Chapter 74: The Little Follower at the Aristocratic School (Part 23)

“Hey, did you hear? Both Lai Yi and the president ended up in the hospital.”

“I know. It seems pretty serious.”

“I wonder what happened.”

The conversations in the classroom were not quiet at all. It was break time now, and basically everyone had gathered into small groups. Only around Shen Ke was there no one.

It looked like she had been isolated, but in reality, no one dared to approach her and strike up a conversation.

Just being stared at by those cat-like eyes made their hearts pound like drums. It was nerve-wracking.

Shen Ke propped her head up and gazed out the window. Two days had already passed since Lai Yi had been taken away by Chi Wan and Lu Yanbai.

So she ended up in the hospital? No wonder Lai Yi hadn’t come looking for her.

Shen Ke spaced out completely and didn’t notice at all that the noisy voices around her had suddenly stopped.

“Shen Ke, what are you thinking about?” Si Qing’s hoarse and indifferent voice rang in her ear.

Shen Ke snapped back to attention and withdrew her gaze from the window. She turned her head to look at Si Qing, her eyes widening slightly. “How did you get here?”

Si Qing pressed her lips together. “Shen Ke, you didn’t come find me yesterday, and you didn’t answer my calls.”

Shen Ke furrowed her brows, her voice rising a bit. “What do you mean? Are you blaming me right now?”

Si Qing lowered her long lashes, a trace of fatigue appearing on her pale face. “No, I just wanted to see you more.”

“Don’t be angry.”

She didn’t want Shen Ke to be filled with negative emotions.

The classroom was already too quiet, so Si Qing’s words rang clearly throughout the room. The other students heard them, making the already silent atmosphere even more hushed.

It was so devoted and cautious that anyone who couldn’t pick up on the meaning probably had an emotional intelligence that was beyond hopeless.

Shen Ke lifted her eyelids, her voice dropping as she put on an impatient expression. “I’m not some petty person.”

Si Qing was being so submissive in front of her right now. Shen Ke wasn’t afraid of her at all. She was arrogant and cocky, with an extremely bad temper.

“Can’t you get some proper rest? If you faint, I won’t be able to hold you up. That would be such a hassle.”

Hearing Shen Ke say this, Si Qing didn’t get angry.

She knew that staying any longer would only make Shen Ke more annoyed with her, so Si Qing coughed dryly a few times. Her throat became even hoarser, and her words sounded even weaker. “Shen Ke, I’ll come find you during lunch break. Let’s go eat together.”

Shen Ke nodded lightly, looking extremely perfunctory.

But when lunch break came, it wasn’t just Si Qing who showed up. Lu Yanbai was there too.

These two top-tier beauties in terms of looks, figure, and aura stood at the doorway. It was incredibly eye-catching.

The students passing by felt like their breathing was about to stop.

They rarely even saw one of them on a normal day, but today they were seeing two goddesses at once.

And the most mysterious Si Qing.

Lu Yanbai flashed a shallow smile at Si Qing. “Si Qing, long time no see.”

Si Qing responded politely. “Yeah, long time no see.”

Si Qing was naturally a woman of few words, so she fell silent after that.

But Lu Yanbai wasn’t. She smiled and said, “Are you here waiting for someone?”

Si Qing’s gaze fell on Shen Ke, who was fixing her hair inside the classroom. She nodded.

Lu Yanbai narrowed her eyes. “Me too. Want to guess who I’m waiting for?”

Si Qing replied curtly, “Not interested.” She didn’t care about anything unrelated to Shen Ke. She didn’t want to pay attention to it or know about it.

Lu Yanbai twirled a strand of her curly hair slowly around her finger. “Not interested?” Her words carried a deeper meaning.

Si Qing’s lips pressed down slightly. She ignored Lu Yanbai.

Shen Ke checked herself in the mirror, fixed her hair, applied some lipstick, and made sure she looked clean, refreshed, and pretty. Then she put away the mirror and walked toward the door.

When Shen Ke stopped in front of her, Si Qing was just about to say something when she saw Lu Yanbai pull Shen Ke into a hug.

Lu Yanbai’s voice carried a smile, like a cup of intoxicating fine wine. “Shen Ke, let’s go eat together.”

Lu Yanbai’s embrace was very brief. She just lightly wrapped her arms around Shen Ke before quickly letting go.

It was perfectly measured, considerate, and gentle.

Shen Ke blinked. She was going to eat anyway, and it didn’t matter with how many people. “Sure, let’s go.”

