Chapter 33: The Unlucky One Is You

Thanks to the warnings from Hu Qiuyue and Zhou Tingting, Lu Qingyue made a point to avoid the group from Class 2 all day.

But while she could dodge them between classes, there was no escaping the two weekly PE lessons.

Right after the afternoon’s PE class, before Lu Qingyue could slip away, someone called out to her.

Xiao Qingrong and two boys from their class were standing in the shade by the exit of the sports field. When they saw her pass by, they lazily shifted to block her way.

"Lu Qingyue, can we talk?"

She found herself trapped at the exit with nowhere to hide and couldn’t help sighing.

"I’ve committed enough misdeeds in my life; meeting you, let’s call it even."

Xiao Qingrong rolled his eyes and cursed under his breath before shamelessly sidling closer, his tone mocking.

"Really? All this just because I want to date you? Are you that scared?"

Looking at the three boys, all taller and bigger than herself, Lu Qingyue decided not to confront them head-on. She immediately used Lu Yi as her shield.

"You saw it that day too. My family is really strict. They don’t allow dating before graduation."

Before Xiao Qingrong could reply, one of the boys next to him snickered.

"Seriously? Is your family stuck in the Qing Dynasty? Who still cares about early relationships these days?"

Lu Qingyue replied, "They don’t care if I date, but if I pick a boyfriend out of the trash, my brother will definitely break my legs."

Xiao Qingrong: "???"

Who’s she calling trash here?!

The other two ‘trash’: "???"

Are we getting insulted too?

Xiao Qingrong admitted he wasn’t some prodigy, but he was tall, athletic, and good-looking, with a decent family background. Why would Lu Qingyue turn him down?

Irritated, he decided to get straight to the point.

"Give me one reasonable reason and I’ll stop bothering you."

Seeing him so direct, Lu Qingyue’s eyes darted around quickly. Soon, she made up her mind and looked up at him calmly.

"I already like someone else. Is that reason enough?"

The three of them were stunned.

Xiao Qingrong frowned, half skeptical. He’d never seen Lu Qingyue close to any boy at school, so he couldn’t tell if she was telling the truth or just brushing him off.

But Lu Qingyue’s expression was utterly unflinching.

She might have started with an excuse, but when she said the words "like someone," her mind automatically conjured up Cheng Xingye’s breathtakingly handsome face.

Why had she suddenly thought of him? Lu Qingyue herself didn’t know.

She wasn’t sure if the subtle feeling she had toward him counted as liking, but in that moment she was strangely certain: if Cheng Xingye were here, he would definitely protect her.

Xiao Qingrong stared at her open, unguarded face for a few seconds. Satisfied she wasn’t lying, he pressed further.

"Really? Tell me his name, and I’ll believe you."

Lu Qingyue remained unfazed, still sparring with him.

"I’ve had a crush on him for so long. Why would I just tell you his name?"

Seeing her stubbornness, Xiao Qingrong thought for a moment and finally realized there was no point in pestering her further.

He stepped back, smirking coldly.

"Fine! I thought you were a good student, but clearly I underestimated you."

With that, he signaled to the other two and walked off.

Watching them leave, Lu Qingyue let out a breath of relief. She was just about to reward her own cleverness with some snacks from the convenience shop when she heard someone call her from behind.

"Little Dot."

That familiar, low, magnetic voice made her heart leap with joy. She spun around at once.

"Brother Xingye!"

She bounced down the steps and ran toward him, excited and surprised.

"Why are you here too?"

Cheng Xingye didn’t answer. He simply glanced at the three boys who were already far away and asked quietly, "Is he still bothering you?"

Lu Qingyue glanced back, shrugged indifferently, and said, "It’s fine. I made it clear to him. He won’t bother me again."

Cheng Xingye made a soft sound of acknowledgment and looked down at her.

The weather had turned chilly today, and the little girl had a down vest over her school jacket, making her look like a round, fluffy snowball.

He walked with her toward the shop at the school gate, asking casually, "Do you really have someone you like?"

Lu Qingyue was caught off guard. She hadn’t expected that he’d overheard her conversation with Xiao Qingrong.

How could someone his age be eavesdropping on a little girl’s chat?

She stuck out her tongue, feeling a little guilty.

"I don’t smoke or drink—so what if I like handsome guys?"

Who could blame her when he was so good-looking!

As if being handsome wasn’t enough, he was always wandering around in front of her. Who wouldn’t be led astray by such allure?

With that thought, Lu Qingyue felt justified in blaming all her troubles on Cheng Xingye.

He watched her indignant little face, thinking deeply but saying nothing more.

They walked in single file into the shop.

As soon as they entered, Lu Qingyue left him behind and rushed to the freezer to choose ice cream.

She loved ice cream all year round, even if it made her shiver.

She carefully picked out a chocolate cone, checked several times to make sure it wasn’t one of those overpriced "ice cream traps," and was about to pay when a large hand reached over and took the cold treat from her.

Cheng Xingye naturally carried her ice cream for her as he walked toward the counter, casually asking,

"What does he look like?"

Lu Qingyue blinked.

All she could think about was how much the ice cream cost and whether it would blow her budget, so she was completely lost by Cheng Xingye’s question. She just stared at him, not sure who he was talking about.

Cheng Xingye brought up his payment code for the cashier to scan, then glanced at her lazily and clarified,

"The person you like."

Lu Qingyue froze, suddenly realizing he was still fixated on her offhand remark from earlier.

Of course she couldn’t tell Cheng Xingye that the person she liked was him.

If he found out she was harboring such thoughts at her age, what if he started avoiding her on purpose?

Her ears grew a little hot. Dodging his gaze, she mumbled, "Why are you so nosy?"

If you really want to know, just look in the mirror!

Cheng Xingye watched her shifty eyes, assuming she was just too shy to answer. For some reason, a strange irritation bubbled up inside him.

What does a kid her age know about liking someone, anyway?

Tongue pressed to his lower jaw, he digested his emotions in silence. After a while, he looked at her clear, innocent eyes and said, with ambiguous meaning,

"I’m just curious—who’s so unlucky to be targeted by a little flirt like you?"

Lu Qingyue: "…?"

She bit into her ice cream and suddenly wanted to laugh.

He’d never guess—the unlucky soul is you.