My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

The atmosphere was extremely awkward, really.

Shen Yujing's pride and dignity had been thoroughly humiliated by a chicken.

So, Shen Yujing prepared to rush out, catch the chicken again, and this time give it a clean, swift end!

But as soon as he took a step, his collar was grabbed from behind by Song Yi.

"That chicken has already survived a great ordeal," the girl's voice sounded helpless as she continued, "Save your energy."

In the end, Shen Yujing was forced to wash vegetables on the side, but he still insisted stubbornly, "It was an accident, just an accident! Believe me, I can kill a chicken. Whatever Jiang Yiheng can do, I can do too."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Song Yi nodded perfunctorily, swiftly chopping the chicken on the cutting board into pieces, saying, "Sure, sure."

Jiang Yiheng, as usual, responded with a simple, "Oh."

The entire kitchen was enveloped in an air of indifference.

Shen Yujing, knowing his pride was at stake, washed the vegetables with even more vigor, trying to prove that he was "at least somewhat useful."

Dinner time, at the dining table.

Quan Le, who had just returned from outside, asked, "Why did I see a hen in the yard with blood on its neck? Its butt was missing a patch of feathers, it looked so funny!"

Shen Yujing: "..."

Enough, do you really have to be so observant at a time like this?!

After Song Yi recounted what had happened earlier, the dining table was filled with laughter and chatter.

Murong Huan laughed heartily, saying, "Shen Yujing, you finally got what you deserved, hahahaha!"

Shen Yujing didn't say anything, but Xu Che was the first to speak up, saying, "Don't talk about Shen Yujing like that."

Murong Huan: "?"

Shen Yujing: "!"

Shen Yujing looked at Xu Che with deep gratitude, saying, "I never expected, Xu Che, that you would be the one who treats me the best in the end!"

Xu Che picked up a piece of chicken and calmly finished his sentence, "Shen Yujing might be a Buddhist, so he doesn't kill living beings. We should respect that."

Shen Yujing: "???"

It would have been better if you hadn't said anything at all!

The theme of the meal was teasing and mocking Shen Yujing. After Murong Huan, there was now a second unlucky soul who wanted nothing to do with chickens, ducks, or geese.

Later that night.

After her shower, Song Yi walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas, only to find Murong Huan sitting at her desk playing with her phone.

Hearing Song Yi come out, Murong Huan turned her head and said, "Yi Yi? I've been waiting for you. Now that you're done, let's go downstairs quickly."

Song Yi asked curiously, "Go where?"

Murong Huan replied cheerfully, "To Jiang Yiheng's room!"

Song Yi glanced at Murong Huan's nightgown, then down at her own pajamas, and asked with some suspicion, "What are we going to Jiang Yiheng's room for at this hour?"

Murong Huan quickly explained, "Not just us, everyone. Quan Le and I discussed it. Since we're all here, we should do something meaningful at night."

Knowing Murong Huan's personality well, Song Yi cut straight to the point, "What game are you planning to play this time?"

Murong Huan rested her chin on the back of the chair, looking at Song Yi seriously, "We're going to help Jiang Yiheng overcome his fear of ghosts!"

Song Yi frowned, "What do you mean?"

"No need to ask, you'll find out soon enough!" Murong Huan said as she stood up and reached out to pull Song Yi.

"Wait a second," Song Yi bent down and pulled out two light jackets from her suitcase, handing one to Murong Huan. The two of them then headed downstairs together.

Jiang Yiheng's room.

Looking at the group of people who had inexplicably gathered in his room, Jiang Yiheng adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.

Among them, he spotted Hang Feng, the one who often shared his misfortunes, and whom he trusted the most.

Jiang Yiheng looked at Hang Feng and asked, "What are you all doing here?"

Hang Feng shook his head, indicating that he had no idea either.

Of course, Xu Che was equally clueless, as he had only followed because Song Yi and Murong Huan had come to fetch him.

As the spokesperson for the group, Murong Huan closed the door and announced the night's activity—

Taking turns telling Jiang Yiheng ghost stories.

The goal was twofold: to toughen his nerves and to turn it into a "competition."

The first one to scare Jiang Yiheng with their ghost story would be the winner of the night.

Jiang Yiheng: "?"

