Chapter 36

Two minutes after the two people left the open space in front of the bench, Qi Wenyue was pulled out from behind the tree by Liao Lanxin.

Qi Wenyue brushed off the grass leaves hanging on his clothes and pants, clapped his hands, and stood up.

“That Wen Susu is quite loyal. In the end, she still didn’t say what exactly is wrong with Miao Miao.”

“She’s not loyal. She just doesn’t believe what Shu Wei said.” Liao Lanxin walked away.

Qi Wenyue was taken aback and quickly caught up. “You mean, if she found out that Brother Yan and Miao Miao are more than just master and disciple, she might not be able to keep quiet…?”

“I didn’t say that.” Liao Lanxin paused in her steps. “I’m not a prophet. How would I know what she would do?”

Qi Wenyue said, “Desk-mate, in my heart, your image has long surpassed that of a prophet, really!”

“No matter how much you flatter me, I really don’t know.”

“…” Qi Wenyue felt dejected. “Then what should we do? Shu Wei clearly has bad intentions towards our Miao Miao. We can’t just ignore it, can we?”

“The Wen family is quite powerful in C City. With their protection, Miao Miao shouldn’t face any problems outside of school.”

Liao Lanxin thought for a moment and then calmly said, “If you’re really worried, find an opportunity to tell Sang Yan about what happened today.”

“Brother Yan?”

Qi Wenyue was taken aback, then his eyes lit up.

“Right, how could I forget about Brother Yan?! With the Wen family protecting her outside of school and Brother Yan protecting her inside, what can Shu Wei possibly do to our Miao Miao?”

“…”

Liao Lanxin didn’t respond, only smiled faintly.

“Protecting”?

If this matter really reached Shang Yan, it probably wouldn’t be just about protecting anymore.

……

Qi Wenyue returned to the classroom, intending to tell Shang Yan about the matter, but found him missing.

Moreover, even Su Miao Miao was not at her seat.

Qi Wenyue was quite puzzled and casually pulled a classmate from the back row to ask, “Where are Brother Yan and Su Miao Miao?”

“Oh, someone came by just now. One called Brother Yan to the office, and the other said the homeroom teacher wanted to talk to Miao Miao.”

“Is that so…” Qi Wenyue hesitated, “Did they say what it was about?”

“No, they didn’t.”

“…”

….

Meanwhile, at the school office.

“I’ve told you many times, this is a school! It’s not a place for you to cause trouble! If you want to—”

*knock, knock, knock*

The sudden knocking interrupted Hao He’s reprimand. He frowned and glared at the group of unruly boys standing before him, then said irritably, “Come in.”

The office door opened, and Shang Yan walked in.

Hao He, who had been drinking water with a stern expression, immediately changed his demeanor upon seeing who entered.

“Shang Yan, we sent someone to notify you last period. Why are you just arriving now?”

The office was bathed in warm sunlight streaming through the window. Shang Yan lazily walked in and, upon reaching the desk, gave a tired yawn.

“The training group was busy.”

“Oh, right, your computer team has a new competition coming up, don’t you? How’s it going, smoothly?”

Shang Yan lifted his eyes to look at Hao He, paused for two seconds, then lowered them again, frowning.

“Not bad.”

Noticing that Shang Yan didn’t want to continue the conversation, Hao He decided to move on. He glanced at the boys standing nearby and said irritably, “You all wait outside for now… I’ll deal with you later.”

The boys, though clearly unhappy, didn’t dare to openly argue. One of them muttered something under his breath, and they all left together.

After they left and the office door closed, Hao He turned to Shang Yan.

“Our school is holding an anniversary celebration at the end of next month. You should already know about it, right?”

Shang Yan responded nonchalantly.

He had heard Wu Hongbo and the others mention it countless times today in the computer group, so it was impossible not to know.

“Do you have any thoughts about the host for the event?”

“…”

Shang Yan lazily lifted his eyes. His refined face showed no expression.

“What thoughts?”

Hao He was momentarily speechless, and after a couple of seconds, he forced an awkward smile. “Among all the male representatives in the school, you are definitely the top choice. So, if you have no objections, the other teachers and I will—”

“No need for ‘if.’ I do have objections.”

Shang Yan scoffed lightly.”

Whoever wants to do it can do it. I’m not going.”

Hao He panicked, nearly dropping his water cup before setting it aside on a nearby table.

“This anniversary celebration is very important to the school. If you participate, it will look great on your resume—you’re planning to apply abroad, right? Foreign universities value extracurricular activities just as much as grades! Adding this to your resume—”

Hao He’s speech was abruptly cut short.In the midst of his words, the previously listless Shang Yan suddenly focused, his dark eyes sharp and intense.

“Who said I’m going abroad?”

Hao He froze, awkwardly laughing. “Shang Yan, talking about going abroad isn’t a sensitive topic. There’s no need to be so touchy about it.”

“…”

Under Shang Yan’s intense gaze, Hao He couldn’t hold out and his expression changed slightly. He had no choice but to speak the truth:

“It’s like this. Last week, your sister’s secretary called me. He said your family is indeed planning for you to study abroad… I completely agree with them on this. Your grades are excellent, and you already have the guaranteed admission to top domestic universities due to your gold medal in the computer competition. Since you haven’t shown any intention to stay, I guessed you were planning to go abroad. Applying to top foreign universities wouldn’t be difficult for you; you just need to enhance your resume a bit. This anniversary celebration is a great opportunity for that.”

