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The students in the classroom were utterly stunned, each frozen in place. “Oh my god, oh my god, this is huge news! Quick, quick, I need to tell my bestie!”

“Damn, isn’t that Chen Yang out there???”

“What… What should I say? Should I clap and cheer, or maybe start hooting?”

“Thank goodness I stayed until now; otherwise, I would’ve missed everything. Next time, it’ll just be secondhand gossip, hahaha.”

“Is this really the Chen Yang I know…?”

“I actually had the urge to yank the test paper away. Didn’t Chen Yang used to avoid girls completely? Who is this girl?”

“My high school years aren’t wasted after all, hahaha. Now whenever people talk about their schools, I can make them envy me.”

Girls who had been notified earlier just happened to arrive outside.

It was like the countdown to New Year’s Eve, the aftermath of a shocking event—especially when the main characters involved were well-known figures.

Even people on the opposite corridor leaned over the railings to watch.

At the corner, Liang Qian, who had been munching on sunflower seeds while waiting, choked on his snack. After coughing for a while, he finally managed to gasp, “What the hell just happened?!”

In an instant, screams and cheers erupted from outside.

Wu Yami, stepping out of the restroom, happened to witness the scene. Though she could only see Chen Yang’s back, it didn’t stop her from speculating.

This was… outrageously bold.

She already knew Chen Yang feared nothing, but even she hadn’t expected this. The school was strict about such matters.

If caught kissing, one would have to write a self-criticism letter to the homeroom teacher. More serious cases would involve calling the parents.

Wu Yami dared not look anymore. She was already terrified.

________________________________________

Chen Yang was kissing her.

It took Le Ya nearly ten seconds to fully process this fact. Her entire body felt as if it were burning under the summer sun.

His teeth bit her lips through the thin exam paper.

The sensation was unmistakable, and Le Ya couldn’t ignore it. Her back tingled, growing weak, and she only stayed upright because Chen Yang was holding her.

Instinctively, Le Ya pushed him away. The rustling sound of the exam paper moving seemed normal, yet at this moment, it carried an undeniable air of intimacy.

She could almost feel as though the paper didn’t exist.

Unable to see Chen Yang’s expression, Le Ya pushed him away forcefully.

The exam paper fluttered to the ground.

Unsteady, she nearly fell off the chair, taking a long moment to steady herself. When she turned around, she saw the classmates staring at them.

Realizing she had turned her head, the students quickly busied themselves with other things: “Ah, what did you choose for that question? Was it C?”

“That’s wrong—it’s D. I clearly remember this. I’m definitely right; don’t struggle.”

“I’m still waiting for my classmate. Why is she so slow?”

“I chose A…”

They pretended to chat casually, but precisely because of this act, it was clear they had seen everything.

Le Ya kept exhaling, too afraid to check if Chen Yang had left. She returned to her seat, grabbed her bag, and hurried toward the door.

Just before leaving, she spotted Chen Yang by the window.

Biting her lip, she walked over and said, “Chen Yang, you’ve gone too far. Tomorrow, we’re definitely going to be called in by the teacher.”

Chen Yang replied, “I’ve gone too far.”

Le Ya instinctively avoided looking at his face, keeping her head down. She couldn’t see his expression, only hearing his hoarse voice.

Chen Yang rubbed his lips together—a sensual gesture.

When Le Ya looked up, the blush that had just started to fade returned. She sniffled softly, “I don’t want my family to find out.”

She still remembered how Le Yi Jian had hidden things from her in the past.

Chen Yang lowered his head, his gaze falling on her delicate nose, restraining the urge to reach out and touch her. “They won’t find out.”

Le Ya glanced at him briefly.

Without saying another word, she walked past him and left.

Only after her figure disappeared down the hallway did Chen Yang turn his head and call out, “Liang Qian.”

Liang Qian, who had been among the crowd of onlookers, quickly stuffed away his sunflower seeds and ran over. “What’s up? What happened?”

Chen Yang said simply, “What just happened.”

Liang Qian immediately understood. After thinking carefully for a moment, he replied, “From outside, no one could’ve captured anything. The key is the students inside the classroom.”

Chen Yang said indifferently, “Then make them delete it.”

Liang Qian glanced at the few remaining students inside, still gawking. He sent a message to Zhao Mingri. “It’s doable.”

