Chapter 29

In the boiling water room.

The switch for the water heater had just been turned on when Shang Yan heard a series of footsteps coming from the corridor directly opposite.

He glanced up casually.

His eyes briefly swept over the approaching person, then his gaze dropped again, covering his dark eyes.

From beginning to end, there was no change in expression on the boy’s cold, pale, and refined face.

Shu Wei, approaching from outside, froze.

She clenched her hand tightly, crushing the tissue packet in her palm, causing it to make an unpleasant creaking sound.

“Shang Yan…”

After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke softly.

Accompanying her words, Shu Wei stopped at the door of the boiling water room.

The slender fingers of Shang Yan lightly flicked the water heater’s valve, abruptly stopping the flow of water.

He raised the cup and glanced at it, then stood straight and took the thermos cap placed on the water heater.

He turned around.

While screwing on the thermos cap, he stepped toward the door.

At the doorway, Shang Yan paused.

“…Move.”

There was no discernible emotion in the boy’s voice, as if he were talking to a stranger blocking his path.

It was precisely this lack of emotion and reaction that finally broke Shu Wei’s last bit of composure.

She reached out to grab Shang Yan’s sleeve—”Shang Yan, I…”

He lifted his hand holding the cup lid, easily avoiding her touch.

At the same time, his sharp gaze swept over her face impatiently—”Are you done?”

His voice was cold, like it had been soaked in ice and snow.

Shu Wei’s eyes turned red.

“What do you dislike about me? I can change—yesterday was my fault, please don’t ignore me… Shang Yan…”

Shang Yan let out an incredulous laugh and looked away.

When he looked back, his eyes were as cold as ice, and he spoke each word low and clear—”Are you insane?”

With that, he pushed Shu Wei’s shoulder aside and walked down the corridor, unable to bear it any longer.

Before he could screw on the lid of his thermos, a few drops of boiling water splashed onto his hand.

The burning sensation made his skin tingle.

Shang Yan frowned slightly and began screwing the lid back on.

At that moment, a low voice suddenly came from behind him.

“Do you… like Su Miao Miao?”

Shang Yan’s steps abruptly stopped.

He felt a moment of disorientation.

Behind him, Shu Wei lifted her head, wanting to say something more. Suddenly, she saw the shadow of a petite girl at the end of the corridor.

Shu Wei’s pupils contracted slightly.

Without thinking, she stepped forward quickly and, taking advantage of Shang Yan’s momentary distraction, tightly hugged him from behind.

This action snapped Shang Yan back to reality.

His expression turned cold.

He almost dropped the thermos cup he was holding.

“…Let go.”

The veins on the back of his pale hand stood out as Shang Yan’s gaze turned icy.

He was about to move when he looked up and saw the girl standing at the entrance of the corridor, staring at them in shock.

At the same time, Shu Wei’s voice, trying to sound cheerful, came from behind—”Don’t you want to see what kind of feelings your little apprentice has for you?”

“…”

The silence in front of her was deafening.

Bitterness mixed with a sense of victory rose in Shu Wei’s heart. But then she suddenly heard a grating sound.

It was very harsh.

——

It was the sound of the stubborn thermos lid being screwed on with almost violent force.

“Damn it.”

A low, cold curse came from in front of her, filled with frustration and anger.

Shu Wei suddenly felt a sharp pain in her wrist, as if it were clamped by an iron grip.

Instinctively, she cried out and let go, trying to retreat.

But in front of her, Shang Yan was tightly gripping her wrist, his gaze cold as he watched the girl at the end of the corridor turn away.

His eyes flicked downward, covering the dark, cold light in them.

Twisting his upper body, he transferred the thermos cup to his left hand. His right hand opened, gripped Shu Wei’s wrist firmly, and pushed back forcefully—

*bang!*

The sound of the impact made the girl standing at the entrance of the corridor turn back involuntarily.

Seeing the scene not far away, the girl’s pupils contracted slightly.

——

At the end of the corridor, Shang Yan gripped Shu Wei by the neck and slammed her hard against the wall.

He leaned down, his eyes icy.

“Shu Wei, if you’re sick, take medicine—don’t come here looking for death.”

He applied more pressure, rendering Shu Wei unable to make a sound as she stared at him in terror.

“And trying to use you to test Su Miao Miao?”

Shang Yan lowered his eyes, a low laugh escaping his lips, tinged with a bit of dark hostility.

And an extreme, contemptuous disdain.

