Chapter 10 "Is it fun to spy on me?"...

During the class meeting, Mr. Xu announced that the school would soon hold an autumn sports meet.

This news was like a bomb being dropped into the lifeless classroom. As soon as Old Xu finished speaking, the students cheered louder and louder.

Mr. Xu, understanding the mental pressure they faced from their intense studies, waited until the noise subsided before tapping the blackboard and moving on to the next item in the class meeting.

In the days leading up to the sports meet, the students in the class were restless and excitedly discussing things related to the sports meet.

Tang Ci had not participated in sports meets since the beginning of high school due to health reasons, so no one talked to her about it.

This continued until the long break between classes the day before the sports meet.

Zou Qiang, holding a registration form and promotional leaflets covered with names, stopped as he passed Tang Ci's table.

The two had a bad argument last time, and the surrounding classmates thought that Zou Qiang was going to cause trouble again, so they all became wary.

Tang Ci looked up and saw Zou Qiang, her eyes widening in surprise. "Is something the matter?"

Zou Qiang glanced at the empty seat next to Tang Ci before giving her a fake smile. "Everyone in the class has signed up for events at the sports meet. As a top student in the class, you should do your part, right?"

Tang Ci thought he had forgotten that he had taken a long sick leave, so she patiently told him, "I can't do strenuous exercise. If there are any tasks like check-in, you can give them to me to do."

"The student council is in charge of registration," Zou Qiang said with a smirk as he put down the sports meet brochure. "Not every event requires strenuous exercise. Just pick one; you're the only one in the class who's not doing anything right now."

Knowing that he was deliberately making things difficult for her, Tang Ci did not argue with him. She flipped through the brochures, thinking that if there were any lighter sports activities, she might as well participate.

Traditional sports rely on physical strength and power, so Tang Ci skipped over them. She only slowed down when she saw the fun sports section.

Most of the fun activities required teamwork, and Tang Ci was worried that she would be too slow and cause trouble for others, so she chose the three-legged race, which only required two people.

"Have you decided on this project?" Zou Qiang asked.

Tang Ci nodded.

Zou Qiang quickly wrote Tang Ci's name on the back of the three-legged race, and then told her, "You have to find your own teammates. Tell me before evening self-study ends."

"..."

Tang Ci watched as Zou Qiang left with a smug look on his face before realizing that she had been tricked.

All her classmates have already signed up for the project, so finding teammates now is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

At lunchtime, Jiang Chan learned that Zou Qiang had come to provoke Tang Ci again, and she rolled her eyes twice in anger.

“He’s a petty, low-class man who thinks he can bully people just because he has a little power,” Jiang Chan said indignantly. “Sheng Yu should have just beaten him up last time to teach him a lesson.”

Tang Ci just wanted to solve the problem quickly, so she swallowed her rice and said, "After I finish eating, I'll go to the classroom and ask who has time."

“I happened to have registered for the long jump at that time,” Jiang Chan hesitated. “Should I go and tell Zou Qiang to switch to another event?”

Jiang Chan's only skill is the long jump, but Tang Ci held her hand and said, "No need, I'll go ask first."

Upon arriving at the classroom, Tang Ci asked two girls, but unfortunately neither of them had time. However, one of the girls reminded Tang Ci that fun sports are open to both men and women, and she could ask a boy to cooperate with her.

Tang Ci's eyes lit up at first, but then she realized with a sense of dejection that she hadn't spoken much with the boys in her class.

The only one I can be considered familiar with is Song Ke, but Song Ke is a member of the student council, so he will probably be even busier than the students participating in the competition.

Tang Ci sighed. There was still some time before afternoon classes, so she decided to take a nap on her desk.

I'll figure something out after I wake up.

She didn't know how long she had slept; she only opened her eyes groggily when she vaguely heard voices.

Following the sound, Tang Ci turned to look out the window.

Sheng Yu and Zhou Yiyang were chatting by the wall in the corridor, with several boys from other classes nearby, all of whom were often seen around Sheng Yu.

The window was half open, and their conversation could be clearly heard by Tang Ci.

Why is the line for mung bean smoothie at the South Gate getting longer and longer?

“A food program from CCTV filmed here before, and its popularity exploded.”

"No wonder, I'd forgotten when was the last time I had it."

“Hey—Brother Yu,” a boy asked, raising his chin, “I remember you used to love drinking this mung bean shaved ice back in junior high.”

