Ch 21

Ding Xuerun was about to leave the school gate when he was suddenly stopped.

The Academic Committee was dressed in blue and white school uniforms with a down jacket hat. He held up an Apple phone and handed it to Ding Xuerun.

Ding Xuerun looked at him: “What does the academic committee mean?”

“This is for you.” Chen Zhibang had a depressing expression on his face. This incident most likely had an impact on him. For several days, he didn’t sleep well and had dark circles under his eyes. He also pondered for several days before apologizing, “I bought it with my last year’s scholarship. The time your phone was confiscated in English class, I reported it. Sorry, I wronged you.”

Ding Xuerun seemed to be a little surprised and didn’t say anything for a few seconds before smiling: “You don’t have to give me one because I still have a useful mobile phone. I can get my mobile phone back at the end of next month.”

“I’m sorry… There is also the unified exam. It’s also my complaint.” Chen Zhibang is still insistent, holding his hand and tightly clutching his apology.

After he realized that Ding Xuerun was really good, he thought it was necessary to apologize.

However, Ding Xuerun still shook his head: “You can use the phone; please don’t feel guilty; this matter does not affect me. I have something to do, so I will leave first.” 

When he finished, he turned around and stopped after a few steps, turned around again, and  said: “Academic Committee, you go out through the back door today, and let your family come to pick you up at the back door.”

“Why through the back door…”

Ding Xuerun did not answer his question and waved his hands behind his back.

He walked out of the school in a dignified and sharp manner, carrying his school bag on his back.

Lou Cheng stood waiting for him at the school gate and waved happily when he saw him.

A group of his juniors stood a little further away, poking their heads out, as if curious to see what the god of learning, who had been praised as a flower, looked like. Lou Cheng stated specifically: “Don’t join in the fun when my deskmate invites me to dinner alone. Leave and act as if we don’t know each other. Remember, you guys still have a task today: hammer that stupid son of a b*tch Chen Zhibang to death!”

Lou Cheng’s younger brother, the big bald head, heard that Chen Zhibang was going to be the one hammered today, he specially prepared a fader: “Hey, Chen Zhibang.” 

Chen Zhibang was in the same junior high school class as the big bald head, and he was still the class monitor at the time. While the big bald head was not bald before, he had a bump on the top of his head in the first year of junior high school, and then a large piece of his hair on his head stopped growing.

In order not to look like a middle-aged man, the big bald head attempted to grow hair to cover the bald spots on his head and even wore a wig.

As a result, Chen Zhibang went to the teacher to complain about his hairstyle.

The big bald head had to cut his hair and wear a hat to school. He was checked during a morning exercise and had to take off his hat. The bald hollow circle on top of his head drew the attention of the entire class, as well as a roar of laughter from the next class.

Someone said, “He has less hair than the old principal, hahahahahaha.” 

He was so embarrassed that he wanted to burrow his head in the ground.

It was only after graduating from junior high school that someone told him an interesting fact: “The matter about your hair was a report from Chen Zhibang.” 

The big bald head planned to give Chen Zhibang a bald head today.

Ding Xuerun walked to Lou Cheng and asked him what he wanted to eat. Lou Cheng said that he could eat anything. Ding Xuerun noticed a few tall students who didn’t even look like high school students staring sneakily at his side not far away.

Ding Xuerun had observed it a long time ago, and he could almost recognize every little brother of Lou Cheng.

He asked Lou Cheng, “Is that your friends over there?”

Lou Cheng looked back vigilantly, afraid that the group of pigs would come to eat, and immediately shook his head: “I don’t know them, Xiao Ding, let’s go.”

“But they seem to know you.”

Lou Cheng looked back again and found that the pig teammates waved at him with a smile: “Brother Cheng, have a delicious dinner!” 

In the end, Ding Xuerun took Lou Cheng’s little brothers out to dinner.

Chen Zhibang had already walked through the back door, and they couldn’t wait for a long time at the school gate.

Ding Xuerun said that he had received numerous bonuses, so he takes them to Chaoshan beef hot pot restaurant in a nearby shopping mall.

When ordering the food, Lou Cheng sent them a message: “Give me some vegetarian dishes, don’t order meat.”

He also sent out red packets: “I’ll treat you or we can AA, so go somewhere else and I’ll see you guys later, understand?”

