Chapter 22

Xi Fei looked at Zhu Shiyan without moving.

Zhu Shiyan smiled, leaned into Xue Heng’s ear, and whispered, "Teacher, please ask everyone to disperse. This item is truly not something meant for public display."

Xue Heng hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand. "Everyone, go back to your seats!"

The group of students slowly returned to their seats, but their eyes kept darting back, curious about what was hidden there. Sun Zhicai did not want to leave; he stepped back only symbolically, his eyes locked firmly on Xi Fei’s desk.

Zhu Shiyan turned his body to block Sun’s view, leaving only a narrow gap for Xue Heng to see. "Teacher, this is it."

After seeing clearly, Xue Heng was furious. His gaze turned sharp as he looked at Xi Fei. "It was you?!"

"Calm down, Teacher, don't be impulsive." Zhu Shiyan stepped in front of Xi Fei. "He definitely didn't do this. Someone must have planted this in his desk to frame him."

But Xue Heng, consumed by anger, couldn't hear a word of it. He said coldly, "Come out with me right now!"

"It wasn't me."

Xi Fei, who had been silent all this time, pulled his hand away, his eyes deep and bottomless. "If it were me, I wouldn't be stupid enough to bring the item into the classroom."

Xue Heng glared at him. "You—"

"Exactly, who would be foolish enough to bring evidence into the classroom? It would be discovered at any moment," Zhu Shiyan urged. "Besides, Teacher, think about it carefully. Xi Fei stopped living on campus two months ago and has never even been to the girls' dormitory building. How could he possibly be the one behind this?"

Xue Heng gradually calmed down. Upon reflection, it made sense. Xi Fei had taken a month’s leave at the start of the semester, and upon returning, he immediately applied to move off-campus. If he were the culprit, a non-resident student sneaking over to the girls' dorm to steal undergarments would be far too conspicuous; he would have been caught long ago.

Seeing that his words were having an effect, Zhu Shiyan pressed on. "So, this matter needs a thorough investigation. Teacher, please don't rush to a conclusion. It would be terrible to wrong an innocent person while letting the real culprit go free."

Sun Zhicai, who had been secretly delighted to see Xue Heng’s rage, began to panic when he saw the situation quiet down and the three of them calmly discussing something. He stretched his neck forward, pretending to have seen what was in the desk, and shouted loudly in feigned surprise, "He’s hiding girls' underwear in his desk! He’s the pervert who’s been stealing them!"

Boom—

The classroom erupted in chaos.

"It was him? I never would have guessed..."

"He looks decent enough, I didn't think he was a pervert."

"Ugh, I knew he wasn't a good person."

"He even brought the stolen items to class. How disgusting."

...

Just as Xue Heng was about to reprimand them, Zhu Shiyan cut in before him. "That’s strange. Only the teacher knew what was in there just now. How can you be so certain that it’s the missing underwear?"

Zhu Shiyan had shoved the item back into the desk immediately after showing it to Xue Heng, without letting anyone else see it. If he hadn't known beforehand, how could he be so sure, and why would he be so eager to jump out?

"I, I guessed!" Sun Zhicai said, his eyes darting around in panic. "He doesn't look like a good person! It’s no surprise he’d do something like this."

"Oh?" Zhu Shiyan glanced at him sideways. "You really are remarkably prescient."

Sun Zhicai gritted his teeth. "You’re defending him so hard—could it be that the two of you did this together? One acting as a lookout, and the other stealing the clothes?"

Zhu Shiyan rolled his eyes. "Say whatever you want. After all, imagination is free."

Sun Zhicai glared at him in frustration.

Xue Heng took Xi Fei away. Regardless of anything else, the items were found in his desk, so he had to be questioned.

Once the homeroom teacher left, the discussions in the classroom grew louder. It took a long while for the teacher of the next class to quiet them down by knocking on the desk and scolding them.

Chu Junyuan hadn't come to school in the morning, but upon arriving in the afternoon and hearing about the incident, he hurried to find Zhu Shiyan. "What’s going on? Why is everyone saying Xi Fei is that perverted underwear thief?"

Zhu Shiyan looked at him steadily. "Do you believe it?"

"Of course not," Chu Junyuan said, looking speechless. "That guy looks like he has no worldly desires, practically a saint. Him stealing girls' underwear? I’d sooner believe it of myself."

Zhu Shiyan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "I really didn't choose my friends wrong."

Since Sun Zhicai’s outburst, most people were inclined to believe Xi Fei was the pervert. The school was filled with insults, and people even rolled their eyes at him in the hallways. His situation was now even more difficult than before.

Zhu Shiyan had been worried that Chu Junyuan might believe the rumors and come to despise Xi Fei, but he hadn't expected him to choose to trust him without hesitation.

Chu Junyuan said indignantly, "So, which asshole is framing him?"

Zhu Shiyan’s eyes turned cold. "I’m not sure yet, but I have a rough idea of who it is."

"Who?"

"I’ll tell you once I dig them out."

"What are you planning to do? Is there anything I can help with?"

Zhu Shiyan pondered for a second. "Actually, yes, but not you—your little girlfriend."

