Chapter 6: Stay Close to Me

The heated swimming pool was empty and quiet, with only the faint echo of rippling water.
Sunlight projected through the vast glass dome onto the water’s surface, creating shimmering waves.

Xu Yin thought she had mistakenly entered some private club.

Just moments ago, the receptionist at the front desk had tried to stop her from entering.

The attendant said this swimming pool was funded by the Duan family, and it was never open to the public while Duan Sili was using it.

If he was coming, even the pool water had to be changed for him in advance.

Only by showing the file from her English teacher was Xu Yin allowed in to find him.

She walked into the venue and saw the boy’s figure moving like a shallow-water shark.

His back muscles rippled.

The sunlight from the dome shone on his cool, fair skin, every muscle pulled taut by his movements.

Xu Yin waited patiently by the pool for more than ten minutes before Duan Sili finally got out.

He pulled a white bath towel over his shoulders.
His forehead was high and defined, and water droplets trickled down from his brow bones.

His abdomen displayed a set of eight well-defined, lean muscles, exceptionally graceful.

“Duan Sili.” Xu Yin called his name and walked over.
“MISS Riley needs you to sign this document. I have to deliver it to her this afternoon.”

She took out the file and dutifully handed him a gel pen she had prepared.

Duan Sili didn’t say much.
He took the pen and swiftly signed his name at the bottom of each page.

The three characters were bold and unrestrained—

Duan Sili.

The handwriting, like the person, was powerful enough to penetrate the paper.

Xu Yin put the document back in its folder but didn’t leave.

Duan Sili raised his eyelids.
“Something else?”

“Gao Minglang invited me to his birthday party next week. I don’t know what gift to get. You’re very close with him, can you give me a recommendation?”

“With how infatuated he is with you, even if you picked up a rock from the roadside to give him, he’d take it home and worship it.” Duan Sili picked up his water bottle and took a sip.

The line of his jaw and neck was sharp and slender.

“I can’t really give him a rock, can I?” Her smile was sweet and pure.

Duan Sili put down the cup.
“If you were really interested in him, you should be happy to hear that.”

“I am very happy.”

“I can’t tell.”

Xu Yin averted her gaze and checked the time on her phone.
“I have to go.”

“Stop.” The two short, concise words carried a sense of pressure.

Xu Yin stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn around.

Duan Sili walked around to face her, pressing the pad of his thumb against her chin, lifting it slightly, and studying her.
“Indeed, you’re better looking than all of Gao Minglang’s previous ex-girlfriends.”

“Thank you.” She met his gaze calmly.

However, in that single moment, Duan Sili read her ambition.

He let go of her face, his interest waning—

“I’ve seen plenty of girls who chase me directly, and no shortage of those who beat around the bush. You… are not special.”

“I don’t understand.”

Duan Sili put on his shirt, buttoning it up one by one, and sneered, “You’d better truly not understand.”

The moment he brushed past her, the oppressive feeling finally disappeared.

Xu Yin let out a sigh of relief.

At the tennis court, Xu Yin played distractedly.

Beside her, Qi Youwei put down her tennis racket, panting, and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Xu Yin touched her chin.

There, she could still feel the touch of Duan Sili’s rough thumb…

“I’m thinking about what gift to get Gao Minglang for his birthday.”

“The young master of the Gao family, the real estate giant of Ao Gang Wan, of course, he doesn’t lack anything.” Qi Youwei swung her racket, hitting a tennis ball away.
“Every year, his birthday is a huge celebration. He receives mountains of gifts. He probably wouldn’t care for anything ordinary.”

“Yeah, that’s what I was considering. It’s a headache.”

“By the way…” Qi Youwei looked over mysteriously.
“Did you know that Duan Sili has the same birthday as him?”

Xu Yin’s swing paused, and she shook her head blankly.

“Duan Sili never celebrates his birthday because his birthday is the anniversary of his mother’s death,” Qi Youwei gossiped.
“So even though he and Gao Minglang share a birthday, everyone knows not to mention it. Once, a girl gave him a gift on this day, and he didn’t even open it. He threw it directly into the trash can right in front of her.”

On the other side of the net, Lu Qi, drenched in sweat, was very dissatisfied.
“Can you two put some effort into it? I’m playing against both of you, and my score is already tens of points ahead of yours!”

“We’re not sports students,” Qi Youwei pouted.
“We’re just exercising casually. You’re the only one who’s obsessed with beating us.”

Xu Yin smiled and said, “Come on, let’s play seriously.”

Just as the three of them were playing tennis intensely, a few rowdy boys walked in, one of them wearing a black tank top.

At Pu Jing Private High, all students wore standard daily uniforms.
This black tank top was particularly defiant and conspicuous.

“Lu Qi, playing house with the girls?” The boy in the black tank top poked Lu Qi’s back with his racket, his smile unfriendly.
“Come play with your big bro.”

