Chapter 35 The class defaults to each month...

The class defaults to rotating seats between groups once a month, although the actual interval is longer because no one mentions it intentionally or unintentionally. The desks are too heavy and there are too many things, making moving them a big project.

That day, Fang Minzhou was transferred from the fourth group to the first group again. She always sat by the window, and the spring scenery outside the window was always the same.

Once in chemistry class, Teacher Zhan asked Fang Minzhou to go to the office to get some forgotten experimental equipment. She walked from the third floor to the fourth floor and found herself all alone.

Sunlight neatly filled the corridor, birds chirped in the treetops on one side, and a teacher lectured in front of the blackboard on the other. Some students who were not paying attention in class noticed her passing by. In those few short minutes, Fang Minzhou felt as if she had received a magic spell to stop time.

She chatted with Ouyang Qian, who also remarked with a sense of感慨: Yes, spring has arrived.

She didn't talk to Wang Kan about these things; it was rare for him to calm down and study, and she didn't want him to get distracted again.

Springtime is not for studying, but May is for labor.

In response to Labor Day, the school organized a school-wide clean-up, followed by a spring study tour, which was essentially a spring outing. However, it included some social practice activities, such as cooking for themselves. Everyone was quite excited about this, since if their own cooking wasn't good, they could just eat someone else's.

Two things happened during this period.

The first thing is during the spring cleaning.

Fang Minzhou knew that Wang Kan probably wanted to help her, and then she knew that Wang Kan was afraid of being misunderstood by her classmates. In the end, she made it seem like she was deliberately picking on her, saying that the glass was not clean enough, and she even tried to snatch the rag from Wang Kan's hand.

Fang Minzhou was speechless. Wouldn't this just attract more attention?

Upon seeing this, Lin Sinian gently reminded Wang Kan. Fang Minzhou's face immediately darkened upon seeing Wang Kan. Lin Sinian seemed somewhat surprised as well, and smiled slightly at Fang Minzhou, probably implying that she should contact him if she needed anything.

"What kind of look are you two giving each other?" Wang Kan asked her coolly after Lin Sinian left.

Fang Minzhou found these words rather unpleasant, glanced at Wang Kan, didn't reply, and took a rag to clean.

Then, Wang Kan, who was carrying a chair into the classroom, and Lin Sinian, who was going to take out the trash, bumped into each other at the back door. The chair hit Lin Sinian's calf, and he gasped in pain, causing the trash in his dustpan to fall to the ground.

The injured person was Lin Sinian, and the one at fault was Wang Kan. Fang Minzhou found a broom and cleaned up again. She and the other classmates asked Lin Sinian if he was alright. When they went to check on Wang Kan, his expression was even worse.

Fang Minzhou's heart skipped a beat.

Lin Sinian said he was fine, that it was an accident, and apologized to Wang Kan. Wang Kan didn't say anything, turned around and left the classroom with a dark face, leaving the rest of the students looking at each other in bewilderment.

Fang Minzhou didn't take sides; instead, he was afraid that everyone would blame Wang Kan, but at this point, he also felt that Wang Kan had gone too far.

Previously, she only thought Wang Kan was childish and throwing a tantrum, but now she realized that he was genuinely hostile towards Lin Sinian. However, Fang Minzhou couldn't understand why. The more he disliked Lin Sinian, the more he made it seem like she and Lin Sinian had something going on, which deeply offended Fang Minzhou.

On her way home by bike that evening, she hesitated for a long time, but still brought up the topic of the daytime cleaning. She told him that if he really wanted to help her, he should finish his own work first, and then no one would find it strange if he came to help.

"Besides, I don't need your help. Don't always..."

Fang Minzhou wanted to suggest that Wang Kan should try to show off, but that would be a bit unpleasant, so she didn't say it. In the end, she suggested that Wang Kan should apologize to the class monitor.

Suddenly, an extremely piercing screech of brakes pierced Fang Minzhou's eardrums like an arrow. Startled, she quickly stopped the car and looked back.

Wang Kan, seemingly unharmed, stopped the car with both feet on the ground. The shade of the trees and the streetlights divided the space into light and shadow; he was in the shadows, so his expression was obscured, but he spoke through gritted teeth: "You want me to apologize to Lin Sinian?"

