Shen Yujing's one-month suspension from school to attend an art exam caused quite a stir on the forum of Saint Slee Academy.
Murong Huan fumed, "How cunning can he be? Who would think of such a scheme?"
What was the point of competing with him anymore? Where was the fairness in that?
Song Yi munched on chips and said, "Why don't you go too?"
Truth be told, with just the faces of Shen Yujing and Murong Huan, they had already won over half the competition in the art exam. Moreover, if they both took the acting exam, they actually had quite a good chance of succeeding.
"No way," Murong Huan immediately refused, her hands clutching her hair in agony. "I'm already suffering enough from studying cultural subjects every day. If I had to learn those artsy things too, my brain would explode."
Seeing her frantic state, Song Yi laughed and said, "You've been working hard these days. After tomorrow's evening exam, I'll reward you with a night off."
Determined to study hard, Murong Huan didn't even go home on weekends. Most of the time, Song Yi stayed with her.
"Really?" Murong Huan's eyes lit up instantly. "Then I want to eat barbecue! Barbecue!"
Song Yi said, "Anything you want. Come on, finish this paper first, and then we'll go to the cafeteria for dinner."
Murong Huan: "......QAQ"
*
At seven-thirty in the evening, Murong Huan's family car dropped them off at a barbecue shop in an alley.
Song Yi asked in surprise, "Why did we come to this place?"
The shop looked unremarkable from the outside, but upon closer inspection, it was packed with people, indicating excellent business and undoubtedly delicious food.
Murong Huan explained, "Quan Le said the only good thing in Saint Yu Cafeteria is the hand-held pancakes, and the best place nearby is this shop."
Song Yi nodded and said, "Yeah, last time at Saint Yu, eating a hand-held pancake turned into a chase and an involuntary participation in a drama performance."
Recalling the unfortunate experience, both of them wore expressions of shared suffering.
Murong Huan: "Let's forget the past and enjoy some barbecue."
"Alright," Song Yi agreed.
But perhaps they weren't meant to visit Saint Yu's territory, as they always seemed to encounter some trouble.
Like today.
Just as Song Yi and Murong Huan were about to enter the shop, a boy sprinted in, brushing past Murong Huan's shoulder without stopping to apologize. He shouted, "Boss, the usual!" and made a beeline for the last empty seat.
Murong Huan reacted quickly, grabbing the boy by the collar.
"What's your problem?" The boy, initially annoyed, paused when he saw Murong Huan's stunning face and asked, "What do you want?"
The usually pampered young lady, already furious from being bumped into, said directly, "This is our seat. Get up."
The boy grinned, "Does the seat have your names on it? Whoever sits down first owns it. Which law says people can't run to eat? But... since you're so pretty, sharing the table isn't out of the question."
As he spoke, he reached out to pull Murong Huan's arm, saying, "Come, sit down."
"Smack!"
Murong Huan's hand landed on the boy's face, her anger palpable.
"Damn it!" The boy also got angry and stood up. "Who do you think you are? Don't you know who my big brother is?"
Before he finished, a voice came from behind: "Hao, what are you doing?"
The boy, nicknamed Hao, covered his injured face and looked towards Song Yi and Murong Huan's direction, "Jiang Qi, these two girls are trying to steal our seats, and they even hit me."
"Can't even handle girls, what a disgrace," Jiang Qi's voice, laced with mockery, approached them.
Song Yi turned around and her expression changed slightly.
It was a familiar face.
Not too familiar, just someone she had played games with, though the experience hadn't been particularly pleasant.
Seeing Song Yi, Jiang Qi was also taken aback and said, "Why are you here?"
Seeing that Song Yi and Jiang Qi knew each other, the boy who had been hit, though still angry, dared not speak up, fearing they might be Jiang Qi's friends.
Jiang Qi walked over and asked the boy named Hao, "What's the situation?"
