Chapter 27 P - Midsummer
It wasn't until after sunset, when the daytime heat subsided, that the two leisurely made their way home under the starlight.
It was almost 7:30 when they arrived at Zhalongkou. Since the old lady went to bed early, Xing Yu didn't go looking for Grandma Chen anymore. He planned to go home with Chu Beiling to put their things away and then have dinner on Ding'an Road.
After Xing Yu put his things away, Chu Beiling was still not ready. He went down to the fifth floor to look for him, but the door to the east room on the fifth floor was wide open and he didn't see anyone inside. He waited at the door for a while and then saw Chu Beiling walk past him in a hurry and then come back.
"Come in and sit for a while, I'll be right there looking for something," Chu Beiling said before walking into the bedroom.
Xing Yu hesitated for a moment, took off his shoes, walked into the entryway, and closed the door behind him.
While both are single-person homes, Chu Beiling's home is quite different from Xing Yu's empty house, which resembles a showroom and seems like it could be abandoned at any moment. In contrast, next to the sofa in the living room is a multi-functional glass drawing table. Underneath the table, art supplies, paints, plaster casts, still lifes, and finished paintings are scattered all over the floor. On one side, a three-tiered bookcase is filled with Doraemon merchandise, crammed full of visible items, making it look like a large art warehouse.
It's crowded but not cluttered, especially the arrangement of items, which follows the Touch Mark color chart perfectly, making it very soothing and intuitive.
Xing Yu stared at Chu Beiling, who was bent over, frantically searching through the living room and bedroom, but after fifteen minutes, he hadn't found anything interesting.
He finally couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking for?"
"Bank card." Chu Beiling picked up the Doraemon pillow from the sofa and put it back. "Why can't I find it? I clearly remember leaving it in the living room."
Chu Beiling straightened up, stood still, and looked around frantically, trying to remember exactly where she had put the bank card.
Xing Yu pointed to a square mark on Chu Beiling's school uniform pocket: "What's in your pocket?"
"In your pocket?!" Chu Beiling asked in confusion, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a green card: "..."
Seeing his stunned and confused look, Xing Yu couldn't help but laugh: "Looking for your bank card while holding your bank card, Chu Beiling, you're really funny."
He searched the living room and bedroom thoroughly, only to find that it had been taken and stuffed into his pocket at some point. Young Master Chu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Then she quickly walked over to Xing Yu, pulled him out the door, and awkwardly changed the subject: "Come on, come on, we're starving."
They took the subway to Ding'an Road.
At this time, shop owners from various small businesses come out to set up night market stalls.
Food carts lined both sides of the road, one next to the other without leaving a single gap. Thin wisps of smoke drifted into the night sky, and the air was filled with the aroma of barbecue, braised dishes, and fried rice.
The two chose a food stall that sold fried rice and sat down at a table set up by the owner.
A thin layer of oil stains floated on the table. As soon as he sat down, Xing Yu started to wipe the table with tissues.
Watching his actions, Chu Beiling couldn't help but think to herself, "You always complain that I'm a fussman, but you're not much better! We're evenly matched."
Xing Yu lifted his eyelids: "Do you have to be exactly the same as me in everything?"
"Is it not allowed?" Chu Beiling met his indifferent gaze.
Xing Yu raised an eyebrow, his voice seemingly vibrating gently from his chest, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Fine, do as you please."
While we were talking, the owner had already brought over two servings of fried rice.
Xing Yu rinsed the bowls and chopsticks with mineral water before starting to eat, while Chu Beiling took even more time, preparing to pick out the vegetables he didn't want to eat from the plate.
He reached out and picked up a leaf of vegetable, but before he could react, the young master Chu had already placed the leaf on Xing Yu's plate.
The two of them were stunned.
When eating at school, he would generally avoid foods he didn't want to eat, so he didn't have this problem. However, when eating street-side fried rice, he would inevitably encounter foods he didn't want to eat.
