My Straight Childhood Friend Successfully Pursued Me After The Breakup - Chapter 34.2

No student likes Monday. Xue Shuangxi, with her backpack on, walked lifelessly into the school, looking as if a ghost had sucked out her essence.

The sun was just right, pouring golden light onto the corner of the street. Two girls in school uniforms got out of a black sedan, one bright and lively, the other gentle.

They chatted and laughed, walking side by side into the school.

Xue Shuangxi instantly looked like her soul had returned. She rushed to them in a few steps, her eyes wide as copper bells.

“Tao Ran?! Is that you, Tao Ran?!”

Zuo Xian quickly moved half a step forward, blocking Tao Ran, and helped Xue Shuangxi lift her jaw that was about to drop. “Yes, it’s Tao Ran. What’s with that expression? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Xue Shuangxi grabbed Zuo Xian’s arm. “When did Tao Ran come back?”

Zuo Xian couldn’t help but secretly smile when she thought about it, but since she wanted to maintain a beautiful and composed image in front of Tao Ran, she coughed twice to suppress her laugh.

“It was on my birthday, the day I came back after drinking with you. I found her at my house; it was a surprise she secretly prepared for me.”

Xue Shuangxi processed Zuo Xian’s words for a moment and then made a shocking statement. “She gave herself as a birthday present? So, you unwrapped the present… Mmmph!”

“The gift… there was a gift, yes, I unwrapped it.” Zuo Xian covered Xue Shuangxi’s loose mouth, warning her with her eyes to shut up.

She only let go after Xue Shuangxi blinked an acknowledgment. Zuo Xian secretly glanced at Tao Ran.

Tao Ran probably didn’t hear clearly; her expression hadn’t changed.

Zuo Xian sighed in relief and then looked at Xue Shuangxi. “Ranran gave me a necklace. It’s so pretty.”

As she spoke, she pulled the necklace out from her collar. Actually, Zuo Xian was reluctant to wear such a valuable gift in daily life. She had originally planned to wear it only for formal occasions, like Tao Ran, and keep it in her jewelry box otherwise.

But Tao Ran insisted that a necklace was different from a watch. A watch was easily bumped, but a necklace mostly rested against the chest, under the clothes.

Most importantly, Tao Ran said she wanted her gift to be closer to Zuo Xian’s heart.

This statement, which was definitely against the rules, made Zuo Xian surrender immediately.

As she showed the necklace to Xue Shuangxi, she couldn’t help but think of that phrase and glanced at Tao Ran.

Maybe it was a misconception, but Tao Ran’s smile seemed a little strained. Zuo Xian vaguely felt that her gaze toward Xue Shuangxi was somewhat unfriendly.

Must be a misconception. Why would Tao Ran be unfriendly to someone for no reason?

“It’s so beautiful! It really helps that you are so fair and tender; otherwise, this necklace couldn’t show off its full splendor.” Xue Shuangxi tugged at Zuo Xian’s collar to examine the necklace, continuously praising both her friend’s necklace and her beauty.

After seeing it, she politely tidied Zuo Xian’s collar, patted it, and winked at her. “Beautiful. Congratulations.”

Only Zuo Xian understood the meaning of this inexplicable congratulation. Zuo Xian turned her face to look at Tao Ran and noticed her gaze seemed even more unfriendly.

To prevent Xue Shuangxi from saying anything else, Zuo Xian hooked her arm around Xue Shuangxi’s neck, turned to Tao Ran, and said, “Ranran, um… we’re going to class together. See you after school.”

Then, she forcefully dragged Xue Shuangxi away, not noticing that Tao Ran’s smiling mask was on the verge of cracking, her hands clenched into fists.

Xue Shuangxi was reluctantly dragged away, struggling and muttering, “What are you doing, what are you doing? Can you be a little more discreet? You’re already… Mmmph!”

“Can you just be quiet? We’re not even dating yet!” Zuo Xian roared in a low voice.

The campus was full of people coming and going, but luckily most were in a hurry and didn’t spare a glance for Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi.

But Zuo Xian was still worried about too many eyes, so she pulled Xue Shuangxi into a quiet side path between the teaching buildings. Next to them was a wall covered in climbing ivy. This place was sparsely populated and usually served as a lovers’ sanctuary.

