Chapter 9

The mealtime was short; Jian Sheng had just finished writing the last stroke when the sound of conversation rose and fell from the back door.

Several students who were about to have lunch rushed back, chatting about a newly released mobile game and speaking in a language that Jian Sheng couldn't understand. She closed her paper and prepared to go find Zhong Mei when she heard a bright, clear voice.

"Where's Zhao Chengyang? Go find him to play ball." The voice traveled through the stuffy air of the classroom and reached Jian Sheng's ears.

She clutched the book in her hand, preparing to walk towards the front door, when suddenly, the voice softened considerably and asked her, "Didn't you have lunch?"

Jian Sheng paused in her steps, and Chen Zhoujing stepped forward to be level with her. He glanced at the test paper in her hand: "Are you going to find Teacher Zhong?"

"Mm." She nodded.

"Why aren't you eating lunch? Don't you want to go?" he asked softly.

Jian Sheng frowned, looked up, and asked in a questioning tone, "Can't I just not eat if I don't want to?"

Chen Zhou froze, the ball slipping from his grasp and landing in the aisle. The classroom fell silent, save for the thud of the basketball hitting the floor.

As soon as she said it, Jian Sheng was also half-stunned. Her eyebrows relaxed, she apologized, and walked past him.

Only after she left did someone in the back row dare to speak up: "Um, is Chen Zhoujing still going?"

The class representative picked up the ball that had been dropped on the ground and called out to Chen Zhoujing's back as he stood there.

Chen Zhoujing abruptly shifted his gaze from the figure fleeing in panic at the front door, then turned and patted the class representative on the shoulder: "They're gone."

There were about four or five people at the entrance, walking together towards the basketball court. They were curious about the atmosphere between Chen Zhoujing and his new classmates.

"What did you do to upset her?"

"The new classmate is quiet and has a rather fierce expression. Why are you walking right into his trap?"

"This is the first time I've seen someone try so hard to get a response..."

"People always experience discomfort when entering a new environment. To judge someone based on only two or three perspectives is tantamount to bullying them," the clear and calm voice said, and no one else spoke.

"Besides, I did offend you."

Since the two were going in different directions, Jian Sheng ran towards the corridor connecting to the opposite building as soon as she left the door. She breathed a sigh of relief after she had walked a distance away. She didn't know why she couldn't help but get angry when she met him, even though he meant well.

"Sigh." Jian Sheng clutched the notebook in her hand, lowered her head, and slowly walked down the corridor.

As luck would have it, a few people walked up from the opposite side.

"I'm going to watch the game. Are you guys coming? Are you coming with me?"

Are you going to watch the game or to see him?

"Of course I'm going to see him," the voice said, growing closer, tinged with confidence and playfulness.

Jian Sheng unconsciously walked towards the edge of the corridor, her body gradually tensing up.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded from the other end of the line, greeting her: "Jian Sheng."

The sound silenced the entire corridor instantly. Jian Sheng raised her head under the gazes of the group, her face flushed with a dense, tingling sensation. She nodded to them.

"Are you going to see Teacher Zhong?" Xu Xiaxia asked after Qi Jing called her name.

Jian nodded and then said, "Yes."

She was very tall, but her gaze lingered on the four men's waists.

"Then you go first, we'll head back now." After Xu Xiaxia finished speaking, she turned to He Man and said, "I think you might as well be more direct. You've used this excuse to come and see Xiao You a hundred times already, Chen Zhoujing will definitely see through it!"

Lin You and He Man were classmates in junior high school. They met at the gate when they were about to enter high school and happened to be in the same class. After the classes were divided, He Man often came to see her, and the two became familiar with each other.

"Is it Lin You?" Xu Xiaxia nudged her.

Feeling the force of the arm, Lin You finally looked away from Jian Sheng's lonely figure and tilted her head: "Oh, really?"

After saying that, he added, "But Chen Zhoujing can't see it, can he? He's stupid."

"Was that the transfer student in your class?" He Man didn't answer the two of them, but turned around and asked.

Lin You looked at her, and He Man's face showed curiosity and an eagerness to know. Under the three people's affirmative gaze, she asked again, "I have seen Chen Zhoujing lying on the table staring at her back several times when I passed by your class. He also rarely goes to the basketball court anymore."

Qi Jing and Xu Xiaxia exchanged a glance, seemingly unconcerned. Xu Xiaxia said, "Impossible. The new classmate doesn't say a word, and he's incredibly funny."

Before she could finish speaking, she bent over and laughed: "Last week, Chen Zhoujing mistook her for a boy and said he would take her to play ball. He talked nonsense in her ear for a week. When he found out she was a girl, the sky fell down. He spent the whole weekend asking He Shang how to apologize properly."

"I burst out laughing." Xu Xiaxia's laughter was so loud that it made several people grin involuntarily.

"Oh, I see." He Man chuckled twice. "I think this new classmate doesn't seem very willing to interact with others."

"No, not really," Qi Jing said softly, pursing her lips.

"You're being too sensitive." Lin You stopped laughing and patted He Man's shoulder. "Come on, wait outside our classroom. We'll go downstairs after we put our things down."

As Jian Sheng walked into the dimly lit corridor, the pounding in his chest finally subsided.

She took a breath and went to the second floor across the street to find Zhong Mei.

For several days in a row, during lunch break, while others went to eat, she would finish correcting her mistakes first, and then study during the twenty minutes before the teacher finished eating.

