Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The growing closeness between You Nan and Jiang Songen couldn't escape the notice of those who had feelings for Jiang Songen.

Zhang Chun found You Nan more and more irritating.

He found nothing likable about You Nan; he didn’t like his eyes, didn’t like his nose. He wanted to warn You Nan to stay away from Jiang Songen, but because he had lost the basketball game and promised Jiang Songen (to leave You Nan alone), he had to bottle up his frustration and hold back from any outright actions toward You Nan.

However, Cheng Mi was not one to be patient.

He had liked Jiang Songen for so long, nursing a secret crush, and had taken down many rivals, openly or underhandedly.

These people weren’t close to him, and he always covered his tracks, so even when they ended up worse off, they were left confused, unable to figure out who had sabotaged them.

Cheng Mi couldn’t stand others chasing after Jiang Songen, and he certainly couldn’t tolerate You Nan, whom Jiang Songen was actively friendly with.

Jiang Songen’s unique attention and care toward You Nan made Cheng Mi grind his molars, unable to suppress the darkness and jealousy in his heart.

Cheng Mi, furious, went to Class 2 to find Yi Jiahe. He cut straight to the chase, lowering his voice as he discussed, "I don’t like that You Nan. See if you can get rid of him."

Yi Jiahe was currently deeply "enjoying" his interactions with You Nan, completely hooked. As soon as he heard Cheng Mi’s words, his brows furrowed. "How did You Nan offend you?"

Cheng Mi couldn’t tell Yi Jiahe that You Nan had stolen the attention of the person he liked.

So he crossed his arms and snorted, dodging the question. "I just can’t stand him!"

His family was also on the school board. Cheng Mi could easily expel a student with no background with a wave of his hand.

But You Nan was different.

You Nan had been personally invited by his uncle to attend the school. He couldn’t mess with You Nan without crossing his uncle!

If he could expel You Nan himself, he wouldn’t have come to Yi Jiahe now.

Yi Jiahe didn’t give a yes or no. He told Cheng Mi to go back first. "It’s almost class time. You should head back."

Cheng Mi wasn’t afraid of being late; the teachers at school never called him out.

His eyes scanned critically over Yi Jiahe, and he suddenly said, "Yi Jiahe, I feel like you’ve been off lately."

"I heard you’ve been helping You Nan with his homework recently." Could that notebook he saw in Yi Jiahe’s bag last time belong to You Nan?

What terrible taste You Nan had! Such a tacky notebook!

Cheng Mi sneered, feeling even more disdain for You Nan.

Yi Jiahe had already kept a straight face, allowing Cheng Mi to scrutinize him. "Yeah, the homeroom teacher asked me to."

He didn’t deny it, and his candid response made Cheng Mi lose interest in probing further.

Cheng Mi could tell he was being dismissed and turned to look at an empty seat not far away.

He had a good memory and remembered where You Nan sat.

As Cheng Mi walked out into the hallway, he saw a scene that made his blood boil.

The Jiang Songen he liked was walking alongside You Nan. The two were discussing something, laughing as they walked, not even worried about being late!

Cheng Mi’s heart felt as if it had been soaked in a vat of vinegar, the acidity corroding it until it was full of holes.

You Nan was listening to Jiang Songen vent about the funny antics their homeroom teacher had in class when someone suddenly appeared in front of him.

A boy he hadn’t seen much stood before him, glancing at him and then at Jiang Songen beside him. His features were beautiful and delicate.

He looked like a sickly-looking pretty boy.

At first glance, a name popped into You Nan’s mind.

Cheng Mi.

Cheng Mi, which implies ‘delicate’ or ‘exquisite,’ lived up to his name—a delicate beauty.

But You Nan, who knew the plot, understood that appearances were deceptive. Cheng Mi was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Whatever he could or couldn’t do, as long as it pleased him, he would do it.

"Jiang Songen! Long time no see!" Cheng Mi approached Jiang Songen to greet him.

His classroom was upstairs, and with the hectic senior year schedule, it wasn’t easy to run into Jiang Songen without Zhang Chun around.

After calling out Jiang Songen’s name, Cheng Mi seemed to remember there was someone else nearby. The good-looking guy feigned curiosity and whispered to Jiang Songen, "Who is he?"

Jiang Songen had a neutral impression of Cheng Mi, seeing him as just an ordinary classmate. "You Nan, my friend."

"Oh~" Cheng Mi held out his hand to You Nan, a sweet smile on his face. "Hello, I’m Cheng Mi."

You Nan looked at Cheng Mi and suddenly recalled a saying: "If someone introduces themselves with 'I am,' they are likely confident. If they say 'My name is,' it shows a lack of self-confidence."

You Nan reached out and shook Cheng Mi’s hand briefly. It was warm. "Hello."

Cheng Mi’s smile remained unchanged. After just a second of contact, Cheng Mi jerked back his hand.

The class bell rang, and Cheng Mi went upstairs. The students in the hallway quickly returned to their classrooms.

The teacher at the podium was already going over the lesson when Cheng Mi arrived late.

He neither said "report" nor greeted the teacher, walking to his seat like he owned the place. He sat down, pulled out an alcohol sanitizing wipe from his desk, and cleaned the finger You Nan had touched.

The students in the class were already used to his tardiness and didn’t pay any extra attention.

The unpleasant, cheap scent on You Nan was really irritating.

Couldn’t he use better laundry detergent?

Cheng Mi thought maliciously.

But then it occurred to him that since Jiang Songen was spending time with You Nan, he must have noticed the smell too. Why didn’t he find it offensive?

Could it be that Jiang Songen actually liked the smell?

The thought made Cheng Mi frown. Jiang Songen probably wouldn’t, but Cheng Mi wasn’t sure.

He took out his phone and typed on the screen.

