The classroom fell into a brief silence. Wang Youfu, holding a thermos, sat at the back of the classroom listening to the discussion. Upon hearing Lu Xingyan’s question, he couldn’t help but cough, then smiled kindly.
The classmates seemed to suddenly switch on, erupting into laughter as if a switch had been flipped. Some of the timid girls hesitated to laugh at first, fearing Lu Xingyan might take offense. But since everyone else was laughing, and Shen Xingruo, with her astonishing remarks, stood calmly on the platform, completely unfazed, they too laughed heartily, relieved.
Lu Xingyan tilted his head slightly, leaning back in his chair, and licked his molars. What was so funny? He glanced around, then scrutinized the nearby fox-like friends who were laughing themselves to death.
While others laughed, Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming, these two idiots, what right did they have to laugh? He kicked Li Chengfan’s chair leg, his face displaying messages like “What’s so funny, don’t you need to preview?” and “If you laugh at me again, I’ll make you laugh yourself to death.” Li Chengfan twitched slightly, restraining himself.
“Pfft—”
But really, it was too funny, he couldn’t help it, hahaha!
Lu Xingyan couldn’t help it, he turned his gaze back to the front.
Shen Xingruo didn’t laugh, her expression was calm, meeting his gaze with a superior air, as if saying, “What are you looking at?” or “Are you shocked by my stunning beauty again?”
Indeed, she was like a fighting peacock, always in a state of readiness, ready to put someone in their place at a moment’s notice.
Lu Xingyan held back for three seconds and then suppressed it. Forget it, he had manners, he wouldn’t lay hands on a girl.
The midterm exams were coming up next week. Everyone took this major exam seriously because the freshly baked exam scores would be presented directly at the parent-teacher meeting, directly affecting the quality of life for the second half of the semester. After the study experience sharing session ended, Wang Youfu made a few concluding remarks, urging everyone to review diligently over the weekend.
Nobody went home over the weekend. Because on Wednesday, the math teacher and the geography teacher had come to solicit opinions and finally decided to make up for two more classes on Saturday afternoon, to help the little chicks plug the gaps.
It was rare to stay on campus over the weekend. Everyone had thought to sleep in on Saturday, but early in the morning, they could hear the senior high school sisters upstairs bustling about. Room 403 was close to the staircase, and the senior high school sisters were hurrying to morning self-study, their footsteps and chatter incessant.
After Shen Xingruo was awakened by the noise, she couldn’t sleep anymore, so she got up and went for a run with Zhai Jiajing. Shi Qin and Li Ting, on the other hand, could sleep through anything. When Shen Xingruo and Zhai Jiajing went out, neither of them budged.
As Shen Xingruo and Zhai Jiajing headed downstairs, they saw Shen Xingruo carrying a stack of materials. Zhai Jiajing casually asked, “Xingruo, what’s that for?”
Shen Xingruo was looking at her phone and simply handed the materials to the side. Zhai Jiajing took them and flipped through them, curiously asking as they walked, “Are these reading comprehension articles? The vocabulary seems a bit advanced.”
“The Economist,” Shen Xingruo glanced at her. “Didn’t you mention yesterday during the sharing session that you’re already reading The Economist?”
Zhai Jiajing paused for a moment, then adjusted her hair with a smile. “I’m just trying to skim through it, after all, the vocabulary is too advanced.”
As she spoke, she noticed the bold “The Economist” in the upper right corner.
“Ah,” Shen Xingruo responded, not probing further, and returned to looking at her phone.
The morning sunlight was slightly chilly, with a hint of coolness in the wind. Five or six students were running on the track, and a few others were walking along the outer circle of the track, holding books. Shen Xingruo stopped by the sports equipment and did some leg stretches as if warming up. Zhai Jiajing followed suit.
Just as they had jogged half a lap, a group of boys walked past, holding basketballs, heading towards the small playground.
Zhai Jiajing glanced and said, “Looks like it’s Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming.”
If Li Chengfan and Zhao Langming were there, then Lu Xingyan must be there too. Shen Xingruo glanced and saw that they were too far away, only able to recognize them as male figures but couldn’t tell who exactly they were.
“Your eyesight is really good,” Shen Xingruo remarked.
Zhai Jiajing: “…”
Shen Xingruo meant it sincerely, but it sounded a bit ironic to Zhai Jiajing’s ears. She explained, “We’ve been classmates for a long time, so I’m quite familiar with their figures.”
As the group approached, Shen Xingruo could see clearly that it was indeed Lu Xingyan and the others. As they passed by the track to play basketball, seeing the two of them jogging, Zhao Langming enthusiastically greeted, “Shen Xingruo! Zhai Jiajing!”
Li Chengfan even whistled at them, “See, these goddesses are cultivating themselves early in the morning by jogging.”
