The next day, Xiao Yunhua was swarmed by her friends that questioned her on what happened.
"Yunhua, the Zhou young master followed you to see if you're okay. What happened afterwards?" One of the girls enthusiastically asked.
"He did?" Another one exclaimed, "Yunhua is so lucky!"
"He's probably smitten by our Yunhua now!"
"Haha, he's known to be a cold hearted young master."
"No way! Yunhua managed to break his apathetic behavior and get a ruse out of him!"
"You're all delusional!"
And thus, an argument began between the group that was surrounding Xiao Yunhua as she tried to calm things down.
"Meiliang, who knew that your innocent way of calling her for the group blind date turned out like this?" Another girl whined with a pout.
Zhao Meiliang crosses her arms with a similar pout. Really, she hadn't expected for the Zhou young master to be there as well! Life truly was unfair, especially for her that was meant to be the most beautiful at the group blind date. She had meant for Han Yunhua to appear in her usual, simplistic manner and for the boys to find her boring. But as luck would have it, she looked beautiful even without looking dressed up!
Zhao Meiliang clenched her fists in anger. She even pretended to be her friend because of how popular the girl was. In reality, she couldn't stand that she was so perfect. Zhao Meiliang was sure that the girl was hiding something behind her angelic smile and full marks regarding grades. Nobody in this world could be that perfect, and she was going to expose her!
She walked up to Han Yunhua with a concerned smile on her face. "How is your arm?"
The rest of the girls stopped arguing and watched their conversation. They expected for the perfect student to reveal another flaw like she did yesterday when she zoned out, but she only shrugged and said, "Nothing serious. Grandmother took me to the hospital and the doctor said that it'll heal very soon. Meiliang, thank you for your concern!" Xiao Yunhua's perfect smile and enthusiasm was really an eyesore to Zhao Meiliang, but she didn't allow it to show in her expression.
All she did instead was sigh deeply with a relieved look in her face. "Thank goodness! We wouldn't want for that coffee to scar you!"
Xiao Yunhua nodded as the bell simultaneously rang. She bid the group of girls goodbye as she grabbed her things so that she wouldn't be late.
The remaining girls looked at Zhao Meiliang as they knew what she felt for Han Yunhua. They knew that she deeply resented the first ranked student because she was good in every aspect. In fact, deep in their hearts, they resented her as well. Who told her to always have airs of being better? When in reality, Han Yunhua was as humble as can be, and it was only a matter of jealousy that clouded their judgment.
Meanwhile, once the bell rang again a few hours later and indicated the end of the school day, Xiao Yunhua didn't know how to move forward with her plan. She had successfully managed to get her number in the phone of her target. Should she text him?
She quickly dismissed the idea because Zhou Feng was the type that was annoyed easily. Instead, it was time for her sixteen-year-old self to get a job. And coincidentally, that job will belong to a business owned by the Zhou family.
At the wicked idea of meeting Zhou Feng again, but as an employee, she smirked. Unfortunately, he wasn't a boss and she wasn't his secretary. Otherwise, she would've played that role of office romance like the romance novels that spouted with cliché nonsense.
At her current age, it was pretty difficult for her to get a job, or at least one with a decent income. She should at least wait until she graduates. But in that case, she would have to wait two more years!
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Xiao Yunhua saw and noticed a teacher so she quickly asked, "Teacher Rong, I'd like to speak to you."
Teacher Rong saw that one of her favorite students, if not her favorite, wanting to ask a question so she gently smiled and said, "Yes, Yunhua?"
"I'd like to discuss a matter with you..." She then began to explain her plan of graduating early.
Teacher Rong was astonished as disbelief was written all over her face. Their smartest student had decided on this? But based on the grades that she made, it shouldn't have been a problem. It was just too sudden for her mind to process, so she asked, "Yunhua, are you sure? Have you spoken to your grandmother about this?"
Before she could stop herself, Xiao Yunhua fibbed, "Yes." This lie of hers, her grandmother would understand. She was going to take care of Han Mi more, so it was beneficial for the old woman as well. Plus, it got her mission done.
Teacher Rong saw that her favorite student had made up her mind, so she sighed and agreed to speak to the principal regarding this matter. She promised that she would make sure to get results, quickly.
With a deep bow of gratitude, Xiao Yunhua left after saying goodbye. As she stood on the bus stop for her bus to appear, she saw that the Zhou young master, Zhou Feng, stood with his arms crossed.
Xiao Yunhua froze and turned around to leave, not having expected to see him there. Such a coincidence that wasn't planned by her, was it really possible? In romance novels, it may have seemed romantic, but in reality, she found it quite creepy. Was he really stalking her now?
