Chapter 32
Realizing she'd been tricked, Xu Xiaxia rolled her eyes: "Yeah, that's true, this group has very high standards, how could they possibly be interested in you!"
“Although you look like a good fit, you don’t speak Korean, and your English doesn’t seem to be very good either, sigh…” Xu Xiaxia poked at her rice, looking melancholy, “Anyway, you’re not good enough.”
Chen Zhou exclaimed in surprise, "Oh!" He pondered for a moment and said, "My sister has their group's autographs and some photocards. If you need them, I'll ask her."
Xu Xiaxia, who had been feeling down, suddenly stood up: "Really?"
"This isn't a lie either, is it?" The classmate next to her gave her a strange look. After realizing what was going on, Xu Xiaxia sat down, suppressed her emotions, and asked while lifting her eyelids.
Chen Zhou shook his head in surprise: "This time it's for real."
"Wow, that's great! I've wanted to buy a photocard for ages, but my father didn't give me enough money to buy their group's. They're so popular, the prices have skyrocketed. Oh, and I can also get to know your sister. Who does she like?" Xu Xiaxia asked.
Chen Zhou thought for a moment, then looked up at Jian Sheng.
Jian Sheng was taken aback: "Why are you looking at me?"
Chen Zhou grinned in surprise: "Beautiful."
Jian Sheng looked away and ignored him.
"Aren't you greasy?" Lin You, who was sitting next to him, punched him on the hand.
Chen Zhou clicked his tongue in surprise, then looked at Xu Xiaxia and said, "It's that one who looks like a sickly beauty, I can't remember her name."
Speaking of sickly beauties, his gaze fell on Jian Sheng again. The first time he saw her raise her head, the thought in that instant seemed to come from the sickly beauty that Xu Mai had mentioned. She kept talking about it to him for a whole month before he finally understood what the term meant.
It's neither good nor bad, but for Jian Sheng, it's good.
His smile touched his eyebrows.
Upon hearing this word, Xu Xiaxia instantly understood what he meant and immediately started clamoring to add her sister on WeChat.
After two days of exams, Jian Sheng breathed a sigh of relief. The midterm exam was of average quality, neither easy nor difficult, and she remembered many of the questions.
The school bell rang, and Jian Sheng, who had just returned from the exam hall, stood outside looking for the books she had moved out.
The corridor seemed to have been through something; test papers and sheets were scattered everywhere on the floor, covered with dark gray footprints. She stood where she had left her books, but couldn't find hers.
A crack appeared in the window, and a girl with short, ear-length hair popped out. Jian looked up and recognized her as the girl who had let her in last time.
She glanced back at the podium and asked her, "What are you doing? The teacher is explaining something inside and wants you to go in first."
Jian Sheng smiled and pointed to a pile of books: "I can't find my book."
“There were students from our class taking the exam downstairs. They almost caused a scene this morning, and then their books were moved. I still haven’t found mine…” She shrugged, somewhat helplessly. “It’s okay, come in first. Most of the others are students who haven’t come back from the exam yet. You can look for your books after they’ve taken them.”
"Okay, sure." Jian Sheng raised her chin at her with a slight smile, and she quickly pulled her head back down.
Looking away from the mess, Jian Sheng glanced at the mess on the ground and gave up on going in through the back door. Just as he turned around, two people came up from the opposite side of the corridor.
It was Chen Zhoujing and He Shang, the two of them carrying the test papers, slowly walking out from the dim stairwell.
Jian Sheng's gaze lingered for a few seconds before he walked towards the back door.
Zhong Mei, holding several exam papers in her hand, paced back and forth on the podium, glancing at her watch every now and then: "The exam ended fifteen minutes ago, and there are only a dozen or so people left. Where did they all go?"
Jian Sheng sat back down, and a short while later, a sound came from the seat behind him. A minute later, the sound of the chair rubbing together started again.
"Chen Zhoujing, where are you going?" Zhong Mei knocked on the podium.
"Teacher, I'm moving books." He finished speaking and left. Zhong Mei shook her head, and when the other person came back in, she said, "We'll do it later. I have a few things to say."
Chen Zhoujing glanced at the book in his hand, then at Jian Sheng's back. He said "Oh," and gently placed the stack of books on her desk: "I've put them at the very back for you."
Jian Sheng was slightly surprised: "Thank you."
