Standing Next To You
Chapter 133: The grieving man and the mysterious grave

Chapter 133: The grieving man and the mysterious grave

"Sangyun, what is the teacher saying?" Richard leaned closer to Bei Sangyun and whispered, deliberately lowering his voice to a husky tone. Typically, girls would blush when he spoke to them this way.

Bei Sangyun edged closer to Fei Chuan’s side, goosebumps appearing on her arm. She ignored Richard, acting as if she hadn’t heard his question. Ever since this guy had taken the seat beside her, he’d been trying to initiate a conversation.

He inquired about every little thing the teacher said at the front and what their classmates talked about. At first, Bei Sangyun responded briefly. After all, she can’t outright be hostile to him, at least not yet.

However, her abrupt replies seemed to give Richard false hope, fueling his enthusiasm to talk to her even more. It reached the point where he spoke every minute, annoying not only Bei Sangyun but also Fei Chuan.

Bei Sangyun then pretended to be engrossed in conversation with Fei Chuan, ignoring Richard’s questions. Fortunately, Fei Chuan played along, engaging deeply enough that they appeared oblivious to Richard’s attempts.

Lin Sunji had been observing Richard and decided to intervene. She heard his question and, using her sweet, soft tone, replied, "The teacher said to practice for our school’s project. We were assigned teams of two to create a short script last week, and we need to practice it today. The teacher mentioned that you’re exempt from this activity since you just attended school today and don’t have a partner." Lin Sunji patiently explained in French.

Richard, fully aware of the teacher’s instructions, had only been using the question as an excuse to talk to Bei Sangyun. However, it seemed Bei Sangyun’s patience had worn thin, as she was now blatantly ignoring him.

Richard’s eyes darkened. This was an unfamiliar and embarrassing experience for him. He had never been coldly rejected by anyone like this.

He had no choice but to turn to Lin Sunji and offer a smile. "Ah, I see. Thank you."

Lin Sunji’s face lit up, and she started conversing with Richard about school activities and other topics, hoping Richard would lean towards her more than Bei Sangyun.

While the two were engrossed in their ’deep’ conversation, Bei Sangyun inwardly sighed in relief. Finally, the man had stopped bothering her.

Bei Sangyun wanted to doze off in class, as she usually did, but with this pervert around, that wasn’t an option. So, reluctantly, she had no choice but to participate. "Where’s the draft?" she asked Fei Chuan.

"Here. Should we practice?" Fei Chuan handed her the piece of paper he had written last time.

Sangyun thought it was a good idea to escape from this place. "Let’s go somewhere else to practice in peace."

As she stood up, Richard also stood up. "Are you guys going to practice? I’m curious about the skit you have. Can I watch?"

Lin Sunji, who was about to invite Richard to watch her practice with her partner, paused.

Bei Sangyun rolled her eyes inwardly and faced Richard with a fake smile. "My partner is very shy and doesn’t want anyone to watch our practice. I’m sorry, but we have to go alone."

Fei Chuan, who got sold off by Sangyun, was speechless, "...."

Richard glanced at Fei Chuan, his gaze tinged with mockery. "A man shall not hide like a coward. The word ’shy’ should not be in a man’s dictionary."

Fei Chuan frowned. Did Richard think he didn’t understand French and was openly mocking him? He was fluent in French and grasped Richard’s meaning.

Sangyun’s smile turned cold. "To admit one is shy or in fear of something is not cowardly. Besides, this guy," she pulled Fei Chuan by his sleeve, "is manly in his own way."

Fei Chuan: "...."

Should he be glad that she thought of him as manly, or be angry that she used him again as a shield, even branding him as ’shy’?

Bei Sangyun then pulled Fei Chuan away from the two. She informed the teacher they needed to practice somewhere quiet with her partner, and unsurprisingly, the teacher gladly accommodated her.

Fei Chuan lamented again how unfair the world was. If it were other people asking to go somewhere, the teacher would obviously not agree easily.

When Bei Sangyun and Fei Chuan left, Richard’s facade disappeared. His gaze darkened. Meanwhile, Lin Sunji was pleased with the development. She can have Richard all by herself.

"Richard, how about you watch my group practice?"

....

Bei Sangyun led Fei Chuan and found an empty room.

She slumped into a chair, finally able to take a deep breath without being assaulted by that pervert’s disgusting cologne. She couldn’t stand sitting close to him. With the pervert out of her sight, she finally had peace of mind.

