Chapter 6

The next day at school, Yuan Jin entered the classroom with her backpack and unsurprisingly saw the pile of gifts on He Dongchen’s desk; heart-shaped breakfast, various snacks, chocolates, and exquisite little presents.

He Dongchen used to be particularly popular when he was a poor student, able to rival Lin Zhiyuan, but now he had become a genius who could easily top the class with just casual studying. He was simply charming and attracted a new batch of little fan girls every now and then.

Yuan Jin glanced past the gifts without a second thought, sat down at her desk, took out her books from her backpack, neatly arranged them on the table, and then took out her own breakfast, eating it bit by bit.

Students arrived one after another, and the classroom gradually became lively. The fragrances of various breakfasts mixed together, sour and refreshing. Yuan Jin pushed open the window, then turned to the window and started reading her books.

When the bell for assembly rang, Yuan Jin intended to return to her seat. Suddenly, a familiar figure appeared in her line of sight. He was tall and thin, wearing a blue and white school uniform, carrying a black backpack on one shoulder, hands in pockets, leisurely walking towards the teaching building, completely out of sync with the other hurried students around him.

“He Dongchen! I like you!” A girl with a red bow on her head shouted loudly to He Dongchen, then giggled and ran away under the murderous gaze of the headmaster.

Yuan Jin frowned. She knew that girl, she was the one from the neighboring class who had written love letters to He Dongchen before. Apparently, she hadn’t given up yet.

Just as he was thinking, He Dongchen, on the playground below, noticed Yuan Jin and waved at her, shouting, “Xiao Jin~”

His handsome face, with a set of white teeth, was particularly eye-catching.

Pretending not to hear, Yuan Jin closed the window, returned to her seat, and all she could hear around her was the sound of students reading aloud, but all that remained in her mind was the pounding sound of her heart.

Seeing Yuan Jin retract, He Dongchen shook his head, chuckled, and continued to stride forward with his long legs, almost stepping into the classroom at the ring of the bell. Seeing the things on his desk, He Dongchen checked to see if there were any love letters hidden inside, then, as usual, piled them up next to the classroom’s bookshelf.

“Everyone, grab your own.”

“Alright! Bro, I’m counting on you to keep me alive!” Several carefree boys came over without hesitation and took them for their own breakfast.

He Dongchen smiled indifferently.

***

Seeing that, Xue Qingqing snorted and complained to Lin Zhiyuan, “How can he be like this, disregarding the girls’ feelings.”

Lin Zhiyuan acted as if he hadn’t heard, understanding completely He Dongchen’s actions as a similarly sought-after male student. But Lin Zhiyuan’s feelings towards He Dongchen were complex; he didn’t want to speak up for him.

Dropping from the first place, Lin Zhiyuan felt complicated. Being discussed by classmates at school, then going home to face his parents’ cautious comfort, made Lin Zhiyuan feel irritated. He exerted all his efforts into studying, wanting to regain his glory, to surpass He Dongchen. Yet, at this moment, Xue Qingqing kept chirping in his ear, always talking about He Dongchen.

Her former cuteness had become annoying.

“He Dongchen must have been lucky this time. Next time in the monthly exams, the first place will still be yours…”

“Can you please shut up and be quiet for a moment?” Lin Zhiyuan couldn’t bear it anymore and interrupted her.

Because their voices weren’t small, the surrounding classmates began to look over, and gossip started to spread.

Xue Qingqing was stunned for a moment, incredulously saying, “You… scolded me!”

Before, no matter how clingy she was, Lin Zhiyuan would only coldly ignore her. But this time, he actually scolded her!

Xue Qingqing’s eyes gradually moistened, her mouth tightly pursed, looking very aggrieved.

Lin Zhiyuan opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn’t say anything. He put on his headphones and started listening to English listening exercises.

The onlookers exchanged glances. Is there a rift between them?

Wang Xiaoming, sitting behind the two, had a wooden face. Since changing seats, he had been forced to watch the two flirt, such as when Xue Qingqing unexpectedly fed Lin Zhiyuan a potato chip, leaving Lin Zhiyuan red-faced and helpless.

For example, when Xue Qingqing asked questions, she deliberately leaned close to Lin Zhiyuan’s ear and puffed air, making Lin Zhiyuan annoyed but unable to do anything about it.

Countless similar incidents made Wang Xiaoming, who only cared about studying, feel as if he had been fed a mouthful of dung.

He looked resentfully at He Dongchen beside him. Did he know early on and changed seats?

He Dongchen, who was recommending yogurt to Yuan Jin, felt a chill behind his head.

“You should try it, it’s really good.”

“I don’t like it, thanks.”

“How would you know if you don’t try?”

“You’re so annoying!”

A bottle of yogurt was pushed back and forth on the table.

It was eventually taken away by Wang Peng, who entered the classroom at some point.

He Dongchen turned his head: ??

Seeing his expression, Yuan Jin chuckled, then quickly returned to normal, earnestly reciting her book. However, upon closer observation, one could see a slight upward curve at the corner of her mouth, and her tone became cheerful, as if she were reciting a farewell poem reluctantly bidding farewell to a friend.

***

After school, Yuan Jin went to the teacher’s office to wait for her uncle to go home together. Even though she was so old that she didn’t need her parents to accompany her every day, when Yuan Jin was in junior high, she was harassed by a hooligan and almost got into trouble. After worrying, Father Yuan and Mother Yuan specially arranged for her to be in her uncle’s class to pick her up and drop her off.

