Chapter 19: Stay Away From Us

The frontline informants sitting by the window almost forgot to snap a photo out of sheer shock after witnessing this scene.

That top-ranking student in the grade, the one so aloof he bordered on introverted, who usually looked down on everyone with complete indifference, actually smiled?!!

Big news, absolute big news! Possessing excellent professional instincts, someone had already captured this moment, rapidly typed up a title and content, and uploaded it to the school forum with a single click.

[Shocking! The Aloof Top Student Smiles for Love! 99 Sweet Things About a Young Couple!]

Once posted, the thread immediately sparked massive traffic. Replies in the comment section climbed at lightning speed, reaching an unprecedented level of popularity.

[XwX]: Are you saying this lucky girl is going to have the grade's number-one student tutor her homework from now on? I'm not jealous at all.. I'm really not jealous at all..!!

[A Man Purer Than Pure Whole Milk]: I want to go to Class 1 too. I'm on the front lines of eating gossip every single time! Damn, if I knew, I would have studied harder!

[I Am the Bureau Chief]: Stop posting stuff that isn't conducive to organized studying!

[Sleep Early and Wake Up Tired]: The gap between those two is huge. One has amazing grades, while the other is just average. But Shang Yi's family seems really wealthy... I saw his watch earlier, super expensive, whereas Shang Ying isn't wearing any brand-name stuff…

[1111]: Really envious of girls. As long as you're good-looking, you can cling to a gold thigh. Sigh, this girl doesn't seem simple either, knowing how to climb social ladders at such a young age.

[Library Book Page Turner]: I heard that girl chased down the top student endlessly to get him, using every trick in the book. Besides, her reputation is terrible, bad character.

Lin Yuan stared at the photos on the school forum and slammed her phone onto the ground with a loud thud. Her face was icy, and she didn't utter a single word, yet the temperature surrounding her dropped to a terrifying chill.

The girl standing behind her frowned.

"Yan'an, don't be angry. I'll find someone to delete these posts."

"What's the point of deleting them? Can you delete Shang Yi's smile?" Lin Yuan crossed her arms, consumed by bitter jealousy, wishing she could tear apart that face of Shang Ying's in her mind.

‘What an absolute fox! The moment she gets free time, she goes to entangle my Shang Yi.’

"It doesn't matter. Those people will teach her a good lesson this afternoon, and she won't have the guts to stay at this school anymore."

Hearing these words, Lin Yuan's gloomy brows relaxed slightly. Indeed, she was just a clown. She had plenty of ways to throw out anyone who tried to get close to Shang Yi.

She had investigated the background of this Shang Ying girl at school. She was just an ordinary person, nothing to fear. If it weren't for that seductive face, Shang Yi definitely wouldn't have spared her a second glance!

At this thought, Lin Yuan felt much better.

"Let's go, go buy something delicious for my Shang Yi."

…

Looking at the extra piece of cake placed on his desk, Shang Yi expressionlessly pushed it away with his pen. How annoying, he would have to sanitize his desk and pen again in a moment.

Lin Yuan offered a sweet smile, taking a seat directly in front of Shang Yi, lightly tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I bought this specially for you. Do you not like this flavor? I can switch it to something else next time."

She knew Shang Yi was a germaphobe. She tossed the cake into a bag and handed it to a follower. Since Shang Yi didn't want it, this cream-scented cake was nothing more than trash.

"My dad gave me two concert tickets for a famous foreign violinist performance. Don't you really like listening to music? Shall we go together this weekend?"

Shang Yi looked coldly at the girl chatting endlessly in front of him. Seeing him pay attention to her, Lin Yuan immediately put on a bashful, flattered expression.

It seemed her information was correct. Shang Yi truly liked the violin, so it wasn't in vain that she had practiced the violin for so long for his sake.

However, before she could enjoy her happiness for even two seconds, Shang Yi stood up directly from his seat and left the classroom. Lin Yuan froze for two seconds before following him out.