Si Qing clenched her fist tightly beside them. Since when did Shen Ke get so close to Lu Yanbai?

“Shen Ke, you promised to go eat with me first.” Si Qing couldn’t stand it anymore. Why did Lu Yanbai have to butt in like this? And why was she hugging Shen Ke so casually? Si Qing hadn’t even done that.

Shen Ke glared at Si Qing, her tone fierce. “Three people eating together is the same thing.”

Lu Yanbai chimed in from the side. “Exactly. It’s just a meal, not a date.”

“Si Qing, you don’t have to be so against it.” Lu Yanbai’s fox-like eyes curved into a smile. She reached out gently to tuck Shen Ke’s long hair behind her ear. “Shen Ke, am I right?”

Lu Yanbai’s fingertips brushed over Shen Ke’s cheek and ear. Shen Ke felt a bit itchy and narrowed her eyes. She nodded. “Exactly.”

Lu Yanbai took in all of Shen Ke’s expressions and movements. Her smile widened a little. So cute. She wondered if stroking Shen Ke’s chin would make her purr like a cat.

The atmosphere between the two was too intimate for Si Qing. Her breathing grew a bit heavy. She gripped Shen Ke’s wrist tightly. “Shen Ke, I only want to be with you. Just the two of us.”

Compared to Lu Yanbai’s calm elegance, Si Qing’s words sounded overly childish.

But Si Qing hated anyone intruding between her and Shen Ke. It made her feel nauseous.

Lu Yanbai’s gaze fell on the hand Si Qing was using to grip Shen Ke. Smiling, she reached out and took Shen Ke’s other hand.

“Alright, we’ve already wasted a lot of time. We should get going.”

Shen Ke’s hands were both being held. She glanced at Si Qing’s darkening eyes, then at Lu Yanbai’s smiling face. Shen Ke nodded. “You’re right. Let’s eat first.”

Si Qing opened her mouth, but in the end, she closed it again. She just pressed her lips together tightly.

Her mood was terrible. She hated anyone who approached Shen Ke.

Whether it was Qi Yuan, Lai Yi, Lu Yanbai, or anyone else—as long as someone got even slightly intimate with Shen Ke, it made her feel awful.

Her heart ached dully.

She liked Shen Ke, but this liking came with an unparalleled possessive desire.

Si Qing was keenly aware of how off she was. This overly sickly emotion only made her moods unstable.

But she couldn’t change it. There were too many people around Shen Ke. It was normal for her to feel this way.

Si Qing slipped her fingers between Shen Ke’s, then closed her hand, pressing their palms tightly together to feel Shen Ke’s warmth.

Secret, filthy thoughts kept fermenting in her mind.

Qi Yuan was right. She hated Qi Yuan, but she hated herself even more for not being able to kiss Shen Ke as crazily as a dog like Qi Yuan did.

In the end, Si Qing just silently lowered her long lashes and suppressed those thoughts.

Noah Academy’s cafeteria had many locations, and each one had three floors.

The first floor was a standard cafeteria. The second floor was decorated like a high-end restaurant.

The third floor was opulent and grand, comparable to a large banquet hall—luxurious and extravagant.

It was hard to imagine that this was just a place for students to eat.

At that moment, Shen Ke and the other two were sitting at a long rectangular table on the third floor.

Si Qing sat next to Shen Ke, while Lu Yanbai sat across from her.

Lu Yanbai was great at keeping a conversation going. When she noticed Shen Ke seemed a bit unhappy, she immediately switched topics.

The atmosphere between the two was very harmonious—harmonious to the point where Si Qing felt completely superfluous.

“Shen Ke, do you like the bracelet I gave you?” Lu Yanbai’s smile was always gentle. This gentleness made people overlook her alluring appearance.

Shen Ke raised her hand and dangled it. The bracelet had a ruby in the center—clear and transparent. It was gorgeous, and it matched her fair skin perfectly.

Shen Ke quite liked this bracelet. It looked great on her, so she nodded and gave a somewhat reserved smile—small and tinged with pride. “It’s barely to my taste.”

Seeing Shen Ke’s smile, Si Qing’s fingers tightened slightly around her small knife.

She rarely saw Shen Ke smile. It was enough to make her jealous to the point of suffocation.

The fork scraped harshly against the porcelain plate. Si Qing put the sliced beef into Shen Ke’s bowl and said in a hoarse voice, “Shen Ke, eat first.”

