#51

Le Ya didn’t say a single word from start to finish.

When she finally steadied herself again, Chen Yang blinked, instinctively lowering his gaze to look at her, still not fully recovered from the shock.

Le Ya bit her lip and stepped back directly.

Her entire body felt like it was about to explode with heat, and she desperately needed to roll on the ground a couple of times—it might help dissipate some of that burning sensation.

When she touched her face, it felt hot enough to cook an egg.

Le Ya secretly exhaled, then sneakily glanced up at Chen Yang. Her heart was pounding, and her mind was a chaotic mess.

This time, she had learned it from the movies.

Le Ya had never done anything so bold before. On this snowy day, amidst the icy weather and the scent of roasted sweet potatoes wafting through the air, she had gone and done something like this.

She pinched her own earlobes and whispered, “You didn’t see anything just now, and I didn’t do anything.”

Regretting it immediately after doing it?

Chen Yang was utterly astonished, his lips curling into a faint smile as he confidently stated, “Impossible. Le Ya, you like me too—just a little here, a little there…”

Le Ya knew this would be his response; she had only said those words half-heartedly anyway, though deep down, she felt a small flutter of excitement.

Chen Yang remained bent over, his hand resting on Le Ya’s shoulder as he spoke clearly, word by word: “If that’s how you feel, I’ll take it as your agreement—”

Before he could finish, the sound of a phone ringing interrupted them.

It took Le Ya a few seconds to realize it was her phone. She hastily fished it out of her pocket—it was a call from Xie Qingyu.

“Yueya, I’ve arrived at the hospital. Hurry down,” Xie Qingyu’s voice came through the line. “My brother’s car is waiting outside.”

Le Ya looked up at Chen Yang.

The lingering romantic atmosphere from moments ago had completely dissipated, leaving behind only the cold of the snow-covered world and the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

Le Ya replied, “Okay, I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, she heard Chen Yang let out a sigh.

Clearly, this wasn’t the right moment to continue their earlier conversation. Chen Yang pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

Le Ya glanced at his hand and reminded him, “I’m going now. While you’re here, make sure to listen to the doctor and stop pulling out needles randomly. Look, if you keep doing that, your hand will be covered in needle marks.”

Chen Yang grunted in acknowledgment.

There were almost no other people at the hospital entrance, and the snow continued to fall heavily, showing no signs of letting up.

Seeing a snowflake about to land on Chen Yang’s prominent nose, Le Ya stared, entranced, and suddenly reached out toward his face.

When her fingertips touched the tip of his nose, the snowflake melted.

Chen Yang grabbed her hand directly, then shifted his grip to her wrist. “You want to touch me already?”

Le Ya blushed. “I just wanted to brush off the snow for you.”

She quickly pulled her hand back and stuffed it into the pocket of her down jacket, leaving only her face exposed while the rest of her was completely bundled up.

Chen Yang realized that this little girl was unintentionally teasing him.

And somehow, he was completely falling for it.

“…Ah, Yueya, are you still outside? I’m waiting for you. Who are you talking to?”

Xie Qingyu’s voice suddenly came from behind them.

Le Ya instinctively turned around and saw Xie Qingyu standing not far away, waving excitedly in her direction.

Xie Qingyu called out, “Hurry up!”

As she started walking toward them, Le Ya, worried that she might come over, quickly responded, “Coming, coming!”

Xie Qingyu didn’t wait long by the roadside before she saw Le Ya trotting over, looking irresistibly cute in a way that made her want to reach out and pinch her cheeks.

She glanced at the grassy area nearby—it seemed to be Chen Yang.

Le Ya linked arms with her. “Let’s go.”

“Oh, okay.” Xie Qingyu turned around, still a bit puzzled. Had Chen Yang just glared at her earlier?

Even if it wasn’t exactly a glare, it definitely wasn’t a pleasant expression.

Having waited for Le Ya’s call without any response and realizing the time was getting late, Xie Qingyu decided to take the initiative and come pick her up.

The snow continued to fall outside, forming a thin layer on the ground, turning the entire world white in the blink of an eye.

After getting into the car, Xie Qingyu handed the hot water bottle she had been holding to Le Ya and gestured for her to hurry: “Quick, quick, let’s go back and warm up under the covers.”