It wasn’t a difficult task—just a matter of saying a few words.

Most of the students in the classroom hadn’t even had time to send out the photos they’d taken. Only one or two had sent anything, and those were promptly deleted by the recipients themselves.

As for anyone else who might have received the photos, they could simply delete them as well.

Chen Yang was confident the incident wouldn’t spread. In truth, there wasn’t much to capture anyway, since the test paper had blocked everything.

Come to think of it, he found Le Ya quite clever.

With the test paper blocking the view, no one could see who was on the other side. Only they themselves could feel the intensity of the situation.

Chen Yang chuckled softly.

Many students had already left the school grounds. Outside, vendors pushing carts continued to hawk their wares, creating a lively atmosphere.

Le Ya hadn’t expected to run into Xie Qingyu at the school gate.

Xie Qingyu had just come out of the bubble tea shop and was scrolling through her phone, muttering “Holy crap” repeatedly under her breath.

Le Ya waved at her.

Seeing her, Xie Qingyu swallowed her sip of bubble tea and rushed over. “Yue Ya, what’s going on? I just saw someone in the group chat say…”

Le Ya interrupted her. “You saw it wrong.”

Xie Qingyu had only seen a photo of Chen Yang’s back, with no sign of Le Ya behind him, so she was half-doubtful.

After all, the news was making quite a splash.

They had only gotten to know each other recently, and Xie Qingyu still remembered their earlier misunderstandings. How could things escalate to kissing so quickly?

She simply couldn’t believe it.

Hearing Le Ya’s denial, she didn’t press further. “So are you heading home now? I’m about to leave too.”

Le Ya nodded. “My ride will be here in a bit.”

As if on cue, less than a minute after she spoke, the family car arrived. She bid farewell to Xie Qingyu and climbed into the back seat.

The driver said, “Mr. Le will be returning late tonight.”

Le Ya hummed in acknowledgment. “I see.”

She opened her phone and saw a message from Su Hui, who had also heard about what happened earlier and was asking for details.

Le Ya didn’t know how to respond.

Suddenly, a new message popped up, startling her.

“C: Your test paper is with me.”

His reminder made her recall the exam paper she had used to block herself, which had fallen and been left behind.

She would need it tomorrow for the test review.

After some thought, Le Ya replied seriously, “Just leave the test paper on my desk. Thank you.”

“C: Is that all?”

Le Ya wondered what else he expected as thanks and decided not to reply further.

She still vividly remembered what happened in the classroom. If anything came up tomorrow, it would all be Chen Yang’s fault.

After washing up that night, Le Ya lay in bed.

Xie Qingyu sent her a photo. “Here, this is what someone sent me, which is why I asked you earlier.”

The photo was quite detailed.

Le Ya opened the full-sized image. The first thing she saw was Chen Yang’s back, followed by a small glimpse of her hair, and then the conspicuous test paper.

It had blocked everything perfectly.

Le Ya couldn’t help but think how clever she had been. If it hadn’t blocked the view, she would’ve been caught red-handed.

At that moment, Le Yi Jian knocked lightly on the door and asked softly, “Yue Ya, are you asleep?”

Startled, Le Ya quickly turned off her phone, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep, her heart pounding rapidly.

After a moment, she responded, “I’m about to sleep, Dad. Is there something you need?”

“Nothing,” Le Yi Jian replied and left without pressing further.

In truth, Le Yi Jian wouldn’t enter without her permission.

But the fear of being discovered still made her feel guilty. Le Ya opened her eyes and didn’t look at her phone again.

She had assumed Le Yi Jian had been informed about what happened after school that evening, scaring herself unnecessarily.

Who knew what tomorrow would bring?

________________________________________

The next morning during the break between classes.

Many students went out to buy snacks, leaving only a few in the classroom. Even Xie Qingyu and Su Hui had gone out together.

Le Ya was sitting at her desk drinking water when the class monitor approached her seatmate and said, “Le Ya, the homeroom teacher wants to see you.”

She nearly choked, taking a moment to recover.

Le Ya set down her cup and asked nervously, “Class monitor, do you know what the teacher wants?”

The class monitor shrugged. “No idea. She just told me to fetch you. Hurry—it seems urgent.”

