Chapter 17 Taking the Blame
Peng Chengyi was startled, then suddenly raised her face to meet Chen Yubai's languid eyes.
A moment later, realizing what had happened, she became so angry that her face turned red. Clutching the chipped popsicle, she began to incoherently berate him:
"No...this is mine...it's not for you to eat!"
"Ugh! How am I supposed to eat now that you've bitten me like that?! You dog!"
"You owe me my popsicle!"
Chen Yubai casually straightened up: "Oh, I'll make it up to you another day, just give me this one."
As he spoke, he took the popsicle from her hand and put it in his mouth.
"This is robbery!" Peng Chengyi's lips twitched, and she said angrily, "No way! You go and buy me one right now, immediately!"
Chen Yubai continued biting into his popsicle, seemingly unmoved, but glanced at her briefly: "Aren't you on your period today? Why are you eating ice? Be careful you don't end up in so much pain you can't walk again."
"..."
Peng Chengyi was stunned to find that he remembered her menstrual cycle so clearly.
His arrogant and aggressive expression also subsided.
Although she is not the type of person who experiences frequent menstrual cramps, she did experience it once in the second year of junior high school.
It was right after summer vacation. Zhou Lifen went back to her hometown to take care of her sick grandmother. There was no one at home to take care of her. Despite Zhou Lifen's rule that she could only eat an ice pop once a week, she insisted on having one every day to enjoy herself.
Even when her period started, she didn't stop.
As a result, he was in so much pain during math class that he turned pale and was covered in cold sweat.
Even in this state, her timid nature prevented her from raising her hand to speak to the math teacher, who was known as the "Extinction Master."
It was Chen Yubai who noticed her odd behavior and raised his hand to stop the teacher's lecture.
When Abbess Miejue asked her what was wrong, she was too embarrassed to say that she had menstrual cramps, so she vaguely said that her stomach hurt.
"If your stomach hurts, go to the toilet right away." After saying that, Abbess Miejue continued writing formulas on the blackboard.
"..."
Peng Chengyi blushed. Although she didn't want to go to the toilet, she couldn't sit in the classroom any longer, so she could only stand up with difficulty, clutching her stomach.
“Teacher, a stomachache doesn’t necessarily mean you need to go to the toilet, right? Shouldn’t someone take her to the infirmary?” Chen Yubai interjected.
The Abbess of Extinction paused in her chalk, glanced at Chen Yubai with displeasure, and then looked at Peng Chengyi, who was in so much pain that she couldn't straighten up: "Do you need to go to the infirmary?"
Peng Chengyi nodded slowly, her forehead damp with sweat that had soaked her bangs.
"Then Chen Yubai, you take her to the infirmary, and come back to class as soon as you're done."
No. 16 Middle School is not a key junior high school, and the student body is average. There are quite a few students who pretend to be sick to skip class.
It's only because Peng Chengyi usually has good grades and is well-behaved that Abbess Miejue released him so quickly.
“Okay, teacher.” Chen Yubai stood up and grabbed Peng Chengyi’s thin arm.
Although her stomach was still hurting terribly, Peng Cheng didn't want to be dragged out of the classroom in such an embarrassing way in front of everyone.
So, with his help, I straightened my body and started walking on my own.
But as soon as she left the classroom and the pressure of being stared at was gone, she curled up like a boiled shrimp.
"No, I can't leave, I... I'm going to die," she said, her voice trembling as she grabbed his arm.
Chen Yubai frowned, then simply walked around to her side and squatted down: "Then get on, I'll carry you."
Peng Chengyi paused for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No, that would be too embarrassing."
"Everyone's in class right now, and there's hardly anyone on campus. Where are you going to embarrass yourself?"
"..."
Yes, she was in so much pain that she was delirious.
Freed from this psychological burden, Peng Chengyi carefully climbed onto the boy's thin back and hooked her arms around his neck.
"Can you carry me? Don't drop me," she asked anxiously in his ear.
At that time, he hadn't started to grow taller yet, and was almost the same height as her, though a few inches thinner.
"Don't worry, I'm not as weak as you think." Chen Yubai scoffed, lifting her legs with his arms and slowly standing up from the ground.
The classroom is on the fifth floor, and after going down to the infirmary, it's another seven or eight hundred meters away.
The September heat hadn't completely dissipated yet, and after walking only half a distance under the scorching sun, Chen Yubai already had more sweat on her forehead than she did.
Drop by drop, it rose up his chin and disappeared into the slightly open collar of his school uniform.
Peng Chengyi, whose pain had subsided slightly, pressed against his damp back, smelling the faint scent of soap on his collar, and said with a pang of pity, "I feel better now, put me down and walk by yourself."
"It's alright, don't move around." Chen Yubai breathed softly, supporting her as she slid down.
"But it looks to me like you can't hold on much longer..."
"What a joke, you're blind."
"..."
She wanted to help him reduce his burden, but he turned around and called her blind.
How can this dog be so ungrateful!
Let him carry her if he wants, she's not going to bother with him anymore.
Before long, she realized she couldn't control him anymore.
The new wave of pain was even more intense than the last, causing her to instinctively tighten her grip on his neck.
