Chapter 76 It's a girl, don't be jealous.
The days of senior year in high school felt like they were on accelerator.
When Jiang Sui first arrived in Xunning, it was still the height of summer; now it's already the end of December.
"Ouch, it's so cold."
Jiang Sui held a cup of hot milk in her hands, hiding behind Ji Jingyu, stamping her feet to keep warm.
Xia Fan comforted her, "It'll be fine once you get on the bus."
"What's so great about it? There's still no air conditioning in the classroom."
The Second Middle School stipulates that air conditioning can only be turned on during lunch break, ostensibly to prevent students from becoming sleepy in the stuffy environment, and also to better train their willpower.
Actually, everyone adapted quite well to the climate, after all, they had lived in Xunning for more than ten years. Only Jiang Sui, the newcomer, had some trouble adjusting to the new environment.
"I see the temperature in Licheng is about the same as here. How did you get through the winters in previous years?"
On cold winter mornings, Jiang Deyu would only wear a thin jacket over his school uniform, and sometimes when he got carried away playing during breaks, he wouldn't even wear a jacket.
Fully armed Jiang Sui stood next to him, looking like they were from two different seasons.
“At this time of year in previous years,” Jiang Sui paused, “I would have already stopped going to school.”
"What's the meaning?"
“The literal meaning,” Jiang Sui said in a very ordinary tone. “When it first starts to get colder, I only attend afternoon classes. If it gets even colder, I’ll just take a long leave and stay home to rest.”
Jiang Deyu stared in disbelief, and it took him a while to find his voice.
His tone became somewhat shrill from surprise, "If you do this, won't Uncle Jiang scold you? And will the school agree to it?"
"No, it was my dad who got the leave for me."
Jiang Yunzhao always puts Jiang Sui's feelings first; whether or not he learns is not important to him at all.
As for the school's opinion, nobody cares at all.
The money Jiang Yunzhao donated to Lizhong was enough for them to treat Jiang Sui like a little princess, and let her come and go as she pleased.
So, even though Jiang Sui shouts "I'm freezing to death" eight hundred times a day, she never utters a single complaint in front of Jiang Yunzhao, just so he won't worry.
Jiang Deyu cried with envy, "Our surnames are so similar, so why are our fathers so different?!"
If it were his father, let alone asking him for leave, if he even hinted at not wanting to go to school, he'd be lucky to get a beating.
"Hey? I just remembered something."
Jiang Sui lowered her head and took a sip of hot milk. "What is it?"
"Since Uncle Jiang hasn't gone bankrupt and your family hasn't run into trouble, why are you giving up your comfortable life as a young lady and coming here to do something like this?"
The northwest wind cleared Jiang Deyu's mind, and his IQ seemed to have increased as well. "And since you and Teacher Su are related, why haven't you come to see her all these years?"
"because……"
Jiang Sui opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
She was speechless for once in front of Jiang Deyu.
Jiang Sui longed to announce to the world that Su Yinian was her mother, but she had to consider her mother's feelings and respect her wishes.
Jiang Deyu pressed on, genuinely curious: "Why?"
"It wasn't on purpose that we didn't come to see her. We didn't know Teacher Su was in Xunning..."
Jiang Sui selectively answered only the latter question, her slender index finger unconsciously fiddling with the body of the milk bottle.
"Oh, I see." Jiang Deyu scratched his head, but then he noticed that Jiang Sui still hadn't answered the most crucial question. "Then..."
Ji Jingyu, who was walking ahead of Jiang Sui, interrupted his probing, "The eggs are peeled, eat them."
Jiang Sui only eats boiled eggs that are smooth and don't stick to the shell. If an egg is even slightly damaged after being peeled, she won't touch it again.
Unlike Jiang Deyu, who could eat an egg that looked like the far side of the moon without batting an eye.
I don’t know when it started, but the task of boiling and peeling eggs for Jiang Sui fell to Ji Jingyu, and he did it without complaint, even enjoying it.
Now, he can skillfully cook the perfect eggs that Jiang Sui likes.
After Jiang Sui took the egg from his hand, she glanced at Jiang Deyu with her dark eyes and said in a cool tone, "You're very free? You've recited 'The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace'?"
