She really had no idea what was wrong with Chen Zicheng. He was always accusing her of playing with people's feelings!
The real question was, whose feelings was she even playing with?
Why did she always run into such troublesome people?
Chen Zicheng shot Zhu Yaya a look of pure disgust before grabbing his test paper and walking away.
By the time Zhu Yaya finally managed to shake off Duan Zong, the school bell had already rung. Her plan to head upstairs to Class 17, Grade 11, was ruined.
She trudged back to her seat, her mood souring as the joy of her bonus points evaporated. When would these days ever end?
Yan Heng knew that Duan Zong was constantly pestering Zhu Yaya. He had lost count of how many times he had picked a fight with the guy. But no matter how hard Yan Heng hit him, that seemingly gentle boy always kept a smile on his face. He never fought back, nor did he ever try to settle the score later.
Initially, after being beaten, Duan Zong would care about his image and take a few days off to recover at home. But eventually, he stopped hiding it altogether. He didn't even take leave anymore; he would show up with a face full of bruises and a gentle gaze, grandly coming to find Zhu Yaya.
"What happened to your face?" Zhu Yaya asked.
Duan Zong smiled tenderly. "I just took a fall. Don't worry."
Zhu Yaya thought to herself: She was just curious, not worried!
Yan Heng usually beat people up in silence and left immediately after. But as this cycle continued, even he reached his breaking point. One day, after finishing a fight, he finally forced out a question: "Are you sick in the head?"
Duan Zong looked a bit surprised; he hadn't expected Yan Heng to take the initiative to speak to him. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled warmly. "Yes, I have a very serious illness. Yan Heng, do you want to know what it is?"
Yan Heng gave him a cold, indifferent glance, turned around, and walked away without acknowledging him.
Valentine's Day, February 14th, was fast approaching.
Zhu Yaya had been following the gossip online again. She remembered the Valentine's Day plot points most clearly of all. After all, it was on Valentine's Day that the male protagonist, Murong Beichen, finally succeeded in his confession, making Xu Chun his girlfriend and starting their campus romance.
She still remembered that Murong Beichen had put in a tremendous amount of effort to ensure the confession was a success.
There would definitely be a mission this time!
"Congratulations, you have successfully unlocked the sixteenth mission. Please stay at Scott High School after school on February 14th to witness Murong Beichen's confession to Xu Chun and her acceptance, and successfully observe the drama."
The system's voice chimed in.
Zhu Yaya began preparing for the Valentine's Day mission. Her mind wandered—should she prepare a gift for Yan Heng too? Giving a gift on Valentine's Day was so obvious! A girl should be a bit more reserved! But, if Yan Heng...
Zhu Yaya's thoughts began to stray further and further. She gave her own cheek a sharp pinch to force herself to calm down.
Forget it, forget it. Focus on the mission!
On Valentine's Day, Zhu Yaya arrived late because she had to go to the West District first to track Xu Chun. To make matters worse, the bus was delayed, and she nearly missed the start of school. She burst into the classroom just as the bell rang, panting as she took her seat.
Her desk mate, Xu Baoying, patted her back to help her catch her breath. Her actions were helpful, but her tone was purely mischievous. "Why are you so late? Did you oversleeep? Haha, why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"
Zhu Yaya shot her a glare. "The bus was late."
"Quick, look in your desk drawer!" Xu Baoying said, winking and nudging her.
"The drawer? What's wrong with the drawer?" Zhu Yaya looked confused. she reached into the desk. "It's just books... wait, what's this?"
Zhu Yaya felt her hand touch something that didn't feel like a book. She looked down and realized she had pulled out three or four boxes of chocolates.
As someone receiving Valentine's Day gifts for the first time, Zhu Yaya was stunned!
Xu Baoying leaned in with a giggle. "Not bad at all! How does it feel?"
"It feels... weird."
Zhu Yaya thought to herself that this sort of thing never happened at her old school. Her previous Valentine's Days had seemingly been spent taking exams.
Zhu Yaya secretly pulled out her phone, took a few close-ups of the chocolates, and sent them to Yan Heng via QQ with a message: "Yan Heng, look at the chocolates I received today."
She wondered how he would reply.
Would it be "Throw them away, don't take them," or "You can only eat chocolates I buy for you"?
Zhu Yaya felt a little flutter of excitement.
After fifteen minutes, Yan Heng finally replied. Zhu Yaya opened the message with anticipation.
"Focus on your classes."
That was it? That was it?!
"Focus on your classes"? What on earth!
Wasn't he jealous at all?
Zhu Yaya stared intensely at her phone, certain that Yan Heng would send another message. But after staring for ten minutes, there was nothing more from him.
What a jerk!
In a fit of pique, Zhu Yaya shoved her phone back into her bag. Since the system had already notified her of the mission, she decided she wouldn't go upstairs to Class 17 today. She wouldn't go see Murong Beichen and Xu Chun, and she certainly wouldn't go looking for Yan Heng!
After class, Li Hao peeked around the hallway, looking puzzled. "Hey, what's going on? Why hasn't the little junior sister shown up? Is she tied up with something?"
Yan Heng wasn't resting his head on his desk today. He sat upright at his seat, his expression dark as he stared at his phone. The veins on his forehead were pulsing slightly.
Li Hao wondered to himself: what was wrong with Yan Heng?
He craned his neck to see what Yan Heng was looking at, but Yan Heng caught him and slammed the phone face down on the desk. The icy stare Yan Heng directed at him made Li Hao shiver.
"Yan... Yan-ge, I... I didn't see anything just now." Li Hao swallowed hard and asked tentatively, "What... what's wrong?"
Yan Heng hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly. "What does it mean when someone gives a girl chocolate today?"
It was Valentine's Day.
Li Hao thought to himself, "Could it be that Yan-ge wants to give the junior sister chocolates? Oh ho~"
Li Hao adjusted his glasses and gave a mysterious smile. "It's Valentine's Day! If a boy gives a girl chocolates, it obviously means he likes her!"
To Li Hao's surprise, as soon as the words left his mouth, Yan Heng's face darkened even further. The cold aura radiating from him grew even more intense.
Li Hao trembled. Had he said something wrong?
He was doomed!
Since it was Valentine's Day, Zhu Yaya knew without a doubt that Duan Zong would show up. Sure enough, after the second period, Duan Zong appeared holding a large bouquet of vibrant red roses, his face wearing that same unchanging, gentle expression. "Junior Zhu, Happy Valentine's Day!"
Zhu Yaya remained firm in her refusal. Her patience was being worn thin by him. "I'm sorry, but I'm not happy at all! Senior Duan, I'm still not going to accept anything from you."
A flash of loneliness crossed Duan Zong's face. "I see. Junior Zhu, can I know the real reason you're rejecting me? I don't really believe that 'focusing on studies' excuse. You're already the top student in the freshman year."
Zhu Yaya hesitated. She didn't want to make things any more awkward between herself and Duan Zong. "I already like someone," she said, her voice soft but her gaze unwavering.
"He must be an incredible person," Duan Zong replied with a gentle smile.
"He is." Just thinking about Yan Heng brought a bright smile to Zhu Yaya's face.
"That's wonderful. I admire excellence too," Duan Zong said. Just when Zhu Yaya thought he was about to give up, he added, "But, Junior Zhu, I'm not going to stop trying."
