Chapter 56: The Little Follower at the Aristocratic School (Part 5)

The four holders of black gem brooches at Noah Academy did not have particularly good relationships with each other.

The top-tier families had intricate connections, and these relationships extended to the younger generation, maintaining only a superficial harmony.

Even at the same school, Lu Yanbai and Si Qing’s relationship was not close enough for them to spend much time together.

Lu Yanbai took out her phone, preparing to make a call, but Leigh stopped her from the side.

Leigh twirled her golden hair around her finger, pouting. “Bai Bai, don’t call Qingqing. Let me handle this.”

Lu Yanbai’s fox eyes narrowed in a smile. “Leigh, you’re pretty, but your spoiled act is truly disgusting.”

Leigh put on a shocked expression upon hearing this. “Bai Bai, how can you say that about me? I’m heartbroken!” As she spoke, Leigh had already walked behind Shen Ke.

Lu Yanbai clasped her hands behind her back and did not call out to stop Leigh.

Leigh Clark, the niece of M Country’s current prime minister—this status alone warranted her some preferential treatment.

Li Xiaoxiao and the others had not dared to breathe loudly ever since Lu Yanbai entered with her group. They kept their heads down the entire time.

Qi Yuan held Shen Ke in her arms, one hand supporting Shen Ke’s butt and the other pressing on the back of her head. Her attention was entirely on Shen Ke, and she did not find anything wrong with this position at all.

Shen Ke’s crying stopped, but occasional sniffles let others know she was still upset. She was naturally delicate and petty, unable to tolerate even the slightest grievance.

Being thrown like that would leave her upset for a long time.

Leigh withdrew her gaze from Qi Yuan’s hand on Shen Ke’s butt. Her emerald eyes shimmered as she hooked up the corner of her lips in a holy and beautiful smile. “Keke.”

Shen Ke shuddered all over at the voice so close by. She let go of her arms around Qi Yuan’s neck, straightened up slightly, and turned her head to look at Leigh.

Her face was bright red, her eyes wet, her nose tip and chin pink. Her cheeks were completely soaked with tears, her entire little face a mess.

Her disheveled hair and open collar made it hard not to suspect that Shen Ke had been bullied.

Shen Ke was a little afraid of Leigh. She trembled her eyelashes and called out softly, “L-Leigh, boo.” Her voice was soft and thin with a crying tone, the little trembles beyond her control—her throat ached when she spoke, unable to hold back the grievance.

Leigh’s emerald pupils reflected the tiny Shen Ke, and her heart pounded rapidly. Her pale cheeks quickly flushed red.

So cute, just like a pitiful little cat.

Leigh opened her arms toward Shen Ke. “Keke, come here, okay?”

“Don’t let that commoner touch you.”

Shen Ke shuddered all over. Was this… was this a threat?

Qi Yuan slightly furrowed her brows. Did these people always talk in such repulsive ways?

Shen Ke patted Qi Yuan’s shoulder, signaling her to put her down.

But Qi Yuan did not budge. She even said, “No, your leg might be injured. Who knows if it’ll hurt the moment you step on the ground.”

Shen Ke pursed her lips, tasting the salty wetness of her own tears. “R-Really?”

Qi Yuan nodded solemnly. “Really. It might even be fractured.” With her thick brows, big eyes, upright and dignified features, she looked like someone who would never lie.

Qi Yuan had noticed long ago that Shen Ke was a bit slow-witted and seemed very easy to fool.

And facts proved that Shen Ke was indeed very easy to fool.

Shen Ke wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffed, and parted her moist red lips. Her voice was a little hoarse, but that hoarseness made her sound even softer. “Leigh, you heard. I-I’m afraid of fracturing it.”

Leigh looked at Qi Yuan, who held Shen Ke in her arms. She withdrew her hand, a gloom settling over her sharp features.

Qi Yuan’s expression did not change, completely unfazed by Leigh’s gaze.

