Chapter 37

Friday was the day for the campus-wide cleaning, and every student was assigned a cleaning task.

Lu Zhen, however, skipped the task assigned to his class and went to the section that Lu Yan was in charge of, where he worked like a laborer, helping her sweep the floor.

So, Lu Yan had some free time and sneaked off to the fifth-floor hallway.

Shen Kuo was holding a small broom, focused on sweeping the corridor.

The broom he was using was a short bundle of twigs, so he had to bend down every time he swept.

His movements were very focused, and he was sweeping very carefully. Several beads of sweat had gathered on his high forehead.

Lu Yan noticed a broom nearby, picked it up, and like a small tail, followed behind Shen Kuo, bending down to sweep alongside him.

Shen Kuo didn’t notice the girl following behind him, and when he stepped back, he accidentally stepped on her foot.

“Ow.”

Lu Yan let out a low, pained cry.

Shen Kuo nearly caused her to trip. He staggered for a moment, but quickly regained his balance.

Lu Yan winced in pain, leaning against the wall, her toes barely touching the ground. She waved her hand and gave him a very awkward, pained smile.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Nothing happened, I’m totally okay. Doesn’t hurt at all…”

Shen Kuo frowned. He certainly knew how much force he had unintentionally used. The little girl was wearing thin white mesh shoes—of course it hurt.

He silently crouched down and gently patted the dirt on her white mesh shoes, scolding, “Are you stupid?”

“Yes, I’m stupid. Only today did you realize?”

Her words had a double meaning.

Shen Kuo gave a light hum, stood up, and asked, “What do you need from me?”

Lu Yan looked at him, dragging out her words: “Nothing~ Can’t I just come and find you?”

Of course, she had no particular reason. She just came to find him because she had nothing to do.

Shen Kuo grabbed the broom and continued sweeping, casually asking, “Don’t you have a cleaning task?”

“I do, but Lu Zhen insisted on helping me, so I’m free now.”

Shen Kuo didn’t respond and kept his head down to sweep the floor.

Although Lu Zhen was annoying, it was undeniable that he really cared for Lu Yan, deeply so.

Lu Yan picked up a nearby broom and continued helping Shen Kuo clean. Shen Kuo turned around and said, “You don’t need to do this.”

“I’m helping you. Two people working together is more efficient.”

Her movements were a bit awkward, but she was still quite focused.

Shen Kuo asked, “You’ve never done this kind of thing before, have you?”

“Hmm, no, but the Third High School now is very different from the one I used to go to. Now it’s… the glory of hard work, I guess.”

Back then, the cleaning tasks at the Third High School were all handled by hired janitors, and students no longer had to clean classrooms and public areas after school every day.

Shen Kuo didn’t think much about what she said and smiled with a charming curve at the corner of his lips: “If Lu Zhen knew you were helping me sweep the floor after he did it for you, he’d be really angry.”

“You just like making him angry, don’t you?”

Lu Yan tucked her sweaty bangs behind her ear and flashed a sweet smile on her face. “Then I’ll help you make him angry, how about that?”

Shen Kuo stared at the girl in front of him, her smile like a blooming flower, and his breath caught for a moment.

Suddenly, he shifted his gaze and grabbed the broom, heading toward the end of the hallway. As he passed by her, he lightly patted the back of her head.

Lu Yan followed him step by step. Wherever he swept, she would follow, using her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes to steal glances at him. When he caught her looking, she immediately looked away and continued sweeping, pretending to be focused on her task.

“Shen Kuo.”

He looked up. “Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing? What do you mean by nothing?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to call you.”

“…”

“Shen Kuo.”

“Hmm.”

“Shen Kuo, Shen Kuo, Shen Kuo.”

“Hmm, hmm, hmm.”

She smiled again, clearly trying to win his favor and act cute.

Shen Kuo thought to himself that he probably didn’t have the willpower to reject her. If she wanted to get close to him… he really couldn’t refuse.

