Chapter 33

The cafeteria at Second High School had opened a new food counter.

As soon as class ended, Qin Xiaoxiao was pulled downstairs by Yang Min, who had decided at noon that they should give it a try.

“Where’s Dong Yunfang?” Qin Xiaoxiao tried her best to keep up with Yang Min’s pace.

“Her?” Yang Min curled her lips. “She’s eating with her new deskmate.”

Dong Yunfang’s current deskmate was Bi Chun.

“Oh,” Qin Xiaoxiao responded casually, as it was just a passing question.

Yang Min seemed like she wanted to complain about something, but decided that rushing to grab lunch was more important for now and set it aside.

The new food counter was only open during dinner hours, and the number of meals available was limited.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to grab any of the scarce portions of fried rice or fried noodles.

“Sigh—” Yang Min let out a long sigh of disappointment.

Feeling that her slow pace had held them back, Qin Xiaoxiao suggested, “Maybe if you don’t drag me along tomorrow, you’ll have a better chance.”

“No, the main issue is that our teaching building is farther away, and we’re on a higher floor. Geographically, we’re at a disadvantage. We can’t compete with those first- and second-year students, especially those little first-year brats.”

Unconsciously, Yang Min had grown accustomed to identifying herself as a senior student in her third year. Whenever she mentioned the freshmen, she would adopt a tone typical of an upperclassman—one of mild disdain but with an underlying sense of superiority, just like most third-year students.

“In that case, doesn’t that mean you’ll never get a chance to eat the fried rice?”

“No,” Yang Min said with a determined expression. “I’ll find a way to eat it no matter what.”

“The day after tomorrow, during the third period in the afternoon, we have self-study. I’ll find an excuse to ask the teacher for leave and then line up at the cafeteria. Hmph!”

“…Alright then.”

“So, what are we eating now?”

Qin Xiaoxiao observed for a few seconds and pointed to the shorter line. “I’ll queue up there.” She wasn’t picky about what to eat; the priority was to get the food quickly, finish eating, and return to the dorm as soon as possible.

Coincidentally, at the end of the line was their classmate Gan Shuangxing.

Yang Min glanced at her back and winked at Qin Xiaoxiao.

Qin Xiaoxiao smiled but didn’t greet her, as they weren’t particularly close. Naturally, Yang Min, who was even less familiar with Gan Shuangxing, didn’t greet her either.

Yang Min, unable to keep quiet, started chatting while waiting in line. She leaned closer to Qin Xiaoxiao and shared a newly heard rumor: “I heard Jiang Zhousi and your club president broke up.”

“The dance club has had a change in leadership.”

“Ah, I forgot…” Yang Min stuck out her tongue. “I heard Jiang Zhousi and Fu Chunying broke up.”

“Oh.”

“They were almost at five months! I can’t believe Jiang Zhousi managed to date someone for that long.”

“Is that long?” Qin Xiaoxiao felt that Yang Min might have a slightly skewed understanding of the word “long.”

“Not long? Jiang Zhousi’s past relationships never lasted more than three months!”

“…” Qin Xiaoxiao took two steps forward. “That’s good. It’s our final year; Fu Chunying should focus on her studies now.”

Yang Min immediately widened her eyes and, after a moment, said, “Oh, my dear Xiaoxiao… your mindset is truly upright.”

“By the way, speaking of… has the school bully really turned over a new leaf recently?”

Turned over a new leaf? Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t quite understand. “What?”

“He’s been coming to class regularly, not sleeping during lessons, and even doing homework, right?”

“More or less,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied vaguely. “Doing homework” wasn’t entirely accurate—he was only working on math, physics, and biology.

“He’s really changed a lot!” Yang Min suddenly lowered her voice. “I heard you’ve even been explaining questions and concepts to him?”

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t respond.

To Yang Min, her silence was as good as confirmation.

“I’m turning into a lemon spirit out of jealousy! We’ve been desk mates for so long, and I’ve never had the privilege of your exclusive tutoring! Wah wah wah…”

“Didn’t I already tell you to focus on the lessons often enough?” Qin Xiaoxiao’s temple twitched slightly. “Besides, you’ve never asked me any questions about studying.”

“Well… our grades used to be about the same, you know. It’s only later that you skyrocketed.”

