Chapter 22
What's going on between you two?
At 18, Zhan Xinyue and Xu Shen had just confirmed their relationship after the college entrance examination. They were completely devoted to each other, yet they had even less time to see each other than before they got together. Zhan Xinyue's college entrance examination results were quite good, and several relatives strongly invited her to their homes to tutor their children, keeping her extremely busy.
They finally had some free time that day, and the two of them were able to meet, so they agreed to go to the movies together.
After not seeing each other for a few days, they were both a little shy when they met again. They smiled at each other and then looked away, too embarrassed to look at each other when they spoke.
That day, the two of them watched a 3D movie. She had no recollection of what it was about; she only remembered that her attention kept drifting to her side.
Neither of them spoke during the movie, but she could clearly sense that Xu Shen shared her nervousness and awkwardness. Although his eyes were fixed on the front, he seemed somewhat restless, constantly adjusting his posture, his hands clasped together on his lap, sometimes upright, sometimes reversed.
Amidst the shifting lights and shadows on the screen, she caught a glimpse of Xu Shen glancing in her direction, his gaze sliding across her hand before quickly shifting away.
Zhan Xinyue also felt a little uncomfortable, so she sat up a little straighter and put her arm on the armrest.
She forced herself to turn her attention to the screen in front of her, but suddenly felt the boy's warm hand slip between her fingers from below and grasp her right hand that was hanging down.
The boy's knuckles felt completely different from a girl's; the knuckles were hard, and even a brief touch sent a jolt of electricity through her. Zhan Xinyue unconsciously curled her hand, and the other hand immediately pulled away.
Zhan Xinyue dared not look at him, forcing herself to remain calm and staring straight ahead, not daring to move a muscle.
A moment later, that hand gripped her again with even greater determination, and this time it did not let go.
That was the first time they held hands, and all she could feel was how hot his palm was. She didn't dare look at him, and neither did Xu Shen. Neither of them spoke, their fingers intertwined in the darkness, as if they had completed some secret and solemn ritual.
After a moment, the two finally couldn't help but look at each other, their smiles gradually spreading until they could no longer be concealed.
Just as she snapped out of her reverie, she was caught off guard and looked into Xu Shen's eyes. He had turned his head to look at her at some point, his eyes crinkling, a strange light shining in them.
"This is the first time I've ever seen you smile..." he said.
He looked exactly the same as she remembered. If it weren't for the absence of his 3D glasses and his school uniform, Zhan Xinyue would have almost been unable to distinguish between memory and reality. She steadied herself before understanding what Xu Shen was saying. Lost in her memories, a slight smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
“I always thought you didn’t like to laugh, but I never expected…” Xu Shen said, “that you laugh like this.”
Zhan Xinyue stared at him for a few seconds, her smile fading, and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well... it's pretty good." Xu Shen smiled, his eyes flickering slightly, as if he had something on his mind. "Looks like you really enjoy watching comedies."
When she returned to the classroom, evening class had already begun. Zhan Xinyue suddenly appeared at the door, her hand still wrapped in bandages, making her extremely conspicuous. She called out "Report!" and everyone in the class looked up at her.
"What's wrong?" It happened to be the homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhou, who was supervising the self-study session. He was immediately surprised when he saw her like this.
Just as Zhan Xinyue was about to answer, Xu Shen walked past her and gestured for her to go back to her seat. He had insisted on escorting her back, saying he would explain to the teacher on her behalf.
Curious glances darted between her and Xu Shen, but Zhan Xinyue ignored them all and walked straight to her seat. Xin Wenhua and Lu Meng kept turning to look at her, their faces full of curiosity. Unfortunately, Old Zhou was standing on the stage, wanting to ask but not daring to, scratching his head in frustration.
The seats had been restored to their pre-exam state; her desk was back in its original place, and even the books she had stacked on the cabinet at the back of the classroom had been moved back by someone.
Zhan Xinyue silently returned to her seat and looked towards the podium. Over there, Xu Shen said something to Lao Zhou, who then pointed towards the door, indicating that he should go outside to talk.
