Ch 22

Ding Xuerun felt the world was spinning for a moment.

His cheeks were red and hot—it was obvious where Lou Cheng had pressed his head.  Ding Xuerun was perplexed for a moment, and his normally calm brain appeared to be powerless. He didn’t move for a while. When he comes to his sense, his first reaction was to grab a textbook and slap Lou Cheng on the forehead.

He remained rational and did not exert himself, the book fell to the ground after that.

As a result, Lou Cheng clutched his head and “hissed” as if it hurt: “…Xiao Ding, why are you hitting me? It hurt, you know.”

Ding Xuerun’s face was flushed as he gasped. He glared at him: “Why do you think I hit you?”

Lou Cheng certainly knew why, but he acts like he didn’t know: “Why are you blushing?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

Ding Xuerun turned around to work on the question, Lou Cheng bent over picking up the book on the ground, he carefully pushed it to his desk: “Your book, don’t be angry, I’m… just joking.” He touched his head.

Lou Cheng never made such jokes with others, but his brother who played basketball with him would be like this in the changing room, but no one dared to do it to Lou Cheng. Lou Cheng often watched them pushing people into the crotch, but he had never done it before. He felt disgusted by everyone.

Ding Xuerun let out a sigh of relief: “Don’t make this kind of joke next time, really.”

Lou Cheng almost wanted to say, “Do you dislike me? I don’t even dislike you”, but he didn’t say it in the end. He was just muttered. “Umm…No more…” He picked up a book from the table and put it on his lap as if hiding something.

Ding Xuerun caught a glimpse but said nothing. He reached out and put his winter school uniform from the back of his chair over his back: “Don’t catch a cold.”

Because of the competition, Ding Xuerun became busy.

Chen Zhibang has been paying close attention to Ding Xuerun recently and discovered that Lou Cheng, who was supposed to share a dormitory with Ding Xuerun, did not return to the dormitory every day-he should be living outside.

He believes that students like Ding Xuerun should avoid contact with students like Lou Cheng because more contact will have a bad influence on him. When Ding Xuerun reminded him to leave through the back door of the school, he got in the car and drove around to the front door. Chen Zhibang noticed Lou Cheng and his brothers were waiting for him in front of the school gate.

At ten o’clock in the evening for self-study, Chen Zhibang saw Ding Xuerun walking back to the dormitory alone with his schoolbag. He quickly followed, and asked: “Ding Xuerun, where is Lou Cheng?”

“I don’t know.”

“Isn’t he in the same dormitory with you?”

Ding Xuerun thought he was going to report again, and said sternly: “Well, he usually comes back late.”

He went back to the dormitory and changed his clothes when he heard someone knocking on the door.

“Who is it?” Ding Xuerun enjoyed this dormitory alone, Lou Cheng only came back on Thursday, and today is Monday, so he can’t come.

A male voice came from outside: “It’s me, Chen Zhibang.”

Ding Xuerun turned the light off a bit before opening the door, opening a small slit, and asking him: “What’s the matter, Academic Committee?”

“Is Lou Cheng there?”.”

“He is in the bathroom.” Ding Xuerun said, “Do you have anything to do with him?”

“No, I’m looking for you.” Chen Zhibang looked embarrassed.

“What are you looking for me for? Why do you ask about Lou Cheng?”

“This afternoon, fill in the blanks. I think you have figured out the value of a. I haven’t yet. I want to ask you how to do it. Let’s go to the study room on the first floor?”After speaking, he paused, “Also, I know Lou Cheng doesn’t live in the dormitory. Don’t worry, I won’t put a complaint.”

Ding Xuerun remained silent and stared at him, a little coldly.

Chen Zhibang was inexplicably timid and his face flushed with embarrassment: “I’m telling the truth, I think he will treat you nicely if he doesn’t live in school, lest you be damaged by him.” For this reason, he can’t file a complaint this time.

Ding Xuerun shook his head, feeling that this person was not witty at all. But he still let go of the tightly pressed door, and explained: “Lou Cheng is very good, you just don’t understand it.” After that, Ding Xuerun found the test paper and draft book in his schoolbag and then slammed the dormitory door: “Let’s go to the self-study room.”

Chen Zhibang is not bad in math, even if he can’t solve some problems, he is also a type that can get through it at some point. After Ding Xuerun told him how to solve two questions, Chen Zhibang felt that he was amazing, too amazing. In the subject of mathematics, he seldom convinced anyone, but now he has a feeling of admiration for Ding Xuerun.

Ding Xuerun, on the other hand, still has a very estranged relationship with his classmates, and he can only communicate with him about learning matters, and nothing else. Chen Zhibang wanted to talk to him about Lou Cheng several times. From the bottom of his heart, he felt that Ding Xuerun shouldn’t get mixed up with that kind of student.

But he knew that they were good friends, wouldn’t he be nosy like this, so he who loves to file a complaint, forcibly held back his mouth.

By the end of December, it was getting colder and colder. The school distributed a batch of sports equipment to encourage students to play badminton, table tennis, or skip rope between classes.

Ding Xuerun is not very active. He is used to sitting in the classroom after class, holding a hot water cup to do questions. However, Lou Cheng is very active. Just after the first class, he dragged Ding Xuerun hardly: “Xiao Ding, let’s play badminton, there are only three of us we need one more.”

Ding Xuerun is working on a question. He has done a lot of questions recently and he was still doing the competition questions on the live broadcast at night. Many people who watched the live broadcast were confused and asked him what he wrote and why they couldn’t understand the question at all.

