The ride to school was quiet. Ye Jin was asleep while Gu Yan fiddled with her fingers absentmindedly, his eyes tracing the delicate lines of her hands. They were so pretty and soft that he couldn't help but be drawn to them.
Was he truly mistaken about her true identity? Though the report his brother sent him showed she was just an ordinary girl, he still had his doubts. But her hands were too smooth, too delicate, for someone who might have ties to the underworld.
Suddenly, a car swerved dangerously close to them, almost brushing against their vehicle. Gu Yan tensed up, ready to react. He glanced quickly at Ye Jin instinctively, prepared to protect her if there was any impact. But she was awake, her face revealing a calm and serene expression, and he would have believed she was truly calm if not for the slight tremble in her fingers.
Maybe she was scared, and if so, she was really doing a good job keeping her emotions in check. Gu Yan, however, couldn't help but wonder: What if she showed her fearful expression to him? How exciting would it be?
The rest of the ride continued in silence, with Gu Yan sneaking occasional glances at Ye Jin's sleeping figure. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye, and uncovering every layer of her would be very exciting.
As they approached the school, his grip on her fingers tightened slightly. He was very reluctant to let them go.
Maybe he should cut them off...
The twisted idea flitted through his mind, making his smile widen as they arrived.
***
The black Rolls Royce pulled up at the school gates among other expensive fleets of cars, but only it caught the attention of the students wandering about. Everyone recognized the car in an instant. It was the car of Gu Yan, the madman.
Awkward gazes filled everyone's faces as they tried to quietly disperse without attracting his attention. However, they all found themselves staring at the sight of Ye Jin stepping out of the car, smoothing her uniform.
Everyone knew that Gu Yan despised people coming near his car or touching anything that belonged to him. The only exception was Ning Yin. There was a notorious incident where a student had made the mistake of leaning against his car—Gu Yan had dragged the boy by the head and smashed him onto the pavement without a word. Since then, no one dared to get too close. . So the fact that a girl, and not just any girl, but the new girl, came out of Gu Yan's car shocked them greatly.
Unfazed by the stares, Ye Jin turned back to the car and offered a small bow. "Thank you for the ride," she said politely. As she began to walk away, Gu Yan's voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Wait for me."
He stepped out of the car, slinging his bag over his shoulder and brushing his hair back, a hint of annoyance flashing across his face. "Were you planning to leave without me?"
Without giving her a chance to respond, he closed the distance between them. "Let's go."
"Umm, okay," Ye Jin answered, still feeling groggy. She was so tired that she didn't even notice the weird glances around her.
Gu Yan studied Ye Jin's face, his gaze settling on the dark circles under her eyes.
"You look so tired. Didn't you get any sleep?"
Ye Jin stifled a yawn. "I spent all night watching What's Wrong with Secretary Kim. That was the greatest mistake I've made in my lifetime because I couldn't sleep until I watched it to the end."
Gu Yan chuckled, his tone teasing. "I half expected you to say you were out on some secret mission."
Ye Jin replied lazily, "Yeah, right. I wish."
Gu Yan laughed, then intently stared at her. He didn't know why, but he felt like teasing her.
Just then, he spotted Ning Yin walking ahead. A mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Ning Yin! Hey, Ning Yin!"
His voice was loud and playful. He dramatically waved at Ning Yin, jumping with each wave, drawing attention from the students around.
Ning Yin turned, his face flushing with embarrassment as he hurried over.
"Gu Yan, must you always look for ways to embarrass me?" he muttered, trying to maintain his composure.
Ye Jin smiled at the sight of the duo. However, her mind wandered back to the conversation she had earlier with Ning Yin. She knew that Gu Yan was a psychopath, but he must care to some degree about Ning Yin. If he didn't, she felt sorry for Ning Yin.
"Good morning," Ning Yin greeted, his tone warm and his eyes filled with curiosity.
"Good morning, Sui Sui."
'Ahh, not bad, a cutie,' Ye Jin thought as she had a good look at Ning Yin.
Ning Yin was what you would describe as a cold beauty. He had neatly slicked-back black hair, his face was well-structured with a hint of maturity, and his gray eyes greatly accentuated his beauty. Though they looked cold, they carried a hint of warmth, unlike Gu Yan, who, though always smiling, had eyes that gave off an eerie feeling—cold and unsettling.
"Good morning," Ye Jin greeted back with a polite smile.
Ning Yin: "Sorry about our previous encounter; it wasn't really the best."
"Oh, no need to apologize since the real culprit is yet to apologize."
"Hey, I am here!" Gu Yan retorted.
Ning Yin chuckled. "Well, let me introduce myself. I am Ning Yin."
Ye Jin: "Nice to meet you, Ning Yin. My name is Ye Jin."
"Nice to meet you, Ye Jin."
They both became silent. Ning Yin's only friend was Gu Yan, so most of the time, Gu Yan led the conversation. Ye Jin, on the other hand, was mentally 33; she really didn't know what to say to keep the conversation going that would be of interest to him. However, Ye Jin really wanted to keep the conversation going because Ning Yin seemed like a nice person to hang out with, so she blurted out:
"Have you watched What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?"
Ning Yin's eyes lit up. "I spent a whole day watching it. I found myself watching it for over 24 hours without a break. Then after I was done, I rewatched it for another 24 hours."
Ye Jin: "Okay, I thought I was the greatest slacker of all time, but you can take the crown."
"I humbly return it. I am not a slacker, but I had to make sure my ship sailed, and it did."
Ship sailed? Ye Jin was confused. When did the conversation move to ships?
Gu Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed their conversation. Annoyance spread across his face. He made a mistake. He didn't like the fact that he had to share Ye Jin's or Ning Yin's attention. He also didn't like feeling left out.
"Well, we should get to class," Gu Yan said, interrupting their conversation, his tone filled with jealousy. He gently tugged Ye Jin's arm. "Come on, let's go."
"Umm, okay?!" Ye Jin answered, quite confused as to why Gu Yan was rushing them to class.
"Wait, Gu Yan, we haven't finished our conversation yet."
Gu Yan turned to him. "Go to class, Ning Yin."
Ning Yin: "But I haven't gotten her number or her WeChat username so that I can add her as a friend."
Gu Yan looked at him spitefully. "I haven't gotten it either."