“I remember too,” Jin Ming said quickly, “Yu Ge used to buy two cups, one for himself and one for his mother.”

Zhou Yiyang's expression changed instantly. Among the group, only he and Sheng Yu were childhood friends. The Sheng family kept the matter of Sheng Yu's mother's death a secret. Although the others did not know, they vaguely sensed that it was a taboo subject.

He frowned and glared at Jin Ming.

Jin Ming belatedly realized he had said the wrong thing, scratched the back of his head and mumbled, "I might have remembered it wrong."

The boys had different expressions.

Sheng Yu, however, remained relaxed and said in a calm tone, "If I remember correctly, I do quite like drinking it."

Jin Ming breathed a sigh of relief: "Shall we go for a drink tonight?"

Sheng Yu lowered his eyes and tossed the lighter in his hand, "Too many people, too lazy to wait in line."

Tang Ci bit her lip and looked out the window at Sheng Yu.

He was standing in the center of the crowd, but his expression was extremely distant. He always seemed to be separated from people by a barrier, making it impossible for anyone to guess what he was thinking.

She was so engrossed in her gaze that when Sheng Yu's eyes met hers through the gauze window, she paused for a second before realizing what was happening. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to be busy as she opened her notebook.

The boys didn't return to their respective classes until the preparatory bell rang.

Sheng Yu and Zhou Yiyang entered the classroom one after the other, while Tang Ci was writing furiously with her head down.

The stool beside her was pulled out, and as soon as Sheng Yu sat down, he took the initiative to talk to her, "What are you writing?"

Tang Ci paused, then carefully placed the open notebook on his desk.

Sheng Yu lowered his eyes and saw two lines of text clearly written on the cover of the notebook.

[Sheng Yu's Exclusive Score Improvement Plan]

Strive forward and return to the top.

He curled his lips into a smile, "I've returned to my peak, so where are you going?"

Tang Ci adjusted her glasses and said sincerely, "I've been first in my grade for two years, I can let you have it for another year."

"You've been so generous to me," Sheng Yu tilted his head, looking at her with a half-smile, "How do you expect me to repay you?"

Tang Ci squeezed the pen hard, her throat dry as she reminded him, "No need to repay me. I can get a scholarship if your grades improve."

Sheng Yu seemed to just remember something and said "Oh," then lowered her eyes and flipped through her notebook, seeing the sports meet brochure tucked inside.

Tang Ci reached out and took it. "I'm sorry, I accidentally put the brochure inside."

Zhou Yiyang turned his head, saw the circled project on the brochure, and asked Tang Ci, "You want to participate in the three-legged race?"

Tang Ci nodded, "But right now it's just one person with two legs, I haven't found a teammate yet."

Zhou Yiyang was amused by her words, glanced down at the competition time, and gestured towards Sheng Yu, "Brother Yu is free at this time, why don't you go find him?"

Tang Ci had never considered asking Sheng Yu for help, but since Zhou Yiyang had brought it up, she felt embarrassed not to ask.

"Can...can you be my teammate?" she asked hesitantly.

Sheng Yu smiled. "What are the benefits?"

Tang Ci paused for a second, "What benefits do you want?"

Sheng Yu's thick eyelashes drooped slightly, and she reminded him in a deep and slow voice, "Of course, it's the benefits I like."

Tang Ci pursed her lips and asked uncertainly, "Would you like some mung bean smoothie?"

Sheng Yu narrowed his eyes dangerously and asked in a deep, cold voice, "Is it fun to spy on me?"

/

Tang Ci was restless all afternoon.

Aside from assigning necessary study tasks, Tang Ci didn't say a single unnecessary word to Sheng Yu.

Fortunately, Sheng Yu didn't pursue the matter further after saying those words. Tang Ci slowly realized that Sheng Yu was just warning her not to overstep the boundaries.

After the afternoon classes ended, Tang Ci immediately got up from her seat and called Jiang Chan to go out for dinner.

Jiang Chan wanted to eat rice noodles outside the South Gate, and Tang Ci absentmindedly nodded in agreement. When they arrived at the casserole shop, she saw that the mung bean shaved ice shop that the boys had been discussing that morning was right next door, with a long queue.

Tang Ci had actually heard of this shop's reputation before, but she thought it was too expensive and had never tried it.

