Confessing To The School Queen In Front Of The Whole School - Chapter 5

Whether it was shamelessly preparing a gift for Tao Yun or accepting a gift from Tao Yun, either option felt like it would lead the situation down an uncontrollable path.

Option 1: The classmates would point and whisper, “Look, Xia Meng really likes Tao Yun!”

Option 2: The classmates would shriek, “Look! Tao Yun gave Xia Meng a gift! Are they together?!”

Xia Meng’s mind snapped to attention. Seeing the countdown for the choice about to end, she urgently called out.

Option 1!

She had already confessed to Tao Yun anyway. The entire school knew she ‘liked’ Tao Yun, so what if she gave a gift!

You have successfully chosen.

Xia Meng breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, ignoring the system’s persistent nagging about why she didn’t choose Option 2—that accepting a gift would have been much better—she grabbed her phone and keys, preparing to go out.

The mission said she had twenty-four hours, but the only place they could meet was school. She had to prepare before classes started.

Elaborate preparation. What level counted as elaborate?

Xia Meng stood at the street corner, feeling lost like a bewildered child.

Which way should she go?

Just as she was endlessly hesitating, someone tapped her on the shoulder from behind. She turned around to see Lin Ruoruo, looking curious.

“S-senior!” Had it already reached dismissal time? Xia Meng felt nervous.

She had gone home and changed into her casual clothes, but Lin Ruoruo was still in her school uniform.

Coupled with Lin Ruoruo’s identity as the head of the Disciplinary Committee, Xia Meng felt like she was a truant student caught by the enforcer.

Lin Ruoruo gave a friendly smile: “What are you doing standing here?”

She didn’t seem to mind Xia Meng’s casual clothes and didn’t ask further, acting completely naturally.

Xia Meng: “I’m going out to buy something.”

Lin Ruoruo drew out her tone: “Oh—”

Xia Meng began to speculate what that “oh” meant.

Lin Ruoruo: “I thought you were planning to see Tao Yun. She’s working part-time at a store not far up ahead.”

Eh? Xia Meng’s eyes widened, and she froze for two seconds.

What did she just hear! Part-time job! And it was Tao Yun! Isn’t Tao Yun a top student? Where would a top student find time to work part-time!

Xia Meng blinked, suspecting she had misheard, and waited for Lin Ruoruo to repeat herself.

It must be a tutoring class, high school students aren’t allowed to work! Yes, it must be a tutoring class!

Lin Ruoruo pinched Xia Meng’s cheek: “Stop being so surprised, you child who grew up in a honey jar.”

Tao Yun was really working part-time.

It was a convenience store opened by a relative. When Lin Ruoruo led Xia Meng inside, Tao Yun was still organizing the shelves.

She had changed into a black staff uniform, with the store name printed in red on the left chest. Paired with her inherently black school pants, she looked tall and slender, and surprisingly quite handsome.

It was a good thing she was naturally beautiful; anyone else would just look like an ordinary working stiff.

Her expression was placid, and she worked seriously. Spotting a product that was about to expire, she took it down.

She was focused on her work and didn’t notice Lin Ruoruo and Xia Meng behind her.

Lin Ruoruo walked over: “Look who I brought?”

Tao Yun glanced back.

She thought, why did she bring her over.

Xia Meng stood rooted to the spot, feeling like she was witnessing something she shouldn’t. Her gaze drifted aimlessly, her fingers twisted together, her face filled with silent distress.

Tao Yun lowered her eyes: “Why did you bring her here?”

Lin Ruoruo let out an “Eh”: “She’s your admirer, right? Besides, she looked quite pitiful standing alone at the street corner.”

Tao Yun nodded, neatly consolidating the near-expired products: “There’s seating over there, go sit for a while.”

Xia Meng tugged at her left index finger, secretly observing.

Tao Yun at school was unreachable, a revered academic deity, a campus goddess destined to have no connection with Xia Meng.

Tao Yun at the convenience store… was also someone she couldn’t reach.

With her dark, smooth black hair and fair skin, she would be the quintessential “Convenience Store Goddess” online, the kind who could multiply business several times over.

The insignificant Xia Meng habitually chickened out.

This is the disparity in the world.

She glanced at the rest area against the glass wall: “Does she come here to work every day?”

Lin Ruoruo: “More or less.”

Xia Meng’s features scrunched up into a grimace, but she quickly managed to return to normal.

This is too infuriating. Working every day and still getting first place in exams—compared to her, Xia Meng felt like a useless, sweet pastry.

Sweet and nothing else.

