Chapter 40 Is He That Scary?

Chapter 40 Is He That Scary?

Xiao Kai was accompanied by several classmates from their class, both male and female, all watching the drama unfold.

Upon hearing Xiao Kai's remarks, they all noticed the pair of white sneakers Lin Yao was wearing on her feet.

Xiao Kai held up his phone, and the screen displayed a photo of Lin Yao with Shi Yu's school uniform on her head, being led out of the basketball gym by his hand.

The photo was taken from a distance, but one could vaguely see the slender and straight legs of the girl and the white sneakers on her feet.

"This silhouette... it looks a bit like Lin Yao."

"Not really; you can't see the silhouette with the school uniform covering everything, but the legs do look similar."

The girls gathered around, scrutinizing Lin Yao's slender legs and comparing them to the girl in the photo.

Lin Yao, pitifully cornered at the podium, clung to the desk with her hands, her eyelashes fluttering and her eyes welling up with tears, "You... you must be mistaken. It's not me."

She felt even more resentful towards Shi Yu.

It was all Shi Yu's fault for taking her to the locker room and saying those strange things, and then... stamping her.

Lin Yao recalled the dimly lit and stuffy locker room where the boy had buried his head in her neck, leaving a painful sensation on her collarbone.

Her cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness.

Lin Yao clenched her fingers, reminding herself not to disrupt the romantic lines of the main characters in the original story.

In the original story, she was never paired with Shi Yu.

"Hey, if you're so bored, why don't you go sweep the playground?"

A rebellious and displeased voice came from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned around to see the school bully Qi Yanye leaning against the door, clearly annoyed that they were blocking his way. He lifted his single-lidded eyes and looked at them coldly.

Suddenly, everyone remembered the pairing of Lin Yao and Qi Yanye.

"Damn, it must be a coincidence. It can't be the class monitor."

"Yeah, everyone knows Lin Yao and Brother Qi are the real couple. Let's scatter, stop causing a commotion."

Everyone dispersed quickly, even scolding Xiao Kai for misleading them.

The girl in the basketball gym locker room could be anyone in the school, but it couldn't possibly be Lin Yao.

Everyone knew that Lin Yao liked the school bully Qi Yanye.

Who would dare break up the school bully's couple? That's asking for trouble.

Lin Yao: "..."

Why did she suddenly get linked with Qi Yanye again?

She didn't like Qi Yanye either.

But Lin Yao couldn't explain it now. She raised her eyes and saw Qi Yanye walking towards her.

Qi Yanye: "Why are you just standing there? Go sit down."

Lin Yao wanted to ask why Qi Yanye was so harsh, but seeing his unruly expression, she dared not say anything and only responded with an "Oh."

She obediently walked ahead of him. Just as she pulled out her chair, she heard Qi Yanye's lowered voice from behind.

"Next time you want to date, don't choose a crowded place like a locker room. It's too stupid."

Lin Yao's legs went weak, almost making her kneel on the chair.

She sat down, trying to hide her panic, and turned to look at him. "W-who is dating?"

Qi Yanye sat next to Lin Yao, propping his face with his hand and turning to look at her, his drooping eyes revealing a look of disdain.

"What do you think?"

Lin Yao followed his gaze and looked down, noticing the slightly exposed collarbone under her slightly open school uniform.

On her delicate collarbone was a faint bite mark.

Lin Yao's face turned red, and she choked, pulling her school uniform tighter, "I... that... that's a mosquito bite..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke.

Qi Yanye: "Oh, sure it is."

Lin Yao's ears also turned hot. "..."

She hated Shi Yu even more now.

She decided never to talk to Shi Yu again.

*

So, when school ended in the afternoon, Lin Yao was supposed to go to Zhi Xue with Shi Yu, while Shi Nian was going to Qi Yanye's house for a private tutoring session.

But just before leaving, Lin Yao refused to walk alone with Shi Yu.

Being alone with Shi Yu made her heart tremble, unsure of what he might say next.

Thinking about sitting alone with Shi Yu on the subway to Zhi Xue made her feel hot all over.

Lin Yao held onto Shi Nian's arm, pretending to be obedient, and said softly, "Shi Nian, let Shi Yu go first. I want to walk with you for a bit. I'll take the bus to the station ahead."

Shi Yu's expression was indifferent as he looked at Shi Yu, who raised his eyebrows lazily upon hearing Lin Yao's words, and couldn't help but hesitate.

With that unsmiling face of his, it's no wonder You You doesn't like him.

Lin Yao's voice was soft and obedient: "Okay, Sister, look, he's so scary... Unlike me, I only care about you, let me stay with you."

She's being way too manipulative.

Shi Yu, following behind, couldn't help but make a soft tsking sound.

But... she's just too cute.

He wanted to pull the little manipulator over, hug her, and rub her.

The subway during rush hour was at its most crowded.

If Lin Yao were to ride the subway with him, given how small she is and her germaphobia, she would surely be pushed around, unable to stand steadily without being touched by strangers, and could only pitifully try to grab onto the hem of his coat without daring to touch it.

Then, he would pull her close with his hand, pressing her against the inner wall of the carriage, watching her beautiful eyes gradually become misty and red, panicking and afraid, wanting to push him away but also relying on him, not daring to do so.

