WG - 44

“…”

Chi Zhiyu suspected that this person was deliberately tossing the topic back to her.

The girl who had approached them was clearly a spoiled young lady. Just from her earlier attitude when she had demanded Chi Zhiyu move aside, it was obvious she wasn’t the easiest person to get along with.

Sure enough, as Chi Zhiyu glanced at the freshman’s expression, the girl’s face darkened instantly after hearing Xie Ye’s words.

Before Chi Zhiyu could say anything, the girl, still fuming, snatched the bottle of water back without even glancing at Xie Ye and turned to leave, leading her group of friends away in a dramatic exit.

Their departure was grand and noisy.

And not a few steps later, Chi Zhiyu noticed the girl angrily hurling the bottle of mineral water against a tree by the roadside.

Chi Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. Clearly, this was an act of venting frustration.

Wu Xuan whistled softly. “A feisty little miss.”

“No, a fiery little underclassman.” Li Taoran shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Not bad.”

Su Le raised an eyebrow at him. “Your type?”

“No, no, no.” Li Taoran waved his hands dismissively. “I can’t handle someone like her. Let Xie Ye deal with it.”

Xie Ye promptly pulled the hoodie of the oversized coat over Chi Zhiyu’s head and shot Li Taoran a glance. “Looks like you’re quite blessed.”

Chi Zhiyu’s view was suddenly obstructed by the hood. She paused, tilted her head, and gave him a side-eye glance before pushing the hood off with one hand.

Li Taoran hurriedly declined. “No, no, I can’t handle a little girl like her.”

“Really?” Wu Xuan shook her head. “I think that spicy little miss suits you. It’s just her attitude that’s problematic. If she’d spoken to me like that, I might’ve clashed with her.”

Hearing this, Li Taoran clicked his tongue. “See? You’re nothing like our gentle Chi Zhiyu here. She didn’t even get angry.”

Chi Zhiyu adjusted the hood and blinked. “I didn’t see any issue. I just stepped aside.”

Xie Ye turned his head to look at her, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “Are you some kind of saint?”

“…” Chi Zhiyu was momentarily speechless. “I wasn’t hit.”

“If you were, that would be something else entirely. Little Chi, being this forgiving will only invite trouble.” Su Le chimed in with a reminder.

Chi Zhiyu smiled faintly. “My temper isn’t that good either. If someone were to bully me, I’d have already fought back.”

Li Taoran waved his hands dismissively. “Don’t worry. If anyone dares to bully you, we’ll drag Xie Ye along to take care of it. No problem!”

With that, he immediately shrank back, complaining loudly. “Damn! The wind is too strong here! Let’s go! Let’s hurry home!”

The group followed along and started walking forward.

Chi Zhiyu, wearing the oversized coat, didn’t feel particularly cold. However, her face, exposed to the wind, felt icy. She sniffed slightly.

“Did you catch a cold?” Wu Xuan glanced at her. “Didn’t you stand in the wind without your coat earlier when that girl asked you to move?”

Chi Zhiyu shook her head. “No. Xie Ye quickly put this coat on me…”

She paused briefly.

Wu Xuan didn’t notice and moved on to another topic. “But Xie Ye definitely shut down that underclassman just now.”

Wu Xuan raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “I found it quite satisfying.”

Chi Zhiyu: “….”

Wu Xuan let out a few clicks of admiration. “Xie Ye really knows how to be arrogant.”

Hearing this, Chi Zhiyu chuckled. “Are you praising or criticizing him?”

“Praising!” Wu Xuan said. “How can this not be praise? Judging from that girl’s expression, she must’ve been furious…”

Wu Xuan continued talking, but Chi Zhiyu was lost in thought and didn’t respond.

Having grown up together since childhood, she had become accustomed to Xie Ye’s touches and care, never finding them strange or awkward.

But now, Chi Zhiyu suddenly realized something.

Xie Ye seemed to pay no attention to others, yet he always noticed everything about her first.

Above all else.

And today, because the girl had treated her poorly, his response had been equally harsh—clearly avenging her.

At this thought, Chi Zhiyu glanced toward Xie Ye.

Su Le stood beside Xie Ye, animatedly recounting details from the basketball game.

As for Xie Ye, whether he was listening or not, he maintained his usual drowsy expression, responding only occasionally when something caught his interest.

Noticing her gaze, Xie Ye turned his head toward her. “What?”

“Hmm.” Chi Zhiyu snapped out of her thoughts and calmly shook her head. “Nothing.”

Xie Ye studied her expression and suddenly smiled. “Thought of something?”

His words came unexpectedly, coinciding perfectly with her recent realization.

Chi Zhiyu was startled and instinctively asked, “Thought of what?”

Xie Ye stared directly at her, his damp black hair falling over his forehead, partially obscuring his deep, narrow eyes. His appearance was both seductive and subtly teasing. With a slight curve of his lips, his tone was lazy and drawn-out.

“How to take responsibility for me.”

This impromptu basketball game allowed Xie Ye to steal the spotlight during the final stretch of their senior year.

