Chapter 27 Summer's Bitterness: I Look into Your Eyes Again
The next afternoon, after returning to the classroom from the cafeteria, there were only a few people left. She had been having lunch with Shen Qingyun for the past few days. Luo Yiqiu was in a bad mood, but she felt that she couldn't do anything to help. She thought that Chen Chaoxi was close to Shen Qingyun and might be able to cheer her up.
However, because she was worried that it would be inconvenient for them to chat while she was there, she wanted to give them space to have lunch and talk.
After doing his homework at his desk for a while, Chen Wei suddenly walked into the classroom and asked, "Is Luo Yiqiu here?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingli looked up and, seeing that none of the other students in the class responded, replied, "She hasn't come back yet, Teacher Chen."
"Then... Shen Qingli, come to my office and get our class's test paper." Chen Wei seemed a little anxious. Seeing that Luo Yiqiu wasn't there, but the matter couldn't be delayed, he looked around at the class and finally pointed to Shen Qingli.
Shen Qingli was completely bewildered by the task she was suddenly assigned. Before she could react, Chen Wei urged her to get the test papers for their next class.
After receiving the materials, Chen Wei instructed her to distribute the test papers before rushing downstairs to a meeting with the other teachers. As she walked down the corridor back to the classroom, she remembered overhearing other teachers casually chatting in the office about the separation of arts and sciences.
Judging by the time, it's time for these first-year high school classes to consider choosing between arts and sciences. This matter should be finalized before the end of this semester. It's a big deal concerning the college entrance exam and their future, but such a big decision is usually not hers to make.
As expected, everything will proceed according to Mother Shen's plan. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh.
As she was thinking about this, she walked to the door of Class 1, Grade 1. She glanced inside subconsciously. It was lunch break time, but many students in Class 1 were doing their homework during the break and dared not slack off for even a second.
She admired their hard work and dedication, then casually looked away to the last seat in the first row, only to find that Lin Xiaqing's seat was empty; he hadn't returned yet.
Realizing she was thinking about him again, Shen Qingli's mind became chaotic. She reminded herself that she couldn't continue like this, and in her confusion, she uncontrollably quickened her pace.
He had only taken a few steps when he was stopped by several boys who suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Are you Shen Qingli?" the boy in the lead asked, blocking her way.
Hearing the dismissive tone, she frowned slightly, but out of politeness, she replied, "Yes, what do you need me for?"
Upon hearing this, the nonchalant boy in front of her took an envelope out of his pocket and asked her in an almost commanding tone, "You know Luo Yiqiu, right? Help me take this to her."
Without waiting for her consent, he forcefully shoved the things in his hand into Shen Qingli's hands.
Hearing him mention Luo Yiqiu, her sixth sense told her that he was no good and might cause trouble for Luo Yiqiu. Moreover, seeing his impolite actions, she took a few steps back unhappily and refused directly, saying, "I'm sorry, I can't help you with this."
After saying that, she turned cold and started to walk around him. When he saw her reaction, he thought she was ungrateful and his expression immediately turned hostile. He grabbed Shen Qingli's arm forcefully, and the other boys around her followed suit and surrounded her.
Seeing that their path was blocked, and feeling the pressure on her hands, she bent down in pain, realizing that they were looking for trouble, and alarm bells went off in her head.
Many students in the surrounding classes had already noticed something was wrong in the corridor. Several people cautiously peeked out of the windows and whispered among themselves, but no one seemed inclined to step forward.
At that moment, the boy in the lead smiled disdainfully at her and said, "Do you even know who I am? How dare you refuse me?"
Shen Qingli was too lazy to listen to the other party's threats. She tried to break free from the other party's restraint, but the other party was too strong. After struggling for a while, she was unable to do so. She said impatiently, "I don't know you. Let go."
She didn't know many classmates at the school, and none of them would be so tactless as to help her at a time like this. She knew this very well. The pain in her hand worsened, but she didn't want to show any fear, otherwise it would be even more troublesome. She could only pretend to be calm and frantically think of ways to get out of the situation.
"What can you do if I don't let go?" The boy scoffed dismissively, looking at her with a mocking tone, "What? You can't stand that your friend has someone who likes her, so you're jealous? You won't... damn it!"
Before he could finish speaking, a water bottle flew from behind and hit him in the back. He cried out in pain and let go of the bottle. Shen Qingli, seeing this, quickly distanced herself from him.
Seeing the person in front of him turn around in a fit of rage, he roared, "Who the hell dares to smash my things? Don't you want to live anymore?"
"It's me, so what?"
Following the sound, Luo Yiqiu stood on the other side of the corridor with a sullen face. She spotted Shen Qingli surrounded by people and stepped forward without hesitation. No one dared to stop her. Pushing aside the crowd, she stood beside her and asked with concern, "Qingli, are you alright?"
"It's alright." Shen Qingli rubbed her wrist, which had been pulled red, and shook her head, indicating that she shouldn't worry.
Luo Yiqiu looked her over several times, and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was really alright. Turning her head, she yelled at the boy who had been grabbing Shen Qingli, "Tao Huchen, are you crazy?"
Hearing the other person call his name, Tao Huchen remained indifferent. He chuckled nonchalantly, "I told you, if you ignore me, I have plenty of ways to deal with it."
"I remember telling you, I don't like you. Get the hell away from me, you idiot!" Luo Yiqiu shielded Shen Qingli behind her and angrily cursed him, deliberately amplifying her voice.
A crowd had already gathered around, and everyone's eyes were glancing at the farce, with many looking on as if they were enjoying the spectacle.
However, Luo Yiqiu's cursing was so loud that several people couldn't help but laugh out loud when they heard it.
