Chapter 38

On Tuesday afternoon, during the school-wide activity period, Qi Yuzhi dragged Lu Yan to the basketball court and curiously asked her, “So… that day… what happened between you two?”

Lu Yan sat on the grass beside the playground and pushed the curious girl’s head away, asking, “Which day?”

“The day we planned the barbecue, when you mistook plum wine for a drink, got drunk, and then a big ‘hero’ carried you home on a cloud! So… what happened between you two?”

At the mention of the incident, Qi Yuzhi’s tone became teasing.

“Oh~~” Lu Yan replied carelessly, “Lu Zhen said I was too heavy, and almost broke his bones carrying me.”

“Lu Zhen?”

“Yeah, Lu Zhen carried me back.”

“Wait… are you sure… it was Lu Zhen?”

Lu Yan looked at Qi Yuzhi in surprise, “What’s with you today? You’re acting strange.”

“No, I mean… the person who carried you home was Shen…”

A few meters away, Lu Zhen, dressed in a red basketball jersey, shot a piercing glance their way. Qi Yuzhi immediately stiffened and quickly fell silent, not daring to say another word.

Lu Yan seemed to have already forgotten what happened that day. When she saw Shen Kuo walk onto the court with a basketball, she immediately grabbed Qi Yuzhi’s arm and started to leave.

Qi Yuzhi hesitated. On Tuesday afternoons during activity class, all the girls would come to the court to watch the boys play basketball. They had managed to grab the best spot, and if they left now, someone else would take it.

“Why are you leaving? Just stay and watch your brother play basketball.”

“What’s so good about watching him?”

“Well… at least you can watch Shen Kuo play, right?”

Lu Yan lowered her head, zipping up the collar of her blue and white school uniform to cover half of her face, leaving only her dark, almond-shaped eyes visible. She blinked a few times and said, “I don’t want to watch him, and I definitely don’t want him to see me.”

It’s so embarrassing.

“It’s not like you failed at kissing him or anything. It’s not embarrassing! If it doesn’t work this time, just try again next time!”

“You’re still saying that!” Lu Yan covered her flushed face, on the verge of collapsing. “Stop talking about it!”

Shen Kuo, holding a basketball, walked onto the court. He glanced at Lu Yan, who was sitting on the bench, pretending to be dead while hugging her best friend.

He stopped about ten meters away from them, lightly bouncing the ball, as if he had no intention of entering the game.

At that moment, an excited commotion broke out among the girls nearby.

“The new transfer student is here!”

“Is he playing basketball too?”

“So handsome! He’s really too handsome!”

“He’s even more handsome than Lu Zhen!”

“Agreed!”

Lu Yan heard the comment and curiously looked over. She saw Ye Jiaqi walking onto the basketball court with several boys. He made a smooth three-point layup as soon as he entered, his movements sharp and fluid—he looked incredibly handsome.

Ye Jiaqi had joined Beicheng No. 3 High School as a transfer student just a week ago and was placed directly into the best class, which happened to be the class that Shen Kuo was in—Class 12.

His arrival coincided with the second round of mock exams for the senior year students. As a recent returnee from studying at an American high school, Ye Jiaqi’s scores were second only to Shen Kuo’s, placing him second in the grade. What impressed everyone the most was his English—he nearly scored full marks, only losing two points on his composition.

With his handsome appearance, excellent academic performance, and prestigious family background, Ye Jiaqi quickly replaced Lu Zhen as the heartthrob of Beicheng No. 3 High School, with all the girls at the school swooning over him.

Ye Jiaqi took a lap around the court with the basketball, and as he passed by Lu Yan, he smiled and nodded at her in greeting.

Lu Yan immediately nodded back as a polite gesture.

Qi Yuzhi, who was sitting next to her, leaned in and asked, “You know Ye Jiaqi?”

Lu Yan replied calmly, “He came to our house for dinner the day he returned to the country. I’ve only met him once.”

