Chapter 6: A Fifty Yuan Box of Strawberries

Shang Ying said "Excuse me," but the girls didn't move. Instead, their posture grew even more imposing. That's when Shang Ying understood. They weren't there to chat with each other; they were here to "chat" with her.

She raised her head. From this backlit angle, she could see that the girl leading the group was quite delicate and refined. The kind of modest, humble look that elders would label a well-bred daughter of a prestigious family, likely the type Shang Heng had talked about.

Only, this "daughter of a prestigious family" seemed to be here to teach her, an unmannered rogue, a lesson.

Lin Yuan stepped down a stair, looking Shang Ying up and down carefully before a look of defiance crossed her face. She nodded slightly and asked, "What's your name?"

"Not telling."

Knowing the other party wasn't someone to mess with, Shang Ying didn't bother responding politely either, continuing to eat her strawberries in peace.

Before she could finish the strawberry in her right hand, another girl smacked the box out of her hands. The plump, crystal-clear strawberries flew through the air, rolling one by one onto the dusty ground.

Shang Ying looked at the ground and frowned. She couldn't eat them anymore.

This damn box cost fifty yuan!

The girl who smacked her strawberries pushed her shoulder, forcing Shang Ying back a step. With an arrogant expression, she barked, "Answer when you're asked, stop acting put-together!"

"If she doesn't tell us, I can easily find out anyway." Lin Yuan raised her hand slightly, and the girl immediately drew her hand back and stepped into place.

Watching this scene, Shang Ying let out a chuckle.

The girl grew flustered and yelled at her.

"What are you laughing at? Who allowed you to laugh?!"

"My mouth is on my own face. Do I need to submit a formal report to you whether I laugh or not? You sure put on a grand authority display."

Shang Ying rolled her eyes, squatted down, and placed the strawberries back into the box one by one before addressing them again.

"I'm laughing because you look like a master and servant from the old feudal society. What, got tired of living in modern times and want to experience the trashy hierarchy of the feudal era?"

"You!"

"You what, you? Don't point your finger at me." The warmth completely drained from Shang Ying's face.

"Dammit, you got tired of your good life so you came to pick a fight with me? Do you have any idea these strawberries cost fifty yuan a box?!"

What a waste, it hurt her heart terribly!

Lu Yan knitted her brows, clearly dissatisfied with Shang Ying's reaction. How could such a crude person be associated with Shang Yi?

She asked, "What is your relationship with Shang Yi?"

Shang Ying, still mourning her strawberries, replied impolitely.

"I'm his ancestor."

"You!" Even with Lu Yan's usually mild temper, Shang Ying's attitude infuriated her. "How dare you speak like that?!"

"Why wouldn't I dare? Do you want to hear more?" Shang Ying wasn't intimidated in the slightest. After saying so much, not a single person had offered to pay for her strawberries, despite this girl wearing a Niuniu hairpin! [1]

"Hurry up and pay me back. I need to get back to class and sleep."

Onlookers began gathering nearby. The stairwell was blocked, preventing people below from going up and people above from coming down. As the crowd grew, Shang Ying grew increasingly irritable and uncomfortable, wanting nothing more than to leave.

"Hurry up, don't make me waste another breath."

Lu Yan also realized this wasn't a good place to "chat." She turned to lead her group away, not taking the idea of paying her back to heart at all, merely leaving behind a warning for Shang Ying to wait and see.

‘Wait my foot.’

Shang Ying felt terribly uncomfortable, almost unable to catch her breath. Lacking the energy to chase after them to demand payment, she returned to her classroom and threw the box along with the strawberries directly into the trash can. More than half of them were wasted, and her heart bled.

She stared at the strawberries in the trash can, lost in thought. A moment later, she left the classroom again.

She walked over to Class 1.

Shang Ying spotted the person she was looking for through the window. He was sitting at his desk reading a book, his hair slightly long, covering his bangs. As he lowered his head, the bone structure of his upper neck was exposed. Slender, yet far from fragile.

"Shang Yi, come out."

