Chapter 57: So Fierce

After cleaning up the mess left by the little troublemaker, Cheng Xingye didn’t rush to scold anyone. Instead, he took the three girls trailing behind him to buy milk tea.

He walked ahead, one hand in his pocket, tall and long-legged. With each swing of his shoulders and arms, his shirt tightened slightly across his back, revealing lean, broad muscle contours.

Lu Qingyue’s mood lingered in the chaos they’d just endured. As they walked, she couldn’t help but mutter under her breath, “What kind of freak show is Class 2 anyway? It’s like three toads hitting the nightclub—each one crazier than the last.”

Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue walked one on either side of her, but instead of responding, their eyes were fixed admiringly on the man ahead, sparkling with awe.

“Damn! The instructor was so handsome just now! Why aren’t you two falling in love already?”
“Exactly! Watching him made my head itch—I’m about to grow a love-struck brain!”

Lu Qingyue: “???”

The early spring sunlight dazzled, and the figure walking ahead was tall and broad, his stretched shadow trailing along the fallen leaves all the way to her toes.

Only then did Lu Qingyue realize, belatedly, that Cheng Xingye’s unquestioning protection of her must have looked quite impressive in others’ eyes.

Her heart felt soft and sweet, as if someone had poured honeyed water into it.

The corners of her lips desperately wanted to curl up, but she was afraid of appearing too smug. She forced her lips into a straight line and, with a mock-seriousness, rambled on, “You can’t just fall in love on a whim! Am I someone who’s obsessed with good looks? Youth are the inheritors and builders of our nation’s cause, carrying the mission of national rejuvenation. As the wise say, the intelligent don’t fall into love, but instead build a beautiful homeland…”

Before she could finish, Zhou Tingting patted her shoulder, signaling her to stop, and sighed, “Yue’er, you absolutely mustn’t be funny in the future. Because funny girls never find love!”

Lu Qingyue snorted dismissively, “Come on, if a woman’s funny, love won’t escape!”

Though she’d never considered herself a ‘funny girl,’ she was sure that Cheng Xingye liked her, at least in part, for her approachable and quirky nature.

While the three were whispering and joking, Cheng Xingye had already bought three cups of milk tea and was walking toward them.

He handed two cups to Zhou Tingting and Hu Qiuyue, and before he could speak, both girls accepted them with both hands, bowed at a precise ninety degrees, and said respectfully, “Thank you, senior! We’ll leave Yue’er to you!”

“We won’t intrude any longer—goodbye, senior!”

Without waiting for Lu Qingyue’s bewildered expression, they made themselves scarce in an instant.

Once the two third wheels had left, Cheng Xingye shoved the remaining cup into her hands, lazily tucked both hands in his pockets, and walked ahead, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

Lu Qingyue, seeing his indifferent expression, felt uneasy and couldn’t help but ask quietly, “Hey? Aren’t you going to scold me?”

In the past, whenever she caused even the slightest stir at school and alerted Lu Yi, he would always scold her without question.

She’d been reprimanded so often that it had become a conditioned reflex. Now, with Cheng Xingye not scolding her, she felt oddly unsettled, as if something was missing.

The thought made her want to scoff at herself. How much of a glutton for punishment was she, to go looking for a scolding?

Cheng Xingye, seeing her look as though she were ready to face her doom, glanced at her wordlessly and asked, amused, “Why would I scold you?”

He wanted to scold her, but did he have the authority? The little troublemaker was both mischievous and unruly. If he spoke gently, she probably wouldn’t pay it any mind; if he spoke harshly and she decided to bolt, what then?

Knowing his awkward position—not boyfriend, not family—he had no intention of putting on airs and lecturing her.

He said nothing, his expression cool and unreadable.

Lu Qingyue held her milk tea, cautiously watching his face while mentally tallying her own offenses, “You could scold me for causing trouble at school, or for fighting at the school gate.”

Even if she hadn’t started it, the conflict had been directed at her.

It seemed that, from childhood to now, she was always the inexplicable target of others.

As Lu Yi had put it, she was never the easy one.

For a moment, Lu Qingyue wondered anxiously if he also found her troublesome.

But Cheng Xingye just glanced at her, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, “You sure admit your faults quickly.”

Lu Qingyue was taken aback, unable to tell if he was mocking or serious.

Once in the car, neither spoke.

Lu Qingyue felt guilty, as if she’d been caught red-handed, and was too embarrassed to initiate conversation. She stared out the window, worried that Cheng Xingye might settle accounts with her later.

At a red light, Cheng Xingye pulled the car over and took the opportunity to glance at her.

Outside, the street glimmered with colorful neon lights. The streetlights stretched far into the distance, elongating the whole road.

The girl’s face pressed against the window, cheeks rounded by the glass, her clear eyes shimmering like water. Reflected in the window, they merged with the city lights, sparkling with scattered stars.

Cheng Xingye lifted his hand, the warmth of his palm cupping the slender nape of her neck, gently turning her head toward him.

He shed his indifferent expression, squeezed her nape softly, and his voice carried a faint coaxing tone, “Did you get hurt just now?”

The warmth on her neck made Lu Qingyue’s heart tremble inexplicably.

She leaned back in her seat, motionless, letting him hold her nape. Her gaze was pitifully fixed on him.

Cheng Xingye, seeing her silence, leaned closer, his intense gaze trailing down her rumpled collar.

He inadvertently caught sight of her rounded curve, quickly looked away, and refocused on her face, demanding, “What’s with that look? Are you hurt? Speak.”

Lu Qingyue stiffened her neck and said, expressionless, “I’m not hurt.”

Cheng Xingye lazily eyed her, “If you’re not hurt, what are you sulking about?”

Reading his tone, Lu Qingyue sensed it had softened a bit. Instinctively, she guessed he wasn’t planning to scold her after all and sniffled, feeling playful again. She deliberately put on a pitiful act, quietly accusing him, “You were so fierce just now, so unreasonable! If we ever start dating, you won’t hit me, will you?”

Her bright eyes sparkled, at least eighty hidden thoughts behind them.

Cheng Xingye couldn’t help but laugh, turning his head aside so his chuckle was muffled.

This little troublemaker.

She looked soft and docile on the surface, but when she got up to mischief, she was surprisingly hard to handle.

Of course, Cheng Xingye wouldn’t admit that he’d been bested by a kid before even dating.

He curled his lips, squeezed her nape—not too gently, not too hard—and deliberately drew out his words, saying with meaning, “Silly girl. Even if we don’t date, I can still hit you.”

But the little troublemaker before him wasn’t the least bit intimidated.

On the contrary, she looked surprised, eyes shining as she stared at him, her face full of curiosity and expectation, “Really? Then where do you want to hit me?”

Cheng Xingye: “…Will you ever stop?”