At this moment, the sunlight outside the classroom, which wasn't very strong, shone on Tang Ning's face. It even reflected the fine downy hairs on her cheeks clearly, making her face so white that it seemed to reflect light. Even the sunlight couldn't outshine the smile on her lips.
Xu Xingbai accidentally met her bright, dark eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. His fingers, which were resting on the corner of his desk, suddenly clenched unconsciously.
At the same time, because Tang Ning took the initiative to sit next to Xu Xingbo, the class's notoriously gloomy and autistic boy, the classroom erupted in a series of discussions.
—What's wrong with my little angel Ningning? Why is she sitting next to that gloomy guy? Waaah, it's like a beautiful flower planted next to cow dung! Ah, my heart aches so much…
—Wait, what's with this nickname? No way, I need to give our school beauty a special nickname too.
—The form of address doesn't matter. What matters is that this guy surnamed Xu always hates having anyone sit next to him, right? Remember when Yin Yufeng first arrived? He'd barely put his things in his desk drawer when Xu Xingbo, who was a day late, tossed them aside. He even cried! In the end, Jiang Yao couldn't stand it and let him sit with him. Why is Xu Xingbo acting so indifferent now? Is this preferential treatment?
"Don't you feel guilty saying that? Yin Yufeng, that effeminate guy, is there any part of him that can compare to our newly crowned campus belle, Jin Sheng? Xu Xingbai isn't stupid, okay? Given a short, effeminate guy and a fair-skinned, beautiful woman, does he know how to choose? Ugh, I'm getting angrier and angrier as I talk about it."
—It's all Jiang Yao and Yin Yufeng's fault! What's wrong with those two? Our Ningning is such a beautiful and precious woman! Did you notice just now? Because Jiang Yao rejected her so loudly, she was so embarrassed and upset that her face turned pale. Jiang Yao is so ungentlemanly! I felt sorry for her when I saw that expression!
"—Exactly! And that Yin Yufeng, I used to just think he was a crybaby and a sissy, but I didn't expect him to cry this much. Did Tang Ning say anything to him? If you don't want to, just say you don't want to. Making it sound like someone bullied him is ridiculous. See, he's still crying. Is it really necessary for a boy? And it even made the school beauty sit next to Xu Xingbo in a fit of anger! No way, after class, I have to invite the school beauty to sit next to me, otherwise I'm afraid Xu Xingbo will bully her. Girls are so precious and adorable!"
—Me too, me too…
——Count me in!
—I want one too!
...
Soon, the boys in the class changed their criticism of Xu Xingbo and their gossip about Jiang Yao and Yin Yuqing to discussing which of the top ten students who excelled in moral character, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor should be Tang Ning's deskmate.
Even though the boys tried to keep their voices down, a few words still reached Yin Yuqing's ears, especially those that criticized and blamed her. In an instant, Yin Yuqing's tears flowed even more fiercely, and at the same time, she felt a mix of bitterness and resentment in her heart.
These boys had clearly changed their opinion of her a lot before, and some even praised her personality. Why did things turn out like this again? She genuinely wanted to give up her seat for Tang Ning, but she didn't realize it in time, which is why she spilled her things. As for the tears that followed, she couldn't control her sadness at the thought of parting with A Yao. She had no choice; after all, Tang Ning was so, so beautiful…
Because of crying, Yin Yuqing's shoulders trembled slightly.
Sitting beside her, seeing Yin Yuqing, who was always like a little sun, crying so sadly, Jiang Yao couldn't help but feel waves of pity, and at the same time, his dislike for Tang Ning deepened.
He didn't understand. It was just a matter of breaking off the engagement; why was she being so persistent and unreasonable? It was just too much...
Jiang Yao's current favorability rating: 45.
Upon receiving the news that the other party's favorability rating had dropped, Tang Ning nonchalantly curled the corner of her mouth.
Previously, when the two were on the rooftop, Jiang Yao's favorability rating had already dropped from the passing grade of 60 to 50 when she threatened him with the fact that Yin Yuqing was a girl. Now, because of Yin Yuqing's crying, it dropped another 5 points. What do you call this? This is called "giving one's all for a beauty"!
As for Tang Ning, who had been his fiancée for ten years, and why she was so persistent in pursuing him because she liked him, he didn't care at all. At this moment, all he could think about was Yin Yuqing, who was silently crying.
