Chapter 47

Sang Wei didn't talk to him for long; she just sat for a while before leaving. Ruan Miao couldn't figure out what she was up to. Perhaps girls' thoughts were a bit strange. He didn't dwell on it too long and went back to the classroom with a pile of materials.

Later that night, during self-study, he unfortunately found himself cornered by Ye Ling in the bathroom.

"Hello, Ling Ge." Ruan Miao had no idea what had offended this big shot again and could only greet him honestly, fearing that Ye Ling might dislike him. With He Shanglu not around, there was no one to protect him.

Ye Ling first flashed a grin at him, playfully pinching his ear and asking with a smirk, "What's up? Grown bold enough to not reply to my messages?"

"I didn't see them," Ruan Miao dared not lie. "I was doing homework earlier and never check my phone during self-study. It wasn't intentional."

Ye Ling clicked his tongue, mocking, "A good student."

"N-No, I dare not," Ruan Miao stole a glance at him and hesitantly asked, "Ling Ge, do you need something from me?"

"Of course I do," Ye Ling imitated his tone with a mock innocence and then said slowly, "I want to date you."

Ruan Miao: "..."

????????

"I'd rather not…" Ruan Miao replied cautiously, "I'm not worthy of Ling Ge."

Ye Ling gave Ruan Miao's ear a gentle tug and smiled, "You might be a bit under my level, but I don't mind your height. As long as you're good-looking, it's fine."

He vaguely remembered Ye Ling had once claimed he wasn't into guys and wouldn't consider him. Ruan Miao wanted to remind him of those exact words. Moreover, he didn't think Ye Ling was genuinely interested in him; he hadn't lost his mind to think everyone loved him, and he was unsure of Ye Ling's true intentions.

"Ling Ge, don't joke with me. I'm timid." Ruan Miao said with a worried expression, "This isn't something to joke about."

"I'm not joking." Ye Ling forcefully pinned him against the wall and said with a threatening tone, "You'd better think carefully."

Ruan Miao, with a distressed face, never imagined he would be confessed to by a guy one day. He desperately tried to resist, saying, "But I'm straight…"

"Straight?" Ye Ling sneered, looking him up and down, and then taunted, "Look at you—small face, small build, fair skin. How does that look like a straight guy?Do you think girls are destined for you?"

Ruan Miao felt insulted, "Don't judge by appearances. Why wouldn't I be suited for girls?"

"If you walk with a girl, who would dare say you're a guy?" Ye Ling removed his hand from Ruan Miao's ear and began pinching his face. "People should know their place. It's your luck that I like you, you know?"

Ruan Miao finally mustered up some courage and, with a burst of defiance, slapped Ye Ling's hand away, saying, "Even if I liked guys, I wouldn't like you!"

"Why not?" Ye Ling was very displeased with the rejection. "Say that again?"

His fists clenched with a cracking sound, as if he would beat Ruan Miao if he said another word. Ruan Miao was scared out of his wits, but his remaining pride told him that half-hearted compliance with Ye Ling would only lead to bad outcomes. Trembling, he repeated, "I said, I don't like you."

"Say it again, that you don't like me." To protect himself, Ruan Miao started making up nonsense, "You clearly like my second brother. Since you can't have him, you're settling for me. You're just using me as a shield!"

Ye Ling's gaze suddenly turned cold, his face darkened like a beast.

Ruan Miao had been talking nonsense, but he didn't expect Ye Ling's mood to change so abruptly. He thought to himself that he had really blundered this time.

At that moment, Jian Fanyu's voice, like that of a divine being, broke the increasingly tense atmosphere in the bathroom. "Ye Ling, what are you doing?"

Taking advantage of Ye Ling's distraction, Ruan Miao quickly crouched down to escape his grasp and hid behind Jian Fanyu.

"Jian Fanyu? What's it to you?" Ye Ling turned to him. He didn't like Jian Fanyu, and especially since he interrupted Ye Ling's plan, Ye Ling added, "I didn't know you started minding other people's business."

"It's not idle business." Jian Fanyu replied softly, shielding Ruan Miao behind him. "You shouldn't be making fun of him."

Ye Ling looked at Jian Fanyu coldly. "Who says I'm making fun of him? Besides, whether I'm making fun of him or not, what does it have to do with you?"

Jian Fanyu stood at the bathroom door with his hands in his pockets, staring at Ye Ling with a somber expression. Although he said nothing further, Ye Ling felt an enormous pressure from him. No matter how impressive Ye Ling was, he was just a high school sophomore. In front of Jian Fanyu, his imposing presence seemed lacking.

Jian Fanyu hadn't even done much, just his gaze alone made Ye Ling feel intimidated. But Ye Ling, being stubborn, was even more eager to confront him, wanting to test him out.

Ye Ling threw off his school jacket and cracked his knuckles, then launched a sudden attack. Jian Fanyu pushed Ruan Miao aside to protect him and dodged Ye Ling's aggressive move, countering with a kick. Ye Ling, experienced in fighting, blocked the kick with his foot.

