12. Team Building

The next morning, instead of heading straight to her seat as usual, Pei Huan walked directly to Tao Ranxi’s desk and knocked on the tabletop with her knuckles. Tao Ranxi was still finishing the homework she hadn’t done the night before. Seeing Pei Huan approach, she frowned. “What do you want?”

“You were the one who locked the classroom door last night, weren’t you?” Pei Huan asked calmly.

Tao Ranxi’s expression didn’t change at all; she even looked disdainful. “Got any proof? You can’t just accuse people without evidence.”

Pei Huan shot her a meaningful look, sneered a little, then strode up to the podium. With practiced ease, she turned on the computer and the screen behind her. After a flurry of operations, she played a video on the display. Tao Ranxi was unmistakably the main character in the footage. Even though the video was blurry, there was no way anyone could mistake her.

The class, which had been buzzing with whispers about the incident, fell silent, all eyes glued to the screen.

Tao Ranxi hadn’t expected Pei Huan to actually pull the surveillance footage. Watching the video, her face turned utterly grim. Pei Huan leaned against the lectern, looking at her with keen interest. “Are you still going to deny it now?”

She’d gotten up early that morning specifically to check the surveillance. Even though she’d already suspected who it was, seeing the evidence with her own eyes still left Pei Huan baffled. Were these two really so petty? All she’d done yesterday was speak up for Ji Qinshu—was that really such a big deal?

Tao Ranxi opened and closed her mouth, unable to utter a word. Pei Huan watched her squirm, then finally said with feigned magnanimity, “I can just about forgive you this time, but only if you apologize to me on the podium like Yuan Tao did yesterday.”

She knew Tao Ranxi cared about her pride, so she insisted she admit her mistake and apologize in front of everyone.

“Is this fun for you, Pei Huan?” Tao Ranxi’s face was dark.

“You don’t accept?” Pei Huan raised an eyebrow. “If you refuse, I’ll just hand this video over to the homeroom teacher. And then, apologizing to me on the podium will be the least of your worries.”

Pei Huan’s tone was light and playful, her eyes smiling, but anyone watching could tell she was not to be trifled with.

Tao Ranxi glared coldly at Pei Huan from her seat, seemingly weighing her options. Pei Huan wasn’t in a hurry; she stood on the podium, watching with an amused look.

Eventually, Tao Ranxi got up and walked to the front. Pei Huan stepped aside to give her the spot. Tao Ranxi stood on the podium in silence for a moment before delivering a stiff, awkward apology. Pei Huan listened quietly, then lazily waved her hand. “Alright, I forgive you.”

Tao Ranxi shot Pei Huan a fierce look, then stormed off the stage.

The classroom was eerily quiet for a few seconds before the murmuring and whispers resumed, many students discussing the dramatic scene they’d just witnessed.

Yuan Tao gave Pei Huan a cold glance before looking away. At first, she’d thought Pei Huan was an easygoing, careless type who didn’t get involved in anything. Clearly, she had misjudged her.

“You’re really something, Pei Huan. Tao Ranxi almost fainted from anger just now,” Wang Xun laughed.

“I was locked in the classroom until seven last night before anyone showed up. If no one had come, I might have had to spend the night there. Compared to that, making her apologize is pretty lenient,” Pei Huan said with exaggerated seriousness.

Li Xuan and Wang Xun couldn’t help but laugh, but they were also curious about who had come to Pei Huan’s rescue. Just as Pei Huan was about to brush them off, she spotted Lu Yinghuai walking into the classroom with his backpack. She straightened up and pretended to tidy her books. “Alright, morning study is about to start. Quit asking so many questions.”

The two of them were thrown by her sudden change in attitude but didn’t press further.

A few days later, it was finally time for the long-awaited class bonding event. Since there were no evening study sessions in the second year, they’d chosen the classroom as their venue. After setting up the space, laying out snacks and props, the activities began.

Everyone was fairly cooperative. At first, people were shy, hesitating to raise their hands to answer questions, but soon they got into the spirit. Some even stood on chairs, shouting out answers—often wrong but always hilarious. The classroom was filled with laughter.

After playing for a while, Pei Huan retreated to the side to quietly eat. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lu Yinghuai hiding in a corner, playing on his phone. After a moment’s thought, she carried her food over and sat down next to him. Lu Yinghuai glanced at her without much expression, then went back to his phone.

He wasn’t playing any of the popular mobile games but instead was absorbed in Snake or Subway Surfers. Pei Huan watched for a while, then looked away and asked offhandedly, “Why don’t you join in?”

“Not interested,” Lu Yinghuai replied simply.

Pei Huan glanced at him, making no comment. “If you’re not interested, why did you pay to join in?”

