Chapter 25

“……?”

Su Miao Miao looked up at Shang Yan with a bewildered expression, her eyes fixed on him without blinking.

Clearly, she didn’t grasp the true meaning behind Shang Yan’s words.

Shang Yan couldn’t help but chuckle self-deprecatingly after being stared at by the girl’s pure, innocent eyes for a few seconds.

He reached out and ruffled the girl’s head.

“Kid, from now on, just obediently follow behind your master.”

Su Miao Miao shrank lightly under the ruffling, her slender neck tilting up even more hazily when she looked back.

“Why?”

Shang Yan’s eyes turned dark.He bit his lip and a muffled, sardonic chuckle escaped his lips.

“Because I’m afraid… you’ll be carried off by a wolf.”

—

Dragged into its den.

Nothing left to eat.

Su Miao Miao: “??”

After a moment of silence, unable to make sense of it, the girl quietly nodded.

“Oh…”

Shang Yan cleared his throat and stood up straight.

He changed the subject.

“Did you understand the part I just explained?”

Su Miao Miao nodded, then shook her head, furrowing her brow in frustration.

“I wrote that part last week, and I’ve already forgotten some details.”

Thinking about it, Shang Yan recalled something.

“Last week, before you joined the class, I asked you to wait in the training group for me. Why did you leave without leaving any message?”

Su Miao Miao recollected, “Wu Hongbo said you and—”

Her words abruptly stopped.

After a moment of waiting for her to continue, Shang Yan lowered his gaze to her.

“Me and what?”

“…?”

Su Miao Miao pursed her lips, uncertain if she should mention the name now.Shang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Kid, who am I with?”

Su Miao Miao lowered her head, her voice cautious: “He said, you and Shu Wei… were seen holding hands outside the school.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Miao Miao sneakily glanced up to observe Shang Yan’s reaction.

Then she saw the smile on his face suddenly darken.

…Ah.

Clearly, that wasn’t something she should have mentioned.

“So, you believed him?”

Su Miao Miao: “…Huh?”

Shang Yan restrained his impatience, repeating in a calm, slightly stern voice, “Did you believe what Wu Hongbo said?”

Su Miao Miao hesitated, “Um…”

“Why didn’t you just ask me directly?”

“I… couldn’t reach you at that time, Master,” Su Miao Miao said softly.

Shang Yan blinked.

Then he furrowed his brow.

…Perhaps Buo Yi was right; he should start carrying a mobile phone with him?

—

At this moment, Shang Yan had completely forgotten that just a few minutes ago, he had dismissed this matter with contempt.

“Master,” Su Miao Miao hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking, “Are you still angry with Shu Wei?”

Shang Yan rarely felt the desire to sigh. He pulled the chair the girl was sitting on closer, bracing his hands on the armrests on either side and leaning down.

“Kid, I’ll only say this once.”

“…?”

Su Miao Miao involuntarily shrank back, her beautiful eyes widening slightly, as if startled.

“Shu Wei and I have no relationship.”

Su Miao Miao was taken aback and instinctively tried to refute, “But Wu Hongbo said at that time, she was like a prospective master to me, she—”

Shang Yan raised his right hand and lightly pinched the girl’s chin.

Words left unfinished were forcibly cut off.

Su Miao Miao looked up at Shang Yan, bewildered.

Originally intending to stop the girl from speaking, Shang Yan found it a pity to not do something when those dewy eyes were looking at him with alarm. As if by impulse, he lightly stroked his thumb.

The touch under his fingertip was smooth.

Shang Yan’s eyes deepened.

After a few seconds, he suddenly snapped out of it, withdrew his hand, and straightened up.

“You just need to believe what I say.” He cleared his throat lightly and uncomfortably averted his gaze. “I’ll say it only once. If I have to repeat myself, it’ll involve… consequences.”

“I understand.”

The girl spoke softly, her eyes dark and lively.

“A broken leg.”

Shang Yan: “…”

She smiled up at him, completely unaware of the danger.

“Master, your threats are really lacking in creativity.”

“…?”

Shang Yan looked down at her.

After a moment, his clear, cold face gradually resumed its usual lazy expression.

A faint smile played at the corner of his lips, his eyes tinged with a deep desire.

“Creativity?”

“When I actually decide to change the punishment… do you believe you’ll be breathless with tears?”

The meaning behind that look was profound.

“…………”

Su Miao Miao was stunned.

After a few seconds, out of biological instinct, she slowly scooted back.

Outside the door, the voices and footsteps of others from the computer group could be heard.

Shang Yan’s gaze flickered slightly.

“You mentioned earlier that it was Wu Hongbo who told you those things.”

Su Miao Miao pressed her lips together, loyal enough not to speak.

But Shang Yan didn’t really need confirmation. His lips curved slightly, a chill in his eyes, as he casually slipped his hand into his pocket and turned to leave.

The office door swung open, and voices echoed back from the corridor.

“Come with me.”

“Huh…? Brother Yan, why are you looking for me? Is something—oww!!”

“No more nonsense?”

“I won’t, ow ow… Brother Yan, go easy, I can walk on my own—”

“…”

Listening to the gradually fading voices, Su Miao Miao sympathetically glanced at the door and then lowered her head back to her book….

