My Years as the Pure Love Interest at the Noble Academy

Chapter 18

Song Yi returned home in a wheelchair.

When Song's Father saw this scene, he was so flustered that he didn't even take off his apron before running out, anxiously asking, "What happened? Did someone bully you? Tell Dad, and I'll go settle the score with them!"

The usually gentle man was now both panicked and angry, feeling helpless yet extremely worried.

"No, no!" Song Yi quickly denied and explained to her father, "I just accidentally twisted my ankle. My classmate helped me get home."

Song Yi then pointed to Murong Huan, who was standing awkwardly at a distance, neither willing to come in nor leave.

Song's Father looked over and paused, "Are you allowed to dye your hair in high school?"

Song Yi: "..."

Like father, like daughter - they had the same thought upon first seeing Murong Huan's pink hair.

So Song Yi explained to her father, "Although it sounds unbelievable, her hair is actually natural, inherited through family genes."

Song's Father always believed his daughter was smart and studious, so he immediately accepted her explanation, "Oh, I see. Then invite your classmate in for dinner. She went out of her way to bring you home, we should show our gratitude."

"Ah." Song Yi was taken aback, unsure if her relationship with Murong Huan had reached that level yet.

But she could see the expectation in her father's eyes, clearly hoping Murong Huan would come in.

Song Yi suddenly remembered that in the original plot, her father had always worried about her social relationships at school, hoping she would bring new friends home, though sadly it never happened.

Song Yi wheeled herself over to Murong Huan.

Murong Huan asked her, "Why did you come out again?"

Song Yi looked up at Murong Huan with a smile and asked, "Are you free today?"

Murong Huan: "What for?"

Song Yi said earnestly, "My father wants to invite you for dinner to express our gratitude."

"And... you're my only friend since I came to this school. I want to introduce you to my father."

When their eyes met, seeing the sincerity in Song Yi's eyes, Murong Huan opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to refuse, feeling something stir in her heart.

Friend? And the only one at that.

This feeling of being treasured as someone's only special person was something Murong Huan had never experienced before.

The usually proud young lady was clearly moved by this invitation.

Finally, Murong Huan put her hand on Song Yi's wheelchair, pushing her back inside, managing to squeeze out a single word, "Okay."

*

The simple two-bedroom apartment was mostly furnished with old items, but everything was clean and tidy.

The wooden table was set with five dishes and a soup. Though it couldn't compare to Murong Huan's usual meals, this was the best the Song family could offer, and it was the first time Song Yi had seen so much meat on their table.

So Song Yi completely ignored Murong Huan's presence and eagerly picked up her chopsticks to grab a piece of meat.

Song's Father gave Song Yi a helpless look, then picked up some spare ribs for Murong Huan, "This child has been like this lately, sees nothing else once food is in front of her. Don't mind her, come on Huan, try Uncle's cooking."

Looking at the ordinary-looking spare ribs before her, Murong Huan wasn't particularly interested, but under Song's Father's expectant gaze, she reluctantly picked up her chopsticks. Might as well take a bite.

How could home cooking from an ordinary family compare to the five-star hotel chef's cooking she was used to...

Wait.

The moment she bit into the tender meat from the spare rib, Murong Huan's expression changed.

The sauce was perfectly seasoned, the cooking time precisely controlled - a moment longer would have made it tough, a moment less and it wouldn't have been fully flavored.

It's... it's so delicious!!!

After finishing one spare rib, Murong Huan didn't need Song's Father to serve her anymore; her chopsticks automatically reached for the sour fish soup next.

The fish was tender, sliced extremely thin, and she didn't encounter a single unwanted bone, showing how meticulous Song's Father had been in preparing it.

Once Murong Huan started eating, her chopsticks barely stopped moving.

When Song Yi was about eighty percent full and ready to drink some soup, she looked up to find her favorite sweet and sour spare ribs... were gone???