A strange tension formed between the two, but Shen Ke in the middle did not notice. She only felt that Leigh’s eyes were terrifying.

At that moment, Lu Yanbai walked over, her fox eyes curving slightly with a hint of allure.

“You’re Shen Ke, right? If you don’t leave with classmate Leigh, then come with us to the Student Council.”

“After all, fighting is grounds for punishment.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Ke lightly bit her lower lip. She glanced to the right at Leigh, whose expression was inscrutable, then to the left at Lu Yanbai’s smiling, beautiful face.

Shen Ke reached out her arms toward Lu Yanbai, blinking her tear-soaked long lashes and taking a small breath. “Th-Then I’ll go with you.”

Leigh had really scared her last time. She did not want to go with Leigh.

Shen Ke’s cheeks were red, and held in the arms of the tall and sturdy Qi Yuan, she looked entirely petite.

Lu Yanbai was somewhat surprised. She had not expected someone like Shen Ke. They were not close, were they?

Did she give off such a gentle impression?

Lu Yanbai did not wear a brooch—for someone of her status, her face was the best proof.

Though she rarely interacted with Si Qing, did Si Qing’s lackeys really not recognize her at all?

Shen Ke stretched out her arms, but after a long moment with no response from Lu Yanbai, tears began welling up in her eyes again.

“Y-You don’t want to hold me, do you?” The soft tone paired with Shen Ke’s tear-streaked face was unbearably cute.

Qi Yuan could not see Shen Ke’s expression at that moment, but she imagined it must have been very pitiful.

Qi Yuan said softly, “I have strength. I can keep holding you.” So there was no need for anyone else.

Shen Ke lowered her long lashes, intending to withdraw her arms, but the next second, her wrist was grasped.

A voice carrying a laugh came. “Come here.”

Leigh slowly broke into a smile, the gloom on her face vanishing. She clutched her heart with both hands, looking aggrieved. “Keke, why didn’t you choose me?”

Shen Ke pursed her lips tightly and did not answer Leigh. She pressed her hands on Lu Yanbai’s shoulders and, still in Qi Yuan’s hold, transferred over to Lu Yanbai.

Her legs clamped around Lu Yanbai’s waist as she pressed her cheek close to Lu Yanbai’s neck. Softly, she said, “Y-You smell nice.”

Si Qing always carried a faint medicinal scent due to her long-term medication.

Qi Yuan smelled of soap and sunshine mixed together, fresh and clean.

But this person in front of her had the scent of lily flowers—not strong, only noticeable up close, but indeed very fragrant and pleasant.

Lu Yanbai had not expected Shen Ke’s first words to be praising her scent.

The body heat and weight of someone else pressed against her through their contact, making Lu Yanbai clearly aware that she was now holding a girl she was not very familiar with.

Lu Yanbai’s body stiffened a little. One hand wrapped around Shen Ke’s waist, the other supported her thigh.

She did not know why her mind had short-circuited and accepted her just now, but it did not feel bad.

Shen Ke was soft, and holding her felt light.

Lu Yanbai chuckled. “Thanks, you smell nice too.” She felt a bit awkward but had no disgust or resistance.

Meanwhile, the other Student Council members standing outside were internally freaking out.

Holy crap, was this really Lu Yanbai? Was she possessed?

Lu Yanbai only appeared friendly, but when those fox eyes narrowed, who knew when she’d scheme against you? You might even count the money happily after being sold.

Those who spent a lot of time with Lu Yanbai understood her temperament best.

Those who did not only fawned endlessly over this stunning black gem brooch holder.

Lu Yanbai carried Shen Ke toward the door and said to the Student Council members with varied expressions, “Bring those people along. Let’s go.” With that, she walked out first, still holding Shen Ke.

Leigh followed closely. “Hey, Keke, let me hold you too, okay?”

“Hey, Lu Yanbai, I order you to be friendlier to this foreign friend and let me hold Keke.”

