Chapter 38

Li Shijie was obviously surprised, just like all the other students, that there was a student who actively expressed not wanting to go on the autumn outing.

He followed Shang Yan’s gaze to Su Miao Miao The girl looked puzzled.

“Well, Shang Yan, Su Miao Miao, is there something going on with you two?”

Shang Yan twirled the pen in his hand, having just finished correcting a physics problem he had assigned to Su Miao Miao.

He placed the corrected notebook in front of Su Miao Miao before leaning back lazily into his chair. Half-raising his head, he smirked lazily.

“If you can’t score at least half in physics, you’re not fit for the autumn outing.”

Li Shijie hesitated for a moment. “Who hasn’t scored at least half, you? Is that even possible?”

Shang Yan chuckled softly.

The students in the class had just finished the previous physics lesson and were well aware of the facts, so they couldn’t help but laugh.

Su Miao Miao glared at Shang Yan.

The girl’s pair of amber-colored eyes were clear and translucent, shimmering with a hint of light, as if they could speak.

Shang Yan paused as her gaze caught him off guard.

It’s always at moments like these.

Every time she looked at him like this, he couldn’t help but want to tease her a little more, preferably leaving the girl clinging helplessly to his sleeve, her dark eyes only holding his figure, slowly welling up with tears…

After a moment, Shang Yan lazily turned away, responding with a smirk.

“Yeah.”

“I scored 48. Su Miao Miao stayed behind to tutor me.”

Su Miao Miao: *Speechless*

Fuming like a pufferfish.

Li Shijie, now fully understanding the situation, chuckled.

“I know you’re Su Miao Miao’s tutor, but that doesn’t give you the right to restrict her freedom. Before school ends, Su Miao Miao needs to confirm with me herself whether she’s going or not for it to count.”

With that, Li Shijie shifted the conversation to the upcoming autumn outing and emphasized the points to be mindful of.

Behind the first row of desks, Su Miao Miao paused for a while, clutching her pen, before slowly flipping through the corrected notebook in front of her. Then, she wrote four words in the blank space.

“I want to go.”

The notebook was pushed in front of Shang Yan.

Looking at the serious version of himself and the final round dot at the end, Shang Yan’s lips curled slightly.

He turned his head, feigning ignorance.

“Go where?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao frustratedly pulled back the notebook, then wrote two more words underneath.

“On the outing.”

“No.”

Su Miao Miao continued writing: “The teacher said you can’t restrict my freedom.”

Shang Yan smirked, biting his lip to suppress a laugh.

“Aren’t you mine? Then why can’t I?”

Su Miao Miao was momentarily stunned, then forcefully grabbed the notebook and wrote:

“I’m not!”

The exclamation mark from the girl was particularly forceful.

Shang Yan chuckled speechlessly, his gaze falling to the desk.

“What did I say last time?”

[“You say it once, I’ll kiss you.”]

Remembering the expression in that person’s eyes as they said those words, Su Miao Miao instantly faltered.

She couldn’t even bother to write with her pen, stuttering softly, “No… this is still in class, you… you wouldn’t…”

Shang Yan: “Wouldn’t I?”

Seems like the child had more confidence in the remaining speck of humanity in him than he did himself.

Just as Su Miao Miao was about to respond again, trying to reassure herself, she saw Shang Yan getting up.

As Shang Yan pulled the chair and crouched down, the whole class, including Li Shijie who was speaking at the front, paused, and all eyes turned to them—Su Miao Miao was bewildered.

Just as Shang Yan’s hand was about to touch her jeans, she hastily reached out to stop him.

A barely audible “I am” trembled from her cherry-like lips.

Shang Yan paused, then stood up and sat back in his seat.

Amidst the confusion and itchiness among all the students and teachers, Li Shijie asked in confusion, “Shang Yan, what are you doing?”

Suppressing a laugh, Shang Yan hooked his finger and shook the object in his hand.

“Picking up a pen.”

Although Li Shijie’s intuition told him something was off, he couldn’t see a reason for Shang Yan to lie about it, so he let the matter pass.

Unaware of Su Miao Miao, who was sitting inside, her head bowed, Li Shijie didn’t notice her delicate and charming face, along with her white jade-like earlobes, all blushing almost to the point of bleeding.

Finally enduring these long minutes, Su Miao Miao waited until the bell for the end of class finally rang.

Halfway through emphasizing classroom discipline, Li Shijie was somewhat reluctant to stop, but he didn’t want to delay the students’ dismissal any longer, so he relaxed a bit.

