An interview-feeling nervous? [Please keep reading!]
Bai Qingxia might have been a little too anxious. Her small hands were practically twisting Lu Yuanqiu's face out of shape.
But she had no idea that the boy's mind wasn't on the moon at all.
Damn it, even if Chang'e herself were up there, I wouldn't be interested in looking right now.
Lu Yuanqiu trembled and wriggled backward, as though he were lying on a springy, fragrant sponge. He felt as if he were floating.
"Feeling better?"
"I'm so scared..."
"Still scared?!"
Bai Qingxia looked around anxiously. She wanted to borrow a flashlight from the classroom building, but just as she was about to get up, Lu Yuanqiu suddenly caught her arm.
"Bai Qingxia!"
"I'm here!"
The girl quickly turned back. Looking at her anxious face, Lu Yuanqiu asked in an aggrieved voice, "Are you still mad at me?"
Bai Qingxia shook her head. "No, I'm not mad at you. I... I was only mad for that one second."
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Under Bai Qingxia's astonished gaze, Lu Yuanqiu sat up, picking his nose with a perfectly calm expression. "Don't worry. I'm fine."
Seeing her staring blankly at him without reacting, Lu Yuanqiu grinned and did a goofy Mongolian shoulder-shimmy dance, as if to prove he really was fine. "I'm seriously fine. Look, full of life."
Bai Qingxia's expression turned cold again. Furious, she immediately raised both hands and shoved his chest.
"Hey, you!" Lu Yuanqiu's eyes widened. Just before he fell backward, he grabbed her arm in desperation.
Bai Qingxia cried out as the force of his hefty body falling dragged her forward.
She landed on Lu Yuanqiu's chest in alarm, her beautiful eyes meeting his in stunned disbelief from mere inches away.
Each could see the other reflected in their eyes.
Just then, the lights at all four corners of the sports field switched on at once.
Lu Yuanqiu and Bai Qingxia turned their heads together.
The power was back!
The red rubber running track and green grass were laid bare beneath the dazzling lights.
But what shocked them was that they weren't the only two people on this vast field!
Hundreds upon hundreds of boy-girl pairs froze in place, some holding hands, some walking side by side, and some facing each other.
Still, few were in positions as "wild" as Lu Yuanqiu and Bai Qingxia's...
Not far away, six stern-faced, middle-aged people slowly approached the track, switching off their flashlights in unison.
They were the heads and deputy heads of all three grades!
Ge Ritian, the head of the senior grade, shouted, "Nobody move! Behave yourselves! Give me your names and classes, one at a time!"
Holy shit!
Like hell we're listening to him!
The students on the field instantly erupted into chaos, scattering beneath the glaring lights.
Lu Yuanqiu hurriedly wrapped one arm around Bai Qingxia's slender waist and pushed himself up with the other. He gently set her on the ground as though she were a toy, then grabbed her arm and sprinted away with the crowd.
If a good student like Bai Qingxia got caught, she would be in serious trouble. Having her parents called in would be the mildest punishment.
Although the two of them were innocent, Lu Yuanqiu was certain that if he tried explaining his fear of the dark to Ge Ritian, the old bastard would only throw his head back and laugh, not believe him.
"You dare run?! After them!"
Ge Ritian roared in a shrill voice, hastily raising his right hand to direct the other five grade administrators.
He followed slowly behind, limping and occasionally reaching back to clutch his backside.
"Ow, my hemorrhoids..."
If it weren't for these hemorrhoids, I could've caught at least two couples myself today, Ge Ritian thought bitterly.
Amid the fleeing crowd.
Bai Qingxia panted, taking long strides with her long legs. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Lu Yuanqiu's broad back, and the scene from moments ago kept coming back to her.
It had lasted only a few seconds, yet her delicate earlobes were still burning red.
Lu Yuanqiu glanced back just then. Bai Qingxia looked up and met his eyes. He curled his lips into a sunny smile at her before turning back and continuing to run.
Blushing, Bai Qingxia lowered her head and ran behind him.
At last, they made it to the corridor outside Senior Class 28.
