Chapter Sixteen: Caught Passing Notes in Class

During the afternoon class, Ye Mengxia was listening attentively when Lin Manting, sitting beside her, suddenly poked her with a pen and tossed over a folded note. She glanced at the teacher on the podium, then stealthily lowered her head to open the note.

"Mengxia, let's invite Ye Xingchen to eat together after school," it read.

Dinner? Perfect, she thought. She could also call Su Yichen, whom she hadn't yet added to the list. But before she could write his name, she felt an intense stare burning into her. Her fingers nervously curled the note tighter in her hand.

If the camera zoomed in on her expression, it would flash two words in bold: Guilty Conscience!

"Ye Mengxia, hand over the note in your hand. You should be paying attention in class," came the stern voice of the Chinese teacher.

Lin Manting tugged anxiously at Mengxia's shirt hem.

Whatever happens, she must not turn in the note. This was the strictest, most old-fashioned teacher at No. 7 High; once he targeted you, he'd nag for days and might even call your parents.

Feeling her classmates' sympathetic glances and sensing the gravity of the situation, she clenched the note, summoned her courage, and looked up to meet the teacher's gaze. "Teacher, may I not turn it in?"

"Uh..." the teacher stammered, momentarily stunned.

Lin Manting nearly fainted on the spot.

All the students around couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up—impressive! No wonder she had once dated the school's notorious bad boy.

"Ye. Meng. Xia! Hand over the note, or I'll call your parents tomorrow!"

The teacher was furious, his hands trembling as he clutched his book. Ye Mengxia quickly reached out with the note, and the teacher finally relaxed. But before he could return to the podium, she quietly asked, "Teacher, if I give you the note, can I avoid having my parents called tomorrow?"

"You! Tomorrow you and Ye Xingchen both bring your parents to my office!" the teacher said through clenched teeth, massaging his forehead as if he truly might pass out from anger.

Seeing this, she dared not say another word.

Now not only would she have to bring her parents, but Ye Xingchen was dragged into it as well.

As soon as class was over, she collapsed onto her desk, feeling as if the world had gone gray before her eyes. How could she possibly call her parents tomorrow? She couldn't ask her mother to fly back from abroad for this.

She let out a heavy sigh.

"Mengxia, I have an idea," Lin Manting whispered. "Isn't Ye Xingchen the famous campus bully? Let's just say he threatened you. He’s used to being scolded anyway—problem solved!"

She glanced up; Lin Manting's face practically radiated mischief.

"No way," Mengxia replied. "He has a bad temper, and he really didn't do anything. If I blame him, he might get angry and argue with the teacher. What if he makes the teacher so mad they faint?"

"Then what will you do?"

"I don't know. I'll just apologize to the teacher after school," Mengxia said, recalling the strict look on the teacher’s face and feeling a bit frightened.

"Ah, I’m so scared," she muttered.

Sitting in front of them, Su Yichen heard her soft complaints. He lifted his drowsy eyes, frowned slightly, grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbled something, and tossed it backward.

The note smacked Mengxia on the head and dropped onto her desk. She stared, momentarily surprised—another note, and this time from Su Yichen.

She opened it in a daze. Four words: "I'll go with you."

She stared at Su Yichen, who had already gone back to sleep. She almost doubted it was really his handwriting, but she remembered how neat and elegant it looked when he explained problems to her before—just as attractive as the boy himself.

Ye Mengxia couldn't help but smile. Lin Manting exhaled dramatically. "Mengxia, what are you guys writing? A love letter?"

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not," she replied.

"Oh, someone's shy! Let me see."

"He said he'll go with you. So you don't need Ye Xingchen anymore?"

Ye Mengxia was secretly delighted. Maybe Su Yichen wasn't mad at her anymore. She wasn't sure what she'd done to upset him, but she liked the current Su Yichen.

During class, he was still lying on his desk. While listening intently, Mengxia nudged him with her finger. When he turned back, she whispered, "Class has started."

Before she could say more, a sharp glance from the teacher warned her again.

As she lowered her head, she caught Su Yichen's faint smile. Her cheeks instantly flushed—she was absolutely doomed.

Why did she blush whenever she saw Su Yichen?

He really was beautiful.

When the bell rang, class was finally over. She followed Su Yichen toward the office. Although it was only a few meters, it felt like miles, and her nerves refused to settle.

