Chapter 18: World One [18]

Jing Ke didn’t have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds, but the bed had shrunk from two meters long to one-point-eight. After lying down, she found the distance between herself and Shang Siyu had lessened even more.

It wasn’t just physical proximity. Shang Siyu’s breathing, heartbeat, and the faint, pleasant scent of her body all became noticeably clearer.

Jing Ke realized she rather liked Shang Siyu’s scent. This was obvious from the way she actively shifted toward the middle after lying down.

“Is the blanket not long enough?” Shang Siyu asked from her side of the bed.

“No.” Jing Ke denied it, her amber eyes focusing intently on Shang Siyu with frank honesty. “I just like your scent. Being close to you helps me fall asleep faster.”

The direct words stunned Shang Siyu for a second. Then, a faint, barely noticeable blush rose on her face.

“Is that so? I use my family’s body wash. Maybe, maybe the scent is just different.” Shang Siyu said, suddenly feeling nervous for no reason.

“No, it’s not the scent of body wash. It’s a scent unique to you.” Jing Ke asked with a serious face, “Shang Siyu, can I sleep leaning against you right now?”

“Hm?” Shang Siyu felt her brain was a little overloaded.

“After we wake up, you hold me, and I lean on you. So why don’t I lean on you before sleep? That way we can skip part of the process directly.” Jing Ke blinked, not seeing any problem with her logic.

Shang Siyu’s mouth opened slightly. Jing Ke’s logic sounded fine at first glance, but it couldn’t withstand any deeper scrutiny.

Waking up holding Jing Ke was a probabilistic event. Although it happened five days out of seven, there were still two days where she woke up early enough to quietly retract her hand.

“Is it not allowed?” Jing Ke’s eyes were filled with sincerity.

“It’s, it’s allowed.” Shang Siyu couldn’t refuse Jing Ke, so she could only brace herself and agree.

After all, she couldn’t deny the fact that she liked treating Jing Ke like a body pillow after falling asleep. This was merely bringing some consequences forward a little.

“Thank you.” Jing Ke said politely, an unmistakable smile rippling through her eyes.

“You’re welcome.”

Shang Siyu replied rather stiffly. Soon, she turned off the main light, plunging the room into darkness.

Darkness heightens human senses besides sight. For example, Shang Siyu, lying stiffly on her back with her eyes closed right now.

She could clearly feel Jing Ke drawing closer, finding her head nestling against the curve of her neck, warm exhales spilling onto her collarbone.

Shang Siyu’s throat bobbed. She struggled to control her breathing and heartbeat, afraid Jing Ke would discover the strange thoughts suddenly popping into her head.

What strange thoughts?

Of course, it was a desire to reach out and embrace Jing Ke, then do something even more intimate.

Shang Siyu’s self-control was quite good. Her thoughts were only disrupted for a few minutes before quickly calming down.

Realizing the breathing of Jing Ke beside her had gradually steadied, Shang Siyu also emptied her mind and slowly slipped into deep sleep.

–

Time soon reached the afternoon of the third. Jing Ke dropped Shang Siyu off at the Golden Jade Grand Hotel right on schedule. They entered the door exactly at 4:30, not a minute off.

As Jing Ke and Shang Siyu walked into the lobby together, they spotted a familiar figure among the people sitting in the lounge area.

He Minmin had changed out of her stall-owner clothes. She wore simple trousers and a blouse, a grey-black blazer over it, her upright posture making her stand out a little.

“Shang Siyu!” He Minmin saw them at the same moment Jing Ke spotted her, stood up, and waved her hand at them.

Shang Siyu waved back in acknowledgment, changed direction, and walked over. After identifying the other three people in the lounge area, she gave a simple nod of greeting.

“I’m not late, am I?” Shang Siyu asked with a smile, walking to He Minmin’s side to chat with her.

“No, perfect timing. We’re still waiting for the Class Teacher.” He Minmin said, her expression much more natural than the last time they met.

Seeing her old classmate start talking, Jing Ke leaned down and whispered a few words into Shang Siyu’s ear, then walked off in another direction.

“Shang Siyu, is that the friend who came with you? Why not invite her to join us?” The tall man among the other three spoke up, a trace of lingering amazement in his eyes.

