Lin Tiao felt a bit breathless, almost unable to catch her breath. Her fingers quickly tapped on the screen, βDefense!? Are you sure itβs not someone else justifiably defending themselves against you??β
With the way Jiang Yan had struck, it seemed likely that before Tang Yushi could even approach, he would have already pinned her to the ground.
It took Jiang Yan half a minute to reply, βI didnβt. I didnβt do anything, donβt say nonsense!β
ββ¦β
It was hard to tell if things were truly as he said, or if Jiang Yan was just unwilling to share. No matter how much Lin Tiao questioned him, he remained adamant that he was acting in self-defense.
After a rather unproductive chat, Lin Tiao got up to refill her water. As she glanced at the clock on the wall, she realized it was nearly eleven.
Considering that she had an early math class with Old Yu the next day, she tried to think of a way to end the topic harmoniously with Jiang Yan while making her way back to her room. However, by the time she sat back down at her computer, Jiang Yanβs QQ avatar had already gone dark, leaving her with a message he sent just a minute ago.
βGoing to sleep, see you tomorrowβ
Lin Tiao held her water cup and looked at his dimmed avatar, letting out a slight click of her tongue. Just as she was about to log off, a small avatar in the bottom right corner flashed.
It was a message from Meng Xin.
Beautiful Girl Xin Xin: βOMG!!! Do you know?! Jiang Yan hit Tang Yushi!!!! Right at our school basketball court, a lot of people saw it!β
Lin Tiao immediately sent her the chat history between her and Jiang Yan.
Meng Xin, who had just heard the gossip from her class, hesitated to reply as she read Lin Tiaoβs first-hand account while glancing at the heated discussion in their class group. βThat canβt be trueβ¦ Does Tang Yushi have that high of a fighting ability??β
Honestly, Lin Tiao didnβt quite believe Jiang Yanβs claims either. The situation was so chaotic that there were various versions floating around; even within Class 18, there were several accounts, let alone what other classes were saying.
Lin Tiao yawned, her fingers resting on the keyboard as she typed, βTo be honest, Iβm starting to doubt whether Jiang Yan turned Tang Yushi into a vegetableβ¦β
Meng Xin ββ¦β
Early Monday morning, Lin Tiao didnβt bother with breakfast at home. In a hurry, she rushed out and hailed a taxi at the entrance of her community to get to school.
A little over ten minutes later, the taxi stopped at the gate of the tenth middle school. As Lin Tiao pushed the door open and stepped out, she suddenly remembered she hadnβt paid yet. She quickly leaned back into the car, tapping on the driverβs seat, βHow much?β
The driver glanced at the meter and cheerfully replied, βEleven thirty. Just give me eleven.β
Lin Tiao fished out a ten-yuan bill and two fifty-cent coins from her bag and handed them over, βThank you, driver!β
As her words fell, she had already pushed the door open and dashed away.
When Lin Tiao rushed into the classroom, Jiang Yanβs seat was still empty, along with the seats behind him.
She didnβt pay it much mind, and after putting down her bag, she tapped on the shoulder of Xu Huanhuan, who sat in front of her. βHuanhuan, is it true that Jiang Yan hit Tang Yushi yesterday, as everyone said in the class group?β
Xu Huanhuan, clearly bursting with gossip, lit up at Lin Tiao's question, βOf course itβs true! I have a classmate who was there and saw Tang Yushi with blood all over her face!β
ββ¦β
Lin Tiao felt as if her heart was about to fail.
Xu Huanhuan was animatedly recounting the gossip, her whole demeanor lively and her speech rapid. βYou have no idea how serious it was; an ambulance even came.β
ββ¦β
As Xu Huanhuan continued to speak, Lin Tiao could no longer handle it. The breath hitched in her throat, and she raised her hand to grip Xu Huanhuanβs arm, resting her head on the desk. βWait, wait, give me a moment; Iβm about to pass out.β
Just then, as the two girls were chatting, Jiang Yan walked in with breakfast in hand, casually overhearing Lin Tiao's last comment. He asked without thinking, βWhoβs about to pass out?β
Hearing Jiang Yanβs voice, Xu Huanhuanβs smile froze. Though her body stiffened, she quickly turned back with lightning speed.