As soon as the two walked out of the classroom, Xin Wenhua couldn't wait to turn around, and several other people around them also gathered around curiously.
"What's going on with you? I saw your seat was empty during the exam this afternoon, and I wondered what you were up to," Xin Wenhua asked.
Zhan Xinyue simply said, "I got hit by a basketball."
"You got hit by a basketball like that? You're really unlucky." Xin Wenhua clicked her tongue in amazement, then gestured with her chin towards the door. "Was it that boy who hit you?"
"Um."
Lu Meng said, "I know that boy, he's Xu Shen from Class 1."
Class 1 and Class 10 have always been rivals. Upon hearing this, Xin Wenhua immediately started spouting nonsense: "Class 1? Then there's something wrong with Class 1. They're taking an exam right now, and Xu Shen injured one of our classmates' hands. He's a spy!"
People always love a good show, and someone immediately chimed in, "Class One's tactics are brilliant! This move is called 'drawing the firewood from under the cauldron'..."
"It seems that the competition between our two classes has become extremely fierce, and we've gone from writing to actually doing it."
Everyone was laughing and arguing. Zhan Xinyue looked at the gauze in her hand and, seeing that the topic was getting more and more out of control, corrected them: "No, he didn't even get to take the exam."
“Oh, then that involves another tactic, which is called—” Xin Wenhua was about to launch into his eloquent speech when Old Zhou, hearing the commotion, poked his head in from outside the classroom and roared, “What’s all this noise about! Xin Wenhua, don’t you have anything to do?!”
“Yes…” Xin Wenhua quickly fell silent and replied weakly. As she turned back, she muttered to herself, “So many people are talking, why only call on me?”
Several people around him chuckled at him, and Old Zhou roared again, "Do you all think you did very well on this test? You're all so happy now, but let's see if you're still happy when the papers are handed out!"
This seemed to have hit a nerve with everyone, and the few people who had just been laughing all lowered their heads like chickens.
After a few seconds of silence in the classroom, Old Zhou's voice rang out again: "Zhan Xinyue, come out here for a moment."
Outside the classroom, Xu Shen was still standing next to Lao Zhou. Zhan Xinyue walked over, and Lao Zhou glanced at her hand, saying, "Xu Shen just told me the details. Although your injury isn't serious, you're in your second year of high school, a crucial period, and since it's your right hand, the impact is quite significant. I think I should ask for your opinion. Do you think it's necessary to call both sets of parents here for a discussion?"
Xu Shen's parents are very familiar with Zhan Xinyue. She shook her head: "No need, Teacher Zhou. It was just a small accident. I'll explain it to my parents tonight. There's no need to make it so complicated."
Old Zhou clearly didn't want to cause any more trouble, so he patted her on the shoulder: "Alright, it's best if you two can reach a settlement. You two shouldn't have any disputes about the medical expenses, right?"
Zhan Xinyue shook her head. Xu Shen had paid for all the medicine and treatment fees at the hospital, and she wanted to give him the money before returning to school, but he refused to accept it no matter what.
"Then let's leave it at that. Zhan Xinyue, you can't let your guard down just because you're injured. You still need to try your best to overcome difficulties and not fall behind. You missed a few exams this afternoon, so you need to find some time to do the questions. If you have any difficulties recently, come to me. I'll also tell everyone when we get back to class and ask them to help you out."
Zhan Xinyue hummed in agreement.
Xu Shen nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, Teacher Zhou, I'm here."
After being questioned by Xin Wenhua and the others, Xie Wanzhi came over again as soon as get out of class ended and interrogated Zhan Xinyue again: "What happened to your hand? And Xu Shen, why did he bring you back?"
Zhan Xinyue had already lost patience after answering the same question several times, but she keenly grasped the key point in Zhan Xinyue's words and asked calmly, "You know him too?"
“Yes, we know each other. We’re in Class 1,” Xie Wanzhi said.
Zhan Xinyue's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained expressionless: "How do you two know each other?"