Clap clap clap!
Tang Ning silently applauded his devotion.
Oh.
Just as Jiang Yao was about to quietly comfort Yin Yuqing, the homeroom teacher, who was also the Chinese language teacher, walked in as the class bell rang.
Among the group of rough-looking boys, Tang Ning, with her fair, delicate, and neat appearance, stood out like a small rose among a pile of weeds in a garden. Even the homeroom teacher felt as refreshed as if she had just drunk a whole glass of iced mung bean soup on a hot summer day.
But soon, his attention was drawn to Xu Xingbai, who was sitting next to Tang Ning, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Xu Xingbo, a student in their class, was truly exceptionally good at academics. He was recruited by the principal of Jinsheng High School with a high salary after achieving the top score in the high school entrance exam. The principal promised that if he could maintain his ranking, not only would his tuition be waived, but he would also eat and drink at the school cafeteria and receive additional subsidies. Xu Xingbo, who came from a poor family, indeed delivered on his promise. Since entering the school, he had consistently ranked first in almost every exam, big or small.
It's a pity. He had heard about it more than once, and even witnessed it firsthand, of him hanging out with delinquent teenagers from outside the school. He often came to school with bruises on his face, and his personality was gloomy; he never smiled at anyone. As far as he knew, he hadn't made a single friend in his class and always kept to himself.
He wasn't being discriminatory; he just felt that it was rare for a girl to come to the school, and if she were to sit next to a boy like that and get bullied, it would be a real disgrace to Sheng Ying.
Thinking it over, the homeroom teacher hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Um... Tang Ning, did you choose your own seat? It's so far back, can you even see the blackboard? Do you need me to move you forward?"
Upon hearing this, almost everyone in the class turned to look at Tang Ning at that moment, including Jiang Yao and Yin Yuqing, who had been picked up by the heart.
She was worried that Tang Ning would directly ask to sit with Jiang Yao. She was a girl and an exchange student, so the homeroom teacher wouldn't refuse if she asked.
Yin Yuqing immediately tensed up.
Xu Xingbo, who sat next to Tang Ning, was the only one in the class whose eyes were always lowered. Unlike the others, he did not focus his gaze on the girl. His long bangs covered his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression. Only when he suddenly gripped the corner of the table tightly, and his slightly white fingernails betrayed a hint of his emotions.
Tang Ning was taken aback when her homeroom teacher suddenly asked her this question before class started. She quickly waved her hand and replied with a smile, "No need, no need. I can see. I think it's fine sitting here. There's no need to move forward."
Upon hearing this, almost everyone looked at her in astonishment. Xu Xingbo suddenly loosened his grip on the corner of the table, and his pupils under his bangs twitched slightly.
"Can……"
The homeroom teacher wanted to say something more, because he was afraid that Tang Ning sat next to Xu Xingbai without knowing the situation, but Tang Ning spoke up first and continued to explain, "Besides, I also know the classmate sitting next to me. I've just entered a new class and I don't know everyone very well, so I thought it would be more convenient to sit next to someone I know."
Do they know each other?
In an instant, everyone in the class was stunned; they actually knew each other!
Who would have thought? Xu Xingbo, who keeps quiet all this time, actually knows such a beautiful girl in private. Ahhh, how come he gets all the good things?
Upon hearing Tang Ning's words, Xu Xingbai mechanically turned to look at her, only to see Tang Ning give him a bright, innocent smile. The young man's heart fluttered again, like wildfire spreading uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yao watched Tang Ning smile brightly and gently at Xu Xingbai, and for some reason, a feeling of unease suddenly swept over him.
The feeling came and went quickly, so it didn't catch his attention.
Sitting to the side, Yin Yuqing stared intently at Xu Xingbo's profile, who showed no rejection whatsoever towards Tang Ning. She could still vividly recall the embarrassment and awkwardness she felt when he threw everything away from her. With everyone else, a little kindness was all it took to get them to accept her, but with Xu Xingbo, no matter how much she tried to be nice, he always seemed to ignore her. And now…
Thinking of this, Yin Yuqing felt a strange pang of sadness in her heart.
