The next day, in Teacher Chen's office.
Bang!
As soon as he stepped through the door, the sound of a hand slamming on a desk echoed, followed immediately by the roaring of a savage beast.
"You sang quite well, our great scholar Su! Performing a little love song like that—why not go down in history?"
"Old Ban, you flatter me. My meager talent is nothing compared to the Heavenly Kings."
Su Ming chuckled, only to be instantly silenced by a glare from Teacher Chen.
"You think I'm praising you? And you still have the nerve to laugh! Would you like me to hand you a special award all by yourself?"
"Handing a rose to a girl in broad daylight—are you trying to lead the whole class astray?"
"Let me tell you! Because of that little stunt of yours, all our class honor points from before the New Year were docked!"
"Do you think you're shooting a movie? Are you staging the Return of the King?"
Teacher Chen was fuming. Even before the gala ended, he had received a severe scolding from the vice principal.
When it came to a performance with that kind of impact, students and teachers viewed it from completely different angles.
Most of the classmates thought it was an exceptionally romantic gesture that they could emulate in the future.
Yet in the eyes of the teachers and the principal, nothing could ever take precedence over studying.
Puppy love?
Absolutely out of the question!
Whenever it was caught, it had to be stamped out ruthlessly!
"Old Ban, listen to me, let me explain. I actually wanted to buy a different kind of flower, but you see, only the roses were on discount that day, and I didn't have enough cash in my pocket..."
The more Su Ming explained, the less confident he felt. In front of this savage beast, he seemed utterly incapable of lying.
"Alright, alright, I don't want to hear your excuses."
"First of all, Shen Ruoyan is a top-notch seedling destined for a prestigious university, so you are not allowed to mess with her. Second of all, your own grades aren't bad either. If you really want something to happen between you down the road, you'd better make the most of these last six months and strive to get into the same university."
Teacher Chen always had a knife-like tongue and a tofu-like heart; his primary concern was undoubtedly the students' future.
"Understood, understood, I know you're the best."
"Save the flattery. You'll be cleaning the classroom duty assignments by yourself for the next month."
"Uh, fine then, I'll just treat it as a workout."
Su Ming knew in his heart that Teacher Chen had likely taken the brunt of the pressure for him.
Fortunately, he hadn't done anything too out of line.
The buzz from this New Year's gala would most likely fade away with time as well.
"Stop wasting time and go back to do your problems. Your lyrics were so well written, yet I never see you score that high on your Chinese exams!"
"Hey, you can't blame me for that. I honestly can't guess what those ancient writers were thinking in the slightest. To put it bluntly, when they wrote those lines, did they really have that many deep thoughts?"
<span>"Are you questioning my professional competence???"</span>
"No, no, no, just pretend I let out a fart."
Su Ming scurried away tail between his legs, only to poke his head back in at the doorway.
"Old Ban, who won the award for the best performance at the gala anyway?"
"Do you even have to ask? It's definitely 'Walking Through the Stars'! You thought it was you?"
"Hah, I figured as much."
"Don't you dare question the school leadership's decisions!"
..................
When he returned to the classroom, most of the students looked at Su Ming with undisguised admiration.
It only took a brief moment of reminiscing to recall the excitement and atmosphere of the previous night.
"Hey, A-yan, let me copy your homework."
Su Ming had eyes only for Shen Ruoyan, yet this time, the girl didn't even meet his gaze.
"I left the homework on your desk, copy it quickly."
"Tsk, this girl is really growing up, she's even starting to anticipate my moves~"
Since she didn't utter a sound, Su Ming decided not to press further.
Yet the moment he walked away, Shen Ruoyan secretly turned her head to look at his retreating back.
Her little face was flushed pink, and her beautiful eyes were laced with faint bloodshot veins.
It was obvious she hadn't slept a wink all night and still hadn't recovered!
"Humph! Bad guy! I hate you so much!"
That was how she scolded Su Ming in her heart. Taking advantage of the fact that the warning bell for class hadn't rung yet, she quietly pulled out her diary—
"January 2, 2003. Weather: Splendid.
I didn't write an entry yesterday because the New Year's gala ended rather late.......
Well, okay, I actually had time to write, it's just that whenever I think back on it, my thoughts become a jumbled mess and I don't even know where to begin.
I received the birthday gift Su Ming gave me, and it was simply too shocking!
He is so annoying!
Giving me a rose in front of so many people!
