su Miao Miao come from a powerful background?”

“…”

Wen Susu fell into silence.

Upon sensing Shu Wei’s hostility towards Su Miao Miao, Wen Susu’s mind raced.

If she could use Shu Wei to make Su Miao Miao, who was currently the center of attention in the whole school, suffer a bit without having to personally intervene, why wouldn’t she take advantage of the opportunity?

However, if Shu Wei found out about the influential Su family behind Su Miao Miao, then perhaps…

After pondering, Wen Susu raised her head calmly and said, “Her family background is indeed decent, but she’s not much different from an orphan.”

“Oh?” Shu Wei smiled, her expression turning grim.

“I knew it, that day she was just putting on an act with me…”

Wen Susu glanced at her with a flicker in her eyes, then looked away.

“I’ve told you everything I can. If you have nothing else, then I’ll be on my way.”

As Wen Susu was about to leave, her hand was suddenly grabbed by Shu Wei—”Most importantly, you still haven’t told me—what illness does Su Miao Miao have?”

“…”

Wen Susu’s expression changed.

“I’ve told you, I can’t say this.”

Growing impatient, Shu Wei said, “Even if you tell me, I won’t reveal it!”

“…”

Wen Susu’s expression turned grim.

“Within the entire Sanzhong, including all teachers and students, there are no more than 5 people who know about this—besides our homeroom teacher, even the subject teachers don’t know the specifics. If this information leaks out, my father will know it was me who leaked it first!”

Shu Wei gave her a cold look.

“How come, in your father’s eyes, Su Miao Miao is more important than you?”

“You don’t need to provoke me. I won’t disclose the details of her illness.”

Shu Wei narrowed her eyes and brought out her “trump card”—

“Even if she ends up with Shang Yan, you still won’t say?”

“…!”