Nothing special happened at school on Thursday, except that Zhuang Ni and Gong CaiCai’s chalkboard art won third place in our grade in the preliminary evaluation.
If we were only judging based on artistic skill, then Zhuang Ni’s starry sky was absolutely at a professional artist’s level, it was levels above the other classes. Even the few English words Gong CaiCai wrote could be considered calligraphy artwork.
However, according to the school’s original intentions, the chalkboard art, especially for the third years, was supposed to encourage everyone to study. It was supposed to be prepared for the high school entrance exams. It would be good if it could make the students turn over a new leaf and hold onto their teacher’s thighs while crying “teacher, what should I do?” and so on.
Therefore, Zhuang Ni and Gong CaiCai’s purely artistic effort coming in third place out of the six classes was a predictable result.
The class leader was slightly disappointed because our class wasn’t first.
“Is being recognized by the public really that important to you?” Zhuang Ni said to the class leader in a sneering tone, “Actually, I could have curried their favor and drawn an ‘ordinary’ version if you let me kiss your face once…”
“I’d rather let Xiao Qin be in charge of our class’ chalkboard than let you kiss my face.” The class leader decisively rejected Zhuang Ni’s request.
“Al-, alright.” Xiao Qin was very excited when she heard, she came up and said, “I’ll do my best to draw the chalkboard art. I’ll definitely make sure to curry the school’s favor and paint portraits of the school leaders.”
Stop, are you sure the school leaders will be happy to find their names are labeled underneath a sprouting potato? Once you take charge, class 3-3 will always be at the bottom of the rankings.
Today, Xiao Qin was still being led around by the nose by the sister discipline plan. She racked her brain to gain more stars. She earned another silver star after participating in radio gymnastics. If she gained another silver star from tomorrow’s radio gymnastics, it would be enough for five gold stars, which will meet the amount needed for me to buy her a cell phone.
During recess, the students discussed about everything. As a veteran sci-fi enthusiast, Niu ShiLi started a heated debate about the Korean TV series “My Love from the Star” with three girls.
“Hmph, the core setting of ‘My Love from the Star’ is a copy of Hollywood’s 2007 low-budget sci-fi film ‘The Man From Earth’, even the name is an imitation.”
“Hey, hey, if you don’t want to watch it, then just don’t watch it. Besides, the plot doesn’t matter at all, what matters is the relationship between the cute and stupid female lead and the professor.”
“Right, right, Niu ShiLi, mind your own business. The professor is so handsome.”
“Handsome my ass.” Niu ShiLi widened his eyes, “The male lead looks the same as Xiao ShenYang, and his eyes aren’t even as big as Xiao Shenyang’s.”
“How dare you insult my idol. Girls, let’s beat him up.”
The three girls joined hands to hit Niu ShiLi on the head. Although Niu ShiLi was strong, he was also embarrassed to fight back against the girls and was forced to suffer.
A fight over a celebrity they like, how stupid…
I matured faster in many ways after a narrow escape from death at Cui Song Mountain. I won’t interfere in a fight that had nothing to do with me anymore.
In my first year, a boy in the neighboring class said that Jackie Chan had a messy private life and wrote three words on our class’ blackboard to make fun of him. It made me so angry that I took chalkboard eraser and threw it at his head, which was really childish in retrospect.
Apparently, in Captain Guo SongTao’s year, there was a fight because they were arguing over if “Yang Mi had stinky feet or not”. Some students were sent to the hospital and I don’t know if the ‘smelly feet’ side won, or the ‘not smelly feet’ side won.
They would probably all consider it their dark past when they recall it in a few years.
The class leader was particularly busy today and it was either classmates looking for her or the teacher looking for her. I wanted to talk to her alone a bit to ask what her mother wanted to talk to me about, but I didn’t find a good time.
Time flew by and soon school was almost over. I kind of regretted putting all my eggs in one basket by only thinking about asking the class leader instead of asking Shu Zhe about it.
Ever since Xiao Qin started serializing “Cthulhu Also Wants Love”, she became very busy. She said that she had to go home quickly to draw the manuscript for chapter six. She put on her backpack in a hurry and left school.
It wasn’t long before the class leader and I were the only ones left in the classroom. We both seemed to be waiting for each other to leave first.
I’m a mature teenager who won’t be provoked by words anymore, so I think I should take the initiative.
“Aren’t you going home.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked to the back door of the classroom. When I passed the class leader’s seat, I looked at her long black hair and asked casually.
“I’m leaving right now.” The class leader also answered casually in a tone similar to mine, then picked up her backpack and left with me.
The two of us walked down the hallway, but instead of being shoulder-to-shoulder, we kept a certain distance from each other.
