Lu Qingyan felt like the ash-gray-haired boy probably hadn't noticed the way everyone in the room was staring at him—as if he were a few marbles short of a full bag.
Someone in the front row whispered in disbelief, "How can the Learning God be friends with this kind of idiot? Does he have nerves of steel or no taste in people?"
Another voice followed suit. "He's from Class 9, I think. Han something…"
"Han Ming," a third person chimed in. "I heard he and Wang Jingyuan grew up together, so maybe he built up immunity over time."
It turned out that the name of this ash-gray haired youth was Han Ming.
Lu Qingyan let the gossip swirl around her ears like white noise, half-listening while chewing on the end of her pen. That was, until a soft "du" sound suddenly landed on her desk.
She blinked, looked down—and saw her phone.
More specifically, her purplish-pink, rhinestone-encrusted phone case, now lying face-up with all its glory on her desk like a sparkling declaration of shame. The glittering word "Kissmet" shimmered under the classroom light.
Her eyes snapped upward just in time to see Wang Jingyuan withdrawing his hand like it was nothing. He didn't say anything—just stuffed one hand in his pocket, moved those long legs of his, and ambled toward the back door as the bell rang.
In the swirl of students packing up and rushing out, Lu Qingyan could've sworn—sworn—she heard something near her ear as he passed by.
In a lazy tone with a hint of ridicule—
"No Kissmet."
Lu Qingyan: ??
She froze.
What do you mean no Kissmet??
She stared at her phone case, then turned to look at the figure already stepping through the back door with that lazy, unbothered swagger. Her brain short-circuited for a second.
This person may really be an actor.
On the surface, a model student—the kind who took notes with a straight back and wore an innocent expression like it was sewn into his skin. But underneath? A full-blown undercover gang boss.
Was he messing with her? Was this a warning?
The thought of that tiny, devil-may-care smirk from earlier sent a chill up her spine.
Had she just been… threatened?
Was this his way of saying, Don't even try to suck up to me with snacks or you'll regret it?
***
The classroom emptied out as the final bell rang, students stampeding toward the cafeteria like a horde of zombies driven by hunger instead of bloodlust. Lu Qingyan, still adjusting to the rhythm of this world, followed the crowd obediently.
Lin Xin had a student council meeting today, so she was on her own.
After finishing her lunch—rice, a suspiciously delicious looking meat dish, and vegetables that looked like they'd died twice—Lu Qingyan spotted a small convenience store tucked next to the cafeteria.
A little retail therapy wouldn't hurt.
She wandered down the narrow aisles, grabbing a couple of pens, a bottle of mango juice, and then paused in front of a shelf stocked with colorful packs of bear biscuits.
Her hand hovered in indecision. Did gangsters eat bear biscuits?
Probably not.
But she still picked up two packs anyway. Just in case sincerity needed extra calories.
Just as she was about to check out, someone who had just entered the convenience store noticed her.
Two boys in school uniforms walked in. One of them—tall, messy black hair, sullen expression—was the kind of guy who looked like he'd win fights just by existing.
The other nudged him hard in the ribs with his elbow. "Hey, hey, Brother Xuan. Isn't that your sister?"
Behind her, Lu Mingxuan stood like a cold statue, frown firmly in place, eyes locked on her with an unreadable expression.
The person who was bumped frowned and looked up at Lu Qingyan who was paying. His expression suddenly became very complicated——but there wasn't a hint of happiness at all.
When Gao Jing saw Lu Mingxuan's expression, he more or less understood. Although Lu Mingxuan's family conditions were rather good, his relationship with his family wasn't very good. He had started living by himself early on.
Lu Mingxuan's parents separated when he was a child. His mother took away his sister, Lu Qingyan, while his father took care of him. But his father was always very busy and seldom returned home. Lu Mingxuan's childhood was basically spent with his nanny. In fact, Gao Jing had even thought that the nanny was his mother at first.
Gao Jing's parents were also distressed about his situation and would always invite Lu Mingxuan over to celebrate the holidays with them.
Lu Mingxuan didn't like his family. Even though his sister always carefully approached him, wanting to get closer to him, he still found it very disgusting.
Although everyone in the school knew Lu Mingxuan, after all, he was both handsome and arrogant, and often skipped class to fight, but the students didn't dare to provoke him. He could be considered to be the campus tyrant.
But no one in school knew that he had a younger sister.
Gao Jing, the boy beside him, glanced at Lu Mingxuan's face and sighed. "Man, I don't think she noticed you. Do you want to, uh… avoid her?"
Lu Mingxuan scoffed, voice dripping with disdain. "Why should I avoid her? What, you think I'm scared of her?"
Gao Jing raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you say she's been texting you nonstop? What if she tries to get all emotional again?"
Lu Mingxuan froze, thinking of the multiple WeChat messages he'd ignored. The ones filled with hopeful greetings, invitations to hang out, and attempts at conversation that he'd all left on read.
"You have a point," he muttered, reluctantly.
Almost right when Lu Mingxuan's voice fell, Lu Qingyan, who had finished shopping, walked over.
But what happened was completely different from what they expected—
Lu Qingyan only glanced at them at random, as if looking at a stranger
She didn't run over. Didn't wave. Didn't even make eye contact.
She passed them like they were transparent glass, with the same polite indifference she might show a bored-looking pigeon.
Gao Jing: "…"
Lu Mingxuan: "…"
Is this being blatantly ignored?
Even the girls who passed by that didn't know Lu Mingxuan glanced at him more than Lu Qingyan did.