23. I Don't Like Him

Meng Liangping had already arrived at the classroom. Not believing that Xie Guilan would steal anything, he frowned and asked Zhou Ye, "You can't just throw around accusations like that. You need to provide evidence first."

"Teacher," Zhou Ye said, staring at Xie Guilan with undisguised disgust, "I left my watch in the classroom last night. He was the last one to leave, and his seat is the closest to mine. Who else could it be?"

Zhou Ye sat only one aisle away from Xie Guilan.

The students in the class were huddled in the back rows. Lu Wang craned his neck, suddenly spotted Cen Wu, and struggled his way out of the crowd. He grabbed Cen Wu’s arm and whispered, "I just got to the classroom, and I heard Zhou Ye accusing Brother Xie of stealing his watch."

Class divisions are always obvious. While school uniforms blur these differences to a great extent, it was still easy to tell how cheap Xie Guilan’s clothes were compared to those of wealthier students.

However, Xie Guilan was tall and sturdy, with a handsome, cold face that would look good even in a burlap sack. This made people overlook his worn-out backpack and sneakers.

"You’re short on money," Zhou Ye said in a pitying tone. "I can lend you some. That watch isn't worth much, but it was a gift from my father. I’ll give you ten thousand; just give it back to me, okay?"

Xie Guilan stared at him and said coldly, "I didn't take it."

Zhou Ye gave a low scoff. "Whether you took it or not, won't a search tell us?" He turned to the head teacher, "Teacher Meng, I request to search his bag. That’s not too much to ask, is it?"

Meng Liangping’s expression darkened. Zhou Ye’s grades were decent enough to get him into Class 3, but he was just as much of a headache as Cen Wu used to be. However, being less wealthy than the Cen family, he couldn't be quite as arrogant.

Zhou Ye was doing this purely to humiliate someone.

Before Meng Liangping could speak, Xie Guilan, his face cold and somber, threw his backpack at Zhou Ye’s feet.

Xie Guilan had deep-set, dark, and menacing eyes, like they were filled with impenetrable fog. His voice was equally icy.

"Search if you want."

Zhou Ye: "..."

Zhou Ye gritted his teeth. What he hated most was this expression on Xie Guilan’s face.

He was nothing but an illegitimate son, living a life worse than the lowest-grade horse in the Xie family stables, yet he always looked at people with that condescending gaze, as if he were looking at a dog.

Now, if he wanted to search Xie Guilan’s bag, he would have to bend down to pick it up himself. Who was really being humiliated here?!

Zhou Ye laughed in his fury. He gave up on the idea of searching and raised his foot, intending to stomp on Xie Guilan’s bag.

Outside the classroom, Cen Wu suddenly spoke up. "Are... are you sure he’s the one who took it?"

Cen Wu spoke slowly, as if giving him one last chance. Zhou Ye, failing to pick up on this, said suspiciously, "Second Young Master, you aren't trying to cover for him, are you?"

Cen Wu looked up. Having just recovered from an illness, his skin was as white as snow, and he looked as fragile as a bird on a branch. His eyes were innocent as he drawled, "I... I’m just asking. If you’re so sure, why not check the surveillance?"

"If he really took it last night, d-do you think he would be foolish enough to bring it to school in his bag today?"

Before Cen Wu could finish, a chill ran down his back. The Student Union was conducting an inspection of the students' appearance and conduct, and Xie Shangjing, the Student Union president, had just passed behind him with his team.

Cen Wu turned his head instantly and sneered at Xie Guilan, "Top of the grade, and this is all the brainpower you have?"

Xie Guilan: "..."

Xie Shangjing glanced over with a frown but didn't stop. Class 3 had already been checked; they had finished inspecting Class 8 at the end of the corridor and were heading back to their own classroom.

Seeing him leave, Cen Wu turned his attention back to Zhou Ye and said slowly, "Besides, you haven't even managed to rank in the top ten of the class... it’s no surprise you can't think of something so simple."

Zhou Ye: "..."

*What the hell did you even score on your own exams?!*

The students in a key class could hardly tolerate being insulted to their faces about their grades, especially when everyone knew the classroom surveillance was just for show and was only turned on during exams.

But before Zhou Ye could retort, Cen Wu anticipated his move. Cen Wu tugged at the curtain next to the back door and pointed upward. "I’m talking about *this* surveillance camera."

Hidden at the very top of the curtain, in a discreet spot, was a small camera. It was hard to notice if one wasn't paying attention.

Even Meng Liangping was stunned. There were only two cameras in the classroom, one at the front and one at the back. He didn't even know this one had been installed.

This made things easier. Meng Liangping’s face fell. "Enough, stop arguing. Come with me to check the footage. I want to see exactly what happened."

Seeing the camera, Zhou Ye was instantly struck with panic. He suddenly realized what Cen Wu had meant by repeatedly asking if he was sure Xie Guilan had taken his things.

But with the whole class watching, he couldn't back down now. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

The surveillance room was in another building.

Meng Liangping walked in the lead. Zhou Ye’s lips trembled, but he gritted his teeth and decided to go through with it.

He had placed the watch in Xie Guilan’s desk compartment himself last night, just wanting to teach him a lesson. He hadn't intended to involve the police; he just wanted Xie Guilan to apologize privately.