Luckily, her mother didn’t know, or Tao Yun would become that “other people’s child” in the house.

Xia Meng obediently sat down on the chair, then heard Tao Yun’s cool voice: “What do you want to drink?”

Tao Yun pointed toward the segment with Wang Zai milk, signaling for her to choose anything.

Wang Zai milk was too sweet.

In the end, Xia Meng held a bottle of Master Kong Iced Black Tea, sitting in the rest area and watching Tao Yun busy herself. Lin Ruoruo sat next to her, skillfully taking out her textbook and starting to study.

Xia Meng felt restless.

Why did she leave home? Why did she follow Lin Ruoruo here!

What a torment this is for a poor student!

To ignore Lin Ruoruo beside her, Xia Meng could only focus her gaze on Tao Yun. Now this was truly a pleasure for the eyes.

After a long while.

Lin Ruoruo looked at the child next to her: “Just say whatever you want to say.”

Xia Meng had been holding it in for a long time.

“Even if Tao Yun’s grades are good, she shouldn’t be working right after school, should she? Doesn’t she still have to participate in the Physics Olympiad?”

Lin Ruoruo looked over the naive junior.

Then she said sourly: “I wish I had a junior who cared about me like that.”

Xia Meng: “…”

She reminded herself that she was only asking out of friendly concern for a classmate, and she shouldn’t be misled by Lin Ruoruo. A little concern was normal, and it didn’t necessarily mean she liked her!

She absolutely did not like Tao Yun!

She secretly glanced at Tao Yun again, and then, realizing what she was doing, she startled herself.

Lin Ruoruo twirled her pen in her right hand, her left hand pressing down on the half-finished English test paper: “Actually, Tao Yun didn’t intend to participate in the Olympiad before.”

“What?”

Xia Meng had just snapped out of her thoughts and hadn’t heard clearly.

Tao Yun, who was busy, walked over: “Lin Ruoruo.”

She successfully interrupted what Lin Ruoruo was about to say. Not only that, but Tao Yun heartlessly pulled out Lin Ruoruo’s English test paper and looked at it.

And pointed out two questions.

“You got them wrong.”

“Eh? Eh? Eh?” Lin Ruoruo forgot what she was going to say and began to correct the mistakes.

Xia Meng wanted to ask more but couldn’t interrupt.

She was a little conflicted, unsure what to say to Tao Yun to break the silence that enveloped them both. Just as she was at a loss,

Tao Yun stretched out her hand towards her: “Where is your homework?”

Xia Meng: ???

Where would she get homework from?

She had been directly chased home by the Head of Discipline in the afternoon; she had no homework.

Tao Yun seemed to realize something: “Forget it. Remember to bring your homework next time.”

There’s a next time?

Xia Meng wanted to leave this troubled place right now. She suddenly thought that instead of working a part-time job here, Tao Yun might as well be a private tutor.

If Tao Yun were a tutor, she’d probably be the kind who chases you for homework on WeChat!

Wait, WeChat!

It finally clicked for Xia Meng: “You deleted me!”

Since she had been deleted from WeChat, the two of them should have no relationship anymore! All Xia Meng had to do was prepare a gift, pretend it was an apology, and complete the task—then there would be no more entanglement!

Campus beauty or convenience store goddess, it didn’t matter!

Tao Yun had already deleted her!

Xia Meng was instantly filled with confidence, feeling a sudden bright clarity. She had a place on this planet after all!

Tao Yun frowned: “What did you say?”

“I said, you deleted me!”

Xia Meng spoke with conviction.

She thought Tao Yun should at least look a little guilty. The evidence was irrefutable, leaving no room for argument! Yet, speaking the words out loud, she inexplicably felt a little sad.

Xia Meng pouted. If Tao Yun didn’t like her, she shouldn’t have added her in the first place. Why add her only to delete her?

She felt somewhat struck down.

It was something she was almost about to forget, but Tao Yun acting as if nothing happened brought it back to her mind.

Tao Yun had all sorts of reasons to look down on Xia Meng.

She was beautiful, fair-skinned, and attractive. She was outstanding, always ranking first in her grade. If she had just spoken up, no matter what mission the system gave, Xia Meng wouldn’t have tried to get close to Tao Yun.

Xia Meng had her own small pride.

Beside them, Lin Ruoruo was still focused on her test paper, occasionally letting out sounds of exasperation: “I got this wrong? That’s definitely me.”

It sounded exactly like a poor student’s monologue.

Tao Yun looked at Xia Meng.

The little one looked very wronged, conveying the sense that you can’t comfort me anymore.

Tao Yun had never comforted anyone before.