During evening self-study, Bai Shinan arrived early and waited in the classroom, convinced that Zhu Yuyou wouldn’t dare skip class and go against school rules.
As the preparatory bell rang, Zhu Yuyou reluctantly appeared at the classroom door. She hid half her body behind it, poking her small head out to check the room. Her gaze first landed on Bai Shinan’s seat. Finding it empty, she instinctively let out a sigh of relief, but then started to worry. It was almost time for evening study, so why wasn’t Bai Shinan here yet? Could something have happened to him?
Just as she started to worry, she caught sight of someone waving at her from the corner of her eye. She turned to look—it was Bai Shinan, lounging casually in her seat, grinning at her with a teasing expression as he waved.
“You… give me back my seat.” Zhu Yuyou walked over like a wronged little wife, her voice sounding pitiful.
“Not running away anymore?” Bai Shinan crossed his arms and looked at her with amusement.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Classmate Bai. Evening self-study is about to begin, please return my seat,” Zhu Yuyou replied, pretending not to know him.
“Such a sharp tone… so you really are mad at me.” Bai Shinan had been unsure what was going on with Zhu Yuyou, but now her reaction confirmed it had everything to do with him.
“I… I’m not. Please don’t say things I don’t understand, return my seat now.” Zhu Yuyou turned her head away, avoiding eye contact.
“Let me guess why you’re mad at me.” Bai Shinan leaned forward, resting his cheek on one hand as he stared at her intently, while tapping the table lightly with the other. “You were fine this morning, so the problem must’ve started during the two English classes after that…”
As Bai Shinan analyzed the situation, Zhu Yuyou grew nervous. She couldn’t let him keep talking.
“Classmate Bai, give me back my seat.” Zhu Yuyou reached out to grab his arm, trying to pull him up and interrupt his train of thought.
But with her frail build, how could she possibly budge Bai Shinan, who was over 1.8 meters tall? Instead, the tugging caused her to lose her balance. Seeing that she was about to fall onto the desk, Bai Shinan reacted quickly, pulling her into his arms. From an outsider’s perspective, they looked like they were hugging. New chapters come out on g.com first.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Bai Shinan asked, both concerned and a little scolding. What was wrong with this girl? Why was she acting so recklessly?
“I-I’m fine.” Zhu Yuyou quickly struggled out of his arms, her face burning red.
“Still want to keep this up?” Bai Shinan was a bit irritated now, his tone becoming stern.
“I won’t dare anymore.” Zhu Yuyou was startled by his voice and sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Hey, don’t cry. If someone sees this, it’ll be hard to explain.” Bai Shinan panicked. If Teacher Zhang saw this, he’d be dead. Zhu Yuyou was the top student in their grade and a favorite among the teachers.
Bai Shinan quickly stood up and pushed her back into her seat. Seeing that her nose was only slightly red and she hadn’t actually cried, he finally relaxed.
“I won’t bother you anymore. Calm down by yourself for a bit.” Bai Shinan shook his head inwardly. Giving someone false hope was the cruelest thing. Li Pengfei was right—he should’ve kept his distance from the start.
But Zhu Yuyou’s expression, lips tightly pressed together as she tried hard not to cry, made Bai Shinan feel even worse. Her shoulders trembled slightly. She couldn’t cry—it would only make things harder for Bai Shinan. He hadn’t done anything wrong. The only mistake was her own unwarranted hopes.
The moment he picked food for her, the moment he walked her back to the dorm, the moment he fed her chocolate… those moments gave her a false sense of something more, made her yearn for more without realizing it.
Zhu Yuyou wasn’t sure if she was hearing things, but she thought she heard a soft sigh. Then Bai Shinan’s voice gently sounded beside her ear, “Believe it or not, that song during English class wasn’t sung for Mu Yuwei.”
After saying that, Bai Shinan scratched his head with slight frustration, then turned to leave. But after taking only a few steps, he turned back, flicked Zhu Yuyou’s forehead, and finally smiled with satisfaction before returning to his seat.
Zhu Yuyou reacted like her brain lagged behind. Only after Bai Shinan had returned to his seat did she cover her forehead—where he had just flicked her.
Was what Bai Shinan said just now an explanation? But why would he explain it to her? What did it matter to her who that song was for…
Zhu Yuyou held her forehead, two pretty dimples appearing on her cheeks, the corners of her mouth uncontrollably curling upward. That silly grin didn’t look anything like a top student—it was the face of a lovestruck fool.
Bai Shinan sat back at his desk and looked at Zhu Yuyou’s dazed and adorable expression. He didn’t know if what he did was right or wrong, but at least for now, both of them were in a better mood. As for the future—he’d deal with that later.
Many students had witnessed the interaction between Bai Shinan and Zhu Yuyou and were now wondering about the nature of their relationship. Mu Yuwei was so jealous she could barely contain herself. Even she had never been in Bai Shinan’s arms, yet that ugly duckling Zhu Yuyou had gotten there first.
Strictly speaking, Bai Shinan had never even held her hand. The most physical contact they’d ever had was when Mu Yuwei grabbed his wrist once.
Fuming, Mu Yuwei glanced at Liu Tiantian and decided to try the plan Liu Tiantian had suggested. Liu Tiantian returned an “OK” hand sign, indicating she would take care of the rest.