At that, Lu Yinghuai looked up at her, then silently bowed his head to continue his game.

Pei Huan hadn’t expected an answer anyway and simply went back to her snacks.

Just then, someone shouted her name through the microphone. Pei Huan was fully focused on her food and looked up blankly, her chewing paused.

Li Xuan, the culprit, was grinning at her. “Our big sister Huan sings amazingly. Who wants to hear her sing?”

Pei Huan was speechless. What a troublemaker.

Wang Xun was the first to chime in, and several girls who’d heard Pei Huan sing before joined in. Pei Huan instinctively tried to refuse, but with Li Xuan and Wang Xun leading the chorus, everyone began chanting her name. Even Lu Yinghuai beside her was watching. With no way out, Pei Huan had to get up.

As she walked to the front, she shot Li Xuan a look. “You and Wang Xun owe me McDonald’s.”

“Of course, we’ll treat you!” Li Xuan patted his chest.

Pei Huan picked an English song—“Fearless” by the American country singer Taylor Swift. The tune was lively, and as the intro started, she mimicked the singer at a concert, bouncing onto the stage with an imaginary guitar. Li Xuan and Wang Xun whooped and cheered.

Pei Huan knew the song by heart and jumped right in without the lyrics. Those hearing her sing for the first time were absolutely stunned.

No one had expected Pei Huan to sing so beautifully.

Lu Yinghuai, too, watched her intently.

At the song’s climax, Pei Huan’s gaze met Lu Yinghuai’s. For a moment, neither looked away, holding each other’s eyes in silent understanding. Then, Pei Huan suddenly winked at him before looking elsewhere.

Lu Yinghuai was caught off guard by her sudden wink. He kept his composure, but when he looked down, there was a faint smile in his eyes.

In that moment when their eyes met, even though Pei Huan kept singing steadily, her heart was in turmoil. Usually, Lu Yinghuai’s eyes revealed nothing, but just then, she caught an emotion in them she couldn’t quite decipher. His eyes were particularly striking, and when he looked at someone with that icy calm, he was even more captivating.

For those few seconds, even Pei Huan found herself helplessly drawn in.

Perhaps those old rumors weren’t without foundation after all.

These past few days, Pei Huan had gained a clear understanding of just how attractive Lu Yinghuai was.

When the song ended, her classmates broke out in enthusiastic applause and cheers, making even someone as outgoing as Pei Huan feel a little embarrassed.

“Pei Huan, your singing is amazing! Have you thought about performing at the school’s New Year’s Gala?” someone suggested.

“That’s right! With a voice like yours, it would be a shame not to let the whole school hear it!” others echoed.

Everyone chimed in, all but lifting Pei Huan up to the skies. Sensing it was getting out of hand, Pei Huan cut in, “Alright, that’s enough, are you trying to set me up for embarrassment?”

“If I could have a voice like yours, I’d be happy to embarrass myself,” Tang Yue joked, pretending to be serious.

The banter continued until Pei Huan finally managed to escape and returned to her seat to eat.

Thinking of Lu Yinghuai’s gaze earlier, Pei Huan leaned over and asked, “How was my singing?”

“It was great,” Lu Yinghuai replied.

“Really?” Pei Huan asked uncertainly.

“Really,” Lu Yinghuai nodded.

Receiving his confirmation, Pei Huan broke into a smile and offered him some of her food. Lu Yinghuai was about to refuse, but when he saw her bright smile, he swallowed the words.

At that moment, Yuan Tao was singing on stage. Her voice was naturally gifted—soft and gentle in speech, and even love songs came out sounding tender and lingering. Pei Huan listened attentively while eating.

Yuan Tao glanced toward the corner where Lu Yinghuai sat. He was either playing games or talking to Pei Huan, never once looking her way. Yet, when Pei Huan had been singing, he’d watched her the whole time.

The thought left Yuan Tao disappointed, and her dislike for Pei Huan grew even stronger.

This class bonding event was a great success; everyone had fun and ate well. Many suggested doing it again, and Yuan Tao smiled and said she’d talk to the homeroom teacher.

Everyone stayed behind to help clean up. Those who finished first left early. Pei Huan, quick and efficient, cleaned her area and slipped out with her backpack.

The stars were especially bright that night. Pei Huan looked up at the sky, about to leave, when a familiar scent drifted past her nose. She didn’t need to look to know who it was—Lu Yinghuai.

“Are you going to walk me home?” Pei Huan asked first.

Lu Yinghuai glanced at her and nodded without hesitation.

They walked and chatted, Pei Huan glancing up at the stars. “The stars are so many and so bright tonight.”

Hearing her, Lu Yinghuai followed her gaze skyward. Pei Huan took the opportunity to sneak a look at him.

Now, she had someone to watch the stars with.