Just as they reached the office, she heard Ye Xingchen’s voice. She stood there, thinking she must be imagining things.

"Ye Xingchen?"

"Teacher, how do you solve this problem?" Ye Xingchen winked at her, his hand behind his back, signaling her to leave—"Go now!"

Oh. Ye Mengxia turned and left, but curiosity got the better of her and she peeked back inside. What was Ye Xingchen up to?

The Chinese teacher now wore a look of admiration, his expression gentle and approving as he gazed at Ye Xingchen. Ye Mengxia wondered if she was hallucinating. Suddenly, Ye Xingchen shot her a deadly look, and she had to stifle her laughter.

Leaning against the wall, she couldn’t stop giggling.

Su Yichen, standing by, was momentarily puzzled and watched the scene with a touch of bemusement. It was the first time he’d seen Ye Mengxia laugh so freely.

She wasn’t quite the same Ye Mengxia he remembered.

Still, he frowned slightly. He didn’t like seeing Ye Mengxia smiling so brightly at others, even if Ye Xingchen was her cousin.

"Mengxia, what are you laughing at?"

"Ah?" She was startled, quickly smothering her laughter. "Just now, Ye Xingchen said he was hot and wanted water."

"When did he say that?"

Thinking he hadn’t noticed, she began to explain about Ye Xingchen’s earlier look and his pouty expression.

Su Yichen responded with a soft "mm," his eyes glimmering, but said nothing more.

Ye Mengxia sensed he seemed a little unhappy. Su Yichen never liked to voice his feelings, but she didn’t think she’d done anything wrong. She exhaled and leaned against the wall.

Half an hour later, Ye Xingchen emerged, slightly bent over. He grabbed Mengxia’s backpack. "Ye Mengxia, look at what you’ve gotten me into."

"I almost got in trouble because of you. Are you trying to get back at me or something?"

He nearly pulled her off balance, but steadied her at the last second. Feeling guilty, she shook her head obediently. "No, it was just a misunderstanding..."

"What?"

"Don’t tell me you’re not going to buy me dinner?"

"Forget it. I’ll just go back and cook for you instead."

Ye Xingchen slung an arm around her and started walking. Spotting Su Yichen ahead, he gave a knowing "oh," and teased, "So, Ye Mengxia, have you no conscience? Fine, go eat with Su Yichen."

"Ah—"

Her exclamation drew a deep look from Su Yichen. She felt awkward and hastily explained, "I meant we should all go together."

Su Yichen replied coolly, "No, I’m going home," and turned to leave. Oddly, Ye Mengxia felt a sense of relief.

Ye Xingchen said, "Ye Mengxia, are you and Su Yichen having another spat?"

"No, we’re just going home for dinner."

Ye Xingchen deftly lifted her backpack. "Alright, come to my place, or yours? I’ll cook for you. This time I’ve really learned—watched a whole bunch of videos from a culinary expert, it’ll be top-notch."

"Cook?"

Ye Mengxia was a little bewildered, but she followed Ye Xingchen home. Though his place was run-down, it felt warm and homey. As soon as she entered, a fluffy dog dashed over, circling her.

"Jixiang?"

"Woof woof woof..."

"He’s so cute."

Ye Xingchen glanced back from the kitchen and chuckled. "That’s not called cute, that’s called silly—just like you."

"You’re the silly one."

Soon, dishes appeared on the table: a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, another of oddly shaped meat. She tasted a few bites and found it surprisingly good. Suddenly curious, she asked, "How did you get the teacher to let you off?"

"Of course, with my brilliant mind."

Ye Mengxia couldn’t help but laugh.

"Don’t move," Ye Xingchen suddenly stepped forward and pinched her cheek. "It’s been ages since I’ve seen you smile like this. For a moment, you almost seemed like your old self. I have to check if you’ve been possessed."

"Hmm?" She looked at him, puzzled.

"Just kidding. But you’re good like this. Whatever happens, you can always talk to me. I never forget the promises I made when we were kids."

"What promises?"

Ye Xingchen gently knocked her on the head. "That I’d never abandon you, no matter what."

"Ah?"

"Ah, what? Don’t be silly. Eat."

Ye Mengxia looked at him in confusion, but obediently picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.