Chapter 106: Tang Xiaoyu Broke Her Promise

The young man tilted his head slightly, a faint smile playing in his eyes. The light from the desk lamp shimmered within them like starlight forged anew.

“Tang Xiaoyu, so do you want me to go or not?”

He asked casually, quietly watching her.

Tang Yu’s eyes flickered subtly. She pulled her chin into her shawl, pressing her lips tightly together, saying nothing.

A moment of silence followed.

It felt as if even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard.

“Alright, I’m just teasing. Why would I go abroad? There’s no girl as pretty as you over there.”

He half-joked.

Tang Yu reached out and lightly punched his shoulder in mock annoyance; he was being so unserious.

Bian Yang quite enjoyed it; the strength felt just like a soft cat’s paw scratching.

He smiled slyly at her, dragging the last syllable teasingly, “Tang Xiaoyu’s quite fierce now, daring to hit the boss. What’s next—plotting to usurp the throne?”

“Focus on your formulas. No sleep until you finish!”

Tang Yu wrapped herself in the shawl and glared at him, knowing full well he wouldn’t write properly if he stayed. She stood and headed back to her bedroom.

“Really leaving?” Bian Yang watched the little girl’s resolute back without pity, lazily leaning against the chair and twirling a pen, clicking his tongue softly.

“Didn’t you promise to keep me company? Tang Xiaoyu, breaking your word, huh?”

Tang Yu turned back and shot him a scolding look, her expression vivid and full of life. Her voice was low and playful, “I’m already plotting to usurp the throne; do you think I’d be afraid of breaking my word?”

With that, she turned and left.

The young man propped his head on his hand, unusually not pressing his advantage. He couldn’t suppress the smile behind her.

Even when angry, she was so cute. If she ever sweetly called him “boyfriend” in the future... that would be unbearably adorable.

Just the thought of it was almost too much for Bian Yang.

Tang Yu returned to her bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through several pages of her book.

Yet her eyes were fixed outside the window, her thoughts drifting far away.

Actually, when tidying the study earlier, she had glimpsed Bian Yang’s application to study abroad, along with some information about foreign universities.

She had looked up Harvard and MIT’s admission requirements for their finance departments—they were incredibly high.

Grades weren’t the only factor; recommendation letters from renowned professors were also necessary.

Bian Yang’s application listed finance as his major.

Several times, Tang Yu wanted to ask if he was seriously considering going abroad in the future...

But every time she opened her mouth, he’d interrupt, asking for her homework while joking, “If I finish this sheet, can I hold your hand?” “If I finish this one, can we eat together?” “Finish this, and we’ll go shopping?” With his carefree attitude, she couldn’t guess what he was really thinking.

Then one day, she suddenly saw those materials thrown into the trash.

That’s why she couldn’t help but ask him just now.

His English was excellent; even the fastest lines in movies posed no challenge. Sometimes he would even guide her to practice speaking English to improve her skills.

He was skilled in advanced mathematics; those formulas she’d only seen in competitions, he used effortlessly.

It seemed... he belonged to a different world from hers.

No, from everyone in their class.

Tang Yu’s mood sank as she hugged her knees, staring blankly.

Leaning against the lattice window, she suddenly felt a painful sense of insecurity.

Though living under the same roof, at this moment, the distance between them felt as opaque and fragmented as the lattice glass—she couldn’t see Bian Yang’s true self.

When Bian Yang finished writing formulas and came to check on her in the bedroom, the little girl was already asleep.

From the lattice glass, he saw her blurry silhouette, curled up with the blanket, her head buried within.

Quiet and still, the textbook tossed aside.

He turned off the light, silently went to wash up in the bathroom, then lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

In truth, when he asked Tang Yu whether she wanted him to go abroad, and she showed no reaction, he felt hollow inside.

Not as carefree as he seemed.

He longed to hear a word of pleading from the little girl, even just a few words.

His fingers swiped across his phone. The faint blue glow of the screen cast shadows over his delicate features. He didn’t open any apps, just stared at the wallpaper.

It was a photo they had taken together at the hospital.

His fingers moved, shifting the apps that obscured her face aside, the cluttered icons framing her like adornments.

He rested his head on his arm, gazing at the lattice glass again, his Adam’s apple moving slightly.

