Chapter 25 Lin Yao Was Abducted

Chapter 25 Lin Yao Was Abducted

"Sit down if your legs are weak."

Shi Yu's cold voice rang out, but his large hand carefully pulled Lin Yao's arm, guiding her back to her seat.

Seeing her sit steadily, Shi Yu then let go.

He casually pulled a chair from nearby and sat directly between Lin Yao and Qi Yanye.

"Mind if we join you, Brother Yan?"

Lin Jingtao greeted with a smile and sat opposite Lin Yao.

This arrangement left Shi Nian on Lin Yao's left, Lin Jingtao opposite her, and Qi Yanye on her right.

Shi Yu and Lin Yao squeezed together on one side of the table, placing him right between her and Qi Yanye.

Lin Yao stole a glance at Shi Yu sitting next to her, feeling a bit intimidated.

The sense of security she felt when she first saw Shi Yu, like grabbing onto a floating log, was extinguished by his icy demeanor.

What a disappointment.

She thought he was her savior, but he turned out to be just like Qi Yanye.

One was as cold as ice, emitting an inexplicable chill beside her, ready to freeze her at any moment.

The other was terrifyingly aggressive, as if a single wrong word could snap her neck.

Lin Yao pulled her chair cautiously, trying to move it slightly away from Shi Yu and closer to Shi Nian.

"Where are you going?"

A hand grabbed her chair back.

Lin Yao paused, looking down at the long, slender hand resting on her chair back, then up to meet Shi Yu's slightly lazy gaze.

Lin Yao's lips moved: "Not... not going anywhere... just afraid it's too crowded for you..."

Shi Yu: "I'm not crowded."

Lin Yao: "..."

Shi Yu: "Sit properly."

Lin Yao: "Oh."

She obediently sat back down, not only failing to move closer to Shi Nian but actually ending up even closer to Shi Yu due to his pull.

Lin Yao could even smell the familiar, cool, woody fragrance emanating from him.

Qi Yanye raised an eyebrow, glancing at Shi Yu, who had clearly come to support Lin Yao.

He then looked to the right, where Lin Jingtao was already chatting with Shi Nian with a grin.

His gaze finally settled on Shi Nian's face across from him, showing no change in expression, seemingly indifferent to everything.

The school bully's lips curled into an unfriendly smirk, "I don't recall agreeing to share this table."

"Don't be like that, Brother Yan. We're all in the same class."

Lin Jingtao, thinking Qi Yanye was targeting him as an 'outsider,' smiled and said, "Brother Yu came to have dinner with Sister Nian, and I'm also under Sister Nian's care. Can I join you?"

It was quite a coincidence.

The bottom three students of Class 13 were all gathered at this table.

Lin Jingtao, being the third-worst student in Class 13, was now Shi Nian's new desk partner.

After seeing that Qi Yanye didn't object, Lin Jingtao picked up the menu and eagerly handed it to Shi Nian.

"Sister Nian... here, take a look at the menu. Order whatever you like; I'll treat you."

After all, she was a future rising idol.

Lin Jingtao flashed a bright, clean, and cheerful smile at Shi Nian, revealing a row of neat white teeth.

Shi Nian refused: "No need, we..."

Lin Jingtao: "Yes, yes, you're my tutor now. I definitely need to make sure you eat well. Oh, I remember last time when we ate with Brother Yu, you liked the spicy chicken and bullfrog, right? Boss, bring us a spicy chicken salad and a stone pot bullfrog, and also this garlic shrimp with vermicelli, one of each."

Spicy chicken salad, stone pot bullfrog, garlic shrimp with vermicelli!

Lin Yao, who had been keeping her head low, instantly lifted it up.

Lin Jingtao was excellent at ordering dishes; these were exactly what she and Shi Nian both loved.

And since she wouldn't have to scan the QR code to pay, her mother wouldn't know what they ate today, making it easier to cover it up.

