"Ring!"
As the bell rang, Zhang Wei actually carried Su Ming all the way back. Shen Ruoyan, who sat in the front row, hurriedly took advantage of the time before the teacher arrived to run to the last row and ask if Su Ming was all right.
If this had been his previous life, the comfort Su Ming would have wanted most would have been from Liu Rumeng. But times were different now, and besides, Liu Rumeng didn't even bother to look back.
"I'm fine! I'm tough as nails! When I was little, a fortune teller said that one day I’d be destined for greatness!"
"Pfft! You’re the only one who believes that..."
"Enough talk. Give me your homework so I can copy it."
Familiar words, familiar characters, familiar actions and routines. It felt so good to be alive again!
When Su Ming sat back down, the gazes of all his male classmates suddenly seemed to turn unfriendly.
"What's going on? Is this how we greet the wounded now?" Su Ming didn't quite catch on until Zhang Wei gave him a timely reminder.
"Big brother, you hugged Shen Ruoyan in front of so many people. She’s the school beauty with tons of admirers; aren't you just walking right into the line of fire?"
"Oh, right. You've got a point. I forgot about that."
Su Ming, living a second life, didn't care. This time, he was here to fix the mistakes of the last. Besides, stepping back a bit, being close to Shen Ruoyan had its perks.
He never went hungry! There were always people sneaking snacks into her desk, along with love letters and the like—all of which basically ended up being handled by Su Ming. This situation had continued until Liu Rumeng arrived, and it was no wonder Shen Ruoyan disliked her. Her designated "cleaner" had been snatched away!
Afterward, Su Ming took Shen Ruoyan’s homework and was just about to start copying when he suddenly noticed a faint, indistinct pink smudge on the back of her white school uniform top. Unconsciously, Su Ming felt an urge to flick it.
"Hey!"
"I didn't act like a human in my last life, but in this one, I want to be a good man." He quickly shook the lewd thoughts from his mind; finishing the homework was the top priority. He tied his desk-mate’s pens together and entered the "cramming" mode. In this era, rumors often spread about "a single pen, a single lamp, a single night, and a single miracle..."
Su Ming’s hands were lightning fast, a skill closely tied to his non-stop training at night.
"That’s enough! Stop copying! If you keep cramming at the last minute like this, whose work are you going to copy during the college entrance exam?"
As the saying goes, the person arrives with their voice; the "Bandit" head teacher appeared in an instant. There was too much homework, and he hadn't finished copying it all. However, before the teacher started checking, Su Ming had already returned the homework to Shen Ruoyan to ensure she wouldn't be implicated. Something like that had happened once before, and it had made the girl quite embarrassed.
"Today, I mainly want to talk about something. The New Year’s gala is coming up in a few days. For those of you with talent, it’s time to show it off."
Teacher Chen adjusted his glasses and cast his gaze toward the last two rows of the classroom. Seats by the window are the king’s home; seats in the back are for the beasts. Usually, the students in the front row are responsible for pulling up the class average, while those like Su Ming, who were talented at singing and dancing, were expected to take on programs like the New Year’s gala.
In this era, most schools chose to focus on moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education simultaneously. Activity periods remained activity periods, and the PE teachers basically never got "sick."
"A New Year’s gala?"
"A new year, a new beginning!"
"Cast off the past, and welcome a new self!"
Without a second thought, Su Ming signed up. He could sing, but dancing was out of the question; his foot would barely be recovered enough to walk normally in a few days. Anyone who has had their foot stepped on while landing from a jump knows how agonizing it is!
"No way, man, what are you going to sing up there? 'Two Little Tigers'?" Seeing his good brother sign up, Zhang Wei naturally had to throw a jab.
"You don't know anything. I’m going to show you what it means to stun the crowd."
"Fine, I support you, but can you at least tell me what kind of song it is?"
"A rap-style love song."
"A love song? Like 'Tian Mi Mi'? Don't mess around! You absolutely cannot sing that for Liu Rumeng!" Zhang Wei was genuinely worried; he was afraid Su Ming wouldn't listen.
However, the latter was a different person now, and he had his own plans.
"In the future, don't mention her name in front of me if you don't have to. I have nothing to do with her. You are my best brother, and Shen Ruoyan is my best female friend. Get it?"
"Oh—I love hearing that!"
Just as Zhang Wei was beaming, the "Bandit" Teacher Chen walked between them. "I moved you two this far apart and you're still chatting? I really have to hand it to you!"
"Come on! Take out your homework, let me check!"
"You didn't do it? Go stand in the back!!!"
The "Bandit" was as stern as ever, which made many of the male students in the class snicker. Especially Zhao Yuanhua and his lackey, Hóuzi, who were grinning from ear to ear.
"Teacher! Su Ming’s foot is injured. If it’s alright, I can take his punishment for him."
Suddenly, a voice, not loud but exceptionally clear, came from a female student in the front row. Shen Ruoyan! Was it loyalty, or something else?
At this, the "Bandit" let out a long sigh. He was a man of his age; how could he not see the little secrets of these students? He just hadn't expected Shen Ruoyan to be so openly worried about Su Ming to this extent. For a girl to say something like that in public took a lot of courage!
At that moment, Liu Rumeng, sitting in front, looked at Shen Ruoyan with surprise. But this time, the girl didn't back down; her gaze met the other's directly. She firmly believed that she wouldn't lose!
*Heh, what’s the point? Doesn't she still follow me around like a stray dog after school?* This was Liu Rumeng’s inner thought. From the bottom of her heart, she felt pity for Shen Ruoyan. She was a rival with conditions no worse than her own, and even higher popularity, but unfortunately... she was a hopeless romantic!
"Alright then. Considering you’re injured, I’ll let you off this time." Teacher Chen couldn't bear to punish Shen Ruoyan, so he simply exempted Su Ming.
However, unexpectedly, under the shocked gazes of the entire class, Su Ming limped all the way to the back.
"Hey, A-Yan, thanks for your kindness. I'll treat you to something good tonight."
"But, if you do something wrong, you have to be punished. Whether it’s in the past or now."
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Ming’s image instantly grew taller. He rested his injured left foot on a stool missing a leg, and used his right foot to maintain his balance. He leaned back against the wall, calmly scanning everyone in the room.
Standing against the wall, infinitely arrogant!
At the same time, Su Ming nodded slightly, his hands in his pockets, as if he didn't even know the meaning of the word "rival."
"Teacher, I'm okay. You can start the lecture."
At eighteen, he was full of spirit!
Seeing this, the students in the class couldn't help but whisper.
"Damn! Su Ming is a real man!"
"You have to admit, that was pretty cool, especially the way he tilted his head—so rebellious!"
"He's just posturing. Does he think he's an NBA All-Star?"
"Tsk tsk, I need to study his moves. I'll do this next time I get punished."
"Big brother, he’s a genuine heartthrob regardless. What are you? If you don't have a mirror, surely you have a puddle of pee to look into, right???"
"In the spring of the fourth year of Jian'an, Zhuge Liang used straw boats to borrow arrows..."
It was worth noting that Su Ming was naturally handsome to begin with. This display of teenage angst not only left Shen Ruoyan dazed, but also attracted the attention of quite a few other female students.
Yes. Shen Ruoyan had many suitors, but Su Ming wasn't without his secret admirers. It was just that the girls were all very reserved, and since they were in the final sprint of the college entrance exams, they wouldn't show it.
"Good! You're a man!"
"But in school, you absolutely must not give your classmates nicknames, do you hear me!"
"And where is your textbook???"