Chapter 14

Jian Sheng was already feeling uneasy under Zhao Chengyang's gaze, and Zhao Chengyang's words struck her like a blow to the head, leaving her frozen in place.

There was a two-second silence; no one spoke for a moment.

Suddenly, someone behind them started to jeer.

"Holy crap, Chen Zhoujing is amazing."

"Yo yo yo yo yo".

"The cycad is blooming."

"Get out, get out! What are you saying?" Chen Zhou's brow twitched, and he subconsciously looked at Jian Sheng's expression. Her hair had grown long again, almost covering half of her face, so he couldn't see her expression clearly. However, he could tell from the small movement of her shoulders drooping that she was uncomfortable and suppressing her emotions.

"You all go back." Chen Zhou turned around and winked at He Shang. The next second, He Shang urged everyone to go upstairs.

After the others left, Jian Sheng's head remained drooping, and he didn't speak. The gazes of others felt like ants gnawing at his skin, making him uncomfortable and uneasy.

Chen Zhoujing tightened his grip on both hands: "I'm sorry, I scared you. They were just joking."

He stepped forward, wanting to comfort her, but she recoiled abruptly as if in a state of shock.

"Are you alright?" Chen Zhoujing stopped in his tracks, placed his hands in front of him, and took a step back. "You go first, you go upstairs first?"

Jian Sheng raised his hand to wipe his forehead, intending to show that he was fine, but his hand was pulled away by a force.

"What are you doing?" She looked up and met an anxious face.

His face suddenly came into her view, and she could clearly feel the smoothness of his skin.

His voice was gentle: "Don't cry."

"I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to." Chen Zhoujing was indeed flustered, thinking that her gesture of wiping sweat was wiping away tears.

Jian Sheng frowned, pulled her hand away, and said through gritted teeth, "I'm not crying, don't touch me."

"Okay, okay, I won't touch you. If I touch you again, I'm a dog." Chen Zhou was surprised to see that he wasn't crying and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll go back and tell them not to make fun of me," he added.

Jian Sheng closed his eyes briefly: "You don't need to be subservient to me. You don't owe me anything."

"I feel uncomfortable because I'm not used to other people's gaze, it's my problem." Her voice grew softer as she spoke. It was her problem, she knew, but she couldn't change it. She always magnified details that others didn't even notice.

After saying that, he walked up the stairs on the right.

Chen Zhou was taken aback, and only caught up after she had taken a few steps: "Hey, did I lower myself?"

"It was completely subconscious." He genuinely felt she would be angry, almost instinctively...

"What do you mean, 'your problem'? It's our way of expressing ourselves that's the problem. Why are you creating problems for yourself?" Chen Zhou stared at her downcast back.

"No." Jian Sheng didn't want to talk anymore; he had talked too much, and he didn't know which sentence to follow up with.

"Besides, they like to joke, and some of those jokes shouldn't be taken seriously." Chen Zhou was surprised to see that she was ignoring him, so he took another step forward and walked to her side.

"I know!" Jian Sheng remained silent.

"No, you don't know, we here really like to joke around, you know, those kinds of random things, some of them are really not to be taken seriously, don't feel bad about it..." Chen Zhoujing wouldn't listen.

The two had reached the third-floor stairwell, where a number of people were standing. Several eyes were drawn to Chen Zhoujing's voice.

"Hey, it's Chen Zhoujing..." someone reminded him.

A voice, punctuated by a sudden outburst, echoed throughout the hallway: "Chen Zhoujing, you fucking better not let me run into you again."

Chen Zhoujing didn't respond, his gaze lingering on Jian Sheng's lips: "Seriously, we guys like to joke around, but most of the time it's just us teasing me. It has nothing to do with you. Next time you feel uncomfortable, just tease them the way you teased me..."

“?” Jian Sheng turned to look at him.

"Hey, no, that's not what I meant. I didn't say you were fierce," Chen Zhou chuckled.

"Damn it, Chen Zhoujing, did you even hear me?" That angry voice rang out again, but the two figures going upstairs still had their backs to him, and no one paid any attention.

"Brother Chao, stop talking, they're all gone," the boy next to him holding a basketball reminded him.

Yu Chao glared at him: "I don't need you to fucking say it."

“He’s an idiot.” Yu Chao then pointed to himself. “Me, a handsome guy.”

"Alright, alright, I got it. He's the school heartthrob, you're the school bully." A disdainful voice came from the other side of the corridor, mocking him without any politeness.

Two figures had already reached the third floor. Chen Zhoujing unconsciously moved closer to Jian Sheng: "Let's go back to the topic we were just joking about..."

"I know," Jian Sheng said, annoyed. "We don't know how to date, so stop talking."

“........” Holy crap.

Chen Zhoujing stopped in his tracks, staring at Jian Sheng's retreating figure... No, that's not what he meant.

He just meant that the guys he hangs out with sometimes make fun of him, so he might not think before he speaks and doesn't mean it that way.

"Who's dating?" A figure walked over from the corner of the door on the third floor.

It was Xu Yanghe, Chen Zhoujing's deskmate. He was holding a stack of test papers, staring with shocked eyes: "You two."

"no!"

"no!"

Two resolute words overlapped.

Xu Yanghe: "Haha, we're in sync."

After saying that, he walked past the two people and headed downstairs.

