Chapter Two

The already quiet classroom was now practically silent.

Most of the students who were just buried in a sea of ​​questions looked up, not daring to utter a sound. The bolder ones glanced furtively at the two people involved, secretly praying that they wouldn't be affected by this brutal war.

My deskmate winked at the baby-faced boy, as if to say, "See! I was right!"

Yu Congxi, who was in the eye of the typhoon, stopped in her tracks. Her first reaction was that Shen Yue actually knew her name.

But now doesn't seem like the time to think about that.

Seeing Shen Yue's face grow increasingly dark, the rest of the class held their breath, waiting for You Congxi's next move.

"Clatter".

Shen Yue's pen fell onto the table—

"Why are you standing here instead of going back to your seat to study?"

You Congxi was startled by the loud voice behind her. She turned around and met a pair of smiling eyes behind the frameless glasses.

"What's wrong?" the man asked, putting his hand on You Congxi's shoulder. "Did you get glue stuck to the soles of your feet?"

After recovering from her shock, You Congxi turned around obediently and greeted, "Teacher Tang."

Tang Miaosong nodded, gesturing for her to return to her seat.

Since it was the first day of school, after the opening ceremony that lasted half a morning, we changed shifts, moved our things, and were able to go eat on our own.

You Congxi was in a hurry when he left. He only glanced at Qu Qizhan's location before rushing to the canteen to satisfy his hunger. He had no idea who was sitting around him.

The seats in the classroom were mostly occupied. You Congxi glanced at her seat based on her memory. The two empty seats were quite noticeable, but what was even more noticeable was Shen Yue, who stood behind the empty seats with a cold and aloof expression.

You Congxi: "..."

Maybe this is fate.

She resigned herself to her fate and walked over.

As I pulled out the chair and sat down, I could still faintly hear a cold laugh coming from behind me.

You Congxi: "..."

Her laughter is really awful.

Tang Miaosong, wearing high heels, strode to the podium, glanced around, and smiled: "Welcome everyone to Class 7, our big family. If nothing unexpected happens, I will be in charge of you from today until you return to school for your graduation ceremony after the college entrance examination."

Tang Miaosong turned around and wrote his name and contact information on the blackboard. Then he turned back, threw the chalk back into the chalk box, dusted off his hands, and introduced himself:

"My name is Tang Miaosong. Miao means wonderful and Song means pine and cypress. Some students call me Teacher Tang and some call me Sister Miao. It's all fine."

“But,” Tang Miaosong paused, “some people call me the Wonderful Pine Tree, Tang Qishu, and others call me Tang Qishu—these won’t do.”

Shen Yue touched his nose.

There were scattered bursts of laughter in the classroom, which eased the tense atmosphere considerably.

Qu Qi slipped in through the back door, only catching the last sentence. She sat down next to You Congxi, glanced at the teacher's back as he fiddled with the whiteboard on the podium, turned to the side, and asked You Congxi in a low voice, "What's this about odd and even numbers—what's our homeroom teacher's name? Tang Qishu?"

You Congxi: "..."

Qu Qi didn't understand You Congxi's silence and continued to mutter, "A strange big tree? What's its name?"

You Congxi: "..."

With fools on the right and wolves behind, life is unbearable.

Tang Miaosong stepped aside, and Qu Qi finally saw the name on the blackboard.

Tang Qishu tapped the lectern with his fingers: "Come on, everyone, look up."

Dozens of heads below immediately looked up at the exam schedule on the whiteboard.

"I hope everyone takes this opening exam seriously. I'm sure you've all heard the rumor that our class is the 'key class among the five humanities classes'—"

Tang Miaosong paused for a moment: "The reason I call it a rumor is because many people are skeptical of this claim. I just want to say that whether it's a rumor or not, we'll know once the results are right in their faces."

A commotion broke out in the classroom. Tang Miaosong smiled and raised her hand to calm it down.

"Alright, have you finished writing down the exam schedule? Let's start packing."

