Hearing the voice, Lin Zhiyi immediately snapped back to reality and pushed the man in front of her away.
But before she could steady herself, she was pushed by students towards Gong Chen.
She suddenly fell into Gong Chen’s arms.
He reached out to steady Lin Zhiyi, slightly lowering his head: "You made the move."
Lin Zhiyi bit her lip, struggled for a few times, but was firmly held by his grip around her waist.
"Don’t move, there are too many people, let’s talk outside."
Saying that, he embraced her and walked forward.
Lin Zhiyi tried to pull his hand: "Let go! We will be recognized!"
Gong Chen did not release her, instead he gently pressed down her cap, pushing her head against his chest.
Lin Zhiyi made a few attempts, unable to exert any strength, she could only let him embrace her and walk.
Gong Chen’s disposition appeared intimidating, so no one dared to squeeze him, and the two of them smoothly exited the crowd.
When they reached the school gate, Lin Zhiyi forcefully pushed Gong Chen away.
"Just passing by," Gong Chen said indifferently.
"Third Young Master, do you think you are being funny?"
"Then what do you think two bodyguards can stop?" Gong Chen retorted.
Lin Zhiyi was speechless.
Gong Chen, knowing even the bodyguards following her, obviously had made preparations.
When Lin Zhiyi was not paying attention, Gong Chen reached out and pulled her over.
"Let’s go. Your mother is still the Second Madam of the Gong Family; this concerns the Gong Family, and I must clarify things."
His face stern, his professional demeanor caught Lin Zhiyi off guard.
Before she could regain her composure, Gong Chen slowly approached her.
The man’s presence enveloped her instantly, with his deep voice coming from above her head.
Lin Zhiyi adjusted her baseball cap, covering her line of sight, and turned towards the school gate.
Gong Chen watched her back, a faint smile playing on his lips.
After registering, the two entered the campus.
Lin Zhiyi took out her cellphone to check the class Liu He had mentioned before.
Then, she stopped a group of students about to leave the school and asked, "Excuse me, where is Gao Ting from Class 3, Grade 3?"
"I don’t know, there were too many people today, you can try looking in her class, it’s just ahead in Building 2."
After thanking them, Lin Zhiyi noticed the students in front of her were looking behind her.
Following their gaze, Gong Chen was standing still under a tree.
Although the hoodie’s cap covered half of his face, his superior and vivid profile along with his tall and slender figure instantly drew attention.
"Sister, is that person your friend?" a little girl boldly asked.
Just as Lin Zhiyi was pondering how to shake off Gong Chen, she quickly turned to the little girl and smiled: "I don’t know him."
The group of little girls were about to cheer, when suddenly their expressions froze, involuntarily showing a hint of fear.
Before Lin Zhiyi could leave, a hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her into an embrace on the side.
"Don’t know? Still angry?"
Gong Chen’s voice was still faint, but it carried an extra bit of teasing.
His gaze slightly drooped as it swept over her face, enveloping her tightly.
Lin Zhiyi felt a sense of heat on her back under his direct gaze.
The girls across covered their mouths and giggled, then scampered away.
Even they understood, leaving Lin Zhiyi feeling more embarrassed, not only failing to shake off Gong Chen but also attracting trouble.
She scoffed and pushed Gong Chen away, speeding up her steps towards Building 2.
Not long after walking, a woman dressed in a Chanel suit accurately passed Lin Zhiyi and with a food box bumped into Gong Chen’s arms.
Lin Zhiyi stood aside, almost wanting to clap in approval.
Clearly, the woman had recognized Gong Chen.
The woman hurriedly apologized: "Third Young Master, I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose, I was just bringing food for my sister, I was too focused on looking for her and didn’t see you."
She took out a handkerchief from her bag, wanting to dab it on Gong Chen’s chest.
Gong Chen raised his hand to block her and said coldly, "No need."
The woman paused and bit her lip while adjusting her hair: "Third Young Master, I will find a way to compensate you, but your clothes must be very expensive, I might not be able to afford that much money for now. Maybe I could get your contact information..."
"Huh?" The woman was stunned.
"Flash sale at the intersection, cash or transfer?" Gong Chen spoke with an icy tone.
Only then did the woman realize that Gong Chen had seen through her intentions and was rejecting her.
But the man in front of her is Gong Chen!
Even street vendor clothes would look like haute couture on him.
The woman maintained her smile, shifting her gaze: "Transfer. Please, Third Young Master, give me your account number."
Gong Chen gave his mobile number.
The woman entered the number, unable to hide her secret delight.
With his mobile number, how could she fail to get in touch?
Could it be that the Third Young Master purposefully took a detour?
The woman suddenly felt confident.
When Lin Zhiyi heard the number, she paused—wasn’t this...?
"Are you done looking?"
Before she knew it, Gong Chen had already approached her, his gaze heavy as he looked at her.
Just as she was about to retort, the scent of the snacks on him drifted over.
The smell of seafood mixed with strong spices.
Lin Zhiyi looked down at the food that had spilled.
Feeling nauseous, she covered her mouth and retched.
The woman, who had just been somewhat smug, thought Lin Zhiyi was being scheming.
She preemptively complained, "Miss, what do you mean by this? Although the snacks are quite common, you don’t need to overreact , do you?"
Implying that Lin Zhiyi was being dramatic.
Upon hearing this, Gong Chen’s already cold face instantly turned sharp and dangerous.
Seeing this, the woman was terrified and quickly apologized: "I’m sorry, I’ll leave first."
Gong Chen approached Lin Zhiyi, but she raised her hand to block him.
"Don’t come closer, it smells awful, my stomach feels uncomfortable."
"Didn’t you take your stomach medicine?" Gong Chen asked.
Lin Zhiyi did not dare give herself away, and shook her head: "Forgot."
Gong Chen frowned and dragged her behind a tree to an outdoor water basin.
Lin Zhiyi, confused, looked up and was dumbfounded.
Gong Chen grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling it off in one swift move.
Underneath... he was bare.
The sun filtered through the leaves, casting mottled shadows that clearly illuminated his firm muscles.
Broad shoulders and a narrow waist, hard to ignore.
But the next second, Gong Chen turned on the tap and started scrubbing the food stains off his shirt.
Lin Zhiyi watched, dazed.
Two minutes later, Gong Chen wrung out the wet shirt and put it back on.
"What are you doing?" Lin Zhiyi regained her senses, instinctively grabbing his arm, "It’s still half wet."
"It doesn’t smell anymore." He said nonchalantly.
Lin Zhiyi pursed her lips, not understanding why he would do this.
She clenched her fists, turned around and said, "Whatever you want."
With that, she walked quickly toward the academic building.
Suddenly a breeze came, carrying the coolness of early spring.
She gritted her teeth and pressed on a few more steps, but finally stopped, pulling a scarf from her bag.
Though it was spring, the temperature difference between morning and evening was significant, and she made it a habit to keep a scarf in her bag.
"Here. Don’t get sick and come looking for me."
Gong Chen’s lips curved in a faint smile, and as he took off the scarf, he asked lightly, "How should I use it?"
Lin Zhiyi looked at him indignantly, feeling sure he was doing it on purpose.
But she had no proof.
She yanked back the scarf and stood in front of him: "Bend down."