Chapter 44: Unexpected Classroom Encounter

Afternoon, break before second period.

Xu Chen spun a pen between his fingers, still puzzling over a math problem.

Beside him, Chen Dahai ducked under his desk, lost in studying “Detective Conan.”

Immersed in the thrill of “There is only one truth,” Chen Dahai suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and let out an impatient “tsk.”

He scowled and looked up, only to freeze on the spot.

Bing Ge had appeared without warning, standing right in front of Chen Dahai.

She looked down at him, her gaze icy and dark.

With a flick of her hand, Bing Ge signaled for him to move.

Swallowing hard, Chen Dahai’s face went pale. He hurriedly stood, bowed his head, and shuffled to the back of the classroom.

Xie Bingran shoved her hands into her pockets and plopped down next to Xu Chen.

The raucous class fell silent as every pair of eyes turned toward them.

Deep in his math problem, Xu Chen sensed the shift in atmosphere and finally lifted his head.

He was startled to find the silent Bing Ge staring at him.

Xie Bingran sat there, expression cold and motionless.

She didn’t say a word or even glance at Xu Chen.

Xu Chen managed a small laugh. “You’re here…”

Bing Ge gave a soft “hm,” still silent.

Clearing his throat, Xu Chen glanced at the dozens of stares aimed his way, feeling awkward.

That afternoon, Bing Ge had inexplicably barged into Class 5 and sat beside Xu Chen without a word.

Xu Chen was completely baffled, looking around for clues.

He spotted Li Rui and a few of his cronies in the hallway outside.

Xu Chen glanced over; Li Rui shot him a cryptic, strange look.

Helpless, Xu Chen thought: Could Li Rui have blabbed about the debt?

He looked back at Bing Ge, unreadable expression. He had no idea what she was thinking.

Awkwardly, Xu Chen forced a smile, unsure what to say.

He rummaged in his desk and pulled out a pack of Oreos.

Tearing open the blue wrapper, he lined up the dark cookies neatly and placed them in front of Xie Bingran.

“These definitely aren’t stale. I just bought them!”

Xie Bingran glanced down, pulled a cookie from her pocket, and tossed it in her mouth. She chewed with a loud “crunch crunch.”

Xu Chen felt a wave of relief.

If she could eat, her mind was clearly intact.

He smiled and popped a cookie into his own mouth.

Under the class’s watchful eyes, Bing Ge and Xu Chen silently devoured the entire pack of cookies.

Only one cookie remained in the bag, both Xu Chen and Xie Bingran grabbing an edge at the same time.

They froze, neither willing to let go.

A cold glint flashed in Xie Bingran’s eyes.

“I skipped lunch. That one’s mine.”

Xu Chen looked innocent. “But I skipped lunch too!”

Xie Bingran shrugged. “I didn’t have breakfast either…”

Xu Chen sighed. “Fine… you win.”

He obediently let go.

Xie Bingran finally smiled and picked up the last cookie.

Unlike on the athletic field last time, she didn’t break it in half. She popped the whole thing into her mouth with another “crunch crunch.”

Just from the sound, you could tell she was enjoying it.

Xu Chen leaned in and murmured, “How do you stay so strong when you skip meals all the time?”

Instantly, Bing Ge’s eyes chilled. “You looking for trouble?!”

Xu Chen hurriedly put on a pleading, sheepish grin.

After finishing the last cookie, Xie Bingran patted her palms casually.

She glanced at Xu Chen and said softly, “Thanks.”

Xu Chen offered a warm smile but said nothing.

Xie Bingran pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket and slapped it onto Xu Chen’s desk with a “pop.”

Then she stood up, hands in her pockets, and walked out, leaving a stunned Xu Chen behind.

He looked up to see Bing Ge already exiting through the classroom’s back door, flanked by her followers, disappearing into the hallway.

Chen Dahai’s eyes darted around before he crept back to his desk, trembling with caution.

“Young Master Xu, what’s going on?”

Xu Chen replied, “Some things in this world are better left unsaid.”

Chen Dahai murmured, eyes wide with confusion.

Xu Chen picked up the paper Bing Ge left behind and opened it:

【Debt owed to Xu Chen: ¥37,400.
Xie Bingran…】

It was an IOU.

“Her handwriting is terrible…” Xu Chen muttered, then carefully folded the note and tucked it into his bag.

A girl suddenly approached, standing in front of Xu Chen with an angry look. “Xu Chen! What’s your relationship with Bing Ge?!”

Xu Chen looked up at the furious girl, equally puzzled.

He froze, then recalled that this was Huang Qianqian, one of Bing Ge’s little fans.

After her cafeteria outburst, she had once confronted Xu Chen about his ties to Bing Ge too.

Xu Chen gave a helpless smile and tried to calm her. “Bing Ge and I… we’re just friends.”

Huang Qianqian relaxed at hearing that.

Then she hesitated, sensing something off. “What do you mean by just friends?!”

Xu Chen stammered, “I mean the normal relationship between a boy and a girl.”

Huang Qianqian seemed ready to argue but the bell suddenly rang.

Seeing the English teacher enter the classroom, she stomped her foot in frustration and returned to her seat.

Xu Chen reached for his bag, remembering the phone he’d meant to give Xie Bingran but forgot.

…

Evening, after the last class ended.

“Come on, Young Master Xu, let’s go get some rice noodles!”

Chen Dahai and a few guys from the back row beckoned to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen said, “You go ahead. I’ll just grab something in the cafeteria today.”

They teased him a bit and left together.

Xu Chen finished the last sequence problem in his book, then retrieved the phone for Xie Bingran and got up to leave.

…

Cafeteria.

Xu Chen paced back and forth but didn’t spot Xie Bingran.

Li Rui and Fang Tao weren’t there either.

Exiting the cafeteria, he saw Zhao Feng and a group of boys smoking by the basketball court.

Xu Chen walked straight over.

“Brother Chen!”

As Xu Chen approached, Zhao Feng and his cronies greeted him quickly.

“Where’s Xie Bingran?”

Zhao Feng squinted. “Don’t know. She hasn’t been with Bing Ge all afternoon.”

He glanced back at the boys behind him. “You guys know where Bing Ge went?”

The group all shook their heads.

…

Meanwhile, in a nearby alley, Xie Bingran walked briskly with her hands in her pockets.

Li Rui, Fang Tao, and two other boys hurried to catch up.

“Bing Ge!”

Xie Bingran stopped and turned to see them.

Li Rui asked, “Bing Ge, why didn’t you call us in on this?”

Xie Bingran’s expression remained impassive.

Li Rui insisted, “Since this concerns Brother Chen, we have the right to know.”