Tao Huchen realized they were laughing at him, and feeling humiliated, he angrily began to slander: "What are you pretending for, Luo Yiqiu? Do you know what people are saying about you in this school? You're always flirting with Zhao Yixiao one minute and getting entangled with Lin Xiaqing the next. What are you pretending to be, this innocent girl? Don't give me that. No wonder Zhao Yixiao is ignoring you now."
His harsh words pierced Luo Yiqiu's ears. If Zhao Yixiao hadn't been mentioned, his nonsensical speculations wouldn't have hurt her at all. However, Tao Huchen was indeed good at finding the key points. His last sentence made her choke up, and she couldn't immediately refute him.
Shen Qingli watched as her expression changed repeatedly when the other person mentioned Zhao Yixiao. Even though everything was nonsense, she always lost her temper the moment Zhao Yixiao was mentioned.
However, Shen Qingli didn't want the other person to hurt Luo Yiqiu's feelings. She knew that the girl in front of her was still sad about this matter, and that she couldn't even pretend to be upset. So she reached out and grabbed her, and stood up to defend her loudly, saying, "Stop talking nonsense here. I think you're the one with the heart, and everything looks dirty to you."
Hearing the person behind her speak up for her, Luo Yiqiu turned around in surprise, only to be met with a reassuring look from the other woman. She could feel the other woman's hand, which was holding hers, trembling slightly.
She knew that Shen Qingli wasn't entirely without fear, especially in front of such a large group of people, but seeing her remain calm and even have the mind to comfort her, her every move reminded Luo Yiqiu of that scene many years ago. This made Luo Yiqiu inappropriately recall the first time she saw Shen Qingli, seeing her solitary figure from behind, and deciding to go up to her and become her friend.
It was just a whim at the time, simply because... she saw a person's shadow in her.
At that moment, she realized that she had not misjudged him; she and that person were the same kind of person.
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Tao Huchen never expected that Shen Qingli, whom he had never taken seriously, would dare to speak to him like that. He had been spoiled by his family since childhood and was arrogant and domineering at No. 1 High School. Naturally, he could not tolerate such "humiliation".
He still had some patience for Luo Yiqiu, but not for others.
He looked at Shen Qingli and sneered, as if he had heard the funniest joke, and said sarcastically, "You think you're something special? You were the one who was entangled with Zhao Yixiao before, weren't you? What, no guy likes you, so you're even trying to steal the guy from your best friend?"
He mocked her with outrageous remarks, his malicious words causing Shen Qingli to clench the papers in her arms tighter and tighter. She bit her lip hard, her body trembling uncontrollably from extreme anger. She looked down at the thick stack of papers in her hand, wondering if she could smash this idiot who spewed filth in front of her to death.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Luo Yiqiu was truly surprised that he could be so shameless. She glared at him fiercely and said angrily.
None of them took those rumors that circulated at school seriously, because they were so absurd that no one with a brain would believe them.
If any normal interaction between a boy and a girl can be labeled with all sorts of sins by a sex-obsessed mind, then the world is truly insane.
Faced with Luo Yiqiu's anger, Tao Huchen was unconcerned. Instead, seeing Shen Qingli remain silent, he assumed he had hit the nail on the head, and his words became even more unrestrained: "But I don't think Zhao Yixiao might even be interested in you. How about this, I'll give you a chance, since you're nobody..."
But this time, before he could utter even more disgusting words, a figure suddenly rushed into the crowd. Without saying a word, he punched the other person's stinky face hard.
The sudden change caused a gasp of surprise from those around them.
Tao Huchen was knocked to the ground before he could react, while the man seemed not to hear anything. He continued to raise his hand and mechanically swing his fist, one punch after another, with ruthless and merciless movements, each punch even heavier than the last.
The onlookers were so frightened that they held their breath, staring at the scene before them, and for a moment they forgot to pull the two people fighting on the ground apart.
Just a meter away, Shen Qingli stared blankly at the figure holding Tao Huchen down. In the chaos, she saw a silver necklace fall out of the person's collar due to the violent movement. Looking up from the necklace, she saw Lin Xiaqing.
Whether it was a belated sense of fear or something else, she inexplicably felt a stinging sensation in her eyes, which filled with tears, making her vision blur.
Amidst the muffled sounds, Luo Yiqiu shouted, "Lin Xiaqing! Stop it! Pull them away! If they keep fighting, something bad will happen!"
These words finally snapped the boys who were closest to the scene out of their daze. They rushed over to pull the two apart, but Lin Xiaqing seemed to be determined, holding onto the other person's collar tightly and refusing to let go.
until……
When he looked up, his gloomy eyes froze when he saw the light-colored eyes that were also looking at him. When he saw her reddened eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and he finally let go of her hand, letting the person next to him pull him away.
Tao Huchen had bruises on his face, but when he was pulled up, he was still grumbling. He glared fiercely at Lin Xiaqing and said he would never let it go.
Not far away, Chen Chaoxi finally arrived late with his teacher, who led them all to the office with a stern face.
Before leaving, amidst the noisy and chaotic crowd, the silver necklace brushed against his skin. He looked up and stared at Shen Qingli, who remained silent with her head down. She didn't look up at him, but her fingers were still trembling with fear.
The necklace's cold touch brought his calm consciousness back to him; the last time he stared into her eyes, she seemed to be crying too.
Suddenly, Lin Xiaqing felt a sense of despair and wanted to apologize to her in her heart.
I'm sorry, I've tainted your image of Xia Qing with a bad impression again.
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The author says: I reject all rumors and slander based on not being able to get what I want. When a girl says she doesn't like something, she means it, and there's no other meaning behind it.
As an aside: I personally feel that this is the part of the whole text that expresses the most intense emotions between the two.
Nobody should say sorry TT
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