Standing Next To You-Chapter 48: All Too Familiar

Butler Xin left the room in a daze. He had just spoken with Old Master Lin’s personal butler and discreetly inquired if there were any important visitors scheduled to visit the Lin family.

’Hm, you’re quick to get the news. The headmaster hasn’t announced it yet to the masters. He was supposed to announce it today. Well, since you know it now, prepare for it in advance. Anyway, may I know how you got the information?’

Butler Xin felt inwardly shocked. He didn’t know how he managed to deflect the butler’s attempts to extract more information from him, but he left the room.

So the young miss was telling the truth.

Butler Xin was in deep thought as his feet led him in front of Lin Ginxian’s office. He stared at the door for a while.

Could he really trust her? Did she genuinely have plans and wasn’t just a reckless, rebellious kid?

Could he place all his stakes on her?

Butler Xin knocked on the door. "Master, may I come in?"

"Come in," Lin Ginxian’s cold voice sounded from behind the door.

Butler Xin took a deep breath to calm his thoughts.

Anyway, it was still too early to judge whether this deal with Bei Sangyun was the right choice. At least for now, she wasn’t lying.

Butler Xin entered the room.

"Where is she? Why isn’t she coming with you?"

Lin Ginxian’s anger erupted once more when he didn’t see the figure he was waiting for.

Butler Xin adjusted his expression. It was time to play his role.

****

"Young miss, it’s done," the maid said as she stepped back after applying some concealer to Bei Sangyun’s cheek.

Bei Sangyun stared at herself in the mirror, lost in thought.

Her left cheek was still a bit swollen, but the redness and handprint were effectively concealed, thanks to the makeup.

However, it wasn’t the state of her cheek that had Bei Sangyun deep in thought. Her eighteen-year-old reflection looked youthful and healthy, a stark contrast to her past self.

"....I should take better care of my health this time," Bei Sangyun muttered. She had no intention of dying early.

"Of course, young miss. You should prioritize your health and strive to become the official heir."

Bei Sangyun turned around and picked up her school bag. "I don’t need to struggle. I’ve already endured enough in the past."

The maid showed a stunned expression.

Bei Sangyun left her room. However, just as she took several steps away from her room, the guards hiding from the who knows where, suddenly came rushing to her.

"Third young miss, you are not allowed to leave your room."

Bei Sangyun raised an eyebrow, glancing at the empty hall behind the guard. There was still no sign of Butler Xin.

’What’s taking him so long?’

"Please return to your room, Third young miss," the guard insisted.

Without protest, Bei Sangyun turned around and went back to her room.

This unexpected compliance relieved the guard, who had been prepared for an argument. Fortunately, the third young miss was being cooperative today.

The maid who was cleaning the room saw Bei Sangyun returning. "Did you forget anything, young miss?"

"Could you find Butler Xin for me? Tell him to hurry. The afternoon classes will be over by the time I arrive."

Her concern wasn’t about the class; she was worried about whether she’d have time to speak with Grandma Bei over the phone.

The maid nodded and was about to leave when Bei Sangyun spoke again.

"Come to think of it, I’ve never called you by your name even once. It’s Yzhai, right?"

The maid looked at Bei Sangyun, speechless. "I’ve been working for you since day one, and you still haven’t gotten my name right?"

Bei Sangyun: "...."

She refrained from mentioning that she knew quite a bit about her personal maid’s background, weaknesses, and ambitions but hadn’t quite remembered her name.

After all, this person had been placed by Butler Xin and her father to keep a close eye on her, and they hadn’t shared any personal conversations.

The maid sighed, saying, "It’s Ye Zhai. You almost got it right."

Bei Sangyun looked away, pretending to be engrossed in something.

The maid, Ye Zhai, left, shaking her head.

As the door closed, Bei Sangyun found herself alone in the room.

She let out a sigh. It was the first time she had attempted to have a personal conversation with her maid, and it had failed.

Bei Sangyun glanced at herself in the mirror once more. Ye Zhai might be a lackey of Butler Xin and Lin Ginxian, but she hadn’t done anything to harm Bei Sangyun apart from constantly reminding her to pursue the title of official heir.

She was good at her job, which is why Bei Sangyun had kept her even after becoming the family head.

Although they were like strangers and their relationship was based solely on the master-maid dynamic, Ye Zhai was the person Bei Sangyun had been with the longest before her death. It was only natural for Bei Sangyun to take notice of her now.

"But she is quite cold. She served me for a long time but never visited me once after my funeral," Bei Sangyun muttered.

There was only one person who persistently visited her every year.

Bei Sangyun lowered her eyes as she reminisced about the twenty lonely years she spent as a lonely ghost.

"Master, you may leave now," Butler Xin’s voice sounded from outside, interrupting Bei Sangyun’s memories.

