Chapter 42

To prove she had nothing to do with the "accident," Chu Yin crouched down and poked the piglet’s belly.
"Wake up, hey, wake up."
The piglet sprawled on the ground oinked once, rolled over, and its beady little eyes somehow radiated a smugness.
Chu Yin: ?? Has this pig become a spirit?!
Do you even know who your creator is?! How dare you treat me like this!!
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Chu Yin realized she was essentially cursing herself and felt relieved she’d only thought it and not said it aloud.
But she could still sense that Lu Zhen, that dog of a man, was laughing even harder.
Chu Yin had no choice but to continue giving the pig spirit a little massage, trying to get it to stand up and walk, but it stubbornly refused to budge.
Finally, Lu Zhen leaned down and spoke. "Get up."
The piglet oinked happily twice, then agilely flipped upright.
Chu Yin: "……"
She patted her legs and stood up, her gaze lingering on Lu Zhen with a hint of disbelief.
Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow slightly. "What’s wrong?"
Chu Yin praised, "You really have a way with pigs."
"……" Lu Zhen paused briefly. "I suppose so."
The piglet frolicked happily between them. This corner of the villa garden was quiet, and the breeze carried the faint scent of crabapple blossoms from afar, with scattered petals drifting silently through the air.
Lu Zhen glanced at Chu Yin and cleared his throat softly. "You don’t have to take responsibility for the pig, but you can give her a name."
Chu Yin was slightly surprised. "Your pig, and I get to name her? Is that appropriate?"
"Appropriate," Lu Zhen replied, his gaze fixed intently on her.
For some reason, Chu Yin suddenly remembered the kitten from her past life that she hadn’t been able to keep. After Lu Zhen took the cat away, the scratches on her hands gradually healed, but a trace of regret had lingered in her heart.
"Then let’s call her Hezi (Box)," Chu Yin said.
That was the name of the kitten, because Lu Zhen had given it to her in a box. In this life, since the kitten hadn’t appeared, the name could go to the pig.
"Okay."
Lu Zhen lowered his gaze to glance at the small pot-bellied pig at his feet, then looked up at the girl standing before him.
The "accidental" collision had been deliberate, but his desire to keep her there was genuine.
When everyone else was fervently expressing their affection for her, he would feel a sense of panic and anxiety. An inexplicable, unreasonable discomfort accumulated in his heart, like layers of burnt ashes.
He felt he had to do something, even if it led nowhere.
Lu Zhen subtly tensed his spine, aware that his heartbeat had grown somewhat erratic.
With a faint trace of nervousness and a hint of barely perceptible humility, the young master realized his voice had turned slightly hoarse. "Chu Yin, "
"What is it?"
Lu Zhen’s thin lips parted. "I"
"Xiao Yin!"
Before Lu Zhen could finish speaking, Chu Shi’s voice suddenly cut in.
Chu Yin glanced suspiciously at Lu Zhen, then raised her hand and waved. "I’m here."
Chu Shi had finished chatting with several wealthy matrons and turned around to find Chu Yin missing. Following the sound of her voice, he spotted his sister standing with Lu Zhen, a dangerous character!
Alarm bells immediately went off in his mind, and he strode over.
Although Lu Zhen hadn’t done anything to Xiao Yin since she was brought back home, and his sister was surprisingly popular at school, far from appearing bullied, Chu Shi couldn’t shake the memory of what he’d seen in that dream.
In the future, the Lu family’s vast business empire might undergo a power reshuffle, but Chu Shi didn’t want Chu Yin to get dragged into it. She was living brilliantly now and should continue to shine.
From the moment Chu Shi appeared, Lu Zhen’s expression turned icy. His dark eyes, sharp as frozen shards, radiated a restless irritation.
The two men locked eyes for a second, each sensing the hostility in the other.
"What are you two talking about?" Chu Shi asked with a smile.
Lu Zhen couldn’t be bothered to respond. Chu Yin answered, "Oh, we were talking about his pig."
Chu Shi: "?" He glanced down and realized there was indeed a real pig.
"Master Lu, what refined taste!" Chu Shi gave a thumbs-up.
Lu Zhen, as if oblivious to the sarcasm, replied indifferently, "Thank you."
"Alright, Xiao Yin, we’ve walked enough. Shall we head home?" Chu Shi shot a triumphant glance at Lu Zhen.
Chu Yin naturally said, "Okay."
With that, the siblings turned and walked away.
