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When Xie Lin pushed open the classroom door, the homework book in her hand slammed onto the podium, and she was obviously unhappy.

Xu Dongxing looked around the classroom, and finally turned and left without saying anything.

Only when his footsteps completely disappeared did the classroom regain its sound.

Zheng Yan scratched his prickly hair and collapsed on the chair, wailing, "It's over, it's over..."

His round face was wrinkled into a ball, like a flattened bun.

When his parents named him, they hoped that he would be "as calm as an inkstone", but now it seems that all their efforts were in vain.

Song Chengrui picked up the blackboard eraser that fell on the ground: "Don't worry, you will just be scolded at most." He had his usual rogue smile on his face.

Zheng Yan felt even more desperate after hearing this. "Listen, is this even human language? What about your promise to stick by your brother's side?"

Song Chengrui threw the blackboard eraser into his arms, raised his chin and smiled at him, "The knife is here."

Xu Zhiyi looked up at the betting note that floated down. The three words "Xu Zhiyi" were circled several times on it, and someone had written the words "upset" in red pen next to it.

She suddenly felt that all this was ridiculous. Zhou Yu'an didn't even know her, and these people were betting on whether she would go to give him flowers.

After class, Xu Zhiyi was about to go to the office as required.

The two entered the office one after the other, but Xu Dongxing spoke to Zheng Yan first.

"Zheng Yan, what was your score on the math test last time?"

Zheng Yan lowered his head and said nothing.

Xu Dongxing continued to hammer away, "With your score, even the parallel class won't accept you!"

When Zheng Yan heard that he was going to leave Class 1, he immediately became unhappy.

"No, teacher, I will learn. Can't I learn? If my dad finds out, I'll be dead."

"I just... I just didn't perform well..."

"It depends on your performance this month." Xu Dongxing interrupted him directly and his tone slowed down when he turned to Xu Zhiyi.

"About presenting flowers at the exchange meeting..."

Xu Zhiyi really didn't expect that such a thing would actually happen to her.

Her back tensed up instantly, her nails digging into her palms unconsciously, and her ears echoed with the whispers of her classmates when she failed the exam to give a speech.

"Teacher, I..."

Xu Dongxing took out a list from the drawer and said, "Just sign your name and represent our class to present flowers. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, no problem."

After signing, Xu Zhiyi quickly left the classroom.

The sunlight from the corridor shone through the window onto her face, causing her to squint.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm the inexplicable restlessness in her chest.

The life of going to and from school all day long was really depressing. She even thought that if she had outstanding academic ability, she would not have to care about so many people's feelings and would not have to listen to her father's nagging all day long.

Zheng Yan was the first to run into the classroom to announce the news. This time, more people bet on Xie Lin, and it turned out to be a real upset. He was particularly proud and showed off to Song Chengrui.

"Brother Rui, it's a shame you didn't bet!"

Song Chengrui lowered his head and fiddled with his new toy under the table again.

But what's strange is that half of the people in the classroom are missing. I don't know where they went.

As soon as Xu Zhiyi sat down, Zheng Yan came over immediately.

"Hey, student council member, you've brought good luck this time. You get a copy of this week's comics!"

Zhiyi didn't look up. She didn't want to face Zheng Yan's face full of gossip, and she didn't want to hear any discussion about that stupid bet.

"Student Councillor!"

Zheng Yan was as stubborn as a piece of taffy, as if this attitude was completely incomprehensible to him.

"unnecessary."

The cold words did not dampen Zheng Yan's enthusiasm, but made him even more excited.

"Student Councillor, come on, you don't know. Thanks to you, I made a fortune this time."

Xu Zhiyi clenched her fingers, frowned, looked up at him, and said coldly: "So? You think you are happy to bet with me?"

Seeing her seriousness, Zheng Yan's smile froze on his face, "Well...we were just joking..."

"Is it fun?" Xu Zhiyi's voice was soft, but as sharp as a knife. "Using me as a bet, is it fun?"

Zheng Yan opened his mouth, feeling a little embarrassed. Everyone in the classroom was looking at him, which made him feel a little embarrassed, so he immediately raised his voice.

"Student Councillor, you're taking this too seriously, aren't you? Is it necessary? Xie Lin wouldn't do that..."

The chair made a sharp sound as it rubbed against the ground. Song Chengrui suddenly stood up, and the pen on his desk fell to the ground due to the sudden vibration.

When Xu Zhiyi saw Song Chengrui suddenly stand up, her heart skipped a beat.

The whole class knows how good his relationship with Zheng Yan is.

We rush to the cafeteria together at noon every day, and have basketball time after school without fail.

"Inkstone." Song Chengrui called Zheng Yan's nickname, his voice not loud but clear enough, "Come here."

The classroom suddenly became quiet.

Hearing the voice, Zheng Yan's shoulders obviously relaxed, and he raised his eyebrows proudly at Xu Zhiyi, as if to say, "See, my brother supports me."

He took two steps at a time and walked to Song Chengrui's desk, habitually reaching out to put his hand on his shoulder.

Song Chengrui dodged sideways and said, "Don't you want to explain?"

"Ah?" Zheng Yan's hand froze in mid-air.

"Hey, no, Brother Rui, you..."

