Chapter 11.011. Rumors: She stabbed someone, her father, three times. ...
The students at the Experimental Middle School soon discovered that the relationship between Shen Zhoudu and Xia Chan seemed to have become somewhat delicate recently.
Although it was previously said that Shen Zhoudu was renting a house from Xia Chan's family, the two of them always acted as if they didn't know each other at school. They never spoke to each other in public, nor were they ever seen interacting. Everyone guessed that their relationship was just that of a landlord and tenant, and no one would think too much about it.
However, in recent days, the two of them have been communicating more often. They would occasionally go to and from school together, and sometimes Xia Chan's homework would show traces of Chen Zhoudu's homework.
Although the two didn't interact much during class and still seemed like strangers, these two prominent figures, who had been the subject of much discussion since entering school, couldn't help but evoke speculation whenever they stood together.
Huang Mao was also extremely unhappy that Xia Chan no longer needed him to pick her up and drop her off at school. One morning, he cornered Xia Chan in the bathroom and questioned her: "Sis! Have you been bewitched by that guy? How could you go with him? You and Si Yi have been acting strange lately! Wake up, Chan-jie! Have you forgotten about him before?? You're probably possessed by something..."
"I think you're the one who's gone mad!" Xia Chan wanted nothing more than to shove a handful of money at him, so she took out a wad of cash from her pocket, counted it out, and gave him a portion.
"Alright, you're always running around to Qingshui from all the surrounding counties. I'm tired, even if you aren't. He's doing us a favor now, and he's already explained everything to us before. So stop being so dramatic. It wasn't a big deal to begin with."
Xia Chan used to go to and from school on her own, but after Chen Zhoudu came, she started having Huang Mao pick her up and drop her off.
Huang Mao initially thought that she disliked Shen Zhoudu and didn't want to go with him. She also thought that she was deliberately trying to go against Shen Zhoudu, so she was happy to go along with it even though she was tired. She was quite proud and thought that no matter how rich or handsome he was, he couldn't compare to her because he was family.
But Xia Chan told him that he no longer needed to pick her up or drop her off, and that she and Shen Zhoudu had made up. She felt abandoned and clutched the money, her face contorted with resentment.
After a while, he suddenly remembered something and whispered in Xia Chan's ear, "Sister, I just want to ask you, is his rent still two thousand five?"
Xia Chan glanced at him and gave a nonchalant "hmm," which immediately cheered Huang Mao up again, as if this would show that they were still on their side and he was the outsider who had been tricked.
She pouted and was about to leave.
Just as he turned around, he bumped into Chenzhoudu, who had come looking for Xia Chan.
The blond-haired man's face immediately darkened again.
But soon, the blond-haired man proudly raised his head at him and left with an air of "I am the eldest son of 'Du'".
Chen Zhoudu was puzzled, looking at his back as if he had a neck cramp, "What's wrong with him?"
"It's nothing, he's just possessed."
?
Chenzhoudu looked even more puzzled.
Xia Chan smiled but didn't want to say anything more. Chen Zhoudu assumed she was teasing him again and told him to tell a joke, so he didn't ask any more questions and just said, "Let's go together."
Xia Chan stopped him and gave him some more money.
This money is the money they earned from setting up stalls these past few days, divided equally among the four of them. Although it's not much, it's enough to cover some pocket money for lunch and dinner.
When Chen Zhoudu reached out and grasped the envelope, he sensed something was off about the quantity. Upon opening it, he exclaimed, "Why are there so many?"
Xia Chan stared at him intently without answering. Chen Zhoudu roughly counted the differences and vaguely guessed that this was the difference in rent from before, and subconsciously said, "No need..."
"You really think you're a sucker, buying out two thousand five hundred to do all that work for free?" Xia Chan chuckled lightly. "Shenzhou Ferry, let's keep things separate. I'll give you your share of what you helped me, Huang Mao, and Master Qi. We won't charge you a penny less, but you don't need to feel guilty or try to make up for anything by paying more. Since you want to integrate into our group, we'll definitely treat you sincerely. Your family is wealthy, but that's not your money, so don't waste it."
Chen Zhoudu clutched the money, speechless for a moment. Xia Chan brushed past him and couldn't help but slyly remind him, "Don't tell Huang Mao."
That morning, Class 1 of Senior Three had a physical education class. During the free time, some students went to the basketball court not far away to play basketball. While a few girls were playing shooting, several boys kept trying to take their spots.
