#54

It took Le Ya quite some time to finally understand what Chen Yang had meant.

But she truly hadn’t done anything under the table—not even close. She hadn’t made any extra movements at all.

Seeing how agitated he was, Le Ya softly defended herself: “I didn’t do it. You must’ve gotten the wrong impression.”

Of course, Chen Yang didn’t believe her. He trusted his own senses the most.

Le Ya knew for certain that she would never do such a thing. The only people who might’ve touched him accidentally were probably Liang Qian and Zhao Mingri—they might’ve brushed against him by mistake.

And now he thought it was her doing. Thinking about it, she felt so wronged—she’d been falsely accused of secretly teasing him.

Le Ya kindly advised: “Chen Yang, you really shouldn’t overthink things. It’s bad for your brain.”

Chen Yang could practically feel three question marks popping up above his head.

How was he overthinking?

Seeing his half-squinting expression, Le Ya hurriedly explained: “Just now, it was probably Liang Qian or Zhao Mingri who accidentally bumped into you, so…”

She left the rest unsaid, fearing it might hurt his pride.

Thinking about it, she realized how hard she was working—wrongfully accused and still trying her best to protect her boyfriend’s dignity.

Chen Yang was silent for a long while.

The girl in his arms stood pressed against the wall, her eyes shining with translucent light. Her eyelashes looked as if a butterfly had perched on them, ready to flutter away at any moment.

He recalled the dream he’d had before—the one where the girl clung to his shoulders, hanging off him, sobbing and pleading with him, while he turned into a beast.

After staring at her for a while, Chen Yang finally snapped out of it.

“…If you don’t believe me, ask Liang Qian later,” Le Ya said softly, her voice gentle. “I really didn’t do it.”

Chen Yang clenched his teeth inwardly.

He believed Le Ya wouldn’t lie, but this whole situation made him feel like an idiot for getting so worked up over nothing.

Chen Yang pressed his lips together, then relaxed again. “Are you sure you didn’t?”

Le Ya blinked. “I’m sure.”

“…” Chen Yang casually straightened himself, pulling his hands back into his pockets. “Alright, let’s go back.”

Le Ya sneakily glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

The two walked back together in silence.

At the table, the other three were sweating profusely from eating, continuously adding more dishes to the pot, which bubbled endlessly.

As soon as Chen Yang sat down, Liang Qian felt a chill run down his spine.

He had completely forgotten what happened earlier, so he couldn’t figure out why he was feeling this way now.

After much deliberation, he decided that eating was the priority.

Before he could pick up a slice of Spam, his foot was kicked, causing the meat to fall back into the pot and sink to the bottom.

Liang Qian immediately grew angry.

He had been about to eat, and suddenly this happened—what was going on? He glared directly at Zhao Mingri.

Unfortunately, his aim was off, and Zhao Mingri didn’t react at all.

Seeing him happily eating, Liang Qian couldn’t contain his frustration. He kicked him and whispered accusingly: “What did you kick me for just now?”

Zhao Mingri felt utterly baffled and retorted: “Are you delusional? Why would I kick you for no reason?”

Liang Qian said: “Oh, so you’re not admitting it?”

Zhao Mingri’s eyes widened. “Why would I admit to something I didn’t do? Did you eat too much tonight and lose your mind?”

The two began bickering back and forth.

Perhaps worried about disturbing others, their voices were extremely low, like whispers exchanged under the podium during class.

Le Ya slowed down her eating pace a little.

She glanced at the calm Chen Yang, then at the visibly indignant and red-faced Liang Qian, wondering if she had guessed wrong.

Was Chen Yang really this vindictive?

After the hot pot outing, it was the weekend.

Le Ya found some time to visit the art studio again. Lin Xinqiao had been busy preparing for her art exam recently, always rushing in and out of the studio.

However, her paintings had visibly improved, perhaps due to the intertwining of various emotions. One of her works in the studio had even been publicly praised by the teacher.

As soon as she stepped off the stage, Lin Xinqiao continued to wear a worried expression—after all, the art exam was far more demanding than classroom work.

