The Villainous Classmate is My Lucky Star Chapter 229
Translated by Pure
Chapter 229 Chi Jingxi's True Feelings (1)
Wen Yantong, furious upon her return to Wen Residence, awaited an explanation that never arrived, seething with anger as the sun dipped below the horizon.
In her frustration, she slammed a tea cup onto the table, shattering it into pieces.
How could Chi Jingxi fail to follow up after claiming it was a misunderstanding? Did he continue his outing with the ‘almond-shaped eyes and arched eyebrows’ Young Lady Jiang once she left?
The mere thought fueled Wen Yantong's rage, almost causing her nostrils to flare up.
In the subsequent days, she remained at home, gripped by frustration and uncertainty, with no word from Chi Jingxi.
She calculated on her fingers and realized it was a school day, but her sour mood led her to skip classes, feigning lethargy at home.
Meanwhile, Chi Jingxi arrived at Class Sixth of Ding early in the morning.
As a member of Class One of Jia, Chi Jingxi's presence in this class was unusual, causing a stir of attention. He scanned the crowd for Wen Yantong's seat, only to find it unoccupied.
Assuming she might be running a bit late, he returned to Class One of Jia in the meantime.
After the morning class, Chi Jingxi revisited Class Sixth of Ding, yet Wen Yantong was still absent. Meanwhile, Mu Yang remained confined at home due to unresolved issues with Mu Yuan. In desperation, Chi Jingxi sought out Fu Zixian to inquire about Wen Yantong's whereabouts.
Fu Zixian simply shrugged, "She didn't come today."
Concerned, Chi Jingxi decided to skip his afternoon martial arts class.
The weather was pleasant, the sun radiating warmth. Chi Jingxi, armed with a newly purchased paper kite, affixed a note to it and ascended to the rooftop of the neighboring house.
Perched on the rooftop, Chi Jingxi observed Wen Yantong arranging a chair in the yard to bask in the sun, positioning herself comfortably under the eaves.
Witnessing her relaxed state, Chi Jingxi couldn't help but smile. He leaped down, patiently waiting for a gust of wind to launch the kite into the sky.
The colorful kite soared high above Wen Residence. As Wen Yantong reclined, she overheard her servants discussing someone flying kites nearby. Though she acknowledged the ideal weather for kite-flying, her current mood didn't align with such leisurely activities.
However, upon opening her eyes, she noticed a paper kite gracefully drifting above.
Wen Yantong promptly instructed a servant to fetch her bow, determined to shoot down the kite.
Despite firing seven or eight arrows consecutively, her efforts proved futile, and the kite remained untouched. Frustrated, she was jumping up and down when, unexpectedly, the kite's string broke on its own, gracefully descending into the front yard.
Wen Yantong swiftly ordered a servant to retrieve the fallen kite. Upon closer inspection, she discovered a piece of paper attached to it, leading her to the realization that someone intentionally flew the kite for a purpose.
Upon unfolding the paper, Wen Yantong was met with the neat handwriting of Chi Jingxi— ‘M’lady, would you like to come out for a cup of floral tea?’
She stared blankly for a moment before fiercely tearing the paper to shreds.
Like hell I’m drinking tea with you! You are several days too late!
—
Chi Jingxi, receiving no response from the paper kite he had sent out, felt a unprecedented sense of distress, acknowledging that Wen Yantong was still upset.
In reality, it wasn't that he had no intention of visiting in the past two days; rather, he grappled with the challenge of explaining his presence with Jiang Ying on the street to Wen Yantong.
Considering the sensitivity of court matters, he believed that the less Wen Yantong knew, the safer she would be.
Despite moments when the two of them were together, he found it difficult to refrain from sharing crucial details whenever Wen Yantong posed questions. Nevertheless, recognizing the significance of these matters, he refrained from casually revealing them to her.
However, if he refrained from sharing those details, how could he have possibly explained the situation to Wen Yantong? Was there no alternative to admitting that he had taken Jiang Ying for an outing on the street?
Chi Jingxi, known for his intelligence and problem-solving abilities, typically encountered no challenges that lingered for an extended period. Yet, for three consecutive days, he found himself contemplating this dilemma.
Even after devising a solution, when he arrived at Wen Residence, Chi Jingxi still felt powerless in the face of an enraged Wen Yantong. There seemed to be no recourse against her fury.
So, he continued standing next to Wen Residence.
The servants who were coming and going noticed his presence and approached, bowing to him tremblingly.
Chi Jingxi, with a heavy expression, inquired, "What is your Master doing right now?"
