### Chapter 4 Compensation

### Chapter 4 Compensation

The girl with red, tear-stained eyes turned around following Shi Yu's gaze.

"Who is she?"

Zhou Yuwei turned back but only saw an empty staircase.

Her eyes filled with bewildered jealousy, with no outlet, as there was no one on the steps behind her.

Zhou Yuwei didn't understand what Shi Yu meant, and couldn't figure out who the 'her' he mentioned was.

Just then, footsteps faded away.

Zhou Yuwei realized that Shi Yu had been deceiving her, using her distraction to leave.

She hurriedly turned to chase after him.

"Shi Yu..."

A voice that was both coquettish and urgent.

Only when the sound of the girl chasing after him drifted far away did the girl on the other side of the staircase, who had been crouching and holding the railing, slowly stand up.

That was close...

Lin Yao released her hand from her lips, which she had been tightly covering.

She had almost called out just now.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and hid before the girl turned back, or else she would have caused more trouble.

Thinking about it, Lin Yao found Shi Yu to be truly despicable.

Even if he was annoyed by her eavesdropping, she wasn't doing it intentionally.

He actually tried to divert the trouble to her, wanting to drag her into the mess as well.

"The Shi siblings are indeed equally detestable..."

Lin Yao muttered, biting her lip lightly.

She decided to stay further away from this pair in the future.

As for the 'like' that Shi Yu mentioned, Lin Yao didn't take it seriously at all.

Shi Yu had always been cold and indifferent, seeming uninterested in everything.

It would be a miracle if he showed a little less arrogance and condescension.

Like?

Someone like him wouldn't know what it means to like someone.

...

Today the weather was good, and finally, during the extended break, they were going to do exercises on the playground.

Qiu Xueer linked arms with Lin Yao and joined the queue of Class 1, Grade 2.

On the stage in front of the playground, a boy and a girl stood side by side, talking to the physical education teacher who had just arrived.

Lin Yao pretended to glance casually at the stage.

The girl on the stage had fair skin and delicate features, her ponytail swaying gently as she spoke.

Beside her stood a boy in a black school uniform, tall and slender, his facial features not as striking as Shi Yu's, but his eyes held a warm smile, giving off a soothing presence.

These were Shi Nian and Gu Xizhou.

They were the most outstanding "golden couple" in their grade.

There were rumors that the ice queen Shi Nian looked down on all males except for Gu Xizhou.

Gu Xizhou was recognized as the top student at No. 3 Middle School, consistently ranking first in the grade, with a gentle and amiable personality.

Even if unfamiliar classmates approached him with questions, even from neighboring classes, he never refused them.

Moreover, he explained problems patiently, listing several different approaches, ensuring that the questioner understood.

Even though Lin Yao, due to her pride and persona, didn't want to crowd around Gu Xizhou's seat like others after class,

whenever she caught him alone, she would seize the opportunity to ask a few questions with her problem book.

It was simply too rare to find someone as dedicated and responsible as Gu Xizhou, even compared to tutors from outside institutions.

A free human answer machine— who wouldn't like that?

But apart from a few private sessions, Lin Yao hardly spoke to Gu Xizhou and knew very little about him.

She was too busy focusing on Shi Nian to pay attention to anyone else.

"Shi Nian and Gu Xizhou seem... quite familiar with each other?"

Lin Yao stared at Gu Xizhou on the stage, her flickering eyes hiding a hint of resentment.

Unless it was because Gu Xizhou solved problems faster, and interacting with him meant having a free personal tutor?

... How could she have not thought of this earlier!

If that's the case, Shi Nian is too cunning.

"Whatcha looking at so intently?" Qiu Xue'er suddenly waved her hand in front of Lin Yao's face, saying mysteriously, "Hehe, did you get lost staring at Gu Xizhou again?"

"What? Staring at him?" Lin Yao turned around, looking puzzled.

Qiu Xue'er: "Still denying it? I've caught you sneaking peeks at Gu Xizhou several times already. Come on, spill the beans—do you have a crush on our school genius?"