"I only said you were blind, did you have to strangle me?" Chen Yubai frowned, speechless, and turned his head away.
But her eyes were already brimming with tears.
"My pain is starting again... It hurts so much... Why does it hurt so much..."
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed incoherently, her hands unconsciously tightening their grip on his.
Although it was becoming increasingly difficult for Chen Yubai to breathe due to her choking, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
He turned around, quickened his pace, and almost jogged: "Hang in there, we'll be there soon."
"Waaaaah... I'm never eating popsicles every day again..."
"This must be... God's punishment for me..."
"Waaaaah... I want to die..."
Peng Chengyi cried on his back, her snot and tears streaming down her face, making his already sweaty collar even wetter.
Finally reaching the infirmary, Chen Yubai, panting, put down the girl behind him. Without even catching his breath, he hurriedly told the school doctor, "Her stomach hurts; it seems to be because she ate too many popsicles."
The school doctor looked at Peng Chengyi's lower abdomen, which she was covering, and asked her with great experience, "Are you menstruating?"
“Hmm…” Peng Chengyi curled up on the hospital bed and nodded with tears in her eyes.
"What day?"
“The next day…” Peng Chengyi said softly.
"Take a painkiller first, and go get her some warm water. There are disposable cups under the water dispenser," the school doctor instructed Chen Yubai while quickly writing out the prescription.
"Okay." Chen Yubai wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and hurriedly went to get her some water.
After taking the painkiller, the school doctor instructed Peng Chengyi, "You must pay attention to keeping warm during your period in the future, and try not to eat cold drinks."
Having just experienced such excruciating menstrual cramps, Peng Chengyi naturally nodded and did as instructed.
But people are generally like that; once the wound heals, they forget the pain.
For example, two years later, she had the idea that since it was already the third day of her period and it was so hot, it shouldn't be a problem to eat one.
And they put it into action.
Seeing that Peng Chengyi was silent, Chen Yubai lowered his eyes, quickly finished the popsicle in his hand, and then put it back in her hand.
"Please help me throw this away, thanks."
After saying that, he casually waved to her and returned to the court.
"..." Peng Chengyi held the bare popsicle stick in her hand with mixed feelings, watching his tall figure walk away with a dashing air.
Suddenly I felt a sense of helplessness, wanting to curse but not knowing what to curse.
Zheng Xinyue, who was standing to the side, exclaimed in disbelief, "Wow, he even remembers your period time! He must like you."
"...Come on, come on." Peng Chengyi chuckled dryly. "He must have been traumatized by my menstrual cramps before, that's why he remembers it so clearly."
"Huh? Why would he be traumatized by your menstrual cramps?"
"Because I was in so much pain that I couldn't walk, he carried me to the infirmary, and I almost strangled him to death on the way."
"..."
After finding a trash can and throwing away the wrappers and popsicle sticks, Peng Chengyi lost all interest in staying to watch Chen Yubai play ball.
Moreover, the other two handsome guys, who were supposedly the most handsome boys in Class 3 and Class 10, weren't much better looking in person than in their photos.
It's just so-so.
So she grabbed Chen Wei's hand and turned to leave the stadium.
Chen Yubai, who had just grabbed the ball in the center of the court and was about to dunk, glanced at her retreating figure out of the corner of his eye.
The basketball slammed against the rim with a thud.
It was flung away.
-
Although Chen Yubai mocked her for being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), Peng Chengyi felt that Chen Wei's affection for her had increased a little since she started practicing the piano in the dormitory.
For example, she now proactively shares with her the bands she usually listens to.
He even brought his own drum pads and drumsticks to school, and whenever he had free time, he would tap out the rhythm and practice ensemble with her.
Even though there were no speakers in the dormitory, the two of them played very soft sounds.
But Peng Chengyi has already experienced the joy of playing together and is even more looking forward to the band that may be formed in the future.
"Weiwei, you were in the junior high school section of No. 1 Middle School before, right? Did you participate in any arts festivals?" Peng Chengyi pressed the strings and asked curiously.
"Yes, I have participated." Chen Wei nodded.
Will there be a band performing on stage?
“There wasn’t one in the junior high school, but I heard that there was one in the senior high school, and it caused quite a stir on the forums at the time,” Chen Wei recalled.
"Wow, they must be really amazing!"
Chen Wei said calmly, "I watched the video. Actually, the overall technique is just so-so. You can practice and be about the same."
"Really?! I've only been learning for two months." Peng Chengyi's eyes lit up.
“Guitar isn’t hard to learn, and the cultural festival usually doesn’t take place until November, so there’s plenty of time.” Chen Wei paused for a moment, “So instead of worrying about your own skills, you should worry about where to find a vacant bassist.”
Peng Chengyi thought for a moment: "If that doesn't work, how about we try posting recruitment ads on the forum?"
"It's one way, but there are really very few people who play bass. Most people would like to learn guitar because it looks cooler. But actually, bass is quite important in a band. A band can be without a keyboardist or a lead guitarist, but it can't be without a bassist."