Only when he was with his father would young master Chu put the food he didn't want into his father's bowl; when he was with Madam Li, he wouldn't dare to do so at all.
Let alone others.
and--
He actually put unwanted food into Xing Yu's germaphobic bowl! Chu Beiling wished he could just die on the spot. If all else failed, he'd like to live on another planet.
When Chu Beiling stammered and couldn't say a word for a long time, Xing Yu pushed the plate in front of him: "Give me everything you don't want to eat."
Whether Xing Yu was indifferent or afraid that he would be embarrassed, Chu Beiling felt a great sense of relief at that moment.
"Really?" Young Master Chu asked again, unsure.
Xing Yu nodded slightly: "Yes, give it to me."
Neon lights flickered on the street, crowds thronged around the food stalls, and vehicles shuttled back and forth in the middle of the road. At this moment, amidst this bustling and noisy scene, they sat facing each other, and Chu Beiling carefully placed all the vegetables she didn't want into Xing Yu's plate.
What was a simple action, in this warm and lively setting, seemed even more intimate than the young couple sitting side by side at the next table, cuddling together.
For the next two days, whenever Chu Beiling had free time, he would go upstairs to find Xing Yu and invite him to come to his house to paint together. Or, when it was time to eat, Xing Yu would come downstairs to find him to go to Grandma Chen's house for dinner together.
With someone by his side, this was probably the happiest weekend that Young Master Chu had since his father passed away.
After the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, the morning exercise team had just returned and was resting in their seats when the discipline committee member sitting in the first row spotted the homeroom teacher, who was wearing high heels and looked menacing, walking down the corridor.
She quickly said, "Wang Caiyan is coming, hurry up and start your morning reading."
Wang Caiyan had special requirements for them: they had to read aloud during morning reading time. If she went to the classroom and didn't hear any reading, she would "humph" and give each subject teacher two sets of test papers.
These mischievous monkeys in Class 13, after a period of wits and courage, have long since mastered the ability to speak fluently and spontaneously.
The moment the Discipline Inspection Commission spoke, there was no need to even look at the book; one could simply read aloud the first lesson of the Chinese textbook.
"Alone in the cold autumn, the Xiang River flows northward, at Orange Isle, one sees mountains ablaze with red, forests dyed in vibrant hues; the river is crystal clear, a hundred boats race against each other." The orderly lines echoed within the art building, almost lifting it off the ground with their sound.
Wang Caiyan stood on the podium, glanced around the classroom with satisfaction, and then gestured for them to be quiet for the time being.
The classroom, which had been filled with the sound of reading aloud, suddenly fell silent.
"We have a new student transferring to our class," Wang Caiyan dropped a bombshell, then called out towards the door, "Shengxia, come in."
As soon as the words were spoken, a girl named Shengxia walked into the classroom carrying a Crayon Shin-chan backpack.
The girl had a pair of smiling crescent-shaped eyes, small and delicate lips, a high nose bridge, and two faint dimples on her slightly chubby face. She looked pure and beautiful, like a delicate BJD doll.
Perhaps due to nervousness, he appeared particularly awkward under the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd.
They look especially endearing.
A cacophony of excited chatter erupted in the classroom, but Wang Caiyan quickly stopped it.
Their class has really stirred up a storm of handsome guys and beautiful girls. There are two school heartthrobs in the class, one is the most beautiful girl in the art building, and now there's another beauty. Any one of them could cause a sensation. Now, when they go out, everyone will say that their Class 13 is impressive.
Wang Caiyan pointed to the empty seat next to Li Dong: "Sheng Xia, you sit next to Li Dong."
Sheng Xia pursed her lips and walked towards the only empty seat. After she sat down, Wang Caiyan began the class.
The two math classes went on without a break, and it wasn't until the long break between the second and third periods that they finally had time to discuss the new transfer student.
New transfer students are often uneasy and unable to integrate into the class, but her deskmate is Li Dong, and the person in front of her is Xu Tunan, a social butterfly.