ββ¦β Jiang Yan didnβt pay much attention and turned his gaze to his deskmate, asking softly, βWhatβs wrong with you?β
Lin Tiao lifted her head to meet Jiang Yanβs questioning gaze. Taking a deep breath, she spoke with utmost seriousness, βJiang Yan.β
βHmm?β
He replied, and as he casually placed a cup of soybean milk on her desk and sat down at his seat, he heard his deskmate heavily say, βYou should turn yourself in.β
Jiang Yan ββ¦β
βYou beat Tang Yushi up so badly, and her family is particularly wealthy and influential. If you turn yourself in now, you might receive some leniency.β Lin Tiao sighed, βI know you did it to avenge me, and I can have my dad help find a lawyer to say some good things on your behalf in front of the judge.β
Jiang Yan didnβt respond. Lin Tiao continued, βI really didnβt expect our short-lived friendship as deskmates to be so important to you.β
βClassmate, Iβm sorry. If I had known you valued it this muchβah!β Before Lin Tiao could finish, she suddenly received a hard smack on her forehead.
Jiang Yan used a bit of force, and the spot he hit quickly turned red. Lin Tiao instinctively rubbed it and asked, βWhy did you hit me?β
βBecause youβre not using your brain when you go out.β Jiang Yan retracted his hand, unwrapped the straw, and stuck it into the cup of soybean milk, explaining patiently, βDidnβt I tell you that I didnβt hit her?β
βDo you think your words are credible?β Lin Tiao shot him a glance, recounting the scenes Meng Xin described last night and Xu Huanhuanβs recount this morning.
Jiang Yan listened to her, biting down on the straw, his lips pressed tight. He sucked in a mouthful, and the milky white liquid flowed up the clear straw until it vanished between his lips.
He rolled his throat and, when he released the straw, a few specks of soybean milk remained on his crimson lips, shining subtly as he spoke to her. That slight sheen, combined with the gentle movement of his lips, made them appear particularly enticing.
Lin Tiao was momentarily stunned, staring at his lips, unable to speak.
When she came back to her senses, the tightly wound nerve in her head snapped, releasing a rush of adrenaline that surged through her entire body, making her feel as if she had just been steamed, her blood boiling.
Jiang Yan stared at her for a few seconds, seemingly thinking of something. He reached out to tap her head lightly, a playful expression on his face. βClassmate, what are you thinking about?β
His warm, soft fingertip touched her head, and though it felt nothing special, Lin Tiao felt the spot he touched became even hotter.
ββ¦β Lin Tiao quickly snapped back, leaning back a little. Shaking her head, she recited, βThe Book of Songs says food and love are human nature; a gentleman is elegant, and a lady is virtuousβ¦β
After reciting a few lines, Lin Tiao felt something was off and switched to chanting the Heart Sutra. βThe Buddha says when the heart moves, things move; when the heart is calm, things are calm. The Buddha says humans arenβt grass or trees; who can be heartlessβ¦β
Jiang Yan ββ¦β
Lin Tiao learned the details of the incident after the morning self-study from Hu Hanghang.
It turned out that last Sunday, just yesterday evening, the four of them had been playing basketball at the schoolβs court when Tang Yushi learned about it from somewhere. She brought her friends along, buying drinks and waiting on the sidelines.
When the game ended, Tang Yushi walked over to Jiang Yan with a bottle of water, trying to explain that she hadnβt meant to hit Lin Tiao with the ball and hoped he wouldnβt mind.
By that time, dusk was approaching, and the sky was darkening. The weekend court had only one large lamp lit, casting a dim light.
