Chapter 48: Pulled into the Next Room by Shen Chaowen (Added 3000 Words, Entire Chapter Revised)

Chapter 48: Pulled into the Next Room by Shen Chaowen (Added 3000 Words, Entire Chapter Revised)

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Lin Yao's moist, deer-like eyes widened anxiously, her slender, dark lashes trembling slightly as she held her breath.

She never expected that Shi Yu would walk up to her in such a public setting.

Just to... ask for water.

He tilted his gaze, his deep eyes locking onto her face.

His low voice repeated, "Water."

"Water...?"

Lin Yao was stunned.

"Oh, right... water... here, here..."

Her fingertips trembled as if holding something terrifying, and under everyone's watchful eyes, she hastily pushed the bottle of ice-cold water she had been clutching tightly into Shi Yu's palm.

He grasped the cool bottle, his icy gaze sweeping over the girl's blushing, adorable face.

The coldness in his eyes dissipated slightly.

At least the little green tea still obediently gave him the water.

She hadn't broken her word, had she?

"Thanks," Shi Yu murmured, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Immediately, a circle of uncontrollable gasps echoed around them.

Even though they were wary of Shi Yu's presence nearby and didn't dare show too much surprise, their focused gazes couldn't help but lock onto the two of them.

Especially Shi Yu, once the star of No. 5 Middle School and now the center of attention at No. 3 Middle School—no one on the entire court could fail to recognize him.

Students from both sides had never seen Shi Yu actively approach any girl at school.

Let alone walking directly to the stands to talk to a girl just to get a bottle of water.

Does he even need water?

And saying thank you patiently???

Amidst the buzz of discussion, Shi Yu wasn't surprised to see Lin Yao's face turn even redder.

His eyes darkened slightly.

But he understood that the little green tea was the most timid.

If she was too scared to respond or even pretended not to hear his intentions, then he wouldn't say anything here.

He couldn't really embarrass her.

"Wait for me after the game; I have something to tell you."

His low voice was barely audible, meant only for Lin Yao's ears.

In the girl's startled and panicked gaze, Shi Yu turned his head and called out.

"Lin Jingtao... weren't you thirsty? Come get the water."

His low, cold voice was clear enough for everyone around to hear.

The initially stunned crowd, who had been eagerly watching the spectacle, suddenly came to a realization.

What?

Turns out it wasn't for himself, but for his friend?

Lin Jingtao, being quick-witted, jogged over and took the bottle from Shi Yu.

"Thanks, little class president."

He smiled at Lin Yao and asked, "Do you have any more water? We rushed over without bringing any, and our friends are all thirsty."

Lin Yao snapped out of her daze. "Yes, yes... wait a moment."

Hearing that the basketball team needed water, Lin Yao, Shi Nian, and the classmates from Class 13 sprang into action, passing bottles of water over the stands' railing to Lin Jingtao and the others.

Xiao Kai also joined in to help carry the water.

Soon, Lin Jingtao and Xiao Kai returned to the basketball team's rest area with several bottles of chilled mineral water.

Meanwhile, the bottle Shi Yu had taken from Lin Yao was back in his hand.

Seeing Shi Yu return with the water from the stands, Qi Yanye, who was talking with the referee and Shen Chaowen, couldn't help but glance at the bottle in his hand and raise an eyebrow.

Childish.

Shen Chaowen also looked over, his amber eyes resting on the ice-cold water in Shi Yu's hand.

He tilted his head and sneered.

Shi Yu ignored them both, casually removing his black school jacket beside them, his gaze nonchalantly sweeping over the petite figure in the stands.

He twisted off the bottle cap and tilted his head back to drink.

The cool water, laced with ice chips, slid down his throat, suppressing the heat in his heart.

"Wow, I knew it. How could Shi Yu's rumored girlfriend be that Lin Yao?"

"Yeah, she was just helping their basketball team get water... They're all in the same class, and Lin Yao is their class president. It's normal for her to fetch water."

"Lin Yao sits next to Shi Nian and happened to have a bottle of water. She gets along well with Shi Nian, so Shi Yu asked her..."

"Pity, Shi Yu's rumored girlfriend still hasn't shown up. I really want to see who the girl was that ran away wearing Shi Yu's school uniform."