Jiang Chan noticed her gaze, glanced at the shaved ice shop, and sighed, "It's already autumn, and there are still so many people queuing up. It makes me want to drink some too."

Tang Ci wiped the table with a tissue and asked softly, "Do you want some?"

Jiang Chan clutched her stomach. "My period started. Let's do it another day."

Tang Ci said "Oh," wiped the table, and then silently looked in the direction of the shaved ice shop.

When her gaze swept over the smoothie shop for the third time, Jiang Chan realized, "Do you want to try some? I'll go with you to get a number."

Tang Ci pursed her lips. "It's okay to try it."

After taking their numbers, their rice noodles were ready.

Tang Ci looked at the three-digit number in her hand and deliberately slowed down the speed at which she ate the rice noodles.

But it wasn't until Jiang Chan finished the last bite of rice noodles that the shaved ice shop's number was called out halfway.

Temperatures have plummeted recently, and the autumn wind is swirling fallen leaves through the streets.

Jiang Chan sneezed and pulled her school uniform jacket tighter around herself.

Tang Ci watched the slowly moving line and told Jiang Chan to go back to the classroom first, while she continued to wait in line.

Jiang Chan nodded and reminded her, "Keep an eye on the time. Old Man Jiang is on duty for the first period tonight, so don't be late."

Jiang Jun, who teaches English, is exceptionally strict; being late or talking in his class are major taboos.

Tang Ci nodded to Jiang Chan and said gently, "I understand. You should go back now."

With five minutes left before class started, there were five people ahead of Tang Ci.

She glanced at the clerk's quick and efficient movements as they sealed and packed the items, and decided to risk continuing to queue, but ultimately her gamble failed.

Just as Tang Ci picked up the mung bean smoothie, the school bell rang urgently.

Without thinking, she grabbed the bag and ran quickly into the campus.

As Tang Ci stepped onto the stairs, she felt as if her heart was about to leap out of her chest.

But she didn't dare stop.

When he arrived at the classroom door, panting, he was still too late.

Jiang Jun stood on the podium and glared at her with a sharp look. "Tang Ci! How come you've learned to be late too?"

Tang Ci was panting heavily, her face as pale as paper, her fingers gripping the hem of her coat tightly.

Time was of the essence, and she hadn't yet come up with an excuse for being late.

Jiang Jun, growing impatient, slammed his textbook down on the podium. "What have you been doing?"

Tang Ci hid the mung bean shaved ice behind her back and, calming her racing heart, said, "...I went to buy something."

Jiang Jun saw through her attempts to hide her feelings and shouted, "You're already in your final year of high school and you're still thinking about drinking beverages? Go stand outside and calm down."

In an instant, all the students in the class looked at her. Jiang Chan and Song Ke looked anxious, but they didn't dare to argue with Jiang Jun, who was in a fit of anger.

Tang Ci pursed her lips and nodded, about to walk towards the door, when she suddenly heard Sheng Yu's lazy voice coming from the back of the classroom.

"Teacher, I asked her to buy it."

She looked up in surprise.

Sheng Yu had already stood up from her seat. As she walked towards the main entrance, she pointed at herself and smiled at Jiang Jun, saying, "She's coming in, I'm going out."

Jiang Jun was so angry at his nonchalant attitude that he glared at him, slammed his textbook on the table, and angrily yelled, "Do you two have no manners?! You two go out and stand in the corner as punishment!"

Bang--

The classroom door slammed shut behind them.

The empty corridor was now empty except for the two of them.

Tang Ci looked up and exchanged a glance with Sheng Yu for two seconds, then wrinkled her nose and whispered, "Actually, you didn't need to come out."

Sheng Yu glanced at her hand. "Wasn't this for me?"

Tang Ci nodded and said, "Yes."

Sheng Yu didn't speak, but looked up at her.

Tang Ci pursed her lips and hesitantly handed over the shaved ice in her hand.

When Sheng Yu took it, his gaze fell on her palms, which were red from the cold.

Tang Ci didn't notice the strangeness in her palm. She looked up and watched Sheng Yu open the bottle, take a sip, and asked nervously, "Is it good?"

Sheng Yu hummed in agreement and asked, "You'll arrange the time for practicing the three-legged race?" Tang Ci paused, then smiled slightly and asked, "You agreed to be my teammate?"

Even with her eyes hidden by glasses, they were still bright, like a newborn lamb, looking at him with gentle anticipation.