Xu Tunan called out to Sheng Xia, who was about to slip away to the door, "Midterms are almost here, why did you suddenly transfer schools?"
In the sweltering summer, his head drooped lower and lower, his hands resting on the table anxiously flipping through his textbook: "Parents' job transfer."
"Oh, I see." Xu Tunan wanted to continue speaking.
Li Dong noticed the transfer student's unease and kicked Xu Tunan's stool to stop him from frightening the transfer student.
Xu Tunan: "Brother Li, can you please not be so violent? I just want to say that it's quite a coincidence and interesting that you two are from different seasons, one in winter and the other in summer."
"Stop talking nonsense and turn around quickly." After scolding Xu Tunan, Li Dong turned to talk to Sheng Xia, his voice softening a bit: "The class schedule is on the bulletin board. The next two periods are history, and there are four art classes this afternoon. If you haven't had time to prepare your art supplies, you can borrow mine. We are deskmates. If you need anything, just tell me. Don't be shy."
Shengxia Nuonuo replied, "Okay." She then added, "I brought my art supplies."
At lunchtime, Li Dong, who usually ate with four people, now had an extra deskmate. Fearing that his new classmate might not be able to adapt to the new environment and would be too lonely without anyone to accompany him, Li Dong asked Sheng Xia to join him.
Li Dong said patiently, "Don't worry, they are all very easy to talk to, except for occasionally acting crazy."
With her eyes lowered, Sheng Xia softly replied, "Mmm."
"Tsk tsk tsk~" Xu Tunan clicked his tongue several times, "Is this really the power of a beautiful woman? She can actually make our Brother Li so gentle."
Under the table, Li Dong kicked Xu Tunan: "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."
Xu Tunan immediately calmed down and continued eating.
The most important thing for transfer students is to integrate into the current class as soon as possible. Chu Beiling looked up at Sheng Xia and saw that she was fidgeting. She took the initiative to ask a question that was relatively easy to answer and could quickly lead into a back-and-forth conversation.
"Where did you transfer from?"
His voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz in the middle of summer, and no one except Li Dong could hear him clearly.
Chu Beiling: "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly."
“They said Suzhou.” Li Dong squinted at Chu Beiling: “Don’t talk so fiercely, you’re scaring the new classmate, okay?”
Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu and asked in confusion, "Was I speaking loudly and fiercely?!"
Because she was a girl, he became much gentler.
"No, it's normal." Xing Yu lifted his eyelids.
Upon hearing that Sheng Xia had transferred from Suzhou, Xu Tunan, who was eating rice, looked up in shock: "What were your parents thinking? Why did they send you from Jiangsu, where the college entrance exam is hellishly difficult, to Zhejiang, where the exam is the most difficult?"
Sheng Xia didn't understand for a moment, and looked at Xu Tunan with a puzzled and innocent expression: "Um, what?"
Xu Tunan deliberately feigned profundity and lowered his voice, saying, "Have you ever heard the famous saying about the college entrance exam: Jiangsu and Zhejiang hold hands, whoever makes it easy first is a dog?"
The quiet summer, which seemed out of place with its surroundings, suddenly smiled faintly, looking both cute and well-behaved.
Seeing that she was gradually relaxing, the four people around her also started laughing along with her.
Li Dong glanced at Xu Tunan and said, "You did do one good thing after all."
Xu Tunan tossed his hair coolly, "There's nothing I can do about it. My name is Lei Feng, and doing good deeds is my destiny."
"Tch." Chu Beiling and Li Dong said in unison, quite disgusted by his shameless boasting.
Summer came at an inopportune time. Before she could even integrate into her new school life, they had to take the midterm exams in just two days. The school's curriculum was different, and she hadn't fully adapted to it. Logically, she shouldn't have had to take the exams this time, but Wang Caiyan privately called her over to take the midterm exams to assess her performance.
Sheng Xia, who had never studied any courses at Xigao High School, was particularly anxious and nervous, fearing that she would fail the exam.
Chu Beiling was also anxious and worried about failing the midterm exam.