Lin Yao: ...

She likes Gu Xizhou?

She wasn't liking Gu Xizhou; she was studying what made his rumored love interest so special.

Seeing Lin Yao's dazed and silly expression, as if she had been startled by herself, Qiu Xue'er chuckled and pinched her cheek.

"Don't be like that. I'm just teasing you. Besides, even if Shi Nian likes Gu Xizhou, it doesn't mean you can't like him too. There are plenty of girls in school who fancy Gu Xizhou. Plus, they're not officially dating."

Lin Yao suddenly caught something important, her voice faltering slightly with urgency, "Wait... you said Shi Nian likes Gu Xizhou?"

Although there were rumors that Shi Nian had a crush on Gu Xizhou,

Lin Yao didn't really believe them.

Based on her understanding of Shi Nian, she didn't think Gu Xizhou was Shi Nian's type.

"It must be true," Qiu Xue'er glanced around, wary of another embarrassing incident like the one where they got caught gossiping about Shi Yu.

She leaned close to Lin Yao's ear and whispered, "I heard from someone else that Shi Nian confessed to Gu Xizhou in the small forest on campus, but he rejected her. Shi Nian was quite down for a while after that. Remember last semester's end-of-term exams? She was particularly gloomy then..."

Lin Yao: "Last semester's end-of-term exams..."

She remembered.

In the last week of last semester, Shi Nian often seemed distracted during class.

Lin Yao sat diagonally behind Shi Nian and always kept a close eye on her movements during class.

When she noticed Shi Nian's distraction, she thought she might finally surpass Shi Nian in the final exam.

She studied hard.

But despite her improvement, Shi Nian still ranked among the top three in the grade.

Learning that Shi Nian had confessed to Gu Xizhou and been rejected,

Lin Yao looked up at the boy in the black school uniform on the stage, frowning slightly.

"What's so great about him anyway?"

She muttered under her breath, sounding somewhat critical.

"Poor taste, not even as good-looking as her brother. How could someone like him reject her?"

"Huh, poor taste?" Qiu Xue'er misunderstood, "Not really. I think both you and Shi Nian have good taste. Apart from Shi Yu and the school bully, Gu Xizhou is the most popular guy in our school..."

Lin Yao knew Qiu Xue'er had misunderstood.

But the sound of the morning exercises began, and a teacher started patrolling. She had no time to explain and joined the exercises.

...

After the morning exercises, students began to disperse.

The school's large playground has three gates. Usually, their sophomore class prefers the gate near the stage because it's closer and convenient, plus they can stop by the snack shop on the way.

But because of this, it's the most crowded gate.

Freshmen also tend to crowd here.

With people bustling ahead, the student council members stood by the gate to maintain order and prevent stampedes.

Lin Yao, who had her own quirks about cleanliness, preferred to stay away from the crowd. She pulled Qiu Xue'er to the very back of the line.

Suddenly, a commotion arose behind them.

"Where's Shi Yu? He's not in class or here. Where did he go?"

That voice sounded familiar.

Lin Yao turned around and saw the girl who had confessed to Shi Yu at the stairwell this morning.

Her eyes were still red, clearly having cried recently.

She had delicate and striking features, pulling on one of the boys, clearly upset, yet her demeanor evoked a sense of fragility that was oddly endearing.

Lin Yao couldn't help but ask Qiu Xue'er quietly, "Who is she?"

Qiu Xue'er: "You don't know her? She's Zhou Yuwei, the one I told you about yesterday—the school beauty from No. 5 Middle School who followed Shi Yu when he transferred."

Lin Yao: "So it's her..."

Lin Yao was a bit shocked.

But upon closer inspection, Zhou Yuwei indeed lived up to her reputation as the school beauty from No. 5 Middle School.

Unfortunately, one of the boys she was holding onto was not impressed.

Lin Jingtao shook off Zhou Yuwei's hand disdainfully, "I already told you, Brother Yu isn't at school today. If you keep grabbing my clothes, I won't be polite."

"You're lying. I saw Shi Yu this morning!"