Upon hearing this, Peng Chengyi, who had indeed chosen the guitar because it looked cooler, pursed her lips shyly, put down the guitar, and picked up her phone: "Anyway, I can try it out first."
After anonymously posting the recruitment notice for a bassist, it was time for evening self-study.
Evening self-study sessions at No. 1 Middle School are also very relaxed. Teachers will not come to give lectures, leaving the time entirely to students to do homework and study independently.
They would only patrol occasionally to see if any students had any questions, and the class committee would be responsible for maintaining discipline the rest of the time.
Of course, students in top high schools are usually very self-disciplined, and basically no one will disrupt the classroom order.
Even when they occasionally whisper to each other, they do so very quietly.
But during the last evening self-study session, some students who had finished their homework stopped studying diligently and started either secretly playing on their phones under their desks or quietly reading novels under their homework.
Peng Chengyi was initially hesitant, but later, not wanting to go through the tutoring books she had already done during the summer vacation again, she took out a newly bought comic book magazine from her schoolbag and put it under her math textbook to pass the time.
She had only read a few pages when a hand with distinct knuckles gently tapped the corner of her table twice.
Peng Chengyi, who was engrossed in reading, was startled and abruptly closed her math textbook, raising her face with her heart pounding.
But she met Chen Yubai's teasing gaze.
He was holding a bottle of water, as if he had just come back from outside and passed by her desk, where he saw her reading comics and casually startled her.
Peng Chengyi couldn't help but glare at him fiercely, and whispered, "Is this funny?"
He smiled noncommittally, lazily put his hand back in his pocket, and said softly as he took a long stride, "Just a heads-up, if you get caught by the teacher again, your deskmate won't be there to take the blame for you."
Peng Chengyi was slightly taken aback. Chen Wei, who was next to her, raised her face upon hearing the sound and looked at her and Chen Yubai, who was walking to the back of the row.
"What does he mean?" Perhaps the topic involved her, Chen Wei asked, unusually gossipy.
"...He's mentally unstable, ignore him." Peng Chengyi smiled at her, snapping out of her daze.
"Oh." Chen Wei nodded lightly and continued doing her homework.
As her heartbeat gradually calmed down, Peng Chengyi looked around and saw that many people were still secretly playing, and there were no patrolling teachers in the corridor.
Then he secretly opened his math textbook, wanting to finish reading the rest of the comic book.
My thoughts drifted to a certain evening self-study session in the second year of junior high school.
That day, she had just bought the latest issue of the weekly comic book magazine and couldn't wait to see the latest installment of the series she was following.
Although the evening self-study mode at No. 16 Middle School is similar to that at No. 1 Middle School, Peng Weiguo teaches at the school, so she generally doesn't dare to do anything that violates the rules, for fear that if she gets caught by the teacher, the matter will immediately reach her father's ears.
However, since the midterm exams just ended, the school's overall discipline has become somewhat lax. Teachers are busy grading papers, and the number of patrols has decreased significantly.
After finishing her homework, Peng Chengyi couldn't resist the temptation. She pulled out a comic book magazine from her schoolbag, put it under her exercise book, and started reading it with great interest.
But she never expected that because discipline had been a bit lax recently, the head of the teaching department would personally conduct a surprise inspection near the end of evening self-study.
Moreover, it is a very rigorous inspection, involving a complete scan of the desktop and all the drawers.
Hearing the approaching voices of the headmasters from desk to desk, Peng Chengyi, who only had time to move her comic book deep into the desk drawer, tensed up. While pretending to stare intently at the exercise book in front of her, she prayed in her heart that the headmasters would be lenient with the inspection of her desk, considering that she was usually a well-behaved student.
Soon, the head of the teaching department walked to her desk.
Peng Chengyi's heart pounded, and she stopped writing. She pretended to be calm and leaned back, revealing the entire desktop.
The head of teaching glanced at her desk, which was piled high with exercise books and test papers, and originally intended to just glance at her desk drawer and move on.
After all, he and her father were old colleagues, and he knew that his daughter was very reassuring.
But seeing the panic in her eyes, and based on his years of experience, he felt that she might actually be hiding something illegal in the desk drawer, so he changed his mind and searched the place thoroughly.
But they gained nothing.
That's strange. Could it be that his experience was wrong?
The head of the teaching department straightened up, somewhat bewildered.
Equally bewildered was Peng Chengyi, who had just moved everything out of her desk at the instruction of the head of the teaching department.
How did the comic books she hid inside suddenly disappear?!
Have we fallen into some kind of alternate dimension?!
Peng Chengyi suppressed her wildly beating heart and dared not make any unnecessary searching movements.
Until the head of the teaching department turned to Chen Yubai next to her: "You should also hurry up and take out the things from your desk drawer."
"Oh," Chen Yubai replied lazily, then looked down and took out a few items from his desk drawer.
An umbrella, several test papers from the last monthly exam, two unfinished workbooks, and—
Her missing comic book magazine.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Because I need to update on Wednesday, there will be no update on Tuesday. There will be a double update at 11 PM on Wednesday. A red envelope is available in the comments!
Thanks to @起个破名想半天, GF, 〇十七, 折就是爱, and colorwind915 for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]
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