Chapter 20

Her clean, fair face was turned to face him, her thin bones clearly visible due to long-term malnutrition.

Chen Zhou stared at her face and slowly said, "Sometimes I speak without thinking because I'm emotional, so if you feel uncomfortable when I say something, you can tell me."

"Not everyone in this world is a bad person, and you can't guarantee your safety by excluding them."

"No one is worthless. There will always be someone who appreciates what you have, whether it's what you consider a personality flaw or what you think is difficult to get along with. Even if you don't need appreciation, there will be someone who envies the qualities you have that they don't."

He remained silent for a while.

“Your personality isn’t a flaw. I really like your nonchalant attitude towards everything; it’s pretty cool.”

"Besides, I really like the way you try so hard to study..."

Jian Sheng suddenly turned her head, and Chen Zhou's startled voice stopped abruptly. He looked at her reddened eyes and stammered, "I..."

She didn't speak, and the stubborn look on her face softened considerably.

At that moment, her eyes were moist with tears, shimmering with tiny sparkles, as she looked at him.

A hint of envy lingered within the brokenness.

"The kind of 'liking' I'm referring to is the kind of appreciation..."

Chen Zhou swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a little nervous: "I'm not trying to please you, this isn't charity... I'm just telling the truth."

Sometimes, these things aren't about deliberately trying to please you or trying to pull you into any circle. It might just be about wanting to be friends with you. This is normal social interaction; it's not something done intentionally...

He blushed from her gaze to his neck, instantly recalling how he had been soaked in the rain.

Oh my god! Won't it look ugly?

He subconsciously raised his hand to tidy his hair.

Jian Sheng had already looked away and nodded: "Thank you."

"It's because I don't know how to be flexible," she said quietly.

"Hey, no, why are you blaming yourself again? Okay, I didn't explain clearly. You are you. Just be yourself and don't worry too much. When you stop dwelling on a relationship, you'll naturally be able to get along well. If you keep worrying about whether it's your fault, you'll only amplify those emotions and subconsciously move in that direction. If you end up breaking up, you'll tell yourself, 'See, that's the kind of person I am.'"

“Over time, you’ll numb yourself.” Chen Zhoujing ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s true, a friend of mine told me that.”

Jian Sheng took a breath, the damp smell of rain filling her nostrils, and she felt the discomfort in her chest lessen considerably. She patted herself and stood up, saying, "Thank you, Chen Zhoujing."

"Um... just now..."

"No, no, no, no need to apologize." Chen Zhoujing clapped his hands and stood up. He glanced at his watch. "It's already seven o'clock..."

He observed her expression: "We live in the same neighborhood, can I take you home?"

“Okay,” Jian Sheng said without refusing.

The rain outside gradually stopped, and the two slowly walked out of the entrance path and into the residential area.

The sky had darkened, and the streetlights on both sides of the road in the residential area came on.

Chen Zhou was standing very close to her. He asked, "You still haven't told me where you live?"

Jian replied in a low voice: "Building 9, Unit 2".

"I never expected that we would live in the same neighborhood. Aren't you surprised?" Chen Zhou exclaimed. He wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been following her the whole time.

"Mm," Jian replied.

“I was surprised too. It means it’s really fate. The fate is too great,” Chen Zhoujing said again.

Jian Sheng didn't reply this time.

"Since we're so lucky, are we friends now?" he said.

A long silence followed.

Just when Chen Zhoujing thought she wouldn't respond, Jian Sheng suddenly spoke up: "Mm."

Chen Zhoujing stopped joking, his heart inexplicably pounding, then racing wildly.

He unconsciously clenched his fists, the veins on his hands becoming very prominent on his lean arms as he exerted force.

Oh my god.....

He suddenly couldn't control his tongue: "Then would I be considered your first friend after you came to Jiangzhou?"

He suddenly regretted asking the question and wanted to slap himself.

Jian Sheng thought for a moment and shook his head: "No."

Then she added, "Lin You."

"What?" Chen Zhou was surprised, thinking he hadn't heard clearly. "Lin You?"

"You mean the class monitor?" he said.

Jian Sheng nodded: "And..." Qi Jing and Xu Xiaxia.

"Fine, fine, you don't need to say anymore, I don't want to hear it." Chen Zhoujing interrupted him; after all, he wasn't ranked first...

"Are you angry?" Jian Sheng suddenly turned his head.

"Huh?" Chen Zhoujing looked into her watery eyes and cursed inwardly. He suppressed the surging emotions in his chest and laughed, "Of course I'm not angry."

How could he be so cute? He added, "How could I possibly be angry?"

"I have a very good temper."

“Oh, then I have a bad temper,” Jian said.

"No, no, how could you have a bad temper? That's just a personal trait, I think it's a good thing," Chen Zhoujing said.

She would say something to refute him, and he would correct her, and they bickered all the way to the bottom of Building 9.

Chen Zhoujing handed her the bag and waved to him, saying, "Bye-bye, see you tomorrow."

"Okay." Jian waved goodbye.

"I'm in Building 13, bye-bye-bye." He finished speaking and watched Jian Sheng go upstairs.

After she left and her figure disappeared from sight, Chen Zhou came to his senses in shock. He gasped for breath and clutched his chest.

"Holy crap, what's going on?"

"I went."

They jumped harder and harder.

"She looks quite pretty when she cries."

*Smack*

Chen Zhou slapped himself in shock: "Holy crap, what am I saying?"

