Chapter Thirty-Six

Shen Yue was just one second away from dying.

When he opened his eyes again and saw the time displayed on his phone, he felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

She sprang up with a swift movement, got dressed, washed up, and styled her hair. She grabbed her backpack and rushed out of the room, instinctively heading straight for the dining room to grab a slice of toast. But after looking closely, she abruptly stopped in her tracks.

There wasn't even a plate, let alone toast. The place was completely empty. Shen Yue turned a corner and went out to offer incense for his solitary life.

With a "bang," the door slammed shut behind us.

Shen Yue arrived at You Congxi right on time.

You Congxi glanced at him with her arms crossed, picked up her phone to check the time, and chuckled enigmatically, "You're really punctual."

Before Shen Yue could catch his breath, he immediately raised three fingers and swore, "I really got up, I got up at 5:30."

You Congxi: "...Look at what time it is now."

Shen Yue explained, "After I got up, I sat for a while and felt it was a bit too early, so I thought I'd close my eyes and rest... um, and then when I opened my eyes it was this late."

You Congxi: "..."

That's exactly the kind of thing Shen Yue is capable of doing.

She turned and walked towards the elevator, secretly relieved.

Everything that happened this morning will be swallowed by her as breakfast and never see the light of day again.

For example, she left home only one minute earlier than Shen Yue in the morning.

As for why...

bite.

When the elevator arrived, Shen Yue took a long stride and stepped into the elevator first.

He pressed the open button and gestured to You Congxi that there was no need to rush.

You Congxi walked in slowly, wondering what had gotten into him last night that made him set his alarm for 5:25 this morning.

She hadn't slept well during her second nap, and she yawned while covering her mouth, feeling a little unsteady on her feet.

My mind was fogged up. The elevator was quiet, with only a slight mechanical hum, which served as good white noise. You Congxi had to hold on to keep from falling to the ground and losing consciousness.

"Small fish swimming."

"Um."

She forced herself to respond and turned to look at Chen Yue.

Shen Yue wasn't sleepy at all. He had been inexplicably excited since last night, as if he had drunk a hundred cans of Red Bull and then done five hundred push-ups.

He looked at the girl standing obediently in the corner of the elevator. She looked a little dazed, clearly not fully awake. A few strands of hair stuck up on her forehead. She had a backpack on her shoulders and her jacket zipped up to the top, making her head and face look even smaller. He thought he could cover her completely with one hand.

You Congxi glanced at him a few times, and seeing that he had called her name but then stopped, she became a little annoyed and wanted to turn back.

"Small fish swimming."

Here we go again, but this time You Congxi's tone wasn't as friendly: "Speak."

If you dare not speak, you're dead.

Shen Yue couldn't help but laugh. He simply couldn't believe that he and You Congxi had actually become neighbors, walking to and from school together every day, and maybe even doing their homework together after school...

Am I dreaming?

You Congxi was a little speechless: "Well, you should lie down and go to sleep, stop talking in your sleep."

After Shen Yue lay down on the ground, perhaps she could place him under her body so that her clothes wouldn't get dirty.

You Congxi, who was so sleepy that he could see double, thought to himself.

"Small fish swimming."

"Shut up."

This time, she didn't even turn her head.

This person was so annoying, You Congxi regretted letting him go with her.

She looked up at the elevator's electronic display screen, wondering why the elevator was going down so slowly this time.

Before she could figure it out, she felt her hair being gently pressed down on her forehead.

"......"

Having one's hair touched is a very peculiar feeling. Just as you strike a snake at its vital spot or grab a cat by the back of its neck, You Congxi has felt since childhood that touching human hair is the same principle.

That's how it is for her at least, especially since the object of her affections is...

"Why can't it be pressed down..." she heard Shen Yue mutter softly, "It's like withered grass, withered grass."

You Congxi: "..."

He kept provoking her.

When people are in a bad mood and get provoked, their fighting power will be three times that of usual.

You Congxi decisively reached out to pull Chen Yue's hair, when something soft suddenly touched the corner of his mouth.

"......"

"You... have breadcrumbs on your lips," Shen Yue hurriedly explained, trying to cover up his mistake.

bite.

The elevator doors opened, and the two people and the middle-aged woman carrying a shopping basket stared at each other.

Shen Yue's hand was still half-cupping You Congxi's face, while You Congxi's outstretched hand stopped just next to Shen Yue's hair, as if she wanted to touch it intimately.

The older woman: "......"

The older woman: "?"

Aren't young couples dating too recklessly these days...?

Are young people these days going crazy?!

If the elevator door closes automatically after a long wait, the older woman quickly pressed the button. Before she could say anything, the young couple hurriedly escaped and brushed past her without looking back.

The woman watched the two figures disappear into the distance, snorted coldly, and as soon as she entered the elevator, she took out her phone, scrolled through her contacts, and called Old Li.

"Hey, Lao Li, I've noticed that society is in complete chaos! Young people these days are going crazy!"

-

You Congxi walked ahead, hands in his pockets, kicking pebbles.

