Chapter 32 The Young Lady in the Wheelchair 32: So Nervous

"Ouch!! Mom, I fell down!"

Infected by the spring atmosphere, Xi Hanran rested her chin on her hand and felt drowsy.

I was startled awake by a child crying loudly nearby, and suddenly realized that there was something in my hand—a kite axle.

Even after returning to the villa, she still couldn't figure out when the kite axle had ended up in her hands.

It seemed to have grown naturally in her hand, and by the time she realized it, the kite had already fallen to the ground, and the two people next door had disappeared.

Unable to find anyone and too lazy to move, Xi Hanran continued to stare blankly on the folding chair, then dozed off again.

Still having a good time, Shangguan Yin picked up the fallen kite and temporarily took over the role of the mother, waking up the dozing Xi Hanran.

Shangguan Yin, carrying two kites, walked back happily, her face flushed: "That folding stool is hard to sit on steadily, how could you fall asleep on it?"

Xi Hanran raised an eyebrow: "Is it hard to sit still? Have you ever fallen?"

Although she was a little embarrassed, Shangguan Yin admitted, "I did fall, I fell flat on my back, and my back hurt for many days."

For a long time, her buttocks were sore, and she couldn't sit still.

Xi Hanran mocked mercilessly: "Hahahaha! You couldn't possibly fall if you were stuck at the right angle, how could you fall like that, hahahaha!"

Shangguan Yin: "..." There's an idiot here.

She hugged the kite and walked away quickly.

The group stayed at the resort for three days, and on the third day they had to go back because the start of the senior year of high school was just around the corner.

Having been away from school for a long time, the students were particularly unaccustomed to returning to the campus environment. They often felt like yawning in class and were lethargic.

What's even worse is that after a meeting, the senior teachers of No. 1 High School unanimously agreed to hold an exam to test the students' learning status during the holiday and, incidentally, to help them get back into the mindset they had before the holiday.

The teachers spoke with great righteousness on the podium, while the students below felt utterly hopeless.

The students are about to face another intense opening exam.

After this news was announced, the teachers were greeted with a chorus of wails and cries, exclaiming that life was truly unbearable.

No matter how much you resist, the exam still comes as scheduled.

When the bell rang, the students, who had been feeling stifled, burst into packing their things and preparing to leave the school.

Cheng Zhishu didn't need to take the exam in another class; she took it in the first row of her own class. After the bell rang, she got up and returned to her seat.

A few minutes later, Shangguan Yin returned from the next class like a lost soul, her expression like that of a dried-up fruit that had been squeezed dry.

Shangguan Yin grabbed Cheng Zhishu's hand and cried, "Three days, do you know how I got through these three days?"

Cheng Zhishu raised her arm high to reply to the message so that it wouldn't interfere with her typing: "How did you get here?"

After holding it in for a long time, Shangguan Yin choked out, "Like dying and coming back to life."

"Ding-dong."

Cheng Zhishu opened the message.

[Snowflake]: There's traffic today, I expect to arrive at school five minutes late.

After reading and replying, she rested her hand on her shoulder on the desk: "It's okay. You've already done your best to be able to stand out of the exam room. The questions were indeed quite difficult this time, and the final question was beyond the syllabus."

Shangguan Yin was deeply moved: "Waaaaah, Orange!"

If time could turn back, Shangguan Yin, standing before the honor roll, would never have believed Cheng Zhishu's nonsense.

She was still number one, just like in her first exam, with a ten-point lead over second place, and a commanding lead on the list.

Someone behind them clutched their head and cried out, "I don't believe it! She must have secretly taken extra classes during winter break! Which teacher was it?! How did she even solve that awful problem? It was definitely beyond the curriculum!"

"Hey Wenyan, wait a minute! You forgot your water bottle!"

Hurried footsteps passed by, followed by more steady footsteps. The wrist wearing a mechanical watch tugged at Shangguan Yin's backpack strap.

Cheng Zhishu said, "My sister is here to pick me up, I'm leaving now."

Shangguan Yin turned to look at her in the crowd and suddenly remembered last year. Compared with now, she felt that Cheng Zhishu had grown a lot taller and her personality had changed a lot.

Sometimes she felt like she was sitting next to a carbon copy of Xi Congshuang, and it was hard to connect her with Cheng Zhishu, who had a slumped back, a black backpack, and long bangs on her first day at the new school.

That's normal. She used to learn how to handle things from her mother, and many people say she's just like her mother.

Cheng Zhishu looks better without bangs, like a pearl that has been wiped clean of dust.

She stopped the person who was about to leave: "By the way, the 100-day countdown rally is coming up soon. No. 1 Middle School will invite parents to attend and hold a final parent-teacher meeting. Have you told Miss Xi about that?"

Cheng Zhishu raised her hand to look at her watch: "I told her, she said she's coming."

