Chapter 85

Why didn't she come to me herself?

In the classroom, Xu Shen saw Zhan Xinyue and Xie Wanzhi enter one after the other. Xie Wanzhi's expression was obviously very wrong; her face was ashen and pale. He hadn't seen her show such a wonderful expression when he was talking to her earlier.

Xu Shen glanced at it twice, then indifferently looked away.

He pulled out a worksheet and was about to continue working on the problems when another figure suddenly appeared at the entrance, leaning against the door frame and peering inside. After a short while, the figure's gaze fell on him, and his eyes lit up immediately: "Old Xu! You're really back!"

Xu Shen didn't answer. He got up and walked out, leaning against the door before finally speaking: "Why did you come here?"

"I heard you were back, so I came to see if it was true," Yu Bai said. "Looks like Lao Fang didn't really go all out after all."

"Yes, I'm back," Xu Shen said.

"Why are you so lifeless? It's a good thing you're back, cheer up!"

Xu Shen smiled wryly: "What's there to be happy about? I'm carrying a disciplinary record."

"Oops, I spoke too soon. I take back what I said earlier about Lao Fang not going all out." Yu Bai sighed for a moment, then said worriedly, "Is he going to make you give a public apology during the flag-raising ceremony or something?"

"Probably not. He hates my flamboyant personality, so he wouldn't let me show myself in front of others again."

“That’s true.” Yu Bai nodded. “That’s good, but you’ve got a disciplinary record now, so you’d better behave yourself. Don’t cause any more trouble that Lao Fang can use against you.”

Xu Shen chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Being content, of course I have to be content. Things are like this now, even if I wanted to be unconventional, I wouldn't have the chance."

Yu Bai understood the implication in his words, hesitated for a moment, and didn't reply. While hesitating, he raised his gaze and looked into the classroom, his eyes landing on Zhan Xinyue at the back of the classroom.

Zhan Xinyue was staring at them when he suddenly noticed her and immediately lowered her head.

Yu Bai hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's talk outside a bit."

"Hmm." Xu Shen didn't pay much attention and took a few steps towards the corridor. "I've been thinking a lot since I got back. I'm already in my second year of high school, and I should focus all my energy on my studies. I'm not going to think about anything else."

"It's good that you think that way." Yu Bai patted him on the shoulder. "Not bad, brother, you've grown up."

Xu Shen twitched the corners of his mouth, as if he wanted to smile, but couldn't. He simply waved his hand at him and said, "Alright, go back to class. Don't worry about me."

The uproar gradually subsided due to the indifference of the two parties involved. Without the attention-grabbing excitement, the campus returned to its usual tranquility and dullness.

The weather was not good all day; the sky was gray and hazy, like both fog and smog.

The bad weather affected everyone's mood in the classroom. Especially with all subjects rushing to catch up on the curriculum recently, everyone was under a lot of pressure. Even though it was break time, everyone was sitting there listlessly, heads down.

Zhan Xinyue was also working very hard. Since the last monthly exam, she had been working even harder than before, both to catch up on the basics and keep up with the pace, and to do a lot of practice questions. She knew that she wasn't a particularly smart student, and the only learning method she could rely on was repetition, constant repetition, and then summarizing her experiences through repeated repetition, making steady and slow progress step by step.

When Zhan Xinyue looked up from her study materials, she suddenly felt a sense of disorientation. Unlike the fond memories of her student days in her previous life, she had recently come to truly realize how tough high school life really was.

Her gaze unconsciously fell on the figure beside the podium in front of her. Xu Shen was propping his head up with one hand, just like every other silent and diligent figure in the classroom, buried in his work. He looked so different from how she remembered him in high school that when she suddenly looked at him, she felt a sense of unfamiliarity with him.

What was Xu Shen like before? Zhan Xinyue tried hard to recall.

Her memories of her past life were very blurry, and only scattered fragments remained. She vaguely recalled a scene from a certain afternoon, when the college entrance examination was approaching. A mock exam was a bit difficult, and everyone did poorly. Their average score was far behind Class 1, and they were severely reprimanded by Old Zhou.

During that break, everyone remained seated, the atmosphere oppressive and somber, and the heavy rain outside only exacerbated this somber mood. Since entering their senior year, everyone had been under constant pressure and tension, like a taut string. This kind of blow at such a crucial moment was enough to send everyone's spirits plummeting.

In the silence, the sound of a guitar being strummed suddenly came from the back of the classroom, followed by Xu Shen's casual singing. The sound was not loud, but it easily filled the entire classroom in the quiet.

"It's raining heavily."

The clouds are crying,

"It dripped into my heart with a splash..."

The lighthearted melody paired with Xu Shen's mournful tone immediately made several people laugh. Turning around, they saw Xu Shen squatting at the back of the classroom, holding his guitar, his face filled with a sorrowful expression as if he had seen through the world.

"What's wrong, Lao Xu? Still in the mood to sing?" everyone asked him.

