Chapter 117: Arrogant White Moonlight 10: All the effort
Before the last class meeting on Friday afternoon, the classroom was still quiet. Even though the weekend was approaching, everyone was still concentrating on studying.
Yang Xiaolian was agonizing over a difficult physics problem, scribbling on her scratch paper. After a long while, she couldn't find an answer. So she asked her deskmate, "Ding Hao, can you help me with this problem?"
Yang Xiaolian's grades are average, but her deskmate Ding Hao has very good grades and studies very hard.
Ding Hao was not used to being talked to by his deskmate. He was startled and looked over. After thinking for a while, his mind went blank.
He had done this question before, got it wrong, and now he still doesn't understand it.
"...I can't do this question either." He said vaguely, his palms sweating.
Originally, he didn't want to sit at the same table with Yang Xiaolian.
But apart from her, there were not many people walking towards him. In comparison, Yang Xiaolian had relatively good grades and didn't talk much. Although she couldn't help him much, at least she didn't affect his studies.
Today was the first time she asked herself a question, but she couldn't answer it. How would she view herself afterwards?
Yang Xiaolian looked a little disappointed and took back the exercise book. "Ah... okay, thank you."
Hearing this, Ding Hao's lips curled downwards, revealing an expression of embarrassment and disdain. "This question...is not very valuable. It's just a formula. It's not worth the effort to solve it."
"You'd better not get stuck on this," he added quickly, inadvertently adding a hint of condescending "guidance".
Yang Xiaolian was stunned. Just as she was about to agree, a lazy voice came from above her head: "Didn't you ask the class monitor about this question before? Didn't she explain it to you thoroughly?"
Ding Hao looked over and saw Jiang Ye, who had stood next to them at some point.
Jiang Ye's gaze paused for a moment on the exercise book. The strap of his schoolbag on his right shoulder hung lazily, and his school uniform was not properly worn.
Yang Xiaolian's eyes widened. "Why are you here... and why are you still carrying a schoolbag?"
Jiang Ye said nonchalantly, "I was just passing by. These afternoon classes were too boring, so I didn't attend them. Is that okay?"
Ding Hao couldn't help but frown. He hated uneducated rich second-generations like Jiang Ye the most, but he could only whisper, "You can't skip class no matter what."
Unfortunately, Jiang Ye heard every word. He raised his eyelids and said, "So what if I skipped class? Didn't I still do better than you?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Ding Hao and said in a long tone, "You've put so much thought into it, but it's all in vain."
Ding Hao was angry at first, then became nervous.
He always felt that Jiang Ye's words had more than one meaning, so he quickly lowered his head guiltily, wanting to end the topic.
Just then, Jiang Ye became interested. He snatched the exercise book from Yang Xiaolian's hand and said, "She can't even explain a question clearly. I don't know how she became the class monitor. Don't you think so, Ding Hao?"
Ding Hao just wanted to fool him, so he casually replied, "Yes, she couldn't even explain the question clearly."
Jiang Ye nodded seriously, and suddenly his sense of justice burst out. His voice, not at all suppressed, rang out in the classroom: "Ruan Liqiu, class monitor, can you come over here for a moment?"
In an instant, everyone in the class focused their attention on Ali. She stood up bewilderedly, revealing the thick plaster on her right hand. "What's wrong?"
Jiang Ye raised the notebook in his hand and said in a particularly bad tone: "How could you just brush off the students who asked you questions? They didn't even understand what you were saying, and you impatiently sent them away?"
Faced with this sudden accusation, Ali was confused, but still listened to him and walked obediently to Ding Hao's seat.
She looked uneasy and spoke softly, "Which question wasn't explained clearly?"
Jiang Ye raised his hand and threw the exercise book in front of Ali, signaling Ding Hao: "You talk to her."
It seemed like he believed those words and was seeking justice for him.
Ding Hao suddenly felt sweat pouring down his back.
He had complained about the scholarship behind people's backs, and seeing those true and false rumors spreading like wildfire, he couldn't help but feel complacent and pleased.
Who asked the class monitor to be so arrogant and look down on those with poor grades? He is obviously the class monitor, but he still competes with them for scholarships.
But he never expected that these things would be said in public.
At this moment, he was stared at by the whole class, so he could only bite the bullet and point: "This is it, squad leader..."
Ali looked over, thought for a moment, and said, "I remember explaining this problem to you in detail. I even wrote down the calculation process on a draft for you to take away. You said you understood it then—"
With a loud "bang", Jiang Ye kicked Ding Hao's desk hard, and the whole classroom fell silent in an instant.
Ali was so frightened that his shoulders shook, and he looked at him in astonishment.
Jiang Ye's face was filled with undisguised sarcasm and anger. He pointed at the booklet and raised his voice, "Who knows what happened back then? Where's the evidence? Are you trying to frame others based on your one-sided account?"
He approached step by step, with a completely questioning tone, which was full of oppression.
Even though the truth has not been clarified yet, the classmates couldn't help but look at Ali with a bit of sympathy.
Jian He rushed over and subconsciously protected Ali: "Why are you yelling?"
