"Morning, class rep."
"Class rep, why aren't you wearing your uniform today? Still, that outfit looks pretty cool."
"Class rep, I bought too much breakfast today. Want some?"
As soon as Zhang Zhaomu walked into the classroom, quite a few classmates greeted him.
Although he had spent all of yesterday's class time on his phone, girls had often come over to chat during breaks.
Under normal circumstances, even with Zhang Zhaomu's new look, the girls wouldn't have been so forward. The main thing was that his position as class rep gave them a natural excuse to ask for his WeChat without any reservations.
Besides, the girls in Class Nine were comparatively much bolder, especially those who specialized in dance.
After a bit of back and forth, Zhang Zhaomu had gotten to know quite a few classmates.
But hearing the girls call him "class rep" over and over, Zhang Zhaomu couldn't help feeling a little guilty. What kind of class rep spent all day playing on his phone in class and didn't want to take care of anything?
When he returned to his seat, Xiang Qing was already sitting on the throne in the king's homeland, her head still buried in a book, exactly as she had been when Zhang Zhaomu last saw her after evening self-study yesterday.
It even made Zhang Zhaomu wonder whether the girl had stayed there all night.
An image immediately appeared in his mind: in the corner of a pitch-black, empty classroom, a girl with long black hair sat with her head lowered, motionless. Only the rustle of a pencil against paper echoed through the room...
A little eerie.
He quickly patted his face, driving the dull fantasy away.
Since they were deskmates, Zhang Zhaomu thought it would be strange if they never spoke, and Xiang Qing definitely didn't look like the type to start a conversation. So he cleared his throat and said, "Morning, deskmate."
Xiang Qing didn't turn her head. Her eyes remained on her book, and she only nodded slightly:
"Mm."
That's the kind of response I expected.
Zhang Zhaomu had seen it coming and didn't feel awkward. Since he had already started talking, he decided to keep going:
"You got here early. Do you live on campus?"
"Mm."
"I haven't been to the dorm area yet. What are the living conditions like at our school?"
"They're all right."
This time she had given him an extra word. Zhang Zhaomu was about to press his advantage when she actually picked up her book and began reading aloud in a low voice:
"Peacocks fly southeast, lingering every five li..."
Zhang Zhaomu: "..."
What a blunt way to shut down a conversation.
He shook his head and couldn't help laughing. Forget it. If she didn't want to talk, then they wouldn't talk. He didn't feel awkward anyway.
There was no rule that deskmates had to be close. In fact, Zhang Zhaomu's relationship with his deskmate in his first year of high school had been nothing special either. Although they occasionally exchanged a few words, it had been limited to everyday conversation, nothing of substance.
Zhang Zhaomu quickly put the matter behind him, took out his phone, and continued reading "I Just Want to Strive, but I'm Surrounded by Beauties."
The morning flew by.
As soon as the lunch break bell rang, Zhang Zhaomu made his way to the entrance of Science Class One. This time, their teacher hadn't kept them late. Chen Zhenzhen was tidying her desk when Wang Qianzi, who sat next to her, spotted Zhang Zhaomu at the door first. Wearing a teasing expression, she patted Chen Zhenzhen on the shoulder:
"Your special someone's here to see you."
Chen Zhenzhen glanced toward the classroom door, then glared at Wang Qianzi and said in a low voice, "I told you, he and I aren't like that. We're just good friends."
"There's no pure friendship between men and women," Wang Qianzi declared with absolute conviction.
"I don't think of him as a guy, and he doesn't think of me as a girl, so what you just said doesn't apply," Chen Zhenzhen retorted. "Calling you a gossip fiend really wasn't wrong."
"Thanks for the compliment." Wang Qianzi was far more accepting of the nickname than expected. She leaned closer and lowered her voice. "He's so good-looking. You really don't have any other thoughts about him?"
"No! I! Don't!"
"Then how about setting me up with him?" Wang Qianzi's face was full of anticipation. "If it works out, I'll spend the rest of my life repaying you!"
Chen Zhenzhen froze.
It was the first time she had received a request like that. A strange, complicated feeling suddenly welled up inside her. She couldn't make sense of those emotions, but she still instinctively said, "Do you have to be such a lovesick fool? Fine, I'll ask him for you."
For some reason, she added:
"But I can't guarantee he'll agree. That guy doesn't seem very interested in dating."
"Oh, come on, how could that be?" Wang Qianzi said as though it were obvious. "Who wouldn't want a sweet romance? Especially with someone as tall and handsome as him. Just thinking about him holding me when the time comes-"
"I'm going. See you this afternoon." Chen Zhenzhen couldn't quite listen to any more. She waved and walked to the classroom door.
"What were you talking about for so long?" Zhang Zhaomu sounded a little annoyed. "Standing outside your classroom, I felt like a monkey on display!"
"Then maybe next time you could avoid coming to our class and making yourself so conspicuous," Chen Zhenzhen retorted. "You were only put on display for a bit. Think about my situation! Don't you know how much trouble I'll have explaining things, with that face of yours now?"
"Why so much gunpowder in your voice?" Zhang Zhaomu glanced at her.
Hadn't it been their habit these past few years for whoever got out of class first to wait for the other outside their classroom?
He said casually, "What's there to explain? Let people say whatever they like. Does it stop us from ruling the roost in the Howling Abyss?"
"No!" But Chen Zhenzhen was thinking about her deskmate's request, and her tone grew a little stiff without her realizing it. "I don't feel like playing games today, though."
"We weren't going to the internet café today anyway," Zhang Zhaomu said. "Didn't we agree to give you a makeover? Come on, let's go to the gatehouse and see if the delivery's here."
Chen Zhenzhen immediately panicked a little. The inexplicable feelings from just now were instantly forgotten, and she spoke at top speed. "There's no way it would arrive that fast. We're not in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. We only ordered it last night..."
"Not necessarily." Zhang Zhaomu grinned. "I specifically picked the shop with the closest shipping location!"
Chen Zhenzhen lightly bit her lip and said irritably, "Zhang Zaowan, and you still say you don't have any other dirty thoughts! If it were anything else, you'd never be so meticulous! You even picked a shop that ships from nearby... Are you that eager?"
"I'm eager to get GG out there and make a ton of money," Zhang Zhaomu said as if it were only natural.
What a joke. Some things can't wait! Little did she know, when downloading certain resources, even the stingiest person would spend dozens of yuan on a cloud-drive membership without hesitation to make it go faster!
Chen Zhenzhen stared at him expressionlessly, not believing a single word.
Zhang Zhaomu couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable under her gaze and quickly urged her on. "All right, let's stop standing around here!"
"I'll buy you lunch, okay?"
"No instant noodles!"