They continued sweeping. Lu Yan chatted aimlessly, mentioning things like how the mashed potatoes at school were terrible at lunch.

Most of the time, Shen Kuo listened in silence, but he would respond with a hum after each of her sentences, acknowledging that he was listening.

Lu Yan knew that Shen Kuo was a patient man, but his patience wasn’t something he extended to just anyone, so it felt precious.

When they finished cleaning, they went to the wash station to wash their hands. Lu Yan dipped her hands in the water, casually rubbing them a couple of times before stopping. Shen Kuo, unable to stand it, grabbed her hands, placed them under the water, and carefully scrubbed them again.

He washed her hands with force, his palms calloused, almost as if he were going to peel off a layer of skin.

Lu Yan frowned slightly, but she didn’t pull her hands away. She let him pull her hand and wash it thoroughly.

Although it hurt a little, she… could hardly believe it.

This man was actually washing her hands! Isn’t this, when you think about it…

Lu Yan’s heart raced. She cautiously lifted her eyes and looked at Shen Kuo—

Shen Kuo had his eyes lowered, his thick eyelashes casting shadows on his eyelids, serious and focused.

He was so handsome it felt almost unreal.

Lu Yan suddenly leaned forward, trying to steal a kiss on his cheek, but Shen Kuo’s reaction was exceptionally sharp, and he turned his head just in time…

He dodged it.

He abruptly pulled his hand away from hers as well.

The water from the faucet splashed out freely, making a loud rushing sound.

The two of them stood frozen in place, staring at each other.

Lu Yan’s face turned bright red, all the way to her earlobes, making her look like two red cherries hanging there.

A hint of panic flickered in Shen Kuo’s eyes. His breath faltered, his heart was in chaos, and everything felt completely out of control.

The atmosphere suddenly became incredibly awkward, with every speck of dust in the air seeming to explode. The temperature rose, and it became unbearably hot.

Finally, Lu Yan couldn’t take it anymore. She stomped her foot and questioned him, “What are you running away from?”

Shen Kuo didn’t even know why he dodged. He had simply reacted instinctively in the moment…

“I’m sorry.”

“Who told you to apologize!” Lu Yan was so embarrassed she didn’t know what to do. She turned around and ran off.

Shen Kuo watched her flee, and then cupped his hands with water, splashing it onto his burning face.

He couldn’t force himself to calm down, so he kept splashing water on his face. The droplets slid down his eyelashes, and a large wet patch formed on his chest.

The scene kept replaying in his mind. His throat felt dry and scratchy, and his body burned with an uncontrollable fire, crashing wildly inside him.

That silly girl… actually wanted to kiss him.

For the next few days, Lu Yan began avoiding Shen Kuo. Even if they happened to meet on the road, she would walk around him or hide behind a tree.

She would only come out after he had passed.

That time in the hallway by the sink was just too embarrassing. She couldn’t face him at all, and she didn’t know how to deal with it.

Lu Zhen noticed the change in his little sister and laughed. “Hey, that’s good. Stay away from that Shen Kuo, it’ll keep you safe.”

Lu Yan knew that her brother, a total protector, would love nothing more than for her to stay away from all the boys in school.

In the evening, at a barbecue stall outside the school, Qi Yuzhi stuffed a greasy sausage, looking like two oily sausages, into her plate and asked, “You ordered so many skewers, aren’t you going to eat?”

Lu Yan sipped her drink through a straw and shook her head. “No appetite, I’m not eating.”

Qi Yuzhi dropped the grilled beef skewers onto her plate and said, “It’s just a kiss you didn’t get. Why are you so down? You’re not even eating meat. What did the meat do wrong?”

“It’s not about not getting the kiss, it’s just…”

Lu Yan knocked her forehead on the desk. “This is a matter of dignity, it’s… my one-sided problem. Ah, I’ve lost face in this life and the last one.”

“It’s not that bad,” Qi Yuzhi said, reassuring her. “If it were me, and I was suddenly startled, I would have instinctively pulled away too. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you.”

