Chapter 37 It's really not easy being a girl.

Chapter 37

It was a coincidence that the two teenagers were taking a bus for the first time in their lives. The bus passed by a vegetable market, and it was full of elderly people using senior citizen cards. When they got on, there were no empty seats, so they had to stand in the middle of the aisle holding onto the handrails.

And then the old folks would complain: "Hey young man, you're blocking my breathing."

"Why are you so tall? You're taking up so much space."

Jiang Xuli: "..."

Surrounded by people, the space was so crowded that your heels barely touched the ground. The air was thick with a strange mix of smells: sweat, stale odors, onions, ginger, garlic, and chive dumplings. It made you question the meaning of life.

Chen Xunliang was filled with regret. Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut?

Unable to hold back any longer, she squeezed next to Jiang Xuli, enduring the piercing gazes of the elderly, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Li, why is your stepmother, oh no, Teacher Jin, taking the bus?"

A family like the Jiang family, though they keep a low profile, is still a newly emerging wealthy family in City A. Jin Ran is not only their teacher but also Uncle Jiang's spouse. It's a bit unexpected that someone with such a distinguished status would ride the bus with a group of elderly people scrambling for vegetables at the market.

It can't be that... Uncle Jiang isn't giving her money!

This bold guess made Chen Xunliang gasp, his face contorted with the despair of a broken faith. Seeing this, Jiang Xuli rolled her eyes, not even bothering to offer an explanation.

If the other party hadn't insisted on giving him a ride, he would be comfortably sitting in a taxi right now, instead of suffering here.

Thinking of this, he unconsciously glanced at the woman beside him. She was leaning against the handrail, her already pale face now looking even paler, her forehead covered in a thick layer of sweat, looking very uncomfortable.

He frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "If you can't stand steadily, you can hold onto me... the two of us."

Chen Xunliang chimed in, "Yes, yes, Teacher Jin, you probably can't hold onto the handrail properly with your height, right? Don't worry, we're both 1.8 meters tall, so you can hold on to us however you like!"

Jiang Xuli calmly corrected, "Please watch your words. You are 1.79 meters tall, and I am 1.82 meters tall."

Chen Xunliang's face immediately turned red: "Just one centimeter short! With shoes on, I'd be 1.8 meters tall!"

"That's 1.79 meters tall, I'm only 1.82 meters."

Jin Ran was feeling a bit listless because of her stomachache, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw the two of them bickering.

Sure enough, once a boy is over 1.8 meters tall, he will try every means to let others know his height.

The two were arguing fiercely when, just then, the bus suddenly made a sharp turn. Caught off guard, Jiang Xuli and Chen Xunliang were thrown a considerable distance by the inertia. They managed to regain their balance by grabbing the handrail in a flurry, thus avoiding a major embarrassment.

Looking back, Jin Ran stood motionless as if rooted to the spot. When they saw them looking over, she blinked innocently and said, "I take the bus all the time, and I've long since learned to stand steadily without holding onto the handrail."

Jiang Xuli: "......"

Chen Xunliang: "..."

When the bus arrived at its stop, the elderly passengers slowly disembarked, while the waiting passengers on the platform eagerly rushed to the doors.

People who take the bus all year round have developed a skill – the moment their eyes spot an empty seat, they've already settled in.

Jin Ran and the other two were a little slow, and by the time they realized what was happening, there was only one empty seat left in the carriage.

Jiang Xuli is the closest.

He raised his eyes and met the gaze of another middle-aged man who was also eyeing the seat covetously. In a flash, he took a step forward and seized the spot before the other man could squeeze in.

The middle-aged man missed his target and a look of frustration appeared on his face.

However, what's done is done, and there's nothing he can do. He can only glare fiercely at Jiang Xuli before turning away and standing somewhere else.

Jin Ran, who witnessed all of this, was utterly amazed.

She only knew that Jiang Xuli was good at fighting, but she didn't expect him to be so good at taking seats. His movements were swift and decisive, giving his enemies no time to react, and he was extremely arrogant.