Did anyone ask for his opinion on this bizarre activity?

Clearly, his thoughts weren't particularly important at the moment.

The competitive Shen Yujing and Quan Le had already taken their seats on the sofa, and even Song Yi's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Jiang Yiheng looked at Murong Huan and said, "Give me a reason."

A reason to indulge them in such a pointless game!

Murong Huan looked at him with a serious expression, "Jiang Yiheng, do you know? As a god-like figure in our school for three years, you had a perfect reputation. But your one flaw was fainting during that grade trip because you were scared. Even though most people don't know the truth, if something like that happens again, it's bound to come out eventually!"

"What if something similar happens in college, and we're not around to protect you? What if the girl you like finds out you're afraid of ghosts? You won't be able to go to haunted houses, escape rooms, or watch horror movies together. You'll miss out on so much fun in life!"

Murong Huan spoke with great passion, her expression full of disdain, as if she could already picture Jiang Yiheng crying while watching a horror movie with his girlfriend.

Quan Le chimed in, "Yeah! It's so embarrassing!"

Shen Yujing also shot him a look of disdain.

No one could resist a challenge—except Jiang Yiheng.

His gaze lingered on Song Yi for a brief moment before he said, "I like brave girls."

Implying that as long as the other person wasn't afraid, it was fine.

Murong Huan was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting Jiang Yiheng to respond like that, and then asked, "But why would a brave girl like you?"

This made Jiang Yiheng pause, and then he said, "Let's begin."

Xu Che & Hang Feng: "...?"

Everyone else: "Yay!"

Since Jiang Yiheng himself had agreed, the others had no choice but to join in the game.

The lights in the room were turned off, and everyone sat cross-legged around Jiang Yiheng's bed.

Moonlight shone on everyone's faces, the cicadas outside were noisy, but the room was eerily quiet.

Murong Huan picked up the air conditioner remote and turned the temperature down a bit, adding to the atmosphere.

She was the first to speak, "Once upon a time, there was a little boy who walked to school by himself every day. His teachers and family praised him for being sensible and smart. He was a very kind child, and every day he would give a boiled egg from his home to the old scavenger at the school gate. Over time, the two became familiar."

"Later, the boy noticed that the old man's clothes had become cleaner, and every time he handed over the egg, the old man would give him a meat bun in return—"

Song Yi asked curiously, "Was the bun filled with human flesh?"

Murong Huan: "?"

"Yi Yi! What are you doing?" Murong Huan exclaimed in frustration, "Even if you know the ending, don't spoil it!"

Song Yi: "..."

She really didn't know, but it was just too obvious.

So Murong Huan's story ended abruptly without being finished.

Next up was Quan Le. His story was slightly better than Murong Huan's, at least Song Yi couldn't guess the ending, but it still wasn't particularly scary.

Then, Murong Huan's phone suddenly lit up, shining on Jiang Yiheng's face, and she excitedly shouted, "Jiang Yiheng is scared! His expression changed!"

Jiang Yiheng's hand tightened around the blanket, but he didn't refute her claim.

The third to go was Hang Feng. He held up his phone and read a ghost story he found online.

His tone was stiff—Hang Feng had never done something so pointless in his life... or maybe he had, but only with this group of people.

After Hang Feng finished his story, Song Yi rubbed her arms and commented, "That was chilling. Even real ghosts might find it boring."

Jiang Yiheng's voice was calm as he said, "This is all pointless."

He was afraid of ghosts, but that didn't mean he could be scared by such dull stories. The exaggerated voices they used just made them sound ridiculous!

Jiang Yiheng's words, however, struck a nerve with Shen Yujing, who felt a hint of provocation. Was Jiang Yiheng looking down on them?

So Shen Yujing patted Xu Che's shoulder and said, "Hey! Show him what we're made of! Let him know we're not to be underestimated!"

Xu Che looked at him in confusion, "Why me?"

Shen Yujing replied, "Because I'm the best. The weaker ones go first. I'll save the best for last."

Xu Che couldn't be bothered to argue with Shen Yujing. Instead of telling a ghost story, he suddenly asked, "By the way, do you know why I chose this place for our trip?"

Murong Huan chimed in, "Didn’t you say it’s because we’re unfamiliar with this place?"

