Alright, this is getting more and more confusing.
Xue Jiao felt a bit helpless and was about to speak when Yi Tianyu beat her to it—
“I took her out to grab something to eat!”
Yi Dafa narrowed his eyes slightly, his face looking serious, but his eyes were full of amusement.
Well, well! He even managed to take her out on a date!
Li Sitong frowned. “Jiao Jiao, you tell me.”
“Fine, I was hungry, so my deskmate took me out to eat,” Xue Jiao admitted helplessly, deciding to just tell the truth.
Li Sitong had rather traditional views. She was the type of parent who firmly believed children shouldn’t date before the college entrance exams—especially...
Especially when the other party wasn’t exactly a well-behaved, sensible young man!
Xue Jiao had once been a troublemaker herself and had only recently turned over a new leaf by sheer coincidence.
Li Sitong was terrified that someone might lead her astray again. If that happened...
So even though the other family’s background was far superior to the Cheng family’s, Li Sitong was still very reluctant!
She couldn’t exactly reprimand Yi Tianyu, so she could only question Xue Jiao—
“Why would you go out with a boy so late at night?!”
Yi Dafa had originally planned to stay out of it—after all, Xue Jiao looked like a well-behaved girl, while his son had a history of sneaking out.
But hearing Li Sitong’s words, he couldn’t help feeling displeased. “What’s wrong with going out with my son? Sure, he’s a bit of a troublemaker, but he knows exactly what he should and shouldn’t do. The way you just spoke makes it sound like you don’t respect my son or the high-quality education our family provides!”
Yi Dafa glared, his righteous indignation written all over his face.
Yi’s Mother tugged at his sleeve, wanting to say—our family’s education isn’t exactly high-quality.
They were nouveau riche... not exactly known for their stellar upbringing...
Yi Dafa turned his head and winked at her. Yi’s Mother immediately understood.
Sure enough, Li Sitong’s face flushed red, and she quickly said, “No, that’s not what I meant. I just want Jiao Jiao to be cautious...”
“Cautious of what?! Cautious of my son?!” Yi Dafa continued glaring.
This was still the annual gala, and Yi Dafa was the type to unconditionally defend his own. Plus, his family was indeed much more influential than the Cheng family, so Li Sitong could only stammer, unsure of how to respond.
But then Yi Dafa suddenly softened his tone—
“Mrs. Xue, let me be honest with you—I really admire Xue Jiao. She’s smart, sensible, and well-behaved. My son has been studying with her and actually made it into the top 100 of his grade! That’s unprecedented in our family! So I’ve always told my son that one must repay kindness. If Xue Jiao was hungry, of course Tianyu had to take her out to eat. After all, to Tianyu, Xue Jiao isn’t just a deskmate—she’s his benefactor!”
A slap followed by a sweet date—Li Sitong was instantly pacified.
She began to wonder if she had misunderstood. Xue Jiao had been tutoring Yi Tianyu, his grades improved, and he was grateful, so he looked out for her.
Wasn’t it just Xue Jiao going out to eat with her deskmate because she was hungry? Had she overreacted?
Yes!
Of course! If they were dating, how could their studies still be so good?
Feeling guilty, she wondered if she should say something—maybe apologize?
Clearly, Yi Dafa had trapped Li Sitong, making her feel like she had wronged the other child and angered the parents.
A guilty Li Sitong would naturally hesitate to stop Xue Jiao from spending time with Yi Tianyu in the future.
This was all part of Yi Dafa’s scheme!
But Cheng Shuo held Li Sitong back.
Usually mild-mannered, Cheng Shuo was unusually serious today as he looked intently at Xue Jiao."Are you and classmate Yi Tianyu really just classmates? He just took you out for a meal today?"
Xue Jiao nodded without hesitation. "Yi Tianyu is my deskmate. We do get along quite well, but rest assured, I won't date anyone before graduation, nor do I want to."
There are so many things to accomplish in life—why waste all one's time on dating?
