My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

Chapter 62

Hang Family.

Hang Feng stood before his grandmother, holding a strawberry milk in his hand, and lowered his head to apologize for his recent behavior.

Grandmother's eyes were still red, but she reached out to help him sit down, "It's not your fault, dear. This is also something Grandma didn't handle well. Grandma will find a courier to send this bag of money back home tomorrow. We don't care about it."

Hang Feng took a sip of the strawberry milk in his hand, the sweetness seemingly masking the bitterness emanating from his throat.

He looked up, as if finally making a decision, "Grandmother, if you want to see him one last time, I can accompany you back."

Grandmother was stunned for a moment, desperately suppressing the emotion of longing, shaking her head repeatedly, murmuring, "No... no, we can't see him."

"There won't be another chance." Hang Feng's gaze fell on the bag of money in the corner, remaining silent for a few seconds.

As a child who had seen his father only a few times, knowing that the other party was on the brink of death, his emotions were already so complicated, let alone Grandmother's? That was her son, whom she had raised with her own hands.

Grandmother had already given enough for him over the years; she couldn't leave with regrets.

Hang Feng's voice was hoarse as he spoke, "Then just consider it accompanying me back, let's return the money to him ourselves."

*

This meeting wasn't particularly pleasant either, but at least it was better than the last one.

It was still in Xu Yuanguo's room. The man knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face as he grasped his mother's hand, begging for her forgiveness.

Hang Feng stood at the door, not stepping inside.

He watched all this like a stranger, an outsider, coldly observing.

Compared to the last meeting, Xu Yuanguo's hair was even more gray, and he looked haggard, not like a man in his early forties at all.

This illness had almost taken away most of his life.

And soon, there would be nothing left.

The boy's Adam's apple moved, suppressing the painful emotion that shouldn't exist.

After all, they were blood relatives, even if Hang Feng never acknowledged it, at this moment, his blood was also suppressing something, screaming silently.

He shouldn't sympathize with Xu Yuanguo; this was his just deserts, the retribution from heaven, he deserved it.

But Hang Feng couldn't help but think of the beautiful face of his mother in the photos, described by Grandmother as the gentlest and kindest person in the world.

If his mother were still alive, would she forgive him?

Even if she didn't forgive, she probably wouldn't want to see them as father and son at odds like this.

Unfortunately, he didn't inherit her kindness.

Hang Feng closed his eyes and turned to leave.

In the corridor, Xu Che stood there in a black woolen coat, his expression calm as he looked in his direction.

When their eyes met, Xu Che spoke first, "I didn't expect you to come here again."

Hang Feng: "There won't be a next time."

Hearing the resistance in Hang Feng's words, Xu Che quickly explained, "I just felt surprised, no other meaning."

"Doesn't matter." Hang Feng didn't seem to care about Xu Che's thoughts at all, passing by him and heading downstairs.

Xu Che glanced at the direction of Xu Yuanguo's bedroom, hesitated for a few seconds, and then followed Hang Feng, saying, "Wait."

Hang Feng looked at him impatiently, "What else do you want?"

Xu Che said, "You need to attend his funeral."

Hang Feng sneered, only saying three words, "Why should I?"

What was the relationship between him and Xu Che? Why was he speaking to him in such a commanding tone?

Coming to the Xu family twice was already more than enough; he wouldn't attend Xu Yuanguo's funeral.

Xu Che didn't mind Hang Feng's attitude and said, "His lawyer will announce the will on that day."

"What does that have to do with me?" Hang Feng's narrow eyes were full of sarcastic emotions, "Why did you specially inform me? Do you hope I attend his funeral just to wait for his little charity?"

"Or perhaps to thank the entire Xu family for their magnanimity, not only allowing me, a bastard, to live in this world but also generously sharing some of the inheritance with me? Should I be sensible and obediently take your 'generosity' and leave, spending the rest of my life in gratitude?"

Hang Feng's words were always sharp, especially when it came to anything related to Xu Yuanguo, he didn't hide it at all.

Even though he knew Xu Che was innocent too.

But it wasn't Xu Che who lost his mother, it wasn't Xu Che who lived with the identity of a bastard all these years. They were always different people.

Hang Feng's words were like sharp knives, stabbing at Xu Che's heart, making him frown.

"If this makes you feel better, then you can continue." Xu Che crossed his arms and looked at him, saying, "But I still need to correct you on one point, it's not leftover scraps, he's giving you everything."

As Xu Che's words fell, Hang Feng sneered, "You're better at humiliating people than your mother."

Xu Che naturally knew he wouldn't believe it, so he said, "The will is on the third shelf of his study bookshelf; you can go see it anytime."

Hang Feng looked up in astonishment, trying to find evidence in Xu Che's eyes that he was playing a trick on him.

Xu Che just pointed to the right and said, "Let's go."