The boys, unable to get an open spot, deliberately mocked the girls as they shot, saying things like "too bad" and "terrible." They even deliberately caught the basketballs under the basket and rushed forward to shoot.
The girls, annoyed by the chaos, called out helplessly into the distance, "Xia Chan!"
Chen Zhoudu was listening to English under a banyan tree when he vaguely caught a name and unconsciously looked up.
Xia Chan, who was talking to Lala and the others under the horizontal bar in the distance, also looked over there. "What's wrong?"
She walked over and then chatted with the group of boys and girls.
After realizing what had happened, he suddenly straightened his hair, tied it up, and bent over as if preparing for something.
The girls who had just been there cheered and shouted, "Xia Chan! Beat them up!"
"Xia Chan!"
"Xia Chan!"
This was an unexpected competition.
Perhaps she had reached an agreement with them that whoever won would take over the territory. She faced off against the three tall and strong-looking boys alone, and the three boys quickly got into the game as if they were eager to try.
The competition quickly attracted other students from the class and students from other classes who were also having physical education class. Several boys and girls even spontaneously joined the two teams.
The atmosphere was enthusiastic and the excitement reached a fever pitch.
"Xia Chan! Go for it!"
"Xia Chan!"
"Wang Pengyue!"
"Zhang Shuai!"
"Xia Chan!"
Chen Zhoudu silently got up and walked to the edge of the arena, his gaze fixed on a figure on the field.
To Shen Zhoudu's surprise, she was actually good at basketball.
There were two boys in her group, but they were clearly being led by her the whole time.
She completely controlled the game, stealing the ball, dribbling, turning, and shooting—her movements were as smooth and precise as gusts of wind.
Before long, the boys on the other side were clearly being dominated by her.
Not only was the score widening, but their stamina was also clearly failing.
The cheers from the girls around the court grew louder and louder.
"Xia Chan!"
"Xia Chan!"
"Xia Chan is so cool!"
Xia Chan seemed to have been ignited with passion, her eyes shining with an unusual light. After the first half ended, she stood down with her hands on her hips to drink water.
A faint smile played on her lips, her chest heaving, her face and head covered in sweat, yet she didn't look disheveled. She casually wiped it away with her sleeve, exuding a vibrant and energetic aura.
In a fleeting moment, her gaze suddenly met that of someone deep within the crowd.
His gaze was calm and serene amidst the scorching summer crowd, still as clear and distant as a snowflake.
Xia Chan paused for a moment, met his gaze for two seconds, gave a faint smile, then casually tossed aside the water bottle and went back on stage.
The final result of the match was obvious, but when the referee announced Xia Chan's victory, the crowd still erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Xia Chan smiled faintly, her gaze involuntarily drifting to a spot she had just been standing in, but it was now empty.
She paused for a moment, then quickly moved away, smiled at the people around her, and then, panting, got down to drink some water.
The bottle of mineral water she had just finished drinking was now empty. She threw the bottle into the trash can, picked up her school uniform jacket and phone, and planned to go buy water.
A brand-new bottle of mineral water was handed to me, and I could see a clean, pale hand holding the bottle.
She paused for a moment, looked up, and saw the owner of that hand.
He still stood neatly dressed in the bright sun, his school uniform clean, his back straight, slightly backlit, making it seem as if his back was glowing from her angle.
Xia Chan paused for two seconds, smiled, and accepted the bottle without ceremony, saying, "Thanks." She then unscrewed the cap and tilted her head back to drink it.
The sunlight reflected off the fine beads of sweat on her cheeks and neck, giving them a golden sheen, and her Adam's apple was smooth and long.
Chen Zhoudu watched silently and smiled without noticing that people around the stadium were also glancing at him, and the murmurs were growing louder.
Shen Zhoudu and Xia Chan have recently become closer, a fact that is evident to everyone in Class One. However, most of the rumors about the two are unfounded, as their interactions at school remain rather superficial.
But the act of buying water always seems somewhat ambiguous.
By the time the PE class ended, the story of what happened in Class 1 had already spread throughout the grade. It included Xia Chan's dominant basketball game against the boys, and Chen Zhoudu buying water for Xia Chan.
By the time the physics class, which followed PE, ended, the gossip had already reached the head of student affairs with embellishments.
As soon as physics class ended, a student from another class rushed to the classroom door and said to Shen Zhoudu, "Shen Zhoudu, Director Niu wants to see you..."
Shen Zhoudu and Xia Chan had already heard the rumors about them, and while they were slightly speechless, they simply ignored them. The noisy classroom instantly fell silent as everyone glanced at Shen Zhoudu and Xia Chan.
