An Apology

If she let her longing to spend time with Lin Che get in the way of school, it obviously wouldn't be worth it.

Half an hour was enough, and Gu Yilan felt that her wrist was getting a little sore, too.

At this rate, she'd probably get tendonitis.

"I watched a video yesterday..." Gu Yilan's voice reached Lin Che's ears. Her sweet, cloying voice ended with a tremble, and her bashful yet daring manner was utterly endearing.

"The older sister in the video said boys would like it more this way..."

What was she going to do?!

Lin Che's eyes widened.

His mind was full of questions.

Could there really be something even more exciting than this?!

Gu Yilan soon answered him with her actions.

She reached out with her free hand, fingers pressed together and palm cupped like a little pouch, then weighed it against him.

"Hiss!"

Lin Che suddenly clenched his back teeth!

"Ah!"

The scorching warmth against her palm made Gu Yilan's cheeks flush.

She gently cleaned Lin Che up, and didn't forget to give the command to break the hypnosis afterward.

"Now, your consciousness is gradually returning. You'll forget what happened while you were hypnotized and think you just had a really comfortable nap!"

Gu Yilan tossed the tissue into the trash can, then snapped her fingers with a flourish.

"Wake up!"

Lin Che hurriedly pretended he'd just woken up and climbed out of bed.

"Huh? Do you know what time it is? You're still sleeping in? If I hadn't come to wake you, you'd definitely be late, you stinky Lin Che!"

The blush still lingered on Gu Yilan's face. Her chest, swelling beneath her school uniform, rose and fell with her quick breaths, but her expression had already turned disdainful.

She narrowed her eyes and lectured him in a tone that was infuriating to hear.

What a horrible woman!

Lin Che gritted his teeth.

If Gu Yilan hadn't helped him take care of his morning grumpiness, he would've had a huge argument with her!

Lin Che got out of bed and glared at Gu Yilan.

Gu Yilan responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

Women really were born actresses. She was acting as if nothing had happened!

By the time Lin Che had finished washing up, that Gu Yilan had already made herself at home at his family's dining table.

"Xiao Che, you should get up a little earlier."

Lin's Mother lectured Lin Che, but her smiling eyes were fixed on Gu Yilan beside her.

"Sorry to trouble you with waking him up, Yilan."

"Huh?"

Lin Che glared at Gu Yilan. Why had he overslept? It was all because of her tricks.

But with his mom right there, he couldn't expose the hypnosis, and besides...

It was probably better not to let his parents know that Gu Yilan had helped him take care of his morning grumpiness.

"It's no trouble, Auntie. If you'd like, I can be in charge of waking Lin Che up every day~"

In front of Lin's Mother, Gu Yilan instantly became sweet and well-behaved. She seemed like a dependable older girl next door, willingly taking on the responsibility of looking after her younger brother...

"Little Yilan, you're so reliable! Xiao Che! Hurry up and thank her!"

Lin's Mother smiled, completely unaware that anything was amiss. Instead, she told her son to thank Gu Yilan.

If it weren't for the hypnosis...

Lin Che would've been so mad at Gu Yilan that his teeth would've been grinding.

But it was precisely because he'd pretended to be hypnotized that he'd learned Gu Yilan's secret.

She said she'd wake Lin Che up every day...

But really, Gu Yilan was probably just looking for an excuse to sneak over and ambush him every morning!

Hearing that, Lin Che was already grinning to himself.

"Well then..." Lin Che said deliberately, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Thanks so much!"

"Ah... ah, ah... Hmph!"

Gu Yilan's little face visibly reddened, and her usually sharp tongue suddenly stumbled over itself.

She didn't know what to say, so she could only respond with a huff.

"Okay, kids, hurry up and eat breakfast. You have to get to school soon!"

Seeing the children getting along "so well," Lin's Mother smiled with satisfaction.

She lifted the lid that had been placed upside down on the table, revealing the steaming breakfast underneath.

Youtiao, boiled eggs, soy milk...

It was a classic Chinese breakfast, perfect for a Chinese kid's appetite.

Teenagers were already hungry when they got up in the morning. On top of that, Gu Yilan had caused Lin Bei to lose a lot of nutrients.

Lin Che was already starving. He grabbed the food on the table and started wolfing it down.