She tidied up the books and put them in the drawer, leaving a few on the table.
Zhong Mei glanced at the two of them from the podium, and gave Chen Zhou a warning look when he smiled at her.
Chen Zhou shrugged, looking somewhat innocent.
A short while later, a group of people entered through the back door. The atmosphere was noisy, but when they saw Zhong Mei standing there, they immediately fell silent.
Qi Jing pulled out a chair and leaned down to sit: "Holy crap, that's scary! Why does our teacher have such a stern face?"
Jian Sheng turned her head and said, "I don't know."
When she arrived, Zhong Mei was already standing on the podium. She thought it was a self-study session, but she said, "It seems like she's about to say something."
"What's up?" Xu Yanghe came over.
Jian Sheng shook his head.
"They should be going on an autumn outing next week," Qi Jing said in a low voice.
"How did you know, my best friend?" Xu Yanghe asked in shock, leaning closer.
Qi Jing adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and moved back a little without expression: "I heard it from the people working downstairs."
"Oh." Xu Yanghe nodded, drawing out the sound, and began to chat with Qi Jing about random things.
Jian Sheng watched the two bickering and unconsciously curled her lips into a smile.
As she smiled, she caught a glimpse of Chen Zhoujing out of the corner of her eye and quietly looked up.
Chen Zhoujing stared at her blankly, expressionless, revealing no emotion.
Jian Sheng frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Thank you."
Realizing that he was referring to him helping her put the books away, Chen Zhou raised her chin in surprise: "You're welcome."
"Of course." He smiled at her.
Jian Sheng scratched her right cheek with her index finger and turned away under his burning gaze.
Seeing that most people had arrived, Zhong Mei slammed her hand on the table to stop the murmurs below: "You should all have heard by now, it's the autumn outing next Friday. I've already sent the costs and arrangements to the parents' group. Please mention it to your parents when you get home, and make sure you've prepared everything that needs to be prepared..."
"Where is the teacher going?" someone asked.
Zhong Mei glanced at him: "Let's go to Qinshui Film and Television City."
As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the classroom.
"Holy crap, they actually went to Qinshui."
"Where are we going? To see ancient architecture, or to see crowds of people?"
"Alright, quiet down, everyone." Zhong Mei patted the table again, the sound of the metal table making a jarring noise that drowned out her excited voice. "Try to go, and if there's nothing else, go home after school."
She scanned the class: "And let me remind you, I don't care what you do on the weekend, it can't affect Monday. If anyone asks for leave on Monday again without a valid reason, you might as well stay home for a month. I've never seen a class with seven or eight students taking leave on Mondays..."
She gave another instruction, and the class stirred up, completely unlike the lifeless atmosphere when Jian Sheng had just returned.
"I'm doomed. Why did they have to put the autumn outing during the midterm exams?" Qi Jing sighed, slumped over the table.
Jian Sheng glanced sideways and asked, "Will your father scold you?"
Qi Jing shook her head: "I don't know, probably. I don't want to go home anymore."
Jian Sheng was trying to figure out how to comfort her when Qi Jing, as if she'd taken a stimulant, slammed her hand on the table: "Go! You have to go!"
Zhong Mei had already left, and the classroom began to commotion. Some went out to move books, some packed their bags, and some cleaned up, each doing their own thing.
Jian Sheng was standing very close to her and was startled.
"Where are you going?" Lin You asked, slinging her backpack over her shoulder and crossing her arms as she walked over to the table.
"Let's go shopping." Qi Jing stood up and started packing her schoolbag, muttering to herself, "At worst, I'll just get a scolding."
The group exchanged glances and smiled helplessly.
The mall was bustling with people on the weekend. Jian Sheng followed a few others and strolled around the supermarket downstairs in the Wanzi Mall on Longtang Bend Road.
She didn't talk much, but listened to the group gossip, which then shifted to the exam, and finally to the latest headlines.
Jian Sheng occasionally said something, and the last thing she mentioned was a dismemberment case, which terrified her.
When they left, they made sure to return before dawn.
Having familiarized herself with the surrounding stores, Jian Sheng stood in a convenience store, picked out a few bottles of milk, paid, and stopped at the door, holding the large bag of milk, wondering how to ask Zhong Mei for leave for the autumn outing.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared through the street. The violent sound tore through the warm ground and kicked up dust. The piercing scream echoed in Jian Sheng's ears.