Thinking about the upcoming spicy chicken salad, stone pot bullfrog, and garlic shrimp with vermicelli, Lin Yao pursed her lips in anticipation.

But just as Lin Jingtao finished ordering,

"Screech—"

Qi Yanye suddenly stood up with a stern face, causing his chair to scrape loudly against the floor.

The bustling restaurant fell silent instantly.

Everyone turned to look at him with shock on their faces. According to rumors, this school bully had almost been expelled in middle school for fighting so fiercely that he sent a classmate to the ICU.

He wouldn't be starting a fight in the restaurant, would he?

But Qi Yanye's eyes only showed a mix of arrogance and mockery as he stared intently at Shi Nian, "So familiar with your tastes, huh? Are you close?"

Shi Nian's breath hitched.

She knew what Qi Yanye meant and lowered her voice, "Qi Yanye, can't you stop doing this every time..."

"Can I?" Qi Yanye's cold voice interrupted her, his lips curling into a more pronounced sneer, "No."

"..."

Shi Nian clenched her fists.

Of course, she knew he couldn't.

Someone like Qi Yanye, with his personality, could never let go of the past.

And he could never forgive her.

Shi Nian lowered her gaze and stopped talking.

She told herself that she owed Qi Yanye, and whatever he said was right.

Seeing Shi Nian revert to her indifferent attitude without arguing back, Qi Yanye's dark eyes narrowed in defiance.

He gave a silent sneer and turned to leave.

Half a minute later, Shi Nian seemed to hesitate before standing up and chasing after him.

The table was left with only Lin Yao, Shi Yu, and Lin Jingtao.

Lin Yao was taken aback, not understanding what was going on between Qi Yanye and Shi Nian.

Their relationship seemed different from what the book described???

It felt strange, something wasn't quite right.

"Why are they acting like this?" she asked Shi Yu subconsciously, "Should we go check on them?"

At that moment, the food arrived, and the owner enthusiastically placed it on the table, filling the air with delicious aromas.

Shi Yu took out a pair of chopsticks, rinsed them with hot water, and handed them to her, his eyes slightly cool, "Either stay here and eat, or go out and ask them yourself."

Lin Yao: "..."

She looked at the chopsticks Shi Yu offered and the table full of delicious food, then thought about Qi Yanye's intimidatingly handsome face and shook her head.

"I'm not going."

The girl took the chopsticks, looking both scared and timid.

If even Shi Yu didn't want to intervene, Lin Yao dared not chase after them easily.

As she ate, she comforted herself, after all, Qi Yanye and Shi Nian were the main characters in the book.

Maybe their leaving together triggered some plot development to advance their relationship.

But Lin Yao was puzzled; she hadn't heard of Shi Nian and Qi Yanye interacting before. Since Shi Nian transferred, there had been no rumors of them knowing each other.

Why did their conversation just now sound like that?

"It's such a shame Qi Yanye left suddenly; he missed out on all this delicious food."

Lin Yao sympathetically picked up a piece of food, deciding to enjoy it herself.

She put the stone pot frog in her mouth—slightly hot but incredibly satisfying.

Shi Yu glanced at the girl's cheeks quickly puffing up as she ate, a rare hint of amusement in his eyes.

Shi Yu: "Qi Yanye would feel nauseous seeing frog legs, is allergic to shrimp, and hates cold dishes. If I were him, I'd leave too."

Lin Yao: "What?!"

There were actually people who didn't appreciate such delicious food.

Lin Jingtao anxiously slapped his forehead, "Oh no, I ordered all the things he dislikes. No wonder the school bully looked so upset earlier."

Lin Yao suddenly realized something was off.

Lin Yao: "How do you know Qi Yanye doesn't like cold dishes, is allergic to shrimp, and feels nauseous seeing frog legs?"

She turned to look at Shi Yu.

"That's true," Lin Jingtao also noticed, "Brother Yu, when did you get to know Qi Yanye so well?"

Shi Yu ignored Lin Jingtao's question and turned his gaze to Lin Yao's small face.

