Chapter 5: A single glance that seals the deal.

At school, Yu Wu's frequent attempts to spy on Ke Yanchen eventually caught up with her friend Ji Lingwei.

When Ji Lingwei exposed her secret, Yu Wu blushed and covered her face shyly, saying, "I just think he has a very different temperament, and I like looking at him. There's nothing else."

Ji Lingwei teased her with a laugh, "Really? You really don't have any other thoughts? He's Ke Yanchen, you know."

Yu Wu smiled faintly and shook her head.

During her high school years, Yu Wu's family was of modest means. Due to her grandmother's medical treatment, the family had borrowed a lot of money, and at present, they could even be described as being in dire straits. Her parents were both highly educated, working for a listed company in another city. They worked overtime every day and had a considerable salary, but it all went to paying off debts.

She lacked self-confidence during her adolescence, even harboring a subtle inferiority complex. Back then, she didn't know how to dress herself, wearing the required black and white school uniform every day, her hair in a ponytail, and wearing thick-rimmed glasses for severe nearsightedness. Her fair skin and long neck added to her quiet and well-behaved demeanor.

At Tenggui Middle School, where beauties abound, Yuwu is not outstanding; she is merely a girl with a barely passable appearance.

She was always intimidated by him.

A person like him is absolutely untouchable. He's like a poison; once you're infected, you'll experience excruciating pleasure and pain.

She knew that there was never a future for them, and she had never even considered Ke Yanchen.

It's the kind of relationship I never dared to dream of being with.

He comes from a wealthy family; his family owns a real estate company, and he's always driven around in a Cayenne. He's also an excellent student, with outstanding looks and height, and a star member of the school's basketball team—truly a prodigy.

He was so dazzling, while she was so ordinary.

Yu Wu only ever dared to watch him from afar, just like a favorite idol on TV, she would simply stay in front of the TV and silently support him.

Just one glance is enough to satisfy me.

*

As a strong wingman, Ji Lingwei would notify her the moment the boy appeared.

"Hey, hey, hey, at eight o'clock, it's your crush!"

"Dense fog, dense fog, someone's appeared at twelve o'clock!"

"He's wearing an amazing trendy designer T-shirt today, look!"

Whenever Ji Lingwei reminded her like this, Yu Wu would blush instantly, then gently pat Ji Lingwei's arm in reproach, and then stand on tiptoe to check his presence.

At this point, Ji Lingwei would cover her mouth and giggle, "Look at you, you're like a lovesick fool!"

Yu Wu pretended to be angry, glared at her, then pursed her lips and secretly glanced at the dazzling young man.

Just one glance at him can brighten up my mood for the whole day.

*

One evening after returning to the dormitory from self-study, Yu Wu finished washing up and lay on her bed when Ji Lingwei suddenly whispered mysteriously in Yu Wu's ear, "I did you a big favor."

Yu Wu was puzzled and asked her what was going on, but Ji Lingwei wouldn't say, acting all mysterious and tight-lipped.

Unable to withstand Yu Wu's combined pressure and persuasion, Ji Lingwei finally spoke.

"I have a friend in Class 7. You like Ke Yanchen, right? So I asked my friend to talk to Ke Yanchen on your behalf. Consider it a confession on your behalf!"

At that moment, Yu Wu froze, and her temples throbbed.

Her words were weak and feeble. "Why...why did you go and tell him? I never had any other intentions, you..."

Seeing Ji Lingwei's bewildered expression, Yu Wu couldn't bring herself to get angry, no matter how furious she was. She had probably meant well but ended up making things worse.

Ji Lingwei comforted Yu Wu, "It's okay, consider it fulfilling a girlish wish of yours. Besides, why are you so insecure? Although you're not, uh, the prettiest..."

Yu Wu sighed and said softly, "I know, that's why I dare not even dream of it."

I never dared to.

After she finished speaking, she greeted Ji Lingwei and lay in bed, unable to sleep all night.

He found out. What will he think of her if he finds out?

She never intended to interfere in his life.

A teenage girl, lacking maturity and self-confidence, coupled with her impoverished family background, prefers to stay in a corner, as the gaze of others makes her feel uneasy.

More than anything, it's a feeling of apprehension, a sense of incompatibility.

He was so dazzling.

Yu Wu is just an ordinary girl among millions of girls, wearing black-rimmed glasses.

Yu Wu sighed and secretly vowed never to look at him again.

*

After that day, Yu Wu deliberately stopped looking at Ke Yanchen and walked with her head down, looking at her toes.

Two weeks passed peacefully, and it was Monday again. The second period in the morning was morning exercise.

