#53

Outside the school, the lights were bright.

Le Ya was still stunned by the phrase “seasoned underground revolutionary” and completely taken aback by his description.

So this was how secret relationships were described.

Ahead of them, Liang Qian, Zhao Mingri, and Xie Qingyu were deep in a discussion about game skills, having completely forgotten about the two behind them, walking faster and faster.

Le Ya whispered softly: “Don’t say nonsense.”

Chen Yang looked at her with an ambiguous smile, his tone teasing: “Are you saying what you’re doing isn’t exactly what I just described?”

Le Ya had no words to counter him.

She decided to stay silent, holding her tongue until they reached the hot pot restaurant, hoping Chen Yang would forget about it by then.

After leaving the school, they came to a four-way intersection leading to the park.

Chen Yang walked beside her, slowing down significantly. His demeanor was casual until he suddenly froze upon seeing something in a particular direction.

Le Ya, standing next to him, noticed he had stopped and curiously asked: “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?”

Seeing that he seemed to be staring intently at something, she followed his gaze.

Before she could turn her head, her eyes were covered.

The boy’s fingers were a bit cold, pressing tightly around her eyes without leaving any gaps.

Le Ya let out a soft cry, stopping abruptly.

Stopping so suddenly made it easy to lose balance. Instinctively, she grabbed Chen Yang’s wrist. “What are you doing?”

She tried to pry his hand away but failed.

It seemed as though Chen Yang had encircled her, his gaze fixed on the woman who had suddenly appeared in the distance. His eyes darkened instantly, but his voice remained light as he said: “I want you to guess who I am.”

Le Ya: “….”

She wanted to ask if something was wrong with Chen Yang’s brain.

But his hand seemed rooted in place, covering her eyes. Every time she blinked, her lashes brushed against his palm.

Unconsciously, Chen Yang’s attention was drawn elsewhere.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, turned Le Ya around directly, then released his hand, casually saying: “Did you see over there?”

Le Ya stared for a long time. “What?”

All she saw was the road they had just walked on—nothing else.

Chen Yang said: “If you didn’t see it, then never mind.”

In truth, it was all a ruse to keep her from looking in that direction. There was nothing there except the night scenery and trees.

As they spoke, a pig suddenly ran across the main road, chased by a middle-aged man, immediately drawing the attention of countless passersby.

Le Ya fell silent.

Taking advantage of Chen Yang’s distraction, she turned around to look at him. “Chen Yang, did something shock you today?”

Chen Yang: “…What?”

Le Ya sighed and patted his hand. “They say pregnancy makes you dumb for three years. How come falling in love has made you dumb?”

Chen Yang: ???

The two continued walking until they reached the four-way intersection. Le Ya thought Chen Yang might actually be losing it and started worrying whether she should buy some walnuts to help boost his brainpower.

Just as they turned the corner, she inadvertently caught sight of a woman’s figure flashing past on the small path across the street in the park. She froze for a moment.

That woman’s profile looked somewhat familiar.

Instinctively, Le Ya pinched her palm, then focused again to look, but the woman had already disappeared quickly behind the trees in the park.

Maybe she had seen wrong.

Le Ya retracted her gaze, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart.

She should have still been in the hospital at this time—it was impossible for her to be here. So it must have been a mistake.

The hot pot restaurant was chosen by Liang Qian, a well-established eatery in the area. It was now evening, peak hours, but luckily, he had reserved in advance.

They arrived at the restaurant ten minutes later.

Liang Qian turned back to see they were lagging behind and exclaimed in surprise: “We’re all walking at the same pace. How come you two only just got here?”

Le Ya said: “We accidentally missed the green light.”

Though the excuse was a bit awkward, Liang Qian and the others didn’t suspect anything and simply entered the hot pot restaurant together.

The waiter led them to their seats. Though the restaurant wasn’t large, the conditions were good. They sat on sofas, with partitioned potted plants separating the space.

Both Liang Qian and Xie Qingyu wanted spicy red oil hot pot, but that obviously wasn’t possible. In the end, they settled on a four-section pot, and everyone ordered something.

Liang Qian was very generous, waving his hand grandly: “Order whatever you want, and then just give me the bill at the end. Don’t worry about anything else—I improved fifty places in my exam rankings, so my dad will reimburse me!”

Though he went from dead last to fiftieth from the bottom.

On Weibo, there were people celebrating even seven-point improvements with fireworks. Liang Qian’s situation was somewhat similar—he had been at the bottom for so long.

Le Ya couldn’t help but comment: “You really deserve credit.”