Seeing that she was obviously scared but still stood in front of him, Ali's eyes were red. "Jian He, could you please help me get the white notebook on my desk?"
Jian He agreed and quickly handed the notebook to her.
Ali's right hand couldn't move, so he could only use his left hand to open the book. "For every question you ask me, in addition to the steps written on the draft paper for you to see, I will calculate it again myself afterwards, and then scribbled it in the notebook to consolidate the knowledge points."
She picked up the notebook, her fingertips scratching the paper until they turned white. "These are the steps I wrote down when I explained the problem to you last time. Every step is clear. If you didn't understand it at the time, you can ask me again immediately. I will explain it until you understand it."
"Or are you still going to say that I forged this notebook on the spur of the moment?"
Ding Hao looked at the densely packed steps on it and his expression turned a little ugly.
Before he could say anything, Jiang Ye spoke first and continued to question her: "Since you say that, why don't you explain this problem again now and let the whole class hear how you explain the solution."
His sharp eyes locked onto her face, and his tone was extremely bad: "I just don't know, do you dare?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the other students in the class remembered that the two had a quarrel during military training. They originally thought that their relationship had improved recently, but they didn't expect Jiang Ye to target the squad leader so much today. It seemed that the two had a grudge against each other.
Ali's face suddenly turned pale, her lips slightly opened, but no sound came out, and a huge sense of grievance blocked her throat.
Seeing that she was hesitant to agree, Jiang Ye leaned against the desk with a stern look on his face: "What? Are you afraid that if you tell me, your lies will be exposed and everyone will know how hypocritical you are?"
Every word Jiang Ye said accurately touched upon the rumors that had been circulating recently. Everyone in the class had heard some of them, and now they all pricked up their ears, waiting to hear Ali's answer.
Ali took a deep breath, looked directly at Jiang Ye's provocative eyes, and couldn't help but choked up: "Okay, I'll tell you again in front of everyone now."
Jian He looked at her worriedly. Ali shook his head slightly and began to speak slowly.
She spoke with her eyes lowered, and the ideas and formulas for each step became clear as she explained.
Many students in the class were unable to solve the big physics problem that Ali was explaining. Those who were just watching couldn't help but follow her train of thought and write down their thoughts on their scratch paper.
Before they knew it, a problem that had stumped everyone was easily solved by Ali, and the students who listened carefully felt suddenly enlightened.
Jian He's gaze gradually changed from worry to admiration.
As soon as Ali finished speaking, she couldn't wait to say to Ding Hao, "I've never seen this question before, but now I understand it after the monitor explains it. You've heard it several times, don't you think you still don't understand?"
"Is there something wrong with what she said, or is there something wrong with you?"
There was an uproar in the classroom.
At this time, Jiang Ye's deskmate Fang Yuan stood up and said, "The class monitor has explained the problem to me several times. She was always very patient and explained it very thoroughly. I was still the last in our class, but she never got impatient. How could she treat me differently?"
Seeing this, Yang Xiaolian also spoke up: "The monitor has always been very detailed in explaining the questions to us. I don't know who is spreading rumors about her behind her back."
Several more people came to speak up for Ali. This confrontation made Ding Hao blush and he stammered, unable to say a word in defense.
Jiang Ye glanced at him coldly, not intending to let him go: "How are you going to explain the scholarship matter, class monitor?"
Ding Hao was stunned. He thought the situation was leaning towards the squad leader, but Jiang Ye's words reminded him.
He raised his head timidly, feeling inexplicably confident. "Yes, monitor, do you dare to say that you haven't asked your homeroom teacher about the scholarship and asked him to take extra care of you? Do you really have no selfish motives at all?"
He knew that the scholarship was awarded based on a comprehensive evaluation, but his grades and performance were very good. He also inquired about the previous years and found that the scholarships were given to students who needed them more.
And he obviously needs this scholarship more than the class monitor.
Even if he was not selected, as the class monitor, Ali should have learned about his situation in time after seeing the list, and voluntarily withdrawn to give him the spot.
The student council member who had been silent the entire time finally couldn't help herself and stood up suddenly: "I'm responsible for the scholarship list. The class monitor didn't interfere at all."
As she spoke, she handed a score sheet to Ding Hao. "This is the score sheet for the students in the class who are eligible for the scholarship. Every single item is clearly written in it. Look for yourself where you are lacking, and don't keep talking nonsense!"
In the face of absolute facts and scoring criteria, all rumors about Ali were debunked one by one.
Ding Hao was completely speechless. He looked at the score sheet in disbelief, as if he couldn't accept his own failure.
Ali raised his head, his voice trembling slightly but still firm: "The class meeting will be held soon. If anyone has any questions, you can go directly to the homeroom teacher."
"I have a clear conscience and hope these rumors stop here... That's all I have to say. I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time."
After saying that, Ali walked back to his seat. Although he felt extremely aggrieved, he forced himself not to shed a single tear.
Yang Xiaolian watched her leave and breathed a sigh of relief with lingering fear.
