Chapter 46 Ear Pulling [VIP]
Chapter summary: Is it so cold? My ears are all red.
Fu Xianyin wasn't the only one who felt embarrassed.
Song Yaoge's lips were almost bitten through.
She never expected that the first time she saw Gu Linzhao after returning from her weeks of training would be like this.
While sitting in the classroom, Song Yaoge kept thinking about how to start a conversation with Gu Linzhao.
Even just a few more words would be appreciated.
But Gu Linzhao wasn't the only one who pushed open the door.
There's also Fu Xianyin.
Song Yaoge even had to admit that Fu Xianyin looked really beautiful today, so beautiful that she had to say "beautiful".
In the two minutes that Fu Xianyin went to find the class sign, Song Yaoge racked her brains to come up with an opening line:
"Class monitor, what events are you going to participate in at the sports meet?"
Gu Linzhao said, "Yes, I signed up for the 3,000-meter race."
Song Yaoge remembered that he had also applied for this last year.
Three thousand meters was too long, and nobody wanted to run it. Lin Anxu practically begged and pleaded with Gu Linzhao to sign up.
Song Yaoge even remembered how Lin Anxu had a long face last year, pleading and begging behind Gu Linzhao.
She wanted to ask, "Did Lin Anxu beg you to sign up for the 3,000-meter race this year?"
However, before the question could be asked, Fu Xianyin came in with the class sign.
Song Yaoge suddenly felt a breath stuck in her throat, unable to come out or swallow back, and could only choke there.
As they were about to leave the teaching building, Song Yaoge finally mustered up the courage to speak.
She called out, "Gu Linzhao."
Gu Linzhao paused, but Fu Xianyin, who was a step too late, had to stop abruptly.
Her heel tripped her foot, and Gu Linzhao, seeing this out of the corner of his eye, instinctively reached out to grab her arm. However, he saw Fu Xianyin avoid his hand in a contorted posture, making two empty grabbing motions in the air before regaining her balance.
Sensing Gu Linzhao's slightly probing gaze, Fu Xianyin turned her head away, pretending not to see it.
A soft, faint sigh seemed to come from beside me.
Fu Xianyin pursed her lips, pretending not to hear.
Gu Linzhao asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Yaoge asked, "Did you sign up for this project this year because Lin Anxu begged you to?"
Fu Xianyin quietly pricked up her ears and caught the key words.
This year, this project, too, is something we're begging for.
So Song Yaoge knows what project Gu Linzhao applied for.
Her memory was pulled back to yesterday, and Fu Xianyin was furious again.
Why didn't you tell Song Yaoge?
She glared at Gu Linzhao resentfully, but to her surprise, Gu Linzhao said, "Why are you glaring at me?"
His little trick was exposed right in front of Song Yaoge.
Fu Xianyin immediately became less assertive and muttered under her breath, "I wasn't glaring at you, you must have mistaken me for someone else."
Perhaps because Song Yaoge hadn't answered her question yet, Gu Linzhao didn't press her further.
He shrugged and said, "This year... I guess I signed up myself. I figured no one else would sign up, and Lin Anxu would have to come and bother me, so I might as well sign up myself first, which would save me trouble."
Song Yaoge nodded: "I see."
The three continued walking towards the playground.
Before they had taken two steps, Song Yaoge suddenly stepped past Gu Linzhao and peeked out to ask, "Fu Xianyin, have you submitted your project application?"
Fu Xianyin hadn't expected Song Yaoge to ask her that question. She pointed to herself and subconsciously asked, "Me?"
Song Yaoge nodded.
Fu Xianyin said, "I signed up for the 4100 relay race, and I'll run the last leg."
Song Yaoge let out a surprised "Ah".
She said, "You seem to really enjoy sports."
Fu Xianyin said, "No, it's because we didn't have enough people, so they forced me to go up."
Song Yaoge was even more surprised: "If you're holding up a sign... don't you need to announce the project?"
Fu Xianyin sighed: "I thought so too, but Sister Gao said there weren't enough people, so she insisted that I sign up."
Song Yaoge said, "I heard from Miaomiao that she also runs 4100. You guys are competing tomorrow, right?"
Fu Xianyin said, "Mmm."
Song Yaoge said, "Luckily, there's a competition tomorrow, so you can still look beautiful for another day."
The two chatted as they walked to the formation. Song Yaoge had never participated in the squad rehearsals before, and she had only told Sister Gao about coming back to watch the sports meet at the last minute, so they squeezed her into the middle of the formation.
The rehearsal is over, and the opening ceremony is about to officially begin.
Fu Xianyin took off her coat and handed it to Gu Linzhao.
Gu Linzhao folded her coat neatly and then placed it along with his water bottle on their class's bleacher stand.
Song Yaoge witnessed this scene clearly.
But she was no longer surprised.
But I still feel a little bittersweet.
Gu Linzhao went to put his things away, while Fu Xianyin, holding the class sign, seemed to feel cold and took a few deep breaths.
Lin Anxu was lining up when Song Yaoge, watching Fu Xianyin about to rejoin the group, hesitated for a long time before finally calling out to her:
"Fu Xianyin".
Fu Xianyin stopped and looked at her with some confusion.
Not only Fu Xianyin, but many classmates around were also drawn to Song Yaoge's shout and turned to look.
Song Yaoge then realized that she had been speaking a bit too loudly.
She is not someone who is afraid of public attention; in fact, she enjoys being watched.
But at this moment, she felt a sudden surge of timidity.
Song Yaoge gritted her teeth, looked at Fu Xianyin, and mustered her courage to say, "After the opening ceremony, I have something I want to say to you."
She noticed Fu Xianyin's probing gaze, and her initial confidence deflated considerably. She asked hesitantly in a low voice, "Is it okay?"
