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Zhu Xingyao looked at Lu Ji and softly apologized: “I probably won’t have time before the monthly exam. My National Day holiday is also fully booked. Let’s talk about it when I have time.”
Lu Ji licked his lips and nodded lightly: “Alright.”
Zhou Yuan wanted to beat his chest in frustration. Brother, couldn’t you be a little more assertive?
The onlookers were half-satisfied, at least… Lu Ji, the school god, had asked out the school goddess! This was solid proof!
Lin Jiayu was completely oblivious. She responded with an “Oh,” checked that no teachers were around, then handed her phone to Jiang Tu: “Is your phone out of battery? Who do you want to call?”
The phone rested in Jiang Tu’s palm. He paused for a moment, gripping it firmly and murmuring: “Let’s call Brother Liang.”
Zhu Xingyao emerged carrying her heavy bag, waved to Lin Jiayu and Jiang Tu, then pulled Li Xixi away.
Soon after, Lu Ji, Zhou Yuan, and Xu Xiangyang also left. They walked behind Zhu Xingyao, and Xu Xiangyang called out to Li Xixi: “Hey, Li Xixi, do you have some kind of issue with me?”
By the time they reached the first floor, Li Xixi turned around, her face cold: “Oh, so boys really do have a seven-second memory, huh?”
Xu Xiangyang: “…”
He glanced at Zhou Yuan and Lu Ji.
Lu Ji chuckled: “Girls can hold grudges sometimes.”
Xu Xiangyang: “…”
Zhou Yuan patted his shoulder: “You laughed at her during freshman year when she dressed as a boy for that talent show, calling her underdeveloped. Girls are very sensitive about that, especially those who are… flat-chested.”
As soon as Zhou Yuan finished speaking, he sensed Li Xixi glaring daggers at him.
He forced a laugh and ran off.
Xu Xiangyang: “…”
Realization dawned on him, and he tried to say something to smooth things over. But Zhu Xingyao, with a blank expression, interjected: “I suggest none of you speak right now. Whoever speaks will die faster.”
With that, she dragged the furious Li Xixi away, averting a potential bloodbath.
It could be considered… compensation for rejecting Lu Ji’s invitation.
________________________________________
On the third floor.
Lin Jiayu and a few classmates leaned against the corridor railing, watching the drama unfold with great interest. She even giggled, drawing the attention of those below. When she saw Lu Ji narrow his eyes, she quickly covered her mouth and turned away.
The next moment, her phone was shoved back into her hands.
Jiang Tu turned and walked away. She hesitated for a moment, then called out: “Are you done?”
Without looking back, Jiang Tu replied: “Yes, I’m heading to the shop now.”
Lin Jiayu responded with an “Oh” and glanced at the call log—completely empty. Confused, she turned to look downstairs. Jiang Tu had already reached the ground floor, his tall and lean figure walking briskly toward the bike shed.
________________________________________
“Seriously, Lu Ji mentioned last night that he’d treat Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi to dinner.”
“He invited two people? That doesn’t count as solid evidence!”
“Not evidence enough? Do you think Lu Ji is pursuing Li Xixi? I’ll bet my head he isn’t! He clearly has feelings for Zhu Xingyao! Inviting Li Xixi was just a bonus since she’s close to Zhu Xingyao. He’s trying to win her goodwill, obviously.”
“Lu Ji and Zhu Xingyao do make a good pair. But… Zhu Xingyao is going abroad, right? Are they planning a long-distance relationship before they’ve even started?”
…
The next day, everyone was discussing last night’s events. For a while, it seemed like the idea of Lu Ji pursuing Zhu Xingyao had become accepted as fact in everyone’s eyes. When Zhu Xingyao heard these rumors, she was still somewhat bewildered.
The monthly exam was approaching—how did they still have the energy to gossip?
Li Xixi said: “It’s because both you and Lu Ji are famous, so people pay extra attention. Look at others—do they get this much attention?”
Zhu Xingyao paused from writing German vocabulary words and sighed: “I don’t want this kind of attention at all.”
Suddenly, a crumpled piece of paper appeared on their desk.
Both girls looked up.
Li Xixi unfolded it directly.
Xu Xiangyang: I take back what I said earlier. Sorry, Li Xixi.
His handwriting was actually quite nice, but Li Xixi’s face darkened instantly. Last night, she had dreamed that she would remain flat-chested for life. Without hesitation, she scribbled back: Can you take back the urine you’ve already peed out?
Xu Xiangyang: …
Black lines appeared on his forehead. He finally understood what Lu Ji meant—girls could indeed hold grudges. Li Xixi’s words were truly philosophical. How could he take back urine once it was out? Drink it back in? Xu Xiangyang, known for his boldness and popularity, had never encountered someone he couldn’t win over—until now. He had stumbled upon Li Xixi, and she hated him.
During breaks, Zhang Sheng persistently urged everyone to sign up for the school sports meet. All the tangled dramas were temporarily set aside with the monthly exam looming, let alone the sports meet. Few people showed interest.
