Chapter 62

Noticing her softening expression, Gu Jing Yuan stated, “I want to kiss you again.”

“…”

She remained unmoved.

Just when Gu Jing Yuan thought that there was no hope, she suddenly leaned in and kissed his cheek, or more accurately, she gave him a fleeting peck.

“A thank-you gift,” she whispered.

Just as she was pulling back, a large hand stopped her retreat and supported the back of her head, fingers buried in her long hair.

Gu Jing Yuan grinned brightly.

“That’s not enough.”

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Mys Zk Dk’p blyav pjkrrle y clyv. Ekvb lulp qsaxkdt kd nalpnldv xssdp, bl zsolale bkp blye yde jkpple bla ytykd.

Ju vbl vkxl bl qlzv vbyv bl bye jkpple ldswtb yde pvsrrle, pbl qswde vbyv bla zkrp olal vkdtzkdt.

“Psd’v vyjl y xkzl yqvla clkdt tkhld yd kdnb!” Mys Zk Dk nsxrzykdle, bla psqv alrasynb pswdele xsal zkjl pbl oyp ynvkdt nsiwlvvkpbzu.

Tl nbwnjzle psqvzu, “R’zz vau xu clpv.”

“…”

Fbl eke dsv qkde bkp yppwaydnl hlau pkdnlal.

Mblka kdvlaynvksd oldv cynj yde qsavb yde vbl yvxsprblal pkxxlale clvolld vblx yp pollvdlpp zkdtlale kd vbl yka.

“Kkdt Zwyd, kv’p vkxl qsa ekddla.”

Nanny Yang’s voice came through the door, freezing the air around them.

The doorknob twisted and the click of the lockset created an extremely jarring sound in the silent room.

Everything had occurred too quickly and Tao Yi Xi did not have time to even figure out where to hide.

At the last crucial moment, she was pulled into his bed. Her petite figure was buried into his fluffy down comforter, seamlessly blending in, without any sense of incongruity.

Tao Yi Xi tensed, pressing closely against him, not daring to move. The air surrounding her was filled with his scent, a crisp fragrance mingled with a hint of the laundry detergent.

At that moment, Nanny Yang opened the door.

Gu Jing Yuan spoke up immediately, “Nanny Yang, why did you barge in like that?”

“Sorry, sorry, I’ll take note next time.”

Having raised Gu Jing Yuan since childhood, although he was the son of her employer, she treated him like her own. Hence, Nanny Yang was bolder in her actions than the other servants.

Gu Jing Yuan said, “Just leave it on the table, I’ll eat it later.”

“You shouldn’t, the food will get cold if you eat it later.”

“I… haven’t tidied up yet; you go down first.”

“Alright, but make sure to drink the bone broth I stewed especially for you later,” Nanny Yang repeatedly reminded him.

“Okay, okay,” he replied halfheartedly.

Nanny Yang closed the door, and the danger was temporarily averted.

Tao Yi Xi lifted the covers, her cheeks blushed red like a ripe and juicy peach. He could not resist reaching out to pinch them.

Nestled beside him, she was fragrant and soft, making him imagine how wonderful it would be to fall asleep embracing her.

She slapped away his hand. “I’m leaving.”

“Will you come by in the afternoon?” His eyes gleamed, now grasping the benefits of being wounded.

“You only need to apply the ointment once a day.”

“Oh.” Gu Jing Yuan lowered his head in disappointment.

She saw through this rascal’s impure intentions.

On Sunday, she kept her vigilance up and his attempts to steal some benefits all failed.

Gu Jing Yuan tsked in disappointment as he watched her leave.

On Monday, she had planned to stay home with him, but out of her expectations, he strongly insisted that he did not need her company, even though he clearly loved having her around.

In front of the whole family, Gu Jing Yuan scolded Tao Yi Xi loudly.

“Why aren’t you leaving yet? It’s finally Monday. Can’t you just hop to school? Don’t wander around in front of me, can’t you let me have some peace?”

Tao Yi Xi, “…”

His sudden outburst caught her off guard, but she quickly caught on to his intentions.

Everyone was stunned by his outburst. Gu Mu Yang glanced at her briefly. The speed at which he shifted his gaze away made Tao Yi Xi wonder if it was just her imagination.

Xia Yan gazed cowardly and obediently towards the head of the family, afraid that she would become Gu Jing Yuan’s next target.

