AIBBFSCITMLA Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The next day, He Tang didn't remember asking Pei Yubai to go to the parent-teacher meeting for her until she received a message from him.

She had originally planned to just pay a random person off the street to do it. But on second thought, she figured they wouldn't be able to handle her complicated situation, so she'd considered asking Pei Yubai instead.

She hadn't been bold enough to actually ask him directly but she'd been so exhausted yesterday that her brain had completely stopped working, and the words just slipped out.

At least she'd offered to pay him, so he probably wouldn't think she was trying to take advantage of him.

He Tang glanced at Pei Yubai's message again.

[How do I be your family?]

She sent him a long string of voice messages:

[So basically, I'm planning to be a beauty blogger now. My homeroom teacher thinks it's going to hurt my studies. I told him it won't, but he didn't believe me, so he asked me to have my parents come in. When you get there, just tell him that as my family, you fully support my idea and my dreams! Try to make it sound as passionate and inspiring as possible.]

Pei Yubai: [Got it.]

Pei Yubai: [But wait—you're a beauty blogger now too? Since when?]

He Tang: [Just yesterday. It made it onto Weibo trending, and that's how the teacher found out.]

With that, Pei Yubai opened Weibo which he hadn't used in a long time and started searching.

After all, as her family, he needed to understand the full story.

That afternoon, after getting in touch with the homeroom teacher, Pei Yubai arrived at the school.

The moment he walked into the office, the teacher who had been slouching in his chair shot up so fast he looked like he was standing at military attention.

There was no other reason: Pei Yubai's presence was overwhelming.

Dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, his tall frame stood broad and imposing. His brows were sharp, his gaze piercing—just one glance from him and you felt the pressure.

Yet he had the air of a refined gentleman, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, so you couldn't exactly accuse him of deliberately projecting dominance.

The teacher could no longer comfortably remain seated.

He Tang had been a wealthy heiress before, sure but she'd never had a relative like this, had she? Just one look and you could tell this wasn't just some ordinary rich person.

How... how were you supposed to talk to someone like this? Wouldn't anything you said just sound uncultured and tacky?

The teacher's mind was churning frantically, but Pei Yubai spoke first. "Hello, Teacher Zhao. I'm He Tang's family."

With that, he extended his well-defined hand toward the teacher.

The homeroom teacher felt a bit stiff. This... this hand was so refined—how was he supposed to shake it? Gently? Firmly? What if he did it wrong and made a fool of himself?

"Teacher Zhao?" Pei Yubai raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Ah! Hello, hello!" The teacher snapped out of it and instinctively used both hands to grasp Pei Yubai's, shaking it up and down. The scene—how to put it?—was a bit like a subordinate greeting a high-ranking official during an inspection.

Pei Yubai smiled, subtly withdrew his hand, and with his long legs, took a seat in the chair across from the teacher.

In that instant, the teacher felt as though he was the one who had made a mistake, and Pei Yubai was there to interrogate him.

"Have a seat, Teacher Zhao?" Pei Yubai gestured to the chair beneath him.

The teacher sat down nervously.

"Has my He Tang done something wrong?" Pei Yubai leaned slightly back in his chair, crossed his long legs, looking every bit like a superior come to demand an explanation.

"Um... may I ask, what is your relationship to He Tang?" The teacher swallowed.

"Brother."

"So, He Tang has recently been involved in this influencer thing—are you aware of that?"

"I am. Is there a problem?"

Is there a problem?

There had been one. But now, seeing your attitude, I'm not so sure anymore.

The teacher swallowed again and, forcing himself to stay composed, said, "Well, He Tang has placed first in the monthly exams two times in a row."

"I know. Very impressive."

The teacher: “...”

"However, since He Tang didn't have the strongest foundation before, and time is tight in senior year, if she spends more time on meaningless things, it could easily hurt her studies."

"Teacher Zhao, could you explain to me what you mean by 'meaningless things'?"

"Ah? Well... you know—this whole influencer thing. It's not really suitable for senior-year students. They never get anywhere substantial with it, and it's a murky field where it's easy to go astray. Wouldn't it be better to focus on studying and go all out for the top college entrance exam score?" The teacher carefully watched Pei Yubai's expression as his voice grew quieter and quieter.

"I think you have some misunderstandings about online content creators and about He Tang as well. First of all, this industry has its own value. And secondly, just because others can't make something of it doesn't mean He Tang can't. Do you understand?"