“OMG, really… Yanyan, you see how good I am to you? You… you have to introduce me to him!!!”

Lu Yan hesitated. “Girl, I don’t really know him that well. It was just a brief meeting. How can I introduce you to him?”

“With so many girls around, and he’s the only one who greets you, that’s way more than just a casual nod! You must be special!”

“Uh…”

Lu Yan cautiously glanced at Shen Kuo. His dark eyes were fixed on her, expressionless.

It was clear that he had seen what had just happened.

Lu Yan felt a little guilty for no reason, but then she quickly shook it off. So what if he saw? Why feel guilty? It was he who chose to avoid her.

Ye Jiaqi, being in the same class as Shen Kuo, noticed that Shen Kuo was standing by the side of the court without joining the game. He walked over and said, “Shen Kuo, come on, let’s team up and play against Class 14.”

Class 14 was Lu Zhen’s class, and the boys from the two classes were each occupying half of the court.

Shen Kuo threw the basketball and smiled faintly. He casually said, “I’ll join, but someone might cry their way home again.”

Lu Zhen, hearing this, automatically assumed the remark was about him. He pointed at Shen Kuo and said irritably, “What’s with all the arrogance? I scored the penalty in the last basketball tournament, didn’t I?”

Shen Kuo didn’t want to humiliate Lu Zhen. He was clearly aware that today, Ye Jiaqi had already stolen much of the spotlight from the school heartthrob. If they were to be defeated again in the basketball game, Lu Zhen would probably cry for real this time.

Moreover… Lu Yan was also there. For her sake, Shen Kuo decided to give him some face.

Ye Jiaqi, seeing that Lu Zhen wasn’t joining in, turned to him and asked, “Still playing?”

Lu Zhen, unwilling to back down, responded, “Come on, I’ll wipe the floor with you.”

Ye Jiaqi just smiled and said nothing.

The basketball game started, and right from the beginning, Ye Jiaqi dominated. Whether it was his sharp offense or steady defense, it was clear that he had professional-level skills.

However, Lu Zhen wasn’t doing too badly. He was struggling but hadn’t lost too many points.

At this point, he was grateful that Shen Kuo didn’t join the game, otherwise, he would have definitely embarrassed himself to the extreme.

Shen Kuo sneaked over to where Lu Yan was sitting and stopped beside her.

Lu Yan immediately tensed up and defensively took a couple of steps to the side.

The first thing he said was, “Do you know Ye Jiaqi?”

Lu Yan muttered, “I do.”

And… there was nothing else to say.

The two of them awkwardly stood there for a while. Even Qi Yuzhi, sensing the tension, quickly made a run for it.

“What are you asking me about him for?” Lu Yan looked at him.

His gaze was calm as he looked out across the court, his expression unreadable. “Just asking.”

“Oh.”

“He’s good at English.”

“…”

He almost got a perfect score, missing just two points on his composition. Although his total score was still more than ten points lower than Shen Kuo’s, in the past, there had been at least a 50-point gap between Shen Kuo and the second-place student.

“I’m not very good at English.”

Shen Kuo spoke to himself, “Especially listening comprehension. If his listening improves, he still won’t be able to beat me.”

Lu Yan felt like he might care a little about grades. Although he didn’t directly say it, he probably didn’t like that Ye Jiaqi’s score was so close to his own.

But why was he telling her all this?

“He’s lived in America all his life, so of course his English is good. Don’t worry too much about it. He won’t beat you in other subjects.”

Shen Kuo’s lips curved into a subtle, accidental smile, his eyes slightly wrinkling at the corners. “Is that what you think?”

“Yeah.”

She sat on the bench, her head down, her cheeks slowly heating up. This man… his smile was just too dangerous.

Shen Kuo continued smiling, still watching the court, not saying anything further, seemingly in a good mood.

Lu Yan stood up, preparing to leave.

At that moment, Shen Kuo took out a piece of paper from his bag, folded it into an airplane, and gently tossed it into the air.

The paper airplane fluttered lightly and landed right at her white sneaker.

