DF Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sheng Jia by Day and Sheng Jia by Night Seem Like Two Different People

Chapter 6 Sheng Jia by Day and Sheng Jia by Night Seem Like Two Different People

On the second day of the school year, while other grades were still busily welcoming new students and adjusting to the new semester, the third-year students had already begun their tense state of preparation for the college entrance exam. When Sheng Jia entered the classroom, it wasn’t even time for the morning self-study session yet, but the room was already filled with the noisy sound of memorizing texts.

After she sat down, Song Ji’an, who had arrived even earlier than her, turned her head from the front, holding a box of milk candies, and offered it to her.

With her face hidden behind a Chinese textbook, Song Ji’an said in a low voice, “Auntie Zhou made these, want to try some?”

She didn’t mention the fact that Sheng Jia still hadn’t accepted her friend request, and just enthusiastically placed the candy jar on Sheng Jia’s desk.

“No thanks,” Sheng Jia coldly refused. She looked up and met Song Ji’an’s eyes behind the textbook, “We’re not familiar enough for you to share snacks with me.”

Song Ji’an blinked, thought for a moment, and then put the candy jar back, “It’s just a normal sharing thing, Sheng Jia, we don’t need to be that familiar, I’ll share with others too.”

“Then go share with others,” Sheng Jia said, “I need to study.”

Once again feeling Sheng Jia’s coldness, Song Ji’an took another look at her, but didn’t get angry. She turned back around.

Sheng Jia by day and Sheng Jia by night seemed like two different people, one cold and aloof, the other cold but understanding.

Song Ji’an actually quite liked her personality. She seemed to be very good at saying no to things she didn’t like, and would absolutely not compromise herself for the sake of relationships or favors.

Last night, she and Sheng Jia had walked along Binhai Highway for so long, she had thought that having some small secrets would bring them closer, but in the end, they really hadn’t gotten any closer at all.

Turning her head back, Song Ji’an smiled helplessly and continued to recite the text.

The morning classes progressed slowly and boringly. The summer heat swept through every corner of the campus, as if it would evaporate anyone who left the classroom.

For the senior students, the only fun was probably watching the freshmen go through their grueling military training. After buying popsicles from the snack shop during the break, they could wickedly stroll around the playground, eating and watching.

The fourth class for Class One of Senior Three was physical education. Jingjiang No. 1 High School’s physical education classes were never allowed to be taken over for other subjects. After Principal Lu Jing took office, she required all students in the school to meet the weekly exercise quota in order to ensure that everyone had healthy bodies for studying.

After running eight hundred meters in their class, the gym teacher distributed badminton rackets. Sheng Jia sat on the red rubber track and turned off her phone screen before Song Ji’an walked over.

The message R sent her disappeared into the black screen. Behind her, Song Ji’an held a badminton racket and asked, “Sheng Jia, are we a group?”

Sheng Jia was sitting alone on the track. No one had taken the initiative to ask her to team up because everyone knew her personality well. Seeing Song Ji’an walk over, Meng Yeran, holding a racket, said lazily from the side, “She usually doesn’t participate in these activities.”

She was right. Apart from the compulsory eight hundred meters, she mostly didn’t participate in these activities, and would choose to go back to the classroom to do practice questions.

Song Ji’an’s hand holding the racket paused. She didn’t say anything, waiting for Sheng Jia to answer.

“I’m not playing, Teacher Liu also asked me to deliver test papers to Class Eight of Senior Two.” Sheng Jia stood up, supporting herself on the ground, “You team up with someone else.”

A hint of disappointment flashed in Song Ji’an’s eyes, but in the end, she just said softly, “Okay then.”

Zhou Yin, who was standing to the side, couldn’t bear to see the new classmate being embarrassed like this by Sheng Jia. After all, she had won a lot of money snatching red envelopes last night, so she smoothed things over, “Then Ji’an, you team up with us? The three of us can take turns.”

Song Ji’an nodded, took her racket, and teamed up with the two of them.

Although Meng Yeran and Zhou Yin were always arguing, they generally wouldn’t choose other people to team up with for physical education class. They played evenly matched, the badminton shuttlecock flying through the air like a bullet, carrying a whooshing sound.

Song Ji’an sat to the side, propping her chin up with her hand, watching Sheng Jia’s departing back as she carried her small cloth bag, not knowing what she was thinking. It wasn’t until Meng Yeran and Zhou Yin finished their round that she was woken up.

“Song Ji’an, I lost, it’s your turn,” Meng Yeran walked to her side, her voice languid, “See how smug she is for winning against me once, you have to deflate her arrogance.”

Zhou Yin, who was standing by the net, said amusedly, “You lost, just admit it. It’s not like I’ve only won against you once, I don’t know how many times I’ve won against you in physical education class before.”

Song Ji’an found their bickering amusing. She picked up her racket and walked to the opposite side of Zhou Yin. She said to Meng Yeran, “I don’t think I’m Zhou Yin’s opponent either.”

She had just watched the two of them play. Zhou Yin was very strong. She usually looked thin and weak, but now that she had taken off her school uniform and put on a sports vest, you could see that the muscles on her arms were very firm, a clear result of regular exercise.

Although Song Ji’an also paid attention to her health, maintaining a weekly fitness routine, there was a big difference between her and Zhou Yin. She rarely practiced badminton.

Meng Yeran muttered softly, “Defeatist before even fighting.”