The girl's face showed a strong desire to know and obvious curiosity.

As if she really cared deeply about Qi Yanye.

Shi Yu's voice was cold, "Why, are you that concerned about this?"

Lin Yao nodded without hesitation, her face showing genuine concern, "Yes, so what's going on? Does Qi Yanye really dislike these things?"

She felt she might have found details and background stories not mentioned in the original book.

She had never known that Shi Yu was acquainted with Qi Yanye; the book hadn't mentioned anything about Qi Yanye's likes and dislikes either.

Shi Yu stared at the girl's obviously brightened eyes.

His gaze gradually darkened.

"I won't tell you."

Shi Yu said coldly.

*

Lin Yao swore she would never speak to Shi Yu again.

She didn't even finish the food on the table, puffed up her cheeks in anger, and stormed out of the restaurant.

If he won't say, then she didn't want to hear it anyway.

She wouldn't listen to anything Shi Yu had to say ever again.

Lin Yao's heart was filled with how much she despised Shi Yu.

Even after running out of the restaurant, she still felt suffocated and knew that only a cup of milk tea could soothe her.

She didn't dare buy milk tea from the shop near the school gate, so she took a few turns, heading for a quieter street behind.

"Lin Yao."

Suddenly, someone called her name from behind.

Lin Yao turned around and saw a figure approaching from the alley entrance, also wearing their school uniform. She was slightly taken aback, "Zhou Yuwei?"

Zhou Yuwei managed a smile that was neither particularly pleasant nor ugly, looking at her apologetically for the first time, "Lin Yao, can you come with me? Someone wants to see you."

"Who?" Lin Yao's immediate reaction was to refuse, "I'm not going..."

Zhou Yuwei looked behind her, "Sorry, but you don't have a choice anymore."

Lin Yao turned around in surprise, only to find several boys from the neighboring school had approached her unnoticed.

Lin Yao: "..."

...

Lin Yao was forced to follow Zhou Yuwei.

Seeing Zhou Yuwei walking ahead, her heart trembled with fear.

She remembered a part of the original text describing Zhou Yuwei.

Zhou Yuwei came from a wealthy family but was never favored by her father because she was a girl. Growing up under constant pressure, her personality became increasingly extreme. At school, she used her money to target all girls who liked Shi Yu.

She pursued Shi Yu all the way through university until she finally met her match, offending the real main characters and facing a tragic end.

But there was still over a year before Zhou Yuwei would meet her downfall in university, and Lin Yao wasn't part of the main cast. It seemed she had no way to deal with Zhou Yuwei, the villainous side character, targeting her, another side character.

The girl instinctively felt this situation was dangerous.

She reached for her phone immediately, but before she could touch it, one of the boys following her noticed and snatched it away.

Lin Yao: "Give me back my phone..."

Zhou Yuwei saw this and her face darkened as she whispered, "Don't cause trouble. We're just taking you to see someone. There's nothing else. Don't make things worse..."

Lin Yao's eyes welled up with tears, almost ready to cry.

Who was causing trouble and making things worse?

What did it mean to take her to see someone without any other intentions?

If there were no other intentions, why couldn't she use her phone?

She wasn't foolish enough to believe that.

It seemed Zhou Yuwei was here to pick a fight because of Shi Yu.

While feeling like she was caught in an undeserved disaster, Lin Yao tried to persuade her with trembling words.

"Zhou Yuwei, can I not go see that person? I want to go home... I promise I won't tell anyone about today..."

"It's already class time. If Mr. Shi and Shi Nian notice I'm missing, they might come looking. Let me go back..."

Mentioning Shi Nian made Zhou Yuwei hesitate slightly.

Lin Yao noticed this and quickly added, "If Shi Nian worries about me, Shi Yu will know too. You... you like Shi Yu, right? You wouldn't want him to find out about this, would you?"

Girls always wanted to leave a good impression on the ones they liked.