The sun had just risen, and the air still carried the scent of the previous night's moonlight. It was chilly. She shrank her chin, burying half her face in the collar of her coat, revealing only her round, almond-shaped eyes.

She went to school alone as usual, pretending not to know the boy following behind her who was eating a steamed bun.

As he kicked at the pebbles under his feet, You Congxi's previously chaotic thoughts were almost completely dissipated by the cold air.

Whatever, it's just a touch, what does it even mean...?

A boy's shoulder was touched, and the aroma of steamed buns wafted on the breeze. His voice was slightly hesitant: "I want some..."

"roll."

"OK."

Shen Yue retreated to a distance of five steps behind her.

Looking at the girl's resolute back, he couldn't help but sigh heavily, and even the steamed buns in his hands lost their flavor.

Overwhelmed with excitement in the elevator, I saw bread crumbs on You Congxi's lips and before my mind could even process it, my hand reached out.

This has caused quite a stir.

If he weren't still holding a steamed bun in his hand, he would have pulled out his own hair. Would You Congxi think he was some kind of hooligan or something...?

Every cell in his body was filled with regret. He took a vicious bite of the thin-skinned, generously filled meat bun in the cold wind, his stomach aching from the regret.

The two didn't exchange another word until they entered the classroom.

You Congxi was surprised to find that the classroom, which had been as noisy as a market, suddenly fell silent after she stepped into it, and then she was met with gazes, some open and some subtle, searching at her.

?

Was it because she stepped into class with her left foot first today?

After she sat down, Shen Yue, who was a little behind, made his appearance. She heard some faint gasps, followed by a buzzing discussion that she couldn't suppress no matter how low she tried.

She and the others looked at Shen Yue, who had calmly taken his seat.

"What's wrong?" Shen Yue noticed the gazes of the others in the class, especially You Congxi, and was a little confused. He nervously touched his face. "Is there something on my face? Did I not wash the toothpaste foam off my mouth?"

You Congxi withdrew his gaze.

Shen Yue didn't get an answer but instead received a glare. Knowing that You Congxi was still angry, he stopped dwelling on it. After all, the thoughts of those geniuses in Class 7 were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. He picked up his schoolbag and rummaged through it, completely unaware of Yin Zixuan's chilling gaze from the seat in front of him.

Liang Jing noticed her deskmate's mood, glanced at her deskmate, and then glanced at the culprit, whose identity was obvious without even guessing. She couldn't help but feel indignant and shared the same hatred as Yin Zixuan.

"What are you looking for? This is a mess." He Qizheng's voice came from behind.

Liang Jing's eyes lit up when she caught a glimpse of the disciplinary record book spread out on the table.

"A whistleblower letter," Shen Yue said.

"A whistleblower letter?" He Qi was a little puzzled. "Who are you reporting?"

Liang Jing flipped back to yesterday's notes, and seeing Shen Yue's name clearly written in black ink, a smile crept onto her lips. She tried to restrain herself, but couldn't resist gently nudging Yin Zixuan's arm with the notebook, wanting to share the good news with her: "Yin Zi..."

“Liang Jing,” Shen Yue said.

"Report Liang Jing?"

Tang Miaosong held the letter of complaint handed to her by Shen Yue and examined it. Although she inevitably had to act as a judge for her students after becoming a homeroom teacher, this was the first time she had encountered someone directly handing over a letter of complaint.

"Yes, Teacher Tang, I am filing a formal complaint against Liang Jing for abusing her power and causing trouble for innocent classmates for her own selfish desires," Shen Yue said righteously, clutching his stomach.

"You're innocent?!" Liang Jing, who had been standing silently to the side, couldn't help but exclaim in shock upon hearing his shameless words.

"Hey, calm down, everyone calm down." Tang Miaosong raised his hands, acting as a peacemaker.

After listening to their respective defense arguments and combining them, she roughly understood the whole story.

The gist of the story is that Shen Yue was passing notes in class but didn't receive a reply. He then falsely accused Yin Zixuan of deliberately not passing him notes. Yin Zixuan got angry and said she would never pass him notes again. Liang Jing sentenced Shen Yue to a day in the office for disrupting class discipline and slandering classmates by passing notes in class. Shen Yue disagreed and wanted to appeal, accusing Liang Jing of favoritism and bending the law, and that a minor crime should be punished severely.

After Tang Miaosong finished recounting what had happened, the homeroom teacher of Class 6 couldn't help but laugh and come over to tease her: "People say that homeroom teachers are like mothers, but I think this homeroom teacher is more like a kindergarten teacher. Her students are always playing house or arguing. She can't cause any trouble."

Tang Miaosong was also somewhat helpless. These big boys and girls, who were all a head taller than her when they stood up, quarreled over these things every day. She found them both cute and infuriating, and simply didn't know what to do with them.

"How about this," Tang Miaosong thought for a moment, "we're organizing an autumn outing on Friday, so you two can be the class leaders. There will be some competitions, and whoever's team wins gets an apology from the other team, how about that?"