Chapter 42: I’m Not a Good Person
During physics class, Xu Si had already stuffed his test paper somewhere unknown. After playing with his phone for a while and getting bored, he rested his chin on his hand and watched Jiang Qiao taking notes seriously.
Feeling his stare, Jiang Qiao glanced at him briefly before returning to her notes.
Xu Si found watching her in class quite interesting. Her handwriting wasn’t particularly small but neat, she sat very straight, with loose strands of hair casually tucked behind her small ears.
Jiang Qiao tried to focus on her notes, but feeling his constant gaze made her uncomfortable. She paused her writing, assuming he had no test paper, and turned to ask: “Do you not have a test paper?”
“Lost it somewhere long ago.”
Jiang Qiao placed her paper between them: “Let’s share.”
Xu Si pushed it back: “I’m not paying attention anyway, you keep it.”
Jiang Qiao hesitated before saying: “Actually, I think you could try listening… your foundation… shouldn’t be bad, you should be able to understand. If there’s anything you don’t understand, I could help teach you…”
Xu Si, who had been watching her with his chin propped up, suddenly leaned closer: “Are you lecturing me, little classmate? Did Teacher Fang ask you to say this?”
At that moment, Teacher Fang sneezed inexplicably in his office.
“No,” Jiang Qiao explained seriously. “Though studying isn’t the only path, I think regardless of grades, everyone should try. How do you know you can’t do it if you don’t try?”
The break bell rang. Many students passed by the window heading to the bathroom, while the voice from the podium continued and the fan squeaked as it turned.
Jiang Qiao saw Xu Si smile, seemingly self-mocking yet also amused. He said: “I just don’t like studying.”
Jiang Qiao inexplicably remembered his words from yesterday – scores don’t mean anything to me. She wondered what kind of person could say such things, but had no way of knowing.
That afternoon, while Jiang Qiao was doing homework, a shadow suddenly fell across the window. Looking up, she met He Guoshi’s face. He made a hushing gesture.
Jiang Qiao discreetly tugged Xu Si’s sleeve to warn him about the teacher, then sat up straight.
He Guoshi entered from the front and snatched a novel hidden under the books of a boy in the front row. The boy was reading intently, thinking it was his desk mate, but when he looked up to see He Guoshi’s magnified face, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
Then He Guoshi’s gaze fell on Xu Si: “What did you just hide, Xu Si?”
Xu Si’s hand holding his phone was under the desk. Suddenly, he felt a soft small hand gently touch his. Glancing sideways at Jiang Qiao, he saw her wink at him. He passed the phone to her, their fingers briefly touching, warm. The contact stirred an unusual feeling in Xu Si’s heart. Where she had touched felt tingly, like being brushed by a feather.
He put his hands on the desk: “Nothing.”
Jiang Qiao quickly slipped what he’d handed her into her backpack.
He Guoshi walked to his desk and turned to Jiang Qiao: “What was he just doing?”
“I don’t know.” Though Jiang Qiao had never lied to teachers before, her expression remained perfectly calm.
He Guoshi stared at Xu Si for a while, then decided to search the desk: “Move aside.”
Xu Si stepped back as He Guoshi went through his desk drawer, taking out books one by one. The drawer was completely clean, nothing there.
Somewhat disbelieving, He Guoshi checked the desk surface again, confirming there was nothing. He began to doubt his own eyes: “Fine, sit down.”
He muttered to himself: “Am I seeing things in my old age? But I’m sure I saw something… how strange.”
Xu Si caught every word: “Director He, maybe you need new glasses.”
He Guoshi choked on those words and glared: “You still haven’t given me your last self-criticism.”
“I put it on your desk long ago.”
Xu Si organized his desk and sat down properly.
He Guoshi thought for a while, then remembered the unnamed self-criticism: “You didn’t write your name.”
Xu Si replied flatly: “Director He, your eyesight really is poor – the name’s on the back.”
“It’s still your fault for not writing it on the front.”
Xu Si smiled noncommittally without responding.
Finally, He Guoshi left Class 17 with his confiscated novels and three phones, planning to check other classes.
“Xu Si.”
“Mm?” The young man’s questioning tone met Jiang Qiao’s eyes, and he found himself thinking again how extraordinarily clear and pure they were.
Touching the item in her backpack, Jiang Qiao asked softly: “When should I return this to you?”
“Hold onto it for now, little classmate. He might make a surprise return.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Thanks.”
Xu Si smiled at her. His eyes were naturally darker than most, with black hair falling casually across his forehead. His features were striking – phoenix eyes, high nose bridge, and perfectly shaped thin lips. Though his features were somewhat fierce, and his usual expressionless face made him look intimidating, his smile was actually quite handsome.
Jiang Qiao stared at him for a moment.
“What?”
Jiang Qiao smiled: “Nothing, just thinking you look quite nice when you smile.”
Xu Si had heard such compliments countless times, about his looks, about his smile, but never had anyone looked at him with such pure eyes, saying simply that his smile was nice without ulterior motives.
“Don’t you think I’m scary?”
“When did I say that?”
Jiang Qiao looked at him confused.
Seeing her expression, Xu Si wanted to tease her more: “Didn’t you think I was scary at the start of school?”
As Jiang Qiao tried to remember what he meant, she suddenly saw the young man smile at her: “But you’d better stay away from me. I’m not a good person – haven’t you heard about how I cracked open the heads of those guys from the neighboring school?”
Xu Si saw Jiang Qiao shrink her neck slightly, and he gave a somewhat roguish smile.
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