…

Wu Hongbo slinked back to the training group, dejected.

“Everything okay?” someone in the group joked, “I thought you’d come back beaten up.”

Wu Hongbo snorted in annoyance.

“And why did Brother Yan want to discipline you? You’ve been pretty well-behaved these past few days.”

“…?”

Behind the desk, Su Miao Miao guiltily lifted her head.

“Brother Yan said he heard rumors about him and Shu Wei from someone who heard it from me—but I swear on my life, I only mentioned it within our group, how did it leak out?”

“Hahaha… you’re really unlucky!”

“Who are you calling unlucky?” Wu Hongbo retorted.

“I’m calling you unlucky,” the guy didn’t flinch, still laughing with his hand on his stomach.

Wu Hongbo stared at him for a few seconds, then smirked, “I’ll call him Brother Yan, and you can call me unlucky. Sure, you’re bold enough to be sick of living.”

The laughter in the office suddenly came to a halt.

The guy in the group acted like a choked chicken, struggling for a while before hastily smiling apologetically, “Oh, my bad, Wu bro, please don’t be mad!”

The playful laughter abruptly halted as the door to the computer group’s office was pushed open. However, the person at the door didn’t enter; they just glanced lazily at Wu Hongbo and the others before leaning against the door.

Shang Yan’s gaze fell on the computer behind the desk.

“Kid.”

“…?”

Su Miao Miao peeked out from behind the computer screen.

Shang Yan glanced at the quartz clock diagonally opposite, “It’s getting late, I’ll take you home.”

“Oh, okay.”

Su Miao Miao obediently closed the programming book in front of her, gathered it up, and stood to walk towards the door.

“Brother Yan, what about us…”

Wu Hongbo smiled ingratiatingly.

Shang Yan glanced at them.

After a silent moment, he smirked and lightly scoffed.

“Finish the programming assignment I assigned before you leave.”

Everyone: “…………”

Shang Yan leaned against the door, watching the girl walk past him, seemingly embarrassed.

A hint of a smile crossed his eyes.

But when he raised his eyes again, that smile had cooled.

“Tomorrow’s Monday, I’ll check your work.”

He closed the door behind him.

A few seconds later, echoing down the entire corridor, came heart-rending wails from the computer training group.

“Brother Yan, please don’t… spare us, Dad!!”

“…”

Standing in the corridor, Su Miao Miao looked back in astonishment.

She hesitated to point, “They…”

Her slender white finger was pulled back.

Shang Yan chuckled softly, unable to resist lightly pinching the soft, boneless fingers in his palm.

“Never mind them.”

Shang Yan lowered his eyes.

“I’ll take you home.”

With that, he let go of her hand first and turned to walk towards the staircase.

Watching his back, the girl stood still for a moment, then slowly raised her hand.

The slender fingers of her right hand were slightly spread, with the tip of her index finger red, as if it had just been abused.

So… was Su Miao Miao being “punished” by her master?

—

Su Miao Miao and Shang Yan sat in a taxi outside Sanzhong School and headed straight back to the Wen family villa.

On the way, the car was quiet.

Shang Yan rested one hand on the window, the white sleeve casually rolled up, revealing his attractive and sharp arm muscles. His gaze was fixed outside the window, seemingly lost in the passing scenery.

Suo Miao Miao turned her head slightly, staring at his profile.

Her gaze swept over his silhouette like a finely polished jade, delicately tracing every curve and line on this side profile. She watched quietly.

It seemed that no matter from which angle she looked, she couldn’t find any flaws…

Bold and unrestrained, casual yet indifferent, more carefree and composed than anyone else. Compared to others who were awkward and hesitant in their youth, he was utterly carefree and unfettered…

No wonder, as Qi Wenyue said, so many beautiful girls like him, just like Shu Wei and Wen Susu…

Su Miao Miao sighed inwardly and was about to turn back.

But before she could complete her discreet observation, the boy who had been looking out the window all this time let out a muted laugh.

He turned his head.

“Kid. In ancient times, staring at your master like you just did would have gotten you dunked in a pig cage.”

Su Miao Miao shuddered.

Seeing the girl wide-eyed and visibly startled, Shang Yan chuckled.

He raised his right hand resting by the car window and lightly tapped the glass.

“Didn’t you see? Can it reflect anything on here?”

A feeling of embarrassment, as if caught red-handed by the master, instantly enveloped Su Miao Miao.

She lowered her head.

After a while, Shang Yan finally heard the soft, hesitant voice speak up.

“I’m sorry… Master.”

—

Like a small animal beaten into submission.

Shang Yan resisted for two seconds but couldn’t hold back.

He chuckled softly and reached out to ruffle the girl’s hair.

“What’s there to apologize for?”

“Well… I shouldn’t have stared at Master.”

The boy chuckled under his breath.

“It’s okay to look.”

“…?” Su Miao Miao looked up at him.

Shang Yan’s gaze dropped, and he glanced over with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

After thinking for a moment, he lightly braced his left hand against the seat back and leaned close to Su Miao Miao’s ear.

“Haven’t they said at the club… because it’s your master, you can… do anything you want.”

Su Miao Miao: “?”