"Un... understood." The teacher looked a little embarrassed.

"There's one more thing I'd like to remind you about. Although your intentions may be good, I still feel you haven't shown much respect for my family." Pei Yubai placed both hands on the desk, leaning slightly forward, his presence becoming even more pronounced.

The teacher unconsciously leaned back, swallowed again, and nodded.

"Alright, since Teacher Zhao understands now, I think we can wrap up today's conversation. Thank you very much for taking care of He Tang. I hope we can keep in touch." With that, Pei Yubai stood up, and his towering height made the teacher feel even more diminished.

Wait—how come Pei Yubai had been overwhelming while sitting, and now that he was standing, he was even more so? What was with this guy?

"President Pei!" An unmistakably excited voice came from the office doorway. Everyone turned to see the principal, his face beaming.

To everyone's surprise, the principal hurried in and stood in front of Pei Yubai, saying effusively, "I heard you were here and I couldn't believe it and here you really are! What an honor. President Pei, what brings you to the school today?"

"Principal Zhang, you're too kind. I was actually a student here once too, just call me by my name. I'm here today to discuss with Teacher Zhao the matter of He Tang from Class 5, Senior Year."

"Oh my, so He Tang is family of yours? No wonder she's so brilliant! Let me tell you, He Tang is no ordinary student—over just one summer break, she shot straight to first place across sixteen schools. She's destined for Tsinghua or Peking—her future is boundless!"

"Principal, you flatter her. But He Tang is indeed quite sharp. Recently, she's also taken an interest in online content creation and wants to give it a try."

"Oh, that's not just 'giving it a try'! A student as clever as He Tang will definitely make something of it. I hear these online influencers are very influential now—everyone's scrambling to get them to do promotions."

The principal's eyes sparkled with delight, while the teacher's face turned green with awkwardness. Behind them, the other teachers were suppressing laughs, their faces turning red.

Pei Yubai's lips curled almost imperceptibly.

"Ah, by the way, President Pei, are you free today? I'd love to treat you to a meal and we could invite He Tang along too. She just brought honor to our school by getting first place in the sixteen-school joint exam, she deserves some encouragement. What do you say?"

"I'll check with He Tang first. I don't want to take time away from her studies." Pei Yubai smiled.

"Right! Then let me take you to see her—it's break time right now, and Senior Class 5 is just down this hall." The principal pointed down the corridor.

Pei Yubai nodded and followed the principal toward Senior Class 5.

Here's a smoother, more polished version that reads naturally in a web novel while preserving your paragraphing:

The students at No. 1 High School were all at the age when their hearts were just beginning to awaken. So when a man in a perfectly tailored suit, blessed with strikingly handsome features, an impeccable bearing, and the composed charm of maturity, appeared on campus, it was impossible not to be captivated.

From the moment Pei Yubai stepped onto campus, the girls of No. 1 High went into a frenzy. Some huddled in corners, stealing glances and squealing in excitement, while others flooded the campus forum with shameless daydreams. For a while, no one had the mind to think about studying anymore.

[Ahhhh oh my god, he's super handsome! Even more handsome than last time!]

[I can't take it! I can't! Is this the charm of a mature man? I can't handle it—I need him to kiss me to recover.]

[Sister upstairs, wake up!]

[Boo hoo, at this moment I've forgotten about the school heartthrob. Sorry girls, I've switched sides—I've fallen for Pei Yubai. I admit it: the only reason I got close to Gu Jingfeng before was just to be a little nearer to Pei Yubai.]

[Brother Pei today is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous! I wonder what he's here for—maybe to pick out his future wife?]

[If he's picking a wife, count me in if we argue, I'll stab myself!]

[Pick me! I could never argue with him whatever my husband says is right!]

[Can you girls have a little dignity? He's just a tiny bit good-looking—is it really that serious?]

[Heh, boys upstairs, can you stop being so sour? I can smell the jealousy from across the whole teaching building.]

[But seriously, what is Pei Yubai here for? I know a few of the lab buildings were donated by the Pei Group, but isn't Pei Yubai mainly focused on Fengjian Tech now?]

[Huh? Pei Group? Fengjian Tech? I thought we agreed we were just here for the looks. Bringing up money is just tacky.]

[Move along, brainless commenter. I think he's heading toward Class 6—probably looking for Gu Jingfeng, since he's his cousin.]

[Oh, right. That makes sense.]

