Chapter 107: It's Only Natural That the Little Girl Is Hard to Pursue

The competition prize was three thousand, plus another three thousand from Wang Qing selling her notes.

In the blink of an eye, six thousand yuan was in hand.

The temperature in Liangcheng gradually rose, and the camphor trees along the road had their leaves curled and wilted under the sun.

Tang Yu treated Bian Yang and Wang Qing to a meal.

However, on a Friday, the number of students dining out was enormous, and it took walking through three streets before finding a private room.

Wang Qing was in high spirits; she had improved by ten points on the second mock exam, and her family rewarded her with pocket money.

She believed it was thanks to Tang Yu’s notes and kept expressing her gratitude.

Bian Yang’s gaze stayed fixed on Tang Yu, who seemed preoccupied and somewhat absent-minded.

Wang Qing asked Bian Yang, “Brother Yang, how many points did you get this time?”

Bian Yang unpacked the disposable utensils, rinsed them with hot water, slid the prepared set toward Tang Yu, then slowly replied, “Five hundred and twenty.”

“520? That’s a lucky number. If I remember correctly, you scored just over four hundred on the first mock exam. Now over five hundred—such a huge improvement! Is it also thanks to our little Yu’s notes?”

Bian Yang lazily smiled toward Tang Yu. “Not really. I was personally tutored by a famous teacher.”

“Which famous teacher is that, so impressive?” Wang Qing was curious.

Tang Yu cleared her throat twice, her eyes signaling him not to say anything.

Bian Yang gave her a tired look. “They don’t want it said.”

Tang Yu: “...”

“Then I suggest you use the famous teacher’s lessons along with our little Yu’s notes—it’ll be twice as effective. I’ll make you a copy tomorrow.”

Wang Qing didn’t sense anything amiss.

Bian Yang leaned back slightly, smiling, “I don’t need a copy.”

Of course, the original must be used by the original owner.

Wang Qing continued sharing the latest gossip, but Tang Yu’s responses lagged noticeably; her mind was elsewhere.

“Little Yu, what are you thinking about? Have you been studying too hard lately? You don’t seem well.”

Bian Yang’s gaze also settled on her.

Tang Yu lowered her eyes. “It’s nothing.”

As she sipped juice, she glanced at Bian Yang from the glass rim, quickly lowering her head when he looked over.

“Is it because of the lawsuit with your parents?” Wang Qing had heard about it but hadn’t heard any updates. “Are they giving you trouble again?”

Tang Yu put down her glass and shook her head. “No. My grandparents decided not to sue; we’ve reached an agreement.”

Wang Qing asked, “Why?”

“As soon as they heard about the money, they started causing trouble. My grandparents feared they’d make a scene during my college entrance exam, so they had them sign an agreement.”

Tang Yu’s voice was calm and distant, as if she were speaking about someone else.

“My grandparents voluntarily gave up the support payments and cut ties with them. From now on, when they grow old, I won’t have to bear their pension responsibilities. It’s a clean break.”

Hearing this, Wang Qing was angry. “How is that a clean break? What about your support payments? College costs money. They gave birth to you but won’t raise you—what’s that about?”

Tang Yu held her glass and took a sip of warm water. “As long as they don’t bother me or disturb my grandparents’ old age, that’s good enough.”

“Why didn’t you discuss this with me?” Bian Yang, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

Tang Yu’s decision was completely unknown to him.

She lowered her eyes slightly and muttered barely audibly, “It’s my own family matter to begin with.”

---

Upon hearing this, Bian Yang smiled faintly yet without warmth, a smile that never reached his eyes. Suddenly, he stood up from his seat.

“I’m going outside for some fresh air,” he said and left the private room.

Wang Qing bit her chopsticks, watching Bian Yang’s back, then looked at Tang Yu. “I think he’s a little upset.”

Tang Yu’s long, thick eyelashes fluttered slightly, and an indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. She pressed her dry lips together.

“I can’t trouble him every time something happens. He can’t always be by my side…”

Wang Qing didn’t understand. “But aren’t you friends? It’s normal for friends to bother each other and help each other out.”

“I’ve never really helped him,” Tang Yu whispered, sniffing softly. “It’s always him helping me.”

Whether it was Meng Shirui, Liu Yaojie, or Fan Yuebin, he had handled them all.

He was like an omnipotent knight descending into her nearly shattered world.

But even knights have their own journeys and must go further.

Wang Qing said, “You helped him improve his grades. You even explained problems to him. How is that not helping?”

“He doesn’t need me to explain…” He clearly understood those questions.

Her eyes stung; her throat felt achingly dry. “I feel like I have nothing worthy to keep him here.”

Wang Qing propped her cheek in her palm, confused. “What did you just say?”

