Chapter 36

The next day.

When Lin Li arrived at the classroom, most of the students were already there.

He arrived a little late today because he discovered a serious problem when he woke up this morning.

Blushing, she washed and hung up her underwear before heading to school with her backpack.

It's normal, yes, it's a physiological phenomenon. Lin Li thought, it's definitely not because my thoughts are dirty!

He put his schoolbag away and sat down by the back door.

After sitting for a while, hey, Tong Yao isn't angry anymore, so he can move back now!

Thinking about it, Lin Li happily moved the table and chairs to the front door.

Tong Yao looked up when she heard the noise and saw Lin Li moving the seat back.

Lin Li smiled and said, "Can I move back now?"

Tong Yao paused in her book-turning: "No."

Lin Li was shocked: "Why?"

Tong Yao: "You said yourself that day that you don't like sitting in the front, you prefer to sit in the back, didn't you?"

This is not an injustice to him.

"When did I ever say I liked sitting in the back?!" Lin Li slammed her hand on the table in protest!

Tong Yao: "That morning, when you and that girl were talking about it in the back."

Lin Li then remembered that Zhou Yuan had sat on his desk and asked him why he was sitting there.

A lie I told to save face...

Lin Li fell silent, then angrily drew circles on the table, her face flushed.

"You're bullying me..."

"You said it yourself, I'm just respecting your preferences!"

Tong Yao slammed the book shut and issued an ultimatum: "Go back."

Xu Feng looked at Lin Li moving things around and said with a wry smile, "You two have a really good relationship."

Upon hearing this, Tong Yao paused in her actions.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, I've never heard you say anything like that before..."

This is the first time I've heard someone say "go back" coming from Tong Yao's mouth.

Tong Yao propped her chin up without changing her expression.

"There's nothing we can do. If we give him a nice look, he'll take advantage of us."

“If you ignore him, he will throw a tantrum.”

Tong Yao thought that if she had ignored him just now, Lin Li would probably have kept bothering her and would have looked at her with a pitiful expression.

You could have just sat down...

"It's not like I forced him to move to the back," Tong Yao thought.

Lin Li protested! He was clearly forced to go.

_

Lin Li moved the table back to its original position.

He slumped dejectedly onto the table.

Seeing Xu Feng asking Tong Yao questions from time to time while holding the test paper, he thought, "Forget it, out of sight, out of mind."

Lin Li turned her head away again, refusing to look at them.

"Lin Li".

A cool, clear female voice rang in my ears.

It's Tong Yao.

Lin Li didn't want to talk to her!

He keeps saying he likes me, but he doesn't want to see me all the time!

Seeing this, Tong Yao smiled and casually placed the test paper on Lin Li's head.

"Your exam paper."

Lin Li remained facing the corridor until Tong Yao left.

He then straightened up.

The test paper fell from his head, and he frantically tried to catch it, but he was too late.

The test paper quickly fell to the ground, only to be blown back up by the wind in the corridor.

It scraped right up to the stairwell.

Lin Li: "..."

No, I don't want it!

He turned his head angrily.

_

Zhou Yuan, carrying warm milk and shumai, had just stepped onto the stairs of the teaching building when a gust of wind swept by—and a test paper landed lightly at her feet.

She glanced down instinctively, and the name "Lin Li" instantly caught her eye.

What a stroke of luck! She was just looking for a suitable excuse! Zhou Yuan was overjoyed and immediately bent down to pick up the test paper, as if she had obtained some treasure. She even waved it slightly in the air.

She looked up towards the back door of Class 9, Grade 9, and immediately spotted that familiar figure—Lin Li was lying listlessly on the desk by the door, as if his bones had been removed.

Zhou Yuan tiptoed closer and gently patted his shoulder.

Lin Li lazily straightened up, turned her head and saw it was her. Her face was expressionless, and she only said "Oh" indifferently: "It's you." After saying that, she was about to lie down again.

