Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 81 - I Like You

In a groggy haze, Tang Jie finally fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, the sky was already bright, and the person beside him was long gone. He sat up and heard the sound of running water from the bathroom, quickly rolling out of bed.

By the time Tang Jie returned to his room and got dressed, Chen Shuran had already come out of the bathroom looking neat and tidy. She smiled at Tang Jie and walked towards the living room.

When Tang Jie stepped out of his room into the living room, he was surprised to find it had been tidied up without him noticing. He looked at Chen Shuran in astonishment. “Did you clean all this?”

“Why not? Do you think I can’t tidy up a room or sweep the floor? Is that how you see me?”

Chen Shuran’s eyes seemed to carry a hint of grievance as she spoke. Tang Jie quickly shook his head. “No, I just meant that you didn’t have to. I could’ve done it.”

“Let’s go, we’re almost late. Uncle Zhao is already waiting downstairs.” After saying this, Chen Shuran tossed a pack of milk at Tang Jie and took one for herself before heading out the door.

On the way to school, just before they reached the school gate, Uncle Zhao suddenly spoke up. “Tang, you need to keep a close eye on the young miss lately. Try to stay with her as much as possible.”

Tang Jie quickly asked, “What’s wrong? Is someone looking for trouble?”

Uncle Zhao looked at Tang Jie, his face slightly grave. “It’s hard to say, but recently, the Qin Group has been in a power struggle with Mr. Chen over a piece of land. This has been going on for quite some time, as you know. So it’s better to be cautious. I heard that the young master of the Qin Group has been to the school; I don’t know if he has any intentions towards the young miss.”

Tang Jie pondered for a moment, realizing that Qin Haozhong must have come to the school looking for him. However, since Uncle Zhao brought it up, he made a mental note to be careful.

“I got it, Uncle Zhao. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of the young miss. Please tell Uncle Chen that he doesn’t need to worry.”

“Okay, hearing that makes me feel better. Just don’t be too tense; I just mentioned it casually.”

By the time Uncle Zhao finished speaking, the car had already arrived at No. 2 High School. Watching Tang Jie and Chen Shuran get out, Uncle Zhao drove away.

“Shuran-Jie, where have you been? You’re almost late!” Xiao Ran rushed up to them as they got out of the car, linking her arm with Chen Shuran’s and walking ahead, ignoring Tang Jie altogether.

Tang Jie didn’t mind and followed the two girls toward the teaching building.

“Shuran-Jie, did you hear? Our school just got another new student,” Xiao Ran said as they walked along. She was always well-informed, but mostly about gossip.

Tang Jie felt bored, staring blankly at the bright blue sky. It was another beautiful day, perfect for sleeping in.

Chen Shuran had clearly gotten used to Xiao Ran’s gossiping. A new student wasn’t particularly novel to her, so she didn’t say much.

“Do you know? This new student is a school beauty! She’s the one who got into a brawl at No. 3 High School last time and even drew the police!”

Huh? A school beauty, a fight? The police? Tang Jie suddenly perked up at this. He had always heard that school beauties were stunning, but he’d never encountered one who got into fights; that was indeed rare.

Chen Shuran turned back to look at Tang Jie, a smile on her face, immediately realizing what he was thinking. She stopped and said, “Are you interested? I can ask Xiao Ran to find out which class she’s in.”

“Forget it, I don’t like rough girls,” Tang Jie quickly replied, trying to flatter Chen Shuran and avoid making her upset.

“What about speedsters? Isn’t that a bit rough?” Chen Shuran said with a sly smile, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

Tang Jie suddenly felt that after last night, Chen Shuran had become a lot smarter. He constantly had the feeling that he was walking on thin ice, as if he might accidentally fall into her trap. He began to suspect that she might have taken some compromising photos of him while he was sleeping last night, intending to use them to blackmail him later.

“It’s almost class time! I just saw the class teacher heading into the classroom!” Thinking quickly, Tang Jie made up an excuse and dashed away toward the classroom.

Watching Tang Jie flee in such a hurry, Chen Shuran smiled at his retreating figure but didn’t chase after him.

Xiao Ran, standing by, couldn’t resist the urge to gossip. “Shuran-Jie, do you really like Tang Jie?”

Unlike before, Chen Shuran didn’t tell Xiao Ran to stop talking nonsense; instead, she looked at her with sparkling eyes and replied, “Is there anything wrong with that?”

What? Xiao Ran was taken aback by Chen Shuran’s answer, her mouth agape. Though she often joked about the two of them and had seen how good Chen Shuran was to Tang Jie, such a response felt a bit too much. Was this a firm declaration?