Tang Yu lowered her head, slowly crumpling the tissue on the table into a ball, then unfolding it again, looking troubled.

“Girl, you scored seven hundred and thirty points! Do you know what that means? It means you can choose any top university. We all envy you!”

Tang Yu remained silent.

Wang Qing thought it was because of her parents’ issues and scratched her head, unsure how to comfort her.

So when the dishes arrived, she simply asked the waiter to bring two bottles of beer.

The two girls, having never drunk alcohol before, stared at the green bottles filled with bubbling liquid, then said they had never tasted it.

“Adults drink when they have troubles. I heard one bottle can relieve a thousand worries. Since we have two days off tomorrow, why not give it a try?”

Wang Qing stared at the beer, swallowing nervously.

Tang Yu looked at the bottle too. “Really?”

“Try it and you’ll know.”

Wang Qing poured the beer into plastic cups and handed one to her.

The two girls held the orange-yellow, bubbly beer and sipped at the same time, then both frowned.

It was awful.

---

At this hour, Central Street was still bustling and noisy. The dim streetlights scattered fragmented light over the boy’s shoulders.

Bian Yang leaned leisurely against the restaurant wall, legs stretched out naturally.

Nearby, several people held cigarettes between their fingers, talking and smoking.

Since quitting smoking, he had no pastime when irritated. He kept unlocking his phone, staring blankly at the endless stream of vehicles ahead.

He still remembered why he quit smoking in the first place.

When the young girl saw him smoking on the balcony, her face showed no emotion, but she wrinkled her nose slightly and quietly stepped back.

He wanted her to lean on him, not retreat.

That was how he quit smoking.

He didn’t expect it to be so easy.

The first few days were tough, but even when cravings came later, he never thought about smoking again.

Then he confessed his feelings and went to her home, patiently winning over her elders despite his unruly nature.

Later, when he kissed her passionately, she did not resist.

Bian Yang felt she had feelings for him.

Living under the same roof, attending school and classes together, eating together after school—almost twenty-four hours a day together...

Everything seemed to flow naturally, and it should have been fine, yet she said, “It’s my own family matter.”

So distant.

“You heartless little one.”

He lowered his eyes slightly, kicked a stone at his feet, the strands of hair falling over his dim brows. He snorted softly.

His profile blended into the interplay of light and shadow, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his phone, then convincing himself to relax.

Fine, the little girl should be hard to win over, especially such a beautiful and adorable one.

He needed to put more effort into courting her.

After blowing in the wind for a while, spending half an hour convincing himself, Bian Yang turned back to the private room, only to be hit by the smell of alcohol.

The two girls were drunkenly slumped over the table. The dishes remained untouched, and two beer bottles lay toppled.

Standing there, Bian Yang pressed his tongue against his lower jaw and found the scene amusing.

He suppressed a smirk, lifted his foot, and kicked Wang Qing’s chair gently but firmly, startling her upright.

Lowering his eyes to look at her, he said, “Call your parents and have them come get you.”

Wang Qing stared at him for a few seconds, instinctively shrinking back, a little intimidated.

He was handsome, with a blend of aloofness and casual nonchalance—delicately cold. When not smiling, he appeared noble and distant.

Especially at moments like this, expressionless and looking down, his slightly upturned eyes gave off a strong, oppressive scrutiny.

Wang Qing was far from sober, but under his intimidation, her hands obediently obeyed and she fetched her phone to call her parents.

When Wang Qing’s parents arrived and helped her up, she finally snapped back to reality, looking at him in confusion.

“What about our little Yu... what do we do?”

Bian Yang stood there calmly. “I’ll take her home.”

“Brother Yang, please! Make sure to get our little Yu home safely,” Wang Qing, holding onto her last bit of reason, gave Tang Yu’s neighborhood name.

The unfamiliar neighborhood name made Bian Yang chuckle softly.

After Wang Qing left, he looked down at the girl still dazed and resting on the table.

He sat beside her, adjusted his mood, and gently helped her up by the shoulders.

She mumbled softly, “So bitter…”

“Then why did you drink it?” he said.

One hand steadying her shoulder, the other stuffing her phone into her pocket, he picked up her cloth bag.

The girl nestled against him heard the sound, opened her eyes, and called softly, “Bian Yang...”

He glanced at her, still a little annoyed, and ignored the drunken girl.

“You look like Bian Yang…”

Her cheeks flushed red, eyes curved into crescent moons, she leaned close to the boy. Her black eyes sparkled as she stared at him.

Her small hands cupped his face, inspecting it back and forth.

“Bian Yang is as handsome as you.”

He tugged at his lips. The girl frowned seriously and shook her head.

“No, Bian Yang’s the most handsome. Compared to him, you’re just a little bit behind.”

She pointed with her finger, making a small gesture.