“…Who do you think you are?”

Shu Wei’s face turned deathly pale.

Shang Yan coldly let go of her and pushed her away, then turned and walked out.

As he stopped in front of the girl, she still seemed in shock, standing dazed at the entrance of the corridor.

“Master…?”

She looked up at him.

“…”

Shang Yan raised his hand, rubbing his temples, and as he lowered it, he wiped away the faint hostility from his face.

A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Yet his words were a “threat”—

“I have nothing to do with her. Don’t overthink, don’t doubt.”

Su Miao Miao came to her senses and slowly said, “But she just hugged you…”

“…”

That soft, gentle tone made Shang Yan’s eyes darken slightly.

He leaned down.

“Kid, you’ve gotten bold, daring to question your master? …Didn’t I tell you before what would happen if I had to repeat myself?”

Su Miao Miao hesitated for a moment, then, with a bit of unconscious defiance, nudged the tip of her shoe against his—

“Break my leg.”

“…”

Shang Yan’s gaze dropped.

——

Her short legs were right under his nose now.

He couldn’t help but laugh.

A moment later, he turned back and, in a mock-threatening low voice, said—”Do you believe I’d actually break them?”

“…No.”

The girl puffed out her cheeks.

After a brief silence, she softly added the second part:

“Master wouldn’t bear to.”

“…!”

It felt as if something had struck his heart, making Shang Yan momentarily dazed. For a fleeting second, he almost wanted to—Shang Yan clenched his fist tightly, the veins on the back of his hand standing out once again.

Unlike before, he was struggling to suppress the deep, tumultuous emotions that kept rising, tinged with a mix of frustration and near-madness.

His breathing seemed to grow heavier, and Su Miao Miao looked up in confusion, “Master, …”

Before she could finish, he abruptly straightened up and walked past her—”Go back and do your exercises.”

Su Miao Miao instantly deflated.

Sullenly, she replied, “…Okay.”

*

The last math class of the morning ended, and Su Miao Miao walked to the cafeteria with Qi Wenyue and Liao Lanxin.

The No. 3 teaching building, where the second-year Class 1 was located, was far from the school cafeteria, nearly across half the campus.

On the way, Qi Wenyue walked in the middle, linking arms with Su Miao Miao on one side and Liao Lanxin on the other—”Miao Miao, does your master have a new girlfriend?”

Su Miao Miao was startled: “…?”

Qi Wenyue turned her head, seeing the confused look on Su Miao Miao’s face, “Looks like you don’t know either… Strange, shouldn’t it be hard to keep something like that a secret? Why was there no sign of it before?”

Su Miao Miao finally processed the surprising news and hesitantly asked, “Why do you suddenly… say that?”

Qi Wenyue shook the phone she was holding.

“Isn’t the school forum restored? Today in the forum, a student from our school said that they saw Shang Yan and a girl kissing in the school this morning.”

Su Miao Miao: “…?!”

Even Liao Lanxin beside her seemed surprised, she turned her head to look at the completely bewildered Su Miao Miao, then frowned and asked Qi Wenyue, “Is the news true? Are you sure it’s not a rumor?”

“It’s true.”

Qi Wenyue nodded vigorously, “And it’s said that the situation at that time was quite… um, intense.”

Liao Lanxin: “Who was it with, and where?”

“Hey, desk mate, why are you so gossiping today?” Qi Wenyue smiled and said. “The place wasn’t mentioned, and it seems like the face of the girl who was kissed wasn’t seen… It’s said that Shang Yan was very dominant, pressing the girl against the wall and kissing her, completely blocking everything…”

Su Miao Miao couldn’t hear Qi Wenyue’s words anymore.

Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably, and her fingertips, hidden in her sleeves, anxiously clenched together, sweating slightly. The breeze made her palm feel cool.

It was just a brief encounter.

How could it turn into a rumor…

Thinking that it spread on the forum made Su Miao Miao even more uneasy.

She asked quietly, “What happened afterward?”

Qi Wenyue regretfully replied, “There was no afterward. They were interrupted by the two girls who saw them.”

Su Miao Miao’s cheeks burned hotter, and she weakly tried to clarify, “I wasn’t talking about that incident, I meant the forum…”

“Oh, you meant that.” Qi Wenyue shrugged regretfully.

“The person who posted the thread suddenly disappeared halfway through. When we checked her profile, all the information was cleared, the post was deleted, and the account was deactivated…”

Su Miao Miao was momentarily stunned.

