34

"Are you going?"

"If you go, I'll go."

These two sentences seemed like normal conversation with no issues, but Lin Tiao felt that something was off. She couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but she felt that something about the person standing in front of her seemed strange, as if his soul had been replaced.

After asking, Lin Tiao expected him to say something dismissive or typical for his character, like how going to see the sea was foolish or immature, in line with his usual persona.

Instead, he said something that could easily lead to misunderstandings and seemed quite out of character for him.

It was simply too strange.

This didn't fit the "cool guy" persona at all.

Lin Tiao mentally tried to decipher the hidden meanings behind these words but found no answers. She couldn't understand why his casual remarks sounded so flirtatious.

Maybe he was just at that age when he was starting to feel romantic feelings.

However, as a well-known figure with most girls too intimidated to approach him, he might be in a period where he has the skills but no one to use them on.

And she, as his desk partner, confidant, and only close female friend, had become the target for his occasional charm.

So, it seemed that even the most aloof person could be tempted by the allure of early romance.

With this thought, Lin Tiao felt she understood his odd behavior from the afternoon and felt more at ease. She blinked and looked at the boy in front of her. "I'm not sure yet. I don't know if my parents have any other plans."

She paused for a second and added, "If I go, I'll let you know."

Jiang Yan glanced at her and gave a subtle smile. "Okay."

After the cleanup, Mr. Yu began his usual lengthy warnings. "The holiday is longer this time. When you go out to play, make sure to stay safe. Even though we don't have any holiday homework due to the exams, don't slack off. Make sure to review any topics you didn't understand from the exams. Also, there will be a significant temperature drop in Xicheng over the next few days, so stay warm and avoid getting a cold."

Mr. Yu continued his speech, pulling out an A4 sheet of paper from his pocket. The students were amazed; could he really go on like this?

"Why must he drag this on?"

"We choose death."

Lin Tiao wasn't in a hurry. She pulled out her phone from her bag, only to realize she had forgotten to turn it back on after the exams.

She pressed the power button and turned it on.

The phone took a few moments to start up. Before she could unlock it, several unread WeChat messages and a missed call from Fang Yisong popped up.

Lin Tiao opened the messages.

"Tiao Tiao, when does your exam end?

Call me back when you're done. I'm waiting at the school gate.

Your dad is back today. Let's have dinner together tonight."

Seeing this message, Lin Tiao was taken aback. She frowned and counted the time, realizing she hadn't seen Lin Yongcheng for almost a month.

Thinking about it, she did miss her dad a bit.

Lin Tiao quickly replied to Fang Yisong and then looked up at Mr. Yu, who was still talking. She turned to Jiang Yan and asked, "How long will Mr. Yu keep talking?"

Jiang Yan had been busy with competition preparations and hadn't played games recently. He was currently focused on his phone game. Hearing Lin Tiao's question, he glanced at Mr. Yu and then back at his phone. "Probably a while longer."

Curious about his focus on the game, Lin Tiao leaned over, resting her chin on his arm. "What game are you playing lately?"

As soon as she asked, she saw a familiar game page on his phone.

"This isn't the palace intrigue game you were playing before, is it? You still haven't become the empress?" Lin Tiao remembered that he was already a favored concubine when she first saw him playing this game.

Jiang Yan noticed the pressure on his arm and glanced at her.

Her skin was very fair and delicate. Up close, he could even see the soft down on her cheeks.

Her eyelashes fluttered like tiny fans, and her delicate nose and rosy lips made her look exceptionally cute.

He averted his gaze slightly, tapping the screen to advance through the game's story. "Not yet. Just a few more levels to go."

"And this game isn't just about becoming the empress to win?"

Jiang Yan finished a segment of the story as an NPC appeared. Leaning back against the desk, he met her gaze and said slowly, "The real winner is the one who survives until the end."

When the boy spoke these words, his voice was warm and indifferent, with a hint of arrogance.

Lin Tiao looked at him and, whether it was her imagination or not, she felt she could see four words emerging from his cold and noble demeanor: "Motherly Grace Over the World."

