"Aren't you going to explain this to me?" Su Qing's gaze fell upon the note on the desk.
"Explain? Explain my ass. I'm not in the mood to give you a long-winded lecture right now. You spend all your time flirting and messing around with other girls, and you still haven't given me a reasonable explanation!" She resolutely tore the note to pieces and tossed them together into the wastebasket.
"..." Yang Zhendong had already learned last night about what had happened during the daytime at the first examination hall, but the time after the exams ended had been squeezed out by hurried meals and resting in the dormitory, leaving him no opportunity to question Su Qing for the details.
Therefore, right after today's exams finished, he hurriedly used pen and paper to ask her, only to watch her merely glance at it before tearing the note to shreds, and then he saw her lost in thought about something.
What game is she playing? Shouldn't you be the one explaining things to me? Why are you still daydreaming? Aren't you a girl with a boyfriend? Don't you know how to mind your boundaries?
Yang Zhendong was angry. This was the first thing in over a month that had caused him to feel negative emotions.
Most crucially, he was somewhat panicked and afraid; he didn't know what kind of relationship existed between Lin Zimo and Su Qing.
Yet he knew all about Lin Zimo as a person, having constantly heard the girls in his class talking about him since the eighth grade: good-looking, top grades, well-liked—the absolute epitome of a campus idol.
However, he had never seen him up close until the welcome party, when he finally laid eyes on him in person for the very first time.
"Are you kidding me? This dark-skinned guy wearing tacky, old-fashioned glasses is supposed to be a campus idol?" That was Yang Zhendong's thought after observing Lin Zimo up close.
He really couldn't fathom what kind of taste those people had.
Furthermore, he soon discovered that Su Qing, the beautiful top-achieving student he had frequently heard about back in middle school, was also in their class.
The very first time Yang Zhendong saw her, he was blown away, swearing that in reality he had never laid eyes on such a pure and aloof girl.
Her eyebrows were not the traditionally thin kind, but rather slightly thick and very dark, which made her gaze appear exceptionally bright and profound.
Her eyes were as brilliant as stars, clear and luminous, as if able to pierce right through a person's soul. Her skin was as white as snow and as smooth as silk, making one instantly think of flawless, pristine snowflakes. She wore a high ponytail that looked neat and sharp, with a few strands of hair falling gently down the sides of her forehead, giving her a playful and adorable charm.
He was going to pursue this girl—he had made up his mind.
Yet she seemed very aloof, so a direct approach probably wouldn't work; he had to find a way to catch her attention first.
In his heart, Yang Zhendong had mapped out a series of strategies: after school started, he deliberately showcased himself in class, well aware that humorous and witty people could easily win hearts.
Relying on his innate cleverness, he moved through the crowd with ease, capturing the attention of his classmates and winning her favor as well.
Immediately afterward, he cautiously put out hints of love. Being exceptionally smart, she quickly perceived his feelings.
At first, he felt a slight pang of regret, believing he had been too hasty and should have waited for a better opportunity.However, when she replied with, "You should improve your grades first," those few words had left him ecstatic, immersing him in joy throughout the entire day.
Driven by this, he threw himself into his studies with total dedication, and every monthly exam witnessed his steady ascent.
Finally, in the second monthly exam of this semester, his name prominently leaped into the top fifty of his grade level.
The joy brought by this achievement overflowed in his heart, inspiring him a month ago to muster up the courage to confess his deep affection to her.
"We can give it a try for now." She had answered; she had agreed. A massive wave of surprise filled his entire mind and body, and he could hardly resist showing off to everyone, though he quickly calmed down. After all, Yuying's punishment for puppy love was far too severe—you could even call it harsh: direct expulsion.
For him, this past month had been both the time when his vanity swelled to its peak and the happiest, most delightful period of his life...
Until last night, when he heard about what happened in Test Room One. If it had been anyone else, he might not have cared much, but of all people, it had to be Lin Zimo...