This clean and efficient handling process sounded familiar…

—It was very much like the style of the computer training group.

*sigh* Qi Wenyue suddenly sighed heavily.

“At this point, we can only hope that Brother Yan’s new girlfriend is a gentle girl who will take good care of our Miao Miao little cabbage.”

Suddenly promoted to “little cabbage?”

Su Miaomiao: “…?”

After hesitating, she asked nervously, “What does that have to do with me?”

Qi Wenyue began counting on her fingers. “Look, they say once a teacher, always a father; Shang Yan treats you so well, almost like raising you as his daughter—so his future girlfriend will be like your stepmother, right?”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

She was left speechless.

Qi Wenyue continued with her persuasive brainwashing: “And our Miao Miao is so beautiful, like a little fairy. No matter how beautiful the stepmother is, she can’t compare to you—it’s like Snow White and her stepmother. What if a ‘magic mirror’ appears to sow discord? Be careful not to be fed a poisoned apple by your stepmother!”

Qi Wenyue shivered and then exclaimed, “Oh my… I’ve given myself goosebumps with all that talk. When you think about it, the consequences could be serious… Miao Miao, don’t worry, I’ll do everything I can to find out who your potential stepmother is!”

Su Miao Miao listened, completely dumbfounded.

Beside her, Liao Lanxin rolled her eyes at the entire scene.

“You’re so nosy for someone who minds her own business. Snow White, really?… What a ridiculous metaphor. Just go get your food already.”

With a mournful expression, Qi Wenyue was pushed by Liao Lanxin toward the food counter. Liao Lanxin hesitated, originally planning to line up elsewhere, but then stopped in her tracks.

The girl next to her still seemed lost in the dark version of the fairy tale they had just discussed, not fully returning to reality.

Liao Lanxin smiled helplessly.

“Miao Miao.”

“…?”

Su Miao Miao snapped back to reality and turned to look at Liao Lanxin.

Liao Lanxin silently observed her.

The girl had fair skin, delicate and beautiful features, with dark, luminous eyes that were captivating. Her nose was straight and slightly upturned, and her lips were as tender as a budding flower, making it hard to look away once you noticed her.

Her demeanor was quiet, which made people want to playfully tease her when she was being obedient. There was no hint of the spoiled or willful behavior that might be expected from someone with such a beautiful and enchanting appearance…

She was as pure as a flawless crystal.

Transparent and beautiful….

No wonder he liked her.

Setting aside envy and jealousy as a fellow woman, it was hard for anyone not to like her.

Liao Lanxin furrowed her brow.

“Shang Yan… Your master is indeed excellent in many ways, but in terms of personality, he may not be the best… I’m not sure if he’s suitable for you, but you need to think it through yourself.”

Su Miao Miao: “—??”

Liao Lanxin stopped there and said no more.

“Go get your food. See you later.”

Leaving Su Miao Miao puzzled and bewildered by her cryptic words, Liao Lanxin turned and walked away.

….

Meanwhile, outside the cafeteria.

Li Zhe followed behind Shang Yan, stepping onto the cafeteria’s steps.

“Hey, Brother Yan, I thought you hated coming to the cafeteria the most. Why are you here for lunch today?”

“…”

Shang Yan’s gaze slowly scanned the area around the food counter in the distance, his brow furrowing slightly.

After a moment, his eyes finally “caught” sight of the most familiar petite figure. A hint of a smile passed through his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.” Li Zhe quickly caught up. “By the way, Brother Yan, I heard there was another stir on the forum today?… Apparently, some girl started a rumor saying you were kissing a girl at school.”

“…”

Shang Yan’s eyes flashed briefly, but he didn’t respond.

Li Zhe continued laughing naively, “This person spreading rumors didn’t even start with a real basis. You didn’t leave the classroom all morning. During the third period, you were with my little goddess at the library. How could you possibly be kissing some girl and pressing her against a wall? Hahaha…”

Shang Yan paused in his steps.He glanced back, raising an eyebrow.

“Your little goddess?”

Li Zhe couldn’t contain his laughter and looked slightly embarrassed, “I fell in love with my little goddess at first sight last time in the restaurant—Brother Yan, you know this!”

Shang Yan scoffed lightly.

His eyes were icy.

“Oh.”

“This morning at the library, I did press your little goddess against the wall and kiss her.”

He paused, flashing an inappropriate smile and speaking in a hoarse voice,

“…It was very sweet.”