However, judging from his experience of taking the bus for the first time, he might not even know that he has this talent.

Hmm, wouldn't you say this opens up more possibilities?

Just as Jin Ran was secretly sighing, thinking that Jiang Xuli would naturally sit down, the boy suddenly stepped aside and gave up his seat.

"Please sit down."

With one hand in his pocket and his chin slightly raised, he exuded an aloof and cool attitude, saying, "I prefer standing."

Jin Ran was taken aback by this reason.

She quickly realized what she meant, smiled, and said, "Thank you then."

She didn't expose the boy's good intentions, but went straight to her seat with her bag, thinking that she would stand up and take over when the other person got tired.

Unexpectedly, neither of the two high school students complained of being tired until they arrived at the school, so the plan to take turns naturally fell through.

...

Jiang Xuli assumed that Jin Ran was simply feeling carsick and would be fine after resting for a while.

But when the bell rang for evening self-study, the figure who always appeared at the classroom door on time was nowhere to be seen.

The discipline committee member went to the office to ask the teacher for help, but returned alone with a stack of new cards: "Teacher Jin told us to do the questions on our own first."

Immediately, the students in Class 3 booed in dissatisfaction: "Ah! Why isn't Teacher Jin here?"

"Without Teacher Jin, my motivation to study has diminished."

"That's right, and I also have a super difficult question I want to ask Teacher Jin."

Wang Shuya slammed her hand on the table seriously: "Alright, no matter what, let's focus on our work and not worry Teacher Jin."

Mentioning Jin Ran, the noisy classroom gradually quieted down. Unconsciously, they had already accepted this new math teacher in their hearts, and even when she was not there, they consciously abided by the rules set by both of them.

Fortunately, after several practice sessions, the students in Class 3 became very familiar with the process, and the teammates developed a certain level of tacit understanding. After receiving the cards, they quickly immersed themselves in the problem-solving game.

The top three teams that successfully complete the challenge will receive a small prize!

Even though Jin Ran said it was a very small prize and not worth much money, they were still very much looking forward to it!

The mutual learning was in full swing, and everyone was excited. But Jiang Xuli, who always strives to be number one, was unusually absent-minded today.

Several mistakes were made during the problem-solving process, and they were directly overtaken by the "Double King" duo in second place. Chen Xunliang was so anxious that his language system regressed: "Brother Li, hurry up! If you keep this up, we'll be at the bottom!"

Jiang Xuli then came to her senses and managed to concentrate on completing the remaining questions.

Finally, the break between classes arrived, and Chen Xunliang grabbed his good friend who was about to get up: "Hey, Li-ge, what's wrong with you today? Are you feeling unwell?"

He stared wide-eyed, his face full of incomprehension.

Jiang Xuli replied dismissively, "It's nothing."

Even so, he walked up to Wang Shuya's desk and tapped the surface with his finger: "I have something to ask you."

Wang Shuya was diligently studying a difficult math problem, an extra problem she had specially obtained from Jin Ran. Although it was quite challenging, she found it fascinating to solve.

She only looked up a beat after hearing the sound—the moment she saw who it was, she instinctively wanted to hide the question, but then bit her lower lip in annoyance at the overly deliberate action.

Jiang Xuli used to never initiate conversations with her; she always had to rack her brains to find excuses to approach him. Thinking of this, she finally rediscovered her girlish side from her studies, her eyes bright as stars: "Jiang Xuli, what can I do for you?"

Jiang Xuli asked casually, "What's wrong, Teacher Jin?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Shuya hesitated for a moment, but since the person asking was the boy she liked, she still said, "I think Teacher Jin seems to be feeling a little unwell."

At this moment, Chen Xunliang also came over: "Not feeling well? Wasn't she fine this morning?" He scratched his head, "Could it be when we were in the car? Now that I think about it, she was indeed unusually quiet at that time."

Jiang Xuli frowned as well: "She didn't go to the infirmary?"