Qin Xiaoxiao raised her eyebrows slightly. “And you still didn’t ask me after that.”

Unable to win against Xiaoxiao in words, Yang Min used her index finger to poke her in the lower back.

“Stop poking,” Qin Xiaoxiao said helplessly, twisting her waist to dodge as she was ticklish.

Without paying attention, Qin Xiaoxiao accidentally bumped into Gan Shuangxing’s arm in front of her. She quickly said, “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” Gan Shuangxing replied softly, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s buzz.

There were still five or six classmates ahead in line. Yang Min ran to the front window to peek at the dishes, then came back and quietly listed them, torn over which three dishes to choose later.

Indecisive, Yang Min asked Qin Xiaoxiao, “What are you planning to order later?”

“Stir-fried corn with pork and water spinach, I guess,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied casually. None of the dishes in the school cafeteria were particularly appealing to her.

“This line is taking forever ah…”

Yang Min lowered her head and took out her phone for a quick look. In a small group chat on QQ, some friends were chatting, and the topic was related to Xiaoxiao.

Scrolling up quickly, she skimmed through the messages, blinked, and lightly tapped Qin Xiaoxiao’s arm with her phone.

“Xiao ah, um…”

“What?”

“Last week, were you cornered by Hu Guangyu from First High?”

“Not exactly cornered.”

Yang Min hesitated before speaking. “I heard the school bully went and taught Hu Guangyu a lesson for you?”

Qin Xiaoxiao was stunned. Really? “I don’t know.”

“Is the school bully really… pursuing you?”

“…Probably not.”

Seeing Qin Xiaoxiao’s reaction, Yang Min realized that asking further might annoy her, so she held back and didn’t press the topic.

Looking ahead, it was now Gan Shuangxing’s turn. The dishes were already running low, and—”Xiao ah! The stir-fried corn with pork you wanted is down to the last portion!” Yang Min exclaimed in surprise.

Qin Xiaoxiao said softly, “It’s fine.”

Gan Shuangxing pointed at another dish, her voice as quiet as a mosquito’s: “I’ll take this one.”

The cafeteria auntie served the dish she pointed at.

With her head down, Gan Shuangxing held her lunchbox and walked away.

It was Qin Xiaoxiao’s turn.

“Wow, the last portion of stir-fried corn with pork is yours!” Yang Min, leaning on Qin Xiaoxiao’s shoulder, cheered on her behalf.

Qin Xiaoxiao raised her hand and gently pushed Yang Min’s head back. While smiling, she said to the cafeteria auntie, “Auntie, I’ll have the stir-fried corn with pork and the water spinach.”

The auntie emptied the remaining stir-fried corn with pork into Qin Xiaoxiao’s lunchbox and gave her a generous serving of water spinach as well.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

“Oh, no need to thank me.” The cafeteria auntie, wearing a mask, smiled so widely that wrinkles formed at the corners of her eyes. She really liked polite and pretty girls like Qin Xiaoxiao.

Qin Xiaoxiao stepped back to an open space at the end of the line to wait for Yang Min.

Unexpectedly, she caught sight of Ji Wenchen a few meters away, sitting alone at a table. He was facing her direction, quietly eating with his eyes downcast.

His sitting posture was truly bold and casual, exuding a carefree arrogance.

Qin Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but recall what Yang Min had said earlier…

“I couldn’t resist and got one more dish,” Yang Min said as she walked over, holding a lunchbox piled high with food. “Where should we sit? Oh, there’s an empty spot over there.”

“Ugh, I’m still annoyed that we didn’t get to try the fried rice.”

Qin Xiaoxiao glanced at Yang Min’s overfilled lunchbox. “…”

Ji Wenchen glanced sideways at his deskmate walking down another aisle. Expressionless, he held his chopsticks and continued eating.

…

After a few cool days brought by autumn rain, the temperature in Guangjian City climbed back up to 27 or 28°C.

During the evening self-study session, Ji Wenchen arrived at his seat in the classroom.

For some inexplicable reason, Qin Xiaoxiao glanced sideways and noticed a scab on his arm and two bruises.

Yang Min’s words echoed in her ears again:

“The school bully went and taught Hu Guangyu a lesson for you.”