Her voice wasn't overly loud as she called out.

Hearing the name "Shang Yi," the students in the class perked up their ears instantly. Someone was actually looking for Shang Yi, surely their ears weren't playing tricks on them?

Shang Yi looked toward the window. Confirming that the familiar voice belonged to Shang Ying, he set his book down, stood up, and walked out. The students returning from the cafeteria watched this scene with wide, shocked mouths.

So the forum post from yesterday wasn't wrong. Shang Yi really was close to a girl!

They quietly moved closer to the window, pretending to mind their own business while secretly eavesdropping.

In the hallway, Shang Yi lowered his head slightly, his dark eyes staring unblinkingly at Shang Ying's face, silently asking what was wrong.

He was taller than Shang Ying, allowing him to take in her full expression from above.

"Pay me back for a box of strawberries."

"?"

Shang Ying deliberately teased him, pulling a slight pout. Shang Yi's expression remained unchanged, but a coldness flickered in his eyes, assuming this was her sign of anger.

She was going to take her frustration out on him again, just like before.

Everything over the past two days was indeed an illusion. Just because Shang Ying gave him a slightly better expression than before, he had almost wanted to wag his tail for her.

‘So pathetic.’ To be mistreated over and over without learning a lesson made him feel disgusted with himself.

A cold gleam flashed in Shang Yi's eyes. His face darkened as he lowered his head, silently waiting for the storm to strike.

"Did you hear me? Pay me back for a box of strawberries, fifty yuan. I only got to eat a few."

Seeing him bow his head in silence, Shang Ying reached out and flicked his forehead, as if making sure the person in front of her was actually listening rather than acting like a wooden log.

The moment he was touched, the coldness in Shang Yi's eyes turned to shock. He raised his head, the cool sensation on his forehead yet to fade. Amidst Shang Ying's increasingly impatient expression, he finally squeezed out a sentence.

"The card is with you."

"Huh?"

Shang Ying raised an eyebrow, thinking for a moment. Oh, right. Shang Yi had given her his meal card at the cafeteria yesterday. She had completely forgotten about it.

"Oh, my bad, I forgot." After apologizing, Shang Ying naturally placed her wrist on Shang Yi's shoulder and finally brought up her actual business.

"Has anyone been bothering you lately?"

Asking for strawberry money was just an excuse. She had come specifically to inquire about this. This brother she picked up out of nowhere looked harmless, it was hard to say if he was being bullied.

The two of them stood very close. Shang Yi's body had stiffened long ago, as if a thousand pounds of cement had been poured over him. He wanted to shake his head, but couldn't, so he could only speak up.

"No."

"If not, then I'm leaving."

After taking two steps, Shang Ying remembered something and turned back around. Shang Yi was still standing there foolishly.

"Do you have club activities this afternoon?"

‘Yes.’

Shang Yi didn't say it aloud. Something inside him was struggling intensely, and it took immense effort just to give a slight nod.

"Alright, after school I'll wait for you at your classroom door, and we'll head back together."

This time, without waiting for Shang Yi to respond, Shang Ying turned and left. Nonsense, she was the older sister. She just needed to pass down the order, and her younger brother simply had to obey.

‘We'll head back together.’

‘We'll head back together.’

Those four words echoed repeatedly in Shang Yi's ears. His mind went completely blank, as if under a spell. It wasn't until Shang Ying's silhouette completely disappeared that he finally snapped back to reality.

His heart was beating rapidly, almost wanting to leap out of his chest. Shang Ying being willing to go home with him was something he hadn't even dared to imagine over the past few years.

And now, Shang Ying had actually brought it up on her own initiative.

Was he dreaming?

Once he composed himself and returned to the classroom, the eavesdropping classmates immediately pretended nothing had happened. Hearing the movement, Shang Yi ignored everyone and sat back in his seat.

——

[1] Niuniu Hairpin - a type of Chinese twist hair tool designed to easily and quickly roll your hair into a sleek bun (known as a "meatball head" in Chinese) or a neat ponytail