Su Yueyue ran all the way to the back gate of the school but couldn't find Bai Lichen and Luo Ziyang anywhere.
After searching for a while, she finally spotted the two of them around the corner.
The girl hurried over.
"Brother... Deskmate!" she called out to the boy.
Bai Lichen turned around and saw her. The girl was still slightly out of breath, with her hair damp from sweat, and her face flushed.
The boy looked surprised for a moment before he asked impatiently, "What are you doing here? Go back."
"Little Yueyue, just go back, we’ll be done soon, don’t worry," Luo Ziyang waved at her.
"We... we should go back to class, right?" The girl quickened her pace to catch up with Bai Lichen, trying to persuade them.
But Bai Lichen seemed uninterested in listening.
Helpless, Yueyue turned to Luo Ziyang for help. "Luo, can you try to persuade him? The school doesn't allow fights."
"Little Yueyue, as much as I want to help, I really can't do anything about it. You should just go back for now. It’s so hot outside." Luo Ziyang shrugged.
The girl furrowed her brows, feeling anxious.
She wanted to stop Bai Lichen, but she was also scared of him. She wanted to go back, but she had promised Aunt Qin to keep an eye on Bai Lichen and make sure he behaved.
If Aunt Qin found out that Bai Lichen was skipping class to fight, and God forbid he got hurt, Aunt Qin would definitely be worried, and would probably be disappointed in her as well.
Thinking of this, Su Yueyue gathered her courage and grabbed the corner of Bai Lichen’s shirt, trying to speak loudly. "Deskmate, don’t fight..."
But when she saw the cold look in his eyes, she weakly added, "...Okay?"
"No," Bai Lichen pulled her hand away and turned to climb over the wall.
"Deskmate, Auntie will worry about you," Su Yueyue grabbed his wrist with both hands and used all her strength to pull him back.
Luo Ziyang, watching the scene, couldn't help but chuckle. "Chen Ge, Little Yueyue isn't spying for your mom, is she? Hahahaha..."
Bai Lichen shot him a cold glance, and Luo Ziyang hurriedly stopped laughing, clearing his throat awkwardly.
"Uh, Chen Ge, we should hurry, or class will start soon."
Bai Lichen glanced at the girl still holding onto his wrist. His patience wore thin. If she kept bothering him like this, they would definitely be late. But if he left her here, and she screamed or caused a scene, the teachers might find out.
He wasn’t afraid of the school finding out, but he knew that if that happened, his mom would find out, and he’d get an earful of lectures at home.
After thinking for a few seconds, Bai Lichen decided to take the little fool along with him.
Just as Su Yueyue was about to continue her persuasion, the boy suddenly scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder. He stepped onto the ledge of the railing and easily jumped to the other side.
The girl let out a startled cry, hurriedly grabbing her skirt.
"Wow, Chen Ge, you’re amazing!" Luo Ziyang shouted, quickly following them over the wall.
Bai Lichen set the stunned girl down and, with Luo Ziyang, walked ahead along the railing.
After a while, Su Yueyue finally released her grip on her skirt, swaying slightly as she followed them.
"Deskmate, hitting people is wrong," the girl didn’t give up on trying to persuade him, but now she was trying a different approach. "It’s dangerous too."
"Deskmate, maybe we should..." she started to say, but was cut off by another voice.
"Yo, finally here. I thought the famous Bai Lichen was scared!"
It was a boy with yellow-dyed hair, around seventeen or eighteen years old.
He was followed by a few others, looking rough and unruly.
"Is it just you two?" the boy with yellow hair asked, then noticed the girl behind Bai Lichen and continued, "And a little beauty? Can she fight? Bai Lichen, you’re really overestimating yourself."
"Just hurry up if you want to fight. I don’t have much time to waste on you," Bai Lichen’s voice was cold, with an air of natural authority.
These guys had been bothering them for a while and were clearly not intimidated by Bai Lichen.
"f**k! Let’s go!" The boy with yellow hair, enraged by Bai Lichen’s attitude, waved his hand and signaled his group to attack.
Just as Bai Lichen took a step forward, someone suddenly grabbed him tightly.
"Brother, don’t fight them!" The girl clutched Bai Lichen’s arm tightly, her face full of worry and fear.
The people in front of them were obviously not good news, and if a fight broke out, she feared Bai Lichen would be at a disadvantage.
Su Yueyue’s intervention caused a slight pause among the boys, who didn’t quite understand what was going on.
"Let go," Bai Lichen’s expression darkened.
The girl shook her head, her eyes red, though still unwilling to let go.
The boy furrowed his brow, clearly irritated. He reached for the white school jacket tied around his waist and swiftly removed it.
He then pushed the girl toward a small tree and tied her up with the jacket.
"Deskmate, please, let go of me. You really shouldn’t fight..."
"Don’t shout," the boy threatened, pointing at her as he finished tying the jacket. "If you shout again, I’ll kiss you."
Sure enough, the girl immediately quieted down. Her wide eyes were filled with panic and fear, and her pink lips were pressed tightly together.
Bai Lichen seemed very satisfied with her reaction and added, "Shout once, and I’ll kiss you again."
"Goddamn Bai Lichen, what the hell are you doing?" The boy with yellow hair shouted impatiently.
Luo Ziyang, looking at Bai Lichen heading toward the group of boys, whispered, "Chen Ge, don’t you think you’re being too harsh on Little Yueyue?"
"Shut up. Let’s go," Bai Lichen said as he walked towards the group.
Luo Ziyang hurriedly followed.
Su Yueyue, seeing them walk away, quickly closed her eyes, not wanting to watch as the two of them got beaten up.
A moment later, loud screams echoed through the air.
Su Yueyue, hearing the screams, realized they weren’t coming from Bai Lichen and Luo Ziyang. She curiously opened her eyes and looked over.
She saw the two of them moving swiftly, while the boys led by yellow hair were being beaten up badly.
The girl found herself captivated by their movements, suddenly thinking that Bai Lichen looked quite cool when he fought. For a moment, she forgot that she was still tied to the tree.
"Alright," Bai Lichen said, turning back.
"Huh? You’re letting them go?" Luo Ziyang looked at the group of boys lying on the ground, bruised and battered, with a hint of disdain in his voice. "These guys are really weak."
Bai Lichen shot a cold glance at the boy with yellow hair and said, "If you cause trouble again..."
"No! No! Chen Ge, we were wrong! We won’t do it again—" The boy with yellow hair, clutching his swollen face, mumbled with difficulty.
Bai Lichen ignored them, walking straight to the tree where Su Yueyue was tied, untied her quickly, and threw the school jacket casually over his shoulder as they walked back.