*

Xu Yuanguo's study.

The will was laid out on the table, and the two boys stood facing each other, both in silence.

After a long time, Hang Feng pulled at the corners of his mouth, suddenly showing a smile, "So much money, what should I do with it?"

"Anything you want."

"Alright." Hang Feng nodded, as if seriously making a plan, "Then I'll level his grave and build a bar on the land above it."

Xu Che agreed with Hang Feng's suggestion, saying, "That's possible."

Hang Feng still stared at the contract in front of him, his eyes full of disgust.

Xu Yuanguo left almost all his inheritance to him, what did that mean?

Was he showing his preference for his first love's son, expressing his determination before his death?

It was utterly meaningless.

Compared to what he had endured over the years, Xu Yuanguo's monetary compensation was too insignificant.

Thinking this way, Hang Feng still felt a bitter taste in his heart.

It was strange, this feeling often occurred recently and was very strong, making him increasingly fond of sweet foods.

Unfortunately, there was no strawberry milk today. Hang Feng didn't have much hope as he reached into his pocket, but suddenly stopped.

He felt a piece of candy wrapped in paper, given to him by Song Yi on the bus that day.

So Hang Feng took out the candy, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth.

Xu Che's gaze also stopped on Hang Feng's hand for a moment.

This was his favorite candy.

Because it was hard to buy, not available in the country, so he always asked someone to bring it back from abroad.

Xu Che had the answer in his heart, but he still asked, "What are you eating?"

Hang Feng didn't expect Xu Che's concern to be so specific, so he directly replied, "What's it to you?"

Xu Che lied without changing his expression, "I saw Qi eating this candy before, she seemed to like it a lot, I wanted to buy it for her."

Qi was Xu Che's cousin, and also Hang Feng's cousin.

Qi was young but very cute, Hang Feng hadn't met her, but he often saw her photos on Grandmother's phone, so he had some affection for her.

So Hang Feng replied, "Not sure, a friend gave it to me, I can ask."

"No need." Xu Che's gaze lowered, his hand tightening in his pocket.

What Hang Feng didn't know was that his pocket also contained various candies.

Unfortunately, there was no more of that candy.

His favorite candy, she gave it to someone else.

Probably didn't suit her taste, just a piece of candy.

Um... just a piece of candy, not a big deal, doesn't matter.

*

Winter had truly arrived, and the weather was getting colder.

Waking up early every day had become a very painful task for Song Yi, relying entirely on her determination to muster the courage to crawl out of bed.

The date for the final exams had also been set, with the last exam on the morning of January 13th, which was also Song Yi's birthday.

So, Murong Huan and Quan Le decided that since the final exams were over, they definitely needed to relax. With Song Yi's birthday coming up, it was the perfect occasion for a gathering.

The two of them volunteered to plan a birthday surprise for Song Yi.

When Shen Yujing heard about this, he was also interested, and the three of them quickly formed a temporary alliance.

Song Yi, who was busy writing in the exam room, had no idea about this. If it weren't for her father's morning blessing, she would have even forgotten about her birthday.

It wasn't until Song Yi finished her exam and walked out of the exam room that she saw—

Hot air balloons floating in the sky, each with a banner attached—

"Happy 80th Birthday, Song Yi!"

"May your blessings be as vast as the East Sea and your life as long as the South Mountain!"

Song Yi: "……"

Her toes curled, and she wanted to escape Saint Slee immediately.

She couldn't stand this embarrassing scene for another moment.

But the tackiness didn't end there.

As countless unfamiliar classmates approached her, each holding a rose and handing it to her while saying "Happy Birthday,"

Song Yi's smile was forced.

It was so tacky, really so tacky!

Who came up with this idea? It was almost as if they were going to light candles in the shape of a heart and have everyone sing "Happy Birthday" in the middle.

But Song Yi soon realized something was wrong, because these roses…

There were just too many!

Song Yi was sure she couldn't hold any more, yet there were still crowds of people coming towards her with roses.

So many people? Was this a birthday surprise or some kind of campus attendance task?

The excess roses were placed at Song Yi's feet.

Although it was awkward, Song Yi still had to politely nod and thank them, "Thank you, thank you, really thank you."

At this moment, behind a distant tree, three figures were struggling to hide.

To say they were hiding was a bit of an exaggeration; they weren't discovered just because Song Yi hadn't looked in that direction.

Watching Song Yi from afar, Murong Huan complained, "Who was in charge of the roses? Why so many? She can't even hold them all."

Quan Le rolled his eyes, "That's better than someone who made the eighteen into eighty on the banner, right?"

Shen Yujing sneered, "That's because you said 'grand celebration' and misled me. Who knew you couldn't even tell the difference between eighteen and eighty?"

"Alright, alright!" Seeing the two of them about to argue, Murong Huan quickly interrupted, "Let's hurry to the next location to continue setting up; we're running out of time!"

