CHAPTER 938: CHAPTER 545: FATE, CONTINUED

Early self-study, the sound of reading fills the ears.

The new class monitor, Xin Youling, steps onto the podium, holding a stack of A4 paper.

"Classmates, the group seating arrangement for breakfast is out. Tomorrow, everyone follow the order to go to the cafeteria for breakfast."

She hands out the table.

Huang Zhongfei asks, "Did you print this yourself?"

Xin Youling: "Yes, to make it easier for everyone to see!"

Huang Zhongfei: "Very thoughtful."

Dong Qingfeng: "Monitor, you’re so responsible, so considerate."

Xin Youling feels that her effort has been rewarded, she’s really happy in her heart. She looks at Guo Kunnan, wanting to give him a smile. Thanks to him fixing the computer last night, she could make the table.

Unfortunately, Guo Kunnan has his head down, looking listless, not looking at Xin Youling.

Chai Wei snatches a piece of A4 paper, quickly scans it, and immediately sees his name first:

"Chai Wei."

Next is: "Pang Jiao, Wang Yanyan, Zhang Yifei, Li Shengnan, Zhang Chi, Yan Tianpeng, Liu Chuandao."

Chai Wei screams internally: ’No! No!’

There’s an inside story, definitely an inside story.

He hurriedly scans downward, searching for Bai Yuxia, and indeed finds it in the third group.

"Bai Yuxia, Chen Siyu, Chen Siqing, Geng Lu, Tang Fu, Shang Caiwei, Xue Yuantong, Jiang Ning."

Chai Wei has a giant ’?’ inside him.

Damn, there’s an inside story, right?

Why, why?

Chai Wei raises the A4 paper: "Xin Youling, are you sure you didn’t make a mistake?"

Xin Youling: "No way, I proofread it several times."

Chai Wei, who used to be gentle and quite gentlemanly, has recently experienced many pains that ordinary high school students can’t bear, and his temperament has become much more twisted. He rudely presses the issue to the end:

"Let me see the original."

He speaks so loudly that many students glance over.

Xin Youling feels uncomfortable, her hard work on the table and printed result being so doubted.

What’s more, Chai Wei was once in the same class as her, she didn’t expect him to watch out for her, but now, he’s kicking her when she’s down.

Xin Youling, having a strong personality, won’t let herself be bullied. She takes out her phone, opens the messages with their homeroom teacher Dan Qingrong:

"See for yourself if I made a mistake."

Qiang Li from former Class 6 notices the strange atmosphere between them, he chuckles awkwardly, wanting to persuade but not knowing how to start.

Chai Wei takes the phone unceremoniously. As he sees his own name, his face gradually turns awkward.

He returns the phone without a word.

Despite the small incident, the overall atmosphere remains fairly harmonious.

Because of Chai Wei’s extraordinary stroke of luck, taking away the Four Golden Flowers, it’s said that when something is gained, something is lost. Here, he gained pain, and others gained joy.

Duan Shigang gloats: "Chuandao is really my lucky star, taking away Pang Jiao and the others. Finally, I can eat in peace!"

The last time at breakfast tables, he shared with Li Shengnan and Wang Yanyan, it was unbearable.

Dan Kaiquan pats the disheartened Brother Nan, curious: "What’s going on? You were listless ever since you got back yesterday, and no matter what I ask, you don’t say anything."

He encouraged: "Cheer up, see? You’re at the same table as Xin Youling!"

Guo Kunnan feebly says: "I’m tired."

...

The sun rises, the sky is filled with rosy dawn.

In a blink of an eye, the sun has set.

During the evening recess, Wu Xiaoqi leaves with a basketball.

Dan Kaiquan and Guo Kunnan go running on the playground, planning a confession strategy along the way.

Jiang Ning holds a comic book, quietly watching.

Shen Qing’e walks out of the classroom like a proud swan.

Seeing this, Geng Lu thinks for a few seconds and then nudges Jiang Ning: "Want to go for a walk on the field?"

Jiang Ning puts down the comic book, "Sure."

Walking in the plaza, there are clusters of three or five students around, voices rising and falling.

Geng Lu quietly accompanies Jiang Ning.

She tiptoes, her steps light, intentionally pacing each step evenly.

She wears a gray sun-protection jacket, with a fitted waist design, covering her figure not awkwardly, but rather with a dreamy allure.