Shangguan Yin: "Alright, alright, I know your sister is coming, so stop smiling so brightly, or you might accidentally burn a heart-shaped candle."

"It's time, I'm leaving now." Cheng Zhishu immediately stopped smiling, looked around, and quickly slipped away like a thief.

Shangguan Yin caught up with her, laughing uncontrollably: "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, it's really funny, hahahahahaha."

Cheng Zhishu pushed her: "Stay away from me, I don't know you."

"Don't do that, can you tell me the story of the heart-shaped candle again?" Shangguan Yin leaned closer again, acting all cheeky.

Cheng Zhishu: "..."

Not long after the start of this semester, a student with exceptional intelligence decided to give up the college entrance examination and began to let loose, wanting to make a grand confession before graduation.

The object of this confession was naturally Cheng Zhishu from the building across the street.

Unfortunately, the project was only half completed. The candles were not lit before dinner was over. Cheng Zhishu, who was on her way to evening self-study, passed by and, with her excellent eyesight, glanced at the roses placed to the side and noticed that her name was written on them.

It scared her half to death, and she frantically called her homeroom teacher for help.

Without saying a word, the homeroom teacher in the teachers' cafeteria dropped his tray and, accompanied by school security guards, appeared out of nowhere, also calling the student's homeroom teacher.

The keywords in the confession that person recited before being driven away included: beautiful and smart, charming smile, very cool, please hit me.

Shangguan Yin was there at the time and witnessed the whole thing. She laughed so hard her stomach hurt, and she still remembers it vividly.

Fortunately, everyone was eating at the time, and no one saw it. The homeroom teacher, considering that Cheng Zhishu was the victim, did not notify her parents.

However, it's possible that a student with exceptional intelligence receiving a major demerit might negatively impact their college application.

But Cheng Zhishu didn't dare tell Xi Congshuang what happened, because it was too embarrassing, and she would never tell her even if she were beaten to death.

Soon, the two bumped shoulders and arrived at the car. Cheng Zhishu opened the car door and prepared to get in: "I'm getting in, you should go now!"

"Okay." Shangguan Yin's expression twisted as she suppressed a laugh, but her face froze when she inadvertently glanced behind the car door.

Cheng Zhishu didn't see her sudden change in expression. She bent down to get into the car when she suddenly heard someone say in her ear, "What happened to Zhishu at school today? You two are laughing so happily, it's such a harmonious scene."

Immediately afterwards, my backpack tightened behind me as someone grabbed it.

"..."

Cheng Zhishu froze, then slowly turned her head and saw Xi Congshuang smiling at her from inside the car.

"Why is my sister sitting here? Wasn't she sitting on the other side before?" Cheng Zhishu changed the subject.

Xi Congshuang: "Xiao Li changed his parking method today. I just picked a suitable spot to get in the car. That's my answer."

After she finished speaking, she looked quietly at Cheng Zhishu.

The meaning is very clear: I've given my answer; what's yours?

"I'll explain this to you when I get in the car."

The culprit, Shangguan Yin, had disappeared without a trace. Cheng Zhishu braced herself and got into the car from the other side, recounting what had happened in a barely audible voice.

This isn't a huge deal, but it's not insignificant either. If we're talking about being humiliated, it's hellish. She doesn't want to be seen by her classmates years after graduation, and in their mouths, she'll be called: "The academic genius who got confessed to by an idiot with a heart-shaped candle."

That would be so relatable!

Even Mulan is more serious than this.

His lifelong reputation was almost ruined in an instant.

Cheng Zhishu: "That's roughly how it is."

It's impossible not to be nervous; I really felt so embarrassed.

Xi Congshuang: "This is harassment. What happened afterward?"

Huh? You're not angry?

Cheng Zhishu glanced quickly at Xi Congshuang and said truthfully, "Teacher Wu told me that the person was given a demerit, suspended from class, and will not appear in front of me again."

A hand landed on her head, pressing down lightly. Xi Congshuang asked, "So, do you feel better now?"

Cheng Zhishu only felt embarrassed, but there was no real harm done, so she nodded: "That feels better."

Xi Congshuang: "That's good."

Cheng Zhishu grew bolder and openly looked at Xi Congshuang. For some reason, she felt a little happy.

*

On the day of the 100-day countdown rally, Xi Congshuang arrived as promised, and her appearance immediately attracted attention in every sense of the word.

Many of the glances directed at her shifted from initial amazement to pity, without any sense that this was too blatant.

With the weather getting warmer lately, there's no need to wear bulky clothes, making things much more comfortable.

Xi Congshuang came from the company in a hurry, and didn't have time to change out of her suit jacket. Before getting out of the car, she thought for a moment and only had time to tie on a black and white silk scarf.

The addition of a silk scarf makes the outfit look less serious and more casual and relaxed.