Sheng Yu looked away and gave a slight smile. "After all, mung bean smoothies are delicious."

Tang Ci immediately whispered her thanks, "Thank you for making such delicious food."

Sheng Yu: "..."

Because Chiang Kai-shek's troops would occasionally watch them through the window, the two could only stand idly outside the door, bored out of their minds.

After holding on for fifteen minutes, even the usually composed Tang Ci couldn't stand any longer. She looked up at Sheng Yu and asked in a low voice, "Are you bored?"

Sheng Yu crossed his arms and nodded.

Tang Ci suggested, "Shall we study?"

Sheng Yu glanced at her empty hands. "How do you learn? With your mind?"

Tang Ci swallowed hard, took a deep breath to bolster her courage, and knocked on the classroom door.

Jiang Jun flung open the door menacingly, demanding, "What are you doing?"

Tang Ci shrank back at his shout and said softly, "Teacher, may I take a book to study outside?"

Looking at her obedient appearance and her arduous pursuit of education, Jiang Jun softened his tone and said, "Come in and get it."

"Thank you, teacher." Tang Ci quickly entered the classroom, took out her books and notebook, and quietly closed the classroom door.

Jiang Jun's voice of praise echoed from inside the classroom, "Look at Tang Ci! Even being punished by standing doesn't affect her studies. If she doesn't get first place, who will?"

Tang Ci, oblivious to the commotion in the classroom, spread her book out on the table in the corridor and beckoned to Sheng Yu, "Come look at this question. You got this type of question wrong on two separate tests..."

Seeing her serious expression, Sheng Yu suddenly felt that she had made a deal that exceeded her expectations.

Tang Ci's demeanor was different when she was explaining problems compared to her usual sluggish state. She was focused, quick-witted, and her language was concise and logical.

After listening to her explain a problem, Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow and said, "Your problem-solving approach is quite similar to mine."

Tang Ci paused for a moment, then gently pushed up her glasses and said, "That's how teachers teach."

Sheng Yu didn't discuss the issue further, resting his elbows on the table as he listened to her recount the remaining problems.

Tang Ci didn't stop writing until the bell rang, and looking at her notes with satisfaction, she said, "If you can master this part of the knowledge points, you can improve your score on the exam by a lot."

As she spoke, she unconsciously peeled off the dry skin on her lips.

She tore off a small piece of skin as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing a thin, bright red membrane underneath.

"Sheng Yu." Zhou Yiyang stood at the back door, waving the cigarette pack in his hand at him. "Are you coming or not?"

Sheng Yu shifted his gaze to Zhou Yiyang, swallowed hard, and said, "Let's go."

When Tang Ci went downstairs to get some water, she came back to find a bottle of milk on her table.

The bottle was still warm to the touch.

Just as she was wondering who had put it on her desk, she saw Zheng Shuyao passing by, holding the same milk bottle as the one on her desk.

Tang Ci thought for a moment and realized that Zheng Shuyao had mistakenly placed the milk that she originally intended for Sheng Yu on her desk.

So she moved the milk bottle to Sheng Yu's side.

Song Ke learned from Jiang Chan during evening self-study that Tang Ci had signed up for the sports meet. He walked over to Tang Ci's desk and asked her if she had found teammates, and casually stuffed a washed pear into her hand.

"Found it." Tang Ci took a bite of the pear, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "Thank you."

Song Ke happened to have a math problem he didn't understand, so he stood next to Tang Ci's table, eating a pear while asking Tang Ci to explain it to him.

Tang Ci listed the steps for him before explaining the knowledge points contained in the question in detail.

Because she was chewing a pear, her voice was muffled, so Song Ke leaned closer to listen and whispered something to her.

After explaining one problem, the two of them ate the pear as well.

After Song Ke left, Tang Ci realized that Sheng Yu had returned sometime earlier and was standing outside the door with Zhou Yiyang, letting the night wind billow his shirt.

The clean scent of soap mingled with a faint aroma of tobacco, drifting gently in through the back door.

Tang Ci slowed her breathing and took a tissue to wipe the pear juice off her fingers and lips.

Before class, Sheng Yu returned to her seat, tapped the glass bottle containing milk with her knuckles, and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you going to drink some?"

Tang Ci stared blankly for two seconds before suddenly realizing, "This was bought for me."

Sheng Yu raised an eyebrow, "Do I have to put it in your hands before you'll know?"