Lu Yan lifted her face, looking at her pitifully. “Really?”

Qi Yuzhi nodded, “It was just a momentary reaction. He didn’t have time to think. Maybe afterward, he regrets it.”

Lu Yan suddenly hugged Qi Yuzhi. “You’re so nice, I want to cry.”

Qi Yuzhi patted her back, sighing. “You’re really bold, though. You actually went ahead and kissed Shen Kuo like that.”

“Why can’t I kiss him?”

“Because it’s Shen Kuo.”

Qi Yuzhi clicked her tongue, adding, “He usually ignores girls and looks all fierce.”

In fact, there were quite a few girls in school who had a crush on him, but… no one dared to approach him. He was too cold.

“Why do you like him?” Qi Yuzhi asked, teasing.

“Do you need a reason to like someone?”

“Don’t you need one?”

Lu Yan thought for a moment and gave a very cliché answer. “Because he’s handsome.”

“Seriously?” Qi Yuzhi laughed. “How superficial. I thought you would say something like ‘he’s good at studying’ or ‘he works hard.’ Just because he’s handsome, you want to kiss him? I’m… impressed.”

“When he held my hand to wash, the sunlight was just right, shining in his brown eyes. I saw stars in his eyes.”

“Hahahahahahahaha!” Qi Yuzhi burst into laughter.

Lu Yan smacked her lightly and mumbled, “What’s so funny? I’m serious.”

“Did you drink too much? Stars? Why don’t you say you saw the moon too?” Qi Yuzhi chuckled, realizing that the drink actually did have some alcohol in it.

“Did you really drink too much?”

“Who drinks too much?” Lu Yan grumbled, pushing her away. “Forget it, you’ve never liked anyone, so you wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah, I don’t understand. Hey, don’t drink anymore, really…”

“I used to hate him, really. He caused our family to go bankrupt. When the bank came to seize everything, they even took the jade bracelet my mother left me…”

Lu Yan leaned on the desk, softly murmuring, “At that time, I really hated him, but…”

Qi Yuzhi stopped her, exclaiming, “Wait, you hated him then, but…”

“Later, I went to the Shen Corporation office to beg him, to beg him to let our family go. The first time I saw him, I saw the stars in his eyes… exactly the same stars.”

“Okay, okay, there are stars in his eyes.”

Qi Yuzhi helped Lu Yan up, took out her Nokia phone from her bag, and was about to call Lu Zhen. Just then, she looked up and saw Shen Kuo’s tall, slender figure walking out of the school gate.

“Hey, Shen Kuo!”

When Shen Kuo saw them, he quickened his pace and walked over. Upon seeing Lu Yan slumped on the desk, he frowned and asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

“She got drunk from drinking a beverage.”

Shen Kuo picked up the fruit wine, glanced at it, and said, “This isn’t just a beverage, it’s plum wine, and it’s pretty strong. Why is she drinking this?”

Qi Yuzhi glanced at the packaging and, suddenly struck by a thought, deliberately said, “Well, it’s because some people unintentionally hurt someone’s feelings with their actions.”

Shen Kuo silently looked at her, his gaze rippling with emotion—calm yet gentle.

Qi Yuzhi, noticing the expression on his face, finally understood why Lu Yan said, “There are stars in his eyes.”

Only when you really like someone can you unknowingly reveal such deep and tender emotions in your eyes.

“I’ll take her home.” After saying that, Shen Kuo helped Lu Yan up and walked out of the barbecue shop.

“Then, I’ll leave her to you.” Qi Yuzhi waved her hand with a smile, thinking that if Lu Yan woke up, she might have to treat her to another round of barbecue!

The school wasn’t too far from Lu Yan’s house, so Shen Kuo carried her on his back.

The little girl obediently rested on his back, her arms wrapped around his neck. Her soft breathing, like a gentle feather, lightly brushed the skin at the back of his neck, causing a slight itch.