Gu Mu Yang spoke up, “What’s with all the fuse so early in the morning? Xiao Xi, go to school, you don’t need to bother with Gu Jing Yuan.”

“Alright.”

As Tao Yi Xi was preparing to leave and away from other’s notice, he blinked intentionally at her, revealing his true intentions.

He truly gave a lot of thought to this matter.

Tao Yi Xi, with a smile on her face, slung her backpack and left with light steps.

**

After the school’s previous warning announcement, the turbulence in school calmed down. 

When Tao Yi Xi arrived, Zhou Zhi excitedly hurried over and sat in Gu Jing Yuan’s seat.

“Last night, the person who spread the rumours stepped forward and apologized on Weibo! They also revealed the instigator behind them, and the person turned out to be a girl named Zhang Li Li, a student from your previous school. They also exposed her behaviour of bullying other female students and even posting videos of her mistreatment online. This Zhang Li Li is really malicious! People in our group are gathering to report her to the education bureau and your previous school. We also posted the procedures in the comments to help everyone.”

Tao Yi Xi paused, not expecting the person to act so quickly. It seemed like he was truly scared of Gu Jing Yuan.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she suppressed the urge to smile. 

Zhou Zhi continued chattering excitedly, but her eyes showed hesitation and conflict.

“That girl… did she bully you before?” Zhou Zhi asked in a whisper.

“I’m fine. She’s targeting me now because she couldn’t bully me back then.”

Tao Yi Xi could be considered Zhang Li Li’s only Waterloo in her tyrannical rein, which was why she kept on harassing Tao Yi Xi, unable to stand seeing her doing well.

Zhou Zhi breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good.”

Zhang Li Li’s domineering, bullying, behaviour was despicable! Vulgar! In the recorded video, one could hear Zhang Li Li’s exaggerated cackle and see the physical beatings of her victim and their humiliation. The victims curled up, crying and begging for mercy, their voices trembling with fear.

But the louder they cried, the more smug Zhang Li Li seemed to be.

Zhou Zhi clenched her fists, wanting to rush over and punch that Zhang Li Li!

The thought of that person possibly bullying Yi Xi in the past filled Zhou Zhi with both anger and distress! She wished she could whip Zhang Li Li repeatedly!

Now that she had her answer, Zhou Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. However, she was reminded of another concerning matter.

“This matter has been resolved, but what about Tsinghua University? Is there still hope?”

“Don’t worry, even if I don’t get in through the early admission program, I can still apply for admission after the college entrance examination.” Tao Yi Xi’s tone was gentle, without the previous touch of negativity.

“That’s right! You’re the top student in our cohort! You might even clench the top scorer position if you sit for the college entrance exams too!”

Tao Yi Xi smiled, “En! I’ll do my best!”

Zhou Zhi rested her chin on her arms and sighed, “You’re so optimistic.”

Tao Yi Xi paused, inevitably thinking of Gu Jing Yuan. He was the one who was there for her during her bleakest times. It was not that she was an optimistic person; someone saved her in her darkest moments.

Suddenly, she found herself missing him slightly.

**

After school, she helped him collect his homework. Gu Jing Yuan was already eagerly awaiting for her to return.

During dinner, he continued to pretend to be indifferent, treating her as a stranger.

Once they went upstairs, his aloof gaze suddenly became affectionate as he hooked his fingers with hers.

“Come to my room.”

“Okay.”

With their homework in hand, she went to his room to do her homework and also explained what was taught in today’s lesson. 

At first, he was still looking attentively at the notes, but gradually, his gaze involuntarily shifted from the paper where she was scribbling the notes to her profile as she explained what she was writing. He found that he could not move his eyes away.

“So, how should this part be solved?” Tao Yi Xi asked but did not hear any replies to her question.

When she raised her eyes, she spotted him daydreaming. Frowning, she was about to reprimand him. But before she could do so, he leaned over and kissed her before she could react.

His intense affection could not be concealed.

“Sorry, you’re just too mesmerizing,” he apologized sincerely, but it was also asking for a beating.

Tao Yi Xi asked, “Then should I leave?”

“I was wrong! Actually, I did listen to what you were saying just now!” Gu Jing Yuan immediately admitted to his mistake.

They only have this short time to spend together each day, how could he bear to let her go?

“One must study efficiently, there must be no room for distractions.” She was always devout in her studies.

“Understood!” He nodded vigorously, not daring to be distracted again.

At least, not openly.

