Chapter 18

Shu Mengfei held the corner of her long skirt in her left hand and a broom in her right. The broom’s bristles lightly brushed against the ground.

Even passersby could tell that her mind was elsewhere, lost in thought.

After finishing sweeping the garden path, Shen Kuo went straight to clean the path by the statue of the forebears.

Although they were assigned to the same group, Shen Kuo did almost all the work by himself, leaving Shu Mengfei standing there like a vase, unable to help at all.

Shen Kuo had something to do in the evening, so he worked quickly.

One of Shu Mengfei’s classmates leaned in close and whispered to her, “Shen Kuo must be worried that you’re tired, so he did all the work himself.”

Shu Mengfei’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Stop talking nonsense. There’s no such thing.”

“Of course there is, otherwise why would he be working so hard?”

Shu Mengfei glanced at Shen Kuo, who was hunched over sweeping the ground in the distance, a trace of shyness in her eyes. “I think he’s very ambitious. Although his family isn’t well-off, he works hard enough. I can actually… understand his situation.”

“Looks like you two are soulmates, huh?”

At that time, many girls were obsessed with Hong Kong and Taiwan romantic dramas, and the term “soulmates” was often used, becoming quite popular.

“I think he’s much better than someone else.”

Her close friends all knew who “someone else” referred to—the heartthrob of every girl at school, Lu Zhen.

“Feifei, you and Lu Zhen are together, and so many girls must be jealous of you. But you’re so brave, breaking up with him without even a second thought.”

Shu Mengfei’s face showed a hint of disdain—

“For me, family background isn’t important. No matter how much money your parents make, it’s not yours. A person has to rely on their own effort—that’s what truly matters.”

“Those materialistic girls should really learn from Feifei.”

“Feifei, Shen Kuo is looking at you!”

Shu Mengfei looked up and happened to catch Shen Kuo glancing her way with a faint look.

Being watched by someone she liked, she froze for a moment, not sure of where to put her hands or feet.

But Shen Kuo wasn’t looking at her, he was just looking at Lu Zhen, who was standing across from the teaching building under the corridor.

Shu Mengfei ducked her head, feeling awkward.

A slight smirk appeared at the corner of Shen Kuo’s mouth.

Lu Zhen’s emotional sensitivity had always been his weakness. Shen Kuo didn’t need to do anything—just standing there was enough to make Lu Zhen jealous to the point of almost losing his mind.

“Feifei, Lu Zhen is still pestering you, and now even Shen Kuo is starting to admire you. I really envy you.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

Although she denied it with her words, Shu Mengfei couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes.

“Hey? What’s that woman doing with Shen Kuo?” one of the girls in her group gasped.

Shu Mengfei looked up and was startled to see Lu Yan walking over with her hands behind her back, smiling as she stood next to Shen Kuo.

She was wearing blue denim overalls and had her hair tied in a particularly cute scorpion-tail braid.

The girls actually envied Lu Yan a lot, not only because of her beautiful, captivating peach blossom eyes but also because of her amazing fashion sense. She was always well-dressed and could create all kinds of stylish braids, which always left the girls at school in awe.

“Who knew school uniforms could be worn this way? Who knew jeans could be cut into holes? And who knew hair could be braided into so many different styles besides a ponytail or a braid?”

Shu Mengfei silently commented, “Just trying to grab attention.”

In her eyes, Lu Yan was just trying too hard to draw attention, trying to steal her spotlight.

But to be honest, even with all her clever tricks, Lu Yan would never shake her position.

Shu Mengfei hadn’t become the ^[1]“school’s flower” is often used in East Asian cultures to describe the most beautiful or admired girl in a school. It implies she is someone who stands out not only for her physical … Continue readingschool’s “flower” just because of her looks. It was her talent in singing and dancing that got her there.

She was the head of the arts and entertainment department, and no other girl in school had talents that could compete with hers.

“She’s talking to Shen Kuo,” one of the girls murmured.

The surrounding girls began to gossip in low voices, “They’re standing so close.”

“What are they talking about? They look so happy.”

“Doesn’t Shen Kuo usually ignore girls? Why is he chatting with her?”

“Feifei, should we go over and see what’s going on?”

“I’m just admiring Shen Kuo, that’s all,” Shu Mengfei said, trying to sound calm, with a smile. “Besides, I believe Lu Yan and he are just having a normal conversation between classmates. No need to worry.”

However, just as she finished saying that, Lu Yan actually took Shen Kuo’s hand.

Shu Mengfei’s eyes felt like they were pricked by needles.

As for Shen Kuo, after exchanging a few casual words with her, he looked up and saw a sly glint appear in Lu Yan’s eyes. She smiled and said, “Uncle Shen, have you ever held a girl’s hand?”

