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Chapter 46
When Su Miao Miao returned to the study area, her small face was slightly furrowed, her brows knitted together, and she had a look of deep concern, walking absentmindedly.
As a result, she missed the complex and meaningful look Shang Yan gave her when she had just returned to her desk.
“What happened?”
Seeing the girl’s expression, Shang Yan suppressed the bit of irritability in his heart and asked aloud.
Su Miao Miao waved the small phone in her hand.
“The homeroom teacher said that you and I need to go to the school’s multifunctional hall for a meeting—regarding the selection of hosts for the school’s anniversary celebration at the end of this month.”
Shang Yan lowered his gaze.
“Now?”
Su Miao Miao, unaware of the turmoil hidden beneath his words, simply nodded dejectedly.
“I don’t know how long it will take.”
Thinking for a moment, she looked at Shang Yan.
“Your Chinese grades really can’t be delayed any longer, so if we finish early, let’s come back and study, okay?” Su Miao Miao lowered her head and stacked her Chinese textbook and notebook, placing them at the corner of the desk. “These will stay here for now; it shouldn’t take too long…”
“…”
Shang Yan was silent for a few seconds, then stood up, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Okay.”
His gaze swept slowly over Su Miao Miao before looking ahead.
Su Miao Miao’s expression involuntarily stiffened.
After a couple of seconds, she snapped out of it and looked puzzled at the tall figure slowly walking out.
…So strange.
Why did a single glance from him suddenly make her feel a chill down her spine?
Unable to figure it out, Su Miao Miao, still puzzled, followed him.
…
The multifunctional hall at Third High was also its small auditorium, with a stage and four to five hundred seats arranged in a tiered layout from the entrance downward.
By the time Su Miao Miao and Shang Yan arrived at the multifunctional hall, most of the others were already there.
This time, the candidates were selected from the second and third years of high school. Although it was nominally “one boy and one girl from each class,” in reality, only students from the advanced classes of each grade were chosen.
Thus, there were exactly 20 boys and 20 girls as candidates.
Among this small number of people, she happened to encounter a familiar face—
“Su Miao Miao.”
As soon as the clear male voice rang out, nearly half of the eyes in the multifunctional hall turned towards the entrance.
Su Miao Miao was looking down, carefully descending the gently sloped steps. Hearing her name, she instinctively lifted her gaze.
Among the group of third-year students, a boy who had spoken stood up and walked over with a sunny smile.
His smile was so dazzling that it was almost blinding, his teeth gleaming white..
..A very infectious smile, Su Miao Miao thought, dazed for a couple of seconds.
By the time she snapped out of it, the boy had already stopped a few steps below her.
The steps were already gently sloped, and with their height difference, the boy standing a few steps below still appeared slightly taller than Su Miao Miao.
Their eyes met at about the same level, and the boy’s smile became even more charming.
“I knew it, you’d be here too.”
Su Miao Miao hesitated for a few seconds before softly greeting him, “Hello, Senior Chu.”
Chu Ming smiled and waved his hand, “No need to be so formal with me. I’m not much older than you, just a few months at most.”
Before Su Miao Miao could think of a way to respond, Chu Ming considerately changed the topic, his gaze shifting to her ankle.
“How’s your leg? Is it fully healed?”
“Yes,” Su Miao Miao replied, “it’s fine now.”
Chu Ming said, “That’s good. If there’s still any problem, don’t hesitate to come to me—after all, it was my team member who injured you, and we should take full responsibility.”
“Thank you, Senior…”
Before Su Miao Miao could finish her sentence, the boy who had been holding back finally couldn’t resist any longer.
He pulled his right hand out of his pocket, walked down two steps with a casual demeanor, and stopped beside her.
Resting his arm lightly on her shoulder, Shang Yan bent down slightly, his voice low and deep, “Kid, did you forget about your master?”
“…”
Su Miao Miao turned her face in a daze to look at Shang Yan.
In his usually indifferent expression, a sharp glint briefly appeared, quickly suppressed by him.
His gaze shifted away from Chu Ming, narrowing slightly as he looked down at the bewildered girl in front of him.
“If your master doesn’t like him, what will you do, hmm?”
Shang Yan’s voice was straightforward, without any deliberate lowering of tone.
