Chapter 55: Are You Sure I’m the One Who Did Such a Mischievous Thing?

For a moment, her mind went completely blank.

Tang Yu stared at the handsome face so close to hers, her heart pounding like a drum, unable to get out a single word.

Bian Yang thought she was unbearably adorable like this.

He lifted his hand and ruffled her hair as if petting a small animal, a brilliant smile playing on his lips.

"Tang Xiaoyu, I’ll let you off this time. Just remember these four strengths for now—the rest you can think of slowly. But make sure you vote for me every day, okay? I don’t care about the other lists, but I must top this one."

With that, he straightened a bit, stopped teasing her, and turned to amble toward the kitchen.

He was afraid that if he pushed her too far, she’d end up crying messily like yesterday, which was quite a handful to handle.

It wasn’t until Bian Yang disappeared from her sight that Tang Yu finally regained her composure, rubbing her cheeks vigorously.

Why had she just frozen up like that!

Flustered, she rushed into the kitchen.

"Bian Yang, let me slice the milk and heat up the bread! It’s my job, put it down!"

Slice the milk? Heat up the bread?

He couldn’t help but laugh, turning to look at her. "With the state you’re in, what could you possibly manage? Go study your English; I’ll handle things here."

Tang Yu was gently steered out by his hands on her shoulders.

Even though they’d agreed beforehand that she’d do all the chores, since yesterday she’d only managed to cook one meal.

Bian Yang didn’t eat much, always picking food into her bowl, so she ended up eating most of the dishes herself…

She’d planned to show off at lunch, but he’d ordered takeout instead.

All in all, Tang Yu spent the whole day curled up on the sofa, legs tucked beneath her, doing nothing but listening to English songs.

Bian Yang, meanwhile, sat on the other end of the sofa with his laptop, not far from her.

The screen showed rows of red and green lines she couldn’t understand, but his fingers flew expertly over the keyboard as if it had a soul of its own—he looked utterly professional.

The two of them went about their business in this way until night fell.

When the water outside finally receded, the homeroom teacher sent out a notice in the group chat, and it was Bian Yang who escorted her back to the dormitory.

After the torrential rain, Liangcheng seemed freshly washed.

The sky was a deep blue, scattered with a few twinkling stars.

Street vendors were gradually setting up again, the bulbs hanging from their stalls swaying gently in the breeze like stars gathered on the ground.

Bian Yang walked lazily, one hand in his pocket, the other carrying her canvas bag, while Tang Yu walked by his side.

The campus was well cleared of water, but there were still plenty of puddles.

Tang Yu tiptoed carefully around the deeper ones. When she couldn’t cross a particularly large puddle, Bian Yang would simply slip an arm around her waist and lift her over.

Her small hands gripped the edge of his shirt tightly, and when her feet touched down, she was reminded of the roller coaster her grandmother had taken her on before she fell ill—up and down, heart racing just the same.

"Tsk, how long are you planning to hold on? Is my waist really that comfortable to hug?" he teased from above.

Startled, Tang Yu snatched her hand back as if shocked, her cheeks flushing. "Th-thank you…"

When they reached the dorm building, Bian Yang handed her things to her. "I’m heading off."

Then, as if still uneasy, he added, "Call me if anything happens."

Tang Yu cradled the canvas bag, gazing up at him with clear eyes. "Bian Yang, don’t forget to take the clothes out of the washing machine to dry."

Before leaving, she’d put the clothes she borrowed from him in the wash and changed back into her school uniform.

Bian Yang couldn’t help but smile, "Alright."

"And make sure to heat up the remaining milk and finish it—it’ll expire today otherwise."

He grinned, lifting his chin. "If you’re so worried, why don’t I just bring you back with me?"

Thinking he was annoyed by her fussing, Tang Yu puffed out her cheeks. "I’m not going to worry about you anymore."

She turned to head inside, but Bian Yang caught her wrist from behind.

He explained with a lazy smile, "I got it, I’ll finish the milk."

Only then did she smile, replying softly, "Okay," and glanced down at his hand.

Bian Yang loosened his grip slightly, his palm empty as he watched her walk into the dormitory. His fingers rubbed together absently before he turned to leave, a smile lingering on his lips since the moment they’d parted.

As he reached the school gate, a voice called out from behind.

"Bian Yang, wait!"

He glanced back indifferently. It was Sun Xuemin, and the principal was with her.

