…
TL Notes:
Corrected "Olympic mathematics" to "Olympiad mathematics."
…
Tang Yu: ??
Since Yin Zhao-an had already left, Tang Yu no longer had any burden to shoulder. So, after walking a little longer with Fang Ling, she thanked the other party and said, "Thank you for walking with me. I can walk the rest of the way myself, so you can get in your car now."
Fang Ling looked at the car following them when she heard Tang Yu's words. Then, she nodded and said, "Can I walk home with you again tomorrow? It feels quite good to walk a little more."
Smiling, Tang Yu said, "Of course."
"Okay! It's a promise!" Fang Ling happily smiled before skipping and hopping to the car that was following them slowly from behind.
When the young man driving the car saw this, he stopped the car close to Fang Ling, got out of the car, and helped open the door for Fang Ling again.
"I'm going now! See you tomorrow!" Fang Ling shouted.
"Okay. See you tomorrow."
After watching the white sedan driving into the distance, Tang Yu exhaled deeply before quickly making her way home.
It would seem as if Yin Zhao-an was truly upset as Tang Yu didn't see the girl's figure throughout her way home. However, Tang Yu felt that this situation was good as the two of them needed to cool down their relationship a little.
Tang Yu saw her home from a great distance, the house dark as usual.
After entering the courtyard, Tang Yu carefully locked the courtyard's entrance before she relaxed and entered the house.
Subsequently, the lights on the first floor came on, followed by the second floor's lights. In no time, the empty house suddenly looked as if it had become fully occupied by people.
Seeing this, the person hiding in a dark corner outside the house slowly walked away and left.
Afterward, for a long period of time, Tang Yu no longer saw Yin Zhao-an appearing in front of her. Occasionally, though, she would see Yin Zhao-an messing around with her friends and smiling happily.
…
The Olympiad Mathematics Competition arrived as scheduled, and Tang Yu was chased onto the bus headed for the competition venue like a duckling herded into its pen.
To make matters worse, she was put in a very precarious position on the bus…
Currently, seated next to Tang Yu on the bus was the stoic Du Yuqing. Tang Yu naturally didn't choose this seat. Instead, she was given no other choice since this was the only seat left on the bus. She could only blame herself for dragging her feet and becoming the last to get on the bus.
As luck would have it, Yin Zhao-an sat in the seat across the aisle. When Yin Zhao-an initially saw Tang Yu, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face. A second later, though, the light in her eyes disappeared. Then, she silently lowered her head, her long eyelashes covering her eyes.
Awkward. The atmosphere surrounding Tang Yu was suffocatingly awkward.
Cold sweat started to roll down Tang Yu's forehead continuously, which was a very eye-catching situation in this cold weather. Tang Yu's condition looked so strange that even the accompanying teacher grew concerned and came over to ask about her condition.
The bus ride was going to last over an hour. Although the awkward atmosphere kept Tang Yu alert and awake, the two people seated to her left and right had quickly fallen asleep.
Tang Yu had to admit that Yin Zhao-an had a universally likable face, even if her facial features had yet to develop fully.
Her peach-shaped eyes were a little upturned, looking like they were made up of eyeliner. Her lower lip was very thin, and the corners of her lips were slightly upturned, giving her the look of a kitten when she smiled.
Her face was also delicate; the bridge of her nose was high and straight, her skin was smooth, and her eyes had a profound—
Wait! Eyes?!
Tang Yu came back to her senses and realized that, at some point, Yin Zhao-an had woken up and was currently looking at her with complicated eyes.
Tang Yu hurriedly turned her face away, the tips of her ears reddening. She felt so embarrassed that she wanted nothing more than to dig a hole to hide in.
Perhaps Tang Yu's reaction was a little too big, but Du Yuqing gradually regained consciousness and opened her eyes after sensing the movement from the seat next to her. Initially, a flash of confusion appeared in Du Yuqing's eyes when she saw Tang Yu leaning close to her and looking at her. However, after remembering their current environment, her mind instantly woke up. Then, she said, "Don't go thinking I will like you if you try to get close to me."
Who wants to be liked by you?! Does it look like I want to be locked up again?!
Tang Yu widened her eyes and subconsciously backed away from Du Yuqing, trying her best to keep herself from making a horrified expression.
The atmosphere around Tang Yu instantly dropped to freezing point.
Fortunately, the accompanying teacher suddenly spoke up, saying, "Students who are resting, wake up. We will soon arrive at the competition venue."
Immediately, the silent atmosphere in the bus disappeared as the sound of students chatting and moving their luggage appeared.
Tang Yu got off the bus as soon as the vehicle arrived at its destination, feeling as if she had come back to life when the fresh air outside filled her lungs. She never knew a simple bus ride could feel so torturous.
Yin Zhao-an quietly watched as Tang Yu mixed into the crowd, a doting look briefly appearing on her emotionless face. However, the sense of loss that followed quickly drowned out these doting feelings.
"I am the only person Tang-Tang will like."
Du Yuqing was given a scare by the warning that suddenly came from behind her. When she turned around and saw that it was Yin Zhao-an talking to her, she narrowed her eyes at the other party. Because of the height difference, she had no choice but to look up to look at Yin Zhao-an in the eye.
"Oh, then you better take good care of her. Otherwise, don't cry if you lose her one day," Du Yuqing said, her lips curling up slightly as she looked at Yin Zhao-an with a provocative gaze. "I don't know what you see in that white lotus, but even if you like her, the feeling might not be mutual."
Yin Zhao-an still wished to argue, but Du Yuqing had already turned around and left, leaving only her back for Yin Zhao-an to look at.
With nowhere to vent the frustration in her heart, Yin Zhao-an ground her molars and kicked the flower bed next to her.
Tang Yu inadvertently glanced at Tang Yu, who was walking by herself outside the crowd, only to see the other party's expression strangely alternating between white and blue.
Seemingly noticing Tang Yu's gaze, Yin Zhao-an limped into the crowd in an extremely abnormal posture.