DXXZL - 32

“Me!”

“And me!”

“Me, me, me!” A group of boys started shouting enthusiastically. Li Xixi immediately turned around and shouted angrily, “Don’t even think about it! As long as I’m here, none of you will get near our Xingyao!”

Ding Xiang chuckled. “What about me?”

Li Xixi rolled her eyes. “You’re no exception. I don’t trust anyone.” She paused for a moment, glancing at Jiang Tu, who was quietly sharpening his pencil with a cold expression. “Unless it’s Brother Tu—only Brother Tu is safe.”

Zhu Xingyao was momentarily stunned and looked toward Jiang Tu.

Jiang Tu put down the knife and raised his eyes to look at her. “Do you want to sit next to me?”

Zhu Xingyao hesitated. “...No.”

Jiang Tu lowered his gaze, concealing his disappointment, and said nothing more. He pulled over the draft paper she had been pressing on and continued explaining the problem to her.

The commotion over changing seats passed quickly, and the midterm exam arrived as scheduled. Because the test results were tied to their homeroom teacher’s personal happiness, everyone felt a sense of urgency. Once they heard that the papers had been graded, students rushed to the office.

Teacher Xie Ya and Cao Shujun had just returned from a homeroom teacher meeting when they saw the office door blocked by students from Class 1 and Class 2. Xie Ya frowned and called out, “What are you all doing here?”

The students turned around upon seeing them and smiled sheepishly, shaking their heads. “Nothing, nothing...”

Clearly, something was up!

Xie Ya adjusted her glasses and asked sternly, “Then why are you all blocking the entrance?”

“We just wanted to check our scores...”

Cao Shujun’s brow twitched slightly, and he cleared his throat. “Everyone, go back to your classrooms. The papers will be handed out during each subject’s class.”

The crowd dispersed, but Xie Ya still felt something was off. Just as a few teachers sat down, Zhou Yuan suddenly popped his head in through the window and loudly declared, “Teacher Xie, don’t worry! If you don’t want to have dinner with Teacher Cao, we’ll all protect you!”

Xie Ya: “...”

Cao Shujun: “...”

He coughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact with Xie Ya.

After shouting, Zhou Yuan ran off. Xu Xiangyang kicked him from behind. “Are you insane?!”

Zhou Yuan brushed the dust off his butt and turned around. “We’re not in the same class anymore. What brotherhood? It’s temporarily dissolved.”

Though Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi hadn’t joined the crowd outside the office, they were waiting under the shade of a nearby tree. Upon hearing Zhou Yuan’s comment, Li Xixi rolled her eyes. “What if Teacher Xie actually wants to go out with Old Cao but couldn’t bring herself to agree? You guys from Class 2 are so clueless! This concerns your homeroom teacher’s lifelong happiness!”

Nearby, Zhang Sheng chimed in with a smirk. “Exactly! Teacher Xie is almost 32, right? We’ve never seen anyone pursue her. Old Cao is three or four years younger than her and not bad-looking either. What’s there to be dissatisfied about? Be careful, or she might end up an old maid.”

Zhu Xingyao turned to look at him, frowning. “So what if she’s 32? Whether she marries or not is her own business. Everyone ages. Isn’t it too much to mock a teacher based on her age?”

Since the accidental incident at the school sports meet, Zhang Sheng hadn’t dared to speak much in front of Zhu Xingyao. Now, his face turned beet red.

Li Xixi sighed and shook her head. “Forget it. Let’s go back.”

Some people just can’t change. No point hoping otherwise.

Zhu Xingyao nodded and returned to the classroom with Li Xixi.

Zhang Sheng stood rooted to the spot for a moment before kicking the tree trunk and cursing under his breath, “Damn!”

Cao Ming sympathetically patted his shoulder and gave a perfunctory consolation. “Forget it. Don’t argue with girls.”

Inside the office, once the students outside had dispersed, Xie Ya turned to Cao Shujun, frowning. “What’s going on?”

Other teachers covered their mouths and laughed, winking suggestively at the two. “Teacher Xie, didn’t you know? Class 1 and Class 2 made a bet! They said that if Class 1 surpasses Class 2’s average score this time, you’ll agree to become Teacher Cao’s girlfriend.”

Xie Ya: “...”