He didn't expect the midterm exam to come so soon. He had promised Ms. Li that he would be ranked in the top 50 in the second monthly exam, and he was determined to do so. Ms. Li didn't care how long the time interval was or whether it was a monthly exam or a midterm exam.
She only cares about the result.
Chu Beiling has her own way of thinking about learning.
He usually reviews all five chapters of all subjects in advance, finishes all the practice questions in advance, reviews during the teacher's class, and only pays attention to what is useful to him. He will slack off whenever possible during other times. Then he builds a knowledge framework, refines it, finds gaps, overcomes weaknesses, and then embeds it into the knowledge framework.
This method made learning easier for him, allowing him to focus on art while still achieving relatively good results.
However, he always tends to get stuck on things, and once he gets into it, his stubbornness kicks in and he's practically insane.
After learning about the midterm exams, Chu Beiling's study time was extended even more. He started a crazy sea of questions and memorization, a strategy that was not suitable for him. In order not to disturb others, he would continue to study under the covers with a flashlight until two or three in the morning.
Chu Beiling huddled in bed, staring at the exercise book with dizzy eyes and yawning incessantly, but she was still trying her best not to fall asleep.
He bit himself hard, and after regaining some clarity, Chu Beiling lowered his head and continued practicing.
The blanket was suddenly pulled back, and Chu Beiling's heart tightened as she turned around sharply. When she saw that it was Xing Yu, she relaxed.
He patted his chest and said with a hint of complaint, "What did you do? You scared me."
Xing Yu sat on his bed, staring at him coldly for a while, then reached out and snatched the flashlight and workbook from his hand: "Go to sleep right now."
It was late at night, and the sound of snoring filled the dormitory. Chu Beiling lowered her voice and said to him, "Xing Yu, give it to me first. I'll go to sleep after I finish this page."
Xing Yu stretched out his arm in front of him, showing him his watch: "It's 3:30 in the morning. Chu Beiling is sleeping now."
Seeing that Xing Yu was determined not to give it to him, he could only obediently accept his fate and decided to lie back down to sleep. As soon as he lay down, Xing Yu climbed back onto his own bed.
Until the exam, every night before going to bed, Xing Yu would sit on Chu Beiling's bed and watch him sleep. Only after making sure he was asleep would he go back to his own bed to sleep.
One night, while Xing Yu was fast asleep, Chu Beiling carefully climbed onto his bed to retrieve her flashlight and exercise book. But the moment she touched them, Xing Yu grabbed her wrist.
In the darkness, Chu Beiling sat on Xing Yu's lap, awkwardly and guiltily meeting his gaze. Then she hurriedly explained, "Um, I mean, I'm scared at night and want to sleep with you, do you believe me?"
Xing Yu stared coldly at him, tightening his grip on his wrist as if he wanted to crush it: "Chu Beiling, won't you listen to me?"
Chu Beiling was somewhat displeased: "What does it matter to you whether I sleep or not?"
The air suddenly turned several degrees colder. Just as Chu Beiling was about to speak, Xing Yu shoved the flashlight and exercise book into his arms: "It has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you want."
Chu Beiling's heart tightened, and he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable for some reason. He quickly put the flashlight and exercise book in his arms: "Don't be angry, I'll listen to you, okay?"
Xing Yu asked, "Not resisting anymore?"
Chu Beiling shook his head.
"Chu Beiling, if you continue like this, I won't care about you anymore. Do whatever you want," Xing Yu said coldly.
Young Master Chu resigned himself to his fate, nodding vigorously. Xing Yu pointed to his bed: "Go back to sleep now."
Chu Beiling could only obediently climb back into her bed and cover herself with the blanket.
The monthly exam lasted for two days. When they returned to school again on the weekend, they received their report cards. Chu Beiling's art score remained firmly in first place in the art class.
As for his academic performance, upon seeing his ranking of 51st in the grade, Chu Beiling slammed the report card heavily on the table, leaned back, and was so angry he wanted to curse.
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