Shen Kuo shook his head, confused as to why she was asking him such a question.

“Then let me hold your hand.”

Before he could respond, Lu Yan grabbed his hand.

The moment she held onto his hand, Shen Kuo visibly panicked, trying to pull his hand back with force. But the little girl held on tight, and he couldn’t pull it away.

In Lu Yan’s era, it wasn’t a big deal for boys and girls to accidentally touch hands. But in this era, when men and women were expected to maintain strict boundaries, holding hands was almost as thrilling as a kiss.

Shen Kuo’s face reddened slightly, but Lu Yan didn’t notice. Her attention was entirely focused on Shu Mengfei across the way.

Shu Mengfei pretended to be sweeping the floor, but Lu Yan knew she was definitely upset.

“Lu Yan, let go,” he said, his throat dry and itchy as he swallowed.

She laughed, holding onto his hand and saying, “Uncle Shen, I consider you like a real uncle. Just play along with me, okay?”

“…”

Who the hell wants to be your real uncle?

Lu Yan tightened her grip on his pinky finger and said seriously, “That school beauty, I want to piss her off.”

Her palm was cool and soft, wrapping around Shen Kuo’s fingers, which felt surprisingly nice.

However, Shen Kuo was still Shen Kuo. He pulled his hand back, maintaining his usual composed restraint, and muttered:

“How boring.”

The little girl didn’t mind. She spoke in a pleading tone, “Shen Kuo, please don’t pay attention to Shu Mengfei, okay?”

“Why?”

“She’s my dad’s ex-girlfriend. You know how it is, it’s really hurtful for an ex-girlfriend to fall for the enemy… If you don’t have any feelings for the school beauty, just ignore her, alright?”

Her voice was soft, almost begging.

Shen Kuo glanced at Lu Yan’s dad, Lu Zhen, who was gritting his teeth in the corridor, and raised his chin slightly. “Why should I protect his pride?”

Lu Yan blinked her big, shiny eyes and pitifully begged, “Shen Kuo~”

The way she said “Kuo” made it sound sweet and coaxing, as if her voice was laced with a soft, irresistible charm.

This girl had been spoiled by Lu Zhen since she was young, a pampered brat who didn’t have many skills, but was really good at using her charm and sweet talk. Anyone close to her would be overwhelmed by her sweet, childish antics.

Sometimes, Shen Kuo envied Lu Zhen. Someone willing to protect him unconditionally, not letting anyone hurt him…

If one day, she could do that for him…

Shen Kuo immediately cut off that ridiculous thought.

“Please, really, help me out.”

Shen Kuo glanced at Shu Mengfei and, expressionless, said, “I don’t know her.”

Apart from being assigned to sweep, he hadn’t spoken much to Shu Mengfei at all.

“I promise, I won’t interact with her again. Is that good enough?”

Lu Yan’s face lit up with a bright smile. She was so pleased.

Everyone said Shen Kuo was narrow-minded and cold, but she never expected him to listen to her so obediently.

“You’re so nice to me. I almost want to call you my godfather!”

Shen Kuo’s lips twitched involuntarily.

What kind of idiot is this girl? Who the hell would want to be your godfather!

Shen Kuo raised his hand and patted her on the back of the head, muttering, “Go away.”

“No, we still need to act. Since we’ve already held hands, might as well go all the way.”

“What else do you want to do…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Zhen suddenly stood on tiptoe and slowly leaned toward his cheek.

A faint scent of milk mixed with the fresh fragrance of flowers and grass gradually filled his senses.

Shen Kuo’s hand tightened instinctively.

She stopped just a few centimeters away from his face, their eyes meeting.

Shen Kuo lowered his gaze slightly, his long, fine eyelashes trembling slightly, his dark eyes reflecting the young girl in front of him, her expression soft and gentle.

Lu Yan exhaled lightly, her voice soft like orchids as she said, “I’m going to pretend to kiss you. Don’t move, okay?”

She finished speaking and made a soft “mua” sound near his cheek.

From Shu Mengfei’s perspective, Lu Yan had taken the initiative to stand on tiptoe and kiss Shen Kuo’s cheek.

The surrounding girls were stunned, staring wide-eyed in shock.

“Lu Yan… How could she do that…?”

The act of actively kissing a boy was simply earth-shattering!

Shu Mengfei’s gentle and graceful goddess persona could no longer be maintained. She gritted her teeth and stared at Lu Yan with resentment.

In this era, no girl dared to do such a bold and outrageous thing!

Shen Kuo looked at the girl’s lips, so close and glistening, and a trace of lingering interest flashed in his eyes. He said lightly, “Too fake.”

“Huh?”

Without waiting for her to react, his hand moved to her tiny waist, lifting her up and pressing her tightly against his abdomen.

Lu Yan sensed something was off.

