When Song Xijun returned to the classroom, the old professor had just finished class and was back in his seat organizing his books.
The classmate who had been chatting with Ruan Qing'an earlier happened to be passing by with his backpack and saw Song Xijun. He casually said, "Hey, class representative, the teacher said you need to give Ruan Qing'an a leave of absence."
"The counselor called her, and she even asked for leave once?"
Song Xijun was slightly taken aback, but didn't care. In any case, when Ruan Qing'an was called over, she still pretended to stand on his side. However, she would probably regret it after she realized that she had caused trouble.
But then the female student said, "No, Ruan Qing'an didn't know the counselor had called her. She had already asked for leave, so the teacher said she had to be counted."
"I have to go buy her food now."
"Buying food?"
Song Xijun frowned and looked up at the person.
The girl was even more surprised: "You came back with her and didn't know what happened? Ruan Qing'an was called away by the security guards. She guessed she was going to get a scolding, which is why she asked me for help."
Hearing this, Song Xijun suddenly recalled how Ruan Qing'an looked when she arrived at the office door, panting heavily. He had wondered why she had arrived so quickly, but it turned out she had already gone there. He had thought that her plan to drag her into the mess had gone smoothly...
Song Xijun lowered his head, his slightly long hair obscuring his expression, making it difficult to see clearly and giving him an even more gloomy look.
Seeing that the girl was about to leave, Song Xijun stood up and said, "...Sorry, I'll go. Don't bother."
The girl was even more confused. Just as he was about to leave, she couldn't help but say, "Hey, what are you going to do? Don't you even know what she wants to eat?"
"I know, no scallions, no garlic, I don't eat anything too spicy or too bland, I like sweet and sour, and I'm too lazy to pick out anything with Sichuan peppercorns."
Song Xijun recited it like a rhyme, then turned and walked out.
This has nothing to do with whether he remembers or not. When Song Xijun was a child, the family's menu was basically customized according to Ruan Qing'an's habits. He almost memorized all the dishes she liked.
The girl was so shocked by this that she stood there dumbfounded: "What kind of modern-day male mother is this?"
"Wait a minute, I meant to ask Song Xijun why you went to deliver it?"
"...Because, you could say we're childhood friends, by a reckoning."
He paused, then disappeared at the classroom door. Even though the girl looked horrified, Song Xijun remained unfazed. As he walked toward the cafeteria, he took off his black-rimmed glasses. His eyes, now devoid of disguise, were narrow and fierce, yet also tinged with helplessness.
Song Xijun wanted to see what Ruan Qing'an was up to after coming to her rescue.
...
When Song Xijun arrived at the security office with a boxed lunch, the office door was half-open, and he could only vaguely see Ruan Qing'an's back. She was still wearing the black dress she wore last night, slender and graceful.
The balding middle-aged man's face was ashen, and his scolding could be heard clearly even by Song Xijun outside the door.
"Ruan Qing'an, I see you're getting bolder and bolder these days. Relying on your good relationship with the teacher, you just took the surveillance footage and left. You're something else, I'll give you a compliment."
"...That's not impossible either."
Ruan Qingan said in a low voice.
This bald, middle-aged man happened to be the original owner's teacher in one of her classes. They had a fairly good relationship, since although the original owner was a scoundrel towards Song Xijun, she was quite good at interpersonal relationships and was very popular at school.
Seeing Ruan Qing'an muttering like that, the teacher was reluctant to scold him, but also felt angry if he didn't. So he could only say, "I know about what happened this morning. I understand that you want to help your classmate, but you can't just take the video and run away, understand?"
"I know, it was my fault."
Ruan Qing'an quickly admitted his mistake, handed over a cup of tea, and smiled, "Thank you for your guidance, teacher. Drink some water, otherwise it would be my fault if your mouth got dry from talking."
The teacher glared at her, which was taken as acceptance of Ruan Qing'an's overture. She waved to her, and the girl, who had just been frowning, immediately smiled. Her leaden eyebrows and eyes curved into crescent moons, making her look very cute.
The teacher was at her wit's end: "Get out, get out, you're in the way."
Ruan Qing'an then walked out of the office, looking down at her phone, when suddenly a shadow fell in front of her. When she looked up, Song Xijun was standing in front of her: "Why is it you?"
But Ruan Qing'an was hungry and in a worse mood. Her resentment was heavier than a ghost's, so she bypassed Song Xijun.
She couldn't stop complaining: "Don't block my way. I didn't even bring you the breakfast I asked you to bring this morning. You were taken to the office first, and I had to rush to the office to find you. And you, you didn't even give me the breakfast when you came out of the office."
Upon hearing this, Song Xijun's eyes darkened.
Before Ruan Qing'an could take a step, her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled back: "Song Xijun, let me tell you, I haven't eaten yet. Get out of here before I lose my temper—"
"Your lunch."
A boxed lunch appeared in front of her, and Ruan Qing'an's anger and unspoken words came to an abrupt halt.
She glanced at Song Xijun holding the lunchbox, then at the lunchbox itself. Her stomach growled with hunger, and Ruan Qing'an gave in: "Fine, I'll forgive you, since you brought me lunch."
Despite his reluctant words, he ate quickly and nimbly.
Ruan Qing'an sat on the stairs like a hamster, eating his boxed lunch in small bites. Song Xijun leaned against the railing, his eyes, hidden behind black-rimmed glasses, swirling with unidentified emotions.
While she was eating, Song Xijun suddenly asked, "Did you come looking for this yourself this morning?"
"I haven't eaten breakfast or done my homework, so of course I have to come to you first."
Ruan Qingan made it sound perfectly reasonable, but the problem was that breakfast could be bought after class, and homework could be copied from others during breaks...
Song Xijun's gaze deepened, and when it fell on Ruan Qing'an, it was filled with an almost scrutinizing probing.
A gesture of goodwill? Or bullying?
No, none of them seem like... some random guy.
037: [I think the host could express their goodwill in a gentler way.]
"Then, after being called a hypocrite, he takes advantage of me, and finally loses all interest in me?"
While eating, Ruan Qing'an chuckled, "Little system, you've always been quite good at reverse strategy."
Oh dear...
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Curiosity is the beginning of feelings'?"
“A charismatic person is like a book; you have to turn to the last page to understand them. A small system, on the other hand, is like a piece of paper; you can understand it clearly at a glance, and then you throw it away.”
037: [...Are you sure you're not praising yourself in reverse, host?]
Just as she was eating, footsteps approached from afar. Leading the group was a young man in a suit, who was walking towards the security office with several people. Although he was handsome, his eyes and brows exuded an air of superiority.
Just then, that bald, middle-aged man came out.
The young man spoke up: "Teacher, I am Li Ming, the student council president. I received a report from a student that some teachers and students are ganging up on others. I demand that their rights be guaranteed."
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