[Class 6? Got it—I'll be there in a second!]

And sure enough, the classmate who said she'd be there in a second ran like the wind. Just as she reached the door of Class 6, she saw Pei Yubai stop outside the corridor.

She arrived just in time to catch the conversation between Gu Jingfeng and Pei Yubai.

"Cousin, what are you doing here?" Gu Jingfeng opened the window and stuck half his head out.

Pei Yubai glanced at Class 6 where Gu Jingfeng was, then at Class 5 right next door, and frowned slightly.

"You're in Class 6?"

"Yeah."

"Focus on your studies. I'm not here for you." Pei Yubai withdrew his gaze and strode over to Class 5.

Gu Jingfeng stuck the rest of his head out, watching as Pei Yubai stopped at the door of Class 5.

The moment Pei Yubai stepped into the classroom, the girls' eyes collectively lit up, their faces flushed with excitement—they didn't even know what to do with themselves.

Then they watched, dumbfounded, as Pei Yubai walked over to He Tang, bent down, and gently woke her: "Tangtang."

He Tang was still half-asleep. She lifted her face from her arms, eyes barely open, and met Pei Yubai's handsome gaze.

"Hm... Brother?" Still drowsy, her voice was soft and raspy, almost like she was being coy.

All of Pei Yubai's usual intensity softened.

"It's nothing. Go back to sleep." He gave He Tang's head a gentle pat.

She was far too tired. She let out a drowsy "Mm" and laid her head back down to sleep.

Everyone instinctively fell silent.

Oh my god—was that soft, sleepy voice just now really Sugar God? After seeing He Tang act so fierce and cool all the time, it was hard to believe she had this side to her!

No way. It had to be fake. Don't be fooled by appearances! In the next second, she'd probably whip out a steel ruler and wrap it around your throat. You absolutely cannot be deceived by this illusion!

But why was Pei Yubai being so gentle with her? Oh—she just called him "brother." That would explain it. Wait, no! He Tang wasn't actually Pei Yubai's sister. Hadn't she passed him a love letter before? No, that wasn't right either—wasn't it said that the love letter was actually meant for Gu Jingfeng, and she only shoved it at Pei Yubai because she chickened out, afraid Gu Jingfeng would reject her? Ahhh, what was going on here? Could someone please explain!

In just a few short seconds, their imaginations had flown eight million miles away. When they finally came back to reality and looked at the two of them again, there was a hint of knowing curiosity in their eyes.

And just as they were pondering, things got even more intense.

"Cousin?" Gu Jingfeng frowned slightly, his eyes fixed on Pei Yubai's hand, which had just lifted from He Tang's head and was still only a few centimeters away.

Gu Jingfeng slowly raised his gaze to meet Pei Yubai's, a question in his eyes.

Pei Yubai smiled and straightened up, looking completely at ease. The aura he'd just set aside gradually returned, his gaze perfectly calm. "What's wrong?"

Gu Jingfeng looked puzzled but couldn't find anything particularly off.

Pei Yubai took a long stride, walked slowly toward Gu Jingfeng, and said in a measured, deliberate tone, "Go back."

Then he turned to the principal. "Principal Zhang, let's head out. We shouldn't disturb the students' break."

The principal naturally agreed and led the way, guiding Pei Yubai toward his office.

After all, there was a project he wanted to bring to Pei Yubai's attention.

Pei Yubai reached the door of Class 5 but paused before stepping out. He turned back and looked at Gu Jingfeng.

Their eyes met. Gu Jingfeng pressed his lips together, then followed behind Pei Yubai.

The moment they were gone, the classroom exploded.

[Ahhhh oh my god! Sooooo handsome!!!]

[Two good-looking guys in one frame—I can't handle it!]

[Boo hoo, I can still find chances to get close to the school heartthrob—there's hope there. But Pei Yubai... what am I supposed to do about him?]

[But seriously, what's the deal between Pei Yubai and He Tang? What kind of "brother" is he?]

The class was in total chaos. Xia Lian, however, spoke up coolly: "He Tang is just staying at the Pei household temporarily. Those two aren't really anything."

"Oh? Really? But still—living under the same roof, feelings could develop over time!"

"No, they don't live together. He Tang lives with Pei Yubai's mom. Pei Yubai doesn't stay there." Xia Lian smiled as she spoke.

"Oh? That's a shame, what a wasted opportunity! But Xia Lian, how do you know all this so clearly? Do you know Pei Yubai?"

