That day at school, HuMing could clearly feel that girl was always hiding in the shadows…
For some reason, he had the sense she wanted to say something.
It was Friday. When the bell rang after class, HuMing packed up his bag and prepared to leave.
Just as he stepped out of the classroom, he overheard someone mentioning how the old academic building always seemed to emit strange piano music.
Some even said they wanted to sneak in at night to explore. Normally, the stairway to that building was locked—after all, there was a lot of expensive equipment stored there. If anything got damaged, the compensation would be massive.
To protect that equipment, the school had locked the stairs.
Whether anyone had managed to sneak in or not… nobody really knew.
HuMing didn’t react much to the conversation. He turned and headed straight for the school gate.
But this time, he caught a glimpse of that girl again—and the direction she disappeared toward…
Was exactly where the academic building stood.
HuMing could feel it—she was trying to lure him there.
And there was a high chance… something unexpected would be waiting for him.
He slipped his phone into his pocket, and just as he was about to exit the school grounds, his footsteps turned.
Toward the academic building.
Lin Yu’s heart was racing, and even her breathing had grown heavy.
She could feel it—HuMing was already following her.
For some time now, she’d been sneaking into the piano room in the academic building, trying to use her music to draw HuMing in. But he never took the bait. He just went about his school days like normal.
Even when people were saying awful things about him, he sat in class like nothing had ever happened.
She couldn’t help but feel like she wasn’t good enough. She wasn’t from a wealthy family. She wasn’t particularly pretty. It made sense that HuMing wouldn’t like her.
At first, she hadn’t realized she’d go this far.
But her friends had constantly talked about how great HuMing was, and little by little, she found herself drawn to him.
She’d even thrown away her pride—bringing him snacks, writing him love letters.
Everyone in class mocked her, calling her a desperate simp.
But she never gave up. Gu ZhaoChuan had told her: HuMing was easy to get along with. If she worked hard enough, he’d definitely notice her efforts… and fall for her.
Lin Yu wasn’t the kind of girl who saw much of the world. Her grades were decent, but she didn’t have a high EQ. She didn’t have many friends.
And between her friend’s encouragement and Gu ZhaoChuan’s words, she’d been completely swept up.
Now, she was sure—she could make HuMing fall in love with her.
Her fingers danced over the piano keys, graceful notes flowing from her fingertips. She truly loved playing the piano, though her family had never been able to afford to support that dream.
So she’d kept it a secret all this time.
But Gu ZhaoChuan… he gave her a chance to realize it.
He’d given her the key to the academic building stairs, told her she could play after school—just for a little while.
It was that offer that made Lin Yu trust him completely.
Who would suspect someone who supported their dream? Who would think that someone like that… was just using her to go after someone else?
The footsteps in the hallway gradually faded. Lin Yu stopped playing.
She suddenly turned around—and froze in surprise when she saw HuMing standing there, as if she didn’t know what to do with his sudden appearance.
HuMing stepped into the room, eyes scanning the corners as if checking for something—or someone.
Lin Yu stood up in a fluster, her back straight as she looked at him, completely at a loss for what to say.
She’d never been in love. She had no idea what to do in front of someone she liked.
“Hu… HuMing? What are you doing here?”
“I’ve noticed you for a while now, Lin Yu.” HuMing’s voice was calm. He looked at her, unreadable thoughts passing through his eyes.
Lin Yu’s nervousness only deepened.
Because those words—those exact words—were the same ones Gu ZhaoChuan had told her.
Gu ZhaoChuan said that HuMing had been paying attention to her all along… he just didn’t want to admit it in front of everyone.
Now it was time for her to shine!
Lin Yu summoned her courage, looked at HuMing, and said:
“HuMing… I really do like you. That day in the kendo club, you were amazing. I know I’m not as good as those other girls—I’m not from a good family, and I’m not very pretty—but I’ll listen to everything you say. Whatever you want me to do, I’ll try my best!”
HuMing’s brows furrowed slightly.
From her words alone, he could already piece together what kind of person she was.
Maybe Lin Yu hadn’t even realized it—but she’d already been used.
And looking at this timid girl in front of him… HuMing didn’t have the heart to tear her down completely.
He walked up to her. Lin Yu, nervous, brought her hands to her chest, holding her breath. Her lips pressed together as she shut her eyes.
“Lin Yu… I understand how you feel. But I’m sorry—I can’t say yes. There’s someone I already like.”
Those words hit Lin Yu like a bolt of lightning.
Her mind echoed with the voices of her friends and Gu ZhaoChuan:
“If you don’t risk it all, how will HuMing ever see your determination? You’ve got nothing—so this is what you have to do…”
It rang in her head, over and over.
She hadn’t even realized—she’d been manipulated all along.
Her hand, at some point, had moved to the buttons of her shirt. Lips tightly pressed, she slowly began to undo them.
But the next second, HuMing grabbed her wrist—tight. His eyes locked onto hers.
“Lin Yu. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”
“But if I don’t… you’ll never see how serious I am…” Lin Yu gave a faint, bitter smile. Whether she even knew what she was saying—he couldn’t tell.
“I have seen your determination. But if someone sees you taking off your clothes in here… you’ll never be able to stay in this school.”
He gripped her wrist and pulled her out of the room.
And just as they stepped out of the piano room—
They saw someone walking toward them in the distance.
Or rather, dragging two people behind them.
“HuMing! Those two had cameras. They were trying to film you, you know~” Gu YunQin raised an eyebrow, as if waiting to be praised.
(SHMOLL: It’s official, guys. I am in love with Gu YunQin. Fight me-)
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