There wasn't much time at noon, and she usually got to the classroom before the bell rang. Today she was a little late, and by the time she got outside the classroom, the bell had already rung and the curtains were drawn. She walked to the back door and tried to keep her voice down.

Jian Sheng pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed to be blocked by something inside. She had no choice but to go around to the front door, which was also locked. She took a step and leaned against the white wall by the door. She looked up and saw the iron sign on the door, which read "Class 23 of Senior High School".

She bent down, sighed, stood at the door, opened the test paper and notebook in her hand, and began to look at the questions.

The midday sun was blazing, and the chirping of insects filled the air, long and thin, enveloping her in a sweltering heat that caused beads of sweat to trickle down her forehead.

She had planned to stay outside for the afternoon to review the questions, when suddenly someone pulled back the curtain at the side window and saw her.

The student, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and still bore marks, opened the glass window: "Holy crap, what are you doing standing outside?"

Jian said in a low voice, "Both doors are closed, I can't get in."

The classmate glared at the back door, then turned back after a few seconds: "The front door is for keeping out the old teacher, but the school has a rule that we have to leave one door open. Zhao Chengyang is too big for the back door, he's blocking it. Next time you can't open the door, just knock."

"Oh, someone went to open it. You go quickly, I'm opening the window to let some fresh air in, it's too stuffy in here." Her classmate pointed to the back door, briefly thanked her, and took a few steps back.

She had just stood there when the door opened from the inside.

Jian Sheng looked up and met a pair of bright eyes in the dim light behind the door. She looked away, lowered her head, and went inside.

"Thank you." She said, and walked towards her seat without waiting for his reply.

Chen Zhoujing didn't mind. He patted Zhao Chengyang on the shoulder, put the mop behind him back next to the trash can, and quietly sat down behind Jian Sheng.

After waiting a while, he picked up his phone from his pocket, checked the volume again, opened the game, played a round, and waited for the character in the game to finish the battle before opening the chat box.

Not long after, the figure by the back door automatically tossed the phone into the table with a clatter, then lay down to sleep.

Chen Zhoujing put away his phone, leaned on the table, and stared at the back of the head of the person in front of him.

Her hair wasn't particularly short, like the hairstyles of boys with long hair. Perhaps because her face was small, it didn't look out of place at all; in fact, it looked quite stylish. Although she didn't really like to pay attention to it, like a thorny cactus, the strands of hair that fell down looked very soft, just like her heart that wanted to express herself but lacked the courage.

While he was lost in thought, the figure in front of him moved. The next second, Jian Sheng turned around, and he was caught off guard when their eyes met. She was sitting upright and had to look down at him. Through the curtains that weren't fully drawn behind her, Chen Zhoujing could clearly see Jian Sheng's beautiful eyes.

Through her clear pupils, he seemed to see himself slumped over the table. In fact, his vision was dim, and all he saw in her eyes was a faint hint of embarrassment.

Chen Zhou sat up abruptly, supporting the back of his neck with his left hand, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"

Jian Sheng slowly raised her hand, placing her fist on his desk. Her palm slowly opened, and Chen Zhoujing saw a sticky note folded into four corners under her slender hand. By the time he looked up again, she had already turned away.

Chen Zhoujing unfolded the note, which read: Thank you, thank you.

Suddenly, he smiled, a very soft smile.

Along with his laughter, several irritating voices also reached Jian Sheng's ears.

In the irritable sounds of being woken up, she heard his incredibly gentle indulgence.

For the first time, Jian Sheng did not refuse his kindness. She put the bread and milk he had put in her drawer into her schoolbag and took it back to her grandmother's house.

When she arrived home, Ye Hua was listening to opera. She gently closed the heavy iron gate, but it still broke the tranquility of Ye Hua listening to Huangmei Opera.

Ye Hua sat on the recliner and glanced at her: "You're back so early, didn't Teacher Zhong say she'd give you some after-school tutoring?"

Jian Sheng paused, not expecting Ye Hua to ask about her studies. No wonder Zhong Mei said she would arrange tutoring for her separately. She had indeed gotten into the school through Ye Hua's connections, and the homeroom teacher she was assigned was the daughter of her grandfather's former friend. Knowing that her grades seemed to be a piece of cake, Jian Sheng gave in within seconds.

She slowly began, "Yes, I went to see Teacher Zhong before lunch break."

"She said she'd rearrange things for me next week..." Jian thought for a moment, "I feel like I can do some of the questions lately..."

After saying that, he felt it was inappropriate and stopped there.

She was somewhat intimidated by Ye Hua, but also deeply respected her.

Ye Hua didn't say anything, just told her to eat and go back to study. Jian Sheng had just opened the door to her room when someone behind her spoke again, the voice carrying a hint of helplessness and disdain: "You don't even eat that bread and milk. It's been sitting on the table for two days. The variety is different every day. Does it not cost money? Zhou Yilian's money has all been spent by your father. I advise you, no matter how poor you are, don't do anything improper."

“I’m almost at the end of my life, I have no obligation to take care of you, at most I can support you until you graduate from university.”

"Qingyao, you have to be patient with it too, this is his home..."

This is not your home.

Jian Sheng lowered her eyes, paused for a while, and then said softly, "Okay, I understand."

She sat at the table, looking at the three different types of bread and milk. Each one looked very tempting. Jian Sheng picked up a bread with a light yellow package, tore it open, and a sweet aroma of bread wafted out.

She took one bite, two bites, three bites.

By the fourth bite, Jian Sheng put down the bread, feeling something rising in her stomach that almost made her vomit.

She can't eat properly anymore; she has no appetite.