Su Miao Miao breathed a sigh of relief, quickly packed up her bag, and tried to slip out.Unfortunately, before she could leave, she was stopped by Shang Yan at her desk.

Due to what happened in class, Su Miao Miao didn’t feel like dealing with him at the moment, so she just hung her head low, standing there gloomily.

The golden rays of the setting sun streaming in through the window outlined the girl’s silhouette with a faint golden hue. Her slender neck was exposed, her skin so pale that you could almost see the faint blue veins underneath…makes one want to take a bite.

After this thought crossed his mind, Shang Yan startled himself.

He pressed down, trying to salvage what little humanity he had left.

When he thought he had pressed down enough, Shang Yan lowered his head, lifted the girl’s chin with his hand to make her look at him, and then let go.

“Do you really want to go on the outing?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao, who had already given up hope, looked at him with slightly shimmering eyes and nodded.

“Why?”

Su Miao Miao hesitated for a moment, then softly replied, “Because I’ve never been before.”

“There are many things you’ve never done, and there always will be.”

Shang Yan’s expression darkened slightly.

“Are you going to waste your time on unnecessary things?”

“It’s not… unnecessary!”

The sudden increase in the girl’s volume made the classroom, which was in the midst of the noisy dismissal, suddenly quiet.

As the students realized who was speaking and whom she was addressing, the whole class was shocked.

—

The only person they remembered who dared to speak to Shang Yan like this ended up being carried away in an ambulance covered in blood the next day.

This…

Everyone unconsciously eased up.After speaking, Su Miao Miao was also shocked by her outburst.

Having been together for so long, she had never been as uninhibited with anyone else as she was with Shang Yan. All the negative emotions she wouldn’t show in front of others slowly surfaced in front of him.

Because he was the first person, aside from the headmistress, to be so kind to her.

How could you do this, Su Miao Miao…

you’ll be hated…

The girl lowered her head in sadness.

She didn’t even dare to look at the expressions and reactions of the boys—Would Shang Yan think she’s too stubborn? Would he never want to talk to her again?

After what felt like an eternity, when Su Miao Miao was starting to worry if Shang Yan had already turned and left, she suddenly felt a hand gently rub her head.

“Kid, I’m still waiting for your lecture. Why did you suddenly go silent?”

There was a hint of amusement in that voice, clear and soothing, without a hint of reproach.

Su Miao Miao was stunned.

She hesitated and looked up, “Aren’t you angry?”

Shang Yan looked at her and chuckled softly, “I don’t have a high tolerance level… but it seems like I make an exception for you.”

Su Miao Miao was taken aback, “Why?”

“I wonder too,” Shang Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly, “how is it that my tolerance seems bottomless when it comes to you?”

“…”

“So you don’t need to hold back, now or in the future. Whatever you want to say, just say it to me directly…” He also wanted to know if there was any limit to his patience with her.

Shang Yan lowered his hand.

“Now tell me, why isn’t it unnecessary?”

Su Miao Miao remained silent for a long time before bowing her head.

“Because I’m not like you… What’s necessary for me, and what’s necessary for you, are different.”

The girl looked up at Shang Yan, her eyes as dark and clear as usual, but with a hint of melancholy in them.

“In truth, I don’t care about my physics score, Master. I don’t care about my scores in other subjects either… I’ll take this exam paper back, and no one will ask me why. Even if I get a zero, it’s the same… No one cares how much I score or if I can get into university, so those things are unnecessary to me.”

Shang Yan’s gaze grew heavy.

He could tell whether the girl was being stubborn or opening up about her true feelings.

—

“She really doesn’t care,” Shang Yan couldn’t imagine. A disciple who seemed obedient, quiet, and timid on the surface, harboring such rebellion, indifference, and apathy inside.

She appeared more cautious than anyone else, yet in reality, more carefree… or rather, indifferent. Because for the past seventeen years, no one cared about her. Shang Yan lowered his gaze.

Looking at the girl in front of him with her head down, he sighed lightly. Then he bent down until he could meet the girl’s eyes.

“From now on, I’ll care.”

“What?” Su Miao Miao looked up at him in astonishment.

Shang Yan smiled lazily at the girl.

“Starting today, I’ll care about every test you take, and I’ll inquire about every subject’s grade. If you can’t score at least half the full marks, you’ll obediently study behind me during self-study time. And if you dare to score zero… I’ll break your legs.”

Seeing the girl’s stunned expression, Shang Yan couldn’t resist teasing her. So he let his beastly side, usually suppressed by his humanity, come out to play—

“If your master works so hard, and you still can’t get into the same university as your master…”

He leaned forward, almost kissing the girl’s earlobe.

