Chapter 23

Xu Zhilu listened to his shameless remarks and immediately refused, “No.”

“The car window is more comfortable,” she added.

Shen Siyan replied, “Oh.”

He said, “That’s not possible.”

Xu Zhilu didn’t want to argue about this somewhat awkward topic and said, “Stop talking. I want to sleep.”

Shen Siyan chuckled lightly, speechless, at her attempt to escape.

But he didn’t press further and responded calmly, “Alright, I’ll ask again later.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

Was this person acting strangely?

She had no idea why Shen Siyan seemed so different.

The two lapsed into silence.

Xu Zhilu was no longer tired and began to look out the window. On a Saturday morning, the roads were less congested than on weekdays, appearing much emptier.

She gazed at the busy traffic with a wandering look in her eyes.

After a while, she withdrew her gaze, rubbed her eyes, and closed them again.

Shen Siyan glanced at her a couple of times but didn’t disturb her.

–

Upon arriving at the lecture hall, Xu Zhilu and the others were directed by their teacher to the back to prepare.

In addition to students from their school, many others from different schools were participating in the competition.

Since Shen Siyan was not a participant, he couldn’t go backstage.

He looked around and said calmly, “Do you need some water?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Shen Siyan nodded and said, “I’ll go downstairs and wait for Cheng Song and the others.”

“Okay.”

Xu Zhilu pointed towards the entrance. “Then I’ll go in.”

Shen Siyan nodded.

After watching Xu Zhilu enter, Shen Siyan found a seat outside, lounging lazily.

Many students who came to watch the speeches noticed him, but seeing his indifferent demeanor, they didn’t dare to approach.

Unlike Shen Siyan, who appeared relaxed, Xu Zhilu was still nervous.

However, she felt okay.

She was quite confident in herself, but even so, Xu Zhilu read her speech a few more times. She wanted to give her speech without a script. After all, she had lived a few years longer than others, so she couldn’t afford to perform poorly.

Hiding in a corner, Xu Zhilu unexpectedly bumped into Peng Jin.

Peng Jin greeted her with a smile. “Still reciting?”

Xu Zhilu nodded.

Peng Jin studied her for a moment before looking away. “Nervous?”

“Not really.”

“Relax. Which number did you draw?”

“Center position.”

Peng Jin smiled. “That’s a good spot. I’m in the front.”

“….Oh.”

They chatted briefly. Xu Zhilu was always reserved with friends she wasn’t very familiar with—neither warm nor cold, and her personality was rather unremarkable.

Peng Jin didn’t mind her attitude. He chatted with her for a while before pointing to his schoolmates. “I’m going over there now. I look forward to your performance.”

Xu Zhilu nodded. “Thank you. Keep going.”

Peng Jin smiled. “Good luck.”

Soon, the competition officially began.

This was a city competition. The top three would advance to the provincial competition, and the winners of the provincial competition would go on to the national English speaking competition.

The competition had limited registration requirements; only high school students were eligible.

Xu Zhilu and her classmates could watch and hear other students’ speeches from backstage.

While other students were giving their speeches, she stood by and observed, learning from their performances.

Peng Jin was the fifth speaker.

Xu Zhilu didn’t know much about him, but she knew Peng Jin was a top student with excellent grades. They had met a few times in college, but since they were in different majors and the school was large, they rarely saw each other.

Listening to Peng Jin’s fluent English speech, Xu Zhilu raised her eyebrows in surprise.

Although she knew he was exceptional, she didn’t expect a high school student to be so outstanding. His speech was fluent, with minimal accent, and his English pronunciation was impressive.

Not only Xu Zhilu thought so, but several other classmates around her also commented.

“Wow! This boy has a great voice.”

“His pronunciation is incredibly accurate. Very impressive.”

“He’s also very handsome! This kind of guy is too perfect.”

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

“How could a college bully have a girlfriend?” someone remarked. “I heard Peng Jin is the top student at No. 1 Middle School. He’s outstanding in every way.”

…

Xu Zhilu couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the girls’ conversation.

It was clear that wherever there were many women, whether in high school or college, there would be plenty of gossip.

She listened and smiled silently.

After Peng Jin, other students took the stage.

His performance was consistently stable, and he showed no signs of nervousness. Overall, he did very well.

After he finished his speech and stepped down from the stage, he smiled at Xu Zhilu as he passed by her. “Good luck. It’s your turn now.”

Xu Zhilu: “…”

As soon as Peng Jin left, the girls around Xu Zhilu turned to her.

“Do you know Peng Jin?”

“Huh?”

Xu Zhilu looked at them, puzzled. “What’s up?”

“Do you know Peng Jin?”

Before Xu Zhilu could answer, a classmate next to her said, “Of course she knows him. Didn’t they both participate in an English competition together last year?”

“Oh?” someone asked in surprise.

The girl looked at Xu Zhilu with bright eyes and asked, “Zhilu, are you familiar with Peng Jin?”

Xu Zhilu shook her head. “Not really.”

“…Really?” The girl muttered in disbelief. “He even took the initiative to greet you.”