That person was the teachers' precious darling and the students' ideal academic star.
He seemed never to refuse anyone's plea for help and always treated others with a gentle attitude.
Whenever evening self-study was underway, you could always spot him in Class 5's hallway, patiently explaining problems to his classmates.
Every day he radiated joy and an upbeat, positive spirit, exuding an aura that made people feel completely at ease.
This quality of eagerly helping others and his proactive, positive spirit made him deeply respected and loved.
Even students from other classes would affectionately and cheerfully greet him as "Brother Mo" when they saw him.
He didn't seem to have any particular hobbies, except for an especially strong fondness for Pepsi.
Pepsi...
Thinking of the cola Su Qing had brought him some time ago, Yang Zhendong felt a renewed surge of tension inside. Just a coincidence, right?
After all, plenty of people liked drinking Pepsi; what if Su Qing just liked it herself?
Screw it, he would go ask her in person and make her give him an explanation.
The passion and impulse of adolescence were surging through Yang Zhendong's heart at this moment, while a sense of unease quietly eroded his composure.
He desperately yearned to clear everything up, hoping Su Qing would personally confirm to him that there was nothing going on between her and Lin Zimo.
And so he left his seat just like that, walking in the direction of Su Qing.
...
Inside the classroom of Class 5, Lin Zimo, the instigator of all this chaos, was watching his classmates with great interest.
They were passionately debating, arguing excitedly, and even letting out occasional sighs of regret, forming a vividly lively picture.
Hahahaha, after every monthly exam, Lin Zimo loved watching his classmates compare their answers—it was totally fascinating, and their exaggerated chest-beating antics were genuinely hilarious.
Lin Zimo himself had zero interest in comparing answers; the exam was over anyway, and comparing couldn't change whether he got things right or wrong.
Well, okay, he wouldn't admit that he was just being lazy.However, he still had a nagging feeling that he had forgotten something, though he rubbed his chin and couldn't quite remember.
Taking a tactical sip of drinking water from a Pepsi bottle, he slapped his thigh sharply.
"Damn it, that girl still hasn't returned my thermos! I spent a pretty penny on that. She isn't planning to keep it, is she?" Lin Zimo suddenly remembered, and he stood up, ready to go track down the campus beauty and demand his cup back.
...
"What's wrong with you two? Did you have a fight?" Zhou Jingmin poked her best friend's arm.
Su Qing fell into deep thought, pondering how to return that cup.
Right, she could ask Wang Shuai to pass it along since the two of them were good friends.
At the same time, she felt she should attach a thank-you note to sincerely express her gratitude for his help.
Yes, that was settled.
"Nothing's wrong."
She decided to wait until evening self-study to find a proper moment to talk things over.
Just as Su Qing finished writing the words "thank you," two voices rang out beside her:
"Su Qing, you and..."
"Classmate, can you give me my ther—"
(˙0˙)(˙0˙)(˙0˙)
"What on earth is going on here?" Most of the students in Class 6 still had no idea what had happened, while the rest of those in the know wore looks of spectators waiting for a good show.
"Ahhhhh, a bloodbath! I want to see it, I want to see it!" Zhou Jingmin screamed internally (′▽`〃)(′▽`〃)(′▽`〃).
Su Qing was slightly taken aback, her grip on the pen tightening involuntarily as she thought, "I haven't even finished writing yet, why did you come over yourself?"
Lin Zimo froze as well, muttering to himself, "No way, did I pick a bad time? Am I walking right into the line of fire? Are the two of them in the middle of a heart-to-heart?" A trace of subtle awkwardness appeared on his face.
"Um, do you want to go first?" Lin Zimo asked tentatively, considering the guy was her official boyfriend.
"Damn, this guy is actually this good-looking?!" Yang Zhendong's heart was in tumult. Previously he had only thought Lin Zimo looked a bit refined after his skin lightened up, but he had never expected him to look so striking once he took off his glasses. And what was with that look in his eyes?
