Shí Yǎn felt that Shū Chéng had been acting a bit strange these past two days.
He seemed to be avoiding him.
Just like now, Táng Zhuōkǎi said he wouldn't be eating with them at noon. He had lost a bet to Táo Xiǎowēi and had to treat her to bibimbap off campus.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shū Chéng immediately added, "I'm not going to the cafeteria either."
Shí Yǎn's eyes moved slightly, his searching gaze scrutinizing him. This wasn't the first time. "You want to go for bibimbap too!"
Táng Zhuōkǎi got anxious, "Hey, hey, hey, Little Chéng, it's hard enough for me to get a chance to be alone with my goddess. Don't you butt in."
Shū Chéng pursed his lips and said, "I just don't want to go to the cafeteria."
Shí Yǎn looked at him for a long time, then said no more and got up to leave.
Táng Zhuōkǎi was also a bit puzzled, but Táo Xiǎowēi was already calling him. He scurried over, "Coming, coming, let's go!"
Everyone in the classroom had gone to eat, and it instantly went from noisy to quiet. Shū Chéng sat at his desk, lost in thought.
Being too reliant on someone is not good!
No one will be with you forever!
When the time comes to leave, it's better to adapt to being alone now, rather than maintaining distance. Didn't Lín Dàiyù say it's better not to meet at all!
Shū Chéng felt like laughing. He slumped over his desk. Even his parents couldn't accompany him, let alone others.
His stomach rumbled, but he had no appetite.
For the past two days, he had been trying hard to return to his previous way of life: eating alone, going to school, coming home from school. His study plan had temporarily stopped because the monthly exam had ended.
Drowsily, Shū Chéng fell asleep.
Ever since he had that dream, Shū Chéng would think of Shí Yǎn's tears whenever he saw him. This was another reason he was avoiding him.
Sounds were indistinct, and someone nudged him.
Shū Chéng turned over and continued to sleep.
The nudging became a bit heavier, and someone even called out to him, "Shū Chéng, class is starting!"
"Shí Yǎn!" Shū Chéng mumbled. He thought he was dreaming, but instantly he woke up and sat up.
Shí Yǎn looked at him, his eyes warm, but his face devoid of expression.
Teacher Qi was already standing at the podium. "The monthly exam results are out. How is it, does everyone have an idea of their grades?"
Everyone chatted softly in twos and threes. Except for Shí Yǎn and Shū Chéng; the former sat quietly, while the latter propped his head up, looking listless.
"Let's start with the school rankings. First place is..." Before Teacher Qi could speak, someone interjected.
"Shí Yǎn!"
Teacher Qi also smiled, "That's right, student Shí Yǎn performed stably and is still first place this time."
While everyone understood, they couldn't help but sigh. This was someone else's achievement.
"Next, I'd like to commend the students who have improved. The first is student Táng Zhuōkǎi. He improved rapidly. Last exam he was 15th in school, this time he's 12th. Student Táo Xiǎowēi, 27th this time. And student Chén Yún, 37th this time. Overall, our class did well this time, with stable performance. Seven students are in the top 20, and the average score is 1.2 points higher than theirs!"
There was a brief pause, and Teacher Qi continued, "What score did I ask student Shū Chéng to aim for last time?"
Hearing this, everyone detached themselves from their own scores and started paying attention to this personal drama, saying in unison, "400 points."
"Mm! It seems everyone remembers." Teacher Qi looked at Shū Chéng, "So, student Shū Chéng, would you like to guess your score first?"
"Ah, well, I'd rather not!" Shū Chéng felt like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
"Take a guess!" Táng Zhuōkǎi egged him on.
"Yeah, just guess!" Lín Ān also chimed in.
Teacher Qi glared at him, "You're involved in everything. What's your ranking this time, you tell us!"
Lín Ān hadn't expected the attention to be drawn to him and immediately fell silent.
Fortunately, Teacher Qi didn't dwell on him for too long and turned back to encourage Shū Chéng, "Come, come, student Shū Chéng, make a bold guess."
Shū Chéng, stared at by everyone, reluctantly opened his mouth, "390?"
"Why so little confidence in yourself!"
"430!"
It was Shí Yǎn who spoke, and everyone's gazes flickered towards him.
Teacher Qi smiled cheekily, "Oh my, student Shū Chéng doesn't know himself as well as his deskmate does. Your score this time is 432. Amazing! You improved by 102 points! I told you, you have a lot of room for improvement. The facts prove I was right!"
There was an uproar from the crowd. This was too exaggerated!
