☆, 05. Why don’t you keep reading?

Class Seventeen’s classroom was empty.

Through the window, Le Ya saw a few students napping with their heads on their desks, while some girls were flipping through books and studying.

“…Impossible to even think about it.”

“Then go dream about it.”

Liang Qian and Zhao Mingri tumbled out of the stairwell, laughing and roughhousing, when they noticed Le Ya and another girl standing there.

Liang Qian rolled his eyes mischievously and stepped closer. “New student, sneaking around here—what are you up to?”

Le Ya was startled by his sudden appearance.

“Why are you scaring the poor girl?” Zhao Mingri slapped Liang Qian on the back, then grinned. “What’s up? We’ll definitely help if you need anything.”

Liang Qian chimed in, “Are you new here and don’t know your way around? Tell me where you’re going, and I’ll take you.”

“You’re the one who gets lost all the time,” Zhao Mingri cut him off, turning to Le Ya. “If anyone’s bullying you, just tell me. Big Brother will beat them up for you.”

Le Ya watched as the two traded quips like a comedy duo. One had yellow hair, the other red, dazzling her eyes.

Though she didn’t have a good impression of them, she thought back to the boy who had helped her carry books earlier that day—he hadn’t seemed too bad. Maybe these two weren’t so terrible either.

She softly asked, “Do you know Chen Yang from Class Seventeen?”

The corridor fell silent.

After a long pause, Liang Qian thought he’d misheard. “Who did you ask for?”

“Chen Yang,” Le Ya repeated. Afraid they wouldn’t recognize the name, she spelled it out: “Chen with an ear radical, and Yang as in ‘rippling.’”

Just to be sure, she even articulated the characters clearly.

Liang Qian froze, tears of laughter nearly streaming down his face. He ruffled his red hair. “You don’t know Chen Yang from Class Seventeen?”

Though puzzled, Le Ya still replied with a soft “Mm.”

Xie Qingyu tugged at her sleeve and whispered, “Sounds like he’s pretty famous. Did he do something noteworthy?”

Le Ya shook her head.

Zhao Mingri asked, “You really don’t know him?”

Liang Qian was also baffled. What was going on? They’d talked multiple times already, and today he’d even helped her carry books—but she didn’t even know his name?

Was Yang-ge failing this badly at life?

Though Zhao Mingri didn’t understand what was happening, he joined in anyway. “Are you sure it’s Yang as in ‘rippling’?”

That was quite the rippling reputation.

Did Yang-ge know his name could be interpreted like this?

Le Ya couldn’t handle their odd tones. Add to that their delinquent appearances, which she wasn’t used to, and she murmured, “Qingyu, let’s go back.”

“Alright,” Xie Qingyu agreed, and they turned to leave.

“Chen Yang, huh?” Liang Qian cleared his throat and said, “Sorry, but he’s not in the classroom right now. If you want to find him, come during evening study hall…”

Le Ya glanced at him. “Thank you, I got it.”

Evening study hall? How could she possibly leave then? Teachers monitored those sessions closely, and she certainly wouldn’t skip.

Liang Qian grinned. “Take care!”

Hearing this, Le Ya quickened her pace and returned to the classroom with Xie Qingyu. Most of their classmates were already there, reading books.

Xie Qingyu sighed in disappointment. “I didn’t expect him to not be there. Sigh.”

When Le Ya first mentioned it, Xie Qingyu had been incredibly curious about what kind of person Uncle Le had chosen to sponsor. Surely, the criteria must’ve been strict.

Meaning, the student was likely from a disadvantaged background.

Another puzzling aspect was why Uncle Le didn’t want Le Ya to know about this. Back at the main campus, there shouldn’t have been much chance of them crossing paths.

Xie Qingyu speculated, “Could Uncle Le be afraid you’ll meet that student? Afraid you’ll get taken advantage of?”

Le Ya shook her head. “How could that happen?”

Xie Qingyu grew increasingly convinced of her theory. “You don’t know about those ‘phoenix men’—the ones who use rich women to climb the social ladder, then steal their wealth, abandon their wives, and remarry younger women.”

Le Ya felt like she was listening to a TV drama.

“I’m just joking,” Xie Qingyu waved her hand dismissively. “If anyone dares treat our Le Ya like that, I’ll make them regret it.”

At this, Le Ya smiled faintly, lips pressed together.

By senior year, classes were scheduled back-to-back. Each subject was taught in two consecutive periods, and even that wasn’t enough for the teachers.

Physical education classes were canceled entirely, and even homeroom meetings were often repurposed.

Le Ya pushed unrelated thoughts aside and focused on the lesson.

________________________________________

The last period of evening study hall belonged to the homeroom teacher.

Their Chinese teacher, Homeroom Teacher Jiang, usually spent the first half of the class talking about senior year matters, only addressing the test questions near the end.

Le Ya sat in the farthest corner by the window, far from the corridor.

In their class, seating arrangements rotated weekly, with entire rows shifting each week. Next week, she’d move to the window-side seat near the corridor.

Because several Chinese classes had been missed during the holiday, there hadn’t been time to review the exam papers, so they were using study hall for that purpose.

“…If you’re still zoning out in class now, you’ll regret it next semester,” Teacher Jiang said. “Take out your test papers. I was shocked to see that someone actually went off-topic in the essay section this time.”

No one dared to speak.

Le Ya had scored in the low 120s on this Chinese exam—not great, dragging down her overall grade. She’d lost points on the reading comprehension section.

She’d never been particularly strong in that area.