Shang Yan stared at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, then turned his head and let out a mocking laugh, though his tone was icy.

“If that’s what they want, then let them host the event. I won’t do it.”

With that, Shang Yan turned to leave.

Hao He panicked and quickly called out to him.

“Shang Yan—”

“…”

Shang Yan seemed to ignore him and walked straight out of the door. As the office door closed behind him, Shang Yan paused his steps.

He seemed to be deep in thought. His eyes were pitch black, and his mood was so gloomy that it was a bit frightening.

After standing still for a few seconds, Shang Yan turned slightly and glanced at the boys who were being punished by standing outside against the wall.

The boys, who originally had a careless attitude, immediately straightened their backs nervously under his gaze.

“Hello, Brother Yan,” one of them greeted, his expression much more obedient than when facing Hao He.

Shang Yan asked, “Do you have a phone with you?”

“Uh…? Oh, yes, I do,” the boy responded promptly and handed over his phone without hesitation.

Shang Yan took the phone, walked over to the window in the corridor, and dialed a number.

After about half a minute, someone finally picked up on the other end.

Before the person could say anything, Shang Yan frowned and asked, “Who is sponsoring the anniversary celebration at No. 3 High School this year?”

“…”

The person on the other end hesitated for a moment before speaking resignedly, “Shang Yan, can you please get your own phone? Every time you call me, you use a new number.”

Shang Yan remained silent.

Feeling the chilly atmosphere from his end, Bo Yi obediently changed the subject, “Who told you about this? Why are you suddenly asking?”

“Don’t beat around the bush, just say it,” Shang Yan insisted.

“Who else could be sponsoring it? Ever since you, the moneybags, came to our school, your sister has been funding almost all the school events,” Bo Yi explained, suddenly understanding something, “Oh, I see. Did your head teacher express concern for you again?”

Ignoring his gloating, Shang Yan furrowed his brows and asked, “So, the suggestion for me to go abroad, was it also from Shang Xian?”

“Go abroad?” Bo Yi looked puzzled, “I haven’t heard your sister mention that. Who told you?”

“Hao He said it was Shang Xian’s secretary who informed him that I would be going abroad,” Shang Yan stated.Bo Yi grinned, “Why does everything get pinned on Shang Xian? For something as big as sending you abroad, it must have been at least your father’s idea. Shang Xian is just executing it.”

Shang Yan gave him a cold look.

“Tell Shang Xian to stop meddling. I’ll pave my own path; I don’t need them to show me the way,” he said firmly.

Bo Yi was taken aback by the retort, taking a few seconds to process it.

“No, back when you were in your first year, they already had this intention, right? You didn’t seem so unwilling back then—what’s changed, rebellious phase?” Bo Yi speculated.

“…Get lost,” Shang Yan responded curtly.

Bo Yi pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing, “Is it because of that girl you measured the length of?”

“….”

Bo Yi hesitated on the other end, “Shang Yan, it’s fine to be a bit twisted, but you can’t act like a beast— I’ve seen the measurements of the girl you brought back last time. She’s about 156 cm tall, barely in junior high, right? Where did you pick up this kid from? You’ve laid your hands on her, and now you want to cling onto her? If your father finds out about this, he’ll personally send you to a labor camp, believe me…”

As Bo Yi mentioned Su Miao Miao, Shang Yan’s originally cold and stern expression finally softened. By the end of the conversation, he didn’t get angry; instead, he chuckled.

“You let him send me,” Shang Yan said.Bo Yi was speechless.”

And you’re late with the reminder,” Shang Yan added.

Bo Yi was puzzled.

“I’ve already made my move, I’ve already acted like a beast,” Shang Yan leaned back, his voice low and hoarse with a hint of amusement.

His dark eyes were unfathomable, blocking out any trace of sunlight in front of him.

“Not only won’t I let go, but I’m also prepared to devour her piece by piece… so what?” Shang Yan continued.

Bo Yi was speechless.

‘Shang Xian, do you know your brother has become this depraved??’

The dead silence on the other end of the phone satisfied Shang Yan. He smirked lazily and shifted his posture.

“My sincerity, please make sure to convey it,” he said before ending the call.

As he walked away with his phone, he casually deleted the call log with a flick of his finger before handing the phone back to the boy.

“Thanks,” he said.

Shang Yan then turned and headed back to the classroom.

As he ascended to the floor where Class 1 was located, he coincidentally encountered Su Miao Miao coming out of the class teacher’s office at the end of the hallway.

Shang Yan paused for a moment, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

He approached, taking long strides, and stood in front of the girl, blocking her path with his long legs.

Su Miao Miao halted her steps, looking up at him with confusion.

“What did the teacher want with you?” Shang Yan inquired.

Su Miao Miao didn’t grasp his implication, simply answering truthfully, “For the school anniversary party, Teacher Li said the class selected me as the female representative.”

“…,” Shang Yan’s expression froze momentarily.

After a moment, he raised an eyebrow, “And then, did you agree?”

Su Miao Miao furrowed her delicate brows.

“I wanted to refuse, but Teacher Li insisted a lot, so I couldn’t refuse successfully,” she replied.

Shang Yan: “……………”