CHAPTER 150: 149: DIGNITY CANNOT BE TOLERATED (THIRD UPDATE)

Si Daochen also noticed that Ye Ling’s expression wasn’t as good as before, and it was obvious from her demeanor that she was a bit distant. Being from the same village, Zhang Zhenlian naturally knew what had upset Ye Ling, and gave Si Daochen a glance, indicating for him not to bring up those matters.

"Ye Ling, I heard that someone from our area got the highest score in the city. That Ye Ling wouldn’t be you, would it?" Zhang Zhenlian smiled exaggeratedly, which Ye Ling didn’t quite like.

But she still nodded.

Zhang Zhenlian was overjoyed, "Ye Ling, you’re really amazing. My dad always said that he could tell you were impressive back when we were in the village. Take the time when you sold wild vegetable dumplings at the station for instance. After you left, some people in the village tried to sell wild vegetable dumplings too, but they didn’t sell well. Whatever was left had to be eaten by themselves. Every family only had so much food; no one could afford to eat wild vegetable dumplings every day. Besides, wild vegetables weren’t always available. In the end, no one sold them anymore. You see, when you did it back then, it was different."

Ye Ling was confident about this point, remaining indifferent on the surface, "Maybe I just got lucky. It happened to be the time when people were buying. I left afterward. Otherwise, I might not have been able to sell them either, like the others in the village."

Zhang Zhenlian found this reasonable and nodded. At this moment, the noodles were served, and Ye Ling didn’t want to say more, so she lowered her head and started eating. Having skipped breakfast, she finally got to eat something. She restrained herself from eating too fast, worrying about her stomach. Zhang Zhenlian always ate very gracefully and didn’t need to control herself. Si Daochen’s manners were also good; he looked cultivated and elegant, and he ate just as gracefully.

When Ji Hong pushed open the door and came in, she immediately saw Ye Ling and then glanced at the two people next to her, smirked mockingly, sat down at the table next to them with her parents, and ordered three bowls of noodles with eggs and a couple of dishes, seeming rather affluent compared to the others in the shop.

After sitting down, Ji Hong’s previous arrogance diminished a bit upon seeing Si Daochen, but her eyes grew more jealous as she looked at Ye Ling. She couldn’t understand how all the boys around Ye Ling were so outstanding and what methods she used.

Yesterday there was one, and today she swapped to another one.

Finally, when they finished eating and were about to leave, Ye Ling said to the two of them, "I have something to do and need to go home for a bit. You two go back to school first. Si Daochen, thank you for inviting me today. I gave you the guessed exam topics before; now you treated me to noodles. We don’t owe each other anything, so you don’t need to feel indebted in the future."

Si Daochen was stunned for a moment, "Ye Ling, that’s not what I meant."

"I know, but if I were to eat a meal from you for no reason, I’d still feel uneasy. After all, that’s fifty cents. It’s not a small amount. Let’s just keep it this way. You guys go back to school first, or you could buy some study supplies. I have something and need to go home for a while." Ye Ling thought she had made things clear enough so that each could lead their student life without bothering the other. After all, there wasn’t much interaction.

Watching Ye Ling leave just like that, Zhang Zhenlian hesitated and glanced at Si Daochen, "Ye Ling must still be upset about that time you spoke up for her sister."

"Let’s go back." Si Daochen didn’t say much, silently heading back to school.

In fact, he merely wanted to explain again this time, but Ye Ling didn’t give him the chance. If he had asked about Ye Qian, he feared it would only annoy Ye Ling further. Thinking about Ye Qian’s aggrieved yet delicate look, Si Daochen tightened his grip. The day after tomorrow, they could meet. He didn’t know when it started, but he began to look forward to it, hoping time would pass faster so he could see that fragile girl.

Zhang Zhenlian saw Si Daochen in silence and didn’t speak further, quietly following behind him until they reached the school, where they each went to their respective dormitories.

Ye Ling didn’t go home; she just found an excuse to separate and walked alone on the street. Sometimes she felt her own character was quite good, always able to forget to hate someone until the other party stirred up her scars again, reminding her of being hurt.

Speaking of Si Daochen, she didn’t hate him. Ye Qian, like the sun, always drew people’s attention wherever she went. For a country girl, being rustic, Ye Qian was like a princess. How could Si Daochen not like her? It was human nature. But anyone who got tangled with Ye Qian was someone Ye Ling wanted to avoid. Therefore, they were simply not fated to be friends.

Ye Ling didn’t want to return to the dormitory either, so she went to the bookstore. She stayed in Xinhua Bookstore until it was about to close, then headed back to school. Upon returning to the dormitory, Wang Xiaohong excitedly pulled Ye Ling aside.

"A boy came looking for you, and since you weren’t here, he left a desk on your bed and a small cloth bag. I don’t know what it is." Wang Xiaohong followed her to Ye Ling’s bedside, obviously curious about the contents of the cloth bag. "Ye Ling, you really make people envious. A guy actually gave you something."

"He’s from the same courtyard as me," Ye Ling, seeing the small kang table, knew that Zhang Linong had come. She opened the cloth bag to find a small basin with four plain white steamed buns inside.

"Wow, they’re steamed buns." Wang Xiaohong exclaimed in a startled manner.

Ye Ling was taken aback, "It’s not like you haven’t eaten them before. You’re acting like it’s a big deal."

She casually closed the cloth bag again and then started examining the small kang table.

Wang Xiaohong didn’t care about Ye Ling’s indifference, "Ye Ling, what was your friend thinking, getting you a small kang table? I tried it, and sitting on the bed using it to read or do homework really works. Ask him if he could get each of us one, is it Shao Guangli?"

Wang Xiaohong tried rallying the others in the dormitory, feeling that Ye Ling wouldn’t be able to refuse under this pressure.

Shao Guangli pretended not to hear and bowed her head to look at the new pen she and Wan Li had just bought.

Dong Juan stayed in the upper bunk, quiet as a shadow.

Wang Xiaohong, visibly anxious, saw Ye Ling not responding and said with a laugh, "Never mind then, five yuan is too expensive. We can just take turns using it if necessary. Ye Ling, what do you think? The table won’t wear out after all, right?" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)