Chapter Four

Yu Xingyue patted Sun Ying on the shoulder and said, "I’m not really used to this. Could you please ask your friend to stop staring at me? Is there something strange on my face?"

Sun Ying chuckled and replied, "She’s only staring because you’re handsome. Your looks are a blessing to everyone here; they have to get their fill of a once-in-a-century heartthrob like you."

"Stop teasing me. If this keeps up, I’ll go back to my own classroom and stay with the girls there. At least they’d just want to hang out with me instead of staring at me like she is."

Sun Ying tapped her head. "Alright, for your sake, I’ll talk to her. But I can't guarantee how she’ll react."

After Sun Ying relayed Yu Xingyue's feelings, the girl immediately apologized: "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare at you the whole time, it's just..."

Was it intentional after all? That seemed impossible. "It's fine, it's fine. I’m just not used to being watched like that; it was actually a bit hair-raising," Yu Xingyue said with a smile.

"I still don't know your name. Let me introduce myself: I'm Ouli Qiaoyue."

"Ouli Qiaoyue, what a lovely name. I'm Yu Xingyue." He extended his hand. Ouli Qiaoyue took it with great excitement, leaving Yu Xingyue puzzled as to why she was reacting so intensely.

She explained, "Besides my father, I have never had any contact with a male in my life. You, Xingyue-kun, are the first man I have ever interacted with."

Yu Xingyue paused. Never had contact with a man other than her father? He didn't really believe it. The claim sounded familiar; he felt that girls who claimed to have never had contact with the opposite sex were often manipulative. He looked at Ouli Qiaoyue again, her refined makeup making her seem like a vixen in his mind.

After a moment, he said, "Then you truly are pitiful. Should I be honored to be the first man you've touched? How about we go out to celebrate after school tonight?"

Ouli Qiaoyue shook her head. "I can't. My family wouldn't allow me to go out and fool around; it would ruin my image for the future."

Sun Ying knocked on Yu Xingyue's head and said crossly, "What is wrong with you, big brother? Why are you flirting with every pretty girl you see? If your sister-in-law finds out, she’ll skin you alive!" Sun Ying didn't forget to mention Lin Zimo. Even she hadn't fully realized that Yu Xingyue and Lin Zimo were actually a couple; she was just teasing, though it effectively misled others into thinking Yu Xingyue was taken.

Yu Xingyue didn't dare act out of line here. In China, he was quite bold when bickering with others, but here he remained reserved—a complete departure from his usual self, as if his true personality were being suppressed.

Hearing the term "sister-in-law," Ouli Qiaoyue looked confused. Was he married? Otherwise, why would Sun Ying say that? "I'm sorry to ask, but are you married?"

Before Yu Xingyue could answer, Sun Ying cut in: "Of course my big brother is married! If he were married early, no one would be able to steal him away, right, big brother?" Sun Ying nudged him with her elbow.

Yu Xingyue cursed inwardly, "Good one, Sun Ying. How can you lie like that? Deceiving people's feelings—you're so shameless!" He could only vent in his heart; in front of her, he had to play the part of the honest man.

Ouli Qiaoyue's face fell. "I see, I arrived too late then. Well, let me wish you a happy marriage."

"I... this... oh, forget it." Yu Xingyue was speechless. Since Sun Ying had already painted such a picture, explaining would only make the situation more chaotic. It was better to clarify later. The most important thing now was to eat; he had been so busy talking that he had forgotten all about lunch.

***

The Tianyuan Team was in total disarray because they were missing a member. The team functioned as a whole, and they were incomplete without Wang Tianqi. Since Yu Xingyue had left, Wang Tianqi had also vanished, and everyone was out searching for her.

Huang Feifan felt the most guilty. If she hadn't intentionally made things difficult for Wang Tianqi, she wouldn't have disappeared. She believed it was her fault that Wang Tianqi refused to see them.

Still, the most important thing was to find her. The entire Tianyuan Team was mobilized; except for Xiao Jian, who stayed at the dojo because his legs made it difficult to move, everyone else was out searching.

Huang Feifan had gone to Wang Tianqi's home to ask about her whereabouts, but the bodyguards, who likely knew where she was, refused to tell her. They only said, "We don't know where the young lady is either. Our master is very worried and has already sent people to look for her."

It was this statement that led Huang Feifan to wrongly assume that Wang Tianqi's disappearance wouldn't alert everyone.

On the streets, everyone was posting missing person notices on every telephone pole and clean wall they could find. Even if there was little hope, they had to try; maybe they would find a clue.

Huang Feifan was with Zhang Yi. As they posted the twentieth notice, Huang Feifan sighed, "Why am I doing this? I've made everyone as anxious as I am. Why did Wang Tianqi have to go and hide from us?"

Zhang Yi comforted her, "It’s not all your fault. If anything, it's Wang Tianqi's fault. Maybe she’s playing hide-and-seek on purpose to get back at you."

"I don't think so. Wang Tianqi wouldn't go to the trouble of involving all of us in this kind of game. It's my fault. If I had been more proactive, I would have forgiven her last time."

"This isn't the time to be discouraged. The important thing is to find her." Zhang Yi took the notice from Huang Feifan's hand and started posting it. Huang Feifan wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out, so she just followed behind to help.

An hour later, everyone gathered together. Lin Zimo asked, "Any clues?"

"None. How could there be clues in an hour? What if we still haven't found anything after a day? Haven't we just been wasting our time?" Chen Siyu complained. The sweltering heat was making everyone irritable, and the sweat on her face had pushed Chen Siyu to her limit.

Lin Zimo spoke up, "Let's call it a day for now and continue tomorrow. Let's go back and rest before planning our next move. Let's go."

"Where to?" Zhang Yi asked.

"Home, of course. I’m going back to the dojo to pick up Xiao Jian and take him to my place." Lin Zimo headed toward the dojo. With no leads, they had to stop, but the search would continue tomorrow.

***

"Achoo!" Wang Tianqi sneezed and rubbed her nose. "A cold? In the middle of summer?" She looked out the window. The sunlight streaming in was blindingly bright.

Yu Xingyue returned to his classroom. After taking a nap in Sun Ying’s classroom, he came back to find the room stiflingly hot, his back soaked in sweat. He couldn't understand why they had to wear long sleeves in the middle of summer.

It was much better in Sun Ying's classroom; at least they had air conditioning. Here, the two small ceiling fans were useless—they didn't even move the air, and anyone sitting beneath them just got hit with hot wind.

"Yu Xingyue, where have you been all afternoon?" As soon as he returned, he was met with Wang Tianqi's interrogation. He wasn't in the mood to deal with her; the heat was making him irritable.

Wang Tianqi pouted, "I'm asking you a question. Where did you go? Why won't you answer me?"

"I went to see your grandfather, okay? Can you stop being so annoying?" Yu Xingyue said, his voice laced with suppressed anger. He was trying his best not to lose his temper.

Wang Tianqi froze. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him lose his temper, but facing his current state of irritation, she had nothing to say.

"I was just asking! Why are you so angry?"

"That's exactly it—stop bothering me if there's nothing important. I just want to get some sleep." His nap in Sun Ying's classroom had been hazy, perhaps because the air-conditioned room was so comfortable that he hadn't wanted to wake up. But with half an hour left before class started, students had begun to arrive, forcing him to return to his own class.

Yu Xingyue slumped over his desk to continue sleeping. Ignoring the school's rule about wearing the uniform, he took off his long-sleeved jacket, and one could see the heat radiating from his back.