"Your test paper." Zhou Yuan quickly placed the test paper on his desk, along with the breakfast she had prepared.

However, Lin Li's attention was completely elsewhere, not on breakfast. His gaze was drawn to the neat red handwriting at the bottom of the exam paper—

"Well done!"

It's Tong Yao's handwriting!

He sat up straight instantly, as if injected with vitality, and picked up the test paper to examine it carefully. Oh, it was the physics test paper from that day. Looking at the dense red checkmarks and the brief praise at the end, Lin Li's annoyance immediately vanished, and the corners of his mouth almost uncontrollably turned upwards.

Seeing his focused expression, Zhou Yuan mistakenly assumed he was looking at the teacher's corrections and thought this was a perfect opportunity to start a conversation. She quickly glanced at the test paper and said with just the right amount of admiration, "No wonder you're a top student, you're really amazing!"

As she spoke, she pointed to the first big question and asked, "You can even do such a difficult question, that's amazing."

Lin Li was secretly delighted, but he still tried to maintain a somewhat aloof image. After all, Zhou Yuan was the first classmate to believe in his "academic genius" persona, so he had to keep a respectable facade.

"It's alright," he said, feigning calmness, but a hint of smugness lurked in his voice. "Just apply the formula, it's very simple."

Zhou Yuan immediately seized the opportunity and asked, feigning distress, "Then... could you tell me about it?"

“Okay.” Lin Li nodded readily, picked up the test paper, and pointed to the solution steps with her finger, looking like she was giving a grand tour of the land. “Look, this question is about calculating friction. First, substitute it into the gravity formula to find the weight, and then…”

Zhou Yuan pretended to listen attentively, nodding occasionally, though she didn't quite understand most of it. Once he finished, she immediately had a look of sudden realization: "Thank you! You explained it so clearly! This," she pointed to the milk and shumai neglected on the corner of the table, "is my thank-you gift!"

Before Lin Li could react, she turned and ran away, leaving behind a light and cheerful figure.

"Huh? What breakfast?" Lin Li was stunned for a moment before noticing the extra items on the table.

He looked at the carton of milk and the shumai, and was momentarily speechless.

He can't drink pure milk! It tastes awful. And forget about shumai, he doesn't like it either.

He thought helplessly that he would return it to her during the break between the next class. With that in mind, he casually stuffed the milk and shumai into the corner of his desk drawer.

_

Tong Yao had just returned to her seat and read for a while when she heard a noise at the back door and turned around.

Lin Li was seen explaining the questions to the girl from last time. After she finished explaining, the girl pointed to the breakfast on the table.

Pure milk...

Tong Yao knew that Lin Li wouldn't drink this stuff, so it was a gift from that girl.

Seeing Lin Li accept the breakfast, her heart sank, and an indescribable bitterness spread through her. She turned her head expressionlessly and let out a cold laugh.

"What's wrong?" Xu Feng asked with concern.

"I just remembered something funny." Tong Yao said calmly, the school bell ringing at that moment masking the chill in her voice.

After class.

Lin Li took the breakfast from the table bag to Class 2 downstairs.

Lin Li stood at the door of Class 2 and looked around.

Zhang Siqi was the first to discover it.

She turned her head and called out, "Zhou Yuan, someone is looking for you!"

Zhou Yuan, who was playing a game, was startled and almost dropped her phone.

She looked up and saw Lin Li at the door. Her heart started racing, and she quickly stuffed her phone into her desk drawer and ran to meet him.

"Here, take this back." Lin Li shoved the breakfast back into Zhou Yuan's hands, her tone slightly hurried. "Thank you, but really, you don't need it."

Lin Li didn't wait for Zhou Yuan's response before turning around and leaving. He had just seen Tong Yao explaining a problem to Xu Feng when he went out, and he couldn't just sit and wait to die!