Jiang Deyu's attention was indeed diverted.
He scratched his head harder, looking a little annoyed. "No, I fell asleep halfway through memorizing last night. It's weird, the more I play games, the more energetic I get, but the more I read the text, the sleepier I get."
He tried to memorize "The Rhapsody on the Epang Palace", but after a long time, he could only remember the first sentence.
It was hummed.
Jiang Deyu gave up struggling, clinging to a sliver of hope, "Didn't Brother Hao say there would be random checks? This good thing might not just fall into my lap, right?"
Xia Fan laughed: "They only do random checks on others, but they always check you. You've already lost all credibility with Brother Hao."
Relieved, Jiang Sui added, "If you leave this open again, the class monitor will definitely go to Brother Hao and ask him to find you another way out."
Sun Hao has a habit of setting up mutual aid groups to provide one-on-one assistance.
In previous years, this task would have fallen to Ji Jingyu without any surprises, but this year Ji Jingyu had Jiang Sui, so Sun Hao assigned the difficult student Jiang Deyu to the class monitor Yu Xiaocheng.
After all, the capable should do more work.
Yu Xiaocheng was once full of vigor and high spirits, determined to turn a poor student into a model student. But with each failure, even someone as confident and strong as Yu Xiaocheng couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Upon hearing Jiang Sui's words, a moment of panic flashed across Jiang Deyu's face.
"I'll memorize it right now!"
"You can carry it on the bus, the bus is here."
As soon as they got on the bus, Xia Fan pulled Jiang Deyu to sit with her, giving the other two seats to Jiang Sui and Ji Jingyu.
Looking at Jiang Deyu's head bobbing as he recited the text, Jiang Sui couldn't help but complain, "You're really strange."
The babbling stopped abruptly, and Jiang Deyu turned around. "What's strange about me?"
"If you're afraid of the class monitor getting angry, you never finish the tasks she assigns, making her lose face. But if you're not afraid of the class monitor getting angry, your last-minute cramming always looks so convincing."
Jiang Deyu's expression just now didn't seem fake.
He was genuinely worried that Yu Xiaocheng would break off their relationship.
“That’s true.” Xia Fan nodded vigorously from the side.
Jiang Deyu choked, feeling utterly bewildered.
Jiang Sui rested her chin on her schoolbag, looking exhausted. "I really want to bring the tadpoles to school with me."
It's cold, and because she stays up late studying, Jiang Sui has also become someone who has trouble getting up, always feeling like she hasn't had enough sleep.
“This warm little chubby thing is much better than a hot water bottle,” she murmured softly with her eyes closed. “I really want to hug it while I sleep.”
A faint smile appeared in Ji Jingyu's eyes.
He no longer hid the origin of the tadpoles from Jiang Sui and told her everything.
It was Jiang Sui who discovered the kitten that was on the verge of death.
The tadpole's name also came from her.
Jiang Sui didn't know how long the kitten's memory would last, but she firmly believed that Tadpole was an extraordinary kitten, and that it had always remembered her.
Otherwise, the tadpole, who is usually aloof and disdainful of strangers, would not have shown unprecedented familiarity and intimacy towards her on their "first" meeting.
This extraordinary kitten not only has an amazing memory, but is also exceptionally intelligent.
Jiang Sui bought her a popular little yellow duck food dispenser online. She saw in the comments section that some people said their silly little ducks just couldn't learn to eat no matter how they tried, and could only meow at the food dispenser.
But the tadpole learned quickly, proving itself to be the smartest kitten in the world.
With her eyes closed, Jiang Sui was unaware that Ji Jingyu's gaze was fixed on her face.
Suddenly, Jiang Sui opened her eyes, somewhat startled.
She said, "The tadpole is nine years old."
His tone was inexplicably low.
“Yeah.” Jiang Deyu, sitting in the front row, couldn’t help but interject, “When Brother Ji first picked it up, it was just a tiny little thing, like a little mouse. Brother Ji was always worried that it wouldn’t survive. But now it’s grown into a heavy tank. My calf still hurts from when it bumped into me yesterday…”
Xia Fan tugged at his hat, "Sui Sui is talking to Brother Ji, what business is it of yours? Hurry up and recite your text."