She stared at Cao Shujun, dumbfounded, unable to believe how shameless he could be. Cao Shujun’s face reddened slightly, and he coughed. “Not becoming a girlfriend—just having dinner together.” He paused, then added, “But if you... agreed to become my girlfriend, that would be even better.”

Xie Ya: “...”

Her face suddenly grew warm. This homeroom teacher of Class 1 was truly shameless.

Several teachers teased them further. “Exactly! Why not just agree to be his girlfriend?”

Cao Shujun: “Would you agree?”

Xie Ya’s ears turned red. Despite being 31, she suddenly felt like a shy young girl. She gritted her teeth. “Anyway, Class 1 will never beat Class 2.”

Unbeknownst to them, these words somehow spread, and soon the corridor buzzed with tension between the two classes. Students from Class 2 taunted, “Teacher Xie is right. Your class always ranks last anyway. Our class has consistently ranked first in average scores. What’s there to fear?”

Ding Xiang leaned against the railing and called out, “For the sake of both homeroom teachers’ happiness, can your class just let us win this time?”

Lu Ji tilted his head and chuckled. “How? Should we flush it down the toilet?”

Xu Xiangyang laughed. “Damn!”

Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi passed by, smiling as they entered the classroom. By the afternoon, the midterm average scores were announced. Class 2 remained firmly in first place, while Class 1 came in second to last. Upon hearing the results, Xu Xiangyang sighed. “It’s over. Old Cao’s date and girlfriend dreams are gone.”

Li Xixi turned and said, “There’s still the monthly exam and the final exam.”

Xu Xiangyang looked at her. “I’m talking to you, Li Xixi. If only you hadn’t refused to sit next to me for tutoring. If you scored 20 more points in physics and math, maybe our class average would’ve gone up.”

Ding Xiang turned around and said, “Class President, why do you insist on sitting next to Li Xixi?”

Some boys hollered, “Yeah! Why?”

Another voice teased, “Do you like her?”

Everyone burst into laughter, turning to watch the spectacle.

Li Xixi: “...”

Her ears turned red as she hurriedly clarified, “Stop spreading nonsense! Who likes him?!”

Xu Xiangyang clicked his tongue. “Li Xixi, don’t talk nonsense. You might regret it later.” After pausing, he glanced at everyone and grinned. “Don’t listen to their nonsense. I’m just doing this for the class average.”

Everyone erupted into laughter. Though Li Xixi prided herself on her thick skin, she blushed this time. Turning back, she whispered to Zhu Xingyao, “Why is Xu Xiangyang like this? I never realized how shameless he was before...”

Zhu Xingyao looked at her and blinked. “So, do you want to sit next to him?”

Li Xixi hesitated for a moment before quickly replying, “No.”

Zhu Xingyao called her bluff. “I think you actually want to. If you do, just go ahead. I can sit with anyone. Xu Xiangyang is right—he has plenty of time, and it would be good for him to tutor you.”

Li Xixi felt conflicted. She and Zhu Xingyao had been desk-mates for nearly two years, and the thought of changing that felt strange... She huffed. “No way. Brother Tu can also help me with my problems. Why does it have to be him?” After a pause, she added in a softer tone, “If we don’t beat Class 2 by the final exams, then... we’ll see. We can’t let it affect Old Cao’s pursuit of his wife, right?”

Zhu Xingyao chuckled softly. “Right, right, right.”

During the class meeting, Cao Shujun once again employed his roundabout strategy. Smiling, he said, “Everyone, work hard! If our class average surpasses Class 2’s in the final exams, Teacher Xie will agree to become my girlfriend. Whether this happens or not depends on all of you.”

The students erupted into another chorus of “Wow!”

Xu Xiangyang, as the class monitor, confidently assured him, “Old Cao, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on everyone for you.”

Everyone laughed.

After the midterm exams, the rivalry between Class 1 and Class 2 intensified. The motivation to study reached unprecedented levels. Director Liu had initially planned to scold Cao Shujun, accusing him of setting a bad example. But after seeing how fiercely competitive both classes were, he shook his head and said, “Alright, alright. Everyone seems motivated to study, so let’s leave it at that. Just don’t pull any stunts like this again. However... Xiao Xie, Xiao Cao is a good guy. What are you hesitating about?”