"Jiang Qi, these two girls suddenly came to take the seat I had saved for everyone. I refused, and they hit me." Hao said, moving his hand to show the half of his face that had been hit, looking like he had suffered greatly.
Murong Huan fumed, "Who are you? Twisting the truth like that, do you have no shame?"
Hao asked Murong Huan, "Didn't I sit down first? Didn't you want this seat? Didn't you hit me?"
Murong Huan was so angry she couldn't speak, only pointing at Hao and saying, "You!"
"What about me? Isn't everything I said true?"
Song Yi pressed down Murong Huan's hand, realizing she had been led astray by the boy's words. She looked at Jiang Qi, about to say something.
But Jiang Qi said directly, "The situation is clear. Please leave."
Song Yi frowned: "?"
Jiang Qi's eyes showed disgust: "Don't think that just because you're friends with Xu Che, we won't do anything. Be smart."
As Jiang Qi's words fell, the other underlings behind him started discussing.
"What? They're friends with Xu Che?"
"They're the ones in that group photo, right? They also know Shen Yujing."
"Looks like they're from Saint Slee. It's really bad luck to eat barbecue here."
"Get lost, Saint Slee people aren't welcome in Saint Yu's territory!" Hao shouted again, then laughed, "But we can make an exception. Unless you two become our girlfriends, we have six of us, and we can take turns! With looks and figures like yours, we're in for a treat!"
Laughter erupted.
Jiang Qi frowned at Hao, his voice more irritable, "You caused this mess, shut up."
Hao obediently covered his mouth, signaling he wouldn't speak, but still made faces at Song Yi.
This look was too disgusting.
So Song Yi looked at Hao and suddenly smiled sweetly, asking, "Do you want me to be your girlfriend? Just yours."
The others started jeering, while Hao was stunned. He had only been joking, never expecting Song Yi to react this way.
Though he had initially been mocking, the sight of the beautiful girl in front of him, with her enchanting eyes and gentle voice, was like a claw scratching at his heart. Unable to resist the "temptation," he said, "It's not impossible."
"It's possible, but there's a condition," Song Yi said, taking the boy's hand in a coquettish manner.
"Song Yi!" Jiang Qi frowned at her, his thin lips still sharp, "What are you doing? Can't you understand when we say get lost?"
Murong Huan also widened her eyes, asking, "Yi Yi, what are you doing?"
The other boys continued to jeer, "Jiang Qi, you might not want them, but we do. Hao's never had such luck before, you can't ruin his chance at love!"
Hao, feeling the warmth of Song Yi's hand on his, was captivated by her beauty, feeling like his soul was being pulled away.
"Come," Song Yi winked at him, pulling him towards the exit, "I'll take you somewhere."
Hao's gaze couldn't leave Song Yi's face, from her beautiful eyes to her red lips, to the outline of her figure under her sweater, all showing the unique charm of a young girl. He swallowed hard, unable to resist following Song Yi.
Jiang Qi glanced at Murong Huan and immediately followed.
Until—
"Bang—"
At the entrance of the barbecue shop, the boy was thrown to the ground, his face hitting the floor, howling in pain.
At this moment, the other customers in the shop, all Saint Yu students, wanted to watch the drama but didn't dare to look up, fearing they might offend the group.
The girl's left foot stepped on the boy's back. Her voice was still soft and sweet, but it was rare for her to truly lose her temper. She said, "Didn't your parents teach you how to respect people? Come on, get up and touch me, play with me. Why are you hesitating?"
Murong Huan, who was standing beside them, thought, "……!!"
She widened her eyes and covered her mouth to avoid screaming, but her heart was completely in fangirl mode.
So... so mighty! So cool! Ahhhh, Song Yi is amazing!
Jiang Qi walked over and stopped her, saying, "Song Yi, that's enough."
Murong Huan stood in front of Song Yi, lifting her chin to meet Jiang Qi's gaze. "What business is it of yours? Don't say you want to beat him up, even if he dies here today, my Murong family can handle it."