Because the classroom had just been moved, You Congxi packed up very quickly. She stacked the books one by one, carefully lifted them from the bottom, rested her chin on the top book, and hugged it to her chest like she was holding a bomb.

"Hello."

Shen Yue called out to her, staring at the striking red mark on You Congxi's fair forehead, and said what he had wanted to say since she entered the room:

"You... be more careful when you walk next time."

You Congxi's heart skipped a beat.

So they really came to settle scores with her?

It's not good to keep hiding like this. Why not apologize now? Better to end it now than suffer for a long time.

You Congxi moved her lips as if to say something, but she underestimated the weight of the stack of books. Her middle finger suddenly cramped, and the stack of books, which was half her height, was about to collapse.

Shen Yue quickly realized what was happening and reached out to help.

"Thanks, Zheng Yu, I'm so grateful to you."

Shen Yue watched as an unidentified object darted out from the side, quickly stepping forward to steady the pile of books.

Shen Yue: "......"

His hands froze in mid-air, his face as black as the bottom of a pot, as he watched You Congxi chatting and laughing with that pretty boy with her eyes crinkled.

Still shaken, You Congxi tilted the book in his arms upwards and smiled gratefully at Zheng Yu.

“It’s nothing,” Zheng Yu curled her index finger and pushed up her glasses, her narrow eyes curving into a smile. “I’ll help you carry it.”

“Ah…” You Congxi is not good at refusing others, especially people with whom she is not very familiar.

She mentally organized her thoughts, wanting to refuse: "Actually, no..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was forced to swallow his words back down.

Zheng Yu knew her fairly well; after all, they had been classmates for three years. He leaned closer and, with a bit of force, snatched the stack of books into his own hands.

Shen Yue, who was once again a step too late to strike up a conversation, was speechless.

Oh shit.

That's utterly shameless!

Shen Yue was so angry he was practically fuming. He prided himself on not being a gentleman, but he would never do something so shameless.

After giving the shameless scoundrel a few cold stares, Chen Yue, still feeling sullen, heard a few cautious "Excuse me"s in his ear.

The gaps between the tables weren't large, just enough for one person to pass through. Shen Yue had to sit back down at the table to make way for a few girls, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pretty boy next to him helping You Congxi pack her books, and a plan suddenly came to him.

......

Excuse me.

Zheng Yu, holding a book, spoke to Shen Yue, who was completely blocking the aisle.

Shen Yue glanced at him sideways, then lazily looked away and continued to slowly tidy up the messy pile of books on the table.

The setup looked like they were sorting dry waste at a landfill.

Zheng Yu raised her knee to nudge the books that were about to slip off, glanced at the messy pile of books on Chen Yue's desk, which was neatly covered with book covers and had been unintentionally created by Chao Jue, and recalled the bad rumors about this person at school. A rare look of impatience appeared on her usually calm face.

"Excuse me, please make way."

"......."

Shen Yue pretended to be deaf.

Zheng Yu's frustrated expression really made him feel good.

Ha, pretty boy, huh? Serves you right for being so cocky.

You'll sink to your death!

"Little Fish, what are you standing there like an idiot for? Aren't you heavy?" Qu Qi came back after moving the books and found You Congxi still standing in the same spot.

Shen Yue was shocked. Just then, Zheng Yu turned slightly to the side, revealing the girl who had been hidden behind him.

The girl, holding a book half her height, slowly sank into the earth's core.

Shen Yue: "......"

Half a second later, a broad road appeared before Zheng Yu's eyes.

Zheng Yu: "......"

Before You Congxi could react, she felt her hand lighten, and when she looked up again, she could only see the hem of Shen Yue's clothes disappearing through the back door of the classroom.

Her expression turned somewhat serious.

It seems that whether or not an apology is made no difference.

She underestimated how vengeful the school bully was.

Qu Qi, who had come looking for him, was a little confused: "What's he doing? Starting a fight?"