It seemed like a random sentence, but Ji Jingyu understood Jiang Sui's sudden fear and unease.
"Don't worry, every time I take Tadpole for a check-up, the doctor says it's very healthy and a very strong kitten."
"Yes, King Tadpole is free from illness and disaster, and King Tadpole will live to be a hundred years old."
"It definitely will."
—
"If senior high school students don't have physical education classes, why do they still have to run during breaks? It's ridiculous."
"Hey, your logic is wrong. We don't have PE classes because the PE teachers can't take turns, it has nothing to do with whether we are seniors or not."
"I heard that only our floor is not going, while the downstairs and liberal arts classes are all going as usual."
"Huh? Why?"
"You've become stupid from reading too much; you're so out of touch with the world."
The boy who was being teased shoved the other boy's shoulder hard, looking impatient. "Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me!"
“Rocky was expelled from school. Qian Lai is now busy with the basketball team and taking over Rocky’s job. He’s too busy to take care of us.”
"It's not just expulsion," another boy said in a low voice, mysteriously. "He's been arrested."
"What? Really?"
"It's true, Luo Qi lives upstairs from me. My mom saw the police take him away with her own eyes. These past few days, his mom has been crying and screaming at home every day. It's so annoying."
“I also saw posts on the forum saying that Roach was arrested.”
"How come I've never seen such an explosive post before?"
Did the post mention what crime Roach was charged with?
Upon hearing the question, the boy suddenly revealed a subtle yet provocative expression, "You would never guess this crime."
"Stop keeping me in suspense. Are you asking for trouble lately?"
"He said that he used his position to molest many female students, and even female students from previous years were called back to give statements."
Upon hearing this, the group couldn't help but gasp in surprise, attracting curious glances from many others.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"
"A beast in human form! If this is true, even the death penalty wouldn't be too much!"
“There are more people from our school in the forum. Of course, we will delete every post that is posted, which is still inconclusive, has a bad reputation, and tarnishes the image of the school. No wonder we can’t find it.”
"That scoundrel Roach has been a teacher for so many years, so how many girls must he have slept with? Do you think there might be some in our class?"
The boy's gaze involuntarily fell on the girls coming and going in the corridor.
"Shut up, you fucking idiot, you're giving me goosebumps."
It's chilling to think that a classmate you spend every day with could write about being molested and bullied by a bastard old enough to be your father.
"Maybe it really is."
"who?"
More and more people gathered around, urging the boy to speak quickly.
“That Lu Shuhe in our class, didn’t she take a long leave of absence before because of depression? She’s taken leave again recently, maybe she’s going to give a statement, and most importantly…”
What is it?
"Lu Shuhe was once Luo Qi's sports committee member..."
"Zhang Yang, what nonsense are you spouting!"
The boys turned around and saw Jiang Sui standing behind them, staring at them expressionlessly, looking particularly unapproachable.
It's her again!
Every time Zhang Yang ran into Jiang Sui, nothing good ever came of it, and he subconsciously swallowed.
Then he looked around.
Ji Jingyu wasn't there, and neither was that big oaf Jiang Deyu; only Jiang Sui was outside.
No matter how capable she is, she's still just a girl.
He might just raise his fist and scare the other person into tears.
This calmed Zhang Yang down a bit. "I wasn't talking about you, why are you getting so worked up?"
As if he had thought of something, he rolled his eyes, his gaze like a sticky, slippery spider web, and landed on Jiang Sui's bright and delicate face. He said with ill intent, "Could it be that it's not Lu Shuhe, but you?"
As soon as he said this, the expressions of the people around him changed drastically.
That's going too far.
It doesn't sound like something a student would say; it sounds like something a thug would say.
Despite being so humiliated, Jiang Sui remained the calmest person in the crowd.
She didn't cry, not even a hint of redness in her eyes.
She wasn't even afraid of Wen Jinxu, so how could she possibly be afraid of his lackeys?
He casually ran his fingertips along his cuff, treating the other person as worthless trash, and said, "Apologize."
Zhang Yang, with his neck stiff, continued to argue, "I didn't say anything, why should I apologize!"
Jiang Sui stepped forward, her eyes turning colder. "You dare to spread rumors about your classmates just because you have no idea what you're talking about?"
