Chapter 44

The computer science group went crazy, half of them were in a frenzy. Wu Hongbo took the lead, yelling as he hung up the phone. He skipped his self-study and training classes and ran straight out of the school gate. The school’s reception was the most lenient towards the computer science group students, knowing that their academic paths differed significantly from those of regular students. So, seeing them at this time, they turned a blind eye and let a few of them out.

Last semester, due to the temporary requisition of the science and technology building, the computer science group had to move their training classes to Shang Yan’s home every weekend for a while.

Therefore, they were all very familiar with the location of Shang Yan’s home. Even the security guards outside the main gate recognized them and waved to let the second taxi of the day through.

Back at the security booth, the guard took a sip of water from his cup and joked with his colleague, “I’ve been here for a long time, and this is the first time I’ve seen such down-to-earth ‘VIPs,’ isn’t it?”

“That’s right,” his colleague responded, scratching his head for a while. “Which family does this young master Shang come from? I don’t remember there being such a prominent family in C City.”

“Oh, come on,” the security guard who had just come in said, putting down his cup and laughing. “C City is just a small, shallow pond. If it can hold a goldfish, can it also hold a dragon? He’s not from our little place.”

“…Is his background really that impressive?”

“Alright, stop asking. I don’t know the details either, but just keep in mind who he is when you see that young master in the future.”

“…”

On the other side.

Chen Wanfang received the notification from the security booth via the internal phone and passed the message on to Shang Yan.

Upon hearing this, Shang Yan sneered with a tone of contempt, “They really can’t keep their cool.”

“…”

Beside him, Su Miao Miao glanced at him secretly.

—

If it weren’t for this person losing his cool first, how could Wu Hongbo and the others have possibly come running over?

Shang Yan’s gaze shifted to Su Miao Miao. Staring at her for two seconds, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Kid, are you secretly criticizing me?”

“…!”

Su Miao Miao’s eyes widened in surprise.

Shang Yan chuckled softly, amused, and reached out to mess up the girl’s soft long hair.

“You can’t even lie properly.”

Su Miao Miao tried to dodge but couldn’t, and after her head was tousled, she felt both annoyed and frustrated.

“It’s you, Master, who’s the best at lying…”

Shang Yan’s eyes flickered, realizing she was referring to the joke he made in the study.

He chuckled softly, clearly amused. While Chen Wanfang turned away to greet Wu Hongbo and the others, Shang Yan leaned forward and whispered in the girl’s ear from behind—

“Want to learn? Master can teach you slowly.”

Every word of his last sentence was low and suggestive.

Su Miao Miao’s ears grew slightly warm, and she felt a tinge of helpless annoyance. The urge to either bite him or kick him surged up again, but considering the injury on his arm, she managed to suppress it.

She couldn’t confront him but could certainly avoid him—Su Miao Miao sidestepped away from Shang Yan.

Shortly after, Wu Hongbo and the others followed Chen Wanfang inside.

—

The group was now quiet, completely different from their noisy demeanor on the phone.

They looked more like a few quiet little chicks.

Seeing that there was a meter of distance between Shang Yan and Su Miao Miao, Wu Hongbo let out a long sigh of relief.

“It seems that Brother Yan still has a bit of conscience left and hasn’t done anything to our little Su.”

Next to him, Luan Wenze hesitated for a moment.

“It looks more like he did something, and little Su is avoiding Brother Yan.”

Wu Hongbo: “…”

Wu Hongbo: “???”

Under Wu Hongbo’s accusatory gaze, the group entered the study—a place they had used as their base before when the computer science group gathered.

“I’ll go get you some juice,” Chen Wanfang said, closing the study door and heading downstairs.

As soon as she left, Wu Hongbo led the charge, turning his accusatory gaze into words.

“Brother Yan, what exactly did you do to our little Su on the phone just now?”

“…”

Shang Yan chuckled lazily, “Take a guess.”

Wu Hongbo: “…”

Wu Hongbo: “I’m not guessing!”

Su Miao Miao, unable to listen any longer, glanced at Shang Yan before turning away and saying softly, “He kissed his own hand.”

The computer science group was stunned.

A dead silence followed for a few seconds.

Wu Hongbo: “Brother Yan, you are definitely the most shameless.”

The others nodded in agreement, their gazes filled with accusation and reproach directed at Shang Yan.

Shang Yan remained unfazed, sitting sideways on the edge of the solid wood desk in the study with one leg propped up. He played with a heavy metal Rubik’s cube in his hand. A faint, indifferent smile lingered on his refined, pale profile, exuding a sense of relaxed nonchalance.

Wu Hongbo let out a long sigh of relief and stepped forward with earnestness to “advise” Shang Yan.