The rally was held in the school auditorium, not outdoors, so there was no need to worry about catching a cold from sitting for too long.

Cheng Zhishu, whose time to go on stage hadn't come yet, kept Xi Congshuang company, saying, "Sister, why don't you go sit in the self-media classroom next door for a while? I'll come find you as soon as I'm done."

Besides, there are too many people here, and she doesn't want Xi Congshuang to be stared at because of her.

Xi Congshuang said, "But I want to stay and watch you give your speech; I haven't seen it yet."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhishu almost forgot all the script she had memorized. She slowly squatted down and rested her forehead on Cheng Zhishu's knee.

Xi Congshuang wanted to pat her head, but then she remembered that she would be going on stage to speak on behalf of the students and her hairstyle couldn't be messed up, so she poked her hair whorl with her fingertip instead: "Nervous?"

The head buried in his legs nodded.

This was different from the usual school setting, and many unfamiliar parents were also participating. It would be a lie to say Cheng Zhishu wasn't nervous.

If she were nearsighted, that would be fine; once she takes off her glasses, she can't see anyone clearly, and everyone is just a blurry double image in her eyes.

But she really wasn't; standing on the stage, she could almost see the last row clearly, her eyesight was so good that it shocked Shangguan Yin.

In the end, she attributed it, half bitterly and half enviously, to Cheng Zhishu's genes, saying she was born with good eyesight.

Today, Xi Congshuang wore perfume; it was a woody scent with a soft and elegant top note and a rich and lingering base note. Although it masked her natural scent, she still liked it very much.

After a while, Cheng Zhishu looked up and asked, "Sister, if it were you, would you be nervous?"

Having experienced this kind of thing too many times, Xi Congshuang couldn't get nervous, and she shook her head.

Cheng Zhishu persisted: "What if you were also eighteen years old?"

Xi Congshuang recalled that when she was eighteen, she was already studying for a master's degree abroad as her parents wished. The memory of speaking on stage as a student representative in high school was a very distant thing for her.

She has been to too many countries and met too many people since graduation, but she still shakes her head.

The word "stage fright" doesn't exist in her dictionary.

"..."

Cheng Zhishu buried her face back down: "Let me die."

"Don't talk nonsense," Xi Congshuang suggested. "Then try to think of the people below as balloon people attracting customers. They can move just like balloon people."

Cheng Zhishu, like Naonao, slowly melted on her legs.

Xi Congshuang looked down at her expression, but couldn't see it: "Are you sure you want me to back off now? Then I'll leave?"

His fair, slender hands gripped the control lever, attempting to pull away.

"Wait!" Cheng Zhishu quickly grabbed Xi Congshuang. "Don't go, I'm nervous."

Cheng Zhishu blushed and whispered, "Could you watch me from the audience? I'm really nervous."

Xi Congshuang nodded: "Okay."

*

When the time came, the rally began amidst rousing music, with the principal giving the first speech.

Xi Congshuang was seated in the first row, where she could see the podium without any obstruction. Behind her were the students and parents of the class.

Shangguan Yin sat with her mother, right behind Xi Congshuang. She promised Chengzi that she would look after her sister while she was away and would never leave her side.

Some people recognized Xi Congshuang's face in the sudden bright lights, hesitated several times before finally speaking to her, but did not take the initiative to say anything.

However, most people were curious about her even though they didn't know her. When they learned that this beautiful woman with a strong will despite her disability was the top student in the whole school, they were deeply moved for some reason, and then they started saying things like, "Look at her, and then look at yourself."

As the lights changed, the teacher hosting the event on stage said, "Now, let's invite a student representative to speak."

Shangguan Yin said in a husky voice, "They're here."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xi Congshuang, who had been lost in thought the whole time, raised her eyes and took in the scene on stage.

The girl in the dark blue school uniform walked up the steps, tall and graceful, and calmly approached the podium to give her speech.

Only Xi Congshuang knew that she was nervous because Cheng Zhishu had almost reached out to touch the necklace under her collarbone. She would touch the necklace when she was nervous in order to calm herself down.

If she wasn't wearing the necklace, she would put her hand in her pocket, where the necklace was usually kept.

This was the answer Xi Congshuang had observed. She would never mention such small details to her, and perhaps even Cheng Zhishu herself was unaware that she had this habit.

A few seconds later, Cheng Zhishu, under the stage spotlight, raised her head and looked at Xi Congshuang in the audience.

Separated by the stage and the flowers, the two looked at each other.

Cheng Zhishu felt a sense of relief.

Her restless, pounding heart suddenly returned to its place, and her world quieted down, with only Xi Congshuang sitting in the center of her gaze.

It's okay, just think of these people as balloons that move with the wind.

She took a deep breath and began her speech on behalf of the students.

"Respected teacher..."

