Friday, August 22nd.
In the office of the main subject teachers of Class 5 and Class 6 in the first year of high Ningjiang Middle School.
Zhang Zhidong sat at his desk, checked the final version of the new seating chart after the classroom change on his computer, and after confirming that everything was in order, he pressed the print button.
The printer next to it started working, whirring and whirring.
Just then, Jiang Wenpei got up to pour water and saw that the printer next to the water dispenser was spitting out a seating chart for Class 5. She couldn't help but reach out and take a look.
While drinking water, Jiang Wenpei compared the seats with her original seats in her memory and muttered to herself, "Not much has changed. Huh? Why are Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo sitting together? They used to be sitting at the same desk with Xu Zhuoyue, right? How did those two rascals get separated?"
Despite Song Yunshen and Xu Zhuoyue's less-than-stellar English grades, their English teacher Jiang Wenpei, actually gives them quite high marks in her eyes.
After all, these two kids usually have a very interesting way of talking. Jiang Wenpei is young and likes to interact with interesting students, rather than those who are timid and submissive.
Seeing that the two clowns had separated and that Song Yunshen had gotten together with Xia Yunuo, Zhang Zhidong immediately sensed a hint of gossip and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and ask.
Before Zhang Zhidong could answer, Song Minggui at the next table frowned slightly upon hearing this. " Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo, how come they're paired together? They sat together all day during summer math tutoring, and they're already showing signs of early romance. Teacher Zhang needs to be careful."
As Song Yunshen's uncle, Song Minggui paid close attention to the boy. When Song Yunshen came to math tutoring during summer vacation, he always sat next to Xia Yunuo, and they were constantly whispering to each other during class. His thoughts were practically written all over his face.
And yet Zhang Zhidong still arranged for the two to sit at the same table? Isn't that aiding and abetting evil?
How can this be allowed?
"It's not about dating too early. If they really want to date, a classmate can't stop them," Zhang Zhidong said dismissively, waving his hand. "If they really have that tendency, it'll be easier to observe them if they're together."
"However, I know Xia Yunuo's family background quite well, so she's unlikely to do something like this."
"I think it's best to respect students' own wishes when it comes to seating arrangements. A new semester means a fresh start, and this will give them more motivation to learn."
Jiang Wenpei, clearly enjoying the drama, chuckled and teased, " Teacher Song loves to break up couples. I must have hated you the most when I was in school. Teacher Zhang is so much better."
Song Minggui rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.
Since Zhang Zhidong has already said so, he certainly can't offer any more advice.
After all, the other party was the homeroom teacher of Class 5, and as the homeroom teacher of Class 6, it was enough to give a reminder; saying anything more would be a bit impolite.
He didn't really want others to know that Song Yunshen was his nephew. Now that the fact was established, Song Minggui said nothing more, only sighing helplessly.
Jiang Wenpei, however, became even more curious and asked Zhang Zhidong, " Teacher Zhang, what did Song Yunshen say when he approached you privately? Let me see what excuse that kid came up with." Zhang Zhidong chuckled at the question, "That's the key point. It wasn't him who wanted to change seats; it was Xia Yunuo who contacted me."
"Huh?" Jiang Wenpei was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "It was Xia Yunuo who took the initiative? That's rare! Is Song Yunshen that charming?"
"I'm not sure either, but she didn't initially say she wanted to move next to Song Yunshen; she just said she hoped to find a student with good math scores," Zhang Zhidong said. " Teacher Song definitely knows the top math students in our class. Kang Ping, Fan Hongjian, and Song Yunshen are the strongest in the class."
"I first recommended Kang Ping to Xia Yunuo, and she didn't refuse. However, Kang Ping's deskmate didn't want to change."
"In that case, let's just choose Song Yunshen Song Yunshen. His English isn't great either, so if the two of them can complement each other, maybe our class can have two more students in the top 100."
"Then why not choose Fan Hongjian?" Jiang Wenpei asked sarcastically, "Is Teacher Zhang deliberately trying to match them up?"
"I'm not that bored," Zhang Zhidong shook his head. " Fan Hongjian's thoughts are easier to guess than Song Yunshen's. What he's thinking is written all over his face. You can tell at a glance that he likes Xia Yunuo."
"I don't think it's necessary to arrange for Xia Yunuo to be placed next to Fan Hongjian just to deliberately separate Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo."
"They're still young and prone to impulsiveness. Doing things this way would only distract them. It's fine as it is now."
Jiang Wenpei clicked her tongue and couldn't help but laugh, "Goodness, are they afraid they'll fight?"