Seeing that Shang Yi was about to walk to the office door, she took a large step forward to block his path, staring at that cold face of his that never changed for her, suddenly feeling a bit annoyed.

"Why are you so cold to me, but willing to smile for Shang Ying? How am I inferior to her? I was clearly the one who knew you first!"

Hearing Shang Ying's name leave Lin Yuan's mouth, a sharp glint entered Shang Yi's eyes, and his entire presence shifted instantly. Lin Yuan was so frightened by his demeanor that her pupils trembled with unease.

"Stay away from us."

‘Stay away from us.’

Lin Yuan's face drained of color in an instant. This was the first sentence Shang Yi had spoken to her after all this time. ‘Us? He and Shang Ying? The two of them could actually be referred to as 'us'?!’

Watching Shang Yi's retreating figure, she gritted her teeth fiercely, unable to vent the unwillingness and grievance in her heart. As the eldest miss of the prestigious Lin family, after catering to him every day, all she got in return was "Stay away from us"?!

The two girls beside her didn't look pleased seeing her like this either, continuously trying to comfort her after hesitating.

"Just endure it a bit more. That woman will be gone soon and won't be an obstacle for you anymore."

"Yeah, that woman doesn't compare to you in any way, let alone her family background. Shang Yi is just being blinded right now."

Lin Yuan clenched her fists tightly, squeezing out words through her teeth.

"Don't let me see her tomorrow."

She had met Shang Yi during the summer vacation after eighth grade, when her father sent her to a Go hall to study, where she happened to see Shang Yi quietly playing Go by the window.

Back then, most boys were loud, rowdy, and noisy. Boys like Shang Yi, composed, reserved, and strikingly handsome, were exceedingly rare. Sitting straight like a pine or bamboo, quietly watching the Go board, Lin Yuan had fallen in love with him virtually at first sight.

Afterward, throughout the summer, she ran to the Go hall whenever she had free time. Sometimes Shang Yi was there, sometimes he wasn't. Whenever he was present, she would find excuses to talk to him, but Shang Yi possessed a cold personality and ignored everyone.

Aside from the hall owner and those playing Go against him, Shang Yi would only utter a few extremely brief words; beyond that, there was nothing more. Such a Shang Yi made Lin Yuan even more fascinated.

So for high school, she chose to transfer from an international school to Capital No. 1 High School, hiring numerous famous tutors to boost her academic performance, just barely scraping into Class 1 to sit in the same classroom as Shang Yi.

In Lin Yuan's heart, she felt it was fine as long as Shang Yi remained like this: ignoring everyone equally. When they reached the right age, she would ask her father to let her marry Shang Yi.

Although Shang Yi's family had some money, their background certainly wasn't as good as hers, but given how outstanding he was, her father would definitely agree.

However, the appearance of Shang Ying broke this balance. Shang Yi, who usually rarely spoke or smiled, actually changed because of her!

She would never allow such a thing to happen, and she would try every means possible to make Shang Ying disappear completely.

The end-of-class bell rang.

Shang Ying packed her backpack, staring at the pile of homework as she let out a sigh. Ever since that 28-point chemistry test, Shang Heng had personally supervised her homework every single day. After the cloisonné vase shattered, her situation became even more tragic.

Putting her past aside, when had she ever done homework? She barely attended school, let alone carrying a backpack looking like a proper student.

"Yingying, I'm all packed up. Let's go."

Xia Zhi walked over with a gentle smile, her purple backpack looking small and cute behind her. Shang Ying nodded, slung her backpack over her shoulders, and walked out with her.

Capital No. 1 High School boasted an excellent geographical location. Just a few hundred meters to the left was a shopping mall, and the school was quite lenient about students going out for lunch.

To the right lay the traditional alleys and residential buildings of the Capital, filled with winding paths and various unique shops that were highly popular among students, though it was very easy to get lost there. The two followed the navigation for a while before finally stopping in front of a fresh and elegant small shop.