With that, he left.

Le Ya took a deep breath, already guessing it was about yesterday’s incident. She hadn’t expected the teacher to find out so soon.

She was truly afraid the teacher might inform her family.

Le Ya had no idea how to explain it to them. She couldn’t bring herself to talk about how she met Chen Yang or how things escalated to this point.

The issue of sponsorship alone would take forever to untangle.

Le Ya pinched her nose, avoiding the students horsing around in the hallway, and entered the office. All the teachers were present.

Homeroom teacher Ms. Jiang was seated at her desk. Seeing Le Ya enter, she waved her over. “Come here.”

Le Ya gritted her teeth and walked over.

She was ready to throw caution to the wind—if questioned, she’d deny everything. Based on what Xie Qingyu said, the only photo circulating was of Chen Yang’s back.

Thankfully, the angle concealed her completely.

Ms. Jiang didn’t get straight to the point. “Le Ya, how was yesterday’s exam? Was the difficulty level appropriate?”

Le Ya replied, “It was fine.”

Ms. Jiang asked a few more questions about the exam and her life before finally addressing the matter at hand.

As Le Ya had anticipated, Ms. Jiang brought up last night’s incident. “Today, I heard something. After yesterday’s mock exam ended, you were reportedly overly intimate with a boy in the testing room. Is that true?”

Le Ya’s palms began to sweat.

This was the biggest lie she had ever told. She tried hard to keep calm. “We didn’t do anything. The classmates must have misunderstood.”

Ms. Jiang asked a few more questions.

Le Ya didn’t remember how she answered, but she didn’t admit to anything. Whether she was trying to convince herself or others, she eventually left the office.

By the time she exited, her palms were red from gripping them too tightly.

Le Ya exhaled deeply, preparing to return to the classroom, when she spotted Liang Qian emerging from the washroom. She quickly called out to him.

Liang Qian stopped. “Hmm?”

Le Ya walked over and asked, “Did the teacher call Chen Yang in?”

“Yes,” Liang Qian scratched his head. “Just a moment ago. He hasn’t returned yet. I don’t know what it’s about.”

Le Ya asked, “Do you know what he said… about last night’s incident?”

Liang Qian exclaimed, “...Don’t ask me. Look, Yang-ge is coming out of the office now. You can ask him yourself.”

He wasn’t getting involved in this mess.

Following his gaze, Le Ya saw Chen Yang walking down the corridor. Their eyes met, and he gave her a faint smile.

He still had the nerve to smile.

When Chen Yang reached her, Le Ya was seething. Without hesitation, she grabbed him and dragged him into the washroom.

Chen Yang effectively pinned her inside.

Le Ya glanced around to ensure no one was nearby before anxiously asking, “What did you say?”

She feared that if Chen Yang slipped up, all the blame would fall on her. There would be no way to cover it up.

Chen Yang kept one hand in his pocket. “What did I say?”

Le Ya held her breath, waiting for his response.

“What did I say? Let me think…” Chen Yang smirked, finally speaking just as she was about to explode. “I said I tried to kiss you forcefully, but you rejected me.”

A blush spread across Le Ya’s face. “Stop lying.”

Chen Yang shrugged. “Then what should I have said?”

Le Ya was speechless. Now that he mentioned it, this explanation seemed reasonable. After all, it was his fault, and the facts aligned with this version of events. It was indeed the right thing to say.

She whispered, “Were you punished?”

Chen Yang asked, “Do you want me to be punished?”

Le Ya shook her head and obediently replied, “I’m just asking. If you weren’t punished, that’s even better. Next time, don’t do this again.”

She couldn’t outright reject him, so this was the best she could do.

Though she doubted Chen Yang would heed her words much.

Indeed, he barely listened. His gaze lingered on her lips, parting and closing, his voice tinged with amusement, his eyes unreadable.

He wanted to kiss her again.

But clearly, now wasn’t the right time.

A breeze blew in through the cracks. Le Ya reached up to smooth her hair. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back...”

Before she could finish, her hand was grabbed.

Chen Yang held her delicate wrist, his gaze fixed on her reddened palm. “What’s this?”

Le Ya didn’t understand. “Huh?”

Chen Yang turned her hand over, his finger brushing the center. In a low voice, he asked, “How did this happen?”