The two of them arrived downstairs at the teaching building just as the principal was coming down the stairs. He happened to see Cheng Ye with his arm around a beautiful female student.
Always sensitive to signs of early romance, his eyelids twitched sharply.
Cheng Ye let go. His black jacket was already soaked through, so he took it off, revealing a white short-sleeved school uniform underneath.
Jiang Mian’s face flushed so deeply it looked as if it could drip blood.
Seeing her blush, Cheng Ye subconsciously asked, “Do you have a fever?”
“Y-yes.” Jiang Mian quickly ran off, hurrying up the stairs. “Cheng Ye, I’ll go back to the classroom first.”
Cheng Ye was puzzled. Why was she running so fast?
Still confused, he suddenly found himself locking eyes with the principal.
The principal looked at him with suspicion, “Cheng Ye, you ranked first in the entire school in your freshman entrance exam, but your grades have been declining every year. Are you in a relationship?”
Cheng Ye nearly choked at the question, “Principal, you’ve misunderstood. We just didn’t have umbrellas.”
The principal frowned, unconvinced, and said earnestly, “Back then, you scored full marks in every subject in the entrance exam. It shocked all the high school teachers.”
“Cheng Ye, you’re in your senior year now. You can’t slack off anymore, understand?”
“Mm, I understand.” Cheng Ye nodded.
The principal finally relaxed. As long as it wasn’t early romance, everything else could be discussed.
…
In the afternoon.
During the break, Cheng Fenghao bought a portion of spicy duck rack for everyone in the class.
He first placed a non-spicy portion on Chu Xiyan’s desk, “Xiyan, you don’t like spicy food. This one’s for you.”
Amid cheers from the classmates, Chu Xiyan accepted it with a smile.
Everyone in the class had a very good impression of Cheng Fenghao and held a favorable view of his future relationship with Class Leader Chu.
Listening to all the praise and compliments, Cheng Fenghao glanced at Cheng Ye from the corner of his eye, a confident smile curling on his lips.
But when he saw Jiang Mian chatting with Cheng Ye, a surge of anger immediately rose in his chest.
Holding two portions of spicy duck rack, Cheng Fenghao walked over. His body was weak; after only a few steps, he began coughing violently. His eyes reddened, making him look pitiful yet resilient.
The classmates were instantly filled with sympathy.
“Young Master Fenghao, you were kicked by Cheng Ye yesterday. Your body hasn’t recovered yet. Don’t go near him again. Cheng Ye is just an ungrateful wolf who doesn’t see your kindness!”
“Exactly! Why should Cheng Ye eat what you bought? He didn’t even pay! Always freeloading!”
“Waaah, Young Master Fenghao is so strong. My urge to protect him is exploding!”
Cheng Fenghao slowly made his way over, his face growing paler as his coughing continued.
“Cheng Ye, the classmates were just joking. Don’t take it to heart.”
After speaking, he handed one portion of duck rack toward the girl, “Jiang Mian, this is for you.”
Jiang Mian shrank behind Cheng Ye, her lashes trembling. She didn’t dare say a word.
Cheng Ye remembered that Jiang Mian had a cold. He completely ignored Cheng Fenghao’s presence and took out a box of cold medicine from his black bag.
He placed the back of his hand against Jiang Mian’s forehead and frowned, “Your fever seems quite serious. Take some medicine.”
Jiang Mian shook her head nervously, “Cheng Ye, n-no need.”
She didn’t have a fever. Why would she take cold medicine?
There was no way she could tell him that she was blushing because her adrenaline was surging from embarrassment.
Jiang Mian felt awkward, “R-really, no need.”
Cheng Ye frowned slightly, “Alright. If you feel unwell, tell me immediately.”
Cheng Fenghao’s smile stiffened.
Being ignored by both Cheng Ye and Jiang Mian felt far worse than being directly rejected.
“Cheng Ye, I know you don’t like me, but you don’t have to act as if I don’t exist,” Cheng Fenghao said as tears streamed down his face. “I sincerely treat you as my older brother.”
His aggrieved tone stirred dissatisfaction among the students.
In the next moment, the two portions of duck rack in Cheng Fenghao’s hands somehow slipped and fell to the ground.
Some of the sauce splashed onto his white shoes, leaving glaring stains.
Cheng Fenghao’s eyes widened in disbelief, filled with disappointment and sorrow.
“Cheng Ye, do you hate me that much? What do I have to do for you to stop bullying me?”
All eyes in the class focused on them.
He was the first to step forward, “Cheng Ye, if you don’t like the duck rack Young Master Fenghao bought, you could’ve just refused it. What’s the meaning of throwing it on the ground?!”
“So what if you know a bit of martial arts? Without Young Master Fenghao constantly tolerating your temper, do you really think you could take on the Cheng family’s strong bodyguards?!”
“This time, you’re clearly at fault! You can’t use the Student Handbook to suppress us anymore, can you? I’m going to report this to the homeroom teacher right now!”
Finally seizing an opportunity, Chen Yang was extremely excited.
Cheng Ye curled his lips slightly, letting him go report it.
However, Cheng Fenghao hurriedly pulled Chen Yang back, saying generously, “Chen Yang, forget it. After all, we’re classmates, and Cheng Ye is my brother.”
“Let’s just let this matter go. It doesn’t matter if I suffer a bit. Cheng Ye acted on impulse. He didn’t really mean to bully or hurt me.”
Chen Yang was furious, “Young Master Fenghao, there’s a saying… the kind get bullied! He even hit you in public at the birthday banquet. How could someone like him have any intention of changing?!”
“You want to get along with him, but all he sees is the Cheng family’s wealth!” Chen Yang said indignantly.
At that moment, Chu Xiyan walked over, clearly displeased.
Cheng Fenghao seized the opportunity to take a couple of steps forward. In the next instant, his body tilted backward, as if Cheng Ye had pushed him to the ground.
His elbow hit the desk and chair beside him, and large patches of bruising appeared instantly.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he lowered his head in grievance, struggling to stand up shakily.
To outsiders, it was obvious… he had been bullied by Cheng Ye.
Seeing the tears in Cheng Fenghao’s eyes, his reddened gaze, and his pale lips bitten tightly, Chu Xiyan’s brows furrowed slightly.
Turning to Cheng Ye, she said coldly, “Yesterday you pushed him into the water, and today you pushed him to the ground. Cheng Ye, don’t go too far.”
“You can’t compare to Fenghao in anything. Bullying him like this… how is it any different from venting your own incompetence?!”
Chu Xiyan didn’t doubt it for a second. She firmly believed Cheng Ye was the one bullying Cheng Fenghao.
The surrounding students thought the same.
In their eyes, Young Master Fenghao was kind, generous, and of good character.
Unlike Cheng Ye, who dragged down the top class like a troublemaker.
Cheng Ye didn’t even bother looking at them. His tone was arrogant and mocking, “All of you standing here yapping in front of me… which lunatics are you, rushing to throw a fit out of sheer incompetence?”