With a pile of textbooks handed to him by Zhang Xuehua, Ye Feng strolled to the door of Class 2-A, thinking, "This should count as a pleasant surprise for her."
Inside, a physics lesson was underway.
"Excuse me," Ye Feng called politely from outside the classroom. The teacher looked at him in surprise, noticing the stack of new books in his hands. After a brief pause, she said, "Come in."
Ye Feng's eyes scanned the room, immediately finding Lin Shiyun sitting at Desk 1 in the third row, her gaze filled with astonishment. She hadn't expected Ye Feng's grades to be good enough to transfer into a top class that was supposed to have no more vacancies.
Their eyes met, and Lin Shiyun quickly turned away, a bit flustered.
Assuming Ye Feng was lingering by the door because he didn't have a seat, the teacher said, "Just find any open spot for now. We can sort out seating later; class is in session." Little did she know that Ye Feng was just enjoying his glimpse of Lin Shiyun.
"Oh," Ye Feng replied, realizing he had lingered too long. Without a word, he walked into the classroom and headed straight toward Lin Shiyun, noticing an empty seat beside her.
Seeing him approach Lin Shiyun, whispers broke out among the students.
"Whoa, this guy's got guts, going straight for the Ice Queen! Doesn't he know she's supposedly claimed by Young Master Zuo Fei?"
"What a poor soul. He'll probably get messed with by Zuo Fei in no time."
"Gosh, he's so attractive! But he's definitely interested in Lin Shiyun. I just hope he survives Zuo Fei… if he doesn't, maybe I should swoop in!"
"He's that guy! I saw him with Lin Shiyun earlier! There's definitely something going on."
Watching Ye Feng approach, Lin Shiyun blushed and avoided his gaze.
"Oh my gosh, look, the Ice Queen's blushing! Maybe there is something between them!"
"No wonder she's so aloof with everyone else—she already has this guy in her life!"
"Oh, goddess, why? I know I may not be as handsome, but I truly love you. Even if I'd be doomed by Zuo Fei, I'd gladly risk it for a chance with you!"
With his sharp hearing, Ye Feng couldn't help but overhear the whispers.
"So, Zuo Fei, is it? Got it," he thought, filing the name away. "He must be one of Lin Shiyun's admirers."
"Ice Queen, huh? Who knew this little lady would have such a nickname. Looks like I'll be setting off on a quest to melt her icy exterior."
Ye Feng casually settled into the seat beside Lin Shiyun, stacking his books on the side—these textbooks were practically superfluous for him.
"Hello, I'm Ye Feng. Nice to meet you."
He extended his hand, as if meeting her for the first time. But his true thoughts? Well, only he knew those.
"Hello, I'm Lin Shiyun. It's a pleasure to meet you," Lin Shiyun responded, extending her hand. Though a bit surprised by Ye Feng's formality, she quickly played along.
"Ah, deskmates, how wonderful," Ye Feng remarked, gripping her hand firmly. Outwardly, he was simply greeting her; inwardly, his thoughts were far less innocent: "So soft, so smooth… if only she could use these hands to…"
Still, Ye Feng knew better than to let his imagination get the best of him. Reluctantly, he released her hand, giving her palm a gentle scratch with his finger as he withdrew, which made her blush even more.
"Oh my gosh, he actually touched the Ice Queen's hand! I've never even gotten that close—he's just so lucky!"
"Beast! Let go of that hand! Let me!"
"I bet her hand's so soft… It's a shame it went to that pretty boy."
"He touched her hand? Zuo Fei will probably have his chopped off!"
"Congratulations, host. Lin Shiyun's favorability toward you has increased by five points, bringing it to seventy-five. Your confession success rate is now eighty percent. Well done—flirting with Lin Shiyun and getting away with it, all while raising her interest."
"You… You lecherous system, you saw all that?" Ye Feng replied to Guang Nao.
The thought hit him suddenly—if he were to actually date Lin Shiyun and get intimate with her, would Guang Nao witness every second of it?
"Oh, don't worry, host," Guang Nao responded slyly. "I don't spy on people in private moments. These observations are strictly for tracking favorability points. When the time comes, you're free to disable this feature."
Only then did Ye Feng feel relieved. After all, he was perfectly normal—who'd be comfortable under such surveillance?
"Why did you transfer here?" Lin Shiyun whispered to Ye Feng.
Ye Feng smiled. "What's this? Is our Ice Queen not happy to see me?"
"It's not that! Who's calling me the Ice Queen? That's just something people say," Lin Shiyun hurriedly replied.
"Oh, by the way, who's this Zuo Fei guy? I'm curious," Ye Feng asked.
Lin Shiyun immediately became flustered. "He has nothing to do with me—he's not even a friend, so don't misunderstand."
Even she was surprised by her response; why was she so concerned about Ye Feng's opinion?
"Oh, I see. Maybe I just read too much into it," Ye Feng said, feeling secretly delighted. Lin Shiyun's clear response reassured him that he'd truly started to matter to her.
Haha, an eighty-percent success rate for confessing—perhaps soon, I'll get the chance to…
"Lost in thought, are we? See something you like?" Lin Shiyun teased, seeing his distant look.
"Oh? Where? Who?" Ye Feng pretended to look around, irritating her even more.
"Stupid! There's a beautiful girl right in front of you!" she muttered.
Ye Feng, watching her adorable, slightly exasperated expression, couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, my apologies. That would be you, wouldn't it, Miss Lin?"
Since they were now deskmates, Ye Feng had moved closer, so his playful "Isn't that right, Miss Lin?" sounded almost like a whisper by her ear. Her heart skipped a beat.
Ye Feng, however, failed to notice one thing. Although the students were focused on the lecture, he'd forgotten they were sitting in the front row—making it impossible for the teacher not to notice.
"Ahem, Miss Lin Shiyun, could you please explain the law of conservation of charge?"
The teacher glared at Ye Feng, displeased with his behavior, but chose to address Lin Shiyun instead, given her usual reliability as the class's top student.
Having been talking to Ye Feng, Lin Shiyun hadn't looked at the textbook and didn't know the answer. She stood up hesitantly, casting a quick glare at Ye Feng, as if to say, "It's all your fault!"
Ye Feng shrugged with a look that seemed to say, "Hey, I didn't do anything."
"Sorry, sir, I'm not too familiar with that one," she admitted, embarrassed.
The teacher sighed. Since Lin Shiyun was normally diligent, he let it slide, saying, "Fine, sit down."
She sat back down, ready to grab Ye Feng's arm in mock frustration, but Ye Feng's next words left her speechless.