However, only some of them watching his homework live broadcast is for learning, and most of them are just enjoying the “pleasure” of watching others doing their homework. The efficiency will be very high if you observe others doing their homework and write alongside them.

Ding Xuerun didn’t know how to play badminton, and said: “I won’t go, you can play.”

“No, get up you lazybones.” Lou Cheng tugged him first and walked to him when he doesn’t move. He came up behind him and passed his arms directly through his armpit, “If you don’t get up, I’ll take you away.”

He took Ding Xuerun from the seat and almost pulled him into his arms. Ding Xuerun leaned helplessly against him. He couldn’t move at all on his chest and gave up struggling. He put his pen in his school uniform pocket and let Lou Cheng drag him out of the classroom half-hugged.

“Okay, okay, don’t hug me, I’ll go by myself.” Ding Xuerun left the classroom and felt that this was not appropriate, so he told Lou Cheng to let go.

Lou Cheng did not let go and keep hugging him. In a posture of embracing him from behind, he lifted him until his entire foot was in the air, then put him down. He rubbed his palm on the top of his hair, which had grown longer and hadn’t gotten a haircut: “Why are you so light and thin?”

Their classroom is located on the first floor. Only a few badminton courts were set up outside. The big bald head drove away people fiercely: “Our eldest brother is coming to play ball, you go elsewhere.”

Ding Xuerun followed Lou Cheng to the court and saw the big bald head standing opposite the net, as well as another silly boy who was also one of Lou Cheng’s many little brothers was also called piggy. There is also a referee next to him, and Ding Xuerun knows he is a senior in high school.

“Lou Cheng,” Ding Xuerun gently tugged at his cuff, “What should I do if I don’t know how to play?”

“It’s okay.” Lou Cheng picked a badminton racket with the best feel for him, “I’ll score. You can run wherever you see the ball coming. It doesn’t matter if you can’t catch it. I’ve got it.”

Ding Xuerun has no talent in this area, whereas Lou Cheng has excellent motoric skills. However, Lou Cheng does not dislike him. After all, he has a good brain and his talent is all in his head.

Lou Cheng dragged him out to play badminton, not to make him assist, but to make him exercise, and get him to stop sitting in a chair all the time.

The big bald head is a badminton master; he is very powerful and has a tricky angle. However, he meets Lou Cheng, an athlete with exceptional sprint speed and jumping ability, and quickly makes a gap in the score

Ding Xuerun didn’t receive a ball at first, but he kept running on both sides. The inside of his body gradually became hot due to the movement. Ding Xuerun was exhausted after a few rounds of running, so he bent over and gasped for air with his hands on his knees.

“Xiao Ding, your body is not good. Why are you panting?” Lou Cheng walked to him and patted him on the back: “Tired? Do you want to drink water?”

Ding Xuerun panted and nodded.

Lou Cheng called a timeout: “I’m going to pick up some water.”

He quickly grabbed some warm water from Ding Xuerun’s transparent glass, which was protected by a heat shield.

Lou Cheng unscrewed the lid and placed the water cup in front of Ding Xuerun’s lips: “Drink some warm water it’s not hot.”

Ding Xuerun drank some water with his hand.

Lou Cheng’s three younger brothers were astounded. They said that caring for their deskmate was like caring for an elderly mother, which was very considerate.

Piggy said: “Brother Cheng, I also want to drink water.”

“Drink a fart, want to drink water but can’t get it by yourself?”

Piggy: “…”

Lou Cheng let Ding Xuerun serve twice, and the preparatory bell rang.

The two returned to the classroom after collecting the badminton, but the teacher had not yet arrived. The class 4 students consciously began to preview, the class representative walked up and began to read the text.

The sound of neat reading could be heard.

Ding Xuerun’s hands were completely dry. He took out a tube of hand cream from his schoolbag’s side pocket, and when he squeezed it on the back of his hand, he accidentally squeezed too much.

“Lou Cheng,” Ding Xuerun stretched out his hand, “I’m squeezing too much, do you want it?”

Lou Cheng was a little disgusted: “No, thanks.”

“Then forget it.” Ding Xuerun just wiped off the hand cream. Both hands were dipped in half, and Lou Cheng said, “What does your hand cream smell like? Is it milky?”

He vaguely remembered touching Ding Xuerun’s hands several times, and it smelled of milk.

Ding Xuerun shook his head: “It’s not milk, it’s shea butter.”

Lou Cheng said again: “What kind of fruit is shea?”

Ding Xuerun glanced at him and annoyed: “Do you want it or not?”

“Okay, okay.” Lou Cheng said reluctantly, “Then give me a little…but you wiped it away.”

Ding Xuerun couldn’t help but said, “Give me your hand.”

Lou Cheng obediently stretched out both hands, and Ding Xuerun wrapped his hands with his palms covered with shea-aroma hand cream.

Lou Cheng thought that he would let him go after two wipes, and let him wipe it himself. He didn’t expect Ding Xuerun to not let go, but instead grabbed his hand and wiped him evenly, finger by finger.

There was a milk-like fragrance in the air, which was exactly what he often smelled on Ding Xuerun. Lou Cheng thought the original aroma is called shea butter.

This kind of hand cream is very greasy and slippery. Lou Cheng stretched out his hands and looked down at the entangled hands, some were still dry. For a while, he couldn’t tell whether the hand cream was too slippery or Ding Xuerun’s hands were slippery.