Raising daughters was so troublesome these days.

When Wang Peng saw his niece coming, he pointed to the chair beside him and said, “Sit there and wait. I’ll finish grading this homework, it’s almost done.”

Yuan Jin nodded, sat down, and quietly took out her books to do her homework.

After a while, Wang Peng finished grading an essay and took a break to say, “Are you hungry? Find something to eat in that drawer over there.”

Yuan Jin originally wanted to shake her head, but for some reason, she suddenly remembered the bottle of yogurt that was taken away in the morning. She squatted down, rummaging through the bottom drawer. Inside were things confiscated by Wang Peng. The valuable items were locked up separately, and what was left were snacks, comic books, toys, and the like.

Almost at first sight, Yuan Jin saw the bottle of yellowish-white yogurt among the colorful items. She sneakily glanced at her uncle, who was concentrating, quickly picked up the bottle of yogurt, stuffed it into her backpack, then casually picked up a bag of biscuits, opened it, and slowly nibbled on it.

Because it was her first time doing something like this, Yuan Jin’s heart was pounding rapidly, and the biscuits in her mouth lost their taste.

Wang Peng, who was seriously grading the homework, always felt like something had slipped past him under his nose.

***

The next day, He Dongchen continued his yogurt campaign.

“Just one sip, you’ll definitely love it!”

“No.”

“It’s really delicious, just give it a try~”

“It’s not good, too sour.”

“Hmm? How do you know it’s sour?”

“…He Dongchen! Are you a yogurt salesman now? How much did they pay you?!”

He Dongchen looked at the annoyed little girl, burst into laughter, which made Xue Qingqing, who was in front, turn around and glare at him fiercely.

After glaring at him, Xue Qingqing weakly slumped onto the desk, feeling as downcast as a wilted eggplant. Yesterday, Lin Zhiyuan scolded her, and Xue Qingqing felt miserable all day. She even secretly applied face powder in the evening. But Lin Zhiyuan acted as if nothing had happened, still studying as usual, not affected at all.

Xue Qingqing felt exhausted and couldn’t keep up.

Especially seeing He Dongchen trying so hard to please Yuan Jin, this strong contrast made Xue Qingqing feel both envious and bitter.

Aren’t proactive girls cherished?

Xue Qingqing felt lost and disoriented, her mind wandering all day.

Lin Zhiyuan was filled with the determination to redeem himself in the next monthly exam, studying like mad. He didn’t even notice Xue Qingqing’s unusual behavior. In fact, he felt relieved that she wasn’t approaching him.

During physical education class, Xue Qingqing and a few other girls made plans to go to the store to buy water. Up ahead, a few boys were chatting, their voices drifting back.

“Xue Qingqing is so pretty, why doesn’t Lin Zhiyuan accept her? It’s strange.”

“Yeah, she’s practically throwing herself at him, and he’s not interested.”

“Did you hear about them? Xue Qingqing is so forward…”

Xue Qingqing trembled with anger, tears streaming down her face. The tension she had been holding in for days finally broke, and she ran off, covering her face.

The other girls were both angry and worried. They went up to the boys and scolded them, then chased after Xue Qingqing to comfort her.

***

Back in the classroom, Xue Qingqing collapsed at her desk, crying loudly.

Yuan Jin, who was just returning to the classroom to get a sanitary pad, paused. Putting herself in Xue Qingqing’s shoes, she certainly wouldn’t want to be seen by anyone, especially someone she didn’t like, in such a state of distress.

Yuan Jin knew that Xue Qingqing didn’t like her, so she quietly retreated and went to the store. She sneakily bought a small pack of sanitary pads, opened it, put some in her outer pocket, and some in her pants pocket, making sure no one could tell.

After the physical education class ended, everyone returned to the classroom in groups. Xue Qingqing had stopped crying by then and was just lying on the desk.

Yuan Jin returned to her seat, intending to discreetly transfer the sanitary pads from her pocket to her backpack. But then she saw He Dongchen and a few boys chatting and laughing as they walked into the classroom. They sat down nearby. For a moment, Yuan Jin’s mind froze. She couldn’t take out the sanitary pads now, but it would also be awkward not to.

He Dongchen played basketball for a class period and was sweating profusely. As he tilted his head to drink water, sweat beads, guided by gravity, ran from his forehead, down his temples, and then followed his throat, wetting the collar of his white school uniform.

After drinking water, He Dongchen saw Yuan Jin standing awkwardly with her hands in her pockets. He raised an eyebrow slightly and teased, “What are you taking out? Is it for me?”

Yuan Jin’s face turned green.

Seemingly to retaliate for the previous teasing, Yuan Jin impulsively pulled out a pad and slapped it into He Dongchen’s palm, then looked up at him defiantly.

He Dongchen stared at the object in his hand, stunned for a moment. He didn’t expect Yuan Jin, who usually kept to herself, to bite back when provoked.

She’s too cute!

Realizing what she had done, Yuan Jin’s face turned red. She snatched the pad back and stuffed it into her backpack, then buried her head on the desk, ignoring anyone who called her.

Argh! Nobody can see me!!!

He Dongchen chuckled softly, his hearty laughter echoing into Yuan Jin’s ears, making her want to die even more.