Yun Mi glanced at the nearby area. Xie Yue had folded a paper airplane from an English test paper and shot it at Chen Yiyang's head. The boy, in his dark blue school uniform, sat upright working on contest problems. When the paper airplane poked him, he coldly lifted his eyes and directly crumpled the test paper, throwing it into the trash. Suddenly, the classroom was filled with Xie Yue's wails.
Yun Mi suddenly thought of a word: "pride."
Maybe Chen Yiyang just didn't want to hurt Xu Zhiyu's pride.
Ding Yuan was already worrying about the surgery fees for Xu Zhiyu's grandmother.
Yun Mi's expression faltered slightly. She turned to Ding Yuan and said, "Da Yuan Zi, I have an idea. Maybe we can help Xu Zhiyu."
-
The midterm exams had been over for a while. The teaching group had let it slip that the monthly exams were coming soon.
The homeroom teacher for Class 1, Grade 10, was a short, easy-going middle-aged man named Mr. Qi, who taught Chinese. He knew about Yun Mi's family situation. After school, he called Yun Mi and Chen Yiyang to discuss the teaching group's tutoring plan for Yun Mi.
Mr. Qi, holding his thermos cup with Pang Dahai herbal tea, told the two children to sit down and talked a lot.
"In short, Yun Mi's PE classes, music classes, art classes, and long breaks this semester will be suspended first. Follow this schedule to get tutoring from the subject teachers."
Yun Mi was observing Chen Yiyang's attitude the whole time. The boy didn't sit down. He just stood there, looking cold and indifferent. Maybe it was her imagination. The cold sharpness from last night seemed even more pronounced now. He didn't spare her a single glance.
Was he... that annoyed with her?
Yun Mi, carrying her backpack, came out of the office and quickly caught up with Chen Yiyang. Tentatively, she invited him: "Want to go home together for lunch? The cafeteria is closed at this hour. I told Aunt Qin, and she drove over to pick us up. She's waiting at the school gate. It'll be quick."
Chen Yiyang said, "No."
The girl raised her head slightly. She had previously misunderstood that he made a girl cry, but he was actually a good person. She might have even played him for a fool. Yun Mi asked quietly, "Do you have a problem with me?"
The boy was half a head taller than her. When she spoke, his eyelids were half-lowered, as if he wasn't really listening. He was about to step away.
Yun Mi panicked. She guessed it was because of the sanitary pad incident.
She didn't want to have a bad relationship with him.
Yun Mi hurriedly caught up, her words rushed but her tone softening: "About the time I told you I was on my period and asked you to buy pads... that thing... actually, it wasn't me. It was my friend. I... I really didn't mean to mess with you. That day, she had her period, and the school uniform pants were stained red all over. She couldn't go home to change. It was really ugly. And I know that girls feel very uncomfortable when this happens..."
She finished, realizing she had done something wrong, and fell completely silent.
It was lunchtime, and the spacious staircase had no students.
Bright daylight illuminated the white walls. Chen Yiyang was probably close to 1.87 meters, with longer legs. If he didn't want to wait for her, Yun Mi couldn't catch up. She held on to the stair railing and looked down at the corner. Taking a deep breath, she shouted, "Chen Yiyang, you're not allowed to leave!"
Her tone was forceful, but also carried grievance.
After she yelled the justified words, Chen Yiyang stopped. His expression flickered with hesitation for a moment, and he looked up lightly.
The girl stood in the light, her eyes lowered. Shanfu's uniform was shaped like a windbreaker, making her look especially small.
Yun Mi's expression momentarily fell. Suppressing her panic and grievance, afraid he wouldn't believe her, she lowered her head and explained earnestly: "If I hadn't told you it was me on my period, you wouldn't have helped. I'm really sorry! And you weren't the only one who helped her. That day, I also left my jacket for her... So, actually, the two of us helped her together."
She never mentioned who that "friend" was. She just awkwardly walked down the stairs, praising him as she went: "Chen Yiyang, you were a huge help... you're really great."
Her clear sweet voice carried a guilty tentativeness.
Chen Yiyang stood there, his eyelashes clearly trembling.
This was the first time someone had praised him from such a strange angle.
The boy's jaw tightened slightly, his lips pressed into a straight line. After listening, he turned and continued downstairs.
Yun Mi thought he still wouldn't forgive her and was about to leave again. She called out, "Hey." Unexpectedly, the boy in the school uniform raised his hand from behind. His gaze deepened slightly, and his low, husky voice said, "Let's go."
Yun Mi didn't react: "Huh?"
Chen Yiyang was impatient. He glanced at her and asked, "Aren't we going home for lunch?"
Yun Mi blinked, then suddenly relaxed, breaking into a radiant smile.
She bounced down the stairs step by step, like a rabbit.
She seemed very happy.
She didn't dare get too close to him.
The boy's tall, upright figure walked ahead. His side profile was cool and youthful, his expression neither annoyed nor angry.
Suddenly, Yun Mi remembered something. She pulled a candy out of her backpack, ran up to him, and said, "Here, for you."
Chen Yiyang glanced sideways: "What's this?"
Yun Mi's eyes widened slightly, matter-of-factly: "Candy, you scumbag. Are you blind?"
"..."
Chen Yiyang was speechless. He twitched his lips, a faint smile appearing. He raised an eyebrow: "Did you take the wrong meds today?"
"?"
Chen Yiyang ignored her and walked off.
Yun Mi had finally been in a good mood, but his insult made her want to get angry again.
She really had never met anyone like him.
Yun Mi was petty, but she maintained a good temper on the surface. "Hey," she called out, mustering courage to catch up and walk alongside him. She raised her hand and said, "Please accept it."
She tossed the White Rabbit candy onto the fold of Chen Yiyang's uniform as if bestowing a favor.
Chen Yiyang's eyelids dropped. He asked, "Why are you giving this to me?"
He was acting so arrogant. Yun Mi sneered inwardly, but she didn't say "as an apology"—that would be too embarrassing. She smiled and said, "A reward."
The girl's bright, cheerful face was dazzling in the spring light. Chen Yiyang unconsciously squinted.
Yun Mi grabbed the straps of her backpack with both hands, pivoted slightly to face the road ahead, and whispered, "Thank you."
He had given her the milk candy as a reward to shut her up.
Now she had returned the favor. They were even.
Author's note: none.