“Brother Yan, as the saying goes, ‘A rabbit doesn’t eat its nest’s grass,’ let alone little Su, who is your disciple. Moreover, Brother Yan, you’ve already caused trouble for all the girls in the school. It’s better to keep this pure seedling within our computer science group!”

“…”

Shang Yan gave him a cold glance, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Are you here to teach me?”

“…”

Feeling a sense of imminent danger from that glance, Wu Hongbo paused for three seconds before quickly shaking his head.

He lifted the laptop he was holding in his arms, his expression instantly turning into one of sincerity.

“We’ve come to ask for a lesson.”

In early December, there will be a highly prestigious provincial-level preliminary computer competition. The entire computer science group, except for Shang Yan, has been diligently preparing since the end of October, eagerly anticipating the event.

Shang Yan naturally understood their purpose for coming here.

After a brief moment of thought, he stepped down from the solid wood desk and walked over to Su Miao Miao, “I’ll conduct training for them this afternoon. Could you study in the study room?”

Su Miao Miao had already noticed that everyone had their laptops with them. Upon hearing his words, she looked at Shang Yan eagerly.

“Can I stay and listen?”

Facing those innocent and endearing eyes, no one could refuse.Shang Yan: “No, you can’t.”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

Shang Yan smiled with lowered eyes.

“The competition they need to prepare for focuses more on implementing various programming languages and optimizing algorithms. You haven’t reached that level yet—aside from C and C++, you’re not familiar with Java, Kotlin, and Python—so staying here would be futile.”

Su Miao Miao disappointedly lowered her head.

“More importantly, the midterm exams are coming up in a week. Didn’t you say you wanted to catch up to me?”

“…” Su Miao Miao remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. “Then which books should I use?”

Shang Yan escorted her to the study room.

“All textbooks and supplementary materials for grades one through three are in the cabinet on the left, categorized and labeled. You can help yourself.”

“…”

The study room was adorned with large French windows, offering a view of what seemed to be a flower garden outside. Beautiful and delicate flowers bloomed on the branches, in shades of pink, red, and light purple, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

Su Miao Miao couldn’t help but stop in her tracks, gazing outside with unconscious admiration.

“It’s so beautiful…”

Shang Yan, helpless, interjected, “Focus on your studies, okay?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao withdrew her gaze and nodded obediently, walking to the center of the study room, behind the white European-style desk.

Shang Yan leaned against the door, watching her.

“You know, I might come in to check on you, right?”

Su Miao Miao froze for a moment.

“…You will?”

Shang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of darkness in his gaze.

“I will.”

“Oh.”

Su Miao Miao lowered her head regretfully.

All she needed was to have “I wanted to secretly look at the flowers” written on her forehead.

Shang Yan chuckled.

He straightened up and walked into the room, stopping only when he reached the desk.

As he bent down beside the desk, his hands resting on either side of her body, she found herself trapped between the desk and his chest.

Shang Yan lowered his head.

Su Miao Miao was startled, her gaze shifting anxiously towards the still-open door leading to the outer room.

—

The earnest discussion on algorithms by Wu Hongbo and the others faintly echoed into the room.

Shang Yan’s pupils narrowed slightly.

After pausing for a few seconds, he lowered his head and lightly blew air on the corner of the girl’s temple.

“…!”

Su Miao Miao, who was still watching the door, suddenly froze in place.

After several seconds, she widened her eyes in disbelief and turned back:

“You…”

Seeing the satisfactory effect, Shang Yan chuckled silently.

His eyelids drooped slightly, his smile lazy, but there seemed to be a hidden danger lurking in the depths of his dark eyes.

“Do you know what will happen if I catch you not studying seriously?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao carefully swallowed.

Her mind went blank, and only now did she feel the tingling warmth on her earlobe where the breeze had touched.

In the end, she could only slowly shake her head.

Shang Yan leisurely raised his right hand and lightly tapped the girl’s forehead.

“Trust me… you don’t want to know.”

He withdrew his hand and stood up straight again, glancing at the standing cabinet nearby.

“Study hard?”

“I, I understand.”

Su Miao Miao snapped back to reality from her earlier “fright,” quickly propping herself up — she had almost been pressed onto the desk by him just now.

Only then did Shang Yan leave.

After exiting the room, he calmly closed the inner door.

Even after the final gap was shut, the boy’s hand did not leave the pale golden doorknob.

He paused, slowly relaxing his tense shoulders and back, then rested his forehead against the door.

Shang Yan let out a low, muffled laugh.

Somewhat helplessly.

Just a bit more…

Just a bit more and he wouldn’t have been able to hold back.

Indeed, some dangerous distances are best not attempted lightly—especially when certain personal boundaries are at risk of being forgotten.

