Chapter 3: Liking Her

Chapter 3: Liking Her

Seeing the failed attempt at managing her expression on Lin Yao's face, her cheeks puffed up in anger.

Shi Yu leaned his hand holding the package against the windowsill, his indifferent eyes darkening slightly.

He shook the packet of spicy strips in his hand once more.

The girl inside the opposite window, with her beautiful deer-like eyes, brightened up again.

Until the little girl's anger reached its threshold, and she could no longer hold back, pulling the curtains shut to block the view.

Only then did Shi Yu pout, close the window, and sit back down at the table.

"Shi Yu, that book I had the other day..."

Shi Nian suddenly knocked and entered, surprised to see the opened packet of spicy strips on Shi Yu's desk.

"You actually eat spicy strips?"

Shi Yu's situation was well-known to Shi Nian, his twin sister.

That guy, Shi Yu, shouldn't like this kind of thing.

"A classmate gave them to me. I opened them out of boredom."

"YX Big Spicy Strips, the new flavor at the school store today. Heard they were sold out as soon as they arrived. Let me try some."

As Shi Nian spoke, she reached out, but before her fingertips touched the package, a hand with distinct knuckles blocked her.

He pushed the package away casually, separating it from the rest of the items on the table.

It was a casual gesture.

But it clearly indicated he didn't intend to share.

"Tightwad."

Shi Nian shrugged indifferently.

"I'll buy my own tomorrow."

Ignoring him, she found the book she needed from the nearby shelf, swung her ponytail, and left the room.

Shi Yu remained seated at the desk, his slender fingers nudging the packet of spicy strips again, taking out a strip...

They were surprisingly good.

No wonder the little green tea across the way cared so much.

*

"Dad": Youyou, is this allowance enough? Dad has already turned in all his money for this month, so I don't have much left.

System Notification: The other party has transferred 500 yuan to you.

"Lin Yao": It's enough, thank you, Dad. Love you!

Lin Yao happily accepted the 500 yuan pocket money her father just transferred to her and sent him a heart emoji.

Both Lin Xiong and Xia Tingnan doted on her.

The monthly allowance they gave her was always more than enough.

But because Xia Tingnan had strict dietary requirements for Lin Yao, she had to account for her expenses.

Buying pretty hair clips, stationery, and stickers was fine, but buying snacks and drinks wasn't allowed.

So, Lin Yao had to secretly save money for snacks, relying on her father Lin Xiong's private support.

She closed her phone, tiptoed to the door, and listened for a moment.

She faintly heard the sound of a popular drama series her mother was currently watching.

Convinced her mother wouldn't come in right now, Lin Yao returned to her room.

She stood in front of the wardrobe dedicated to winter clothes and opened the door.

Inside, a row of winter coats filled the wardrobe, from long coats to short ones and down jackets.

Looking at these winter coats, Lin Yao's beautiful features curved into a smile.

Her eyes sparkled with delight.

The girl licked her lips, reached into the wardrobe, and felt around the inner pocket of a herringbone coat, pulling out two chocolates.

She felt around further and found two small packets of roasted pork jerky.

This was her secret stash of snacks.

The wardrobe dedicated to winter coats was rarely opened.

She hid the small packets of snacks in the pockets of these winter coats, and her mother had never discovered them so far.

Unfortunately, this method only worked for small snacks with mild odors.

Lin Yao unwrapped a chocolate and popped it into her mouth.

Mmm... So sweet.

Open another pack of pork floss.

... Delicious.

But after she finished, she still felt unsatisfied, as if something was missing.

"It seems like it's not as good as that new spicy strip flavor."

Lin Yao sat back down at her desk and sighed, resting her chin on her hand, looking at the freshly completed test paper.

Should I sneak out to the convenience store outside the school tomorrow to stock up?

*

The next morning during self-study, Lin Yao was collecting the Chinese homework assigned by the teacher yesterday.

She excelled in Chinese and had been elected as the Chinese class representative shortly after joining this class.

However, besides being the Chinese class representative, Lin Yao had also been chosen as the vice-class monitor and the English class representative.

Unfortunately, these positions were all taken away when Shi Nian transferred to their school.

Therefore, Lin Yao took her role as the Chinese class representative especially seriously.

She bent over, carefully writing down the names of the students who hadn't submitted their homework on a sticky note.

Qiu Xueer, sitting in front, leaned over and whispered, "Lin Yao, have you heard? Next weekend, the school is going to hold another class reassignment exam."

"Class reassignment exam? That can't be true."

Lin Yao looked up, her eyes filled with surprise.

"We just had a class reassignment at the beginning of last semester. Why so soon again?"

