Chapter 7: A trembling, yet unrelated to the face, a vibrant sense of power...
"Sister Jiu, it's hot, would you like some ice cream?"
Li Mingyuan bought two orange-flavored popsicles from the convenience store downstairs. He ran over excitedly to give one to Ning Jiu first, and after Ning Jiu refused, he handed it to Gao Hexin who was standing to the side.
Gao Hexin was already in a bad mood because of the upcoming math exam results, and Li Mingyuan's actions made her even angrier.
"Get lost! Who wants your stinky popsicle? Go digest it internally."
So Li Mingyuan eagerly ran off to give it to Qi Ruiheng.
The cicadas chirped loudly in the summer, their high-pitched sounds carrying from the banyan tree outside the window into the classroom, and waves of heat poured into the classroom one after another.
Ever since that day at Yinbinglou, when Ning Jiu led him to ten consecutive wins in pushing towers, and even managed to steal a tower in the last game despite being at a disadvantage, Li Mingyuan's feelings for Ning Jiu have completely changed from admiration for a pretty girl to ultimate worship for a gaming master.
“This guy talks a lot of nonsense, but I’ve never seen him call anyone ‘sister’,” Gao Hexin stroked his chin and thought seriously. “Do you think I should learn this game too, so that this kid can call me ‘sister’ a couple of times?”
As they were discussing this, Wang Bohan, the math class representative, started handing out the test papers, and Gao Hexin's expression immediately changed.
“It’s a tonic,” she said, watching Wang Bohan put her test paper on the table and shove it into her desk without a second thought, not even wanting to look at it. “After the long break, it’s math class. Every time this happens, even if Sister Zhen’s face is beautiful, it will turn into something repulsive.”
The boys in the last row started huddled together again, discussing this and that. It's quite strange; it's always the same group of people who check the answers right after the exam and compare scores as soon as the results are released.
Qiao Bolin was originally in the second-to-last row and didn't want to get involved in this kind of thing, but Qiu Xu and Cai Liming immediately started arguing when they saw Qiao Bolin's test paper in Wang Bohan's hand.
"Damn, 149 again! You're too strong, Qiao Xue Shen." Qiu Xu immediately shrugged off Cai Liming and put his arm around Qiao Bolin's arm like a good buddy. "What's your secret? You've been so consistent this time. Tell us your secrets."
As Qiu Xu teased them, several girls around them were also intrigued. Dong Yi leaned over to take a look at Qiao Bolin's answer sheet and exclaimed "Wow!" without any attempt to hide it.
He casually ruffled Qiu Xu's hair, laughing heartily as if he and his buddies had become close friends.
"Unlike you, Qiao Xueshen, you always claim to have a score of 140 after checking the answers, but you always end up with an 88% discount."
Before Qiu Xu could react, Dong Yi released his hair, subtly moved closer to Qiao Bolin, and looked at the last question with a hint of coquetry.
"Qiao Bolin, how did you solve this problem? I don't remember Sister Zhen explaining anything similar in class."
The faint scent of women's shampoo wafted over, and Qiao Bolin subtly moved to the other side.
"I used the Olympiad method, which is probably not universally applicable."
"Hey, it's alright, I'll just treat it as learning from the top student's thought process," Dong Yi said casually, moving a little closer until the ends of her hair almost brushed against Qiao Bolin's desk. "Qiao Bolin, can you explain it to me? I haven't quite understood it since the second step..."
Before Dong Yi could finish speaking, the bell rang for the long break. She shrugged with regret, turned around and deliberately bumped into Qiu Xu's arm. Amid his laughter and scolding, they playfully wrestled and went outside.
Wang Bohan was handing out the last test paper when he saw the score on it. He was visibly stunned. After looking around for a while, his gaze fell on the girl sitting quietly by the window.
Ning Jiu took the test paper from Wang Bohan, thanked him, glanced at her score, showed no surprise, and was about to put it in her desk when the boy next to her spoke up.