Zhou Feng saw that the girl he saw yesterday appear and he furrowed his eyebrows. Was there really such a coincidence? Was she stalking him to get close to him? How ridiculous! But since she was an ordinary girl, she might have taken the bus to get home.
So he called out, "Han Yunhua!" She stopped and turned around with a look of caution.
He walked up to her and the very first thing she said was, "Are you stalking me?"
Zhou Feng choked as he wanted to cough up blood. Him, the cold-blooded young master, stalking her? Even thinking such a situation was ridiculous, nonetheless doing it!
"Don't flatter yourself!" He rebuked, a little harsher than intended because he saw her flinch.
He noticed that her eyes filled with tears as she mumbled something along the lines of 'rather walking today instead of taking the bus'. Before he could stop her, she turned around to walk away, but he stopped her by grabbing her arm.
His subconscious act startled them both. His eyes met with hers as his heart starting thumping a little quicker than usual. Suddenly, her mouth tilted downward as she tried to pull her arm away. "What do you want?" Xiao Yunhua snapped before she could stop herself. Her white lotus behavior was going to have to wait if this guy was going to grab her arm each and every time.
"To apologize for my behavior," he released her arm and suddenly shifted to a gentlemanly manner. "I would have never behaved like so if I hadn't suspected that you were here to bother me."
Xiao Yunhua couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Zhou young master, this is the same public bus that I ride every day. In fact, I should be suspicious of you!"
Zhou Feng didn't mind her snarky attitude as he explained, "I believe there's been a misunderstanding between us. I'm here for a friend of mine, and I didn't know you rode this bus."
"Good that it's now clarified!" Xiao Yunhua glanced at the bus stop, only to see that she had missed her bus. She crossed her arms and bitterly noted. "But it seems like my bus isn't here. Thank you young master for helping me miss my bus!" When she finished with her sarcastic statement, he chuckled and his cold eyes slightly warmed without him realizing.
But Xiao Yunhua noticed. And she was oh so very happy that he was slowly offering her his heart. Looked like the white lotus with an attitude behavior had and would crack down the cold-hearted young master.
"Let me offer you a ride." He said as he grabbed his phone and texted who Xiao Yunhua assumed was a driver.
She shook her head and politely declined, "No thanks. I better get home since my grandmother will get worried. I appreciate the thought, but after all, you're only a stranger." Xiao Yunhua hauled a taxi and quickly left, feeling a sense of accomplishment.
For him to be rejected, it must have stung a lot. And he would surely find her again, which was exactly what she wanted.
When she left, Zhou Feng was left in a daze. Truly, he really was a stranger, at least to her. In fact, he didn't know anything about her whatsoever.
"Zhou Feng?" A teenage boy the same age as him called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. He glanced at the interrupter and noticed that it was his friend that he was waiting for, Gu Sheng. They both attended the best high school in the country and were set to graduate this year. The Gu family was very as prosperous and rich like the Zhou family, but the Zhou family was slightly more powerful.
But even with the power struggles, Gu Sheng and he became good friends ever since their childhood. And his friend knew that he was never interested in unknown girls, yet his mind wandered like this. Gu Sheng knew that she was most likely someone that managed to get the cold-hearted young master interested.
"You made me wait." Zhou Feng said aloofly as his friend chuckled.
"You seemed to have a distraction..." Gu Sheng teased, patting his friend's back.
"She's no one." Zhou Feng answered stoically, ignoring his friend's teasing manner.
Gu Sheng knew that his friend was lying, so he bluffed. "Well, it wouldn't be a problem if she became my girlfriend, right?"
"No way!" Zhou Feng snapped in annoyance. "She's not like those girls you constantly make your conquests!"
Gu Sheng noticed his friend's expressionless face becoming flustered and burst out laughing. Really, who knew that the aloof and cold-hearted young master was interesting in a woman? It was really a miracle and he wasn't asexual like the rumors portrayed him.
For a while, rumors even circulated that Zhou Feng wasn't interested in women because he was really interested in men! But luckily, this stranger girl appeared and saved Gu Sheng and the Zhou family from worry.
"Ah, Zhou Feng, you're really too gullible—" before Gu Sheng could finish his sentence, Zhou Feng smacked his head and stopped him.
"Noisy! Now let's go, we're already late enough. Your incompetence made her think I was stalking her!"
Gu Sheng froze in astonishment. "She thought you were stalking her?" He chuckled. "Now I'm definitely interested in knowing who she is!"
"No way!"
And their childish argument lasted all the way until they arrived at the Gu Mansion...