"Li Chen, find somewhere to change out of those wet clothes first. The college entrance exams are right around the corner; you absolutely cannot afford to get sick." Fang Qi walked over resignedly to pick up the basin. How did this situation keep getting more and more complicated?
"Hold on a second!"
Zhen Yao spoke up with a very stern little face. She glanced at her classmates inside the classroom, her gaze finally landing on Chen Zhigang. "Chen Zhigang! Was this prank your doing? Is this how you treat a new classmate?"
She really wanted to curse. They were about to graduate, yet something like this was actually happening.
The others exchanged astonished and dramatic expressions at the sight. In their memories, this was the first time the class monitor had ever lost her temper and flown into a rage in three years.
Even Shen Qinglan and Fang Qi were somewhat dumbfounded upon hearing this. They suddenly felt that it wasn't just Li Chen who had changed; even Zhen Yao, who had always been so demure and ladylike, had changed too.
"Huh? Class monitor, are your studies rotting your brain? Isn't it completely normal for classmates to joke around and play a prank?" Chen Zhigang smiled, spreading his hands with a calm expression. He felt there was no need to keep up the act anymore.
"You!!" Zhen Yao's chest heaved up and down with anger, though she tried her best not to blow her top. "We've all spent three years together every single day, and we're about to separate for the college entrance exams. I don't want to make things too ugly either. Apologize to Li Chen and Gu Xirou, and we'll consider this matter settled."
She was a girl with a strong sense of personal values and responsibility; otherwise, Old Wang wouldn't have appointed her as class monitor for three consecutive years. They had been classmates for three years and were about to part ways and go their separate ways; she really didn't want everyone's high school life to end with bad memories.
Chen Zhigang glanced sideways at Li Chen and Gu Xirou, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "Why should I apologize to them? Which of your eyes saw me do this, Class monitor?"
"You dare do it but won't own up to it, right? Fine! I'm going to see Old Wang. Other people might be afraid of you, but I'm certainly not! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your family has a little money!" Furious, Zhen Yao turned on her heel and walked right out of the classroom.
"Zhen Yao, wait for me. I'm going with you." Fang Qi followed her out as well.
Chen Zhigang's expression shifted slightly, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.
"Li Chen, the class monitor and Fang Qi are actually pretty nice..." Gu Xirou whispered, releasing her small hand.
"Yeah, they really are." Li Chen nodded. Honestly, he was quite surprised himself.
Fang Qi standing up for him was understandable—after all, they had been classmates for six years. But he truly hadn't expected Zhen Yao's reaction.
Old Wang's eye for people was sharp indeed; this class monitor was a keeper.
"Go on and change your clothes," Gu Xirou urged. Fortunately the weather was hot, otherwise he was bound to catch a cold.
Without hesitation, Li Chen took her school uniform jacket and headed for the stairwell outside the corridor.
Once the college entrance exams were over, he and these so-called classmates would practically be dead to each other.
After changing his clothes, Li Chen returned to his seat. His hair was very short and had already been dried off with his clothes.
The classroom was unusually quiet. It was hard to tell whether they felt ashamed about what had just happened or simply didn't care.
"Brother Chen, Chen Zhigang's bastard definitely took it out on you because he was dissatisfied with your attitude toward campus belle Shen."
Kang Xiaoqiang sat in the empty seat in front of Li Chen, a fierce glint shining in his eyes as he lowered his voice. "Want me to find an opportunity after school tonight to hit him from behind?"
Li Chen raised an eyebrow and looked up at him. "You really are a good brother of mine. What if he isn't walking home alone and has three or five helpers waiting? What do we do then?"
He was genuinely tempted by Kang Xiaoqiang's proposal.
Yet he also knew that Chen Zhigang had ties to local street thugs, so ambushing him wouldn't be an easy task.
"He's got helpers?" Kang Xiaoqiang instinctively shrunk his neck. "Then forget it. Just him alone would be fine, but if he has backup, we'll be the ones getting beaten up."
"Coward, what a waste of such a big build." Li Chen pulled out his textbook and waved a hand. "Get lost back to your seat right now, your daddy wants to study."
"Brother Chen, a gentleman takes his revenge ten years later; we're in no rush."
Kang Xiaoqiang scurried back to his own seat.
Loyal as he was, he was still just a student.
"Too bad I'm no gentleman—I can't wait ten years!" Li Chen added silently in his head. The moment he caught an opportunity, he would pay it all back in full.
Sitting right beside him with her back straight, the quiet and well-behaved Gu Xirou found herself unable to focus on her studying for the very first time. Her mind kept wandering, and hearing the recent conversation between Li Chen and Kang Xiaoqiang made it even harder to concentrate.
She was terrified that Li Chen might act on impulse and do something irrational, which would end up affecting the college entrance exams.
At that thought, Gu Xirou suddenly pulled a sticky note out from under her desk, wrote on it rapidly, and then quietly slid it onto Li Chen's desk.
Li Chen was slightly startled and glanced at Gu Xirou's pretty profile. Passing notes even when sitting right next to each other?
That was a novelty.
He picked up the note and read: "The college entrance exams are almost here. Don't let these things affect your mindset. Once the exams are over, you can do whatever you want."
Every single word was filled with care.
Li Chen turned his head to look at her again, then lowered his head and wrote on the note:
"Okay."
Watching the somewhat scrawled handwriting on the note, Gu Xirou's lips curved upward slightly. Her mood instantly brightened, and her desire to study returned.
Li Chen suddenly realized a very serious question: Could this girl Gu Xirou actually have a crush on him?
Huh??
Judging by the looks of it, it actually seemed quite likely!
At that moment, two figures walked in through the classroom door—they were none other than Zhen Yao and Fang Qi, who had just gone to see Old Wang.
In an instant, the majority of the gazes fell upon them.
Li Chen looked up and stopped his random musings. Though he didn't quite agree with their decision to go running to Old Wang, he still felt rather touched inside.
"Li Chen, Old Man Wang wants you to go to his office. Go change out of those wet clothes and blow-dry your hair." Zhen Yao walked right up to Li Chen's desk, then glanced over at Gu Xirou. "Classmate Gu Xirou, are you alright?"
Gu Xirou lifted her head, her soft and gentle voice ringing out: "Class monitor, I'm fine. Thanks to Li Chen protecting me, otherwise I would have been the one drenched in water."
How utterly hateful!
Though Zhen Yao had already guessed the rough course of events, she still couldn't help but feel angry. Being a girl herself, she knew all too well what a basin of water dumped on Gu Xirou would have looked like.
"There are only twenty-something days left until graduation. If you need anything during this time, you can always come to me. As class monitor, I'll definitely help you."
"Thank you, Class monitor."
Zhen Yao turned her gaze back to Li Chen. "Are you still going to see Old Man Wang?"
Because she noticed that the wet clothes on Li Chen had already been changed, and he was even wearing a girl's school jacket.
"Not going. I have clothes to wear, and my hair is already dried. As for my pants, I'll just make do with them for the afternoon."
What a joke—could anyone else's clothes compare to Gu Xirou's jacket?
Even a fool would know how to choose.
In the front row, Fang Qi bumped her elbow against Shen Qinglan's and asked, "Lanlan, why didn't you go with me just now?"
"I didn't want to go!" The mere thought of the recent scene filled Shen Qinglan with annoyance, and she gritted her teeth. "Protecting someone unfamiliar and getting soaked—he deserved it anyway."
Originally, all of that was supposed to belong to her alone...