Chapter 93: A Secret Hidden in the Heart for Three Years

"No!" Luo Xing was still clutching the pen in her hand, its shaft slick with her sweat, a little slippery.

"Even one minute means you lose."

She looked earnestly at Gu Shiyan. "You win. I'll tell you—the secret I've kept hidden in my heart for three years, the one I never dared to speak."

Gu Shiyan was very quiet.

Luo Xing caught a faint scent of smoke on him; she guessed that while she was inside working things out, he had been smoking outside.

She heard Gu Shiyan let out a soft laugh. "Alright."

Luo Xing didn’t speak right away. First, she tidied up the drafts on the table, organizing each sheet carefully and slipping them into a folder.

Then she began, recounting to Gu Shiyan the first time she saw him, the first time she heard him call her name.

Gu Shiyan stood rooted in place, listening as she narrated, word by word, her past affection for him.

It turned out that during those noisy, tedious days filled with cicada song, she had always been by his side.

He had simply never once looked back.

The snacks, drinks, study materials, hand warmers, and band-aids that mysteriously appeared in his desk had all been placed there by her, with utmost care.

Back in high school, Gu Shiyan was even more unruly and aloof than he was now. Nearly every item other girls tried to slip into his desk was ignored by him without exception.

He had never paid any attention to the things stuffed in his desk.

Luo Xing continued.

She remembered even the smallest details—like Gu Shiyan sneaking out with students from other classes to play basketball, race cars, or surf the internet.

Some incidents, even Gu Shiyan himself had already forgotten.

"I heard people say you were going to race with students from the affiliated school, so I pretended to have a stomachache to go see a doctor, but really, I sneaked out to watch. I still remember—the other side lost and wanted to hit you, but ended up tripping over themselves." Luo Xing laughed as she spoke. "I regretted not recording it at the time. How could he be so foolish?"

Now, thinking back, it was fortunate she didn’t record it—the real fool had been herself.

Just because of a single comment from someone else, she deceived the class teacher and her parents, ran out, and watched him from afar.

"Luo Xing..." Gu Shiyan’s chest was tight, his throat blocked as if with cotton, making even breathing difficult.

Time slipped by, minute by minute.

"Do you know, I had this utterly stupid idea back then." Luo Xing smiled, her red lips covering her white teeth, her eyes bright. "I actually thought, if one day I surpassed you in grades, I’d confess to you. Then it became, if we got into the same school, I’d confess."

And she did confess.

When she first entered Xing University, many people pursued her, hailed her as a goddess. Later, when she confessed to Gu Shiyan, it was as if she had plunged overnight into a mire.

She had merely fallen in love with someone, but it was as though she had committed a heinous crime—the boys who used to praise and adore her now started belittling her, one cutting remark after another.

She had always been straightforward, yet was accused of pretending to be pure.

She summoned the courage to pursue the one she liked, only to be labeled as a sycophant and a gold digger.

"From then on, we each walked our own path. You followed your family's arrangements, going abroad for research or returning to Beijing after graduation to inherit your family business. I would graduate smoothly, stay in North City, and live with my family."

Luo Xing had already packed up everything in the room that belonged to her.

"Assistant Song said Grandma will be back tomorrow." Luo Xing slung her laptop bag over her shoulder, her eyes lowered. "Thank you for taking care of me these past days."

She brushed past him.

Gu Shiyan lifted his eyes; only a single sheet of draft paper remained on the desk—the one he had written. Luo Xing had taken all her drafts, leaving behind only the one with his handwriting, as if even their last trace of connection had been erased.

Luo Xing walked downstairs, and even after she had gone far, she still looked back once.

Let it end here.

...

"Just tell us how you plan to resolve this," Xu Yan said, looking at the vice principal who was rambling on about various matters. His tone grew weary. "Our team members already explained everything to you clearly, word for word. Just tell us your solution."

By the end, Xu Yan’s voice carried an edge of firmness. After all, they paid to study here, not to be mistreated. Even if this incident were posted online, they would have the moral high ground.

Yet the vice principal never once mentioned Team One’s wrongdoing, always urging them to consider the school’s interests.

"No matter what, resorting to violence is wrong. Besides, Wen Fan is registered for the international competition this time—he’s about to compete in Beijing. Now that he’s been beaten, no one can guarantee this won’t affect his performance."

Xu Yan and Qi Changbai, both seniors, stood at the front when they entered the office, shielding the other three.

