Chapter 103: Tang Yu Belongs to Me

The sunlight warmed the girl's face, giving her a soft, rosy glow.

It made one want to kiss her.

Bian Yang grinned with a roguish charm. "I'm serious."

"How many worksheets do I have to finish before I can hold your hand?"

He bent down so their eyes were level.

Her face, flushed red from the sun, was irresistibly adorable. He couldn't help but pinch her cheek, his voice lilting teasingly at the end, "There's no motivation without a reward, little teacher."

"You should study for yourself, not for me. I'm just here to teach you, nothing more!"

Tang Yu took two steps back, her gaze flustered and evasive. "I'm not talking to you anymore, I need to get back to class!"

She couldn't handle his teasing. With those words, she turned and ran, her hair and skirt swaying in the sunlight, almost dazzling to the eyes.

Bian Yang straightened slowly, still smiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a dejected figure, and his amusement deepened.

He had always heard of the law of conservation of energy, but who knew there was a law of conservation of smiles as well?

When Zhou Xunwen was upset, he was happy.

In high spirits for once, Bian Yang started toward his classroom, even feeling an unusual urge to do some worksheets.

Suddenly, a figure blocked his path.

Zhou Xunwen pressed his lips together, his expression wary and defensive. Though he hadn't heard what Bian Yang and Tang Yu had just discussed, it was obvious Tang Yu placed special trust in Bian Yang.

As a boy, Zhou Xunwen understood all too well why Bian Yang treated Tang Yu differently.

"Bian Yang, stay away from Tang Yu. She wants to get into Tsinghua or Peking University, and you'll only hold her back."

At this, Bian Yang glanced at him sideways.

He stood taller than Zhou Xunwen, and unlike the gentle temperament he showed around Tang Yu, his face now was cold and unapproachable, exuding a reserved, forbidding aura.

Especially when his eyelids drooped lazily, the indifference in his posture only emphasized his intimidating presence. "And who do you think you are?"

Zhou Xunwen's face darkened. "I can get into Tsinghua or Peking University with her. Can you? If I recall, you only scored four hundred on the last mock exam. Four hundred! That doesn't even reach the basic admission line for a first-tier university. You can't help her at all; you'll only distract her. Besides, from what I hear, you're planning to go abroad."

In his limited understanding, being sent abroad without taking the college entrance exam was a last resort for those who couldn't hack it in China.

So he spoke with a lofty arrogance. "You two are not the same. Her future is limitless, while you—well! If you want to wallow in the mud, fine, but don't drag others down with you!"

Bian Yang didn't even bother to lift his head. His voice was heavy with the languor of early morning. "Which open sewer did you crawl out of this time? Not much of a person, but plenty of confidence."

"I wonder who just got rejected, though."

He seemed to suddenly recall something, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Oh, right—that was you, wasn't it, Zhou?"

"Tang Yu said she can't stand you, you know."

He dragged out the words with a lazy drawl, sounding utterly insolent.

Zhou Xunwen's face turned an even deeper shade, his fists clenched tight with suppressed frustration.

So, he had eavesdropped!

His pride stung, but Zhou Xunwen maintained his haughty composure. "No matter what, you don't deserve to stand beside her."

Just as with the math competition—he qualified, Bian Yang did not.

"So please, stay away from Tang Yu. Don't become an obstacle on her road to Tsinghua or Peking!"

This was nothing short of a declaration of war.

Bian Yang looked at him, half-smiling. "And if I don't?"

Zhou Xunwen's temples throbbed in anger. "You—!"

Suddenly, Bian Yang spoke, "Tang Yu is mine."

He smiled as he said it.

There was no attempt to hide his possessiveness; it was blatant and unapologetic.

Zhou Xunwen stared in shock, apparently unable to believe that a boy of eighteen or nineteen would dare say such a thing. For a moment, he was speechless.

Bian Yang remained unfazed, stretching his neck languidly. "So, you're the one who should keep your distance."

"Bian Yang, what nonsense are you spouting? You—how dare you!"

Zhou Xunwen was so stunned he couldn't even form a complete sentence.

"Don't like me?" the boy grinned at him. "Let me give you a tip."

He pointed nonchalantly to the rooftop of the academic building in the distance.

"See that? It's high up. If you can't stand me, just jump down from there—at least I'll get to hear the noise."

Zhou Xunwen's face turned livid with rage.

Meanwhile, Bian Yang slipped one hand into his pocket, his backpack slung carelessly over one shoulder, and sauntered off without a second glance.

He didn't take Zhou Xunwen seriously at all.

Zhou Xunwen had always thought highly of himself and couldn't stand this kind of delinquent. He was so furious he nearly gave himself a heart attack.

——

When Tang Yu returned to the classroom, there were only a few students around.

Most of them had gone to the cafeteria for breakfast after the flag-raising ceremony.

She glanced at Bian Yang’s desk, which was piled high with colorful packaged cakes and a handful of pink envelopes spilling out of the drawer, teetering on the edge.

