MNL Chapter 85

Chapter 85 Corner “You two, come with me to the office!…”

Chapter 85 Corner “You two, come with me to the office!…”

The person who came had disheveled hair, a gloomy expression, and a conspicuous band-aid on their forehead. A dripping wet school uniform jacket was draped over their shoulders, the right pant leg was roughly rolled up a few sections, and their white sneakers were covered in black mud.

They were also limping as they walked.

Shen Yan stared for a while before finally recognizing that the person in front of him was Xu Jing.

Walking closer to admire his deskmate’s once-in-a-lifetime new look, Shen Yan stroked his chin and couldn’t help but laugh, “Where did you go to start a rebellion?”

“Stop making sarcastic remarks.” Xu Jing threw his bag into Shen Yan’s arms and entered 601 with a sullen face.

A burst of uncontrollable laughter echoed in the hallway.

Although a bunch of crap happened at school today, what Xu Jing found most hateful was the black Cullinan he encountered on his way home. The car sped through a puddle beside him at a reckless speed, completely soiling his shoes and pant legs.

After showering for nearly an hour, Xu Jing came out of the bathroom to the sound of clanging in the kitchen. The aroma of udon noodles wafted out. He hadn’t eaten anything all day, and he hadn’t had an appetite originally, but now he felt a bit hypoglycemic from hunger.

Looking at the busy figure wearing an apron, Xu Jing snorted softly, thinking, “At least you have a conscience.”

A few minutes later, Shen Yan turned off the gas and walked out of the kitchen, placing two bowls of noodles on the table. The aroma intensified. Xu Jing, who had been waiting expectantly on the sofa, didn’t bother to be reserved and got up to walk over.

Xu Jing ate with great focus, never even raising his head once. Shen Yan had already eaten with Jiang Pei and couldn’t eat any more at the moment. He had originally intended to symbolically keep Xu Jing company, but before he even touched his chopsticks twice, he looked up and met Xu Jing’s hesitant gaze.

“What’s wrong?”

Xu Jing looked awkward and said, “Is there any more?”

Hearing this, Shen Yan looked at the bowl in front of Xu Jing and realized that not even the soup was left. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately pushed his own bowl over, saying, “I’m not hungry, you can have it.”

Seeing that the other person didn’t react, Shen Yan added, “I’ve already eaten.”

Only then did Xu Jing pick up his chopsticks.

He ate the two bowls of noodles with satisfaction. Although they were just ordinary udon noodles, combined with Shen Yan’s excellent cooking skills and the fact that Xu Jing hadn’t eaten anything all day, this meal was simply heavenly.

Seeing that Xu Jing’s expression had improved a lot, Shen Yan asked, “What happened?”

Xu Jing was wiping his mouth with a napkin. He didn’t say anything after hearing the question. Every single thing that happened today was extremely embarrassing, and he didn’t want to say it and let Shen Yan laugh at him.

But in Shen Yan’s eyes, the person in front of him was looking down, his eyelashes slightly lowered, and his fair and handsome face made the band-aid on his forehead look even more pitiful. So he stopped laughing and looked at Xu Jing, asking, “Did someone bully you?”

The clear, low, and cold voice reached him, and Xu Jing’s expression froze, as if he had heard something very strange. His movements became a bit sluggish as he looked at Shen Yan.

Although he used to help Yan Zhe fight every other day in middle school, those were mostly immature scuffles between boys. Many people were just joining in for the fun and wouldn’t actually fight. Although Xu Jing had a bad temper and often wore a cold face, he never provoked others, and no one dared to provoke him. So when Xu Jing heard the word “bully,” he felt very unfamiliar. How could Shen Yan associate him with that word?

Seeing Xu Jing’s reaction, Shen Yan became even more convinced of his earlier conclusion. His expression darkened, and he asked, “Who was it?”

A feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart. None of the things that happened today could be described as bullying, and he simply felt that he was in a bad mood, but for some reason, hearing Shen Yan’s serious tone, as if he would immediately help him deal with the person once he knew the answer, Xu Jing blinked a few times, and he actually felt a bit aggrieved.

In Xu Jing’s silence, Shen Yan already felt that this matter was more serious than learning that his condition had worsened. He suddenly stood up, but Xu Jing spoke at this moment, calling out softly, “Brother.”

