Chapter 11: The School Bully

He Yuxuan was speechless for a moment. After a long while, he asked as gently as possible, "What on earth happened between you and An Xiyan to make you two act like fire and water?"

"Nothing at all!" Xi Ning put on an innocent look, blinking her eyes as pitifully as she could, though no tears would come. After all, shedding tears on command was a technical skill; for her, the difficulty level was no less than a 3.0, so she decided to just blink and play dumb instead.

"Who said there’s a problem between us? An Xiyan is such a pitiful orphan; everyone feels they should look after her. It’s just that my arm is injured and cannot be bumped. You know An Xiyan—she’s innocent and naive, and prone to causing trouble. Of course, she doesn't mean to. But my arm cannot take another hit, or it’ll be ruined. That’s why I asked Wang Zilong to help keep An Xiyan away from me for a month."

Everyone knew how An Xiyan had first caught He Yuxuan’s attention. During an event, she had stumbled and fallen right into his arms, and since she was holding an open bottle of water at the time, the contents had spilled all over him.

An Xiyan had apologized profusely. Although He Yuxuan was annoyed, he ended up comforting her because of her tearful state and her frantic attitude, which made it seem as if she had accidentally splashed him with sulfuric acid. Whether it was love at first splash or the feeling of having his arms full, he had paid her much more attention ever since.

So, saying An Xiyan was "unintentionally" prone to causing trouble—that wasn't wrong, was it?

Xi Ning plastered on a smile and said with the utmost sincerity, "Wang Zilong is busy today, so I’m troubling you, President! When An Xiyan comes by later, no matter what, please stop her and explain things clearly. Tell her absolutely not to come near me. Thank you!" With that, she bowed at a forty-five-degree angle.

He Yuxuan was left between laughter and tears. It sounded plausible, but it felt bizarre no matter how he listened to it. After a moment of thought, he said, "An Xiyan has a club activity today; she won't be coming over. Don't worry."

Xi Ning knew An Xiyan attended the Home Economics Club to maintain her image as a "good girl." The club was relatively relaxed—knitting scarves, cooking, making snacks, and flower arranging. There was often food to eat, and she could chat with a few female classmates, preparing herself to enter the upper-class social circles in the future.

Right, the Home Economics Club was on the third floor of this building. Xi Ning glanced up and spotted a familiar figure in a third-floor window: it was An Xiyan!

She immediately adjusted her angle slightly, then grabbed the sleeve of He Yuxuan’s school uniform. She flashed her most radiant smile—not just showing eight teeth, but almost revealing her molars (the floor was quite high, so she had to put some effort into smiling, fearing she wouldn't be noticed). "I hope she doesn't come over, but she always lingers like a ghost, looking for any chance to get close to me, especially when I’m with a handsome guy like you, President. Anyway, if she really does come over later, you must help me and pull her away. Please, I really, truly beg you!"

From this angle, An Xiyan would see her and He Yuxuan downstairs, with her hand on his wrist, speaking with a face full of smiles.

Although He Yuxuan didn't know why she was smiling so foolishly, he nodded since she had used the word "beg."

Seeing the figure at the window vanish, Xi Ning let go and dropped the smile. "Please continue with your work, President. I’ll just follow along like this."

This sudden shift from hot to cold left He Yuxuan feeling bewildered. He wondered if it wasn't her arm that was injured, but her head. However, since she was just following him without speaking or trying to get close, and because Wang Zilong had entrusted her to him, he decided to carry on.

After walking about a dozen meters, Xi Ning looked back and saw An Xiyan hurrying over with long strides.

*Hehehe, you black lotus,* she thought. *I knew you couldn't resist any school heartthrob. Seeing that your favorite "everyman's heartthrob" might be snatched away, you’re bound to be in a rush.*

Xi Ning immediately called out, "President!"

He Yuxuan stopped and turned around. "Hmm?"

Xi Ning immediately lunged forward and hid behind him. "President, save me! She’s coming; she’s looking over here!"

Seeing Li Qingyu using him as a human shield, He Yuxuan was left speechless. "Don't be nervous. She might just be passing by."

The more he told her not to be nervous, the more anxious Xi Ning became. "President, you must shield me from her! Please, you have to block her; don't let her get near me."

He had never seen Li Qingyu so afraid of someone. If he hadn't seen it, he wouldn't have believed it, but it was the truth: Li Qingyu wasn't bullying anyone; she was doing everything she could to avoid An Xiyan. Yet, He Yuxuan still found it all so strange.

As An Xiyan approached, she bit her lip and walked over. "President He! Sister Qingyu!"

*See?* thought Xi Ning. *What "passing by"? She made a beeline for us. Whoever said she was just passing by just got a slap to the face, didn't they?*

She knew this black lotus would squeeze into any opening and drill through any crack; she wouldn't just sit by and let another woman snatch a handsome guy.

Xi Ning stayed hidden behind He Yuxuan’s tall, sturdy frame, peeking out with only one eye to monitor the situation carefully.

He Yuxuan said, slightly embarrassed, "Oh, hello! Is there something you need?"

"I can't exactly say, 'I saw another woman hitting on you, especially Li Qingyu, so I rushed over to score some brownie points,'" An Xiyan thought. With a touch of grievance, she said pitifully, "I think there might be a misunderstanding between Sister Qingyu and me. I wanted to explain."

*Still using this tactic? Aren't you tired of it?* Xi Ning was amazed at An Xiyan’s thick skin. This "misunderstanding" had been brought up so many times—it was like reheating leftovers until they were burnt—yet she was still using it as an excuse. Couldn't she come up with something new?

Xi Ning remained silent, refusing to engage, waiting to see her act it out.

Tears began to gather in An Xiyan’s large, clear eyes, looking ever so pure and innocent. Xi Ning really admired how she could keep those droplets shimmering in her eyes for so long before letting them roll down, making her eyes look even clearer, like an angel’s.

Once the crystalline tears fell, An Xiyan’s lips trembled slightly as she choked out, "I... I..." as if she were too heartbroken to speak.

It was always like this: she would claim she wanted to explain, but never explain anything clearly, leaving herself looking like the victim of a great injustice.

He Yuxuan was speechless. Everything was happening exactly as predicted, but watching An Xiyan cry still tugged at his heartstrings. He turned to look at Li Qingyu, who was hiding behind him.

Xi Ning tilted her head and curled her lip at He Yuxuan. *Why are you looking at her? Go and comfort her, go and persuade her! Just don't count on me.*

He Yuxuan had no choice but to take a handkerchief from his pocket and hand it to her. "Don't cry. Wipe your face."

Xi Ning was ready to kneel in defeat. He really was the "everyman's heartthrob," carrying a handkerchief at all times to comfort girls.

He Yuxuan said in a gentle, pleasant tone, "Li Qingyu never blamed you for anything. She told me it was because her arm is injured and she cannot risk another injury, which is why she had to take such drastic measures. For now, could you please be understanding? Let’s wait until her arm is healed, okay?"