At the mention of the Murong name, Jiang Qi's expression instantly darkened.
He had almost forgotten that Xu Che's friends were all from wealthy and influential families, all of whom his family couldn't afford to offend.
Was it because of this? So that's why Xu Che abandoned him and became friends with these people? Was it all because of their wealth?
Jiang Qi had already been thinking about letting the matter go, but after considering this, he sneered and looked at Murong Huan, saying, "You talk so big, have you ever really killed anyone?"
Murong Huan's expression stiffened.
Exaggeration! Do you understand exaggeration?
Murong Huan glared at Jiang Qi, then turned to look at Song Yi, grabbing her hand. "Come on, I'll take you to eat somewhere else. As for this place, I'll buy it in a couple of days and you can eat at my house."
Song Yi's foot withdrew from the boy's back, and she looked at Murong Huan, nodding. "Let's go."
It wasn't that she couldn't live without this barbecue, it was just that she was really angry.
But at this moment, the boy named Hao got up from the ground, dusting off the dirt, and looked at them with a mix of anger and fear, only daring to shout at them, "Just you wait! Next time, you'll see!"
Song Yi rolled her eyes at him, gesturing with her hand, "Why wait for next time? Come at me now."
The boy immediately backed down, saying, "I'm... not in good shape today!"
Even the other boys standing with him felt a bit embarrassed, but they also realized that the girl who could easily knock Hao down was someone they might not be able to beat either.
To avoid repeating the same mistake, they all tacitly chose to remain silent.
Just as Song Yi and Murong Huan were about to leave, a cold male voice sounded from behind: "What are you making them wait for?"
Xu Che appeared out of nowhere and walked up to them.
Jiang Qi suddenly laughed, saying, "You still dare to show up, traitor of Saint Yu. Are you now going to openly protect the people from Saint Slee?"
The remaining boys looked at each other. They didn't feel comfortable fighting girls, as losing would be embarrassing and winning wouldn't save face either.
But if it was Xu Che, things were different. Losing was normal, but if they won, it would be a matter of great pride.
Jiang Qi glanced at one of the boys, who was quite clever and understood immediately. He spoke with a cocky tone, "Of course, we're waiting to go to a hotel. Do you also want to meddle in this?"
Xu Che's expression grew even darker as he looked at Jiang Qi, then moved to an empty spot nearby.
Jiang Qi followed suit.
And then... they started fighting?
Xu Che and Jiang Qi fought fiercely, both of them quite ruthless.
Song Yi and Murong Huan exchanged a glance, both of them feeling a bit bewildered by the situation.
Murong Huan tugged at Song Yi's sleeve, asking, "Should we help?"
It looked like Xu Che and Jiang Qi were having a one-on-one fight, so Song Yi shook her head, "Wait."
But soon, a second shameless guy joined in.
Song Yi immediately stepped in, turning the 1v1 solo into a 2v2 team match.
Song Yi and Xu Che clearly had the upper hand, quickly forcing the guy on Jiang Qi's side to back off, stumbling and eventually retreating from the "battlefield."
There were three left, except for the one who had been beaten by Song Yi and didn't dare to join, the other two rushed in.
Three against two? Disgraceful!
Murong Huan took a deep breath, though she still wasn't quite brave enough to truly participate in such a brawl, for Song Yi's sake, she mustered up her courage and picked up a stick from the roadside, screaming as she charged in.
Murong Huan grabbed one of the boys, chasing him with the stick, shouting loudly to bolster her courage while wildly swinging the stick.
As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those wearing shoes, so even though the boy could probably beat Murong Huan, under her fierce attack, he instinctively chose to run.
Xu Che and Song Yi were now two against two, and winning should have been easy, until the boy's sleeve caught on the necklace around Song Yi's neck, yanking it forward.
With a "clap" sound, the necklace fell to the ground.
Seeing the boy's foot about to step on the necklace, Song Yi's knee slammed into the boy's abdomen, and she quickly bent down to pick it up.
