Without even looking up, Shen Yue said, “Oh. Thanks.”
Shen Jiao came from a wealthy family, was beautiful, and excelled at everything. From childhood onward, wherever she went, people had always fawned over her.
Now she had taken the initiative to speak to Shen Yue, only to be snubbed. Her brows knit slightly, and the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
The other students in class were even more displeased with Shen Yue. She was just a pretty face who’d paid her way in—what did she have to be so arrogant about?
How dare she treat Shen Jiao like that? Did she really think she was the Shen family’s Eldest Miss, Shen Jiao’s older sister?
She should see whether the Shen family even acknowledged her.
Chen Xinyi, standing beside Shen Jiao, forcefully pressed a hand down on Shen Yue’s book.
Shen Yue glanced at the hand on her book, narrowed her eyes slightly, then looked up at Chen Xinyi.
Her delicate face was expressionless, her dark eyes still. In a cool voice, she asked, “Classmate, do you need something?”
For some reason, Shen Yue’s gaze startled Chen Xinyi, and she stepped back, bumping into Shen Jiao. Once she realized what had happened, her face darkened and her tone turned hostile.
“You’re Shen Yue, right? Jiaojiao greeted you, and that’s how you respond?”
“My response?” Shen Yue looked at Shen Jiao, her expression unreadable. Then, with casual indifference, she asked, “Do you think there’s something wrong with it?”
Shen Jiao hadn’t expected Shen Yue to ask her outright. Her face stiffened for an instant, but she quickly regained her composure.
She looked away, her voice carrying a hint of condescension as she pretended not to care. “Come on, Xinyi. She is my sister, after all.”
Shen Yue raised an eyebrow and looked at Chen Xinyi. Releasing the book, she folded her arms. “See?”
With Shen Jiao having spoken, Chen Xinyi couldn’t say anything more. She gave a cold snort and reluctantly took her hand off Shen Yue’s book.
Shen Qingyuan, Shen Yue’s deskmate, glanced at the book in her hands and lowered his head, lost in thought.
The bell rang soon after. It was Teacher Song’s class.
Several times, he wanted to call on Shen Yue to answer a question, but she hadn’t looked up once from beginning to end, so he had to give up.
As class was about to end, Teacher Song quickly finished the last bit of material and walked over to Shen Yue’s desk.
Many people in the classroom had been watching Shen Yue, assuming Teacher Song was going to lecture her.
But when he spoke, his voice softened instinctively. “Student Shen, what book are you reading?”
Teacher Song had been about to ask, “Why aren’t you looking at your math textbook?” But when he saw the cover Shen Yue had turned over, his eyes lit up, and he changed tack.
“Classmate Shen Yue, reading outside books in class is prohibited. I’m confiscating this one.”
He reached for Shen Yue’s book. Hm? It wouldn’t budge. He tried several times, but couldn’t pull it free.
He looked up at Shen Yue, who remained perfectly calm. Teacher Song was astonished. How was Student Shen so strong?
Shen Yue said coolly, “Teacher, do you believe that?”
Teacher Song gave an awkward laugh. “Well, could I borrow your book for half a month?”
The book was hard to find. Shen Yue hadn’t wanted to lend it to him, but seeing how much Teacher Song wanted it, she finally agreed on the condition that he only keep it for half a month.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, Teacher Song hurried out with the book, head bowed as he walked and flipped through it.
Shen Jiao was still reading.
Chen Xinyi glanced at Shen Yue, who sat quietly at her desk, seemingly indifferent to the looks around her. She rolled her eyes in disdain.
“Please. It’s just some lousy comic. What’s there to be so smug about?”
The students who’d been curious about Shen Yue’s book immediately lost interest and looked away.
“Honestly, I thought she was reading something impressive. Turns out it’s just a comic.”
“Figures. What kind of good book could someone like her read? And during class, too. She has no respect for the teacher.”
“Yeah. I just didn’t expect Teacher Song to like comics.”
Only Song Qingyuan looked conflicted.
He glanced at his classmates, who were chatting animatedly, and shook his head.
Now that the only book Shen Yue had brought with her had been taken away, she had no choice but to read the textbook in her next classes. It was honestly a bit of a slog.
Several times, she felt the urge to skip class, but managed to resist in the end.
During the last class, Shen Yue received a message from Fang Shiming. The pills she’d sent yesterday had arrived.
Yaowan: 【Miss Qian, these are S+ Pills, at least. Could you find a box and pack them properly? Of course, I’m only making a suggestion. /smile】
Below it were pictures of two red plastic bags, carelessly wrapped around the pill bottle.
【Next time. /smile】
After replying to Fang Shiming, Shen Yue sent another message, then put her phone in the desk drawer and settled down to daydream in earnest.
She managed to hold on a little longer. At last, the final class ended. Shen Yue didn’t leave right away, and neither did her deskmate.
Once most of the students had left, Shen Yue took out her phone and slipped it into her pocket. “If you don’t say anything, I’m leaving.”
Song Qingyuan hadn’t expected her to speak so suddenly. He froze. “How did you know?”
Only then did Shen Yue look at him. She pointed to her eyes. “I’m not blind.”
He’d looked at her again and again, wearing that conflicted, hesitant expression. It was hard not to notice.
Song Qingyuan gave a small cough, embarrassed to have been found out, though the exchange brought them a little closer.
There was something he wanted to ask Shen Yue, but she had seemed to broadcast, “Don’t come near me,” keeping everyone at a distance, so he hadn’t dared.
Now that Shen Yue had spoken first, the distance between them seemed to shrink all at once.
Song Qingyuan chuckled, relaxing. “I thought you’d be hard to get along with. After all, your younger sister…”
He didn’t finish. They both knew what he meant.
Shen Yue’s lips curved faintly. Resting one hand lightly on the desk, she said, “Student Song, you need to work on reading people.” You’re not as good at it as Teacher Song.
“You can’t judge people by appearances. I’ve always believed that if you respect me, I’ll respect you. Shen Jiao brought this on herself.”
Shen Yue’s manner was languid, yet Song Qingyuan sensed a maturity in her that didn’t belong to someone her age.
There was something inexplicably reassuring about her, something that made him believe her.
The little doubts in his mind vanished completely. He adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.
He apologized sincerely. “I’m sorry. I was being narrow-minded.”
Shen Yue nodded with satisfaction. “Good. You’re a promising pupil. Let’s eat first; we can talk this afternoon.”
Shen Yue didn’t say much. If it weren’t for Teacher Song, she wouldn’t have bothered explaining all this.
If she was going to have someone work with her, she first had to earn his trust.