Zhang Zhidong rarely smiled as well, "I guess so. Besides, this seating arrangement is only temporary. If it doesn't work out, we'll definitely make adjustments again. For example, if Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo's grades are affected, we certainly can't continue like this."
Hearing Zhang Zhidong's words, Song Minggui's expression softened considerably. As 8:30 a. m. approached, the two homeroom teachers got up and left the office, each heading towards their respective classrooms.
In Class 5 of the first year of high school, Song Yunshen sat in the seat by the window, stuffing all his belongings into a box. After finishing, he couldn't help but sigh, "In the end, I'm still going to be abandoned by Lao Xu."
"You bastard, don't act all innocent after getting the benefit." Xu Zhuoyue couldn't help but complain from the side, "If you keep acting like this, I'm really going to slap you."
" Brother Shen is awesome," Deng Shitao said enviously from the back seat. "I don't even dare to tell Lao Bao that I want to be Chen Yue's deskmate."
" Xia Yunuo and I are different; we're not a couple," Song Yunshen said seriously. "We complement each other academically and make progress together. Please don't look at us with your prejudiced eyes, okay?"
"Can I give you a punch?" Xu Zhuoyue rubbed his fist and breathed on it. "This kid's getting more and more arrogant lately, I have to beat him up."
Zhong Long sat in the back, smiling, but didn't say anything.
He was in a great mood because Song Yunshen had already asked Xia Yunuo about her attitude over the past two days, and Xia Yunuo said she didn't mind, so Zhong Long could freely sell information about the two of them.
Gossip about relationships is one of the most popular pieces of tidbit. Especially for a girl like Xia Yunuo who receives a lot of attention, it's even more of a hot topic.
Zhong Long could at least get a dozen bags of snacks from various dormitories by relying on the two people's information.
The key is that information about these two is a renewable resource. As long as he sits in the back seat behind Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo, there will be a constant stream of new information. It's practically a natural gold mine.
Zhong Long, a middleman, was overjoyed when he learned that Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo were going to be classmates. At that moment, Song Yunshen was sitting over there, joking around with his brothers. When he looked in Xia Yunuo Xia Yunuo's direction, he noticed the way she was secretly glancing at him.
When the two made eye contact, Xia Yunuo looked away shyly and immediately looked away.
[He even peeked at me, sigh... Sometimes being too charming isn't a good thing.] -- Xia Yunuo blushed upon hearing Song Yunshen's thoughts, thinking that this guy was as shameless as ever.
[It's almost 8:30, why isn't Teacher Zhang here yet? I really want to change classrooms soon.] -- Song Yunshen heard Xia Yunuo's thoughts and couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that Xia Yunuo was quite anxious and couldn't wait.
A short while later, Zhang Zhidong walked into the classroom, clapped his hands on the podium, and then took out the new seating chart.
He briefly explained the precautions for changing classrooms, and then he went over the details of changing seats.
When everyone heard that Xia Yunuo was going to switch places with Xu Zhuoyue, many people showed surprised expressions, and Fan Hongjian across the aisle even darkened his face.
Recently, Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo have been getting very close, and everyone in the class knows about it.
But to everyone's surprise, under these circumstances, Lao Bao actually agreed to let Song Yunshen and Xia Yunuo sit at the same table.
Xia Yunuo lowered her head a little embarrassed, not daring to look at her deskmate Bai Feini's expression, afraid that the other party thought she had a problem with her and that's why she changed deskmates.
However, Bai Feini didn't think much of it, only slightly surprised, and didn't feel anything about Xia Yunuo's departure.
After all, their relationship was just so-so; they didn't even go to the bathroom together. Although they had been deskmates for half a year, they were still just strangers, so changing classrooms was fine. After Zhang Zhidong finished announcing the change, he instructed everyone to start changing classrooms.
The classroom immediately became noisy.
Song Yunshen stood up, not rushing to leave, but first walking over to Xia Yunuo, patting her shoulder, and handing her his schoolbag, saying, "Don't rush to move your suitcase, I'll help you move it later."
Surrounded by classmates, Xia Yunuo lowered her head even more embarrassedly, but she did not refuse. She simply nodded slightly and hummed in a voice barely audible.
So Xia Yunuo slung her backpack over her shoulder, hung Song Yunshen's backpack around her neck, and then followed Song Yunshen out of the classroom, heading towards Class 5 of the second year of high school.
Song Yunshen first carried his suitcase and set off, passing through the corridor between the first-year and second-year teaching buildings, and soon arrived at the classroom of Class 5, Grade 11, where he put his suitcase.