Shen Yan’s movements stopped. “…Huh?”

Was he hallucinating?

Xu Jing suddenly stood up at this moment and hugged him without saying a word. Because he had just taken a shower, the fresh scent of citrus shower gel came directly to his face. Shen Yan’s body stiffened slightly, and then he heard Xu Jing’s low voice, “Hug.”

Shen Yan’s mind went blank. He felt that Xu Jing must have encountered something very serious, otherwise he wouldn’t have reacted like this. So he reached out and gently patted Xu Jing’s thin back, touching his soft hair. His broad and warm chest was like a solid city wall, surrounding the person in his arms tightly.

At the same time, he worried, “Tell me, what exactly happened?”

Xu Jing replied, “It’s nothing, I just encountered some unlucky things.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t want to say.” Xu Jing’s tone was muffled.

Shen Yan was very accommodating at the moment and complied, “Okay, then tell me, is the injury on your forehead self-inflicted or someone else’s doing?”

Xu Jing said, “I got hit by something accidentally.”

“Who?” Shen Yan frowned and asked, “Are you sure it was an accident?”

Xu Jing skipped the first question directly and replied, “Yes.”

“Let me see the wound.”

Xu Jing said, “No.”

Shen Yan didn’t agree this time and reached out to touch the band-aid. Xu Jing dodged backward and turned to enter the room.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Shen Yan: “…”

Seeing Xu Jing’s reaction, Shen Yan knew that he wouldn’t be able to get anything out of him. After washing the dishes, he coaxed him gently for the whole night, and as a result, his throat became inflamed the next day.

While Xu Jing was called away by Liang Yin to discuss his essay, Shen Yan asked Cha Fei’ang again.

Cha Fei’ang was still sore from being beaten up by Xu Jing, and he pouted with a displeased expression as he told everything that happened yesterday.

Shen Yan listened in silence for two seconds and said, “Don’t lie.”

“I swear I’m not lying! If you don’t believe me, ask Liang Ge.”

Liang Ge was the least likely to lie, and his big eyes were full of honesty. Hearing this, he turned to Shen Yan and nodded, saying decisively, “It’s true! I’ve never seen anyone as unlucky as Xu Jing was yesterday.”

So his deskmate experienced a series of bizarre unlucky events yesterday, such as being hit by a book, being splashed with water, falling on flat ground, being caught by a teacher on the way out, being bumped into when entering the door, and finding hair in his food in the cafeteria.

So he suffered so much yesterday, no wonder he could finish two bowls of noodles in ten minutes.

Shen Yan thought, “How could Xu Jing make such a mess of himself when he wasn’t around for even a day?” If he hadn’t been there last night, Xu Jing would have finished his shower with a cold face. The young master’s pride was greater than anything else, and he would never take the initiative to tell anyone about this, including Qin Xin and Xu Huaiyang. He could imagine Xu Jing going to bed without a word, calm but not happy.

The more Shen Yan thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. If he wasn’t around in the future, would this person be able to take good care of himself?

Xu Jing returned to his seat with his essay. This was his first draft, written in one go, without even modifying the words, but Liang Yin praised it for a long time in the office, repeatedly praising it as being of a level that could win a special prize. She simply gave him some guidance on his wording and said that he could prepare to submit it.

Because of what happened yesterday, Xu Jing was extra careful in everything he did today. However, without needing to be deliberate, everything was calm and peaceful. Perhaps it was really like what Cha Fei’ang said yesterday.

Thinking of this, Xu Jing suddenly asked, “How was the interview yesterday?”

Shen Yan hesitated for a moment and said, “It was good.”

“Okay.” Xu Jing was editing his essay, not noticing anything amiss. He smiled and said, “Remember to share your college life with me when the time comes.”

Shen Yan just twitched the corner of his mouth and didn’t say anything.

Thinking of all the preparations Xu Jing had made for him, and the heartfelt joy at this moment, Shen Yan still couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth. He could only hope that the other person would be a little gentler when the interview results came out.

.

The last exam of the midterm was English. As it ended, Xu Jing was walking out of the classroom in Class Three, and a girl followed closely behind, calling out to him.

