Sweet Kiss - Chapter 5.2

Meanwhile, Li Yansui and Bai Tingzhou stood on the rooftop. After all the chaos, Li Yansui had finally calmed down.

Gazing into the distance, she muttered softly, as if talking to herself, “Am I really just useless?”

Bai Tingzhou frowned at her, his expression full of disapproval. “And you actually believe those idiots?”

Li Yansui blinked, then suddenly burst into laughter. His blunt words caught her off guard. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to curse. I thought you were some kind of untouchable saint, far above all worldly nonsense.”

Bai Tingzhou ignored her weak attempt at humor and changed the subject. “Tomorrow’s exam—do you think you can make it into the top 35?”

Li Yansui paused before tilting her head and smirking. “Of course. Do you even know who I am?”

“…”

Bai Tingzhou didn’t bother responding to her overconfidence.

They stood in silence for a while.

Eventually, Li Yansui broke the quiet. “I thought you’d say ‘we’ll see’ just now.”

Bai Tingzhou nodded slightly. Then, word by word, he said, “We’ll see.”

His tone wasn’t mocking or dismissive, but somehow, those simple words made Li Yansui feel… hopeful.

The morning sun wasn’t harsh yet. Its warmth wrapped around them, soft and comforting. Li Yansui squinted slightly, sighing, “I can’t believe I’m really here, in Qinghui City.”

“Why did you come here?” Bai Tingzhou asked.

He had wanted to ask this for a long time.

Why Qinghui? Why Hengshan High School?

Or rather—why appear in my life?

Li Yansui turned to him with a playful smile. “Good question… why indeed?”

Tilting her head, she pretended to think.

“Because of you.”

The moment the words left her lips, Bai Tingzhou’s eyes widened.

Then she grinned mischievously, her eyes curving like a teasing little cat.

Bai Tingzhou frowned. He didn’t get what was so funny. The more he thought about it, the deeper his frown became.

Seeing his reaction, Li Yansui chuckled even more. Unable to resist, she reached out and smoothed the creases between his brows.

“Do you just enjoy messing with me?” Bai Tingzhou finally asked.

“Yup,” Li Yansui answered without hesitation. “Because I really like you.”

Bai Tingzhou: “…”

Another one of her vague, impossible-to-decipher answers.

He could never quite figure her out. And that… frustrated him.

“Why were you mad this morning? And why did you help me?” Li Yansui suddenly asked.

She wasn’t clueless. If she had to guess, Bai Tingzhou had been angry because she had let go of his hand and said something a little hurtful.

And as for Class 5… the “student council inspection” was just an excuse.

Normally, Bai Tingzhou wouldn’t waste time on something like this.

She already knew the answers.

She just wanted to hear him say them.

Classic case of playing dumb on purpose.

Bai Tingzhou’s white shirt swayed slightly in the morning breeze. He stood tall and straight, unmoving, making Li Yansui suddenly recall a poetic line: “As pure as a jade tree standing in the wind.”

The wind tousled Bai Tingzhou’s bangs, and he squinted slightly, staring ahead, lost in thought.

Li Yansui smiled, not rushing him, patiently waiting for his response.

He was a proud person—if she hadn’t asked those two questions first, Bai Tingzhou would never have brought them up on his own.

If neither of them spoke, the problems between them would only pile up.

She knew Bai Tingzhou liked her. And she firmly believed he understood her feelings as well. But still, he seemed afraid of something.

If they rushed into a relationship without resolving past issues, it would only lead to unnecessary trouble in the future.

She wasn’t impatient.

She was willing to wait—until the day he was ready to speak his heart.

Bai Tingzhou pressed his lips together, his deep eyes flickering with hesitation before he finally made up his mind. He slowly said, “Because of you. Because I don’t like hearing that sentence.”

His ears turned red, and a faint blush spread across his cheeks. “Walking too fast this morning was my fault. Sorry.”

In one breath, he answered both questions—and even apologized.

Li Yansui couldn’t help but chuckle.

The fact that he was willing to speak up was a good thing.

She knew Bai Tingzhou wasn’t someone who apologized easily. She hadn’t expected to hear a “sorry” from him at all—especially since the morning incident was technically her fault.

But she hadn’t expected him to apologize for something she hadn’t even minded.

Her mood instantly brightened.

She reached out, hooking her slender finger around the hem of Bai Tingzhou’s shirt, her smile playful. A sly glint flashed in her eyes.

“Chairman Bai, does this mean I was abusing my power just now?” She was referring to what had happened earlier in Class Five—when Bai Tingzhou had suddenly deducted points.

Bai Tingzhou raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?”

“I never asked for your help. It doesn’t count,” Li Yansui said, tilting her chin up with feigned arrogance.

“It doesn’t count. I was just doing my routine inspection. If I were really abusing my power, they wouldn’t still be in that classroom.”

Li Yansui: “…”

So ruthless?

Just then, the school bell rang, signaling the end of morning self-study.

The sound interrupted their conversation, and Li Yansui suddenly remembered—she had snuck out of class.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. It was only her second day at this school, and she had already skipped morning self-study.

It looks like Director Wang would now have a legitimate reason to really abuse his power against her.

She turned to Bai Tingzhou, eyes full of apology. “Sorry, I got you involved in—”

Before she could finish, Bai Tingzhou cut her off. “No need to apologize. I forgot to tell you—I don’t have to attend morning self-study.”

“Why? Just because you’re the student council president?” Li Yansui’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Bai Tingzhou remained calm, his expression as indifferent as ever. He glanced down at the freshmen heading to the auditorium for a lecture, his tone casual. “Actually, there’s another reason. Today is the first official day of school for the freshmen. I have to give a speech.”

Was there a hint of… pride in his voice?

Li Yansui: “…”

She felt like she had been struck by lightning.

Her expression shifted from pale to dark.

No wonder he wasn’t in a hurry. No wonder he had no problem sneaking out with her. Turns out, he never had to attend morning self-study in the first place!

“Don’t believe me?” Bai Tingzhou raised an eyebrow. “If you don’t, you can come with me. It’s the privilege of being student council president.”

Li Yansui forced a laugh, twitching the corners of her mouth. “If I keep following you around, do you think I’ll even last in this school?”

She had already skipped a whole period. If she didn’t return to class soon, her aunt might as well come pick her up and take her home.

Getting expelled on the second day of transferring schools?

She would never live it down.

She glanced at Bai Tingzhou’s crisp white shirt, feeling speechless.

No wonder he had dressed so handsomely this morning—he was going to give a speech!

Bai Tingzhou, you’re such a secret show-off!

As if sensing her gaze, Bai Tingzhou looked up and saw the disdain in her eyes. He found it amusing.

Just then, his smartwatch vibrated—his alarm had gone off.

He withdrew his gaze, grabbed Li Yansui’s sleeve, and led her down the stairs. “You’ve already skipped one class. What’s another?” he teased.

Li Yansui: “…”

That was her excuse every time she skipped class, and Bai Tingzhou had always stopped her.

So he remembered, huh?

Now there was no way she could explain herself.

She sighed in defeat.

Might as well accept her fate.

She had dug this hole herself—now she had to climb out of it.