The necklace had been torn off by brute force, so it was now broken.
The boy was stunned, looking at the obviously expensive necklace, and immediately backed down.
Song Yi expressionlessly put the necklace into her pocket.
Jiang Qi handed his phone to Song Yi, saying, "Here's my WeChat, contact me directly if you need compensation."
Song Yi didn't want any contact with Jiang Qi, so she knocked his phone to the ground and turned to walk towards Murong Huan, calling out, "Huan Huan! Let's go!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Jiang Qi bent down to pick up his phone and finally chose to keep quiet.
Murong Huan then threw the stick at the boy and ran towards Song Yi, hugging her arm and mumbling, "I was so scared, I really thought he would turn around and fight me!"
Murong Huan even showed her hand to Song Yi, looking pitiful, "Look, it's scratched."
Seeing the small scratch on Murong Huan's hand, Song Yi suddenly thought of something and turned back, calling out, "Xu Che, come with us, you need to get your chin looked at too."
"Mm," Xu Che responded, coldly glanced at Jiang Qi, and then followed them.
At a nearby clinic.
After buying alcohol, gauze, band-aids, and other supplies, Xu Che and Murong Huan sat side by side on a bench by the road, looking like two kindergarten kids with their heads hanging low, being scolded by Song Yi.
"I have to say, you two are quite capable. The most important thing in a fight is not to get hurt, do you understand?" Song Yi said, pressing the cotton swab on Murong Huan's wound a bit harder.
Murong Huan cried out in pain, then answered pitifully, "I'm already hurt, don't scold me."
Song Yi said, as she finished bandaging Murong Huan, "Yes, it's so serious, the blood has dried up and the wound has healed, it's hard to clean."
Murong Huan pouted, "But it hurts."
"What business do you have in a fight? Next time, just stand aside and watch from a distance." Song Yi withdrew her hand, then stood up and looked at Xu Che, saying, "Look up."
The boy obediently lifted his head, revealing a two-centimeter-long wound on his chin, but it didn't seem too serious, just a slight scrape.
"Luckily, it's not deep, or else you'd be left with a scar," Song Yi murmured, then gave him a simple disinfecting and cleaning.
Throughout the process, Xu Che kept his eyes on Song Yi's chin, so as not to make her feel pressured by being stared at.
Compared to the scrape on his chin, the bruise on Xu Che's cheek looked more serious.
Song Yi gently applied ointment to the bruise, rubbing it in with her fingertips, and asked, "Does it hurt? Should I be gentler?"
"No," Xu Che lowered his eyes, remaining silent for a moment.
"Did you hear what the doctor said? Apply the medicine yourself when you get home," Song Yi handed the ointment to Xu Che, then gave the band-aids to Murong Huan.
Xu Che suddenly said, "Let me treat you to dinner, as an apology for what happened today."
"No need/Sure!"
Song Yi and Murong Huan's voices rang out simultaneously, but with two different answers.
Murong Huan cheerfully said, "Anyway, we're going to eat, right? Free food, why not?"
Song Yi: "……"
That's so Murong Huan.
So the three of them found a small mall nearby and had dinner at a hot pot restaurant inside.
During their conversation, Xu Che inquired about Hang Feng's recent situation. Song Yi pondered for a moment before replying, "He's quite different from before, recently he's become much more cheerful."
"Exactly," Murong Huan nodded in agreement, adding, "He even initiates conversations with me now."
Hearing this, Xu Che felt a bit more at ease.
Before parting ways, Xu Che still insisted on paying Song Yi back for the necklace Jiang Qi had broken.
Song Yi immediately waved her hands in refusal.
Xu Che then said, "Don't worry, I'll get the money back from Jiang Qi, I'm just temporarily paying you on his behalf."
Song Yi pursed her lips and replied, "It was a gift, I really don't know the price of this necklace, and it should be fixable, there's no need."
Murong Huan suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Who gave it to you?"
