Standing Next To You-Chapter 51: Who dared touch Fei Chuan?

Was that....a hallucination?

Could a hallucination evoke a taste she hadn’t experienced in ages?

Bei Sangyun was deeply shaken. Before her death, she had suffered for three long years without eating properly because everything she ate tasted like dirt.

Over time, she had grown numb to this sensation, and eating had become a wearisome chore. She had long abandoned hope of ever experiencing the pleasure of delicious food again.

Now, she stared at the chicken soup, her heart racing.

Was it merely a trick played by her mind?

Or had she truly experienced a fleeting moment of taste?

To confirm, she picked up the spoon again, which had fallen on the table. She was about to dip it back into the soup when a hand stopped her.

"What are you doing?" Fei Chuan glared at her with angry eyes.

Bei Sangyun looked at the chicken soup, the rich taste still lingering on her tongue. Or was this, too, a part of her hallucination?

"Are you trying to disgust me this time?" Fei Chuan questioned, breaking her reverie.

Bei Sangyun snapped out of her daze, confused by his accusation.

Who was trying to disgust whom?

Fei Chuan glanced at the fallen spoon. "The spoon fell on the table. You don’t know how many people have used this table and what kind of germs might be lurking here. Not to mention, you are trying to eat from my bowl."

Bei Sangyun: "....."

If the school staff heard Fei Chuan, they would be disappointed.

"I just want one more taste," Bei Sangyun replied.

Fei Chuan took the bowl and the spoon from her. "Then get your own. Don’t eat from mine."

Fei Chuan seemed genuinely upset. He hadn’t been this angry when she had stared at him in class earlier.

Did he despise sharing food with her that much?

Bei Sangyun’s lips twisted.

Right. This young master had been raised like a prince and had a strong aversion to anything unclean. In his eyes, she was a repulsive person.

Fei Chuan took his tray, still visibly irritated. "You can have this table."

He stood up, ready to leave, but Bei Sangyun also rose from her seat.

"You should eat more. You’re very thin. Your future self would cry if he saw you." She vividly recalled how Fei Chuan had intended to eat his cookies but had been interrupted because of her.

Fei Chuan abruptly halted, his anger surging even higher. He shot Bei Sangyun a furious glare.

What he despised most was people commenting on his health or weight.

"It’s none of your business," he snapped.

Bei Sangyun shrugged.

"You don’t have to leave. I won’t bother you, so stay in your seat."

With that, Bei Sangyun left the table.

She knew that Fei Chuan didn’t like her. In fact, he hated her.

Well, she couldn’t blame him. After all, she had made his high school life a living nightmare.

Yet, it still bothered her that Fei Chuan was not just disliking her but actually disgusted by her.

She wouldn’t have cared much if it were the Lin family or others who saw her that way.

But Fei Chuan... Fei Chuan could hate her, but she didn’t want him to be disgusted by her.

Bei Sangyun lowered her eyes.

That man had truly grown on her. She found herself getting upset over just a glare.

Honestly, she had become soft towards him. Tsk.

....

As Bei Sangyun left, the frown on Fei Chuan’s face slowly eased. He returned to his seat, watching her departure with a complicated gaze.

What kind of stunt was she pulling now?

Fei Chuan’s eyes fell on the spoon.

It was the spoon he used...and she used.

Suddenly, several shadows blocked the light over his head.

This scene was all too familiar, and Fei Chuan immediately became cautious.

He looked up and saw five male students approaching with malicious expressions.

Ha. Of course, she wouldn’t leave peacefully.

Fei Chuan scoffed and glared at the five male students who obviously had ill intentions.

*****

Bei Sangyun adjusted her mood.

Her feud with Fei Chuan would not last for a lifetime if their hatred for each other wasn’t deeply ingrained. It would be impossible to get along after just one day.

She pushed those upsetting thoughts to the back of her mind.

Returning to the locker area, she checked to see if Butler Xin had already sent her the items she needed.

Upon opening her locker, she found a brand-new phone and a note on top of it.

[The number saved on the phone is Grandma Bei’s number. Use this phone to contact her.

-Butler Xin]

Bei Sangyun immediately opened the phone and discovered that the only number saved was Grandma Bei’s.

She dialed the number with anticipation.

"...Sangyun?"

The voice was instantly recognizable, and Bei Sangyun’s bad mood melted away. A relieved smile lit up her face.

"It’s me, Grandma."