I also want to ask about the scenery in Congxi.

She vowed she would never roll her eyes again.

Zheng Yu turned around and gave her a reassuring look: "I'll go take a look, don't worry."

Stepping into the corridor, the tall, slender figure in front of me stood out.

Zheng Yu watched coldly from the sidelines, and after a long while, let out a soft sneer.

Someone like Shen Yue, even if you gave him eight hundred years, he still wouldn't be able to win anyone over.

As fellow males, Shen Yue's awkward affection is incredibly easy to understand, but unfortunately, the girls only find it inexplicable.

Just like when a dog wags its tail at a cat, the dog thinks it's being friendly, but to the cat, it means, "Little kitten, can your little body withstand two of my bites? Come on, let's fight!"

Zheng Yu curled the corners of her lips and brushed past a certain dog.

"......"

Shen Yue put down his books and hurried back to the classroom, sweating profusely. He wanted to explain, but the burden was too heavy. Even though he had mentally rehearsed his explanation a thousand times, the words that finally came out were still stiff and unresponsive:

"Don't carry so many books next time."

The boy's sweaty bangs were swept back, revealing his indifferent eyebrows and eyes. His amber eyes were cold, and his lips were pursed, giving him an impatient look.

The two were very close, and You Congxi could clearly smell the unique soap scent on Shen Yue's body.

It turns out he thought she had too many books and they were in the way.

Why are there so many problems?

You Congxi was not someone to be trifled with. After being worried for so long, she simply felt that it was better to avoid trouble. This uncertainty about what would happen next made her extremely irritable.

Looking up and meeting Shen Yue's downcast gaze, You Congxi said in a flat tone, "I accidentally bumped into you in the cafeteria today, sorry."

"Also, please don't touch my books without my permission next time."

After saying that, You Congxi was about to leave. She should have apologized when she bumped into someone; she was definitely in the wrong. She didn't know what had happened, why her mind went blank and she ran away. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caused such a whole series of troubles later.

Since we've already offended them, one more time won't make a difference.

Let's get our tongues shut first.

"Are you two great immortals sparring with each other?"

Tang Miaosong's voice drifted from behind, startling You Congxi.

She turned around, met those eyes that seemed to be smiling but weren't, said "Teacher, I'm going to the restroom," and slipped away like a greased rag doll.

As for Shen Yue, who was forced to stay behind alone to face the large pine tree—

Who cares?

Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

Goodbye, you vengeful spirit.

-

Qu Qi stretched and said, "Oh, I'm finally done with the exams. I'm so tired."

You Congxi packed his schoolbag slowly, not forgetting to pour cold water on him: "You're early at least, there's still one more day tomorrow."

Qu Qi craned his neck and howled, pounding his chest and stamping his feet: "The school is really ruthless, pulling this on the very first day of school!"

"That student!" The slightly overweight figure of the head of student affairs appeared at the back door: "Why aren't you going home after school? What are you doing making such a racket in the classroom?!"

Qu Qihu's body trembled, and You Congxi accelerated his packing.

The two quickly stood up with their backpacks on, resignedly greeting Lu Botao.

"Director." "Director Lu."

When Lu Botao saw You Congxi's face clearly, his expression relaxed immediately, and even his tone became a hundred and eighty times gentler: "You Congxi, how did the exam go? Don't put too much pressure on yourself. It's okay to relax a little. Alright, go ahead and shout. Go home early after you're done shouting."

Qu Qi: "......"

"And you, Qu Qi!" Lu Botao turned to the girl next to him, his eyebrows raised. "Don't think I don't know you skipped half of the opening ceremony this morning to go to the cafeteria. You're a sophomore now, and you're still so irresponsible. Think about it, if you keep going like this, which foot will you be able to step into the gates of university?!"

Qu Qi: "......"

A combination of rewards and punishments, and teaching according to aptitude—this is truly the style of a great educator! Lu Botao walked away, patting his potbelly with satisfaction.

