Iced Cola
He definitely hates me now.
How could this happen?
I've only lived in his house for a few days, and he already hates me.
Yun Mi trudged upstairs with her workbook, feeling melancholy. As she passed the second floor, she glanced around—the layout was similar to the third floor.
The night was deep and quiet, the darkness outside the window still thick.
Only then did Chen Yiyang notice the many missed calls from earlier in the morning. He had silenced his phone while explaining problems to Yun Mi.
He initially wanted to ignore them, but the caller dialed again.
Starting with 138.
No contact name saved.
So late, doesn't he want to sleep?
A trace of disgust flickered in Chen Yiyang's eyes. He raised his hand and hung up.
Yun Mi was about to head upstairs when she caught sight of Chen Yiyang radiating coldness. She thought better of it, pouted, and leaned on the stair railing to continue their earlier conversation: "Chen Yiyang, sorry to bother you. But... do you have any recommended supplementary books?"
Chen Yiyang was so sleepy his mouth felt bitter. He could fall asleep standing up right now. He answered casually, "There are some on the third floor."
"Suitable for me?"
"Mm."
Yun Mi was a bit surprised that he actually told her. A smile crept onto her face as she followed up, "How come I didn't see them?"
Chen Yiyang ruffled his short hair and headed back to his room without even turning around. He waved a hand and said, "Small room for storing old stuff."
"What's it called?"
"Complete Collection of Elementary School Math Materials."
The anger Yun Mi had barely suppressed flared up again, and the tips of her ears turned red with fury.
"???"
Gripping the railing, she glared at the closed door and finally muttered through gritted teeth, "Chen Yiyang, you did that on purpose!"
-
Yun Mi finally figured it out—Chen Yiyang was just a petty jerk. They were sworn enemies now! But she didn't have to beg him. She asked Xu Zhiyu for a list of supplementary books, and Aunt Wen helped her schedule a trial tutoring session for the weekend. As for Du Yun... Yun Mi decided not to think about it anymore.
The next day, after the trial lesson ended, Yun Mi went downstairs and called Ding Yuan. They agreed to meet at Shancheng Bookstore to buy supplementary books. Ding Yuan got excited at once and shouted over the phone, "Nice, Mimi! So brave? You actually got a book list from that jerk?"
Yun Mi knew exactly who she meant, and the frustration from last night came rushing back.
He was way too much!
Teasing her with elementary school math.
She never wanted to ask him anything again.
Hmph.
Yun Mi said resentfully, "How could I dare to trouble His Highness? Chen Yiyang is a little demon king. I want to buy him a book."
"What book?"
"A good one. Collector's edition, bestselling globally for sixteen years—"
"?"
"The Art of Speaking."
Aunt Qin was already busy in the kitchen, and the aroma of cooking filled the house. Yun Mi had heard that Chen Yiyang had gone to school for self-study by bike at noon, so she thought he'd be out until late. But as she came down three steps, she suddenly stopped.
At the door, the boy had just entered. The jacket casually draped over his arm hadn't been hung up yet.
He must have just washed his face in the kitchen—the short hair at his forehead was slightly damp from the steam. His eyes were cool and indifferent. When he looked up, his gaze landed on her leisurely, as if waiting to watch a show.
"..."
Yun Mi's soft complaint drifted through the phone, and Ding Yuan laughed nonstop. The more she laughed, the more something felt off.
"Earlier, when you talked about Chen Yiyang and the goddess, all my attention was on the goddess. Now I finally caught on. Mimi, why do you seem so resentful toward Chen Yiyang? Haven't you only just transferred here recently?"
Yun Mi tensed up, suddenly realizing she had the call on speaker.
Her fingers fumbled to switch to earpiece mode, but her cheeks were already burning.
Ding Yuan's voice turned soft and clear, with a sly hint of knowing but not saying. "I was already wondering last time when your hand got scratched. How coincidental that he happened to have a sore throat and went to buy cough drops. Then after you got your injection and went back to class, you just happened to want to find him. And you called me late at night to 'clear his name.'"
Ding Yuan dragged out her words, teasing sweetly yet sarcastically, "How strange~"
Yun Mi's scalp tingled under Chen Yiyang's gaze. She wished she could reach through the phone line and cover Ding Yuan's chattering mouth. Remembering Chen Yiyang's repeated warnings earlier, she forced herself to blurt out, "I'm not close with him."
"Not close?" Ding Yuan was both gossipy and suspicious. "Seriously, you're acting like you have a crush on him."
"!!!"
Yun Mi didn't hear a word after that.