Lu Yan picked up the airplane and saw the three words written on it: “Sorry.”

She lowered her head, tightly clutching the paper airplane in her hand. Her eyes suddenly felt a little teary, and she didn’t have the courage to look back at him.

But she could feel his intense gaze burning into her back.

Was she being silly? It wasn’t a big deal, he had already said there was no need to apologize. So why…

“Lu Yan, that day… never mind.” He said seriously, “Next time, I won’t avoid you.”

Lu Yan’s face turned bright red, and she hurriedly said, “There won’t be a next time, there’s no next time!”

He smiled again, looking bright and charming in the sunlight, as if joking. “Keep the paper airplane, and next time, exchange it with me for a real airplane.”

“Is that for real?”

“I don’t tell lies.”

Whether it was true or not didn’t matter, anyway, Lu Yan’s heart had relaxed a lot. She slowly walked over and sat down beside the boy. “Let’s watch the game together.”

“Okay.”

Shen Kuo sat beside her, and she could clearly feel the warmth emanating from his body. She tugged at her collar and said, “Lu Zhen is so dumb.”

Shen Kuo gently replied, “He’s always been dumb.”

“Ye Jiaqi is really good.”

Shen Kuo didn’t respond to that.

“Can you and Lu Zhen beat him together?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Shen Kuo casually said, “Without Lu Zhen, I can beat him.”

“…”

So, he really thought that lowly of him.

After school, Lu Yan turned the corner of the stairs and ran into Ye Jiaqi.

He was wearing a black Nike sports jacket and carrying a Fendi crossbody bag, looking exactly like a rich young master.

And she had to admit, his fashion sense was way better than Lu Zhen’s!

In this era when bell-bottom pants were all the rage, Lu Zhen wasn’t immune to the trend, often wearing bizarre outfits that would hurt Lu Yan’s eyes.

Lu Yan was a straightforward girl, especially sensitive to boys who dressed in a flashy, showy way. It drove her crazy.

In terms of clothing style, Ye Jiaqi and Shen Kuo were the only two boys in the world who didn’t make her want to laugh.

Ye Jiaqi smiled and greeted her, “Want to go home together?”

“It seems like it’s not on the way.”

Lu Yan hesitated at the edge of the stairs, actually waiting for Shen Kuo to finish school. “Our homes are in opposite directions, right?”

“Rare for you to remember where my house is.” Ye Jiaqi shrugged. “I remember when you were little, you came to my house to play.”

“Uh…”

Lu Yan had never actually been to Ye Jiaqi’s house. But everyone in Beicheng knew about the Ye family’s mansion, a riverside villa in the highest-end residential area in the city.

Ye Jiaqi didn’t seem like he was planning to leave anytime soon, walking around with her on the steps. “You’re so different now from when you were little. You’ve changed a lot.”

“Really…?”

“You’ve become smarter. When you were little, you were so naïve.”

Lu Yan didn’t know how to respond. Of course, she wasn’t the same as the silly little girl from before, but these were things she couldn’t really explain to others.

At that moment, Lu Zhen dashed over like a small whirlwind, full of restless energy, and positioned himself between Ye Jiaqi and Lu Yan.

“What do you want with my sister?”

He gave Ye Jiaqi a wary look.

Ye Jiaqi smiled faintly and said, “I haven’t seen Little Yan in a long time. Just having a casual chat.”

“You two don’t have any close relationship, so what’s there to talk about?” Lu Zhen had just lost the basketball game, and was already in a bad mood. Seeing Ye Jiaqi made him dislike everything about him even more. And now, him talking to Lu Yan? Even worse!

Ye Jiaqi, very perceptive, noticed that Lu Zhen wasn’t happy with him. So, he decided to excuse himself, bidding farewell to Lu Yan, and turned to leave.

Lu Zhen pulled Lu Yan into a corner and whispered, “Stay away from him.”

