Yun Mi had brought the game console to school mainly for Ding Yuan. Ding Yuan said fearfully, "They shouldn't have found it, right..."
Remembering who gave her the console, Yun Mi comforted her: "It's fine."
After all, it was a gift from Chen Yiyang to the daughter of Aunt Wen's fiancé. She would have to return it eventually.
Chen Yiyang was a few people behind in the same line. Yun Mi saw him, and her smile unconsciously faded. She said to Ding Yuan, "Let's sit far away from them later."
Ding Yuan knew these boys were being fake-nice to Yun Mi and coldly said, "Okay."
Xie Yue was about to greet Ding Yuan when he suddenly saw the two girls making disgusted faces at him.
"..."
Xie Yue asked gloomily, "What's up with these two young ladies?"
Chen Yiyang had been staring at Yun Mi for a while. When his "sister" saw him, her face immediately fell. He laughed dryly, "Probably offended her."
Xie Yue couldn't figure it out: "Me? I've been running around delivering drinks all day..."
Chen Yiyang found it annoying and interrupted: "Not you."
What went wrong on his end?
Xie Yue sensed drama: "Do you think maybe Yun Mi heard that someone confessed to you and got jealous?"
Chen Yiyang wished that were true. He said coldly, "Only in your dreams."
Xie Yue found it absurd: "Isn't this your dream?"
Chen Yiyang got his food and turned back slightly. Among the crowd of students, he immediately spotted Yun Mi with her head down. She was eating mushrooms in small bites and shrinking behind Ding Yuan as if hoping he wouldn't come over.
"..."
Xie Yue saw it too and patted him on the shoulder: "Go?"
Chen Yiyang said, "Sit over there."
There was no reason for him to lower himself to coax her when she was being unreasonable.
-
Yun Mi had hidden the game console under her bed board. The dorm supervisor used a metal detector, so theoretically, it wouldn't be found.
But she couldn't help it if someone had it out for her.
The head military training instructor had a bad temper and ordered thirty laps.
"Thirty laps! All of you, run! If you don't finish, no sleeping!"
On the long red track, accompanied by the summer night cicadas, Yun Mi was neither at the front nor the back.
She started worrying about the price of the game console again. Chen Yiyang had bought such an expensive one.
"Yun Mi, that roommate of yours really talks nasty," a male classmate who had been in her class last year ran beside her, saying nonchalantly, "What was that about 'daydreaming about getting into a top university'?"
Yun Mi thought about the low comment the roommate had made when reporting her and fell silent.
Physical punishment was tough for Yun Mi too. She was almost exhausted after thirty laps. After finishing, she went to the vending machine in the corner of the playground to buy a bottle of water, only to find she had no phone and no money.
She cursed her bad luck under her breath. Suddenly, a hand reached over. The slender fingers carried the familiar scent of dry mint.
Yun Mi looked up in surprise, not knowing how he was there.
Annoyed, she asked, "Here to watch me make a fool of myself?"
The boy's sharp jawline tightened as he pressed his lips together.
Chen Yiyang dropped three coins into the vending machine for her.
Yun Mi heard a "clunk" as the water bottle rolled out.
He had paid for her.
Yun Mi lowered her eyes. Her earlier resentment softened a bit. She crouched down to pick up the bottle and said, "I'll pay you back later."
Chen Yiyang said, "No need."
He asked, "Why were you punished?"
The boy's low, hoarse voice was like the hot wind on the summer night playground, almost melting Yun Mi.
Yun Mi's eyelids twitched. She looked down, took a sip of water, and said, "Someone reported that I brought a banned electrical appliance."
She would also have to pay Chen Yiyang back for the game console.
She owed him again.
"Anything else?"
Yun Mi didn't understand: "What else?"
Chen Yiyang said, "Why are you avoiding me?"
Those simple words made Yun Mi's heart skip a beat.
Flustered, she averted her gaze and defended herself, "No, I'm not. I've just been really tired from training lately."
"Oh," Chen Yiyang noticed Yun Mi's thin shoulders hunch slightly. She frowned in distress and asked, "So why are you unhappy?"