Shen Mianmian’s lips pursed slightly as she looked at Xu Haiyang’s smiling face, a strange feeling rising in her heart.
Before she could speak, Xu Haiyang said again, "What a coincidence! I thought your silhouette looked familiar from behind, and sure enough, it is you. Do you walk to school every day? Every time I see you, you’re not riding a bike."
"No, my bike had a flat tire today, so I walked," she said.
Sensing Xu Haiyang’s enthusiasm was somewhat over the top, Shen Mianmian instinctively didn’t want him to know too much.
"Get on, I’m actually heading to town too, I can give you a ride!"
"No need, I’m almost there." Knowing full well what kind of person Xu Haiyang was, she didn’t bother to say more and started to walk away.
Xu Haiyang’s gaze flickered, and he followed her with his bicycle.
"Are you afraid of me or something? Why do you never want to ride my bike? Wouldn’t it be faster for you to get to school if I gave you a lift?" he asked.
"We’re not close," said Shen Mianmian, making it clear she wanted no relationship with him.
Xu Haiyang was not usually such a warm-hearted person, but every time he saw her, his enthusiasm seemed excessive, forcing one to ponder other motives.
"Wouldn’t you get to know me after a couple of rides?" Xu Haiyang reached to grab Shen Mianmian’s backpack. "Carrying that must be tiring. Here, hang it on my bike handle."
"What are you doing?"
Shen Mianmian dodged his hand with a wary expression, her face instantly turning cold.
Xu Haiyang was stunned by her strong reaction, and quickly explained with a smile, "Don’t get me wrong, I just wanted to help you with your backpack."
This girl was like a hedgehog, really tough to deal with.
Any other girl would have been thrilled to ride his bike by now, right?
He liked that. The tougher the challenge, the more he wanted to conquer it.
He couldn’t believe he couldn’t handle a little girl.
"I told you, we’re not familiar. Stop touching me," she warned him directly.
Shen Mianmian put him on alert.
Although she didn’t know why Xu Haiyang was so enthusiastic about her, her instincts told her it was nothing good.
Xu Haiyang was nothing but a second-rate hooligan, surely harboring some crooked intentions.
With such people, one had to take a strong stance, so they would be deterred.
She couldn’t afford to be ambiguously encouraging, as it would only fuel his audacity.
Seeing Shen Mianmian’s resistance, Xu Haiyang restrained himself a bit and didn’t reach out again, but still pushed his bicycle alongside her.
"Mianmian, we’ve met a few times too. Although we’re not close, we at least know each other, right? I won’t lie to you, I have a good impression of you, and I want to be friends with you. If you don’t want to ride the bike, how about I walk with you to school tomorrow?" he offered.
"I’m still a child, I don’t make friends in society," she flatly refused.
By now, she was quite certain that Xu Haiyang had ill intentions toward her.
That time she ran into Matchmaker Li on her way to the exam might well have been his setup.
His goal was to get close to her.
It must have been to exact revenge for Erni.
Shen Mianmian quickly sorted things out in her mind.
And became even more vigilant.
"Mianmian, do you have any misunderstandings about me?" Xu Haiyang’s patience was waning, and the smile on his face diminished a bit.
He couldn’t figure out why Shen Mianmian was so resistant to him.
He believed he had always shown himself in a good light in front of her.
Shen Mianmian didn’t speak and quickened her pace, taking turns to shake off Xu Haiyang. The most update n0vels are published on 𝗇𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗅•𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝗇𝖾𝗍
"Mianmian, don’t be in a hurry. Let’s talk," Xu Haiyang said, parking his bicycle on the side of the road and quickly catching up to Shen Mianmian.