Shen Ke eyed Si Qing suspiciously. She met Si Qing’s pale eyes, which showed no emotion. Shen Ke furrowed her brows slightly. “Si Qing, what was that noise you just made?”

Si Qing’s lashes trembled lightly. She smiles at Lu Yanbai but acts impatient with me.

She had made mistakes before, but Shen Ke and Lu Yanbai clearly weren’t that close. How dare Lu Yanbai pretend they were.

Si Qing withdrew her hand and lowered her head. Her voice softened. “Don’t talk while eating.”

Shen Ke got a bit annoyed. She patted Si Qing’s arm, but without much force. “I’m mad now!”

“Si Qing, are you some ancient relic? Even your mom doesn’t say you can’t talk during meals.”

Si Qing’s lips pressed down. Her already aloof face now looked even more unapproachable. “Sorry, I don’t want to make you angry.”

Si Qing apologized too quickly. Combined with her deathly pale face and frail body, Shen Ke’s anger dissipated instantly.

She let out a cold snort, forked up some steak, and grumbled unhappily with her mouth pursed. “Fine, I’m not that quick to anger anyway.”

Shen Ke put the beef in her mouth. She noticed Lu Yanbai had been staring at her. After swallowing, Shen Ke asked puzzledly, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Lu Yanbai looked at the sauce on Shen Ke’s lip corner. She reached out and gently wiped it away for her, then cleaned it off with a napkin. “Compared to eating, I’d rather watch you eat.”

“I’ve said it before, Shen Ke. You’re so cute—even when you’re eating.”

“I want to keep watching you.”

The flirtatious words drilled into Si Qing’s ears. She jerked her head away and stared deadly at Lu Yanbai. Her voice was ice-cold. “Lu Yanbai, you’re getting more disgusting by the day.”

Lu Yanbai chuckled lightly, her fox eyes curving into crescents. “Don’t get so worked up. I’m not saying it to you.”

Shen Ke slammed the table with a smack, her little mouth pursed. “What are you two doing? Do you want me to eat or not?”

“I really hate being disturbed while eating. If you keep this up, I won’t eat with either of you again.”

“You’re so annoying!”

After venting, Shen Ke let out a cold snort. Ignoring Lu Yanbai and Si Qing, she ate her meal on her own.

Lu Yanbai and Si Qing finally went completely quiet.

They finished the meal in silence. Shen Ke snorted coldly again, stood up, and left by herself.

Every move screamed that she was angry.

Si Qing’s face paled. She hadn’t wanted to make Shen Ke mad, but she couldn’t control that surge of jealousy.

Si Qing hurried after Shen Ke. Meanwhile, Lu Yanbai stayed seated, leaning back in her chair with her fingers tapping lightly on the table.

That day, Chi Wan and Lai Yi had gotten into a fight, and both ended up in the hospital.

She had known early on that Shen Ke would go there, so she followed. She left a hint for Lai Yi and conveniently brought Chi Wan along.

She could say that she hadn’t gone to find Shen Ke that night just for a kiss. She only wanted that mad dog Lai Yi to see some slightly intimate physical contact with her Shen Ke.

But Shen Ke had been bolder than she imagined and kissed her directly.

Lai Yi had seen them kissing, so she couldn’t hold back and declared her ownership right in front of her. That was a sign of losing emotional control.

Though the process had deviated a bit, the result was what she wanted.

Lai Yi got overstimulated and tried to claim Shen Ke in the dorm.

She knew Chi Wan would definitely follow, which was why she called Chi Wan.

Chi Wan would naturally despise something like that and beat Lai Yi into the hospital as expected. That removed one troublesome dog from Shen Ke’s side.

She hadn’t expected Lai Yi and Chi Wan to be evenly matched, sending both to the hospital.

Lu Yanbai’s smile right now was exceptionally alluring, just like a real fox. Where was the gentle facade? Her face was full of scheming.

Perfect. Two people gone at once.

Next up were Si Qing and… Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan was just an ordinary person, nothing special. But if she could win Shen Ke’s favor, she must have something unique.

Lu Yanbai wouldn’t underestimate anyone.

And she wouldn’t use dirty tricks to destroy others.

If Shen Ke ever found out one day, she would definitely be hated. She couldn’t be 100% sure she wouldn’t get caught, so she preferred gentler methods to remove everyone clinging to Shen Ke.

Lu Yanbai swallowed her last bite, elegantly wiped her mouth, stood up, took out her phone, and made a call.

“Auntie Si? It’s Little Lu.”