Chapter 99 P - Distress
On the third day of Chu Beiling's IV drip, Sheng Xia was also admitted to the infirmary due to a persistent high fever.
He noticed early on that Sheng Xia was acting strangely. After Li Dong and the others left to go back to class, Chu Beiling asked, "Xia Xia, what's wrong?"
Shengxia shook her drooping head, bit her lip and didn't say anything, tears falling like little pearls.
"Don't cry," Chu Beiling said, pulling a pack of tissues from her pocket and handing it to him. "Wipe your tears."
Summer: "Thank you."
He thought for a moment and asked, "Is it because you're sick and feeling too uncomfortable? Or is it related to Li Dong? Did you two have a fight?"
They sat in the corner, and Sheng Xia glanced at Xue Ziang, who was diagonally opposite them.
As their class monitor, Xue Ziang was the one who scolded Wang Caiyan the most fiercely and harshly. However, whenever there were things in the class that they didn't want the class teacher to know, as long as he went to the office, Wang Caiyan would find out very quickly.
The boys never liked people who would tattle, especially since Xue Ziang was two-faced, difficult to talk to, and prone to using his power to bully others. Even Ni Wenxuan, who was generally considered to be on good terms with him, had some complaints about him.
Others dared not get too close to them.
Chu Beiling leaned slightly to block his view: "Tell me, don't worry."
“My parents want me to stay in the province and go to university here, but I can’t convince them.” Sheng Xia glanced at him, finally finding an outlet for her pent-up emotions.
“I also want to go to Beijing, I want to be with you, but they won’t agree, what can I do?” she choked up. “Tangtang even blames me for never fighting for what I want, but I’ve tried, I really have tried, but the result is still not satisfactory. I’m under a lot of pressure. We promised to go to Beijing together, but we can’t go. I’m so desperate. She doesn’t understand me and always blames me.”
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably; she felt both sad and wronged.
Chu Beiling discovered this problem, but he had no solution. He had always known that the power of life and death over a young person was in the hands of their parents. If they disagreed, there was nothing they could do. As long as Li Dong did not compromise, this problem would not be resolved.
After a pause, Chu Beiling said, "It's okay. With such advanced communication technology these days, even if we can't go to Beijing, we can still keep in touch every day and see each other often. As for Tangtang..." Expecting that brat to compromise and restrain her temper is simply a pipe dream.
He took a deep breath and comforted her, "If she really doesn't want to stay and insists that you go to Beijing with her, and you can't convince your parents, then just choose according to your own heart."
Sheng Xia's tears slowly stopped, her eyes still red, and her voice was very soft and low: "If you and Xing Yu encountered such a thing, what would you do?"
Chu Beiling: "We... will probably go with them."
Sheng Xia pursed her lips, revealing a shallow dimple on her cheek: "Perhaps Tangtang is right. I didn't really fight for it. My will isn't as strong as yours. When Mom and Dad say they've worked hard and can't bear to part with me, I waver."
Her voice softened, "But sometimes I also hope they will listen to my thoughts and not always think I am weak and indecisive."
Upon hearing this, Chu Beiling was speechless for a moment.
It's easy to observe others, but when it comes to yourself, you might not handle things well.
If it were him, and Li Shuying made a strong demand of him, he might still try to fight back. But once Ms. Li said a few words about how hard she had worked and how reluctant she was to part with him, he couldn't help but waver.
But there is one thing that will never change for Chu Beiling.
This is exactly what we need most in the height of summer.
“Whether it’s your uncles and aunts, or Tangtang…” Chu Beiling patted Shengxia’s head, looked at her, and said, word by word, “Xiaxia, choose the path you want to choose more.”
When Wang Caiyan arrived at the infirmary, she happened to see this scene, and Chu Beiling immediately let go of her hand.
She glanced at the two of them, first taking Xue Ziang's phone away, then walking up to them and saying, "Give me your phones, both of you."
Chu Beiling and Sheng Xia: "?"
They couldn't simply say they didn't bring it, because Wang Caiyan was staring intently at the square pockets of their school uniforms.
The two reluctantly took out their phones and handed them to her.
After taking away their phones, Wang Caiyan said, "You skipped class and used being sick as an excuse to hide in the infirmary and date. You two are really something. Come to my office after you finish your IV drips."