Bro is straight and doesn't swing that way, so stop looking at me like that! Yang Zhendong blushed slightly under Lin Zimo's gaze. There was no helping it; according to Su Qing, that guy looked at stray dogs with deep affection.
"Uh, you go first, I'm not in a hurry," Yang Zhendong said.
"Oh, classmate, could you return that thermos to me? I don't even have a cup to drink water with now." Lin Zimo looked at Su Qing, who was lost in thought, gently shaking the plastic bottle in his hand.
"Here you go, thank you," Su Qing said expressionlessly, handing over the cup and offering a polite word of thanks.
Lin Zimo took the cup and noticed there was still water inside.
Hmph, as expected of that aloof campus goddess—she was utterly cold and unyielding to strangers, even her thank-yous sounding frosty.
Sensing the water still inside the cup, he couldn't help a quiet chuckle inwardly: *Hey, girl, you really weren't planning to claim my cup as your own, were you?*
Watching from the side, Yang Zhendong realized: *So he just came to pick up his cup. It looks like there isn't any special relationship between them after all. Did I misunderstand Su Qing?*
Su Qing returned the thermos, only to find that Lin Zimo hadn't left. Instead, he was staring right at her with burning eyes and even blinked.
"What... what is he doing? Is he trying to send some kind of signal?" Outwardly calm, Su Qing felt her heart churning like the tide, her earlobes quietly heating up and turning crimson.
"Classmate, where's my Wind Oil Balm?" Lin Zimo was fully confident that his hint had hit the mark, but Su Qing simply averted her gaze, leaving him completely baffled.
Wait, did she think that bottle of Wind Oil Balm smelled so good that she couldn't bear to return it?
"I... I didn't bring it today, I left it in the dorm. I'll definitely bring it to you tomorrow." For once, Su Qing showed a hint of fluster in front of Lin Zimo, feeling utterly awkward. So it turned out everything just now had been her imagination. つ﹏?
"Whatever, it's not worth much anyway. Consider it yours, I'll just get a spare next time." Putting on a carefree facade, Lin Zimo turned and headed back to the classroom while bleeding on the inside—that bottle of Wind Oil Balm had cost him over thirty yuan. :(
The onlookers in Class 6 wore matching blank stares, completely lost.
After a few knowing classmates offered some explanations, everyone finally understood.
It turned out that the top student Su hadn't rested well while cramming the night before, and top student Lin from the next class had generously given her some Wind Oil Balm to refresh herself, along with a cup of coffee. It just looked like ordinary mutual assistance between classmates.
Still, what on earth was Yang Zhendong trying to do?
At that moment, Yang Zhendong felt rather embarrassed; he seemed to have genuinely misunderstood his girlfriend.
"Is there something you need?" Su Qing turned her head, looking at him expressionlessly with a hint of hidden annoyance in her eyes.
Great, it seemed he really had angered her.
"It's nothing, just wanted to ask if you and Zhou Jingmin are going to the store tonight, and if you could help me pick up some pens and draft paper while you're there." Yang Zhendong seemed a bit constrained, his usual wit and humor seemingly vanishing in an instant.
Su Qing gazed at him for a moment, then pulled a stack of white paper and two signature pens from her desk drawer and handed them to him.
"Thanks, I'll give you the money in a bit." Yang Zhendong took them with a beaming smile.
"Mm." Su Qing nodded slightly and went back to writing with rapt concentration.
He returned to his seat and thought to himself: *She should have said I didn't need to pay, right? Oh right, there are so many classmates here and their relationship isn't public yet, so she probably felt it was inconvenient to bring it up.*
The surrounding students had already started comparing answers, making the scene rather dull and monotonous.
"Looks like there's nothing fun to watch after all," someone muttered with a hint of boredom.
*So much for the promised bloodbath! Is this it? Is this really it?* Zhou Jingmin raged inwardly, fury surging within her (╯°Д°)╯(┻━┻.
...