With this thought, Lin Tiao's mind automatically started to imagine him dressed in splendid robes with a phoenix crown, standing as the supreme ruler, above all others. The mental image was so surreal and indescribable that she couldn't help but laugh as she leaned on the desk.

Sometimes, Lin Tiao felt that Jiang Yan was quite different from the "big shot" she had heard about and seen before.

Not only was his academic performance and appearance miles ahead of the average school bully, but even his choice of games was on a completely different level from what ordinary bullies played.

To be honest, Jiang Yan didn't seem like a bully at all.

If it weren't for Meng Xin's posts about the big shot's past glories, she wouldn't be able to connect the person playing a teenage palace intrigue game with the one who once single-handedly challenged the neighboring school.

They seemed like two different people.

Mr. Yu's pre-holiday speech lasted a full half hour. By the time it ended, the outside world was already dusk, with only a hint of night falling and the broad yellowish light slowly fading.

During these two days of exams, Lin Tiao had nothing much to pack. After Mr. Yu left, she picked up her light backpack and stood up.

Jiang Yan also stood up.

She put on her backpack, holding her phone in her hand, and looked at him. "I'm not having dinner with you guys tonight. My mom is picking me up."

Jiang Yan, leaning against the wall, didn't react much.

Hu Hanghang, however, called out regretfully, "Ah, okay then."

He then took out his phone and looked at Lin Tiao. "By the way, Tiao Tiao, what's your WeChat ID? I'll add you and put you in a group. When you have your holiday plans, let us know in the group."

"Hold on, I'll find the QR code." Lin Tiao opened her WeChat QR code and handed her phone over. "Go ahead and add me. I'll ask when I get home tonight."

Hu Hanghang scanned the code and quickly sent a friend request. "All set."

Lin Tiao accepted the friend request and saw that Hu Hanghang's profile picture was a flashy selfie. She couldn't help but laugh. "Hanghang, I've got to give you props for this profile picture."

"Of course." Hu Hanghang was not modest at all.

Lin Tiao laughed and put her phone away, deciding not to waste any more time in the classroom. "I'm heading out now. You guys head back early."

"Okay, be safe on your way."

Lin Tiao looked at Jiang Yan standing beside her and waved lightly. "Jiang Yan, goodbye."

The classroom lights were on, bright and clear.

Jiang Yan met her gaze, his eyelashes slightly upturned and the corners of his lips curving into a faint smile. His voice was soft and slow. "Mm, goodbye."

Outside the school, Lin Tiao spotted her mother's car parked at the roadside. She quickly walked to the passenger side, opened the door, and got in.

Fang Yisong, hearing the noise, put away her phone and looked at her. "Why are you so late today?"

Lin Tiao fastened her seatbelt and said, "We had a big cleanup, and then Mr. Yu—our homeroom teacher—was especially detailed in his instructions."

Lin Tiao talked about the usual things, but Fang Yisong listened with a constant smile, showing no sign of impatience.

The white BMW quickly drove away from the street.

Soon after, four boys emerged from the school gate, chatting and laughing. They crossed the street and turned into a nearby alley.

The alley was deep and dark.

Xu Yichuan took out his phone and turned on the flashlight, dramatically leaning on Song Yuan. "Yuan Yuan, I'm so scared."

"Are you sick?" Song Yuan pushed his head away. "Don't bother me."

Xu Yichuan, looking aggrieved, leaned on Hu Hanghang. "Hanghang, look at Yuan Yuan. How can he be like this?"

Hu Hanghang played along, putting his arm around Xu Yichuan and patting his shoulder to comfort him. "Chuan Chuan, don't worry. Hanghang will protect you."

"Hanghang, you're so great."

The two were inseparable, like conjoined twins.

Jiang Yan, walking beside them, looked down at his phone. After seemingly thinking of something, he looked up at the two walking ahead. "Hanghang, give me your phone."

"Ah?" Hu Hanghang took his phone from his pocket and handed it over. "What's up?"

"Nothing."