After hearing the brief chatter around her, Lin Yao let out a breath of relief, her heart finally settling.

Fortunately, no one would associate her name with Shi Yu's.

Lin Yao deliberately ignored the strange, sour feeling in her heart.

She told herself that it was good enough to keep the official main storyline intact.

She didn't have that kind of power; she still had the college entrance exam to take and a good university to aim for. She could only change her own life or the lives of some supporting characters, but she couldn't interfere with the protagonist's story, especially not their romantic relationships. She couldn't do anything that might affect the main couple.

Otherwise, the one who would suffer in the end would definitely be her.

...

"Xiao Ning, didn't you say that Lin Yao was very scheming and no one paid attention to her in junior high? Why is she now close to Shi Nian and has a good relationship with Shi Yu?"

"Yeah, I see her trying hard to curry favor with Shi Nian, and now she's even talking to Shi Yu... You need to be careful."

"That seat was originally Xiao Ning's. It's all because of Lin Yao that you missed out. Otherwise, you would have been the one talking to Shi Yu just now."

On the opposite side of the court, Xiao Ning's classmates from Jincheng Foreign Language School were chattering away.

Xiao Ning's gaze was fixed on Lin Yao.

How could this be?

Why would Shi Yu initiate a conversation with Lin Yao?

From junior high until now, Xiao Ning had never taken Lin Yao seriously, not even as a rival.

But during the Zhixue exam and again today, she suddenly realized that every time Lin Yao clashed with her, Shi Yu appeared, treating Lin Yao differently each time.

Xiao Ning clenched her fists tightly, unwilling to believe her suspicions.

She told herself it didn't matter; she would be presenting awards later. She didn't need to care about Lin Yao or the rumors about Shi Yu's girlfriend spread by No. 3 Middle School students.

Xiao Ning had dressed up specially today, sprayed on light perfume, and applied lip gloss.

She decided to go all out.

Later, she would personally present the medal to Shi Yu. When he bent down, she would pretend to stumble and kiss him.

This would surely leave a lasting impression on Shi Yu.

Xiao Ning took a deep breath, checked her lipstick in the mirror, and waited to go on stage.

...

The game began soon.

As predicted, despite No. 5 Middle School's valiant efforts through the loser's bracket, they ultimately fell short against the No. 3 Middle School Basketball Team, which boasted both Qi Yanye and Shi Yu.

In the end, the No. 3 Middle School Basketball Team won with an even greater margin than before, securing the championship of the tournament.

When the final whistle blew, the audience erupted into loud cheers.

Lin Yao stood up happily with her classmates, applauding and cheering for the No. 3 Middle School Basketball Team, especially the boys from Class 13.

After the game, players from the four high schools gathered on stage to receive their awards for first, second, third, and fourth place.

At that moment, Shen Chaowen stood beside Qi Yanye and Shi Yu. He lifted his beautiful eyebrows and saw a small figure in the crowd of spectators.

Some girls had turned red from shouting encouragement for their classmates.

It was unclear whether they were genuinely cheering for their classmates or someone else.

"Shi Yu..." Shen Chaowen thought for a moment but couldn't resist glancing at the cold-faced youth beside him, "What did you use to win over that girl?"

Shen Chaowen looked at Lin Yao in the stands and asked seriously.

He had initially thought Shi Yu's attitude towards him was due to Qi Yanye.

But in the hospital, he discovered that Shi Yu cherished that little crybaby.

Yet Shen Chaowen couldn't understand why the crybaby, who seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment when facing him, could bravely pick up a baton and hit him on the head.

Why was she so obedient and gentle only in front of Shi Yu?

It made Shen Chaowen's heart itch.

Shi Yu glanced at him, his expression indifferent: "Why do you ask?"

Shen Chaowen raised an eyebrow: "Why can't I ask?"

Shi Yu: "Sure."

It was an unexpected response.

This caused Qi Yanye, standing on the other side of Shi Yu, to look over curiously after hearing their conversation.

Qi Yanye, as Lin Yao's deskmate, had long witnessed Shi Yu's possessive attitude toward his little treasure, Lin Yao.

Unexpectedly, in the face of Shen Chaowen's obvious curiosity and questioning, Shi Yu responded so readily.