Qin Xiaoxiao’s gaze lingered a little too long.

Ji Wenchen noticed and, with a slightly amused tone in his clear voice, said, “Why are you staring at me?”

Unlike what he had expected—her looking away—she slightly raised her beautiful eyes and met his gaze.

“Did you get into a fight with Hu Guangyu?”

Ji Wenchen was stunned for half a second, guessing she must have heard it from someone.

Those people were truly so boring.

“Yeah.” Ji Wenchen curled his lips. “We’ve had some grudges for a while now. I’ve been annoyed with him for a long time.” His tone carried a nonchalant and roguish indifference.

Was this his way of indirectly telling her that his fight with Hu Guangyu had nothing to do with her?

Qin Xiaoxiao’s calm heart was like a still lake brushed by a feather, stirring gentle ripples.

She quietly looked at him.

Her eyes, like peach blossoms shrouded in a faint mist, had slightly upturned corners, and her pupils were dark yet glimmering.

She didn’t realize how powerful her gaze was against him.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Ji Wenchen shifted his eyes to the desk. “What?”

“In the future, try to avoid fighting as much as possible.”

Words like these were nothing new to Ji Wenchen. He had heard them countless times—from schoolteachers, from family elders—and every time, they stirred up a sense of irritation.

But this time, it felt different.

Her words, light and gentle, fell softly into his ears, failing to ignite the usual rebellious streak within him.

According to the rumors, Ji Wenchen from Second High was fierce in fights and wielded significant influence. Last year, he had even injured a staff member so severely that they were hospitalized…

In reality, Ji Wenchen didn’t particularly enjoy fighting, nor was he keen on brawling. He didn’t hang out with the troublemakers outside of school, and those who managed to get close to him or enter his circle, while not necessarily academically gifted, were generally students with good family backgrounds and decent morals.

The first time Ji Wenchen got into a fight was in the second year of middle school, and the reason was actually a bit absurd.

A third-year girl from the same school, whom Ji Wenchen didn’t know at all, suddenly confessed her feelings to him. He rejected her outright.

It turned out the girl already had a boyfriend, though their relationship was messy and unresolved. Her boyfriend, a notorious troublemaker in the third year, found out that his girlfriend had a crush on a “pretty boy” in the second year. Furious and humiliated, he immediately broke up with her. To save face, the troublemaker decided to pick a fight with Ji Wenchen.

Never one to tolerate nonsense, Ji Wenchen coldly told him to “get lost.” Feeling insulted, the troublemaker gathered a group of lackeys to ambush Ji Wenchen, vowing to teach him a lesson.

Unexpectedly, the troublemaker ended up getting beaten up by Ji Wenchen, who had been learning Sanda since the age of five.

After that, the title of “school bully” was pinned on Ji Wenchen.

From time to time, there were always some idle troublemakers, including those from other schools, who came to provoke or challenge Ji Wenchen. Since he preferred action over words, he often responded with his fists. Before he knew it, this reputation followed him all the way to high school.

Looking at the delicate and beautiful face of the girl in front of him, Ji Wenchen, for some reason, blurted out, “I don’t like fighting.”

“Hmm?”

“Last year, when I hit the school electrician… there was a reason for it.”

Ji Wenchen frowned slightly, not understanding why his mouth seemed so eager to explain this to her.

“What reason?” Qin Xiaoxiao instinctively followed up with the question, though her heart felt a little unsettled.

Ji Wenchen lowered his gaze. “I can’t say.”

The matter concerned a girl’s reputation and innocence, and he had promised her family to keep it a secret.

Qin Xiaoxiao didn’t press further.

Ji Wenchen’s Adam’s apple moved slightly as he asked, “Do you hate it when people fight?”

This question… Qin Xiaoxiao couldn’t say whether she disliked it or not. But now, this so-called school bully was her deskmate…

Qin Xiaoxiao suddenly had a feeling that, for the foreseeable future, she wouldn’t be able to avoid or distance herself from Ji Wenchen.

For her own safety and the greater good of her fellow Second High students, she said softly, “I dislike bullying, or using physical strength to unfairly suppress classmates for no reason. Also, I think, if something can be resolved without resorting to force, then it’s better not to use force at all.”