Given Gan Yan Yu's current physical condition, and without a hospital-issued recovery certificate, there was no way the school would allow her to return.
The only explanation was—
That girl had snuck in by herself.
If she got caught, she would be disciplined!
That idiot!!
Class was about to begin, so Lin Tian had no time to check the message first. He put away his phone and walked into the classroom.
However, the moment he entered—
Lin Tian was instantly surrounded by his classmates' burning gazes.
Curiosity, shock, envy, fear.
Everyone stared fixedly at Lin Tian all the way from the door until he returned to his seat.
He did not need to guess to know what was going on.
The speed at which high school gossip spread was far faster than the speed at which Momono Kana got caught stealing from a convenience store.
Just how big a scene had Gan Yan Yu caused?
It was not even about what she had done. Wherever Gan Yan Yu appeared, she had a one hundred percent chance of drawing attention!
"That girl just now was so cute. Is she Lin Tian's girlfriend?"
"I think she probably is. Wasn't there a rumor before that Lin Tian had a soulmate whose relationship with him went beyond that of a girlfriend?"
"Right! I heard that too. Apparently, she was his moonlight who had silently stayed by his side for years. So it really was her!"
"Ahh, that girl was seriously gorgeous. Even I, a girl, liked her so much!"
"..."
Before the subject teacher entered the classroom, the students began whispering among themselves.
Their voices were not loud, but every word reached Lin Tian's ears clearly.
Since when did Lin Tian have a moonlight like that?
Fine, the Douyin video last time had not made him conspicuous enough in class.
Now this extra stab finally broke his already-bent back.
However, the quiet gossip was not over yet.
The girl seated in front of Lin Tian turned around.
"Lin Tian, who was that girl who came looking for you just now?"
The girl's name was Su Ran, and she was the class study representative.
She had short hair and big eyes. In Class A, where students had excellent grades but few beauties, she was undeniably the class belle.
Xu Yong had once bragged that he had jerked off to her photo. Whether that was true was unclear; maybe it had been twice.
Su Ran was very good at English, but math was her weak point. She often brought math problems over to ask Lin Tian about, making her one of the few people at school he could actually talk to.
Lin Tian did not know why she was interested in this, so he casually replied,
"A friend."
"Huh, just a friend? She's really pretty. I almost fell for her just now, haha."
Any praise of "pretty" coming from Su Ran had to be taken with a question mark.
After all, this publicly acknowledged "green tea" among the boys supposedly only complimented people who posed a threat to her, especially girls prettier than herself.
"Yeah, a friend," Lin Tian emphasized again.
"Oh~"
Su Ran wanted to say something else, but the subject teacher had already entered the classroom, so she could only turn back around.
Compared to these rumors, Lin Tian was more worried about Gan Yan Yu's situation.
He opened their chat history, only to find one message.
Lin Tian, I need to talk to you about something.
It had been sent an hour ago.
Lin Tian had been in class at the time and had not checked his phone. In fact, he was always very focused during lessons.
He had not looked at his phone for just an hour, and that girl had charged straight into the school?
Even catching someone cheating was not this ruthless.
Lin Tian immediately sent a message: Where are you?
Unexpectedly, Gan Yan Yu replied instantly.
Are you free at noon?
Yes.
Then Gan Yan Yu stopped replying again.
As Lin Tian was wondering what was going on, Xu Yong beside him teased,
"What is it, Brother Moonlight? Your little kitty came to school looking for you?"
"I'm your Grandpa Moonlight."
Returning to the subject of borrowing money, Lin Tian felt rather helpless.
Even if he really got three thousand yuan from Xu Yong, he would still be quite far from being able to buy a piano.
He could not exactly take out a loan for the rest, could he?
"I think you play the piano so well that you could totally find a part-time job singing while playing," Xu Yong suggested.
"Too slow."
Leaving aside whether a high school student could find that kind of job, even with a part-time job, five thousand yuan was not something he could earn in ten days or half a month.
"The fast ways are all written in the criminal code."
"Is there anything legal?"
"Sure. Find yourself a rich older woman. Wipe that deadpan look off your face, warm her ass a little, and you'll definitely have money."
"Get lost."
The topic ended.
Class ended—
The classroom returned to its usual bustle.
Amid the noise, Lin Tian suddenly saw—
At the classroom door, a head slowly poked out like a Little White Rabbit.
Sneaking a look from the shadows.
Lin Tian immediately stood up and strode over.
The head shrank back at once as if startled, but Lin Tian had already stepped outside and grabbed the girl's arm.
"Why did you come to school?"
Lin Tian glared at Gan Yan Yu.
"I had something urgent to talk to you about."
Gan Yan Yu covered her head, looking terribly guilty.
Behind them, heads soon poked out one after another from the classroom windows, eager for gossip.
That included Su Ran, who wanted to maintain her composure but simply could not resist.
The moment she saw them, Su Ran was dumbfounded.
This was called pure friendship??
Seeing Lin Tian's stern expression as he grabbed the girl's hand, and her guilty look as she lowered her head—
The students quickly imagined tens of thousands of words' worth of romance novels, stories like a domineering boyfriend and his sweet, pampered little girlfriend.
Especially with how attractive the two of them were.
So sweet!
They looked so shippable, didn't they!
Soon, cries of "Ooh~~" rose up.
Sensing that something was wrong, Lin Tian realized this was not a place to talk, so he dragged Gan Yan Yu upstairs by the arm.
The students' teasing grew even louder.
Only when they reached the door of the chemistry lab did Lin Tian let go.
"Your classmates just now... they won't misunderstand, will they?"
The moment he released her, Gan Yan Yu asked softly.
"Is that important?"
Lin Tian was speechless. At a time like this, Gan Yan Yu was still worrying about something like that.
"It's very important!"
Gan Yan Yu showed an unexpected stubbornness.
"Lin Tian, you have to explain it clearly to them. We're only partners."
Gan Yan Yu began to feel faintly guilty.
Sure enough, she should not have come to school.
If Lin Tian was misunderstood because of this—
Then it would be completely contrary to her original intention.
"..."
Lin Tian was at a loss for words.
What was this supposed to mean?
He really did not like being the center of attention at school.
But Gan Yan Yu was making it seem as though she was terrified of having rumors spread about her and him.
What?
Was it embarrassing to be rumored to be with him?!
But now was not the time to dwell on that. Lin Tian decisively pulled the conversation back.
"Do you know that you can't run around in your condition, especially not come to school! If you get caught, forget about returning to school this semester."
"I'm sorry!"
Gan Yan Yu hurriedly apologized, fidgeting with her fingers, her face full of nervousness.
But she still had to say it.
"This is too important. I was afraid that if I came to find you later, I wouldn't be able to find you—you're free at noon, right?"
"What is it?"
"Come meet someone with me. He's leaving the country this afternoon, and noon today is the only time he has."
"Who?"
"The chairman of the Qingzhou City Music Association. He wants to meet you."
Before you continue