"Wash my clothes with laundry soap today. I want to wear them tomorrow. Use the same laundry soap as that student named You Nan."

The Cheng family’s butler quickly replied with "Okay."

You Nan’s midterm exam results were out. He had reached the upper-middle range of his class, and his grade ranking had jumped to within the top 150.

The teacher was very excited and told him that if he kept up this momentum, he might crack the top 80 by the end of the semester!

You Nan smiled faintly, pressing his lips together, saying he would work hard.

The teacher nodded. Compared to when he first started school, the student in front of him had changed dramatically.

The worry on his face had disappeared; his expression had grown much more peaceful. His eyes sparkled, filled with hope for the future—vibrant and bursting with life.

Now, with help with his studies from the protagonist shou Jiang Songen and one of the potential gongs, Yi Jiahe, and his own dedication to studying, You Nan had been consistently receiving positive feedback.

Financially, with Yi Jiahe’s generous financial backing, the pressure to earn money had drastically reduced. He could now calmly cover even the expensive fees at his brother’s school and even ask on his own if there were any other expenses recently.

Their old family home was rented out fully last month, with a low monthly rent of 1,000 yuan.

Life now was much better compared to when You Nan first arrived in this world.

You Nan had nothing to be unhappy about.

Previously, he hadn’t been willing to pretend to be Jiang Songen in front of Yi Jiahe, but since the other was paying, he quickly made his peace with it.

It was just playing dress-up for someone—why not make money if he could?

With this open-minded attitude, You Nan naturally differed from his former self, who had been burdened with worries.

The teacher didn’t know these complications; he just thought You Nan had a change of heart and was genuinely happy for him.

You Nan continued on his path.

.

Cheng Mi switched to the same laundry detergent as You Nan, which the butler bought online—a large pack for 9.9 yuan, enough to last a long time.

As soon as Cheng Mi put on the clothes after washing, the smell was too much for him, and he sneezed.

He fought back his disgust and didn’t change out of them.

In class, many students couldn’t help glancing at him, surprised that Cheng Mi hadn't sprayed on perfume today.

Their stares made Cheng Mi uncomfortable and quietly fuming.

Cheng Mi thought about hoping to run into Jiang Songen at noon, but before noon even arrived, he inexplicably broke out in a rash and was urgently sent to the infirmary by the teacher.

Zhang Chun came to see him, bringing two boxes of pre-cut fruit—one he placed by Cheng Mi’s bedside, the other he opened and ate himself.

"Allergic to laundry detergent?" Zhang Chun sized up the weakened Cheng Mi, who had already changed into clean clothes washed with his usual detergent.

Zhang Chun couldn’t help clicking his tongue. "Why are you so delicate?"

Cheng Mi was displeased. "It’s all because of You Nan."

Suddenly, his tone turned whiny. "I used the same laundry detergent You Nan uses. Who knew it was so low quality? I don’t know how Jiang Songen can stand hanging out with him daily."

As he spoke, Cheng Mi observed the expression of the boy beside him. Sure enough, as soon as he heard "Jiang Songen," the other unconsciously straightened his posture.

Cheng Mi secretly rolled his eyes. He looked down on Zhang Chun’s cluelessness but also enjoyed his naive behavior.

"Jiang Songen used to only pay attention to Li Qiutian, but now look—Li Qiutian is probably being edged out by You Nan in Jiang Songen’s eyes."

"I’m just curious what it is about You Nan that draws the attention of both Jiang Songen and Yi Jiahe. After thinking it over, the only thing different about him is the smell on his clothes."

Cheng Mi said this sarcastically.

Zhang Chun frowned. He missed the point of Cheng Mi’s words but instead noticed Yi Jiahe’s name.

Yi Jiahe was his good friend. He knew Zhang Chun didn’t like Jiang Songen and You Nan, so Yi Jiahe wouldn’t cross him and get close to those two.

"Don’t talk nonsense. Maybe their teacher asked them to."

Zhang Chun made excuses for Yi Jiahe.

Cheng Mi leaned back against the headboard, crossing his arms. "With Yi Jiahe’s temper, which even dogs avoid, if he doesn’t want to do something, can anyone really make him?"

Zhang Chun thought about it and had to agree.

Yi Jiahe might seem like the ideal student in the teachers’ eyes, but in reality, all the teachers respected his own decisions.

Zhang Chun felt uneasy. He quickly finished the fruit he brought, dumped the garbage into the bin, and said, "I’m going to find Yi Jiahe."

"Wait!" As soon as he turned around, Cheng Mi on the bed yelled, "I’m coming too!"

Yi Jiahe’s location was easy to find; they all knew his usual hangouts.

They went to find Yi Jiahe without advance notice, so when they pushed open the door to the student council president’s office and saw two people sitting closely together, Zhang Chun and Cheng Mi were stunned.

Yi Jiahe was dressed neatly, as usual, but You Nan was different.

You Nan had taken off his school uniform jacket and was being held by the face by Yi Jiahe, forced to look up while listening to whatever the other was saying.

You Nan’s hands were braced on the chair, his sleeves rolled up to reveal pale, slender arms.

Neither seemed aware of how close they were or how ambiguous their posture looked.

With their sharp eyes, Zhang Chun and Cheng Mi even spotted banknotes tucked into You Nan’s waistband.

The two stood at the door in a daze for two or three seconds, unable to process what they were seeing.

Hearing the door open suddenly, You Nan was startled.

Yi Jiahe had said everyone in the student council had left and no one would return, which was why he agreed to spend time with him.

You Nan’s face instantly lost all color. He subconsciously turned to look toward the door, the expression on his face making Cheng Mi and Zhang Chun freeze.

So similar, too similar.

If not for the different face, they would have thought the person under Yi Jiahe’s control wasn’t You Nan but Jiang Songen.