At this point, Fang Minzhou felt there was nothing more to say to Wang Kan, and she said in a cold voice, "Then if you don't want to apologize, then don't."

Anyway, she wasn't the one who was considered to have a bad temper by her classmates.

"Fang Minzhou..."

Wang Kan called to her from behind, but Fang Minzhou ignored him and just kept riding her bicycle faster.

The following Saturday, Wang Kan had mentioned that he had something to do at home that day, so Fang Minzhou went straight home after her tutoring session. When they met again on Monday after returning to school, the atmosphere between them was a bit awkward, and it didn't improve until the day of the spring outing.

The second thing happened during the spring outing.

That day was a bright, sunny day, with not a cloud in the sky.

Upon arriving at the scenic area, we first climbed the mountain, then descended to the ravine, and arrived at an outdoor training base. In addition to the climbing frames and suspension bridges on land, there was also a covered suspension bridge suspended ten meters above the water.

Compared to a sheer cliff, the difficulty level seems much lower, but when you get to the front lines, you can't help but feel weak in the knees.

Seeing the people on the bridge trembling like soybeans on a sieve, those who were about to cross turned back and joined the end of the line. The next person, startled, also ran away. One after another, the line was instantly disorganized and scattered. After a brief period of chaos, Fang Minzhou became the next person in line.

She wasn't entirely without fear, but... she was more confident that nothing unexpected would happen.

As Fang Minzhou fastened her seatbelt, she glanced back and discovered that, without her noticing, the person standing behind her had become Wang Kan.

He was expressionless, as if he was still sulking. After exchanging a glance with her, he looked away.

Fang Minzhou turned around, said "thank you" to the staff, then walked to the rope bridge, grabbed the ropes on both sides, and steadily stepped onto the first plank.

After walking a few steps, when the suspension bridge swayed again, Fang Minzhou knew that Wang Kan had caught up.

Perhaps it was out of the mind of some messenger, knight, or hero, but with him bringing up the rear, Fang Minzhou's heart did feel slightly more at ease, even though they hadn't exchanged a single word today.

The ten-meter suspension bridge isn't very long, and the beginning is fairly smooth. But halfway across, those in the middle are vulnerable from all sides. Any movement from anyone in front or behind could cause the bridge to tilt or sway. The ground beneath your feet is a series of undulating waves, making it feel as difficult as trying to walk in a straight line on a trampoline where people are constantly jumping and falling.

She fell.

Fang Minzhou was still a little dazed when the staff pulled her up, but when she saw Wang Kan's pale face in the crowd, she realized that something terrible had just happened.

Later, Fang Minzhou heard a rumor circulating among some classmates that she had fallen because of Wang Kan.

Why? Nobody knows what happened, so there are even more bizarre explanations. Fang Minzhou was startled when she heard this. "No, I just accidentally did it."

"……Really?"

Some people still didn't believe it, saying that they had a bad feeling when they saw Wang Kan behind Fang Minzhou, "I felt that you were walking particularly fast behind me..."

That's a bit...

The suspension bridge swayed back and forth. Sometimes she felt Wang Kan leaning towards her, and sometimes she felt like she was being pulled backward into Wang Kan's arms by gravity. With her adrenaline surging, she couldn't help but want to finish the bridge as quickly as possible. If she hadn't been unable to control her body, she would have liked to rush to the other side like those parkour athletes.

However, this has little to do with Wang Kan, Fang Minzhou emphasized.

"It's actually quite exciting..."

After Fang Minzhou finished speaking, he saw that everyone looked surprised.

She said awkwardly, "It's a bit like... bungee jumping? But with a seatbelt, so you only fall a little bit."

"...Aren't you afraid of heights?"

"Don't look down, look to the side." Fang Minzhou almost laughed as she said this, as if she were imparting some kind of experience. "It feels like... being on an airplane?"

Ouyang Qian laughed: "Now that you mention it, I want to go back and try it again."

"Didn't you say before that you were going bungee jumping after the college entrance exam?" Fang Min asked.

Although some people still mention that Wang Kan did something excessive before, and that Wang Kan has been studying so hard this semester, it seems that she just wanted to surpass Fang Minzhou, but thinking about what just happened, it should be an accident. Although Wang Kan has a bad temper, she is not a bad person.