Lu Zhen silently watched their retreating figures until they disappeared from view, then lowered his gaze, his eyelashes casting faint shadows.
After a while, he bent down and picked up the increasingly chubby piglet, gently stroking its belly.
"Let's go, Hezi."
He'd tell her next time.
…
Song Zhaolin had been anxious for several days, closely watching every little movement.
But he hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Sister Yin was still studying every day, and Brother Zhen remained as unflappable as ever.
Song Zhaolin: Why is it always the bystanders who are anxious while the involved parties stay calm?! He was practically dying from worry!
He felt the thrill of being the only person in the world who knew an earth-shattering secret, a secret even the people involved weren't aware of!
As Chu Yin put away a notebook, she glanced at him. Seeing Song Zhaolin scratching his head and fidgeting, she fell silent for a moment.
"Linlin," Chu Yin asked, "...did it break?"
Song Zhaolin: "Did what break??"
Chu Yin covered her mouth and whispered, "That thing, the one nine out of ten people have."
Song Zhaolin looked utterly confused.
Thinking he was playing dumb and didn't want to talk about it, Chu Yin didn't press further.
Holding a math notebook, she stood up from her seat but was suddenly grabbed by Song Zhaolin.
"Ah, Sister Yin!" Song Zhaolin hesitated for a couple of seconds before hinting vaguely, "You know what?! Someone wants to be my mom!"
Chu Yin: "?"
Song Zhaolin continued, "And the most important part is, you know this person!"
Chu Yin: "??"
Song Zhaolin blinked his round eyes, looking at her with anticipation.
Chu Yin's expression gradually turned sympathetic: "I'm sorry, I didn't realize your family situation was so... complicated."
Song Zhaolin: "??"
Chu Yin thought that if she knew this "little mom," she must be quite young.
She patted Song Zhaolin's head affectionately: "Don't take it too hard. Think carefully about whether you want to stay with your dad or your mom."
With that, Chu Yin sighed and walked away.
Rich families are really messy, tsk tsk tsk.
Leaving Song Zhaolin alone, the little question marks in his head once again joined hands.
…
Chu Yin had been invited by the grade-level math team to share her competition experience with the first-year juniors, hoping to provide some guidance as they decided between liberal arts and sciences, after all, a gold medal in the liberal arts math competition still held significant value.
Although the Hope Cup competition had ended some time ago, Chu Yin still remembered how she felt during the winter camp. After the exam, she spent a long time reviewing and summarizing, gathering plenty of insights.
Two students had won awards this year, but the math team only invited her. Firstly, because Chu Yin was a gold medalist, and secondly, because they didn't dare bother that young master. Besides, Lu Zhen didn't seem like the type to share experiences.
Chu Yin wholeheartedly agreed, saying she was perfectly fine going alone, having someone else there would just disrupt her flow.
The sharing session was held in the first-year comprehensive classroom, a fairly large room. Most of the attendees were students planning to choose liberal arts, though there were also quite a few with science aspirations. Additionally, there were some random people who had come specifically to see Chu Yin.
At the classroom door, Chu Yin ran into Junior Hao Diao.
After the previous incident, he had completely lost his swagger in front of her. Even the sight of her stunningly beautiful face made his stomach ache, and he couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Now that he'd toned down his act, his clothing had also become much more normal. No longer flaunting his pale arms, he wore a proper sweatshirt, and Chu Yin finally found him less of an eyesore.
"You came to listen too?" she asked quite amiably.
Hao Diao instinctively stood at attention: "Hello, senior!"
Chu Yin nodded and waved her hand. "Don't be nervous."
Her fair, slender fingers flashed before his eyes. Her expression was neutral, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes slightly narrowed. She appeared calm and composed, yet there was an indescribable aura of coolness about her.
Hao Diao: Ahhhh, so cool! He wanted to squeal with excitement again, wuwuwu.
"Senior, even though I might look a bit unreliable, I'm actually pretty good at studying," Hao Diao explained.
Chu Yin was somewhat surprised. "That's great."
"I've decided to make you my goal and study hard," Hao Diao clenched his fist, "so I can become outstanding, then a top-tier guy will love me on your behalf!"
Chu Yin felt quite pleased with the first part, but the last sentence left her baffled: "Huh? What nonsense is that?"
After saying this, Hao Diao strode into the classroom with fervor, took a seat near the front, and fixed his bright, intense gaze on the podium.
