novelraw Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Chapter 35
The teachers from every class organized the students to leave the field class by class, heading to the cafeteria early for lunch.
Thus, the number of students on campus paths today was noticeably higher than usual.
Like locusts swarming—dense and overwhelming.
Xu Feifei, hands clasped behind her back, hopped lightly beside Liu Wenjie. Though she hadn't claimed first place among all the girls in every grade, she was satisfied with today's result; the fifth- and sixth-grade older sisters really were too strong.
"Liu Wenjie, I see you don't usually work out much—how come you're so amazing? Do you have some secret to getting stronger?"
Liu Wenjie gave a soft laugh, unabashed. "It's all talent and sweat." He paused to think. "Of course, if I had to name something..."
"There really is one? What is it?!" Xu Feifei was excited; she hadn't expected an actual secret.
Liu Wenjie replied, "It's 'don't hang out with girls too much.' Lately, since I've been with you all the time, I feel like I'm turning into an idiot."
Xu Feifei clicked her tongue in disappointment. "I knew you'd never say anything nice! Asking you was pointless."
"Of course it was pointless—you weren't asking anything serious to begin with."
Xu Feifei recalled the moments after the competition. Her pretty eyes flicked toward him. "Then let me ask you a serious question, and you have to answer honestly."
"No."
Xu Feifei was furious. She straightened her arms, pouting as she stared at Liu Wenjie like she was acting spoiled.
Liu Wenjie sighed. "Fine, ask. But if I don't want to answer, I won't."
She brightened a little. "The question's simple! Have you really never had a single friend your whole life, Liu Wenjie? I'm not counting older brothers or younger sisters."
"True, I haven't." Liu Wenjie said lazily, "Mainly because I don't want any friends. Haven't you seen? I'm busy studying hard every day—where would I find time to play with kids?"
Make friends? A soul in its twenties fooling around with a bunch of seven- or eight-year-olds every day? No thanks.
Xu Feifei confirmed her guess; scenes from these past days flashed through her mind.
She seemed to hesitate, then suddenly quickened her steps to block Liu Wenjie's path.
Cheeks flushed, eyes shining, she said earnestly, "Then... let me be your first friend, okay? I'll play with you from now on."
Liu Wenjie stopped walking and blinked.
"Huh?"
Xu Feifei had never felt nervous about making friends; this was the first time in her life that saying the word "friends" felt so hard.
Xu Feifei looked straight up at Liu Wenjie.
"I've always said I wanted you to be my good friend, and you've always refused! From now on I'm changing my approach." Her small hands clenched nervously behind her back, gaze unwavering.
"I'll be your good friend instead. Tell me—what will it take for you to be willing to play with me? Don't ask why I'm so persistent." Her voice grew softer, her face redder.
"Just think of it as me pitying you, you fool, all alone. If you're willing, we'll be best friends for life, never apart."
[Xu Feifei's subconscious opinion of you has improved greatly during this time; she's even reversed the dominant position in the friendship request. Faced with such a plea for friendship, your choice is?]
[Touching acceptance: Faced with this changed Xu Feifei, your childlike heart is moved, and you instinctively say you're already friends. Reward: lifelong henpecked]
[Top student's lament: Let regular Xu Feifei be x and current Xu Feifei be y; find the difference between x and y. Answer: I don't see any difference between you being my friend and me being yours. Reward: Intelligence –1, lifelong henpecked]
[Doubtful question: This brat seems different today—has she gone mad? Talking like a soap opera at such a young age. Answer: Better not. Reward: lifelong henpecked]
[Please choose]
Wait—hold on. Did I read that wrong? These three choices...
Besides the answers, the rewards are exactly the same! Are you padding word count? This is too much!
The system can't just slack off because I activated it too many times during the competition. It's getting more unreliable.
I'm choosing none!
Looking at Xu Feifei, who really was acting different from usual, Liu Wenjie ignored the system and asked curiously, "And what if I still want to say no?"
Xu Feifei froze, but it seemed expected. Her tsundere eyes sparkled with stubborn light. She raised a finger, pouting, "Then I'll cling to you for the rest of my life! I'll follow you forever until you agree! Xu Feifei always keeps her word!"
Her posture and voice drew the surrounding classmates.
One by one they stopped to watch the commotion; the crowd grew dense, even people from the whole street seemed to gather.
Liu Wenjie stared at Xu Feifei, who showed no flaw, and asked quietly, "Classmate Xu Feifei, saying something like that in front of all these people—don't you feel any shame?"
"Shame? What shame?"
Xu Feifei looked at the crowd, feeling their curious chatter.
For some reason she recalled the girls' comments during the competition about someone being handsome.
Her face turned crimson and grew even redder. Trembling, she lowered her arm and her head. The high emotion vanished; suddenly she began to stammer, "It's... it's fine..."
Liu Wenjie saw Xu Feifei's legs trembling with embarrassment and sighed. He grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her away, whispering, "I beg you—stop embarrassing us. Let's go."
Stiff-bodied, Xu Feifei let him lead her by the arm away from the crowd. Her face was already smoking.
Fleeing, she suggested, "Liu Wenjie, how about we eat on the field again at noon? I don't think we can go to the cafeteria."
"It's good you finally know what embarrassment is. I'll check the cafeteria for chicken legs or something and get two; you go buy bread."
"Okay. Do you want pickled vegetables? I'm craving them."
"Get me two packs too."
The onlookers looked at each other, curious about what the two had just done.
The girls chatted and laughed; the boys grinned as they watched the spectacle.
At noon, after buying their food, Xu Feifei and Liu Wenjie sat in their familiar corner of the field.
Munching bread, Xu Feifei kept her head down awkwardly, legs curled. Her usually energetic twin ponytails were now drooping by half.
"Liu Wenjie, were there any second-graders in that crowd just now?"
Liu Wenjie sighed and looked at the sky. "A lot. Plenty from our own class. Sometimes I really admire you—you're something else."
Xu Feifei wanted to disappear, nibbling her food. "Th-then they won't gossip, will they?"
Liu Wenjie: "I don't know what you mean."
Xu Feifei let out two mortified whimpers, then her small fists fell like a meteor shower on Liu Wenjie's shoulder. "It's all your fault! All your fault! Why didn't you stop me earlier? You should've dragged me away from the start!"
"How was I supposed to know you'd suddenly spout nonsense like that?" Liu Wenjie felt the girl's fists were light as feathers. He bit into a chicken leg. "Still, an experience like this is good; from now on you probably won't bother me about 'friends' anymore."
"I hate you! I'll hate you forever!"
That afternoon, the moment Xu Feifei stepped back into the classroom.
Her classmates shouted in unison, "Get together! Get together! Xu Feifei and the class president forever! Follow the class president forever!"
Hearing this, Xu Feifei's mouth dropped open. She took half a step back, face so red she couldn't speak.
So when did Miss Xu truly begin to feel shame? Probably today.
Fortunately, Liu Wenjie restored order: "Quiet! Find your books and get ready for class." Only then did everyone settle down, sparing someone from being too embarrassed to enter the room.