"No, not really. He Tang told me all this before. Also, don't go spreading rumors like that, He Tang wouldn't be happy about it." Xia Lian's smile remained gentle, though a flicker of something odd passed through her eyes.

Of course she knew all that. Ever since she'd learned that He Tang had moved into the Pei household, she'd been planning to use He Tang as an excuse to visit the Pei home, get to know Pei Yubai, and thereby enter high society.

Unfortunately, things hadn't gone as planned. He Tang had fallen out with her right after moving in.

Thinking about it, Xia Lian's grip on her pen tightened.

It was all Lin Min's fault—she'd been too impulsive, pushed He Tang too hard, causing her to hit rock bottom and snap back even fiercer.

And it had completely ruined Xia Lian's plans.

However, Xia Lian's words did nothing to stop the school's rampant speculation. The campus forum soon launched into a full-blown discussion about the relationship between He Tang, Pei Yubai, and Gu Jingfeng.

The thread grew hotter, the discussion expanded further until it reached the ears of the irritable school bully in first-year Class 3.

Sheng Yan nearly crushed his phone. Staring at the names "Gu Jingfeng" and "Pei Yubai" in the thread, the more he read, the angrier he got. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He grabbed the forum admin by the collar and forced them to delete the thread.

But deleting the thread still didn't satisfy him. What was He Tang playing at? Hadn't she said she didn't like Gu Jingfeng anymore? So why were people still talking about them? And "Brother Yubai"—where the hell did he come from? And apparently, He Tang had even passed him a love letter?

Ugh! He was never calling Pei Yubai "brother" again!

Sheng Yan jabbed his pen agitatedly against the desk—jab, jab, jab—until he'd poked a whole bunch of holes into it.

What would He Tang's love letter look like? Wait! She wouldn't have written something cheesy like "I like you," would she? Pei Yubai wouldn't actually take it seriously, right? He Tang couldn't have meant it—she'd liked Gu Jingfeng one moment and then passed a letter to Pei Yubai the next. She was definitely fickle! Pei Yubai wouldn't actually fall for it, would he?

Wait! What if he said yes?! He Tang had only said she didn't like Gu Jingfeng—she never said she was single! And with how pretty and cute she was, Pei Yubai definitely wouldn't be able to resist!

With a snap, the pen finally gave out under the pressure and broke completely.

Sheng Yan was going out of his mind.

He shot up from his seat, sprinted all the way to first-year Class 5, yanked He Tang out, dragged her to a secluded corner in the hallway, and pushed her against the wall.

A thin sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead.

He Tang had been exhausted lately, her spirits low. She looked up at Sheng Yan and asked, "What is it?"

Sheng Yan stared at her beautiful eyes and couldn't find his words.

What was it again? He couldn't remember.

What was going on? Why couldn't he remember? Why was he here again? It's just... how were her eyes so pretty? Bright and sparkling, with a lazy, drowsy quality that he'd never seen before.

The tips of his ears quietly turned red again.

"Just... just passing by, and, and came to ask for your math notes," Sheng Yan said, not even knowing what he was saying.

"Hm?" He Tang squinted, utterly baffled. "Sheng Yan, did you get water in your brain? I'm a senior! You're a first-year! And when I was a first-year, I was dead last in the entire grade. What notes would I have?"

Sheng Yan was jolted back to his senses in an instant.

He remembered the thread again—that annoying Gu Jingfeng, and Pei Yubai, who'd actually accepted He Tang's love letter.

"Fine, fine! If you don't have them, you don't have them. Like I need notes to study anyway. Let me ask you this—what was Pei Yubai doing here today?"

Sheng Yan wouldn't look at He Tang. He stared at the wall with irritation, his sharp eyesight even catching a tiny line of romantic poetry scrawled on the wall by some student.

Ugh! Everywhere he looked, there were confessions—even He Tang had confessed to someone!

"Oh, Brother Yubai? My homeroom teacher wanted to talk to my parents, so he came as my guardian."

"Guardian?" Sheng Yan's tone perked up just a fraction.

"Yeah, guardian." He Tang nodded matter-of-factly.

The corner of Sheng Yan's mouth twitched upward slightly, and he couldn't help pushing a little further. "I also heard you gave him a love letter."

"Love letter? Oh, right, I did."

Sheng Yan's face fell again.

"I just stuffed it in his hand randomly."

And just like that, Sheng Yan was smiling again.

>>