Side Story Four: Shen Mengxia and Ye Chen (3)

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The way Shen Mengxia officially met Ye Chen was something she never could have imagined.

By mid-November, more than two months had passed since the start of the school year, and both Shen Mengxia and Wen Jiu had completely adjusted to high school life. Their daily routine consisted of going to the cafeteria and the campus convenience store together.

The only day they did not go together was when Wen Jiu took the day off because of a fever.

At lunchtime, Shen Mengxia went to the cafeteria alone.

After collecting her meal, she turned around to look for a seat. In her distraction, she bumped into the person standing behind her in line.

The soup from her tray splashed all over him. Shen Mengxia stared at the mess, her vision going black with dismay. What on earth had just happened?

Once she recovered, she hurriedly apologized. “I’m so sorry. You should take off your jacket…”

She stopped halfway through her sentence when she saw his face.

The boy seemed unwilling to block the students behind him who were waiting to collect their meals, so he gestured toward the side.

Shen Mengxia understood. She found an empty table, placed her tray on it, and looked at the large greasy stain covering the boy’s school uniform jacket. Then she glanced at his expression. His face was impassive, and he seemed fairly calm.

By then, he had already taken off his jacket, but the large stain on his short-sleeved uniform shirt was just as glaring.

Shen Mengxia spoke again. “I’m really sorry, Senior. Would it be all right if I paid you for both uniforms? Or you could tell me your size, and I’ll buy replacements for you.”

At first, Shen Mengxia had intended to take the boy’s jacket home, wash it, and return it to him. But now it seemed that both uniforms were ruined. No amount of washing would get the stains out.

The boy shook his head. “No need. It’s fine.”

He showed no intention of asking her to compensate him, but Shen Mengxia still felt terrible. After thinking it over, she could come up with only one way to make amends.

“Then, Senior, how about I treat you to lunch?”

The boy looked at her. A hint of emotion seemed to flicker in his eyes before he finally nodded.

Since the lunch break was nearly over, Shen Mengxia asked, “How about tomorrow at noon, then? Give me your contact information.”

As soon as he nodded, Shen Mengxia swiftly pulled a pen and a piece of paper from her schoolbag and handed them to him.

The boy took them and wrote down his class, name, and phone number.

Shen Mengxia had no idea how he intended to attend class dressed like that. Apparently noticing her concern, the boy reassured her, “I have a change of clothes in my classroom.”

Only then did Shen Mengxia relax.

After he left, Shen Mengxia lowered her eyes to the slip of paper in her hand. His handwriting was bold and flamboyant, somewhat at odds with his appearance. It read:

Class 2-1, Senior Year
Ye Chen
159 XXXX XXXX

Shen Mengxia thought that, apart from the first time they had met, when he had seemed stern and impartial while forcing her to register her name for being late, he was actually quite easy to deal with.

After gathering her thoughts, Shen Mengxia poured the food she had spilled into the waste-food container and went to get herself another meal.

Outside the cafeteria, Ye Chen took out his phone and made a call.

“Bring me a clean T-shirt now.”

“Yes, Young Master,” came the concise reply from the other end.

After hanging up, Ye Chen lowered his head to look at his clothes and gave a helpless little smile.

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In fact, just as he was about to join the line, he had spotted the girl standing at the very back. Before he knew it, his feet had carried him to the same line she was in.

Ye Chen had actually been lost in thought at the time. He wanted to get to know Shen Mengxia, but he had not had the courage to speak to her. As luck would have it, she bumped into him.

He had been thrilled and delighted. This way, he had a reason to get to know her.

While writing down his contact information, Ye Chen’s hands had trembled with nervousness. He had merely pretended to remain composed.

Fortunately, Shen Mengxia had not noticed.

Ye Chen himself did not understand what had happened to him. Ever since he had met Shen Mengxia on the first day of school, he had found himself watching her without even realizing it.

Originally, he had only been responsible for registering late students on the first day of school. Yet over the following days, Ye Chen took the task upon himself every time.

Unsurprisingly, he got to see Shen Mengxia every day. It was just that she never arrived late again, leaving him no opportunity to speak to her. He naturally did not dare approach her first, since she had probably forgotten all about him long ago.

But when Shen Mengxia had just called him “Senior,” he knew that she still remembered him.

Whenever he handled student council affairs and happened to see Class Six of the First Year, Ye Chen could not help paying attention. He knew that it was Shen Mengxia’s class.

