Chapter 123 The Gossipy Woman's Potential Stock

Li Chen is fair-skinned and has a smile as bright as a forsythia. He is very polite and comes from a wealthy family, often paying for lunch for everyone in his class, which makes him quite popular.

He mistakenly thought Yunxia was angry, and walked up to the group of people who were whispering, saying, "The strongest bowstring always breaks first, and the sharpest blade is always the easiest to injure. Trouble is caused by idle talk, and sin is often incurred by a cruel heart."

After saying that, she glanced at the three bewildered people, got into the car without looking back, and said, "Xiaxia, don't take their words to heart."

"Hey, I can't even remember those names, let alone hold a grudge. Sit down and rest for a bit. I have some sunflower seeds, peanuts, and rice crackers in my bag. Want some?"

Hearing her say that, Li Chen felt much more at ease. "Okay, I'm hungry. Oh, by the way, before we came, my mom specially baked a mango cream cake for you. Try it."

As she spoke, she opened her small suitcase, revealing a cake smashed to pieces, a truly pitiful sight.

Yun Xia glanced at it, saw the cake's miserable state, and chuckled, "The car was bumping around so badly on the way here, it's a miracle the box didn't spill out. Give it to me!"

"Forget it, how can we eat it when it's broken like this? We'll just fix it next time."

"We mustn't waste food!"

As she spoke, she took the cake, unwrapped it, and began to eat it bit by bit with small wooden pieces. After the boy sat down, she stuffed him with a lot of sunflower seeds, biscuits, and the like.

"Xiaxia, is the cake... delicious?"

"Hmm, there's a lot of mango chunks, and the cream is very fragrant. It's quite delicious. Would you like to try some?"

Li Chen blinked slightly, pondered for a moment, then picked up another small wooden piece, scooped out a small piece of cake, and after tasting it, he realized that the girl had not lied. The mango, which had already turned into a paste, had its flavor deeply embedded in the bread and cream, making it taste quite unique.

The two of them took turns eating, and in no time the box was empty. After tidying up, they started eating the millet rice crackers.

The students who went out to pick pomegranates returned one after another. After careful comparison and discussion, the teachers announced that Yunxia and Lichen had won first place in the competition. Naturally, the girl attracted many envious glances.

After eating the sweet and sour pomegranates, the teacher suggested playing games like Eagle Catches Chicks, hopscotch, and rubber band games. Yunxia, ​​who was being dramatic, held her forehead and said she was dizzy from the sun. Seeing this, the teacher quickly told her to go back to the car to rest. As her deskmate, Li Chen naturally followed her back to the car to take care of her.

"Xiaxia, are you feeling really dizzy? Should we go to the hospital?"

The girl blinked slightly, leaned closer, and whispered, "No need, I was faking it."

The boy's pupils dilated as he stared blankly at her; clearly, the answer was beyond his expectations.

"Xiaxia, playing games can really enhance friendships. Recently, I've noticed that many classmates have feelings for you... cough cough, why not take this opportunity to get to know them..."

"There are plenty of people who get annoyed by playing games. As long as my grades are consistently in the top three, I am valued by the teachers, I am your deskmate and friend, I have two doting older brothers, and I have a decent-looking face, these envious eyes will never disappear."

Li Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. Yes, as long as these things exist, there will be no shortage of criticism, just like when he was young. He was frail and sickly, a super VIP in the hospital ward, and suffered a lot of disdain from relatives and peers. Some even suggested that his mother give up her eldest son and have a second child to carry on the family line.

"That's true. People can say whatever they want, and no one can stop them from saying it."

"Exactly, just live your own life and ignore them!"

The students outside were playing until their foreheads were sweating, while the two inside were comfortably eating rice crackers and reading storybooks.

After a long while, the homeroom teacher called the two of them down to eat. After going through many twists and turns, they finally discovered that there was a farmhouse restaurant next to the pomegranate orchard, with a huge courtyard filled with tables and chairs.

"Please sit down, the food will be served shortly."

The two chose a small corner to sit down. Coincidentally, several gossipy potential partners from the class also chose this table. While waiting for the food, they kept finding topics to chat with Li Chen about, from study methods to when they would visit his home.

"Sorry, my mom doesn't like meeting people, so... let's just forget about it!"

The group paused for a moment, exchanged glances, and one of the bolder ones continued to suggest, "Then... let's go to a dance hall. We can sing and dance, and if we get tired, we can order food. I know a place with really great service that I go to often. Li Chen, when are you free? Let's make a date."

Her suggestion was echoed by everyone. Yun Xia, who had witnessed the whole thing, raised an eyebrow and looked at the troubled-looking boy, thinking to herself that people were still using the trick of forcing someone into a situation.

When a friend is in trouble, you should lend a hand. He slammed the washed cup down on the table with a loud bang, making them speechless. They looked up with fierce eyes, then put on a creepy smile and said, "As students, you should prioritize your studies. Don't use the excuse of relaxing once in a while. If you weren't relaxing every day, how could you consistently rank at the bottom of the class?"

"Yunxia, ​​we're talking to Li Chen, it's none of your business, stop showing off."

"Who cares about you guys? But if you try to corrupt my friend, you won't get a chance!"

"Leading someone astray? You... you're slandering me. If you don't explain yourself, I'm going to tell the teacher."

"Go ahead, let's have a good chat. Which dance hall dares to give minors special treatment? Send a report and they'll shut it down immediately."

Yes, in times of economic hardship, entertainment facilities such as dance halls and video arcades were strictly controlled, and certain venues were not allowed to be open to minors.

Upon hearing this, the person on the other end was speechless. If the homeroom teacher found out that he had gone to the dance hall, he would surely be scolded, and his parents might even be called in.

"I've never been to a dance hall. I've only heard my older brother and sister mention it. Just now... I was just talking nonsense. Don't take it to heart. Li Chen, I know an amusement park with really good facilities. When do you have time? Let's make a date."

The girl's retort seemed to give him the courage to refuse. He smiled slightly and said, "I'm sorry, but at this stage I'm focused on my studies and don't want to go out for fun. Besides, the education I received from childhood taught me that just because we chatted for a while doesn't mean we're friends. There's room for compromise with friends' invitations, but with strangers... no way."

Even the most clueless among them could sense the sarcasm in the words. They immediately fell silent, heads down, each doing their own thing. If it were anyone else, they might have flipped the table and started yelling. But the other person was Li Chen, decked out in designer brands, always traveling in luxury cars, and able to treat the whole class to a hamburger feast with a wave of his hand. Who would dare offend such a playboy?

Yunxia secretly gave him a thumbs up, and the boy smiled happily, thinking to himself that following his heart to roast people was great, and he was a little envious of the sharp-tongued Jiang Chao.

Soon after, the restaurant started serving dishes, including braised chicken pieces, braised pork ribs, and stir-fried green beans. These were all home-style dishes, made with plenty of fresh ingredients, and the taste was decent.

"Huh, what kind of mushroom is this? It's different from the one I just picked up." The boy frowned and asked in confusion.

Upon hearing this, Yunxia glanced at the food and froze on the spot. She knocked the mushroom out of the boy's chopsticks, picked up the stir-fried mushrooms in the center of the table, and examined them carefully.

"Yunxia, ​​you're a middle school student, yet you have no manners at all. Didn't your parents teach you that you shouldn't pick at the food at the dinner table?"

At this moment, Yun Xia couldn't hear a single sarcastic word. Her eyes were wide open, staring intently at the mushrooms on her plate. Finally, confirming her suspicions, she gave Li Chen some instructions and then got up to go to the teachers' table.