After comforting Zhu Yaya, Yan Heng escorted Li Hao and Zhu Yaya downstairs.
Li Hao asked Yan Heng why he had missed the final exam.
Yan Heng's expression was calm. "I didn't lock the door properly. My mother ran out."
Li Hao showed an understanding look and said, "It's okay. Even if you missed the last subject, you'd still get first place."
Yan Heng glanced at Zhu Yaya, who was sniffling, hesitated for a moment, and then said to Li Hao, "Li Hao, I need to ask you for a favor."
"Wow, that's rare. You actually asking me for a favor? What is it? Go ahead, I'll definitely agree," Li Hao said with a look of surprise, adjusting his glasses.
"Make sure Zhu Yaya gets home safely."
Li Hao readily agreed. "That goes without saying. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have done it."
Yan Heng gave a slight nod.
He stood downstairs, watching Zhu Yaya and Li Hao's retreating figures until they turned a corner and completely disappeared from view.
She saw all that now. She probably won't come again.
He lowered his head with a bitter smile, silently saying "goodbye" to Zhu Yaya in his heart. When he returned home, Mother Yan had already calmed down. He rolled up his sleeves and began cleaning the room. After cleaning, it was time for dinner. He touched the few crumpled banknotes left in his pocket and sighed.
On the way home with Zhu Yaya, Li Hao looked at her red, tear-filled eyes, puzzled. "No way? Were you really that scared?"
Zhu Yaya glared at him with her red eyes and mumbled, "You just don't understand!" Li Hao wouldn't know what Mother Yan had really been through.
After returning home, she told Zhu Jianjun about these things.
Zhu Jianjun said he knew about it; it was he who, while on duty, had noticed Mother Yan running out and called Yan Heng to inform him.
He said that at the time, none of the male officers dared to approach, afraid of agitating Mother Yan, so they only let a few female officers try to calm her down. It was only when Yan Heng ran home and fetched an old piece of clothing belonging to his father, Yan Shaohua, that she finally quieted down.
Zhu Jianjun concluded very seriously, "Yabao, so you must take good care of yourself. No matter what happens, remember, staying alive is what matters most."
Zhu Yaya nodded. Thinking of the family portrait in Yan Heng's house, her mood sank.
In the morning at the Tian Tian Breakfast Shop, the proprietress noticed Yan Heng's despondency. Knowing about his mother running out the day before, she sighed inwardly and tried to distract him. "Oh my, it's already this late. Why hasn't that young lady come yet? There's only this one red bean bun left. If she doesn't come soon, I'll have to sell it to someone else."
"She won't come again." Yan Heng's eyes held complex emotions as he lowered his gaze. She was so frightened yesterday. It was the first time he'd seen her emotions fluctuate so strongly. Uncle Zhu probably told her everything. Compared to her, there were too many dangerous elements around him.
"Who won't come again?" a young girl's voice, full of laughter, suddenly rang out.
Yan Heng looked up in surprise and saw Zhu Yaya smiling, her little dimples showing. Today she was wearing a wine-red sweatshirt, her hair in a bun, looking very spirited.
Yan Heng's breath caught. The noisy world suddenly seemed to fall silent, with everything fading away around Zhu Yaya.
"Brother Yan, good morning!"
It took a long moment before Yan Heng heard his own slightly trembling voice. "Why are you here?"
"Of course, to see my big brother!" Zhu Yaya gave Yan Heng a playful smile.
Ripples spread across the calm lake of Yan Heng's heart.
The proprietress was quite fond of this always-smiling girl. Without waiting for Zhu Yaya to order, she handed over her usual red bean bun and custard bun. "Here, take it. I know you love red bean buns, so I saved one for you specially. Hey, why are you so late today?"
Zhu Yaya was a bit embarrassed. "Our alarm clock at home broke." Even Zhu Jianjun, who loved morning runs, didn't wake up!
The proprietress laughed, the crow's feet by her eyes crinkling. "No wonder! How were your exams?"
"The results and rankings come out today. As for me," Zhu Yaya confidently made an OK sign, "the top spot in the grade is definitely mine!"
"So confident! Seems like you really did well."
"Of course! Just look at who I am, Zhu Yaya."
...
Yan Heng watched Zhu Yaya chatting with the proprietress, a faint smile in his eyes, the previous despondency nowhere to be seen.
Seeing that Xu Chun had bought her breakfast and left, Zhu Yaya first said goodbye to the proprietress and Yan Heng, then hurried after her.
The proprietress saw Yan Heng's gaze fixed on Zhu Yaya's retreating figure. Pressing her lips together, she smiled and said to Yan Heng, "Go on, catch up with her!"
Yan Heng was momentarily stunned.
"There aren't many customers today, I can handle it. You go on to school today!"
Yan Heng said "thank you," tidied up a bit, and hurried to the bus stop. Just as he arrived, bus number 163 pulled up, and a crowd surged towards the door.
Being tall, Yan Heng immediately spotted Zhu Yaya squeezed in the crowd. Her hair was getting messed up by the people around her, her little face fallen, nose scrunched.
He chuckled softly, pushed his way through the crowd, and headed in her direction.
Finally, following not far behind Xu Chun and expending considerable effort, Zhu Yaya managed to squeeze onto the bus. However, as she boarded, she felt like someone was shielding her from behind. She turned her head and saw Yan Heng's handsome face.
"Weren't you at..." Zhu Yaya tilted her head in confusion. Because of his job at the Tian Tian Breakfast Shop, Yan Heng usually arrived a bit later than her and Xu Chun every day.
"Fewer customers today," Yan Heng replied simply. He also moved to shield Zhu Yaya, who had no seat.
They were close. Zhu Yaya only had to look up to see the scratch marks on Yan Heng's face. Clumsily, she took out a small plastic bag from her backpack containing a few bottles of medicinal liquid.
Since many people were talking on the bus, she gestured for Yan Heng to lower his head.
Yan Heng bent down slightly.
Zhu Yaya stood on her tiptoes and leaned in close enough to smell the soap scent on him. She grabbed his arm to steady herself and said, "Here's some medicine. You have scratches on your face, remember to apply it every day." With that, she stuffed the medicine into Yan Heng's hand.
"Mhm." Yan Heng's voice was clear, tinged with a hint of low, husky depth.
Zhu Yaya thought for a moment, then asked Yan Heng, "I heard from Li Hao that the results and rankings come out today. Is that right?"
Yan Heng nodded. "The teachers at Scott High School grade the papers very quickly."
Speaking of the monthly exam reminded Zhu Yaya of the novel. There seemed to be a plot like this: the female lead, Xu Chun, becomes the top-ranked student in the sophomore year, making the male lead, Murong Beichen, view her in a new light, and he even retorts to a passerby who makes jealous remarks about Xu Chun. Could it be this time? Zhu Yaya's gaze turned strange.
The next moment, the system's mission prompt confirmed her judgment------
"Congratulations on successfully unlocking the fifth mission. Please go to the bulletin board on the first floor of the Diligence Building at Scott High School today at 12:40 PM. Stand next to Murong Beichen and deliver the following line—'Hmph, her! If that certain someone hadn't missed the final exam, would it ever be Xu Chun's turn to be top of the class?'—to attract Murong Beichen's attention, provoke him into retorting, and successfully witness the drama."
The Diligence Building is the same one where Zhu Yaya's current classroom is located.
Heh heh heh, she has lines again. Her mood is turning a bit sour.
