Chapter 37: The silly cat was brought out.

Monday.

He woke up in the morning, arrived at class on time, and promptly dozed off.

To his surprise, he found that Teacher Zhang’s class was effective in overcoming his tendency to sleep, allowing him to rest soundly.

At noon, Su Jiang left Wang Ziyang and had lunch with An Rou.

In the afternoon, Wang Ziyang was left behind once again.

During the evening study session, Su Jiang, feeling remorseful, decided to make it up to Wang Ziyang. They made a quick decision to skip the study session and spent the night at an internet cafe.

That night, their gaming performance was dismal. They vowed never to touch that lousy game again.

Tuesday.

With no morning classes, Su Jiang and Wang Ziyang caught up on sleep at home and only went to school in the afternoon.

That evening, they skipped the study session once more, heading to the internet cafe to continue battling in the virtual realm.

Wednesday.

The fact that they skipped the evening study session was discovered by Teacher Zhang in the morning, and they were reprimanded in front of the whole class.

It was said that someone had reported them, but they had no idea who it was.

Su Jiang was called to Teacher  Zhang’s office and scolded for half an hour. Then, he was handed five competition papers to complete by Friday.

At lunchtime, Su Jiang had a meal with An Rou, noticing a smug look on her face for some reason.

In the evening, Wang Ziyang daringly invited Su Jiang for an all-nighter again, but Su Jiang declined the risky proposition. Instead, he fervently completed the five competition papers and went for a walk with An Rou by the river.

Thursday.

Early in the morning, Su Jiang stormed into Teacher Zhang’s office and slapped the completed competition papers onto his desk, feeling quite satisfied with himself.

He then received five more papers to work on.

At lunchtime, Wang Ziyang was visibly upset as he spoke to Su Jiang about something, but Su Jiang didn’t pay much attention. It was probably about prioritizing An Rou over their friendship or something similar.

In the afternoon, Wang Ziyang showed up with a sheepish smile, apologizing to Su Jiang. Apparently, An Rou had threatened Wang Ziyang with Ji Meng’s contact information to behave, making him more considerate.

Su Jiang couldn’t help but admire how Wang Ziyang could adapt and change his attitude so quickly. Su Jiang even joked that Wang Ziyang should consider reapplying to a film school for his talent in swift mood swings.

These ordinary days continued until Friday.

On Friday, the school planned a day of fun activities. The school bus was waiting at the school gate as early as 8:00 a.m., ready to take the students to the amusement park in batches.

Su Jiang had packed his things the night before and got ready early in the morning. Carrying his bag, he left the house.

Originally, he had planned to take one of the later buses, but An Rou insisted on taking the first bus and even dragged him along.

“If I don’t see you on the first bus tomorrow, you’re in big trouble,” the little girl playfully threatened him.

Truth be told, Su Jiang wasn’t afraid of An Rou’s threats. He simply couldn’t sleep in the mornings.

As he walked, Su Jiang enjoyed a breakfast bun while scrolling through his phone.

“Why does my backpack feel heavier? I didn’t pack that much yesterday, did I?” he wondered aloud.

Su Jiang muttered to himself, thinking he must have packed more things than usual yesterday, making his backpack a bit heavier.

“Meow!” ‘I’m not heavy!’

A meow sounded from his backpack, causing Su Jiang to startle. He mechanically turned around to look at his backpack.

No, it couldn’t be, right?

Was that just his imagination?

Holding onto a sliver of hope, Su Jiang cautiously unzipped his backpack while holding it in front of him.

A little white cat’s head peered out, staring at him with big eyes.

Click!

Su Jiang’s hope shattered.

“Why the heck are you here?” Su Jiang was in dismay as he grabbed Fugui by the back of its neck from the backpack. He felt the urge to strangle the silly cat.

No wonder something felt off this morning. It turned out that this silly cat had gone with him.

Checking the time, he realized there was no time to return Fugui home. He could only bring the cat along to the amusement park, Su Jiang thought helplessly.

“Meow!” I’m hungry! Fugui, unaware of the danger, continued to meow boldly.

Snap!

Su Jiang gave Fugui a light smack, causing the small white cat to cover its head with its paws, tears welling up in its eyes.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“Meow…” Not hungry anymore…

Satisfied, Su Jiang nodded and stuffed Fugui back into the backpack, carrying it behind him as he continued walking.

What to do if a cat is hungry?

Most likely, it deserved a little scolding, a smack or two would do the trick.

Half an hour later, Su Jiang arrived casually.

“Su Jiang, you’re almost late!” An Rou stood with her hands on her hips in front of the bus, looking displeased at Su Jiang.

Today, she wore a khaki coat with light blue casual jeans hugging her slender legs. Many boys were sneakily stealing glances at An Rou.

“Am I late?” Su Jiang retorted stubbornly. In response, An Rou’s delicate hand twisted his waist firmly, showing her dissatisfaction without much force.

Su Jiang, feeling resigned, knew he could have arrived earlier if it weren’t for the silly cat delaying him, causing him to miss the public bus and wait for the next one at the station.

“Meow…” Serves you right.

Fugui whispered from inside the backpack.

Su Jiang and An Rou boarded the bus, and to their surprise, Wang Ziyang was also on the bus. Seated beside him was Ji Meng. Wang Ziyang waved at Su Jiang, signaling him and An Rou to come over.

“What’s going on? Isn’t this event for freshmen only?” Su Jiang sat down, curiously asking Wang Ziyang.

He remembered Ji Meng was a sophomore majoring in foreign languages, so why was she here?

Wang Ziyang quickly explained, “This event requires senior volunteers, and Senior Ji Meng just joined the student council, so she signed up.”

Su Jiang glanced at Ji Meng and noticed the student council armband on her arm.

After exchanging greetings with Ji Meng, the bus started moving, taking about half an hour from the school to the amusement park.

Su Jiang leaned in towards Wang Ziyang and curiously asked, “How are things going with Senior Ji Meng?”

Upon hearing Wang Ziyang’s response, Su Jiang glanced at Ji Meng, who was engrossed in her phone. He whispered back, “Still a work in progress. It’s a bit complicated. I’ll tell you about it another day.”

Su Jiang nodded and suddenly felt something on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw An Rou with her eyes closed, lightly breathing against his shoulder, seemingly asleep.

The little girl must have woken up too early, causing her to doze off as soon as they boarded the bus.

Su Jiang shook his head in amusement and slightly adjusted his position, allowing An Rou to lean on him more comfortably.

He then raised a finger to his lips, signaling Wang Ziyang to keep quiet and not disturb An Rou.

Glancing at An Rou, Su Jiang had a quick idea. He gently took out his phone, opened the camera, and snapped a picture of An Rou sleeping on his shoulder, a content smile on her face.

After some thought, he set the picture as his screensaver.

He made sure An Rou wouldn’t see it; otherwise, she might get angry and his phone would be in jeopardy.