Xu Che's gaze also remained fixed.
Song Yi said, "Shen Yujing."
Upon hearing this answer, Murong Huan asked, "Was it a birthday gift?"
"Um..."
A birthday gift made sense, but if it were a New Year's gift alone, Murong Huan would definitely find it strange.
This was the first time Song Yi deliberately lied to Murong Huan. She didn't know why she did it, perhaps because it was a trivial matter and she didn't want to spend time explaining it.
*
That evening, Shen Yujing, who should have been at an art exam training session, called.
Seeing the caller ID, Song Yi instinctively hid the necklace on the table, only to realize it was just a voice call and breathed a sigh of relief, laughing at her own paranoia.
Song Yi answered the call.
The young man's voice came through, as usual, loud and carefree: "Long time no see, Song Yi!"
Song Yi: "..."
Song Yi: "If I'm not mistaken, you've only been off school for three days."
What kind of "long time no see" was that?
Shen Yujing answered with conviction, "For us third-year high school students, every day is precious. Three days is a long time!"
This logic was quite peculiar.
"Alright," Song Yi didn't want to argue with him, and directly asked, "Why are you calling me so late?"
Shen Yujing said, "I've been in class these days. The initial audition at Imperial Capital University is just a monologue, you can recite any poem. After hearing me read a passage, all the teachers said there's no need for further practice."
Song Yi asked, "Because it's so bad, there's no hope?"
Shen Yujing: "..."
The young man, like a raging lion, shouted loudly, "Song Yi! Can you wish me some good for once?"
Song Yi picked up some melon seeds and started nibbling, saying, "I know you'll pass for sure, just kidding. So, what's the real problem?"
"Our second round will test voice, stage presence, acting, and singing. All of it."
"Mm."
"Voice, stage presence, acting, and singing."
"Mm, I know."
"Singing! Vocal music!"
"Mm, I know... cough cough!" Song Yi almost choked on a melon seed upon hearing this.
What? Singing? Vocal music?
With Shen Yujing's level of singing, even a birthday song goes off-key; he'd be a laughingstock.
So Song Yi asked, "Why did you suddenly want to study acting?"
Shen Yujing answered honestly, "I want to go to Imperial Capital University, and I really like acting. I want to try my best once, I can't rely on my parents for everything my whole life."
Song Yi pursed her lips. Since Shen Yujing had set his goal, she decided to encourage him.
So Song Yi said, "Usually, the judges in such performance exams won't make you sing an entire song. Although your singing is indeed terrible, if you focus on just one part from now on, you should be fine."
"I think I can definitely do it... no, what do you mean by my singing is terrible?"
"Don't you know?"
"..."
Shen Yujing was annoyed but couldn't refute, so he said, "I won't talk to you anymore, I have to study now. I've been taking acting classes during the day and cultural classes at night."
Song Yi teased him, "Art classes during the day, cultural classes at night, our young master Shen is really not slacking off, secretly working hard to surprise everyone?"
Shen Yujing confidently replied, "Of course, then you'll see what a natural actor I am."
Song Yi stopped teasing him and spoke seriously, "Then work hard, we're all waiting for you to come back."
"Got it, remember to tell Quan Le to study hard too. Whoever doesn't get into Imperial Capital University is a grandson. Alright, I won't talk anymore, get some rest, goodnight."
"Mm, goodnight."
Song Yi's voice fell, and she hung up the phone.
The young man stood in the temporary performance room at home, closed his eyes, and placed the phone on his chest.
Deep breath, it's fine.
He kept the conversation within five minutes, should be no problem.
He chatted with her, "accidentally" expressed his desire to go to Imperial Capital University, and further proved that he was studying hard.
Not only did she cheer him on, but she also said goodnight to him.
Well done, Shen Yujing!
This call was really well-made, just like him.
*
The first monthly exam results of the semester were out.
Murong Huan ranked third in her class and was so happy that she jumped and shouted, hugging Song Yi.
