Shen Zhe clenched his fists, his face taut, maintaining a dignified smile at the corners of his lips.
He knew—Yun Xiang was avoiding him.
When had it started?
Shen Zhe lowered his eyelids, absentmindedly responding to a few classmates. As he was about to leave, his gaze happened to collide with Pei Xingche, who had just hurried back.
A flicker of hostility passed through both their eyes simultaneously.
Pei Xingche’s gaze swept past Shen Zhe toward Yun Xiang’s desk. Seeing it empty, he breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Shen Zhe clenched his fists tighter. As he brushed past Pei Xingche, he deliberately slammed his shoulder into him.
Though the onlookers didn’t catch these sparks, they could more or less sense the tension between the two.
Pei Xingche walked back to his seat and, while no one was watching, placed the tiny band-aid in his hand on Yun Xiang’s exam desk.
He propped his chin on his hand, eyes lowered, feeling restless.
Shen Zhe had probably come looking for Little Snail.
Little Snail had always been desk mates with Shen Zhe, and they often ate together too.
There was no doubt that Shen Zhe was currently his number one rival in love—the key question was Yun Xiang’s attitude.
They weren’t already dating, were they?
The moment this cruel thought surfaced, Pei Xingche quickly shook his head to suppress it.
He pushed himself up from the desk with both hands, strode out of the classroom, and turned a corner to reach the boys’ restroom.
There weren’t many people inside at the moment, and there were still empty stalls.
Pei Xingche was naturally well-endowed and disliked being gawked at, so he entered a stall and locked the door.
Faint footsteps sounded outside the door. After a brief silence, two sets of footsteps approached, accompanied by voices:
“Brother Zhe really agreed?”
“Yeah, he’s been chasing his little desk mate for almost a year now and still hasn’t gotten a taste. How could he not be anxious?”
Pei Xingche’s hand on the door handle froze.
“Sister Yun really is cute-looking. Isn’t that style all over the internet lately—pure yet seductive, really alluring.”
“If Brother Zhe can’t even catch her, we shouldn’t even think about it.”
“Didn’t Brother Zhe say he’s taking her to KTV next week under the excuse of celebrating her birthday? We could take the chance to get a little something out of it too.”
“And if Brother Zhe gets bored with her, we can swoop in as well.”
The two exchanged a glance and let out a lewd chuckle.
Pei Xingche’s eyes turned icy cold in an instant, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles went white.
He pushed open the door and indeed saw two somewhat familiar faces.
They were from Class 5, Grade 11—the two boys who had sat across from Yun Xiang and made a ruckus during the last meal.
The two were clearly startled, but after recognizing Pei Xingche, they unexpectedly relaxed.
This guy was cold as ice and never talked to them normally—he didn’t seem like the type to meddle in others’ business.
Besides, a young master with looks and family background like his had probably played around with countless girls privately. He was likely used to this kind of filth.
They just didn’t know why this young lord’s expression was especially grim today, like someone had stolen his wife.
The two nudged each other’s arms, cowardly pulled up their pants, and scurried off.
When Pei Xingche returned to the exam hall, Yun Xiang had already reviewed most of her wrong answers. Of course, she had also seen the tiny band-aid.
A pink Pachacco dog—adorably cute.
She immediately thought of Pei Xingche.
Not just because he had mentioned band-aids during the previous exam, but because it reminded her of Little Ala, who was always perched on Pei Xingche’s head.
After sticking the band-aid over her wound, Yun Xiang slowly thought to herself: Mm, the black-gray Little Ala is still cuter.
Just then, the tall youth walked past her seat with a cold face. The adorable Ala’s fluffy tail stood straight up, its little brows furrowed tightly, as if on high alert.
She heard his gnashing-teeth voice:
[I am the scholarly god—handsome, dashing, and brilliantly gifted. My sweet, soft Little Snail is my wife, yet I’ve been ambushed by a despicable villain, leading to my wife being torn from me. I can only stand as a stone of longing day after day, watching her laugh and chat by another’s side. Having accidentally overheard the shameless scoundrel’s wicked scheme, I’ve decided to stop lying low. I choose to strike first and embark on the path of revenge.
This time, I will win her back! Take back everything that belongs to me!]
Yun Xiang: ??
What kind of novel is this?
While Yun Xiang was still bewildered, she suddenly felt someone lightly tap her back with the tip of a pen.
She turned around and met Pei Xingche’s gaze unexpectedly.
The girl’s bright black eyes seemed to hold fragments of starlight. Pei Xingche’s eyelids trembled slightly, and he hastily lowered his gaze to conceal the flutter in his chest.
Yun Xiang watched his tightly pressed thin lips and heard the youth roaring inwardly.
[AAAAAAH Mom, we made eye contact!]
[I want to kiss her so bad! Bro’s heart rate is shooting straight to 180—yeah, almost catching up to my height.]
[So nervous, what do I do? I have no idea what to say. Wuwuwu, I’m so stupid!]
Yun Xiang: …
She caught a glimpse of the pitiful, well-behaved little dog on the youth’s head, looking at her with eager eyes. She licked her lips and, for once, took the initiative.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cough.” Pei Xingche cleared his throat, maintaining a composed facade. “In your class, can the top students choose their deskmates?”
“Top five in the class,” Yun Xiang added slowly. “They can choose their seats or their deskmates. Also—”
“It’s not ‘your class,’ it’s ‘our class.'”
As she said this, she looked up, her dark, bright eyes clear and radiant, gazing seriously at Pei Xingche.
Pei Xingche was taken aback.
Even the frantic voice in his mind was soothed.
He hadn’t expected Yun Xiang to say that.
He had transferred to Class Five a week ago, hadn’t made any new friends, and the only thing he did every day was watch his wife, so naturally he felt no sense of belonging in the class.
But now Yun Xiang said “our.”
It felt like she had reached out with her little hand, gently rubbed his heart, and then cradled that tiny heart in her soft palm.
“Mm.”
Pei Xingche suppressed his voice, clenching his fists tightly, his tone carrying a softness even he hadn’t noticed: “Can I…”
[Can I choose you as my deskmate? (Puppy eyes of anticipation)]
“Sure.”
Yun Xiang didn’t hesitate at all, agreeing quickly, her soft voice even carrying a hint of surprise.
She had actually been troubled by this all along.
Wanting to get rid of Shen Zhe, yet not wanting to rely on cheating to get high scores.
Pei Xingche’s gaze froze, his cold, handsome face showing a trace of bewildered confusion.
Yun Xiang looked at his tightly shut thin lips and suddenly realized.
Pei Xingche hadn’t actually spoken the full sentence out loud just now!
What she had heard, what she had directly responded to, was his inner voice.
The girl’s soft, tender cheeks flushed slightly pink. She widened her eyes and stammered, “I…”
“You…”
Both voices sounded at the same time, making the atmosphere even more awkward.
Pei Xingche looked at the girl’s embarrassed expression and confessed honestly, “I was just about to ask, can I choose you as my deskmate?”
The exam bell rang abruptly at that moment.
Startled, Yun Xiang hurriedly turned back around, leaving behind a barely audible, soft voice: “You can.”
Those three words were like a gentle, soothing breeze, blowing straight into Pei Xingche’s heart, making it itch.
[So cute.]
[Want to—]
The math notebook in her hand slipped and fell to the ground, and Yun Xiang nearly tumbled down with it.
She hadn’t misheard, had she?!
What was Pei Xingche saying?!