"He's quite famous, you know, he's on the school team. A lot of girls used to go watch him play basketball. But I only know him by name, I wouldn't say I know him personally. Tell me quickly, what happened between you two today?"
Zhan Xinyue was somewhat disappointed by her answer and lost her enthusiasm, so she casually replied, "I just happened to be passing by the basketball court when I got hit on the hand. He took me to the hospital, and that's it."
Upon hearing this, Xie Wanzhi nudged her with her elbow with interest and teased, "What a coincidence, it has to be Xu Shen! You two are quite destined for each other. He's quite handsome, don't you think?"
Zhan Xinyue said expressionlessly, "I don't feel anything."
Xie Wanzhi said "Oh" and left as if she regretted it.
As it turns out, Xu Shen's promise to take responsibility that day was not just empty talk.
As a small commotion arose in the classroom, Xu Shen appeared at the door of Class 10's classroom once again.
Zhan Xinyue lowered her head, feeling a bit of a headache. That day, Zhang Chao told her to behave well to make amends, but she hadn't taken it seriously. Xu Shen, however, had. The next morning, he appeared before her with breakfast. Zhan Xinyue refused, saying, "I've already eaten at home." Xu Shen didn't insist and casually shared the breakfast with a few classmates who were watching the commotion.
He came again the next day, but this time he brought fruit. The washed fruit was neatly packed in a glass box, saying it was to help her fingers heal. The school's cafeteria didn't sell fruit, and Zhan Xinyue had no idea where this boarding student got it from. At noon, as soon as she and Xie Wanzhi arrived at the cafeteria, they could see Xu Shen had already gotten her food and was waving at her from his seat... Even every morning when she arrived at the classroom, she could see that the water cup on her desk had already been filled with water, and the lid was thoughtfully left unscrewed.
Several days passed, and Zhan Xinyue's hand was still not healed, but everyone in the class seemed to have gotten used to this unofficial member. Xu Shen was already very popular, and recently many people in the class knew him better than Zhan Xinyue.
In the front row, someone was already enthusiastically greeting, "Brother Shen, you're here!"
Xu Shente nodded familiarly, "Yes, I'm here." He walked to Zhan Xinyue's table and asked, "How are you today? Still in pain?"
Zhan Xinyue felt a headache coming on whenever she saw him. She got up, holding her cup, pretending to get water to avoid him, but he seemed oblivious and followed her. She walked coldly to the water dispenser, her cup close to it, only to realize she didn't have a free hand to press the button. In that split second of hesitation, Xu Shen's hand had already reached out and pressed the button for her, the movement so fluid it seemed like a pre-arranged plan.
Xie Wanzhi, watching their antics from the side, couldn't help but marvel: "The chemistry between you two is truly... tsk, what can I say?"
Xu Shen didn't mind her teasing: "I still didn't think it through. I forgot that it was inconvenient for you to get water. From now on, I will come and get water for you during every break."
Zhan Xinyue secretly grumbled to herself, "It's not enough to just get water every morning, he has to come and get it every break between classes. Xu Shen is treating me like a water bucket."
Before she could speak, Xie Wanzhi interjected, "Brother Shen, do you think all these people in our class are dead? There are so many of us, how could we let Xinyue go without water? Don't worry, we treat the wounded very humanely."
Xu Shen smiled at her and said, "Then thank you."
"No need to thank me, I'm Xinyue's best friend, it's only right."
"Really? What's your name?"
The two started chatting naturally. Zhan Xinyue glanced at them, then walked between them with a cup full of water in her hand.
Seeing her leave, Xu Shen hurriedly ended the conversation, then followed her back to her desk and asked, "I discovered last night that there's a prequel to 'The Plot'. I downloaded it. Do you want to read it?"
Zhan Xinyue was completely bewildered. "What?"
Xu Shen said helplessly, "You haven't even forgotten the name of the movie we watched that day, have you?"
"Oh, so you two went to the movies again!" Xie Wanzhi, who had just followed behind, looked shocked. "What's going on between you two? Xinyue, are you having a secret from me?"
Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of several people nearby, including Shi Ziqian, who was working on his homework and looked up at them.
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