Su Ke was a little bewildered by how he had inexplicably walked up another floor and ended up standing outside Li Feifei's classroom. Maybe it was because he'd learned in the principal's office that Li Feifei had asked her father to plead on his behalf...
Still, standing in the classroom doorway with so many people watching made him uncomfortable. He instinctively felt his face grow hot, rubbed his nose, then gave Li Feifei an OK sign and turned to leave.
The teacher lecturing at the front of the classroom furrowed his brow slightly. Just then, the bell rang, and the classroom erupted into noise.
"Su Ke!" Li Feifei hurried out of the classroom. Seeing that he hadn't gone far, she called out to him.
Hearing Li Feifei's voice, Su Ke turned around and walked back. "Heh, thanks to you, it looks like I won't be getting expelled after all!"
He didn't want to mention that he'd been nominated as one of the city's Ten Outstanding Communist Youth League Members. That was probably why he'd gotten off the hook. He saw the same joyful smile spread across Li Feifei's face and nodded to her.
"I knew you wouldn't get expelled. Just make sure you remember what you promised me!" Li Feifei always dressed with a fresh look and a girlish energy. Now, her tone sounded more like she was talking to an old friend.
"Of course. A real man always keeps his word, doesn't he?" Su Ke shrugged. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed plenty of people sneaking glances in their direction, looking surprised and jealous.
"Heh, 'a real man,' huh?" Li Feifei teased him with a soft laugh.
"If I'm not your husband, then what am I, your boyfriend?" Su Ke blurted out. As soon as he said it, Li Feifei froze, as if she hadn't understood. But then he heard her pout, "Pah! You lecher, you'll never change!"
"All right, I'm off. Come find me if you need anything!" Su Ke chuckled. He was uncomfortable with people constantly peeking at them in the hallway, so he waved and ran downstairs.
"Well, look who's finally back!" The moment he entered the classroom, Wang Xiaogang jumped up and grabbed Su Ke by the arm, dragging him outside without another word. "What happened? I heard you got into it with Li Xueliang's son at noon!" His voice suddenly dropped, and Su Ke could hear the concern in it.
"It's fine. It's all been taken care of." Su Ke patted Wang Xiaogang on the back, not making a big deal of it. He valued Wang Xiaogang's concern. After all, he really didn't have many friends in class.
"Yeah, that guy doesn't scare me, but his dad's our dean of discipline. I'm worried he'll give you trouble!" As soon as Wang Xiaogang finished speaking, the class bell rang.
Once he sat down, Su Ke quickly settled into his studies. He'd made up his mind: success depended on his own hard work. He'd already passed the math checkpoint, and he had hope for the science subjects, but he still needed to put more effort into the others.
With his full attention on the lesson, time passed much faster. When the bell rang, Su Ke stretched, then noticed someone moving outside the classroom door. It looked like someone was peering in at him.
Three girls stood outside, craning their necks to look into the classroom. Su Ke was sure they were talking about him, but he had no idea why.
"Su Ke!" one of the girls suddenly called, pointing at him.
Su Ke looked bewildered. He was absolutely certain he didn't know the girl who'd spoken. Her style was far too eccentric to forget: her short hair was almost a buzz cut, and huge, shiny hoop earrings dangled from both earlobes. She had a curvy figure, and she was waving at him.
He frowned, disliking her style. Perhaps deep down, Su Ke preferred the gentle, refined image of a girl like Wei Lan.
"Su Ke! Come out for a second!" When the buzz-cut girl saw that he wasn't moving, she called again. Everyone in the classroom turned to look at Su Ke. Wei Lan gave him a particularly irritated glare, making him shiver.
Confused, Su Ke walked toward the door. Wang Xiaogang patted him on the shoulder, grinning mischievously. "Su Ke, you've got quite the luck with girls! First the school beauty Li this morning, and now three beauties this afternoon!"
"Get lost." Su Ke walked to the doorway. "You wanted to see me?" he asked the buzz-cut girl. Up close, he noticed she was wearing makeup. Somehow, she'd made her eyelashes look thick and long, and her big, sparkling eyes were striking.
"Hehe, Brother Su Ke, I heard you bravely caught a thief, and then got into it with Dean of Discipline Li's son at noon. You're so manly!" The girl was a natural at making friends. She called him "brother" right away, which made Su Ke feel a little awkward.
"Heh!" Su Ke didn't know what to say, so he grinned. "Did you need something?"
"It's not me. My Qingqing wants to see you!" As she spoke, the buzz-cut girl pulled her companion forward. Whether by accident or on purpose, she pushed the girl right in front of Su Ke.
Su Ke quickly stepped back, then got a good look at the girl before him. She had fluffy, short hair dyed golden yellow, like a big mushroom perched on her head. Her features were delicate, though, and she seemed to be wearing lip gloss, her lips glossy and red. When she noticed Su Ke looking at her, she seemed a little shy.
"Brother Su Ke!" The girl they called Qingqing had a sweet voice. Hearing it made Su Ke swallow without thinking. Her innocent face and sweet voice were a striking contrast with her fluffy golden hair, creating a vivid visual effect.
"Yeah, what's up?" Su Ke felt his voice soften without meaning to and asked with a smile.
Under Su Ke's gaze, Qingqing's cheeks immediately turned red. She clasped her hands nervously, her eyes darting away. Su Ke was even more confused. What was going on?
"Go on! Go on!" The buzz-cut girl and the other girl stood on either side of Qingqing, gently rocking her arms in unison as if cheering her on. Su Ke was completely at a loss.
"Did you need something?" Su Ke asked again.
"Brother Su Ke!" Qingqing lifted her head. Her white teeth lightly bit her red lip, and she seemed so nervous that her breathing had grown uneven. Su Ke could see her delicate nose, its nostrils flaring repeatedly. It was adorable.
"I-I'm Liu Qingqing, from Class 3, Grade 10. Could I—could I be your girlfriend?" After saying it, Liu Qingqing finally let out a sigh of relief. Before Su Ke could react, she abandoned her two friends and ran off in a flash.
Su Ke was dumbfounded. He stood frozen in the doorway. I... just got confessed to?
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