But when he checked this morning, the watch was actually missing, which was why he had insisted on blaming Xie Guilan.

He was terrified that the footage might have captured something else.

Zhou Ye looked conflicted. Cen Wu, walking beside him, lowered his voice and said, "Zhou Ye, you... you were originally named Zhou Yuan, right?"

"..." Zhou Ye’s expression shifted instantly.

Zhou Ye was just a small-time bully, but Xie Guilan, with his vindictive nature, never let anyone off.

Zhou Ye, originally named Zhou Yuan, was also an illegitimate son. When he was born, his father’s legal wife was only three months pregnant. His mother had caused a scene, demanding a divorce.

When the wife learned of her husband’s infidelity during her pregnancy, she got into an argument with him, accidentally got hit by a car, and died, taking the unborn child with her.

Zhou Ye’s father had been a building materials boss in town. The scandal made his reputation rot, so when his business grew, he simply moved the company to Huaijing and changed Zhou Ye’s name for school.

Since he was so base and low-born, he had to act like a dog at the beck and call of the original owner. Xie Guilan was also an illegitimate child; he didn't know what he had to be so high and mighty about.

He always felt uncomfortable facing Xie Guilan’s cold face.

Zhou Ye gritted his teeth and whispered, "Second Young Master, what exactly do you want? What else do you know?"

"I don't want anything," Cen Wu said with a cold, listless gaze. "It’s what *you* want. What I know depends entirely on you. Stay away from Xie Guilan, and I can act like I know nothing."

"Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I’ll be the only one who knows."

Zhou Ye’s jaw tightened, his breathing growing heavy.

Meng Liangping was checking the footage, and the Dean of Students had arrived as well. The room was crowded, so Cen Wu returned to the classroom.

After all, he had asked Cen Xiao to help coordinate with the school to have that camera installed; there certainly wouldn't be any issues.

The footage was indeed very clear. It not only showed Zhou Ye putting the watch in Xie Guilan’s desk but also him throwing trash on Xie Guilan’s desk and tearing up his exam papers.

Zhou Ye’s watch had been taken by one of his lackeys, a student from Class 8. After coming to Class 3 to help Zhou Ye with his antics, the lackey had swiped the watch to frame Xie Guilan.

"Bring that student from Class 8 here!" the Dean of Students said with a dark face.

He decided to pull up the footage from the previous few days as well. They saw someone peeking into the classroom.

Meng Liangping’s face darkened—did his class have so many troublemakers?! But in the next second, as the person looked up, he realized it was Cen Wu.

Cen Wu had lingered outside the classroom for over a minute, peeked in, and upon seeing it empty, walked in with a look of relief and began wiping down Xie Guilan’s desk.

Surrounded by Meng Liangping, the Dean, the school secretary, and several other teachers, their expressions began to turn strange.

Especially when, after wiping the desk, Cen Wu sprinkled a handful of fruit candies onto Xie Guilan’s desk. He had placed a handful of lychee-flavored candies there, even meticulously arranging them into a heart shape.

But Xie Guilan never arrived, so Cen Wu reached out and ate one.

Then another.

And another.

Lu Wang arrived, and Cen Wu gave him a few.

Zhang Yuanzhou arrived, and Cen Wu gave him a few as well, then took another one for himself.

By the time Cen Wu suddenly realized what he was doing and turned around, there were only a few candies left on Xie Guilan’s desk—the heart shape was long gone. Cen Wu was silent for a moment before simply taking them all, then sneakily lifting Xie Guilan’s papers to copy a few problems.

When Xie Guilan arrived, Cen Wu turned around and watched him take his workbooks out of his bag.

On a night of torrential rain, Xie Guilan left the classroom early. Cen Wu tugged at the hem of his shirt and stuffed an umbrella into his hand.

Xie Guilan’s face was cold from start to finish.

But Cen Wu’s beautiful eyes were brimming with water, reflecting the flickering lights of the rainy night. When Xie Guilan looked at him, his eyes were forced to catch that light.

Cen Wu always looked at him with those eyes—distant and gentle, as if he had been yearning for him for a long time.

"..."

The surveillance room was dead silent.

The Dean wanted to say something but was afraid of being too harsh. Finally, he hinted, "Little Xie... you... I... sigh."

Xie Guilan: "..."

"I don't like him," Xie Guilan said, his dark, aloof peach-blossom eyes lifting. With Cen Wu not there, his eyes no longer reflected anyone’s light. "I won't be in a relationship with anyone."

The Dean finally felt relieved.

That was more like it.

At this age, one should focus on their studies.

"Alright," Meng Liangping patted Xie Guilan on the shoulder. "Go back to the classroom. The teachers will handle the rest."

Xie Guilan left without sparing a glance at Zhou Ye.

Cen Wu had only thought about how the footage would prove Xie Guilan’s innocence, forgetting that it would also capture him.

When Xie Guilan returned to the classroom, Cen Wu turned his head and cautiously observed his expression. Sensing nothing unusual and seeing that he didn't seem unhappy, he turned back around.

Xie Guilan sat in silence for a few minutes.

The egg pancake Cen Wu had bought him that morning had gone stone-cold. He reached out, picked it up, and ate it bite by bite.