“That day when the college entrance exam results are announced, I’ll kiss your calf in front of the whole school.”

“……!”

Shang Yan stepped back, enjoying the sight of the girl’s widened eyes, where he could still see his own reflection.

He chuckled, straightened up, and slipped his hands into his pockets.

Occasionally letting loose, indulging in that beastly feeling… it feels really good.

With a low chuckle, he turned and walked out. “Since you’re so eager to go, let’s go on a field trip… just this once, it won’t become a habit.”

As his words faded, Shang Yan had already left the classroom a faint blush spread across Su Miao Miao’s snow-white cheeks.

Outside the classroom, Shang Yan gradually wiped the smile off his face, his eyes deepening. A few steps away, with courage gathered, Qi Wenyue intercepted him.

Glancing around, Qi Wenyue lowered his voice, “Brother Yan, about Miao Miao—”

“Do you have your phone with you?”

“Huh?” Qi Wenyue was taken aback, but instinctively nodded, “Yes, I do.”

“I’ll borrow it.”

“Oh, sure.” Qi Wenyue nervously handed it over.

Shang Yan took the phone, dialed a number, not caring about Qi Wenyue beside him.

When the call connected, before Bo Yi could speak, he spoke first.

“Help me look up someone.”

“…” Bo Yi was momentarily stunned on the other end of the line.

He rarely heard Shang Yan speak with such seriousness, involuntarily tensing his voice, “Who?”

“Su Miao Miao, ‘Miao’ signifies something distant,” Shang Yan lowered his eyes. “Family background, upbringing, medical history… I want to know about these.”

Moments later, the call ended, and Shang Yan turned around, handing back the phone with one hand. At the same time, he lifted the curtain of his eyes, his elegant profile revealing no emotion—

“Regarding Miao Miao, what were you about to say just now?”

“…”

Qi Wenyue swallowed nervously, carefully asking, “Can we discuss this somewhere with fewer people?”

“…”

Twenty minutes later.

With a stern gaze, Shang Yan stepped into the teaching building of the senior third grade.

Students at Sanzhong (Third High School) generally start evening self-study sessions from the second semester of their second year in high school. Therefore, during the time when the first and second-year students finish school, the senior third-grade students are already in a collective self-study state. The entire teaching building of the senior third grade is quiet and silent.

Shang Yan ascended to the third floor, crossed the stairs, and finally stopped outside the door of Class 6 of the senior third grade.

The front door of the classroom was half open. When the students in the front row heard movement at the door, they unconsciously looked up. Then, that student froze. Upon realizing the identity represented by the face they saw, the person instinctively uttered a low exclamation.

“Shang Yan!?”

After this exclamation, the entire Class 6 of the senior third grade looked up together.

Except for the last time when he was invited by Shu Wei to attend a birthday party, for most of them, it was the first time they had seen this actual “campus hunk” from Sanzhong High School up close.

Moreover, this person was…

Many students’ gazes turned towards Shu Wei.

However, what puzzled these people was that Shu Wei’s expression at this moment didn’t resemble the admiration they remembered when mentioning Shang Yan, nor did it seem to show any joy at seeing her former boyfriend…

Instead, there was almost a hint of panic in her emotions.

Shang Yan wasn’t in the mood to be treated like a monkey show.

With a cold sweep of his gaze, he saw Shu Wei, and his eyes suddenly cooled a few degrees.

“Come out.”

The suppressed hostility in his voice made the students of Class 6 of the senior third grade hesitate.

At their focal point, Shu Wei’s expression stiffened for a moment, but eventually, she slowly stood up with the support of the desk and walked out.

The two walked into the stairwell on this floor.

Shang Yan stopped ahead, inexplicably chuckled. “Shu Wei.”

As he spoke, he had his back turned to the girl, and the reflection of his eyes on the window glass looked somewhat fierce.

Taking a deep breath, Shang Yan reluctantly suppressed those violent emotions in his heart. He turned around.

“Have you looked for Wen Susu?”

“…!” Shu Wei’s pupils suddenly contracted.

After a few seconds, she slowly relaxed her shoulders and turned her head with a resentful voice, “Did Wen Susu tell you?”

Despite her desperate attempts to conceal it, the tremor in her voice couldn’t be hidden.

Shang Yan’s gaze darkened as he took a breath.

Moments later, he suddenly lifted his leg and ruthlessly kicked the door next to Shu Wei in the stairwell.

“——Bang!!”

The door slammed against the wall, then bounced back. The deafening noise made Shu Wei jump to the other side with a scream.