But then, in the next second, Shi Yu withdrew his gaze and looked straight ahead: "But... I don't want to tell you."

After he said this, the tight line of his thin lips curved into a noticeable smile.

It was clear that tricking Shen Chaowen had put him in a good mood.

Shen Chaowen: "You..."

The young master's iridescent eyes flashed with anger. He knew Shi Yu was possessive, but he didn't expect him to be this possessive.

Before Shen Chaowen could retort, a sudden chuckle came from beside them, followed by a series of stifled laughs.

It was Qi Yanye, who was standing a few steps away, laughing so hard on the stage that his single eyelids were squinted shut.

Shen Chaowen clicked his tongue: "What are you laughing at, Qi Yanye?"

The more he spoke, the harder Qi Yanye laughed, even leaning on Shi Yu for support.

Shi Yu pushed his hand away.

More people in the audience turned to look over.

Everyone was discussing what Qi Yanye was laughing about, why Shi Yu pushed his hand away, and why Shen Chaowen's expression was getting darker.

Even Lin Yao couldn't help but ask: "Shi Nian, do you know what they're laughing about? I've never seen our school bully laugh like that before."

Shi Nian was also puzzled but thought that Qi Yanye's laughter might have something to do with Shen Chaowen.

These two used to be close, always acting like this when they got along well.

Shi Nian smiled: "Maybe they're happy that the three of them can stand together again. Qi Yanye must be very excited."

Lin Yao nodded. Perhaps it was true; she remembered the original story mentioning that these three used to have a good relationship.

However...

Lin Yao: "Don't you think Qi Yanye looks silly standing next to Shi Yu, and Shen Chaowen looks unhappy?"

With her saying this, Shi Nian couldn't help but look over.

Indeed.

One was foolishly grinning.

The other was frowning darkly.

In contrast, Shi Yu in the middle seemed the most normal.

The two girls exchanged a knowing smile.

At this moment, the award presentation team arrived.

As the organizers, No. 3 Middle School and No. 5 Middle School took care of Jincheng Foreign Language School and the Experimental High School, ensuring they felt involved despite not participating in the finals.

The award presentation team was organized by these two schools.

Xiao Ning was among them.

She was the representative from Jincheng Foreign Language School, beautiful and slender, naturally placed at the front of the team.

Xiao Ning held her breath as she approached Shi Yu, her heart racing the closer she got.

Thinking about what she was about to do, her fingers trembled slightly.

Finally, she stood in front of Shi Yu.

Just by tilting her head slightly, she could see the handsome curve of his jawline and those beautifully shaped lips.

Xiao Ning bit her lip subconsciously.

"Shi Yu... could you please bend down a little..."

Holding the medal, she softly called out Shi Yu's name, her face flushing red.

Xiao Ning believed she was very pretty.

Previously, she had been too reserved, unlike Lin Yao, who cried easily and used her tearful eyes to attract Shi Yu's attention.

If it came to being shy and gentle, Xiao Ning thought she could do it too; she wasn't inferior to Lin Yao.

If she could kiss Shi Yu, he would like her.

"Shi Yu..."

Seeing no response from the boy, Xiao Ning called out again, deliberately imitating Lin Yao's soft and gentle tone.

"Could you please cooperate and bend down a little..."

"No need."

Shi Yu's voice was cold, and his slender fingers, pale white, hooked the ribbon of the gold medal from the tray before Xiao Ning could react.

Xiao Ning: "…"

He lowered his eyes slightly, bent his head, and hung the gold medal around his own neck.

Xiao Ning, who had been ready to tiptoe and kiss him, was stunned. She hadn't expected Shi Yu to take the medal without even looking at her and put it on himself.

Caught off guard, she instinctively looked at Qi Yanye beside Shi Yu.

She saw that Qi Yanye, just like Shi Yu, didn't bother the girl in front of him and instead hung the medal around his own neck.

Shi Yu did this, and so did Qi Yanye.

Moreover, the girl in front of Qi Yanye thought he was handsome but also looked fierce and cold. She was relieved not to have to personally hang the medal around the school bully's neck and had no objections.

Even if Xiao Ning wanted to argue that the process was wrong and should be redone, she couldn't find anyone to agree with her.

High school basketball award ceremonies didn't really care about such formalities.