Just then, perhaps because she had been staring at him for too long, Xu Xingbo noticed and turned to look at her without hesitation. His dark, expressionless eyes met Yin Yuqing's gaze. Caught off guard, Yin Yuqing's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked away, somewhat embarrassed, under his emotionless gaze.
As Xu Xingbo turned his gaze away, he had just opened his book at the teacher's request when a pink sticky note was carefully pushed in front of him by a small, fair hand.
Upon seeing the paper, Xu Xingbai's heart immediately began to pound.
Because of his personality and way of dressing, Xu Xingbo had never received a note from a girl before, nor did he have any female friends. In fact, he didn't have any friends at all. So this was the first time he had ever received a note from a girl.
He stared at the paper for a long time before finally unfolding it with trembling fingertips.
Then I saw it said above—
[Oh my god, what a coincidence! I really didn't expect to run into you here. Is your injury alright? My deskmate.]
Upon seeing these words, Xu Xingbo gently pursed his lips, and an indescribable feeling of joy slowly rose in his heart.
After looking at the note for a long time, he finally slowly opened his black ballpoint pen and wrote his reply below Tang Ning's words.
Once it was in Tang Ning's hands, she kept her eyes fixed on the homeroom teacher above her, nodding earnestly as he explained, while her fingers quickly unfolded the note below.
It's okay, I never expected to run into you again.
[This is the fate between deskmates! Oh, by the way, I still don't know your name. My name is Tang Ning, you probably already know that.]
My name is Xu Xingbo.
Xu Xingbo, Xu Xingbo, what a nice name!
Thank you. It was fine before we met, but now that we've met, I'll pay back the money I owe you as soon as possible.
No need, no need, it's not much money. There's no need to make such a fuss.
Paying back debts is a matter of course.
"You're so serious. There's a reason I don't want your money. Before I even came to Jinsheng, I knew there was a top student in the first year of high school named Xu Xingbo. Now that I see your name, I know it must be you. I've just arrived here, and I'm a little worried about falling behind in my studies and embarrassing myself. So, if it's okay, can I ask you any questions about my studies anytime? Consider it payment for what I paid before, okay?"
No need. You still need to pay back the money, and you can ask me any questions at any time.
Ahhh, you're so kind! Thank you!
Upon receiving such a message, Xu Xingbo, who had been holding back for a long time, couldn't help but smile.
The entire Chinese class flew by as the two passed notes to each other.
Xu Xingbo never felt that 45 minutes was so short. Before he knew it, the teacher had already ended the get out of class.
The day passed even shorter; the sun moved from east to west, and before he knew it, it was already afternoon, time for his work.
Among the students at Jinsheng Boys' High School, Xu Xingbai was always the most special because he could be late or leave early at will to work and earn money. As long as his grades remained the same, the homeroom teacher and the principal would turn a blind eye to his behavior.
Unlike usual, when he just wanted to leave this suffocating classroom as soon as possible, Xu Xingbai didn't know why he suddenly started to feel reluctant to leave today. When it was his usual time to leave, amidst the surprised and doubtful looks of his classmates, he stayed and listened to another class. It wasn't until it was almost time for him to go to work that he packed up his things, hesitated for a long time, and finally said goodbye to Tang Ning.
"Work? Oh, okay, go ahead and be careful on the road!"
Tang Ning's words of advice kept Xu Xingbo smiling slightly the entire way he rode his bicycle to his workplace.
Xu Xingbo's current favorability rating: 45.
She's such a cutie.
Resting her chin on her hand, Tang Ning looked at the empty seat next to her and thought to herself with a smile.
As for Jiang Yao, he hadn't had any interaction with her since their conflict that morning. But that wasn't the key issue. The key issue was that her favorability rating had dropped by another point, currently standing at 44.
That scumbag is a piece of trash!
Tang Ning cursed inwardly without hesitation.
After understanding all of his host's psychological activities, 54088 couldn't help but sigh at the reality of his Tang Bao's behavior. Xu Xingbo's favorability increased, making him seem like a cutie, while Jiang Yao's favorability decreased, making him seem like a scumbag and a dog.
It loves Tangbao so much!
whee.
Author's Note:
Yes, Tang Ning is just that kind of realistic Tang Ning. If you increase your favorability rating, you'll become my little darling.
Xu Xingbo: Hehe.
Jiang Yao: What about me?
Tang Ning: Get the hell out of here!
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