19. Scandal

The sports meet drew to a close as the final event of the afternoon ended. Everyone carried their chairs back to the spot where the opening ceremony had been held the previous morning and took their seats. On the way, Pei Huan was acutely aware of the many gazes fixed upon her, accompanied by scattered whispers. She swept her eyes nonchalantly over the crowd; those caught looking quickly fell silent, but as soon as she looked away, the murmurs resumed. For a moment, Pei Huan was the talk of the day—perhaps she would remain so for several days to come.

The last batch of medals was awarded during the closing ceremony, along with a host of minor prizes. Her class, 2-2, had participated in relatively few events and only managed to rank tenth in the grade by overall score, with the top three spots swept by the science classes. When the school leaders finally finished their long-winded speeches, the sound of celebratory cannons filled the air, and a cascade of colorful ribbons fluttered down, signaling the successful conclusion of the sports meet.

On the way back to the classroom with their chairs, Pei Huan and Tang Yue walked side by side. Tang Yue sensed the subtle glances aimed in their direction and remarked with a grin, "Well, you’re famous now, Pei Huan."

"I didn’t need you to tell me—I could feel it," Pei Huan replied with a helpless shrug. "I was just dozing off in the class base today, but there were plenty of people pretending to pass by, sneaking a glance at me and then whispering as though I were some celebrity."

Tang Yue snorted. "And how are you any different from a celebrity right now?"

Pei Huan thought it over and had to admit—there wasn’t much difference at all.

But now, she realized she’d dragged Lu Yinghuai into this as well. He and Yuan Tao were the school’s “official CP,” yet here she was, inadvertently entangling herself in the gossip. Who knew how many more rumors would reach Lu Yinghuai’s ears?

With this in mind, Pei Huan glanced at Lu Yinghuai. He was walking with his usual indifferent expression, and when he felt her gaze, he looked at her briefly before shifting his eyes away, face blank.

He seemed oblivious to the fact that he and Pei Huan had become central figures in the latest gossip storm.

"Do you think Lu Yinghuai knows about this?" Pei Huan asked, feigning nonchalance.

"No idea," Tang Yue replied. "But with how big this has gotten, he’ll find out sooner or later."

"You don’t think I’ll end up cornered by his fangirls in some alley, do you?" Pei Huan joked.

Tang Yue laughed. "Don’t underestimate fangirls—you never know what they’re capable of."

The two returned to the classroom, chatting and laughing. After two days of the sports meet, the teachers gave only a few brief assignments before announcing the end of the day. Pei Huan and Tang Yue went home together.

"Tomorrow’s the weekend—want to hang out?" Tang Yue asked.

"Sure. Where do you want to go?" Pei Huan agreed readily.

Tang Yue glanced down at her phone. "There’s a new trendy spot that just opened nearby. All the bloggers say it’s great. Want to check it out?"

"Sounds good," Pei Huan replied.

They chatted as they strolled along, and when they passed a jianbing stall, both their stomachs growled at the same time. With a shared look of understanding, they turned back toward the stall.

"One jianbing, extra spicy," Pei Huan ordered with practiced ease.

"I’ll have the same," Tang Yue said.

The vendor’s movements were quick and deft, and soon they each had a hot jianbing in hand. After paying, they ambled off, eating as they walked.

Tang Yue burned her mouth on the fresh jianbing and could hardly close her lips. After swallowing, she asked, "So, you really don’t have any feelings for Lu Yinghuai?"

"None at all," Pei Huan replied firmly.

"That figures," Tang Yue said, noncommittal. "I’ve known you for years and never seen you date anyone."

Pei Huan listened to Tang Yue’s words, unable to suppress a twinge of guilt.

The truth was, she did like Lu Yinghuai—a little. But it was so slight, it hardly seemed to matter.

After parting ways with Tang Yue at the fork in the road, Pei Huan finally pulled out her phone and checked the school forum. The post about her had racked up countless replies—she couldn’t possibly read them all, so she skimmed. Some of the comments were downright hostile, laced with nothing but criticism. Others were neutral, while some rooted for her and Lu Yinghuai. The more she read, the more engrossed she became, only putting away her phone when she reached her doorstep.

When she got home, Zhong Su and Pei Dashan were still out; only Pei Yan was on the sofa, eating fruit. Pei Huan was about to greet him and slip upstairs when Pei Yan called out, "Stop right there."

Pei Huan froze, guessing what this was about. She forced a smile. "What’s up?"

Pei Yan’s tone was casual, almost mocking. "Aren’t you going to explain what’s with that photo on the school forum?"

"I just happened to run into Lu Yinghuai at the gate, so we grabbed a bite together. That’s all," Pei Huan replied, using the same excuse she’d given others.

But Pei Yan knew her too well. He studied her in silence for a few seconds before speaking, slow and deliberate. "Are you sure that’s all?"

"Really," Pei Huan insisted, keeping her composure.

