She didn't want to cry, but the original host's tear ducts were sensitive. Whenever she felt wronged, tears would flow, and she couldn't help it. Sobbing, she couldn't even speak properly.
There were already a few people scattered on the road. Shen Yue pursed her lips, afraid of attracting more attention. She wiped away her tears, buried her face in her scarf, said nothing, and walked past the man.
"Hey." Wei Jingzhou, with a cigarette still in his mouth, didn't expect her to leave so easily and tried to call out to her.
As the girl walked past him, Wei Jingzhou could still hear her soft sobs.
The image of the girl's pitiable, tear-streaked face reappeared in his mind, crying from being bullied, unable to speak.
He irritably scratched his buzz cut, threw the cigarette onto the snow, and stomped on it fiercely with his foot.
He gritted his teeth in annoyance.
"Still giving me the cold shoulder? I didn't say anything wrong."
—
Shen Yue returned to her apartment, her tears still flowing. The thought of what the man had said made her feel wronged, and the more wronged she felt, the more tears flowed.
Her eyes were red, and they would surely be swollen tomorrow.
The system, fearing her eyes would hurt from crying, said, [Go use some ice packs on your eyes.]
Shen Yue obediently went to the refrigerator, got some ice cubes, wrapped them in a plastic bag, and applied them to her eyes.
The coolness finally stopped her tears from flowing.
The next morning, Shen Yue's eyes were not as swollen as she had expected, perhaps due to the ice packs.
After having a bowl of porridge at a breakfast shop, Shen Yue slowly walked to school with her backpack.
"Shen Yue!"
Her voice arrived before she did. Bai Bo, with a sandwich still in his mouth, rushed to Shen Yue's side in a few steps.
He took the sandwich out of his mouth, his eyes filled with unconcealable laughter.
"Hi, good morning."
Shen Yue returned a smile, her dimples shallow.
Bai Bo acted like a simpleton, fussing over the girl, not daring to look away.
The girl didn't look as pitiful as she had yesterday. The small dimples at the corner of her mouth were incredibly cute, very sweet, and her eyes were beautiful and clean, as if they were the pure ice and snow of the Tian Shan mountains.
As if sensing the intense gaze, the girl turned her head slightly. For some reason, Wei Jingzhou's heart skipped a beat.
Before he could react, the girl nonchalantly averted her gaze and continued talking to Bai Bo beside her.
So calm, so composed, it made Wei Jingzhou uncomfortable.
She had cried so miserably yesterday from being bullied by him, and today she was like nothing had happened, acting as if they weren't familiar. She didn't know who had tried to flirt with him yesterday.
A hint of anxiety flickered across the man's brows, his eyes seemed much gloomier than usual, his brow furrowed, and a hint of impending rage occasionally flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Guan Shan watched Bai Bo's fawning behavior with amusement. He turned to discuss it with the person beside him but was startled by the man's dark, sinister face.
"Did you eat gunpowder this morning? Your face is as black as the bottom of a pot."
Wei Jingzhou cast a faint glance at him and turned to walk away.
"Hey, where are you going? Class is about to start."
The man didn't even turn his head. "I'm going to smoke for a while."
—
Shen Yue and Bai Bo were not in the same classroom. He escorted Shen Yue to the door. "Are you free at noon? Let's have lunch together. I know a restaurant that's particularly delicious."
Zhuang Wan'er was nearby, but she didn't dare to approach when she saw Bai Bo there. She just waved to Shen Yue from afar.
Shen Yue hesitated for a moment before agreeing, thinking that the great villain might be there too.
Bai Bo flashed a smile, gentle as water, as if bathed in sunlight. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out several chocolates, the same French brand he had given her before.
The taste was excellent.
He gave them all to Shen Yue, scratching his head and smiling somewhat foolishly.
"I know you have low blood sugar, and these chocolates taste great. If you like them, I can bring you some every day."
Shen Yue took the chocolates, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and simply offered a smile.
Bai Bo was secretly delighted, his gaze shy.
After Bai Bo left, Zhuang Wan'er unceremoniously took two chocolates from Shen Yue's palm. After tasting one, she gave it a thumbs-up.
"Indeed, it's French imported, the taste is really excellent."
Seeing that she liked them, Shen Yue gave her a few more.
—
In the restaurant, Wei Jingzhou flipped through the menu, which he had almost memorized, again. He rubbed his brow bone to alleviate his irritation and took a sip of cold water to calm down.
He stared blankly at the water cup, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
It was mostly about one person.
Oh, and he had made someone cry.
Annoyed, he lit a cigarette and smoked two in a daze, growing increasingly agitated.
"Why cry..."
Wei Jingzhou felt he was somewhat ill. He had always known he had a bad temper and a poor disposition, but he wasn't someone who lost his temper casually. He always ignored girls like that and would never waste time saying such things. His mouth was indeed venomous, especially when he was in a bad mood, completely disregarding the other person's feelings. It wasn't unheard of for him to make people cry after scolding them.
But this was the first time he had felt so guilty.
Perhaps due to his preconceptions, Shen Yue's first impression of him had not been good.
Vain, short-sighted, arrogant, ambitious to an extreme, overestimating herself... coupled with promiscuity, she had no redeeming qualities. Apart from a passable appearance, she had nothing else to offer.
And she was always dangling around his friends, appearing pure on the surface, but who knew what she was thinking.
Such people were usually the ones he hated the most.
However, seeing her cry so hard and feel so wronged yesterday made him genuinely doubt his own judgment. Had he misjudged her?
Every time they met, she had a pitiful expression, which was also irritating to look at.
And she always came to provoke him, only to cry so miserably after a few words.
She deserved to be bullied.
Now, whenever he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with the image of the girl's tear-streaked face and her tear-filled eyes.
She had cried so miserably yesterday and ignored him today. Had she really gotten angry? Wei Jingzhou thought irritably.
But he quickly realized, what did it matter to him whether Shen Yue was angry or not? Even if she was angry, what could happen?
His brain was truly messed up.
Even more idiotic was himself, not knowing why he had the nerve to tag along when he heard Bai Bo inviting Shen Yue to lunch.
The bell at the restaurant entrance jingled. Wei Jingzhou pretended to be unconcerned and looked at the menu.
Only when the two of them sat down did he slowly lift his eyes.
"I've already ordered the dishes. You guys can order a few more."
Bai Bo servilely handed the menu to Shen Yue, speaking in a gentle tone as if he were afraid of scaring the person before him. "See if there's anything you like, order whatever you want, don't be polite."