Bai Yuyou Learns to Say No

After bringing Yu You back to the school clinic, Ye Shuang had her sit on a chair and then asked about Luo Che.

It seemed unlikely that someone would go out of their way to report him for no reason, and Ye Shuang couldn’t recall any past conflicts with Luo Che. Given that, it was probably Yu You who had some unresolved issue with him.

Upon hearing Luo Che’s name, Bai Yuyou tilted her head in thought, but she couldn’t even clearly remember what he looked like. In short, the person Ye Shuang mentioned was someone who left almost no impression on her.

The only thing she remembered was that he once claimed the cafeteria rice was brought from his own home.

At that thought, the girl fell into contemplation again—

Why would he bring rice from home when the cafeteria already has some?

Snapping out of her thoughts, Bai Yuyou said to Ye Shuang, "I… don’t really know him."

Ye Shuang rubbed his chin. "Then is he one of Wu Ya’s people?"

Still, such underhanded tactics were hardly worth acknowledging. Ye Shuang pulled up the screenshot Principal Huang had forwarded to him and showed it to Bai Yuyou.

"He reported us for having an improper relationship."

Bai Yuyou slowly processed the words, as if deep in thought, before asking, "What’s an improper relationship?"

"Anything that goes against morals or the law is called improper," Ye Shuang explained, though he could see Yu You still looked confused. After all, concepts like these were a bit difficult for her to grasp.

"Are we… improper?"

"No, we’re not." Ye Shuang pinched her soft cheek. "No matter what anyone says, don’t pay attention to them."

"Okay." Bai Yuyou nodded. "I’ll listen to Ye Shuang…"

"Good girl."

The last class of the afternoon was self-study. By the time Bai Yuyou returned to the classroom after showering, the lesson had already started. Tang Keke grinned as she watched the girl take her seat beside her and whispered,

"Did your brother do anything?"

"Do… what?"

"Like, post-exercise treatment or something." Tang Keke gestured vaguely, her smile widening.

Bai Yuyou didn’t quite understand, but she still said, "Report… Ye Shuang said someone reported us."

Tang Keke didn’t catch the meaning of "report," so she handed the girl a pen. "Here, write it down for me."

Bai Yuyou took the pen and began scribbling on the paper. When Tang Keke read the account of what had happened, her smile instantly vanished, and she discreetly glanced in a certain direction across the classroom.

Luo Che was chatting and laughing with his deskmate. He usually came across as cheerful in class—no one would’ve guessed he’d do something like this.

"Yu You, he’s trying to get your brother fired. He’s a bad person," Tang Keke whispered.

"Bad person."

"Yeah, we should stay away from people like him."

"Okay." The girl’s gaze shifted toward Luo Che, her usually calm eyes now icy and unapproachable.

At that moment, Luo Che seemed to notice Bai Yuyou looking his way. Remembering how she had also been watching him during P.E. class, his heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to keep chatting casually with his classmates. Unconsciously, his posture straightened a little.

Before long, school was over, and it was time to head to the light music club.

"Come on, Yu You! I learned You Are Too Beautiful on the ukulele last night—I’ll play it for you later," Tang Keke said cheerfully.

"Keke… duty."

"Duty?" Tang Keke blinked, then walked over to check the duty roster. "Oh, right, you’re on duty today. No worries, I’ll help you."

"Okay… I’ll help you next time."

"Hehe, deal."

There were only a few students on duty. Bai Yuyou stood on a chair, wiping the corridor windows with a cloth.

The girl was meticulous in her work. While most students half-heartedly rushed through their duties, Bai Yuyou carefully scrubbed away every speck of dust and stain in the corners.

Luo Che was cleaning another window—he was also on duty today.

But his attention wasn’t on his task. Instead, his eyes kept drifting toward Bai Yuyou’s waist-length hair swaying slightly as she worked, and her flawless profile.

Seeing her step down from the chair to rinse her cloth, Luo Che mustered his courage and smiled. "I’m going to wash mine too—want me to do yours?"

Bai Yuyou ignored him, walking straight past as if she hadn’t heard a word.

What’s going on? Luo Che froze. Does she hate me now? But then again, she had been looking at him during P.E. and self-study class.

…Is she shy?

A realization seemed to dawn on him.

Soon, Bai Yuyou returned. After finishing the windows, she moved on to the railings—she was familiar with these tasks. Back when she was bullied, she’d often ended up doing all the cleaning alone.

Luo Che seized the moment to approach again, his heart pounding. Just as he was about to speak, Tang Keke emerged from the classroom carrying a bucket.

"Yu You, I’m done mopping. Gonna dump this water."

"Okay."

Bai Yuyou continued wiping the railings quietly. Luo Che swallowed his words but still managed to say, "You need to put more strength into it. Want me to take over?"

"No need."

Her refusal was firm, her tone even colder than before.

"Alright… Hey, Bai Yuyou." Luo Che pressed on. "We’re moving up to fourth grade soon, and classes will be reshuffled. I was thinking of adding everyone to keep in touch—what’s your WeChat? Let’s connect."

Bai Yuyou glanced at him. "No."

"Uh…" Luo Che hadn’t expected her to be this shy. He forced a laugh. "Okay, maybe later."

"Not later either." Her words shut him down completely.

"Huh? Why?" Luo Che scratched his head. "Did I do something to upset you?"

"Yes. I dislike you." For once, Bai Yuyou didn’t stammer. Her tone was decisive, her eyes frosty—as if she’d become a different person. "Because I don’t like you."

Luo Che stiffened, blurting out, "Then why were you staring at me in class?"

Bai Yuyou replied flatly, "I was looking at Ye Shuang. You… overthought it."

Blood rushed to Luo Che’s head, his face burning red. Flustered, he snapped,

"Who do you think you are? I never said I liked you—I just wanted to add you!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them.

But Bai Yuyou remained expressionless. She gave him a brief, indifferent look before turning away.