That was Xue Jiao's current mindset. When she mentioned "graduation," she meant completing her education, including university or any further degrees she might pursue afterward.
However, others clearly misunderstood her to mean high school graduation.
Not that it mattered—her point was that she definitely wouldn't date before the college entrance exams.
Cheng Shuo nodded, looking at her earnestly. "I believe you. You've been very sensible lately."
He paused before continuing, "Since there's nothing between you and Yi Tianyu, your mother and I won't stop you from socializing with classmates. But Jiao Jiao, wasn't it wrong of you to run out at night without telling us anything today?"
Cheng Shuo wasn't harsh or scolding—he spoke reasonably and logically.
Oh no!
Yi Dafa realized this man wouldn't be easily fooled. But since this was a father disciplining his daughter, he couldn't interrupt and could only watch anxiously from the sidelines.
Son! Your father is breaking his back for you!
Cheng Shuo's words made Xue Jiao lower her head in guilt.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Cheng. I promise I won't do this again! I'll always let you know where I'm going."
"It was me who stopped her from telling you! I was afraid you wouldn't let us go, so I dragged her out directly. Uncle Cheng, don't blame her!" Yi Tianyu quickly stepped forward to clarify. It was indeed him who had pulled her along.
Cheng Shuo shook his head. "No matter how she left, with so many people around, she couldn't have gone if she didn't want to. If she had just told us she was going out to eat with you, would I really have forbidden it?"
At this, Yi Tianyu was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.
He wanted to argue—you might have agreed, but Xue Jiao's mother, your wife, definitely wouldn't have!
But they hadn't thought that far ahead at the time. Saying so now would be both impolite and hurtful, so Yi Tianyu could only stay silent.
"Besides, Jiao Jiao, you're a girl. Girls are more vulnerable. Your mother is just worried about you."
Xue Jiao nodded. Cheng Shuo had her best interests at heart, and she wasn't ungrateful.
Cheng Shuo took another step forward, looking straight at Xue Jiao.
"Jiao Jiao, helping others is a good thing, but you shouldn't take their gratitude for granted. Do you remember the words on the blackboard in your room? You only have 506 days left until the college entrance exams. All your energy should be focused on studying. I know you're not distracted now, and I hope you won't be for the next year and a half either."
Cheng Shuo was far more articulate than Li Sitong.
He neither lectured her nor doubted her—he simply laid out his concerns and her goals clearly.
Xue Jiao was a driven and hardworking person. She would push herself forward and dispel all of Li Sitong's worries about early romance.
Sure enough, as soon as Cheng Shuo finished speaking, Xue Jiao immediately looked up and said earnestly—
"Uncle Cheng, this was my mistake. I shouldn't have run off without permission and made you worry. It won't happen again—I'll focus on my studies."
Yi Dafa had nothing left to say.
Li Sitong might have been easy to fool, but Cheng Shuo was another matter.This son of his—whether he could still sit next to Xue Jiao next semester was now a question!
"Student Yi Tianyu, don’t feel pressured. Taking Jiao Jiao out for dinner isn’t a big deal, and we don’t blame you," Cheng Shuo said with a smile to Yi Tianyu and the others. "We’ll take our leave now. See you later."
"See you!" Yi Tianyu quickly replied.
"You silly boy!" Yi Dafa lightly smacked him and shook his head.
"What’s wrong?" Yi Tianyu was utterly confused.
Yi Dafa sighed and walked away without another word.
Yi's Mother followed, lowering her voice. "Old Yi, what’s going on?"
Yi Dafa whispered in response, "I originally wanted to let the two kids spend more time together. After all, one is still the top of the grade, and the other has made rapid progress—even if they were dating, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But this Cheng guy isn’t having it. He’s figured out that our son might have feelings for Gu Xue Jiao, and he probably won’t let them interact much from now on. I bet he’ll ask the teacher next semester to separate the two."
"Ah? Then will our son—"
"It’s fine." Yi Dafa grinned. "He wants to switch them? I won’t let him!"