Shen Xingruo and Zhai Jiajing slowed down and greeted them. Lu Xingyan, surrounded by them, seemed like he hadn’t fully woken up yet, exuding an aura of tiredness. He had changed into a basketball jersey, with a sweatband on his head, looking handsome, but he seemed to have been drained of energy by a female ghost, ready to fall asleep at any moment.
Shen Xingruo happened to be a bit thirsty and saw that Lu Xingyan was holding a bottle of mineral water, so she naturally reached out and said, “Lu Xingyan, can I sip water?”
Lu Xingyan also naturally handed it over, casually teasing, “With those short legs of yours, why bother running?”
Ignoring him, Shen Xingruo waited until she finished drinking before twisting the cap and saying, “You’re not Michael Jordan, are you still playing basketball?”
Lu Xingyan chuckled lightly.
Shen Xingruo was in a good mood and stared at the strand of hair sticking up on his head for a while, then decided to educate him a bit, “Lu Xingyan, can you walk with a bit more energy? With your current demeanor, did you get drained of energy by some indescribable dreams at night?”
Lu Xingyan instantly sobered up, almost blurting out, “How did you know?”
“If you haven’t woken up yet, then sleep a little longer before coming out to cause trouble in the world. If you could put half the enthusiasm you have for basketball into your studies, why wouldn’t you score over 400?”
“…Well, if I don’t score that high, how long will you keep nagging about it?”
“If you don’t score it, can’t I nag about it?”
It wasn’t Shen Xingruo’s fault. When she stayed at Lu’s house, Pei Yue kept complaining about Lu Xingyan, always saying that he hadn’t scored over 400 since high school. Shen Xingruo heard it too often, and her mind was full of scores over 400.
Lu Xingyan lifted his chin, his mind empty but his courage great, and directly challenged, “Okay, what if I do score that high this time?”
“What do you want to do?”
He thought for three seconds, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes, “Then if I do score it, you have to agree to a condition from me. As for the specifics… let me think about it, at most, I’ll make you do some chores for a few days, don’t be afraid.”
Shen Xingruo tilted her head to size him up, quiet for a moment, then suddenly said, “I’ve noticed that you’re not very good at studying, but you’re quite good at dreaming.”
“…What does my score have to do with you? Why should I agree to your terms?”
She casually pulled down Lu Xingyan’s headband to cover his eyes. “Keep dreaming.”
“What the hell? Why isn’t this following the normal plot?”
Lu Xingyan was confused for a moment, and then Shen Xingruo shoved the water bottle back into his hand. He could see through the light under his eyelids that Shen Xingruo took two steps back and probably continued jogging.
This girl.
She drinks his water and then disses him, showing absolutely no sign of taking advantage of him.
Lu Xingyan pulled off the headband and put it back on, then stared at Shen Xingruo’s retreating figure, twisting the mineral water bottle. It was truly miraculous. After being dissed so early in the morning, he didn’t feel dizzy or sleepy anymore. His senses were sharp, and he could effortlessly shoot six three-pointers in a row.
After he finished drinking the water, Li Chengfan belatedly said, “Wait, Yan-ge, didn’t Shen Xingruo just drink from that water bottle?”
Lu Xingyan glanced at him, didn’t respond, just faced him directly and took three more sips.
So what if she drank from it? He’ll still drink it. 🙂
Shen Xingruo and Zhai Jiajing ran three laps together, then went outside to buy breakfast. After buying breakfast, Shen Xingruo went straight to the classroom to study, while Zhai Jiajing said she had forgotten something and needed to go back to the dorm, so they split up at the school gate.
When Zhai Jiajing returned to the dorm, Li Ting and Shi Qin were already up. Li Ting had just finished washing up and was applying face cream when Zhai Jiajing returned and greeted her. Zhai Jiajing greeted her back and then looked around the dorm, asking, “Where’s Qin Qin?”
“There aren’t many people doing laundry in the morning, so she’s waiting in line for the washing machine,” Li Ting said, seeing Zhai Jiajing carrying pancakes and her eyes lighting up. “Hey, Jingjing, you brought breakfast.”
Zhai Jiajing was about to say something, but then stopped and changed the subject, “Oh, uh, I can’t give you this. It’s breakfast that Xingruo bought for Qin Qin. She went to study, so she asked me to bring it back.”
Upon hearing this, Li Ting withdrew her hand and said, “Oh,” looking displeased.
Zhai Jiajing placed the breakfast on Shi Qin’s desk, then turned back to Li Ting. “I still have some biscuits and milk. Wait a moment, I’ll get them for you.”
Li Ting turned around, her smile returning, and she hugged Zhai Jiajing. “You’re still the best, Jingjing.”
Zhai Jiajing smiled but didn’t say anything.
Li Ting had mentioned last night in the dorm that she was going shopping with some girls from Class Three in the morning. If she couldn’t make it back in time for the afternoon makeup class, she asked them to cover for her.