This cleared up the misunderstanding, and Fang Minzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

A feint... This time it really was a feint. She had no idea that her relationship with Wang Kan had deteriorated to this extent in the eyes of the other students in the class.

When they arrived at the picnic site, Fang Minzhou saw that Teacher Zhan had called Wang Kan aside for a private talk, and she suspected that it was related to her.

After Wang Kan returned, Fang Minzhou had just finished washing the celery.

Stir-fried celery with chicken gizzards was originally Wang Kan's dish. Fang Minzhou handed the celery to Wang Kan, and the two didn't exchange a word. Fang Minzhou went to do other things, and a little while later, Wang Kan cut her finger, and blood instantly flowed out, scaring the rest of the group half to death.

Fang Minzhou brought iodine and bandages. Before anyone could call Teacher Zhan, she took Wang Kan to a shady spot to disinfect the wound.

Fortunately, the cut wasn't too deep. A cotton swab soaked in iodine was gently applied to the wound. Wang Kan didn't say anything. Fang Minzhou quietly glanced at him. He had his eyes downcast, and his expression was unreadable.

When Teacher Zhan arrived after hearing the news, Fang Minzhou had already bandaged Wang Kan's wounds. Teacher Zhan then called Wang Kan to the sunshade.

Fang Minzhou washed the celery again and set it aside. She waited until she finished cooking her dishes, but Wang Kan still hadn't returned. She looked around but couldn't find him; she only saw Zheng Yanhang and Wu Cheng frantically working at the barbecue grill. Finally, Fang Minzhou found Wang Kan by the lake behind the pine forest; he was skipping stones.

The stone was thrown out forcefully, bouncing repeatedly on the calm water before sinking to the shimmering, golden waterline. Wang Kan then looked away.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Fang Minzhou was walking towards him. He wanted to dodge, but he couldn't. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he was kneading the stone in his palm.

"Dinner is ready," Fang Minzhou said to him.

Wang Kan responded sullenly, but didn't move. After a while, he spoke hesitantly, "I'm sorry."

"What?" Fang Min didn't react for a moment.

Wang Kan looked at her.

The midday sun illuminated everything in perfect detail, and Fang Minzhou noticed that his eyes were a little red. "...Did Teacher Zhan scold you and make you cry?"

Wang Kan: "..."

He looked down and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. "It was from the wind."

"What did Teacher Zhan say about you?" Fang Minzhou asked in a different way.

Wang Kan didn't say anything, but Fang Minzhou felt something was off. Could it be that he cut his finger and cried from the pain?

"...So you're not angry with me anymore?" Wang Kan asked cautiously, his shoe tips scraping against the mud.

Fang Minzhou understood a little; he was referring to the incident where she fell off the suspension bridge. She joked, "It wasn't really you who pushed me down."

Wang Kan suddenly looked up at her, as if she was a little angry that she would still joke about this.

Fang Minzhou touched her nose. What's going on here? Who fell down anyway? "I'm fine, I had a seatbelt."

"What if there isn't one?"

Fang Minzhou: "..."

"I won't go up without a seatbelt."

"What if there's a problem with the seatbelt?"

Fang Minzhou: "..."

Such sophistry seems to ruin both humanities and science studies.

"I'm sorry..." Wang Kan realized his emotions were getting out of control. He was trying to ask Fang Minzhou for forgiveness, but it sounded like he was blaming her. He was just... too scared. He wanted to protect her. But he ended up doing nothing.

Before she fell, her ears flushed, she whispered for him to stay away from her. He wanted to, but couldn't. Perhaps because of the legendary suspension bridge effect, his heart was pounding faster than during a 1000-meter sprint in his physical fitness test. His attention was focused on the sweat glistening on the back of Fang Minzhou's neck in the sunlight.

But the moment he watched Fang Minzhou fall before his eyes, all romantic thoughts vanished, and his mind went blank. He later thought that he would never experience anything more terrifying than this in his life.

Teacher Zhan scolded him for only thinking about the present and not the future, saying, "Do you think it's exciting? Huh? You're so happy, aren't you? What if something happens? Can you take responsibility? What I'm talking about isn't just this spring outing."