Qi Yuan watched the scene, slowly clenching her fists. Ever since Shen Ke left her arms, she had felt an emptiness inside.

She could not pinpoint the exact feeling, but her irritability had grown to its peak.

She touched her face; the blood had dried. There was a small cut on her forehead—not serious, but the blood had stained most of her face.

Was it because of the blood? Was that why Shen Ke did not want her to hold her anymore?

Shen Ke truly did not recognize Lu Yanbai. She knew that besides Si Qing and Leigh, there were two others at school from top-tier families.

But Si Qing disliked socializing due to her poor health.

Aside from Leigh occasionally coming to find Si Qing, Shen Ke had never seen the others.

Normally, aside from sticking to Si Qing, she used Si Qing’s influence to bully others.

And those she bullied did not dare speak out.

People with yellow and white brooches did not dare provoke someone like her.

Shen Ke’s cold had not fully recovered, and after all this commotion, she began to feel drowsy.

Nestled against Lu Yanbai’s neck, Shen Ke mumbled, “Is the punishment severe?” She was no longer upset, and her body did not hurt, but her head felt dizzy.

Her hot breath spread across Lu Yanbai’s neck with each exhale, making Lu Yanbai’s heart itch. This strange sensation had started the moment she picked up Shen Ke.

Lu Yanbai said, “Depends on how deeply you’re involved.”

Shen Ke pouted slightly, trying to look fierce. “I didn’t do anything. If you bully me, Si Qing will help me.” But with her red-rimmed eyes, she did not look fierce at all.

Leigh walked beside them, looking aggrieved. “Keke, I’ll help you too.”

Shen Ke turned her head and glanced at Leigh. “You won’t help me. You’ll just toy with me.”

“That day, you made me fetch snacks, and my hands got all red from the ropes.”

Leigh blinked her emerald eyes. “Keke, you’re sick.”

Normally, Shen Ke would not complain to her like this.

Leigh reached out and touched Shen Ke’s cheek with the back of her hand. It was burning hot—she really was sick.

“You’re feverish. Let’s take you to the infirmary first.”

Shen Ke dazedly touched her own cheek. “N-No fever.”

Leigh grabbed the hand Shen Ke had placed on hers. “Darling, you touched my hand.” Her gaze fell on Shen Ke’s flushed cheeks, and she regretted it deeply.

A few days ago, when Si Qing said she could have Shen Ke, she should have agreed.

Such a cute little cat—what was wrong with keeping her around?

Today, she finally understood: if Shen Ke was not a bit fiercer, she would definitely get bullied by everyone.

Today, that tall, sturdy country bumpkin had held her—one hand covering most of Shen Ke’s butt.

Leigh’s hand was cool, and Shen Ke unconsciously rubbed against it. “Leigh, I think I really do have a fever.”

A fever brought not just heat but discomfort all over, nausea, intense misery.

Shen Ke’s head spun, and as she blinked, crystalline tears rolled down.

“I have a fever, boo hoo hoo, it feels so awful.”

Lu Yanbai stroked Shen Ke’s back. “We’ll take you to the infirmary soon.”

Just then, Shen Ke’s phone rang.

The ringtone went on for a long time before Shen Ke answered.

A muffled voice came from the other end. “Shen Ke, where are you?”

“If there’s no reasonable explanation, you don’t need to come find me anymore.”

It had almost been three days, and Shen Ke had not come to find her—this was a first.

Si Qing held back again and again but still called first.

She wanted to ask if Shen Ke no longer wanted to use her power to throw her weight around.

Shen Ke gripped her phone tightly, grievances flooding over her like a tide. Tears poured out endlessly. “I-I have a fever.”

“Si Qing, I have a fever, and you’re still scolding me.”

“I won’t come find you ever again!!!”

With that, Shen Ke abruptly hung up. Her crying was not loud but soft. At some point, her head had started throbbing.

