Chapter 48

“Are you… going abroad?”

The training group office was silent and still.

Wu Hongbo and Luan Wenze exchanged a glance, each seeing the unease in the other’s eyes.

“Brother Yan, we’ll just, uh, step outside for a moment.”

With that, the two hurriedly escaped the tense atmosphere of the office, following the two boys who had just left.

Shang Yan snapped back to reality.

His gaze shifted from the door to the girl.

Su Miao Miao met his eyes for two seconds, then suddenly realized and lowered her gaze.

“I didn’t mean anything by it… just asking.”

“Just asking?” Shang Yan chuckled softly. “Well, that won’t do. I was planning to explain it to you.”

Her body instinctively followed his lead, and Su Miao Miao lifted her face to look at Shang Yan.

Shang Yan’s lips curled into a slight smile.

“In the past, I never really decided… actually, it didn’t matter much to me.”

Su Miao Miao was taken aback.

“How could it not matter?”

“…”

An emotion flickered in Shang Yan’s eyes, but he didn’t explain. He simply reached out and gently ruffled the girl’s hair.

“I’ll explain it to you later.”

Su Miao Miao nodded. “So, have you decided now?”

“Yes.”

“…Oh.”

“‘Oh’?” Shang Yan raised an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

Su Miao Miao: “…?”

Facing the girl’s innocent expression that seemed to say, “What else should I say?”

Shang Yan couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation.

“Didn’t you just ask me if I was going abroad? How could you forget so quickly?”

Su Miao Miao was silent for two seconds, then lowered her head and said seriously, “But you’re right. It’s your own path, and you shouldn’t listen to others.”

Shang Yan, rarely caught off guard, found himself even more confused by her words.

“Who said anything about listening to others?”

Su Miao Miao held her breath, “If you shouldn’t listen to others, then others shouldn’t speak… but if you tell me your decision, I might not be able to help myself.”

Finally understanding her logic, Shang Yan smiled.

Seeing that the office was empty, he decided to drop his pretense of being a stern teacher. Leaning forward, he placed one hand on the desk behind her, cornering her against it.

“What can’t you help?”

Su Miao Miao pressed her lips together and looked down, unwilling to speak.

Shang Yan chuckled and turned his head to look at her.

“Afraid you’ll say something that might influence me?”

After a few seconds of silence, the girl slowly nodded.

Shang Yan smiled, looking down.

“Then I’ll listen to you.”

Su Miao Miao was startled and then frowned, “You just said it’s your own path, so don’t listen to others.”

Shang Yan: “I was lying to them.”

Su Miao Miao: “…”

Shang Yan: “Besides, do you count as ‘others’?”

Su Miao Miao was at a loss for words.

Shang Yan couldn’t bear to tease her any longer. He smiled and straightened up.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going abroad.”

Hearing this, Su Miao Miao looked up at him in surprise. “Why not?”

Shang Yan gazed at her deeply.

“What do you think the reason is?”

“…?”

“…”

Under the girl’s clear and pure gaze, Shang Yan rarely felt a bit uncomfortable. He cleared his throat lightly, turned aside, and walked away.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to catch up to me? I have to stay in the country to give you that chance.”

Su Miao Miao seemed taken aback and looked at Shang Yan.

“Just because of that?”

“…You seem a bit disappointed?” Shang Yan turned back to look at her, his refined face showing a slight smile. “So, little girl, what other reason do you want to hear?”

As if afraid she wouldn’t think too much about it, he deliberately lowered his voice, making it husky and suggestive, gently coaxing—

“As long as you want to know, your master will tell you, okay?”

“…”

Su Miao Miao’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she held her breath for a few seconds.

Just as she was about to speak, someone carefully knocked on the door of the training group’s office behind her.

After confirming that it had been quiet inside for a while, Wu Hongbo felt assured enough to walk in. However, the moment he pushed the door open and took his first step, he felt Shang Yan’s unfriendly gaze shoot over.

Wu Hongbo’s heart skipped a beat, and he froze in place.