As soon as Chu Yin stepped inside, she was met with a wave of applause and cheers.
"Hello, senior!"
"Thank you for your hard work, senior!"
Chu Yin raised her hand and touched the tip of her nose, unsure of what to say, so she simply responded with a smile.
"Ahhhh, she smiled at me!"
"She smiled at me, okay?!"
"I heard they invite past participants to the winter camp every year. Wuwuwu, I want to join just for her!"
Thanks to the audience's high enthusiasm, the atmosphere during Chu Yin's sharing session on stage was lively.
"...And that's the main knowledge framework I learned at this year's Hope Cup Winter Camp. One thing worth reminding everyone is that if you plan to participate in competitions, you must start studying early," Chu Yin's clear, bright eyes scanned the audience, "Don't be like me, because my foundation was relatively weak, I had to put in extra effort later to catch up with others."
The audience: Listen to that! Is that even human?!
Winning a gold medal and saying her foundation was weak?!
But, even when she doesn't talk like a normal person, she's still so beautiful, TAT.
After the sharing session ended, Chu Yin stayed behind to answer a few questions. Among those who approached her, some were clearly there for ulterior motives; Chu Yin recognized at least two people who had previously given her love letters or small gifts.
It wasn't until a teacher came and shooed away the overly enthusiastic juniors that Chu Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After leaving the classroom, Hao Diao was still waiting outside and handed her a bottle of mineral water.
Touched by his thoughtfulness, Chu Yin unscrewed the cap and took a sip.
"Senior, I did some digging afterward. No wonder you got angry when I said Lu Zhen was hard to deal with." And then you even punched me, QAQ.
Chu Yin raised her eyebrows in surprise as she drank water.
Huh? Why bring this up all of a sudden?
Hao Diao suddenly waggled his eyebrows with a gossipy expression. "Is it because Lu Zhen likes you?"
Chu Yin: "Pfft!, "
She spat out her water in one go.
Hao Diao was startled, but as a refined boy, he naturally carried tissues with him. He quickly pulled out a fragrant, patterned tissue and handed it to her.
After finally catching her breath, Chu Yin looked horrified.
"Who started that rumor??", Who was ruining her reputation!!
Hao Diao counted on his fingers for her: "Because everyone's paying attention to you. Some say Brother Zhen talked to you right after you transferred here, then he defended you by scolding a classmate on the forum. During the sports meet, someone saw you two walking together, and then you both went to Province B and won awards together, Oh my god, so shippable!"
Of course, besides Chu Yin x Lu Zhen, there were many other pairings. For example, some shipped Chu Yin x Gu Qiuzhe, since they could also string together a long list of interactions. Things like cheering for him during basketball games, discussing problems together, and even meeting during the winter camp in another province.
Everything is shippable! Shipping makes life better!
Chu Yin: ...I need some quiet.
Although she occasionally had some vague worries, but no way, right??
That dog man wouldn’t, right??
Chu Yin walked away with a grave expression.
Hao Diao found it very strange.
If either of those two liked him, he’d be over the moon!
Truly, Senior Chu is a real academic elite! He’d never reach that level in his lifetime!
…
The school was indeed very invested in Chu Yin’s love life.
Shipping various high-profile figures had become the students’ tireless pastime. After all, there had never been a girl of such status at the school before, but now there was.
So far, all those who publicly pursued Chu Yin had failed, and she showed no response to any other advances either.
Anonymous group chats frequently discussed this topic:
[I really can’t imagine who our Sister Chu would like.]
[No offense, but all the ships you’re pushing are forced sugar. I don’t buy it.]
[I only ship Chu Yin x me.]
[Shameless person above!!!!!]
…
[Latest news: just saw the top student and the other top student chatting! In the senior hallway.]
[Chu-Gu shippers, assemble!!!]
[What?? Are my husband and my wife breaking up??]
A few minutes later, the gossipmonger returned,
[Although the top students chatted for over ten minutes! There was no romance, zero sugar to scrape! Because they were discussing the xxx theorem.]
[What is this xxx?]
[No idea. If I understood, would I be typing xxx? So annoyed.jpg]
Finally, the group reached a conclusion.
[Got it, your sister loves no one.]
[Don’t love me, no results, Chu Yin Quote 001]
Chu Yin was completely unaware of these discussions, but after Hao Diao’s remarks, she secretly observed Lu Zhen.
On the surface, nothing seemed unusual, but upon careful reflection, that dog man Lu Zhen did seem to appear rather frequently.