Zhou Yuwei was about to continue, but a teacher nearby heard the commotion and turned to look.

"Tell Shi Yu that I won't give up until he clarifies who he really likes!" Zhou Yuwei shouted before running off.

"Holy crap, does Brother Yu have a crush?"

"Who is it? Why haven't I heard him mention anyone?"

The boys from Class 13 were all abuzz with excitement.

Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat, and that uneasy feeling returned.

She pulled Qiu Xueer and hurried away.

Suddenly, someone from behind yelled, "Hey, that top student from Class 1—"

Lin Yao: ...

It wasn't her; it couldn't be her.

"Hey, buddy, I'm talking to you. What's with being so scared?"

Lin Jingtao suddenly appeared with a smile, reaching out to pat Lin Yao's shoulder but then withdrew his hand as if remembering something.

He casually extended his right arm in front of Lin Yao, blocking her path. "Hold on a second."

"Hey, Lin Jingtao, what are you doing trying to chat up a good student?"

"Yeah... don't be like Zhou Yuwei, scaring the girl."

The other boys from Class 13 also gathered around, laughing.

Lin Yao recognized the boy leading the group who had almost 'made a move' on her outside the basketball court yesterday—it was Lin Jingtao.

She didn't want to deal with anyone close to Shi Yu.

The young girl pulled Qiu Xueer back, her face slightly cold, and said in a stern but timid voice, "What... what do you want? This is the playground, and there are teachers right in front..."

Someone behind them chuckled, clearly mocking Lin Yao for her childish attempt to scare them off by mentioning the teachers.

Lin Yao pursed her lips and looked down.

Lin Jingtao shrugged nonchalantly and said, "Don't misunderstand. I just have something to give you."

"Give me... something?" Lin Yao looked up in surprise.

She didn't even know Lin Jingtao. What could he possibly have for her?

Lin Jingtao grunted and reached into the pocket of his school uniform jacket.

That pocket looked slightly bulging, as if it contained quite a few things.

After feeling around for a while, Lin Jingtao finally pulled out a package from his pocket.

"Here, this is it."

A crumpled snack bag was held out by Lin Jingtao.

"Spicy... strips..."

Lin Yao was stunned.

Out of nowhere, Lin Jingtao had handed her a pack of spicy strips in public!

Actually, before coming to school today, Lin Yao had specifically asked around at the small supermarkets and stores outside the school, only to be told that the latest flavor of spicy strips had sold out.

They would be hard to find for a while.

"Lin Yao, why did he give you spicy strips? The latest flavor too! I couldn't even get them at the store today. He's amazing." Qiu Xueer excitedly shook Lin Yao's arm.

The boys from Class 13 all whistled loudly nearby, not minding the commotion.

Turns out Lin Jingtao had come over just to flirt with her.

Flirting with spicy strips?

Tsk tsk... cliché, tacky, lame!

Lin Yao struggled to turn her face away from the pack of spicy strips, speaking in as calm and gentle a tone as possible, "Excuse me, classmate, but I think you've made a mistake. I never eat such junk food. Sorry, I can't accept your gesture..."

"This isn't my gesture," Lin Jingtao said with a hint of grievance. "This is something my Brother Yu asked me to give you."

At this, everyone around them erupted.

Damn, Shi Yu actually used a pack of spicy strips to flirt!

As expected of Brother Yu, his methods are impressive! Fresh! High-level!

Lin Yao: "Brother... Yu?"

Which Brother Yu?

Not the one she was thinking of, right?

Lin Jingtao sighed, shaking his head, and reluctantly shoved the pack of spicy strips into Lin Yao's arms.

He lowered his voice, with a meaningful look: "Brother Yu said this is compensation for you. Sigh, I secretly stashed this pack yesterday, and he still found out. Fine, take it. You top students sure have guts, pretending not to know him, yet secretly having Brother Yu grab spicy strips for you."

Lin Yao, who was forcibly given a spicy strip: ...

She didn't let Shi Yu help her grab the spicy strip!

Her heart is not dirty!!!