Seeing the small mountain of bones piled up in front of Murong Huan, Song Yi fell silent for a few seconds, somewhat incredulous.

Feeling Song Yi's gaze, Murong Huan finally realized just how much she had eaten.

Her face instantly turned red, and she quickly put down her chopsticks, "I... I'm full."

Song Yi pushed her plate of sweet and sour pork toward Murong Huan, "Try this one."

Under Song Yi's "invitation," Murong Huan shamefully gave in to temptation again.

She picked up her chopsticks once more and couldn't help but eat several more pieces.

Song Yi couldn't help but smile, "If you like it, you can have it all."

Although she felt a bit reluctant, Song Yi could enjoy her father's cooking every day, so she decided to generously let Murong Huan have more today.

Murong Huan ate a few more pieces before finally putting down her chopsticks when she really couldn't eat anymore.

She looked at Song's Father and couldn't help but ask, "Uncle, which hotel did you work at before?"

Song's Father was taken aback.

Song Yi answered for him, "My dad is a carpenter, he's never worked at a hotel."

Murong Huan was also surprised, "You're not a professional chef?"

Song Yi chuckled and looked at her father, "Dad, she's saying your cooking is as good as a professional chef's."

Song's Father finally understood Murong Huan's meaning and took a sip of water, somewhat embarrassed, "This child is too kind with her praise. It's just that since I got sick and had to stay home, I spent time figuring out how to cook well to make our Yi Yi happy with her meals. If you like Uncle's cooking, you should come play with our Yi Yi more often."

"Sure!" Murong Huan agreed immediately, then asked Song's Father about his cooking secrets.

Song's Father shared generously, but unfortunately, Murong Huan had never set foot in a kitchen and couldn't understand any of it.

In the end, Murong Huan called in her security guard who was standing at the door to record the "recipes," while Song Yi sat to the side feeling like the most redundant person there.

Murong Huan didn't leave until half an hour after dinner was over.

Watching Murong Huan's retreating figure, Song's Father remarked, "What a nice child. You should spend more time with her."

Song Yi: "..."

Although she couldn't quite understand the situation, it was certainly interesting.

Until noon the next day.

Murong Huan came to Song Yi's class to bring her lunch, with such an abundance of dishes that they filled two desks.

Yes, two desks, including Jiang Yiheng's seat.

Murong Huan handed chopsticks to Song Yi while saying, "Try these, these are all my favorite dishes. Which ones can Uncle make? Can I have them next time I visit your home?"

Song Yi: "..."

She now felt that Murong Huan's friend wasn't her, but her father.

At that moment, the sound of wheelchair wheels rolling on the ground could be heard outside the window. Zhang Yong was pushing Shen Yujing past Class A's door.

"Stop! Stop!" Upon seeing Murong Huan and Song Yi, Shen Yujing called for a halt, squinting as he looked inside from the doorway, then said, "You can go now."

Zhang Yong asked confused, "Huh? Aren't we going to the cafeteria?"

Shen Yujing said, "I have something to do. Go spend time with your girlfriend."

At the mention of his girlfriend, Zhang Yong's face instantly turned red, feeling embarrassed yet eager as he left.

As soon as Zhang Yong went downstairs, Shen Yujing wheeled himself toward Class A.

With so many dishes, surely it wouldn't be too much if he joined in for a meal.

That's what Shen Yujing thought, but the next moment his wheelchair got stuck in Class A's doorway.

Shen Yujing looked down and discovered a broom inexplicably placed in the corner of the doorway.

He opened his mouth, wanting to call someone for help, but felt too embarrassed to speak up.

Fortunately, Murong Huan quickly noticed him.

Oh my goodness, even with his injuries, Shen Yujing still came to see Song Yi? He really cares about her so much!

Seeing that Shen Yujing had come all this way but was too shy to say anything, just sitting there at the door.

So Murong Huan got up and went to the door, pulling Shen Yujing along with his wheelchair inside, "Come in, come in, join us for lunch!"