Seeing Jiang Ye still staring at Ali's back, a few boys changed their attitude and started to stand up for Ali: "Jiang Ye, everything has been explained clearly. You were so fierce just now, shouldn't you apologize to the class monitor?"
Jiang Ye laughed in anger and said coldly: "A bunch of hindsight experts, get out of here!"
"How can you talk like that?! Who are you calling a hindsighter?!" One of the boys blushed immediately and was about to start a fight.
Jiang Ye, however, glanced at them with disdain: "What? Is it my fault that I'm rich, handsome, good at studying, and have a sense of justice?"
Even though Ali was immersed in sadness, he couldn't help but laugh when he heard these words, and the sadness in his heart was immediately dispelled.
Jiang Ye was too lazy to pay attention to these people. He snorted coldly and walked out of the classroom.
Jian He only dared to speak after seeing him leave: "This Jiang Ye is really scary. I was afraid he would hit you just now."
Ali turned his head and whispered, "No, and thank you so much for what you did just now."
Jian He shook her head: "What's the big deal? You've helped me so much."
"They really went too far this time. By the time I heard those rumors, most of the class knew about it, and no one was willing to listen to my explanation..."
She looked very depressed and regretful. Ali didn't say anything, but just stuffed a chocolate into her hand.
Jian He picked it up and suddenly opened her eyes wide: "This is..."
Ali nodded and smiled faintly: "That's the box you gave me."
Jian He took the chocolate in her hand and murmured, "How did you know it was me?"
That was after the midterm exam. With Ali's tutoring and help, Jian He ranked among the top ten in the class for the first time.
She wanted to thank Ali, but she was not good at speaking, so she had to prepare gifts and letters, and secretly put them into the hole in her desk when Ali was out.
Ali pointed at her book and lowered his voice: "It's also because I didn't pay attention at first. I didn't even recognize your handwriting. I'm sorry."
"However, I like the gift you gave me very much. Thank you." She smiled sweetly at Jian He and blinked.
Jian He nodded repeatedly and smiled: "Yeah! As long as you like it!"
On the way home that night, Ali's steps were particularly brisk.
She was in a rare state of playfulness, stepping on the fallen leaves on the roadside, making a crunching sound with each step. Jiang Ye followed slowly behind her, carrying their bags.
Seeing her unusually relaxed look, Jiang Ye was actually worried: "Watch your hands!"
Ali's laughter came from the front, which made people feel happy.
"I'm fine." She turned around, raised her plaster hand and waved to Jiang Ye.
He sighed, walked up quickly, and held her hand: "Be quiet, you'll have to fight again if it breaks later, don't let it hurt so much that you cry."
Only then did Ali calm down. It was rare for her to release her nature like this, and her eyes were full of smiles.
Jiang Ye's eyes were fixed on her hand. He calculated the time: "The doctor said that the plaster will be removed on the fifth of next month, right? That day is the weekend. I will accompany you to the hospital, and it will save your grandma the trouble of running back and forth."
On the night Ali was injured, Jiang Ye met her grandmother. They lied to each other and said that she injured her hand after falling on the way home from school. Jiang Ye sent her to the hospital when he passed by.
Ali nodded: "Okay."
The two walked side by side. The weather was getting colder day by day, and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians on the road.
Ali brushed away the hair that was blown by the wind: "Thank you for what you did today."
Jiang Ye lifted the bag on his shoulder a little higher: "Why thank me? The person you should thank the most is yourself."
"If you weren't so kind and patient to them, how could I have persuaded them so easily with just my mouth?"
"Your kindness is evident to me...everyone can see it, so don't doubt yourself blindly."
After hearing what he said, Ali's face flushed. She cleared her throat and changed the subject: "Did you really convince them with just your mouth?"
"You discovered all this!" Jiang Ye said exaggeratedly, his eyes bright and full of smiles, "In fact, I also used some extraordinary means."
Ali also chuckled and continued to act: "Yeah, I saw through you at first sight."
Jiang Ye's focused gaze shifted to her face, and he blurted out, but his tone was a little uncertain: "Then do you know what I'm thinking now?"
Ali paused, and Jiang Ye also stopped.
She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes trembling rapidly, and she didn't dare to look at him.
The smile on Jiang Ye's lips faded a little, and he seemed to sigh and walked in front of her: "Hey, look people in the eye when you talk to them."
Only then did Ali raise her eyes, and anyone who saw her could tell that she was extremely nervous at the moment.
Jiang Ye hummed twice like a child, took off her schoolbag and hung it on her: "I can't guess what I'm thinking, so just carry it yourself!"
Having said that, he strode forward.
Ali felt the cool breeze for a while, then quickly followed: "I can't guess, why don't you just tell me?"
After she said this, her heart began to pound again.
Jiang Ye suddenly stopped and Ali almost bumped into him.
He turned around, looked into Ali's eyes, and slowly bent down.
Ali was so nervous that his hands and feet became stiff. He subconsciously took a step back, but was gently pulled back by him.
Jiang Ye's eyes were deep, and his gaze was level with hers:
"I have a performance on New Year's Eve. Do you want to come and watch?"
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