Zhu Jianjun walked over. He gave Zhu Yaya a suspicious glance, then surprisingly greeted Yan Heng warmly: "Yan Heng, it's you! Long time no see! How have you been lately? If you need any help, don't be shy, remember to call us!"
A hint of a smile finally appeared on Yan Heng's usually expressionless face: "I'm doing alright for now. Thank you for your help before, Uncle Zhu."
Zhu Yaya looked astonished. Zhu Jianjun and Yan Heng knew each other?
"It was the least I could do." Zhu Jianjun gave Yan Heng a kindly smile before turning the topic to Zhu Yaya. "Yabao, what are you doing here?"
Zhu Yaya's heart skipped a beat. She answered vaguely, "Ah, haha, well..."
"Yabao came looking for her dad, right?" Zhu Jianjun's gaze softened as he looked at Zhu Yaya.
Zhu Yaya: "...Right! Dad, I suddenly missed you so much today!" After saying this, she deliberately, yet seemingly unintentionally, kept glancing out of the corner of her eye at Yan Heng, who was standing silently to the side, terrified he might reveal the "stalking" truth.
Yan Heng looked at Zhu Yaya with a half-smile, mouthing a few silent words at her.
Zhu Yaya understood.
He said, "Little liar."
It's not like she had a choice! Zhu Yaya felt a bit wronged inside, but didn't dare to protest. Thankfully, Yan Heng didn't tell Zhu Jianjun she was following Xu Chun.
Zhu Jianjun was deeply moved. "Good girl, Yabao. Dad's on duty right now and can't go home yet. You should head back first!" However, right after saying this, he looked worriedly at the darkening sky, his brows furrowed tightly.
Having lived in the West District for a long time, Yan Heng understood Zhu Jianjun's concern. His gaze swept over Zhu Yaya as he said to Zhu Jianjun, "Uncle Zhu, let me take your daughter home."
Zhu Yaya felt the hairs on her neck stand up.
Zhu Jianjun's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. "How could I trouble you like that?"
"It's no trouble. I'm actually heading to the South District anyway, it's on my way. Besides, Zhu Yaya is my junior from school," Yan Heng said gently to Zhu Jianjun.
Zhu Jianjun felt relieved. "Ah, right! I almost forgot, you both attend Scottsdale High. Then I'll trouble you with this, Yan Heng! Another day, Uncle will invite you over to our place for a proper visit."
He then patted Zhu Yaya's head affectionately and said, "Yabao, listen to your dad. Go back to the South District with Yan Heng for now."
"Okay..." Zhu Yaya dragged out her reply, agreeing reluctantly. She just couldn't understand—what was the relationship between Yan Heng and Zhu Jianjun that made Zhu Jianjun, a notorious doting father, so willing to entrust his daughter to him?
"Oh, this kid." Zhu Jianjun scratched his head apologetically, gave Yan Heng an apologetic smile, then turned and walked away quickly, his expression turning serious again.
"Let's go." Yan Heng glanced down at Zhu Yaya, then walked ahead on his own.
Zhu Yaya, looking utterly dejected and pouting, trailed behind with her head down.
Suddenly, the person walking in front stopped. Zhu Yaya stopped too, looking up with confusion in her eyes.
Yan Heng gave a light laugh. "I thought you were going to bump right into me. Look up when you walk, don't keep your head down."
Zhu Yaya rolled her eyes discreetly and mumbled, "Got it."
The two walked to the bus stop and boarded the No. 54 bus as soon as it arrived. There were very few people on the bus now, with plenty of empty seats. Zhu Yaya found a window seat and sat down. Yan Heng followed and sat beside her. Zhu Yaya caught a faint, clean scent of soap from the boy next to her. Their arms were touching, and even through their clothes, she could feel the warmth and solidness of his arm beside hers.
Before transmigrating into this book, Zhu Yaya had been completely absorbed in studying, with little contact with boys. The tips of her ears turned red. She shrank closer to the window and turned her gaze outside. The window was a bit dusty, but she could still see the distant scenery and the reflections of herself and Yan Heng in the clear glass.