In the “100 Rules prohibiting intimate contact between boys and girls”, it stipulated that male and female students should keep a minimum distance of 50 centimeters from each other. I don’t know who the class leader was trying to put on an act for, or maybe she was afraid that they will deduct points from our class.
The atmosphere between us was odd. We exited the school together, but we didn’t say a word to each other as if we were only coincidentally going in the same direction.
When the class leader went to the bicycle shack to get her bicycle, I waited at the corner of the courtyard. It was the same place where I once stopped the class leader and didn’t let her go home.
The class leader soon returned with her bicycle. She glanced at me, but didn’t call me over to leave. However, she didn’t get on the bicycle either and only slowly began to push it…
I followed from behind, but did not follow too close. It was as if the class leader was heading to the bike repair shop at the end of the road and I happened to also be there.
We walked in silence for several blocks and we couldn’t see any 28 Middle students anymore. There was a small temple surrounded by a greenish-gray wall in front of us.
“You’ve seen the cat overlord here before, right?” I broke the unbearable silence, “That’s the old cat that was able to withstand your Hunter’s Aura for 20 seconds.”
The class leader subconsciously looked up, but couldn’t spot the cat and was a bit disappointed.
From the looks of it, the only dog that could potentially become the class leader’s pet was Obama. And the only cat that could potentially become the class leader’s pets was the leader of the neighborhood stray cats, the cat overlord and a kitten whose fur color was very similar to cat overlord. I suspect it was the cat overlord’s offspring (the kitten had once broken into 28 Middle and was sheltered by the class leader with a skirt to avoid being found).
“I only just found out that my mom invited you to my house…” the class leader told me.
“Uh-huh.” I kicked a small stone on the side of the road without really knowing what to say.
“It seems Xiao Zhe said something to mom behind my back. I don’t know what my mom wants to talk to you about today…”
“Is there anything I should pay attention to, like what which celebrity your mom likes or whatever. In case I accidentally make her feel bad by saying something bad about a certain celebrity…”
“My mom is not that childish.” The class leader gave me a fierce look while keeping her bike moving in a straight line.
The walk didn’t seem as long anymore once we began a conversation. We soon arrived downstairs at the class leader’s house, where she parked her bike and then walked ahead to show me the way.
I actually didn’t need to be shown the way since I’ve been to the class leader’s house frequently in the past couple of months. Even the neighbors were familiar and no longer acted like I was a thief compared to the first time they saw me.
When I passed the fruit stall downstairs, I wanted to buy a watermelon as a gift, but the class leader stopped me. She said that her mother had explicitly told her to stop me from buying anything.
Forget it, I’ll just go empty-handed. It’s not like bringing a watermelon makes it much better.
As soon as I walked into the class leader’s living room, I smelled a pungent fragrance. What else was it other than my favorite potatoes stewed with beef.
The class leader’s mother personally cooked and prepared four dishes and a soup, one of which was potatoes stewed with beef. It was nutritionally balanced with meat and vegetables and made me feel ashamed.
Madam Lin YuMeng’s hair was tied up and she was wearing very casual home clothes. There wasn’t a single part of her that would make it seem like she was just cooking in the kitchen.
I noticed an unusual phenomenon.
Shu Zhe was not at home.
His mom was taking a plane back to Shanghai tomorrow, but Shu Zhe picked this moment to go to his uncle’s house as a guest. It’s possible it was deliberately arranged by the class president’s mother.
Did she have something to say that she couldn’t say in front of Shu Zhe? What couldn’t she say in front of her own son, but could say to me as an outsider.
In order to keep the meal from getting cold, I was invited to sit directly at the dining table. I felt an inexplicable pressure as I sat across from the class leader and her mother.
“Mom, the broccoli soup you made, it seems like you put too much cream in it…”
The class leader frowned slightly after tasting a mouthful of the golden-colored soup.
“No worries.” Madam Lin YuMeng waved her hand, “Sha Sha, you might not like it, but Ye Lin might like it, just give it all to him.”
She said as she served me another bowl of identical soup to the one I already had.
“Sigh, I’m busy with research work, so I’m a bit rusty after not cooking for a while.” Lin YuMeng smiled before serving me a third bowl of broccoli soup with too much cream.
“Please excuse my poor cooking and eat some more.”
It was hard to refuse that beautiful smile.
I forced myself to drink the bowl of broccoli soup in front of me. I felt the sweet cream burn my throat, it was way too much cream.
“Is it good?” Lin YuMeng slightly widened her eyes, “You drank it really fast. Sha Sha’s father doesn’t like it, he said that the broccoli soup is the my worst dish among all the dishes I know…”
She said as she filled the bowl I had just emptied at light speed, using of course the same sweet and creamy broccoli soup.
What’s going on, why do I feel malice towards me. Even though the class leader’s mom always had a smile on her face, it’s as if she doesn’t like me very much.
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