During that period, she woke up at 5 AM every day to study, and after finishing her evening classes, she would continue doing exercises until 1 AM before finally turning off the lights to sleep.

Every day felt like a monk's ascetic life.

But to maintain her image,

at school, she had to act calm and discuss the latest dramas or idol live videos from the night before with her classmates, creating an illusion that she didn't need much studying to achieve high scores.

She didn't want to go through those days again.

Qiu Xueer: "Why not? I heard it's part of a school reform. They're competing with No. 5 Middle School. The leadership there has gone crazy, organizing weekly exams for second-year students and putting up a big LED screen at the school gate to display the rankings and scores of each weekly exam. They even have a monthly class reassignment exam, claiming it's to provide better opportunities for hardworking students and motivate everyone. Our school leaders probably fear being overtaken by No. 5, so they decided to hold a class reassignment exam too."

No. 3 Middle School usually only held one class reassignment exam for new second-year and third-year students, with no major changes afterward.

Lin Yao thought that when she worked hard to get into Class 1 of the second year, she would stay there for at least a year.

She bit her lip, her voice muffled, "I don't want to leave Class 1..."

Qiu Xueer didn't hear her clearly but sighed sincerely.

"Sigh, at times like this, I envy Shi Nian the most. She always gets such good grades without studying. My brain just can't compare to hers."

Lin Yao: "..."

Annoying.

She hated Shi Nian even more now.

"Lin Yao, the head teacher wants you to come to her office."

A classmate's call interrupted Lin Yao's thoughts.

She responded softly, asking Qiu Xueer to continue collecting the Chinese practice books, then headed towards the office.

Lin Yao was preoccupied with the news of the class reassignment.

She had to stay in Class 1; it represented the best teachers and the best learning environment.

She had worked hard to get into Class 1 and couldn't afford to fall behind.

As she walked downstairs, she was calculating which subjects she needed to focus on to improve her scores.

Suddenly, a sorrowful voice came from below.

"Shi Yu, what am I doing wrong? I like you so much, and I even followed you here from next door. Why won't you agree to date me?"

The girl's voice was soft and tearful, evoking sympathy.

Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively looked down.

As she peeked around the corner of the stairs, her gaze met a calm, dark gaze.

Shi Yu stood at the next stair landing, leaning against the wall in his black school uniform.

The girl in front of him, wearing a school uniform, had red cheeks and tears in her eyes, her emotions heightened and uncontrollable.

But Shi Yu's expression was indifferent.

His gaze didn't linger on her; instead, he looked past her trembling shoulders, lifting his chin slightly to meet Lin Yao's eyes.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

From the stairs, Lin Yao's fingers tightened, gripping the railing.

She swore that despite hating the Shi siblings, she had no intention of prying into their private affairs.

But at this moment.

Meeting Shi Yu's indifferent and cold gaze, Lin Yao's legs felt as if they were nailed to the ground, cemented in place.

Memories from her childhood, those embarrassing moments she wished to forget, surged up like a flood.

Shi Yu was always like this, superior yet indifferent.

His features were strikingly handsome, with pitch-black pupils, a high nose bridge, and a sharp jawline that could make any opposite sex fantasize.

But to Lin Yao, such a Shi Yu only embodied the hurtful phrase 'aloof and untouchable.'

She couldn't help but feel even more sympathy for the girl who had confessed and been ignored by Shi Yu.

"Shi Yu, why aren't you speaking? Why can't you ever see me?"

The girl seemed to notice Shi Yu's distraction.

She cried and reached out to grab his sleeve, hoping to get him to look at her more.

Shi Yu sidestepped, avoiding her touch.

A hint of displeasure finally appeared on his face.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in puppy love."

His voice was cool, low, and deep.

"I... We don't have to start now. If you like me too, we can wait until after graduation..."

"I don't like you."

Shi Yu rejected her straightforwardly.

"Don't like me? How could you not like me?" The girl seemed stunned, looking at him in disbelief. "That time outside the No. 5 Middle School exam hall, you clearly helped me..."

Shi Yu's gaze swept over her, interrupting her words.

The impatience and coldness in his eyes reached their peak.

The girl seemed frightened by his gaze, taking a step back, but then, seemingly unwilling to give up, raised her voice and asked through sobs.

"Then tell me, who do you like... If you tell me, I... I'll give up."

Shi Yu remained silent, clearly showing he didn't want to engage.

Just when Lin Yao thought they would remain in this stalemate,

Shi Yu suddenly lifted his head and looked in her direction.

Lin Yao's heart tightened, suddenly feeling an ominous premonition.

She wanted to hide, but it was too late.

Shi Yu raised his eyelids, and his lazy, malicious voice sounded low.

"...I like her."