Chapter 36 Part 1

Lu Ping’s misfortune and fortune lay in the fact that he injured his butt on Thursday. The doctor told him to stay in bed at home and rest for three days, which perfectly matched Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In the end, he only missed one day of class on Friday, and he could borrow notes from classmates to catch up.

On Monday morning, Lu Ping, who had half-recovered, shuffled through the school gate at an excruciatingly slow pace. Although he could walk now, his tailbone still ached faintly. Yesterday, when he took a shower, he had deliberately checked in the mirror—the light purple bruise had faded quite a bit, but the area around his tailbone was still somewhat red and swollen, and even the cheeks of his buttocks had taken on those colors. Even when he fell while gathering firewood as a child, he had never been this pathetic.

Walking through the campus, he tried his best to appear steady and normal, but in reality, every step made his soul wail in agony. Yesterday at home, while practicing walking, his sister had said he looked like the Little Mermaid, because when she first transformed into human form, every step felt like dancing on the tip of a knife.

Lu Ping was really in a lot of pain. If given the choice, he absolutely would not have walked from the ocean to land a hundred thousand years ago. Why give up being a perfectly good spine-free marine creature for upright walking?

By the time Lu Ping shuffled into the classroom step by step, most of the classmates were already there.

No one greeted Lu Ping, and no one asked why he had taken leave on Friday. Lu Ping felt both relieved and a bit disappointed.

He made his way to the last row of the classroom and slowly pulled out the small cushion his mom had specially made for him from his bag: it was U-shaped and placed upside down between his butt and thighs.

The doctor had said that if there was no cushion, a kid’s inflatable swim ring would work too. An An had offered her favorite little swim ring for her dear brother, but Lu Ping glanced at Princess Elsa on the swim ring and politely declined his sister’s kindness.

With the cushion in place, Lu Ping could finally sit comfortably.

The seat next to him was still empty—Shen Yuze had only attended morning self-study for the first few days after transferring in; after that, he never showed up on campus before eight o’clock.

Teacher Wu, the homeroom teacher, had talked to him and explained that the class monitor would check attendance during morning self-study: five yuan fine for being late, ten yuan for absence (except for sick or personal leave), and the fines went to class funds.

So Shen Yuze directly paid the class monitor three hundred yuan and said it was for the month.

After Lu Ping heard about it, he was so anxious that he scolded him: “Shen Yuze, I know you have money, but that’s not how you spend it! You’re wasting money!”

Shen Yuze: “How is it wasted?”

Lu Ping: “You don’t come to school on weekends, so it should be two hundred yuan for the month!”

Shen Yuze: “…”

In any case, during morning self-study, Lu Ping could comfortably occupy two desks without worrying about encroaching on his deskmate’s territory.

Lu Ping took out his notebook from his bag and poked the class monitor sitting in the row ahead.

“Class monitor, class monitor,” Lu Ping said, “I took leave on Friday. Can I borrow your notes to copy?”

The class monitor looked troubled: “I lent them to XX…”

Lu Ping: “You lent out all the notes?”

“Mm.” The class monitor’s answer was vague.

Lu Ping went to ask that XX classmate.

The XX classmate said impatiently: “I haven’t finished copying yet.”

Lu Ping: “Then can you lend them to me after you’re done?”

“No, my deskmate is still waiting behind me.”

Lu Ping: “…”

Lu Ping didn’t humiliate himself by asking if he could copy in turns with them, because he knew that excuses like “not finished copying” or “already lent out” were just that—excuses. They simply didn’t want to lend to him. Boys formed cliques with plenty of petty grudges.

Seeing Lu Ping hit dead ends everywhere, Chen Miaomiao couldn’t stand it and came over proactively: “Lu Ping, you can copy mine!”

Lu Ping was extremely grateful and took Chen Miaomiao’s notebook.

He flipped it open to Friday’s content. The handwriting in the first two lines was still somewhat neat, but from the third line onward, it grew wilder. The characters borrowed radicals from each other, like a troupe of lost ants crawling across the page.

By the end of the page, the handwriting was unrecognizable as Chinese anymore, all turned into bizarre dots and lines, with occasional earth-shattering curves that nearly pierced the paper.

Lu Ping stared at this page of incomprehensible dots and lines: “…When did we start learning cryptography?”

Chen Miaomiao let out an “ah” and looked a bit embarrassed: “That’s because I was so sleepy, half-asleep and forcing myself to write…”

Lu Ping: “…”

Lu Ping: “…………”

Lu Ping: “………………”

“Thanks.” Lu Ping handed her notebook back. “May good people live long and safe lives.”

