The walk ho with Shen Ying was a silent one for Xing Jiale.
But everyone could tell his silence lacked its usual confidence—it felt more like an act of evasion.
When they finally arrived at Shen Ying’s place, she looked at him with a faintly amused smile and cut straight to the point: "You had the chance to run. Why did you get yourself involved?"
Her gaze made Xing Jiale feel as though his innermost thoughts were laid bare, too shaful to face.
Shen Ying continued, "I thought you’d jump at the chance to slip away. Who knew you’d show no intention of doing so?"
"Seems the things you said to before weren’t entirely sincere."
Xing Jiale’s face burned. The more bravado he’d shown earlier, the more humiliated he felt now.
He glared at her. "Don’t think I don’t know—you did this on purpose."
"This wasn’t just so spur-of-the-mont teasing. You’ve had your eyes on for a while."
Xing Jiale wasn’t a fool. Looking back, he could now see how Shen Ying had been setting traps for him step by step.
He demanded, "Is this revenge? For how I treated you before?"
Shen Ying shook her head. "Not at all. I don’t bother getting close to people I dislike."
Hearing her casual dismissal, Xing Jiale felt the tension in his chest ease slightly.
So she hadn’t approached him with malice?
His chin lifted a fraction, a flicker of confidence returning to his expression.
"Then when did you start watching ?"
"That ti I went to Class A looking for soone, and you pulled away."
"Right then, I thought—this guy’s arms are really strong."
Xing Jiale recalled the scene: Shen Ying storming into Class A to confront A-Chen, and him reacting instantly, wrapping an arm around her waist to haul her back.
So she’d been scheming even then. The realization sent a shiver through him—a mix of unease and sothing else he couldn’t na.
But then it hit him: if she’d been eyeing him for so long, why had she never held back when tangled up with A-Chen and the others?
A surge of anger rose in his chest. "I knew it—you’re just fickle."
Shen Ying didn’t deny it. "I’m just good at appreciating every man’s strengths. And bad at choosing between them."
Xing Jiale’s emotions were a tangled ss. Part of him resisted, knowing getting further involved with her would only lead to trouble.
But another part, like today when he’d betrayed Gong Zhaoxi to push him out, was already beyond his control.
Lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang.
He answered, and Zhong Chen’s voice ca through: "You guys made it back?"
Xing Jiale replied absently, "Yeah."
Zhong Chen: "Good. Then head ho. Be careful on the way."
Xing Jiale stiffened. "What’s that supposed to an? First, you asked to help her with painting. Now, after I’ve done your job and brought her back, you’re rushing out before I’ve even had a sip of water?"
Zhong Chen sighed. "It’s just a ride ho. What do you need water for? Don’t you have so in your car?"
Then, softening his tone: "Don’t take it personally. It’s Zhaoxi’s fault."
"When I was beating him up earlier, he kept dragging you into it, trying to implicate you. I bet he’ll use this against you tomorrow."
"I’m doing this for you. To keep him from having ammo, don’t linger at her place too long."
Xing Jiale wasn’t fooled. The idiot’s jealousy was showing—claiming to trust him while clearly uneasy about him being alone with Shen Ying.
His already wavering resolve found the perfect excuse in Zhong Chen’s "distrust."
If you’re going to doubt despite my loyalty, then fine—I’ll give you a reason to.
He hung up, then cupped Shen Ying’s face and kissed her.
---
The next day at school, Zhong Chen was still annoyed about the abruptly ended call.
But Xing Jiale t him with: "Sorry for hanging up yesterday."
"But you’ve got to see it from my side. I even sold out Zhaoxi to keep things fair, took on your responsibilities, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Would you be happy if our positions were reversed?"
Zhong Chen had to admit he had a point. It wasn’t right to suspect the one clean guy among them just because of a troublemaker’s lies.
They parted ways to their classrooms, and Shen Ying teased Xing Jiale: "Such dedication. Taking such good care of your brothers."
In the days that followed, Xing Jiale no longer needed the other three to drag him into Shen Ying’s so-called "hobbies."
He seed to have accepted this duty as his own, acting without reminders.
Even more surprising, the trio noticed Xing Jiale had shed his usual laziness.
He policed their "fairness" with alarming enthusiasm.
At school, they didn’t rely solely on Xing Jiale as an excuse to interact with Shen Ying.
Their growing longing led them to seize every chance they could.
One day, Zhong Chen spotted Shen Ying heading alone to the lounge—she often slipped out during class to grab snacks.
After a quick glance around, he followed.
The mont he saw her, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
Shen Ying mused how restrictions bred desire. Back when they were actually dating, Zhong Chen would freeze at even a peck. Now? Ruthless efficiency.
Just as the mont heated up, a force yanked them apart.
Xing Jiale glared at Zhong Chen. "Zhaoxi just got punished. Now you’re breaking the rules?"