Le Ya stuck her hands inside, feeling the warmth spread through her.

Xie Qingyu’s older brother was a very gentle young man. Although he had met Le Ya only a few times, they were already quite familiar with each other through conversation.

There was a considerable distance from the hospital to her house.

Unable to help herself, Xie Qingyu said, “I almost had a heart attack when Uncle Le called me. I thought our cover was blown.”

Le Ya pursed her lips: “You scared me too.”

After discussing this topic for a few minutes, Xie Qingyu remembered Chen Yang’s expression when they parted ways and quietly asked, “What’s wrong with Chen Yang?”

Le Ya thought for a moment and replied, “Family matters.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to elaborate, Xie Qingyu didn’t press further and changed the subject: “How did you two get so close all of a sudden?”

She clearly remembered that things weren’t like this before—had she really missed so much?

Le Ya said, “It’s the same as before.”

“It’s not the same at all,” Xie Qingyu pouted, pretending she didn’t notice anything. “What was that strong smell earlier?”

Le Ya blinked. “There’s an old lady selling roasted sweet potatoes at the entrance. They’re very fragrant. Do you want to go buy some?”

“Let’s buy them!”

Before the car could drive off, the two of them got out again and headed straight to the roasting stand. The closer they got, the stronger the aroma became.

Le Ya and Xie Qingyu each picked out a large sweet potato, their skins charred from roasting. The old lady even gave them small spoons for free.

Xie Qingyu started eating while walking back.

Le Ya lagged behind but quickly ran back after a few steps: “Grandma, could you please give this one to the boy over there?”

She gave the old lady some extra money, who readily agreed.

When Xie Qingyu turned around to call her, Le Ya ran back again. After getting into the car and rolling down the window, she saw Chen Yang meeting with the old lady.

Their eyes met briefly before being obscured by falling snowflakes.

Le Ya had never considered dating, nor had she thought about what it would feel like. The word “romance” rarely crossed her mind.

In school, there were classmates in relationships, but she mostly watched them show affection during breaks without feeling any particular stirrings in her heart.

But now, something had changed.

Perhaps she finally understood why the Chinese class representative always made a cup of hot milk tea for the English class representative, who in turn brought snacks for her every time.

Whenever Le Ya had been asked about it before, she had always thought to herself that she would probably start dating in college and find a boyfriend she liked.

Not in high school.

But Chen Yang had forcefully barged into her world. From initial indifference to later being drawn to him, everything was beyond her control, surpassing the boundaries of her thoughts.

Tonight was her attempt to respond.

Even though she had once thought she would only date in college, things had changed now, so she decided to accept it—it wasn’t a bad change anyway.

Le Ya took a bite of the roasted sweet potato, feeling its heat burn all the way to her heart.

She placed her hand over her chest, and even through her thick down jacket, she could feel her racing heartbeat, which hadn’t relaxed since earlier.

Le Ya had to admit—she was smitten.

Since she was smitten, she figured she might as well give it a try.

Chen Yang was discharged from the hospital a week later.

Liang Qian and Zhao Mingri wanted to celebrate enthusiastically, but considering his status as a patient, they eventually decided against it.

Chen Yang returned to school, seemingly unchanged from before, though he had become quieter than usual.

While the teachers had always thought he was like this,

for those classmates who knew about his previous antics, this was a major shock—a real eye-opener.

As a result, related posts popped up one after another on the school’s online forum, followed by discussions that fizzled out and were deleted quietly due to fears of retaliation.

Le Ya remained completely unaware of all this.

Ever since the incident with the rabbit balloon, she hadn’t visited the forum anymore. Her daily routine consisted of reading books, solving problems, and…

exchanging messages with Chen Yang on WeChat.

It was probably the typical clandestine romance of high school students.

Although she hadn’t directly admitted to liking him or called him her boyfriend, they had somehow silently entered into a tacit agreement.

At any rate, she certainly wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence.

As the frequency of snowfalls increased, the novelty gradually wore off.

In the south, people usually carried umbrellas during snowstorms. There was a student from the north in their class who braved the snow every day, shivering uncontrollably each time.