She looked at Shang Yan, her face pale.

“Shang Yan… you…”

“My patience is very limited, so when I ask you a question, you’d better not answer with another question,” he said in a cold, deep voice.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, Shu Wei was on the verge of tears.

Her shoulders started to tremble slightly, her lips turned bloodless from being bitten, and she nodded vigorously, her voice shaking so much it was barely comprehensible.

“It… it was me… I went to find Wen Susu to ask her… about Su Miao Miao’s illness… but I had no other intentions, really!”

Shu Wei’s eyes reddened, and tears began to stream down her face. She was clearly terrified.

“I just wanted… wanted everyone to know about her illness… I had no other intentions… I really didn’t…”

Shang Yan remained silent.

He stood motionless, only slightly narrowing his eyes as he looked down at Shu Wei from above, seemingly assessing the credibility of her words.

As the tense atmosphere in the stairwell was almost suffocating Shu Wei, she finally heard him speak again.

“From today on, you better pray that nothing happens to her. Otherwise, you’ll be the first person I come after.”

“…”

Shu Wei trembled and nodded slightly, her lips quivering.

“If it ever comes to that…”

Shang Yan leaned down, stopping only when he was next to her ear. The closeness of the gesture was intimate and ambiguous, yet the voice in her ear chilled Shu Wei to the bone.

“For every bit she gets hurt, you’ll pay tenfold.”

With that, Shang Yan glanced at her expressionlessly and turned to leave.

In the stairwell, Shu Wei’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor.

It took her several seconds to regain her senses, and then, eyes red, she hugged her knees and started to cry.

….

After discussions and arrangements by the school leadership, it was decided that the autumn outing for the students of No. 3 High School would be organized by classes, with several classes forming a group and going on the trip in batches.

The senior year students would not participate in this autumn outing.

Thus, starting with the second year students, Class One was fortunate to be among the first group of classes scheduled for the outing.

The meeting time was set for 8 a.m.

By just past 7:50, the bus for Class One was almost completely full.

Standing at the front of the bus, Li Shijie helplessly pointed at them.

“If only you could show this kind of enthusiasm in your studies, you wouldn’t have to worry about those few extra points every day!”

The class was in high spirits, and someone quickly responded,

“If studying were this easy and enjoyable, we’d all have gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University by now!”

The guy who spoke was sitting next to Li Shijie. After Li Shijie finished speaking, he playfully kicked him.

“You might not be good at anything else, but you sure are quick with your words!”

The whole class burst into laughter.

The seating in the bus was arranged according to the class, with two rows side by side. So, Su Miao Miao was sitting alone in the front row of double seats, and she couldn’t help but join in the laughter.

At that moment, behind her, Qi Wenyue and Liao Lanxin, who were sitting side by side, exchanged a few words. When Li Shijie wasn’t paying attention, Qi Wenyue quickly moved to the empty seat next to Su Miao Miao.

Su Miao Miao was taken aback. “Qiqi, what’s going on?”

Qi Wenyue winked mysteriously at her. “Miao Miao, have you heard about the two things circulating around her school these days related to you, Brother Yan, and Shu Wei?”

“What things?”

“Ahem…” Qi Wenyue cleared his throat and, in the end, lowered his voice, leaning closer to Su Miao Miao. He whispered, “First, it’s about the anniversary celebration. Each class has submitted their recommendations for representatives, and our class’s male and female representatives are Shang Yan and you… In terms of image, the only one in school capable of competing with you is Shu Wei.”

“I know about this,” Su Miao Miao said. “You mentioned it before.”

“But the school previously said that the final representatives would be selected by the teachers.”

Su Miao Miao’s expression finally changed. “Is that not the case anymore?”

“Now the rules have changed. I don’t know where the school teachers heard about this director choosing actors method. They will have a meeting for these male and female representatives to interact and get to know each other, and then they will vote for each other—boys vote for girls, girls vote for boys, selecting their preferred opposite-sex representative.”

Su Miao Miao looked puzzled. Clearly, she had never heard of such an election method before.

“In the end, the two representatives with the most votes from each group will be the final candidates,” Qi Wenyue explained.

After thinking it over, Su Miao Miao nodded calmly. “Okay, I understand now. Thank you, Qiqi.”

Qi Wenyue was dumbfounded for a few seconds, then he rubbed his forehead. “Did you understand the rules, my Miao Miao baby? How can you be so calm?”

Su Miao Miao stayed quiet for a moment. Then she turned her head, her gaze clear. “So basically, the result of this election is already set, right?”