……

Chen Wanfang entered the inner study room to bring a plate of cut fruit to Su Miao Miao, and it was at the most “lively” moment outside the study.

The room had excellent soundproofing.

So when Chen Wanfang pushed the door open, the girl who was diligently studying at the desk was startled by the sudden loud noise from outside.

She looked up blankly and saw Chen Wanfang walking over to place the tray in the corner of the desk.

The plate of cut fruit and a cup of warm milk were placed next to Su Miao Miao.

“…Thank you, Aunt Chen.”

Su Miao Miao glanced at the door in surprise, feeling a bit uneasy about the noise coming from outside.

Chen Wanfang smiled, “No need to be polite. If the young master hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have known that the pot of hot milk he prepares every morning is actually for you.”

Hearing this, Su Miao Miao felt a bit embarrassed.

She nodded and slowly reached out from her sleeve, using her fingertips to hook the cup of milk and slide it over.

Su Miao Miao clasped the cup with both hands, holding it in her palms, the warmth seeping straight to her heart.

Her eyes softened and lowered.Chen Wanfang, standing nearby, couldn’t help but feel sentimental—such a beautiful, obedient, and well-behaved girl was truly endearing.

“The young master specifically told me to prepare this for you.”

Feeling too embarrassed to continue the conversation, Su Miao Miao simply pointed towards the outer room, following her thoughts.

“Do they come here often?”

“Not too often, a bit more last semester,” Chen Wanfang thought for a moment, “but in total, probably over a dozen times.”

Su Miao Miao nodded.

“But you are the first girl the young master has brought back here.”

Chen Wanfang smiled and looked down at Su Miao Miao.

Su Miao Miao’s cheeks felt a bit warm.

She didn’t know why, but she felt that there was a hint of teasing in Chen Wanfang’s gaze.

The quietness of the inner room made the noise from outside seem even louder by contrast.

Su Miao Miao looked over uneasily.

“Do they act like this every time?”

Chen Wanfang looked a bit helpless at this question.

“Not every single time, but it’s common. The first time, they really startled me. I was always afraid they’d start fighting—eventually, I got used to it.”

Su Miao Miao was stunned by what she heard…. Can one really get used to such arguments?

Chen Wanfang noticed her change in expression and couldn’t help but laugh.

“They each argue their own points and don’t affect each other—right after arguing, they go back to being chummy.”

Chen Wanfang spoke warmly to Su Miao Miao, “Come on, I’ll take you to see.”

Su Miao Miao hesitated for a moment.

But in the end, she couldn’t suppress her curiosity and followed Chen Wanfang, walking quietly towards the outer room.

The two of them passed through the door between the rooms and entered the outer room.

It was already quite late by this time.

Thick curtains were drawn in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, blocking out nearly all light and making the room seem even dimmer.

Only the projector was on, emitting a faint, dim glow.

Close by, Wu Hongbo and Luan Wenze were arguing about an algorithm optimization issue.

Su Miao Miao, accustomed to Luan Wenze’s normally quiet and reserved demeanor, was surprised to see him so animated and nearly red-faced in a dispute.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

The program lines, displayed in white against a black background, were densely projected onto the wall.

Shang Yan sat slouched on the solid wood desk, one leg supporting him, his right hand resting on the notebook on the desk as he wrote casually. At the same time, his left hand held a laser pointer, and a red dot floated on the wall with the movement of the pointer. As he moved the laser pointer, he analyzed something with the two boys next to him in a serious tone.

In the dim light, the silhouette of the boy sitting at the desk was rendered more three-dimensional. His high nose bridge, half-lowered eyelashes, and slightly pursed lips enhanced his profile.

His features were sharp and handsome.

Moreover, his demeanor was composed, his voice steady and powerful, his words clear and logical, and his expression of ideas rapid and fluent.

There was a kind of bold and captivating charm emanating from him that was hard to look away from.

Su Miao Miao found herself slightly entranced.

“How about it? Doesn’t he look more charming when he’s serious?” Chen Wanfang stood beside her, smiling, and asked.

“Um… Ah?”

Su Miao Miao slowly snapped out of her trance, catching the subtle implication in Chen Wanfang’s words. She felt a bit uneasy.

“Aunt Chen, don’t… don’t misunderstand… Shang Yan is my mentor, and I’m also in the computer science group…”

As she trailed off, Su Miao Miao felt increasingly guilty, and her voice involuntarily softened.

A voice in her mind seemed to quietly protest: No, you’re lying, that’s not it.

Su Miao Miao was starting to get scared by this inner voice.