Quan Le and Shen Yujing glared at each other but didn't say anything more.

Surrounded by roses, holding a bunch in her arms and with more at her feet, Song Yi was at a loss about where to go.

But soon, she found her answer.

Because she saw a pink arrow on a tree not far away, with words written on it—

[Please follow the arrow's direction]

The handwriting was ugly and familiar, the same as when they climbed a mountain during a grade trip.

Yes, it was so distinctive; it was Shen Yujing's handwriting.

Carrying the roses in her arms, Song Yi carefully stepped out of the pile of roses on the ground and followed the arrow's direction.

Until she reached the back of the playground, where an unused teaching building stood. Rarely anyone came here, usually only for temporary club activities.

At this moment, inside a performance classroom in the teaching building.

The entire venue had been meticulously decorated with balloons, roses, and birthday decorations.

Murong Huan pushed a three-tiered birthday cake to the back door, parked the cart, and started calling out names, "Shen Yujing!"

Shen Yujing: "What?"

Murong Huan: "You need to say 'here!'"

Shen Yujing: "I don't want to."

Murong Huan: "Jiang Yiheng!"

Jiang Yiheng: "Mm."

Murong Huan: "Hang Feng!"

Hang Feng glanced at her but didn't speak.

Murong Huan: "Quan Le!"

Quan Le: "Here!"

Good, everyone was present.

Murong Huan then started assigning tasks, handing a speech draft to Shen Yujing, "You hide in the corner of the stage. When Song Yi enters, after all the surprises are shown and the birthday song stops, you start reading the lines on the paper."

Shen Yujing: "Why me?"

"Why so many questions? Today, I'm the overall commander, so you all have to listen to me." Murong Huan said, pointing at Jiang Yiheng, "You stand in the middle of the stage. When the back lights come on and Song Yi reaches the center of the stage, pull the rope to let the ribbons fall on her."

Jiang Yiheng nodded, accepting the simple task without further discussion.

"Hang Feng, you go to the sound system and control the lights to turn on in sequence according to the music's rhythm. Be careful not to miss the beat."

"Quan Le! Just… find a cool place to stay."

With the tasks assigned, footsteps were heard outside the room.

Everyone held their breath as the lights inside the room were turned off.

There was a knock on the door, but no one answered, so Song Yi pushed the door open.

Hang Feng started playing instrumental music, everything proceeding as Murong Huan had planned.

Except for Shen Yujing, who had no involvement and was crouching in the corner of the stage, unable to leave yet.

As soon as Song Yi entered, she saw the romantic surprise prepared for her, as expected.

Although a bit tacky… it was also a bit touching.

Listening to others singing the birthday song for Song Yi, Shen Yujing felt sad; the happiness was all theirs, and he had nothing.

Shen Yujing was feeling down when he suddenly noticed something strange in front of him.

A black, handbrake-like object, the amazing part was that it was on the floor.

Shen Yujing wanted to touch it, so when the birthday song stopped, he picked up the microphone as agreed and read the lines on the paper—

"I made a bet with the gods, betting on your heart… huh?"

Shen Yujing didn't finish reading because his foot stepped on the handbrake-like object, and a loud noise echoed through the room.

Murong Huan's scream followed: "The floor collapsed? How could the floor collapse!"

Everyone rushed over to help Song Yi.

Fortunately, the floor was a raised platform, so even if it collapsed, it wasn't deep.

The unfortunate part was…

When Song Yi fell, her body leaned forward, and her face directly landed in the three-tiered cake, looking extremely disheveled.

Jiang Yiheng looked at the stage and explained, "This stage can be extended; there should be a button to control it, raising it when needed and retracting it when not."

Quan Le asked, "Where's the button? Who pressed the button… Shen Yujing? Was it you, Shen Yujing?"

Murong Huan and Hang Feng helped Song Yi up, one on each side.

When Song Yi's face emerged from the cake, her eyes were covered in cream, and she couldn't open them.

Her entire face was smeared with white cream, and her bewildered expression made the scene both tragic and funny.

"Ah! Yi Yi…"

Murong Huan quickly looked for tissues in her bag.

Shen Yujing, with a stiff expression, walked over, facing the situation.

An extendable stage? He had never seen such a thing before!

Shen Yujing stood in front of Song Yi, stuttering to explain, "I… I'm sorry, I… I didn't mean…"

Song Yi used Hang Feng's hand to wipe her face, and at least her vision was somewhat clear. She looked at the culprit, Shen Yujing.

Song Yi asked again, "You did this?"

Shen Yujing nodded, still trying to explain, "I really didn't mean…"

Without hesitation, Song Yi grabbed a large handful of cake and smeared it on Shen Yujing's face.

She said word by word, gritting her teeth, "I bet with the devil, betting on your eternal damnation."