Shen Zhoudu calmly got up, and Xia Chan didn't even look at him before lying down and continuing to sleep.
The reason why Director Niu, the Dean of Studies, called Shen Zhoudu to talk this time was obvious. Although it sounded like he was concerned about Shen Zhoudu's recent studies and life, Shen Zhoudu could tell that he was actually trying to find out about him and Xia Chan from the sidelines, so he simply got straight to the point.
"Teacher, I live in her house."
Director Niu looked worried, and after taking several deep breaths as if he wanted to say something, he hesitated and stopped.
It's perfectly normal for boys and girls of this age to develop feelings for each other. Their lab teacher believes that it's better to guide than to suppress. Rather than forcibly suppressing it and causing a backlash, it's better to relax the restrictions appropriately and let things unfold naturally.
But in their eyes, he and Xia Chan were different.
These two are so outstanding, one too brilliant and the other too beautiful and striking, that it's generally accepted that it's only a matter of time before they cross paths.
But he was different from the students here after all, and after much deliberation, Director Niu could only sigh in the end.
"Your dad called our school a few days ago... Speaking of which, your dad was one of our outstanding graduates back then!"
“With the college entrance exam approaching, you should understand best what is important and what is secondary. You are only studying here temporarily and will eventually have to go back. Don’t disappoint your father.”
Chen Zhoudu's lips tightened instantly, and he remained silent.
When they returned to the classroom, Xia Chan was also called out and talked to by Vice Principal Liu.
Xia Chan leaned against the wall, listening casually. When she looked up, she saw him casually curl his lips into a "tsk" sound and wink at him.
Chen Zhoudu stood frozen in place, stunned. Vice Principal Liu turned around following her gaze and saw him, instantly becoming even more furious. "Xia Chan! I've been talking to you for ages and you haven't taken it to heart at all! What are you doing!"
"Teacher, didn't you tell me to keep my distance from him and not disturb his peace of mind?" Chen Zhoudu heard Xia Chan's helpless voice. "Then ask him if I've ever 'disturbed' him like this before? Besides, if you insist that I'm disturbing him, wouldn't it be a waste if I didn't actually disturb him a little..."
"Xia Chan!"
Vice Principal Liu was furious. He waved his hand, telling Chen Zhoudu to hurry back to the classroom and make sure the two of them didn't bump into each other.
Chen Zhoudu stared at her intently for a moment, and only after she silently gave him a look that told him to go back first did he purse his lips, lower his eyes, and walk back to the classroom.
As soon as he returned to his seat, Chen Zhoudu's deskmate cautiously approached and asked, "Hey buddy, you've met a lot of people in Shanghai, but you also think she's quite charming, right?"
Chen Zhoudu's deskmate was a boy who wasn't very good at studying, but he was very gossipy and lively, and he usually liked to tell interesting stories and jokes about the class.
Xia Chan's charm is obvious. But Chen Zhoudu doesn't think it's elegant for the two of them to be discussing whether a girl is charming.
He turned to the exam paper and avoided discussing it.
My deskmate muttered to himself, "Actually, quite a few boys in our class like her, and not just in our class, but throughout the whole school. But you're the most amazing one, you even moved into her house! But she's really a rose with a knife, you'd better stay away from her..."
Chenzhoudu silently gripped the tip of his pen.
Xia Chan was actually quite different from the "problem girls" he had seen before.
She shares common characteristics with those troubled girls: carefree, independent, highly individualistic, and even with a touch of unruly,江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) attitude.
But he could clearly sense that the students at school were somewhat afraid of her, not terrified. Just like the girl who asked him for help in PE class today, there was no disgust or contempt, but rather trust and reliance.
Even Vice Principal Liu and the Dean of Students criticized her, but they did not feel the same deep hatred towards her as they did towards other problem students.
Instead, it was a kind of exasperated anger and lament. But what he was lamenting was unclear.
He still had some curiosity about her, and after a moment of hesitation with his fingertips taut and white, he asked, "You don't seem to be afraid of him."
My deskmate scratched his head. "It's not that I'm not afraid... I am afraid, but not in that way. Anyway... like I said before, she's quite a character, you'd better stay away from her..."
Chen Zhoudu asked why. His deskmate stammered, pursed his lips, and hesitated for a while before leaning closer to him as if to tell a secret and whispering:
"She stabbed someone. Her father, three times."
A note from the author:
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Next update will be Monday night at 9 PM. See you then! [Blue Heart]
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