“Wait, Xu Jing.” Wen Yi suppressed her habitually loud voice and walked forward, asking softly, “Can you come with me somewhere?”

Wen Yi had an average appearance and wasn’t particularly distinctive in other aspects, but because she had served as the class monitor of Class Four before, Xu Jing recognized her.

“What’s the matter?”

“I want to talk to you alone.” Wen Yi’s tone was a bit nervous.

There were already many people looking over at the side. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Xu Jing frowned and agreed.

There were several blind spots for surveillance cameras at school, such as the area behind the teaching building near the fence. Wen Yi kept walking in that direction. Xu Jing didn’t have much patience, and after stopping, he said directly, “If you have something to say, say it here.”

It was very quiet around. Wen Yi’s face gradually turned red. She asked, “Xu Jing, do you still remember me?”

Xu Jing subconsciously wanted to say, “Are you talking nonsense? Why else would I be here?” But considering that she was a girl, he didn’t say such blunt words and just hummed softly.

“Well, I wanted to ask you, do you…have someone you like right now?”

Before meeting Shen Yan, Xu Jing’s understanding of romantic relationships was completely blank. But because he had been confessed to too many times before, he understood Wen Yi’s meaning at this moment and said directly, “I don’t like you.”

Wen Yi froze on the spot, a few traces of embarrassment flashing across her face. Her voice trembled slightly, “I know, but I still wanted to tell you. I thought that after the class division, I could stop liking you, but every time I see you on the playground or in the cafeteria, I still feel…I just wanted to tell you, I didn’t want to do anything.”

Xu Jing was about to speak when he saw Wen Yi’s eyes turning red, as if she was about to cry.

“…”

Xu Jing took out a pack of tissues he carried with him from his pocket and handed one to Wen Yi.

“Th-thank you.” Wen Yi wiped her tears and asked unwillingly, “So do you have someone you like?”

Xu Jing didn’t hesitate and hummed in agreement.

The most painful thing wasn’t being rejected by the person you had a crush on, but finding out that the person you had a crush on had someone they liked. Wen Yi sobbed while heartbroken, “Can you tell me what kind of person she is?”

“Very good, very outstanding.” Xu Jing said, “You don’t need to compare yourself to him.”

A strong sense of inferiority swept over her, forcing Wen Yi to lower her head. She thought that Xu Jing meant that she wasn’t qualified to compare herself to that girl. That’s right, she didn’t have an outstanding appearance, nor was she tall, and her grades weren’t outstanding either. Compared to Xu Jing, she was like a faint star next to the moon, too ordinary.

“I understand.” Wen Yi said softly.

“What I mean is, it’s not important for you to know what kind of person he is. You don’t need to compare yourself to him, and you don’t need to take him as a goal.”

Wen Yi looked up at Xu Jing blankly, “What do you mean?”

“Don’t waste time on me. Do what you should be doing now, and become who you should become.”

Looking at Xu Jing’s face, Wen Yi still couldn’t help but feel her heart beating faster, but she could also hear the meaning in his calm and decisive voice.

Xu Jing didn’t have any thoughts about her. She should do something more worthwhile.

Wen Yi wiped away her tears and said seriously in the silence, “I understand. Thank you for comforting me. One day I will appear on the same honor roll as you.”

“Okay.”

Xu Jing turned to leave. Wen Yi took two deep breaths, as if she had put all her courage into this sentence, “Also, can you give me that pack of tissues? Just as a memento.”

Xu Jing didn’t understand and frowned, “A pack costs three yuan at the supermarket.”

Wen Yi: “…”

The demystification of a handsome guy might only take a moment.

Shen Yan told him to return to Class One after he finished the English exam. Fifteen minutes had already passed. If he didn’t go, someone might search the entire school. Thinking of this, Xu Jing didn’t say any more nonsense and gave the whole pack of tissues to Wen Yi.

The two were about to leave when the disciplinary director, who specialized in catching early romances, suddenly appeared, his eyebrows furrowed, his sharp eyes fixed on them.

A lone boy and a lone girl again, in a place without surveillance.

The disciplinary director immediately shouted, “You two, come with me to the office!”

Xu Jing: “…”

Wen Yi: “…”