With every leap, there’s a slight visual swing, capturing attention.

Under the night’s shadow, the field becomes a profound picture, the brightly colored track resembling a winding ribbon, extraordinarily noticeable.

Moonlight and streetlights illuminate many figures, many students jog on the track; their shadows jump with them, joyful laughter resounding everywhere.

Geng Lu doesn’t follow the track, she heads to the other end of the field where there’s a vast lawn like a green ocean.

"How about here?"

Geng Lu sits down, and Jiang Ning also sits on the ground.

He gazes into the distance, the teaching buildings, trees, and lawns, all submerged in moonlight.

"It’s nice." Geng Lu whispers.

"Very nice." Jiang Ning squints his eyes slightly, enjoying the gentle kiss of the wind.

Geng Lu murmurs: "The wind is so gentle."

The conversation between them is scarce, just quietly sitting, gazing into the distance.

The long break feels both long and short, soon the warning bell rings.

The playground returns to emptiness, time to head back, Jiang Ning gets up unhurriedly, and Geng Lu follows.

But as Geng Lu tries to stand, she sits back down, rubbing her ankle:

"Seems like I twisted it."

"Then... you?" Jiang Ning asks.

She struggles up, walks a couple of steps, then frowns, biting her lip:

"It hurts..."

Jiang Ning: "Class is about to start."

Geng Lu lifts her face, the moonlight adds a veil of fuzziness: "Why don’t you carry me?"

Her voice is like a melody, deep and beautiful.

"Okay."

Jiang Ning grabs her wrist, turns and carries her on his back.

As soon as she leans on, Jiang Ning immediately feels two soft jelly-like sensations spreading and then pressing tightly.

Geng Lu exhales a sigh of relief: "Much better."

"Don’t push through if you sprain your ankle." Jiang Ning, "Something that serious, you should have said it earlier."

Geng Lu lying on his broad back: "I thought I could endure it."

"Am I heavy?" she asks again, girls always care about these things.

Jiang Ning: "Very light."

Geng Lu: "Really, someone said I’m fat."

Jiang Ning: "Gaining knowledge from books is superficial, thorough knowledge comes through practice."

In his observation, Geng Lu’s figure improves day by day, with a slim waist and shapely legs, her body tight and almost without any excess flesh.

Perhaps it’s the benefit of her long-term yoga practice.

Jiang Ning carries her across the lawn, Geng Lu’s hair falls on his neck, tickled by the wind.

"Are you tired?"

"A bit."

"Oh."

Geng Lu wonders if there would be a second chance like this in her life, but she always seizes every opportunity, she leans in and blows warm breath in Jiang Ning’s ear: "Let me blow on it for you, will it feel cooler?"

Jiang Ning says nothing.

Geng Lu blows another breath, she says: "Does my outfit look good?"

"Quite good."

Geng Lu: "Are you saying the sun-protection jacket or the little tank top?"

She’s becoming bolder.

"Both look good."

Geng Lu: "I think the little tank top looks better, too bad you can’t see it. Why don’t you guess what color it is?"

Actually, Jiang Ning had seen her white tank top, but outwardly he remains stoic, slightly sternly putting a stop to it:

"Stop fooling around."

Geng Lu immediately goes silent.

The silence returns between them.

Jiang Ning suddenly feels he might have overreacted.

Just like in his past life, when he was at his desk playing on his phone, looking at game information, the front-row Geng Lu would laughingly read it out loud. Jiang Ning feared others would think he was childish, thus sternly stopped her.

After that, Geng Lu never did anything similar, and their relationship grew distant, eventually never meeting again.

Jiang Ning remains silent, contemplating his past life, thinking about what just happened, what shyness she had to overcome, what joy she had to hold to express such warmth?

He suddenly halts his steps.

Geng Lu’s heart misses a beat, thinking that Jiang Ning is angry and wants to let her down, she panics immediately, she opens her mouth intending to apologize.

In this moment, the wind rustles the leaves, under the hazy moonlight, Jiang Ning softly says:

"Sorry, I was a bit harsh earlier."

Geng Lu is stunned, her eyes slowly and delightfully lighting up, she extends her tender arms, like a moth drawn to a flame, wraps around Jiang Ning’s neck, softly sighing:

"You don’t have to apologize, remember, no matter what you do, I will forgive you."