Shen Yujing maintained a facade of "reluctant acceptance" but naturally went along with Murong Huan's actions.

Murong Huan took out a pair of chopsticks from her thermal bag and cleared out a dessert container to serve as a bowl for Shen Yujing. "Good thing I brought an extra pair of chopsticks. Here, take them."

Shen Yujing accepted the chopsticks but hesitated, opening and closing his mouth.

There was no rice.

Song Yi noticed what Shen Yujing was thinking, so she took out a fruit knife from her drawer and pushed the cauliflower on the table towards him, "Here, let's eat."

Murong Huan: "?"

Shen Yujing: "..."

Fortunately, Shen Yujing managed to contact Quan Le with a phone call, who returned with two boxes of rice from the cafeteria.

#The number of freeloaders increased#

Song Yi frowned, protecting the sweet and sour ribs in front of her, "Why are you two here as well?"

Murong Huan nodded in agreement with Song Yi's words, "Shen Yujing is one thing, but Quan Le, why are you here too?"

"What's wrong? I'm just sharing your meal. Why so stingy?" Quan Le said while helping himself to the dishes.

Shen Yujing nodded, "Yeah, you brought so much food, there's enough even if another person joins."

Just as Shen Yujing finished speaking, there was a "creak" as Class A's door opened.

All four of them looked up at the doorway simultaneously, where they saw Jiang Yiheng standing there, frowning at them.

Song Yi glared at Shen Yujing.

Shen Yujing pointed at himself and Song Yi in confusion, completely bewildered.

Song Yi said: "You really jinxed it, here comes another freeloader."

Quan Le shook his head, "No way, I've never seen Jiang Yiheng eat with Murong Huan."

Murong Huan gave Quan Le a meaningful smile and stuffed a piece of rib directly into his mouth, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."

Seeing them, Jiang Yiheng frowned slightly as he walked over.

Quan Le, who was sitting in Jiang Yiheng's seat, immediately stood up with his bowl.

Jiang Yiheng bent down and took out a folder from his drawer.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he looked down at the food spread out on his desk.

Murong Huan said: "Jiang Yiheng, we just wanted to borrow your desk for a while."

Jiang Yiheng didn't respond to Murong Huan, only dropping a "clean it up" before leaving.

Watching Jiang Yiheng's retreating figure, Murong Huan put down her chopsticks, instantly losing her appetite.

Being ignored felt terrible, and although it wasn't the first time, she still couldn't get used to it.

Noticing Murong Huan's change in mood, Song Yi could only pat her shoulder in comfort.

Murong Huan looked at Song Yi, and the usually proud young lady revealed doubt in her eyes as she asked, "Does he hate me that much? He won't even say a word to me."

Song Yi quickly consoled her: "It's not just you. I've been his desk mate for two weeks, and I can count the words he's said to me on one hand."

At this moment, Shen Yujing, who had been eating quietly, looked up in confusion, "Huh? Didn't Jiang Yiheng just talk to you? He told you to clean up the desk."

Murong Huan: "..."

Song Yi took a deep breath and stuffed a piece of meat into Shen Yujing's mouth, smiling at him, "Just shut up, will you?"

Shen Yujing nearly choked, coughing while still unable to understand.

How strange, had he said something wrong?

Why were they getting angry for no reason?

*

Song Yi's ankle sprain wasn't serious, and after a week of rest, she could walk normally again. That's when Jiang Yiheng gave her a task—

To collect donations from all the third-year classes for a first-year student who had leukemia.

Song Yi found it strange, "Why me?"

Although she supported the cause, she wasn't a class representative nor a student council member, so this task shouldn't have fallen to her.

Jiang Yiheng lowered his head to read, only saying, "Three points added to your comprehensive quality score."

Song Yi: "Alright, when should I go?"

It was well known that scholarships were determined by a 7:3 ratio of written test scores to comprehensive quality scores, so the comprehensive quality points were particularly important.