But the big bald heads already ordered a beer.

When asked whether Ding Xuerun would drink or not, Ding Xuerun nodded and said, “I want some.”

Lou Cheng’s face was pulled down on the spot: “How can you be like them? Drinking? I don’t even drink.”

“Brother Cheng, don’t you allow others to drink if you don’t drink yourself? It’s embarrassing to admit that a man from the Northeast doesn’t know how to drink! It is not illegal to drink! You can drink a thousand glasses if you meet a friend!”

Others also urged: “Come on, fill in the first-grader glass.”

“Would you like to drink a little, Brother Cheng? Good things come from putting alcohol into your sorrows and using alcohol to relieve your it.”

“No,” Lou Cheng was very unhappy. He muttered, “You also know how to drink…”

He doesn’t like it when other people smoke or drink, but the smell of alcohol is more tolerable than the smell of cigarettes.

Looking at Ding Xuerun’s red face after a glass of beer. Lou Cheng couldn’t help but asked him, “Xiao Ding, are you drunk?”

“Ah? What did you say?” Because the hot pot restaurant was so loud, Ding Xuerun couldn’t hear clearly.

“I said,” Lou Cheng leaned close, exhaling on his hear, “are you drunk?”

“No, I have to do my homework tonight.” Ding Xuerun smiled and blew the smell of alcohol on his face.

Lou Cheng met his gleaming eyes and a little bit stunned. He turned away and said, “Oh,” as if he didn’t care about him. Because he was getting hot, Lou Cheng took off his school jacket and continued to eat.

After finishing the meal, Lou Cheng asked the cashier, only to discover that Ding Xuerun had just given all of his money. When he turned around, he saw that Ding Xuerun took his school uniform and continued to put it on, but Ding Xuerun was unaware that he was wearing two jackets. Lou Cheng walked up to him and overheard him muttering, “The school jacket is getting bigger after eating…”

Lou Cheng didn’t remind him that it was his jacket. Worried that he would walk unsteadily, he helped him out by holding his arm.

After he had sent all of his younger brothers away, the big bald head inside the taxi, asked him, “What about the top student?” Lou Cheng said, “I’ll take him back to the school.”

The shopping mall is not far from the school and can be reached by walking. They arrived at the school gate around ten o’clock at night. When they were about to part ways Lou Cheng reminded him, “Xiao Ding, you should return my school jacket.”

Ding Xuerun seemed to realize that he was wearing Lou Cheng’s clothes. He pursed his lips and said, “I’m sorry”. After taking off the school jacket, he motioned Lou Cheng to extend his arm.

Lou Cheng was taken aback for a moment: “What are you doing?”

Ding Xuerun explained: “I’ll put it on for you so give me your hand.”

“…Oh.” Lou Cheng stretched out his arms obediently, sensing that Ding Xuerun started from the sleeves of the jacket and put him on the school jacket. When he put on another sleeve, Ding Xuerun passed his hand through the back of his neck, as if he was hugging him.

He couldn’t help but breathe faster and faster.

From Lou Cheng’s memory, this is the first time someone has dressed him, even his mother wouldn’t take care of him to this point.

However, it seems Lou Cheng couldn’t move anymore and his body was a little stiff, he just let Ding Xuerun tidy up his collar.

The scent of alcohol on Ding Xuerun’s body was very close to him, but Lou Cheng didn’t find it unpleasant and wanted to smell it again.

He looked down at Ding Xuerun’s soft black hair and saw that he was concentrating on the zipper of his school jacket. He wanted to say that he didn’t need to zip it because he was not feeling cold, but he still didn’t say anything.

Ding Xuerun zipped up the school jacket for him. He raised his head and looked at Lou Cheng, who was bowing his head.

Lou Cheng saw that his face was still very red and even his lips were rosy and shiny. Perhaps because of a layer of lenses, Lou Cheng saw that his eyes were hazy.

He doesn’t know if this is what’s known as drunkenness.

“Lou Cheng, I’m leaving.” Ding Xuerun took his hand and put them in his pocket.

“You… do you want to sleep in my house instead of going back to school?” Lou Cheng stared at him with black ball-like eyes.

“No, I still have homework to do.”

Lou Cheng coughed and clearly realized that Ding Xuerun is no longer the Ding Xuerun he used to think. The other party is a top student, who needs to do homework.

