Chapter 31
Not long after returning to the classroom, Chen Zhoujing came back with He Shang and the others, just as the class bell rang.
The two laughed and joked, showing no signs of anything amiss.
Jian Sheng silently withdrew his gaze and began to look at the test paper on the table.
With the midterm exams approaching, the students who used to cause trouble in the classroom have become much quieter, and the classroom is quieter than usual during breaks. More students are staying behind for activity periods.
Outside the window, the sun sets in the west, casting a dim, golden glow over the campus. Silence fades away as the deep, resonant tolling of ancient bells fades away.
Birds flew away from the treetops, and students gradually emerged from the various entrances in twos and threes.
Hearing the sounds of people packing up around her, Jian Sheng slowly looked up. The hands of the round clock above the classroom pointed to 5:25.
She rubbed her head, turned her aching arms, and prepared to pack her things and go home.
Lin You, carrying her schoolbag, sat down in front of her: "Are you staying today?"
Jian Sheng shook his head as he packed his things: "No, I have an exam tomorrow, I'll study when I get home."
"Sigh, you have perseverance. If I don't study at school, I'm even less likely to study at home." Xu Xiaxia walked up from the front row, put her schoolbag on Xu Xiao's empty desk, sat down and sighed.
Jian Sheng frowned: "I don't know what to do besides studying."
She doesn't have a cell phone, and the TV is always off; she never turns it on.
Xu Xiaxia was shocked when she heard her words: "Are you serious?"
"You don't study on weekends too, do you?" she asked, glaring at him.
Jian nodded: "Ah, yes."
Lin You was also somewhat surprised: "You have such perseverance. After I finish my homework, I either read books, play on my phone, or go out to see a movie."
"How about..." she suddenly thought of something, "to relax after the exams, and if we don't have any plans for the weekend, how about we go shopping?"
"I can! I can!" Xu Xiaxia's eyes lit up. "New album! New album! My idol's new album is out! I'm going to buy it!"
Her tone was excited, and Jian Sheng couldn't help but be moved by her anticipation. When Lin You looked over, he nodded and said, "It's okay."
Lin You raised her chin: "Is Qi Jing going or not?"
Qi Jing, who had been engrossed in her work, finally looked up: "I don't know, we'll see. Last time I went out and came back late at night, my dad scolded me. If Gu Zhenyi's dad hadn't called and persuaded my dad, I would have died from his spittle."
She sighed, looking somewhat worried.
"Your dad won't hit you, will he?" Xu Xiaxia shrank her arms. "Oh my god, I saw your dad last time, he seemed so fierce, with a stern face."
“Yes, those who don’t know him are afraid of him, and those who do know him are also afraid of him, haha.” Qi Jing shook her head. “However, he has never hit me. I’m not very familiar with him. He just occasionally transfers money to me or something. He fights with my brother more often.”
Jian Sheng looked at her worried face, and unexpectedly...
“I’m not very close to my dad either, but I’m closer to my mom, and we often argue,” Lin You agreed.
"How could you not be familiar with Dad?" Xu Xiaxia asked, puzzled, just as Jian Sheng was wondering.
"Your dad spoils you, but you don't know that my dad always has a stern face and never smiles at me. Not only does he not encourage me, he also puts me down. Every time we sit down to eat, it's like going to war. He talks about grades all the time, and I never dare to ask for anything." Qi Jing slumped on the table, looking as if all her energy had been drained, and was very unhappy.
Jian Sheng blinked, her eyes inexplicably stinging. She comforted her, "Are you alright?"
Qi Jing hummed in agreement and looked up at her: "What's the big deal? I'm used to it. It's been like this since I was a child. But I feel sorry for them and I've basically never talked back."
"Let's take the exam first," Lin You said, taking a breath. "I've noticed you two have been working really hard lately."
She glanced at the group test papers on the two of them: "They got a lot right."
"Yeah, let's go. We have an exam tomorrow, so let's not study too late."
The exam was scheduled for Thursday and Friday, just the last two days. This time, the exam for Jiansheng was still in the D building laboratory. Having learned from the previous experience, finding the class was much easier.
The exam on the first morning went smoothly. I was very glad that I had memorized the parts about the price revolution last night when I took the history exam.
