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墨書 Inktalez
The holiday had just passed, and most people clearly hadn't adjusted to their student identities yet. As a result, when it came time to submit the first English assignment, the classroom was filled with groans.
The reason for everyone's panic was that the English Teacher, who also served as the homeroom teacher, left a deep impression on them during the first class. She wore a fitted Xiao Xi outfit, with a form-fitting A-line skirt and her hair meticulously styled.
She began the class with a full English introduction to set the tone, and then laid down three rules during the class meeting. "I know most of you come from well-off families, but I am here teaching you today not without my own background. As long as you listen attentively and complete the assignments I give you seriously, everything will be fine. Do not go against me; otherwise, my methods of punishing students are quite direct. You will run laps on the playground until I say stop, and even if the principal comes to plead for you, it won’t help."
Her cold and ruthless speech left the entire class in stunned silence for quite some time. Teacher Tie did not joke around with students at all. Even the group leaders were all girls, humorously referred to as the Sister Army.
During the half-hour break, Feng Ning, one of the main members of the Sister Army, reluctantly began collecting assignments from the front. If someone hadn’t finished, she would subtly signal and generously pass her own paper over. She wasn’t in a rush; she lazily waited for them to finish copying before swaying over to the next row.
When she reached Zhao Binlin's desk, both of them were scribbling away.
"Here." She habitually pulled out her assignment and tossed it onto his desk. "Take it, hurry up."
Jiang Wen flipped through a few pages of his book and glanced over with no emotion. "I’m not copying."
Feng Ning was slightly taken aback. She replied with an "Oh," and moved aside. "Then go ahead and write; I'll collect from the back first."
After a while, she returned. Her voice floated over lightly, "Your tenses and plurals in section two are wrong."
Jiang Wen paused his pen mid-air for a moment. Zhao Binlin eagerly chimed in, "Hey, Feng Teacher, check mine too!"
Feng Ning forced a smile and replied in a teasing tone, "Well, if you pay your tuition fees, I might consider it."
They were chatting happily when Jiang Wen absentmindedly spun his pen with his right hand, causing the cap to fall to the floor. He slammed his pen down and bent down to pick it up, catching sight of a shadow on the ground that made him pause.
Instinctively, he looked up at her; there was a brief moment of stillness as if someone had pressed mute.
The scene is silent, with shadows forming a diagonal line. Feng Ning holds a stack of exercise books in her arms, intertwined with the light and shadow behind her, her gaze calm and peaceful as she looks at him from a distance.
From this angle, Jiang Wen needs to look up at her. They are both still too young; the boy instinctively gazes at her this way. At that time, he did not know that this act of "looking up" would permeate his entire life.
In the long years to come, he could only look at her like this.
*
Since Zhao Binlin heard about some of Feng Ning's "glorious deeds" from Wang Shao, he developed a great curiosity about her. After finally managing to talk to Feng Ning, he couldn't help but ask, "Is it true that you cut your own hair in Junior High School?"
Feng Ning remained unfazed and calmly replied, "You know about that?"
"I heard it from others."
"Oh? Am I that famous?"
Zhao Binlin nodded. He wanted to continue the conversation but caught a glimpse of Jiang Wen's gaze, which made him shrink back and fall silent.
In the evening, after Feng Ning finished her shower, she went to the classroom to study. It was just the beginning of the school year, and with midterm exams still far off, everyone generally lacked motivation to study. Only about a dozen students were scattered around the classroom, making it relatively quiet.
After studying for a while, something suddenly happened up front; someone started celebrating loudly.
Feng Ning was buried in her work, solving problems. After finishing a question and erasing the wrong formulas on her draft paper, she looked up and saw Zhao Binlin approaching with an exquisite paper box.
She was taken aback. "Wow, is it your birthday today?"
Zhao Binlin untied the silk ribbon tied in a bow. "Not really. Today is my lunar birthday. I usually don't celebrate it, but my mom insisted on getting me a cake."
"Oh." Feng Ning nodded indifferently and continued with the next question, "Happy Birthday."
Gradually, the classroom became more crowded and lively.
A triangular piece of mousse cake was placed on the table, and Feng Ning was puzzled.
Zhao Binlin pretended to be calm, "It's for you."
She took a small piece without hesitation and fed it to herself, making a couple of sounds, "Thank you, boss."
A few boys nearby saw Zhao Binlin bypass several rows of desks and actively hand the cake to the girl, cheering loudly.
Zhao Binlin's skin was a deep wheat color, but it couldn't hide the slight redness on his face. He cursed under his breath and couldn't help but grin.
Everyone could tell that Zhao Binlin was unusually lively tonight, bouncing around without knowing who he was entertaining.
"You're quite excited today?" Jiang Wen said from his seat, leaning against the desk to look at him.
Zhao Binlin felt a bit embarrassed, as if his secret had been exposed, and shouted something loudly.
Originally, Jiang Wen didn't like sweets, but under their pressure, he was forced to take a big bite and felt nauseous from the sweetness. "Is there something to drink?"
A voice came from behind, "I have AD Calcium Milk. I still have several bottles." Feng Ning pulled out a bottle, being particularly friendly as she handed it over with a straw, "Here you go."
Jiang Wen hesitated for a moment before taking it.
However, she didn't let go; he tugged at it again but couldn't pull it away. Turning his head in annoyance, he asked, "What are you doing?"
Feng Ning smiled silently, deliberately teasing him, "Is your strength so small?" She leaned in closer, her breath brushing against his ear.