By extension, Chi Zhiyu was dragged into the limelight as well.

Rumors of the “Xi-Chi (Xie-Chi) couple” spread throughout the school, spawning various versions and even fabricated stories.

These rumors circulated for quite some time before gradually dying down due to exam pressures.

Among the senior students, virtually no one discussed this topic anymore.

With only a week left until the college entrance exams, everyone was focused on studying. Who had the leisure to dwell on such gossip?

Moreover, with both parties involved in the same grade, if there were any new developments, they would surely be the first to know.

But outsiders truly hadn’t seen much intimacy between Xie Ye and Chi Zhiyu.

Initially, some people would ask acquaintances or classmates. Upon hearing these questions, those familiar with the situation would simply shake their heads and offer a mysterious smile, saying nothing.

Some even deliberately passed by the back door of Class Three to investigate.

On several occasions, they saw Xie Ye consistently in the same state—napping on his desk—while Chi Zhiyu beside him was either doing homework, chatting with others, or also napping.

There was absolutely no interaction between the two.

To strangers, they might not even seem like childhood friends but rather strangers forced to sit together.

Some began to believe these were merely rumors, that the two weren’t actually together, given their interaction patterns.

However, once in a while, someone passing by the back door of Class Three would catch a rare moment when Xie Ye was awake, lazily resting his chin on his hand, gazing down at the girl sleeping soundly beside him.

In his left hand, he held a workbook, slightly raised, gently fanning her ear.

It was early summer, and the indoor air was becoming increasingly stuffy.

Sleeping wasn’t easy.

...

The timing of the national college entrance exams was standardized across the country, fixed for June 7th and 8th. In some provinces, adjustments extended the duration, resulting in differences in end times.

For the Rubei city region, the exams ended in the afternoon of June 8th.

When Chi Zhiyu finished her final English exam and walked out of the testing building with her exam bag, she looked at the drizzling rain outside and exhaled deeply.

Finally, a sense of liberation.

The pressure on her shoulders lightened slightly.

She picked up her phone, wondering if Xie Ye had finished his exams.

She also wondered how he had performed.

But after pondering for a while, she remembered that this person didn’t need to take the exams seriously. He was just here to casually glance at the test papers.

She clicked her tongue and prepared to send him a text.

Around her, some classmates gathered excitedly, cheering and jumping around. Others, overwhelmed by emotions—whether celebrating newfound freedom or lamenting poor performance—broke down in tears.

Chi Zhiyu stood nearby, startled by the crying. She turned her head to see what was happening.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Xie Ye approaching. Instinctively, she turned her head to look.

At this moment, Xie Ye quietly appeared beside her. He glanced at the crying girl next to her and said indifferently, “Did you bully someone?”

“…”

Chi Zhiyu clicked her tongue. “Do I look like that kind of person?”

Xie Ye replied nonchalantly. “Not necessarily.”

“Nonsense.” After speaking, Chi Zhiyu observed his relaxed demeanor and guessed, “You came out early?”

Xie Ye: “Mm.”

Chi Zhiyu made another guess. “Did you skip the exam altogether?”

Xie Ye sneered. “Did you fail?”

“Of course not.” Chi Zhiyu blinked. “Have you forgotten that I’m an English expert?”

Xie Ye looked at her expression. “You’re quite proud.”

Chi Zhiyu waved her hand dismissively. “Low-key, low-key. But I think I might have scored better than you this time.”

“Hmm?” Xie Ye tilted his head, seemingly amused. “Better than me?”

Chi Zhiyu lazily hummed. “From the looks of it, you didn’t take it seriously and just went through the motions, right?”

Xie Ye glanced at her and responded indifferently. “No.”

“…” Chi Zhiyu was momentarily speechless. “You took it seriously?”

Before Xie Ye could reply, Chi Zhiyu’s phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the screen and casually answered. “Hello? Are you done with your exams?”

Wu Xuan: “Yes! Where are you? Su Le and I just came out of Building Three.”

“I’m in the main hall. Xie Ye’s here too—” Chi Zhiyu turned her head and noticed a figure approaching. She exclaimed, “Li Taoran’s here as well.”

“All right, we’re coming over. Wait for us.”

“Mm.”

After hanging up, Li Taoran arrived in front of them, arms wide open, dramatically shouting, “Brothers and sisters! I’m here! Celebrate our liberation!”

Xie Ye coldly avoided him. Seeing him turn toward Chi Zhiyu, Xie Ye reached out and grabbed the back of his collar, pulling him away.

Li Taoran’s body jolted, stopping mid-motion. He nodded. “Alright, alright. I won’t hug anymore.”

Xie Ye released his grip.

Chi Zhiyu couldn’t help but laugh. “What’s wrong with you? So excited?”

“It’s the end of the college entrance exams!” Li Taoran suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! Tonight’s graduation ceremony—do you have a solo performance, Chi Zhiyu?”

Chi Zhiyu nodded. “I have a solo dance, and then a group dance with Wu Xuan.”

Li Taoran: “Ah, so are we eating dinner?”