Wang Bohan: "Sister Zhen wants you to go to her office during the long break between classes."
"......good."
Having a reason not to do morning exercises when going to school is a very happy thing.
After Ning Jiu briefly explained the situation to Gao Hexin, she quickly walked to Fan Zhen's office. When Fan Zhen saw her, she waved and gestured for her to sit down next to her.
The next class was hers, and her computer screen was filled with the wrong questions and lesson plans that she was going to teach. Seeing Ning Jiu sitting quietly in her seat, waiting for her to finish writing the last line of the lesson plan, she turned to ask her.
Fan Zhen: "Do you know what I'm going to tell you?"
Ning Jiu truthfully replied, "I don't know."
Fan Zhen smiled gently, turned off the computer screen, and turned to face Ning Jiu.
"You did very well on this test," she asked casually. "Did you study math olympiad before?"
“I haven’t studied it, but I’ve read some books on the subject,” Ning Jiu said. “However, this time it was purely luck.”
Fan Zhen did not speak immediately.
Compared to Ning Jiu's third-place ranking in math, she felt that this girl's personality was truly rare.
This exam was quite difficult, especially the last question, which was hard to solve using the usual methods. Even those who knew how to do it might not be able to finish due to time constraints. However, judging from Ning Jiu's handwriting, she wrote both the fill-in-the-blank questions and the last question in a steady and methodical manner, without any sign of panic due to time constraints.
Fan Zhen initially thought that Ning Jiu was good at math, so she wasn't in a hurry. But after asking the teachers of other subjects, she found that Ning Jiu did the same thing, whether it was a subject she was good at or a subject she was weak in.
Having a good mindset and being able to grasp the subject matter, rather than being forced to move forward by it, is a rare quality in high school.
Fan Zhen looked at the girl in front of her. Her wispy hair obediently clung to her temples, and her light-colored eyes were like glass balls filled with sparkling glitter. She looked at her calmly yet lively, as if she already knew what she was going to say, so she waited obediently for her to finish speaking before answering.
She was about to offer praise to the student, but her gaze seemed to choke her, and she inexplicably felt that if she were to actually say those ordinary words of praise, it would seem rather insincere.
"teacher?"
Ning Jiu's voice brought Fan Zhen back to her senses, and she smiled.
"I can tell you're adapting very well. Keep it up and go back to rest."
"Thank you, Teacher Fan."
When Ning Jiu left the office, it happened to be halfway through the morning exercises during the long break.
The familiar music reached its climax. Even though the city and school had changed, the same set of movements were still being performed nationwide, with even the beat being exactly the same.
She yawned listlessly, then suddenly remembered that besides the exams, there was another problem that was bothering her these past few days.
I called Ning Xuan twice last night but no one answered. Even though Yuan Liangjing had explained the reason to Ning Jiu, it still couldn't dispel Ning Jiu's concerns.
She attributed Ning Xuan's lack of answering the phone to the timing. He could only take out his phone after 5 p.m. every time he got out of school, which was exactly when Ning Xuan was busiest, at least that's how it usually was.
Back in the empty classroom, Ning Jiu pulled out her phone, which was switched off, from her bag and decided to take this opportunity to call Ning Xuan again.
Going to the restroom is definitely out of the question. Not only is the restroom the closest place to the teachers' office, but it's also well-ventilated, and anyone who comes in during a phone call would give them away. Besides the restroom, other open-air places seem even less suitable.
Thinking of something, Ning Jiu turned her gaze to the side and rear of the teaching building.
The old textbook room of Jianglan Experimental School.
The place is remote and secluded. The time for picking up textbooks has passed, and only a few textbooks or old books remain on the shelves. A few days ago, I heard Li Mingyuan say that in order to save electricity, the textbook rooms for each grade will not be powered on after the start of the semester, and couples often go there to meet during breaks or after school.
She walked to the door of the textbook room and tried to push it. The door was not closed, and it was pitch black inside, but she could tell that no one was there.