Annoyed by Zhang Sheng’s persistence, Zhu Xingyao said: “I’ll sign up for high jump.”
Zhang Sheng scratched his head: “Xia Jin has already signed up for that. She won first place last year.”
Xia Jin had been learning ballet since childhood, with a light body and excellent jumping ability. Last year, Zhu Xingyao had also participated in the high jump and came in second. Since Xia Jin was competing again, Zhu Xingyao changed her mind: “Then I’ll sign up for… long jump.”
“…She’s also signed up for long jump.”
“…”
In short, Xia Jin had monopolized all the jumping events.
Zhu Xingyao looked up and smiled: “Then I’ll sign up for the 100-meter race.”
There were fewer girls in the science class, so participating in one event was unavoidable—it was better to pick an easier one early on.
Zhang Sheng felt that Zhu Xingyao was giving him face, and happily wrote her name down. Then, looking up at Jiang Tu sitting behind them, his expression suddenly changed, and he sneered: “Jiang Tu, you should sign up for two events too. All the boys over 180 cm in our class are signing up for at least two events...”
“1500 meters and 3000 meters.”
Jiang Tu coldly interrupted him.
Zhang Sheng had fully expected Jiang Tu to refuse, but to his surprise, Jiang Tu agreed so readily that it left him momentarily speechless. After writing down his name, Zhang Sheng muttered something under his breath and walked away.
Few people signed up for long-distance running, let alone the two most challenging events. Yet Jiang Tu had gone ahead and registered for both.
Jiang Tu looked up, meeting Zhu Xingyao’s smiling eyes. During the last physical education class, she had been chatting with Li Xixi about the school sports meet when she turned and casually said: “Tu Ge, you could participate in long-distance running. When the time comes, Xixi and I will cheer you on and bring you water.”
He wondered if she still remembered?
Of course, Zhu Xingyao remembered—she wasn’t a goldfish with a seven-second memory.
She smiled beautifully, her voice soft and light: “Tu Ge, do your best. Xixi and I will cheer you on and bring you water.”
After all, Jiang Tu was only close to her and Li Xixi in the entire class!
During the break, Jiang Tu took off his glasses to rest his eyes. His hand rested on the windowsill, his dark eyes quietly observing her. He nodded slightly—that was exactly what he wanted, something he could hold in the palm of his hand.
________________________________________
At the end of September, due to the upcoming National Day holiday, the school didn’t give students the last weekend off and instead held exams.
After two days of monthly exams, there were only two days left until the holiday began. The school, in a rare show of mercy, announced that results would be released after the holiday, leaving the students joyfully anticipating their mini-vacation.
That week, Zhu Xingyao received another letter from J.
Perhaps because he couldn’t deliver it during the holiday, he sent it early? Li Xixi remarked: “See how thoughtful J is? You wouldn’t even agree to have a meal with him, yet you’re happy just reading his letters.”
Zhu Xingyao explained: “I really don’t have time. Besides, haven’t we been eating together at the cafeteria during lunch?”
Indeed, they had shared meals at the cafeteria several times.
Li Xixi rested her head on the desk: “That doesn’t count, Stars! He wants a date—a proper one-on-one!”
“I really don’t have time,” Zhu Xingyao insisted. Her classes ended late, and she couldn’t make him wait. Moreover, reading a letter didn’t require facing Lu Ji or interpreting his expressions—it was relaxing and felt completely different.
Li Xixi: “…”
All she could say was that Lu Ji was in a tough spot.
J wished her a pleasant holiday.
Zhu Xingyao, carrying a pile of books and two letters, stood at the usual spot waiting for the driver. A few minutes later, just as she was about to get into the car, she saw Lin Jiayu being supported by a female classmate, hopping painfully toward the school gate.
Startled, Zhu Xingyao hurried over: “Jiayu, what happened?”
Lin Jiayu’s face was pale, sweat beading on her forehead—clearly, she was in significant pain. The classmate assisting her looked up, her eyes lighting up as if she’d found a savior: “Ah, Zhu Xingyao, can your family’s car take Lin Jiayu? She sprained her ankle while practicing high jump earlier... We’re not sure how serious it is...”
Zhu Xingyao glanced at Lin Jiayu and, without hesitation, supported her: “Let’s go to the hospital. If it’s a ligament injury, it could be serious.”
Thinking about the hefty medical expenses at a hospital, Lin Jiayu, despite her pain, shook her head urgently: “No need, no need. There’s a small clinic in Hexi Alley—it’s much cheaper, and... I think it’s fine. It hurt a lot earlier, but it’s a bit better now.”
“Can they take X-rays there?” Zhu Xingyao frowned.
“…I don’t think so.”
“Then let’s go to the People’s Hospital,” Zhu Xingyao suggested, thinking for a moment before adding a small fib: “My mom is a doctor at the hospital. We can get a discount—it’ll cost about the same as the clinic.”
Lin Jiayu, who had never been to a major hospital in her life, trusted Zhu Xingyao completely.
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