Xie Qingyu, cradling her cup, teased him daily: “In this freezing weather, not using an umbrella means snow gets into your clothes—it’s uncomfortable. I really admire you.”

Of course, she wouldn’t do something like that herself.

After teasing him, she switched back to worrying about the upcoming exams: “Next month is the first mock exam. Sigh, what am I going to do?”

The first mock exam was the most important test of the first semester of senior year. City-wide rankings were recorded, and it was generally considered the most crucial of the three simulated college entrance exams.

There was a common saying: The first mock exam was the hardest, designed to stimulate preparation for the actual college entrance exam; the second was slightly easier, and the third was the lightest, meant to boost confidence before the big test.

As for whether this was true or not, Le Ya didn’t know. Her habit had always been to take every exam seriously.

Chen Yang: “Do you have time tonight?”

Upon seeing this question, Le Ya turned to ask Xie Qingyu: “Are you eating dinner tonight? Or are you on a diet?”

“Of course I’m on a diet!” Xie Qingyu clenched her fist. “I’ve already lost two pounds. Winter is the best time for weight loss—it’s harder to gain it back.”

Le Ya nodded. “Then I—”

Xie Qingyu waved her hand to cut her off. “Don’t tempt me anymore. I’m not eating. I need to lose weight. I’ll read books and do practice exams.”

She rambled on endlessly.

Le Ya felt that the “Most Hardworking Award” this semester should definitely go to her. Xie Qingyu was practically ready to tie a red ribbon around her head with the words “Striving” written on it.

Alright, she couldn’t disturb her.

Le Ya turned back and started typing out her reply: “Yes.”

Chen Yang replied almost instantly: “Wait for me after school.”

Le Ya: “Okay.”

No extra words, yet she found herself blushing.

“Le Ya, about the third question on the math exam paper…” Her desk partner turned and saw her flushed face. “Is the air conditioning too hot?”

Le Ya forced a smile and fanned herself with her hand.

She thought her reaction was way too exaggerated—just one sentence, and she was already blushing. How could she let this happen?

It was all Chen Yang’s fault.

Shifting the topic, Le Ya asked: “What about the third question on the math exam paper?”

Her desk partner explained: “Oh, I feel like something’s off here. There’s a gap between my answer and the correct one. Can you explain it to me…?”

She assumed Le Ya was just feeling hot and naturally followed along with her change of subject.

“…”

By the time school ended in the evening, it was already dark outside.

In winter, many students didn’t want to leave the campus. They’d grab a quick bite at the cafeteria before returning to the classroom. The increasing pressure of time also played a role.

When Le Ya left the classroom, she didn’t see Chen Yang anywhere.

She glanced into Class 17’s corridor but only saw about ten people left inside, none of whom were Chen Yang.

Liang Qian was eating bread while watching videos. When he looked up and saw her, he immediately realized what she was there for: “Yan Ge was called out by someone earlier.”

Just as school ended tonight, a woman suddenly appeared in the corridor. Though she looked worn out, it was clear that she had been beautiful when she was younger.

He initially thought she might be one of Chen Yang’s relatives.

But when Chen Yang looked up at her, his expression darkened instantly. It was the first time Liang Qian sensed him suppressing his anger so forcefully.

He figured there must be some unresolved history between this woman and Chen Yang, perhaps even related to his father. But he didn’t have the standing to ask.

Le Ya asked: “Did he say when he’d be back?”

Liang Qian scratched his head: “No.”

Le Ya didn’t know who “someone else” referred to. She guessed it might be a teacher, so she sat down at Chen Yang’s desk in Class 17 for a while.

Naturally, Liang Qian abandoned his video and turned to invite her to play a game: “If you play with me, I’ll dominate the entire match. Wanna try?”

The idea of carrying the girlfriend of the big boss in the game sounded pretty cool. It would give him something to brag about later.

“No thanks,” Le Ya said hesitantly. She barely understood gaming terminology, though Xie Qingyu had played games before. “I don’t know how to play games.”

Liang Qian eagerly reassured her: “It’s fine if you don’t know how to play. Lots of people in this game are elementary schoolers. We can just mess around casually.”

Le Ya leaned over to look at his screen. “What game is this?”

