Chapter 15: Why Is It You?
Yu Wanwan visually measured the distance between herself and Pu Tong.
It was still the same twenty centimeters as before.
Even after things had blown up this much, he was still calmly studying as if nothing had happened. His behavior hadn't changed in the slightest.
His composure was unbelievable.
He didn't seem affected by the public attention or the online discussions at all...
Sensing the girl's gaze on him, Pu Tong instinctively shifted a little farther to the right.
"Do I have body odor?"
"Actually... yeah."
"That's not what you said last time."
"We had just met back then, so we weren't familiar. Now that we're acquainted, I can joke around with you."
Pu Tong glanced warily at the classroom camera before returning to his textbook.
"I see..." The corners of Yu Wanwan's lips curled upward. "So this is how boys talk to girls they like?"
"Don't misunderstand. I can't speak for all boys... Wait a second—I don't even have a girl I like!"
Pu Tong narrowed his eyes at her.
She definitely misunderstood, didn't she?
Something's wrong with this girl!
"I see. What a pity."
"It's hard to explain in just a sentence or two. The classroom is full of people. How about this—come to the stairwell during break. I'll explain everything properly."
The reason he chose the stairwell was simple.
There were no surveillance cameras there, and the cameramen usually didn't follow students into the stairwell.
It was the perfect place to clear up the misunderstanding.
"So now you're inviting me somewhere private? Isn't that a little inappropriate?"
"What's wrong with you..."
"I learned it from you!"
For a moment, Pu Tong felt as though their roles had completely reversed.
He had somehow lost the upper hand and was being pushed back step by step.
Fortunately, he wasn't interested in winning some pointless argument.
He planned to explain everything later anyway, so he might as well spend the time studying.
"What? Did I hit the mark?" Yu Wanwan wasn't nearly as laid-back as he was. Since she'd finally gained the advantage, she naturally wasn't about to let it slip.
"How childish."
"You say it's childish, but then secretly write songs for me behind my back?"
"You..."
Just as Pu Tong turned to fire back at her, his eyes met another pair staring through the classroom's rear window.
Oh no.
This is bad.
Every classroom had that one homeroom teacher lurking outside the window, silhouetted against the light, gripping the window frame and silently watching the students with hawk-like eyes.
Zhang Binyan had actually arrived quite a while ago.
Before entering the classroom, he wanted to see what Pu Tong had been up to lately.
He watched for a full three minutes.
Pu Tong had been studying seriously the entire time.
Instead, it was Yu Wanwan who kept leaning toward him.
Wait... Wanwan was the one taking the initiative?
As a devoted fan of Yu Wanwan for over ten years, Zhang Binyan was furious.
That damn brat! He really did put some kind of spell on Wanwan!
Such a handsome face... wasted on a shameless, womanizing, good-for-nothing little punk!
Of course...
It definitely wasn't because he was jealous of some pig stealing his precious cabbage.
Definitely not.
He simply disliked the brat.
Still...
As much as he disliked him, the kid had genuinely been studying hard recently.
Whenever Zhang Binyan secretly watched the class from outside before, Pu Tong had always been the biggest troublemaker—he never studied and even distracted everyone else.
But now?
He was practically a different person.
Teachers actually noticed these kinds of changes.
Students thought they were good at hiding things, but in reality, their teachers saw almost everything. Most of the time, they simply chose not to point it out.
Lately, every subject teacher had been praising Pu Tong's improved attitude.
Could it be...
Did this brat really start working hard because he secretly likes Wanwan?
That's... actually kind of inspiring...
Wait! Why am I sympathizing with the pig trying to steal the cabbage?!
Originally, Zhang Binyan had planned to observe a little longer.
But since Pu Tong had already spotted him, he had no choice but to make his entrance.
He leisurely walked into the classroom as though he had just arrived.
"During English class later, we'll have a vocabulary quiz."
The sudden announcement instantly shattered the students' leisurely mood.
Everyone hurriedly pulled out their textbooks and began cramming at the last minute.
Although Zhang Binyan was strict as a homeroom teacher, his English classes were usually quite relaxed.
Vocabulary quizzes and dictation tests were so rare that you could count them on one hand.
He's obviously targeting someone...
The students silently lamented their misfortune and buried themselves in memorization.
The celebrity students suffered even more.
None of them had studied outside class.
Trying to memorize an entire vocabulary list in just a few minutes was basically impossible.
