Chapter 2: Too Scary

I don’t want it.

That’s what Ling Yuan desperately wanted to say.

What’s a phone compared to dignity? It’s not worth it!

Ling Yuan turned, ready to speak, but Yixin Xue had somehow appeared in front of him like a ghost.

He nearly jumped out of his skin.

Why doesn’t she make a single sound when she moves!?

“Your phone… you don’t want it~?”

Yixin Xue dragged out the last syllable, her voice carrying a peculiar lilt. A strange smile played on her lips.

A… sly grin, maybe?

“N-no… I don’t… want it…”

Ling Yuan’s mouth twitched. Who’d dare take it in this situation?

“I see.”

Yixin Xue tilted her head thoughtfully.

“Playing with your phone at school is a violation of the rules, no matter how you look at it.”

I wasn’t even playing! That was Lan Feng’s doing!

“I was sleeping! I didn’t touch the phone!”

Ling Yuan defended himself, his logic sounding airtight. His face radiated confidence and sincerity.

A pale, slender finger hooked under his chin, lifting it slightly. The sudden move made Ling Yuan stumble back a step or two.

It felt like he’d been tainted. He frantically wiped at the spot where Yixin Xue had touched him.

“W-what are you doing?”

Seeing his intense reaction, the corners of Yixin Xue’s mouth curved upward into a teasing, almost predatory smile.

“What’s wrong?”

Ling Yuan was already traumatized by her intensity.

Ever since joining this class, every time Yixin Xue came to collect his homework, he acted completely uninterested in her, like he couldn’t care less about women.

And honestly, that was true—Ling Yuan really wasn’t interested.

Yixin Xue was beautiful, no question.

She had the entire school’s boys wrapped around her finger, and even some girls were smitten.

But Ling Yuan was different.

It was like he was immune to her charm, always treating her with indifference.

Yesterday, pushed to her limit and still reeling from the monthly exam results, Yixin Xue had exploded in front of the entire class.

“Enmmm, I’m just scared of the class president getting mad…”

Ling Yuan rubbed his chest dramatically, as if his heart ached.

Yixin Xue crossed her arms, her elegant brows arching slightly.

‘Am I really that scary…?’

Recalling yesterday’s outburst, her brows furrowed.

She was confident in her appearance. Even though she’d rejected countless confessions since enrolling, she still took great care with her looks.

Every morning before school, she spent time perfecting her appearance.

But Ling Yuan was the only person in the entire school who seemed unaffected by her beauty, treating her like she was nothing special.

That kind of disregard really ticked her off!

Her fist clenched instinctively, but she loosened it after a moment.

“You deserve it. Others would kill for this chance.”

Yixin Xue turned and picked up Ling Yuan’s phone from the desk.

“Anyway, whether you were playing on your phone or sleeping during evening self-study, both are against school rules. So, do you want me to report this to the teacher, or…”

She paused deliberately, glancing over her shoulder at him. The look in her flame-red eyes made Ling Yuan suck in a breath.

It was the first time he’d seen that expression—a glint of danger lurking in those gem-like eyes.

Yet her menacing gaze was masked by a sweet, almost playful smile.

“Come to my place this weekend. I’ll tutor you. I live alone, so no need to worry about anything else~”

“Your place? Tutoring?”

“Yup, that’s right~”

“Can I… say no?”

“Cough, cough.”

Yixin Xue cleared her throat lightly, waving the anime-themed phone in front of him.

“I seem to recall your last phone-related punishment hasn’t been cleared yet, has it?”

She stepped closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

“Me tutoring you is something others can only dream of. Are you really going to turn it down?”

If this were the old Yixin Xue, he wouldn’t have hesitated. But now, she was giving him chills—fear and dread of the unknown.

“Fine…”

Ling Yuan’s voice was timid.

What else could he do?

He didn’t want a permanent mark on his record.

All he wanted was to coast through high school in peace!

Yixin Xue flashed a satisfied smile and handed him the phone.

“Go home early.”

“Y-yeah, okay…”

The moment Ling Yuan stepped over the threshold, he bolted back to the classroom like a thief in the night.

“…Hmph…”

Yixin Xue stood at the door, watching his retreating figure.

A mischievous smile crept across her face.

“Not bad-looking, nice build too. He’d probably look cute in a skirt.”

***

“Too scary, too scary.”

Back in the classroom, Ling Yuan muttered to himself, still shaken from the encounter.

“Did you get your phone back?”

Lan Feng had been waiting for him, but Ling Yuan’s expression was like he’d seen a ghost in broad daylight—pure panic and unease.

“I got it back, alright? But the class president is terrifying.”

Ling Yuan grabbed his backpack, shoving books inside haphazardly.

“I need to get out of this place. I can’t deal with her again!”

Lan Feng, having witnessed Yixin Xue’s outburst at Ling Yuan yesterday, could only imagine what she’d done this time.

“Hey, hey, what’d she do to you, man? She didn’t… get physical, did she?”

Ling Yuan zipped up his bag and shot Lan Feng a death glare but said nothing.  He slung the bag over his shoulder and stormed off.

“Hey, don’t be mad, dude!”

Lan Feng hurried to catch up.

“Come on, what’d the class president do? Spill it!”

“She gave me my phone back, what else?”

Ling Yuan’s only thought was escaping the school. He wasn’t in the mood to talk.

“Details, man, details!”

But as they reached the stairwell, Ling Yuan froze. Yixin Xue was standing at the bottom, staring out at the pouring rain with a troubled expression.

“Ling Yuan, I forgot my umbrella. Do you have one?”

She spotted him just as he tried to change course.

“Y-yeah, I do… Didn’t you check the weather forecast before leaving, Class President?”

There was no escaping now. Ling Yuan forced a smile and approached her.

“I don’t have that habit.”

Yixin Xue looked slightly embarrassed.

“Could you… walk me home?”

Lan Feng elbowed Ling Yuan hard.

“Dude, say yes! Say yes! I don’t care if I get soaked, but you have to take this chance!”

A stunning white-haired beauty asking a guy to walk her home—Yixin Xue, the untouchable goddess!

No normal person would pass that up!

Lan Feng was more excited than Ling Yuan.

“You can take my umbrella. I don’t need it to get home.”

Ling Yuan’s words left Lan Feng dumbfounded, his jaw practically on the floor. It was like winning the lottery and tossing the ticket.

“Huh? But what about you, Ling Yuan?”

Ling Yuan gave a bitter smile, glancing at the torrential rain outside. Four words squeezed out of his throat.

“Just a little rain.”