She could guarantee the plot had been completely derailed, but she truly couldn’t control Lu Zhen’s thoughts or feelings.
Chu Yin thought irritably that she absolutely wouldn’t take the script of a short-lived white moonlight this lifetime. Right now, she still had enormous authority she hadn’t used yet, so she was very safe, if that dog man dared to make her retread the old path, she’d make Lu Zhen short-lived!
My soul of secret assassination is burning fiercely again.jpg
Study System: “Beep, the system has detected that the host’s killing intent is too strong, which is not good for physical and mental health!”
Chu Yin snorted, “I’m very healthy!”
She originally thought this was just the usual banter with the system, but then Study System beeped again: “A friendly reminder: since the current script has changed significantly, some stimulating actions might trigger special fluctuations in this world.”
Chu Yin was taken aback, “What special fluctuations?”
Study System: “The system cannot predict that for now.”
It was vague, but Chu Yin’s mind worked quickly.
Special fluctuations… The biggest special fluctuation in this world right now should be herself, a character who had bound a cheat and restarted from a save point.
Could triggering further fluctuations mean that her changes to the plot might stimulate similar situations to occur again?
“Could this system bind with someone else?” Chu Yin immediately seized the most critical question.
Study System: “The modification authority of the World Book is only open to the host.”
Chu Yin felt slightly reassured.
Since she was the only one who could modify the script, she still held an absolute advantage.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Yin thought it seemed she needed to be more cautious when avoiding and adjusting the original plot from now on.
When the homeroom teacher entered the classroom, she happened to see Chu Yin with her arms crossed, brows slightly furrowed, and a thoughtful expression.
She was immediately moved and gratified, Look! This child is radiating an aura of wisdom all over!
For other students, she had to constantly remind and urge them, but for Chu Yin, she even had to advise her not to push herself too hard.
The homeroom teacher gently tapped Chu Yin’s shoulder, “Take some proper breaks during recess, don’t overwork yourself.”
Chu Yin put away all the destructive thoughts in her mind, snapped back to reality, and said obediently, “I know, teacher, I’m not tired.”
“I came over to tell you that the elite tutoring class organized by Quiwen every year in the second semester of senior high is about to start.”
In the second semester of senior high, the entire city enters a unified joint exam mode, and the two main competing schools are actually the neighboring No. 1 High School and Quiwen. One school is wealthy and well-funded, the other has high-quality students, and they are the main competitors every year. Overall rankings and individual subject scores are all compared.
Top students like Chu Yin, of course, are the school’s key protected assets.
“This class organized by the school has first-line core teachers and even foreign teachers hired at high salaries. Generally, admission requires an exam, but the grade just issued a policy: students who have won city-level or above awards can enter directly.”
Chu Yin had already won first prize in the municipal English competition and a gold medal in the provincial math competition. To put it bluntly, the school wanted her to join directly, afraid she might decline.
To achieve good results in the city-wide academic competition, from now on, Quiwen Private High School would gradually allocate more educational resources to top-performing students. This included not only teaching staff but also the latest supplementary materials, course content, and more.
Chu Yin had known about this elite class in her previous life, but back then, it had nothing to do with her. Now, of course, she wouldn’t turn down such high-quality resources. However, she hesitated for a moment and asked, “Okay, teacher, but… can I take the entrance exam?”
She realized she particularly liked rankings, poor results could motivate her to work harder, while good results could fuel her drive with a sense of achievement. Unfortunately, unlike other schools, Quiwen didn’t hold monthly exams, so there were too few opportunities to test herself.
The homeroom teacher was very pleased with this kind of academic overachiever talk: “Of course, I’ll inform the grade level.”
Chu Yin nodded. “Thank you, teacher.”
Han Chuying, Jiang Yan, and the others would definitely make it into this tutoring class, and it would be nice to attend classes together.
Han Chuying soon heard about the elite tutoring class as well. She was super excited, especially since she’d get to attend classes with Chu Yin, what a motivating thought!
“But the top students from No. 1 High School are really impressive,” Han Chuying told Chu Yin. “We have a Hope Cup gold medalist, but they have students who’ve won awards in international math competitions. When the time comes, Yin Yin, you’ll definitely have to compete with them. The annual rivalry with No. 1 High School involves school honor, anyone who can become the city’s top scorer in a single subject is considered a hero!”