Jiang Yan stood over Tang Yushi, his expression indifferent. βYou hit me with the ball?β
Tang Yushi was taken aback, instinctively shaking her head, β...No.β
βThen whatβs the point of you apologizing to me?β Jiang Yan averted his gaze, walking past her to grab his jacket from the bench, taking out his phone from his pocket.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Tang Yushi stepped up beside Jiang Yan, her voice tinged with a sob, βI really didnβt mean it.β
Her delicate, aggrieved tone would have softened anyoneβs heart, but Jiang Yan was not just anyone.
He was a school bully, having seen more girls like Tang Yushi than tears she had shed.
Jiang Yan stuffed his phone into his pocket, looking at Tang Yushi with an expressionless face. βYou didnβt mean it?β
He looked up and smiled mockingly, βYou didnβt mean it? Was that ball supposed to have eyes? There were so many people on the court, and out of everyone, it just happened to hit my deskmate?β
Tang Yushi was frightened to tears by his tone.
Seeing her cry, Jiang Yan felt a bit impatient. βDonβt cry in front of me. My deskmate got seriously hurt and didnβt cry; why are you crying?β
He bent down to pick up the backpack on the ground. βYou apologizing to me doesnβt help the situation.β
ββ¦β Just as Tang Yushi was about to speak, a basketball suddenly flew in from nowhere and landed right at her feet.
Startled, she nearly fell into his arms. Jiang Yan, caught off guard, instinctively pushed her to the side into a pile of clothes.
Tang Yushiβs friends saw him push her down and rushed over angrily. βJiang Yan, how can you hit a girl?β
There were quite a few people playing basketball around, and many were accompanied by their girlfriends. Just that one sentence spread rapidly, with each person adding their own twist, and by the time it reached different classes, there were all sorts of embellished versions of the story.
Hu Hanghang felt rather proud. βThatβs how it happened; for the sake of his own reputation, our brother didnβt let that Tang Shiyu forget it even for a second.β
Lin Tiao pursed her lips. βWellβ¦ her name is Tang Yushi, not Tang Shiyu.β
Meanwhile, Song Yuan, who had been listening to the story, looked up in confusion. βIsnβt her name Song Ciyu?β
Lin Tiao ββ¦β
βHmm?β Jiang Yan was caught up in his show, not even glancing their way.
Lin Tiao hesitated for a long time, unsure how to begin, and only realized after a while that Jiang Yan hadnβt moved. She turned to look at him. βWhatβs wrong?β
---
βJustβ¦β Lin Tiao looked up at him and then lowered her head, saying softly, βAt first, when I heard them say you hurt Tang Yushi, I was really worried about you.β
She paused, biting her lip for a moment, then spoke again. βBut still, thank you. Otherwise, Iβll treat you to lunch at noon.β
The sunlight streamed in through the window, and a breeze carried the familiar scent.
Jiang Yan turned to look at her, momentarily at a loss for words.
Lin Tiao nudged his arm again. βWhat are you thinking? Iβll treat you at noonββ
Before she could finish, another voice suddenly rang out in the classroom, βTwo in the back row, what are you whispering about so close together?β
As soon as Old Yu spoke, everyone in the classroom turned to look at them with curious eyes.
Lin Tiao ββ¦β
Jiang Yan ββ¦β
Old Yu stood by the lectern, still holding a broken piece of chalk. βLin Tiao, tell me, what were you and Jiang Yan just discussing?β
Lin Tiao fought the urge to curse under her breath, stood up slowly, and with her fingers gripping the edge of the desk, she made a decision in her heart. She looked up at Old Yu and cleared her throat, speaking loudly.
βJiang Yan was playing on his phone during class, and I was just reminding him that studying should be the priority during class and that he shouldnβt waste such valuable time.β
Jiang Yan ββ¦?β
All the romantic notions he had just vanished.