*****

Bei Sangyun returned to the cafeteria in good spirits.

Grandma Bei was doing well in the hospital, and thanks to Butler Xin’s arrangements, her treatment had started. Although they were still searching for a larger hospital and doctors who could perform Grandma Bei’s surgery.

Bei Sangyun explained that she wouldn’t be returning for a whole week. She didn’t go into details, such as being grounded or the incident with Lin Ginxian. Fortunately, Grandma Bei was understanding and didn’t press her for answers.

The elderly woman advised Bei Sangyun to take care of herself and eat more.

A small smile graced Bei Sangyun’s lips as she entered the cafeteria. She resolved to heed her grandmother’s advice and eat heartily. Who knows, maybe what happened earlier wasn’t a hallucination.

Moreover, after her conversation with her grandma, her appetite to eat had returned.

Bei Sangyun returned to the cafeteria, and as expected, the students turned their attention toward her. They fell silent for a moment before erupting into hushed murmurs.

Bei Sangyun ignored their gazes and headed to get some chicken soup.

"....Look at how happy she is; she’s truly a devil."

"....Kind of feel sorry for him, poor guy."

"...So cunning."

The cafeteria worker who handed her the bowl of chicken soup cast an odd glance at Bei Sangyun. When their eyes met, the worker immediately lowered her head in fear.

Bei Sangyun: "...."

Bei Sangyun nodded in thanks and scanned the cafeteria for an empty seat.

The seat where Fei Chuan had been sitting was now empty, and a staff member was mopping the area.

Bei Sangyun walked over to that spot, under the watchful gaze of everyone in the room, and placed her tray on the table.

She took a sip, and a flavorless, watery sensation that was very familiar to her lingered in her mouth.

"Hah. It must be a hallucination," Bei Sangyun laughed in disappointment.

She was just a bit hopeful. That sensation felt so real. But it turned out, it was all on her mind.

If only she could hallucinate something like that again.

As she was about to resume her eating, her eyes suddenly fell on some crumbs on the floor that the janitor was cleaning up.

...Cookie crumbs?

She thought of Fei Chuan’s cookies. Did he drop one of his cookies? He must have been upset to waste one—

But then Bei Sangyun noticed that the newly replaced trash bin was filled with cookie crumbs, about the same amount as what had been in Fei Chuan’s container.

Bei Sangyun paused, her eyes fixed on the floor. The aroma of chicken soup and the sweet scent of cookies still lingered.

It then dawned on Bei Sangyun that it wasn’t yet time for the staff to clean the cafeteria, unless someone had made a mess.

"Excuse me, what happened here?" Bei Sangyun inquired.

The staff member recognized Bei Sangyun and became visibly tense.

Wasn’t this the student who was infamous among her peers but highly regarded by the teachers?

A notorious, but top-ranked student.

The staff member was well aware of Bei Sangyun’s reputation and stayed updated on her school-related matters since her affairs were a frequent topic of conversation among the students

So he was puzzled as to why the school’s notorious student was asking about the incident.

Was it some kind of test? Was she trying to see if he would report this to the principal?

If he gave the wrong answer, would this formidable bully start targeting him from now on?

He was just a small worker and had no means to contend with such an influential student, especially considering the powerful family behind her.

The staff member hesitated and stuttered in his response. "I...I didn’t s-see anything."

Bei Sangyun: "...."

He was obviously lying. She scanned the room, and the student who had been discreetly watching her quickly averted their eyes in fear, though it was clear they were still listening.

When she came in earlier, she had heard some murmurs among them and had thought they were noisier than usual, but she hadn’t paid it much mind. Now, piecing everything together, it was evident that something had happened earlier.

Her gaze narrowed as her premonition seemed to come true.

"Your answer is very convincing, seeing how you tremble. Tell me, what happened to the person who sat here before me? What are you cleaning?"

The staff bit his lip, visibly shaken by Bei Sangyun’s pressure, and decided to tell the truth.

"T-that male student got s-surrounded by o-other students. They threw soup over his head and tossed his food away...." The staff’s voice grew smaller and smaller. "But it doesn’t have anything to do with you. I swear!"

Bei Sangyun’s eyes darkened.

The staff became even more frightened. "....I really swear."

Bei Sangyun stood up. "Who are they?"

She scanned the people who were still stealthily watching her. Her voice remained calm, but there was a storm raging in her gaze.

"Who among you dared to touch Fei Chuan?"