In the quiet hall at this moment, not only Su Miao Miao and Chu Ming standing nearby but even the two groups of people not far away could clearly hear this unreserved statement.
Suddenly, many curious eyes turned excitedly in their direction.
—
Rumors of discord between Shang Yan and Chu Ming had long been circulating, but this was the first time they were being witnessed live, and everyone was eager to see how it would unfold.
The first to react, after a few seconds of shock, was Su Miao Miao, who helplessly furrowed her brows.
A small wrinkle formed between her delicate eyebrows, resembling a tiny flower blooming.
“Master, why are you being so childish…” the girl muttered to him under her breath.
Shang Yan raised an eyebrow.
“I’m childish?”
The girl nodded honestly, her gaze accusingly fixed on him.
Before Shang Yan could respond, the heavy wooden doors of the multifunctional hall were pushed open once again.
A figure walked in.
“Oh, here comes the school flower, Shu!”
“This should be interesting…”
There were faint chuckles from the front row, where two people were clearly enjoying the spectacle.
Su Miao Miao’s brow furrowed even tighter.
She looked up, following the rising steps behind her, and saw Shu Wei at the door.
Shu Wei seemed to freeze in place upon seeing Shang Yan, and Su Miao Miao found it strange, but without hesitation, she took action—Reaching out, she tugged on the boy beside her.
“Master, let’s go downstairs.”
Without waiting for Shang Yan to consider or refuse, she grabbed the hem of his shirt and swiftly made her way down, bypassing Chu Ming in front of her.
In Shang Yan’s originally slightly cold eyes, after a moment of surprise, a playful smile appeared involuntarily.
He allowed the girl’s nervous grip on his shirt and followed her pull down the steps.
Only when passing by Chu Ming did Shang Yan’s lips curl slightly—He let out a soft chuckle.
“Mine.”
Then, without looking sideways, he walked past.
Chu Ming’s smile faded.
Once all 20 pairs of student representatives from the second and third grades were assembled, the responsible teacher stepped onto the stage and briefly explained the rules—
“Let’s keep it simple, shall we?”
“The voting rules are very simple. First, each of you will have one minute—you’ll come up here, face the audience, and you can introduce yourself, tell a joke, or whatever you like. Then, everyone will be divided into two voting groups: boys and girls. You’ll vote for someone in the other group, and each person only has one vote, meaning you can only vote for one person. Finally, the person with the most votes in the other group will be the student representative chosen by that group.” After the teacher finished speaking, they clapped their hands once more.
“To ensure fair voting and prevent influence, come on, boys to the seats on my left, and girls to the seats on my right—leave the middle area empty for me.”
Someone in the boys’ group grumbled, “It’s just a formality, why make it so troublesome.”
The teacher on stage frowned, their gaze scanning the audience.
“Who’s speaking? Step forward. —What do you mean? Are you questioning the fairness of the school’s arrangement this time? Then come here, come on, stand beside me and propose a fair rule for me to see!”
Seeing the teacher’s genuine anger, the student who had spoken earlier hesitated, glancing at a slender figure at the front before awkwardly chuckling.
“No, teacher, I wasn’t questioning the fairness of the rules. The rules are fair… I was just saying, actually, everyone already has someone in mind. Admitting the differences isn’t a bad thing, right?”
Listening to the student’s softened tone, the teacher’s attitude on stage eased slightly.
Still somewhat displeased, he gave the boy a glance.
“What do you mean by ‘everyone already has someone in mind’? You don’t even have the courage to compete?”
The student shrank back, giving a embarrassed smile, and the small disturbance passed.
The one-minute speeches started from the girls’ side.
However, in reality, most people shared the same thoughts as the boy who had spoken earlier— with Shang Yan present, the person chosen by the boys’ group would inevitably be him, and similarly, the person with the most votes in the girls’ group would be the one he chose.
Even any trace of competitiveness that might have arisen due to Shang Yan’s presence was completely suppressed by the presence of Su Miao Miao and Shu Wei.
The speeches from both sides were plain and unremarkable.
The teacher in charge frowned on the side but couldn’t say anything.
Each person was given a piece of paper to vote.
Shang Yan turned to look at the girls’ group.
Coincidentally, at this moment, a petite figure in the front row was also gazing at him thoughtfully.