After the awards were given, the basketball team members gradually left. It was only Xiao Ning, with red eyes, standing there in a daze, unable to recover for a long time.

How could this happen...

Everything was completely different from her plan; she hadn't even touched Shi Yu.

The school officials were about to speak, and volunteers came to urge Xiao Ning to go down quickly.

With red eyes and unwillingness, she was escorted off the stage step by step. Only when she could no longer see Shi Yu did her envious gaze turn to Lin Yao, who was leaning against Shi Nian's shoulder in the audience.

Fine, fine, fine, she really knew how to act cute and win favor.

Fortunately, she had heard that Shi Yu had a precious girlfriend at No. 3 Middle School whom he liked very much but had never revealed her identity.

Even if Shi Yu didn't like her, he wasn't bewitched by Lin Yao.

Xiao Ning consoled herself that at least she hadn't lost to Lin Yao, whom she had disliked since junior high.

Lin Yao was completely unaware of Xiao Ning's jealous gaze from afar.

She was worried.

Earlier, Shi Yu had whispered in her ear that after the game, he had something to tell her.

She pondered for a while... what else could Shi Yu possibly say to her?

Given today's situation, scene, and the fact that he couldn't help but come to the audience to ask her for a bottle of water, just to ensure she wouldn't break her promise and run away...

Even if Lin Yao was slow to catch on, she could guess that something had been stirring in Shi Yu's heart, almost uncontrollable.

Ever since the incident in the locker room, Shi Yu's gaze toward her had seemed increasingly strange.

If possible, Lin Yao truly wanted to run away tonight.

But she couldn't.

She still had school to attend and exams to take. How could she run away?

But interfering with the main characters' relationship... she didn't even dare to think about it.

"Does he really like me that much? No, it's just because he hasn't seen Zhou Yanan for too long, and his feelings have temporarily shifted. They are the official couple. Once he sees Zhou Yanan, everything will return to normal..." Lin Yao sighed, feeling a bit bitter as she rested her cheek on her hand.

"Yao Yao, they're having a victory celebration later and invited our class to join. But Shi Yu and I need to go to Zhi Xue, so we might not be able to make it..." Shi Nian's voice interrupted Lin Yao's thoughts.

Lin Yao saw Shi Nian holding her phone and asking her, and she snapped back to reality.

It was good that Shi Yu couldn't attend.

If Shi Yu couldn't attend, she would go, which would allow her to avoid him temporarily.

"It's okay, you two go ahead. I'll go with the other classmates."

Shi Nian handed Lin Yao over to Zhou Yuwei. "We'll try to join you later after we finish up."

Lin Yao understood and said, "No need. If it's too late, you should go home early."

Lin Yao watched Shi Nian leave, feeling slightly relieved.

...

The victory celebration was organized by the basketball team. Since Class 13 was the main force this time, Stephen invited everyone to join.

With teachers present, everyone was restrained, eating politely.

Stephen, the PE teacher, and the coach understood, so after dinner, they paid the bill and instructed everyone not to drink alcohol or stay out too late before leaving.

As soon as the three teachers left, the private room erupted into chaos.

The students who had pretended to be reserved and quiet, hesitating to choose songs, all jumped up to grab the microphone.

Earlier, the few basketball players sitting aside made the girls hesitant to approach.

Now that the teachers were gone, not only the girls but even some boys gathered around, wanting to touch their abs.

The basketball players pushed them away with mock kicks, embarrassing them.

They were disgracing Class 13.

But there was no way around it, as Qi Yanye and Shi Yu weren't there, and these basketball players were the best-looking ones left.

"Oh, that guy over there has such nice abs... I mean, he's really good-looking." Zhou Yuwei held a cup of fruit juice and hid behind Lin Yao, sneaking a peek at one of the main players on the basketball team. "Do you think I could get his WeChat if I go over there?"

Lin Yao thought Zhou Yuwei would succeed if she wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

So Zhou Yuwei listened to her advice, wiped her lips, and shyly walked over with her phone.

Before long, Lin Yao noticed that not only had Zhou Yuwei added the guy’s WeChat, but they were also playing games together.

Hearing Zhou Yuwei's unusually gentle voice while gaming, Lin Yao couldn't help but smile.

It was too mushy.

She couldn't take it anymore; she needed some fresh air.