Liang Qian: “….”

Silently, he handed the menu to Chen Yang, letting him order first.

Chen Yang didn’t even lift his eyelids, directly shifting his attention toward Le Ya, causing Liang Qian’s next words to get stuck in his throat.

Le Ya pushed the menu back: “You order.”

Chen Yang pushed it back again.

Everyone at the table watched the two passing the menu back and forth, as if reliving a live-action version of the story of Kong Rong giving up pears in elementary school.

Zhao Mingri coughed: “If you don’t order soon, the waiter will start pressuring us.”

Only then did Chen Yang stop. He flipped his eyelids, circled a few popular signature dishes, then asked: “What do you want to eat?”

Liang Qian said: “I…”

At the same time, Le Ya also said: “You guys order whatever you want.”

Zhao Mingri, Xie Qingyu: “….”

The table fell silent again. Chen Yang thought of something and glanced subtly at Liang Qian. “What do you want to eat?”

Liang Qian swallowed silently, then said: “…Yan Ge, order what you want to eat. I’m not picky.”

Zhao Mingri kicked him under the table. Such a coward.

Liang Qian kicked back. You’re a coward too.

The two kicked each other back and forth. By the time they snapped out of it, the ordering was done, and Chen Yang handed the menu to Le Ya.

When he saw Le Ya take it without much reaction, a stream of “holy crap” echoed in his mind. He began to wonder if there was something wrong with his eyes today.

But upon reflection, it didn’t seem like anything unexpected had happened.

As it neared six o’clock, the hot pot broth was served first.

The waiter handed out aprons to everyone. Liang Qian and Zhao Mingri eagerly put theirs on and rushed to the condiment station.

Xie Qingyu was quick to follow.

For a moment, Le Ya was left alone struggling with her apron. The straps had gotten tangled with her hair ties and clips. She raised both arms, trying to untangle them.

Chen Yang watched for a while before finally saying: “Turn around.”

Le Ya obediently turned around.

Chen Yang leaned forward, his slender fingers threading through her hair, then carefully removing the clips and gently loosening the knot.

“Are you done yet?” Le Ya asked, not forgetting to offer advice. “If it’s too much trouble, just remove the hair tie. I can redo it myself.”

Instead of answering, Chen Yang patted her head.

Both of them were standing, separated by a table. He lowered the strap and tied a neat bow around her waist.

Leaning close to her ear, he murmured: “Done.”

The sound made Le Ya’s ears heat up. She quickly turned around, her voice soft and sweet: “Thank you. That’ll do.”

Chen Yang withdrew his hand. “Why are you so nervous?”

Le Ya cautiously glanced around. After all, this place wasn’t far from school. It was the weekend, and it was winter, so there were bound to be classmates here.

If they were seen, it would be disastrous.

Casually, Chen Yang undid the apron strings behind him and looked down at her. “Help me tie it on.”

Le Ya was shocked: “Do you think I can’t see?”

She clearly saw Chen Yang reach back and undo the apron he had just tied, then shamelessly ask her to retie it for him.

Chen Yang deliberately hummed in response, his tone rising at the end.

Le Ya thought to herself that people with good voices really had an advantage—but she absolutely could not give in to his allure.

Seeing her refusal, Chen Yang casually reminded her: “I just helped you untangle yours…”

Le Ya interrupted him: “Fine, fine, I’ll tie it for you already!”

It was the first time she realized how much of a hassle he could be.

Since she wasn’t as tall as Chen Yang, with long arms and legs, she simply went over to his side and irritably told him: “Turn around.”

Chen Yang comfortably narrowed his eyes.

Le Ya half-heartedly completed the task, tying a quick knot.

Feeling the tightened waistband, Chen Yang paused for a moment before guessing: “…Are you trying to strangle me?”

Le Ya: “….”

Her face flushed red with embarrassment as she realized she had accidentally tied it too tightly. Looking at it now, Chen Yang’s waist was surprisingly slim.

Maybe his health wasn’t great, she thought.

Le Ya undid the knot and carefully retied it, then said cheerfully: “There, I redid it for you.”

The happy tone in her voice was unmistakable.

Just moments ago, she had been upset, but now she was cheerful—girls’ emotions truly changed quickly, and Chen Yang noticed.

He turned around, and before she could walk away, he reached out and gently stroked her chin, lightly rubbing it with the tip of his finger. His fingertips were slightly calloused, creating a tingling sensation.

“Don’t touch me,” Le Ya quickly swatted his hand away.