Wencheng Middle School has a school doctor on duty 24 hours a day to deal with emergencies among boarding students. Even elementary school students know to take medicine when they are sick, so why does she, an adult, not take her own health seriously?

Wang Shuya shook her head: "It's no use going."

"How do you know it's useless if you don't go?" Jiang Xuli frowned even more.

Seeing that he kept pressing her for answers, even seeming determined to get to the bottom of things, Wang Shuya suddenly blushed, her tone becoming slightly annoyed and embarrassed: "I'm a girl, of course I know! You boys just don't understand, it's so annoying!"

Jiang Xuli: "......"

Even after being kicked out, Chen Xunliang still looked bewildered: "So what happened? Is Teacher Jin's illness serious?" He looked worried, "Why don't you call your dad and tell him?"

Jiang Xuli realized what was going on as soon as Wang Shuya mentioned "boys and girls," and immediately felt so embarrassed that her ears burned.

The biology textbook does include sex education for boys and girls, and it does mention that some girls experience abdominal pain during their menstrual period. He just glanced at it casually and didn't take it to heart.

After returning to her seat, Jiang Xuli stared at her phone screen for a long time before finally opening the chat window she hadn't contacted in a long time.

The page was simplistically basic, containing only a few cold, impersonal transfer records. His fingers flew across the keyboard: "[She's not feeling well and didn't come to evening self-study tonight.]"

After sending the message, Jiang Xuli clenched her hands. She thought the message would just disappear into thin air like usual, but her phone vibrated soon after.

J: [Okay, I understand.]

Seeing the brief reply on the screen, Jiang Xuli's tense shoulders unconsciously relaxed, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He casually tossed his phone onto his desk, reminding himself: He wasn't worried about her; he just didn't want to miss his final exams.

But the next second, the boy inexplicably picked up his phone again and typed "what to do if a girl has a stomachache" into the search bar.

There are probably too many searches, so a dedicated entry has been created, offering numerous suggestions: get more rest, use heat packs, drink ginger and brown sugar water...

Jiang Xuli frowned as he scrolled down the list, feeling increasingly overwhelmed. He realized that girls had to endure this kind of pain every month, and he suddenly felt that they really had it tough.

When evening self-study ended, Jin Ran finally appeared.

Apart from being slightly pale, she looked no different from usual and dutifully escorted the students to the east gate of the school.

As soon as the last student left, her forced composure crumbled instantly. She clutched her stomach with one hand, her beautiful brows furrowing into two small hills.

She never expected that the original owner of this body would have menstrual cramps! Although she had taken painkillers, the effect was not very ideal.

When Jiang Xuli saw her looking so weak for the first time, he felt inexplicably uneasy, as if a cheerful and enthusiastic flower had been wilted by the rain.

In front of him, Jin Ran no longer needed to pretend: "Jiang Xuli, could you help me buy some hand warmers at the convenience store?"

"good."

Jiang Xuli nodded immediately.

Even he himself didn't realize how decisive and efficient his response was.

Jiang Xuli left Jin Ran to wait where she was and went to the convenience store across the street by herself.

I quickly grabbed a few packs of hand warmers and was about to pay when I seemed to remember something: "Do you have ginger and brown sugar water?"

"Yes, it's in the third row of the drinks section," the cashier pointed in the direction.

So Jiang Xuli went back. Two girls were chatting quietly next to the shelf: "Have you heard? There's a pervert around here who follows girls who are alone. We two absolutely mustn't separate later."

"Really? That's terrifying! Why hasn't anyone called the police?"

The two were about to say something more when a gust of wind suddenly blew by. They instinctively looked up and saw a tall boy rushing past them.

Meanwhile, Jin Ran, who was waiting by the roadside, felt the familiar abdominal pain again.

She bit her lip, instinctively wanting to go to the toilet, but the school was already closed, so she could only go to the nearby public toilet.

The streetlights were dim, flickering on and off. Just as Jin Ran stepped into the alley, she suddenly heard deliberately soft footsteps behind her.