100 | (Ninety-nine) Are you jealous?

The constellation Mao has been acting a bit strange lately.

Xie Qingyan noticed that he was replying to her messages less frequently. For example, today, he didn't even reply to her at noon when she said "rehearsal will be a little late," and he didn't wait for her to come home after school. Of course, it wasn't because she needed anyone to accompany her!

Why not have someone help carry your schoolbag?

The driver hired by Su Xingmao's father usually parked the car in a block next to the school, and Xie Qingyan had to walk quite a distance to get in. He often complained about how far it was when he rode in his family's car.

Influenced by his political family background, Su Xingmao is very low-key. He wears mostly custom-made clothes and does not display logos. Most people have seen his deceased great-grandfather's name in textbooks, and occasionally they will see his parents in the news. They often attend some important international conferences or major political headlines, but few people know that he is their child. Many people even think that the class monitor is just a top student who got into a certain district based on his grades.

Xie Qingyan has complained more than once that, as a son of an official who has power and status, it is a skill that he can live a life where he is unknown except for his achievements and appearance.

Since Xie Qingyan had been hitching a ride home with him for nearly a month, the driver at the Xie residence was relieved of his daily pick-up and drop-off duties.

Xie Qingyan strolled around the classroom door several times with slow, leisurely steps, but didn't see a single shadow of him.

A classmate who was rehearsing with him asked curiously, "Xie Qingyan, aren't you leaving yet?"

Xie Qingyan said sheepishly, "I forgot my homework."

Upon arriving at the school gate, a steady stream of vehicles arrived to pick up and drop off students.

Jinzhong is the top middle school in Jincheng. Most of its students come from middle-class or higher families, and at a glance, there are very few cheap cars.

Xie Qingyan looked around the crowd but didn't see any familiar figures. Instead, Zhou Jianyang appeared, carrying his schoolbag in one hand. He patted her on the shoulder and asked, "Where's your car?"

Xie Qingyan hesitated whether to call a driver to pick her up.

Zhou Jianyang had already gotten into his luxury car and rolled down the window: "Want me to give you a ride?"

"Thank you, you can go now." Xie Qingyan shook her head, clutching her schoolbag. "I think... I still have homework to take."

Her hesitant expression looked very unnatural, as if she was using some clumsy excuse to shirk her duties. Zhou Jianyang raised an eyebrow but didn't call her out on it. He waved his hand at her and said, "It's okay if you don't finish writing. I'll let you copy it tomorrow."

"Don't underestimate me now." Xie Qingyan wrinkled her nose. "I haven't copied homework in a long time, okay?"

A small assignment, easily completed.

He hit the nail on the head: "Really? Su Xingmao is giving you a crash course?"

It hits the nail on the head.

Xie Qingyan almost jumped up: "What are you talking about? I don't know him at all!"

Zhou Jianyang remained noncommittal; his radar was far more acute than hers: "Would someone you don't know well be like a surveillance camera, watching your rehearsals every day?"

He remembered Su Xingmao's gaze. In fact, it rarely fell on him. Most of the time, it was the female lead staring at him with such focus that she was almost lost in thought. If she accidentally looked at him, her brows would furrow, and her gentle, tender gaze would turn into ice, becoming sharp in an instant.

Zhou Jianyang had no interest in the gala. If it weren't for his mother's subtle hints that she wanted to see him perform on stage, he wouldn't have bothered to attend at all.

...For a whole week, I was subjected to someone's sharp, scrutinizing gaze.

Zhou Jianyang had had enough and had no choice but to kindly remind the person in front of him that he was completely unaware of the source of his dullness.

Xie Qingyan was indeed stunned for a moment.

No wonder.

No wonder that annoying guy suddenly stopped talking to her.

Is this... jealousy?

But didn't we agree not to blame her? What kind of nonsense is this?

Zhou Jianyang leaned back in his chair and smiled, indicating that he didn't want to take the blame: "You guys need to handle this properly."

Zhou Jianyang couldn't deny that he had once felt an inexplicable flutter in his heart for Xie Qingyan, but that feeling was like the clouds and rain in the sky, fleeting from one day to the next, so elusive that even he himself couldn't grasp it clearly. Since the person in her heart wasn't him, he couldn't force it; it was better to let her have her way.

Before Xie Qingyan could find Su Xingmao, bad news arrived first.

Zhou Hanyu forwarded a post that read: "Darling, you're trending."

Someone actually posted a photo of her chatting with Zhou Jianyang at the school gate on the confession wall. The photo was taken from a tricky angle, and the camera captured Zhou Jianyang leaning lazily against the car, waving and smiling at her.

The headline is eye-catching: "Did they really not talk?"

Below was a string of replies.

[Little Bear Biscuit]: It turns out I'm not the only one who thinks they're dating. I heard they were the male and female leads in Class 8's program. They're giving away sweet moments on public funds, who knows?

[Iced Cola]: ...Um, what's with the "somewhat a good match" thing?

[Ultraman Warrior]: ? No way, my goddess...

[Eating pistachios makes you unhappy]: I object!

【Kairos】replying to 【Pistachio Made Me Unhappy】: They're a handsome man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven, what kind of monster are you to object?

【MOMO】: I support handsome men and beautiful women having the freedom to date (but I'm heartbroken).

【ooo】: Is this puppy love? I've reported it.

[like]: So many people have conjunctivitis.

【Yu Yu Bu Yu Yu】: Same frame = dating? That's how rumors start.

【Strawberry Daifuku】 replied to 【Yuyu Buyuyu】: I clicked it. I hate zero-cost rumors the most.

[ ]: The person upstairs must have a sensitive skin flare-up. Is it necessary to make such a big deal out of this? It's okay to ship couples freely, right?

【钰钰不玉玉】 replied: Sorry, I can't connect with him. Zhou Jianyang is not a good match for Xie Qingyan.

[Reply to [钰钰不玉玉]: Who are you? Do you have a crush on Xie Qingyan?]

...

In less than ten minutes, it had already received 99+ replies.

Xie Qingyan couldn't keep up with all the comments. She wanted to clarify in the comments section, but she was afraid of exposing her alternate account. After hesitating for a long time, she didn't type a single word.

As dusk fell, the morning glories, almost withered and pale gray-purple, were weighed down by a layer of wispy clouds, making it hard to breathe.

Xie Qingyan's phone rang; it was Su Xingmao calling.

She answered hurriedly: "Where have you been?!"

"Sorry." The voice on the other end sounded tired and slightly nasal. "I'm in the car. Where are you? I'll come find you."

A few minutes later, the boy's figure appeared at the classroom door.

Su Xingmao pushed open the door, and the classroom was empty.

There was no one inside.

He blinked blankly, took out his phone, and prepared to send a message to Xie Qingyan.

A hand reached around from behind, tiptoed, grabbed his school uniform collar, and pushed the boy forward. He stumbled and fell onto the back seat. She boldly straddled him. In the dimly lit classroom, only her cunning eyes shone brightly.

"Su Xingmao, where did you hide just now?"

Are you jealous?

The girl's rising voice carried a teasing tone, as if she already knew the answer.