Jiang Yan took his phone, opened WeChat, and looked at the latest chat at the top of the screen, then tapped to open it.

Then, he sent a message to his own WeChat.

Before leaving, he also made sure to delete the message history before returning the phone to Hu Hanghang.

The internet café was just ahead.

The four of them entered one after another.

Guan Che had already returned here early in the morning. He was sitting behind the bar, watching TV. When he saw the four of them come in, he greeted them with a smile, "Good evening, everyone."

Hu Hanghang and the others treated the café like their own home.

"Brother Che, doesn't your school have evening self-study tonight?" Hu Hanghang asked, looking at Guan Che's computer screen, and couldn't help but comment, "Damn, why does your taste match Brother Yan's so uniquely?"

"One is obsessed with melodramatic TV dramas, and the other with teenage romance dramas." Hu Hanghang said with some admiration, "You two are truly a perfect pair of good buddies."

Guan Che leaned back in his chair, his fingers intertwined behind his head, his peach blossom eyes curving up with a smile, "What, is there a problem?"

Mentioning Jiang Yan made Guan Che realize something, and he looked around, "Where's Jiang Yan? Wasn't he here just now?"

"He went back to his room." Xu Yichuan said, fiddling with the jadeite cabbage on the bar, "Just when you guys were talking."

After chatting casually for a while, Xu Yichuan started shouting to turn on the game machine. Guan Che, with the game cartridge in hand, and the other three went upstairs to the private room.

After opening the door, Guan Che prepared to go downstairs but thought for a moment and then went up to the third floor.

Jiang Yan's room was at the innermost part, the door was ajar but not locked. Guan Che stood at the door for three seconds before pushing it open and walking in.

The room's windows were open, and there was no one inside. The bathroom door inside was closed, and the lighting was bright.

Guan Che sat on the long sofa with his legs crossed. After a short while, he heard the sound of the door opening behind him. He turned his head to see Jiang Yan walking out, wearing pajamas and with wet hair.

Clearly surprised to see someone suddenly in his room, Jiang Yan paused when he saw Guan Che but quickly regained his composure.

He walked to the desk and closed one of the windows. "What's up?"

"Can't I come to find you if there's nothing wrong?"

Jiang Yan glanced at him, wiped his hair with a towel, then casually draped it around his neck, and bent over to pick up the remote control from the desk. "If there's nothing wrong, then get lost."

"You're something." Guan Che laughed silently, leaning back on the sofa. "Yu Fengyan came this afternoon and said that you should go back to the old house for the holiday."

To be honest, when he saw Yu Fengyan this afternoon, he almost couldn't help but tell him to leave. But, Yu Fengyan was considered an elder and Jiang Yan's mother. Even if they did something wrong, the younger generation should still show respect.

"Not going back." Jiang Yan showed little emotion. The visit from Yu Fengyan at the hospital had been too sudden, and he couldn't adjust quickly.

"Fine, I was just delivering a message. It's obvious you're not going back." Guan Che brushed his hair with his hand. "But dragging this out isn't good. Eventually, something will go wrong."

"Let's wait a bit longer." Jiang Yan's head hung low, and his phone screen suddenly lit up. A WeChat message notification popped up.

"Jiang Yan."

No additional notes.

Before Jiang Yan could react, Guan Che snatched the phone first, easily opened the message, took a quick glance, and then the phone was snatched back.

"Who's that? Who's that?" Guan Che had only seen a profile picture of a girl and was very curious. "It's incredible that a girl could add our Brother Yan on WeChat."

Jiang Yan stuffed the phone into his pocket, pushed him away, and didn't admit anything. "No one."

Seeing his reaction, Guan Che guessed, "It must be Lin Tiao, right?"

"...."

Jiang Yan didn't look at him and walked over to the bed.

Guan Che stayed on the sofa, smiling meaningfully, "I knew it was Sister Lin. You said you added a classmate on WeChat—what's so strange about that? It's not a big deal."

"Why are you talking so much nonsense?" Jiang Yan found a clean black T-shirt from the wardrobe and turned to look at him. "Get out."

