"Bai Fengjiu is a chivalrous Woman of the jianghu, always ready to right a wrong, offering help when others are in need. She is beautiful, kind-hearted, powerful, and when she calls, followers flock to her. Her Iron Palm shakes the three rivers, and her divine might covers the five peaks…" Simon praised her endlessly.
However, his deskmate ignored him.
It was lunchtime, a rare moment of leisure in the day, and everyone let out their pent-up frustrations from the morning. The cafeteria was always noisy, with people occasionally doing astonishing things, such as shrieking dramatically after being sprayed with food. At such times, a loud cheer would spread like lightning, drawing everyone's attention.
Simon and his deskmate, Bai Fengjiu, were crouched in an inconspicuous corner of the cafeteria, sitting opposite each other. However, Bai Fengjiu kept her head down, silently eating. Simon turned his head to look behind Bai Fengjiu, where Su Xiangli was secretly observing.
And behind Simon's right, his mischievous friends were also lurking subtly.
Su Xiangli made a gesture like, "How is it going?" Simon subtly shook his head.
Zou Jiaqi turned to ask Zhang Yingxuan, "Su Xiangli drew a circle with her finger near her ear, what does that mean?"
"I don't know," Zhang Yingxuan gnawed on a chicken leg.
Wei Changjun pondered, "Is she saying her ears are dirty? Uh, no, is she saying her hair is too messy?"
Zhou Ping squinted, his head drooping in dejection, his eyes fixed blankly on his meal tray. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. During class that morning, he had been reprimanded by the math teacher and told to stand at the back of the classroom, where he then fell asleep standing up for a while.
Zhang Yingxuan patted Zhou Ping, "Don't fall asleep. Another sleepless night?"
"Not bad…" The intense neural stimulation from the simulation pod game normally wouldn't be an issue, but unfortunately, Zhou Ping was suffering from some neurasthenia, making it very difficult for him to fall asleep, especially at night.
Zou Jiaqi then whispered, "Hey, hey, hey, Su Xiangli just drew a line across her neck. Is she saying Simon is dead meat?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, probably," everyone chuckled lightly.
Zhou Ping also found it amusing, but he lacked the energy, so he merely grinned, his downward gaze making him look like he was smirking. No one paid attention, and after foolishly amusing himself for a while, he returned to his expressionless, tired state.
"They're gone, Simon and the Class Teacher are gone, Su Xiangli is gone too." Zou Jiaqi sighed regretfully, "Alright, today's show ends here. Tonight, we'll properly interrogate that scumbag—no, that Casanova—on how he flirted with another pretty girl right in front of his girlfriend."
"Tsk tsk tsk," everyone had turned into merciless smacking machines, "This Simon is truly ruthless!"
"Alright, eat, eat."
The short lunch break quickly ended, and everyone walked towards the teaching building together. Zhang Yingxuan put his arm around Zhou Ping's shoulder, concerned about his good friend's living situation, "How are things with you and those roommates?"
"Not bad." Zhou Ping was quite energetic when walking, "Nothing much to talk about." Roommate relationships these days were just like that; everyone had independent bedrooms. If the relationship was good, like in Apartment 12, Room 612, where Simon lived, everyone would always be laughing and talking, helping each other out. If the relationship was not good, roommates might not even speak ten sentences to each other over a semester. Zhou Ping's relationship with his roommates was like that of neighbors, not bad, but only nodding acquaintances.
Zhou Ping didn't have many friends either, besides Zhang Yingxuan and his group, there were only a few classmates with similar grades: meaning the dregs who were at the bottom together.
When he first came to Class 1, a relative helped him. There were actually five other students like him. His student ID number was fourth from the bottom, so it was certain that those with ID numbers after him were there through connections. Now he remained in Class 1, while the other five connected students had all been weeded out.
He never paid attention in elementary school, but in middle school, he had to work hard. Wouldn't it be embarrassing to be weeded out? If he ended up in the elite class, or even the regular class, how could he chat properly with his old classmates?
A young man always cares about his reputation.
…
Simon found Bai Fengjiu's roommate, also a classmate, a girl named Mao Yuqiu, with whom he often interacted.
She also studied painting. Simon would assign her some blackboard drawing tasks, mainly the formalistic content. Whenever it came to this, Simon felt as if a nerve in his brain snapped, and his mind went blank.
During the afternoon self-study period, Simon boldly walked from the back row to the very front. He leaned down and smiled at Mao Yuqiu, "Classmate Maoqiu."
Mao Yuqiu subtly recoiled a bit, "Classmate deer head." This girl was short and frail, with pale skin and three to five faint acne spots on her face. Her personality was a bit too mature; she looked like a little sister but spoke with the demeanor of an older sister.
Simon quietly glanced at the back row, his deskmate was quietly doing her homework. He relaxed and cupped his hands to Mao Yuqiu, "Please come to the infirmary to find me after school. There are some things I'd like to ask you about."
"I'll see if I have time," Mao Yuqiu glanced at the classroom front door, "By the way, the Class Teacher is right at the door."
Xiao Lu pretended to be calm, "Please do come, little brother is leaving first."
"Simon, come out for a moment."
A ripple of laughter spread through the classroom.
"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and do your homework! The academic exam is coming soon, do you still have time to laugh?"
Upon entering the office, Simon saw Zhou Ping. He then understood why his seat was empty during self-study. He had thought Zhou Ping was just dawdling after lunch, but he had come directly to the office.
As the saying goes, when two troubled brothers meet, their spirits immediately lift. Simon mouthed: What's wrong with you? Zhou Ping subtly shook his head.
The Class Teacher smiled at the scene, "Still using secret signals, your relationship is quite good."
Simon offered a forced smile, "We're all buddies."
The Class Teacher nodded. She sat in a comfortable armchair, her head of big wavy hair like a sleeping mat, almost burying her face. The eyes of the irritable Woman in menopause often sparkled, as if they could shoot out burning electricity.
"Since your relationship is good, you must know about Zhou Ping's recent behavior in class, right?"
Simon hesitated, turning to look at Zhou Ping, who had his head down, his back slumped, looking utterly unmotivated.
The Class Teacher said sternly, "Several subject teachers have reported to me that someone in our class frequently sleeps in class. I originally thought it was Ma Yuanhui, but it turns out to be Zhou Ping."
Ma Yuanhui was the class's sleeping god; he had no other hobbies but sleeping, especially during break times, where he could fall soundly asleep as soon as he put his head down. Despite his laziness, his grades remained in the middle, truly a smart person. The Class Teacher had advised him several times to work harder, and he always listened humbly but never changed his ways.
Zhou Ping's voice was low, "Teacher, I was wrong, I'll try my best to correct it."
The Class Teacher gave him a sidelong glance, her arrogant expression quite irritating. Simon quickly coughed, "Don't worry, Teacher Wei, I will definitely help Zhou Ping get his state back on track."
"Hmm, I've always trusted you. Zhou Ping, you can go back first."
The Class Teacher began to ramble on about Simon and Su Xiangli's relationship. She didn't oppose their feelings, and the reason was simple: good grades. Simon was the top student in his grade, and Su Xiangli, a student with special talents, also had excellent academic performance in cultural subjects, which truly made all teachers like her.
Those with good grades are called a golden couple, a good match; those with poor grades are called a foolish couple, a doomed relationship—it's that simple.
Simon vaguely responded to the Class Teacher's concern. He turned his head and saw Zhou Ping's back in the hallway, an indescribable sense of loneliness about him.
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