The waiting time is like a trial.
But unexpectedly, Fu Xianyin hardly tried to judge her.
Fu Xianyin simply nodded and said, "Okay."
The sports meet of Beichuan No.1 Middle School was a grand event; at least Fu Xianyin had never seen such a scene when he was in Linlan.
The large screen broadcast footage captured by drones and cameras. As Fu Xianyin watched the fireworks light up the sky, she suddenly wondered if a lot of this money was spent by Fu Dongyuan.
She was lost in thought for a moment, but was then pulled back to her senses by a gasp.
She looked up and realized that her face had been captured by a camera and broadcast on a big screen.
Even with the distortion caused by the widening effect of the broadcast, his striking face was still enough to shock the entire school.
Fu Xianyin could even hear Lin Anxu's roaring screams behind her:
"See that? Our class's number one in the grade!"
Her ears turned bright red, but she still pursed her lips and smiled at the photographer.
Another round of cheers erupted.
Fu Xianyin was almost numb.
She felt she was losing her basic dignity.
She suddenly wondered how Gu Linzhao had managed to handle such a large-scale uproar last year.
Especially noteworthy is that the group holding up signs were all girls, with only Gu Linzhao, a boy, standing among a group of beautifully dressed girls in the simplest and most basic school uniform.
She imagined the scene in her mind and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
As is customary, the school leaders gave the opening speech first.
Fu Xianyin stood at the very front of the line, wearing the most beautiful dress, braving the coldest wind.
Goosebumps had already formed on her arms, and she suddenly regretted not wearing that coat earlier.
It's just a speech by the leader, so it doesn't matter if he wears a coat. He can just take it off and walk around in formation later.
Fu Xianyin crossed her arms and sniffed.
She secretly glanced at the girls from other classes holding up signs.
Some remained elegant and dignified in the cold wind, while others, like her, couldn't help sniffling from the cold.
Just as Fu Xianyin sneezed for the third time, the cold smell in her nasal cavity was interrupted by a familiar freshness.
The next second, a warm blanket covered her bare shoulder.
Gu Linzhao's deep voice sounded from behind: "Are you cold?"
Fu Xianyin wanted to turn around, but since she was standing in the front row, she couldn't make any big movements. She could only turn her head slightly to the side and use her peripheral vision to see the position of the people behind her.
She could only see the collar of his school uniform and the Adam's apple on his neck.
Fu Xianyin suddenly swallowed.
She pulled her coat tighter, pulled her fingers back into her sleeves, and asked in a low voice, "Why did you come here?"
The two stood close together, and Fu Xianyin could even feel Gu Linzhao's breath brushing against the tip of her ear as he spoke.
She heard Gu Linzhao say, "You're not wearing enough clothes. Sister Gao said she'd give you some clothes."
For some reason, Fu Xianyin suddenly felt a pang of tenderness in her heart.
Her voice trailed off softly: "Others are cold too, but I didn't see them wearing any."
The person behind him chuckled briefly.
His voice was deliberately lowered, and his laughter lingered in her ears.
Fu Xianyin felt a tingling sensation throughout her ears.
She said, "What are you laughing at?"
Gu Linzhao: "When did you start meddling in other people's business?"
Fu Xianyin said softly, "Mind your own business."
She asked again, "Did Sister Gao ask you to give me the clothes?"
Gu Linzhao said, "I guess so."
Fu Xianyin said, "What do you mean by 'I guess so'?"
Gu Linzhao just smiled.
Fu Xianyin was annoyed by his laughter, so she took a step back and stepped on the tip of Gu Linzhao's shoe.
"Hiss!" Gu Linzhao gasped, half-threatening and half-helpless, "You brought me clothes and you stepped on me? I pulled your ear."
Fu Xianyin said, "Pull it up."
As soon as she finished speaking, a warm sensation covered her earlobe.
Fu Xianyin never expected Gu Linzhao to pull her ear.
In fact, despite knowing Gu Linzhao for so long, the two have rarely had any physical contact.
She dared to say that because she was certain that Gu Linzhao wouldn't do it.
Unexpectedly, he actually grabbed her ear and pulled it.
That force wasn't even a proper pinch.
Gu Linzhao simply pinched her earlobe gently.
If it's just pulling the ear, it's really nothing.
It's normal for elders to discipline younger people, or to pull their ears as a form of criticism or punishment.
But ironically, this force, neither too light nor too heavy, carried a meaning that was hard to explain.
Warm knuckles brushed against a small patch of skin behind her ear and on her neck.
Fu Xianyin felt the tingling sensation spread from that area of skin, quickly expanding to her limbs and bones.
She couldn't help but shudder. However, before she could fully retract her foot after stepping on Gu Linzhao, she suddenly trembled, her ankle went weak, and her body swayed.
The warmth on my neck disappeared quickly.
Gu Linzhao lightly touched her waist with his hand.
Her coat was a loose-fitting style; without a belt, the fabric wouldn't cling to her body at all.
When Gu Linzhao helped her up, the soft fabric of her coat brushed against the openwork area at her waist.
The fine hairs on her coat brushed against her, making Fu Xianyin feel a little itchy.
The voices of the leaders on the podium gradually faded into the distance.
Fu Xianyin could hear her heart pounding violently.
The person behind her seemed afraid that she might lose her balance, so they took a small step forward.
Fu Xianyin didn't dare to breathe.
She heard Gu Linzhao say, "Is it so cold? Your ears are all red."
She asked, "Is it red?"
He said, "It's very popular."
Is it cold?
Fu Xianyin dared not admit it.
[Author's Note]
I'm updating late today because I ran out of drafts and had to write this now, sob sob.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com