Luo Xing was especially protected behind them.

Hearing this, Qi Changbai stepped forward, pulling Shen Que past Gu Shiyan. "Our team has two injured members as well."

Qi Changbai held Shen Que’s hand; the back of his hand was clearly bruised and purple.

Then Qi Changbai looked at Luo Xing. "Our team’s core has suffered severe psychological trauma! Team One gets to go to Beijing for the competition, but aren’t we going too? I worry their actions will delay our own members!"

Team One stood on the opposite side of the vice principal’s desk.

Between the two teams was a coffee table, like a dividing line. Wen Fan stood up, sneering, "You’re just going to make up the numbers, aren’t you?"

The vice principal looked at the five students across from him, realizing they weren’t the docile ones he could placate with a few words. He fiddled with his phone.

Soon, their class advisor arrived.

Even Professor Wen, who led their team, showed up.

Xu Yan and Qi Changbai’s expressions became more serious. Professor Wen was different from the vice principal.

Provoking the vice principal was nothing, but Professor Wen held their team firmly in hand.

Professor Wen wore thick black-rimmed glasses, his hair sparse, and his attire utterly casual. An old man’s shirt paired with shorts, and he had even come in slippers.

He had just flown back from a research symposium in Hong Kong, barely slept two hours at home this morning, and now appeared to be in a foul mood.

"This is nothing worth discussing. Professor Bi, who led Team One, told me about the laboratory issue—they’d use it for two or three days, nothing major, so I just gave them the key," Professor Wen explained to Xu Yan, clearly making things transparent.

Xu Yan’s expression eased somewhat but he wasn’t about to let it go so easily. "Borrowing our lab without notifying us wasn’t our main purpose here. The real issue is Team One’s behavior—they went too far. As I told the vice principal, we demand Wen Fan apologize."

Qi Changbai looked at Professor Wen, his eyes respectful. "I’ve already emailed you the details of how things started and unfolded."

Professor Wen rarely used messaging apps; for important matters, they usually chose email, mostly about experiment design.

This was the only time it concerned something outside of research.

Professor Wen frowned, clearly impatient with matters unrelated to academics. "Then let Wen Fan apologize."

He looked at the vice principal. Though the two were related, Professor Wen still insisted Team One make an apology.

Wen Fan was, of course, unwilling. "Why should whatever you say go? You struck first—look at my face, that’s proof. As for what you claim I said to slander Luo Xing, do you have any evidence?"

Qi Changbai was furious. "Then I’ll say you tripped and ate dirt yourself! Do you have evidence? Why pin the blame on us for hitting you?"

The vice principal looked at the arguing students, pressing his throbbing temples in frustration.

His gaze shifted, landing on the person behind Qi Changbai, who hadn’t spoken a word from start to finish. He couldn’t guess what he was thinking.

He couldn’t simply suppress this matter, not with that young master who had donated an expensive detector to the school in their team.

But the young master hadn’t uttered a single word, as if he didn’t care at all, or perhaps he was deliberately staying silent, waiting to see how the school would handle things.

"Stop—everyone quiet. Both sides apologize. Your words were disrespectful, which is wrong," the vice principal said, looking first at Team One, then at Professor Wen’s group. His tone softened. "You were wrong to strike first."

At that moment, Shen Que stepped forward. "Hitting Wen Fan was my own doing, nothing to do with our team. I wasn’t fighting over the equipment or lab."

Luo Xing’s brows drew together; she had agreed with Shen Que yesterday that if questioned about the fight, they should shoulder the blame as a team. If Shen Que took it all on himself, he’d never bear it alone.

Yet Shen Que openly stated it was a personal grievance, practically handing the vice principal the tail end of the matter. Luo Xing tugged at his sleeve, shaking her head.

Shen Que patted her hand.

Gu Shiyan’s gaze lingered on their small gestures; he turned his head slightly, rolling his eyes in disdain, lips pressed downward.

Realizing he’d acted so childishly, his face stiffened, lips drawn into a serious line.

"Personal grievance?" Professor Wen disliked dealing with such issues, his tone cold. "Then you stay and explain to the vice principal yourself. The rest, come with me."

As a prominent academic researcher, Professor Wen’s words carried weight, even with the headmaster.

Luo Xing looked at Shen Que standing before the vice principal. She stepped forward. "I was involved in this matter too—I have proof."