Le Ya could only comfort her with small snacks, often being pinched on the cheeks in return.

After the weekend ended, time flew by, and it was soon time for the next exam. The day before the exam, everyone had to move their books out of the classroom.

Since specific time was allocated for this task, students were seen carrying armfuls of books back and forth during class hours.

The boys moved quickly, usually finishing in one trip, but the girls struggled, so those who finished early simply leaned against the corridor rails to watch.

When Chen Yang emerged from the office holding a teaching plan, he noticed a group of people standing by Class 16’s door, deep in discussion.

“In winter, you can really tell if a girl is beautiful or not. If she looks good in this weather, she’s definitely a beauty.”

The boys were enthusiastically chatting.

“That should be from Class 2—the one who came out the back door. She’s just average.”

“She’s so tall—it’s kind of scary.”

Chen Yang remained expressionless as he passed behind them.

“Look at that one—the girl in the light blue coat by Class 1’s door,” one boy suddenly raised his voice. “She’s so cute—I want to hug her.”

“So you like the lolita type, huh?”

“This works. Totally works.”

Chen Yang glanced sideways, spotting Le Ya emerging from the opposite corridor, holding several books and wearing a blue outfit.

Le Ya saw him too and waved.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and raised his hand in response.

Suddenly, the back of one boy’s head was struck hard. Furious, he turned around, ready to curse: “What the fu—”

Chen Yang’s teaching plan slammed heavily into his face.

Upon realizing it was him, the boy’s face turned awkward, and his words got stuck in his throat. He tried to justify himself: “It must’ve been an accident.”

Chen Yang’s face was icy. “It wasn’t.”

He had done it on purpose.

The boy had initially hoped to brush it off, but now he was left speechless, unable to recall how he had offended this big shot.

Though he wasn’t from Class 17, he was from a neighboring class, and he feared ending up like that senior student who had been sent to the hospital.

The boy forced out a couple of awkward laughs and quickly fled, while the other two who had been discussing with him also lowered their heads and left.

Le Ya witnessed the entire scene.

“What are you looking at so intently?” The voice of the Chinese class representative suddenly sounded from behind her. “That boy across the way?”

Le Ya turned her head. “I wasn’t looking at anything.”

The Chinese class representative glanced at the tall, elegant young man standing across the corridor and sighed. “Do you have a crush on that guy?”

Le Ya’s response was vague. “What are you talking about?”

“If you’re too shy, I’ll go ask for his WeChat for you,” the Chinese class representative said enthusiastically. “He’s pretty handsome.”

She knew Le Ya’s personality well enough to guess that even if she liked him, she wouldn’t make the first move—so she could help out.

Le Ya, still holding her books, turned around. “No need, really.”

The Chinese class representative walked beside her, excitedly saying: “It’d be such a waste not to have a romance in your youth. I can really help you…”

Her words abruptly stopped.

Around the corner, Chen Yang stood there, still holding the teaching plan he had just used to hit someone. His features were clear and composed.

The Chinese class representative looked at him, then at Le Ya.

Chen Yang spoke calmly: “Come here.”

The Chinese class representative thought to herself, who is this guy calling over? He didn’t even say a name and seemed so nonchalant, as if no one mattered to him. Her impression of him immediately soured.

She whispered softly to Le Ya: “Speak of the devil, and he appears. Let me tell you, I think he’s being so disrespec—”

Then she saw Le Ya walk over.

Chinese class representative: “….”

Le Ya walked slowly and stopped a step away from him, softly asking: “What is it?”

Chen Yang asked: “Are you going home after the exam?”

Le Ya nodded. “Of course.”

Students passing by with armfuls of books glanced over, and those who recognized them exchanged a few words with others nearby.

“What about this evening?” Chen Yang asked again.

“Is there a new activity this evening?” Le Ya thought for a moment before responding: “I can go home later.”

She said this sentence particularly softly—it was barely audible unless you listened carefully.

What should have been an ordinary statement suddenly seemed to carry some other underlying meaning.