“No, she just gave me a ride here.” Shang Siyu said with a smile. “The Class Teacher should be arriving soon, why don’t we go outside to greet her?”

Seeing the topic deftly brushed aside by Shang Siyu, the tall man felt awkward trying to bring it back up.

The agreed meeting time was 4:30, but only twenty people had arrived so far. A third had ignored the scheduled time.

Xue Fan was one of them. He and the high school vice class president were practically the last two to arrive.

Waitstaff eagerly pushed the door open for them. The hotel manager followed behind Xue Fan and the vice class president with a beaming smile.

“President Xue, should I open these three bottles of red wine now?” the hotel manager asked.

“Open them, open them all. Then go get three more on standby. Refill them immediately once they’re empty.” Xue Fan waved his hand grandly, appearing quite lavish.

“Certainly, President Xue. Your single transaction at our hotel has reached 100,000 yuan. You qualify for a 20% discount on the food.” The hotel manager gave Xue Fan plenty of face, allowing him to smoothly harvest envious looks from over twenty people.

“Today’s private room expenses are all on my tab. Everyone, order whatever you like. My treat.” Xue Fan said opportunely, his smile showing he was extremely satisfied.

Seeing this, the Class Teacher couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. “I didn’t expect Xue Fan could really build a successful career. I underestimated him before.”

Shang Siyu remained noncommittal. Xue Fan’s success was just an occasional anomaly.

For most people, without even a high school diploma, the only real options were menial labor or low-barrier service industry jobs.

“Class Teacher, I toast you with this glass of wine. Without your prodding, I might not have achieved what I have today.” Xue Fan was very good at social maneuvering. He immediately began acting as the host, rallying the others.

As a teacher, the Class Teacher naturally hoped her students would become outstanding and excellent, even if the one transformed was a student who once gave her the biggest headaches and worries.

“Your achievements today are all due to your own hard work. I only did what a teacher should do.” The Class Teacher didn’t accept the high praise, but she did lift her glass and take a tiny sip.

Xue Fan’s smile deepened. He tilted his head back and downed a third of his glass of red wine in one go, then looked at Shang Siyu with a smile.

“Shang Siyu, I remember you were the top student in our class back then. How are you developing now? Shouldn’t you be even more outstanding than me, the one at the bottom?”

Xue Fan wasn’t a patient person. After basking in the spotlight, he aimed his spear at Shang Siyu, wanting to step on her to gain even more envy from others.

“Not bad. Can’t compare to President Xue, who can spend money like water.” Shang Siyu replied calmly.

Xue Fan chuckled. “Is that so? I just heard you secured a huge investment. Riding in sports cars worth millions like it’s nothing. Why not treat everyone to something good? Trying to make a fortune in silence?”

Millions, treat everyone, make a fortune in silence.

As soon as these keywords came out, some hushed, speculative murmurs arose around the table.

“It’s investment funds, so of course it has to be used for company development. How can it be squandered casually?” The straightforward He Minmin couldn’t bear to listen anymore and spoke up to support Shang Siyu.

“It’s just a little pocket change. Classmate Shang can surely afford it, right?” Xue Fan glanced at He Minmin, not taking the powerless and unconnected woman seriously.

“Xue Fan, class reunions are naturally split evenly, AA. We’re grateful you’re willing to treat us, but there’s no need to force others to be like you.” The class president frowned.

“Enough, no need to argue over this.” Seeing a pleasant reunion about to turn into a quarrel, the Class Teacher stepped in to stop it.

“Little Yu contacted me some time ago. She wants to donate ten million to the university, half to establish a scholarship fund and the other half to upgrade teaching equipment.”

The Class Teacher was quite intimidating when she was stern, especially since everyone in the private room were her former students.

“Xue Fan, I’m happy you’ve made something of yourself, but I still hope you won’t squander money and develop bad habits.” The Class Teacher said with a stern face.

Being publicly criticized by name made Xue Fan reflexively shrink his neck, a rare look of embarrassment flashing across his face.

But once Xue Fan recovered, what he felt more was the irritation of losing face.

So what if she was his former homeroom teacher and teacher? He wasn’t the same as before. With a net worth exceeding a hundred million, why should he still have to listen to an ordinary teacher’s lecture, someone who couldn’t even earn a million a year?