She didn't say anything harsh, but she gave Zhang Yang a chilling feeling.
"I'm sorry." Before the brain could even process it, the apology had already left the mouth.
"Apologize to Lu Shuhe as well."
"Don't push your luck! Lu Shuhe isn't even here!" Under everyone's gaze, Zhang Yang became enraged, his face twisted into a grimace. "Besides, she's from Class Four. What does what Class Four does have to do with you?"
“Everyone in our Class 4 knows that Lu Shuhe took a long leave because she was sick. Zhang Yang, you really can’t say anything nice.”
Upon seeing who it was, Zhang Yang's lips twitched.
Damn it, another difficult one.
"Yi Shan," Zhang Yang gritted his teeth in anger, "what are you doing here to cause trouble!"
“I’m from Class 4, so this has to do with me.” Yi Shan walked over to Jiang Sui, crossed her arms, looked at Zhang Yang, and said sarcastically, “If you’re so capable, then expel me from Class 4.”
—
Zhang Yang also dared not provoke Yi Shan.
If Jiang Sui is arrogant, then Yi Shan is simply insane.
During self-study, he only said a few extra words, and before the class monitor and discipline committee member could say anything, Yi Shan walked over and overturned his desk.
"Try saying another word?"
Upon meeting Yi Shan's gaze, he abruptly stopped speaking.
For a fleeting moment, Zhang Yang felt that Yi Shan wasn't trying to overturn his table, but rather his head.
His deskmate whispered to him to let it go, "Yang-ge, anyone willing to repeat a year is crazy. Let's not stoop to her level."
That's true. If Yi Shan dared to repeat a year of high school, what wouldn't she dare to do?
What if she really goes crazy...
There's really no need for me to argue with a madman.
At that moment, Zhang Yang only had this one thought in his mind.
—
“Zhang Yang, since you’re so curious, why don’t we go to Teacher Su’s office now and borrow her phone to call Lu Shuhe’s parents and ask them for clarification?”
As she spoke, Yi Shan actually tugged at Zhang Yang's arm.
Zhang Yang was startled by the other party's sudden action and took a big step back.
Now he was caught in a dilemma: whether to stay or leave.
Even more students came to watch the spectacle.
Even those who were already in the classroom rushed out upon hearing the news.
Someone in the crowd said, "If Lu Shuhe's father knew that someone was talking about his daughter like this behind her back, he would definitely come to the school immediately and break his legs."
"If I were Lu Shuhe, the toilet mop would already be on his head by now."
"If you ask me, even the toilet mop isn't as foul-mouthed as Zhang Yang."
"It's one thing to have bad grades, but I didn't expect him to have such a bad character as well."
"Shut up, you all!"
Zhang Yang glared fiercely at the crowd, but everyone seemed to see through his outward strength and inner weakness, and the murmurs continued.
"Wen Jinxu, keep your people in check." Jiang Sui glanced at Wen Jinxu, who was also standing in the crowd, and coldly said, "If you can't control their mouths, I'll have to ask your dad to take care of you."
Wen Jinxu's pupils suddenly contracted, and a sharp pain shot through his left cheek as if in response.
He knew Jiang Sui wasn't joking.
He had already suffered a great deal in the grade group office last time.
Su Yinian herself didn't have much of a background, but she was Jiang Sui's relative.
Jiang Sui is the one with real connections; even his father can't afford to offend him.
He had tried his best to keep a low profile and reduce his presence during this period, but he still couldn't escape this undeserved disaster.
Zhang Yang is such an idiot!
Wen Jinxu glanced at Zhang Yang, who had caused him trouble again, and then kicked him in the knee. "Apologize to me right now."
Fueled by anger, Wen Jinxu kicked with full force, causing Zhang Yang to stagger before regaining his balance.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it was my fault for being so mean, I shouldn't have made such malicious assumptions about Lu Shuhe." Zhang Yang's face showed a pained expression, but he dared not fight back or complain. He had to obediently follow Wen Jinxu's instructions and apologize.
"Remember, spreading rumors will get you arrested too," Yi Shan sneered. "If you know you have a foul mouth, then shut your mouth tightly and don't come out and pollute the air."
