CHAPTER 152: 151: START OF SCHOOL (5TH UPDATE)

Ye Qian returned home and mentioned Ye Ling’s bed account to her mother.

Bai Xue said unhappily, "She now has fifty yuan in hand, still spending it like crazy, without any thought about how tough life is. Look, we stew a chicken at home, and you think of sending it to her. Consider her life, does she really need us to worry about her?"

"Mom, my sister is still young; she doesn’t know about life yet. You can teach her slowly when there’s a chance. Besides, I noticed my sister still wears the same clothes. Mom, shouldn’t we get her new clothes? After all, she’s in high school now, dressing like that doesn’t look good in the compound," Ye Qian pleaded considerately.

"Which family now doesn’t wear clothes with patches? Her clothes don’t have patches; where is it lacking?" Bai Xue thought she hadn’t mistreated that brat, but when her younger daughter mentioned it, she remembered, "Tomorrow is the start of school. I’ll take you to the street later and buy you a coat."

"Mom, forget it. My treatment is all from donated money, buying new clothes will make people think poorly," Ye Qian said, dejected, sitting back in her chair.

She was truly unwilling; having such an illness meant she couldn’t even buy new clothes. Just because the family accepted donations, she had to live like the poor, unable to buy what she wanted. Buying anything would make her feel others were looking at her differently.

"Silly child." Bai Xue felt for her daughter, hugged her sadly for a while, then said, "Don’t worry, no one will say anything. And after thinking for days, I’ve figured it out. If you don’t get into high school this time, you’ll join the Art Troupe as a soldier. It’s easier to get into military school there. Just make sure you’re well-behaved this year. As long as the illness doesn’t recur, we’ll say you’re cured, and you’ll pass the health check in the military."

Ye Qian understood her situation and, unwilling as she was, could only nod. Bai Xue, worried about her daughter, talked with her for a while before locking the door, and they went to the street together.

Over at Zhao Guodong’s place, he was staring at Zhang Linong, "Did you send buns to Ye Ling?"

Zhang Linong nodded openly, "What about it?"

"Nothing." Zhao Guodong awkwardly turned his head.

Zhang Linong didn’t ask further, playing the military chess while Zhao Guodong impatiently pushed pieces around and stood up in annoyance. Zhang Linong frowned at him, leaned back into the chair, "Dongzi, you’ve been acting strangely lately. You know it; do you want to talk about it?"

"What’s wrong with me?" Zhao Guodong sat down again.

Zhang Linong looked at him, "Don’t you think you’re acting weird towards Ye Ling? You treat her like a buddy. If she’s not your buddy, why be upset? But look at you, because of Ye Ling, you haven’t had a good day."

"Do I?" Zhao Guodong was taken aback, calming down.

Zhang Linong raised an eyebrow, "Look at you, isn’t it obvious?"

Zhao Guodong stayed silent, immersed in his thoughts, but Zhang Linong thought it wasn’t easy for him to figure things out, "Dongzi, don’t you realize you like Ye Ling?"

"What?" Zhao Guodong widened his eyes, stunned and speechless.

Zhang Linong smiled lightly, saying nothing.

They were silent for a long time. Zhao Guodong lowered his head; he wasn’t a fool. He could notice his abnormal behavior these days but always thought of them as friends. Seeing Ye Ling’s cold attitude toward him made him uncomfortable. Only when a good friend pointed it out did Zhao Guodong realize something was off.

"But I like Ye Qian," Zhao Guodong still felt uneasy about it.

"Then follow your feelings. Don’t blame me for not reminding you. Since you like Ye Qian, don’t always keep your eyes on Ye Ling; it will just make you more troubled, right?" Zhang Linong said, "Honestly, after getting to know her, I kind of like Ye Ling. She lives in her own world, for herself, very admirable. As for my feelings, I don’t think I’m good enough for her right now."

"You..." Zhao Guodong didn’t know what to say, just felt uneasy.

Zhang Linong stood up and walked out, "School starts tomorrow; I’ll come find you in the morning."

Listening to the door closing, Zhao Guodong jumped up, "Ugly guy, how long has it been? Only now you’re telling me? Truly annoying."

Still, his heart felt unsettled, hollow, unable to decipher the feelings.

The next day, in high spirits, Zhang Linong and Wang Ping seemed well-rested, unlike Zhao Guodong, who looked sleepy. Zhang Linong noticed but said nothing. The first day of the new school year was for class assignment; the names of the students were posted on the big list, showing their classes.

Zhao Guodong first looked for Ye Ling, then searched for himself, finding they were in the same class. Happy, he pulled Zhang Linong, "Which class are you in?"

"Same class as you," Zhang Linong smiled.

"How come the same class?" Zhao Guodong realized he misspoke and quickly corrected, "We’ve been in the same class since we were kids; I thought high school might split us."

Zhang Linong raised an eyebrow but said no more, while Wang Ping was already dragging him to the class. Seats were arranged by rank, with higher achievers sitting at the front and lower achievers at the back. Wang Ping and Zhao Guodong were assigned seats at the back; Zhang Linong sat towards the front rows, and Ye Ling was right in the front row.

Coincidentally, the roommates in Ye Ling’s and Zhang Zhenlian’s dorm were also in this class, even Si Daochen was seated in the middle. Though Ye Ling didn’t interact much with others, she glanced back, taking in the scene.

Si Daochen was searching for familiar faces. Without finding anyone, he turned back disappointed. The class was full, and a male teacher walked in, writing his name on the blackboard: Ji Zhongjun. He introduced himself as the class teacher for the first group teaching Russian, and then everyone stood up for self-introductions.

The morning went by quickly, books were distributed, the afternoon was free, classes would formally start the next day. After the class teacher left, the new classmates were lively. Zhao Guodong sat at the back, only turning his gaze back after scanning Ye Ling leaving with a few girls, catching Zhang Linong’s look and feeling nervous as he got up, hugging his books as he left the classroom.

Si Daochen, however, was still searching the corridor, unable to find a familiar face. Seeing Zhang Zhenlian, he couldn’t help but pull her, "Can you check with Ye Ling where Ye Qian is? Why didn’t she come? Is she sick again?"

Zhang Zhenlian’s eyes flickered, smiling as she agreed, "Alright, I’ll ask when I get back."

Si Daochen thanked her before walking with his waiting roommates. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)