"Su Ming, go get me some lunch!"
At the sound of his name, Su Ming looked up. At first glance, he didn't see a face. All he saw were two mountain peaks performing irregular, rhythmic movements. And this person was not Liu Rumeng. It was Lin Xiaoxiao, Liu Rumeng’s best friend from the next class over. Although her name meant "little," she was, in fact, not little at all.
Lin Xiaoxiao had been ill and had only returned to school yesterday. Word had it that she was here specifically to stir up trouble because of the argument between Su Ming and Liu Rumeng.
"If you want lunch, go get it yourself. Don't you have hands?"
Had it not been for the fact that he knew she was exceptionally well-endowed, Su Ming wouldn't have even bothered to look up.
"Hey! What kind of attitude is that? Aren't you afraid that Mengmeng will kick you to the curb?"
Back in his "simp" days, Su Ming had fawned over her constantly just to get close to Liu Rumeng. Helping her fetch lunch had been a regular chore, which was exactly why Lin Xiaoxiao felt so entitled.
"Stop spouting nonsense and don't hold up the other students, alright?"
"Are you kidding me? Are you really not afraid—"
"Enough! This classmate, please stop harassing him, okay? Otherwise, I’ll have to go get a teacher to settle this."
No one had expected these words to come from Shen Ruoyan. The gentle, water-like school beauty was not to be trifled with when she was angry. Su Ming was slightly startled, but then he grinned. It felt pretty good to have someone stand up for him.
"Hmph!"
"Just you wait!"
Lin Xiaoxiao dared to bully Su Ming, but she didn't dare provoke an honor student like Shen Ruoyan.
"Watch it, you—! If I hadn't been choking on a chicken leg just now, I would’ve been the first to stand up and yell at you!"
Zhang Wei was a real brother; when things went down, he stepped up. It didn't matter who the other person was; as long as they stood against Su Ming, he was ready to fight. Then, catching a glimpse of Guo Lingling walking by, Zhang Wei sat down instantly and began to eat in what he considered a very elegant manner.
"Sigh, school isn't some mighty tree—it's just a place where everything has a counter."
Just as Su Ming was feeling amused, Shen Ruoyan suddenly shot him a glare.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Six times."
"Six times what?"
"In the ten seconds you were talking to that person just now, your eyes wandered six times. Do I need to be any clearer about exactly what you were looking at?"
Su Ming knew Shen Ruoyan’s temperament all too well. When she spoke in that incredibly flat tone, it meant the girl was already a little peeved.
"It’s a misunderstanding! I was looking from the bottom up—I could only see that thing, couldn't I?"
"Is that so? That still doesn't explain six times."
Shen Ruoyan turned toward Su Ming, putting on an innocent, harmless smile with her impeccable features.
*Oh no.* Her anger levels were still rising!
Zhang Wei was so scared he bolted on the spot, pretending he had to go get some soup. He could handle outsiders bullying Su Ming, but there was no dealing with domestic disputes.
"Don't get angry yet, hear me out. I have a habit of playing Minesweeper, see? It just triggered my instincts. I’ll definitely restrain myself next time."
"Besides, that Lin Xiaoxiao isn't a good person anyway. Why are you wasting your anger on her?"
"Big chest, no brains! She'll never amount to anything!"
After a long string of reassurances, Shen Ruoyan finally picked up her utensils to eat. But then she suddenly put them down and asked a soul-searching question.
"Do you boys all like girls like that?"
"Ah???"
Su Ming felt a jolt of anxiety and his brain went into a frenzy.
"Let me put it this way: Zhang Wei likes them. He’s incredibly vulgar and is always trying to fill my head with depraved knowledge. Thankfully, I have a firm will and haven't been influenced in the slightest."
*Sorry, brother!*
"Is that true?"
"Not a single lie, otherwise my brother will never find a wife for the rest of his life!"
"Fine, I believe you. What’s so good about them anyway? If a big bad wolf came along, you couldn't even run away."
Shen Ruoyan’s anger had clearly dissipated. She even took the opportunity to glance down at her own chest—at her perfect collarbones, fair skin, slender neck, and the rather barren landscape...
"Yes, yes, of course. In my eyes, small is definitely better than big. Look at the protagonists in those cartoons—Little Carp, Little Nezha—you can tell they’re the good guys just by the names!"
"What are you two talking about?"
Zhang Wei returned after getting his soup, sensing the atmosphere was back to normal, and tried to join the conversation. Shen Ruoyan glared at him, leaving the victim completely bewildered.
"What's going on?"
"Was I not supposed to show up?"
Lunch hour. The winter sun was quite warm, though it was a pity there was no snow to be seen.
"Like I said, small has its advantages. You can lie on your stomach without any interference. Go take a look at Lin Xiaoxiao..."
"You dare!"
"I’m just making a point, my lady. Go to sleep."
Shen Ruoyan mumbled a few more words, then rested her head on Su Ming’s school uniform and slowly closed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Liu Rumeng, seated in the row ahead, turned around and locked eyes with Su Ming.
"Shh!"
"Don't speak! If you wake her up, you're dead!"
His tone was soft, but his gaze was razor-sharp. Liu Rumeng felt insulted; she hadn't intended anything of the sort. The two stared at each other, each harboring their own thoughts. Finally, right in front of Liu Rumeng, Su Ming reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Shen Ruoyan’s ear.
"Good afternoon."
Beyond tenderness, there was protectiveness. Liu Rumeng watched it all, grinding her teeth in frustration. In the past, whenever she wanted it, that was the treatment she received!
But what neither of them knew was that as Shen Ruoyan "drifted off to sleep," the corners of her mouth curled into a charming arc.
Classes continued in the afternoon. The daily life of a student was repetitive and dull. Those who could persist would surely be rewarded in the future.
In the back row of the classroom, Zhang Wei was unhappy—very unhappy. Ever since Su Ming started paying attention in English class, there was no one left to talk to him. He could only pick at the wall or snatch ants off the floor to fiddle with.
"That wraps up today’s test review. If there’s anything you don't understand, feel free to discuss it among yourselves."
"You may leave your seats briefly, but do not be noisy, understood?"
The English teacher had a meeting to attend, so the remaining time was essentially a study hall. As soon as the teacher left, the back of the class began to whisper.
"Brother Ming, why don't we go down and shoot a few hoops while we have the time?"
"Shoot a damn thing!"
Once the teacher was gone, Su Ming craned his neck to look forward. At whom? Shen Ruoyan, naturally.
"I need to find a way to switch seats with Guo Lingling."
Su Ming rubbed his chin, glanced at Zhang Wei, then at the front row.
"Ge, if I manage to swap Guo Lingling into my seat, would you be a bit happier?"
"For sure! Then I could just stand in the back and chat with her up close."
"It's a deal!"
Once the plan was formed, Su Ming began passing notes. Since he was quite popular, his classmates were more than happy to help pass them along.
"Er Gou, give this to Guo Lingling."
Su Ming poked the person in front and slipped him a piece of candy. Asking for favors required protocol.
"Got it. Wait! Give it to who?"
"Guo Lingling."
"You bastard, eating from the bowl while eyeing what's in the pot, huh?"
"What are you talking about? I have serious business here!"
The note-passing went smoothly, and Guo Lingling received it.
"What is Su Ming doing, passing a note to me?"
"He must have something to say to you."
Shen Ruoyan was still buried in her homework, seemingly indifferent.
"Alright, stop pretending. Let’s look at it together."
"Hehe! Okay!"