Chapter 42: Watching the Peacock Display Its Tail

Chapter 42: Watching the Peacock Display Its Tail

Fang Yuenian once thought that Cheng Bing was definitely unaware of the above matters.

Class 18 is an experimental class, full of top students, how could it be... wait, Li Peixiang said the most classic gossip at No. 1 Middle School is about top students dating, and right next to Class 18 are two dazzling arts and humanities classes, oh my god...

He started to feel uneasy, and that unease finally became a reality on the last day of military training.

On the last day, training, the formation competition, the scoring of each class (platoon) and the awards ceremony, and everything else came to an end.

After lunch, the military training came to an end. Everyone went back to their dormitories to pack their bags, then changed into civilian clothes and gathered downstairs again. Since no one had been given free time in the previous days, students could relax in groups by class before the convoy arrived to pick them up, and also reinforce their memory of faces in military uniforms from the past few days.

The place where Class 1 lined up was closest to a vine-covered corridor. The students sat or stood in twos and threes along the corridor. Although the girls and boys were all tanned more than when they arrived, they looked much more energetic.

Fang Yuenian sat under the veranda, enthusiastically listening to Li Peixiang sing a heart-wrenching song, and mindlessly clapped along with her classmates.

"Yoho!"

"You're the God of Songs!"

After a series of wailing and howling, Li Peixiang finally finished singing, squeezed back to sit next to Fang Yuenian, and let out a long sigh of relief. Then, another singing legend took the stage in the center of the venue, shouting, "Give us an English song!"

Fang Yuenian felt that compared to this guy, she couldn't even be considered an extrovert.

"Hey Fang Yuenian, did you listen to the lecture?" Li Peixiang nudged him with his elbow.

"What?"

Li Peixiang: "No, is she still your classmate? It's about Cheng Bing."

Fang Yuenian paused: "What about him?"

I can't find him anywhere these days. How do you know so much about him? Or is the person standing next to me every day just an empty shell, and your soul has left your body to chase after gossip?

"He was confessed to by a girl in his class right after dinner."

Fang Yuenian: "..."

Depend on!

Fang Yuenian thought that she had to see Cheng Bing before getting on the train and leaving today, no matter what.

He had casually asked Cheng Bing about the line position of Class 18 in front of the bathhouse last time, but he never had the chance to go there, and he couldn't care less about that now.

“Then I’ll go find him,” Fang Yuenian said, trying to make her voice sound calm and casual. “I’ll ask him.”

Li Peixiang had only heard the news from a stranger. No matter how reliable the source was, it couldn't compare to a personal response. He immediately got excited and said, "Do you know where the people from Class 18 are? I didn't bring my phone with me. Should I go back to the dorm now and text my classmates to ask them?"

Fang Yuenian replied with a forced smile, "I know."

Despite saying that, he still went around in circles before finally finding the auspicious place that Cheng Bing had mentioned, "next to a peacock base."

There were students everywhere around, and he realized with dismay that apart from his classmates and a few other freshmen from Shuibiwei scattered in other classes, he didn't know anyone else and it was hard to tell who was from Class 18.

Fortunately, Cheng Bing was conspicuous enough. Fang Yuenian looked around a few times and finally spotted him on a patch of grass.

Cheng Bing and several male and female classmates sat in a circle, seemingly playing some game. He stood out from the crowd when viewed from the front. The tan he got from military training was not even as dark as the tan he got from running around the furniture factory a while ago. Compared to other boys, he was still fair-skinned and clean-cut. His hair was a little longer, which made him look more youthful and dashing.

Fang Yuenian wondered to herself: I was conspicuous in school before, but why am I even more outstanding in high school? Isn't high school supposed to have more students and be a gathering of the best?

Previously, the teachers had earnestly advised Cheng Bing to adapt to the difference in experience, bravely accept new things, and acknowledge that others are also excellent. Now it seems that Cheng Bing hasn't experienced a significant drop in the amount of attention she receives.

As he was thinking this, he walked over there, and before he could even wave, Cheng Bing saw him.

She said something to the classmate next to her, stood up, and walked towards him.

It must be because Li Peixiang has been feeding Fang Yuenian too much gossip these past few days. He feels that his radar in this area has become more sensitive. For example, just now, after Cheng Bing left, his group of classmates all looked in the direction of the two of them, following his movements. Then they whispered to each other with smiles, not knowing what they were saying.