Lin Yao found herself outside the KTV.

Saying she wanted fresh air was just an excuse, but for some reason, her gaze kept drifting towards the neon-lit street corner.

As if she was expecting someone familiar to appear around the corner.

"Lin Yao."

Suddenly, a low and familiar voice sounded from behind her.

Lin Yao's heart skipped a beat as she turned around quickly.

The corners of her lips, which had curved up instinctively, fell.

Lin Yao: "Shen Chaowen?"

The slight disappointment in the little crybaby's eyes was too obvious to ignore.

Shen Chaowen raised an eyebrow. "Disappointed to see me?"

Lin Yao: "No."

She lowered her head and tried to walk past Shen Chaowen back into the KTV, ignoring him.

But after a few steps, Shen Chaowen reached out and hooked her backpack strap.

"What are you doing?" Lin Yao turned back, her deer-like eyes instantly filled with grievance.

Why was she so unlucky?

Every time she was alone, she ran into Shen Chaowen.

"Nothing."

Shen Chaowen ignored her pained expression, his long fingers still hooked around her backpack strap, showing no intention of letting go.

He tilted his head and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"We're having a celebration party inside... Could you please let go..."

"A celebration party? Great, we're also having one next door. Come join us."

Ignoring her reluctance, he took her backpack off her shoulder, swinging the strap, and led her to the adjacent room.

What a jerk!

Lin Yao was so angry she wanted to bite him, but she had no choice but to follow him into the next room.

As soon as she entered, the loud music almost stunned her.

This place turned out to be a bar.

Fortunately, Shen Chaowen didn't lead her into the dance floor or the lounge area but instead went straight to a quieter private room.

Lin Yao hurried after him. "Give me my bag back. This is a bar. Why are you bringing me here?"

"This place is owned by my family. Don't worry, come in." Shen Chaowen seemed unconcerned, as if no one would dare do anything to this little crybaby in his own bar.

He opened the door to a large private room and pulled Lin Yao inside.

To Lin Yao's surprise, the room was quite normal.

Apart from Huang Mao and others excitedly grabbing the microphone and clumsily imitating girl group dances, everything else was similar to their KTV room next door.

The only difference was probably that Shen Chaowen had chosen a room in his own bar for convenience.

When Lin Yao entered, the atmosphere in the room became even livelier.

After the incident in the equipment room, many people knew that this seemingly quiet girl had personally knocked out their leader.

Huang Mao even stopped dancing and brought over a platter of fruits and snacks to "honor" Lin Yao.

Shen Chaowen didn't expect that after bringing her in, he hadn't even said two words before she started chatting with Huang Mao.

"Hey." Shen Chaowen kicked Zhou Yang's butt and pulled him to the side. "Go buy a couple of milk teas for the little crybaby."

"Huh?" Zhou Yang glanced at Lin Yao sitting in the corner. "Bro, maybe you should go. She's telling me about how she used the relay baton to knock... knock..."

Huang Mao suddenly noticed Shen Chaowen's expression and stopped talking.

Blame him.

Tonight, he got so carried away with playing that he almost forgot about the blow to their Brother Shen's head.

Zhou Yang: "I... I'll go then..."

Shen Chaowen dismissed Huang Mao and glanced back at Lin Yao. Seeing her talking to some girls from their class, he didn't approach her.

Instead, he stood by the door, waiting for Huang Mao to return.

After all, once he got the milk tea, he thought she might be willing to talk to him for a bit.

Soon, Huang Mao returned, and Shen Chaowen turned around just in time to see Lin Yao alone, her head lowered as she looked at her phone.

The girls who had been chatting with her earlier had gone off to sing.

He walked over with two cups of milk tea and deliberately placed one heavily in front of Lin Yao.

"Here, your milk tea."

"Ah?"

The phone call Lin Yao was answering slipped from her hand, startled by his sudden action, and disconnected, falling to the ground.

The caller’s name still showed Shi Yu on the screen.

She slowly lifted her gaze.

Her tearful eyes were misty, and her face was flushed with a faint redness.

Lin Yao tilted her head slightly, looking at the exceptionally handsome young man who had given her the milk tea, "Are you..."

Shen Chaowen's amber eyes clearly showed surprise.

"Have you been drinking?"

He asked, frowning.