Chapter 81: A Bespectacled Rival and a Hidden Observer

Upon seeing the bespectacled guy who had suddenly appeared, Bai Chen scrutinized him from head to toe.

He seemed somewhat familiar. ‘He’s from our class…’

Bai Chen suddenly recalled. This fellow was the class’s academic representative, and his name was, if he remembered correctly, Lin Qiyue.

Why would he come looking for Mo Qiu?

Mo Qiu’s eyebrow arched slightly at the unexpected appearance of this four-eyed guy. Ever since encountering him in the office, he had been like a piece of gum stuck to her shoe.

If he were merely coveting her beauty, that would be one thing; Mo Qiu could easily exploit that to lure him into a trap and make him vanish far away.

But he—

“Teacher Zheng has already agreed to let me tutor you, so here I am.”

Lin Qiyue adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose.

“Mo Qiu, studying is incredibly important, and I hope you can take it seriously. It’s perfectly fine if you’re too shy or embarrassed to ask for help; as the academic representative, my duty is to assist classmates in need.”

As Lin Qiyue spoke, his eyes remained fixed on the study materials he had brought. He was naturally prim and proper, and almost every two sentences, he would push up his glasses, creating the illusion of a glare from his lenses.

“Studying is the foremost matter in life; stagnation is never a good thing. We still have plenty of time during lunch break, so let me first go over the mistakes from your last monthly exam.”

Mo Qiu remained seated, unmoving, watching as he picked up her test papers and began lecturing, completely engrossed in his own world. He was utterly oblivious to the fact that Mo Qiu hadn’t even picked up her pen.

Lin Qiyue’s voice was like a perpetually buzzing fly in her ear, causing Mo Qiu a surge of irritation.

Especially when he earnestly explained the questions she had deliberately answered incorrectly, his self-important demeanor made her gaze feel as if she were watching a clown.

‘Should I drive him away?’

From the corner of her eye, Mo Qiu caught sight of a familiar figure, interrupting her movement to stand up. A flicker of thought crossed the girl’s eyes, and then she picked up her pen.

Because Lin Qiyue’s body almost entirely obscured Mo Qiu, Bai Chen couldn’t even see her face, leaving him to stand rooted to the spot.

‘So Mo Qiu *does* ask others for help.’

Bai Chen hadn’t anticipated such significant progress from Mo Qiu, that she would actually begin seeking assistance from other classmates with her studies.

Reflecting on this, wouldn’t his own actions now seem somewhat superfluous?

Bai Chen remained rooted, his gaze fixed intently upon them.

Mo Qiu would have more and more friends in the future; perhaps soon, she would be surrounded by her own group of companions, transforming the solitary girl into a lively one.

Bai Chen had never witnessed Mo Qiu’s genuine smile, but he reasoned that with more friends, such an expression would eventually become commonplace for her.

With more friends, more people would be willing to help her, and Bai Chen could also relax a little.

Yet, as that image materialized in his mind, his mood grew inexplicably heavier, as if he recoiled from the prospect.

‘Bai Chen, oh Bai Chen, what exactly are you thinking? Aren’t you supposed to be helping Mo Qiu? She’ll have more friends, you should be… You don’t need to worry about being useless, because there are others she can rely on… Lin Qiyue is the academic representative; he gets better grades than me, and he’s enthusiastic. He’ll certainly be more useful to Mo Qiu when it comes to studies.’

‘Leave? Bullshit!’

****

In the instant Bai Chen turned, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of Mo Qiu’s face. She still wore that doll-like expression, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Yet, through their prolonged interactions, Bai Chen felt he could now discern a faint hint of her feelings.

Mo Qiu’s gaze was fixed on a single spot, and the hand resting on the table was clenched into a fist, trembling slightly.

She was clearly very nervous, completely unaccustomed to Lin Qiyue’s presence!

Bai Chen took a deep breath, then strode forward.

“Hey.”

“Excuse me, who are you?”