Jiang Wen's expression darkened slightly as he exerted a bit of force. They were locked in a stalemate, neither willing to let go.
This strange and ambiguous scene caught the attention of the girl who had thrown the note; she tightened her grip on the pen and lowered her head.
Pei Shurou had just entered the classroom and saw Jiang Wen struggling with someone over an object. She took a couple of steps closer, stopped, and was momentarily stunned.
It was a girl.
Jiang Wen never engaged in such tugging and playful scuffles with girls.
"Wen," Pei Shurou called out.
Feng Ning had played enough; upon seeing someone approach, she smoothly withdrew her hand.
"What are you doing?" Pei Shurou asked, her fair skin and long black hair cascading down to her waist, exuding a pure charm as she smiled and glanced at Feng Ning's face twice.
Jiang Wen quickly regained his composure. He didn’t explain, merely averted his gaze lightly. "The cake is over there; cut it yourself."
She pulled out a chair and sat down, pouting playfully, "Did you forget I'm on a diet? I can't eat anything at night."
"Mm."
"Where did you all have dinner? What made you think of coming to the classroom to celebrate?"
Jiang Wen didn’t lift his head, scrolling through news on his phone. "Ask Zhao Binlin."
Pei Shurou stared at his profile, lost in thought, swallowing back the questions she wanted to ask.
Feng Ning could feel that scrutinizing gaze. She kept talking, earnestly eating her cake, completely oblivious to everything else. The sound of Pei Shurou's giggles filled her ears, sweet as can be.
After a while, Zhao Binlin came over to talk to her, scratching his head. "Feng Ning, you ate my cake, so remember to give me a birthday gift."
"Sure," Feng Ning replied readily. "When is your official birthday? I'll get you a big present."
"Is that for real? Then I’ll start looking forward to it." Zhao Binlin counted on his fingers, calculating the days. "Next weekend, I guess."
After chatting for a bit, Feng Ning suddenly said, "Since you treated me to cake today, I’ll tell you a little-known secret."
"What is it?"
She spoke lightly, stretching out her words. Her pace was slow and clear. "Did you know that rainy days not only bring unexpected events but also boost dopamine levels? So the chances of falling in love at first sight on a rainy day are higher."
Zhao Binlin seemed skeptical. "Is that really true? Have you ever fallen in love at first sight on a rainy day?"
Jiang Wen abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
Xi Gaoyuan was still going on excitedly about planning a winter trip to Hokkaido to see the snow. Noticing Pei Shurou's silence, he asked, "What's wrong, Wen?"
He seemed momentarily dazed, snapping back to reality in an instant but still looking quite indifferent. "Nothing."
Under Zhao Binlin's expectant gaze, Feng Ning chuckled mischievously. "I can't say that."
"Why not?"
"Because I only told you one secret."
The next day, there was a basketball game scheduled with Class Four. As the History Teacher stepped out of the classroom, the boys in the back row cheered loudly and began changing into their jerseys.
The physical education class started with a 400-meter warm-up run around the playground. The PE teacher gathered the boys from both classes to explain the scoring rules, and finally said, "I hope both classes can showcase their talents. Remember, competition comes first, friendship second."
The cheerleading squad gathered quickly.
Shuang Yao was from Class Four, and she had a strong sense of honor when it came to collective competitions. She dragged Feng Ning and Meng Taoyu along to secure a good spot. They stood under the Phoenix Tree, and before long, two other girls joined them.
"This is so annoying; why is it so hot? When does the game start?" Tong Erdie said, feeling quite irritable after sending away her third admirer. After a moment, she changed the subject, "Hey, Meng Taoyu, have you thought about it? Just apologize to Cheng Jiajia. She's a spoiled young lady; why are you being so stubborn with her?"
Meng Taoyu froze and nodded her head slightly.
Tong Erdie seemed oblivious to the awkward atmosphere. She deliberately glanced at Feng Ning and said in a teasing tone, "Right now, she's interested in Jiang Wen. As long as you don't provoke Jiang Wen, she won't hold anything against you." After saying that, she suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Feng Ning, I heard you like Jiang Wen too? Someone saw you two in the classroom yesterday..."
Feng Ning squeezed Meng Taoyu's hand tightly below and smiled at Tong Erdie, appearing somewhat shy. "Yeah, how did you know?"
"Is it true?!" another girl immediately chimed in. "Then I suggest you wake up... uh, think it through."
She almost said "wake up" directly.
"What do you mean?"
"Look over there; do you see those big white buildings?"
Everyone tilted their heads to look at the direction pointed by Tong Erdie.
"—Named after his father's name."
Someone in the crowd shouted that Jiang Wen was serving. In the center of the crowd, he wore a white jersey, leaning against the basketball hoop, slightly turning his head to talk to others, casually tossing the basketball in his hand.
The ball arced through the air and bounced on the ground, landing perfectly in the center of the court.
Every gesture and movement seemed to evoke the word "handsome." As the whistle blew, the girls began to scream and cheer.
Feng Ning took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Wow, Jiang Wen's family is really rich!"
"Yeah." Tong Erdie suppressed her disdain, "I don't mean anything else; I just think that as students, studying is the most important. With his background, don't get too involved."
Shuang Yao couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Tsk." Feng Ning excitedly slapped her thigh, "Isn't that great?"
Tong Erdie's smile froze as she processed this. She turned her head and said sincerely, "You know, my favorite story since I was little has always been Cinderella. Ah— I think I've finally found my little prince!"
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