Zhou Yuan stood there, stunned, still holding the returned breakfast in her hands, her face burning with embarrassment. She watched Lin Li's hurried departure, her heart filled with mixed feelings—both embarrassed and somewhat disappointed by his bluntness.

"Zhou Yuan, you're only having breakfast now?" Zhang Sihan came in from the doorway, looking curiously at the breakfast in her hand.

Zhang Siqi leaned closer, her eyes lighting up: "Isn't this from that handsome guy the other day?" She nudged Zhou Yuan with her elbow mischievously, "He actually came all the way to bring you breakfast, could he be pursuing you?"

Zhou Yuan gave an awkward laugh, opening her mouth as if to explain, "Actually, it's not..."

"I'm so envious of you!" Zhang Sihan interrupted her, her tone full of envy. "Having such a handsome guy pursuing you, and even bringing you breakfast. You're so lucky, you little brat!"

Several classmates around also cast curious and envious glances at him.

Zhou Yuan swallowed back the words she was about to say, a voice in her heart saying: Anyway, it wasn't me who said it, they just misunderstood... Let everyone think that way, it doesn't seem so bad.

_

Lin Li returned to the classroom.

Originally, only Xu Feng was asking questions, but now that the group has grown, there are several girls standing there asking questions as well.

Lin Li casually pulled out a math test paper and immediately went over to it after the others left.

He randomly pointed to a question and asked, "Tong Yao, I don't know the answer either, can you explain it to me?"

Upon hearing this, Tong Yao turned her head and glanced at the question, coldly saying:

"You will."

Then he continued reading, adding:

"If you really don't know how, you can go to the office and ask the teacher. Teacher Chen should be here."

Tong Yao ignored him, and Xu Feng asked another question during that time.

Tong Yao patiently explained it to him.

Lin Li looked at Tong Yao with a wronged expression.

Why won't you tell me when you tell him?

Lin Li stood there, not going anywhere, looking at Tong Yao with a pitiful expression.

After asking his question, Xu Feng felt that he shouldn't be standing there, so he got up and left under the pretext of going to the restroom.

"You promised me yesterday that you wouldn't ignore me."

"You broke your promise after only one day!"

Lin Li's whispered accusation.

Seeing that Tong Yao remained unmoved, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You heartless woman!"

A warm breath brushed against her ear, and Tong Yao froze for a moment. Then, a vein throbbed on her forehead as she tried to keep her tone calm as she said, "Look at the question you asked!"

Lin Li was taken aback and glanced at the question she had just pointed to.

Which of the following figures is definitely an axially symmetric figure?

A: Circle B: Rectangle C: Oval D: Trapezoid

Lin Li fell silent.

It does seem a bit too easy.

He glanced at Tong Yao cautiously.

Tong Yao ignored him.

Then the school bell rang.

Xu Feng walked in through the door.

Tong Yao glanced at Lin Li, who was still standing next to her.

He said coldly, "Go back!"

Lin Li shrugged and returned to her seat.

I should have gotten a more difficult test!

Lin Li slumped over the table, frustrated.

Speaking of which, Tong Yao hasn't been calling him "Li Bala" lately, even though it sounds much better than "go back."

_

In the following days, because the weather had been getting colder, Lin Li would jog into the school to keep warm.

Running around makes you sweat easily, so Lin Li took off her coat as soon as she got to the classroom, leaving her only in a thin wool sweater.

Lin Li had barely sat down and hadn't even caught her breath when she saw a bottle of milk placed on the table. She quickly stood up, grabbed the girl who was trying to run away, and said coldly and impatiently:

Why do you put these things on my desk every day?

It's so annoying, I have to return it to her after class.

This has been going on for several days in a row. If I take it to him again tomorrow, I'll have to throw it in the trash!

Zhou Yuan paused for a moment, then quickly rolled her eyes and explained:

"Final exams are coming up soon, and I want you to tutor me, so I'm trying to please you."