Before Liang Qian could answer, Le Ya’s phone vibrated, and a WeChat message popped up.

Chen Yang: “Something urgent came up. Go eat dinner first.”

Le Ya felt a bit disappointed but still replied with an “Okay.”

Another message followed: “Good girl.”

Le Ya let out a soft hum and apologized to Liang Qian before leaving Class 17. She randomly stopped at a porridge shop outside and ordered a bowl of snow pear and goji berry porridge.

Excuse: health-conscious living.

She thought it was similar to the trend of drinking goji berries in thermoses online. However, this particular porridge was actually the most popular item on the menu.

After finishing, Le Ya bought a cup of milk tea and headed back.

Since the school didn’t provide winter uniforms, students had to wear their own clothes. School uniforms were mostly used for draping over their legs in classrooms. This was the season when female classmates showcased their beauty—overcoats and wool skirts made their appearances.

Le Ya, however, dressed casually.

Seeing a girl ahead wearing what looked like a uniform skirt, Le Ya sucked a pearl from her milk tea and marveled at how thin the girl’s legs were. Even with tights on, they couldn’t hide their slimness.

It was a bit dark under the teaching building.

Le Ya was about to follow her inside when she caught sight of a figure near the dimly lit wall.

She tentatively called out: “Chen Yang?”

The girl in the uniform skirt immediately turned her head to look.

Under the faint yellow light, Le Ya saw the young man lift his head. He was dressed simply today—all black, no frills—making him appear tall and slender, like a model straight off the cover of a magazine.

His casual indifference made others’ hearts race.

As she called his name, a flicker of flame appeared in his hand, then disappeared as he extinguished it. Le Ya recognized it as a lighter.

Le Ya walked over, plucked the cigarette from Chen Yang’s mouth, and said earnestly: “Smoking is harmful to your health.”

She had said something similar the last time she saw him smoking. Back then, it felt like meddling. Now, she felt justified.

From a distance, the girl in the uniform skirt muttered, “Holy crap.”

Was she about to witness Chen Yang hitting a girl?

This big shot had been appearing too frequently on the forums lately. Though she’d only heard his name before, she now knew all about the incident where he beat up a senior student.

So when the girl behind her called Chen Yang’s name, she instinctively turned to look—and saw this scene unfold.

Chen Yang stood under the lamplight, silently watching her.

Le Ya, who had been in a good mood, now sensed something was off. In a soft voice, she asked: “What’s wrong?”

Was he annoyed that she was interfering too much?

Chen Yang pointed at the cigarette in her hand and lazily said: “That’s candy shaped like a cigarette. Try it.”

Le Ya: “…”

How embarrassing—she hadn’t known such snacks existed.

A faint blush crept onto her ears. After hesitating for a moment, she handed it back to him: “Here, take it. I didn’t know…”

Chen Yang said: “Mm, I quit.”

His girlfriend was a well-behaved, hardworking student—a paragon of virtue. As her boyfriend, he needed to live up to that standard too, right?

Le Ya didn’t know what he was thinking but nodded approvingly. With heartfelt advice, she said: “That’s the best decision. You’re still young—you can’t ruin your health.”

Chen Yang’s eyes flickered slightly.

Watching her chatter away, her small mouth opening and closing, revealing bright white teeth and the tip of her tongue faintly visible, he felt a surge of restlessness.

His Adam’s apple moved subtly as he listened to her soft, sweet voice. Casually, he shoved the cigarette-shaped candy into her mouth: “Try it. It tastes good.”

Le Ya instinctively bit down: “Huh?”

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. The other end of the candy was bitten by him, and he slowly leaned forward until it touched hers.

In the darkness, the young man bent down.

Behind the pillar, the girl in the uniform skirt muttered again, her phone vibrating nonstop as her friends bombarded her with questions about what happened.

From her angle, she could clearly see Chen Yang’s face and actions—but the specifics of what happened could only be imagined from this distance.

With both hands flying across the keyboard, the girl quickly typed: “OMG, I just saw Chen Yang put a cigarette in a girl’s mouth and then kissed her. Isn’t that swallowing smoke… Is he trying to kill himself?!!!”

“What the heck is ‘swallowing smoke’?”

“Are you sure???”