Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Ye Chuyang has always been quite confident. Although her grades are average, she is good-looking and tall, and she has been praised since she was a child.
Last month, girls from other schools came to see Chenyang No. 2 Middle School's "most handsome boy" by peering through the glass at the entrance.
"Look, that's Ye Chuyang! The second to last row, the one by the window!"
"So handsome!"
"I heard he's the most handsome boy at Chenyang No. 2 High School..."
The chatter of several girls in the corridor clearly demonstrated Ye Chuyang's "widespread fame for her beauty".
His classmates turned to look at him, scrutinizing this famously handsome man with excited, puzzled, and curious eyes!
Back then, most high school boys were rather plain, either extremely thin, chubby, covered in acne, or listless and unkempt under the pressure of studying. Finding a handsome guy wasn't easy; even someone with a slightly flat-topped, decent-looking face was considered quite smug.
A guy as handsome as Ye Chuyang is like gold in a pile of dirt. Although, he currently sports a slightly edgy hairstyle with a side parting, resembling a perm.
The reason why the "ionic perm" was not required to be rectified by the school was because it was naturally curly, and the homeroom teacher had repeatedly confirmed it.
Being surrounded by girls, especially those from other schools who had come "because of his reputation," made Ye Chuyang quite embarrassed. He quickly glanced at his earliest "fans" on the glass door, then immediately lowered his head, his face turning bright red from head to toe.
The boys and girls in the class joined in the commotion.
"Ye Chuyang—"
"So handsome!"
"Your fans are here, aren't you going to say hello to them?"
Several mischievous boys shouted "Oh oh oh!" like excited gorillas.
In an instant, the quiet classroom became chaotic.
When Ye Chuyang looked up, he specifically glanced at Shen Qingyuan's seat. It was empty. He felt a little relieved; it was too embarrassing in this situation. It was best not to let her see him.
But then, it seemed, a faint sense of loss followed.
Actually, when Ye Chuyang's fame spread far and wide, Shen Qingyuan was nearby. At that time, she came out of the classroom with a stack of test papers and saw three girls peeking around in the corridor.
They went from classroom to classroom in that row, peering through the windows as if searching for something.
As Shen Qingyuan passed by them, a tall girl called out to her.
"Excuse me, do you know Ye Chuyang?"
You've definitely heard of this name before, but you can't quite place the person with it. There might even be others with the same name.
With a rigorous scientific spirit, Shen Qingyuan said, "I wouldn't call myself an acquaintance."
Another girl pulled the girl who had asked her earlier, saying, "Never mind, let's find it ourselves."
Shen Qingyuan shrugged, picked up the test paper, and continued walking. She turned a corner and left the teaching building.
-
After a few seconds of mental preparation, thinking that she at least had some "reputation" for her beauty, Ye Chuyang mustered up her courage and spoke.
"Um... you're a day student too, Shen Qingyuan?"
In his panic, he blurted out a trivial topic as a starting point—in fact, he had been observing Shen Qingyuan for a while and knew that she would leave school and go home after evening self-study, which was different from the routine of most female students living on campus.
Now that it's senior year of high school, most students live on campus. Shen Qingyuan's home is relatively close to the school, only a 20-minute walk away. The walk is also a good opportunity to relax.
"Hmm?" Shen Qingyuan frowned slightly, suspicious. She was waiting for the other person's next words.
"Hehe," Ye Chuyang scratched the back of his head, strangely relaxing. Actually, when it comes to striking up a conversation, the hardest part is the first sentence, "I'm going home today too, I have something to do."
Shen Qingyuan suddenly remembered the illegible note from before, "Did you give me that note?"
At this moment, Ye Chuyang really wanted to deny it, it was too embarrassing. He made a serious announcement, but then got stage fright.
He stiffened his neck and grunted, "It's me."
Shen Qingyuan glanced at her watch; she was five minutes later than usual when she left school, meaning she'd have five minutes less sleep. She'd better hurry.
She picked up her schoolbag, a simple canvas bag, which she usually used to carry some food or one or two books.
Is that all you wanted to say? Shen Qingyuan got up from her seat, turned around and glanced at the boy again, "Finished?"
Ye Chuyang was taken aback, her lips pursed, and she hesitated without saying a word.
"Then I'll be going now, goodbye," she replied coldly but politely.
As Shen Qingyuan strode out of the classroom, as if an AI had been activated, Ye Chuyang chased after her.
"Shen Qingyuan, let's go together. I'm going home today too," he said from behind, not daring to follow too closely. The two walked one in front of the other, about two meters apart.
As soon as they stepped out of the teaching building, Ye Chuyang's eyes were busy, looking around to see if anyone was paying attention to them.
It looks like they're conducting some kind of espionage activity, a secret rendezvous. There are eyes everywhere, even the trees and grass have ears. If the homeroom teacher or grade head sees them, they'll immediately say: "We didn't arrange it, it just so happens we're all going in the same direction, hehe, isn't that a coincidence?"
I'll deny it no matter what. We must protect Shen Qingyuan!
Oh right, that note... I think it's a crucial piece of evidence! I hope it doesn't fall out at the last minute...
Shen Qingyuan walked ahead, somewhat bewildered. All this time, just to walk home with her? It seemed unnecessary; they weren't even acquainted. She didn't even remember his name.
Shen Qingyuan glanced back at the boy, who was currently envisioning himself in a dramatic mood, sighing and shaking his head. This guy was strange.
Is the pressure of senior year of high school too much?
Shaking her head in slight confusion, Shen Qingyuan unconsciously quickened her pace.
It takes about seven or eight minutes to walk from the teaching building to the school gate. After crossing a commercial street and making two turns, you'll reach Shen Qingyuan's residential compound.