Lu Yuanqiu had noticed three or four couples getting caught earlier, and the sight had delighted him. It was the gloating relief of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster.
Heh, their parents are definitely getting called in. Maybe they'll even get publicly reprimanded. Awesome.
As a poor student, Lu Yuanqiu loved hearing other students get publicly reprimanded.
They were walking toward their classroom when Bai Qingxia suddenly stopped. "Lu Yuanqiu."
He turned back. "What's up?"
Looking awkward, Bai Qingxia said, "I'll go in first. Wait... wait three minutes before you come in."
Lu Yuanqiu nodded. "You've really thought this through. Sure, go ahead."
Bai Qingxia hurried past him with her head lowered. Lu Yuanqiu went to the restroom before returning to class.
Most of the students were already back.
Their English teacher, Su Miaomiao, stood at the lectern with a shifting expression. There was even a faint blush on her pretty face.
In a rare display of anger, she slapped the lectern. "What was all that racket?! One power outage and you all turn wild, is that it?!"
The entire class fell silent, nothing like the howling mob they had been earlier.
Everyone looked a little guilty.
Their homeroom teacher, Liu Wei, stood in the classroom doorway, watching them with a beastlike stare.
Su Miaomiao scanned the class, trying to identify the owner of that groping hand. But every student looked somewhat unnatural, making it hard to tell.
Suddenly, she spotted Zhong Jincheng in the corner.
The class academic representative was staring solemnly at his homework, apparently deep in thought. His face was so righteous that it was almost sinister.
Su Miaomiao looked away. Zhong Jincheng seemed like an upright boy. It definitely couldn't have been him.
It wasn't something she could easily bring herself to say aloud, and she couldn't identify the culprit anyway. She could only let it go and turn to Liu Wei.
Liu Wei took her place at the front and slammed her hand on the lectern.
A top student in the front row choked, opened their mouth, and spat out a cloud of chalk dust.
"You're all pretty bold, aren't you! Gao Qiang, bring your parents in tomorrow. I hear you were the loudest of the lot?"
Liu Wei adjusted her thick glasses and barked the question.
Gao Qiang stood up, looking utterly hopeless.
Zheng Yifeng sat in his seat, unusually awake. Biting his finger, the handsome boy looked like Sherlock
Holmes as he studied everyone within a five-meter radius.
He had just beaten up Zhong Jincheng, but the boy had refused to confess.
Apparently, someone else had kissed him.
Just then, Zheng Yifeng turned toward his deskmate, Chen Fei, and suddenly noticed that the fangirl's cheeks were as red as a monkey's butt.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I have a fever."
"Drink more warm water."
"Thanks."
With their conversation over, Zheng Yifeng resumed scrutinizing everyone around him.
He suspected Liu Buneng had kissed him.
Liu Wei went on to reprimand several more students. In the end, neither Lu Yuanqiu nor Bai Qingxia got into any trouble, leaving them both secretly pleased, though for different reasons.
Because of the power outage, that evening's self-study session ended early.
After packing her schoolbag, Bai Qingxia followed Lu Yuanqiu to the bike shed.
Seemingly noticing her awkward expression, Lu Yuanqiu asked, "Nervous about the interview?"
Bai Qingxia looked at him and immediately nodded.
Lu Yuanqiu laughed. "What's there to be nervous about? Just picture my dad's head as a giant radish. Whatever he says, just nod, smile, and say yes."
Bai Qingxia lowered her head and lightly pressed her lips together, as though he had amused her.
Lu Yuanqiu liked seeing her smile.
Because this girl looked so beautiful when she smiled.
It was just a shame she wore a cold expression every day.
He wheeled his bike outside. Seeing the girl silently walking along with her schoolbag on her back, Lu Yuanqiu looked at her in surprise. "You're walking when there's a bike right here?"
As he spoke, he patted the rear seat of his bicycle.
Looking at the dense crowd by the school gates, Bai Qingxia stood frozen in place, her small hands nervously and awkwardly gripping her uniform pants.
She stubbornly shook her head.
As always, dear benefactors, please keep reading. Don't let the chapters pile up!