Shen Ke hugged Lu Yanbai tightly. Her scorching body felt like a flame, the heat transferring from their touching skin straight to Lu Yanbai’s heart.

Lu Yanbai tightened her arms around Shen Ke. Her alluring fox eyes turned to Leigh beside them, her tone somewhat inexplicable. “This isn’t Si Qing’s little follower, is it? This is more like a little ancestor.”

Leigh sighed. “Bai Bai, you can’t steal Keke from me.”

Lu Yanbai laughed. “I don’t like women anyway.”

The two spoke without avoiding Shen Ke, but Shen Ke’s head was dizzy now, and she could not hear clearly.

She only caught a few words: “like women.”

This reminded her of the sounds she and Qi Yuan had heard in the public bathhouse last time.

Back then, Qi Yuan had pinned her down, one hand gripping both her wrists. Her fingers were slender, her palm broad, matching her height.

She had actually been scared then, afraid Qi Yuan would do something to her in the bathhouse.

When Qi Yuan leaned close to her, that gaze was truly deep and black, like a wild beast that had completely locked onto her and treated her as prey. Shen Ke was very afraid, so she shouted out.

Those fingers were so long; she had no idea how deep they would go.

Shen Ke sniffled, her eyes bright and crystalline after being washed by tears.

Shen Ke leaned close to Lu Yanbai’s ear and whispered softly, “Y-you can’t put your fingers in there.”

“Your fingers are so long; they’ll definitely make my stomach feel really uncomfortable.”

“And they might even scrape me raw.” The hard, thick calluses would hurt even when rubbing against skin, let alone more tender places.

Shen Ke’s head spun badly; she had no idea what outrageous things she had just said.

Lu Yanbai raised her eyebrows and narrowed her fox eyes.

Leaning close to Shen Ke’s ear, she replied in an equally soft voice, “Mm, I won’t.”

To Leigh, their posture seemed somewhat ambiguous. She pouted and whined in a strange manner, “What did Keke say to you? I want to know too.”

Lu Yanbai smiled and said, “Nothing. Let’s head to the infirmary first.”

Leigh twirled her golden hair with her hand, her eyes turning as she said, “Are you tired of holding her? Let me hold her.”

…

In the infirmary, Shen Ke lay on the bed receiving an IV drip. She had already fallen completely asleep.

Because they had brought her promptly, there were no major issues.

Lu Yanbai had other matters to attend to, so she left after dropping Shen Ke off.

Leigh sat beside her and lightly poked Shen Ke’s cheek with her finger. So cute.

Suddenly, with a “Bang!”, the infirmary door was forcefully flung open.

Si Qing supported herself on the door frame, gasping for breath.

Her pale cheeks were flushed red, and her forehead was densely beaded with sweat, just like an ordinary person. Only her bloodless lips exposed Si Qing’s sickly condition.

“Shen Ke.” Si Qing’s voice was so hoarse that it seemed like no sound had come out.

The intense exertion made her lungs feel like they were about to explode; even breathing hurt.

Si Qing covered her mouth and coughed muffledly a few times before finally entering the infirmary.

Leigh’s golden hair was unique in the school, so Si Qing spotted her at once. She walked over and saw Shen Ke sleeping soundly on the bed.

In a hoarse voice, she said, “Why are you here?”

She had gone to Shen Ke’s dorm and not found her, so she had run to the infirmary. She had checked the infirmaries in all four areas; this was the last one. Fortunately, Shen Ke was indeed here.

Leigh smiled brightly and glanced at Si Qing. She did not answer Si Qing’s question and instead asked, “Qingqing, last time you said if I wanted Keke, you’d give her to me. Does that still count?”

“Anyway, she’s just your family’s driver’s daughter. You don’t like her anyway.”

“You’ll give her, right?”

“Doesn’t she always annoy you? If you give her to me, I promise I won’t let her bother you.”