After the bell rang, she clutched her pencil case and followed the flow of people downstairs.
There were people discussing grades nearby, and Jian Sheng kept an eye out for them.
“The Dutch, the maritime coachmen.” Jian murmured, then answered another question correctly.
As she was trying to recall where the planned economy was, a group of students suddenly poured down from the fifth floor, their chatter interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey, hey, make way, make way!" A loud voice came from behind, startling Jian Sheng. Just as she was about to move aside, someone bumped into her, and she lost her balance and lurched forward.
She gasped and reached out to grab the handrail, but her arm was pulled back. As she straightened up, she found herself back against a broad chest.
"Be careful." A familiar voice came from above Jian Sheng's head. She took a step forward and turned around to see Chen Zhoujing looking at her.
Seeing that she didn't speak, he opened his mouth and asked, "Shall we go down first?"
Chen Zhoujing gestured with his chin toward the crowd behind her, indicating that the area was crowded.
Jian Sheng gave a soft "hmm" and followed him downstairs.
The sun was blazing brightly outside the building, dazzling to the eye.
"This history exam was really weird." As the two walked out of the teaching building, Chen Zhou clicked his tongue in surprise. "The last two questions were about something called 'controlled economy'... It tested all sorts of things that you wouldn't normally look up."
Jian Sheng thought for a moment and asked, "You mean the exam for a government-led market economy?"
"Wow, your answer is this too?" Chen Zhou's eyes lit up slightly. "That means I got this question right."
"What I'm saying might not be correct," Jian Sheng said, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun. "The first question is this..."
Chen Zhoujing interrupted her, walked around to her right, picked up the test paper in her hand and held it above her head, pulling it at her ear as she did so.
"Why are you so insecure? The fact that we have the same answer means there's a chance we're right, right? A chance of being right means I'm right, and since I have the same answer as you, that means we're both right." He hissed. "Even for the first question, that's enough for two points..."
Jian nodded perfunctorily and said "hmm".
Chen Zhou was surprised to see that she didn't object, and continued, "Going back to what we were saying... why are you so insecure? You've memorized it and written it down. As long as the question is correct, then we're right!"
“Yes,” Jian replied softly.
The two entered the high-rise building. The two teaching buildings were close together, blocking the sun overhead. Jian Sheng put her hand down again. She looked up at the test paper that was blocking the sun. Through the gap in the paper, she saw him talking seriously. When he saw her looking over, the corners of his mouth did not forget to turn up.
She looked away, leaving only his chatter in her ear.
"That's right, if something is certain, then it's right, and if something is uncertain, then it can also be right, right? If you say it's right, then it's right..."
Chen Zhoujing had already started talking about philosophical issues, and as he spoke, Jian Sheng couldn't quite place what difficulties or improvements in his grades were bringing up.
She turned to look at him as he spoke eloquently: "Look, let me give you an example. Even if your grades are currently in the twenties, as long as you have confidence and believe in yourself, you can get first place and succeed. Even if you don't get positive feedback in the short term, if you persist in the long run, you will definitely achieve something..."
"Last semester's political science exam had a question about how things develop in a spiral, a curved path..."
“Chen Zhou is shocked,” Jian Sheng suddenly said.
Chen Zhou froze, meeting her indifferent gaze, his heart skipped a beat: "Wh...what's wrong?"
Jian Sheng paused for a few seconds before speaking: "You're so noisy."
She had no expression, just stared at him with her big eyes, which startled Chen Zhou. He coughed lightly, feigning a cough, "Is it...noisy?"
"Is...it's alright? Am I that noisy?" Chen Zhou looked away and muttered to himself.
Jian Sheng turned his head and walked towards the cafeteria at the corner ahead.
Chen Zhoujing was still muttering to himself behind him. He only realized what was happening after Jian Sheng's figure had disappeared into the distance. He glanced at the test paper in his hand, put it down, and hurriedly followed.
The cafeteria was crowded, and Jian Sheng finally managed to get in line. Chen Zhoujing happened to be standing in the line next to him, and for the moment, she didn't have time to listen to all those grand pronouncements.
She carried a plate and slowly walked towards her usual seat by the window. After a while, Chen Zhoujing followed and placed the plate opposite her.
"You don't mind, do you?" Chen Zhou looked at her in surprise and sat down.
