Just as her head was about to hit the desk, that elegant, slender hand reached out again to support her, preventing her from spraining her neck.
The familiar voice sounded by her ear once more: "With the way you look, you can hardly call this sneaking a nap."
Shi Changying didn’t answer. The English teacher had thoroughly hypnotized her.
Shaoyuan lowered his eyes. Her cheek was still resting against his hand. With her eyes closed, she was incredibly quiet, actually looking like a model student. As if sensing something, Shaoyuan maintained his posture while casually turning his head.
Through a glass window, Pei Xuan met his gaze. Perhaps because that fleeting glimpse the other day had left such a deep impression, Pei Xuan managed to recognize the young man from the hospital just from those strikingly sharp, fox-like eyes.
Pei Xuan’s eyes narrowed. "This face... if placed in ancient times, it would truly belong to a bewitching seductress who beguiled the sovereign," he thought. "Just like Xie Qingshi. Yes, such a person should be killed. Only then can the stability of the court be ensured, preventing any chaos."
Even stranger, though this eighteen-year-old youth was clearly sitting there, he gave off the feeling of standing far above everyone else.
Pei Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Quite arrogant for such a young age," he mused.
Shaoyuan had already withdrawn his gaze, paying no mind to the scrutinizing look behind him, even though he clearly caught the fleeting murderous intent in Pei Xuan’s eyes. This murderous intent lasted for less than a tenth of a second, but how could it escape Emperor Chengtian’s perception? Yet, he didn’t care at all.
The sensation on his hand suddenly vanished. Shi Changying raised her head and sat up straight.
Shaoyuan raised an eyebrow. "Not going to keep sneaking a nap?"
Shi Changying glanced at the blackboard, finding it still covered in letters she couldn’t understand. She decided to sleep a little longer. This time, she simply sprawled out on the desk and began to sleep openly.
The October wind was a bit chilly. Shaoyuan glanced at the girl wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, then lazily raised his arm and closed the window.
From Pei Xuan’s angle, he could only see the backs of the two, making them look like a perfect couple.
Pei Xuan said meaningfully, "It seems Jianghuai High School doesn’t care about students dating. It would be one thing if classes were over, but it’s currently class time. They’re being a bit too blatant."
These words sent the vice principal into a cold sweat. He immediately peeked over to see which student dared to be so bold, and right in front of Mr. Pei, no less. Once he clearly saw who Pei Xuan was pointing out, the vice principal’s heart settled. Even if the statue at the school gates fell in love, Shaoyuan never would. Over the past three years, countless people had given him love letters, and he had never accepted a single one.
The vice principal was extremely confident about this. He spoke with righteous conviction: "Mr. Pei, Shaoyuan is the monitor of Class 17 and the current student council president. He often looks out for his classmates. It’s absolutely impossible for him to be dating!"
"Don’t be nervous. I was just making an observation." Pei Xuan had already turned around, speaking lazily. "They’re at an age where love is just beginning to bloom. Don’t restrict the kids too strictly. It’s not a big deal if they really are dating; they just need to be mindful of their public image."
"You’re absolutely right," the vice principal said respectfully once more. "I’ll take you to see the honors classes."
He couldn’t begin to fathom what the Young Master of the Pei family was thinking. The man’s moods were utterly unpredictable! He worried about what would happen to the school’s new building if he said the wrong thing. In his heart, the vice principal only prayed for Principal Ning to return as soon as possible and deliver him from this sea of suffering.
In the locker room, Meng Shuyan rinsed himself off several times, but that sickening feeling still wouldn’t fade. After searching around and failing to find the culprit, he had no choice but to return to Class 9.
The next period was P.E., and the students were preparing to head downstairs.
"Shuyan, where did you go last period?" a boy asked, patting him on the shoulder. "You even dared to skip Old Zhou’s history class?"
Meng Shuyan was startled. "Did Teacher Zhou call my name?"
"Well, no, but it’s not like he couldn’t see such a glaringly empty seat." The boy shrugged. "I suggest you go apologize to Old Zhou in a bit. Even though he’s a bit stubborn, as long as you admit your mistake, he won’t hold it against you."
Meng Shuyan breathed a sigh of relief. He opened his backpack, preparing to take his history book to the staff room. But in the next second, his gaze froze. His homework notebook and the autographed poster of a sports star inside his bag had been torn to shreds. Exactly mimicking what he had done that morning. They were torn even more finely, to the point where they couldn’t be pieced back together.
The boy’s eyes instantly widened. "Shuyan, this..."
Meng Shuyan gripped his backpack straps tightly, his voice squeezed through gritted teeth. "Shi Changying, she’s dead meat!"
If he had previously been wondering who dared to ambush him in the restroom, seeing this confirmed it for him—it had to be Shi Changying.
"Shi Changying? What about her? What exactly is her relationship with the Xu family?" The boy was stunned. "Shuyan, what’s going on? Where are you going? Class is about to start—hey, wait for me!"
He chased after a murderous-looking Meng Shuyan all the way through the teaching building and out onto the sports field.
Even in their senior year, there was still at least one P.E. class a week for students to stretch their stiff bodies. Besides Class 9, Classes 2 and 17 were also there.
Meng Shuyan spotted Shi Changying at a glance, simply because she stood out from the crowd entirely too much.
The girl was leaning against a tree with one leg bent, leisurely eating a chocolate roll while lazily watching the boys play basketball on the court. Even though she was clearly wearing the same school uniform as everyone else, she somehow wore it as if it were a Dragon Robe. Wherever her gaze swept, it seemed to brightly declare, "Look, this is the empire I conquered."
"Shi Changying!" Meng Shuyan strode forward quickly, demanding in exasperation. "You tore up my homework notebook, didn’t you? And you were the one who ambushed me from behind? How dare you..."
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words about being shoved into the urinal. His face turned blue, then red.
Only after Shi Changying finished her snack did she speak unhurriedly. "Why is there a dog barking in broad daylight? It’s so noisy."
That single sentence made Meng Shuyan dizzy with rage. "Who are you cursing at?!"
Shi Changying didn’t even spare Meng Shuyan a glance as she took out a fruit jelly.
Meng Shuyan was considered quite a prominent figure at Jianghuai High School. His repeated confrontations with Shi Changying drew curious looks from the other students.
"She seems to be the new transfer student who just joined Class 17 yesterday. Getting into Jianghuai High School requires a placement test, so it looks like her grades aren’t that good."
"Who says being in Class 17 means you’re bad at studying? The president hasn’t dropped from being ranked first in our grade for the past three years."
"The president is an anomaly. He’s not human."
Meng Shuyan was completely unafraid of blowing things out of proportion. The more students watching, the better it suited his intentions. If Shi Changying’s reputation was ruined, he wanted to see how she could continue staying at Jianghuai High School!