Chapter 16: Brother Shi Yu

Chapter 16: Brother Shi Yu

After some thought, Lin Yao felt she couldn't let Shi Yu's glare go unanswered.

She turned back and softly reported, "Shi Nian, isn't it your responsibility to manage Shi Yu when he skips class?"

Shi Nian looked up and exclaimed, "Ah."

Shi Nian: "Oh, you mean that? Actually, he's not skipping class."

Lin Yao: "If he's not skipping class, then what is he doing?"

"Shi Yu is going..." Shi Nian paused slightly.

She deliberated for half a second and decided not to tell Lin Yao about it.

Shi Nian: "It's nothing. Don't worry about him; let's start the class."

Lin Yao: "But..."

Before Lin Yao could finish her sentence, the homeroom teacher of Class 13 entered.

Their homeroom teacher was Stephen, a middle-aged man with curly hair, thick glasses, and approaching fifty. The students usually called him Stephen.

As soon as Stephen came in, he smiled and adjusted his glasses upon seeing Lin Yao and Shi Nian.

Stephen: "Wow, our class has really made a splash this year, welcoming two top students at once."

Lin Yao felt her face turn red.

Compared to Shi Nian, her grades were far behind, so she didn't dare call herself a top student in front of her.

Unexpectedly, as the teacher spoke, a group of boys in the middle of the class whistled.

"Hey, Mr. Big, don't pretend. With two top students joining us this semester, you must be overjoyed inside. One in the top 50, one third in the grade, how lucky can you get?"

"That's right. You always push us to participate in school activities. Now that we have Shi Nian and Lin Yao, please don't pick on us anymore."

"Knock it off—" Stephen accurately threw a piece of chalk at the heads of the two chatty troublemakers.

"Alright, let's get serious. Since everyone has the fortune to be in Class 13, most of you are familiar with my rules. Regardless of your academic performance, there's only one requirement in our class—unity and mutual support."

"No bullying or mistreating others will be tolerated in my class."

As Stephen spoke, the chalk in his hand coincidentally pointed in Zhou Yuwei's direction.

Zhou Yuwei panicked and quickly lowered her head.

Stephen said nothing, put down the chalk, and clapped his hands.

"As for skipping class or not submitting homework, I won't interfere. Your life is yours, and if you don't make an effort, there's nothing a teacher can do. I'll teach everything I'm supposed to, but whether you learn or not is up to you. Alright, prepare for class. Shi Nian, Lin Yao, come out with me."

Lin Yao was somewhat surprised and followed Shi Nian out.

Homeroom Teacher Stephen: "I called you two out because I want you to temporarily serve as the class president and vice president this semester."

Vice president!

The young girl's beautiful deer-like eyes suddenly brightened.

She really enjoyed being chosen and trusted.

And... without fear of embarrassment, she had only served as vice president for a brief month in Class 1 before. After Shi Nian arrived, the position naturally went to someone else.

Stephen: "Is that okay?"

Lin Yao: "No problem."

Shi Nian: "I have a problem..."

What problem could Shi Nian possibly have?

Lin Yao curiously turned around and found Shi Nian looking at her.

Shi Nian hesitated several times before speaking, "I... Shi Yu and I have already decided to drop out. Sorry, teacher."

Stephen: "Drop out? How can you drop out with such excellent grades!"

"How can you drop out?" Lin Yao was even more anxious than Stephen.

Shi Nian calmly replied, "Because I have no money. Not only do I lack funds, but everyone knows about our family's situation. We owe a lot of debt. Shi Yu and I discussed it, and we think high school plus college is almost six years, which is too much time, and the creditors won't agree to wait that long. So... we've decided to drop out and work while paying off the debts."

Stephen: "Work to pay off debts? How much can you earn by dropping out of high school?"

Shi Nian responded candidly, "Shi Yu has been developing a software application. Given our previous circumstances, you know many institutions and individuals are willing to invite us for private tutoring."

"You..." Stephen was frustrated but couldn't find the words to say, meeting Shi Nian's calm and determined gaze.

He knew the specific situation of these two children well.

After all, Shi Yu was in his class.

When their situation arose, the school had already held meetings to discuss it.

Some suggested organizing a fundraising campaign within the school, but it was still under consideration, mainly due to the personalities of the two students.

Based on Stephen's understanding of Shi Yu, he would never accept the fundraising money.

So, the school decided to wait until they returned to school and ask for their opinions.

As for other things like tuition fees and meal cards, the school will help wherever it can.

"Shi Nian, you can't..."

Lin Yao's small voice came through as she gently reached out to tug on Shi Nian's sleeve.

"The debt issue can be dealt with over time, but if you lose your high school years, they're gone forever..."

She was so anxious that she blurted out everything she had seen in her dream.

"You and Shi Yu can go to Capital University; you can even be top scorers in the college entrance exam—one in physics, the other in history. If you drop out, you'll lose everything."

Their grade had just started the new 3+1+2 college entrance exam system, with Shi Nian choosing history and Shi Yu choosing physics.

Although Lin Yao didn't understand why someone with Shi Yu's grades would choose physics, she decided to attribute it to the protagonist's aura.