Xia Yunuo placed his backpack on his seat, then took off her own backpack and placed it on the seat next to Song Yunshen. Seeing the two backpacks placed side by side, a smile involuntarily appeared on her face.
It feels like a dream.
She actually became Song Yunshen's deskmate.
Xia Yunuo chuckled to herself, then immediately composed herself.
At this moment, Song Yunshen stretched and prepared to go back to the original classroom to help her move the box over.
Although there was nothing else besides the box, Xia Yunuo quickly followed Song Yunshen, and the two returned to the classroom of Class 5, Grade 11 together. "Do you need me to help?" Xia Yunuo asked when she saw him lift her box while she was empty-handed.
"It's not heavy, I can carry it myself and walk faster." Song Yunshen picked up the box and quickly left.
Xia Yunuo followed beside him, and the two quickly returned to the classroom of Class 5, Grade 11.
After putting down the box, Song Yunshen returned to his seat and began tidying his desk. Xia Yunuo, who was sitting next to him, followed suit, sitting down next to Song Yunshen and occasionally stealing glances at him before lowering her head and giggling like a kitten.
Midway through, Song Yunshen's pen fell to the ground. Before Song Yunshen could bend down to pick it up, Xia Yunuo had already bent down and picked up his pen, handing it to him.
Song Yunshen thanked her, took the gift, and then immediately reached out to shake Xia Yunuo's small hand, saying with a smile, "From now on, we'll be deskmates. Please take care of me!"
Xia Yunuo's face flushed slightly, and she softly hummed in agreement, letting him hold her little hand without urging him to let go.
Xu Zhuoyue had already tidied up in the back row, clicked his tongue twice when he saw this scene, already regretting changing seats.
If we had to watch this kind of plot every day from now on, who could stand it?
By 9 a. m., everyone had finished moving their things, tidied up their desks, and taken their seats.
Zhang Zhidong had already posted the new seating chart on the upper right corner of the podium for other teachers to check. He checked the latest seating arrangement against the chart, and after confirming everything was in order, he said, "I won't say any more. Now that the classrooms have been changed, that's all for today. Everyone, please be careful on your way home."
Upon hearing what Lao Bao said, several lively boys in the back row cheered and immediately slung their backpacks over their shoulders and rushed out of the classroom.
The other students also began packing their bags, preparing to go home.
The six-person cat-loving group quickly gathered at the back door of the classroom. Song Yunshen took out his phone and sent a message to Song Jiaxuan, then said to the others, "Let's go, let's go to the school gate first, and wait for my sister to pick us up."
The six of them walked towards the school gate. On the way, Song Yunshen leaned close to Xia Yunuo and whispered to her, "You can sit in the passenger seat of Sister Xuanxuan's car, and I'll ride in Sister Yaoyao's car."
"Huh?" Xia Yunuo was clearly taken aback by these words and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Why?"
She was hoping to sit with Song Yunshen, but unexpectedly, Song Yunshen made her sit alone in the passenger seat.
"Besides me, you and Sister Xuanxuan are the closest people here," Song Yunshen explained softly. "If we were in the same car, the atmosphere in the other car would definitely be a bit awkward."
"With you in Xuanxuan's car, we can just chat about anything, and that puts my mind at ease."
"Give me the other car."
After hearing Song Yunshen's explanation, Xia Yunuo finally understood, not expecting that Song Yunshen had even considered such a thing.
Then, a thought crossed her mind, and she suddenly realized that Song Yunshen's consultation with her on this matter felt like he was treating her like the lady of the house. As soon as this thought crossed her mind, Xia Yunuo blushed, wondering what she was even thinking...
It's just a car ride, what does it have to do with the lady of the house?
The six of them arrived at the school gate quickly. Song Jiaxuan and Song Jiayao didn't keep them waiting long and soon drove up to the school gate.
Song Yunshen arranged for Deng Shitao and Chen Yue to sit in the back seat of Sister Xuanxuan's car, and then took Xu Zhuoyue and Zhong Long into Song Jiayao's car.
After picking up the person, the two cars immediately set off for Song Jiaxuan's pet hospital.
In the car, Song Jiaxuan greeted the three of them with a smile, then looked at Xia Yunuo and asked, "Why isn't Yunshen sitting here with me? Does he have a problem with me?"
Xia Yunuo first greeted Song Jiaxuan, then explained, "We can't let the other two classmates ride in Sister Yaoyao's car alone, can we?"
Song Jiaxuan was just joking and easily changed the subject. Her gaze fell on Deng Shitao and Chen Yue in the back seat, and she quickly found out their relationship with a few words.