Sun Xuemin and the principal approached, both wearing stern expressions.

"Bian Yang, the principal and I need to talk with you. Let’s go to the office."

The principal said nothing, which was as good as agreement.

Bian Yang stood there, hands in his pockets, his demeanor careless and nonchalant. "I have things to do. If you have something to say, just say it here."

Sun Xuemin glanced at the principal.

The principal cleared his throat, his tone earnest and heavy. "Bian Yang, do you know about Liu Yaojie?"

The boy raised an eyebrow slightly.

Liu Yaojie.

He’d almost forgotten about him.

"We spent all day yesterday looking for Liu Yaojie and finally found him in the equipment room at the far end of the sports field. His hands and feet were tied up, the rain was pouring in, and he was stuck inside all day—exposed to the wind, freezing, soaked through! When we found him, he was already delirious with fever! What’s even worse, the person who tied him up had taped his mouth shut so he couldn’t even call for help!"

Sun Xuemin spoke with a hint of grievance.

It wasn’t that she truly cared for Liu Yaojie, but the incident was so severe that his father had immediately sought her out and demanded accountability.

Her cheek still ached from the slap his father had given her.

Bian Yang’s expression betrayed no emotion, his lips curving in a lazy, unconcerned arc. "So all these misfortunes just happened to him? Maybe there’s truth to the saying: evil begets evil."

The principal regarded him, "Bian Yang, after Liu Yaojie woke up, he said you were the one who tied him up and left him in the equipment room. Is that true?"

Sun Xuemin also fixed her gaze on him.

As long as he confessed, Liu Yaojie’s father would be satisfied. Otherwise, her marriage into the Liu family would become that much harder…

But Bian Yang only smiled, "Principal, are you sure I’m the type to do something so low?"

Well, it was him after all.

Sun Xuemin grew anxious.

"Liu Yaojie accused you himself—you still won’t admit it?"

Bian Yang shot her a glance. "Ms. Sun, please watch your words. Do you have any evidence?"

Sun Xuemin was silenced.

To save money, the school had never installed cameras in the equipment room.

If she had evidence, she wouldn’t need to drag the principal here to interrogate him.

The principal’s tone was grave. "But Bian Yang, Liu Yaojie is the party concerned. He accused you directly."

"And just his words, without proof, are enough to say I did it?"

He figured they had no evidence—otherwise, they wouldn’t be talking in circles.

A faintly mocking smile played on Bian Yang’s lips. "If that’s the case, then I could say he’s framing me out of jealousy because I’m at the top of the school’s most handsome rankings. Does that count as proof too?"

"Now you’re just being unreasonable," Sun Xuemin said sharply, unable to care about Bian Yang’s status, desperate to make him confess.

"Bian Yang, even if you did it, it’s no big deal—just pay some medical bills. The school won’t punish you harshly."

Bian Yang yawned, face filled with boredom and impatience. "If I remember correctly, hasn’t Liu Yaojie caused trouble with a lot of shady characters outside of school? Maybe some righteous soul decided to deliver justice. Instead of investigating, you want to force me to admit guilt based on his word alone. Isn’t that what’s truly unreasonable here?"

The principal didn’t reply, seemingly lost in thought.

Sun Xuemin pressed on, "If you say you didn’t do it, do you have any proof you weren’t there at the time?"

Bian Yang glanced at her. "Ms. Sun, it’s your job to provide evidence before you can rightfully accuse me. Apparently, you’ve got it backwards. The accused doesn’t need to prove his own innocence."

He pulled out his phone and checked the time.

With his gaze lowered, he said coolly, "It’s getting late, Principal. I’ll head back now. If you ever find any evidence, you can come to me then."

With that, he walked straight out of the school, not bothering with further courtesies.

Sun Xuemin wanted to chase after him, but the principal spoke sternly, "Ms. Sun, Bian Yang is right. Without evidence, we can’t convict a student on a whim. It would be harmful both to the student and to the school’s reputation.

Since there’s no surveillance, we’ll leave it at that. As for Liu Yaojie’s parents, I’ll send my secretary to soothe them, and the school will fully cover both medical and emotional compensation."

But this wasn’t just about money!

The Liu family wasn’t short of money; they wanted the culprit.

Sun Xuemin wanted to speak, but seeing the principal’s displeasure, she held her tongue.

Wait—Liu Yaojie had also said that Tang Yu was at the scene.

Perhaps Tang Yu could testify against Bian Yang.