Yu Wu had a stomachache that day and didn't go to morning exercises. She stood by the classroom window, watching her classmates on the playground, raising their arms and shouting as they ran.

After the morning exercises, the students gradually returned to the teaching building.

Yu Wu's classroom was on the second floor. She stood by the classroom window, waiting for her friend Ji Lingwei to return. Below, a surging crowd of students was returning to their classrooms, and for a moment, her eyes were drawn to them again.

That's Ke Yanchen.

He was walking and chatting with a friend, and as if they were talking about something interesting, he chuckled and shook his head.

Thinning hair, striking features, narrow, bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin red lips—all were reflected in his misty eyes.

My heart was hanging in the air.

I feel so satisfied.

Reason told Yuwu not to look at him, lest she be discovered. But a series of voices inside her screamed, "Just a glance, that's all. Two weeks have passed with no reaction. Perhaps he's long forgotten that an ordinary girl likes him."

Moreover, opportunities to stand on high and see his face directly were rare. She usually only dared to look at his back.

Ke Yanchen's gaze remained fixed on his friends at the same level or the crowd in front of him, which made Yu Wu's gaze even bolder.

Her heart was pounding, but she still boldly gazed at him, secretly marveling at his handsome appearance.

Every second is a greedy indulgence.

As if sensing something, Ke Yanchen suddenly raised his eyes and glanced over, his gaze meeting Yu Wu's panicked eyes—

Stalemate.

Yu Wu and Ke Yanchen stared directly into each other's eyes.

Like a slow-motion scene in a movie, time seems to be stretched infinitely, and space seems to be suspended.

However, this slow-motion scene wasn't very kind to Yuwu. It forcefully tugged at her heartstrings.

Amidst the clamor, Yu Wu's body stiffened, her face numb, yet she could clearly feel a gentle breeze blowing by, causing the hair on her forehead to touch her eyelashes.

Ke Yanchen narrowed his eyes, stopped in his tracks, and stared directly into Yu Wu's eyes amidst the surging crowd. His cold, deep eyes revealed no emotion.

The surrounding teaching buildings were bustling with students, creating a noisy and chaotic atmosphere, but the two of them seemed to be in a secluded area.

In fact, that moment of eye contact was very short, but Yuwu felt as if an eternity had passed.

She snapped out of her daze, dodged to the side, gasped for breath, and her heart pounded.

After a long, long time, most of her classmates had returned. She mustered up her courage and peeked out the window to look down.

There's nothing left.

She exhaled, but felt a sense of emptiness inside.

She remembers it clearly; many things started to change from there, and she calls that glance "the eye that sealed her fate."

......

"You mean Ke Yanchen made eye contact with you?" Ji Lingwei exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding classmates.

Yu Wu covered her mouth and whispered, "Hey, keep your voice down!"

"Holy crap, no way, you're kidding me?" Ji Lingwei's face was full of disbelief.

Yu Wu buried her face in the table, her voice muffled: "It's true."

Ji Lingwei looked Yu Wu up and down. "He really likes you?"

Yu Wu looked at her, puzzled.

Ji Lingwei quickly explained, "What I mean is, I thought she liked the kind of girl who's very dazzling."

Realizing she had said the wrong thing, she quickly corrected herself: "No, no, what I meant was, I thought he liked girls who looked really glamorous, you know?"

Yu Wu frowned, then nodded in agreement.

I think so too.

Ji Lingwei continued, "It's nothing, just a glance. Don't overthink it, they just looked up, that's all."

Yu Wu nodded. Just then, the school bell rang, and the teacher walked in.

Ji Lingwei quickly returned to her seat and took out her textbooks.

Yu Wu also obediently prepared to start the class.

......

After a long class, Ji Lingwei came over again, "Hey, do you think it's possible that Ke Yanchen doesn't actually know you at all?"

Yuwu: "?"

Ji Lingwei chuckled: "My friend said back then, 'Yu Wu from Class 6 likes you.' Ke Yanchen probably couldn't match the face with the name at all. After all, you're not a celebrity at school."

After her explanation, Yuwu thought it was possible and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, she only wanted to secretly admire him from afar.

Ji Lingwei patted Yu Wu's arm again, her expression ambiguous: "If you ask me, I wish he really liked her."

Yu Wu stared wide-eyed, her face full of confusion.

"You didn't come to morning exercises, so you don't know, but our principal just announced that the Ke Group donated a building to our school! Tsk tsk tsk, the principal is usually so aloof and serious, but he was all smiles on stage just now! Although he didn't say it explicitly, there's only one Ke Group in Nanhai City, it's the company of Ke Yanchen's father!"

"If you ask me, if Ke Yanchen really likes you, you'll become a rich wife and live a life of luxury. Don't forget your best friend, though!"