"It’s not because you like Lu Yinghuai—a little?" Pei Yan pressed.

His slightly probing gaze made Pei Huan feel an invisible pressure. She could only nod.

Pei Yan chuckled. "I was wondering how long you’d keep pretending."

Pei Huan rolled her eyes behind his back.

But Pei Yan didn’t say much about it—he just chatted briefly and let her go upstairs.

Alone in her room, Pei Huan leaned against the door and let out a sigh of relief. Pei Yan really did know her well—even the way he used the words "a little" was pitch perfect.

She tossed her backpack onto the desk and stared absently at the trinkets there.

What a nerve-wracking day it had been.

When Lu Yinghuai got home, the lights in the living room were on—he didn’t have to guess who was there. He tossed his bag onto the sofa as the smell of stir-frying drifted in from the kitchen. Lu Feng was cooking. It was hard to believe that as a first-year in high school, Lu Feng was already such a good cook, and often came over to make him special meals.

Lu Yinghuai silently carried the dishes Lu Feng had finished to the table, then fetched two bowls of rice.

The atmosphere at dinner was tense. Lu Feng glanced at Lu Yinghuai several times, visibly holding something back. Lu Yinghuai noticed, and when Lu Feng looked at him again, he lifted his head and said coolly, "Just say it."

Lu Feng hesitated a moment before speaking. "Did you see the post on the school forum, bro?"

"What?" Lu Yinghuai clearly had no idea.

Lu Feng fiddled with his phone for a moment, then pushed it toward Lu Yinghuai. "Take a look."

On the screen was a candid photo of the two of them. Lu Yinghuai scrolled down and saw comment after comment attacking Pei Huan, each one written as if she’d stolen their husbands.

The more he read, the darker his expression grew. Lu Feng watched him carefully. When Lu Yinghuai finally handed the phone back, Lu Feng was startled by the look in his eyes.

"Do you want me to get someone to delete the post?" Lu Feng asked cautiously.

"Yes," Lu Yinghuai replied.

"And those people in the most popular comments?" Lu Feng probed.

"Handle it as you see fit," was all Lu Yinghuai said.

Lu Feng could sense just how foul his cousin’s mood was—it was as though the apocalypse was imminent. He lowered his head and ate in silence.

The next day, Pei Huan and Tang Yue went out shopping. When close friends got together, there was never a shortage of topics—they bounced from one bit of gossip to another, each story more outrageous than the last. By the time they were ready to go home, they were reluctant to part, almost glued together.

On Monday, as Pei Huan entered the classroom, she felt inexplicably guilty when she saw Lu Yinghuai. She avoided talking to him all day. Instead, Tang Yue brought her some news.

"That post about the two of you being secretly photographed—it’s gone now. And the accounts behind the post and the top comments apparently ran into some trouble."

Pei Huan was shocked. "Who has the power to personally take down a post like that?"

"I can’t think of anyone but Lu Yinghuai," Tang Yue said with conviction.

Pei Huan considered it. Letting the rumors fester wouldn’t do Lu Yinghuai any good. He had his reasons for doing this.

With the post gone, the gossip about her and Lu Yinghuai gradually faded. Though she still caught curious glances in the halls, she no longer heard the nasty remarks.

With that matter settled, Pei Huan felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. As for her deskmate, Lu Yinghuai—if anything, he seemed even busier than before. Often he was nowhere to be found except during class. Pei Huan wondered about it but didn’t ask.

Next month was the academic assessment for sophomores. Only those who passed would receive a graduation certificate. Pei Huan began to apply herself to her studies. Fortunately, with a top student like Lu Yinghuai at her side, she could ask him for help whenever she got stuck.

"Do you really understand?" he would ask after explaining a problem.

"Yes, really!" Pei Huan would nod solemnly.

"Then explain it back to me," Lu Yinghuai would say quietly.

Pei Huan would walk him through her solution. He listened intently and, when she finished, would say, "You’ve got most of it right, but you missed a crucial step."

Whenever this happened, they would sit particularly close, so close that each could catch the faint scent of the other, yet neither ever spoke of it—a silent understanding between them.

December arrived, the exam drawing near and the weather growing colder. Pei Huan wore a thick fleece hoodie under her school jacket, just barely keeping out the chill. Zipping it up made her look like a panda, which Pei Yan never failed to tease her about. Every time, Pei Huan would roll her eyes and retort, "You try going without, if you’re so tough."

"Who cares," Pei Yan would scoff.

On the day of the exam, the classroom had been transformed into a test center. Pei Huan grabbed her documents and stationery from her bag and headed for her assigned room, the third exam hall, which meant going upstairs. As she made way for the students coming down, she happened to run into Lu Yinghuai, who was assigned to the first exam hall. Their eyes met for a moment before Pei Huan spoke first.

"Good luck on the exam," she said.

Lu Yinghuai looked at her and replied, "Good luck, Pei Huan."