As the two started fighting in the bathroom, Ruan Miao knew he couldn't help and called He Shanglu to come and mediate. He hid in a relatively safe spot, trying not to be a hindrance.

A few minutes later, He Shanglu arrived running. Kicking open the bathroom door and seeing the fight, he immediately joined in, targeting Jian Fanyu.

Ruan Miao: "..."

Is something not right here?

"Second brother! I asked you to mediate! Mediate!"

"He's nothing! Today I'm going to beat up Jian Fanyu!" He Shanglu cursed. "I finally found the chance! Ye Ling, attack his back!"

Ruan Miao realized just how unreliable his second brother was. Expecting him to help was futile; he seemed to lose all sense when it came to fights.

Then, without hesitation, he rushed to help Jian Fangyu, grabbing onto He Shanglu's leg and being swung around.

"Damn it, are you crazy, helping an outsider!" He Shanglu cursed at him, "Who is your brother!"

Holding onto his leg tightly, Ruan Miao was being swung around but refused to let go. "He was protecting me! Ye Ling was bullying me!"

"We'll talk about that later. Right now, I just want to beat him up!" He Shanglu shouted. He had long disliked Jian Fangyu and wanted to take this opportunity to teach him a lesson. "Ye Ling, you useless piece of trash, wait until I finish with him, then I'll deal with you!"

"Damn you!" Ye Ling cursed back.

The scene was extremely chaotic.

Ten minutes later, the four of them were dragged into the dean's office.

The young and handsome dean, dressed in a silver-gray traditional Chinese robe, slowly sipped his tea. He casually tapped his fingers on the desk and then asked in a low voice, "So, what's going on?"

Jian Fangyu stood quietly, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Ye Ling snorted but didn't answer.

He Shanglu rolled his eyes and took the opportunity to kick Ye Ling.

Ruan Miao was feeling a headache. These three were all troublemakers, so he was the only one who could explain.

"Teacher, this is what happened." Ruan Miao racked his brains to think of a way to exonerate his brainless brother and Jian Fangyu. "Classmate Ye blocked me in the bathroom, and Classmate Jian came to help."

"As for my brother... Classmate He, he was just passing by and tried to mediate."

Before the dean could say anything, He Shanglu spoke up, "Who was mediating? I was beating up that little bastard Jian Fangyu!"

The dean's expression subtly changed, then he elegantly picked up his teacup, blew on it, and said, "So, Ruan was the only one who didn't get involved in the fight?"

"Yes." Jian Fangyu finally spoke, "He was the victim."

The dean looked thoughtfully at him, nodded, and then smiled, "In that case, Ruan doesn't need to be punished."

"Jian was being chivalrous, so no punishment for him either."

"As for you two..." The dean's tone turned stern, "One bullied a classmate, the other took the opportunity to seek revenge. Both of you write a 1,000-word self-reflection and read it out in front of the entire school during the Monday flag-raising ceremony. Also, you'll both clean the toilets for a week. Understand?"

"Why?" He Shanglu angrily glared at Jian Fangyu, "He fought too! My face is swollen from his punches!"

It was indeed strange. Jian Fangyu, who seemed weak and scholarly, was quite fierce in a fight. Despite being outnumbered, he came out unscathed, whereas the two seasoned fighters, Ye Ling and He Shanglu, were both injured.

However, the dean selectively ignored this. "Student, you must learn to win people over with virtue, not with fists. Understand?"

Understand my ass.

He Shanglu really wanted to curse out loud.

"Everyone, leave." After handling the matter, the dean waved them away and continued to leisurely enjoy his tea.

Before leaving, Ruan Miao sneaked a look back at the dean, only to be caught.

The handsome and gentle dean gave him a meaningful smile. Ruan Miao quickly turned his head, carefully closed the door, and left.

He Shanglu walked away angrily, "We were all fighting, why doesn't Jian Fangyu get punished? Is the school his family's?"

"You're right." Jian Fangyu replied quietly, "Dean Huangfu is my cousin."

He Shanglu: "..."

"Isn't it great to have connections?"

Jian Fangyu gave him a malicious smile, "Indeed."

He Shanglu was so angry that he wanted to hit him again, but Ruan Miao stopped him, "Brother, think about the 1,000-word reflection! You struggle with 300-word essays!"

He Shanglu: "..."

"Fine, I'm hungry. We'll settle this later."

Ye Ling remained silent, glaring at Ruan Miao before turning to leave.

He Shanglu then remembered, "What did that dog Ye Ling do to you?"

Ruan Miao's eyes shifted slightly, "Brother Ling said he liked me and tried to force me to date him. When I refused, he tried to beat me."

"That damned bastard!" He Shanglu was infuriated, grabbed a stick, and chased after him.

Ruan Miao watched him run off and stood there thinking for a moment.

His brother's 1,000-word reflection might end up being doubled.

(TL: Ge means brother.

Ya'll the way my face just went 😦 when he said "i want to date you" i- JAWDROPPED. Sorry if it's kinda confusing. I didn't really get some parts.)