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Although she was very scared, she had to protect him.
The girl bit her lip and looked at Toyokawa Sadaharu, saying in a slightly trembling voice, "Grandpa, please don't force me to hate you, okay?"
Hearing his only granddaughter's slightly softened attitude and more resolute tone, Toyokawa Sadaharu remained silent for a moment, then snorted and stood up, seemingly intending to leave the room.
Xiangzi felt a little panicked, afraid that his grandfather might do something to him.
Before leaving the room, Old Deng said in a calm voice, "Then you must remember what you promised me. Don't even think about running away from the Toyokawa family again. I don't have much patience left."
After Toyokawa Sadaharu finished speaking, he left the study. The butler bowed slightly to Shoko before following Old Deng out of the room.
When Xiangzi was the only one left in the study, his legs went weak and he leaned lightly against the window, his heart pounding wildly.
She couldn't help but look out the window at the boy standing not far from her front door.
"Fool."
The voice was like a lament, like a yearning, like weeping and pleading.
***
On that day, Hanami naturally couldn't wait for "Princess" to rush out without hesitation.
In fact, he had no such expectation at all, and that was not the purpose of his guarding the Toyokawa family's door.
Around 2 a.m., he was so tired that he couldn't stay awake any longer, so he rode his electric scooter home.
Although there was no result, it left the two security guards who were still guarding the gate with the silhouettes of victorious generals.
The next morning, he got up again to the sound of his alarm clock, yawning as he ate breakfast.
This made Su Shi feel that something was off.
No, I acted like it was a life-or-death situation last night, how could you come back like this? You're making me feel like I'm just being sentimental.
"How was last night?" Su Shi asked cautiously, afraid of hurting the boy's fragile feelings.
"Ah? Ah, although I didn't see Teacher Da Xiang, she saw me inside and cried her eyes out," he boasted.
Su Shi couldn't help but twitch her lips, thinking to herself, "You haven't even seen her, how do you know she cried her eyes out?"
My dear son, your mother is very disappointed in you.
After saying that, Banami finished her rice, yawned, stood up, and said, "I'm going to school, I'm so sleepy~"
"Huh? Oh..." Su Shi watched the boy leave, and for a moment she was a little confused about what he wanted to do.
After riding the electric scooter back to Haneoka, Banami sat down in her seat and fell fast asleep.
He's the type who becomes a couch potato if he doesn't get enough sleep.
He didn't know how long he had slept when his arm was gently poked. He initially ignored it, but after being poked again, he finally woke up, still half asleep.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look, and found it was Ai Yin. He then heard her say, "The teacher is calling on you to answer a question."
Hana couldn't help but feel a little annoyed and said, "Anon-chan, why do you only ever use the same trick to prank people? Where is the difference...?"
"Yana Miyu, are you awake?" Then he heard the chemistry teacher's stern voice.
As if by a reflex, he stood up, only to find that the entire class was staring at him.
"I called you so many times and you still wouldn't wake up. Is my class so easy to fall asleep in?!" the chemistry teacher questioned.
Then, the girls in the class couldn't help but laugh. Banami gave an embarrassed smile, and Aine, who was reminding him, couldn't help but cover her face. It was too embarrassing.
"It's probably because your voice is very pleasant, teacher."
These words left the chemistry teacher, who was pretending to be angry, both amused and exasperated. He said with a stern face, "Go stand outside. If you want to sleep, go outside and don't disturb others!"
Seeing that Banai had agreed, he happily ran outside to stand there.
He yawned, leaned against the wall... and went back to sleep.
After class, Aine and Takamatsu Akari came to his side and asked, "Hanami-kun, didn't you go to see Shoko-kun yesterday? Why do you look so tired?"
Banami sighed and said, "Well, it's all because Teacher Daisho won't let me sleep."
"Huh?!" Aine's eyes widened in surprise.
After fooling the little girl, and finally waiting for school to end, Banami was the first to slip away, riding her beloved electric scooter and speeding off. In just over ten minutes, she arrived at the Toyokawa family's doorstep.
The security guard standing at the door today was different from yesterday. However, I don't know if he was given some instructions, but no one paid any attention to Banami standing there.
Not long after, a Maybach pulled up in front of the door. When Toyokawa Shoko got out of the car, she saw a boy standing there with his hands on his hips.
"I won the race to be the first one home after school today, Teacher Da Xiang!" the boy said with a hint of pride.
Xiangzi seemed to instinctively want to shout: Win my ass.
But when she saw the security guards around her, and the butler who was ostensibly there to take care of her but was actually monitoring her, she swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Seeing that the security guards were about to do something, she said in a cold voice, "Don't bother with irrelevant commoners."
After saying that, she turned and walked into the luxurious but desolate mansion, and then she heard the sound of the electric scooter leaving.
She turned her head and saw the boy riding away on his bike. She didn't know whether to feel happy or disappointed.
To Shoko's surprise, her grandfather, Toyokawa Sadaharu, also appeared at the dinner table that evening.
In the past, when she lived in the Toyokawa family and her father had not yet been kicked out, she rarely saw her grandfather, as he was usually busy with the Toyokawa Group.
Xiangzi immediately understood that the person monitoring her was not only the housekeeper, but also her grandfather.
This time, Grandpa was determined.
Once Xiangzi breaks his promise, the boy's fate will be bleak.
At that moment, Xiangzi felt somewhat relieved that the other party had left so early.
Just as she sat down, the housekeeper hurriedly came to the dining room and whispered something in his grandfather's ear. Xiangzi then heard his grandfather snort coldly.
As if realizing something, she went to the window and then pursed her lips slightly.
Sure enough, the boy stood at the door of the Toyokawa family's house again, carrying a pot of tea.
He just left; he simply went home and had a meal.