The speech lasted much faster than Cheng Zhishu had expected. She practically stared into Xi Congshuang's eyes as she finished speaking, and felt a great sense of relief when she finished.

"I haven't had enough meetings either; I find that time flies by in these boring moments." This was Xi Congshuang's first reaction as she realized that her speech was about to end.

The quiet auditorium erupted in enthusiastic applause as Cheng Zhishu finished her closing remarks. Xi Congshuang also clapped from below the stage. Cheng Zhishu couldn't help but smile before turning and walking towards the steps.

Xi Congshuang paused, her smile vanishing instantly.

"Congratulations! Honkai Impact Value -4!!!"

Red Apple really wanted to steal the spotlight from the fireworks display next door: "Current Honkai Impact stat: 11. Please keep up the good work, host!!!"

"We're almost there! Victory is just around the corner! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

The system was really excited; even its monotonous electronic voice was almost cracking with excitement.

"..."

Amidst the lively atmosphere, a chilling coldness crept up Xi Congshuang's spine and spread throughout her body. She was almost in a daze as someone ran up to her, excitedly saying something.

She didn't hear a word the other person said; an invisible glass dome had shielded her senses, dulling them.

However, she subconsciously smiled at her, and no one noticed that Xi Congshuang was acting strangely.

There was nothing inherently wrong with it; in the very beginning, her goal was to eliminate the Honkai value.

The mission is about to be completed; we should be happy, there's nothing to be sad about.

After the pep rally ended, the parents could not leave the school immediately. They dispersed and returned to their classrooms to continue the meeting.

The teachers spoke on the stage, and the parents listened from below.

"Thank you so much, Zhi Shu, for helping us so much these days. If it weren't for her tutoring Yin Yin, she wouldn't have made such great progress," said Shangguan Yin's mother, who was sitting next to them.

Xi Congshuang refrained from turning her head to look outside and politely replied, "They have a very good relationship."

Speaking of this, Shangguan Yin's mother has something to say. She whispers to Xi Congshuang behind the teacher's back, and you can always see Shangguan Yin's shadow in every smile and frown.

They were mother and daughter, and they looked and acted similarly, both being outgoing and sociable.

Xi Congshuang appeared to be listening, but her attention was actually focused on the outside.

Cheng Zhishu's seat was against the wall, next to a window, where she could see the students standing in a row chatting.

A familiar figure was also among them. She turned around and sat on the chair, hugging the back of the chair with both hands, talking to Shangguan Yin next to her.

The two were not far from the window, and their voices drifted in at a moderate volume.

From the scattered snippets of conversation, Xi Congshuang deduced that they were talking about their aspirations and the future.

Shangguan Yin was actually quite confused about the future, and she couldn't help but ask Cheng Zhishu what she wanted to do in the future and whether she had any particularly unexpected plans.

She was also too nervous and was in a hurry to shake off the jumble of thoughts in her head.

Cheng Zhishu replied, "I used to want to study abroad, and the farther the better, so that I could see the world and temporarily put aside the problem that had been bothering me for years."

Shangguan Yin was puzzled by this: "What problem can't you solve? If you can't solve it, then..."

The parent at the table in front of me suddenly hissed, muttered that it was cold, and reached out to close the window, shutting out all the noise.

The moment the window closed, all Xi Congshuang could hear was Shangguan Yin's mother's voice. She was very bored sitting there, either secretly playing on her phone or trying to chat with Xi Congshuang to relieve her boredom.

In the hallway, Shangguan Yin continued, "If you can't solve it, just ask your sister. She'll definitely be willing to help you. Then your sister will be unstoppable, slashing through everything in her path—"

Having grown up in a healthy family, Shangguan Yin is somewhat naive and knows how to ask her family for help, never thinking of solving problems on her own.

So much so that she couldn't immediately connect these words with the Cheng Zhishu of the past.

Cheng Zhishu rested her chin on the back of the chair: "I already said that was in the past. All those problems have been solved long ago."

She stopped wallowing in the mire, spending her days wondering why her parents didn't love her or if she had done something wrong.

Now that someone loves her, that's enough.

Shangguan Yin said "Oh," and then repeated the question she had just asked: "So what's your craziest plan for the future?"

Cheng Zhishu: "Aside from the previous plan, it's about staying by Xi Congshuang's side forever."

"No matter what her identity is, I don't want to leave, I just want to stay with her."

Shangguan Yin didn't understand this kind of feeling. She learned on her own what Xi Hanran often did when facing them: rubbing her arms covered in goosebumps.

Feeling a mix of surprise and confusion, she retorted, "I really can't stand you."

Cheng Zhishu sighed, "I can't stand this feeling either. I wish I could grow up quickly."

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【Little Grass】Picking up a wild kite, you encounter a mini-boss and get attacked, HP -1