Chapter 82
Xu Qingzhou always thought that Chi Jun was afraid of others gossiping about their ever-changing relationship, so he never announced their relationship to the public, not even to his close friends.
But tonight, he first asked himself why he didn't clarify things in front of his classmates, and then asked her if she was scared. After receiving her negative answer, he directly and without any concealment posted a message on his WeChat Moments to officially announce it.
This made Xu Qingzhou feel like she was being taken care of and cared for.
She couldn't help but purse her lips, a small smile secretly curving her lips as she turned to look at Chi Jun.
Chi Jun was busy explaining to a group of friends when he noticed Xu Qingzhou's gaze. He looked up from his phone at her with a smile on his face and asked knowingly, "What's wrong?"
Xu Qingzhou covered his phone with his chest, slowly shook his head, but his smile couldn't help but grow wider.
Turning back again, Xu Qingzhou looked down at his WeChat Moments.
It was a very simple and straightforward post on her WeChat Moments, but she couldn't help but read it over and over in her mind, as if she were savoring some exquisite literary treasure.
Seeing that she was losing all interest in writing the exam paper, Xu Qingzhou took a deep breath and gently patted her face to calm herself down.
Then, I lightly tapped that post on WeChat Moments—
I clicked "like".
*
As Xu Qingzhou had predicted, this official announcement on her WeChat Moments—that they were not "siblings" but "lovers"—caused a small stir within her and Chi Jun's social circle.
Xu Qingzhou could clearly feel that when she walked around campus, many unfamiliar students would gather in twos and threes to point at her and whisper about her, while those who were familiar with her would sometimes look at her with a hesitant expression after discussing a problem.
Xu Qingzhou knew what they were thinking.
However, since they didn't ask, Xu Qingzhou pretended not to know.
However, when faced with students who were too outspoken to keep their feelings to themselves and made intimate advances, Xu Qingzhou didn't hide anything and frankly and sincerely clarified: "We are indeed a couple."
They went from being siblings to lovers.
Were they siblings at first and then became lovers, or were they lovers from the beginning and only pretended to be siblings to cover up their relationship?
The others didn't want to ask directly, so they could only silently ponder the matter in their hearts.
Naturally, some unpleasant, malicious, or even sensational speculations and comments circulated, but Xu Qingzhou pretended not to hear them and knew nothing about them.
After all, those comments mostly came from people who were not familiar with her or even disliked her, so Xu Qingzhou didn't bother to pay attention to them.
The only people she cared about were her classmates and friends.
It was precisely these classmates and friends who, in the face of any rumors and perplexing situations, remained steadfast in their belief in her and Chi Jun's character, thinking that there must be some unspeakable secret behind such matters.
As for what this unspeakable secret is, my friends are very discreet and will not put their friends in a dilemma just to satisfy their own gossip desires.
So overall, the official announcement did not have a significant impact on Xu Qingzhou and Chi Jun.
Even Xu Qingzhou was vaguely worried that rumors would spread on campus and inevitably reach the ears of the homeroom teacher, just like the love letter incident. At that time, he would probably be scolded just for being in a relationship.
But after waiting for half a month, the homeroom teacher never spoke to her about it.
The only time Xu Qingzhou went to the office was because she forgot to hand in her English test paper. When her homeroom teacher, Lao Zhao, saw her, he simply called her over and asked her a few questions about her recent study habits, reminding her not to overwork herself and to focus on her studies while maintaining a balance between work and rest.
It was only as Xu Qingzhou was about to turn back to the classroom that he called her back again, saying lightly:
"When it comes to exam preparation, in the later stages, it's actually hard to make a difference with hard work. It's more about mindset. So you have to focus on studying and not worry about anything else. Nothing else is worth your attention."
Xu Qingzhou sensed the hidden meaning in the words.
But Old Zhao brushed it off, showing no intention of getting involved. He opened his thermos to drink goji berry water and started chatting with the other teachers. Xu Qingzhou nodded, turned around, and walked out of the office.
*
After the second mock exam, textbooks were basically put aside. Whether it was teachers emphasizing it in class or students studying independently after class, the phrase "identifying and filling gaps in knowledge" was almost branded into the minds of both teachers and students.
Every day, the classroom is filled with the clatter of test papers flying around. People are either rushing to fill in the gaps in their knowledge—taking exams—or they are in the process of filling in the gaps in their knowledge—going over the test papers.
Xu Qingzhou felt like he was being overwhelmed by the sea of white exam papers.
Even at this stage, she could tell the answer to many questions at a glance, but every day she would mechanically do more and more questions as soon as she opened her eyes. By the end of the day, her brain was almost numb.
One night, she even had a dream.
I dreamt that I fell into the sea, and a bunch of big and small, ferocious fish were chasing me. I swam desperately toward the surface, but the water resistance was too great, and I gradually ran out of strength. I watched in horror as the fish rushed toward me and surrounded me menacingly.
Only then did she realize that the fish were actually exam papers, covering various subjects.
One of the exam papers claimed that the leader of the group claimed she had only one minute to solve each question, and if she didn't finish, she would die.
In the dream, Xu Qingzhou's brain must have been fried by seawater, because in his terror he agreed without any rationality and then started a crazy problem-solving mode.
But one minute is too short. Every time the time limit is exceeded, the test paper is declared invalid and stuck to her body.
Meanwhile, the next test paper excitedly shouted, "It's my turn!" and rushed to her to solve the problem again.
