Chapter 962
IF157
"Ah...ah!"
Li Zhuang sighed deeply as he left the examination hall, squinting his eyes.
"You seem to be getting along quite well with Lin Laomo lately. You don't actually like her, do you?"
A classmate who happened to be in the same exam room patted Li Zhuangsheng on the back, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Can't you guys think a little more rationally!" Li Zhuangsheng was speechless. "I simply admire her strong will despite her disability... I mean, can't I admire her courage to fight against fate? Can't there be pure admiration and friendship between men and women?"
"You do have a point!"
The classmate laughed too; she clearly didn't believe Li Zhuangsheng could have any romantic feelings for Lin Yuehua. Even disregarding the recent rumors of "Zhuangsheng dreaming of a butterfly," no normal person would think Zhu Zhixue and Lin Yuehua could be rivals.
Li Zhuangsheng shook his head and said, "That's right. I call this an investment, you know? When Lin Yuehua becomes a big boss in the future, she'll take me with her, you know?"
"Hmm, you're thinking quite far ahead! I'm just afraid that while you think this way, someone else might not."
"Who?"
"I was just kidding, but you're a really nice person."
The classmate patted Li Zhuangsheng on the shoulder without thinking. Li Zhuangsheng pouted and thought to himself, "You're the one who's giving me the 'friend card'!"
Back in the classroom, everyone had already started dragging their seats and carrying their textbooks back from the office.
"Hey, hey hey hey!"
Just then, a startled cry rang in his ears. Li Zhuangsheng turned his head and saw a swaying figure.
The other person was carrying stacks of textbooks, but the textbooks were now teetering on the verge of falling.
Li Zhuangsheng reacted quickly and rushed forward to help, but he was too late; the book fell from the other person's arms.
"Ouch—"
Zhu Zhixue looked dejected, holding the remaining half-stack of books in her hands, somewhat at a loss.
Without thinking much, Li Zhuangsheng bent down and picked up the books one by one for the other party.
"Don't carry so many at once," Li Zhuangsheng said as he picked them up.
"I didn't hug that many, everyone else hugged so many—"
Upon seeing Li Zhuangsheng, Zhu Zhixue pouted, her eyes sparkling with a smile.
Others are others, and you are you! Li Zhuangsheng couldn't help but glance at Zhu Zhixue's chest, thinking to himself that she didn't have such a big obstacle!
Zhu Zhixue seemed to sense something and deliberately puffed out her chest again.
Li Zhuangsheng turned his face away, thinking to himself that having large breasts really does have its inconveniences. He then looked at Lin Yuehua walking towards him, who was carrying even more textbooks than Zhu Zhixue, but she was as steady as a boy.
Lin Yuehua seemed to sense the impolite gaze and turned to give Li Zhuangsheng a cold look.
"Alright, let me carry these back for you." Li Zhuangsheng picked up the textbooks Zhu Zhixue had scattered. "Next time, carry less at a time. We can just make one or two more trips."
"Okay, okay!" Zhu Zhixue smiled, pursing her lips. "You haven't moved your books yet, have you? I'll help you with that later!"
The two walked side by side down the corridor, chatting about the midterm exams. Birds flew past in the setting sun, and the glass of the distant classrooms reflected dazzling light. This feeling was wonderful; she wished it could last forever. Zhu Zhixue turned her head and glanced at their approaching shadows.
……
Li Zhuangsheng put the classroom back to its original state and went to the cafeteria for lunch. Because he was quick, there weren't many students left in the classroom when he returned, but his deskmate was still sitting there, staring blankly out the window.
As the sun set, her expression became even more gloomy than the sky.
Li Zhuangsheng met Hu Mengdie these past two days and inquired about Grandma Lin Yuehua's surgery time. He was told that Grandma Lin had already been hospitalized, but due to her old age and frailty, she needed to undergo many tests before surgery could be performed. However, the specific time should be in just a few days.
Taking into account Lin Yuehua's family situation, the hospital reported the matter, and the school also responded. The current result is that most of the medical expenses can be reduced or waived, but the remaining amount is still a considerable expense.
"Lin Yuehua, you didn't go to eat?" Li Zhuangsheng walked over and sat down next to Lin Yuehua.
Lin Yuehua glanced at Li Zhuangsheng expressionlessly and shook her head. It was unclear whether she had eaten or not.
"I bought too much for dinner, and there's still a big skewer of fried pork tenderloin that I can't finish. You can have it." Li Zhuangsheng smiled. "Let me tell you, I feel like I did incredibly well on this test. You explained so many of the questions to me! It's amazing!"
Lin Yuehua looked Li Zhuangsheng up and down, her gaze finally settling on the pork tenderloin in the plastic bag. This kind of large skewer of pork tenderloin seemed to cost four yuan, and the portion was quite generous. It was only sold in the small canteen.
"What's the matter?"
Li Zhuangsheng frowned slightly and stretched out the pork tenderloin in his hand towards Lin Yuehua.
Lin Yuehua stared at Li Zhuangsheng in a daze for a long time, and then suddenly said, "You think I'm pitiful and pity me?"
"Ah, no..."
Li Zhuangsheng was stunned, his mind going blank. He stammered, instinctively denying it, but didn't know what to say next.
Lin Yuehua stared silently at Li Zhuangsheng, whose face flushed and whose eyes darted around nervously.
"I, I didn't mean that. I was just thanking you... I feel like, you teach me every day, and I'm really grateful to you... I'm not showing pity, I just, I just think you're amazing..."
Li Zhuangsheng's voice grew softer and softer, and his tone became increasingly incoherent. He wasn't even sure what he was saying; he was just babbling without thinking.
He felt sympathy for Lin Yuehua, but dared not admit it. It was as if this sympathy would be an insult to her, and Li Zhuangsheng could never humiliate her.
"...Oh, I see."
After a long while, Lin Yuehua slowly lowered her head, her eyelids drooping, no longer looking at Li Zhuangsheng, and silently accepted his pork tenderloin.
Li Zhuangsheng breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Yuehua accepted his pork tenderloin, so at least it meant she wasn't really angry, right?
Lin Yuehua lowered her head and ate the warm pork tenderloin in small bites, then silently lay down on the table, turning her head away to look out the window.
Outside the window, all was quiet and still; the night sky was as dark as ink.
Li Zhuangsheng rubbed his mouth, inwardly blaming himself for his performance earlier. He wanted to say something to make amends, but in the end, he remained silent.
Perhaps the best option at this time is to let her stay quiet. Given my low emotional intelligence, trying to comfort her at this moment is likely to only make things worse.
One by one, almost everyone returned to their classrooms. Then the supervising teacher entered the classroom, turned on the projector, and started playing a movie.
For middle school students, the evening self-study session after each major exam is the most pleasant time. There is no heavy homework, no pressure of exams, only a brief period of quiet and relaxation, and the leisurely whispers of classmates.
Today they're showing "American Dreams in China," and Li Zhuangsheng is watching it with little interest. (End of Chapter)