Become a Knight Across the World

Chapter 278 The Start of the Second Year of High School

Lin Yue felt quite full after the meal. She finally finished eating and put down her chopsticks.

"I'll wash the dishes!" Yun Yi and Li Yuetian shouted almost in unison, then both of them paused for a moment and glared at each other.

"I come!"

"I wash quickly!"

The two of them stood up at the same time and rushed toward the bowls and plates on the table.

"Stop!" Lin Yue finally lost her temper and raised her voice, "All of you (using profanities) stop right now!"

The two boys froze, as if someone had pressed the pause button, and turned to look at her.

Lin Yue rubbed her temples, looking helpless and confused: "What's wrong with you two today? Fighting over cooking, fighting over serving food, and now fighting over washing the dishes? Is this how you do good deeds?"

Her suspicious gaze swept back and forth between the two men. "Li Yuetian, you weren't this 'diligent' before. And Yun Yi, have you gone crazy from playing games?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Li Yuetian's face, and he pursed his lips without saying a word.

Yun Yi chuckled and brushed it off, "No, Sister Yue, it's just that I saw you were working hard studying, and besides, Brother Yue Tian is a guest, how could I let a guest do the work?"

"Yes, yes, Yunyi is my younger brother, and I am... a friend. It's only right," Li Yuetian quickly added.

Lin Yue looked at them, sensing something was off, but couldn't quite put her finger on it. She sighed and decided to cut to the chase:

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Yunyi, you're washing the dishes today, because you were the one who fought the hardest just now."

"Huh?" Yun Yi's face fell.

"Li Yuetian, can you help me wipe the table and sweep the floor?"

“…Okay,” Li Yuetian replied.

"Today..." Lin Yue put her hands on her hips, adopting the demeanor of a landlord, "No one is allowed to slack off, but no one is allowed to steal! Now, execute the orders!"

The two boys exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness and a hint of barely suppressed rivalry in each other's eyes, but under Lin Yue's "authority," they had no choice but to obediently comply.

"Yes, Sister Yue/Lin Yue."

Seeing that the two had finally calmed down and gone back to their work, Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief and sat back down on the sofa. She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, thinking to herself: Boys' minds are sometimes harder to understand than math problems.

Forget it, I'm too lazy to think about it. I'll just watch some TV for now.

Yun Yi's "revengeful" gaming spree lasted for almost a week, but was finally ruthlessly extinguished when Yun Xiling made a video call for a "surprise inspection".

Looking at Lin Yue's disheveled hair, dark circles under her eyes, and deafening background music on the screen, Yun Xiling could feel Lin Yue's "misery" even through the screen.

"Yun! Yi!" Yun Xiling's shrill voice came from the other end of the phone. "I think you're asking for a beating, aren't you? What happened to your promise to your sister Yueyue to be quiet and well-behaved? Look at the mess your room is in! And your voice, you were playing games so loudly that the whole next city could hear you, right? Clean it up right now! And get back to Y City immediately after you're done! You're not allowed to go back until school starts!"

Yun Yi immediately wilted, bowing and scraping at the screen: "Yes, yes, I was wrong, sis! I'll pack up right away! I'll be right back!"

He packed up his beloved game console and backpack full of changes of clothes, and on a bright, sunny afternoon, Yun Xiling picked him up and took him back to Y City.

As soon as Yun Yi left, the old house instantly returned to its usual tranquility. Lin Yue let out a long sigh of relief, feeling that even the air was much fresher.

The room, which had been filled with game sound effects and the shouts of teenagers, finally quieted down. She could now watch TV series, read books, or relax on the sofa without any distractions, enjoying a truly lazy and carefree summer vacation that was rightfully hers.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the chirping of cicadas and the hum of air conditioners. Before we knew it, it was the end of August, and the atmosphere of the start of the new school year was growing stronger.

A few days before the start of the semester, Yunyi returned again, dragging his suitcase. This time, his face showed less of the initial excitement of arriving for the first time and more of a resigned familiarity. "Sister Yueyue, I'm back again! I'm not leaving before the start of the semester this time!" He cheerfully carried his luggage into his room.

Lin Yue nodded as she watched him busy himself. She silently prayed that the boy would curb his gaming addiction after school started.

A few days after Yunyi arrived, school started, and Lin Yue put on her familiar blue and white school uniform and dark blue trousers again. The simple uniform accentuated the girl's increasingly shapely figure.

She and Yun Yi left together, heading towards Z City No. 2 High School. One was a sophomore, and the other a freshman; they parted ways at the school gate. Lin Yue headed towards the sophomore building, while Yun Yi, guided by her directions, went towards the freshman area.

Class 3, Grade 11.

As soon as Lin Yue stepped into the classroom, she saw that familiar back of her head—Li Yuetian was already sitting in his usual seat, the desk in front of her.