You could ask them to sing an English song.
But asking them to correctly spell English words?
That was another story.
Little did Zhang Binyan know...
His attempt to target Pu Tong had ended up dragging countless innocent victims down with him.
Finally, English class arrived.
As Zhang Binyan dictated the vocabulary words, he kept a close eye on Pu Tong.
If the kid dared cheat even a little, he'd throw him out of the classroom on the spot.
Yet Pu Tong calmly wrote each word without making a single suspicious move.
Disappointed, Zhang Binyan could only sigh inwardly.
After collecting everyone's quiz papers, he stopped pretending.
He immediately pulled Pu Tong's paper out of the stack and began grading it carefully.
"First word... correct."
"Second word... correct."
"..."
To his surprise...
Every single answer was correct.
He had watched Pu Tong the entire time.
There had been no opportunity to cheat.
The answers were entirely his own.
He really had been studying seriously.
For the first time, Zhang Binyan's opinion of him softened slightly.
But don't think studying hard means you can steal Wanwan away.
Just wait.
I'll catch you slipping sooner or later!
After symbolically grading everyone else's papers, Zhang Binyan launched into a stern lecture for the students who had performed poorly.
They had become innocent casualties.
The scolding had originally been prepared for Pu Tong.
Who would've thought the kid would perform so well?
The celebrity students all did terribly.
Teacher Zhang showed them no mercy, criticizing each one until they were thoroughly humbled.
Naturally...
Yu Wanwan wasn't among them.
Otherwise, everyone might have witnessed a spectacular display of double standards.
When English class finally ended, Zhang Binyan shot Pu Tong several vicious glares before leaving the classroom in frustration.
"I don't like the look of you. Come outside—we're settling this with a fight."
Pu Tong tugged lightly on Yu Wanwan's sleeve, signaling her to keep their appointment.
"Huh?"
What kind of invitation is that?
He's asking me out to fight now?
Yu Wanwan rolled her eyes and muttered a curse under her breath.
"You go gather your people first. I'll come later. I can take on ten."
Pu Tong continued speaking in code.
What he actually meant was:
Go to the stairwell first. I'll wait a bit before following so nobody notices we're leaving together.
It was called...
Avoiding suspicion.
To his surprise, Yu Wanwan actually understood him.
Although...
His secret code was undeniably bizarre.
She stood up, pretending she was going to the restroom.
To make it look natural, she casually asked Lin Yuxi,
"Want to come with me?"
Lin Yuxi understood Yu Wanwan better than anyone.
Reading the situation was her specialty.
She immediately refused.
"Go ahead."
Perfect.
Now Yu Wanwan had a perfectly legitimate reason to leave alone.
"Wanwan! I want to go too!"
Yi Zhi Xuenai raised her hand enthusiastically.
Yu Wanwan gently pushed her back into her seat.
"Be good."
"You don't want to."
Yu Wanwan left the classroom.
After estimating the timing, Pu Tong followed a short while later.
No one found it suspicious.
In the stairwell, the girl stood quietly waiting for him to explain himself.
"So... actually, I..."
Just as Pu Tong was about to explain that he had never secretly liked her...
He suddenly spotted Cameraman Lao Yang lurking nearby in an extremely suspicious manner.
"Hold on a second."
Ignoring Yu Wanwan's confused expression, he walked straight over and tapped Lao Yang on the shoulder.
"Why is it you?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Just passing by... just passing by."
"You pass by carrying a camera?"
"Professional ethics."
"Occupational habit."
"Got a problem with that?"
Pu Tong couldn't argue with that.
Silently cursing his bad luck, he gestured apologetically to Yu Wanwan before leaving.
With an outsider present, there was no way he could explain everything.
Next time.
Yu Wanwan finally noticed the cameraman.
Her face immediately turned expressionless.
Without another word, she walked away, leaving Lao Yang standing there completely bewildered.
This money isn't easy to earn...
That brat is way too sharp.
Yu Wanwan deliberately delayed her return before going back to the classroom, maintaining a flawless alibi.
She was now thoroughly annoyed.
Having someone stop halfway through an important conversation was torture.
What was he trying to tell me?
He specifically called me somewhere private.
It must have been something important...
Could it be...
Yu Wanwan frowned.
For some reason...
She found herself feeling a little excited.
(End of Chapter)
Comments
Post a Comment