She didn't believe Zhou Yuwei would be indifferent to her image in Shi Yu's mind.

Unfortunately, after a few seconds of hesitation, Zhou Yuwei turned back and looked at her seriously, "Lin Yao, stop talking nonsense. When we get there, remember to nod and keep quiet. Let's go."

Lin Yao couldn't persuade her anymore.

With Zhou Yuwei speaking so seriously, could she really expect her to believe that someone else wanted to see her?

Soon, Zhou Yuwei led her to an old residential area behind No. 5 Middle School.

This neighborhood was relatively old, and most residents were students renting nearby. At this hour, there were hardly any people around.

Zhou Yuwei led her into a dilapidated convenience store.

It was a small convenience store located within the residential area.

The front part was for selling goods, while the back had a single room with an old sofa where several boys in No. 5 Middle School uniforms were watching TV and playing games.

Noticing someone had come in, the boy with midnight blue hair, who was seated in the center and surrounded by others, lifted his eyes.

"Are you Lin Yao?" He looked over at her, the warm light from above casting a glow on his pale skin, making his features appear delicate and handsome.

The boy's lips curved slightly into a smile directed at Lin Yao.

Lin Yao's breath caught momentarily, "…"

She hadn't expected Zhou Yuwei's reason to be anything but a fabrication.

Someone really wanted to meet her.

And this person, standing before her, was exceptionally good-looking.

His particularly feminine and beautiful face, highlighted by his midnight blue hair, made Lin Yao's heart skip a beat every time he smiled at her.

Compared to Shi Yu's cold and distant type, Lin Yao actually preferred this harmless and attractive kind of guy.

But she had never seen this person before and couldn't understand why he wanted to meet her.

"Yes, I am Lin Yao." She couldn't help but ask, "…Who are you?"

The blue-haired boy was somewhat surprised that Lin Yao didn't recognize him.

His gaze lingered on her face, noticing no sign of deceit, before smiling and saying, "Me? I'm Shen Chaowen."

Lin Yao: "Shen... Chaowen? You're Shen Chaowen!"

The young girl's voice instantly betrayed her fear.

Her previous thoughts of how harmless and attractive he seemed, and her desire to get a closer look, were shattered instantly.

He was actually Shen Chaowen... the notorious school bully from the neighboring No. 5 Middle School!

In the original book, he went mad because of his unrequited love for Shi Nian, almost hurting Qi Yanye in the process—the dark and twisted antagonist Shen Chaowen!!!

Seeing Lin Yao's terrified expression, Shen Chaowen's face broke into an even more charming smile, "Sorry for bringing you here like this."

"I heard you're Shi Nian's best friend. How about... we get to know each other too?"

Lin Yao: …

No, she didn't want to get to know Shen Chaowen at all.

She wanted to go back to school, she wanted to go home.

*

By the time the first class in the afternoon was about to end, Shi Yu finally climbed upstairs.

After the unpleasant encounter at the restaurant, Shi Yu went to the basketball court and played a game.

It should have been a normal game, but images of the little green tea's various coquettish and tearful faces kept flashing through his mind.

Eventually, after being intercepted twice by his opponents, he couldn't continue playing. Shi Yu left the court, bought a cup of bubble tea with extra tapioca pearls and taro balls from a nearby shop, and returned to school.

His face remained cold, but when he glanced down at the cup of bubble tea in his hand as he climbed the stairs, it softened slightly.

Just as Shi Yu stepped onto the last stair, a figure rushed out from the corridor corner.

It was Shi Nian.

Upon seeing Shi Yu's face, she spoke urgently.

Shi Nian: "Shi Yu, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere..."

Shi Yu: "What's wrong?"

"Hurry, come with me." Shi Nian remembered something more important and pulled him toward the stairs, "Yoyo... Yoyo has been taken to that convenience store at No. 5 Middle School again. Come with me..."

Before she could finish, the figure beside her shot off like an arrow.

Shi Nian: "…"