Nan Lan is a teacher at the affiliated middle school of Chenyang No. 2 Middle School. The affiliated middle school and No. 2 Middle School are separated by one street, and the staff dormitory is nearby.
Shen Qingyuan has always had a convenient way of getting to school, and she never needed her parents to pick her up or drop her off. At a leisurely pace, it would take her at most half an hour to get home.
There are downsides too. It feels like its activity range is too small, like a house mouse, with its activity area limited to just a small patch of land.
Moreover, since Nan Lan is a teacher, Shen Qingyuan has been given extra "care" by her mother's colleagues since she was a child, making her feel restricted in everything she does.
It was past nine o'clock at night, and the commercial street was already quite deserted. It was early winter, but the small southern city wasn't cold yet, with only occasional gusts of night wind carrying a slight chill.
The boy behind her ran a few steps to catch up with Shen Qingyuan. Once outside the school, Ye Chuyang felt much more relaxed; there was no need to keep her distance anymore.
"Shen Qingyuan, are you cold?"
Huh? Why is he still following us? Shen Qingyuan slowed her pace and glanced back at him.
"It's not cold."
I thought it was just a short stretch of the same route. The bus stop is very close to the school gate, and there should still be the last bus at this time. Isn't he going to take the bus?
Shen Qingyuan continued walking, with a carefree gait.
The boy awkwardly stopped zipping his uniform halfway up, then turned around and zipped it back up. He was a little cold.
There seem to be scenes like this in TV dramas, such as clothes in the cold wind or umbrellas in the rain.
After passing the commercial street and turning a corner, the surroundings became quieter.
This area is the old town, with large trees over twenty years old standing on both sides of the street. The streetlights are dim, and the leaves block out the sky and the moon, creating an unusual sense of desolation.
The boy was still following.
There is one type of literary work that Shen Qingyuan had a particular fondness for during junior high school: suspense and crime fiction.
The empty streets, the eerie and damp atmosphere, the dim lighting... it was practically the perfect setting for a primary crime scene.
If it were a complete stranger, a man and a woman, following her all the way, any girl would probably worry that she had encountered a stalker—wait a minute, they don't really know each other.
Moreover, there were no witnesses.
The two were the last to leave the classroom. They encountered only strangers on the shopping street. No one would remember them.
This boy, although he is fairly good-looking and doesn't seem like a pervert, is a perfect example of a seemingly respectable person who is best suited to be a villain, creating a strong sense of contrast and dramatic tension.
Shen Qingyuan sighed, then suddenly stopped and turned around: "Is there anything else, classmate?" Her tone carried a hint of impatience.
She kept calling him "classmate," or rather, she called him that twice. Once in the classroom, and the other time was right now.
Even if Ye Chuyang was slow to notice, he could sense that she wasn't familiar with him. It was possible... she didn't even know his name.
Sigh, it's been three months since school started. We even ran a relay race together. The night wind was blowing, and Ye Chuyang's heart felt icy cold.
Then, Ye Chuyang, a teenager with delusions of grandeur, suddenly realized that if Shen Qingyuan treated the "most handsome man" of Chenyang No. 2 Middle School this way, then... other men were just men to her.
He admitted that the idea was a bit like Ah Q's, very narcissistic, but he just felt inexplicably happy! Then the corners of his mouth turned up like crazy, harder to suppress than an AK.
Since that's the case.
There's plenty of time in the future, Shen!
The spot where he was standing was directly illuminated by the beam of streetlight, making his complexion appear sallow. The dappled shadows of the trees swayed and danced on his face in the gentle breeze.
With all the lighting and shadows, plus his sudden laughter, it's like a scene from a classic Hitchcock film, just missing the narration of a villain suddenly baring his fangs.
Even someone as composed as Shen Qingyuan felt a chill run down her spine.
-
A taxi drove up to the intersection. Because it was on campus, there were speed limits, so the car was driving very slowly.
The wheels crunched over the fallen leaves as they slowly drove past Shen Qingyuan and Ye Chuyang.
It's so late, and high school students are still going on dates?
The driver saw a boy and a girl, both wearing high school uniforms, looking at each other and talking through the windshield.
"Wow! It's so good to be young!"
"Twenty years ago, I was young too!"
As the driver made this remark, he even honked his horn in approval. Then, he received two inexplicable stares from the two teenagers in his rearview mirror.
-
This interruption broke the tense atmosphere. Both of them breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Ye Chuyang had already forced a smile down his face. "Well... I was just saying..." He observed Shen Qingyuan's expression and stammered a bit, "Could you lend me your physics notes to make a copy?"
He vaguely remembered that some famous writer once said that the best way for men and women to have an ambiguous relationship is to borrow books, so that they can borrow and return them, and there is a give and take.
Shen Qingyuan breathed a sigh of relief. What? It was just about borrowing notes. Why did he have to be so hesitant? He could have just said so earlier. He gave her a false alarm.
"Sure," she readily agreed, "classmate."
Ye Chuyang quickly stepped forward and introduced himself, "My name is Ye Chuyang. 'Ye' as in 'leaf' and 'Chuyang' as in 'rising sun.' Thank you, Shen Qingyuan."
The way he speaks seems quite innocent, but he seems a little slow-witted, not like a pervert. Shen Qingyuan thought to herself.
This wasn't the first time Shen Qingyuan had heard the name, nor the first time she had seen the person. However, this was the first time she had actually matched the person and the name together.
Like GPS positioning, with data on the horizontal axis and data on the vertical axis, it is possible to accurately locate a unique point on Earth.
The horizontal and vertical axes extend infinitely. Finally, they meet at a certain point in time and space.
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