Itchy
Fu Xingchuan put down the soda bottle. Zhu Changyu had already sat down opposite him. The two girls who came with him were gone.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked lightly, with no expression on his face.
Fu Xingchuan had seen Xu Yangyang before, so he must be referring to Lin Luo. "No, she's the new student who transferred to our class."
Zhu Changyu opened a bottle of soda and threw the cap into the trash can. The love letter in the trash can was hit and fell to the bottom.
"How can I be as popular as you?" He noticed a special snowflake stamp on the pink envelope and suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Brother Sheng is back home. Will our band break up?"
"No." Qi Yao, the owner of the dessert shop, walked over to their table with a cake in his hand. "I'll treat you to some."
"Thank you, Brother Yao." Zhu Changyu finally felt relieved when he saw that Fu Xingchuan did not deny it.
Zhu Changyu's drumming skills were the reason he became friends with Fu Xingchuan. Last year, at the start of his freshman year, a sign outside the dessert shop advertised a band called Winter Time looking for drummers, and he was quite interested, so he joined.
There are four people in the team, including him, lead singer and guitarist Fu Xingchuan, bassist Qi Yao, and keyboardist Sheng Ge.
Qi Yao, now 25, opened this dessert shop after graduating from university. Sheng Ge is an ordinary worker in his early twenties. They formed a band simply because they love music and want to pass the time. Occasionally, they perform at a live house on Wangting Street.
Fu Xingchuan doesn't like sweet things, so Zhu Changyu scooped a spoonful of cake from the middle and put it in his mouth, mumbling with his mouth full of cream, "Then we have to hire someone."
"I've found the right person." Qi Yao said with a smile.
"who"
Fu Xingchuan said, "You are the first in your grade in school."
"Ruan Ye" Zhu Changyu remembered that Ruan Ye had played the piano on stage at the last school gala. However, he knew Ruan Ye's character well, so he quickly swallowed the cake and said with certainty, "He won't agree."
Fu Xingchuan said calmly: "Then find a way to make him agree."
For a long time, there was nothing or anyone he wanted that he couldn't get, and those who didn't care about him were like a feather in the vast sky, too small to cause any waves in his world.
*
There was another math class in the afternoon. Lin Luo was the one who lagged behind the most in math and could not understand what Cheng Kaizhong was saying at all.
Her mind wandered, and she inexplicably recalled Fu Xingchuan's face. It was as if she could hear his words, "So superficial!"
When she came to her senses, she found that her hand had unconsciously written the word "superficial" on the draft paper. She quickly crossed it out with a pen, leaving a prominent black area on the draft paper, as if she was trying to cover up her mistake.
Cheng Kaizhong hadn't noticed when he'd locked eyes with her. "Lin Luo, repeat what I just said."
Lin Luo stood up hurriedly, but was speechless.
Xu Yangyang sat down and whispered a reminder to her, but she couldn't hear clearly. Cheng Kaizhong walked towards them. Xu Yangyang didn't dare to speak again. He said loudly: "I told you that I have explained this question three times. If it comes up in the monthly exam, anyone who gets it wrong will be punished by copying it a hundred times."
He then said to Lin Xiao, "Come to my office after class."
Lin Luo's brows furrowed as she sat down. Xu Yangyang leaned over and tried to comfort her in a low voice, "It's okay. He's not very good. Look, not many people listen to him."
She looked around the classroom and found that few people looked up to listen to the lecture. Some were doing their homework, and some were fishing, but Cheng Kaizhong passed by them and pretended not to see them.
But this is not a reason for her not to listen carefully, Lin Luo said to herself.
She asked Xu Yangyang: "When is the monthly exam?"
"It's this Friday, but you just transferred here and haven't adjusted yet, so it doesn't matter if you don't do well on the test."
Zhu Changyu, who was sitting in the front row, was woken up by Cheng Kaizhong. He overheard the conversation at the back table and leaned back to say to Lin Qiao, "This time, I might have to pass my reign, which has been number one for a thousand years, to you."
"Who cares!" Xu Yangyang pushed his head away with a pen.
After class, Lin Luo went to Cheng Kaizhong's office. This was her second time there today.
"Lin Luo, I think there's something wrong with your study attitude. It's hard to improve your grades." Cheng Kaizhong held a glass with a circle of goji berries floating on the surface. He took a leisurely sip before continuing, "Would you consider tutoring?"
Then Cheng Kaizhong recommended a cram school to her. Lin Luo stood there obediently, but as she listened, she felt something was wrong. The cram school he was talking about was one he opened himself, and the fees were very high, which should not be reasonable.
Tang Muchen is still young, and Du Yunyan is unemployed and is a housewife at home. Only Tang Heng's meager salary is used to support the family. Now with her joining the family, the financial pressure is obviously greater. Lin Luo doesn't want to add more burden to them.
Cheng Kaizhong's passionate recommendation went in one ear and out the other, and Lin Qi didn't even look at him.