Watching her flail like a little kitten scratching, Chen Yang slightly narrowed his eyes, then sat back on the sofa. Catching sight of the three people not far away, he let out a soft laugh.

Then, he slowly spoke: “No one saw anything.”

Only then did Le Ya relax.

In the distance, Liang Qian, Zhao Mingri, and Xie Qingyu were holding their sauce plates, staring intently at them. When they saw Chen Yang glance over,

Liang Qian muttered: “I forgot to add sesame paste. I need to go back and add some. Did you guys forget something too?”

Zhao Mingri: “I forgot the fragrant oil.”

Xie Qingyu: “…”

The three of them turned around in unison and headed straight for the condiment station, pretending they hadn’t seen anything.

Le Ya hadn’t turned her head earlier, so she truly believed Chen Yang’s words. She returned to her seat and sat down, still feeling the lingering sensation on her chin.

He was becoming bolder and bolder.

As the night grew later, the restaurant became increasingly lively.

Steam rose from the hot pot. Xie Qingyu added quite a few ingredients to the pot and said: “I can’t wait any longer.”

The fastest-cooking item was probably the tripe. After briefly blanching it, she scooped it out and placed a few slices into Le Ya’s bowl.

Le Ya quietly ate.

She wasn’t picky about food, though she was more particular about flavors. As long as the taste suited her, the specific ingredients didn’t matter.

Chen Yang was lowering his brows and reaching out when he noticed the two familiar movements. His eyebrows slightly lifted, revealing a hint of displeasure.

Under the warm yellow lights of the hot pot restaurant, steam enveloped his beautiful hands.

Le Ya glanced up and saw them, recalling the sensation of his touch on her chin moments ago. Unconsciously, her ears reddened a bit.

Then, she lowered her head and exhaled softly.

She gave her head a small shake, feeling as though Chen Yang was influencing her. Lately, she found herself constantly thinking about such things.

Suddenly, a piece of meat appeared in her bowl.

Le Ya paused for a moment, sneakily glancing at him with slight exasperation. Her eyes signaled for him not to be so obvious.

The steam partially obscured Chen Yang’s face.

His expression was unclear, hazy except for his prominent jawline, its contours sharply defined.

At this moment, he looked almost otherworldly. Le Ya thought curiously to herself, but ultimately dipped the meat in sauce and ate it.

She couldn’t very well put it back into Chen Yang’s bowl.

No one noticed the brief silence at the table before awkward conversation resumed: “Did you cook this? Clearly, I did…”

“Bullshit!”

“…”

After awkwardly stammering for a while, Liang Qian finally managed to shift his attention.

He had originally planned to celebrate his academic improvement, but now it seemed to have turned into an opportunity for those two to flirt. Though he supposed it wasn’t so bad.

Seeing Zhao Mingri still sneaking glances over there, he kicked him under the table.

Zhao Mingri didn’t react at all.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang’s hand paused for a second.

Without showing any emotion, he subtly glanced under the table, surprised, then faintly curved his lips. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Le Ya, who was sitting across from him with her head bowed.

The culprit, Liang Qian, was completely stunned.

What to do after accidentally kicking the big brother?

Of course, play dead.

This thought quickly flashed through Liang Qian’s mind. He swiftly retracted his foot, relieved that he had only lightly tapped and hadn’t used much force.

He had intended to kick Zhao Mingri, but somehow his foot had moved too far and hit Chen Yang instead. This was a disaster.

Liang Qian sneakily glanced at Chen Yang and, seeing that he apparently hadn’t noticed, let out a sigh of relief. He reached out to grab some potatoes, pretending he hadn’t done anything.

Le Ya was hit by a wave of spiciness and took a sip of water.

Studies show that most people unconsciously look up while eating or drinking, then lower their gaze again.

Le Ya caught sight of Chen Yang’s unmasked gaze.

It was scorching, as if determined to capture her completely, like vines wildly growing and wrapping around her.

Le Ya didn’t understand what was happening.

Everything had been fine just moments ago—how had things changed so drastically after only a couple of bites?

She couldn’t figure it out and wore a puzzled expression. Seeing Chen Yang’s unchanged expression, she quietly lowered her head and continued eating.

Chen Yang pressed the tip of his tongue against the roof of his mouth, laughing bitterly out of extreme frustration.

She had touched him, yet she still acted as if nothing had happened.

Even with her head lowered, Le Ya could feel the burning gaze directed at her, as if it would set her whole body ablaze. She hadn’t felt hot before, but now she felt restless.

