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Le Ya hadn’t expected to see Chen Yang appear.

She had just returned the shopkeeper’s things, and upon turning around, she saw Chen Yang behind the wheelchair-bound man. His movements suggested he intended to push him.

Le Ya wasn’t sure what was going on. She assumed Chen Yang might have been like her—trying to push the man away.

But she herself had been pushed to the ground.

Le Ya glanced down at her hand—it still hurt a little, but it was better than before. She sighed deeply.

Her phone rang.

As soon as she answered, the driver’s voice came through. “Miss, are you still by the school? I’ve arrived—I’m at the gate.”

Le Ya looked outside. “Okay, I’ll be there in a moment.”

“Boss, I’m leaving.”

“Be careful.”

This convenience store had been here for over a decade, and the new campus of Yi Zhong hadn’t been built that long ago. The shopkeeper adored these kids.

Le Ya pushed open the door and glanced toward the school gate. She spotted her family’s car with its hazard lights flashing.

As she walked out, she instinctively glanced across the street.

Chen Yang was looking this way, but it was too dark to see his expression. After some thought, she waved at him.

Then, recalling the wheelchair incident, Le Ya took out her phone and sent him a WeChat message.

“Be careful. When I went to push him earlier, he shoved me to the ground.”

After sending the message, Le Ya finally reached her family’s car.

The driver quickly opened the door. Seeing the bunny balloons tied to her backpack, he couldn’t help but smile. “Where did Miss get those?”

Le Ya tugged on the string, pulling them close as she got into the car, mumbling, “It’s Christmas Eve. A classmate gave them to me.”

The driver said, “They’re so cute—very fitting for Miss.”

Praised by him, Le Ya smiled faintly. Her dimples appeared, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.

________________________________________

That luxury car eventually disappeared at the end of the road.

Chen Yang held his phone tightly, his gaze fixed on the man in front of him. “You laid your hands on her just now?”

When he read that line in the WeChat message, his breath caught.

For a fleeting moment, Chen Yang felt a strange sense of relief.

Relief that Le Ya didn’t know about his relationship with Chen Mingwu.

Chen Mingwu finally removed his hand from the wheelchair, cruelly smirking. “What? Are you getting ideas?”

Before his words even faded, his chin was abruptly grabbed.

Chen Yang leaned in close, his face darkened, his blood boiling as he tightened his grip.

Chen Mingwu’s eyelids twitched. “Chen Yang!”

The street was bitterly cold. He could feel the other’s presence as soon as he approached, but an icy chill immediately followed.

He knew this feeling all too well.

Chen Yang chuckled—a laugh entirely unlike his usual self—and spoke deliberately, word by word: “You’d best not lay a hand on her. I can’t guarantee what I might do.”

He wanted to act right then.

A heavy silence stretched between them for half a minute.

Chen Mingwu broke free from his grip, furious. “Who do you think you are? Do you even know who you are?”

Chen Yang replied calmly, “You know exactly who I am.”

His expression returned to its usual indifference, but only he knew how turbulent his heart had been just moments ago.

Chen Mingwu sneered. “Your blood flows from me—you’ll never be rid of me in this lifetime. Thinking of climbing higher? Take a good look at yourself.”

He began wheeling his chair forward.

Chen Yang let him push ahead until he turned around, then suddenly kicked the wheelchair—not with much force, but it nearly toppled over.

Chen Mingwu clutched the armrests tightly, gasping for breath. Once he steadied himself, he shouted, “Are you insane!”

How dare he do something like that? Wasn’t he afraid something would happen?

Chen Yang lowered his gaze, lips curling into a smirk. “I’ve long gone mad.”

Seeing Chen Mingwu’s incredulous expression, he said indifferently, “Ever since you dared to do that back then, I’ve been insane.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Chen Mingwu gripped the armrests tightly, muttering, “Mad… You’re truly mad…”

The biting wind rushed straight into his clothes, chilling his blood to the bone.

________________________________________

After returning home, Le Ya applied a band-aid to her wound.

Chen Yang hadn’t replied to her message. Whether he hadn’t seen it or something else, she sighed and decided not to dwell on it.

________________________________________

The next day was Christmas.

This year, there was no snow, so the festive atmosphere wasn’t particularly strong. Moreover, being in their final year of high school, the only sign of celebration was the blackboard decorations.

After morning reading ended, Le Ya received a WeChat message from Chen Yang.

Morning reading was followed by a twenty-minute break. After some thought, she decided to go out and found Chen Yang waiting in the hallway.

Le Ya walked over and asked, “What is it?”

Chen Yang questioned, “What happened last night?”

At the mention of it, Le Ya grew a little irritated. “Last night, I saw that man stuck and went over to help him. But he didn’t appreciate it and shoved me to the ground.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but gesture.

Chen Yang listened quietly, his eyes catching sight of her hand.

His gaze sharpened, and he immediately grabbed her hand, spotting the band-aid on her palm. He paused slightly. “From last night?”

Le Ya let out a soft “Ah,” her voice soft. “I accidentally scraped it, but it’s fine—it’ll heal in a couple of days.”

Worried someone might see, she quickly pulled her hand back.

Chen Yang asked, “Does it hurt?”

Le Ya shook her head. “Not anymore.”

Which meant it had hurt at the time.

Chen Yang closed his eyes briefly, anger surging within him. Eventually, he calmed himself. “Next time you see him, don’t bother.”

“I know.” Le Ya nodded, then hesitated before asking, “Did anything happen to you last night?”

Chen Yang paused. “Nothing.”

What could possibly happen to him?

Le Ya let out a small “Oh,” inexplicably reassured. Then she added, “If nothing’s wrong, I’ll head back.”

This time, Chen Yang didn’t stop her. He watched her leave, her ponytail swaying with each step.

