How come you're also my ex-girlfriend?

Does this old man have mind-reading abilities?

Xu Yan squinted and scrutinized the area, while Xu Jia'an scoffed, "This is the path your old man took. Do you think I don't know what you young boys and girls are thinking? You're still too green!"

"No... Old Xu, listen to me."

"Alright, enough nonsense. This is your mother's death order. I'm going to sleep. Figure it out yourself."

Xu Yan smiled wryly, "Dad, I've never called anyone else 'Dad' in my life."

Xu Jia'an: ?

"If Jiang Yiyao and I really fight...whose side will you take?"

"Then we'll definitely side with our own people, regardless of who's right or wrong."

"That's true, after all, he's my own son."

"you are?"

Xu Yan: ...

That's fucking ridiculous!

Feeling utterly despondent, Xu Yan finished washing up and returned to his room. He pondered deeply and thought things through.

Is there no way to avoid this imminent situation?

As the saying goes, "Kings should not meet," so perhaps I should temporarily avoid confrontation?

[Back in your senior year of high school, you deserve a perfect dinner party; it's one of the countless things you owe her.]

[Task: Have a perfect dinner with Jiang Yiyao.]

[Task Rewards: Calculated based on performance.]

Xu Yan sat up abruptly.

"I should avoid her?!"

If you want war, then I will fight!

But why do I owe so many people so much in the future? Turns out I wasn't a scumbag, but actually a deadbeat.

……

Chapter 35 Don't speak, just copy!

Saturday morning was shrouded in a light mist.

I didn't see Jiang Yiyao this morning either, but I'm still not in a good mood.

It wasn't that we were deliberately avoiding each other; it was just that, according to wartime protocol, it was best for the two sides not to meet before a major battle. It was like how, in ancient times, a man and woman couldn't have private contact before their wedding night.

No problem. I'm a very traditional man myself. If I don't dare to kiss a girl on the lips casually, am I not traditional?

Unfortunately, I didn't get to try the fragrant and white cod burger this morning, so I had to pay for my own breakfast.

Biting into the meat bun saturated with juicy meat, Xu Yan was filled with hatred and loathing for this cold world.

Upon arriving at the classroom, Xu Yan had no interest in studying and instead lay on his desk, racking his brains about how to resolve tonight's big battle.

Most of the students had arrived, and I thought nothing could affect my determination to prepare for the competition.

Then a tall, slender girl with round-framed glasses and a slightly intellectual air appeared on the front of the class. She was An Lulu, the class monitor of Experimental Class 5. She pushed up her round-framed glasses and calmly said, "Group leaders, please collect the homework and give it to me. Also, please state the names of those who haven't submitted theirs."

Xu Yan felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Operation?"

He turned to look at Liu Shusheng beside him, "Did you have homework yesterday?"

Liu Shusheng nodded. "It was arranged during evening self-study, didn't you know, Brother Xu?"

"Damn it!" Xu Yan exclaimed indignantly, "I had to do homework when I was in the regular class, and now I still have to do homework after working so hard to get into the experimental class? What's the point of me getting promoted?!"

Liu Shusheng scratched his head. "Are there any places in school where we don't have to do homework?"

"Of course, I don't think those adults in the office need to do any homework. They just sit in their thermos cups and look at their phones all day." Xu Yan said irritably, "Alright, Brother Shu, let me copy your homework."

There's no time to improvise now; I have to copy.

Liu Shusheng said embarrassedly, "I've already handed in my homework."

"..."

Brother Shu, you're too fast! So fast that you've missed the chance to earn Brother Xu's favor!

Having no other choice, Xu Yan poked the girl in front of him in the back. "Cod Burger, I need you to do me a favor."

"I won't let you copy, because you were allowed to sleep during evening self-study."

Wen Xueyu gets angry whenever she thinks about it, but when she tells him that she cheers him up, he becomes full of energy.

When I turned around, this guy had fallen asleep!

They're just making a fool of themselves!

