An Ling instinctively ducked behind Li Yang, using his body to shield herself.
“What’s wrong?”
Li Yang noticed her odd behavior and turned to look at her.
“Nothing.”
An Ling said softly, though her eyes couldn’t help sneaking another glance in that direction.
The girl seemed to sense something and turned her head.
Her gaze met An Ling’s directly.
An Ling quickly looked away, her heart beating faster.
The girl glanced at her, then her eyes shifted to Li Yang, lingering for a second before moving on.
It should be fine, right? The time hasn’t come yet.
“An Ling?”
Li Yang’s voice pulled her back.
“What’s the matter? You don’t look too good.”
“Nothing.”
An Ling shook her head.
“I’m probably just a little hungry.”
“Then eat more in a bit,” Li Yang said. “We’re almost at the front of the line.”
An Ling nodded, but her mind kept drifting to messy thoughts.
“An Ling?”
Li Yang called her again.
“Hm?” An Ling snapped back to reality.
“We’re up. It’s our turn,” Li Yang pointed at the window.
Only then did An Ling realize the line had moved forward.
She quickly stepped up and ordered a bowl of beef noodles.
The two carried their noodles to a seat and sat down.
An Ling lowered her head to eat, but her mind was completely elsewhere.
What was that girl’s name again?
I remember her surname is Chen… Chen Ping?
Which class was she in? That information didn’t come up much in the memory fragments.
An Ling tried hard to recall the details from the memory fragments, but after the events involving that girl, she had gone through so many other fragments.
“Is the noodles not good?”
Li Yang looked at her.
“Why are you just spacing out instead of eating?”
“It’s good.” An Ling quickly lowered her head and took a bite.
It really was delicious—the broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles had a perfect chew, and the beef was tender.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Li Yang put down his chopsticks and looked at her seriously.
“You’ve been acting strange since we were queuing earlier. Your face is pale.”
“It’s really nothing.”
An Ling shook her head. “I’m just a bit tired. Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Didn’t sleep well?”
Li Yang frowned.
“Then you should take the afternoon off and go home to rest. The afternoon classes aren’t that important anyway.”
“No need.”
An Ling said.
“I’m fine. I can manage.”
Li Yang looked at her, wanting to say more, but finally just nodded.
“Alright. You know your own body best.”
“Mm.”
An Ling replied and continued eating her noodles with her head down.
Since things hadn’t developed that far yet, she’d take it one step at a time.
With that thought, An Ling finished her noodles.
During the afternoon classes, An Ling was somewhat distracted.
Although she still listened and took notes as usual, her thoughts kept wandering off.
“An Ling? An Ling!”
Zhou Meng’s voice pulled her back.
“Huh?”
An Ling came back to her senses and looked at Zhou Meng.
“The teacher is calling you,” Zhou Meng whispered.
An Ling froze for a moment, then looked up at the blackboard.
The math teacher was standing at the podium, looking at her.
“Student An Ling, which option is correct for this question? Please answer.”
The math teacher pointed at the problem on the PPT.
“Option C,” An Ling answered.
The math teacher nodded. “You may sit down. Pay attention in class.”
An Ling breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.
Zhou Meng leaned over and whispered, “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been spacing out all afternoon.”
“It’s nothing.” An Ling shook her head. “I’m fine. Sorry for worrying you. I’m just a little tired.”
“Then go to bed early tonight,” Zhou Meng said. “Staying up too late isn’t good for your health.”
After observing An Ling for an entire class period and hearing her repeatedly insist she was fine, Li Yang went back to sleep.
An Ling stared at the back of his head, her tail swishing unconsciously.
This guy is sleeping so soundly.
***
“Everyone, have you remembered this weekend’s homework? I’ll check it during the first class next week. Anyone who hasn’t done it will have to copy the questions ten times each.”
Li Yang woke up for the last class as well and had been waiting eagerly for dismissal.
“Finally, weekend!”
Li Yang stretched lazily and turned to look at An Ling.
“Let’s go. We’ll head home first today.”
“Mm.”
An Ling replied, but her gaze unconsciously drifted forward.
The two packed their bags, taking the homework that needed to be done over the break.
Weekend homework couldn’t be finished during morning self-study.
Li Yang usually waited until the last night of the break to rush through his.
They walked out of the classroom together and headed toward the school gate.
As they passed the sports field, An Ling saw that girl again.
She was on the field, walking and chatting with a few other girls, laughing and talking.
The sight made An Ling’s skin crawl.
“What are you looking at?”
Li Yang followed her gaze.
“Oh, that’s someone from Class 3. I think her surname is Chen? What’s her name again…”
“You know her?”
An Ling asked.
“I sort of know her, but not really. I just know of her,” Li Yang said.
“She’s in our grade. We bump into her in the hallway sometimes. Why? Do you know her?”
“No,” An Ling shook her head.
“Oh.” Li Yang didn’t think much of it. “Let’s go. Hurry home.”
An Ling nodded and followed him.
Whatever, whatever.
An Ling walked behind Li Yang, patting her own face to snap herself out of it.
Thinking too much won’t help. As long as I don’t fall for that girl’s tricks when the time comes, everything will be fine.
Yes! That’s it. First, deal with the Li Yang issue. There was still some time before that girl would target her.
Li Yang and An Ling returned home together. Today he behaved himself and didn’t tease her.
He simply said goodbye and went back to his own house, as if he had something on his mind too.
Friday night was quieter than usual.
An Ling had been doing homework at home all afternoon.
With nothing else to do and not wanting her mind to wander to useless thoughts, she simply kept working on homework, letting the problems fill her brain.
After sitting for the entire afternoon, her butt was sore.
Li Yang had been surprisingly quiet today and hadn’t bothered her.
He was probably at home playing games with friends. He seemed to really like gaming.
Back in H City, An Ling hadn’t had many people to play with.
Playing alone always got boring after a while, so she gradually lost interest in games.
“So annoying,” An Ling muttered softly.
She picked up her phone from the nightstand and checked the time.
It was ten o’clock—still early, but she was already sleepy.
Li Yang hadn’t come to knock on her window today, and she actually felt a bit unused to it.
An Ling swished her tail, trying to shake the thought out of her head.
It’s better if I’m not used to it. I’ll get used to it eventually.
She closed her eyes, ready to sleep.
Just then, the familiar sound came from the window.
Thump… Thump… Thump…
An Ling’s ears twitched.
She opened her eyes and looked toward the window.
That guy still came to bother her.
She sat up, hesitated for a moment, then got out of bed and walked to the window with her tail swaying.
An Ling took a deep breath and pushed the window open.
“What do you want? I was just about to sleep.”
“It’s the weekend. Why are you sleeping so early? Come on, let’s chat.”
“Fine. What do you want to talk about?” An Ling asked.