Lu Qi immediately lowered his racket.
“We were just about to leave.”

“Leave? You’re leaving as soon as we get here? What’s that supposed to mean?” He tilted his head, a skull earring on his earlobe.

A few boys pushed Lu Qi, blocking his way, looking for trouble.

Xu Yin wanted to step forward, but Qi Youwei held her back, saying with a trembling voice, “That’s Zhao Yi, a troublemaker from the sports department. His family is very powerful. He’s a bully at school. It’s best not to provoke him.”

“But Lu Qi…”

“It’s fine, Lu Qi can handle it.”

Lu Qi put on a shameless smile.
“Bro, let me go, alright? Just think of me as a little bug at your feet, not worth your effort to deal with.”

“Look at how pathetic you are.” Zhao Yi’s eyes were full of contempt.

“I’m not worthy of embarrassing myself in front of you in the first place.”

“Get lost. You annoy me just by looking at you. You’re a disgrace to us sports students.”

Lu Qi gave him a fawning smile, turned to leave, and the two girls quickly followed.

“Hey, wait.” Zhao Yi called out to them.

Xu Yin turned around and met Zhao Yi’s dark, beady eyes.

He stared at Xu Yin and suddenly grinned.
“Just realized, it’s the new transfer student.”

He walked over in a few steps, casually slinging an arm around Lu Qi’s shoulder.
“Lu Qi, not bad, hooking up with such a pretty girl? What, you want to marry into the Shanbang family?”

Lu Qi quickly explained, “No, we’re just classmates…..”

“Classmates, huh? Not going to introduce us?”

Lu Qi cautiously glanced at Xu Yin, smiling awkwardly with a pleading tone.
“Forget it, Brother Yi. Let the girls go. You can do whatever you want to me. However you want to play, I’ll play with you.”

“Play however I want, right?”

Zhao Yi took a tennis racket just as a friend tossed him a ball.

He swung the racket, hitting a ball straight at Lu Qi’s face.

Lu Qi staggered back in pain, a bruise immediately forming at the corner of his mouth.

He turned to look at Xu Yin and Qi Youwei, mouthing the words: “Hurry up and go!”

Qi Youwei grabbed Xu Yin’s sleeve and was about to run, but found that Xu Yin was standing still.

“Let’s go!”

But Xu Yin didn’t move an inch.
She looked at Zhao Yi, who was grabbing Lu Qi’s collar.
“Let him go.”

“Ooh, got quite a temper.” Zhao Yi slung the racket over his shoulder and swaggered over.
“I won’t let go, what are you going to do about it?”

Xu Yin took her phone out of her bag.
“Then I’ll call Duan Sili right now and have him come talk to you.”

Hearing this name, Zhao Yi’s face changed slightly, with a clear hint of fear.

He was skeptical.
“You know Duan Sili?”

“I just saw him.” Xu Yin calmly unlocked her screen and opened her contacts.
“He’s in the swimming pool next door. It’ll only take him two or three minutes to get here.”

At that moment, a lackey next to him leaned in and whispered in Zhao Yi’s ear, “Duan Sili is indeed swimming next door. This chick… might really know him.”

Zhao Yi stared at Lu Qi for a few seconds, then said unhappily, “Consider yourself lucky today, kid. Scram!”

In the sports equipment room, Qi Youwei twisted open the cap of the Yunnan Baiyao she had just bought, aimed it at Lu Qi’s swollen left cheek, and pressed down.

“Hey, hey, hey, it sprayed into my mouth!”

“Don’t move!” Qi Youwei forcefully finished applying the medicine.

Xu Yin sat on a military green sandbag nearby and looked at Lu Qi.
“Do they bully you often?”

“It’s not that bad. I just have to avoid them usually.” Lu Qi waved his hand, speaking lightly.
“Pu Jing Private High is just like this. If you don’t have connections, you either endure it or get out.”

Qi Youwei sighed.
“If we can just get into S-class, life will be a bit better.”

“My sports grade points and your academic scores, no matter how you calculate it, it’s not enough.” Lu Qi threw cold water on the idea.
“Getting into S-class is just a dream.”

“True. There are still two years left. We’ll get through it.”

Xu Yin asked, “The school discipline is so bad, have you ever thought about transferring?”

“Pu Jing Private High is the best high school around here. I worked so hard to get in. Even if I’m at the bottom here, I’m still guaranteed to get into a 211 university in the future.” Qi Youwei sighed.
“I can’t bear to leave.”

“I can’t bear to leave either.” As Lu Qi said this, his gaze landed on Qi Youwei’s face and didn’t move.

Xu Yin suggested, “Since grade points are so important, let’s all join the Student Union.”

At these words, Qi Youwei and Lu Qi turned to look at her at the same time.