Meanwhile, after Song Yunshen got into the passenger seat next to Song Jiayao, he said with a smile, " Sister Yaoyao, aren't you going to work today?"
"You have the nerve to say that?" Song Jiayao rolled her eyes at him. "My older sister just called in a day off for me. I'm your full-time driver now."
"You're really planning to do a summer job working at a bubble tea shop?" Song Yunshen clicked his tongue, shaking his head with a sigh. "Your aunt just wants you to find a boyfriend sooner rather than later. Can't you try harder?"
"Dating is too much trouble, no way." Song Jiayao resolutely refused, "Unless you find me a high-quality man like my brother-in-law, don't talk nonsense." "If you're so good at making demands, why don't you just marry my brother-in-law?" Song Yunshen curled his lip.
"Are you looking for a beating?" Song Jiayao glared at him irritably.
Song Jiaxuan's pet hospital is also in Ningjiang District, but it is located southwest of Mount Linjing, and it takes more than ten minutes to drive there.
Upon arriving at the hospital gate, Song Yunshen and his group got out of the car and followed Song Jiaxuan into the pet hospital.
"This is the reception area and waiting area. Before we go in, we need to disinfect our hands," Song Jiaxuan explained as they walked in. "This is the consultation room, laboratory, and imaging room. The operating room is at the very back."
"The cat ward is on the second floor, come with me."
"The cats that were allowed to go to the cat cafe today have all been isolated separately."
Xia Yunuo followed Song Jiaxuan with curiosity, all the way to the inpatient area. Looking at the rows of cat cages, she couldn't help but move closer to the cages to look at the kittens inside.
"Wow, so many cats!" Chen Yue, her girlish heart overflowing, exclaimed excitedly.
Song Jiaxuan led them into a separate ward and introduced them with a smile, "There are about 20 cats here. I plan to bring 10 over first. Take a look and see which one you like. Let's each choose one breed."
"They're all so cute, it's hard to choose." Chen Yue said, looking troubled. Xia Yunuo was also caught in a dilemma, looking at this one and touching that one, unable to make a decision for a while.
Boys aren't as particular about these things; they mainly go by first impressions. Deng Shitao chose a white cat, Zhong Long picked a chubby orange cat, and Xu Zhuoyue set his sights on a black cat.
Song Yunshen glanced at the black cat Xu Zhuoyue had chosen and couldn't help but ask, "You like black cats so much, do you want to be a sheriff?"
"What do you know? There's a saying about black cats, okay?" Xu Zhuoyue scoffed, patting the black cat's head. "These kinds of cats bring good luck. I hope it helps me do even better on my exams when school starts."
"Keep dreaming, you're overthinking things." Song Yunshen chuckled.
"What are you going to choose? Don't just talk about us, pick one yourself too," Xu Zhuoyue urged.
"What's the rush? I've already decided." Hearing this, Song Yunshen immediately made his move, choosing a blue cat and a tabby cat. Then he said to Song Jiaxuan, "Sister Xuanxuan, can I choose two?"
"Sure," Song Jiaxuan nodded with a smile.
Xu Zhuoyue looked at the two cats he had chosen with curiosity and couldn't help but ask, "What's the reasoning behind this?"
"It cannot be said, it cannot be said." Song Yunshen adopted a mysterious and unfathomable demeanor. "As my son, listen more, observe more, and ask less. There are many ways to operate in this; learn from them."
"What the hell are you pretending for?" Xu Zhuoyue scoffed.
Song Yunshen didn't bother to explain further. After confirming that the selected blue cat and tabby cat were both fine, he nodded in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Chen Yue picked out a calico kitten, while Song Jiayao cuddled a black and white tuxedo cat with obvious affection. Xia Yunuo finally chose a very delicate Ragdoll cat, then looked at Song Yunshen and whispered, "What do you think of this one?"
"It's fine, as long as you like it." Song Yunshen nodded in agreement.
"Then I'll choose this one." Xia Yunuo smiled happily, then glanced at the two kittens Song Yunshen had chosen and asked curiously, "Why did you choose two?"
"Ahem, I like both of them, so I just chose them both," Song Yunshen said, making things up.
[I can't exactly say it was chosen for your older and younger sisters, can I? I specifically asked them what breeds of cats they liked beforehand, so it's finally come in handy.]
Upon hearing this thought, Xia Yunuo, who had been all smiles, suddenly froze.
That wicked Yunshen!
Could it be that she's planning to take her older and younger sisters to the cat cafe in the future?
She even works part-time at the cat cafe on weekends!
How could this guy have such a nerve?!