Tao Yi Xi let him off the hook, maintaining a calm exterior. However, the joy in her heart was only apparent to herself. Suppressing the upward curve of her lips, she cleared her throat and explained it to him once more.

After he solved the final challenging problem, Tao Yi Xi nodded in satisfaction, feeling a great sense of accomplishment. No wonder all teachers like intelligent students.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

Gu Jing Yuan stared straight at her, like a puppy wagging its tail expectantly after completing a task, all his thoughts were blatantly written on his face.

Tao Yi Xi cleared her throat, pretending not to notice.

“Tao~ Yi~ Xi~,” he called out, dragging out each word.

Tao Yi Xi lowered her head. Her attitude had noticeably softened slightly. As long as he persisted a little more, she would surely cave in.

Inwardly, Gu Jing Yuan rubbed his hands together, itching to get started. However, before he could do anything, Nanny Yang had once again come at an inopportune time.

This time, she was more astute, she knew to knock on the door first.

“Jing Yuan, do want some late-night snacks?”

“I’m not hungry,” Gu Jing Yuan replied through gritted teeth.

“It’s already eleven; you haven’t finished studying yet?”

“We’re almost done.”

Tao Yi Xi packed up her books, smiling contentedly.

“I’m leaving. See you tomorrow.”

Gu Jing Yuan could only reluctantly watch her departing back.

**

This routine repeated itself the next day.

Gu Jing Yuan waited eagerly for Tao Yi Xi to come back every day, resembling a secluded woman from olden times yearning for her husband’s return.

Fortunately, Gu Jing Yuan had a good physical foundation. In addition, Gu Mu Yang’s punishment was firm but controlled, so Gu Jing Yuan recovered in approximately half a month.

When the day of liberation arrived, he was lively and full of jubilation. For the first time in his life, he was excited to go to school!

Sitting together with her in the backseat of the car, he wanted to hold her hand, but just as he was about to touch her, she smacked his hand away and gave him a fierce glare.

Pouting, Gu Jing Yuan retracted his hand.

When they were outside, she was still the same old Tao Yi Xi.

But when they arrived at school, they were hit by a piece of unexpected news.

“The final year exams will commence from Wednesday to Friday. Everyone should go home and prepare well for it.”

Gu Jing Yuan’s head drooped, but Tao Yi Xi could not quite understand why.

“Your foundation is already quite stable. What are you afraid of?”

“I’m not afraid of the exams.”

“Then what is it?”

He sighed but did not answer her.

Soon, she found out why.

The person who usually clung to her suddenly became more tamed before the examinations. Painting a completely different picture from the person who used to insist on going out to play before the exams.

When Tao Yi Xi was alone, she found herself unconsciously thinking of him and smiling to herself.

The last monthly exam of the year arrived as scheduled. In addition, the speed of grading at Fu Middle School was as fast and accurate as ever.

After the red list was pasted on the noticeboard, she glanced at it. Chen Ze’s score was only one point below her. Fortunately, she temporarily managed to maintain the first position.

There was not much fluctuation in her emotions regarding this matter. Her thoughts were focused on another place as she carefully scanned down the rankings.

Gu Jing Yuan had moved up by five places this time.

Although the rank increase was small, all progress was considered good.

After finding what she wanted to see, Tao Yi Xi made space so that other students could look through the red list. She happened to spot Chen Ze and she politely smiled and nodded at him. However, before Chen Ze could respond, her view was immediately obstructed by the vinegar jar that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Gu Jing Yuan was tall, and because they stood close together, she had to raise her head slightly to look at him.

“What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at the red list.” She replied earnestly, “You’ve improved again, well done!”

Getting praised by her, Gu Jing Yuan’s vanity overcame his jealousy. The corners of his mouth could not help but curl upwards, softening his usually cold demeanour.

Tao Yi Xi had already gotten used to him being like this, but their classmates certainly had not!

“Hey, hey, did you sense the ambiguous atmosphere between them? The school delinquent actually smiled! Am I seeing things, or did he really smile?”

“He smiled! He really smiled! So handsome~”

“Are they dating? Indeed, school flower X school delinquent is the best ship!”

Another girl looked shocked, “No way, aren’t they siblings?”

“It’s not as if they share the same parents, so what’s impossible about that? Look at the way the school delinquent looks at the school flower. Liking someone is like coughing, one wouldn’t be able to hide it!” The girl who shipped the couple said with conviction.

The whispered gossip of the two girls was heard by someone nearby.