Now, after quickly eating some biscuits and milk and changing into a pretty outfit, she hurriedly left.
When Shi Qin returned and saw Zhai Jiajing in the dorm, she casually asked, “Hey, Jingjing, where did you go this morning?”
“I went for a run with Xingruo, and she went straight to self-study. I forgot something, so I came back,” Zhai Jiajing replied while flipping through the bookshelf. Then she added, “Oh, by the way, I brought you a pancake. It might be a little cold.”
Shi Qin had been waiting in line to do laundry for a while and was feeling dizzy from hunger. Seeing the pancake was like seeing a lifeline. “Wow,” she exclaimed, “Jingjing, you’re such an amazing roommate! I was starving! I was just about to put the bucket down and go buy breakfast.”
“Just a little something,” Zhai Jiajing replied with a smile.
With midterms approaching, the weekend of makeup classes didn’t seem so difficult to endure. During breaks, people were discussing the school celebration after the exams. This time, the celebration would take place in the grand auditorium of Mingli High School. The auditorium had been newly expanded two years ago and could accommodate up to fifteen hundred people. However, with over four thousand students in total, not everyone would be able to attend.
As everyone was discussing how to get tickets, He Siyue suddenly walked in with a stack of tickets and stood on the platform to announce, “The tickets for the school celebration are here. Each class will receive only ten tickets. If anyone wants to go, you can come to me to get them. First come, first served…”
Before he could finish, there was a chorus of “Me! Me! Me!” from the students. Without waiting for him to continue, a group of eager students stormed the platform and snatched up all ten tickets in no time.
He Siyue stood there helplessly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
After stepping down from the stage, he teased Shen Xingruo, “The enthusiasm today must be because of your performance on stage.”
Before Shen Xingruo could respond, Lu Xingyan lightly scoffed, singing a different tune, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a school anniversary, boring.”
“…”
Shen Xingruo shot him a glance that said, “Then you better not go.”
Soon, it was time for the mid-term exams. This time, the mid-term exams continued the tradition of Mingli High School, with the questions appearing much more accommodating compared to the previous monthly exams. After finishing the exams, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The school anniversary was the day after tomorrow. After the last exam, Shen Xingruo intended to pack her bag and head to the music room to practice the piano. However, the top students in the first exam room were all diligent and eager to learn, making it difficult for her to leave.
Once the exam was over, most of the students flocked to the door—Shen Xingruo’s seat.
“Shen Xingruo, what did you choose for the third question in the reading comprehension section?”
“Do you know what to fill in for the last blank in the listening section? I couldn’t make it out no matter how many times I listened!”
“AACDC, did you choose that for the first paragraph of the reading comprehension?”
…
Coming down from Bright Summit, Lu Xingyan saw Shen Xingruo, sitting in the first seat of the first exam room, surrounded by classmates like a national treasure panda, a group of eager chicks chirping around her.
Unfortunately, Lu Xingyan’s companions from Bright Summit had no shame. They proudly declared, “Shen Xingruo is amazing, not only is she beautiful, but she also excels in her studies.”
Li Chengfan added, “YeAh those few people from Class 2 who used to be so arrogant don’t even know what the floor looks like now. They’re all obediently asking Shen Xingruo for answers.”
Lu Xingyan couldn’t help but wonder, “But she didn’t ask you for answers… Why are you so proud?”
Li Chengfan straightforwardly replied, “Shen Xingruo is from our class. Isn’t this a sense of collective honor?”
“…”
“You better shut up. She probably doesn’t want any sense of collective honor with a Bright Summit devotee like you.”
Li Chengfan, a staunch fan of Bai Peacock, retorted without hesitation, “Yan-ge, what you’re saying is meaningless. Ruojie is kind-hearted and beautiful. She’s not at all like what you’re saying. Don’t be jealous of her…”
“What am I jealous of? Li Chengfan shut up, stop talking nonsense.”
“Yan-ge, don’t be so angry. You should be happy that your deskmate is outstanding.”
Zhao Langming couldn’t resist adding a snide comment.
Lu Xingyan glanced over at them.
Zhao Langming was oblivious, still patting Li Chengfan on the shoulder and saying regretfully, “Last time, Shen Xingruo played the piano so well, mainly because she’s so pretty. Ah it’s a pity if we don’t go see her this time.”
Lu Xingyan was about to scold him, but then he suddenly changed the subject, “Not going to see her? The school anniversary?”
“YeAh since it’s rare to have half a day off for the school anniversary, we should go out and have fun. Hey, where should we go? How about playing board games?”
Lu Xingyan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. These guys usually loved to join in on the excitement, even if it meant sticking their noses into things as mundane as feces just to see how bad it smelled. He thought he wouldn’t need to say anything; these guys would surely come up with a stack of tickets.
Not going?
Then what was the use of these garbage friends coming?