"Why? I haven't finished talking yet."

Jiang Yan ignored him, lifted the hem of his pajamas with both hands, and took off his clothes. His torso was firm, with smooth lines running from his shoulder blades down his back.

Guan Che remained on the sofa, pulling out his phone to open WeChat. "Wait, give me Sister Lin's WeChat too."

Jiang Yan remained unmoved, putting on the T-shirt without bothering to adjust it. The loose-fitting shirt hung on him, exposing half of his collarbone.

He walked over and sat on the sofa, pulling out his phone to check the WeChat message he had received a few minutes earlier, ignoring the person beside him.

Seeing this, Guan Che leaned in and persistently said, "Give me Sister Lin's WeChat."

Jiang Yan glanced at him, his hair falling over his forehead, the tips brushing his eyelids. His tone was flat, "Get lost."

Guan Che chuckled lightly and moved back a bit. "Alright, I'll get lost."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly reached out, trying to snatch the phone from Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan, well aware of the trick, raised his hand to avoid him.

Guan Che didn't expect him to react so quickly. He ended up falling into Jiang Yan, his arm pressing against Jiang Yan's chest and his knee on his thigh.

The two of them ended up in a rather awkward position on the sofa.

The phone fell to the ground.

"Damn it!" Jiang Yan, hit hard by Guan Che's elbow, swore, "Are you out of your mind or something?"

Guan Che laughed and apologized while pushing off the armrest to get up.

Outside in the hallway, hurried footsteps were heard.

The next moment, Hu Hanghang burst in, holding his phone up. "Brother Yan, Sister Tiao said she—"

He abruptly stopped.

Lying on the sofa, Guan Che and Jiang Yan looked up, their expressions calm but clearly not fully processing what was happening.

Hu Hanghang was completely stunned. What the hell is this?

This, this, this—Sister Tiao is being cheated on!

Remembering Lin Tiao, Hu Hanghang suddenly realized he was still on a video call. Seeing Lin Tiao's equally shocked face on the screen, his first reaction was to explain for Jiang Yan. "Sister Tiao, it's not what you think. You need to trust Brother Yan."

"…"

"…"

"…"

Jiang Yan finally noticed the phone Hu Hanghang was holding, pushed Guan Che off him, and said, exasperated, "I'm going to be driven insane by you guys one day."

Guan Che didn't expect the situation to unfold like this. Laughing awkwardly, he quickly moved away from the sofa before Jiang Yan could hit him.

As he reached the door, he even greeted Lin Tiao on the video call. "Sister, good evening."

The next second, his head was hit by a socialite's attack.

Guan Che bent down, picked up a pillow that had fallen at his feet, and stuffed it into Hu Hanghang's arms, his tone heavy and forlorn. "Bro, take care."

After he left, the room fell silent.

Jiang Yan sat on the sofa, his black hair still damp, droplets of water dripping from the ends. He looked at Hu Hanghang, expressionless. "What's up?"

Hu Hanghang stood there, silently swallowing, feeling unprecedented pressure. "Sister Tiao said she has time during the holidays to hang out with us and asked for our ID numbers. Her dad is arranging to get us tickets."

"Got it." Jiang Yan bent down to pick up the phone that had fallen on the floor and noticed that Lin Tiao had sent him a WeChat message two minutes ago.

"Student Jiang, what's your ID number? My dad is finding someone to get us tickets."

After Hu Hanghang finished speaking, he quickly left. Jiang Yan sat on the sofa, opened the input field, and saw that the other party's status was "typing."

He waited for five minutes.

Jiang Yan "...."

Is this writing a thesis?

He rubbed the back of his neck, stretched his long legs, and single-handedly typed out his ID number.

Less than a second later, he received a reply.

"Okay jpg."

A few seconds later, another message with an emoji followed.

"Student Jiang, got it.

Realization jpg."

Jiang Yan was confused and sent a question mark back.

The status changed to "typing" again. After a while, the status stopped, and Jiang Yan received a new message.

"Do you like boys?"