"Alright, alright," Song Yi pressed her hand on Murong Huan's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
Murong Huan pinched her own face to make sure she wasn't dreaming, then said, "Tonight, let's call Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng, we're going out to eat, I have to treat on such a joyous occasion!"
Upon hearing Jiang Yiheng's name, Quan Le rolled his eyes, "Look at you, so easily pleased. Just got third in your class, B class? When you can get into our A class, then you can be happy."
Quan Le's rank in this exam was the same as last time, but in the A class, known as the "king of internal competition," not slipping back was considered progress.
Murong Huan grabbed Quan Le's shoulder and shouted, "Are you sick? Your A class is like having one foot in the door of Imperial Capital University, why don't you just let me die faster? And you, what are you proud of with your eighteenth place? Song Yi, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng have taken the top three spots in your class, what's with such a big gap in the same class?"
"You!" Quan Le was so angry he reached out to grab Murong Huan's hair.
"Stop, stop," Song Yi intervened, saying, "I'll go tell them, whoever starts a fight tonight won't get to eat."
Quan Le and Murong Huan immediately retracted their hands and, like two elementary school students, moved a step away from each other, not looking at each other.
Of course, this dinner was eaten in the Saint Yu Cafeteria.
Even though Murong Huan was a hundred times dissatisfied, saying, "I'm treating, and we're eating here?"
"Finish eating and go back to study," Song Yi answered resolutely.
Murong Huan: "QAQ."
Suddenly, Quan Le stood up, took out a tablet from his bag, and placed it on the table.
Jiang Yiheng asked, "What are you doing?"
"Making a call," Quan Le replied, then opened the WeChat chat page with Shen Yujing.
Shen Yujing's face appeared on the screen, also on the dinner table.
He had a black headband on, looking like he had just finished exercising, his cheeks still sweaty, but he waved at the camera: "Hi! My friends!"
Everyone: "..."
Only Murong Huan was very cooperative with Shen Yujing, shouting, "Long time no see, Shen Yujing! Tell you a good news! I got third place in our class!"
Shen Yujing's expression was obviously a bit speechless, he said, "I've stopped attending classes, who's going to compete with you? I'm here today to show you all a treasure."
Quan Le asked curiously, "What?"
Shen Yujing answered seriously, "My enchanting voice."
After saying that, Shen Yujing took a step back and began to prepare.
Song Yi picked up her chopsticks and said, "Don't mind him, just eat."
Jiang Yiheng and Hang Feng lowered their heads, while Quan Le and Murong Huan still had some expectations for Shen Yujing's performance, eating while waiting.
Then—
When Shen Yujing's throat sang the first line of the song, the green pepper Song Yi was holding fell onto the table, and Quan Le choked on a mouthful of water.
The same familiar voice, the same familiar terrible singing.
But everyone remained silent, no one made the next move, as if they were all stunned by the singing.
Until Murong Huan, feeling utterly hopeless, said, "If I keep listening, I really won't be able to eat dinner."
Hang Feng, closest to the tablet, directly reached out and pressed the disconnect button, ending the video call.
In that instant, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and looked at Hang Feng with grateful eyes.
Thankfully, thankfully, it was finally over.
As for when Shen Yujing on the other end would realize they had hung up, that no longer mattered.
God opens a door for someone, but also closes a window, how fair.
After dinner.
Hang Feng said, "My grandma sent some homemade pastries to the door for you all, do you want to go get them?"
Song Yi and Jiang Yiheng both nodded to indicate they could.
Murong Huan replied, "Song Yi can go, just bring some back for me to eat."
Quan Le said, "Then I'll go back with Murong Huan."
It was already dark outside, and although this was a school campus, Murong Huan being a girl needed someone to accompany her, so they split into two groups like this.
Before leaving, Song Yi couldn't help but turn back to urge Murong Huan, "You go back and take a shower first, when I get back I want to see you already correcting the test papers."
