Chen Dao’s voice was loud. Even the teacher still in the classroom couldn’t help glancing toward the back door.

Class One was full of Xinchi’s best. A menial disciple like Chen Dao wasn’t someone they could let mess with them. Seeing him come in so aggressively, there was no way they’d obediently call Gu Lian out for him.

On the small scale, she was their classmate. On the big scale, she was the Saintess. How could they let some nobody come barging in?

Right after that, three tall guys around six feet came over. They didn’t drive Chen Dao away, though. They just pretended to chat by the back door.

Most of the class was watching the back door. A smaller group was staring at Gu Lian, who was right at the center of the storm.

The moment her name was called, Gu Lian’s small body trembled. Her heart skipped, and she didn’t dare move an inch.

She really had been avoiding Chen Dao these past few days. In her eyes, he was after money. Even if he had his reasons, the moment he opened his mouth and asked her for money, she stopped feeling like he was a friend.

Gu Lian wasn’t exactly sure how to define a friend. But no matter how she thought about it, it shouldn’t mean feeding someone snacks every day and lending them money at the library on Sundays, right?

Her little head wasn’t filled only with old sayings and textbook logic. It wasn’t just rules and formulas either. Cutting losses in time and keeping her distance was the one truth she’d learned from that nearly failed friendship back in middle school.

Once you knew someone might have bad intentions, you couldn’t let yourself sink in deeper.

But they had made an agreement first, and she wasn’t the kind of person who went back on her word. So she had decided to keep tutoring Chen Dao until the end of this semester. There were only a little over ten days left before winter break.

Next semester, she’d just say school was too busy and leave it at that...

That was her plan. That was why from Monday to Wednesday, they only met at the library. And even then, whoever got out of class first would go wait for the other. The whole point was to avoid meeting Chen Dao anywhere outside the library.

It was just that poor pen was still in Chen Dao’s hands, so Gu Lian had no choice but to painfully let it go.

Even if it had only cost two yuan.

She stiffly turned her head and looked out the window by the back door, toward the boy who was staring fixedly at her.

“Classmate, what do you need her for?”

A boy about five-seven stepped up. Buzz cut, looked energetic, but his voice wasn’t loud.

He came over beside Chen Dao and asked in place of the girl sitting by the back door.

“I’m returning her pen.”

Chen Dao didn’t hesitate much. He could tell these people were screening him, so he simply took out Gu Lian’s pen and held it in his hand.

The boy glanced at it, lifted his head slightly, then naturally held out his hand.

“Then I can pass it to her for you.”

But Chen Dao didn’t hand it over. One had a clenched fist, the other an open palm. The two froze there in a standoff.

Then came a rush of footsteps and a brush of wind. Gu Lian appeared quickly between them, clutching her schoolbag, face drawn.

The weather had been cold lately. The wind cut to the bone, but the south didn’t get snow.

Most people were already wearing sweatshirts or hoodies under their uniforms.

Gu Lian was the same. A pink hood stuck out from her uniform collar, covering the skin of her neck. It also forced her hair into two braids, hanging over her already full chest.

Her cheeks were slightly red. Her small eyes stayed locked on that pen. She struggled to part her lips.

“Let’s go!”

She called out unclearly, then reached out and grabbed Chen Dao’s sleeve. Instead of backing away, she pulled him down the slope.

Behind them were classmates craning their necks to watch, and a subject teacher with confusion written all over his face, thinking, Wait, did our cabbage just get snatched by a pig?

Gu Lian didn’t even know what she had been thinking. The instant she heard that her pen was there, in enemy hands, she felt like she had to come out.

But as for why she grabbed Chen Dao and left with him, she couldn’t explain it.

By the time she came back to herself, the two of them were already heading toward the school gate.

She felt like she had to make things clear, but Chen Dao struck first.

“If you’ve got the nerve to hide from me, then don’t jump out just because of one pen!”

That one sentence scared Gu Lian so badly she thought she was about to get hit. She immediately covered herself with both hands, then tried to run off in quick little steps. But Chen Dao reached out and grabbed her hood. She couldn’t get away.

“I... I wasn’t...”

After being dragged back by that merciless iron hand, she puffed out her cheeks and glared at Chen Dao.

“Oh, you’ve really got the guts to say that, huh, brat? I need to talk to you. Don’t go home yet. Tell Uncle Liu.”

Chen Dao let go as he spoke. Seeing that Gu Lian wasn’t running, he simply walked ahead, looking completely unconcerned that she might bolt.

“I’m not going.”

Gu Lian muttered under her breath. She was planning to run the instant they got out the school gate. If she got dragged into some little grove, that would be awful.

She’d heard stories like this back in elementary school. Boys threatening others with, You won’t get away after school. Wait for me at the gate.

So she figured whatever Chen Dao wanted to do was probably the same kind of pointless thing as that little boy who’d later been flattened by Uncle Liu and his dad together.

As long as she made it to Uncle Liu’s side, she’d be perfectly safe.

No matter what, Chen Dao wouldn’t dare threaten me in front of Uncle Liu... right?

“Uncle Liu! Haven’t seen you for three whole days!”

Just as Gu Lian’s little scheme was nearly complete, Chen Dao trotted up to Uncle Liu, who was waiting beside a Bentley, and greeted him first.

Uncle Liu waved his right hand, clearly pleased by the greeting.

Seeing Chen Dao actually greet Uncle Liu first, Gu Lian thought, He really isn’t afraid of dying. Isn’t he scared I’ll tell Uncle Liu he threatened me?

“Uncle Liu, I want to talk with Gu Lian. Could you give us a little time?”

“Talk?”

“Yes. You can drive behind us. I’m planning to take her for a couple laps around the market on Haibin Road.”

“That should be fine... Her tutor doesn’t come until eight-thirty anyway...”

Uncle Liu looked at Chen Dao, all smiles, then at Gu Lian, who had her head lowered and lips puffed in complaint. Suddenly, it felt like his young miss was just sulking.

“Uncle Liu, I’m not going.”

She muttered her protest, but it never reached him. He had already turned and opened the car door, taking out a coat.

He just happened to miss the moment she spoke.

“I’ll protect Gu Lian properly, Uncle Liu. Don’t worry!”

Chen Dao held the coat with both hands, then headed toward the main road first. Baojia Road connected straight to the main thoroughfare and led directly to Haibin Road, where the seawall stood.

“You two take your time and talk.”

After Chen Dao left, Gu Lian had no choice but to follow. Before going, she deliberately walked up to Uncle Liu, who was getting into the car, and lightly scolded him.

“Uncle Liu, your bonus is gone.”

Uncle Liu froze and began reflecting on exactly which step he had messed up just now.

It was almost the end of the year. How had his bonus suddenly vanished?

But by the time he looked up to ask clearly, Gu Lian had already pattered after Chen Dao, so he could only start the car and follow them.

These past two days, the young miss had said Chen Dao was busy, so they couldn’t meet. He’d thought being alone with Chen Dao was what she wanted, because she had seemed a little gloomy for three days straight. She could barely eat any Boston lobster.

Hiss... Could it be she’d been deliberately avoiding Chen Dao these past two days?

No way...