Tang Jie entered the classroom, and as expected, the class teacher, Jin Yan, was already standing at the podium. Chen Shuran came in behind Xiao Ran. Once everyone settled down, the class teacher announced something.

“We have a new student joining our class today.”

“Oh! Wow!”

“Another new addition! Is it a flower, grass, or perhaps… a rotten cabbage or a little potato?”

“It can’t be someone who has no appeal at all!”

The chatter rose and fell among the students, but it seemed that Jin Yan was used to it.

“Everyone, quiet down! The student transferring in this time has a special background, so I hope you will all get along with her well and enjoy learning and living together.”

Listening to Jin Yan’s words, Tang Jie felt something was different. However, he had never been interested in new students, and was just thinking about lying down on his desk to catch some sleep when the classroom fell silent all of a sudden.

“Let’s welcome Miss Li!” As soon as Jin Yan finished her sentence, someone walked in from outside the door. Tang Jie heard a gasp from the students in the classroom, followed by an impressive hush, as if that gasp had been swallowed.

He couldn’t help but feel curious.

Looking up, he saw a tall student-more accurately, a girl-standing at the podium. She had an exquisitely beautiful face and was scanning the class with a pair of cold eyes. They shone like stars in the night but carried a somewhat unsettling chill.

Just as Tang Jie was about to lower his head again, he suddenly felt her gaze stop on him.

“Miss Li, please find a seat in the back,” Jin Yan instructed. Tang Jie then noticed the girl stepping down from the podium, moving towards the back where he sat.

“Let’s give a warm welcome to Miss Li!” After that shout, it seemed like the classmates who had been frozen by her gaze finally snapped out of it, and thunderous applause erupted.

Tang Jie frowned, observing the boys in front of him clapping as if they were seeking revenge, and he found it quite incomprehensible. Not wanting to look up, he simply turned away.

Just as he turned, he felt a rush of wind pass by, carrying a scent reminiscent of icy mint, and then he sensed someone sitting behind him.

“Alright, let’s start the class,” Jin Yan announced. Many boys in front hadn’t turned around yet. As Tang Jie watched them, ready to mentally scold them for being idiots, he felt an uncomfortable cold gaze locked onto him from behind.

“Shuran-Jie…”

“Hmm, what is it?”

During a moment when Jin Yan turned to write on the blackboard, Xiao Ran poked Chen Shuran’s arm and whispered her name. Chen Shuran looked at her in confusion.

“I’ve noticed something,” Xiao Ran said, her face taking on a mysterious expression. She leaned in close to Chen Shuran’s ear, glancing over at Tang Jie as she spoke.

Chen Shuran didn’t understand what Xiao Ran was getting at and looked at Jin Yan, who was still writing, then back at Xiao Ran, who was sporting a secrecy-filled face. “Just say it. What’s going on?”

“I noticed that Li Feifei has been staring at Tang Jie the whole time. Do you think she’s interested in him?” After saying this, Xiao Ran peeked back at Tang Jie, and it seemed like Li Feifei had noticed Xiao Ran looking at her. She shot a cold glance in Xiao Ran’s direction, making Xiao Ran feel as if a wave of icy air had enveloped her, and she quickly turned back around.

“So what? It’s none of your business. Pay attention in class,” Chen Shuran replied, not overly concerned, while her gaze remained focused on the blackboard.

“That girl’s gaze is so scary. They say you’re an iceberg, but I think she’s the real eternal iceberg,” Xiao Ran muttered before turning her head back, her tone defiant.

Chen Shuran didn’t respond, but she couldn’t help but care a little. She had also noticed earlier that when Li Feifei walked in, her eyes had been fixed on a particular spot in the classroom-specifically, where Tang Jie was sitting. However, after what had happened previously, she resolved to not get involved in Tang Jie’s personal matters. Although he was her bodyguard, he wasn’t her boyfriend. Even if she liked him, she wouldn’t go so far as to ignore her own image for him.

If Tang Jie truly had that much charm, she didn’t think she could resist.

With her thoughts settled, Chen Shuran focused on listening to Jin Yan’s lecture, while Xiao Ran, seeing that Chen Shuran didn’t seem particularly concerned, lost interest in gossiping any further and began to pay attention to the class as well.

As for Tang Jie, he kept feeling like there were two ice pillars directly behind him. He was tempted to turn around to see what was going on, to check if the person behind him had just come out of a freezer and hadn’t thawed yet. But then he thought to himself, why should he care? If she liked staring at him, that was her business-he certainly wasn’t afraid.