Chen Yang felt he was overthinking things again, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit helpless. After all, there would be many more moments like this where she unconsciously teased him.

He said: “Let’s have dinner together this evening.”

His tone revealed no hint of abnormality.

Le Ya thought for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

Chen Yang’s previously gloomy mood, caused by those boys, had improved significantly. He glanced at the Chinese class representative, who was still staring at them from a distance.

The Chinese class representative quickly raised the book in her hand to cover her face, pretending to read it intently—but the title was upside down.

Chen Yang indifferently withdrew his gaze.

The girl in front of him was as sweet and well-behaved as ever. He reached out and pinched her cheek—it was as soft as tofu, as if it might break under the slightest pressure.

Le Ya swatted his hand away. “This is school.”

After she waved to push him off, Chen Yang ruffled her hair again.

Le Ya glared at him, annoyed.

Chen Yang’s lips curled slightly upward. He withdrew his hand, lightly grazing her ear with his fingertips—it felt a bit cold.

“See you this evening.”

His voice was low, smooth, and refreshing, like mountain spring water.

“Got it.” Le Ya’s attention shifted, and she forgot what had just happened. “Then I’ll go now.”

Chen Yang nodded. “I’ll take you somewhere good to eat.”

Le Ya didn’t know how delicious the food would be, but hearing him say that made her suddenly look forward to it.

They rarely ate alone together like this.

The last time, due to an unexpected change of plans, she ended up drinking porridge outside by herself.

Remembering something, Le Ya softly reminded him: “We’ll meet outside.”

Chen Yang tilted his chin slightly. “Continuing your underground activities?”

Le Ya’s ears reddened. “Stop saying nonsense.”

Though what he said was true.

Seeing how hard she was trying, Chen Yang didn’t plan to make things too obvious. He hummed in agreement, which counted as accepting her suggestion.

Then he saw her crescent-moon-shaped eyes.

After moving the books, there was still one more class meeting left.

In the past, it had always been self-study time, but this time, their homeroom teacher, Ms. Jiang, didn’t forget to remind them: “…This is the last big test before the mock exam. Everyone, do your best and don’t let your efforts go to waste…”

Perhaps because she had been a teacher for several years, her timing was impeccable—the bell rang exactly as she finished her last sentence.

Before Ms. Jiang even left, the classroom erupted in applause.

Once she was gone, Xie Qingyu couldn’t help but cheer: “Le Ya, let’s go, let’s go drink milk tea. I heard there’s a new flavor that’s super popular.”

She had already checked it out but kept forgetting to try it.

Le Ya hesitated. “Maybe not tonight.”

“Why not?” Xie Qingyu asked, then suddenly realized: “Don’t tell me you’re going on a date?”

Le Ya quickly covered her mouth, glanced around to see if anyone had overheard, then whispered: “You scared me to death.”

Xie Qingyu giggled. “Fine, we won’t drink it. I forgot you’re practically spoken for now. Sigh, I’m so unlucky.”

She would just treat Liang Qian instead—they still owed her a milk tea anyway.

Le Ya didn’t bother explaining further. It was an open secret, and the more she said, the worse it might sound.

After packing up, she finally left.

The school gate was packed with people. Recently, there had been an incident of stalking and harassment, so many parents had come to pick up their children. Traffic police were even present to manage the crowd.

Le Ya planned to send Chen Yang a message once she reached the school gate.

The two of them usually met at a familiar spot—the milk tea shop across from the school. It was visible as soon as you stepped out of the school gate, though it was crowded now.

“Sweetie, I’m at the entrance.”

“…I’m at your entrance. I’ve waved.”

The noisy sounds around her were like those of elementary or kindergarten dismissal times.

It took Le Ya a lot of effort to squeeze through the crowd before she finally had time to lower her head and prepare to type. As she glanced across the street—

People were coming and going in front of the milk tea shop.

Before she could send the message, “I’m already out,” she spotted two figures across the street.

One was Chen Yang, and the other was someone who shouldn’t have been there.