Chapter 14 - Yingzi: 'Don’t worry, I’ll keep my lips sealed!'

Chapter 14: Yingzi: ‘Don’t worry, I’ll keep my lips sealed!’

“Su Bai, where are we going now?”

Qiao Yingzi quickly caught up to Su Bai and noticed that he was now holding two balloons.

“Did you want to argue with your mom earlier?” Su Bai asked.

“Huaxing and Yanda aren’t really the schools I want to attend. Those are just my mom’s wishes,” Yingzi replied.

“Then what’s the point of saying anything? No matter what you say, it won’t change her mind and might even upset her. How about we go somewhere else and write down what’s really in our hearts?”

With that, Su Bai led Yingzi toward the rooftop of the school building.

Yingzi thought Su Bai had a point, so she followed him.

“Come on! The balloon release is about to start. If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss it,” Su Bai said, pulling two pens from his pocket and handing one to Yingzi along with a balloon.

Yingzi didn’t hesitate. She took the balloon and pen and quickly started writing.

Although Su Bai was no stranger to balloon release ceremonies, having experienced them before his transmigration, he felt compelled to participate in this one—it was all part of the experience.

Instead of writing the name of a university on his balloon, however, Su Bai jotted down a cryptic phrase:

“I may be Su by name, but who wouldn’t want to be Cao Cao? From now on, call me Su the Rogue.”

[“Su the Rogue” (苏贼, Sū Zéi): A humorous self-designation by Su Bai, referencing the historical figure Cao Cao, often seen as a cunning “villain” in Chinese folklore and history.]

“Su Bai, what school did you write down? Can I see?”

Yingzi had already written the name of her dream university and now wanted to see Su Bai’s.

But Su Bai quickly lifted his balloon out of reach.

“I won’t look at yours, so don’t look at mine.”

Fang Yifan stood there, stunned by what he had just witnessed.

“I really should’ve brought a camera,” he muttered to himself.

“Fang Yifan, what are you doing here?” Yingzi asked, trying to mask her embarrassment with irritation.

“I saw you two come up here and thought you’d found something fun. I even told Taozi and the others to follow, but they’re slower,” Fang Yifan said.

“By the way, did I just see you two hugging?” he added slyly.

“You must’ve imagined it. There’s no way that happened,” Yingzi shot back.

She was determined to keep Fang Yifan quiet—her strict mother would lose it if she ever found out.

Fang Yifan reluctantly dropped the topic, deciding it wasn’t worth pursuing under Yingzi’s fierce glare.

’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’

After the ceremony, the school hosted brief presentations from various universities, but the events concluded quickly.

The students packed their bags and headed home, relieved that the week was over. The extra day off was meant to ease them into the high-pressure Year Three schedule.

As the group prepared to leave, Fang Yifan turned to Su Bai.

“Su Bai, we’re going to the movies. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

This time, the group included not only Yingzi, Taozi, and Fang Yifan, but also Geng Geng, who had become friendly with the others.

Despite her initial hesitation, Geng Geng had accepted Fang Yifan’s invitation.

The rooftop incident remained a secret, thanks to Yingzi’s insistence, though she and Su Bai both knew Fang Yifan couldn’t keep quiet forever.

For now, though, their secret was safe.