At this time, a female teacher led a girl in. The female teacher walked to the desk next to Cheng Kaizhong and sat down. She took out a form and handed it to the girl, saying gently: "Fill out this form and you can apply to be exempted from paying the supplementary tuition fee."
Lin Qi knew both of them. The female teacher was the head teacher of the next-door class, Class 9, and also her biology teacher. The other was a pretty girl she met at the station who caught a thief.
It is said that a person will meet 29.2 million people in his life. The probability of two people meeting in such a vast crowd is 0.00478%. If you can meet someone twice, it must be a special fate.
Lin Luo agreed with this view, but it seemed that the timing for them to meet again was not right.
"Tong Yun, poverty is not your failure. The teacher hopes that you can be like a stubborn little grass, not only working hard to take root in the ground and improve your grades, but also growing upwards, not afraid of wind and rain, and overcoming the difficulties in life. No matter what you encounter, I will always be behind you."
As Ding Wenxin spoke, she noticed Lin Luo and smiled at her. Lin Luo nodded quietly.
However, the warm scene was soon broken when Cheng Kaizhong asked her, "Do you have any ideas?"
"Teacher, I still want to try on my own first." Lin Luo said softly.
"That's fine." Cheng Kaizhong's eyes seemed to grow sharper, and he said coldly, "If your grades in this monthly exam aren't satisfactory, I'll talk to your parents."
Lin Xiao pinched the corner of her school uniform and said, "Okay, class is about to start... Teacher, I'm leaving first."
Cheng Kaizhong ignored her and drank the tea in his hand. Lin Luo slowly left and only breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the office.
Tong Yun then walked out. Lin Luo greeted her, but she didn't respond and folded the application form in her hand first.
In 2011 and 2012, many families did not reach the well-off standard, and poor students were not uncommon, so people at that time often ignored the inferiority complex and shame of these students.
They don't know that deep in the mountains thousands of miles away, plum blossoms are standing proudly and independently in the slight chill. A female teacher as gentle as Ding Wenxin said that poverty is also a kind of privacy for girls.
Lin Luo was a sensitive person by nature, and she could understand Tong Yun's feelings at the moment. She raised her hand and solemnly assured her, "I won't tell anyone."
Perhaps because he felt that Lin Luo was innocent and simple-minded, Tong Yun removed the cold outer shell that protected him and said, "My name is Tong Yun, from Class 9."
"I'm Lin Qiao from Class 11," she said sweetly.
The bell rang, forcing Lin Luo and Tong Yun to separate. Back in class, Zhu Changyu mysteriously handed Lin Luo a note that read, "Do you know Tong Yun from Class 9?" He must have seen them talking in the hallway.
【Just met.】
[Oh.] The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Lin Luo looked up and saw Zhu Changyu sitting in his seat, looking out the window. The breeze ruffled his hair.
In fact, you can guess about 70% of what boys and girls of this age are thinking without them saying it out loud.
Evening study for the sophomores at No. 1 Middle School ended at 9:30 p.m., and for the seniors, it wasn't until 10:10 p.m. Standing in the hallway, Lin Luo looked across at the senior building. Rows of lights were on, and she could vaguely make out the figures of the seniors sitting inside.
"Xiaoxiao, what are you looking at?" Xu Yangyang asked her.
"It suddenly dawned on me that we're almost a senior year."
"Yeah! I get a little scared every time I think about it. Can time go slower?"
Zhu Changyu stood behind them at some point, zipped up Xu Yangyang's unzipped schoolbag, and said with a smile, "You're not fearless, but you're afraid of high school."
"No?" Xu Yangyang said as they walked, "But luckily, I still have your grades at the bottom, so I feel a lot more at ease."
"Don't underestimate me. I might become a dark horse in my senior year."
Cheng Kaizhong came out of the office and heard what he said. He couldn't help but complain: "You are the dark horse, or even the black pig."
Xu Yangyang glared at Cheng Kaizhong, furious. Just as she was about to retort, Zhu Changyu covered her mouth and said, "Teacher, black pigs are so precious these days! You're so kind."
Cheng Kaizhong didn't mean what he said. He snorted and glanced at Lin Luo intentionally or unintentionally before leaving.
After he left, Xu Yangyang took Zhu Changyu's hand away and was about to curse when Zhu Changyu took the lead: "Lin Qiao, do you know why we call Cheng Kaizhong "Second Brother"?
"Why?"
"Because he has two heads."
They all laughed, and Xu Yangyang's anger immediately subsided.
Lin Qi recalled what happened that afternoon and asked them, "Have you ever been to my second brother's cram school?"
"He asked you to sign up!" Xu Yangyang, a hot-headed girl, lashed out at the slightest provocation. "How could he be so shameless?"
Zhu Changyu said, "We went there when we were in our first year of high school. The cram school was just a way for him to collect bribes. Parents were afraid he would treat them differently, so they paid the money like they were being taken advantage of. In the end, they just listened to him bragging all day long in class. It was completely useless."
