Chapter 20 Smile

Xia Zhen laughed, turned around, picked up a thermal container from the bench, opened it, and handed it to him. "You need to eat well to have the energy to exercise. These are pan-fried dumplings made by my nanny. They're delicious. I brought too many to finish. Let's eat together!"

Looking at her smile, Lu Jin's heart, which had paused, suddenly started beating violently again.

He raised his hand to his heart, his eyelids lowered, concealing the fear and unease in his eyes.

This unfamiliar emotion can drive a person crazy.

Friday was a beautiful day.

Xia Zhen stepped out of the elevator while biting into a pear. When she saw the boy in the wheelchair waiting at the lobby entrance, she paused for a moment, then ran over with a smile, "Good morning, Lu Jin!"

She bent down to speak to him, her smile so bright it was almost blinding.

When Lu Jin first saw her, his gaze lingered for a moment before he awkwardly said, "Good morning."

Xia Zhen, holding a half-eaten pear in one hand, twirled in front of him. "How is it? I'm wearing the same school uniform as you today, does it look good?"

Today, she was wearing the loose blue and white school uniform of No. 1 High School, with white sneakers on her feet. Her hair was still styled in a lively ponytail. Compared to the school uniform she wore before, she looked less noble now, but more youthful and dazzling.

When she spoke to him, she stopped and stared at him longingly, the ends of her ponytail still swaying gently behind her, each arc of her hair full of youthful charm.

He did not answer.

Xia Zhen narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm asking you a question. Does it look good?"

Lu Jin replied indifferently, "So-so."

Xia Zhen, who is considered to have the highest level of beauty, immediately widened her eyes. "I'm considered average? Lu Jin, is there something wrong with your eyes?"

Lu Jin didn't argue with her. He simply gave a perfunctory "hmm," turned around, and walked forward.

Xia Zhen quickly followed, ate the pear in a few bites, threw the core into the trash can, and took over pushing the wheelchair.

She has always been very good at regulating her emotions, and started chatting with him again, "You worked so hard on your rehabilitation training last night, and you were still able to get up so early today. I'm really worried that you might not get enough sleep and fall asleep in class."

"Won't."

How can you be so sure it won't happen?

He paused for a moment, then simply said, "I will pay attention in class."

Because he knew that the only way for him to change his fate was to study hard. He wanted to get into a good university and get out of this family as soon as possible, so he was working hard to save money.

Suddenly someone gently touched the top of his head.

She said in a gratified tone, "What a hardworking little Lu Jin."

Lu Jin: "..."

It looks just like an old lady patting her grandson's head.

Xia Zhen and Lu Jin took leave from school yesterday, which naturally sparked a lot of gossip in the class, with many speculating whether they went on a date.

The girls gossiped about how far their relationship had progressed.

The boys were heartbroken; how could their goddess have fallen for someone like Lu Jin?

The math class representative nudged his deskmate, "Go ask them what they did yesterday?"

The class representative for Chinese language pushed it back, "Why don't you go and ask?"

"You're a girl, so it's easier to get close to your new classmates and get them to talk about you."

"Hehe, you asked me to help you get a new desk when your desk broke. I didn't see you treating me like a girl back then."

The math class representative scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed.

Why didn't you come to school yesterday?

Suddenly, someone asked the question that everyone was concerned about, and the classroom fell silent instantly.

Looking at the person asking the question, it was none other than the class's unattainable beauty—the class monitor, Gao Ling!

Xia Zhen just took a pear out of her schoolbag and stuffed it into Lu Jin's arms. Her schoolbag always had some food in it, either bread or candy, and this time there was even fruit.

Lu Jin wanted to return it to her.

She blinked her innocent big eyes, "I can't finish this, can you help me finish it, otherwise I'll just have to throw it away."

Lu Jin's lips twitched, but in the end he withdrew his hand.

Then, Xia Zhen looked at the class monitor next to her and said with a smile, "Because I caught a cold, I went to the hospital. Lu Jin was also at the hospital for a check-up, so we both took leave."

Sure enough, Xia Zhen first took out cold medicine from her schoolbag, then opened her pink thermos, and even blew hot air into the rim of the cup in a serious manner. After that, she put a few pills into her mouth, held her breath, drank some water, and swallowed the medicine as quickly as possible.

Xia Zhen let out a sigh of relief, like an old man sipping tea. She looked at the class monitor and smiled innocently, "Class monitor, we didn't come to school yesterday, can we borrow your notes to copy?"

Everyone around Xia Zhen looked at her with shock.

Where did she get the courage to ask their class monitor, who was known for being the most unapproachable person in the class, to borrow something right away?

Gao Ling expressionlessly took the book from her seat and handed it to Xia Zhen, saying, "Give it back to me when you're done copying."

Huh!

Is the class monitor really this easy-going?

The morning self-study bell rang, giving others little time to gossip, and the homeroom teacher, Ms. Wen, entered the classroom.

Xia Zhen opened the class monitor's book and placed it between her and Lu Jin's desks. She gently tugged at his school uniform with her slender, fair fingers and whispered, "Hurry up and copy it."

Lu Jin paused slightly.

She lowered her voice and asked, "Aren't you supposed to be studying hard?"

It turns out that she borrowed someone else's notes to copy, and that was her original intention, because it was obvious that Lu Jin was not the kind of person who would ask for help.

He closed his eyes briefly, and when he looked at her again, he whispered, "Thank you."

Xia Zhen returned his smile with a big smile.

As time went by, the sun rose higher outside the window, and warm sunlight streamed through the glass, casting rays of light into the classroom, which was filled with youthful energy.

But only in this corner, a corner where the sunlight cannot reach.

The air was hotter with each breath than anywhere else.

Self-study time is for memorizing.

Xia Zhen rested her chin on her hands and soon became drowsy. Her head kept nodding down, and when her eyes closed uncontrollably, her head suddenly slammed down.

It didn't hit the cold, hard desk; instead, it was caught by the boy's hand.

Xia Zhen opened her eyes groggily. She turned her face slightly, her cheek still pressed against his palm. Seeing the boy's indifferent face, she slowly raised the corners of her lips into a sweet smile.

Lu Jin's heart was suddenly touched in its softest spot, and her whole heart softened completely with her smile.

The math class representative looked at her deskmate, who suddenly covered her face, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The class representative for Chinese excitedly lowered her voice, "Wow—I'm dying of excitement!"