“Young Master Yang!”
Yao ran called out coyly.
Yang Nian snapped back to his senses and turned to her, then proceeded to reject her with a smile on his face. “StudentYao Ran, you should probably…”
He might appear amicable on the surface, but Yao Rancould clearly feel his aversion toward her. He treated her differently from before.
Her heart pounding, Yao Ranspoke before he could finish dismissing her.
“Young Master Yang, since my sister has already left with someone else, I shall go and ride with Yan Wei.”
Sure enough, Yang Niandidn’t make a move to stop her. “That would be for the best. You girls have more to talk about in the long drive.”
Yao Ran maintained her smile, but her hands were already clenched tightly into fists.
She couldn’t believe that Yang Nianhad used the gender card, citing that she andYan Weiwould have common interests since they were both girls.
Yet, he didn’t seem bothered by the lack of such affinity when he had offered for Yao Tangto share his car.
Yao Tang truly was the bane of her existence.
Meanwhile, Yao Tang’s companion was practically jumping in excitement as they settled inside the car.
The girl seemed to second guess herself before finally speaking.
“Student Yao, my name is—”
“Wang Si,” Yao Tanginterrupted. “I know your name.”
Wang Si was delighted. She hadn’t expected the legendaryYao Tangto know her name.
She was in class 19, but she would sometimes drop by Class 20 after class to hang out with Lin Xin.
In truth, her grades weren’t very good, and she should have been assigned to Class 20 as well. But she hailed from a wealthy family in City Aand had an impressive background.
There were a couple of things worth noting about her, though. First, she was very stubborn, and second, she loved to study.
The Wang familyhad eventually donated two buildings to the school so that she would be enrolled in Class 19.
Even then, she didn’t do very well with her studies, but she still loved learning new things and correcting her mistakes.
Needless to say, Wang Siwas among the many who were shocked when Yap Tang rose into the top rankings despite coming from Class 20, and being a transfer student at that. It didn’t take long for her to idolizeYao Tang.
In the past, Wang Si would come to Class 20 every three days or so, but now, she would come almost every day to see what Yao Tang was doing. She pretended to come for Lin Xin, of course, but she really was just trying to sit in on Yao Tang’s remedial lectures.
Through that entire time, not once had she spoken to Yao Tang.
And when she saw how Lin Xin’s grades had improved remarkably,Wang Sigrew even more envious. She had even resorted to asking her parents to donate another building so that she could be transferred to Class 20.
Unfortunately, the school had had an abundance of donations recently, and there was no room for a new building.
She had no chance of ever transferring to Class 20 before they graduated.
And so, she was overjoyed when Yao Tangapproached her voluntarily. She even called her name!
Seeing Wang Si’s bedazzled expression,Yao Tangsaid, “Lin Xinmentions you from to time.”
Lin Xin had a habit of muttering to herself.
One of her favorite lines was, “Wang Si is really an idiot. How can she fall flat on her face like that? Her arm was already bleeding, but she didn’t even think about going to the infirmary.”
Or, “Wang Si failed the exam again. Why couldn’t she remember the answers? We’ve reviewed the same questions plenty of times.”
Wang Si was all flushed now as she sheepishly scratched her head. “Does she talk about me often? Does she ever praise me? Oh, I’m really sorry if I’m being too pushy.”
Yao Tang studied the other girl for a moment before saying, “You know, we usually hold online lectures in the evening after class. You should join us.”
Wang Si perked up and beamed. “Yes, please! I mean, of course! Thank you,Yao Tang!” She also sent a silent prayer of thanks toLin Xin.
She would make sure to bring a big bag of snacks when she came to school on Monday.
“In that case, if I have any questions about the lessons in the future, is it okay if I come over and asked you?” Wang Siasked, only to add hastily, “I promise, I won’t disturb you! I’ll only do it when you have free time.”
Within the span of a few seconds, she had jumped from excitement to joy, and now, to anxiety.
Yao Tang nodded. “Sure. Feel free to do so.”
All at once, Wang Simarveled at her life. What a wonderful time to be alive.
The other guests filtered into their respective cars and drove off, and soon enough, they were trickling into the front door of Yang Nian’s villa.
The staff had done well with the preparations. Once again, Yang Nianstood at the entrance to welcome everyone inside, though his eyes would always seek outYao Tang.