Facing Lin Qiyue, who had looked up, Bai Chen’s expression was grave.

“I reserved this spot first. Could you move?”

“Huh?” Lin Qiyue froze. “I’m tutoring Mo Qiu.”

“Me too.” Bai Chen held up the test papers in his hand. “There’s a principle of ‘first come, first served,’ isn’t there?” Though, in truth, he had never entertained the thought of leaving him a spot.

Lin Qiyue’s eyes widened. “No, no, Teacher Zheng agreed to *my* arrangement.”

“It’s just studying, anyone can do it, right?” Bai Chen interrupted him. “It’s not some crucial matter; shouldn’t the choice be left to Mo Qiu herself?”

“Not some crucial matter…” Lin Qiyue’s eye twitched, as if a raw nerve had been struck, and his face instantly darkened.

“Fine, then let Mo Qiu choose.”

Though he had said as much, Bai Chen still felt a pang of worry as Lin Qiyue stood up.

Both men simultaneously turned to Mo Qiu, awaiting her decision.

The girl’s expression remained impassive, only her dull, lusterless eyes moving back and forth between their faces, seemingly in hesitation.

‘Who would Mo Qiu choose?’

Even if she chose Lin Qiyue, Bai Chen wouldn’t be angry; prioritizing efficiency wasn’t a bad thing. But his heart still pounded rapidly, as if it would cease beating the moment Mo Qiu pointed to the other person.

Sensing their intense gazes, Mo Qiu put down her pen, then raised a finger.

Her pale fingertip pointed at the person she chose.

It was Bai Chen.

“Good!” Bai Chen was so thrilled he nearly leaped up.

“Sigh…” Lin Qiyue sighed, then departed.

Bai Chen frowned slightly, then immediately turned his attention to Mo Qiu, flashing a brilliant smile:

“Thanks, Mo Qiu.”

‘Why thank me? He’s not the one I’m trying to ‘conquer’, anyway.’

Mo Qiu nodded subtly, murmuring inwardly. ‘This was precisely the effect Mo Qiu wanted; just a few subtle details in her performance were enough to make them argue over her.’

Mo Qiu was very satisfied that Bai Chen hadn’t fled. As a reward, she stayed very close throughout lunch break, deliberately observing Bai Chen’s feigned composure.

Bai Chen seemed to have honed his acting skills; she couldn’t discern any shyness or panic from the guy. From start to finish, he maintained a serious, contemplative expression that almost made him seem guilty.

While Mo Qiu drew this conclusion, for the entire lunch break, Bai Chen’s mind wasn’t on studying, nor was it on Mo Qiu. Instead, he was constantly recalling Lin Qiyue’s gaze as he departed.

It was… a look of bitter reluctance.

‘Could this be the legendary… rivalry?’

Never in his wildest dreams had Bai Chen imagined himself entangled in such a relationship, which, combined with other issues, left his brain feeling like a tangled ball of yarn.

To vent this mounting frustration, he resolved to unleash it all during the afternoon’s physical education class.

PE class, Bai Chen’s favorite subject. He had changed into his jersey early with Old Zhu and the others, waiting for free activity to sweat it out on the court.

No matter what troubles plagued him, playing basketball always lifted his spirits quickly. The intensity of the struggle on the court was as fierce as a battlefield.

“Old Zhu, pass the ball!”

“Huh!”

“Pass it, what are you spacing out for?!”

The game on the court was intense, and the students applauding from the sidelines each wore an excited expression. The accumulated dullness from long hours in the classroom was now being vented on this sunny sports field.

Even after leaving the court, Bai Chen couldn’t help but complain to Old Zhu:

“You shouldn’t have zoned out then, or we could have won.”

“You were so far away, I was afraid I’d throw it off target.”

“If you’re a man, don’t be a coward.”

“Who’s a coward? I’m just cautious.”

Bai Chen took a large gulp of water, then his gaze swept across the sports field, searching for the girl’s figure in the shadowy corners.