Zhong Chen, furious at the interruption, hissed, "I asked you to watch for outsiders, not police !"
Xing Jiale didn’t blink. "The outsider here is you."
Zhong Chen scoffed. "This was my assignnt. My authority."
"All three of you assigned . As your friend, I’m also responsible for keeping the peace."
"Do you really want another brawl drawing adult attention right now? Think bigger, A-Chen."
Cornered by the "greater good" argunt, Zhong Chen could only shoot him a resentful look. "Fine. But you’d better watch the other two just as closely."
As he turned to leave, he caught Xing Jiale using his sleeve to wipe Shen Ying’s lips.
Zhong Chen nearly exploded. "What the hell? Am I diseased? Why are you cleaning her mouth?"
Xing Jiale shrugged. "Her lipstick was smudged. You know I have OCD."
Sothing felt off, but Zhong Chen could only storm away, seething.
The next day, Shen Ying found Xiao Yun sitting dazed on the stairs.
The weather had been unpredictable lately. It was fine in the morning, but the temperature suddenly dropped by midday. Xiao Yun noticed the girls hurrying along the corridor of the opposite teaching building, shivering as they rushed back to the warmth of their classrooms.
He took off his jacket and draped it over Shen Ying’s shoulders.
"Go back inside. It's cold out here," he said.
Just as Shen Ying was about to thank him, the jacket was abruptly pulled off and tossed back at Xiao Yun.
Another jacket, still warm from its owner’s body, settled over her shoulders instead.
Xiao Yun frowned at the sudden appearance of Xing Jiale. "What’s the aning of this?"
Xing Jiale replied nonchalantly, "If she walks around wearing your jacket, are you trying to start another fight?"
The explanation made sense, but as Xiao Yun watched Xing Jiale lead Shen Ying away, he couldn’t shake the feeling that the guy was deliberately keeping them apart.
By afternoon, during P.E. class, Shen Ying faked a stomachache to skip out and sneak into the infirmary for a ga of mahjong.
But the mont she stepped inside, she saw Gong Zhaoxi lying on one of the beds, holding out a tube of ointnt.
"Those two bastards really did a number on ," he said.
"Don’t let my face fool you—under my clothes—"
Gong Zhaoxi shifted onto his stomach, pulling off his jacket and lifting the hem of his shirt to reveal a lean, well-defined waist.
The position accentuated his curves, the firm, sculpted lines of his lower back and hips flowing seamlessly, as if painted by a master artist with decades of experience.
Shen Ying almost regretted letting Xing Jiale expose his sche the other day—she should’ve just lured him ho.
Then, a foot suddenly pressed down on his waist.
Gong Zhaoxi yelped and whipped his head around. When he saw it was Xing Jiale, his anger flared. "You—! You’re ruining my plans again!"
"Let remind you—the mont you sold out, we were done."
Xing Jiale smirked. "Want to do it again?"
"If A-Chen and A-Yun saw you like this in broad daylight, they’d beat you worse than last ti."
Gong Zhaoxi was seething. Later, he sought out Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun, accusing Xing Jiale of betraying their trust.
But surprisingly, Zhong Chen and Xiao Yun didn’t imdiately dismiss his claims.
"I’ve noticed sothing off about Jiale lately," Zhong Chen admitted. "He’s been… unusually proactive."
"Proactive? More like overbearing," Xiao Yun added. "We asked him to keep an eye on things, but now he’s watching us instead."
"Maybe we should revoke his assignnt?"
"You think I haven’t tried? I brought it up yesterday, but it’s easier to invite a god than send one away."
"Since when was he this responsible?"
As the three murmured among themselves, they caught the faint sound of Shen Ying’s na.
Exchanging glances, they quietly moved closer and saw Xia ng standing there, phone in hand, speaking with a composed smile.
The mont she noticed them, her expression shifted, and she turned to leave.
Zhong Chen blocked her path. "What were you saying about Shen Ying just now?"
Xia ng shrugged. "Nothing. Just chatting with a friend."
But the three weren’t about to let it go. Gong Zhaoxi narrowed his eyes. "Plotting sothing again?"
Xia ng rolled her eyes and tried to step around them, but her phone was snatched from her grasp.
"Give it back!" she snapped.
Ignoring her, Gong Zhaoxi opened her recent contacts and redialed the last call.
A smooth male voice answered after two rings. "What, did you convince Shen Ying to co to my underground concert already?"
"I knew she wouldn’t refuse. Last weekend, the way she looked at while I sang—pure admiration."
Xia ng opened her mouth to shut him up, but Zhong Chen’s icy glare silenced her.
The voice continued, unfazed. "But this ti, don’t bring Xing Jiale. Without him interfering, we can finally have so fun with the setup."
Gong Zhaoxi ended the call. Those few sentences, combined with earlier hints, painted a damning picture.
Rage simred beneath their forced calm as they turned on Xia ng.
"Talk. Who exactly went out with you that weekend?"
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