Xiangzi's heart felt as if it were being clenched tightly.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Toyokawa Shoko, I Like You!
In just one month, the season gradually turned cooler, from late summer to late autumn, and people's clothes gradually changed from light to warm.
The boy who stayed at the Toyokawa house every day was dressed entirely in autumn attire, prioritizing warmth.
Regardless of the changing seasons or the ravages of time, he seemed determined to arrive here precisely on time with a pot of tea.
To be honest, although the boy was doing something that was "disturbing the peace," his behavior wasn't actually annoying. He didn't make a fuss or cause trouble for the security guards. He just stood there and didn't insist on standing there for a certain amount of time each day.
Every day, he would greet Xiangzi as soon as school was over, but he wouldn't go up to him so as not to embarrass others.
Sometimes I'm too tired to leave until 1 a.m., and sometimes I'm more energetic and will stay until dawn.
The only constant was that he came here every day and almost became familiar with the security guards.
Regardless of how effective his actions were, he had already been the subject of several complaints at school, and even the disciplinary committee had to intervene. The head of the disciplinary committee, senior student Shiina Maki, would frequently drag him to the disciplinary office for a lecture during class.
Each reprimand lasted for one or two class periods. Perhaps because they were scolded so harshly, the girls at Yuqiu noticed that the boys were much more energetic every time they returned to the classroom.
As night fell, an older head maid draped a coat over Toyokawa Shoko's shoulders.
"The seasons have changed, young lady, please take care of yourself and don't catch a cold," the head maid said in a gentle voice.
"Thank you, Ms. Fujita," Shoko said in a gentle voice.
The head maid, whose eyes already showed some wrinkles, looked out the window at the boy in the distance and said with a slight smile, "Do you need me to prepare another set of clothes?"
After a moment of slight confusion, Xiangzi seemed to realize that the head maid was teasing him, and said with some annoyance, "Don't worry about him, he's just a fool."
"Oh dear, how can you say that about him? Yesterday when I came back from grocery shopping, he saw me and even helped me carry the groceries back to the door. He's such a polite and sensible child."
Xiangzi snorted: "If you're so capable, go say that to my grandfather."
"Hehe, I don't have that ability, Miss, you're really mean-spirited." The head maid looked at the girl in front of her with some kindness, as if she were looking at her own granddaughter.
Although the young lady said that, every night after turning off the lights, she would secretly watch him from the window until he left before she was willing to go to sleep.
Therefore, the young lady also looked like she was sleep-deprived during this period.
"That...that person, is he your rival in love, Miss?" The head maid's voice sounded a little strange.
Xiangzi didn't understand what the other person meant for a moment, but when she looked out the window again, she saw the figure of a familiar girl.
“No…she was my teammate…she used to be.” Xiangzi said softly, pursing her lips slightly.
She used to dislike the other person, but now, she wanted more than anyone else to persuade the boy to leave.
***
"Are you stupid? She's already called you a commoner, and you're still waiting here every day."
As usual, Hanami was guarding the door of the Toyokawa family's house, but was greeted by a girl with a resentful expression.
Youtian Temple Ruomai.
Banami held a teacup. Recently, he had asked Su Shi's mother to prepare some red dates and goji berries, and he had been living a health-conscious life for a long time.
"Are you done cursing?" Banami suddenly asked the girl who was still rambling on.
"Not yet!" Miaomeng exclaimed, somewhat annoyed.
"Are you thirsty?" Then he handed over his own teacup.
Seeing this, Miao Meng took the teacup with one hand and gulped down the tea in it before finally catching her breath.
"You?!" But when Miao Meng wanted to curse again, looking at the boy's smile and after drinking a cup of hot tea, she seemed to have lost her fiery temper.
The way Hanami looks at her now seems to be the same way she looks at her good-for-nothing husband.
"How can you still laugh? Do you like her that much?" Miao Meng said, sounding a little aggrieved.
Banai smiled as she poured tea for Miaomeng. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Back then, Mikami Hatsuka asked me why I could still laugh even though Shoko had broken off her friendship with everyone and left the team. At that time, I didn't tell her the answer, but I can tell you."
Miao Meng was slightly taken aback, and then she heard the boy say, "I have never doubted Toyokawa Shoko for even a second. I have never doubted her feelings for me, nor her feelings for everyone, nor her ambitions."
Therefore, what she said when she left the team was definitely a lie, and the things she said to me were also lies; she just wanted to keep me and us away from her.
My purpose in standing here is not to stage a Romeo and Juliet story, or a tale of a poor boy and a rich girl.
I just wanted to tell her, "Don't worry, I'm here."
I'm here, so you don't need to be afraid or blame yourself. I don't blame you; I understand the reasons behind everything you've done.
That's all.
Upon hearing the boy's words, Miao Meng clenched her fists tightly, her tongue even feeling a little bitter. Finally, she slowly loosened her fists.
"How stupid."
"Absolutely stupid."
"You big idiot!"
Miaomeng continued to curse.
“Right? I also think it’s pretty silly,” Banami said with a smile.
Then he paused for a moment: "But at least this way, it will put her at ease and won't make her feel embarrassed."
Whether she was angry or accepted Banami's explanation, Nyanmu turned and left.
But she still hesitated and asked a question.
"You big fool, if one day I encounter a situation like Toyokawa Shoko's, will you come looking for me too?"
“Yes, I will.” Banami nodded without hesitation.
How foolish, he is... and so is she.
As Miaomeng turned the corner after leaving, she encountered a petite girl.
Miao Meng asked coldly, "How long are you going to hide here? You're not even as smart as an idiot."
Miao Meng scolded Ruo Ye Mu, but the other party remained silent, quietly watching the boy in the distance.
Miao Meng left without lingering any longer.
***
After Miaomeng left, I looked at the starry night sky.
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