Teacher Zhan was right to scold him.

“I thought you wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” Wang Kan said.

"...No." Fang Minzhou felt that Wang Kan was so fragile right now, as if he cared about her and was blaming himself, but she was perfectly fine. On the contrary, his image in the eyes of his classmates had plummeted, which made her feel a little guilty.

"...Don't you think I've embarrassed you?" Wang Kan asked again.

Oh, this...

Logically speaking, she should have felt a little embarrassed, falling in front of so many people, but... perhaps it was because the situation was too sudden, perhaps it was because everyone's concern came first, or perhaps it was because Wang Kan was pale and flustered at the time, she was embarrassed, but she didn't really feel ashamed.

She recounted her bungee jumping experience using a metaphor.

Although she has never bungee jumped before, and probably doesn't have Ouyang Qian's courage, recalling the feeling of hanging in the air at that moment, she still felt as if little birds were about to fly out of her chest—it was the embodiment of freedom.

Wang Kan looked at her.

“But…” Fang Minzhou said, “I’m still angry about what happened before.”

Wang Kan was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant and said, "It won't happen again."

Not entirely sincere, Fang Minzhou frowned slightly, "Why do you dislike the class monitor?"

“There are many reasons,” Wang Kan said quietly. “I hate that you call him class monitor, I hate that his grades are better than mine, I hate that your two names are always listed together when the exam results are released, and I hate that you and him always laugh like that.”

Wang Kan made a gentle smile.

I also hate it... You and him seem to be the same kind of people.

“Oh, and Jin Baihao too. He keeps asking you questions, and I really don’t like him,” Wang Kan said. “I’m just jealous.”

"What...to eat?" Fang Minzhou stammered.

“Jealous,” Wang Kan said clearly. “You don’t know, right? That’s normal, because you’ve never been jealous of me. You don’t like me the way I like you.”

Fang Minzhou remained silent.

She should have argued back, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Many words may never exist as printed words in a lifetime. "Jealousy" is certainly not a new word for Fang Minzhou, unlike English words she doesn't know. But because she was jealous, it was the first time in Fang Minzhou's life.

Although she disliked Wang Kan's unreasonable and unfounded suspicions, she couldn't suppress the sweetness in her heart, which made Fang Minzhou feel very vulgar.

"Does this mean I'll only be able to talk to you, the only guy?" she asked.

"That's not entirely true..."

“I actually think that what you’re doing is very disrespectful to me and to other people.”

Wang Kan seemed not to have thought about this question. After a moment of stunned silence, he admitted, "You're right."

His moral character is inferior to that of Fang Minzhou.

Silence fell between them again. Wang Kan, as if thinking she was angry again, looked over and said, "So I know I was wrong, and I won't do it again."

Fang Minzhou was amused by his change in expression. She tapped the stone in his hand with her chin, mimicking the motion of skipping stones, and asked, "How do you play this?"

There's a saying that there's only a fine line between genius and madness, happiness and suffering seem to be interdependent, and heaven and hell are actually just a stone's throw apart.

Wang Kan coughed, blushing, "...I didn't choose a good stone."

I felt incredibly frustrated.

"...You actually skip stones, right? You were just kidding me?"

"No way, why would I lie to you?" Fang Min looked at Wang Kan with surprise. "Why are you such a sore loser?"

Wang Kan: "..."

As they entered the pine forest, they could faintly smell the lively atmosphere coming from the campsite. Fang Minzhou remembered something, "But everyone now thinks that the two of us..."

The relationship is not good.

She hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.

Wang Kan already knew, and didn't seem to care: "Well, isn't this perfect? ​​Just what you wanted."

Fang Minzhou: "Mainly because I have a very bad impression of you."

Wang Kan: "Then you have to take responsibility for me."

Fang Minzhou: "..."

Wang Kan looked cuter when she was crying earlier.

Just as they were about to cross the woods, Fang Minzhou was about to discuss with Wang Kan who should go back first when she suddenly saw someone ahead. Fang Minzhou almost hid, but it was Ouyang Qian.

What are you doing here?

Ouyang Qian chuckled, "Isn't this helping you keep watch?"