—

Before school let out at noon the next day, Ye Chen received a message from Shen Mengxia.

Seeing it made him even more excited than he had already been.

But the proud young man replied with only a cool, restrained “Okay.”

After class, Shen Mengxia carried a bag to the entrance of Ye Chen’s classroom.

Although she had said she would merely treat Ye Chen to a meal, she had still gone out to buy him a new school uniform after school the previous afternoon.

Recalling Ye Chen’s height, Shen Mengxia had directly asked the staff for a size suitable for someone approximately one hundred eighty-five centimeters tall.

Ye Chen hurried out of the classroom. The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Shen Mengxia waiting in the corridor.

She saw him as well and walked over. After giving the bag in her hand a little shake, she handed it to him.

“Senior, this is your new uniform.”

Ye Chen had not expected Shen Mengxia to be so thoughtful and persistent. A smile appeared on his face, and he said brightly, “All right, I’ll accept it. Then… are we still going to eat together?”

“Of course. I said I would treat you to lunch!”

Ye Chen placed the bag in the storage cabinet at the back of the classroom before leaving school with Shen Mengxia.

Just across the road from the school entrance was a street filled with snack shops. At noon, nearly every restaurant there was packed.

Shen Mengxia led Ye Chen into one of the shops. The only empty table was in a corner, and she had contacted the owner in advance to reserve it.

After they sat down, Shen Mengxia handed the menu to Ye Chen. “Senior, I didn’t know what you liked, so I didn’t order anything ahead of time. Take a look and see if anything suits your taste.”

Shen Mengxia and Wen Jiu often ate at this restaurant. It served several different cuisines, and Shen Mengxia figured there had to be something Ye Chen would enjoy, which was why she had brought him there.

Ye Chen selected several dishes, then handed the menu back.

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Shen Mengxia felt completely at ease throughout the meal. Although Ye Chen appeared taciturn, he kept finding topics to discuss, so there was never an awkward silence.

When the meal was over, Shen Mengxia prepared to pay, only to be told that the bill had already been settled.

She immediately turned to Ye Chen. “Senior, you said I was treating you.”

Ye Chen smiled as he explained, “You did treat me. Besides, you also replaced my uniform.”

Shen Mengxia could not argue with him. She decided she would simply treat him next time.

Ye Chen walked Shen Mengxia back to her classroom before returning to his own.

The moment he sat down, a group of boys surrounded him.

“Chen, come on, confess everything!”

Ye Chen brushed them off. “She’s a friend. No gossip.”

Only then did the boys lose interest and return to their seats.

The corners of Ye Chen’s lips, however, remained lifted.

—

For some time afterward, Shen Mengxia and Ye Chen neither saw nor contacted each other.

They crossed paths again only when Wen Jiu and Shen Mengxia passed their interviews and joined the student council.

Wen Jiu received the notification first and asked Shen Mengxia, “Hey, Xiaxia, is this the senior you mentioned before? So he’s the student council president. I heard he gets excellent grades too.”

Shen Mengxia glanced at Wen Jiu’s phone screen. It displayed a list of the students holding various student council positions. It was only then that Shen Mengxia found out.

They had originally joined simply to enrich their high school lives. Neither girl held a particularly high position, but it was inevitable that they would have frequent dealings with Ye Chen, the student council president.

As time passed, Ye Chen also learned about Wen Jiu’s relationship with Shen Mengxia. The three of them sometimes handled student council work together, and naturally, they began communicating more often.

During their senior year, Ye Chen stepped down as student council president, and Wen Jiu and Shen Mengxia did not renew their positions either. The three of them were no longer in contact as frequently as before.

Ye Chen knew clearly that he liked Shen Mengxia. It was equally clear, however, that Shen Mengxia had never viewed him in that way, so Ye Chen no longer dared to take the initiative.

After Ye Chen graduated from high school, Shen Mengxia was entering the crucial period before her college entrance examinations. He did not dare confess his feelings, afraid that it would affect her state of mind and performance.

Instead, Ye Chen often contacted Shen Mengxia of his own accord. He helped her solve difficult problems, offered her encouragement, and made sure she remained in a stable condition.

At last, after Shen Mengxia finished her examinations, the three of them arranged to have a meal together.

Ye Chen had originally intended to summon his courage and take the initiative for once. But when Shen Mengxia earnestly declared that she absolutely would not date anyone at this stage, he retreated.

He was afraid that the two of them would not even be able to remain friends.

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