Yan Heng was actually quite good-looking. Pretending to look at the scenery outside, Zhu Yaya was actually watching Yan Heng's profile reflected in the window. His eyes were closed, as if he was resting, his side profile as handsome as a painting.
The bus drove smoothly towards the South District of the capital. Zhu Yaya got off at the stop closest to her home, and Yan Heng got off too.
The girl with a fake smile, Zhu Yaya, said politely, "Haha, Senior Yan Heng, my home is just nearby. No need to trouble you further."
Wait, why did that sentence sound so familiar?
Yan Heng's face was expressionless. "I promised Uncle Zhu I'd see you home." After saying this, his eyes held a hint of amusement as he added, "'Just nearby,' you say?"
Zhu Yaya knew he was doubting her words and pouted.
There was a fair amount of pedestrian traffic in the South District, but Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng stood out noticeably as they walked through the crowd. Zhu Yaya stole a sidelong glance at Yan Heng beside her, feeling awkward and somewhat embarrassed.
Just then, a middle-aged woman holding a little boy's hand walked towards them. As they passed by, Zhu Yaya overheard the woman muttering under her breath, "Kids these days, dating while still so young and in school, tsk tsk tsk."
Zhu Yaya: "..."
They walked for a while longer. Just as Zhu Yaya thought Yan Heng wouldn't speak again, he tilted his head down, looking at Zhu Yaya, and asked softly, "Why were you following me?"
He cleared his throat and continued, "At your stage, you should focus on your studies. Don't dwell on other things. You can consider those matters after you get into university." That should be a gentle enough way to let down this young girl with a budding crush, right? Yan Heng thought to himself, lowering his gaze.
Following Yan Heng? Zhu Yaya looked up in shock. Yan Heng hadn't realized she was following Xu Chun; he thought she was following him!
Her eyes darted, and she thought of Li Hao. That's it!
Zhu Yaya looked at Yan Heng with utmost sincerity. "To be honest, the reason I was following you is that I wanted to ask you to be my boss."
"Boss?" Yan Heng's visible confusion was palpable.
"Yes!" Zhu Yaya nodded vigorously.
Had he misunderstood? Yan Heng pretended to cough to cover it up. "I'm not in a gang. I don't take on followers."
"I know. But Brother Yan's reputation is huge at Scottsdale. I wanted to borrow some of your prestige. I don't want to get bullied like Senior Xu Chun." The girl hung her head, her expression unclear, but her voice trembled slightly, carrying a faint hint of tears.
Yan Heng frowned. So she really was scared. Looking at the crown of her head, he asked in a low voice, "Who bullied you?"
Zhu Yaya's voice hitched. She secretly rolled her eyes—wasn't it you? But she kept up the act. "No one has yet. I'm afraid they might in the future."
"If anyone bullies you, tell me immediately. And don't follow me anymore. You saw on the No. 163 bus today, there are plenty of bad people around. The West District is even worse." Yan Heng gave Zhu Yaya a deep look.
"Oh." Zhu Yaya replied obediently on the surface, but inwardly she was thinking, they're all just NPCs, what's there to be afraid of!
Yan Heng took Zhu Yaya home. Zhu Yaya was extremely curious about how Zhu Jianjun and Yan Heng had met. For once, she didn't retreat to her room and instead waited in the living room for Zhu Jianjun to return from work.
As the old saying goes: misfortunes never come singly. Sure enough, right at that moment, Zhu Yaya realized her supply of watermelon was running out.
Worried about the unlocking task, Zhu Yaya had been taking some watermelon with her every day while tailing Xu Chun. Over time, the watermelon was nearly gone.
Watermelon was hard to come by these days. Sitting on the sofa, Zhu Yaya felt a bit troubled, thinking she would have to make another trip to the fruit store tomorrow.
As she was lost in thought, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.