Shū Chéng was stunned. He looked at the teacher, then, as if waking from a dream, turned to look at Shí Yǎn. The latter was smiling and looking at him.
"Of course, student Shū Chéng's situation is special. He had a weak foundation, and with a little more effort, his grades improved significantly! But this shows what? As long as you are willing to work hard, there will always be rewards!"
While the teacher was still dishing out motivational speeches, Shū Chéng beamed back at Shí Yǎn, his face unrecognizably happy, "I got 432! It's all thanks to you!"
Shí Yǎn was visibly delighted. "That's the result of your own hard work. You did the papers, you memorized the words!"
Shū Chéng grinned foolishly, temporarily forgetting his intention to keep his distance from Shí Yǎn.
However, what Teacher Qi was saying on the podium instantly soured his mood. "The parent-teacher meeting this Friday will analyze the results of this monthly exam and the situation for the second year. National Day is approaching in a few days, so all parents must attend this time."
Parents!
Shū Chéng thought of his solitary state and couldn't think of any parent who could come!
What about Cáo Méi? She said she was going away for a while!
Shū Qiáng? Shū Chéng didn't even know if he remembered he had a son.
He had given him some money once after the divorce, and they hadn't contacted each other since.
He had improved, but no one was happy for him!
Except for Shí Yǎn!
It was Shí Yǎn again!
Only Shí Yǎn!
Shí Yǎn saw his immediate dejection and vaguely guessed that his family situation was special.
He wanted to ask but didn't know where to start, so he pretended not to notice.
As soon as class ended, Táng Zhuōkǎi said triumphantly, "I think my parents will be fighting to come this time. I'm finally a few steps closer to the top 10!"
No one paid him any attention!
"Shí Yǎn, who from your family is coming?"
Shí Yǎn hesitated for a moment, "Maybe my mom!"
"Shū Chéng, what about you?" Táng Zhuōkǎi turned the question back to Shū Chéng.
Shū Chéng didn't reply. Instead, he walked towards Qí Lǔnán, who was still at the podium, being stopped by classmates.
Táng Zhuōkǎi looked at him, then at Shí Yǎn, and didn't react.
Shí Yǎn watched silently. Shū Chéng at this moment looked a bit pitiful.
"Teacher Qi, I want to ask for leave from the parent-teacher meeting!"
"Hmm?" Qí Lǔnán looked up at him, "What's wrong?"
"My family members are not available to come." Shū Chéng's face turned red, but he still managed to say it.
"Neither of your parents can make it? It's okay, if they really can't find the time, they can come see me later. You've improved a lot this time, I'm sure they'll be happy for you."
Shū Chéng bit his lip and shook his head again, "No, no one will come."
Qí Lǔnán was taken aback and said no more.
The surrounding classmates, sensing the awkward atmosphere, also fell silent.
This made it even more awkward.
Shū Chéng felt like he was being paraded through the streets, stared at by everyone, nakedly exposed.
"No one will come to my parent-teacher meeting. They never came to my previous schools either."
Qí Lǔnán noticed his embarrassment and said softly, "It's okay, we'll talk about this later. How about you be the guide student on Friday, okay?"
He was afraid Shū Chéng would feel wronged being alone that day. From his initial timidity when he first arrived to now, Shū Chéng had clearly become much more cheerful, but at this moment, he had reverted to his former self.
"It's alright, we understand if parents are busy." Qí Lǔnán patted his shoulder, "You can help the teacher then."
"Mm," Shū Chéng replied softly, looking down.
Back at his seat, Táng Zhuōkǎi looked at him, hesitating to speak several times, before trying to cover up his concern by saying, "Actually, I don't want my parents to come either. What's the point! I can already imagine my mom, she'll definitely pull the teacher aside to talk about how I don't study hard and am not attentive!"
As he spoke, he winked at Shí Yǎn, "Right, Shí Yǎn!"
Shí Yǎn didn't reply. He took a bottle of milk from his drawer and handed it to Shū Chéng, "You didn't eat lunch, did you? Have some milk!"
"Huh? Shū Chéng, you didn't eat lunch? What's wrong? Are you dieting like Wáng Yīyī and the others? You're already so thin!"
At this moment, Gāo Wěi came over, looking distressed, "Shū Chéng, you're not fair. You improved so much all at once, so the first place is mine again! I'm doomed for the parent-teacher meeting!"
Táng Zhuōkǎi put his arm around him, "Brother Wěi! Calm down, this is nothing to you!"
"Get lost!" Gāo Wěi pushed him away, "You heartless guy!"
Shū Chéng pouted, a faint smile appearing for a fleeting moment.