Seeing how well her son could eat, Lin's Mother smiled fondly and remembered to put a youtiao in Gu Yilan's bowl, too.

"Yilan, you should eat something, too. Skipping breakfast is bad for you."

"Mmm..."

Gu Yilan lowered her head, the hair falling over her face hiding her flushed cheeks.

She'd only just helped her brother deal with his morning grumpiness, and now she was having breakfast like this...

In literary terms, it was called foreshadowing and payoff.

In nutritional terms, it was called eating something shaped like what you wanted to replenish.

Gu Yilan picked up the youtiao. She couldn't tell whether it was too hot or her hand was too warm, but her movements had become unsteady.

She parted her moist lips and gently bit into the youtiao's crisp exterior.

Lin Che even froze for a moment.

The way Gu Yilan ate somehow made his heart beat faster?

Chapter 4: An Apology

"Wow, Lin Che's going to school with the School Belle Gu again~"

That was right.

Lin Che and Gu Yilan weren't just childhood friends. They even went to the same high school—or, to be more specific...

They were classmates!

As Lin Che walked into the classroom with Gu Yilan, the familiar teasing erupted around them again.

Lin Che had already explained to his classmates that he and Gu Yilan were childhood friends who lived next door to each other, and that going to school together every day was perfectly normal.

Even so, the class never tired of teasing Lin Che about it.

"Hmph~"

Gu Yilan paid no attention to her classmates' laughter. With her pretty face cold, she went straight to her seat.

"Hey, Lin Che." A boy who was good friends with Lin Che poked him in the arm, grinning mischievously.

"The School Belle Gu is always cold in front of everyone else. Don't tell me she only acts cute around you... Ah!"

The poor guy had barely finished speaking before he let out a scream.

A schoolbag stuffed with textbooks had hit him squarely on the head. The culprit... was Gu Yilan.

"You guys are such creeps! How about you stop gossiping about girls behind their backs?"

One of Gu Yilan's female friends stepped forward to speak up for her.

"I wasn't gossiping about girls behind their backs. I was clearly saying it to her face!"

"That's even worse!"

Gu Yilan's friend glared at him angrily.

"Little Yilan has told you so many times that she and Lin Che are just neighbors who grew up together! Please stop spreading rumors about them!"

"And you!"

Gu Yilan's friend pointed at Lin Che's nose.

"Even though Little Yilan goes to and from school with you every day, you'd better not get the wrong idea!"

"What does any of this have to do with me..."

Lin Che shrugged. He didn't know if his classmate had eaten gunpowder, but why was she so fired up?

The first two classes of the morning ended, and it was time for the long break.

Lin Bai was planning to go to the school store to buy some snacks, but just as he stepped out through the back door of the classroom, Gu Yilan grabbed him.

"Don't ask. Just come with me!"

Gu Yilan spoke in a commanding tone. This woman was always so unreasonable!

Gu Yilan pulled Lin Che all the way to the roof of the school building.

The rooftop, which was usually kept locked, was wide open today.

"What's gotten into you?"

Lin Che was shoved onto the roof, and he asked irritably.

The very next moment, Gu Yilan had already raised her phone, pointing a black-and-white spiral pattern at Lin Che's eyes.

"Your consciousness is about to fall asleep. You're entering a hypnotic state now!"

Lin Che froze, but still played along. He let his gaze go unfocused and pretended to look dazed and weak.

Hey! They were at school! Gu Yilan was being way too reckless!

Lin Che complained inwardly.

He hadn't expected Gu Yilan to hypnotize him at school!

School, rooftop, hypnosis...

Put those keywords together, and it sounded exactly like the plot of some questionable manga!

"Sorry about this morning, big brother~"

On the empty rooftop, Gu Yilan rose onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Lin Che's neck. Her pretty face drew closer in his vision, and she leaned in to kiss him. The girl's sweet scent left Lin Che feeling a little dizzy.

If Lin Che's classmates had seen this scene, they would've been scared out of their minds!

The aloof School Belle was actually acting so clingy, stuck to Lin Che like a little cat!

And...

Lin Che's lips tingled.

Gu Yilan was getting carried away. She even slipped out her little pink tongue and secretly licked his lips as she kissed him...

"I like you the most, big brother... But I'm too embarrassed to tell you how I feel, so I always let people misunderstand us~"