Chu Yin found it quite interesting. “Then I’ll have to work hard.”
It wasn’t just her, all the top students in the grade were eager to compete for a spot in this elite class.
Unlike the midterm and final exams for the entire grade, this was purely a competition among the best students. In the end, the elite class would only admit 30 students, and the spots were limited.
Chu Yin didn’t take this small exam lightly either. After all, she had chosen to take it herself, what if her results weren’t good? That would be embarrassing. The school had provided the exam scope, which covered the textbooks from the first semester of sophomore year up to now. Each subject would have a short test paper, with a full score of 50 points, totaling 300 points.
“What about my task?” Chu Yin poked the system.
Study System: “This assessment is not within the scope of the system’s designated learning tasks! Because the host doesn’t actually need to participate!”
“…” Chu Yin said, “Alright, stingy chicken.”
Study System: “Can’t hear you, ”
The exam was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Any student in the grade who was interested could sign up, and seating in the exam hall was randomized.
When Chu Yin walked into the exam hall, many people looked up at her.
The first seat in the first row was left empty, while the seats around it were all occupied. Several students’ gazes were filled with eager anticipation, as if saying, “Sit here, sit here!”
Chu Yin raised her hand and touched the tip of her nose, then sat down in the first seat.
The students around her grew excited,
Ah! Breathing the same air as the top student! It feels like my intelligence has been elevated!
When Han Chuying rushed in, she noticed that all the seats around Chu Yin were already taken and let out a frustrated groan, “How could this happen!”
Chu Yin smiled. “This exam will be over soon.”
Han Chuying sat gloomily in one of the remaining empty seats in the classroom.
After a while, another person walked into the classroom.
Chu Yin glanced up and met Lu Zhen’s gaze.
A small commotion rippled through the classroom.
“Wow, ”
“Brother Zhen is here too?!”
“Brother Zhen has been really into studying lately!”
Chu Yin was sitting in the first row, and as soon as Lu Zhen lowered his head, he could see her, her tea-colored hair soft, with a small swirl at the crown.
Lu Zhen clenched his knuckles, took a moment to gather his thoughts, and was about to speak when a persistent head suddenly popped up behind him.
“Xiao Yin, has the exam started yet?”
Chu Yin looked up and saw her brother’s face. “Not yet.”
Lu Zhen closed his eyes briefly. His good upbringing prevented him from rolling his eyes.
Chu Shi also noticed Lu Zhen. “What are you doing here, Young Master Lu?”
Lu Zhen gave him a cold glance, then shifted his gaze back. His pale fingertips lightly tapped on Chu Yin’s desk. “Wait for me after the exam?”
Chu Yin’s internal alarm bells immediately went off. “What for?”
Lu Zhen lowered his head slightly, a faint smile playing on his lips. “There’s… something.”
Chu Yin stared at him for a few seconds.
Her gaze was bright and clear, so much so that Lu Zhen could even see his own slightly nervous and flustered reflection in her pupils.
Lu Zhen’s eyelashes trembled slightly before he met her eyes again, a trace of a smile gradually surfacing in his gaze.
“Good luck on the exam,” he said softly before turning to find his seat.
“What’s this about? Hey, ” Chu Shi watched as Lu Zhen lazily took a seat in the classroom, feeling a surge of irritation.
He wanted to say more, but the proctor had already entered, carrying the exam papers.
Not wanting to delay Chu Yin any further, he simply said, “I’ll be in self-study. I’ll come find you after school.”
Chu Yin nodded. “Okay.”
“Put away your phones and notebooks! We’ll start distributing the papers now!”
Chu Yin immediately pushed aside all other thoughts and focused on the exam ahead.
The exam time was indeed short, just forty minutes per subject, and the papers were completed quickly.
Once the exam began, the top students quickly got into the zone. Although the number of questions was small, the difficulty was high, as the purpose of this exam was selection. The math paper was noticeably challenging even for some of the top ten students in the grade. The girl sitting diagonally behind Chu Yin kept tugging at her hair, and even from a distance, her struggle was palpable.
However, for someone who had participated in competitions, this level of difficulty was nothing. Chu Yin realized that the teacher’s decision to exempt her from the exam wasn’t without reason, she was definitely a shoo-in.
She breezed through the math paper effortlessly, finishing it in just half an hour.
The surrounding classmates watched as the top student calmly set down her pen, their hearts suddenly tightening, Ahhh, suddenly it doesn’t feel so great to be sitting near Chu Yin either!
