Standing Next To You-Chapter 245: Misunderstanding

A/n: Thank you for waiting! This Chapter is already fixed.

*****

Fei Chuan didn’t notice Bei Sangyun’s arrival. His expression was dark as he concentrated on placing the letters into a garbage bag. Among the numerous letters, some fell to the floor.

Clearly, Fei Chuan wasn’t keen on tidying his surroundings upon arrival. It reminded him of the times he had to clean his own locker and seat, ridding them of the vandalism and trash left by bullies.

"Need some help?" Bei Sangyun’s voice came from behind him. She did not wait for his response and crouched down to pick up the letters that were scattered on the floor.

Fei Chuan was about to refuse her help when he noticed, from the corner of his eye, that the female student who was about to approach him suddenly halted.

"...You’re already picking them up. Does my opinion matter?" He replied casually, as usual, not attributing much significance to it.

But Bei Sangyun’s hand paused. She looked at him in surprise.

"Of course, your opinion matters. If you don’t want me to help you, I’ll respect your wishes. I won’t do anything you don’t like." Bei Sangyun set down the letters she had just collected, placing them where she picked them up.

Fei Chuan: "..."

What’s the matter with her?

Fei Chuan regarded her with a strange look, but he had grown accustomed to her whimsical and peculiar actions, so he quickly accepted it. He figured that Bei Sangyun wasn’t intending to help him in the first place; she was just teasing him.

He proceeded to pick up the letters from the floor and deposit them into the garbage bag.

Bei Sangyun observed the letters and marveled at how many love letters Fei Chuan had received after just one day back at school. Even Jang Shin hadn’t managed to gather that many love letters in a single day.

As expected, Fei Chuan would be popular with the girls.

.....

The lectures at the front were ongoing, but the back of the class was immersed in their own worlds. Fei Chuan was engrossed in his laptop, while Bei Sangyun was occupied with her phone.

She grew curious about Fei Chuan’s popularity. What were these girls saying about him?

She liked Fei Chuan, and evidently, those girls did too.

She was still new in ’liking’ someone. She wondered if they were pondering the same thoughts as her.

Logging into the forum, she discovered numerous threads featuring Fei Chuan’s pictures as the main post.

One thread discussed Fei Chuan’s favorite spot in the cafeteria, accompanied by a sneak photo of him eating alone.

Another showcased him strolling down the hallway, traversing the school’s pathways.

There were also photos of him seated at the back of the room—with her blurred and edited out in the background. Even exiting the classroom was also featured by his fans.

Bei Sangyun: "..."

Fei Chuan’s fans seemed a bit obsessive, aren’t they?

They captured photos of him at every possible moment. She bet Fei Chuan did not know about this thread or that someone was sneakingly taking pictures of him. Otherwise, he would have sought out the anonymous account owners to delete his pictures. After all, he was very conservative and sensitive at this age.

Bei Sangyun sneakingly glanced at Fei Chuan beside her. Without those long bangs, his handsome profile was revealed, providing a good eye candy service.

’Hmm, he looks a lot better than in these photos.’

Well, she couldn’t fault them. Fei Chuan was undeniably handsome, and every angle of his face was worth capturing.

Bei Sangyun discreetly saved the photos on her phone. She could not help but comment on each post.

’Handsome indeed. Mine.’ fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

’Best angle. Love it.’

’He looks like an angel here. But he isn’t. He has a bad temper but he’s still mine.’

’Why blur me out?’

After typing the last comment, Bei Sangyun immediately deleted it. She was using an anonymous account, and this comment would surely expose her. Right now, she didn’t want to ’burden’ Fei Chuan with her expressive and ’forceful’ feelings.

So, she typed again. ’The tyrant and Fei Chuan look good together. Don’t blur her next time.’

Bei Sangyun seemed to have found a new hobby. She would visit each post and read the students’ comments. Whenever she saw something she could relate to, she would reply under their comment, sometimes agreeing or adding more.

But there were particular comments that Bei Sangyun didn’t like much.

[iwant2dropawt: Marry me, Classmate Fei Chuan!]

[tiredofskullw0rks: I’ve never wanted a husband so badly before. Please be my husband, Classmate Fei!]

[canIL0gat: Male God! Please marry me! Please marry me! Please marry me... infinite...]

Bei Sangyun: "...."

She put a thumbs down whenever she saw comments like these.

These girls wanted to marry Fei Chuan. She proposed first and was patiently, sincerely, and seriously pursuing him. They shouldn’t cut in line!

They could admire Fei Chuan, but they couldn’t marry him. That role was only hers.