"That guy seems to want to stick with you," Fei Chuan commented after a while, giving her an inquiring gaze.

Bei Sangyun rested her chin on the top of her palm. "That’s why I am sticking with you so that the pervert can’t stick with me."

"...pervert? That description suited him well," Fei Chuan muttered. The flirtatious glances and subtle hints at physical contact with Bei Sangyun were all too obvious. That man was indeed a pervert.

Fei Chuan glanced at Bei Sangyun.

But, it seemed that only he and Bei Sangyun had that impression of the man. Everyone in the room seemed captivated by his charm.

Fei Chuan took a seat and smiled, "Well, it’s a good thing he can’t fool you." People who wore a gentle princely mask usually hid a scumbag inside.

Bei Sangyun stared at Fei Chuan, "By the way, if that bastard bothers you in the future, tell me. That kind of person usually goes after people for petty reasons. His ways are dirty, so be careful."

Bei Sangyun had an inkling why Richard and Sophia wanted to attend school. They must have some scheme up their sleeves. Richard must have caught on to how close she was to Fei Chuan. Knowing Richard’s petty personality, he would surely go after Fei Chuan.

Fei Chuan sighed, "So I have no choice but to be dragged into your matters, huh? How will you compensate me this time?"

Bei Sangyun smiled naughtily, "How about I pay you with my body?"

"Scram," Fei Chuan said disgustedly.

Bei Sangyun laughed. "I am not kidding. Since you’re helping me by being my shield, if there comes a time when you need my help, just ask me. Whatever it is, I will help you out." Bei Sangyun said solemnly.

Whether it was dealing with his troublesome cousins or seeking assistance with money and connections, Bei Sangyun was ready to support him anytime.

Fei Chuan scoffed, "As if I will need your help."

Arrogant as always, Bei Sangyun shook her head with a smile.

"Anyway, we’re here to practice. So, read the script first," Fei Chuan handed the paper to Bei Sangyun.

She accepted it, curious about the story the teenage Fei Chuan had in his head. Would it be the same as the one he made in the past?

This activity had happened in the past too, and it had passed uneventfully.

Her partner at that time was a random classmate she could not remember, while Fei Chuan, as usual, presented the project alone.

It was a one-man show that was quite hilarious. She remembered his skit that time was about an employer firing his employees. That’s the only thing that left an impression on her during that activity, due to Fei Chuan acting as both the employer and employee. Anyway, it was quite an amusing show.

Bei Sangyun was expecting to read that skit again. However, her expression froze when she read the title.

[The grieving man and the mysterious grave]

Bei Sangyun almost dropped the paper. Her shocked expression was so evident that Fei Chuan sensed something was off.

"What’s wrong? Is it bad?"

Bei Sangyun swallowed hard as her shocked gaze fell on Fei Chuan’s face.

"...How did you..?...Are you..." Bei Sangyun’s mind buzzed. She couldn’t properly speak the sentence she wanted to ask.

Was he....like her...reborn?

How much did he remember?

"Hey, are you alright?" Fei Chuan had never seen Bei Sangyun fall into shock to the point where she couldn’t even speak. He became worried.

"Was the script really this bad? We can change it if you don’t like it."

Bei Sangyun shook her head. She grabbed his hand. "...How did you come up with this?"

Fei Chuan wanted to shrug off her hand. But seeing how solemn she looked, he did not push her hand away.

"Well...this story kept bugging me in my mind. I just thought of this because of the dream I had. This story has a lot of emotions, and I think it is very creative. So I chose this. But if you have a better idea, we can change it." Fei Chuan sincerely answered.

Bei Sangyun closed her eyes and calmed down. After her initial shock, her rationality returned, and began to analyze Fei Chuan’s actions.

His actions and personality did not deviate much from the past, unlike her, who had changed so much in the blink of an eye.

Fei Chuan seemed to not have any memories of the past.

"...I see. Dreams, huh," Bei Sangyun muttered. Perhaps, although Fei Chuan wasn’t reborn like her, some remnants of the past lingered in his subconscious mind.

Bei Sangyun did not have much idea how this ’reborn’ worked. Was she the only one who was reborn, or were there others like her?

Why was she reborn in the past? Who made her like this?

She had so many questions that couldn’t be answered. So she left those questions behind and focused on what she was going to do now and what she wanted to do.

Bei Sangyun held the paper tightly.

"Let’s go with this draft. I am very curious as well about what the grieving man felt towards the mysterious grave."