Chapter 157
Si Ming thought about it and put his worries aside. Anyway, this kid is still a kid, and his relationship skills are probably just child's play. Back when he was in the third year of junior high school, he didn't even know the difference between sanitary napkins and toilet paper. He made a big joke in class, which became a black mark on his history. He would be teased about it at every class reunion, which had almost become a fixed scene.
"As for what you said about dating too early, it's not really true. Dating in junior high school is not uncommon. Look over there."
Liu Qingqing pointed to the other side of the road, where there was a pair of elementary school students, who looked to be in the third or fourth grade.
The girl said to the boy, "Let's break up! I've never seen such an immature guy!"
The boy exclaimed in surprise, "I'm a grown man, and you're calling me childish?"
The girl turned to leave, but the boy stepped forward and called out, "Don't move! I'm stepping on your shadow, can't move anymore?"
The girl pouted and said, "Childish. Let go of me, I'm in a hurry to get to school."
"No way! I'll weigh him down with a rock, I'm leaving now."
"Naive, I can just remove it."
The world is filled with an atmosphere of "single people should die," and even staunch advocates of singlehood have to endure tremendous challenges!
Si Ming felt the shock to his worldview once again, and then he understood what the awkwardness in his heart was. It was probably the anxiety of "my younger brother is married, but I am still single". If this were in his previous life, he would probably be pressured by his mother to get married to the point that he didn't even dare to go home.
But this is ultimately an illusion; I am still young and have plenty of time to waste.
After figuring this out, Si Ming felt completely relaxed and embraced his new academic life with a cheerful attitude. He even had the leisure to critique the school uniform.
Tange No. 1 Middle School has two sets of school uniforms. One set is the school uniform used for daily study. It is mainly blue with white trim. The simple style exudes a classical atmosphere. At first glance, it looks a lot like the Qionghua Sect's clothing in the game Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 that Si Ming played in his previous life.
The other set is a training uniform worn when practicing martial arts. It is mainly black to prevent dirt and is designed for practicality. The cuffs and collar are decorated with blue cloud patterns, which are eye-catching and add a touch of beauty.
Regardless of the outfit, none of them were designed to conceal a woman's charm. While a person's beauty is ultimately determined by their appearance, an elegant school uniform can certainly add the finishing touch.
The reason why schools in China used those bulky, unremarkable styles in the past was twofold: first, to save on clothing costs, and second, to conceal physical characteristics and prevent energetic teenagers from making "youthful mistakes." After all, schools were extremely wary of early romantic relationships, believing that they would not only interfere with studies but also damage the school's reputation if they "caused a death."
However Su State values its population resources and is desperately trying to stop the declining birth rate. They don't care about early romances. They want all male and female students to be paired up before graduation. Even in key high schools like No. 1 High School, which emphasizes academic performance, they don't encourage or stop students from dating. Therefore, their school uniforms are very distinctive, especially the tight-fitting practice clothes, which can highlight the youthful charm of women.
From a zoological perspective, male animals will desperately display their abilities to win the favor of females, even fighting with other males. This principle also applies to humans. In a sense, jealousy and rivalry can motivate students to practice martial arts.
While private fights are strictly prohibited, exchanging martial arts skills is something to be encouraged. It is not uncommon for students who were originally mediocre to train day and night to attract the attention of their crushes, resulting in a significant improvement in their grades.
From the school's perspective, as long as they are properly guided, romantic relationships will not only not hinder academic performance, but can also stimulate learning motivation. The approach of simply forbidding it and throwing the baby out with the bathwater is ultimately because teachers are too lazy to waste energy guiding students to establish correct views on love, and are also afraid of taking responsibility, so they simply take a one-size-fits-all approach and sever ties.
For example, if students neglect their studies because they are in a romantic relationship, it is because the two of them did not heed the teacher's warnings and are reaping what they sowed. It is definitely not the teacher's responsibility for not providing timely guidance.
"What's wrong?" Liu Qingqing noticed Si Ming's gaze and asked.
"It's nothing, I just think the school uniform at No. 1 High School is quite exquisite. Hmm, it fits you very well, and you look quite beautiful in it."
"Oh, thank you," Liu Qingqing replied casually, then seemed to remember something and added, "You look very handsome in your school uniform, really."
"... They're not playing by the rules."
Si Ming was speechless at this lukewarm response. Where were those girls in the game who would blush and blush at the simple compliment of a dress fitting them?
Is it because I haven't built up enough goodwill towards Liu Qingqing?
Or is this childhood friend actually an unromanceable character?
"Don't worry, characters who are not romanceable in the original game will become romanceable in the side story. That's the normal pattern."
What are you saying?
"It's nothing, I was just talking to myself."
As expected, Si Ming attracted a lot of curious glances when he arrived at the classroom. Although it was only the beginning of the semester and his classmates didn't recognize everyone's faces, any empty seats would undoubtedly be very noticeable. It was hard for someone who skipped class as soon as the semester started not to attract attention.
"You've arrived."
Murong Qing had already arrived at the classroom, greeted the two of them, which attracted even more attention and caused a stir in the class.
"They actually know each other? Do they skip class together?"
"Is there even a doubt? They just happen to know each other, and they just happen to skip class together. What a coincidence!"
"A man and a woman, just as I guessed, they really eloped! Judging from the situation, they were definitely caught by their parents. The next part of the story will definitely be about being separated by their parents, their heartfelt reunion, confessing their feelings to each other, persuading their families, and finally, the lovers getting together!"
"No way, such a beautiful girl is already taken! I was even thinking of taking advantage of our proximity and confessing to her within a month! Judging from the situation, they've already eloped together, it's going to be hard to win her over now, she might even have taken over and started a relationship with someone else."
Two people who skipped class at the same time knew each other, which would inevitably lead people to speculate about the reasons for their absence. Even if the truth was true, the final conclusions would be completely different.
Si Ming had anticipated this situation, but unfortunately, he had no way to break the deadlock. He knew very well that the more he explained, the deeper the misunderstanding would become. If he just left it alone, the freshmen would soon forget about it with their enthusiasm for entering university.
However, even though Murong Qing greeted both him and Liu Qingqing, in other people's eyes it became that Murong Qing greeted him alone, and Liu Qingqing, a living person, was completely ignored.
"You became a star right after the start of the semester. Now you don't need to think of ways to attract attention anymore. Your popularity is skyrocketing, and being elected class monitor is practically a sure thing."
Murong Qing sighed, "I'd rather not have this kind of popularity. Besides, don't underestimate Tange Middle School. Those who can get in are all top students from junior high. At least one out of three has been a class committee member. The competition is fierce."
"But don't forget, everyone in the class has only just met. We don't know who's capable and who's not. At this point, it comes down to popularity. People tend to vote for whoever makes the strongest impression, so you just happened to win by accident... Oh, and there's also the matter of looks and figure. You don't need to worry about that at all. School uniforms are an advantage for you, I can guarantee that." Si Ming gave a thumbs up.
Murong Qing the last part, then realized what he meant, her face flushed slightly, and she spat out, "Who needs your promise?" With that, she turned and went back to her seat.
"... This reaction is supposed to be an increase in affection, but unfortunately there's no option to choose. Reality is just a trash game."
Si Ming shook his head and returned to his seat. Just as he was about to flip through the timetable, he saw a hand wearing a black glove pressing on his desk, and then he heard a familiar voice.