She instinctively took a few steps back and bumped into the glass door.
The motorcycle was parked across the street, and from a few meters away, she felt a hostile gaze.
Jian Sheng looked up and saw a boy dressed in all black getting off a motorcycle. Several cars followed behind him, getting off a few minutes later.
The boy was quite tall, dressed in black that made him look slim, and was dressed in a standard uniform like a school model. He had a good temperament and a young master-like demeanor. His expression was a bit arrogant, and the people around him seemed afraid of him. Although they were standing next to him, they did not dare to get close. Only one person smiled and looked at him.
Jian Sheng felt the scene looked somewhat familiar, like those hooligans from her old school.
She didn't stand at the door for more than a few seconds before glancing away and turning to walk down the street to the right with a normal expression.
Yu Chao noticed her figure from afar. He watched as she came out of the mall, circled around the outside, and then stopped at a convenience store. For some unknown reason, his curiosity compelled him to get on his motorcycle and chase after her.
His gaze darkened slightly as he looked at the figure who was bent over but appeared quiet and obedient.
To the side, Shen Xuzheng shifted his gaze from Jian Sheng. He held the lighter in his hand, twirling it a few times, and frowned, looking at him with some disdain: "You fucking, you fall in love with every girl you see."
"You've got your eye on someone else again?" he asked ambiguously.
Yu Chao glanced at him and said, "Die."
A voice interrupted: "Only top-tier girls like He Man, who are academically excellent, good-looking, and confident, can catch Brother Chao's eye."
"Yeah, damn it, when did this kind of trash even catch his eye?" someone chimed in. "Even Sister Yi wouldn't agree."
The two who were singing in unison were the last to catch up, speaking in fluent local swear words, bowing and scraping, fawning and flattering.
Yu Chao ignored him and slowly followed after Jian Sheng as he watched her walk further and further away.
The people behind looked at each other in bewilderment until Shen Xuzheng spoke up: "Take a look in the mirror and see what kind of person you are, commenting on others like this. If you're so shameless as to want to associate with others, you should at least watch your mouth."
He left with his back turned. Qian Xiao pursed his lips and didn't say anything. He scratched a handful of hair on his head and raised his hand to signal the people behind him to follow.
Jian Sheng quickened her pace and soon turned to the back entrance of the mall. As she was crossing the zebra crossing at a red light, she looked up and suddenly met the gazes of several figures whose paths intersected with hers.
She slowed her pace, sensing something was wrong.
"Tsk, we meet again, my sweetheart," Yu Chao, who was walking at the front, said.
His lips curled into a smile, but there was no smile in his eyes. His face was gloomy, and there was a fierceness between his brows that was rare for a student of his age.
Jian Sheng, holding the milk, slowly looked up: "What is it?"
"You still remember me?" Yu Chao suddenly asked.
Jian Sheng looked into his dark eyes and shook her head expressionlessly: "I don't know him."
Yu Chao choked, and laughter erupted from the group behind him.
"There are still people who don't recognize our Brother Chao."
"Where did this country bumpkin come from, wearing a school uniform on the weekend...?"
The playful teasing didn't anger her; compared to the group from Jeju, they were quite polite.
Jian Sheng frowned and walked past him, saying, "It's nothing, I'm leaving."
A refreshing fragrance wafted into his nose, and Yu Chao raised an eyebrow: "Quite the temper. Jian Qingyao was right after all."
Upon hearing Jian Qingyao's name, Jian Sheng's mind suddenly went blank, her eyes glazed over for a moment, and she stopped in her tracks.
When Yu Chao saw her stop, he became interested: "What's wrong? Did you hit a nerve?"
"Jian Qingyao provides you with food and drink, so it's not too much to do something for him, is it?" Yu Chao laughed. "I've known him since childhood, we're like brothers, so it's not too much for you to do something for me, is it?"
Jian turned around, looked up at him, her gaze icy.
"Who are you?" she said clearly. "What I do with him is none of your business. Don't try to make yourself look good."
As soon as she finished speaking, the group fell silent. Xu Zheng, who was standing behind Yu Chao, was also taken aback. He looked at Jian Sheng's somber face and saw stubbornness on her beautiful face. He was quite surprised. He had thought that she was introverted, didn't like to talk, and was timid and cowardly.
Unexpectedly...
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