But facts proved that Song Ji’an wasn’t wrong. She really couldn’t beat Zhou Yin, even with Zhou Yin holding back to match her level. According to the scoring of badminton matches, she lost the first game after only two or three volleys. However, Song Ji’an had an extremely strong learning ability. In the next two games, she was able to volley back and forth with Zhou Yin for ten or so rounds.

After the badminton shuttlecock landed, Song Ji’an walked to Meng Yeran’s side and nudged her shoulder, joking, “I lost. As expected, you two are destined rivals.”

Meng Yeran shook her shoulder, “When did I not discover how cheesy and chuuni you are?”

“Isn’t that because we weren’t familiar before?” Song Ji’an said leisurely.

Her personality had always been good, and she could strike up a conversation with anyone. Few people could refuse when she wanted to make friends. One game was enough to close the distance between several girls. They became familiar with each other through witty remarks, and adding some harmless jokes could also add some fun.

Zhou Yin urged from the side, “Meng Yeran, hurry up.”

Only then did Meng Yeran stand up again, complaining to Song Ji’an, “I used to think you were better than me at everything.”

They actually weren’t meeting for the first time in the classroom. Song Ji’an’s family background was good, but Meng Yeran’s wasn’t bad either.

The Song family’s main business was mechanical heavy industry, which could basically be considered the leader in the southern region. The Meng family operated in many industries, but their family started in the entertainment industry. In recent years, they were investing in science fiction films and special effects studios. A few years ago, a mechanical film under the Meng family that wanted to surpass European and American films was a collaboration with the Song family.

During that time, Song Ji’an and Meng Yeran were often brought by their respective parents to see the world, but they didn’t talk much.

After all, Song Ji’an was excellent in every way, a typical “other people’s child,” and she was often compared to Meng Yeran at social events.

The time when the two were most familiar was probably when they watched the film that the two families had collaborated on together at Meng Yeran’s house. They were both attracted by the dazzling special effects and spent a quiet and harmonious afternoon.

They hadn’t seen each other since then, until Song Ji’an transferred to the class.

The one in charge of the Meng family was Meng Yeran’s grandmother. She was an old woman who had lived through the flames of war. Although she often stirred up trouble in the entertainment industry, her values regarding the education of future generations were very simple. She never allowed them to appear on camera, and she never allowed them to act as members of the Meng family before they came of age. They all went to public middle schools and relied on their own efforts, so probably no one in the class other than Song Ji’an knew that Meng Yeran was actually a rich second-generation heir who might inherit the family fortune in the future.

Faced with her mutterings, Song Ji’an frankly admitted, “Of course, I’m not a god, how could I be good at everything? There must be many things that I’m not as good at as you.”

Meng Yeran snorted softly, but was clearly pleased with her words, and curled the corners of her lips as she walked onto the field.

As soon as she left, a stack of materials that she had been sitting on was revealed. Song Ji’an glanced at it and couldn’t help but say, “Meng Yeran, you even bring materials to study during physical education class?”

Meng Yeran, who was waiting for Zhou Yin to serve, was stunned for a moment when she heard this, and then said, “Not mine, Sheng Jia probably left it behind. I just saw that it seemed to be a test paper, probably the teacher asked her to help grade it but she forgot to bring it. I’ll bring it back to her after class.”

The game had already started, and the sound of the badminton shuttlecock piercing the air rang out again. Song Ji’an looked carefully at the stack of test papers, and noticed something was wrong.

Test papers for Class Eight of Senior Two?

Just now, Sheng Jia seemed to have said that she was going to deliver test papers to Class Eight of Senior Two?

The second-year students had started class a day earlier than the third-year students, and had taken a placement exam, because the second year was exactly the time when classes were divided. All the test papers were graded by the third-year teachers in a mixed-up way. Sheng Jia was going to deliver test papers for all subjects. This stack was probably what she had taken out to count and then forgotten to put back.

Song Ji’an looked at her watch. Only ten minutes had passed since Sheng Jia went to deliver the test papers. She picked up the test papers and said to Meng Yeran and Zhou Yin, “These are the test papers for Class Eight of Senior Two. I’ll take them to Sheng Jia. You guys keep playing.”

Zhou Yin and Meng Yeran didn’t have time to reply, they just nodded to indicate that they had heard.

Song Ji’an was afraid that Sheng Jia would come back looking for the test papers. After leaving the playground, she recalled the path Sheng Jia had just taken, and deliberately walked forward along that path.

This area required passing through a patch of greenery and an abandoned open space that had not yet been constructed, which was the closest route to Class Eight of Senior Two.

Song Ji’an looked at the signs along the way and walked through the small grove of trees, stopping before reaching the abandoned open space.

She vaguely heard crying.

There was a wall between the open space and the small grove of trees. The crying was coming from behind the wall. Song Ji’an didn’t show herself rashly, but took a few more steps towards the wall, so that she could hide herself and see the scene in the open space.

Then she saw two familiar people.

One was sobbing on the cement steps, and the other was standing beside her, watching her expressionlessly.

The one crying was Xu Lijing, who had been arrogant and domineering yesterday, and the one standing beside her was Sheng Jia, still carrying her small cloth bag.

Before Song Ji’an could be surprised, Xu Jingli had already raised her tear-stained face and said angrily to Sheng Jia, “You still dare to say that our grudges are over? Didn’t you provoke me first? What’s wrong with me fighting back?”