Chapter 18: Would You Still Love Me If I Were Bald? (18)

Even though Shen Ji was quite adept at acting cute, Bai Yao still assigned him math homework and demanded that he deliver it to her by tomorrow morning.

If you asked Shen Ji what he hated most in the world, math would certainly top the list.

He could get away with not doing the homework assigned by teachers, but he would never dare neglect the assignments Bai Yao gave him. He still remembered once when he’d tried to slack off and skipped his homework—Bai Yao had confiscated all his snacks.

Though Bai Yao spoiled him most of the time, she could be ruthlessly strict when it was needed. Shen Ji was left with nothing but silent tears.

That afternoon, Class One had an art lesson.

While Bai Yao was idly smearing colors on her canvas in the art studio, her thoughts drifted to that dazzling, vibrant art room. She glanced at the works of her classmates—none could compare with Shen Ji’s.

She rubbed her chin, a little puzzled. Shen Ji had never mentioned any talent for painting before. Still, given how poor his academic grades were, perhaps fate had left a window open for him, blessing him with gifts in art.

Their art teacher allowed the students to create freely, and soon, groups of students began to chat among themselves.

One boy whispered, “Hey, do you think we should sneak out one night and look for that art room from the rumors?”

His friend replied, “Aren’t you afraid something will happen? I’ve heard weird things always go on in that old building.”

“Of course I’m scared. But listen, I heard that if you find the art room and make a wish to whoever’s inside, your wish will come true.”

“What wish could possibly be worth that kind of risk?”

The first boy shot a meaningful glance at Bai Yao, who was standing by the window bathed in sunlight. Her figure was graceful, her features refined and lovely—she looked like a goddess basking in light.

Unable to resist, he tore his eyes away and mumbled, “Why do you need to know? I’ll tell you quietly…”

He lowered his voice, speaking with an air of mystery. “Someone saw that two months ago, Shen Ji from Class Two went to that abandoned building late at night. Not long after, he and our class goddess started dating, and no one has bullied him since. Look at him now—he’s living the good life, completely different from before.”

His friend eyed him skeptically. “So you’re saying—”

The boy nodded emphatically. “He must have found that art room and made a wish. That’s how he became a winner in life.”

Saying this, he couldn’t help but look at Bai Yao again, a growing conviction stirring inside him. If someone like Shen Ji could use such means to win the beauty, why shouldn’t he?

Ever since Bai Yao began dating Shen Ji, they’d been sweet and inseparable. Maybe she wasn’t as pure as she seemed, and with graduation approaching, if he let this chance slip by, there might never be another.

Besides, he was certain he wasn’t the only boy with such thoughts after hearing these rumors.

While the boys discussed these recent events, the girls were busy with their own conversations.

Lu Xiaoran pulled out her phone and showed it to Bai Yao. “Yao Yao, I bet you haven’t checked the school forum yet.”

Bai Yao put down her brush, took the phone, and asked, “What’s going on?”

Lu Xiaoran said, “Check out the hottest post right now.”

Bai Yao opened the post pinned to the top of the forum. The title read: “Legendary Spots on Mingde Campus—How Much Do You Know?”

She skimmed through it. The original poster had listed all the locations on campus with haunted stories, even providing background details. For instance, a woman in red who hanged herself in the dormitory could predict the future through a chopstick game, and a woman in white who died in a bathtub could curse anyone who saw her, dooming them to die within seven days.

But the hottest topic by far was the mysterious art room.

Lu Xiaoran said, “I’ve been looking into the school’s history lately, and some of what the poster wrote is actually true. In the very first year of our school, a huge fire broke out in the art room of the old building. The blaze was so intense it spread through the whole building and killed several leaders who went in to fight the fire.”

Bai Yao asked, “Were any students among the casualties?”

Lu Xiaoran was puzzled by the question. She thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think so. The school had just opened, and the new students hadn’t even arrived yet.”

Bai Yao gave a noncommittal “oh” and scrolled through the replies, spotting Shen Ji’s name, which made her frown.

Lu Xiaoran said, “No one knows who the poster is, but they swear they saw your boyfriend sneaking into the old building late at night. They’re sure he found the missing art room and made a wish—that’s why he could be with you.”

The replies below were all variations of the same sentiment: so that’s the truth—otherwise, why would the goddess fall for someone as unremarkable as Shen Ji?

The more Bai Yao read, the angrier she became. Many comments were personal attacks, belittling Shen Ji as worthless, with some even cursing him, wishing he would die soon.

All the replies were anonymous, making it impossible to know who was behind them.

Bai Yao handed Lu Xiaoran’s phone back, took out her own, and entered the forum. Once in the post, her fingers flew across the screen as she typed.

“By five o’clock, I expect all slanderous comments about my boyfriend to be deleted. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to pay the forum’s admin to unmask your accounts and return every curse you made against him.”

She added, “This is Bai Yao. Don’t bother betting your entire family fortune against my pocket money.”

Not long after, people monitoring their phones began to nervously delete their comments.

Lu Xiaoran watched the changes in the thread and looked at Bai Yao with admiration.

To be honest, even she had started to wonder if Shen Ji had cast some kind of spell on Bai Yao—her loyalty to him was extraordinary.

Bai Yao exited the forum, but still uneasy, she opened her messages and found her pinned contact labeled “Treasure,” their profile pictures a matching couple’s set. She sent him a message: “Shen Ji, study hard these days and don’t play with your phone.”

His reply came instantly: “Okay!”

She could almost picture his energetic smile. He probably had no idea about the forum, which was a relief.

Outside the art studio, in the shadows.

A boy sat on a high branch, swinging his long legs. He put away his phone and, with both hands, formed a frame with his fingers, aiming it at the girl through the window. He closed one eye and used the other to focus on her, a slow smile curving at the corner of his lips.

His Yao Yao was truly beautiful.