Jian Sheng looked up and saw him give her a fawning smile. She sighed and shook her head.
Seeing that she had agreed, Chen Zhoujing also breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.
"You only eat this much?" Chen Zhou glanced at the vegetables and tomato and egg in her bowl, which were just watery soup with no oil at all.
"Are you on a diet?" he asked again.
Jian Sheng's expression remained unchanged: "That's enough."
She then lowered her head and began to eat.
Chen Zhou stared at the top of her head for a long while before looking away, and that dull feeling in his chest returned.
He lowered his head and began to eat in silence.
Jian Sheng originally thought this person would keep talking to her, but the table remained quiet until she finished eating.
She put down her chopsticks and suddenly looked at him in front of her.
Her usual lively nature seemed to have vanished at this moment; she ate her meal quietly, her movements slow and deliberate.
Jian Sheng rarely seemed to have a quiet moment; he was mostly talking on and on. Occasionally, she could find a sense of peace in his noisy voice.
If he suddenly stops talking, perhaps... she'll feel uncomfortable?
Just like if she suddenly stared at him quietly, he wouldn't be able to stand it—that was Chen Zhoujing's thought.
He looked up and saw Jian Sheng staring at him as he ate, which almost made him feel embarrassed. He casually chewed the food in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, took out a small pack of tissues from his pocket, tore open a hole, and handed it to her.
Jian Sheng reached out and took one tissue, then took out another. After putting the tissue back, he used the one he had taken out to wipe his mouth.
The atmosphere was inexplicably harmonious.
After the second bell rang, the cafeteria gradually became more crowded. A group of students in orange and white school uniforms stood at the food serving window opposite, and two people came out and were heading this way.
"Wow, why are you two sitting together?" Xu Xiaxia walked over with a plate, followed by Lin You.
"Isn't Building D quite far? You've finished eating so quickly?" Lin You asked.
The two placed the plates on the table and sat down.
Jian said in a low voice, "The teachers in Building D didn't manage to divide us into batches; they just sent us directly."
"So... we just happened to bring a building along," she added.
"Oh, oh." Xu Xiaxia stuffed a braised pork rib into her mouth and mumbled, "Qi Jing and He Man seem to be taking the exam in the same classroom, so they ate first."
"Holy crap, I heard He Man say that Yu Chao even got into a fight for Gu Zhenyi."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone at the table automatically turned their gaze to Chen Zhoujing.
Chen Zhou was slightly taken aback: "Why are you looking at me?"
"I'm a model student, I didn't get into any fights," he said innocently.
Xu Xiaxia laughed and said, "Why are you so nervous?"
“I heard it after school last night, but I still feel sorry for Gu Zhenyi. Going to Yu Chao is like going to a thug,” she said.
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow in surprise: "Is he really that annoying to you?"
"No, actually I think he's very handsome." Xu Xiaxia raised her index finger and shook it.
Lin You chuckled.
Jian Sheng looked at her with a puzzled expression, somewhat confused.
Lin You winked at her and said, "Because she thinks Yu Chao looks a lot like the idol in her favorite group."
"Idol?" Chen Zhou crossed his arms in surprise. "An idol?"
"You even know that?" Xu Xiaxia's eyes widened. "You're still interested in this?"
Chen Zhou frowned, thought for a moment, and said, "You're not talking about a group called...eightfold, are you?"
A few seconds of silence followed, then Xu Xiaxia sighed softly.
Her pupils reflected disbelief: "How did you know? Oh my god, you don't follow boy bands too, do you?"
"No, that's not it." Chen Zhou smiled in surprise. "Last year, I went to a concert in Qinjin. Their group was recruiting, and I stood by the poster for a while. A staff member wearing a hat came over and asked me if I was an artist, if I was interested or something..."
"Holy crap, really?" Xu Xiaxia's eyes lit up. "If you go, I'll have an idol classmate! Damn, why didn't you say yes?"
Jian Sheng and Lin You were startled by her imposing manner.
Chen Zhoujing didn't expect her to react so strongly, and he suppressed his smile: "Because I was joking."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Jian Sheng. Jian Sheng pursed his lips and was about to look away when the smile on his lips reappeared.
At this moment, it seems a bit like being a jerk.
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