Chu Junyuan looked guarded. "What do you want to do?"

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her. I just need a small favor."

Checking surveillance footage or testing for fingerprints would be too easy on the culprit. Zhu Shiyan wanted to make that person and whoever was behind them lose all their credibility in front of everyone, so that they would never dare to show their faces to the male lead again.

Chu Junyuan trusted him, so he nodded after hearing his plan. "Alright, consider it done."

He turned to go find Mi Lin. Before he left, he remembered something and turned back to ask, "Oh, by the way, where is Xi Fei? He’s not hiding somewhere crying, is he?"

Zhu Shiyan: "..."

"He’s not crying."

On the contrary, Xi Fei was extremely calm about the whole thing. He showed no anger and no sense of grievance. He had obediently followed Xue Heng and cooperated with the police investigation, and was currently at the station giving a statement.

Thinking about it, it was about time he returned.

Just as he thought this, he saw Xi Fei walk into the classroom. His face was indifferent, showing no sign of his mood.

It was already after school. There were few people left in the classroom, but those who remained changed their expressions upon seeing him, making snide, mocking remarks in voices loud enough for everyone to hear.

Xi Fei sat down next to Zhu Shiyan as if he hadn't heard a thing and handed him a milk tea. "I bought this on the way back."

Zhu Shiyan glanced at him. "What did the police say?"

"Insufficient evidence, so they let me go."

"Hmm." Zhu Shiyan sipped the milk tea and asked curiously, "Why didn't you buy one for yourself?"

Xi Fei picked up a pen to solve a problem. "I don't like this."

The two talked as if no one else was there. The few people remaining in the classroom, as if disgusted by them, left one after another, glaring at them before they exited.

Xi Fei didn't even look up, but Zhu Shiyan waved at them with a smile. "Bye-bye."

The last one to leave was Qiao Li.

The young girl lingered in front of their desks for a long time, then said with a stiff face, "I don't think you did it."

She was standing in front of Zhu Shiyan’s desk, but she said this to Xi Fei.

Xi Fei didn't react; it seemed the math problem under his pen was more interesting to him than the person in front of him.

Zhu Shiyan was somewhat surprised. "Didn't you hate him?"

"I do hate him, and I still hate him now," Qiao Li pouted. "But I don't think he would do something like this."

She clenched her fists. "You must find the real thief and catch that pervert."

Zhu Shiyan raised an eyebrow. "We will."

Seeing that she hadn't left, Zhu Shiyan asked, "Is there anything else?"

Qiao Li bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke rapidly: "I'm sorry. I wrongly believed the rumors before. I shouldn't have insulted you, and... and I shouldn't have deliberately ostracized you. I won't do it again."

"But, I still don't like you," she stammered. "You’re too cold."

Xi Fei looked up at her this time. "And?"

"Wh-what?"

Xi Fei’s expression was indifferent. "Do you have anything else to say?"

Qiao Li was stunned. "No."

"Hmm."

Xi Fei lowered his head and continued working on his problems, as if everything she had just said was nonsense.

The young girl, thin-skinned, ran off with reddened eyes.

Zhu Shiyan watched with amazement. "You really don't know how to treat a lady with tenderness."

Xi Fei stopped his pen and turned to look at him. "Do you want me to forgive her?"

"Me?" Zhu Shiyan slumped lazily on the desk. "Whether you forgive her or not is your business. I don't have the right to decide that."

That familiar feeling of pleasure flooded his mind again. Xi Fei hummed. "I don't have any impression of her."

So, there was no question of forgiving or not.

Zhu Shiyan yawned, looking sleepy. "When will you finish your homework? I'm tired."

"Just a little left. You can sleep if you're tired; I'll wake you up when I'm done."

Zhu Shiyan closed his eyes. "Oh..."

The sun slowly set, casting amber light onto Zhu Shiyan’s face, making him look warm. When Xi Fei finished and looked up, he happened to catch this scene.

His heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't help but stare at Zhu Shiyan’s face—from his forehead, moving slowly down to his eyebrows, eyes, nose, and finally, settling on his lips.

Zhu Shiyan had beautifully shaped lips with distinct lines, red and full. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, and they were parted just a crack, breathing in shallow, soft breaths.

Xi Fei stared without blinking, his throat bobbing. Then, as if under a spell, he leaned his head down, inch by inch.

Just as he was about to make contact, he jolted awake and stood up in a panic.

His chair made a sharp "screech" as it slid back, startling Zhu Shiyan awake.

Zhu Shiyan, completely unaware of what had just happened, opened his eyes groggily. "Finished?"

Xi Fei didn't dare look at him and frantically began packing his things. "Yeah."

Zhu Shiyan stretched. "Then let's go. Let's head home."

He reached out to put an arm around Xi Fei’s shoulder, but Xi Fei dodged in a panic.

Zhu Shiyan was confused. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Xi Fei shoved two books into his bag messily. "My backpack zipper wasn't closed properly."

"Oh." Zhu Shiyan didn't think much of it and put his arm around his shoulder again, walking out with him.

Xi Fei, however, felt as stiff as a board.