Chapter 26: The Online Love Rival Becomes a Charmer (26)

Chapter 26: The Online Romance Supporting Female Lead Becomes a Heartthrob (26)

Yang Mingyue was acting so weird. Tang Qing suddenly found it a bit amusing.

That’s right—she had deliberately ignored him earlier, pretending not to see Yang Mingyue. Who knew he’d be the first to snap…

"Yang Mingyue, didn’t you say before that you wanted me to stay away from you?" Her voice was shaky, clearly unsure of herself. "It’s not that I have anything against you…"

I was just following orders, that’s all.

Yang Mingyue frowned. He hated seeing Tang Qing look so meek and pitiful—every single time! Almost every encounter with him, she wore this exact expression.

He couldn’t quite place the feeling, but it pissed him off. Just a second ago, she had been laughing and chatting with Shen Tianyi, but the moment she faced him, her smile vanished, replaced by nothing but timidity.

"Yang Mingyue, here’s your material." Like she was escaping a fire, Tang Qing hurriedly grabbed a copy from Shen Tianyi’s stack, placed it on the desk, and booked it. Even her retreating figure looked flustered.

"Brother Yue, come on, can’t you just talk properly?" Shen Tianyi watched the awkward exchange and shook his head, speaking with a tone of earnest advice. "Brother Yue, acting like this, how do you expect to get any girl to like you?" If you want to talk to Tang Qing, just say it outright. Why make it seem like you’re scolding someone on the training field—gruff and rude?

"Get who to like me? Explain yourself."

Shen Tianyi shot back, "Tang Qing, of course! Don’t tell me you don’t li—" Before he could finish, Yang Mingyue slapped him upside the head, making Shen Tianyi wince in pain. "Brother Yue! That hurt!"

"What was that for? No reason to hit me!"

Yang Mingyue went stone-faced. "The price of talking nonsense."

After that mess, Yang Mingyue couldn’t focus on the lecture at all. His mind kept stuck on Tang Qing’s face—her nervousness, her fear…

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Without even realizing it, his gaze toward Tang Qing burned hotter…

"Why is Yang Mingyue staring at Tang Qing like that? Does he like her?"

"How could he like her? My boyfriend’s in the Department of Physical Education. He said Yang Mingyue was actually one of Tang Qing’s ‘fish’ too—he even lent her five thousand yuan. Later, he found out he’d been scammed and was so pissed he ordered everyone to keep it quiet. No one in the team is allowed to mention Tang Qing’s name."

"No way, Tang Qing even hooked Yang Mingyue too?"

"Don’t you think Yang Mingyue’s look is murderous right now? I feel like he might drag Tang Qing out and beat her up after class…"

"With Tang Qing’s petite frame, one punch from Yang Mingyue would probably put her in the ER!"

The murmurs around them started off quiet but soon escalated into absurdity—especially when someone suggested Yang Mingyue would beat Tang Qing up. He couldn’t take it anymore!

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Am I the kind of guy who hits women? Do I really look that terrifying?

He swept a glare across the room, and anyone who met his eyes immediately ducked their heads, falling silent like frightened quails.

"Brother Yue, calm down. They’re just talking nonsense." Shen Tianyi was trying not to laugh his ass off but still tried to soothe Yang Mingyue’s temper. "They’re just making wild guesses. Brother Yue, let’s ignore them."

What a joke! They actually thought Yang Mingyue would hit Tang Qing? Open your eyes, people—that wasn’t a hateful stare, it was the frustration of a guy who’s got it bad…

As soon as class ended, Tang Qing had just stepped out of the lecture hall when a wall of a guy suddenly cut her off.

From his build alone, she knew it was Yang Mingyue.

Keeping her eyes straight ahead, she tried to sneak by him, but Yang Mingyue grabbed her like a hawk grabbing a rabbit! Only when she was hoisted up did Tang Qing realize just how tall and strong Yang Mingyue was…

"We need to talk."

"What do you want to talk about?" Tang Qing, still shaken from being set down, looked up at the young man before her. "About paying you back?"

"Forget about paying me back—" The mention of money instantly set Yang Mingyue off, his chest heaving with anger. It took him a long moment before he finally managed to speak again, "I mean, you don’t have to pay me back."

"I thought about it. Since you already know you were wrong, let’s just leave it at that."

"Let’s pretend this never happened between us..."

Tang Qing seemed confused, tilting her head slightly. "And then?"

Now it was Yang Mingyue’s turn to feel awkward. He struggled to find the right words, his face flushing an odd shade of red. "What I mean is… you don’t have to be afraid of me. You don’t have to run away every time you see me..."

"I’m not some kind of monster. The way you avoid me makes me feel awful."

Tang Qing only grew more puzzled. "But last time, you were the one who told me to stay away from you, so I—"

God, I was such a moron back then!

Yang Mingyue’s face burned even hotter, his tone turning gruff. "Just forget I ever said that!"

"Just—next time, don’t even think about avoiding me!"

The boy’s expression was fierce, but his voice betrayed his flustered state. "Don’t act like you don’t see me, don’t hide from me. You’re making me look like an idiot."

After spitting out those words, Yang Mingyue immediately turned on his heel. Tang Qing could see it clearly—his face was beet red, his walk awkward and stiff. This was teenage affection, his heart and eyes full of her, yet his mouth refusing to admit it.

It had been so long since she’d interacted with someone so genuinely innocent that Tang Qing actually found Yang Mingyue kind of adorable.

"Affection level up! Yang Mingyue’s affection for you is now at 35 points—even higher than the main guy’s!" The system chimed in at the perfect moment. "You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Pretending to ignore him, and he fell for it."

Tang Qing smiled, totally smug with the outcome. "Of course. Otherwise, how else could I have forced those words out of him?"

"See? Yang Mingyue just gave me an opening to get closer to him." Or rather, he was low-key hoping she would do so...

Meanwhile, Yang Mingyue emerged from the corner, his expression pissed-off. For some reason, a crowd of onlookers had gathered, murmuring among themselves:

"He’s out, he’s out! Did you all see that? He literally dragged Tang Qing away just now… kinda scary..."

"Did he actually beat her up? Look at his face—terrifying."

"He came out alone… where’s Tang Qing? Did an ambulance take her away...?"

The more he heard, the more Yang Mingyue’s aura turned ready to explode, his face twisting in frustration. Jesus, are they all stupid?! "Beat it! All of you—now!"

The crowd scattered in an instant, leaving behind a seething Yang Mingyue, his fists shaking at his sides. He was this close to punching something! Is that really what they think of me?

Does Tang Qing actually think I’m some monster?

Goddammit!