Jiang Yiheng said: "During the third period in the afternoon, go to Building A1. You'll be with a student from Class B, and student council members will bring you the donation box."

"Okay," Song Yi nodded in agreement.

In the afternoon—

Seeing Shen Yujing sitting in a wheelchair, Song Yi turned to leave.

So this was the "other student" Jiang Yiheng mentioned? No thanks, she didn't want those three points anymore!

After spending a week in a wheelchair, Shen Yujing had found the original wheelchair too basic and lacking in features, so he had spent a fortune on a custom-made new one.

Now the wheelchair came in handy as Shen Yujing's electric wheelchair easily caught up with Song Yi at top speed, blocking her path.

Shen Yujing frowned, "Hey, why did you run away as soon as you saw me? Weren't we supposed to collect donations?"

Song Yi couldn't understand, "Why did your class send you?"

Shen Yujing wasn't a class officer, wasn't in the student council, and didn't lack money, so what was he doing here?

Shen Yujing answered very sincerely: "Because they said we wouldn't have to attend class, so I volunteered."

Once Shen Yujing volunteered, who would dare compete with him?

Song Yi understood this principle perfectly, but she just felt a headache coming on, "Your leg hasn't even healed yet, why can't you just stay put instead of running around causing trouble?"

Why did he have to keep popping up in front of her being annoying?

That's what Song Yi thought, but Shen Yujing completely misinterpreted it—

She was worried about him.

Shen Yujing tried hard to suppress his rising smile and said: "It's fine, I can handle it."

Song Yi: "..."

She wasn't sure she could handle it.

At this moment, the student council members spotted them and brought over the donation box, bowing politely: "This student is from our class, he's really nice but... well, anyway, thank you seniors for your help with this."

Song Yi looked at the donation box in her arms, thinking of the sick student waiting for this life-saving money, and decided not to waste any more time.

She took fifty yuan from her pocket, put it in the box, and walked toward the teaching building.

Shen Yujing skillfully maneuvered his wheelchair to follow Song Yi.

They took the elevator up from the other end, starting with the first-year classrooms.

The students had mostly heard about this matter already, so Song Yi didn't need to say much. They simply went through the procedure, and students came up one by one to donate.

Shen Yujing followed Song Yi, riding his luxury electric wheelchair from class to class.

Even though Shen Yujing's leg was still somewhat ridiculously wrapped in a cast, it didn't affect the charm radiating from his handsome face.

So after they finished their presentation in the last classroom, a girl couldn't help but follow them out. Amid the class's teasing, she bent down and handed Shen Yujing a love letter.

The girl had a shy and gentle appearance, and her voice trembled nervously as she spoke, "I've liked you for a long time. I hope you'll accept this."

Shen Yujing looked at the girl in front of him, remained silent for three seconds, then set his electric wheelchair to maximum speed and left immediately.

Escape! How to escape? By wheelchair, of course.

Song Yi: "..."

What a weirdo.

Shen Yujing escaped quickly, leaving the awkwardness to Song Yi alone.

The girl stood dazed, looking in the direction Shen Yujing had left, her eyes instantly turning red.

Song Yi looked at the girl and said, "If you don't mind, you can give me this letter, and I'll help deliver it to him. But if you feel he was disrespectful and hurt your feelings, you can keep the letter yourself."

Song Yi gave the choice back to the girl, fully respecting her decision.

The girl hesitated for a full half minute, biting her lip, but still held out the letter, "Thank you for your trouble. I've liked him for a long time, so even if he won't like me back, I at least hope he knows about it."

Although Song Yi couldn't understand this girlish sentiment, she still took the letter, "I'll do my best."

Shen Yujing, who had been waiting at the end of the corridor for a long time, looked at her and asked, "What took you so long?"

Song Yi handed the letter to Shen Yujing, "Take it."

Shen Yujing was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes in irritation, "Why did you bring it?"