Jiang Yiheng also glanced at them and said, "Study hard."
Murong Huan pouted and said, "I know."
Quan Le looked at Murong Huan and asked, "Are you really just going back to do homework?"
Murong Huan took a sip of milk and asked, "What else?"
Quan Le asked her, "Isn't today a big day for you? I can open the north gate of the school, want to go out and play?"
Hearing this, Murong Huan's face clearly showed hesitation.
She was obviously tempted, but reason won over this temptation.
Quan Le didn't know about the agreement between Murong Huan and her father, still trying to persuade her to go out and play.
But in the end, Murong Huan still waved her hand and said, "No, it's such an important time, don't try to lead me astray."
"I was just asking, if you don't want to, then don't." Quan Le mumbled, and then suddenly thought of Jiang Yiheng's earlier reminder to study hard.
How? Did his one sentence have such a big impact, could Murong Huan be so obedient?
Didn't she say she didn't like him, didn't she say she wanted to break off the engagement? Why is she still...
Forget it.
Quan Le was annoyed and didn't want to think about it anymore, looking at Murong Huan: "Let's go, I'll take you back."
*
At the school gate.
Grandma just called, saying the usual road was under construction, so she would be a bit late.
The driver from the Jiang family had been waiting for a long time, so Jiang Yiheng left first, leaving Song Yi and Hang Feng to wait.
Hang Feng suddenly asked her, "Song Yi, have you been happy recently?"
"Ah?" This question was too sudden, making Song Yi instinctively pause, then she replied, "Pretty good, everyday is just a bit tiring with studying, nothing else."
"That's good." After saying that, Hang Feng averted his eyes again.
Song Yi frowned, she felt something was off.
Or rather, she had felt something was not quite right for a long time.
Hang Feng had some changes recently, better than before when they got along well, he would often take the initiative to communicate and help each other, even inviting Jiang Yiheng and Quan Le together...
Yes, the problem is here!
It seems the same as before, Hang Feng seems to be more integrated with them than before, but he started to avoid being alone with her.
If Jiang Yiheng hadn't left first today, they would still be waiting together as a trio.
Song Yi thought so and asked: "Hang Feng, I feel like you've been avoiding me on purpose recently, haven't you?"
The night hid the panic in the boy's eyes, his voice was calm, saying: "No, you're overthinking."
If it were really nothing, he would have asked her strangely "Why do you think that?", instead of directly denying it.
Obviously, there was something on his mind.
Song Yi stood in front of Hang Feng, "Lower your head, look at me."
Hang Feng looked down at her, his eyes complex.
Song Yi directly asked: "Are we friends?"
"......Yes."
Song Yi was obviously a bit angry, she said: "If I did something wrong recently, you can directly tell me, but don't always avoid it, and don't treat me like a fool."
"If there's a problem, you have to say it, you can't keep it in your heart, like this the gap will only get bigger, I don't like this."
The girl's voice was clear and crisp, yet extremely earnest.
And Hang Feng's gaze unconsciously fell on her lips.
The crimson lips moved incessantly, accusing him, overlapping with the image of the pale lips he had kissed in his dreams.
These days, these invisible shackles had already made him suffer and conflicted.
In a trance, he asked: "If I said, liking you could kill you, or maybe it already did once, you wouldn't regret it?"
Hang Feng's words made Song Yi freeze, even in that instant her blood felt cold.
He likes her.
Liking her could kill her.
It already happened once.
Some deliberately forgotten memories surfaced in her mind, but unlike before, this time it turned into a series of text descriptions.
Those things were no longer the life the original owner had experienced, but really just text left on paper.
But Hang Feng... what does he know?
Even in such shock, Song Yi tried her best to calm down.
She looked at Hang Feng with a strange expression and said, "What are you talking about? What's with the death talk? It's not auspicious at night."
Hang Feng still looked down at her, a pair of narrow eyes now slightly red, as if trying to endure something.
He slowly spoke, as if he was lost in memories.