Good. She thought.
Since no one is inside yet, this room is hers.
As soon as the door closed, the smell of paper mixed with ink wafted out. Ning Jiu turned on the light, and the dim, flickering light illuminated the surrounding metal bookshelves, where several dusty textbooks lay quietly.
She took out her phone and dialed a familiar number. The ringtone before the call connected slowly echoed in the quiet space, as if time was being stretched out, each frame exceptionally clear.
The bell had only rung halfway when, leaning against the metal door, she suddenly noticed footsteps approaching outside.
The hand holding the phone paused for a moment, and a surprised voice came from not far away.
"Hey, Joe Bolin? Why didn't you do your exercises?"
......
For a moment, Ning Jiu thought she had misheard.
Compared to the boy's voice, which seemed to come from afar, Qiao Bolin's voice was excessively close. His clear, crisp voice fell softly through the door frame, hitting Ning Jiu's ears precisely.
"Our class's results came out, and Lao Qin called me to his office to ask me to find him a book."
The boy was clearly quite familiar with Qiao Bolin. As his footsteps approached, he teased, "What kind of book are you looking for here? It's not some kind of 'secret weapon' that only belongs to your class, is it?"
This was mostly a joke, but it wasn't entirely without an element of probing.
Qiao Bolin seemed not to understand and went along with his words to fight back.
"Stop joking, you had something to do even though you didn't go to the playground."
The boy realized he'd been right and didn't say anything more.
Just a door away, Qiao Bolin turned his head, his gaze lingering on the closed door for a moment. His fingertips touched the doorknob, and he paused almost imperceptibly, but did not open it.
"Yuan Qi," he said, his hand still gripping the doorknob, raising an eyebrow at the boy around the corner, his tone slightly amused, "Are you going to watch me go in?"
Hearing this, Yuan Qi smiled and turned to say something to the classmate next to her. The group continued to walk upstairs.
Almost the instant the footsteps disappeared, there was a creak.
Before Qiao Bolin could open the door, the old iron door was pushed open a crack from the inside.
Because he was backlit, his expression was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern anything.
Ning Jiu wasn't as calm as him. The moment the light squeezed in, she hurriedly pulled Qiao Bolin inside, surprised that it was so difficult to pull him over, even though he looked so thin and tall.
There was another creak.
The outside world was cut off, and the light was completely shut out.
Ning Jiu's phone hadn't hung up yet; the ringtone was still ringing. The originally gentle and soothing melody was amplified infinitely at this moment, drilling into her eardrums again and again, inappropriately.
The teaching materials room was cramped, filled with metal boxes and bookshelves even without books. Once the door was closed, the two were forced to squeeze together.
In the dim light, she could even clearly feel the rise and fall of his breathing, and feel his body temperature through the thin school uniform, sending a slight shiver down her spine.
In an instant, their breaths mingled, so close together that it seemed as if all the air had been used up.
Her gaze fell on their intertwined fingers, and just as she was about to explain to him, she felt her hand, which had been holding his, suddenly being pulled away.
Their skin was only separated for a second before a burning sensation struck. Her slender wrist was firmly held and turned against the door.
Joel Brown's fair and distinct skin made the prominent veins on the back of his hands stand out even more, revealing an undeniable and vibrant strength that was completely unrelated to his face.
The entire movement was swift and decisive, with almost no unnecessary pauses, and his expression remained unchanged.
In stark contrast to his facial expression was the force of his powerful metacarpal bones grinding against his skin, creating a tingling sensation.
The two stood very close, their school uniforms rubbing together to generate heat, and Ning Jiu smelled the faint sandalwood scent emanating from him for the first time.
His breathing became heavier, and as his throat became dry from the dryness, the grip on his wrist was suddenly loosened.
By the time Ning Jiu realized what was happening, his ringing phone was already in his hand.
A note from the author:
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The next chapter will be very interesting. [Sunglasses]
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