AIBBFSCITMLA Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lin Min was completely stunned. It took her a full ten seconds or more before she finally snapped back to her senses.

“She—what did she just call me? She actually dared to try and teach me how to solve problems? Someone who’s dead last in the grade dares to teach me, and calls me an idiot?!” Lin Min was shaking with rage, but He Tang was already long gone. All she could do was grab her books and slam them heavily onto the desk.

After she had finished venting her anger, Xia Lian’s deskmate timidly said, “I—I’m going to head back now.”

With that, she immediately fled.

“This is insane! Even the last-place student dares to talk back to me now! What a joke!” Lin Min had always had a hot temper, and now she was completely beside herself. Xia Lian, however, just stood there with a dark expression, saying nothing.

He Tang was truly off today. How could she possibly do something like stepping on desks and cursing out Lin Min? She had always been timid and submissive before, never daring to speak harshly.

Could it be that after being taken in by the Pei family, she felt she could rely on that powerful connection?

Xia Lian shook her head. He Tang’s own parents had abandoned her. There was no way the Pei family would genuinely accept a girl of her standing.

While Lin Min was still burning with rage, He Tang was already riding in the Pei family’s car.

Huajing Villa was quite far from Huacheng No. 1 High School. The car drove for a long while before finally arriving at the villa.

He Tang got out of the car, and a servant opened the door for her. She stepped inside and happened to see the lady of the Pei family sitting on the sofa. She had a gentle demeanor, elegant and noble.

He Tang smiled and politely greeted her, “Hello, Auntie.”

When Madam Pei saw He Tang, she immediately stood up, her smile warm and genuine. “Tangtang, you’re back! Were you tired from studying today?”

“Not at all.”

“That’s good. Oh, by the way, your brother Yubai came back today. You haven’t met him yet, have you? He’s in the study on the third floor. You young people can chat a bit.”

Madam Pei pointed toward the third floor as she spoke, signaling He Tang to go up.

He Tang hesitated for a moment but didn’t want to refuse. She simply nodded and made her way upstairs.

Madam Pei watched He Tang go upstairs and breathed a small sigh of relief. He Tang had been living with the Pei family for several days now, but for the first few days, she had barely said a word. As soon as she came home, she would lock herself in her room, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Madam Pei had been worried she might have been deeply affected by being abandoned by her parents. It had been weighing on her mind for days. Now, seeing that her son might be able to get along with the girl, she had specially called him back, hoping he could keep her company and ease her worries.

And today, He Tang had actually taken the initiative to greet her, even appearing somewhat more relaxed. That alone was enough to ease Madam Pei’s concern a little. It seemed the child’s wounds would heal slowly with time.

Meanwhile, He Tang was walking up the stairs from the second floor to the third floor. As she rounded the corner, a pair of straight suit pants came into view.

Her gaze moved upward, past a high-quality white dress shirt, and then to a striking face—the exact same one from the person she had stuffed the love letter to.

Huh? What was he doing here?

He Tang was slightly taken aback. The confusion on her face did not escape Pei Yubai’s notice.

“Don’t recognize me?” Pei Yubai stopped where he was, looking down at her from a few steps higher on the staircase.

He Tang frowned slightly. Her brain quickly searched for this person’s name, but ultimately came up empty. She could only give a vague response: “Brother?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Pei Yubai’s eyes at the form of address. The He Tang standing before him was quite different from the one his mother had described.

He rarely stayed at Huajing Villa. This time, he had only come back because his mother insisted, hoping he could help talk to the withdrawn and silent girl she had taken in.

But the He Tang he saw was actually quite talkative. Her sharp little mouth didn’t let anyone off easy and didn’t seem to take any losses.

Suddenly feeling playful, the corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile. “That’s right. The brother you fell for at first sight.”

Only then did He Tang remember that she had just confessed to him. She frowned slightly. If she had known he was the Pei family’s son, she would have rather stuffed the love letter into Gu Jingfeng’s hands.

After all, she was currently living under the Pei family’s roof. Getting entangled with Pei Yubai in that way would bring her nothing but trouble.

She needed to clear things up immediately and make it clear that she had no intention of clinging to him.

He Tang curled her lip slightly, pretending to be a seasoned veteran in matters of the heart. Calmly, she walked up two more steps, stood in front of Pei Yubai, and patted him on the shoulder. “Brother, don’t let my confession weigh on your conscience. I like a lot of people.”

With that, and before her act could slip, she brushed past him and continued upstairs toward her room.

Pei Yubai watched her retreating figure with a hint of surprise in his eyes. After a few seconds, he suddenly laughed.

In truth, he already knew that He Tang had been trying to confess to Gu Jingfeng today. At first, she had stumbled over her words while looking directly at Gu Jingfeng. But after taking out the love letter and lifting her head again, something about her seemed to change.

Pei Yubai couldn’t quite describe it. It was as though she had become confident and composed in an instant. Then, right before his eyes, He Tang stuffed the love letter into his hand.

His mother had repeatedly reminded him to look after this younger “sister,” so under those circumstances, he had accepted the letter without saying anything.

It suddenly occurred to Pei Yubai: if he hadn’t happened to go see his cousin today and stumbled upon this confession, whose hands would that love letter have ended up in?

Remembering that the love letter was still in his pocket, he immediately took it out and opened it. A pink sheet of stationery, filled with the heartfelt musings of a young girl, unfolded before him.

The first line read: Gu Jingfeng.

Pei Yubai shook his head helplessly and tucked the letter back into his pocket. He cast one last glance at the now-empty hallway before turning and heading downstairs.

She likes a lot of people? What a fickle little sister.