“Yes~~”

Lu Yan dragged out her words, half-heartedly responding, “Stay away from him, stay away from Shen Kuo, stay away from all the boys in the world. That’s what will make you happy, right?”

Lu Zhen was too lazy to argue with this little girl. He became serious and said, “Ye Jiaqi is different. He and my little sister have known each other since childhood. He’s very smart. If you spend too much time with him, he’ll definitely sense something’s off.”

Lu Yan casually said, “I’m not interested, and I don’t want to use my aunt’s identity to deceive people.”

She had never hidden her identity. She had always been truthful with Lu Zhen and Lu Jian.

Back in the time when her aunt went missing, communication networks weren’t developed, and there were no video surveillance cameras in the streets. If someone disappeared, it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

In the past life, Lu Jian spent his entire life trying to find his daughter, but he never succeeded. Many people said that her aunt was probably no longer in this world.

But even so, Lu Yan didn’t want to take her aunt’s identity and deceive everyone around her who cared for her.

Lu Zhen seemed very worried. “No, you can’t let my dad know. This matter… no one can find out!”

“Why?”

“You’re asking me why? Is your brain stuck in the door?!”

Lu Zhen chastised her by tapping her forehead. “If others find out you’re from the future, do you think you could still safely attend school? Think about it! They’d lock you up, fill your head with wires for all kinds of tests, and experiment on you every day!”

Lu Yan twitched the corner of her mouth. She knew that Lu Zhen loved science fiction movies, but this was… a bit too exaggerated.

Lu Zhen said seriously, “Even if they don’t experiment on you, there will still be people with ulterior motives, trying to exploit you for their own gain.”

After all, having someone who knows the future right next to them was like having a highly coveted treasure everyone would want to seize!

“You… why are you staring at me?”

Lu Yan blinked her eyes and looked at Lu Zhen. “Dad, I’ve suddenly realized that you’re actually not that stupid.”

“……”

I was never stupid to begin with!

He reached out to pat her forehead again, but this time, Lu Yan was prepared and quickly dodged.

“I don’t care what others think anymore.”

Lu Zhen said seriously, “I’m going to make sure you’re safe. You’re my daughter, and once you’re here, it’s my responsibility.”

And it was his absolute responsibility.

Lu Yan leaned against Lu Zhen, nudging him with her elbow, and laughed carelessly, “You’re still a virgin at your age, huh? You really think of me as your daughter?”

Lu Zhen’s eyes widened in shock, his face flushing red as he shouted, “What nonsense are you saying! Who taught you this? You… you’re still a girl! You’ve really let me down!”

Lu Yan twitched the corner of her mouth. In her time, sex was no longer a taboo subject. Why couldn’t they talk about it?

They were from different times, after all. Compared to other more frivolous and dissolute boys, Lu Zhen was definitely a conservative. He wouldn’t casually make inappropriate jokes with girls.

In this regard, birds of a feather flock together. Liang Ting and Qin Hao were the same. They’d turn red in the face just from talking to girls, and usually, the three of them only hung out with boys. They were typical honest boys.

Lu Yan saw the expression on her dad’s face and sighed. “Fine, fine, I’m sorry. I won’t joke around anymore.”

“I won’t give up on my sister,” Lu Zhen said seriously. “I’ll keep looking, so don’t feel burdened.”

Lu Yan nodded obediently. “We’ll look together.”

Even though she knew the chances were slim, and even in her time, where communication technology was highly developed, it was still difficult to find girls who had been sold.

But because they were family, she knew they could never give up.

Lu Zhen immediately steered the conversation back on track, saying sternly, “From now on, don’t mention that you’re from the future to anyone!”

Lu Yan responded casually, “Fine, I won’t mention it.”

“Don’t contact Ye Jiaqi.”

“Okay.”

“Not even Shen Kuo.”

“Hey???”

The two of them playfully pushed each other as they walked away.

Ye Jiaqi was leaning against the wall at the corner of the stairs, his gaze lowered, still in a state of extreme shock, trying to process the conversation he had just overheard.