The servant replied, "This little one is in charge of guarding the outer courtyard and is unaware of the Master's movements."
Chi Jingxi frowned slightly, and the servant was too frightened to say another word.
"Go and inquire," Chi Jingxi instructed.
The servant hurriedly ran to convey the message to an unreliable inner courtyard's duty servant. Thus it took more than thirty minutes for the information to be relayed back.
Concerned about Chi Jingxi's potential impatience, the servant quickly reported, "Little Marquis, Master is currently tearing apart a paper kite."
"Tearing a kite?" Chi Jingxi lapsed into silence once more.
After contemplating for a moment, he turned around and instructed his guards to head to the street and purchase a large batch of paper kites.
Chi Jingxi positioned himself next to Wen Residence and released all the paper kites. The kites ascended into the sky one by one, embellishing the blue sky with soft white clouds. Even the sunshine and summer breeze took on a more gentle quality.
Observing the sky filled with paper kites, Wen Yantong considered Chi Jingxi's actions childish. She found the paper kites to be a nuisance and instructed her servants to devise a way to bring them down.
In the end, she didn't know whether it was the servants who brought them down or if Chi Jingxi cut off the strings himself, causing the kites to descend to the ground one by one.
The servants retrieved the fallen kites, each one having a note attached to it.
She casually opened one and read the note— 'However, despite careful contemplation, I couldn't devise a solution.'
This sentence left her puzzled. Then, considering that the words on these paper kites might form a coherent message, she took down all the paper notes and organized them—
‘I upset a kind, lively, and beautiful girl.
Upon realizing she was upset, my initial instinct was to ease her distress.
However, despite careful contemplation, I couldn't devise a solution.
The girl is genuinely good, and I admit my wrongdoing in causing her anger.
If you have a way to appease her, please do let me know.’
After reading the words, Wen Yantong couldn't help but wonder if Chi Jingxi had truly written them. However, upon examining the handwriting, it was undoubtedly Chi Jingxi's. Yet, she found it hard to imagine him expressing such sentiments.
She unfolded another piece of paper, revealing a large ink stain and multiple drop-shaped ink marks that had marred most of the initially outlined human portrait. Despite the damage, one could vaguely discern that it was a drawing of a girl, as half of her face remained unstained by ink.
Mo Li stood behind Wen Yantong, took a glance, and exclaimed, "Wow, who painted this? It's marvelous!"
Wen Yantong turned around in surprise, "It’s already messed up like this, how can you say it's marvelous?"
Wen Yantong recalled that this was the very piece that Chi Jingxi had painted on the street that day, and it had received countless praise from onlookers. Unable to contain her anger, Wen Yantong had approached and destroyed the painting. She never expected that Chi Jingxi had preserved the artwork and specifically sent it to her!
What? Did he believe she wasn't angry enough? Was he bored and attempting to provoke her further?
She frowned irritably and was on the verge of tearing it apart. "It's a ruined painting. Regardless of how good it is, who cares!"
This was yet another woman painted by her boyfriend. Regardless of its quality, she was determined to tear it to shreds!
Surprisingly, Mo Li intervened, saying, "Master, take a look. This painting outlines your figure in just a few strokes. Even though it's mostly covered in ink, I can still see your charm in the artwork. If it were complete, it would resemble a remarkably lifelike portrayal of you."
Wen Yantong halted her attempt to tear the painting apart. "What?"
"Isn't the painting of you, Master?" Mo Li pointed to the portrait's eyes. "Especially these almond-shaped eyes, I can tell it's you at a glance."
Wen Yantong was a little shocked and examined the painting more closely. However, the ink stains obscured half of the portrait, making it difficult for her to discern the resemblance.
Doubting her own judgment, she called a few servants. When they inspected the painting, they all unanimously affirmed that it indeed depicted her.
Wen Yantong felt perplexed once more and entertained the suspicion that Chi Jingxi had replaced the painting with a similar-looking one. However, upon closer inspection, she realized it was the same painting she had intentionally splashed with ink that day.
In other words, Chi Jingxi's original artwork wasn't of the Young Lady Jiang from the start.
Nevertheless, those present subconsciously assumed he was painting the girl beside him. Consequently, regardless of the resemblance, they showered the supposed subject with praise.
Wen Yantong seldom gazed into mirrors, and her acquaintance with the features and physique of this cannon fodder was limited, thus she failed to recognize herself in the painting.
Reflecting on Chi Jingxi's half-smile that day, seemingly laced with mockery, she realized he was silently scoffing at the blind flatterers who praised without truly seeing.