"Xiaoxiao, please don't waste your money. I'm still angry when I think about the loss I suffered back then." She said, fanning herself with her hands.
"I understand." Lin Luo felt relieved.
On the way, they passed Class 9, and Tong Yun just came out. Lin Luo greeted her.
"Do you know each other?" Xu Yangyang asked.
"I met him this afternoon." Lin Xiao didn't elaborate. "You guys know him too."
Tong Yun shook his head. Xu Yangyang was very familiar with him. "You don't know me, but I know you. There's no one in the second year of No. 1 Middle School who doesn't know you!"
"She was voted the school belle in the campus forum." Xu Yangyang explained to Lin Luo.
"Then there must be a lot of boys who like you." Lin Luo said.
"Of course." Xu Yangyang agreed.
As they spoke, they all glanced at Zhu Changyu behind them. There was a barely perceptible smile on the corner of his mouth.
Lin Luo noticed that there was no trace of jealousy on Xu Yangyang's face. She said in the afternoon that she and Zhu Changyu had been classmates since elementary school and had a very close relationship, getting along like brothers. It seemed to be true.
"Tong Yun, where do you live? We can go together." Xu Yangyang asked.
When she asked this, Tong Yun suddenly remembered something, looked at his watch, and said to them in a panic: "My grandma is sick, and I have to go to the hospital to accompany her. I'm leaving now. Bye."
"Goodbye." Lin Luo said goodbye to her.
"What a pity." Xu Yangyang walked to Zhu Changyu and bumped into his shoulder. His eyes followed Tong Yun until he disappeared from view.
Because they were going different ways, the three of them parted ways at the school gate. There were still a few buses left, and Lin Luo didn't have to wait long to get on one. At night, there were fewer people, so the bus was empty. She still sat in the window seat she had sat in that morning.
The night was warm and there were a few stars shining in the sky. Lin Luo suddenly saw a black Mercedes disappear into the sky. She blinked and realized it was an illusion. It might be because she was dazzled after sitting in the classroom all day.
After getting off the bus, she was afraid of running into the two thugs from before, so she didn't dare take the stairs and took a straight path instead. There were few people in the alley, and the streetlights flickered on and off. She clenched her fists and quickened her pace.
"Bang!" A strange sound startled Lin Luo. Then, from the alley on the right, a voice begged for mercy: "Brother Chuan... Uncle Chuan, let me go. I promise I won't dare to do it again."
The clouds dispersed, and the moon came out, casting its silvery-white light on the earth.
Lin Luo saw the situation inside clearly. Several people were lying on the ground in a twisted manner. Fu Xingchuan was standing in the middle with his back to her. A man with a bruised face and nose was kneeling at his feet. It was the man with the scar.
When encountering such a situation, her first reaction is to escape. No matter what, if you don't provoke, there will be no trouble.
She quietly stepped back, but didn't notice there was a plastic bag under her feet, and she stepped on it directly, making an unpleasant sound.
Fu Xingchuan turned around and the moon was blocked by clouds again. Lin Luo saw that his face was gloomy and met his sharp eyes, which made her feel even more frightened.
Without caring about anything else, Lin Luo ran away.
The alley was winding and she was not familiar with the road. She didn't know where she turned while running.
Lin Luo looked up at the unfamiliar residential buildings around her. Suddenly, someone grabbed her backpack and pulled her in. A black tie fluttered in the wind and gently brushed her neck. "Why are you running?"
She turned around and saw Fu Xingchuan had returned to his normal expression, looking cynical. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Is...something wrong?" Lin Luo's heart was beating fast and she began to speak incoherently.
Seeing her reaction, Fu Xingchuan leaned forward slightly and curled his lips lightly, "Don't worry, I don't hit women."
They were too close, and Lin Luo smelled the alcohol on him, so she took a step back to distance herself from him.
"Something fell." Fu Xingchuan stopped teasing her and opened his hands.
In his hand was the ugly cute tiger keychain that had always been hanging on Lin Qiao's schoolbag. It was made by Lin Dayong for her on her birthday this year.
"Thanks."
When Lin Qiao took it, her fingertips accidentally rubbed Fu Xingchuan's palm, which felt itchy. He frowned.
Lin Qiao didn't say anything more to him. She walked towards the end of the alley, but she could still hear his footsteps behind her. She felt very uneasy and turned back cautiously to ask, "You...why are you following me?"
"Am I that scary?" He sneered and strode in front of Lin Luo without even looking at her.
The road is so wide, which eye of hers saw him following her? Lin Luo asked herself.
When I regained consciousness, Fu Xingchuan had already gone far away.
His shadow was elongated under the streetlight. Lin Luo deliberately avoided him and walked beside him with her head lowered. As she walked, the shadow came closer to her little by little. For some reason, she felt itchy for a moment.
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