“Uh, maybe I should…” He awkwardly pointed towards the door, “go back out for a bit?”

Shang Yan’s expression softened, and the smile in his eyes became faint and indifferent again.

“Did you catch up to them?”

Wu Hongbo’s expression changed slightly, and he nodded uneasily.

“Could you persuade them?”

Wu Hongbo shook his head with a wry smile.

“Yan, you were right. Everyone has their own path. Since they’ve made up their minds, there’s no point in forcing them to stay. I understand.”

Shang Yan pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Invite them out this weekend, and also invite Teacher Huang. Let’s have a farewell dinner together.”

Wu Hongbo was taken aback, looking at Shang Yan with some surprise.

“Yan… aren’t you upset about what they said?”

“Why should I be?” Shang Yan chuckled, his gaze cold. “It’s what I deserve, isn’t it?”

Wu Hongbo furrowed his brows, then quickly relaxed them. He hesitated for a while, struggling to find the right words, before finally lowering his head in a despondent tone:

“Yan, if you say that, then we really don’t deserve to be called human… It’s been over a year since I joined the group, and in this past year, you’ve gone above and beyond to help us. We can all see that. If it weren’t for us holding you back, with your own abilities, you wouldn’t need to run around so tirelessly… You’ve even provided facilities, training equipment, desks, and chairs for us. Some schools don’t even provide support for competitions, but you’ve taken us at your own expense, all for the sake of giving us opportunities and training…”

As he spoke, Wu Hongbo couldn’t help but sniffle, his tone filled with both resentment and disappointment—

“They’re just being ignorant and unreasonable. I know you’ve never truly looked down on any of us. Even for the simplest mistakes we’ve made, you’ve patiently corrected us… Even though we might get scolded, I know it’s to make us learn from our mistakes. Yan, you’re like both a teacher and a friend to us, we—”

“…That’s enough.”

Shang Yan felt overwhelmed.

“Are you giving me an award speech or holding a memorial service?”

Wu Hongbo suddenly raised his head, his eyes slightly red.

“No, Yan, I mean every word—”

“You can save your heartfelt speeches for my memorial service in the future.”

Shang Yan chuckled lightly.

“For now, wipe away your crocodile tears and practice your Python—because if you stay this incompetent, not even a god can save you.”

“Oh…”

Wu Hongbo nodded despondently, then turned away, but quickly turned back.

“Yan, I heard today that you… uh, took two senior boys to the restroom…” Wu Hongbo glanced at Su Miao Miao beside him, hesitated, and then avoided using the word, continuing, “Are you okay?”

Shang Yan furrowed his brows.

“One.”

Wu Hongbo: “…?”

“The other one hasn’t had his turn yet. Thanks for reminding me.” Shang Yan’s expression remained neutral, but he slightly smirked, his gaze turning cold. “I’ll take care of him tomorrow.”

Wu Hongbo: “…”

Did he just ruin someone’s day with a single sentence?

Not daring to say another word, Wu Hongbo sheepishly returned to his own computer desk, feeling embarrassed.

….

Shang Yan led the silent girl into the inner office.

He moved the computer and various items on the desk to one side. As he was tidying up, he suddenly saw Su Miao Miao slowly walk to the window, close it, pull the inner curtains, and finally check once more to ensure the door was tightly shut.

Shang Yan paused his actions.

After a few seconds, he let out a low chuckle.

“…kid.”

“?”

Su Miao Miao withdrew her hand and turned her head, just in time to see the boy stop what he was doing. He leaned against the desk with his arms crossed, a playful smile on his cold, handsome face.

“You finally can’t contain your ambitions and are ready to put them into practice and do something to your master?”

Su Miao Miao: “………………..”

Within seconds, a blush spread across the girl’s cheeks. Her dark eyes filled with annoyance as she glared at her completely unserious master.

After a brief silence, Su Miao Miao moved in front of Shang Yan, her voice soft and low:

“Master, the incident Wu Hongbo just mentioned, did it happen in the multifunction hall?”