"Can't you tell? I'm feeling very sad, and I'm using this song to express my sorrow." Xu Shen continued singing without stopping his strumming, "Splash, splash, let me go get soaked in the rain—"

"It's raining outside, let's go. Since this guy wants to get wet, we'll grant his wish. Brothers, go! Throw him in the rain!" Someone shouted in the classroom, and immediately some students in the back rows rushed towards Xu Shen.

The back of the classroom was in complete chaos.

For a moment, noise, laughter, and chaos intertwined.

The rain was still falling, but before we knew it, the suffocating stuffiness in the classroom had vanished.

At that time, Zhan Xinyue was sitting in the back row. Her chair was tilted by the jostling crowd. So, while struggling to squeeze out of the "battlefield", she couldn't help but laugh nonstop.

This is Xu Shen, a born optimist, a perpetual optimist, with a magical quality that can infect everyone around him.

But now, Xu Shen's qualities seem to be disappearing rapidly. The person in the front row who is bowing his head and remaining silent at this moment is nothing like Xu Shen; the unique radiance that once belonged to him has gradually dimmed.

Zhan Xinyue's thoughts drifted aimlessly, her fingers unconsciously rummaging through things. Suddenly, she pulled out a small trinket from the bottom cabinet, which rolled to the floor.

Zhan Xinyue glanced at it and realized it was the wool felt that Wang Zhiyi had given her a long time ago. It had been lying in the bottom cabinet and she had almost forgotten about it.

At that time, the King of Felt made three pieces, one for Dai Yun and one for Shi Ziqian.

Thinking of this, Zhan Xinyue couldn't help but look at the empty seat in the front row, then slowly moved to Shi Ziqian. Dai Yun wasn't in her seat; she had gone to the teacher's office. Shi Ziqian was also working on his problems with his head down, but he seemed completely unaffected by the somber atmosphere in the classroom, his expression exuding a reassuring calmness.

After being reborn, everything really changed. The friendship that gradually developed with Dai Yun and the subtle and complicated relationship with Shi Ziqian were completely different from her previous life.

Zhan Xinyue sighed for a while, shook her head, and casually hung the wool felt on her schoolbag next to the Panpan puppy figurine.

After the activity class ended, Yu Bai and Xu Shen walked towards the cafeteria together. Lately, Xu Shen had been listless and unmotivated, showing no interest in anything, and even stopped playing basketball.

This afternoon, Yu Bai finally managed to get him to play for a while, but now he's left early to come eat.

Walking down the street, Yu Bai glanced at Xu Shen's expressionless eyes, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin.

Just as he was worrying, Xu Shen suddenly spoke up casually: "What do you think about me transferring back to Class 1?"

"Huh?" Yu Bai was taken aback. "Why?"

"For no particular reason, I just got bored of staying here."

Yu Bai thought for a long time before saying, "That's not a good idea."

Xu Shen raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You kept trying to stop me when I was leaving, shouldn't you be welcoming me back now that I'm coming back?"

"But you didn't listen back then either?" Yu Bai scratched his head. "Besides, I just told you to keep a low profile. Recently, no one has been mentioning your matter much anymore. You'll be transferred to another class as soon as you come back, and who knows how much gossip will follow."

Xu Shen thought for a moment and said, "That makes sense. Let's just stay until the end of this semester before transferring."

The two arrived at the cafeteria and found a window to queue at. Yu Bai hesitated and said, "Why are you so determined to transfer classes? It's not that easy. I think since you're already in Class 10, you should just stay there."

“How can I stay here peacefully?” Xu Shen sighed. “I have a reputation to uphold too. Just think of me as someone who’s embarrassed and wants to run back. Things have gotten this bad. If I stay in Class 10 any longer, I’ll be running into that person all the time. It’ll be really awkward. Besides, he’ll probably be annoyed to see me every day.”

"Not necessarily," Yu Bai said softly.

"What do you mean 'not necessarily'?"

"It's nothing," Yu Bai said thoughtfully. "You two did have a pretty bad run-up, but don't blame her too much. She didn't do it on purpose."

Xu Shen fell silent, his gaze sweeping over Xu Shen's face twice: "I didn't say I blamed her. But whose brother are you? Why are you suddenly speaking up for her now?"

Yu Bai tormented his hair for a long time before finally steeling himself and telling the truth: "Actually, she came to see me when you weren't here."

Xu Shen was taken aback, stared at him for a long time, and slowly said, "What do you want?"

"She was asking about you; she's quite worried about you," Yu Bai said. "You know, puppy love is a very serious issue at our school. Of course, you probably don't care, since your family is so open-minded, but girls are different. You see, she's clearly a very quiet and reserved girl. Your high-profile and aggressive approach has already scared her. In front of so many people, she did what she did out of desperation; she wasn't trying to embarrass you on purpose. I think you should try to put yourself in other people's shoes sometimes and not be so willful."

Xu Shen lowered his head, his shoe toes grinding against the ground, without saying a word.

"The girl was really upset too. She kept apologizing, saying sorry, and she even cried..."

After a long silence, Xu Shen finally raised his head, his gaze softening slightly: "Why didn't she come to me herself?"