Chapter 6: What’s Your Relationship?

Yixin Xue seemed to be doing it on purpose, pacing back and forth near Ling Yuan during morning reading.

‘Seriously, do I owe her money or something? Why’s she haunting me!?’

Ling Yuan clutched his head, glaring miserably at the white-haired girl.

She seemed to sense his stare, hiding a mischievous smile behind her book.

“Too fun.”

The soft whisper reached his ears. Shocked, Ling Yuan looked up. Yixin Xue was standing not far away.

He hadn’t misheard—those three words definitely came from her.

But she acted like nothing had happened, her expression unchanged except for her constant hovering near him.

‘Too fun…’

Ling Yuan narrowed his eyes.

‘She doesn’t think it’s fun to keep me from sleeping, does she…?’

But that didn’t seem like her.

Or did it…?

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got, tugging at his hair.

This mental spiral lasted until the first class began.

Finally, he could catch a proper nap.

Ling Yuan let out a long yawn, his head heavy and foggy. Yixin Xue had returned to her seat at last.

His desk was in the back corner of the classroom, the most inconspicuous spot. Perfect for not disturbing anyone’s studies.

Thankfully, after morning reading, Yixin Xue acted as she always had—no unusual behavior.

Ling Yuan slept soundly through four classes.

“Yuan! Yuan! Wake up! Time to eat!”

Lan Feng shook the sleeping Ling Yuan.

“Ahh—”

Ling Yuan stretched, yawning widely.

After a night of intense gaming, this classroom nap was pure bliss. It’d been ages since he’d slept so well at school.

The classroom was nearly empty—everyone else had rushed to the cafeteria.

“Yuan, hurry up! We’ll miss the food!”

Lan Feng grabbed his arm, trying to drag him out.

“Hold on, I’m still waking up. Go line up and grab me a portion. I’ll treat you to cola tonight.”

Ling Yuan waved him off, his body aching.

He needed a moment to recover.

“Deal! Find us a good spot, or there won’t be anywhere to sit!”

With that, Lan Feng sprinted out like he was running the hundred-meter dash. The cafeteria was far from the classroom building, across the sports field, so it took some time to get there.

Luckily, most people were still in line, and there were still empty seats. Ling Yuan picked a spot by the window, sat down, and pulled out his phone to mess around.

The staff cafeteria was on the top floor, so teachers never ate in the student cafeteria. Lunchtime was a safe zone for phone use.

“Ling Yuan, you’re not eating? Skipping meals isn’t good for you.”

A mature, feminine voice, dripping with charm.

Any other guy would’ve looked up to see who it was, but not Ling Yuan.

Yan Xi sat across from him, exasperated.

“Did my breakfast mess-up this morning make you mad?”

“Nah.”

Ling Yuan shook his head slightly.

“Miss High-and-Mighty, shouldn’t you be back in class studying?”

“True, but I can’t let you go hungry. I can’t finish this, so you take care of it.”

She pushed a plate of food toward him.

Before he could respond, she handed him a pair of chopsticks.

“I even got you chopsticks. This is a privilege others would kill for—personal service from a young lady.”

“Should I be thanking you?”

“No need.”

Yan Xi stood, leaning forward slightly.

“Take your time. I’m heading back.”

“…”

Ling Yuan was at a loss for words with this sister of his.

Thankfully, his spot was secluded, and everyone else was busy lining up for food.

If Yan Xi’s suitors saw this scene, it’d be a fight to the death.

He gave a wry smile, but when he looked at the food she’d left, he froze.

She’d barely touched it, eating only the meat dishes and leaving a sad-looking tomato scrambled egg.

If you could even call it that—it looked more like yesterday’s unsold stewed eggs stir-fried with tomatoes.

No wonder she didn’t eat it.

But Ling Yuan didn’t want to eat it either. This wasn’t food for humans.

As he rubbed his forehead, agonizing over it, a white figure sat down across from him.

“You know Yan Xi?”

“…”

What brought the class president here?

‘Crap, what do I do now…?’

Her tone just now—icy, almost hostile. Did she think he and Yan Xi were dating or something?

Ling Yuan took a deep breath, forcing a smile.

“Yeah, I know her. What’s up, Class President?”

“Hmm.”

Yixin Xue nibbled on her spoon, her gaze lingering on the stairwell where Yan Xi had disappeared.

“What’s your relationship with her?”

Ling Yuan’s mouth twitched.

[She totally misunderstood.]

“Why’s the class president suddenly asking? We’re just regular classmates! From the same class before we split into different ones in sophomore year!”

“Regular classmates, huh? Close enough for her to get you food?”

Her flame-red eyes landed coldly on the plate in front of him, like an invisible blade at his throat.

One wrong word, and it’d slice right through.

“Uh… well, she just asked me to toss out her leftovers. Look, it’s all scraps. You know she’s a rich girl, Class President. She wouldn’t bother with dirty work like this.”

“Is that so?”

Yixin Xue softened her icy stare.

His explanation made sense, so she dropped the Yan Xi topic.

Instead, she propped her face in her hands, studying his features.

“You’re not bad-looking.”

“!”

Being stared at like that felt awful. Ling Yuan squirmed, the chair beneath him suddenly feeling like it was sprouting thorns.

Beyond Yixin Xue’s gaze, he could feel other eyes on him.

“Yixin Xue’s sitting with that guy?”

“No way, I want to eat with a beauty too!”

“Is this for real? Yixin Xue’s eating with a guy?”

“…”

“Your dark circles are bad. Gaming all night again?”

“Uh… that’s none of your business, right…?”

“It is.”

Yixin Xue puffed out her chest confidently, causing a slight jiggle.

“As class president, it’s my duty to care about my classmates.”

‘Tch—’

Though her chest wasn’t as large as Yan Xi’s, it was still above average for girls their age.

The sight gave Ling Yuan an inexplicable pang of guilt, and he turned away, avoiding her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Noticing his discomfort, Yixin Xue asked with concern.

“Are you feeling sick?”

“Yuan! I’m back—what’s going on here? Why’s the class president here!?”

Lan Feng’s eyes widened in shock.

Then he noticed the plate in Ling Yuan’s hands and seemed to put two and two together.

“You… you just keep the class president company! I’m out—don’t want to interrupt you two!”

“!?”