Shen Kuo looked at her face as a hint of panic slowly surfaced in her eyes. His deep, rich voice was low and steady as he said, “I never play fake.”

“!”

Lu Yan widened her eyes, staring at the handsome, chiseled features of the boy so close to her. Her heart began to race, her mind repeatedly replaying his words — “I never play fake.”

Although Shen Kuo’s appearance wasn’t as delicate as Lu Zhen’s, he exuded a rugged aura. His fair skin and deep, dark eyes gave him a striking and three-dimensional presence.

At this moment, Shen Kuo’s eyes were filled with the unmistakable energy of a young man.

But Lu Yan knew that, many years later, the once-powerful Shen Kuo, who could control everything with a wave of his hand, would be filled with ruthless malice, and no one would dare to get close to him.

Lu Yan parted her lips slightly, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

“You really want to take this fake play to reality?”

Indulging one’s desires is easy, but restraint is the hardest thing.

Shen Kuo loosened his hold on her waist, his long fingers briefly moving as if grasping at nothing.

“Scared?”

He smiled faintly, teasing.

Lu Yan saw the playful tone in his voice and clutched her chest, sighing in relief. “I really was scared, I thought you were going to kiss me.”

From behind the corridor wall, Lu Zhen could no longer stand watching. He rushed forward to stop Shen Kuo but didn’t expect to move so quickly and accidentally tripped over Shu Mengfei, who was standing by the roadside.

Lu Zhen paused for a moment and turned to look at her.

Shu Mengfei fell onto the grass, staring at Lu Zhen in disbelief.

She looked pitiful.

Lu Zhen furrowed his brows, hesitated for two seconds, and then turned back without further looking at her. He charged toward Shen Kuo, raising his fist to punch him.

“Take your dirty hands off her!”

Shen Kuo nimbly stepped back, dodging Lu Zhen’s punch.

Lu Zhen pulled Lu Yan behind him, protectively like a mother hen shielding her chick, glaring viciously at Shen Kuo. “You bastard!”

Shen Kuo smirked coldly, ignoring him completely.

Lu Yan tugged at the corner of her dad’s shirt, whispering to him, “Dad, it’s just an act with Shen Kuo, it’s not real.”

Lu Zhen obviously didn’t believe her, because he had seen Shen Kuo’s hand on his daughter’s waist and the unmasked desire in his eyes.

A man would only look at a woman with such intense longing for one reason: he wanted her.

“Stay away from her! Or I’ll kill you!” Lu Zhen was furious, his rage far surpassing anything he had ever felt, even with Shu Mengfei.

“Try it if you want to kill me.”

Shen Kuo smiled faintly, but his eyes were chillingly cold. He lazily turned and began to walk away.

Lu Yan patted her dad’s back, calming him down.

“Stop with the ‘I’ll kill you’ nonsense, so childish.”

Lu Zhen grabbed his little sister’s ear and wiped her mouth hard with his sleeve. “Did that bastard kiss you just now?”

“Ah, no, no, I told you, it was just acting!”

Lu Yan spat and pushed his sweaty sleeve away, disgusted. “I sacrificed myself to help you get some relief, and you still don’t thank me?”

“Who asked you to help me, idiot!”

“You don’t know how to appreciate kindness.”

Shu Mengfei struggled to stand up, supporting herself on her knees. She watched the brother and sister bickering and playing in the garden, her eyes filled with resentment and dissatisfaction.

Lu Zhen had completely ignored her now, his attention solely on his foolish sister.

At this moment, a few of Shu Mengfei’s friends walked over and comforted her. “It was definitely just acting, Feifei. Don’t take it to heart.”

Shu Mengfei stared at the retreating figures of the brother and sister, clenching the corner of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Of course, she knew that Lu Yan and Shen Kuo were just pretending, but…

The cold, aloof boy who never interacted with girls at school—when he looked at her, there was an undeniable warmth and restraint in his gaze, something he couldn’t hide even if he tried.

One of the girls walked over and gently patted her shoulder. “Feifei, I’ve got some good news for you. I heard that Lu Yan signed up for the New Star Cup Campus Talent Competition too. Let’s give her a taste of her own medicine!”

A hint of coldness flashed in Shu Mengfei’s eyes. “She signed up too?”

“Yeah, I heard that when she tried to sing on stage in middle school, the host kicked her off. It was so embarrassing!”

“That’s why they call her an idiot.”

“Don’t say that, she is Lu Zhen’s sister, after all. I just hope she doesn’t embarrass herself too much.”

“Feifei, you’re just too kind-hearted.”

Shu Mengfei’s expression finally softened a bit. Although she still kept up a kind demeanor, deep down, she was already secretly planning to teach Lu Yan a lesson at the New Talent Cup competition.