Xu Yan looked at the other person helplessly, "There's nothing I can do... I'm just too sleepy. Anyone who isn't sleepy at school is a superhuman."

"So you still want me to... cheer you on! Humph."

Seeing the sullen girl, Xu Yan smiled.

"It's all because the cod burger had too much battery and overcharged me. Please, just this once, don't let it happen again, save old Xu who's living alone~"

"Why are you still acting all cute... Oh dear, just this once." Wen Xueyu was too kind-hearted and couldn't resist Xu Yan's shameless advances at all.

She took out her notebook, turned slightly, and said, "Then... hurry up and copy it..."

"Don't worry, I'm an old Super Boy."

Xu Yan grinned from ear to ear, just as he was about to take the homework from the other person and start copying it extensively.

A fair, slender hand with distinct knuckles and faintly visible blue veins on the back of the hand grabbed the workbook first and easily pulled it away.

Xu Yan and Wen Xueyu were both taken aback. When they looked up, they saw a cold and calm face.

Ye Shutong lowered her eyes slightly, her face expressionless.

"No more copying."

Hey!

Why is there a "stop at the inch" step?!

Neither Xu Yan nor Wen Xueyu noticed when Ye Shutong appeared, and the timing was so precise!

For a moment, Wen Xueyu wanted to speak up for Xu Yan.

But just one glance from Ye Shutong made her shrink back.

Ye Shutong's sense of justice is just too strong... This aura, even though she hasn't said anything, is kind of intimidating...

Huh? But has she ever dealt with this kind of thing before?

Xu Yan looked at Ye Shutong with a completely bewildered expression.

I knew that not handing in homework was a serious matter in school, since it meant being punished by copying assignments. But I never imagined that copying homework would be investigated. Wait, are the experimental classes really that strict?

And how come it just happens to be Ye Shutong?

Since entering high school, Xu Yan had not had any communication with Ye Shutong. The fact that their first interaction had occurred under such circumstances left Xu Yan somewhat at a loss for words.

Looking into her eyes, she didn't respond further, picked up her notebook and walked back, seemingly just doing her job.

What exactly does she mean?

Xu Yan couldn't understand, and Wen Xueyu could only say helplessly, "If she takes it... then there's nothing we can do, I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it's my problem. I'm just glad you're willing to help me."

Xu Yan responded with that, and Wen Xueyu immediately turned her head away, "N-no, not really..."

He really does remember my good points... he just likes to joke around a bit.

The next moment, however, they saw Xu Yan carrying a notebook and a pen, chasing after them.

"Hey, you..."

She tried to dissuade him, but Xu Yan didn't give her a chance.

Do you want your homework back from Ye Shutong? No... If this continues, you'll disappear!

"Hmm? You're here?"

An Lulu, who was about to hand in her pile of homework to the office, looked at the girl next to her strangely.

Leafy sparse tree.

This girl, who is the class representative for Chinese and the leader of the fourth group, doesn't really care about class affairs, but that doesn't affect her popularity in the class and the teacher's trust in her.

After all, she can handle any task assigned to her well, and she always gets good grades and never causes trouble. As the class monitor, I trust her a lot, but I've never seen her volunteer to do anything... which is a bit unusual.

Ye Shutong, with her eyes slightly lowered, didn't explain further, "Okay, I'll go."

There's only this one sentence.

An Lulu finally nodded, "Okay, thank you for your help."

"Ah."

With concise words, Ye Shutong picked up her homework and walked straight out of the classroom. She walked calmly toward the office.

The steps were slow, as if the notebook were very heavy, yet the way they held it seemed effortless. This created a subtle, strange sense of incongruity.

"Um...wait a minute!"

Upon hearing the sound, Ye Shutong stopped in her tracks.

She watched as a handsome, smiling face came into view. Beside him was a thin white mist from outside the corridor, and only a few golden rays of sunlight fell on his profile.

Ye Shutong remained silent, quietly observing the other person.