She was so pure and beautiful—completely opposite to him.

Just two days after Christmas was the school’s New Year’s Eve party.

The school auditorium was large, specially built for such occasions, so it was more than enough to accommodate all the students. Class One had one program selected for the event.

At dismissal time in the evening, Ms. Jiang announced, “There will be no evening self-study tonight. Everyone, remember to be back at the classroom by seven. We’ll go together as a class and sit together—don’t be late!”

The boys below clapped their hands and whistled.

Xie Qingyu said, “This is our last year’s party—I’m so excited! Yue Ya, let’s go eat something first. It’s still early till seven.”

Le Ya nodded. “Mm.”

It was only a little past five. Eating dinner would take about an hour, leaving plenty of time to return to the classroom and do other things.

As soon as Ms. Jiang left, the bell rang.

Su Hui came over from the front and said, “Hurry, hurry, let’s go eat and buy some fun stuff, like those mini hand clappers.”

Le Ya didn’t know the name of what she was describing, but when shaken, it made a “pop-pop-pop” sound, which was quite amusing.

It was the perfect thing to bring to a lively party like this.

By the time Le Ya, Xie Qingyu, and the others returned from eating, it was already six-thirty. Most of the classmates were already back in the classroom.

Ms. Jiang appeared at the door about ten minutes later. “It’s almost time. Let’s head over now. Our class seats are near the front.”

Le Ya had never been to the auditorium here before.

The opening ceremony for the main campus had been held there, and the students from the new campus hadn’t participated. The two campuses were practically independent schools.

This was the first time they’d hold an event together with the new campus students.

Inside the auditorium, it was dark except for the lights on the stage. Since Class One was the first class alphabetically, their seats were in the front row on the far right.

Once everyone arrived, the party began.

“This is Class Nineteen’s performance—their singing is famously good.”

“OMG, I’m dying of laughter. Is it because we’re graduating that the skits have gotten so much looser? Hahaha, they used to be as strict as CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala!”

“I wish I’d auditioned…”

“I was supposed to perform, but I dropped out. Aaargh, I regret it so much now—I should’ve just gone through with it.”

“...”

Xie Qingyu kept waving her arms beside her. “Wow, this year’s performances are way better than previous ones. With over thirty classes participating, I can’t wait to watch them all!”

Le Ya also took a glow stick to play with and asked, “When is our class’s turn?”

Xie Qingyu: “What did you say?”

The noise around them was too loud for her to hear clearly.

Le Ya leaned closer and shouted, “I just asked when our class’s performance is!”

Upon hearing her, Xie Qingyu burst into laughter. “This is the first time I’ve heard you speak so loudly, Yue Ya—it’s so cute, hahaha! Our class’s performance is toward the end.”

She couldn’t resist pinching Le Ya’s cheek.

Le Ya dodged her hand and rubbed her face.

The first few performances alternated between singing and skits, creating a lively atmosphere filled with cheers, whistles, and catcalls.

At this moment, Le Ya felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

She secretly pulled it out.

Chen Yang: Outside the auditorium. Come out.

Le Ya frowned as she stared at the message, hesitating for a long while before finally replying, “Wait for me.”

She tapped Xie Qingyu.

Xie Qingyu turned her head. “What’s wrong?”

Le Ya leaned in close to whisper, “I need to step out for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

Assuming she was going to the restroom, Xie Qingyu didn’t stop her. “Okay, hurry back. Don’t get lost.”

With that, she turned back to continue screaming.

Le Ya smiled faintly and slipped out of her seat, crouching low to avoid drawing attention.

The auditorium had several exits, and Class One had one nearby. After stepping outside, she looked around but didn’t see Chen Yang anywhere.

Le Ya sent another message: “I don’t see you.”

After sending it, she waited on the steps outside the auditorium.

“Behind you.”

Chen Yang’s voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

Le Ya quickly turned around. There he stood, bathed in the light spilling out of the auditorium. The interplay of light and shadow accentuated his sharp features.

She shook her phone. “What is it?”

Chen Yang replied, “Of course there’s something.”

The lighting was dim, and the cold wind blew steadily as both of them stood at the entrance. Outside, it seemed to be drizzling lightly.

Le Ya noticed his clothes were slightly damp.

Today, she was wearing a white wool coat with a cute hood featuring ears. Chen Yang reached out and pulled the hood over her head.

The ears were small and made of fabric, drooping cutely to the sides. She looked absolutely adorable.

Le Ya could only lower her head. “Why are you doing this?”

She tugged the hood off again, her hair slightly messy. Her expression was accusatory, as if he’d committed some grave offense.

Chen Yang chuckled. “Don’t you like it?”

Le Ya huffed. “Stop messing around. And you still haven’t told me why you called me out here. I need to go back and watch the party.”

Chen Yang found her growing bolder by the day.

But he liked it. Just as he was about to speak, the girl in front of him suddenly shushed him.

Le Ya whispered, “Do you hear something?”

Chen Yang frowned. “What sound?”

Le Ya ignored him entirely. She thought she’d just heard the faint mewing of a kitten—a very weak, pitiful cry.

She followed the direction of the sound. Near the wall, there was a patch of grass illuminated only partially by the streetlights.

Le Ya listened carefully, then crouched down.

Closer now, she could hear it more clearly. The sound was weak, as though the kitten was sick or injured. She gently moved some grass around, searching, but couldn’t see the kitten. However, the sound continued without pause, coming from somewhere nearby.

She softly mimicked a kitten’s meow.

Chen Yang watched her squatting on the ground, searching around and softly meowing. He suddenly found her irresistibly cute.

It was the softness of her voice that did it.

A few days ago, Liang Qian had been endlessly playing videos of girls imitating cat sounds, the music driving him crazy.

Now, Chen Yang understood.