Chen Zhoujing looked embarrassed. He hurriedly caught up with Jian Sheng's departing figure, but now he was even more unable to explain himself.

He wanted to say something more, but Jian Sheng raised her hand to stop him, and so the conversation between the two came to an end.

But Chen Zhoujing's gaze kept drifting towards her. He didn't know why he always liked to talk to her. He felt a sense of familiarity with her, or rather... he wanted to see what she was like beneath her aloof exterior.

Several girls from other classes were standing at the entrance of Class 23, Grade 11.

He Man was holding a girl's arm, leaning against the corridor railing, chatting with Zhao Chengyang. A smile played on her lips, and her two dimples appeared when she spoke or smiled, making her face look very lively.

"Then I'll take you next time, and I won't give my phone to my brother," Zhao Chengyang said, scratching his head sheepishly.

He Man smiled and was about to agree when she caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of her eye, and she turned her gaze over.

Chen Zhoujing was strolling lazily down the corridor, his hands in his pockets. The bright morning sun shone on his hair, making it seem to glow. A complex expression crossed his face, his eyes filled with helplessness and a hidden turmoil as he looked toward Jian Sheng, who was walking a meter ahead of him.

He Man froze, her nose suddenly stung, and the smile on her lips faded. Zhao Chengyang immediately noticed this change and subconsciously turned his head to follow her gaze. When he saw the person walking towards him from the other side of the corridor, his eyes darkened.

Damn it, I forgot to mention that the two of them were having a romantic date downstairs. Zhao Chengyang looked away with some annoyance: "He's back."

"Didn't you say they had nothing?" He Man's voice was strained.

“No.” Zhao Chengyang looked away. “Everyone knows she gets angry at him every day.”

He Man clearly didn't believe it. When she saw the two of them going back together a couple of days ago, her heart had already died. But after playing a game with Zhao Chengyang and he said no, her confidence was rekindled. But every time she saw them together, all she saw was the two of them sticking together.

The two slowly approached, and He Man blinked, holding back the tears that were about to fall.

"You just got back? What have you been doing?" Zhao Chengyang asked impatiently.

"Nothing much," Chen Zhoujing finally looked away and said casually.

"What are you doing?" His gaze swept over the two of them for a moment. "Oh?"

Zhao Chengyang clicked his tongue: "Shut up."

Chen Zhoujing fell silent, revealing a knowing look on his face. He glanced at Jian Sheng, who was about to enter, and said, "Hey, wait for me."

Jian Sheng ignored him and slowly walked in.

He Man's eyes were slightly red, and she stood awkwardly in the corridor.

Throughout the second year of high school, everyone knew that He Man, this great beauty, had a crush on the top student in the grade; it was practically an open crush. Because she and Lin You were classmates in junior high, she always knew some of Chen Zhoujing's habits and activities. Compared to those who secretly admired him, she was much better off. Many people thought the two of them would get together, but only He Man herself knew that she was even worse off than someone who secretly admired him.

"Are you alright?" Zhao Chengyang took his hand out of his pocket, looking flustered. He saw her reddened eyes and didn't know how to comfort her.

He Man shook her head, her eyes reddening even more.

"Holy shit." Zhao Chengyang turned around and went to the back door, took out a pack of tissues from his seat, and said, "Wipe this off."

When He Man saw the tissues being offered to her, she felt even more upset, and tears streamed down her face.

“Manman…” The girl beside her patted her back, comforting her.

In an instant, several acquaintances in the corridor gathered around.

Lin You and his two companions, who had just returned from the convenience store, looked bewildered. Xu Xiaxia quickly stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

Lin You frowned and looked at Zhao Chengyang: "Did you bully her?"

Zhao Chengyang scoffed, "What do you mean, 'me'?"

"That damn Chen Zhoujing!" He was so annoyed with him, that idiot.

Lin You pursed her lips and looked at the person in the classroom who was talking non-stop next to Jian Sheng.

"Don't cry." She took a tissue from Zhao Chengyang and wiped her eyes.

"Did Chen Zhoujing upset you?" Xu Xiaxia's face darkened. "Is he sick in the head?"

"No...no." He Man wiped her eyes. "He didn't make me angry."

She couldn't bring herself to say that she liked it.

More and more people gathered at the door. Those in the class who were there to watch the excitement opened the glass window and crowded around to see what was going on.

"What's going on?"

"It sounds like someone is crying outside."

Who is it?

"It seems they were bullied by Chen Zhoujing."

"?" Chen Zhou, who was chatting happily, was startled. "I think I heard my name."

Jian Sheng, who had been silent until now, finally spoke: "Yes, I was calling for you. You can go now."

"..." Chen Zhou blinked in surprise, straightening up from his slumped position on the table.

"Monk, what's going on outside?" he shouted to He Shang, who was standing at the back door watching the commotion.

His voice wasn't quiet, and as soon as he spoke, those who had been watching the commotion in the classroom all turned to look at him.

He Shang sighed and walked over to him, pinching his shoulder: "You've got a lot of trouble for you, Uncle Chen."

Chen Zhou was somewhat bewildered.

"Let's go out and sort this out quickly, you've hurt the young lady's feelings." He Shang glanced at Jian Sheng, then at Chen Zhoujing, and shook his head.

"?" Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes in surprise. "It's really related to me?"

"What did I do?" He stood up and walked towards the door.