While replying to comments, Bei Sangyun suddenly paused. She felt like she forgot something. What was it?

She pondered for a moment, but then a new post notification caught her attention. The photo used in the thread featured Fei Chuan’s handsome face glaring at a group of female students.

This post quickly became a hot topic, and various love confessions flooded the comment area. They thanked the hero who captured this photo. The hero had captured the iconic ’cold glare’ of the male god that everyone was obsessed with.

Many screamed and expressed a desire to lick the screen. The colder Fei Chuan’s response, the crazier the girls became.

Bei Sangyun also joined the fandom. She understood these girls’ feelings. She, too, wanted to tease him whenever she saw that scowl and glare. His reaction was just too adorable.

Bei Sangyun enjoyed expressing her feelings to Fei Chuan in the threads. She couldn’t express her feelings these past days, which made her feel quite restrained and bottled up.

These threads helped her express her liking for Fei Chuan, which made her feel a lot better. She finds cameradie with these people who also admire Fei Chuan

Her exploration in the threads was disrupted by the ringing of the bell.

Fei Chuan closed his laptop and turned to her. "Where are you going to eat your lunch?"

Bei Sangyun was startled by his voice and immediately shut down her phone.

"...Ah, anywhere?"

Fei Chuan: "..."

Did that mean she wouldn’t eat with him?

Fei Chuan frowned. He really didn’t understand her. After kissing him, had all her interests in ’intimacy’ vanished? If not, why did she keep avoiding him?

"Then eat anywhere," Fei Chuan replied in a bad mood.

Bei Sangyun: "...."

She blinked, not understanding his words. Was he saying not to eat with him?

Bei Sangyun was reminded of the times when Fei Chuan always pushed her away from his table, telling her to go away. They only ate together because Bei Sangyun forced him to through a deal.

Bei Sangyun pouted. She really wanted to disagree and eat together with him, but she didn’t want to ’burden’ him.

Struggling to reply, she managed, "...Alright. I won’t do anything you don’t like. Eat well."

Bei Sangyun stood up and left her seat dejectedly. She had to leave first while she could still restrain herself.

Fei Chuan watched her departing figure, his expression growing uglier by the moment.

****

At lunch, Bei Sangyun squeezed in at Zhong Cheng and Lin Sunji’s table, opting for a simple meal. She chose a seat that afforded her a clear view of Fei Chuan as soon as she glanced up.

The area was crowded and lively, with many female students gathered around Fei Chuan’s table, each carrying lunch boxes that piled up on his table.

Bei Sangyun pouted. Didn’t he say he didn’t hate it when she said she liked him? Why did it now seem like he hated her very presence?

What had gone wrong?

And look at those lunchboxes, why he didn’t push those away?

Bei Sangyun’s gaze remained fixed on Fei Chuan’s table, so much so that even Lin Sunji, who did not like to pay attention to Bei Sangyun noticed the latter’s gaze on Fei Chuan.

She couldn’t resist commenting sarcastically, "If you like him so much, why don’t you go to him? You guys are always stuck together. It’s hypocritical to play innocent now."

Zhong Cheng was enjoying his meal when Lin Sunji suddenly targeted the boss. He glared at her with his mouth full, "How dare you speak to Boss like that? I think I should increase the quota. You need ten more today."

"What?! How can you increase it just because you want to?!" Lin Sunji was horrified.

"The answer is right there. I can increase it because I want to," Zhong Cheng retorted.

Lin Sunji: "...."

She gritted her teeth, wanting to curse him aloud, but Zhong Cheng smiled wickedly, "If you dare say another word, I’ll add ten more."

Lin Sunji clenched her fists and screamed in frustration, finally drawing Bei Sangyun’s attention away from Fei Chuan.

The dreamy eyes fixed on Fei Chuan suddenly turned cold as they turned toward Lin Sunji.

Lin Sunji fell silent under the weight of those cold eyes.

Across from her, Zhong Cheng made a slashing gesture across his neck with his thumb.

Lin Sunji: "...."

How could someone be so hateful!

Bei Sangyun didn’t pay much heed to the interaction between the two.

She responded to Lin Sunji’s question, "I won’t do something he doesn’t like. He needs some space and time to think, and I’m giving him that."

Bei Sangyun said these words out loud to herself. She needed to remind herself of what she had to do. Even though she desperately wanted to approach him right now, share meals with him, and tease him until his ears turned red, Bei Sangyun had to exercise restraint.

However, she wondered how long she could keep it up. Liking someone while trying to suppress expressing her affection was incredibly difficult to endure.

She truly wondered how those second male leads in the dramas she had watched managed to endure unrequited love for so long.