Meanwhile, back in her room, He Tang had already composed herself. She figured that someone as devastatingly handsome as Pei Yubai probably received countless confessions every day. There was no way he would give hers a second thought.

As long as she acted naturally and didn’t seem guilty, there was nothing to worry about.

Feeling reassured, He Tang opened her phone again and searched for all the key members of the Pei family. She memorized their faces and statuses before finally heading back downstairs.

On the first floor, Madam Pei beckoned her over, and He Tang obediently sat down on the sofa, listening as Madam Pei made the introductions.

“This is your brother Yubai. You can talk to him about anything that’s on your mind.” Madam Pei held He Tang’s hand affectionately.

He Tang smiled and obediently said, “Hello, Brother Yubai.”

Then she picked up her cup and took a sip of water.

“Oh, that’s right. Actually, you two met when you were little. Tangtang was only one year old then. Grandpa Pei thought you were so adorable that he arranged a childhood engagement between you two.”

“Pfft—” He Tang nearly choked and sprayed out a mouthful of water.

Pei Yubai leaned back against the sofa, his long legs crossed, every inch the refined young master. His dark eyes rested on He Tang, amusement flickering at the corners of them.

“Haha, Tangtang, did that scare you? Don’t worry. A few years later, your grandfather felt that times had changed and young people should be free to love, so he called off the engagement.” Madam Pei laughed and patted He Tang on the back to help her catch her breath.

Only then did He Tang finally catch her breath. She glanced at Pei Yubai and found that his expression hadn’t changed in the slightest.

Good. No misunderstanding. It would have been so awkward if he thought she had intentionally confessed to him. She had absolutely no intention of latching onto the Pei family.

“Not that I think of it, Yubai is quite a bit older than Tangtang, isn’t he? Tangtang is 17, so that’s a seven-year gap. He really is your big brother.”

Madam Pei was delighted to see that He Tang was no longer avoiding everyone like she had during the past few days. She chatted away happily, and He Tang had no choice but to keep her company, exchanging a few casual words with both Madam Pei and Pei Yubai.

Still, she could feel the genuine warmth in Madam Pei’s kindness. It was completely different from people like Lin Min and the others.

After finishing their conversation and having dinner, He Tang went back up to her room on the third floor.

As soon as she stepped into the bathroom, she finally got her first proper look at her current appearance. The sight startled her for a moment.

The original owner looked remarkably like her. Her face was no bigger than a palm, and her amber eyes were especially striking. With even the slightest glance, they carried an almost natural allure. If not for the fact that the original owner was much paler than she had been, with a delicate, fragile air about her entire appearance, He Tang would have suspected that she had transmigrated into her own body.

To have such an enviable face yet be so weak in character—it was no wonder she had been so easily bullied.

He Tang didn’t dwell on it for long. She had always been the type to accept what she couldn’t change and then do her best with what she had.

The next morning, a servant came early to wake her. Since the villa was quite a distance from the school, she would have to leave earlier than usual.

Still half-asleep, He Tang washed up, tied her hair into a simple ponytail, and stepped out of her room in her school uniform. The moment she opened the door, groggy and not fully awake, she walked straight into someone.

Holding her forehead, she looked up and forced her eyes open. The person she had bumped into was Pei Yubai.

In the morning light, his dark eyes seemed especially striking. A faint trace of amusement flickered in them as he looked at her. “Go down and eat first. I’ll take you to school in a bit.”

He Tang squinted, her brain still not fully awake and unable to function properly. Her body moved on autopilot as she headed downstairs.

After mechanically finishing breakfast, He Tang felt a bit more awake. Under Madam Pei’s concerned gaze, she got into Pei Yubai’s car.

“Why are we taking your car today?”

“The place I live is relatively close to your school.”

“Oh. Well, thanks then.” He Tang didn’t stand on ceremony with him. She simply buried her head in the backpack she was holding and started dozing off.

Pei Yubai glanced at the soft tuft of hair at the top of her head and smiled helplessly before continuing to drive.

More than forty minutes later, after waking up and dozing off several times, He Tang saw the school gate ahead. She finally woke up completely, her brain finally starting to function again. She stretched her arms unceremoniously.

The car came to a smooth stop. He Tang opened the door and hopped out casually. When she looked up, she found herself face-to-face with a pair of scrutinizing eyes.

Gu Jingfeng stood in front of He Tang, frowning. His gaze swept over her before landing on Pei Yubai.

“Cousin?”

“Mm.” Pei Yubai responded with a smile.

He Tang had no interest in watching them catch up. She briskly closed the car door, thanked Pei Yubai, and walked straight past Gu Jingfeng toward the school.

She hadn’t taken more than a few steps when Gu Jingfeng caught up with her. He Tang frowned slightly and moved a few steps to the side, but Gu Jingfeng moved right along with her.

He Tang stopped, looked up, and stared directly at Gu Jingfeng, her tone impatient. “Do you need something?”

“What’s your relationship with my cousin?” Gu Jingfeng’s brow was still tightly furrowed, his lips pressed into a hard line.

“What’s it to you? Are we close?”

“You…” Gu Jingfeng wanted to ask why she had come to school with Pei Yubai, but the words got stuck in his throat. He couldn’t quite bring himself to say it.

Although He Tang had expressed her liking for him more than once, she had never formally confessed. And yesterday’s confession had somehow ended up involving Pei Yubai instead.

He really couldn’t make sense of what she was trying to do. The only explanation he could think of was that she was trying to get his attention. So, he warned her bluntly, “Don’t go bothering my cousin.”

He Tang let out a light laugh and gave Gu Jingfeng a scornful look, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “You sure are nosy.”

With that, she didn’t give him another glance. She swung her backpack and walked into the school.

Gu Jingfeng stood there, watching her go, his brows slowly knitting together even tighter.