"That was just a random excuse to brush you off," Xu Che chuckled lightly. "Actually, this is the house where I lived with my grandfather when I was a child. My grandfather was a formidable businessman back in the day, but after his health declined, he came to the countryside to recuperate alone. At that time, things weren’t great at home either, so I came to live with him."

"I spent half a year here, and it was the only happy period of my childhood. Every morning, while I was washing up, he would prepare breakfast and then take me by the hand to the village’s little store. Even though he always said those cheap snacks were unhealthy, he would still buy me whatever I had my eyes on."

"But he never admitted it was for me. Every time, he would pretend to dig out a box from under the bed, open it, and say it was something he didn’t need anymore, then tell me to throw it away."

"He always said that a boy should have a sense of responsibility, that he should stand tall and be capable. He told me I had to be smart and outstanding so I could inherit the family business someday. Even after moving here, he was strict with me. If I fell behind in my studies, he’d make me stand or even kneel in the yard as punishment, and sometimes he’d hit my back with a stick."

"But eventually, he couldn’t hit me anymore. His health deteriorated, and he could no longer get up from his wheelchair. The household servants and doctors came to take care of him. He didn’t go back to the hospital but chose to spend his final days in his hometown, quietly embracing death—or perhaps, as he put it, freeing himself from the weariness of life and truly finding peace."

This was the first time anyone had heard Xu Che share a story about his past. Everyone’s expressions shifted slightly, and even Hang Feng furrowed his brow.

Song Yi pursed her lips and said, "You’ve turned out really well. You haven’t let your grandfather down."

"Yeah," Murong Huan nodded in agreement. "You’re amazing, truly. Look, my personality clashes with Shen Yujing and Quan Le all the time, but I get along with you just fine. If I approve of you, it means you’re really something special."

Quan Le: "What are you trying to say?"

Shen Yujing: "She’s saying you’re not as outstanding as Xu Che."

Quan Le: "Why are you so happy about that? She lumped you in with me."

Shen Yujing: "..."

For this group, the atmosphere was unusually warm and touching.

Jiang Yiheng opened his mouth, but he wasn’t good at comforting people. In the end, he managed to squeeze out a few dry words: "It’s all in the past now."

At that moment, Quan Le suddenly spoke up, "Jiang Yiheng, why don’t you check under the bed? Maybe Xu Che’s grandfather left him a gift there."

Everyone: "?"

Quan Le knew his suggestion was absurd, but he pressed on, "Look, Xu Che’s so sad right now. Just take a peek under there, just one look. Don’t be so heartless!"

Though it made no sense, Jiang Yiheng, half-pushed by Quan Le, actually leaned down to look.

He thought, *Fine, just one glance. It’s not like there’s anything there—*

Under the bed, something faintly glowed. A blurry face emerged, and a pair of eyes stared straight at him.

Jiang Yiheng: "!!!"

"Why did Jiang Yiheng fall to the floor? Did he faint again?"

"Why do you say 'again'?"

"Jiang Yiheng! Are you okay, Jiang Yiheng?"

"Turn on the lights! Turn on the lights!"

"What’s going on here?"

"Holy—Shen Yujing, what the hell are you doing under the bed?"

The scene was utter chaos.

Shen Yujing, now flustered, quickly explained, "My slipper got kicked under the bed, so I went to get it! I just crawled in a bit further and used my phone for light, that’s all! I didn’t do anything else!"

He really had no idea how things had escalated like this.

Quan Le was also stunned. "Huh? Then why did you look at me like that? Weren’t you trying to team up with me to scare Jiang Yiheng?"

Shen Yujing waved his hands frantically. "No, no, no! That’s not it at all! Don’t make things up!"

Song Yi shouted, "Stop arguing! Hurry up and get Jiang Yiheng onto the bed! Quick!!!"

Jiang Yiheng, still unconscious: "..."

If Jiang Yiheng could go back in time, he probably wouldn’t have opened that door when Shen Yujing and Song Yi were locked in the music classroom after being punished with cleaning duty. Maybe he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with them at all.

It’s not that life is hard. It’s just that his life is hard.

Ah, people. Ah, fate.

A thousand words could be summed up in one—

Sigh.

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