"......"

As the two passed by Lu Botao's office, they could hear faint reprimanding sounds coming from inside the half-open door.

Qu Qi clicked his tongue in empathy: "We're both in the same boat."

You Congxi glanced inside subconsciously and felt that the tall, slightly nonchalant, lazy figure inside looked somewhat familiar.

She looked away and said goodbye to Qu Qi at the school gate.

"Aren't you going back to Shuxiangyuan today?" Qu Qi asked.

Shuxiangyuan is located near the school. It was rented by You Congxi's mother specifically for her convenience when going to school.

You Congxi paused for a moment: "No, I'm just going to my dad's for a meal."

Qu Qi frowned: "You said you weren't feeling well and couldn't go."

You Congxi smiled and said, "Forget it, I can't go more than a few times a year anyway. I just started my second year of high school. If I don't go, he'll start nagging me. It's annoying."

Qu Qi: "I've never seen a father like this. His daughter lives alone outside, and he doesn't even bother to check on her. She says she has to come over for dinner whenever she wants, but after dinner it's completely dark. He doesn't even offer her a place to stay, let alone see her off! It's unbelievable! And your stepmother isn't any better—"

"Alright, alright," You Congxi patted her shoulder reassuringly, "The person involved hasn't even had a chance to grab a knife yet, and you've already stabbed them to death."

Qu Qi sighed and waved his phone in his hand: "Anyway, call me if you need anything. I'm available 24/7."

You Congxi nodded: "Don't worry, it's just a meal. You should go home now."

Watching Qu Qi's figure disappear around the corner, You Congxi stood still for a moment, lowered his head, kicked a small pebble in front of him, walked over, and continued kicking forward.

Most of the students had left by this time, and there were few cars on both sides of the street. The sun was about to set, and the setting sun shone on You Congxi. She didn't look up and just walked casually along the street, listening to the sound of pebbles rolling.

Bang.

It was the dull thud of a pebble hitting a hard object.

You Congxi raised his gaze slightly and saw a pair of unfamiliar shoe tips in his line of sight.

As she slowly looked up, two boys with peacock-patterned hair stood in front of her, arms crossed.

Well, to be precise, they were two thugs.

There are quite a few schools in this area, with regular high schools, vocational high schools, and key high schools all mixed together, making it comparable to the Colosseum in ancient Rome.

You Congxi glanced around at the surroundings. It was an unfamiliar alleyway covered with various half-torn advertisements and messy graffiti on the walls. It didn't look good.

She squinted and carefully examined the school uniforms of the two people in front of her, which looked like rags, and guessed: "Tenth Middle School?"

One of them, who had an eye tattooed on his forehead, stepped closer and raised his voice: "What do you care where we got it? Stop talking nonsense and hand over the money!"

Another mohawk-wearing man casually pulled a folding knife from his pocket and twirled it in his palm.

Wow, that's pretty good teamwork.

Don't let You Congxi's seemingly harmless and weak appearance fool you; in fact—

"Here, this is all the cash I have on me."

In fact, she is the kind of person who is genuinely capable of dying from exhaustion after running 800 meters.

Perhaps they had never seen such a cooperative sucker before, the two thugs were stunned, unsure whether this person was pretending to be weak while actually being strong.

Aren't there enough cases like this already?!

They are not inexperienced greenhorns; these are lessons learned through blood and tears!

Especially those who appear to be weak and helpless are extremely likely to unlock hidden items.

The mohawk-wielding man brandished his folding knife, threatening, "Let me tell you, don't even think about trying anything funny. Do you know who our boss is? I'm afraid you'll wet your pants if I tell you!"

"—Shen Yue, do you know him? The infamous school bully of No. 1 Middle School, a big shot in Xinghai District, everyone who sees Brother Shen offers him a cigarette!"

You Congxi paused, startled: "Who?"

Shen Yue, who was being reprimanded in the director's office?