She mumbled in a daze, “Dad…”

He walked forward, stepping on his own shadow.

“I’m Shen Kuo.”

His voice was low and rich, full of magnetism.

The girl tilted her chin, resting it on his shoulder, and with a faint sob in her voice, asked, “Do you hate me?”

“No.”

“Then… then why did you avoid me?”

He breathed gently, easing the thick ache in his chest. It was bitter, yet there was a sweetness to it. “You scared me.”

No girl had ever done anything like that to him before. This girl was too bold.

Lu Yan pouted and replied, “Well, you scared me too. I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t hate you. I never have.”

She tilted her head, looking at his profile, and seriously asked, “Then… do you like me?”

Shen Kuo’s steps paused.

Suddenly, fine and dense rain began to fall from the sky. He gazed at the uneven, wet ground for two seconds, then said seriously, “I like.”

I like her so much, I like her with all my heart.

Later, Lu Yan fell into a daze and fell asleep. Shen Kuo carried her back to the Lu household.

Aunt Li, the maid, took Lu Yan from him, “Oh dear, what happened?”

“She got drunk on plum wine,” Shen Kuo said softly. “Her clothes are wet, could you please change them for her? We don’t want her catching a cold.”

After giving these instructions, he suddenly felt like he was being overly cautious. Wasn’t it obvious that Aunt Li knew how to take care of her?

Aunt Li thanked Shen Kuo and said, “Student, why don’t you come in and sit for a while? You can leave once the rain stops.”

“No need.”

Shen Kuo turned and walked into the rain. Just then, he bumped into Lu Zhen, who was rushing home.

Lu Zhen stopped when he saw Shen Kuo, paused for a moment, then impatiently asked, “What are you doing here?”

Shen Kuo didn’t respond, just brushed past him. Lu Zhen then saw Lu Yan, unconscious in Aunt Li’s arms. He suddenly grabbed Shen Kuo by the collar, “What did you do to my sister?”

Aunt Li quickly interjected, “Young master, let go. This student was kind enough to bring the second young lady back after seeing that she had drunk too much.”

Lu Zhen didn’t believe that Shen Kuo would be so kind. He was cold and distant, and had always been harsh toward him. Was he really going to help by bringing his sister home?

“What are you really up to?” Lu Zhen stared into Shen Kuo’s dark eyes, trying to read his intentions.

But a person like him, sharp and perceptive, was not someone a fool like Lu Zhen could easily understand.

“You and I have our own matters to settle,” Shen Kuo said coldly, “But I suggest you stay away from my sister.”

Shen Kuo pulled away from Lu Zhen’s grip, his wrist strength so powerful that Lu Zhen couldn’t resist at all.

“Because of Lu Yan, I’ll let it go this time,” Shen Kuo said coldly, “But I don’t have patience for you. Don’t try to provoke me again.”

“I’ll be damned if I let you…” Lu Zhen tried to make a move on Shen Kuo, but Shen Kuo firmly held his wrist, leaving him unable to move.

At this moment, the high beams of a car flashed in his face. Lu Zhen turned around and saw Lu Jian’s car coming toward them. His expression changed slightly, and he forcefully jerked his hand away from Shen Kuo, stepping back two paces.

In recent days, Lu Jian’s attitude toward him had finally shifted for the better. Occasionally, Lu Jian would praise him, and Lu Zhen didn’t want to cause any conflict right outside his home.

“Consider yourself lucky,” Lu Zhen muttered, lowering his voice, “I won’t make a fuss with you today.”

Shen Kuo rolled his eyes and turned to leave.

In the rain, Lu Zhen watched his lonely figure fade into the distance and suddenly said, “Stay away from her. You’re not worthy of her.”

Shen Kuo’s steps faltered for a moment.

Then, the rain suddenly grew heavier, as though it were pouring down in sheets.

After a long pause, the young man in the rain suddenly said, “I will be worthy.”

Each word seemed to be bitten out with all the strength he had left.

One day, he would be worthy of her.