Chapter 49

Yu Nian’s ears reddened, she believed.

Not only did he make up for the distance she fell behind, but he also surged ahead, leaving Yu Nian extremely excited. It was even more thrilling than when she received the acceptance letter from Zhongyi University.

As Li Xiang finished his run, Yu Nian quickly approached to hand him a tissue. With a smiling face, she sincerely praised, “Chi Yao, you’re amazing ah. You can actually run so fast.”

Li Xiang took the tissue and paused for a moment. Seeing Yu Nian looking at him with admiration, he casually turned his head, pretending to be indifferent but he felt his heart pound like a drum.

Whether it was due to running too fast or the warm and straightforward compliments from this person, or perhaps a combination of both, Yu Nian felt a burst of exhilaration. Thanks to Li Xiang’s help, she could now confidently face the group that had tried to persuade her to withdraw.

Whenever Yu Nian recalled this scene later, Li Xiang approaching her from the crowd during her moment of isolation felt like a divine intervention, redeeming her from the awkwardness and constraint.

“Let’s go, I’ll treat you to a drink,” Yu Nian said after the competition concluded.

“How come the sudden treat for drinks?” Zhang Chuanze didn’t know anything about what happened just now and expressed confusion.

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“Ls ckt elyz.”

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Even though not a word was spoken, the gaze carried a chilling intensity, laden with overwhelming threat.

Liu Manman’s mind was in chaos at this moment, unsure of how to address the situation.

Some girls who were not fond of Yu Nian around them and saw her leave started gossiping again.

“Seriously, what’s Shi Nian Nian showing off about? Isn’t it because of Chi Yao that she got help running?”

“Enough already. Just because she has some spare money at home, does she need to act like this? It’s not like you can’t afford a drink anywhere else.”

“I really don’t understand why Chi Yao would hang out with someone like her.”

“Ai, you guys don’t think they’re dating, do you?”

“I think so too. If they weren’t, how could they say those things? With a different person, it could easily be a confession.”

“Is it for real ah? Is the first day of school this dramatic?”

“Whether it’s true or not, we have to ask Manman. Right, Manman, you’re so close to them, do you know any inside information?” Someone teasingly poked Liu Manman, who was absent-minded on the side.

Liu Manman shook her head, her forced smile almost collapsing.

Regaining her composure, she sighed lightly and said, “I don’t actually know much. I just heard that they’ve been to each other’s homes, and Yu Nian has even eaten food personally cooked by Chi Yao. That’s about it…”

“F***, that’s pretty open, isn’t it?”

“Knowing that the other’s parents aren’t home and still going to a guy’s house, isn’t that too careless?”

While everyone was still chattering away, a cheerful voice suddenly interrupted, “However you look at it, they’re just normal friends. Did all of you who got into the same class come here to gossip? Instead of discussing people behind their backs, why not say it to their faces?”

The voice belonged to none other than Xue Xue, who had been chatting happily with Liu Manman earlier in the morning.

Unlike the gentle southern Liu Manman, Xue Xue was a straightforward northern girl. Despite her soft and delicate name, she couldn’t hide her true feelings.

As someone who was solely focused on studying, Xue Xue had no acquaintance with Yu Nian and only had a vague understanding of Chi Yao at best.

Originally, she had no intention of joining the discussion. However, after accidentally overhearing, she felt that these people were getting more and more out of line, prompting her to speak up.

At this moment, as Xue Xue looked at Liu Manman, her gaze, compared to the morning, unavoidably carried a sense of inquiry.

After locking eyes with Xue Xue, Liu Manman instinctively averted her gaze and hastily agreed, “Yeah, I also think they’re just normal friends. You may not know, but their parents have been friends for many years and know each other well.”

After Liu Manman’s explanation, everyone seemed to understand.

“Oh, I see ah.”

“That makes sense. If that’s the case, even if they’re not dating, it’s like childhood sweethearts.”

“Laughing to death, that’s true.”

…

The playful banter of the crowd passed by Liu Manman’s ears. Whether intentional or not, each phrase pierced her heart, as if constantly reminding her of the childhood connection between those two, a match made in heaven.

Before this, Liu Manman had never considered Shi Nian Nian as a rival, but witnessing Chi Yao’s special treatment of her now, Liu Manman could no longer deceive herself.

She had to admit that Chi Yao’s attitude towards Shi Nian Nian was indeed special.

With this thought, many phenomena began to make sense.

Whether it was the end-of-term tutoring or the care during the summer camp, everything came alive in Liu Manman’s mind.

Blinded by jealousy before, she hadn’t noticed any of it.

A sense of unprecedented shame surged in Liu Manman’s heart. She felt that Yu Nian was lying to her, knowing that she liked Chi Yao, but she played her around.

To think she had hoped Yu Nian would help her get close to Chi Yao.

How ridiculous.

“Manman, are you okay?” Someone beside her noticed Liu Manman’s off expression, patted her on the back, and asked.

Liu Manman snapped back to reality, gave a faint smile, and said, “I’m fine ah. You guys go ahead, I’ll head back to the classroom.”

With that, Liu Manman bid them farewell with a smile, heading towards the classroom. However, her smile faded away as soon as she turned around.

“That’s how it is ah.”

After Yu Nian and the others came out of the supermarket, she told Zhang Chuanze about what happened before the game.

Upon hearing it, Zhang Chuanze forgot to filter his words and remarked, “Nian Nian, it seems like you’ve become quite popular ah. Everyone is talking about you.”

“Huh? Where else?” Yu Nian asked instinctively.

This question stunned Zhang Chuanze.

Subsequently, Yu Nian noticed Zhang Chuanze glancing at Li Xiang, his gaze dodgy, clearly hiding something.

“Hey, spill it. Are you guys hiding something from me?” Yu Nian nudged Zhang Chuanze’s arm, glaring at him menacingly.

“Well, it’s not really anything.” Zhang Chuanze awkwardly chuckled.

“Not gonna tell me, huh? Fine, I’ll ask someone else.” Yu Nian threatened.

Zhang Chuanze quickly glanced at Li Xiang, signaling him to speak.

Originally, Li Xiang didn’t want Yu Nian to know about this annoying matter, but unfortunately, he let it slip.

So, Li Xiang could only let out a light sigh and said, “It’s not a big deal. There was a post about you on a forum, but it’s been permanently deleted.”

“Who would mention me?” Yu Nian pondered. Since she transmigrated into this world, she had been minding her own business without any grudges or disputes. Yet, she somehow managed to make a prestigious appearance on the school forum.

“If you want to know, I can find someone to check.”Li Xiang said.

“Of course, I do ah! That way, I can stay away from such people in the future. It’s annoying when someone rudely comes up to me for no reason,” Yu Nian expressed.