Ding Xuerun turned around and entered the school. When he reached the school gate, he looked back again and waved to Lou Cheng, who was still standing there.

After he entered the campus, which was brighter than ever at night by the light of snow and street lamps, his eyes looked clear.

Lou Cheng was still on the spot, hearing his abnormal heartbeat just now, and gradually calmed down.

A few days later, Lou Cheng also signed up for the math competition. He originally thought that Ding Xuerun had signed up with him just to skip class. He didn’t know that he was really going to take the part in the competition.

Lou Cheng slept all morning and didn’t get to class until the afternoon. When he remembered, he asked him: “How was the competition?”

Ding Xuerun said it was okay.

The top students’ common excuses are generally saying it’s okay, but in the end, they are receiving full marks.

The results of the math competition came out very quickly, and Ding Xuerun really entered the ranking with full marks. Their class also has an academic committee to enter the next round with him, and there are only six people in the school who have been in the final. Of the six people, two of them are a sophomore in class 4, and it makes Old Dou full of glory.

Lou Cheng didn’t know about it. He only knew that Ding Xuerun was in the final. He didn’t know that the academic committee was also there. Suddenly several times, he inexplicably caught a glimpse of Chen Zhibang standing in front of Ding Xuerun’s seat talking to him.

Lou Cheng was very uncomfortable. He caught Ding Xuerun and asked: “Why are you mixed up with that idiot? Did you forget that this son of b*tch reported you?”

Ding Xuerun calmly explained, “He passed the first round of the competition, so did I. We’re just discussing the math problems. Besides, it’s good to know your mistakes and be able to correct them.” The two of them are not familiar with each other, and they are really just discussing the math topic. Although Chen Zhibang seems to be on good terms with him, Ding Xuerun’s attitude has always been lukewarm.

Lou Cheng was deeply hurt and remained silent for a long time before becoming depressed and said: “…Xiao Ding, you don’t play with me anymore because I don’t understand mathematics. Can’t you discuss math problems with me?”

“When did I stop playing with you?” Ding Xuerun asked back.

“Just, just…” Lou Cheng got stuck. He felt that he had said something that shouldn’t be said, and scratched his head irritably. He had no idea why he was so concerned about it. He, who had never paid attention to studying before, started to pay attention to this inexplicably. He even took out a math book and wanted to take a look, but couldn’t understand it. He felt like it was a heavenly book.

“Lou Cheng, don’t think about it.” Ding Xuerun stretched out a hand and patted his head.

Lou Cheng’s face turned dark: “…Why the hell are you doing touching my head?”

“I want you to be a little behaved.” After speaking, Ding Xuerun continued to study the competition topic.

Lou Cheng: “???”

Lou Cheng felt not only looked down upon by the other but also that Ding Xuerun treated himself as if he were a primary school student. He was so angry that he wanted to beat Chen Zhibang and blow up his head. But Lou Cheng also knew that Ding Xuerun’s relationship with him was just like that. He could see Ding Xuerun’s indifferent attitude when he speaks. Xiao Ding obviously had the best relationship with him, but he was still unhappy.

Because of the competition, these students who want to compete are given special permission to skip physical education, music, art, and so on. In addition, they must go to empty classrooms every afternoon and evening to complete the competition questions together. They are taught by specialized teachers.

Lou Cheng returned to the classroom after PE class. He had just finished playing and was sweating. He wore almost wet jersey shorts in the winter, holding a winter school uniform in his hand, bare arms and calves as if he didn’t know what cold was.

When he entered the classroom, Ding Xuerun, who had completed the competition’s training course, returned with the reference book. Chen Zhibang, like his follower, walked alongside him.

Lou Cheng forced himself: “Good for you Ding Xuerun, hump, now you have a little follower.”

He became more upset, turning a basketball with his fingertips and swaggering to the seat. With one hand, he slammed the basketball onto the desk and abruptly dragged Ding Xuerun, who had just sat down and was clean and fresh. Lou Cheng grabbed Ding Xuerun’s head before he could say anything and pressed him on his wet pants.

Lou Cheng talked naively and arrogantly: “Study well is not everything, Xiao Ding, good students should develop morally, intellectually, physically, artistically, and industriously. Do you understand? Smell it, this is the smell of a man.”

The author has something to say: 

Lou Cheng: I’m fine.