‘Strange, where’s Mo Qiu?’

Every time during PE class, Mo Qiu would sit in places untouched by sunlight, gazing at the brightest spot of sunshine. Her solitary figure was often mocked as resembling a ghost surrounded by an aura of gloom.

Bai Chen was likely the only one who knew the reason behind her peculiar habit.

Initially, he had actively sought Mo Qiu out, trying to coax her into exercising in the sun.

However, her physical fitness was truly worrying; she’d be gasping for air after just two laps, and her reactions in ball games were even slower, almost getting hit and injured by the ball.

Not only was her face like a doll’s, but her athletic abilities were akin to a robot with jammed gears.

As a result, whenever Bai Chen sought out Mo Qiu during PE class, he almost always ended up sitting with her, basking in the sun. The fact that she was still willing to accompany him suggested Mo Qiu was still receptive to his presence.

She was capable of being in the sun; she just needed someone to give her a push.

This time, however, Bai Chen couldn’t find her at all; the girl’s figure was absent from every shadowy corner.

“Hey, Bai Chen.”

Hearing his name called, but realizing it wasn’t Mo Qiu, Bai Chen turned around.

Sure enough, it was Lin Qiyue.

“Come with me.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiyue turned and walked away, and Bai Chen followed without hesitation.

The two of them walked to a tree at the far end of the sports field. Lin Qiyue’s expression was grim as he adjusted his glasses.

“Regarding what happened at lunchtime, we need to settle this.”

“…It’s about Mo Qiu, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Lin Qiyue snorted. “I think you should be more sensible and stop bothering us. You might seem to have a good relationship with Mo Qiu, but you need to face reality. The gap between us is immense.”

Bai Chen wore a look of impatience, not even bothering to give him a direct glance.

“Hey, listen when I’m talking! Stay away from Mo Qiu, got it?!”

Seeing him throw a tantrum, Bai Chen couldn’t help but want to laugh, though it was a cold, sardonic one.

“What are you laughing at? I want you to apologize, apologize to *me*.”

“Do you like Mo Qiu that much?”

“…Huh?” Lin Qiyue froze, taking two steps back.

“Even if you like her, why should I apologize to you? I was the one who was first…”

“Who said I like her!”

Lin Qiyue was absolutely furious, his rage practically burning Bai Chen’s face.

“Insult?”

“I’m telling you to apologize to me because you said something that insulted studying!”

“Insult?”

Upon reflection, Bai Chen did recall saying that studying wasn’t a crucial matter. He had gotten a bit carried away at the time and spoken without thinking, but Lin Qiyue’s reaction…

“How could you insult studying, such a meaningful thing!” Lin Qiyue gritted his teeth. “Studying is our proper path. How could a dilettante like you possibly understand?”

Being deflated for such an odd reason made Bai Chen somewhat angry, but he suppressed his wrath and continued to ask:

“You’re not approaching her because you like her, are you?”

“How dare you say that?!” Lin Qiyue’s eyes widened. “There’ll be plenty of time for romance later; isn’t studying the most important thing for us right now!”

“So you don’t like her after all.” Bai Chen felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

“Pah, do you think I’m like you? Everyone in class knows you two are close; you’re practically ready to announce your relationship!”

“I… I’m not her boyfriend.”

“Whether you are or not, just stop bothering Mo Qiu with her studies from now on. I’m helping her.”

Hearing this, Bai Chen let out another laugh, waving his hand at him as if shooing away a mischievous child.

“Scram, scram, you don’t know the first thing about helping her.”

‘Can’t you see she’s not even comfortable sitting there? Besides, it’s not your place.’

Bai Chen never in his wildest dreams expected someone to come looking for him to defend the legitimacy of studying.

“You…”

Lin Qiyue was about to retort when he was suddenly interrupted.

“Found Bai Chen. So you were hiding in a place like this.”

Both men simultaneously looked in that direction, only to see several students, their faces menacing, walking towards them.

‘These guys are definitely coming for me.’