She thought it over. Shang Yan had barely left her sight all day, and the only unusual behavior was his reaction after coming out of the multifunction hall’s restroom.

Reflecting on what Shang Yan had mentioned before…

“Hmm.”

Shang Yan responded nonchalantly.

He took the girl’s backpack from her and placed it on the now-cleared desk.

Su Miao Miao looked up at him, her brow slightly furrowed.

“Master, fighting is not good.”

Her tone was earnest, as if sincerely trying to persuade him to mend his ways.

Shang Yan smiled, sat on the edge of the desk, and crossed his arms with a half-smile.

“Why is it not good?”

“You could be called out and criticized by the teachers, and in severe cases, it could even leave a record in your file…”

Su Miao Miao thought seriously for a while and came to a conclusion.

“And everyone would be afraid of you, which is very bad.”

Shang Yan squinted slightly and leaned in.

“But you aren’t afraid of me.”

“Mm.”

“Then that’s enough,” Shang Yan scoffed lightly, a cold smile in his eyes. “Why should I care about anyone else?”

Su Miao Miao stood there, stunned.

It wasn’t the first time she had heard Shang Yan say something like this.

Previously, she always thought it was just Shang Yan’s arrogance. But today, after what had just happened, she seemed to gain a new understanding.

He didn’t care, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t disappointed.

On the contrary, he must have been disappointed far too many times, just like her. She was used to being disliked and hated. Even if she had many hidden desires in her heart initially, they were all eventually frozen by indifference.

So she became accustomed to and learned to live with it.

Without expectations, there would be no disappointment.

And he was the same.

A sudden ache struck Su Miao Miao’s heart.

She didn’t know the cause, but she had an inkling of how to ease it.

The girl took a step forward and wrapped her arms around the boy sitting at the edge of the desk.

She hugged him gently.

Shang Yan’s body suddenly tensed.

After a moment, he regained his composure and looked down at the girl.

His dark eyes were filled with a mix of emotions, reflecting countless unspoken thoughts.

After a few quiet seconds, he let out a dry laugh and looked away.

“Kid, do you know you’re making improper advances towards your master?”

Su Miao Miao ignored his joke.

With her face buried against his chest, she spoke in a muffled voice.

“Shang Yan.”

“To make your improper advances seem more legitimate, you’re even dropping the title ‘master’?”

“Shang Yan.”

“…”

“Shang Yan,” the girl softly called his name again.

The casual smile on Shang Yan’s face finally faded.

He sighed softly, lowered his eyes, and raised his hand to gently stroke the girl’s soft, long hair as she buried her face against his chest.

“Mm. I’m here.”

Su Miao Miao slowly tightened her embrace.

“I will never be jealous of you, never doubt you, never fear you… and never disappoint you.”

The girl spoke softly.

“I swear.”

“…”

Shang Yan was suddenly at a loss for words.He clearly hadn’t expected that all his thoughts would be so easily seen through by Su Miao Miao.

He lowered his eyes to look at the girl.

Su Miao Miao didn’t lift her head and missed the rare moment when Shang Yan’s expression was almost flustered.

When she was about to loosen her grip and straighten up, the chest she was leaning against vibrated slightly. The boy’s voice reached her ears again, carrying his usual casual and indifferent tone, along with a hint of a lazy smile—

“Did you forget? You belong to me. Isn’t this what you’re supposed to do?”

Su Miao Miao: “…………”

All the sympathy and warmth she felt for him instantly dissipated.

Not a trace remained.

Su Miao Miao’s expression tightened with disdain as she let go and stepped back.

But just as her hands lowered halfway, her wrist was grabbed, and a warm hand pressed against the back of her neck, pulling her closer until she was tightly against his chest again.

The chest she was pressed against vibrated slightly with his deep, magnetic voice:

“Is your master a human doll? Hug when you want, leave when you want?”

“…”

For no apparent reason, once she was pulled back, Su Miao Miao’s cheeks began to flush.

