The next second, the school forum exploded again.
This time, the poster released a clear photo of Shang Yan and Shang Yi, their faces clearly visible. The two were very close in the photo, with Shang Yan’s hand on Shang Yi’s shoulder. The
post also included the caption: “Shang, the academic genius, said his meal card is with that girl!!!”
Such a distance is unbelievable for Shang Yi! Normally, if someone gets even slightly close to him, he’ll scare them away with his icy gaze, let alone any direct physical contact.
[Erudite Hamburger: Absolutely right! This distance, this atmosphere, wow, pack them up and send them to film an idol drama!]
[I am the Director: Looking at these pleasing photos during breaks from studying is beneficial for organizational progress, post more!]
[Century Egg SOlO Porridge: Hey! Isn’t that Shang Yan? I almost didn’t recognize her in her school uniform. If it’s Shang Yan, then there’s a reason these two are together.]
[Romeo and the Pig Overnight: Please tell your story!] [
Century Egg SOlO Porridge: This has some backstory. Shang Yan and I used to be classmates. She’s as beautiful as she is, with a terrible temper—easily ignited, easily angered, and prone to explosions. Don’t mess with her, or you’ll regret it!]
[Too Melancholy Being Chased and Killed: So, giving the meal card to that girl, is it the kind of relationship I’m thinking of?]
[Shaziba: Probably. Shang Yan’s family is quite wealthy. The watch he was wearing today is worth tens of thousands. I didn’t realize it from that girl. His shoes don’t seem to be any big brands either.]
Besides the original poster, other people in the comments section posted photos of the two of them from various angles—walking side by side, talking, touching—at least a dozen photos taken by different people.
Comments kept popping up on the phone screen, and the post’s views kept increasing. Xia Wen looked at the two people behaving intimately in the photos, gripping her phone tightly, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes.
She remembered Shang Yan’s words, “We’ve always known each other,” and her heart clenched with a tingling, bittersweet ache, unable to find an outlet. She felt a surge of urgency, as if she wanted to slash herself open with a knife.
Xia Wen silently put her phone back in her bag and placed her hand on the door lock.
“It’s in the post. The girl’s name is Shang Yan, from Class 13 of the first year of high school. Shall we go to her class?”
“No need.” The sound of running water from the sink followed by the sound of tissues being pulled out. Lü Yan dried her hands and threw the used tissues into the trash can. “Just find someone else.”
The others immediately understood upon hearing the word “someone else.
” “But I found out she gets picked up by a car every day; it’s hard to make a move.”
The toilet door was pushed open, attracting the attention of the chatting group.
“I can help you.”
At four o’clock in the afternoon, the bell rang, and Shang Yan packed the test papers and homework from each subject into her schoolbag. Originally, she didn’t want to take her schoolbag home, but because of this, Shang Yuanlin had scolded her again that morning. To avoid arguing with this menopausal old man, she chose to avoid trouble.
As she zipped up her bag, Xia Wen walked over. Shang Yan put on her schoolbag and paused almost imperceptibly. “What’s wrong?”
A woman’s sixth sense is strange. She didn’t have a good impression of Xia Wen, so she deliberately kept her distance during school and rarely communicated with her. However, Xia Wen didn’t really chat with her much either.
But now that the other party took the initiative to come over, Shang Yan still put on a polite expression. After all, they used to be friends, and she couldn’t just break off their friendship for no reason.
Xia Wen smiled gently, glancing at the figure at the doorway, and said, “Yangyang, let’s leave the school together.”
Shang Yang wanted to refuse; after all, she still needed to find Shang Yi, and bringing someone else along would be impolite. Besides, Shang Yi’s face was so unapproachable; what if it created an awkward atmosphere?
Then again, she didn’t really want to walk with Xia Wen either; she never really felt much interest in this former friend.
But this time, Xia Wen spoke quickly, leaving her no room to maneuver, “My friend left with her boyfriend today. Yangyang, you just accompany me to the junior high building; I’ll go to the back gate to catch the bus.”
Having said that, Shang Yang didn’t refuse. Girls are shy, and she couldn’t bear to make her feel awkward; after all, it was only a short distance.
Stepping out of the classroom, she immediately spotted Shang Yi leaning against the wall. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at your classroom door? Why are you here?”
Shang Yi straightened up. “Same here.”
Shang Yan nodded, not paying much attention, and glanced at Xia Wen beside her, casually introducing her, “This is my classmate, she’ll be walking with us for a bit.”
Xia Wen was a little shy, her face flushed, her bangs past her eyebrows, her braids neatly and beautifully styled, and upon closer inspection, one could see that her lips were also a little red.
“Hello, my name is Xia Wen, thank you for treating me to noodles before.”
Shang Yi remained as indifferent as ever, not saying a word, but staying close to Shang Yan, silently taking quick steps.
“Yanyan, how about we go to the dessert shop across the street from the school next Tuesday after school? We’ve made plans to go several times before.”
Looking at Xia Wen’s sincere gaze, Shang Yan hesitated but still agreed, “Okay.”
Beijing No. 1 High School is very large, covering about 140 acres. After leaving the teaching building lobby, one has to go down stairs and walk a long way. When they reached the junior high school building, Xia Wen said goodbye to them, her eyes constantly glancing at Shang Yi’s face as she said goodbye.
The car that was picking them up from school was still parked in its usual spot a little in front of the school, exactly in the opposite direction of the flow of people, so they didn’t have to squeeze into the traffic and weren’t too conspicuous.
The driver was quite surprised to see Shang Yi with them today and blurted out, “Isn’t the young master going to clubs today?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
What a mouth of his! Why ask? The young master wouldn’t even answer; asking that was just asking for trouble.
The air conditioning was already on in the car. Feeling hot from walking, Shang Yan took out a wet wipe from the small box in the car to wipe her sweat and casually tossed one to Shang Yi.
“Yes, he didn’t today. Are there club activities every day? Are they fun?”
The driver glanced in the rearview mirror, somewhat touched that the young lady had answered his question.
Shang Yi wiped his hands with a wet wipe and replied calmly, “So-so.”
“Why go if it’s not fun? Just go home and play.”
Shang Yan said this as if it were perfectly reasonable. Seeing Shang Yi staring at her, she couldn’t help but flick his forehead. “Why are you looking at me like that? You’re so silly.”
The driver pursed his lips, thinking to himself that the young master wasn’t silly; he was a genius…
Shang Yi hummed in agreement and turned to look out the window.
She forgot that it was because she didn’t want to leave school with him that he stayed at the club for an extra hour.
Now things had changed.
Would she kick him off the bus again?