“Don’t even think about it. Although the Student Union gives high grade points, it’s long been monopolized by those with connections. Getting in is easier said than done.” Qi Youwei thought it was a fantasy.

Lu Qi also nodded.
“Ordinary students can’t even get a junior officer position.”

“I saw a recruitment notice for the Student Union on the bulletin board. It said all students in the school can sign up to run.”

“That’s just the rule on the surface. Underneath, who knows how deep the water is.”

Xu Yin shrugged.
“Let’s give it a try. Even if we don’t get in, we don’t lose anything.”

The two looked at each other, silent for a few seconds.
Finally, Qi Youwei said in a small voice, “Then… shall we try?”

That night, Xu Yin came out of the library with her books and took a shortcut through the garden to get back to the dormitory.

This area was sparsely populated, with swaying tree shadows.
The faint sound of students’ laughter could be heard in the distance, while nearby, only the rustling of dry leaves underfoot broke the silence.

The dim yellow light of the street lamps barely illuminated the cobblestone path.

Unexpectedly, just as she rounded a secluded, winding path, she came face to face with the group of people from the tennis court earlier that day.
The leader, Zhao Yi, stared at her with malicious intent.

Xu Yin stopped in her tracks, subconsciously wanting to run back.

Two more boys appeared behind her, blocking her escape route.

“I’ve made my inquiries.” Zhao Yi closed in on Xu Yin.
“Duan Sili doesn’t give a damn about you.”

Xu Yin backed away step by step.
The boys surrounded her, clearly not intending to let her leave easily.

“Who do you think you are, daring to impersonate one of his people!” Zhao Yi felt he had been played by this little brat, and it was a great loss of face.
“You think I’m stupid, easy to fool, right?”

“I didn’t lie to you.” Xu Yin retreated, pulling out her phone.

“Going to call Duan Sili, are you? Go ahead, call him. Let’s see if he answers you.”

In her phone’s contacts, the pinned number was her brother’s.

Just as she was about to press it, suddenly, a lazy voice sounded from behind her—

“Looking for me?”

Xu Yin turned around and saw Duan Sili leaning against an acacia tree, a cigarette between his fingers.

White smoke curled upwards.

His entire body was bathed in the streetlight, but his dark eyes were hidden in the deep sockets of his eyes…

Zhao Yi and his group looked at each other, momentarily not daring to make a move.

“M-Master Si, this girl is talking nonsense, saying she’s one of your people. We’re just teaching her a lesson.”

“I never said that,” Xu Yin retorted in a low voice.

Duan Sili raised his eyes, glancing at her nonchalantly.

Xu Yin lowered her head, avoiding his gaze.

Duan Sili stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and turned to leave.
“Don’t know her.”

Seeing that he wasn’t intervening, an excited and ferocious smile appeared on Zhao Yi’s face.
With a wave of his hand, several boys immediately surrounded Xu Yin.
“Acting so pure, let’s strip her naked and see if she’s really pure!”

Xu Yin tried to call her brother for help, but her phone was snatched away by one of the boys and thrown into a flowerbed.

Zhao Yi stepped forward and grabbed Xu Yin’s collar.
Xu Yin didn’t hesitate to strike back, punching him on the bridge of his nose!

“f*ck! You dare to fight back? Brothers, hold her down!”

The boys swarmed her.
Xu Yin struggled, but was ultimately outnumbered.
She was dragged and pushed onto the grass.

From beginning to end, she endured it all in silence.

She didn’t utter a single plea for mercy.

Just then, Duan Sili’s phone rang.

He answered the call with a relaxed tone—

“Bro.”

“What are you doing?”

“Studying hard and making progress every day, of course.”

“There’s a new girl who transferred to your school, from Shanbang. Have you seen her?” On the phone, the man’s voice was deep.

He let out a light sneer.
“Bro, you’re so busy every day. Why are you suddenly concerned with school matters?”

“I’ve been in contact with her father recently, and we might cooperate in the future. This little girl is the apple of her father’s eye. Since she’s at your school, you should look out for her.”

“…”

After hanging up, Duan Sili twirled the tobacco between his fingertips and cursed, “f*ck.”

When he looked back, the collar of the little girl’s shirt had been torn open, revealing a stretch of fair, slender collarbone…

Duan Sili strode back, grabbed Zhao Yi’s shoulder, and forcefully pulled him away.

Before Xu Yin could react, a still-warm uniform jacket was thrown into her arms.

The faint scent of cool cotton.

She looked up at the tall, straight back of the white shirt in front of her.

“Master Si, you… didn’t you say you don’t know her?” Zhao Yi asked, trembling, as he clutched his shoulder.

“Now, I do.”

Duan Sili put one hand in his pocket and used the other to pull Xu Yin out from the pack of leering boys.

Xu Yin clutched the jacket tightly, following him step by step.

The moonlight was as bright and clear as ever.