"I had a dream, that night in the castle, but I feel it wasn't just a dream."
"I dreamed you came to our school, but everything that happened next was different from now. You were bullied, you treated me well, but in the end you were still with Shen Yujing. But I was unwilling, because in the dream I also liked you.
"So I did something very wrong to you, I tricked you into my home, and then imprisoned you. In the end, you jumped from the building, and then..."
Then, there's no need to say more.
Indeed...
If someone held Song Yi's hand at this moment, they would be surprised why it was all sweat.
Not nervous, not afraid, but sad.
That night in the castle, when the system left.
Clearly said this world was no longer a book, clearly said everyone was a living person, clearly said this was a real world.
She went through so much, just to separate the content of the book from herself, she cared about every friend around her, she liked the life like this now.
But why, did Hang Feng have to dream about all this.
Didn't they say it was over? Didn't they say she was going to have a new life? This is a breach of the agreement.
Song Yi forced herself not to cry, she was very clear, if she admitted the authenticity of this dream tonight, then regret and pain would accompany Hang Feng's life.
They were not characters in a book, they were not puppets, so none of them should ruin their lives because of these so-called dogshit settings.
Absolutely not.
Song Yi took a deep breath, then put her hand on Hang Feng's forehead, showing a puzzled expression and said, "What are you talking about? You're not even feverish."
Hang Feng grabbed Song Yi's wrist and said, "That oath I made when I sent you home that day."
"I remember, I just said it casually." Song Yi looked at Hang Feng with a helpless expression, then said, "I just read a few novels about domineering CEOs those days, can't you take a joke like this?"
Hang Feng frowned: "What do you mean?"
"I say you really are sick." Song Yi rolled her eyes, "You're so wronged just because of an oath, such a small thing you still remember it now? It's said that daydreaming comes from thinking, you can have such a strange dream, you must have thought about this a lot, right? Do you also like domineering CEO novels?"
Hang Feng's voice was hoarse, saying: "Is this really just a dream?"
Song Yi retorted, "Otherwise? You don't actually think this really happened, do you? You think you've been reborn? If you're so good at imagining, why don't you write a novel?"
But after hearing Song Yi's words, Hang Feng remained silent, as if pondering the truth of it all.
Song Yi took a deep breath, seemingly feeling a bit tired, and asked him, "I'll ask you the simplest question, if I really did fall in love with someone else and got married, would you imprison me? Would you kill me?"
"No," Hang Feng replied without hesitation, then repeated his previous vow, saying, "I promised you that if that day ever comes, I would die before hurting you."
"And... as long as he truly loves you, I would bless you, I would genuinely be happy for you."
"Then what's there to be concerned about? You seem so quiet and reserved, I wonder what you're thinking about all the time. And talking about 'going dark' and 'imprisoning'—are you still in your rebellious phase? Don't you feel ashamed saying that out loud?" Song Yi said, then very disdainfully rubbed her arms, continuing to complain, "I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it."
At that moment, Grandma's voice rang out, "Yi Yi, Xiao Feng, over here!"
Song Yi quickly ran over, affectionately greeting Grandma, and took the pastries from her.
Before heading back to the dormitory, Song Yi looked at Hang Feng and admonished, "Alright, I'll pretend I never heard tonight's conversation. If you dare to tell Murong Huan about this and make me lose face, it's not over between us."
After saying that, Song Yi turned and walked towards the dormitory.
And Grandma called out, "Xiao Feng, let's go home, what are you spacing out for?"
"It's nothing, Grandma."
Hang Feng followed behind Grandma, and the two of them boarded the last bus of the day.
The young man sat with his eyes downcast by the window, while Song Yi's words today lingered in his mind.
As the saying goes, thoughts during the day lead to dreams at night, so it seems reasonable.
Just as she said, since he could be sure he wouldn't do those things. Then whether all this was a real event or a bizarre dream, was there really a need to delve into it?
The answer is—
No.