When would this lattice ever become transparent...

——

By mid-April, the second mock exams were approaching.

Tang Yu had just completed a mathematics competition and went straight into the second mock exam the very next day, with no spare time.

When the results came out, the principal personally called her in for a talk.

This time, the exam paper was from the provincial joint exam, and Tang Yu scored 730 points!

The questions were harder than the first mock test, yet she improved her score by ten points.

Since the school’s founding, she was only the second student ever to achieve such a high score!

The principal of the provincial key high school had once visited, officially to present competition certificates and prizes, but implicitly hoping to recruit her to their school. He even promised that she wouldn’t need to worry about her registration information.

Upon hearing this, the principal hurriedly arranged to meet Tang Yu.

Originally, the school’s focus had been on Zhou Xunwen, believed to have the potential to top the provincial college entrance exam.

But after these two mock tests, the score gap between them widened.

From initially scoring lower than Zhou Xunwen in the baseline test, to surpassing him by ten points in the first mock exam, and now by twenty points...

The school’s attention naturally shifted to Tang Yu.

In the office, the principal’s smile was warm and sincere. “Tang Yu, congratulations on winning first prize in the competition and topping the second mock exam. With just over a month until the college entrance exam, if you maintain this level, you’ll definitely pass the admission threshold for Tsinghua or Peking University!

“Our school has a reward system: anyone admitted to either Tsinghua or Peking University gets a 100,000-yuan award, and their name will be permanently displayed on the school’s honor wall. So stay here in Qingyuan and don’t let your mind wander.”

Tang Yu stood with her hands neatly at her sides. “But Principal, can Qingyuan really guarantee my safety?”

“Absolutely! I’ve already pushed for the walls to be raised higher, and the five security personnel we hired all graduated from police academy. They patrol at night, and the surveillance cameras you requested have been installed. You can rest easy!”

This time, the principal was genuinely earnest.

In Liangcheng, producing a student admitted to Tsinghua or Peking was a cause for great celebration.

The county government would hang banners in every street and alley, and the large screen at the town center displaying the mayor’s photo would cycle through congratulatory messages.

In the future, Qingyuan High School and Tang Yu’s name would be forever linked, shining prominently.

After all the previous troubles, the principal genuinely feared Tang Yu might be taken away by the provincial key school.

Tang Yu was silent for a moment, then spoke softly, “Principal, may I ask you something?”

The principal nodded openly. “Ask away. Whatever I know, I’ll tell you.”

——

Leaving the principal’s office, Tang Yu returned to her classroom, where seats were packed once more.

Even Bian Yang’s seat was crowded.

He wasn’t angry; leaning casually against the wall, he looked down at his phone. When he saw her approaching, he locked his screen and tapped her head gently.

“Impressive, Tang Xiaoyu. With scores this high, how am I ever going to catch up?”

The little girl hadn’t tied her hair, the strands lightly stirred by the breeze, lending her an indescribable softness.

He smiled carelessly.

Under his palm, Tang Yu looked up. The principal’s words echoed in her mind:

“You know, Bian Yang didn’t come to Qingyuan initially to study. He was just going through the motions of studying abroad at our school. But then he suddenly told me he wanted to take the college entrance exam here and gave up going abroad. I was puzzled but thought it was a pity. I don’t know what he did, but when we sent in his previous materials, the university approved him directly. He’s just one step away from entering a top global finance institution…”

She took a gentle breath, her thoughts pulled back. The words she wanted to ask never came out before Wang Qing interrupted.

“Xiaoyu, come help me collect the money! These people are all here to buy your notes!”

“Don’t rush. I’m registering names one by one.”

“You have to believe it this time. Even Zhang Jingyu’s second mock exam score improved by twenty points. The school posted Tang Yu’s exam papers on the bulletin board for everyone to see. Have you ever seen anything like this?”

“Trust me: with Tang Shen’s notes, you can ace the college entrance exam!”

Tang Yu: “...”

It was like a pyramid scheme.

Bian Yang’s hand that had been resting on her head naturally slid onto her shoulder, eyes twinkling with amusement.

“Tang Xiaoyu, don’t forget me when you’re rich. Dinner tonight?”

Tang Yu glanced at his hand on her shoulder, then turned her head and silently removed his arm, her lips moving slightly but saying nothing.