She still remembered the grudge that Zhang Yang made so much noise during self-study that she couldn't concentrate on her problems.
After Wen Jinxu and Zhang Yang left, Yi Shan began to disperse the crowd, "Disperse, disperse, hurry up and disperse. Have you finished your homework? Why did you come to watch the fun?"
The crowd dispersed abruptly, leaving only Jiang Sui and Yi Shan in the once-crowded corridor.
"You're so cool."
Jiang Sui calmly accepted the compliment, saying, "You too, out of so many people, you were the only one who stood up."
Yi Shan first noticed Jiang Sui during the first monthly exam.
They were assigned to the same examination room.
That day, as soon as she entered the examination room, she saw Jiang Sui acting as a chivalrous hero.
She's clearly a very pretty young girl, but when she opens her mouth, she's incredibly arrogant—she's just too cool!
I used to think you didn't like me.
"Huh?" Jiang Sui was confused.
Yi Shan smiled and said, "Because you always look at me with such a strange, puffed-up expression."
Jiang Sui thought she had done a good job of being discreet, but she didn't expect the other party to be so perceptive.
She rubbed her nose and said honestly, "I didn't really like you before."
"Why? Can I ask for the reason? We don't think we knew each other before."
"It's all because you're always so moody and unpredictable. Whenever your emotions are unstable, your parents call Teacher Su, and then Teacher Su leaves me to comfort you, so she doesn't have time to spend with me."
Yi Shan was stunned for a moment, not expecting Su Yinian to be involved. "You and Teacher Su are..."
"I'm related to Teacher Su, we're very close."
"I'm sorry," Yi Shan admitted decisively. "I was indeed a bit hysterical a while ago, and I made my mom cry several times."
"It doesn't matter."
Jiang Sui had long since stopped blaming her, because she knew that some of Yi Shan's bad moods were beyond her control.
Yi Shan was probably "sick" at the time.
"Then why didn't you hate me later?"
"Because I've discovered that you're a very kind person. You remember all the good things Teacher Su has done for you. When others slander her, you don't hesitate to speak up for her. Besides, you don't take up much of Teacher Su's time anymore."
“Teacher Su recommended a psychologist to me. I consulted with her a few times and I feel much better.” Yi Shan pointed in a certain direction. “If it weren’t for Teacher Su, I might be lying on that concrete ground downstairs right now.”
Jiang Sui subconsciously leaned down to look at the spot Yi Shan was pointing to, "Your assumption is rather frightening."
"I'm so sorry, I startled you."
"He can still make jokes, so it seems he's alright now."
The two smiled at each other and went back to their respective classes.
—
"Our heroine is back!" As soon as Jiang Sui entered the door, she received enthusiastic applause from Jiang Deyu. "Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome!"
"You all saw it."
“How could we let you fight alone?” Xia Fan took Jiang Sui’s arm. “As soon as we received the news, Ji Ge, Jiang Deyu, the squad leader, Tong Xia, and I all rushed out.”
“That’s right, if Zhang Yang dares to touch you, I’ll knock his teeth out with one punch.” Jiang Deyu deliberately showed off his fist, which was as big as a sandbag.
"Yes, we were going to help you, but Brother Ji said it wasn't necessary and that you could handle it yourself."
Jiang Sui looked up at Ji Jingyu, who was sitting in his seat, his eyes filled with a gentle smile like spring water.
"Yeah, Brother Ji is right. Dealing with someone like Zhang Yang is a piece of cake for me."
"Young Miss is so powerful and domineering!" Jiang Deyu clapped for a long time.
After Jiang Sui sat back down, Yu Xiaocheng whispered something to her, completely betraying Ji Jingyu.
"Don't be fooled by Ji Ge's words that you don't need help. He's actually the one who's most worried. He stood there from beginning to end, and he only got into the classroom a second earlier than you."
—
"Happy?"
While correcting the questions Jiang Sui had just done, Ji Jingyu casually spoke up.
Is it that obvious?
"Um."
"Because I made a new friend."
"fine."
Jiang Sui rested her chin on her hand, staring intently at Ji Jingyu's cold, delicate profile. "Don't worry, she's a girl, don't be jealous."
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