In the end, she could only cling tightly to him, held firmly in his embrace, shielded from all external collisions.

Shi Yu's gaze grew darker.

He couldn't think about it anymore.

He couldn't help but want to tease her.

"I'll go first."

Shi Yu's gaze fell on Lin Yao's face, his voice slightly hoarse.

Lin Yao felt a slight tingling on her scalp under his intense gaze.

For some reason, she felt that after what happened in the changing room at noon, there was something barely contained in Shi Yu's gaze when he looked at her, a hidden tide of emotion almost surfacing.

But... it shouldn't surface, and it definitely shouldn't be visible.

He should never show any such emotions towards her.

"...Be careful on your way, come over early." Shi Yu walked to her side, his thin eyelids drooping, his gaze falling on the two hands that clung tightly to Shi Nian, his voice turning colder.

Lin Yao didn't know where his sudden coldness came from; she just lowered her head, not daring to meet Shi Yu's eyes.

Shi Nian: "Alright, you should go. I'll take You You to the station later."

Shi Nian thought her brother was too cold and didn't get along well with Lin Yao. Seeing Lin Yao lower her head and avoid looking at him, she assumed Lin Yao must dislike Shi Yu, so she decided to help her by shooing him away.

As soon as she spoke, she received a cold, aggressive glare from Shi Yu.

Shi Nian: ? ? ?

What was that look from Shi Yu just now?

And he even glanced coldly at her hands.

What was wrong with her hands?

Shi Nian probably wouldn't figure out that someone could be jealous enough to be envious even of their own sister.

Only after Shi Yu had walked far away did Lin Yao dare to lift her head and breathe a sigh of relief.

Shi Nian obviously misunderstood her sigh: "You You, don't mind him. He's just upset because someone took photos of him dating another girl today."

Lin Yao: "..."

She nodded lightly, pretending to agree.

Seeing that there was no one else around except Lin Yao, Shi Nian couldn't help but show concern: "You You, do you think my brother might be a bit irresponsible, like a playboy?"

Lin Yao lifted her eyes: "Ah..."

Shi Yu... a playboy? A jerk?

"Our family doesn't have those genes. Our parents went through so much to be together. You don't know, my father felt unworthy of my mother because he was an orphan, thinking he couldn't give her a good life, so he prepared to live alone forever, pretending not to like her and pushing her away."

"But my mother was determined to be with my father, giving up her rich lifestyle to be with him. She was a straightforward and spoiled young lady back then."

Shi Nian sighed.

"But how can Shi Yu still have feelings for Zhou Yanan and keep getting into rumors with other girls at school? Last time, he said he didn't know the girl, and I believed him. But this time... he's really a jerk. I need to talk to him when I get home."

Lin Yao nodded silently.

Yes, Shi Yu is going to be with Zhou Yanan again, yet he still comes to bother her.

He really is a jerk.

Shi Nian is right; Shi Yu is being very heartless...

Lin Yao listened absentmindedly as Shi Nian continued talking.

They were approaching the spot where Shi Nian had arranged to meet the driver from the Qi family.

Suddenly, a voice came from inside the alley they had just passed.

"Shi Nian, and the girl next to you... the crybaby..."

Lin Yao and Shi Nian turned around together.

Seeing a group of boys wearing No. 5 Middle School uniforms surrounding a boy with ink-blue hair.

Shen Chaowen slightly lifted his chin, a smooth and handsome face curved into a smile as he waved at them.

"Come here."

Lin Yao: ...

*

Once again, it was that dilapidated convenience store in the old neighborhood.

Lin Yao was held back by the yellow-haired boy and his friends.

She watched helplessly as Shen Chaowen threw Shi Nian onto the broken sofa.

Shen Chaowen leaned over, pressing his palm against the backrest of the sofa next to Shi Nian's face, his cold and beautiful features covered in frost due to anger. "Why? In what way am I not as good as Qi Yanye, that you refuse to date me?"

The blue-haired boy's mood was clearly unpleasant, unlike their last meeting when he seemed more relaxed.

It seemed he had been provoked by Qi Yanye quite a bit recently.

Shi Nian was used to this behavior, turning his face away and pursing his lips in silence, showing no panic, unwilling to entertain Shen Chaowen's childish and boring proposition.

Shen Chaowen curled his lips into a cold sneer.

His amber eyes, framed by ink-blue hair, shifted from Shi Nian to Lin Yao, who was being held back by the yellow-haired boy.

Shen Chaowen: "Fine, if you won't date me, then I'll choose another one. That little crybaby over there looks pretty enough."

As soon as Shen Chaowen spoke, Shi Nian turned to look at him in surprise and seriousness.

Lin Yao, who had been trying to push away the yellow-haired boy to save Shi Nian, was extremely worried.

But upon hearing Shen Chaowen's words and meeting his amber, snake-like eyes, her heart trembled, and a wave of sourness rushed up her nose.

The girl was terrified, not daring to say no, only biting her lip out of fear.

Her red-rimmed eyes gazed at the blue-haired boy, tears falling in large drops.

In the open convenience store, the wind brought in the heat from outside.

In that moment, Shen Chaowen suddenly felt as if the large teardrops welling up in the girl's reddened eyes had scalded his chest.

Shen Chaowen's eyes paused for a moment: "..."

Was he really that scary?