—
But as soon as their gazes met, the girl startled and quickly lowered her head.
Shang Yan smiled faintly and withdrew his gaze..
..It wouldn’t be bad to leave a memorable commemoration with the kids for the school’s history.
With his decision made, he quickly checked Su Miao Miao’s name and placed a tick next to it.
He picked up the voting paper and scrutinized it for three seconds.
Shang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, he resisted following his initial impulse and turned the tick into a heart shape.
The boys beside and behind him had been waiting for him to finish for a while now. Seeing his action, they exchanged glances and quickly followed suit.
The teacher in charge collected the papers from the boys’ side first, frowning as he waved his hand.
“We’ll count the votes later. You can rest for now, but don’t leave the hall. We’ll announce the results shortly.”
A few boys complained and stood up to go to the restroom inside the multifunctional hall.
Shang Yan sat in his place for a moment, as the girls’ side hadn’t finished voting yet.
He then stood up and headed towards the restroom.
However, as he reached the door, he heard the muffled laughter of two senior boys inside the restroom—
“Who did you vote for?”
“Su Miao Miao. You?”
“Me too.”
“Haha, I knew you were a coward, didn’t you say Shu Wei was your ideal girlfriend before?”
“That was all in high school, okay? Even if she was my ideal girlfriend, after three years, I would have gotten tired of her—That new junior school girl in high school was so good, just looking at her was refreshing, and she was still innocent and beautiful—The first time I saw her in school, I thought, such a pretty girl, but she always wears those shapeless clothes, you can’t see any curves on her chest, waist, or legs, such a pity!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, isn’t this a perfect opportunity? Before coming here, I told a few classmates that I had to see this junior school girl’s figure before graduating from high school. I mean, if her face is this beautiful, her figure must be worth admiring for a year, then take some pictures—”
The person’s words were cut off.
A sudden, vicious kick from behind sent him flying into the urinal in the restroom.
The hardest part of the human body collided with the hard wall.
A loud “clang” echoed.
The boy standing nearby snapped out of it, only to meet the fierce, menacing gaze of Shang Yan reflected in the mirror behind him. He was so frightened he nearly knelt into the urinal himself.
Meanwhile, outside the door, the amplified voice of the teacher in charge came from afar—
“We will now announce the voting results.”
—
Shang Yan’s gaze swept over the two of them with a cold glare before he turned and walked out briskly.
However, he wasn’t able to stop it in time.
As Shang Yan rushed back into the multifunctional hall, he heard the teacher’s concluding remarks—
“For the boys’ representative, Shang Yan, 19 votes passed.”
“For the girls’ representative, Su Miao Miao, 17 votes passed.”
“Well, the results are in. I will submit the voting results to the school. If there’s nothing else—”
“Wait a minute.”
Standing at the edge of the stage, Shang Yan clenched his fists tightly and interrupted the teacher’s words with a deep voice.
The teacher raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased.
After seeing that it was Shang Yan, he couldn’t help but pause.
His expression softened immediately.
“Shang Yan, is there something you’d like to say?”
Shang Yan’s gaze darkened.
After a moment, he lightly smirked, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.
“I request… a recount.”
The teacher was taken aback.
“Why do you want a recount?”
Shang Yan’s gaze turned cold, but he continued to smile.
“I was a bit impulsive just now. I’ve come to my senses and regret it now.”
His words were so unserious and irresponsible that both groups of students were stunned in place.
Especially when they thought about the original voting results, the looks exchanged between Su Miao Miao, Shu Wei, and Shang Yan became even more peculiar.
The teacher in charge was a bit bewildered.
“You voted for…?”
Shang Yan’s smile faded slightly.
After a moment, he lowered his eyes slightly.
“Su Miao Miao.”
—
In the girls’ group, the girl’s figure froze for a moment.
The teacher in charge was even more confused. “So, are you planning to change your vote now?”
“…Yes.”
“Who are you voting for?”
“…”
Shang Yan’s gaze fell on her.
Sitting in the front row, the girl lowered her head, her hands folded on her knees, making her expression unreadable.
Behind her, Shu Wei’s gaze was trembling as she looked in this direction.
In the groups behind them, there were quiet chuckles.
“Is this a chance for a ‘reconciliation’?”