(ˊ?ˋ*)?！
What should I do, what should I do?
Right now, my mind is completely filled with the image of Su Ming and me singing a duet, and then he personally wiped away my tears, making me feel........
Ah ya!
So exasperating. !!!
What on earth is wrong with me?"
Forcing herself to endure her burning cheeks, Shen Ruoyan finished today's entry.
Just then, she caught her female deskmate Guo Lingling giving her a bizarre look, which only made her panic even more.
"Ruoyan, are you running a fever? Why is your face so red?"
"I, I stayed up late studying yesterday."
"Oh please, we're all adults here, do you really think I'd believe that?"
"Humph! I am definitely not falling for it!"
"Huh? Did I even mention anything about that?"
Jingle bell!
When the class bell rang, it felt as though everything had returned to normal.
The math teacher was scribbling ghosts and charms on the blackboard, but Shen Ruoyan couldn't take in a single word.
The duration of the class passed by in a flash; for the little girl, this lesson was completely devoid of gains.
Being a perceptive girl, Guo Lingling eagerly turned her concern to Shen Ruoyan the moment class ended.
"Ruoyan, what's wrong with you today? Your state in class has been way off, you've been spacing out the whole time!"
"Ah, I'm a bit sleepy, that's why my mind kept wandering."
"Tell me the truth! Haven't you recovered from yesterday yet?"
Shen Ruoyan naturally knew what Guo Lingling was referring to, but she was certainly not going to admit it.
"Ahem, let me phrase it differently then. In your two and a half years of high school, have you ever run into a boy you fancied?"
Upon hearing this question, Liu Rumeng in the front row immediately perked up her ears like radar scanning the area.
Yet her disguise was so flawless that no anomalies could be detected.
"M-me? I suppose not."
Facing her deskmate's inquiry, Shen Ruoyan wanted to brush it off as quickly as possible.
"Suppose? That means there is!"
"Nonsense, at our age we should be focusing on our studies."
"Don't make me laugh, you've really been brainwashed by 'Walking Through the Stars'. Tell me the truth, what kind of boys do you like?"
"I-I can't really explain it clearly. A bit handsome? A bit tall? Having money doesn't matter at all, as long as he has drive."
It was originally just a casual reply, but Guo Lingling acted as if she had discovered a new continent.
"Come, come, come, look at you. Every single boy in our class is a crooked melon or a cracked jujube; the only one who fits your requirements is Su Ming!"
"Do you know how many people were whispering behind our backs about how well-matched you two were during that affectionate duet last night?"
"For a split second, I was truly envious of you!"
Hearing Guo Lingling's words, Shen Ruoyan's cheeks flushed red all over again.
She kept her head lowered, terrified that the other girl would notice anything unusual.
"If you ask me, if that rose yesterday had been given to me, I might have offered my body to him on the spot!"
When Guo Lingling added that final remark, Shen Ruoyan immediately looked up and shouted a firm refusal.
"No way!"
"Fine, fine, fine! No way, no way! A gut reaction doesn't lie, you've already given me your answer."
Just as Shen Ruoyan wanted to continue arguing her case, Liu Rumeng in the front row suddenly kicked her desk.
"Keep it down! If you aren't going to study, others still want to!"
"Ooh, ooh, ooh, whose jar of vinegar just got knocked over~"
"Boring!"
Liu Rumeng didn't press the matter any further, simply burying her head to work on her problems on her own.
Yet she alone knew how deeply upset she felt upon hearing Shen Ruoyan's answer.
On what grounds?
The person Su Ming likes is me!
What kind of small cookie do you think you are, Shen Ruoyan?!
And as luck would have it, right at that moment, Su Ming happened to walk over to return her homework.
"A-yan, I finished the second question of the last major problem for you. My handwriting is a bit ugly, don't mind it."
Looking at the young man before her picking his nose with one hand while touching her homework notebook with the other, the lingering shyness in Shen Ruoyan's heart instantly vanished into thin air.
The boy her heart had fluttered for definitely could not be this idiot!
At most, she only had a slightly better impression of the Su Ming from yesterday; today she felt nothing but pure loathing!
"What's wrong? Your eyes are all red, did someone bully you?"
Su Ming hurriedly leaned in with concern, only to be shoved away forcefully by Shen Ruoyan.
"Go to hell!"
"Next time you borrow my homework, remember to wash your hands!"