His son had worked so hard to stay in Class 1—wasn’t it all to keep sitting next to Xue Jiao? If they couldn’t be desk mates anymore, how would that affect his motivation?
Still, Yi Dafa added—
"But our son was definitely in the wrong this time. That girl is still young. Taking her out late at night—I wanted to hit him myself, let alone Xue Jiao’s parents!"
——
The rest of the annual gathering passed uneventfully, and it ended not long after Xue Jiao returned.
Yi Tianyu hadn’t been wrong about that—he did have experience.
The family sat in the car.
Cheng Shuo drove, Li Sitong remained in the passenger seat, while Xue Jiao and Cheng Mingze sat in the back.
"Jiao Jiao, you were in the wrong today. How could you run off on your own? No matter how close you are with Yi Tianyu, you can’t just go out with him late at night!"
Li Sitong grew angrier the more she thought about it. She had initially been swayed by Yi Dafa’s words, but Cheng Shuo had set her straight again.
Xue Jiao lowered her head and stayed silent.
Running off without permission was indeed her fault.
"He’s a boy, and you’re a girl. You two can’t just—"
"Sitong!" Cheng Shuo cut her off. "Jiao Jiao already knows she was wrong. Let’s not dwell on it."
Li Sitong opened her mouth but said nothing more.
She was very obedient to Cheng Shuo. If he told her not to bring it up, she wouldn’t.
"Mingze, where were you earlier tonight?" Cheng Shuo suddenly asked Cheng Mingze.
After realizing Xue Jiao was missing, they had searched for her but hadn’t seen Cheng Mingze the entire time.
"Gu... a friend got hurt, so I took her to get bandaged," Cheng Mingze replied softly.
Xue Jiao paused slightly. For some reason, she had a strong feeling Cheng Mingze was talking about Gu Shiyun!
Well… after all, they were the male and female leads. Fate would always find ways to bring them together.
"Ah? How did someone get hurt at the annual gathering?" Li Sitong was puzzled.
Cheng Mingze explained, "Lin Zhihua’s cup broke earlier, and a piece was left behind. It cut her."
Mentioning this reminded Li Sitong of Lin Zhihua again.
"What was up with Lin Zhihua today? He came and left in such a hurry. Old Cheng, do you know why he was here?"
Cheng Shuo shook his head. "No idea. Probably something to do with the Lin Group’s transition.""I really don't know what these big bosses are thinking, leaving without treating their hand injury," Li Sitong shook her head.
"Lin Zhihua got injured?!" Xue Jiao's voice rose slightly.
"Yes, a broken glass cut his hand," Li Sitong replied, then turned her head. "Why that reaction?"
"...Surprised," Xue Jiao paused. "Didn't expect someone so impressive could get hurt."
Cheng Shuo suddenly chuckled, shaking his head as he drove. "Jiao Jiao, no matter how capable someone is, as long as they're human, they have emotions."
Cheng Mingze chimed in, "Lin Zhihua seems more like an emotionless machine."
"A work machine," Li Sitong added.
They continued chatting intermittently, but Xue Jiao's mind wandered, her eyes blankly staring out the window.
——
That night, after washing up.
"Old Cheng, why didn't you let me lecture Jiao Jiao in the car today?" Li Sitong asked while applying a facial mask.
Cheng Shuo put down his book and pulled up the blanket.
"Sitong, from now on, don't mention things like dating or puppy love around Xue Jiao. And bring up Yi Tianyu less too."
"Huh? Why?" Li Sitong looked completely confused.
Cheng Shuo shook his head and said softly, "That classmate Yi Tianyu likes our Jiao Jiao."
"What?!" Li Sitong nearly jumped up, unable to stay seated.
She moved closer to Cheng Shuo. "What's going on! I knew there was something off about Yi Tianyu always being around our Jiao Jiao!"