The pressure was just too intense!!
There was only one break between the six subject exams, and they lasted all the way until the school bell rang at the end of the day.
When the last subject, Politics, wrapped up and the papers were collected, the classroom erupted into a collective sigh of relief.
"How confident are you?"
"The others were okay, but the math was absolutely brutal..."
"Last year’s college entrance exam questions were about this level of difficulty, right?"
"I feel like it was even harder than the college entrance exam."
Chu Yin stretched her neck and shoulders slightly, then glanced over at Jiang Yan and Han Chuying. Though they looked a bit tired, their expressions suggested they’d done well.
Feeling reassured, she suddenly realized Lu Zhen was no longer in the classroom.
Had he turned in his paper early or something? Chu Yin suddenly recalled what that jerk had said to her before the exam.
What did he need to talk to her about alone? Postpartum care for sows?
Chu Yin crossed her arms, thinking back to Lu Zhen’s expression earlier...
With all sorts of information swirling in her mind lately, a sense of foreboding washed over her.
No way? It couldn’t be, right??
One by one, the students in the classroom filed out. Jiang Yan and Han Chuying came over to ask her to leave with them, but Chu Yin declined.
Until she figured things out, she was a little afraid to step out of the classroom. Since Lu Zhen had said that, he was probably waiting for her somewhere outside right now.
After thinking it over for a while, Chu Yin pulled out the script. It started in the senior year classroom.
[After school, Chu Shi packed his things while saying to Gu Qiuzhe beside him, "Do you want to come with me to find Xiao Yin?"
Gu Qiuzhe: "I haven’t finished an essay yet, so I’ll be late, why?"
Chu Shi: "Then I can’t wait for you, Lu Zhen is going to find my sister after school."
Gu Qiuzhe laughed: "Why are you so wary of Lu Zhen?"...]
Even her brother had noticed something was off??
Chu Yin’s heartbeat quickened slightly.
[Lu Zhen left the classroom early and waited outside for Chu Yin. The evening sunlight was beautiful, and he stood in the light, his expression inexplicably soft.]
[He had something very important to say.]
...Oh, crap.
A bolt of lightning seemed to crackle through Chu Yin’s mind as she suddenly understood,
Damn you, Lu Zhen?!
I’ll! Kill! You!
Though her thoughts were chaotic, Chu Yin clearly knew she had to stop this from happening, or the plot would align with her past life!
Calm down, stay calm, she needed to think this through carefully!
First, avoid Lu Zhen!
She scanned the script left and right, only to find this sneaky script hadn’t even specified Lu Zhen’s location?!
Chu Yin: "So, according to this plot, no matter where I go, I’ll run into him?"
Study System regretfully replied, "It seems that way."
Chu Yin was so angry she punched the air. Luckily, the classroom was empty, and no one saw the usually aloof top student in such a state.
In her account, aside from major permissions, she only had single-word permissions left... Would she have to use a single-sentence permission? Chu Yin stared at this part of the script, reading it over and over, until a sudden idea struck her.
She grabbed the light pen and landed it on the sentence [waited outside for Chu Yin].
...Her brother should be on his way to find her now, right?
Chu Yin lowered her eyes: "..."
She hesitated for a second, then crossed out the character for "Yin" and replaced it with "Shi."
Sorry.
...
Lu Zhen stood in the corner on the first floor of the teaching building, leaning against the wall.
A long time had passed since the exam ended, and students had been leaving the building one after another. Lu Zhen saw the two girls who often hung out with Chu Yin, laughing and chatting as they walked away.
He glanced up, the staircase was empty.
Studying? Asking questions?
Lu Zhen tilted his head back slightly, his expression relaxed.
It didn’t matter, he had plenty of patience, as long as her brother didn’t show up to interrupt again.
After a long while, the sound of footsteps finally echoed through the empty hallway.
A faint smile tugged at Lu Zhen’s lips as he slowly stepped out of the corner.
Then, turning the corner, he came face to face with a stunned Chu Shi.
“?”
Lu Zhen frowned. “Where’s Chu Yin?”
Chu Shi stared wide-eyed. “Where’s my sister?”
A few seconds later, in the silence, they both realized:
Had they both been stood up??
Not far away, at the school gate, a figure swept past the iron gate like a gust of wind.
Chu Yin covered her mouth, slipped into her family’s car, and let out a long sigh of relief.
Sorry, goodbye! [886]