“Probably not.” Chi Zhiyu checked her watch. “We still need to rehearse and get ready.”

Xie Ye lazily asked, “Skipping dinner and planning to starve?”

“No time.” Chi Zhiyu noticed Wu Xuan had arrived and handed her exam bag to him. “Buy something for Wu Xuan and me to eat. I’ll find you at your seat later.”

Without waiting for Xie Ye’s agreement, she turned and ran to meet Wu Xuan.

Xie Ye watched her retreating figure and clicked his tongue impatiently.

Meanwhile, Su Le approached from afar and stood in front of the two, slightly puzzled. “Where are they going? Not eating?”

“They’re not. They have to practice for tonight’s dance performance.” Li Taoran waved to him. “Let’s go. Now it’s just the three of us.”

The trio headed to the cafeteria, ordering their respective meals.

Guys usually ate quickly, so dinner didn’t take long. They finished and accompanied Xie Ye to buy dinner for the two girls. By the time they reached the school auditorium, the graduation ceremony was about to start.

The graduation ceremony was scheduled to begin at 7 PM. Attendees included all senior students and teachers, as well as various school leaders.

Seating was divided by class, but specific arrangements were flexible.

Class Three’s seats were located in the middle-back rows. Finding it troublesome, Xie Ye sat in the very last row, with Li Taoran and Su Le beside him. Two seats were intentionally left empty.

Once seated, the lights dimmed within minutes, leaving only the stage illuminated with colorful lighting effects.

The surrounding noise instantly quieted. Within seconds, music began playing, and the lights rose, revealing a girl on stage.

“Wow!”

Students involuntarily gasped.

The girl wore a classical dance costume, her sleeves flowing elegantly. Her lowered gaze and flawless features resembled a beauty from ancient paintings—cold and aloof.

The sound of a pipa softly resonated as the beauty lifted her delicate hands, gracefully changing her dance movements with the melody.

Li Taoran stared at the stage for a few seconds before snapping out of it. “Holy crap, is that Chi Zhiyu?”

Su Le laughed. “Are you mesmerized? Can’t even recognize her?”

“It’s not just me.” Li Taoran glanced around. “Look at the boys’ eyes—they’re all fixated.”

As he spoke, the beauty on stage suddenly stretched her waist, her lowered gaze lifting to reveal a coy smile.

That instant.

It was as if someone had thrown a stone into a calm lake.

Suddenly, ripples spread outward, wave after wave, unable to settle.

“Cough!”

Su Le sat in his seat, watching the performance. Hearing the enthusiastic cheers from the audience, he awkwardly cleared his throat and turned to look at the person beside him.

Xie Ye leaned back in his chair, his profile appearing cold in the dim light. His head was slightly raised, his face half-lit, half-shadowed, looking somewhat brooding.

His eyes remained fixed on the girl on stage, deep and unreadable, as if concealing countless thoughts.

Su Le hesitated, unsure whether to speak. But Li Taoran, fearless as ever, directly asked, “Xie Ye, what’s wrong with you? That expression again, like everyone owes you eight million yuan?”

Su Le: “….”

Unperturbed, Li Taoran added, “Chi Zhiyu might just become the goddess of the entire grade. Listen to the boys’ cheers.”

“…”

Xie Ye stared ahead, his lips curling slightly as if mocking.

“Cough, cough!” Su Le hastily coughed loudly, hoping to silence Li Taoran.

But hearing Xie Ye’s scoff, Li Taoran looked at Chi Zhiyu on stage and sighed. “You and Chi Zhiyu grew up together, childhood sweethearts…”

He trailed off and turned to ask curiously, “Don’t you have any feelings?”

This wasn’t a joke.

Li Taoran, being a guy himself, had always noticed the way Xie Ye doted on Chi Zhiyu—it wasn’t just brotherly love. If he still couldn’t see that, he’d question his own intelligence.

After his words settled.

Xie Ye raised his eyes, looking at the girl on stage, and nodded. “Yes.”

Li Taoran was momentarily stunned, still confused. “Then why…”

Xie Ye glanced at him indifferently. “She’s underage.”

Li Taoran: “….”

Li Taoran: “?”

“What does being underage have to do with anything?” Li Taoran was bewildered for a moment before suddenly realizing. “Wait, what exactly are you thinking about?”

“…”

Xie Ye’s mood seemed sour as he coldly remarked, “You’re the one with issues.”

“But didn’t you just bring it up?” Li Taoran felt he might be overthinking things and coughed. “Anyway, what’s the big deal about being underage? Does it mean you can’t date?”

He paused, then added, “Don’t tell me you still think of yourself as some model student? Underage means no dating? No early romance?”

Xie Ye raised his eyes, his tone indifferent. “I can’t take responsibility.”

“Huh?” Li Taoran asked. “Take responsibility for what? Dating?”

Xie Ye looked at the girl on stage, who was now standing still, preparing to bow. His eyes were deep and inscrutable, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Then, with a calm and emotionless voice, he delivered three words.

“For her.”