Lin Li tossed the milk into Zhou Yuan's arms.

He hasn't been wearing his glasses lately because he's noticed that whether he wears them or not, Tong Yao and the teachers' attitudes towards him haven't changed.

He only took it out to wear when Zhou Yuan came for the first two days, in order to maintain his persona.

"I'm sorry, I'm very busy, I don't have time," Lin Li said coldly.

Zhou Yuan felt that their relationship had become quite good after spending the past few days together.

In addition, she felt that Lin Li was not as aloof as she appeared on the surface.

Actually, she's quite easy to talk to.

Lin Li thought about it more and more and felt that something was wrong.

He glanced at Zhou Yuan suspiciously: "You don't actually like me, do you?"

Lin Li frowned, staring intently at Zhou Yuan, waiting for her answer.

Zhou Yuan hesitated, wondering whether she should just admit it. She was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

"Hey, Yuan—" Wang Hao didn't play basketball today because he still had a little bit of homework left to do and needed to get to the classroom early to finish it.

As soon as I arrived, I saw Zhou Yuan standing at the door of my classroom.

He approached with the basketball in his arms, about to greet her, but was driven back by Zhou Yuan's sharp glare.

"Wang Hao? Good morning."

Zhou Yuan greeted them with a sweet smile.

Wang Hao's grip on the basketball gave way. She actually called out to me, "Wang Hao?"

The basketball bounced up in the corridor due to gravity and rolled to the front door of their classroom.

Lin Li glanced at the basketball that had walked away, then looked at them and asked, "You two know each other?"

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "I know him, he's my neighbor..."

As they were talking, Lin Li saw Tong Yao carrying a schoolbag and holding a tall stack of exercise books as she slowly walked down the stairs.

Lin Li's eyes lit up. Why are you so late today?

Upon hearing that they were neighbors, Lin Li nodded and stood up.

"Then you two can talk slowly."

Before the others could react.

Lin Li bypassed the people blocking her way and jogged to the stairwell.

"Tong Yao, let me help you with that."

As she spoke, Lin Li snatched the stack of exercise books from Tong Yao's hands.

"Hehe, aren't I thoughtful!"

Tong Yao frowned when she saw that Lin Li was wearing only a single layer of clothing again.

But seeing that Lin Li's head was still steaming, he didn't say anything; it was obvious he wasn't cold.

Looking at Lin Li, who was sitting there like a big dog with steam rising from her head, waiting for her praise.

If I praise her, Lin Li will be smug for ages, right?

So Tong Yao didn't react much, instead saying, "Help? As the physics class representative, isn't it your job to carry physics homework?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Li looked down and saw that what she was holding was indeed their physics homework.

She pouted in disappointment for a moment, but quickly cheered herself up again.

He deliberately squeezed Tong Yao while holding his workbook.

Tong Yao was pushed against the wall by Lin Li from the middle of the road.

"How childish of you!" Tong Yao frowned and said coldly.

Lin Li, however, was completely oblivious: "If you don't praise me, I'll feel weak all over, and I won't even be able to walk straight!"

Tong Yao originally wanted to warn the troublemaker with her eyes, but out of the corner of her eye she caught Zhou Yuan standing at the door.

For some reason, Tong Yao changed her attitude.

"Well done, walk properly, there will be a reward."

As she spoke, Tong Yao raised her hand and patted Lin Li's head.

After touching her, Tong Yao quickly put her hand down and walked towards the front door.

Lin Li's eyes lit up, and she followed closely behind Tong Yao, muttering to herself.

"Why did you touch my head? Do you think I'm cute? That's what you said last time. Reward? What reward?"

Lin Li quickly approached Tong Yao. Facing Tong Yao walking backwards, the next second...

He leaned down and whispered in Tong Yao's ear: "Could it be a relative—"

Before she could finish saying the last word, Lin Li tripped over a basketball that Wang Hao had dropped by the door.