"Hey!" Yu Wu's cheeks were burning, and she pressed her palms to her cheeks to cool them down. "Don't say that! It's really not true!"

Ji Lingwei giggled and dodged, "Alright, alright, I won't say anymore, young mistress of the Ke family!"

"Ji Lingwei!" Yu Wu glared at her irritably.

Ji Lingwei raised her hands in surrender, smiling as she linked arms with Yu Wu, "I really won't say anything more!"

Yu Wu pinched her cheek and didn't mention it again.

*

On Tuesday morning, a bottle of fresh milk inexplicably appeared on Yuwu's desk. The packaging was simple yet elegant, the brand was one you wouldn't find in supermarkets, and the expiration date was today—it was very fresh.

After asking around but no one knew who sent it, Ji Lingwei blinked and said, "Since it's on your desk, it must be yours. Don't you want me to drink it?"

Yuwu refused, guessing that someone else had temporarily left it there.

For the next few days, there was milk on Yuwu's table every day.

Yuwu sensed something was wrong and collected the milk bottles, intending to find their owner.

It was Friday afternoon again, and Yu Wu and Ji Lingwei were packing their things in their dormitory, preparing to go home.

Yuwu stuffed the things she was going to take back into her schoolbag, checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

"Yuwu, who exactly delivered milk to you this week? I've asked everyone in the class and nobody knows. It's so strange."

Yu Wu sighed, "I don't know. I'll get to the classroom early next Monday and see who it is!"

Ji Lingwei laughed heartily, "Hahaha, you should just give up, you love sleeping in the night the most."

Yu Wu was angry and chased after Ji Lingwei. The two laughed and joked for a while before putting on their backpacks and walking out of the dormitory.

Yu Wu returned home and turned on the lights. The house was still empty. Her grandmother, who had always been by her side, had recently passed away, and her parents were away working to pay off debts.

Yuwu often felt lonely and isolated.

She called her mother, Ye Hongmian, and waited a long time before someone answered the phone.

"Yu Zi, hey, you're home now, right? Yeah, you probably won't be back for National Day. Have you eaten? Make yourself something to eat, or eat out is fine..."

"...How long will it take for you to be back?"

"I don't know yet..." Then Ye Hongmian spoke to the person next to her: "Okay, I'll send you that document right away." With that, she hung up the phone.

Yu Wu sighed and obediently went to the kitchen, intending to make a bowl of noodles. She brought out a steaming bowl of noodles, turned on the TV, watched it, and ate her noodles in small bites.

At night, Yu Wu turned on the orange bedside lamp and lay in bed playing on her phone.

Yu Wu messaged Ji Lingwei, asking her what she planned to do this weekend. After all, Ji Lingwei was often bored at home alone and didn't know how to pass the time.

Having someone to talk to and show concern for her is a luxury.

Ji Lingwei said she went out with her junior high school friends over the weekend.

Yu Wu envied Ji Lingwei for always having so many friends.

*

On Monday, Yu Wu arrived at the classroom with her schoolbag on her back, stepping through the morning mist, and found another bottle of fresh milk on the table, as well as a table full of imported snacks.

Yuwu had arrived early enough, but she still hadn't run into anyone who was bringing her anything.

The classmates around Yu Wu began to look at her with ambiguous eyes, and they would wink and joke with her every time.

"Someone must be pursuing you!"

"Wow, I didn't expect the mist to be so popular!"

"Who exactly is pursuing you? Tell me!"

Yuwu vehemently denied it, but then her mind wandered during class, deep in thought.

Who could have sent her that? It's strange, does someone actually like her?

...

After a long day of classes, evening self-study ended. Ji Lingwei had to go back to her dormitory first, while Yu Wu went to the convenience store alone to buy sanitary napkins.

She forgot to wear her glasses and was swept along by the surging crowd. There were no lights on the stairs, and because she was nearsighted and couldn't see the way clearly, she almost fell several times.

Staggering and losing her balance, Yu Wu leaned forward and almost fell onto the back of the person in front of her, but was firmly supported by a pair of strong arms.

She turned to look at him; the boy's face was indifferent and languid, his voice low and deep: "Help me."

Just as Yu Wu was about to refuse, her classmate bumped into her again, and in her panic, she grabbed his outstretched arm.

She was madly in love with his polite manners and upbringing.

As she descended the stairs, Yu Wu pursed her lips and quickly withdrew her hand. Her chest pounded, and she felt a burning sensation in her palm. A raging fire spread from her hand to her heart, completely extinguishing her reason.

Yu Wu glanced up discreetly; he was still beside her, keeping pace with her.

That's strange, is he also going to the convenience store?