From the podium, Teacher Jiang continued. “After the holiday, I’m sure you’ve forgotten most of what’s in the textbook. Starting next week, we’ll resume memorization drills. I’ll be checking randomly.”

Senior One Class was made up of students promoted directly from junior high, with a wide range of abilities—the best and the worst were all in this class, making teaching incredibly challenging.

Especially now that they’d moved to the new campus, their grades would be combined with those of the sixteen classes there, meaning many more competitors.

Teacher Jiang had heard that the top ten students in this grade were exceptionally talented.

Particularly one named Chen Yang—she’d heard other teachers mention him multiple times. The pressure on the main campus was immense.

After this semester, the school planned to select students for an elite冲刺班 (intensive prep class) specifically for college entrance exams.

The school would assign its best teachers to lead this class.

Suddenly, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

“Class dismissed. Be careful on your way home,” Teacher Jiang sighed. “Le Ya, come to my office for a moment.”

Le Ya responded softly.

Xie Qingyu said, “I won’t wait for you, then. Just head back on your own, and be careful.”

Le Ya nodded. “You too.”

Some classmates were still studying in the classroom, so she left her books behind and headed to the teacher’s office.

Most of the teachers had already left; only two remained. Teacher Jiang was sitting there organizing documents.

Le Ya approached. “Teacher.”

Teacher Jiang looked up. “I called you here for no particular reason. It’s about the incident during the monthly exam last time. The school plans to issue her a warning. If it happens again, there’ll be disciplinary action. If she bothers you, just let me know.”

After all, they were all seniors—it wasn’t possible to handle things too harshly. Le Ya nodded. “I understand.”

Teacher Jiang glanced at the hearing aid by Le Ya’s ear and gently reminded her, “There are more people at the new campus, so things can get chaotic. Take care, and let me know if anything makes you uncomfortable.”

Le Ya smiled faintly. “Thank you, Teacher.”

Teacher Jiang adored this student—so well-behaved and academically excellent. Students like her were rare nowadays. “Alright, head back early.”

Le Ya left the office.

Back in the classroom, she casually stuffed her homework into her bag and stepped outside.

Outside, the sky was pitch black. Some classrooms in the teaching building were dark, while others were still lit, making them stand out.

Unconsciously, Le Ya glanced across the way. The lights were still on.

________________________________________

Class Seventeen was always the last to turn off its lights.

As Le Ya approached, she treaded lightly, fearing she might run into those two colorful delinquents she’d met at noon.

Only five or six students remained in the classroom—it seemed everyone else had already left.

Before Le Ya could turn to leave, strange noises came from the nearby stairwell. The motion-sensor lights didn’t turn on.

After a moment’s thought, she decided to investigate.

The stairwell was extremely dim, with no lights on. Only the faint glow from the fourth- and third-floor corridor lights illuminated a small area.

On the platform below stood two figures.

One was the boy she’d seen earlier—the one who had helped her carry books. He leaned against the railing, looking down, holding something in his hand.

The girl had large, wavy curls cascading down her back, facing away from Le Ya. “…Didn’t you see what I wrote for you?”

Her voice was seductive, making one’s throat itch.

It was the first time Le Ya had heard such a tone, and her cheeks flushed involuntarily. She remembered the descriptions Xie Qingyu had once given her.

The girl reached out, trying to drape her arms around Chen Yang’s neck. “You don’t have a girlfriend. Why not consider me? Am I not pretty enough?”

Chen Yang’s brow furrowed slightly, displeased. “Stay away.”

He pulled out a cigarette. Seeing this, the girl fished a lighter from her pocket and flicked it open, the flame bright.

Chen Yang shifted his hand, avoiding hers.

He casually pulled out his own lighter, lazily flicked it open, and lit the cigarette. Soon, the glowing ember at the tip burned brightly.

The flame of the lighter illuminated his cold expression.

The girl froze, her face falling, but inwardly, she couldn’t help but think: Chen Yang is so handsome.

She’d never met a guy like him, so she threw herself at him despite the repeated rejections.

Chen Yang grew impatient. “Get lost.”

Hearing this, Le Ya frowned slightly, finding his rudeness unsettling. But then again, maybe rudeness was normal among delinquents.

The curly-haired girl hesitated for a moment before finally choosing to leave. She descended the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

It was Le Ya’s first time eavesdropping.

Coming back to her senses, she prepared to leave but caught sight of Chen Yang inhaling deeply. The smoke partially obscured his overly exquisite face.

Shadows concealed everything, making his features appear even deeper in contrast. In the darkness, the glowing ember in his hand mirrored the piercing clarity of his eyes.

It was as if the crude words he’d just spoken hadn’t come from him.

Chen Yang extinguished the cigarette.

Le Ya watched as he loosened the buttons of his shirt, completely disregarding the girl. Perhaps they had been buttoned too tightly earlier.

Not long after, three buttons of his shirt were undone.

Each unfastened button released a trace of gloom, and his growing irritation was unmistakable. By the last one, his chest was faintly visible.

Le Ya blinked cautiously.

Suddenly, Chen Yang raised his head, locking eyes with the astonished pair at the stairwell entrance. He raised an eyebrow. “Am I that good-looking?”

Caught off guard, Le Ya’s face reddened. She quickly turned away, instinctively denying it. “I… I didn’t see anything.”

She couldn’t help but feel annoyed at herself for not leaving earlier.

Besides, the stairwell was so dark—it wasn’t as if she could’ve seen much. Probably just trying to scare her.

Silence stretched behind her for a long time. Le Ya began to wonder if he’d already left. Just as she was about to turn around, she felt a tickle by her ear.

“Why stop looking?”

His voice was low, slightly hoarse.