“I told you, the former girlfriend’s victory would carry more weight…”
In the midst of these scattered discussions, Shang Yan’s expression grew colder and colder.
Until a soft voice spoke up:
“Why change your vote?”
The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to the speaker.
Shang Yan’s pupils contracted slightly.
And in his line of sight, the girl finally lifted her head.
Her beautiful and delicate facial features adorned her charming face, her gaze clear and pure. Her voice was quiet yet determined.
She repeated her question.
“Why… change your vote?”
Shang Yan’s expression darkened.
Thinking of the unpleasant words he had just heard, veins bulged on the back of his hand.
After a long silence, he averted his gaze, his voice slightly hoarse.
“You’re too short. It’s not suitable.”
Su Miao Miao froze in place.
…
[Exam results, height, and even computers, although we are far apart, I have been trying to catch up with you… Don’t always mock me…]
[These are your words. Don’t regret it.]
…
Liar.
Unable to hold back the surge of grievance in her heart, the girl’s eyes turned slightly red as she slowly stood up.
“…I abstain.”
After saying this, she turned around and walked towards the back door without looking back.
But after only two steps, she couldn’t help herself and started running in embarrassment.
“…!”
Shang Yan took a deep breath.
As the girl’s figure disappeared from the multifunctional hall, he finally let out the suppressed rage in his heart—
With a loud bang, the empty table stacked below the stage was kicked away.
The startled students from both groups looked at him.
Shang Yan’s gaze was fierce and menacing, pointing straight towards the male group—
“The two trash in the restroom, I remember you. Whoever dares to gossip about Su Miao Miao behind her back again…”
Blood vessels bulged in Shang Yan’s eyes, his handsome face almost ferocious at this moment.
“Let them risk their lives.”
As everyone was stunned, Shang Yan left with his final words of “abstain”, heading towards the back door.
The responsible teacher was the first to react, remembering the faint sound of the “bang” heard earlier. He furrowed his brows and said to a few male students—
“Go check what’s happening in the restroom.”
Shang Yan caught up with Su Miao Miao in the library.
On the second floor study area, he hurried up the stairs and saw the girl, her eyes red, picking up her Chinese textbook to leave.
Shang Yan strode up to her.
When he reached her, the girl didn’t even look at him, lowering her head to pass by.
Shang Yan’s brows furrowed, and he reached out to grab the girl’s wrist.
Her wrist felt fragile, like it could break with a slight squeeze.
He gritted his teeth and, without waiting for Su Miao Miao to speak or struggle, dragged her into the adjacent reading area.
“Shang Yan—”
Su Miao Miao tried to wriggle her wrist free, but the man’s grip was like an iron clamp, firmly imprisoning her wrist.
His unyielding strength dragged her into the corner of the reading area, beyond the range of surveillance cameras.
Between two rows of towering bookshelves.
“Bang.”
A muffled sound.
Su Miao Miao was pulled by the boy gripping her wrist and slammed directly into the corner.
There was a low table in the corner, seemingly discarded from the study area and left abandoned here.
Su Miao Miao attempted to struggle, but the man wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her onto the table.
With a lowered gaze, Shang Yan leaned closer, locking eyes with her.
Su Miao Miao, her eyes reddened, sat dazed on the table.
She instinctively kicked her legs.
—
The feet are far from the ground… very far.
Su Miao Miao: “…”
Thinking of the phrase “because you’re too short” just now in the multifunction hall, tears rolled in the girl’s eyes, and one fell out with a snap.
Her eyes still looked at him with grievance and innocence.
Shang Yan took a breath.
The pain in his heart felt like it had been stirred with a knife.
He impatiently darkened his face and reached out to pull the girl into his arms—
“Don’t cry.”
Su Miao Miao felt so aggrieved that her chest felt sour, and she endured it by breathing shallowly, feeling so uncomfortable that she was about to explode.
This person is still being so harsh to her.
Without hesitation, she fiercely bit through the thin sweater on the boy’s body.
Shang Yan frowned.
A dull pain spread around his collarbone…. Her teeth are quite sharp.
Shang Yan didn’t dodge, letting her bite him.
After a moment, he only reached out to gently touch the back of the girl’s head, sighing softly in compromise.
“Don’t cry, okay.”