She put down her chopsticks and softly said: “I’m going to the restroom.”

Only after taking a few steps did she glance back at Chen Yang.

Chen Yang keenly caught her glance, watching her retreating figure, and let out a barely audible laugh.

He stood up: “I’m going to the restroom too.”

The table fell silent again.

Once he left, the three people who had been acting like quails collectively sighed in relief and set down their chopsticks.

Liang Qian was the first to sigh: “Sigh.”

Zhao Mingri followed closely behind: “Sigh.”

Xie Qingyu, however, remained calm: “Finally, we can eat properly. Hopefully, they’ll stay in the restroom for a while.”

Liang Qian watched her continuously reaching for food with her chopsticks and teased: “You make it sound like both of them can fit into the same restroom.”

…

The restroom was much quieter.

Le Ya washed and dried her hands, then sniffed her clothes. There was a faint smell of hot pot, but it wasn’t too strong—it was tolerable.

Thinking about it, her expression fell.

She let out a sigh and turned to leave the restroom.

The lights outside suddenly dimmed significantly. Le Ya saw a figure standing by the wall opposite and was soon stopped halfway.

Chen Yang’s hand gripped her wrist. Unlike the coolness of his fingertips, his palm was warm, heating the back of her hand.

He lowered his voice: “Don’t leave just yet.”

Ever since earlier, Le Ya had felt something was off about him. The emotions in his eyes made him seem unfamiliar, as if something had shifted.

She tilted her face upward: “Is there something wrong?”

Chen Yang had initially intended to ask her something, but hearing her casual question unexpectedly amused him. He extended his pinky finger and lightly traced her palm.

The coolness of his fingertips contrasted sharply with the warmth of his palm. As his nail grazed past, it felt as though an electric current passed through.

After exiting the restroom, there was only a narrow passageway—nothing too spacious. However, since few people came here, it was very quiet.

Le Ya’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and she couldn’t help but ask: “What exactly do you want? I need to go back and eat hot pot.”

Chen Yang’s hand slid downward, grasping her fingers. They were soft and delicate, like silken tofu.

He pulled her closer.

Caught off guard, Le Ya stumbled forward, bumping into his chest. She instinctively raised her other hand to steady herself, her nose filling with his scent.

Chen Yang’s voice dropped even lower: “You don’t remember what you did?”

“What?”

Le Ya let out a small, confused sound, completely at a loss about what he was referring to.

Before she could say anything else, Chen Yang pushed her gently against the wall, switching positions so that she was now sandwiched between him and the wall.

Le Ya was startled. “What’s gotten into you?”

She nervously glanced around, hearing faint voices nearby—it sounded like someone might be approaching. Just on the other side of the wall, the place was packed with people.

The possibility of being discovered at any moment brought an inexplicable thrill, making her heart race uncontrollably.

Le Ya softened her tone: “Don’t do anything reckless.”

It almost sounded like a plea.

Chen Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but his grip on her hand didn’t loosen. With narrowed eyes, he looked down at her. “I knew you wouldn’t remember.”

Le Ya followed his lead: “I must have accidentally forgotten.”

Though she couldn’t recall saying or doing anything, judging by Chen Yang’s demeanor, it seemed serious.

Chen Yang’s voice grew unusually hoarse: “Oh really?”

Le Ya listened quietly.

Chen Yang stared at her intently. “Didn’t you just signal me to come over earlier?”

Le Ya was utterly bewildered by his words and immediately rebutted: “When did I ever tell you to come over?”

She was certain she hadn’t said a word before leaving—if she doubted herself, she might have been swept away by Chen Yang already.

Chen Yang lightly pinched the center of her palm—so gently, yet distinctly different from how he had rubbed it earlier. Clearly, he was a little upset.

In retaliation, Le Ya pinched him back.

Chen Yang raised an eyebrow, questioning her: “You don’t remember glancing back at me just now when you left?”

Le Ya wore a look of astonishment. She recalled the scene and finally managed to stammer out: “You’re overthinking things…”

She had simply thought his gaze earlier was strange.

Le Ya never imagined he would dwell on it for so long—it explained why he had been waiting for her right after she came out.

A misunderstanding had clearly arisen.

Chen Yang pressed his lips together, deciding to skip this topic. The more they talked, the angrier he got—and he couldn’t vent his frustration without feeling guilty afterward.

Instead, he asked: “Earlier, you were so adamant about playing the role of an underground revolutionary. So why did you tease me under the table just now?”

Le Ya opened her mouth.

She truly didn’t understand what he was talking about.