11 – Shen Xiuyu Fell
Xu Qi and Fu Li spotted Ruan Tiantian from afar and immediately waved at her.
A large group from their class surged forward, crowding around.
Seeing so many people, Fu Li pulled Ruan Tiantian aside, away from the cluster of boys.
Xu Qi followed them over, holding Ruan Tiantian’s hand as she asked, “Tiantian, are you okay? Were you scared tonight?”
Fu Li also wore a worried expression. “As soon as our group came out, we saw you being taken away by the police. Thank goodness that middle-aged man didn’t succeed. Someone like that really deserves to be shot!”
Ruan Tiantian smiled, comforting them. “I’m fine. Shen Xiuyu showed up just in time and beat that greasy man half to death.”
Xu Qi and Fu Li, who had been worried all night, pulled Ruan Tiantian aside and looked her over from head to toe.
Aside from a bit of dust on her clothes, she wasn’t injured, which finally put them at ease.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiuyu was surrounded by a circle of boys from the class. Ling Yushi stood just outside the group of boys, her beautiful eyes fixed on Shen Xiuyu from the moment he appeared.
The boys chattered excitedly, condemning the middle-aged greasy man, each of them wishing they could have taken a turn beating him up.
Shen Xiuyu stood in the middle of the crowd, hands in his pockets, lazily lifting his gaze to look at the white figure on the other side.
The girl stood with her side facing him, her white T-shirt slightly dusty, her long black hair clinging to her fair, soft cheeks.
Her large, clear eyes sparkled as she smiled at Xu Qi and Fu Li, revealing the faint dimples on her face.
His gaze gradually drifted downward, taking in her fair legs. On her knees, the skin was slightly scraped, but there was no bleeding.
The injury wasn’t serious—hardly noticeable unless you looked closely.
But Shen Xiuyu’s sharp eyes had caught it.
Amid the surrounding chatter of the boys, his attention had long since drifted away.
Just then, Lu Wenjie slung an arm over his shoulder and said to him, “Brother Yu, let’s head back.”
Shen Xiuyu didn’t move. Tan Song and Du Xiaofeng stood in front of him, observing his fixed gaze and expression.
Then, as if on cue, they all followed Shen Xiuyu’s line of sight.
There stood Ruan Tiantian under the streetlight.
The warm, yellow light fell on her, making even her hair seem to glow. She looked both sweet and beautiful, the lighting creating an ethereal atmosphere that made her seem like a divine maiden.
Seeing the almost infatuated look in his “Shen Dad’s” eyes, Lu Wenjie knew Shen Xiuyu had fallen.
It was the first time he had ever seen such an expression on him.
Tan Song remarked, “Old Du, have you ever seen Shen Dad stare at a girl for this long before?”
Du Xiaofeng chuckled and shook his head. This was practically unheard of.
Their Shen Dad, a god-like figure—how could he possibly be looking at a girl?
“Our Shen Dad is famously hard to impress—aloof, cold, and with a terrible temper. Every time girls see him, their eyes lock onto him like they’ve got built-in GPS. Even radar isn’t that accurate.”
Hearing them openly discussing his business, Shen Xiuyu finally deigned to turn his noble gaze toward these troublesome friends of his.
Then, in his usual cold and aloof tone, he said, “If you’re really that bored, you can go back and do my homework for me.”
Lu Wenjie withdrew his arm from Shen Xiuyu’s shoulder.
“I’m busy with racing team training tomorrow.”
Tan Song winked at Du Xiaofeng, “Old Du, didn’t we have plans with our senior? No time.”
Taking the hint from Tan Song, Du Xiaofeng grabbed his hand and said to Shen Xiuyu.
“Brother Yu, we’re still determined to get out of singlehood, so we’ll head off first.”
With that, the three buddies ran off faster than rabbits, disappearing in no time.
Soon, groups of boys from the class dispersed one after another, leaving only Shen Xiuyu behind.
Ling Yushi eagerly approached him, her beautiful eyes scanning him up and down.
She deliberately softened and lightened her voice, imitating Ruan Tiantian’s usual way of speaking.
“Shen Xiuyu.”
Shen Xiuyu’s gaze casually swept over the girl who had suddenly appeared before him, then turned back toward Ruan Tiantian’s direction.
Ling Yushi gave an awkward smile, tilting her head to look at Shen Xiuyu’s jawline.
His jawline was sharp and well-defined, with excellent bone structure—no extra lines, lean yet strong, exuding a youthful vibe.
Ling Yushi could even hear the sound of her own heart racing.
Her chest felt like a little deer was running wild, chaotic and without any order, making her both happy and excited.
A guy like Shen Xiuyu was just too tempting. With that face alone, he could charm anyone, male or female. The key was his cold, rebellious demeanor, mixed with a hint of ambiguous morality.
It was really hard not to remember him.
She cautiously spoke again, “Aren’t you going back yet? I saw Lu Wenjie and the others have already left.”
Only then did Shen Xiuyu shift his gaze back to Ling Yushi. He lowered his eyes to look at her.
His expression was indifferent, his tone equally so, “Yeah, I told them to go ahead.”
She looked at the back of Shen Xiuyu’s hand—bruised, swollen, and covered in dark marks—clearly the result of having exerted a lot of force earlier.
“Your hand needs to be checked. Even though it’s late, I just saw a clinic still open nearby. Do you want me to take you there?”
Shen Xiuyu slipped his hand into his pocket, “No need, just a minor injury.”
On the other side, Xu Qi and Fu Li were planning to head back.
Ruan Tiantian was also tired, yawning as she thought about going back early to rest. She had wasted a lot of time outside today.
It was already past her usual bedtime.
They glanced around, looking for Ling Yushi.
Then they spotted the boy and girl standing face-to-face not far away.
Shen Xiuyu was very tall, probably around 188 cm. Even Ling Yushi, who was 170 cm, looked particularly petite standing in front of him.
The girl was looking up, talking to Shen Xiuyu, while he slightly lowered his head. The distance wasn’t close, so Ruan Tiantian couldn’t make out his expression clearly.
But it looked like he was listening very attentively to Ling Yushi.
One tall, one short—the boy tall and rebellious, the girl also very pretty. Standing together, they gave off a strong couple vibe.
Xu Qi looked at them and said, “Ling Yushi really likes Shen Xiuyu.”
Hearing her words, Fu Li instinctively glanced at Ruan Tiantian, trying to find some other expression on her face.
But she still wore a very calm expression.
Only then did Fu Li say, “What do you mean ‘Ling Yushi really likes Shen Xiuyu’? The girls at our school who like him could circle the soccer field several times.”
Xu Qi thought for a moment, “True.”
Ruan Tiantian withdrew her gaze, “Then let’s wait for her a little longer.”
Then she looked up, gazing at the moon hanging in the sky. Not a single star surrounded it, making it appear especially lonely and desolate.
She added, “It’s so late. It’s not safe for her to go back alone.”