Bei Sangyun opened the door. "Is everything prepared?"

Butler Xin understood what she was referring to.

"Yes, but first, you need to attend school. I’ll provide you with the details when we arrive at our destination."

.....

The car parked, and two people stepped out.

When they reached the school building, Butler Xin came to a stop.

"I’ll place what you need in your locker. Please check it after your class ends. I’ll ensure everything is ready by then."

Bei Sangyun nodded.

The afternoon classes had started an hour ago, and the school grounds appeared empty as all the students were in their classrooms.

Bei Sangyun made her way to the locker area. She needed to find her locker now so that she wouldn’t waste time finding it later. It had been a long time since she had set foot in school, and she had forgotten the location of her locker.

The surroundings might seem familiar, but the school grounds were vast, and she could easily become disoriented and get lost.

Besides, her high school days weren’t exactly filled with fond memories, and she had no desire to recall most of it.

She relied on the memories etched into her body and allowed her feet to guide her to her locker.

Her steps came to a halt as she reached the locker area she remembered, but it wasn’t hers.

Bei Sangyun’s gaze focused on the name written on the locker in front of her.

She was trying to locate her locker but she ended up on his instead.

Bei Sangyun traced the name etched on the door of the locker.

Of course, this locker left a more lasting impression on her than the one she rarely used. After all, she would go to this area and put something in this locker every day before the class started.

With a smile, Bei Sangyun shook her head.

This was precisely why she didn’t want to dwell on her high school days, as she had made many foolish decisions that now left her feeling embarrassed as an adult.

She left that locker and continued her search for her own, relying on her memory.

Finally, in less than ten minutes, she found it and committed its location to memory before heading to her classroom.

However, upon reaching the vast hallway with numerous classrooms, she found herself lost once again.

Where was her classroom, exactly?

****

Bam!

The door swung open loudly, interrupting the teacher who was giving a lecture at the front.

The teacher’s face contorted in annoyance, ready to rebuke the intruder.

"Who--!" But his words trailed off as he recognized Bei Sangyun.

"Lin Sangyun!" The teacher exclaimed in shock. The students in the class also reacted.

"She’s here. The notorious bully has arrived."

"Don’t call her that. What if she hears you?"

"Our peaceful days are over. What a shame."

"Didn’t Lin Sunji say she wouldn’t be coming today? Why is she here now?"

Lin Sunji, too, who was among the students, looked at Bei Sangyun with surprise and disbelief.

Bei Sangyun: "...."

Although she was standing at the door, their ’whispers’ reached her ears clearly. Had she really left such a negative impression on everyone?

As far as she could recall, she had only become a tyrant when she became the official heir. During her high school years, she was not crazy yet. She was just a bit aloof and somewhat loud, wasn’t she?

"....Lin Sangyun. W-why are you here? Weren’t you s-sick?" Even the teacher stumbled over his words in her presence.

Bei Sangyun: "....."

She entered the room and quietly closed the door behind her.

"I’m a bit late because it took me a long time to find the classroom."

The teacher: "...."

The classmates: "...."

’You’re more than half a day late! And what kind of excuse is that?!’

The teacher’s lips twitched.

"....I see. Then please take your seat."

Bei Sangyun surveyed the empty seats in the room, noticing three of them were unoccupied.

Where was hers?

She hesitated for a moment before choosing the spot that felt familiar.

All eyes were on her. When they saw Bei Sangyun taking the empty seat in the farthest back corner, they gasped.

"Is she openly bullying him now?"

"Gosh. I don’t like him, but I kind of pity him. What did he do to become Bei Sangyun’s target? She is not even letting him go during class..."

"I’m just relieved I’m not the one sitting beside her. Imagine sitting next to the tyrant..."

As Bei Sangyun placed her bag on her chair, she paused.

These whispers sounded awfully familiar.

She glanced at the boy next to her, who appeared to be taking a nap. He faced the window, his head resting on his arms on the table.

Bei Sangyun blinked.

Suddenly, this scene triggered memories of her high school life, memories she had buried deep in the recesses of her mind.

The boy seemed to sense her presence beside him. The seat next to him, which had been vacant since he transferred to the school, was now occupied.

Slowly, he raised his head and turned it towards Bei Sangyun.

The afternoon sunlight spilled onto the boy’s head and the side of his face, partially hiding his eyes beneath long bangs. However, as he had just awakened from his nap, Bei Sangyun could clearly see his face.

The boy looked up and met her gaze. He seemed to be in a trance for a moment, then his eyes became surprised before it returned to normal.

There was even a hint of aloofness in his gaze.

Bei Sangyun was in a daze.

Then it hit her. She remembered now—the reason this seat seemed so familiar.

Right.

It was because Fei Chuan used to sit there. The farthest back, the furthest corner, the only person in the last row, seated beside the window -it was his designated spot.