Just when he thought he was about to fall flat on his backside, Tong Yao grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

The exercise books all fell to the ground because of the movement.

"Sizzle!"

Lin Li felt a chill in her chest.

He looked down in shock—

Tong Yao abruptly ripped open the neckline, instantly creating a deep V-neck. The outline of the chest muscles and the lines of the firm abdominal muscles were imprinted on Tong Yao's eyes without reservation.

Tong Yao reacted faster than Lin Li.

She immediately tightened her fingers, pinching the crack tightly. The next second, without hesitation, she took off her school uniform jacket and stuffed it into Lin Li's arms, her voice urgent: "Put it on."

Lin Li obediently took it, zipped it up to the top, and almost buried his chin in the collar. A faint, sweet fragrance, typical of young girls, wafted from the fabric, and he subconsciously took a deep breath, his ears turning slightly red.

Tong Yao ignored him, quickly bending down to pick up the scattered exercise books. Seeing this, Lin Li quickly squatted down to help.

Soon, the exercise books were neatly rearranged and lay quietly on the teacher's desk.

The commotion at the door did attract the attention of many students, but fortunately, Lin Li had his back to everyone, so most people just assumed he had slipped and fallen accidentally, and quickly looked away from him.

However, Zhou Yuan, who had been standing at the back door, saw everything.

The fleeting glimpse of his muscular physique captivated her instantly.

Lin Li's figure... is actually this good?

Wang Hao, who had been keeping an eye on Zhou Yuan, came over and asked with a hint of curiosity, "Sister Yuan, why don't you call me Haozi anymore? Also, when did we become neighbors?"

Zhou Yuan then came to her senses and couldn't help but murmur, "Aloof, handsome, a top student, and with a great physique..."

Wang Hao didn't hear the rest, but the words "cool, handsome, and academically gifted" were enough to overwhelm him. His eyes widened: "Cool? Handsome? Academically gifted? Sister Yuan, you weren't really fooled by his act, were you? He's not like that at all!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan carefully recalled Lin Li's various behaviors—indeed, many of them seemed deliberate. But what did it matter?

At least she likes this face.

Not to mention... that great figure hidden under her school uniform.

As she thought about it, a confident smile crept onto Zhou Yuan's lips.

Wang Hao keenly sensed something and asked incredulously, "You wouldn't... have fallen for him, would you?"

Zhou Yuan nodded readily: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Wang Hao immediately shook his head, pouring cold water on the idea: "Then you're out of luck. Lin Li likes that girl from earlier, our class monitor Tong Yao, everyone in the class knows that..."

"Oh?" Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow and pressed, "So they're together?"

"I haven't heard of that," Wang Hao scratched his head, "but anyone with eyes can see that it's just a matter of time before it's official. I'll let you in on a secret, even the PE teacher knows..."

"What's the point of talking if we're not together!" Zhou Yuan crossed her arms, confidently interrupting him, and then threw out a soul-searching question: "Am I that bad-looking?"

Wang Hao was taken aback by her question, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. Compared to Tong Yao's aloof and intellectual demeanor, Zhou Yuan was a vibrant and energetic beauty, very popular in her grade.

He shook his head honestly: "It's quite beautiful."

"That's settled then." Zhou Yuan smiled with satisfaction. "I'm going back to the classroom now."

She waved goodbye happily, already plotting how to get rid of Lin Li, this "tough nut to crack".

Wang Hao watched her departing figure, scratched his head in frustration, and looked at his reflection in the glass window of the corridor.

A boy with a neat buzz cut and fairly handsome looks was reflected in the glass.

"I'm not bad either... so why don't they like me?"

He looked away, staring at the empty corridor, when he suddenly remembered something important—

Where's his basketball?!

Lin Li's kick just now sent the basketball flying into the classroom diagonally opposite. Poor Wang Mouhao didn't find it until after school, in the other classroom's cleaning corner.