The girls' chattering voices were kept very low. Shen Yue looked up and saw the scene at the doorway.
The gentle boy with black hair and Bai Qingzhen were very close, with a tenderness Shen Yue had never seen before. Shen Yue watched, her face expressionless.
As if sensing Shen Yue's gaze, Bai Qingzhen turned her head and looked over. Shen Yue didn't look at her, but followed her gaze.
It was Song Yan.
After looking back and forth twice, Bai Qingzhen suddenly understood. She smiled and intimately took Song Yan's hand.
In her peripheral vision, she thought she saw the girl's body tremble.
Song Yan's smile grew even gentler.
Shen Yue clenched her fingers.
She watched Bai Qingzhen holding the boy's hand, acting spoiled as she leaned towards him, occasionally swaying, while the boy indulgently stroked her hair.
Shen Yue's hands trembled, and after a long time, she swallowed the bitterness filling her mouth.
Song Yan seemed to sense something. He turned his head to look, but only saw the girl with her head bowed.
—
Jiang Wei had texted her to wait for him after school. Shen Yue obediently waited in the classroom.
Not long after school ended, Jiang Wei appeared at the classroom door. He took Shen Yue into the car.
Shen Yue didn't know where he was taking her, nor did she want to ask. Jiang Wei, perhaps sensing Shen Yue's recent coolness, kept trying to please her.
It was a party, and Shen Yue wasn't very interested.
As soon as Jiang Wei entered, he was called over by familiar friends. He didn't want Shen Yue to follow, so he hesitated, then lowered his head and said softly, "Have you not eaten dinner yet? Sit here and eat something first, I'll be right back after I go over there."
Shen Yue nodded indifferently.
Jiang Wei was still a little uneasy, so he stayed with Shen Yue for a while before leaving.
Everyone in their circle knew about her and Jiang Wei's relationship. After all, the Xiao Tui incident had been so huge that no one dared to act carelessly.
Several desserts were laid out on the table, all brought by Jiang Wei. Shen Yue lost her appetite after eating just a couple of bites.
The covert glances from those around her bothered Shen Yue, so she got up and walked to the side to get some air.
There was a swimming pool here. The shimmering water reflected the starlight of the night sky, along with the cheerful laughter of boys and girls.
Shen Yue stood quietly on the side, out of place.
"You like Song Yan, don't you."
A voice suddenly sounded from behind her. Shen Yue turned her head to look. Bai Qingzhen walked over gracefully. She had dressed up specially today, with exquisite and alluring makeup, giving a stunning visual impact.
Her words made Shen Yue's hands and feet go cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Bai Qingzhen walked up to her. Shen Yue could smell a faint perfume.
The two of them were very close. Bai Qingzhen, wearing high heels, looked down at the girl from above.
"You probably don't know this, but Song Yan likes me."
Shen Yue knew. She could tell.
Bai Qingzhen slowly revealed a smile. "If it weren't for me, Song Yan wouldn't even spare you a glance. And my brother. Shen Yue, if it weren't for me, who do you think would notice you?"
This was the truth. Shen Yue knew it.
Although Bai Qingzhen's tone was light, Shen Yue's face turned pale upon hearing it, and her body trembled slightly. She remained speechless for a long time.
Bai Qingzhen's gaze gradually turned cold. She seemed very satisfied with the girl's expression, as if she were looking at a clown. "Someone as dirty as you, no one will ever like."
Shen Yue was in a daze. She seemed to see Song Yan walking towards her.
She opened her mouth, her heart suddenly pounding.
Bai Qingzhen took a step forward. Shen Yue looked at her blankly. Bai Qingzhen suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezing it so hard that her nails seemed to dig into her flesh. Shen Yue tried to pull her hand away, but Bai Qingzhen, dragging her hand, pushed her towards herself and then, leaning back, fell into the swimming pool behind her without any defense.
In the blur, Shen Yue thought she saw Bai Qingzhen smile, a smile of mockery.
Shen Yue instinctively reached out to grab her, but froze when she saw the smile on Bai Qingzhen's face, stopping all her movements.
With a splash, water flew everywhere, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
Almost everyone looked over.
The next second, with another splash, a tall and slender figure also plunged into the swimming pool.
The swimming pool wasn't deep. Song Yan carried Bai Qingzhen to the shore. His clothes were all wet, and his hair was stuck to his forehead.
Bai Qingzhen shivered from the cold, her makeup messy, her pale face looking particularly pitiable.
Song Yan looked up at the girl standing not far away. His dark eyes seemed to be condensed with a thick layer of frost.
The girl seemed a bit flustered, her eyelashes trembling delicately.
The people around them sensed the subtle atmosphere and looked at the girl, whispering to each other with various expressions.
They weren't deliberately lowering their voices, and Shen Yue could occasionally catch a word or two.
Song Yan went to the side and got a clean towel, draping it over Bai Qingzhen. Then, with a gloomy expression, he walked up to the girl and stared at her coldly.
"Shen Yue, apologize."
The girl's expression was indifferent. Her black hair hung down her back smoothly. The beauty mark on her nose was richly colored, her fair face clean and beautiful, her raven-like eyelashes fluttering gently, her lips like blood, thick and alluring.
Her dark, moist eyes looked quietly at Song Yan. Her thin eyelids were tinged with red, as if she were wronged. "Why?"
The girl was like a fool who didn't understand social graces, not understanding why she had to apologize when she hadn't done anything wrong.
Song Yan's brows were clouded with gloom. He seemed to hate her immensely, as if he couldn't bear to look at her.
Song Yan's gaze was terrifyingly deep. "Playing dumb? Do you like pretending so much? Shen Yue, if you don't apologize, then jump in yourself."
An eye for an eye, very fair.
The girl lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting a shadow.
"I didn't push her."
Song Yan didn't believe her. He didn't believe her at all, because he had personally seen how the girl had pushed Bai Qingzhen down.
He really hated people like that, who were two-faced. Bai Qingzhen was so good to her, yet such a person could never learn gratitude.
Song Yan's eyes were cold, like surging undercurrents beneath a calm sea. He reached out, and just as he had said, mercilessly pushed the girl standing on the bank into the water.
The force wasn't great, but Shen Yue felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
Shen Yue didn't dodge, or rather, Shen Yue didn't expect Song Yan to do that.
This sudden turn of events caused everyone to gasp in astonishment, not expecting the situation to develop in this direction.
The person who fell into the pool struggled and thrashed a few times before standing up steadily. She coughed continuously. It was autumn, and the temperature dropped quickly at night. The water in the pool was ice-cold, and no one dared to go down to pull the girl up.