Qi Wenyue was stunned.

The girl’s voice remained soft, “The girls will definitely vote for Shang Yan, and the boys will definitely follow Shang Yan to vote for the same girl.”

Because no one dared to offend Shang Yan.

Regardless of gender.

Qi Wenyue finally came to his senses and patted the girl’s shoulder with a smile on his face.

“You’re amazing. You figured it out in just a few seconds? I thought you didn’t understand and was prepared to explain it to you.”

Then, Qi Wenyue smirked.

“So, are you happy or not?”

Su Miao Miao looked at her. “Happy about what?”

Qi Wenyue nudged the girl’s shoulder.

“Although the hottest topic in the whole school right now is who Shang Yan will choose between an ex-girlfriend and a junior disciple… But they don’t understand anything. The answer is obvious to us,” Qi Wenyue chuckled.

“So, the spot is basically yours now. Don’t you feel a little excited or happy?—This is the anniversary celebration, something that will go down in the school’s history.”

Su Miao Miao fell silent.

—

In fact, she didn’t have much enthusiasm for this event. But since Qi Wenyue was happy for her, Su Miao Miao naturally wouldn’t dampen his spirits by saying so. So, she blinked lightly.

“Isn’t there still a second matter? What’s that about?”

“Oh, I almost forgot about this!” Qi Wenyue snapped back to reality, wearing a mysterious expression. “Yesterday, I heard from the seniors that Shang Yan went to Class 3-6 to find Shu Wei.”

Su Miao Miao froze.

“I heard from students in Class 6 that Shu Wei was called out by Shang Yan alone, and they went to the stairwell—” Qi Wenyue paused, about to reveal the speculation triggered by the loud noise and her own role in this matter, when suddenly a low, hoarse male voice came from behind her head.

“Isn’t this where I’m supposed to be?”

Qi Wenyue turned her head and saw Shang Yan lazily standing there, looking like he hadn’t slept well.

Qi Wenyue turned her head and saw Shang Yan lazily standing there, his dark eyes almost devoid of focus, his thin eyelashes drooping, and his cold, handsome face showing no emotion.

“Yan, big brother? I thought you weren’t coming…”

The boy lifted his eyelids, yawning listlessly. “If I hadn’t come, would you have taken my seat and flirted with my people?”

Feeling the low pressure emanating from the boy, Qi Wenyue shivered, instantly forgetting everything she had just said, and hurriedly slipped back to her seat.

Shang Yan turned around and sat down. The seats on the bus were a bit cramped compared to his height and long legs. No matter how he adjusted, it was uncomfortable. Shang Yan clicked his tongue discontentedly.

With his long legs curled up uncomfortably, he gave up trying to find a comfortable position.

He pulled the black backpack he was carrying with one hand to the front, unzipped it, and took out the light gray thermos from inside. He turned to the girl and offered it to her.

A cup of heated milk every day had become a habit between them.

However, today, the girl sat with her eyes down, not accepting it.

Shang Yan was slightly taken aback. After a moment, he squinted slightly.

“…What’s wrong, kid?”

Su Miao Miao suddenly snapped back to reality. Her consciousness, which had been immersed in what Qi Wenyue had said halfway through, was pulled back.

Shang Yan looked down at her. “What are you thinking about? You seem so engrossed.”

“…”

Su Miao Miao slowly took the thermos and looked back at him. His light, clean pupils blinked incessantly, shimmering with a watery hue, soft and captivating emotions swirling within.

After being stared at for a few seconds, Shang Yan couldn’t help but avert his gaze. A subtle movement of his Adam’s apple rolled along his slender neck.

The emotions in his eyes also settled into a deeper shade. Hmm… autumn is here.

The air is dry.

Especially on mornings like this when he hasn’t slept well.

So it must not be his fault; he can control himself.

After repeating this last sentence in his mind several times, almost achieving a self-hypnotic effect, Shang Yan finally turned his gaze back.

He leaned sideways, his left hand hooking onto the girl’s fingertips, pulling them apart, while his right hand placed the thermos inside.

“Drink it before the bus starts moving.”

After saying this, Shang Yan was about to sit back.

However, before he could adjust to a somewhat comfortable position, a soft voice suddenly came from beside him.

“Shang Yan.”

“Hmm?”

Shang Yan, whose eyes had just closed, raised an eyebrow and turned to her with a smirk.

“What are you calling me?”

“…Shang Yan.”

The girl slowly lowered her head. She looked at the thermos in her hand and finally couldn’t help but ask “Why did you go to find Shu Wei?”