Wang Qing waved her over. "Xiaoyu, finally! Without you here, I've had no one to gossip with—it's been killing me!"

Tang Yu withdrew her gaze and silently returned to her seat.

"What you said under the national flag today was amazing! Meng Shirui made such a scene; I bet she won't dare show up at school for days! And you, single-handedly, have changed the entire atmosphere of our school. I really admire you!"

Tang Yu took a book from her bag.

Wang Qing hugged her arm and went on, "You have no idea. While you were gone, the class has changed so much."

Liu Yaojie and Meng Shirui’s desks were gone, the space left empty and conspicuous. No one had filled the gap yet, which Tang Yu noticed as soon as she walked in.

Wang Qing waggled her brows suggestively, "And look at all those chocolates and cakes at the back—they’re all gifts for Bian Yang from the girls."

"It’s like this every day lately. Apart from the third years, first- and second-year girls are always coming to ask about him. I should be charging a finder's fee, really."

She sounded genuinely regretful.

Tang Yu paused as she opened her book, unable to help herself from muttering, "With that much sugar, he’s going to give himself diabetes."

Wang Qing heard and nudged her playfully, "Xiaoyu, you sound awfully jealous."

Tang Yu quickly retorted, "You’re imagining things."

"As if! Last time Liu Shuran confessed to Bian Yang, you elbowed your way to the front lines to watch and left me behind—I still haven’t forgiven you!"

Tang Yu stammered, twisting open her water bottle and trying to change the subject. "…I was just worried they’d mess up my desk."

"Keep pretending! Honestly, you could fool a plastic bag with how hard you try. We’ve been deskmates for so long—even if I’m not the one who knows you best, I’m definitely in the top three."

"Whenever I gossiped about who was dating or breaking up in class, you just buried yourself in worksheets, never interested. But the moment I mentioned Bian Yang, you perked right up. Don’t think I didn’t notice."

She leaned in, lowering her voice since there was no one nearby to overhear.

Wang Qing pressed her two fingers together, fluttering her eyelashes. "So, are you two dating now?"

Tang Yu nearly choked on her water.

"So what if you are? I’m not going to tell the homeroom teacher…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Tang Yu saw Bian Yang entering the room. She quickly set down her cup and clamped a hand over Wang Qing’s mouth.

Wang Qing had also seen Bian Yang, but the next second, Tang Yu pressed her head down, turning them both away.

The boy walked in carrying his bag, glancing first at Tang Yu, who was bent over her work, then at his desk, which was cluttered with gifts.

He picked up the topmost pink envelope between his fingers, glanced at it, then called out, “Tang Xiaoyu.”

Tang Yu's grip on her pen tightened before she turned calmly, “What is it?”

He jerked his chin at the desk. “What do you think?”

The meaning was clear—she was to clear the desk.

Tang Yu let out a silent sigh. She remembered her role; after all, she was supposed to be his little sidekick.

Resigned, she pulled out a plastic bag, stood up, and started packing the cakes and sweets away.

As for the pink envelopes, she stacked them neatly and handed them to him.

Bian Yang tossed his backpack onto the desk and slouched into his chair, glancing at the stack of envelopes. “What are you doing?”

Tang Yu was confused. “...Those were written for you. Aren’t you going to read them?”

“Don’t you know my situation by now?”

He tapped his knuckles on the desk, his meaning unclear.

Tang Yu: “...” What did she know?

Wang Qing’s eyes sparkled with gossip. “What situation? What do you know, Xiaoyu? Come on, tell me!”

Before Tang Yu could answer, Bian Yang spoke lazily, “I need to study hard and can’t date early. How else will I get into university?”

Tang Yu shot him a complicated look.

…Wasn’t he the one just asking to hold hands?

He propped his chin on his hand. “Well? Why are you standing there? Hurry up and take those to the office.”

“To…the office?”

Tang Yu looked down blankly at the thick stack of love letters.

If she turned them in, the girls who wrote them would be in for a rough time…

Bian Yang had already taken out a textbook and was flipping through it. Seeing her still standing there, he drawled, “What’s wrong, can’t find the office?”

While Tang Yu hesitated, the envelopes were snatched from her hands. Bian Yang passed them straight to Wang Qing.

“Could you take these for me, please?”

Then he handed her the entire bag of chocolates as well. “Consider this your delivery fee.”

Wang Qing hugged the huge bag of cakes, her desk overflowing. She licked her lips greedily and nodded. “Don’t worry, Brother Yang, I’ll get it done!”

With that, she grabbed the letters and cheerfully headed for the office.

Tang Yu sat back down and tried to focus on a couple of multiple-choice questions, but couldn’t resist turning around. “You know, you’ll be hated by every girl in school if you keep this up.”

Who would dare like him after this?

“That’s perfect,” he replied, resting his head on his hand and glancing up from his book, completely unconcerned.

“This way, no one will distract me from getting into university.”

Then, as if talking to himself, he muttered, “I’m really putting in the effort this time. If I can’t get into college, who can?”

Tang Yu was at a loss for words.