“Uh… I, um… Chen Bing… uh, well, having a good study partner can be helpful for grades.” Shang Yunmiao emphasized the word “study,” but the others didn’t seem to notice her emphasis, their faces still showing the same playful expression as before.
"I've known Chen Bing since I was very young. He's exceptionally talented in everything, whether it's academics, artistic skills, or anything else. Sometimes I feel a lot of pressure being around him, but most of the time I'm very proud of him..."
And then..." Shang Yunmiao first looked up at Zhang Xinyu before continuing, "Just like Xinyu, I feel like he's my older brother. He always lets me have my way and knows so much. My parents also really like him and often tell me to learn from Chen Bing."
That's about it, not bad...
Shang Yunmiao spoke very cautiously, but that was not what others wanted to hear.
"So? Do you also have the idea that you're studying hard so that you can catch up with him and be with him?"
What, what do you mean by "together"? They probably mean they'll stay friends, right? Right? Right?
Let's just leave it at that.
"Yes... I do have that idea..."
When everyone heard Shang Yunmiao admit that her progress was because she liked Chen Bing and wanted to become his lover in order to be worthy of him, the smiles that had been lingering on their faces finally came out.
Therefore, of the four people present, it seemed that only Shang Yunmiao was unaware that she had just admitted to liking Chen Bing. Or rather, she actually knew that the girl's current thoughts about "friends" were nothing more than self-deception. In fact, subconsciously, she also hoped that others would think so...
"Did he make any promises with you, like Liu Yuan did with Le..." Wenxin's question was cut short by Ma Lele covering her mouth. The girl looked flustered and quickly gestured for her to stop talking, saying she was very embarrassed.
After laughing and playfully fighting with Ma Lele, Wen Xin didn't say anything more.
Shang Yunmiao also breathed a sigh of relief, because while the "being together" thing could be barely explained by the "friendship theory," compared to Ma and Liu, who had an improper relationship, she definitely had no way to explain it.
The girls each had their own thoughts, but if we were to say who was most deeply affected, it would undoubtedly be Zhang Xinyu.
So it turns out that those who improve their grades all find a partner who can inspire them to study by dating...
And... what about me?
Just as she was pondering, a shout of "Good shot!" suddenly came from the playground. Zhang Xinyu looked up and saw that Ma Shaolong had scored a goal.
Ma Shaolong?
Zhang Xinyu shook her head inwardly, and then the image of another person popped into her mind.
Liu Haiyang...
The enjoyable time playing football flew by, and as the boys had their fill of fun, the girls had finished chatting.
After finishing the game, Chen Bing, exhausted and covered in sweat, spotted her family members and jogged over to Shang Yunmiao, asking, "Is there any water? My throat is parched."
"Yes, it's in the classroom. I'll go get it for you."
"Let's go together. It's about time we packed up and went home."
The two then returned to the classroom together, and Shang Yunmiao took out a small off-white thermos from her desk.
Chen Bing first took off her vest and handed it to Shang Yunmiao, and then took the already unscrewed thermos from the little girl.
After exercising, Chen Bing, who was very thirsty, didn't care whether it was suitable for her or not, and just gulped it down. In just one sip, the small thermos was empty.
Seeing Chen Bing's bold demeanor, and after carefully examining his lips pressed against her water cup, Shang Yunmiao cautiously looked around and discovered that there were still people watching them in the classroom, including the boy who had just returned from playing soccer and Zhang Xinyu and the others.
Oh no, everyone saw me behaving just like Chen Bing's wife...
However, what reassured Shang Yunmiao somewhat was that everyone only looked for a short while before turning their attention away. Furthermore, she saw Wen Xin hand Song Ze a bottle of water, and Ma Lele did the same.
Judging from the packaging, it's clear that the two of them just went to buy it together.
Doing something wrong alone certainly feels terrible. But having someone else with you will undoubtedly reduce a lot of the pressure.
For example, if you are kicked out of the classroom and made to stand as punishment for not doing your homework, it would be very embarrassing to be alone in front of the eyes of classmates and teachers passing by.
But you're not the only one being punished. As soon as you step outside, you find a group of brave warriors waiting for you. That feeling of embarrassment instantly turns into honor, and you can stand tall and proud like a hero as everyone passes by.
Shang Yunmiao had this mindset, but what she didn't expect was that the other two were doing this mainly because of her influence.
After a short while, once Chen Bing had rested enough from his exhaustion, he gently patted Shang Yunmiao's shoulder and said, "Alright, let's go. Didn't you say you wanted to go to the bookstore to buy something? Let's walk home slowly."
"Um."
Chen Bing and her companion packed their things and left the school. Not long after, the rest of the class also left one after another.
During this time, Ma Shaolong intended to take Zhang Xinyu home on his electric scooter, but was told that her mother would be picking her up. So, he had no choice but to take one of his good friends with him and leave together. On the way, he spent a few yuan to buy two skewers of grilled gluten, happily munching on them while listening to his friend's compliments.
After eating grilled gluten, the two went to a nearby internet cafe to play games together. They played for several hours in a row, having a great time. Ma Shaolong immediately forgot about Xin Yu.
Meanwhile, in a quiet Xinhua Bookstore, Shang Yunmiao was holding two copies of "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" from different publishers, torn between which one to choose.
"Chen Bing, which of these two books is better?"
Unsure of what to do, Shang Yunmiao asked Chen Bing for her opinion. After a quick glance, Chen Bing replied, "Choose the one on the left. The cover is nice, and it'll look good on the bookshelf after you finish reading it."
"But this book looks like it's specifically for junior high school students, doesn't it?"
"It's precisely because it's similar that I don't... uh... if you think it's suitable, then choose this one."
Halfway through his sentence, Chen Bing suddenly felt that he couldn't impose his adult ideas on Shang Yunmiao, so he changed his mind and advised her to follow her original intention.
However, Shang Yunmiao, who was superstitious about Chen Bing, had already been persuaded by the first half of his statement. Without much thought, she decided to follow Chen Bing's original intention.
"Then, I'll take this one."
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