Monday, the 9th.
“The overall grades are out. I’ve printed the test scores. One copy per group, pass it around to look.”
Yang Shikun held the score sheet and smiled at Jiang Rong: “Study god, you got third place in the whole school again! Congratulations!”
Jiang Rong smiled: “Thank you.”
Yang Shikun turned to Xu Si with the score sheet: “Si-ge, wait, let me find where you are.”
Yang Shikun scanned from top to bottom and exclaimed excitedly: “Found it! Si-ge, you’re at fifty-fourth place, improved by eight places from last time!”
Xu Si responded with a “mm.”
Jiang Rong looked at him: “Let me see after you’re done.”
“Sure thing, Study god. We’ll give it to you after checking all the subject scores.”
There were sixty-two students in total.
The score sheet made its way to Xu Si and Jiang Rong.
Xu Si glanced at Jiang Rong’s name at the top, 692 points, then at his own score near the bottom, just over 200 points.
They were separated by almost the entire score sheet.
Xu Si met Jiang Rong’s gaze: “Little teacher has been tutoring me for over half a month now. Have I disappointed you?”
Jiang Rong smiled, her eyes twinkling: “Not at all. You did great, improving by eight places.”
She reached out her soft hand and patted Xu Si’s head: “Nothing happens overnight. You’ve done really well.”
Her hand was soft as it ruffled his hair.
Xu Si’s heart melted as he looked at her bright, crescent-moon eyes: “Is little teacher trying to comfort me?”
Jiang Rong replied seriously: “No, I’m praising you.”
Xu Si looked at her expression and found himself smiling too.
“Xu Si.”
Xu Si heard her call and looked at her: “What is it?”
“You’re actually not fierce at all.”
On the first day of school, she really thought he was fierce.
Later when she saw him fighting, she was truly scared.
But after that, she discovered Xu Si wasn’t fierce at all.
He was cold on the outside but warm inside.
Though sometimes he said silly things and liked to tease her, he was warm and kind.
Xu Si looked at her: “How so?”
Jiang Rong smiled shyly: “At first I thought you were quite fierce.”
“Oh?”
“On the first day, I thought you were fierce.”
Xu Si suddenly dropped his smile and put on a serious expression, looking at her fiercely: “What about now?”
Jiang Rong shook her head: “Not fierce.”
Actually quite cute.
Jiang Rong suddenly remembered the time before when she said he wasn’t fierce, and Xu Si had scared her.
Jiang Rong looked through all of Xu Si’s wrong answers and asked: “Start with math?”
“Whatever little teacher wants to start with is fine.”
Sunlight streamed through the window onto the girl’s face. Xu Si watched her, her hair glowing in the light, her face fair and rosy.
Xu Si looked at her, listening to her soft, gentle voice.
He thought of her white fur-trimmed coat, how pretty and adorable she looked wearing it.
Jiang Rong lightly tapped his head with her pen: “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Pay attention.”
“Okay.”
The autumn wind rustled the leaves outside, while inside some classmates were chatting loudly, some eating snacks, some running in the hallway.
Some were studying and solving problems.
This is what youth looks like, perhaps.
At the back of the classroom.
Two heads were close together.
Very close.
The boy kept glancing at the girl beside him.
Tuesday.
Before PE class.
“Little teacher, same as usual today, bring me a bottle of water. Any kind is fine, buy whatever you want to drink.”
Jiang Rong took his card: “Okay.”
The weather had turned cool.
Jiang Rong brought him room temperature water.
She sat in the shade watching everyone in PE class, then opened her milk and took a sip.
After PE class.
Xu Si walked over to Jiang Rong, took off his school uniform jacket, and handed it to her: “Hold this for me, little teacher.”
Jiang Rong obediently replied: “Okay.”
It seemed watching Xu Si play basketball and waiting to bring him water had become Jiang Rong’s habit.
Luo Xing’s friend was crying, so she went to comfort them.
“Hey, want some candy?” Shen Mo took out a lollipop from her pocket and offered it to Jiang Rong.
Jiang Rong took it and said: “Thank you.”
Shen Mo stood beside her, watching the boys playing basketball: “I see you’ve been getting along well with Xu Si lately.”
Jiang Rong remembered the previous rumors that Shen Mo liked Xu Si, and suddenly didn’t know how to answer.
Shen Mo put her arm around her shoulders and said quietly: “Actually, I think you two are quite suitable.”
“Ah?”
Jiang Rong was a bit stunned by her words.
Perhaps the previous rumors were false.
Shen Mo saw her dazed expression and pinched her cheek: “Why that expression? Did I scare you, good student?”
Jiang Rong shook her head: “No.”
Her face was soft and smooth, nice to touch.
Thinking this, Shen Mo pinched it a few more times.
“Did you know I liked Xu Si, so you find it strange hearing me say this?”
Jiang Rong nodded seriously.
Shen Mo smiled: “I like handsome guys, especially ones I can’t have.”
Jiang Rong still looked dazed.
“Or rather, I just like those I can’t have,” Shen Mo put the lollipop in her mouth, then smiled at Jiang Rong and said: “I might be a bit weird, but if someone I like starts liking me back, I stop liking them. Does that make me terrible?”
Jiang Rong shook her head: “No, it’s normal psychology, unrequited love, but not terrible. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
Shen Mo smiled at her words: “You’re really cute.”
This was her genuine assessment.
Before, she always worried about maintaining her image, but she found Jiang Rong truly cute.
And incredibly well-behaved.
Jiang Rong smiled at her: “Actually, I think you’re quite cute too.”
Shen Mo laughed: “Cute? In all these years, that’s the first time I’ve heard that. People have called me disobedient, rebellious, a bad girl, all sorts of things, but you’re the first to call me cute.”
“You really are cute.”
Shen Mo found the girl before her incredibly interesting.
She seemed quite different from other good students she’d met before.
She had something about her that made people want to get close.
Shen Mo saw Xu Si leaving the court and bumped Jiang Rong: “He’s coming out, I’m going.”
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