"Why are you here?" Cheng Bing asked as she approached.

“Oh, well,” Fang Yuenian started to say, but then stopped, realizing that saying “I heard someone confessed to you, is that true?” wasn’t so easy to say either. “I wanted to come and see the peacock.”

Cheng Bing raised an eyebrow: "..."

But they patiently explained, "It was moved away on the first night it arrived. We only saw it once, and it didn't display its feathers; it just made a few calls."

Fang Yuenian listened blankly to him finish speaking, then sighed, "Never mind, I didn't come here to see the peacock display its tail feathers."

"You were looking for me?"

"ah."

"What are you doing?"

"I was just asking," Fang Yuenian said, looking up. "A couple of days ago, someone asked me for your phone number. Do you think we should buy a phone too? I see a lot of classmates have them. Although the school doesn't allow phones to be brought to class, they can be used in the dormitories. My roommates all have phones, which makes it convenient to call home."

Cheng Bing said, "Once you have a mobile phone, you'll probably really want to play with it."

"I know, but we don't spend much time in the dorm. The main thing is, you see, it's too much trouble for me to find you. What if something urgent happens, or I have something to ask you? With a cell phone, I can send a text message or make a call."

Cheng Bing smiled. "Oh—but what did you say when someone asked for my phone number? And why did they ask for my number in the first place?"

“I told you you didn’t have a phone,” Fang Yuenian replied naturally. “See, this isn’t good either, it makes you seem like you’re lacking something compared to others… Hmm, why did you ask me for one? We were talking by the car the other day, and my current deskmate saw us. He asked who you were. He’s such a gossip, he spread a lot of rumors, and now quite a few people know we were junior high school classmates, so he came to ask me.”

Cheng Bing nodded: "I understand. I'll think about the phone thing some more."

Fang Yuenian quickly said, "You must think about it carefully."

Cheng Bing: "Okay. You're going to talk about this?"

Fang Yuenian opened his mouth, "Uh—" He paused for two seconds, "Okay, actually I heard that you were confessed to by a girl in your class, so I came to ask. If not, then forget it and I'll leave."

Even though he said he was leaving, he still looked at Cheng Bing with an expression that seemed to be waiting for an answer.

Cheng Bing stared at him for a few seconds, and Fang Yuenian felt that there was a hint of mischief in his eyes, though she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination.

"I guess so, but I've already declined."

Fang Yuenian: "!"

It's actually true!

"How did you refuse?" he blurted out.

Cheng Bing blinked, refusing to answer the question, and simply said, "I apologized, and she wasn't angry."

Fang Yuenian opened her mouth wide, looking on with suspicion.

Cheng Bing smiled and said, "I'm serious."

He added, "The same as before."

Fang Yuenian swallowed hard and grinned, "Okay, then I'm off."

“Hey,” Cheng Bing called out to him, “Remember to take motion sickness medicine before you leave.”

"Oh, okay."

Fang Yuenian, upon returning to her class, clearly felt everyone's anticipation.

Li Peixiang was whispering with two girls when they saw him coming and immediately waved: "Fang Yuenian, come here quickly."

Fang Yuenian walked over slowly and gracefully, and said, "Hmm."

"So, did Shao Jing really confess to Cheng Bing? What was Cheng Bing's response?"

"They're such a good match, one's handsome and the other's a top student, oh wait, maybe the handsome guy is a top student too..."

"Yes, yes, that's fast! I heard that the famous academic couple in the second year of high school met during military training in the first year. Now they're doing great, both of them are in the top ten every day."

Fang Yuenian: "...?"

He asked, "Who is Shao-Jing?"

Li Peixiang was speechless: "You didn't find Cheng Bing?"

"Found it."

"So you didn't ask?"

"Yes, I asked."

Li Peixiang was speechless: "Then you don't even know that it was Shao Jing who confessed to him? What are you asking?"

Fang Yuenian: "...I asked why, I asked if this happened, and he said yes, but he had already refused, and the process and the result were very peaceful. The girl, Shao Jing, wasn't angry either."

"Huh?" The gossip trio said in unison, sounding disappointed.

Fang Yuenian leaned back tactically, "Everything I said is true."

Li Peixiang scoffed, "Boring."

The two girls waved their hands, "Never mind, let's go."

Despite numerous mishaps, the military training finally came to a successful end.

The first year of high school officially started, and their entire teaching building was injected with new vitality, beginning a lively and bustling three-year period.