"Don't be impulsive," Cheng Shuo chided before continuing. "Jiao Jiao excels in every way—it's perfectly normal for young boys to like her. Who didn't have a crush during their youth? This classmate is just more obvious about it."
Li Sitong looked frantic. "But Jiao Jiao still stays so close to him. This is..."
Cheng Shuo shook his head. "Jiao Jiao's fine. I can tell she hasn't developed those feelings yet, so don't keep bringing up puppy love or Yi Tianyu. Kids this age tend to rebel—the more you forbid something, the more they'll do it."
"Then what should we do?" If they couldn't talk about it, how could they handle it?
"Don't handle it. There's no way to. Can you stop others from liking Jiao Jiao? When the new semester starts, we can talk to her homeroom teacher about not always pairing her with the same desk mate."
"Yes, yes! Change their seats!" Li Sitong seemed to have found a solution and nodded firmly.
——
Xue Jiao lay in bed, lost in thought.
After a long while, she took out her phone and opened her chat with Lin Zhihua, typing—
You're actually the big boss of Lin Corp!!!
No, no!
That sounded too accusatory.
Xue Jiao deleted the message and typed again—
Why were you at the annual meeting today?
No, no!
That didn't sound right either.
She deleted it again and typed—
Are you injured?
Before she could send it, a message popped up—
[Lin Zhihua: ?]
Xue Jiao froze, quickly deleting her draft and replying—
[What?!]
An instant reply came—
[How much longer are you going to edit?]
Xue Jiao: ...
[No... I just wanted to ask... how's your hand...]
Another instant reply—
[Lin Zhihua: Not great. It hurts.]
Xue Jiao was stunned. She hadn't expected this—she'd assumed he'd say it was nothing...After some thought, Xue Jiao replied—
["Um... remember to bandage it, and if it's serious, go to the hospital."]
On the other end of the phone.
Lin Zhihua sat quietly in his study, dressed in the black suit he had worn to the annual meeting.
This was the first time since taking over the Lin Corporation that he had sat idle for hours on end. The last time he had done so was when he was deciding whether to return and take over the Lin family business.
Back then, he had merely been conflicted. Today... he felt pain.
Having grown older, he thought he would never again spend a day sitting aimlessly like this.
The room was fairly warm, and the lights were on, yet Lin Zhihua felt the temperature was still not enough.
Outside, the snow lay thick and white, and inside, it felt much the same.
For the first time, he realized how much a wounded hand could hurt.
Yes, this was the first time he understood that pain wasn’t always something one could endure so easily.
Lin Zhihua, who was usually as unyielding as iron or a machine, couldn’t help but falter.
He sat stiffly, as if his entire body had gone numb.
Holding his phone, it took him a long time to reply—
["I wanted to say goodbye before leaving. Where did you go?"]
Xue Jiao responded quickly—
["I went out to eat with my deskmate. I didn’t have dinner tonight."]
["Deskmate?"] Lin Zhihua typed out these two words.
The business world was like a battlefield. Even though he had already dug up every detail about Yi Tianyu’s ancestors, he calmly feigned ignorance.
["Yeah... don’t even mention it. Not only did I suffer a lot going out to eat, but my family also found out. I’ll never dare do something like this again!!"]
Lin Zhihua’s fingers twitched slightly.
Somehow... the pain seemed to ease a little?
["You really shouldn’t have sneaked out, especially since your deskmate seems to be a boy."]
Having already been lectured repeatedly today, Xue Jiao instinctively replied—
["I won’t!! Never again! I regret it so much!"]
And rightly so. She had frozen half to death outside, barely managed to eat something, only to end up with a stomachache!
After all that hardship, she had finally made it back to the hall, only to be caught and scolded by her family...
Lin Zhihua’s fingers moved again.
He could confirm—his hand really did feel better now.
The pain was almost entirely gone.
He flexed his hand slightly, and the chill that had filled the room seemed to vanish instantly.
The heating began to work properly, and the temperature rose.
Lin Zhihua tapped his fingers and continued his reply.
OpenNovel