Chen Wanfang could tell from the way Su Miao Miao’s voice softened as she spoke, and she teased her with a smile, “I meant all of them. I didn’t specifically point out anyone to you, did I?”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

Were the people in this household all so good at setting traps for others…

Su Miao Miao suppressed her emotional fluctuations and said quietly, “Aunt Chen, I’ll go back to studying now…”

After speaking, she quickly bowed to Chen Wanfang and hastily ran back to the inner room, seeming somewhat like she was fleeing in disarray.

Chen Wanfang chuckled and shook her head.

…

The urgent training session ended in the afternoon.

When Wu Hongbo and his friends left the villa, the sky outside was already dark.

Chen Wanfang had arranged for the driver to wait outside the villa in advance.

As they got into the car, Wu Hongbo couldn’t help but linger at the window.

“Brother Yan, what about Su Miao Miao? Why isn’t she leaving? Her house is so far away, and the journey back must be boring. Why don’t we just take her with us and drop her off on the way?”

After hours of teaching, Shang Yan was more exhausted than anyone else at this moment.

Upon hearing this, he lazily lifted his eyelids.

He glanced out the window with a smirk that was neither a smile nor a frown.

“None of your business.”

Wu Hongbo: “…………”

Wu Hongbo: “Brother Yan!!! It’s already dark!! Please let our little Su go home — if she doesn’t go home soon, it’ll be too late, um um um…………”

Before he could finish his sentence, a hand reached out from inside the car, covering Wu Hongbo’s mouth and dragging him back.

Then Luan Wenze calmly rolled up the car window and waved goodbye to Shang Yan.

“Goodbye, Brother Yan. Aunt Chen, thank you for your hospitality today. See you another day.”

“…” Shang Yan nodded in satisfaction.

The car window closed.

The driver set off.

It wasn’t until the car had driven several dozen meters away that Luan Wenze released his hand.

Wu Hongbo complained, “Luan, are you seeking revenge on me privately?”

Breaking away from the atmosphere of the computer training class, Luan Wenze seemed to have sealed away that temper, and he responded with a good-natured sigh.

“I’m saving you.”

Wu Hongbo: “Huh? But isn’t Su Miao Miao the one who needs saving the most? She’s already deep in the clutches!”

A nearby boy couldn’t help but laugh, “If you keep blabbering, I can see from Brother Yan’s expression that he might just chop you up on the spot and use you as fertilizer for the flowers outside the villa.”

Wu Hongbo shivered belatedly.

“Is he really that terrifying?”

“Yeah, especially terrifying.”

The boy in the passenger seat chuckled in agreement.

Wu Hongbo: “So you’re saying I’ve just saved my own life? But what about our little Su? If she falls into Brother Yan’s hands—uh, I mean, Mr. Driver, you didn’t hear anything…”

He lowered his voice, “If she falls into Brother Yan’s hands, what should we do?”

The driver chuckled at his antics but remained silent.

Luan Wenze also laughed, “You know Brother Yan’s true nature. Remember at Shu Wei’s birthday party, when he was pushed to that point, he didn’t do anything. Do you still doubt his character?”

Wu Hongbo pondered for a moment, feeling uncertain.

“That’s true, but I still can’t shake the feeling…”

“What feeling?”

Wu Hongbo turned back around and muttered to himself, “I just have this feeling that Brother Yan has been changing a lot lately, and it’s making me uneasy—what if he doesn’t let our little Su go home!?”

“You’re overthinking it!” the boy next to him laughed and punched him playfully.

“I hope so…”

…..

Meanwhile, inside the villa.Shang Yan watched the girl tidying up the books on the table, raising an eyebrow slightly.

“Are you really going home?” he asked.

Su Miao Miao nodded solemnly.

“Of course I’m going home.”

“We already informed them earlier that the field trip would be delayed for a day and a night.”

“But I’m not on the field trip right now…”

Su Miao Miao looked up at Shang Yan, her expression a bit serious. “Lying is not good, because it will be exhausting to cover up in the future.”

Seeing the girl earnestly imparting life philosophy to him, Shang Yan smirked and looked away.

“Well, that’s a shame.”

“A shame about what?”

Shang Yan licked his teeth and chuckled softly, “I was hoping to finally bring my little disciple home, so I could have someone warm my bed for me.”

Su Miao Miao: “…………”

She glared at him indignantly, then finished packing up her things and picked up her phone.

With Wen Chengzhou’s number saved in her contacts, Su Miao Miao dialed the number.

A few seconds later…

Su Miao Miao stared blankly at the call that had been automatically disconnected.

“It’s… it’s turned off?”

Under the shock, her expression seemed a bit dazed.

Shang Yan turned his head at her words.

The girl behind the desk, unwilling to give up, dialed Wen Chengzhou’s number again.

Still turned off.

Su Miao Miao: “…………”

Shang Yan chuckled gleefully.

“Kid, remember to come warm your master’s bed tonight.”