"What a weirdo I am!" he exclaimed, and hurried home.

After Jian Sheng went upstairs, he stood on the balcony and watched him chatter away downstairs, putting on a self-directed and self-acted performance. He didn't know what he was saying, but after he finished speaking, he threw his backpack on his shoulder and ran wildly under the streetlights downstairs in the community.

She touched her face; it felt numb.

Chen Zhoujing's words made her rethink things.

The next morning, she arrived very early, around 6:20 a.m. at the school gate.

She held the milk that Ye Hua heated every day and stood quietly at the gatehouse.

There were many students coming and going, so she shrank back and searched through the crowd from time to time.

After about fifteen minutes, a figure slowly walked towards the tree-lined path of the school.

Jian Sheng instantly straightened her back, swallowed hard, and felt a little nervous.

Soon, the figure approached.

Lin You didn't see her at first; it was only after Jian Sheng said "that" that she turned around because she recognized the name.

And just like that, their eyes met Jian Sheng's awkward gaze.

Her eyes darted around, and she seemed very uneasy.

Lin You clenched her hands: "What's wrong?"

Jian Sheng hesitated, wanting to speak but too embarrassed to.

"Everyone's inside, don't block the way here." The gatekeeper suddenly patted the iron gate and shouted.

Lin You raised her hand, then put it down again as if remembering something. She pursed her lips and said, "Let's go inside first."

Jian Sheng nodded, and followed behind her half a step as before. When they were almost at the teaching building, Lin You suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at her.

Jian Sheng's eyes widened as she looked at Lin You, who was squinting at her, and asked, "What do you want to say to me?"

Jian Sheng touched her face, her ear tips turning red, and said to her, "Um, this is for you."

She handed her the milk from her left hand and added, "I'm sorry."

Lin You was a little confused, then suddenly remembered something and smiled: "Such a small matter?"

"I accept the milk, no need for an apology." She accepted the milk, feeling the warmth of her fingertips.

Jian Sheng nodded: "Thank you."

She then followed Lin You's steps.

The latter smiled, opened the milk cap, took a sip, and praised, "Wow, you chose a good milk! It's delicious. I haven't had breakfast yet, thank you!"

"You're too kind," Jian said, lowering her head shyly.

A few meters away, Chen Zhoujing looked away, clicked his tongue, and glanced at the sweet milk in his hand: "Why does it taste a little strange today?"

"Is it because plain milk tastes better?" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Then should I give her plain milk next time?"

"Who are you sending it to?" He Shang suddenly appeared, leading a large group of boys from Class 13. "Damn it, I stayed up all night at the internet cafe last night. That bastard from Class 7, when you weren't here, he was so arrogant, he completely dominated me."

"What are you doing?" He nudged Chen Zhoujing, who was staring at the milk without saying a word.

"What the hell are you fantasizing about while staring at a bottle of milk?" Xu Xiao jumped up from behind.

"What is that?"

"What is Chen Zhoujing doing?" Several people walked up from behind.

"Get lost, shut up! Your heart and eyes are even dirtier!" Chen Zhou glared at him.

"No, why are you blushing?" Xu Xiao said.

"Ah." Chen Zhou touched his face in surprise, then kicked him after realizing what was happening. "Damn, it's so hot in the middle of summer."

Xu Xiao chuckled: "Oh, 25 degrees Celsius is indeed very hot..."

"Hahahahahahaha." Several people in the crowd laughed.

"Stop laughing. The results are coming out today. The teacher is going to scold you and Zhao Chengyang again. It's always collateral damage!" He Shang said.

Xu Yanghe, standing to the side, adjusted his glasses and said, "He's alright, still the top student in the grade. Zhao Chengyang is in a terrible situation. They finally gave him the title of class monitor, but despite his hard work, his grades have been hovering around tenth place. He even got a disciplinary action. His parents are waiting for him at home with a stick every day. As soon as he gets home, I can hear the roaring from next door. Tsk tsk."

“His parents even beat him.” Chen Zhou frowned in surprise.

“Shoot him. His father firmly believes that corporal punishment will produce filial piety. He’s also a strong-willed person and will argue at the slightest disagreement.” Xu Yanghe shook his head.

"Mainly because his parents don't like him very much, they always say he's disobedient..." someone added from behind.

Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise: "This fight was started too abruptly."

"You still know how to back out? When you get carried away, no one dares to stop you from hitting me." He Shang punched him.

Then Chen Zhoujing said, "Damn, we should have picked an outside school and fought one-on-one after school!"

Everyone was speechless...

In the classroom in the morning, everyone was listless. Some were so tired they were sleeping on their desks, some were praying to gods and Buddhas, and others were engrossed in their phones.

Jian Sheng took out a book, looking slightly nervous.

Bang.

The back door was suddenly pushed open by several boys, startling Jian Sheng, who tilted her head to the side.

"Damn it, I'm telling you, you have to come this weekend. Damn it, Yu Chao is such a jerk. If he can't find you, he'll come to us!"

"We have PE class tomorrow afternoon, Thursday, and their class happens to be there too..."

A few boys came in, chatting and laughing.

Just as she was about to turn her head back, Chen Zhoujing, who was in the lead, looked over and raised his chin at her.

Jian Sheng thought for a moment about how to respond.

"Oh my god, I'm telling you..."

"What are you laughing at?" He Shang frowned and punched Chen Zhoujing, who had suddenly stopped.