Chu Beiling and Sheng Xia: "??"
"Teacher, you've misunderstood. We're not dating," Chu Beiling said truthfully.
Shengxia also said, "Teacher, we are just friends."
Wang Caiyan clearly didn't believe it: "Friend, you're sitting together, and you're still touching Shengxia's head?!"
Chu Beiling reiterated several times that he and Sheng Xia were not in a relationship, but just friends. He said that Sheng Xia was just comforting him when she was in a bad mood, and that she could check his phone if she didn't believe him.
Wang Caiyan read the chat history and compared it to make sure it hadn't been deleted and there were no signs of a romantic relationship before she could barely feel at ease.
"I'll return your phones after your joint entrance exams." Wang Caiyan, carrying the three phones, walked away in her high heels.
Chu Beiling pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling both amused and helpless: "You're always doubting this and that, but you never doubt the person in question. You can't even admit it if you want to."
Sheng Xia's tears turned into laughter: "From now on, we'll be the focus of attention, which is... pretty good."
Chu Beiling laughed as well: "Looks like my comforting words weren't in vain; you even have the mood to joke around."
The two chuckled quietly for a while before finally calming down.
As long as the relationship between him and Xing Yu, Sheng Xia and Li Dong is not made public, it seems that no one will ever doubt or believe it.
The fact that they were most worried about being with the same sex actually gave them an extra layer of protection.
Because their relationship was suspected, Chu Beiling and Sheng Xia were indeed observed for a period of time.
Aside from the day in the infirmary, the six of them usually spent their time together joking and playing around.
Aside from the fact that his phone was confiscated, which gave Chu Beiling a bit of a headache, the matter seemed to have passed.
However, just two days later, Wang Caiyan announced during a class meeting that Xue Ziang had been removed from his position as class monitor and would be replaced by the vice class monitor, Shen Jingjing.
Everyone instinctively looked at Xue Ziang, whose face was flushed and who was keeping his head down without saying a word.
The homeroom teacher especially liked their class monitor, and everyone knew that. The sudden decision was something no one had expected.
Xue Ziang was no longer the class monitor, which made most of the class happy because Shen Jingjing was much more likable than Xue Ziang. With her as the class monitor, the lives of these mischievous monkeys would be much more comfortable.
They didn't care why Xue Ziang was inexplicably removed from his position as class monitor, except for Xue Ziang himself, who cared most about this position.
Shengxia got her phone back from the homeroom teacher through her parents. Li Shuying and Uncle Zhao won't be returning to China anytime soon. Originally, Chu Beiling didn't care whether she had a phone or not, but now it's not so good, she needs to draw.
It was Li Dong's birthday over the weekend, and the group went to the lakeside to eat and shop. He planned to buy a new phone at the flagship store there.
Chu Beiling hesitated, realizing she would have to spend thousands of yuan just for a phone.
In the past few months, the drawings he made could barely buy half a mobile phone. This feeling was really unpleasant, accompanied by a deep sense of powerlessness.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Xing Yu quickly understood what he was thinking.
But there was no way to tell Chu Beiling that he would pay for it or that he would draw the drawings alone before Uncle Zhao returned. That would only make him feel worse, and Chu Beiling was a strong-willed person, so he wouldn't agree to that either.
Xing Yu thought for a moment and said, "Let Grandma Chen ask for the phone back. It's a new phone, and you don't have any data on it."
Chu Beiling nodded: "Is it alright if Grandma Chen steps in?"
Xing Yu: "It should be fine, let's give it a try first."
He nodded.
"Chu Beiling".
Chu Beiling felt someone touch his shoulder, and he turned to look.
Xing Yu said, "It's only just begun, things will get better and better, don't worry."
Chu Beiling certainly believed things would get better and better. He was indeed a little anxious and eagerly hoped that he could grow up quickly, become more responsible, break free from the fate of having his life and death in the hands of his parents, and have more autonomy in his choices.
Especially when they learned that Sheng Xia was struggling with whether or not to stay in the province to study.
He became even more anxious.
Young people always have many worries, endless worries, and then they look forward to growing up quickly—becoming a reliable adult so that they will no longer have worries.