Lin Yao did want to change the plot and see if her butterfly effect could make a difference.

But she only wanted to change her own life, not affect Shi Nian and Shi Yu.

"Lin Yao, thank you for having such faith in us..."

Shi Nian thought Lin Yao was just using exaggerated flattery to convince them to stay and didn't take it seriously.

"But it's not necessary. Shi Yu is very determined, and I support his decision. He should already be in the principal's office."

Shi Nian's eyes dimmed as he lowered his gaze, "He left earlier to talk about dropping out. We came here today to take one last look around."

That's why she wanted to protect Lin Yao for as long as possible while they were still here.

Once they left, she would be alone again.

"No, I won't allow it, I won't let you leave..."

Lin Yao shook her head in disbelief, stepping back, her eyes gradually welling up with tears.

"Just wait, I'll persuade Shi Yu. I won't let you drop out..."

Lin Yao said this and turned to run.

The girl ran quickly, the morning sunlight streaming in from outside the corridor, illuminating her fluttering skirt.

It was like waves of hope rising.

Shi Nian tried to chase after Lin Yao, but Stephen stepped forward to block her.

Stephen: "Shi Nian, the teacher thinks that although your grades are better than Lin Yao's, she seems smarter than you."

Shi Nian hadn't expected such words from their new homeroom teacher.

She looked at Stephen in surprise.

Stephen: "At least she knows what the first choice should be at every crucial stage of life."

Shi Nian pondered Stephen's words in silence, her gaze gradually lowering.

After a long moment, she said—

"Thank you, Teacher Stephen... You're right."

*

When Lin Yao reached the corridor outside the principal's office, she saw the familiar black figure from afar.

Shi Yu stood there with one hand in his pocket and a backpack slung over his right shoulder, waiting outside the office.

She hurried over.

"Shi Yu..."

The little girl hugged him from behind.

The young man, who had been lost in thought, tensed up instantly.

His eyes darkened as he turned his head, giving her a cold stare, "Lin Yao?"

"Don't transfer, don't transfer."

Her face pressed against his back, her arms tightly around his waist.

She even felt the taut muscles under his school uniform jacket.

And the warmth.

But Lin Yao didn't have time to think about that. She nervously looked around, relieved not to see the principal.

If the principal arrived, it would be too late.

Yes, she couldn't let Shi Yu meet the principal.

"Come with me first..." Without giving Shi Yu a chance to refuse, she grabbed his hand.

Her slender, soft fingers intertwined with Shi Yu's slightly cool ones.

He lowered his gaze slightly, his dark lashes hiding his eyes, focusing on her delicate, pink fingers holding his, lost in thought.

Casually, he allowed Lin Yao to lead him away.

Finally reaching the far end of the teaching building, far from the principal's office, Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief and realized she was still holding Shi Yu's hand.

She quickly let go, trying to explain: "Um, I... I..."

"Why did you come all the way over here."

Aren't you supposed to hate me?

The young man's low, cold voice asked.

Lin Yao was taken aback and raised her eyes, only to find that Shi Yu's pitch-black pupils were fixed on her under the sunlight without missing a beat.

The color of his pupils, due to the light, had turned into a glass-like light brown.

This added an extra layer of coldness and detachment to him.

Lin Yao tilted her head and thought for a moment, deciding to use genuine feelings to move him: "Because I don't want to see you drop out. Shi Yu..."

She took a step forward, using as gentle and coaxing a tone as possible.

"You and Shi Nian will go to great universities in the future. Don't rush into this. If you drop out now, you'll definitely regret it later."

"I... My mom always tells me that working outside is very tough. Even if you're geniuses and end up making a lot of money, this path will certainly be harder than taking the college entrance exam normally. Moreover, when you make money in the future and look back at today's choice, you'll definitely regret it... I don't want you to regret it..."

She wasn't good at persuasion; she could only repeat what her mother usually said to motivate her.

Seeing Shi Yu silent and unresponsive, Lin Yao assumed he hadn't listened and became even more anxious.

She suddenly remembered when they were little...

When they were little, Shi Yu loved hearing her call him older brother and was most afraid of her pleading with him, crying and begging him.

As long as she called him like that and pleaded with him, the dish she wanted to eat would always appear on their dining table the next day...

Lin Yao gently pursed her lips, did some mental preparation, and secretly reached out to tug at Shi Yu's sleeve.

Shi Yu's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The soft voice of the girl sounded beside his ear.

"Shi Yu Gege... Don't drop out, okay?"

Shi Yu's dark eyes flickered momentarily, and as he looked down at her, the laziness and coldness in his sharp features seemed to melt away with warmth.

Lin Yao still held onto his sleeve.

Her eyes were red-rimmed, her face flushed, looking both pitiful and vulnerable.

She gently shook his sleeve.

"Shi Yu Gege, you and Shi Nian are important people to me... I want to study hard together with you at school and get into the best university. Stay with me, okay?"

Even though he knew she was using those tricks again, the young man's gaze couldn't move away.

How long had it been since she last called him like this?

After a long while, Shi Yu finally looked away.

His throat moved slightly, and he let out a barely audible sigh.

"...Okay."

He said.