She struggled in vain a couple of times, only to be held even tighter.It wasn’t until he finally, reluctantly, let her go that she jumped back half a meter, glaring at him angrily.

Shang Yan chuckled lightly and lowered his eyes.

“Kid, you can’t do this anymore.”

Su Miao Miao: “?”

Shang Yan: “Seducing your master like this, in the past, you’d be thrown into a pig cage.”

Su Miao Miao: “…………”

Hmph.

He was the one who was holding onto her just now.

*

For the anniversary school celebration, the hosts chosen were Shu Wei from the senior class and another boy.

When this news was announced, the entire school was shocked.

—

It was unexpected that although Shang Yan had run for election, he wasn’t on the final list of candidates, surprising everyone.

Soon, on the day of the election, the twists and turns in the multifunction hall, along with the causes and effects, became the subject of lively discussions among the students in the school.

The news about Shang Yan beating up several senior boys spread like wildfire among the students.In the following days, Shang Yan was repeatedly called to the office, indirectly confirming the truth of this news.

One of the things students were most passionate about in their dull school life was gossip like this, and various speculations emerged one after another.

“Now there are already three versions.”

During break time in the classroom of Class 2 of the sophomore year, Qi Wenyue counted with her fingers for Su Miao Miao—

“The first version is that Brother Yan’s old feelings for Shu Wei resurfaced, and he had a revelation in the school hall, finding his true feelings.”

Liao Lanxin lazily interjected from the side, “What old feelings… Are they capable of rekindling anything with the mush in their brains?”

Qi Wenyue gave her desk mate a thumbs up.

“I also think it’s ridiculous. There’s another one, the second version, which says that Su Miao Miao, feeling too spoiled, has offended our Brother Yan and fallen out of favor. The title of ‘little disciple’ is also about to be revoked. Various people are getting ready to step in at any moment.”

After finishing this, Qi Wenyue didn’t wait for Liao Lanxin to speak, and took the initiative to lower her voice and vent:

“I also think the title ‘little disciple’ might not be sustainable—no matter how you look at Brother Yan’s recent gaze towards our Miao Miao, it feels increasingly dangerous—but with Brother Yan’s recent clinginess to Miao Miao, if they want to step in, I guess their chances are slim even in their next life.”

Su Miao Miao: “…………”

Liao Lanxin: “What about the third one then?”

“This one is supposedly leaked by insiders—apparently, among the senior boys running for election, a few spread rumors about our Miao Miao in the restroom and even planned to take pictures of her legs when she was on stage… But it happened that Brother Yan overheard, and one of them was directly knocked out, while the others have been having a rough time these past few days.”

Liao Lanxin nodded.

“This one sounds somewhat logically plausible.”

Qi Wenyue turned to Su Miao Miao.

“Miao Miao, which one is the truth?”

But Su Miao Miao asked her in bewilderment, “What’s a leg picture?”

Qi Wenyue choked.

“Uh, well, um…”

Qi Wenyue was in a panic when she suddenly caught sight of a figure at the front door of the classroom. Her face brightened, as if she had seen a savior.

“Oh, Brother Yan is back. Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

After speaking, Qi Wenyue hurriedly lowered her head and pretended to be immersed in her textbook, as if saying, “I want to study seriously.”

Su Miao Miao could only turn back around.Shang Yan came to the desk and sat down.

Su Miao Miao asked, “Did the teacher call you to the office because of what happened on the day of the election?”

Shang Yan unconsciously frowned, his gaze flickering slightly.

“…Yeah.”

Immediately, he turned to her and ruffled the girl’s head.

“Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

Su Miao Miao nodded slowly.

With only one or two minutes left until class, the classroom gradually quieted down.

In this quietness, there was suddenly a slow and steady sound of high heels tapping on the floor, coming from the corridor.

The students looked over curiously.

As if to satisfy their curiosity, a figure appeared at the front door of the classroom.

—

A woman with exquisite and glamorous makeup, with a well-proportioned figure, leaned against the door frame.

With a smirk, she beckoned with her finger in the silence of the entire class.

“Shang Yan, come out.”