Although Xing Yu wasn't as anxious as Chu Beiling, he never stopped thinking and acting, constantly planning and thinking about their future, considering many things.
Although teenagers have many troubles, one after another, they can always become incredibly happy over the smallest things.
Chu Beiling retrieved her phone from the homeroom teacher through Grandma Chen. During evening self-study, Lin Tingdao walked into the art classroom wearing a hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers, a smile on her lips and incredibly light steps.
The monkeys sitting in front of the easel felt a chill run down their spines when they saw her like this.
If other teachers walked into the classroom with a stern face, they knew they were in for a bad time. But Lin Tingdao was different. This woman, young and beautiful, was a smiling tiger; the more she smiled, the more terrifying she became, and the more ruthless she was in dealing with them.
A soft knife, yet every strike can be deadly.
Li Dong glanced sideways: "Hu Tutu, you didn't offend her when you were dragged here for extra lessons this morning, did you?"
Xu Tunan: "She said to paint boldly, and that I was reluctant to use your paints. I said yes, I was planning to use them as hot pot dipping sauce, so I had to be careful with the amount I used, right?!"
Li Dong: "Alright, let's just light the candles."
Chu Beiling pulled her drawing board away from Xu Tunan to avoid being caught in the crossfire, and quickly wrote a candle on it for him: "Take this."
Xing Yu drew a picture of a lighter for him: "Use this light."
Ke Jincheng rolled up his sleeves, ready to kick him out at any moment and draw a clear line between them.
Shengxia placed a bottle of nitroglycerin tablets in his hand: "Take it early, there's still time to save him."
Xu Tunan: "..."
When the mischievous monkeys around heard this, they were all sharpening their knives, ready to pounce on TuTu.
Lin Tingdao finally spoke with a smile: "Congratulations, class representative, our classmate Chu Beiling's work 'Gazing' has won the first prize in the Chinese division of the Picasso Competition."
The whole class froze for a moment, like water droplets suddenly exploding in a pan of oil.
Compared to the shock of others, Chu Beiling couldn't believe it. He thought that the fact that there had been no news for so long meant that he had already been eliminated.
"Congratulations to Chu Beiling for qualifying for the global finals and for the opportunity to visit and study at the Picasso Museum in Spain and the Bologna Museum in Italy."
Lin Tingdao laughed and said, "What are you standing there for? Clap and shout!"
"Clap clap clap—"
"Little Prince Fanfan, you are our light! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Wow~wow~wow——"
It seems that other classes also received the news. Just two seconds after they started cheering, the entire art building erupted in cheers, almost blowing the building upside down.
But before Chu Beiling, who was in the midst of the excitement, could respond to her companions' congratulations, she and Xing Yu were called out by Lin Tingdao.
Chu Beiling's heart was pounding, and he was still feeling dizzy when Lin Tingdao gave him even more exciting news: "The prize money for the competition."
Chu Beiling took the check and his hands trembled when he saw the number on it. The first prize was a whopping 50,000 yuan.
"Is this real?" Chu Beiling stretched out her arm in front of Xing Yu in disbelief: "Try biting me a few times and see."
Xing Yu looked at his profile and chuckled: "No need to bite, really."
Lin Tingdao flicked his forehead: "Does it hurt?"
Chu Beiling nodded vigorously: "A little."
Lin Tingdao was overjoyed: "Are you serious?!"
Chu Beiling was so happy she felt like she could fly, and she didn't forget to thank Lin Tingdao: "Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Lin."
"Just remember to treat me to a meal," she said.
Chu Beiling generously said, "Teacher Lin, what would you like to eat? I'll pay the bill."
"Prepare your final piece well and submit it to me before January." Lin Tingdao gave him another tap on the head: "Don't bother with those cheap pictures online that cost tens of yuan each. It's a waste of your energy and not suitable for you. A world with more delicate colors and a broader structure is your domain."
Chu Beiling was stunned.
Xing Yu suppressed his smile and pursed his lips.
Lin Tingdao looked at Xing Yu: "And you, don't run away this time. Hand over a painting to me too, and I'll send it to the China region."
Xing Yu remained silent for a moment before agreeing.
She looked at the two of them earnestly and said, "My two little darlings, please focus your energy on things that are more suitable and useful, okay?!"
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