Seeing Song Chengrui's serious expression, Zheng Yan immediately explained, "Brother Rui, I was just saying that, jokingly."

Someone immediately echoed, "Forget it, it's just a joke..."

"But what did Xu Zhiyi do wrong?"

Song Chengrui's smile suddenly disappeared. "Because she was chosen to present flowers? Because she doesn't like to talk?"

He looked at Zheng Yan sharply, his tone cold, "Or is it because—you think she's easy to bully?"

"I..." Zheng Yan's eyes moved back and forth between Song Chengrui and Xu Zhiyi, "I didn't think that much..."

Song Chengrui suddenly put his arm around Zheng Yan's shoulders. This familiar action made Zheng Yan visibly relieved.

But Song Chengrui's lowered voice froze his expression again: "Who spoke well of you when you failed the exam last time? Are you trying to demolish the bridge after crossing it? Are you still a man if you say that to the student council member?"

Zheng Yan instantly regretted it, "Brother Rui, I..."

"I know you didn't mean it." Song Chengrui's voice was heard only by the two of them. "But now that so many people are watching, shouldn't you do something?"

Zheng Yan's Adam's apple rolled, and when he turned to face Xu Zhiyi, the arrogance on his round face was gone: "Student Council, um... I'm sorry."

He scratched his stubborn tuft of hair and said, "I just got carried away..."

Xu Zhiyi lowered his head awkwardly and shook his head, "Forget it..."

"What else?" Song Chengrui reminded from the side.

Zheng Yan took a deep breath and said, "I promise I won't make fun of you anymore. I'll treat the whole class to milk tea with the money I won from the bet as an apology."

He took out his cell phone and said, "I'll order now!"

Xu Zhiyi was silent for a few seconds, then slowly raised his head.

A small cheer suddenly broke out in the classroom.

Song Chengrui patted Zheng Yan's back with satisfaction and winked at Xu Zhiyi.

The sunlight shines through the glass window and reflects on his trembling eyelashes, brilliant and colorful.

Xu Zhiyi didn't expect things to be resolved this way.

She looked at Zheng Yan who was bowing his head to admit his mistake, and then looked at Song Chengrui who was standing beside her with a smile on his face. Suddenly, she felt that her chest was not as uncomfortable as before.

"It's okay," she whispered, and this time she meant it.

The class bell rang at the right time, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.

The rustling of the sycamore leaves outside the window drowned out the whispers.

——

After school, Zhang Ningxia rushed to the classroom carrying the food she bought from outside, with her ponytail swinging behind her head.

"Zhi Yi!" Her eyes lit up surprisingly, but she lowered her voice deliberately. "I heard that Zheng Yan apologized to you in front of the whole class? Or was it Song Chengrui who forced him to do that?"

Xu Zhiyi's hand paused as he was organizing his notes, and the pen left a small ink dot on the paper.

"Hmm." She replied softly, carefully wiping away the ink spot with an eraser.

"Oh my God!" Zhang Ningxia sat down on the seat vacated by Qin Mingyue and moved closer to Xu Zhiyi, lowering her voice.

"Song Chengrui actually spoke up for you? Do you know how many girls envy you? When did your relationship become so good?"

Xu Zhiyi raised her head and saw several girls in the front row turning their heads and looking over here frequently.

Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the cool metal clip of the pen. "He just...thinks Zheng Yan is doing something wrong, right?"

"No way!" Zhang Ningxia slammed the table excitedly, then quickly covered her mouth and glanced at the podium. "When has Song Chengrui ever meddled in such matters? Even if he did, he only cared about Xie Lin. When has he ever spoken up for anyone else?"

Xu Zhiyi suddenly felt his ears burning.

She remembered Song Chengrui's eyelashes fluttering in the sunlight, and the smile on his lips when he winked at her.

"But..." Zhang Ningxia suddenly changed the subject, her expression becoming serious, "You'd better not get too close to him."

"Why?"

Zhang Ningxia looked around mysteriously, and lowered her voice even more:

"Xie Lin and Song Chengrui's relationship... can you get involved?"

Xu Zhiyi clenched her pen in her hand, then pretended not to care, "It doesn't matter anyway."

Zhang Ningxia patted her shoulder, quickly placed the food on her seat, and said with a smile, "That's right, you are recognized as a high-class beauty, and you and Song Chengrui have nothing to do with each other. I guess I'm worrying about it for nothing—"

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Xu Zhiyi turned his head following her gaze and saw a familiar figure standing at the back door of the classroom.

Xie Lin walked in with a bunch of cleaning tools, her hair tied in two ponytails at the back of her head, and the ends of her hair swayed slightly as she tilted her head slightly.

The sunlight shone from behind her, casting a long shadow on the ground, extending just to Xu Zhiyi's desk.

"We have a key to the door lock."

Xie Lin placed a bunch of keys on her desk and glanced between the two of them. "Teacher Xu asked me to pass it on."

Zhang Ningxia's chopsticks fell to the table with a "bang".

"Thank you." She heard herself say, her voice so dry that it didn't sound like her own.

Xie Lin nodded and turned to leave.

The moment the classroom door closed, Zhang Ningxia let out a long breath.

"It's over. Did she hear what I just said?"

She said with a sad face, "We are really going to be killed by crickets now."

"Destroy this world, I'm tired——"