"Good morning." Lin Yue walked to her seat and put down her backpack.

Li Yuetian turned around at the sound of her voice, saw Lin Yue, and a smile naturally appeared on his lips: "Good morning, Lin Yue. How was your summer vacation?"

"It's alright, quite peaceful." Lin Yue answered casually as she took out her textbook, unaware of the knowing look and subtle relaxation that flashed across Li Yuetian's eyes when she mentioned "peaceful."

"And you?" Lin Yue asked casually.

"Practice problems, read books, and exercise occasionally." Li Yuetian said succinctly, his gaze sweeping over Lin Yue's bright eyes and her cheeks, which were slightly flushed from walking, and his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.

On the first day of the new semester, seeing her still sitting behind me felt...good.

The beginning of the school year is always busy yet filled with a sense of novelty. The workload in the second year of high school was noticeably heavier than in the first, but under Li Yuetian's still "ruthless" supervision, Lin Yue didn't find it too difficult. However, a little shadow began to frequently appear around her.

During the break between classes, Lin Yue and Li Yuetian were discussing a physics problem.

"Sister!" A clear voice rang out at the classroom door.

Lin Yue and Li Yuetian looked up at the same time and saw Yun Yi leaning against the door frame with a grin, waving a carton of milk in his hand: "I brought this for you!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it drew the attention of several students near the window. The girl behind Lin Yue whispered, "Lin Yue, who's that? Such a handsome junior!"

Before Lin Yue could answer, Li Yuetian had already frowned slightly.

"He's my brother's girlfriend's younger brother, and he's staying at my house now," Lin Yue explained simply, then got up, walked to the door, took the milk, and said, "Thanks. Class is about to start, you should hurry back to your classroom."

"Okay! Shall we have lunch together? In the cafeteria or at home?" Yun Yi asked, his eyes glancing behind Lin Yue, where they met Li Yuetian's gaze. Their eyes briefly met in the air, as if invisible sparks were crackling.

"We'll see." Lin Yue didn't think much of it and just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"Oh~" Yun Yi drawled, glanced at Li Yuetian again, and then waved his hand, "Then I'm leaving, Sister Yueyue!"

Similar situations occurred frequently over the next few days. Sometimes it was bringing small snacks, sometimes borrowing a book...

"Lin Yue, that junior from elementary school is looking for you again! Is he...?" Some familiar female classmates already had some ideas in their minds.

"Don't talk nonsense, you fujoshi." Lin Yue clarified helplessly, but she also had a vague feeling that Yun Yi was being a little too clingy.

Li Yuetian's feelings were even more complicated. Every time Yun Yi appeared, his deliberately emphasized "sister" and the look in his eyes were like a small thorn, making him very uncomfortable.

Seeing that Lin Yue seemed completely oblivious to this, the frustration intensified. He could only focus more on explaining the problem to Lin Yue, trying to grab her attention with "serious business," but the effect... seemed limited.

A week passed quickly. On their way home from school, Yunyi and Linyue walked side by side.

"Sister Yueyue, isn't Li Yuetian... a bit too nosy about you?" Yun Yi finally couldn't help but speak up, her tone tinged with complaint, "He even interrupts to talk about problems while you're eating."

Lin Yue was pondering the solution to the math problem when she heard this and paused for a moment before casually replying, "It's alright, he's efficient at explaining problems. Besides, he was trying to help me."

"Help you?" Yun Yi snorted. "I think he has no good intentions!"

Lin Yue stopped and looked at him with amusement. "Yun Yi, what's wrong with you today? Li Yuetian is my friend and my study helper. You're my younger brother and my roommate. Can you two... be normal for once?" She finally voiced her doubts. "And that Jiang Feifei, that girl is obviously interested in you. She clearly only got into this school because she was chasing after you. Don't keep ignoring her."

Yun Yi's face flushed slightly after Lin Yue pointed it out, and he stiffened his neck, saying, "I... I'm not being weird at all! I just feel like he has ulterior motives towards you! And Jiang Feifei, we're just ordinary classmates!"

"Hidden motives?" Lin Yue chuckled and shook her head. "What motives could Li Yuetian have? He's just very responsible. He saw that my grades have improved and wants to help me do even better. Alright, alright, stop overthinking it. Let's go home."

Watching Lin Yue stride away, Yun Yi scratched his head in frustration. Why couldn't she understand?

The way Li Yuetian looked at him wasn't the way he looked at an ordinary friend. And what about himself... that phrase "having ulterior motives" didn't seem to be referring to Li Yuetian as well.

He hurried after her, watching Lin Yue's long shadow cast by the setting sun. A vague, inexplicable unease and bitterness crept into his heart like vines. It seemed this new semester was destined to be anything but peaceful.