Cao Shujun smiled faintly, while Xie Ya shot him a glare.

One morning, Zhu Xingyao noticed Ding Xiang still copying homework and couldn’t help but mutter, “Brother Tu, stop letting him copy. Let him do it himself. If he scores a few more points on the exam, maybe Teacher Cao will finally get his girlfriend.”

The weather had grown warmer, and the students had switched to their summer uniforms. Zhu Xingyao rested her slender, fair-skinned arm on Jiang Tu’s desk. His gaze shifted from her hand to her face, and he simply said, “Alright.” Then, without hesitation, he reached out and snatched Ding Xiang’s workbook away.

Ding Xiang: “...”

He stared blankly at Jiang Tu, his face falling. “Brother Tu, seriously?”

Jiang Tu remained expressionless. “Zhu Xingyao is right. You need to put in the effort yourself. Even if it’s not for the homeroom teacher, the final exams will determine class restructuring. If you don’t want to be moved to a regular class, you’d better start practicing more.”

Though usually cold and indifferent, even somewhat aloof, Jiang Tu occasionally softened. This was one of those moments.

Zhu Xingyao looked at him and smiled. “Brother Tu is right.”

She turned back to her seat and glanced out the window. Jiang Tu gazed at her profile. If only things could be this simple between them—if only he could earn her admiration by excelling in exams or securing a spot through physics competitions.

That would be ideal.

But reality was often cruel.

On May 12, 2008, the Wenchuan earthquake struck, and even high-rise buildings in Jiangcheng felt the tremors. During class, Zhu Xingyao received a call from Zhu Yunping, who had already rushed down from his office and immediately called his daughter.

Zhu Xingyao stepped into the hallway to answer the call, slightly dazed. “I’m fine.”

Soon, chaos erupted throughout the school as students began receiving calls from their parents or relatives. Some burst into tears, crying, “My dad is there...”

In the days that followed, anyone who watched the disaster relief news fell silent. Ding Xiang, his eyes red, muttered, “I didn’t really have any dreams before, but now I think I’ll join the military. Soldiers look cool.”

Jiang Tu glanced at him and said, “Yeah, they do. Good luck.”

Ding Xiang was taken aback. “Brother Tu, I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard you encourage someone.”

Later, the school organized a donation drive. Jiang Tu pulled 800 yuan from his pocket and dropped it into the donation box. When Xu Xiangyang recorded the amount, he froze. Zhang Sheng noticed and remarked, “Jiang Tu, you don’t need to donate so much. Aren’t you practically broke? Stop pretending to be generous...”

Jiang Tu turned to glare at him, his eyes icy. “Are you even human when you talk like that?”

The others also turned to look at Zhang Sheng, who suddenly felt deeply ashamed, especially when he caught a glimpse of the disgust in Zhu Xingyao’s eyes. He pushed past the people around him and hurried out of the classroom. Both Zhu Xingyao and Xia Jin made substantial donations. Upon seeing how much Zhu Xingyao had given, Xia Jin added more to her own contribution.

Back at their seats.

Li Xixi whispered to Zhu Xingyao, “Sometimes, Brother Tu is really cool, really handsome.”

Zhu Xingyao nodded. “Yeah.”

She glanced back at Jiang Tu, who sat leaning back in his chair, his gaze meeting hers. Zhu Xingyao pursed her lips and turned back, thinking that 500 yuan must have been a significant amount for him, yet he hadn’t hesitated to donate it.

As May passed, everyone’s focus gradually shifted to preparing for the final exams.

The final exams were scheduled for July 5th and 6th. On the Friday before the exams, Zhu Xingyao received a letter from a “J” classmate.

It was written in German: “Good luck on your exams.”

She was momentarily stunned and turned to ask Li Xixi, “Does Lu Ji know German?”

Li Xixi was also surprised. After thinking for a moment, she went to ask Xu Xiangyang, who replied, “Ah, he recently bought a dictionary and a few books...”

This was the first time Zhu Xingyao doubted the identity of the “J” classmate, but her suspicions were dispelled after hearing Xu Xiangyang’s response.

Coincidentally, Li Xixi’s birthday fell on July 5th.

Xu Xiangyang told Zhu Xingyao that he planned to confess to Li Xixi and asked for her help.