Xu Qingzhou was terrified and panicked. He could never finish the test paper. It was so tight that his hands were practically touching his waist. He was so nervous that he could barely hold his pen. It fell several times and he had to pick it up each time.
Just then, one of the test papers suddenly shouted, "I knew she wouldn't finish! Go for it!"
In an instant, all the exam papers rushed over, clinging tightly to her body, covering her entire body, even sealing her nostrils and eyes.
Xu Qingzhou struggled desperately, but his limbs were unable to move.
Staring at the blank white expanse before his eyes, he found it increasingly difficult to breathe in despair.
"Zhouzhou."
"Zhouzhou?"
A feeling of weightlessness suddenly overwhelmed me.
Xu Qingzhou kicked his legs, and his consciousness suddenly returned.
She opened her eyes and found Chi Jun sitting next to her, supporting himself on the bed with one hand and looking at her.
"Did you have a nightmare?" he asked, feeling the temperature of her forehead.
Finally able to breathe smoothly, Xu Qingzhou closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
When she opened her eyes again, she nodded and sat up in bed, supporting herself with her hands.
"What did you dream about?"
Chi Jun turned around, lifted the bed curtains, and then opened the window.
The cool, fresh morning air rushed in, calming my heart, which was still pounding from the nightmare.
Xu Qingzhou: [I dreamt that many exam papers wrapped around me, trying to suffocate me.]
Chi Jun smiled.
"Your human world's college entrance examination is really harmful to people."
This can't really be considered a problem with the college entrance exam; it's more of a problem with one's own mindset.
Xu Qingzhou conscientiously defended the college entrance examination:
That's not entirely true. The college entrance examination is arguably the fairest thing in our country. Many people from impoverished families have changed their fate through the college entrance examination.
"Oh," Chi Jun jumped out of bed to get dressed, then looked back at her with amusement, "So how does our Zhouzhou plan to defy fate?"
"..."
Using this word to describe myself gives me a strange sense of being immature or delusional.
Xu Qingzhou was a little embarrassed.
[Defying fate is a bit of an exaggeration for me, but... I hope to never have to worry about food or clothing.]
"Then you've already done it."
Xu Qingzhou choked, but then he thought:
No, right now I'm living off your money, but I hope one day I can achieve that through my own abilities.
"You look down on the money I earn?"
Xu Qingzhou quickly shook his head.
Chi Jun dragged a small chair to the bedside, sat back, and looked at her with his hands on the back of the chair:
"So you don't want me to support you?"
That's true.
That's not right either.
Xu Qingzhou was a little anxious, and was hesitating about how to explain so that Chi Jun wouldn't misunderstand when Chi Jun suddenly reached out and pinched her nose, and laughed.
"I'm the most spineless person. Since you don't want me to support you, then you can support me from now on."
His smile eased Xu Qingzhou's tension.
For some reason, Xu Qingzhou felt burdened by having Chi Jun support her.
However, if the roles were reversed and she was the one earning money to support Chi Jun, she would be more than willing!
Thinking of this, Xu Qingzhou felt relieved and nodded vigorously with a smile.
*
Because the workload was getting heavier and heavier, and he had to stay up until 2 a.m. every day, in order to let Xu Qingzhou sleep a little longer, Chi Jun stopped making Xu Qingzhou get up early to make breakfast and instead had him eat out shortly after the start of the second semester.
The two went to a steamed bun shop and had a simple meal of steamed buns, tea eggs, and a bowl of soy milk. Chi Jun then got back on his electric scooter and took Xu Qingzhou to school.
The school gate was crowded with students in school uniforms and parents dropping off their children in the morning, creating a vibrant scene against the backdrop of the cool morning light and the bright sunrise.
Chi Jun parked the car next to the flower bed.
Xu Qingzhou got out of the car, saw him on the phone, waved to him, and turned to enter the school gate.
Chi Jun put down the phone, but suddenly called out to her.
Xu Qingzhou turned around and saw Chi Jun walking up to her.
"Wait for me after school at noon, I'll pick you up for lunch with Li Rui and the others."
Xu Qingzhou thought about the pile of exam papers and shook his head.
Never mind, I'll go back anyway.
Before she could finish speaking, Chi Jun interrupted her: "They threw a celebration party especially for the two of us."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
If the main characters are her and Chi Jun, then it really wouldn't be good not to go.
But……
Xu Qingzhou frowned, still wanting to refuse.
Chi Jun seemed to have noticed her predicament.
"It's up to you, you don't have to go. They should understand since you're so busy with your studies. But as your boyfriend, I think I should probably tell you beforehand about that girl, what's her name again..."
Xu Yunyun!
A bright and cheerful girl's face instantly flashed into Xu Qingzhou's mind, and alarm bells immediately went off.
[Xu Yunyun? The girl I had dinner with at Li Rui's birthday party?]
“Yes, her name is Xu Yunyun,” Chi Jun nodded. “I heard from Li Rui that she insisted on coming, probably because the restaurant Li Rui is treating to usually has very good food.”
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
She wrote a few words on the paper.
Chi Jun looked left and right, but wouldn't look at her.
Xu Qingzhou got impatient and simply reached out and tugged at his collar.
Chi Jun only then noticed, and casually glanced down at the words on her paper.
I'm going too.
"You're going too? Didn't you say you weren't going just now?"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
Before she could speak, Chi Jun suddenly realized something and said, "Ah, I get it—you're craving it too."
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
She's not greedy at all.
She was afraid that other girls would be attracted to her boyfriend.
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