He really shouldn’t have held any hope for the class notes from someone who ranked fourth from the bottom (fifth if you counted Shen Yuze).

Just as Lu Ping was pondering who else to borrow from, he suddenly heard a commotion in the hallway.

“Meng Xuejie!”

“Why is Meng Xuejie coming to our year?”

“Xuejie, are you here to find someone?”

Eager greetings rose one after another. Everyone looked up following the sound and indeed saw a graceful figure approaching leisurely from the other end of the corridor.

The girl moved lightly, her ponytail swaying gently with every step, drawing special attention.

She stopped at the door of High School Year 2 Class 8, raised her hand, and lightly knocked on the doorframe.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the moment Meng Xin appeared, Lu Ping noticed the boys in their class acting like meerkats on the African savanna (Timon from The Lion King), stretching their necks one by one, and even the air filled with the scent of spring.

The class monitor instantly teleported to the front door with a whoosh and asked attentively: “Xuejie, do you need something? I’m the class monitor of High School Year 2 Class 8.”

Meng Xin smiled reservedly: “I’m here to find someone.”

Hearing she was looking for someone, the class monitor reacted: “Oh, oh, oh, you’re here for Shen Yuze, right?”

Now, the rumors about Shen Yuze and Meng Xin were known to everyone. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl made a perfect match—even the Timons had no room to sour grapes.

“Shen Yuze isn’t here right now. He usually comes to the classroom after morning self-study.”

Unexpectedly, Meng Xin shook her head and said: “I’m not here for him.”

“Huh?”

“I’m here for his deskmate.”

Shen Yuze’s deskmate? That would be—

In an instant, the class monitor’s head twisted dramatically toward the back, but no one thought his reaction was over the top, because at that moment, every Timon in the class did the same, their gazes all focusing on Lu Ping!

Lu Ping: “…”

Under everyone’s stares, Lu Ping silently stood up from the last row, slowly, with a serious expression, walked through the entire class, and approached Meng Xin Xuejie waiting outside the door.

The Timons were shocked: When did the Niangao Prince get so close to Meng Xuejie??? She came to find him, and he stayed so composed—not a hint of urgency, not even an eyebrow twitch.

What they didn’t know was that Lu Ping’s mind was filled with only one thought at that moment.

Lu Ping: …Damn, my butt hurts so much QAQ.

…

When Shen Yuze stepped into the classroom five minutes before class started, he didn’t see that familiar figure in the seat beside him.

If not for the brand-new butt cushion on the chair, Shen Yuze would have thought Lu Ping had taken leave again.

But where had Lu Ping gone? His injury wasn’t healed yet, and he was running around.

Shen Yuze pulled out the chair, but before he could sit, the class monitor from the front row suddenly turned around, hands braced on his desk, eyes full of gossip!

The germaphobe Shen Yuze looked down at the hands on his desk, then at him.

Class monitor: “…” He quickly withdrew his hands.

He cleared his throat: “Shen Yuze, you’re finally here! You won’t believe what just happened!”

Shen Yuze had zero interest in class gossip and didn’t respond.

Class monitor: “During morning self-study! Someone came looking for Lu Ping! He went out with her! And he still hasn’t come back! Guess who it was!”

His voice rose high, turning every question and statement into an exclamation.

“…” Shen Yuze finally showed some emotion, lifting his eyes to ask, “Who?”

“It was Meng Xin!”

“…”

“I don’t know how that guy knows Meng Xuejie, but she came for him, and they left chatting and laughing!”

“…”

Who said boys don’t gossip? They were even scarier when they did. The class monitor wanted to describe Lu Ping’s demeanor and actions back then to Shen Yuze, but before he could speak, he suddenly felt the temperature drop a few degrees nearby… He glanced at Shen Yuze’s expression… Uh, better say less.

The class monitor shivered and hurriedly turned back.

His deskmate leaned over and whispered: “So, what? What’s Shen Yuze’s reaction?”

“What reaction could there be? His face was so grim,” the class monitor whispered. “He must be jealous!”

His deskmate clicked his tongue.

The two big boys gossiped for a good while. They didn’t know their guess was right, but not entirely…

…

Rushing back to the class just before the bell for the first period rang, Lu Ping’s departure and return elevated his status from “Niangao Prince” to “Niangao Prince invited out by Meng Xuejie.” The Timons once again stared intently.