"It's someone's feelings for you."

Shen Yujing: "But I don't like her. Accepting it would be more disrespectful to her."

Song Yi replied calmly, "You can reject her or tell her directly, but not like this—walking away without saying anything, leaving her embarrassed in front of everyone."

Shen Yujing remained silent for a few seconds. "And then what? Would that make her feel any less hurt?"

Throughout his life, Shen Yujing had received countless confessions from girls. Almost every time he rejected them, they would cry in front of him. The worst case even resulted in one girl dropping out of school.

Since then, Shen Yujing had developed an aversion to receiving confessions or even being liked by others. Rather than rejecting people face-to-face, he preferred to avoid the situation altogether. At least if he couldn't see what happened afterward, he wouldn't have to know.

After hearing Shen Yujing's explanation, Song Yi said, "She likes you, and you shouldn't feel guilty about not being able to reciprocate her feelings. However, listening to others earnestly and responding to them is the basic respect required in human communication."

Song Yi placed the love letter in Shen Yujing's hand. "At least take a look at it."

*

Evening, after school.

Song Yi was packing up her things. Having spent extra time solving two problems, she was the last person in the classroom.

While organizing her belongings, she accidentally bumped the desk, causing an envelope to fall out of Jiang Yiheng's drawer.

Song Yi picked up the envelope, feeling somewhat exasperated at the exaggerated red hearts on it, but she put it back in Jiang Yiheng's drawer exactly as she found it.

Then Song Yi left through the front door with her backpack.

At that moment, at the back door of the classroom.

Shen Yujing, who was also delayed because he had played two rounds of games, sat in his wheelchair and watched Song Yi's series of actions with an expressionless face.

She had put an envelope in Jiang Yiheng's drawer.

A letter. Jiang Yiheng.

Were they that close?

Looking at the love letter in his hand, Shen Yujing, who had spent the entire class reflecting on his attitude, suddenly felt... hurt.

He had been troubled by this matter all class, while Song Yi? She was writing letters to Jiang Yiheng!

He wanted to see what Song Yi had written.

So Shen Yujing wheeled himself into Class A and stopped beside Jiang Yiheng's seat.

When he took out the pink envelope with hearts from Jiang Yiheng's drawer, Shen Yujing's hands were trembling uncontrollably.

Looking at this envelope that was ninety percent similar to the one in his hand, Shen Yujing suddenly had his answer.

Shen Yujing couldn't control his hands as he opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

The elegant handwriting expressed a young girl's affection, with every word and sentence showing her love for Jiang Yiheng.

Indeed, it was a love letter.

Song Yi had written a love letter to Jiang Yiheng.

So that meant the person she liked was actually Jiang Yiheng, not him?

Shen Yujing sat in his wheelchair, leaning forward to look at this love letter, and remained silent for a long time after realizing this.

Those usually proud and unrestrained phoenix eyes now held an inexplicable darkness.

Although he didn't know why, he felt somewhat sad.

Finally, Shen Yujing crumpled the love letter and stuffed it into his pocket, then put a different piece of paper into the envelope.

*

The next day.

In the morning, as soon as Jiang Yiheng arrived at the classroom, he noticed an extra love letter in his drawer.

Jiang Yiheng looked at Song Yi and asked, "Did anyone come to my seat yesterday afternoon?"

Song Yi shook her head and replied with slight annoyance, "I wasn't here either. Weren't you the one who asked me to go to the fundraising speech yesterday afternoon?"

That was true. So Jiang Yiheng stood up, preparing to throw the love letter in the trash.

However, in the next second, he noticed something was off.

Jiang Yiheng lowered his head and opened the envelope, finding not the usual neat letter paper inside, but... a crumpled napkin???

Curiosity made Jiang Yiheng stop and take out the paper, unfolding it.

Then, eight crooked characters came into view—

[Whoever reads this is a pig.]

Jiang Yiheng: "..."