“You two aren’t together yet?” Xue Shuangxi gave Zuo Xian a look of contempt. “Your progress is too slow! I thought you would confess and make it official the night she flew back.”

“But… but a confession requires the right timing! Do you understand the concept of a grand gesture?”

“If you both like each other, why worry about timing? No wonder you’ve been childhood friends for so many years and only accidentally realized you liked her last year. You almost missed the chance to date early.”

These two people who knew the inside story were constantly roasting Zuo Xian. Zuo Xian’s face flushed hot and cold from the criticism. She said stiffly, “So what if we missed it? Dating early… affects studies. We have two years until the college entrance exam.”

Xue Shuangxi gave a long ‘Eww.’ “Where did you steal that line from? Now the person who sleeps in class is worried about the college entrance exam two years ahead of time.”

“Xue Shuangxi, don’t you sleep?” Zuo Xian elbowed her. “Anyway, you keep your mouth shut and stop talking nonsense. I like her is my thing, but I still don’t know…”

Xue Shuangxi raised an eyebrow and gave a thumb-up. “She definitely likes you. Loves you to death.”

“Loves what? Why don’t you let the teacher hear it too?” A low voice appeared behind them. The Director of Students, with a stern face, appeared like a phantom behind them, his eyes behind his glasses staring intently at the two of them like an eagle.

Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi shrank their necks but didn’t feel too guilty, remembering they hadn’t done anything wrong.

Just then, the class bell suddenly rang.

The Director of Students asked, “What class are you two in?”

When Xue Shuangxi encountered a teacher, she immediately acted like an ostrich, quickly blurting out her name and class. The Director of Students looked at them.

“Go back to your morning study session first.”

“Yes, teacher. Goodbye.” The two girls nodded and scurried away along the wall, like two little mice who had met a big cat.

They continued arguing with each other on the way back to class, glaring at each other.

When they got back to class, the first period was the Math teachers. She had arrived early and was making a surprise check of everyone’s homework.

Anyone who had ever done makeup homework knew that Monday morning study session was peak time for doing so.

The Math teacher’s move was like a restaurant chef pouring in a spoonful of “triple cream” only to look up and see the food safety inspectors standing at the door.

The responsible middle-aged female teacher was lecturing the students with a heavy heart when her peripheral vision caught two students who were late at the door.

“Come in.” She suppressed her anger and watched the two children quickly walk in with their heads down. “Hand in your Math homework.”

These two latecomers, however, had diligently done their homework. The Math teacher’s anger subsided a bit as she looked at the neat and graceful handwriting on the test papers. “Go sit down. Next time, wake up earlier, so you don’t have to rush.”

“Understood.”

Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi’s seats were on the diagonal corners of the classroom. They looked at each other across the sea of students, their eyes full of the relief of narrowly escaping a disaster.

To escape from two teachers in one morning meant their luck was very good today. Zuo Xian secretly rejoiced.

However, this relief didn’t last long. At the end of the first period, Zuo Xian packed up her things, just about to go find Tao Ran in the next class, when the class monitor suddenly appeared.

“Ms. Su wants you and Xue Shuangxi to go to the office.”

“Huh?” Xue Shuangxi, who had just walked over, looked puzzled. “Us two? We didn’t do anything wrong.”

Zuo Xian was also confused. She asked, “Class monitor, do you know why Ms. Su is looking for us?”

“I’m not sure.” The class monitor recalled for a moment. “Oh, right, the Director of Students is there too. She also asked me who you two usually hang out with.”

“What did you say?” Xue Shuangxi asked.

“I just said you two are close.”

Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi exchanged a look, both thinking of the incident with the Director of Students catching them in the small corner that morning.

Zuo Xian was more worried. She was afraid the Director of Students had overheard her and Xue Shuangxi’s conversation.

What they were discussing were “capital offenses.”

Fortunately, neither she nor Xue Shuangxi had mentioned Tao Ran’s name. Zuo Xian’s heart settled down a little.

On the way to the office, she warned Xue Shuangxi to play dumb later, just say they were discussing a novel plot. Since she wasn’t dating, the Director of Students couldn’t possibly find anything no matter how hard she investigated.

Soon, the two arrived at the office. There weren’t many teachers in the office at the moment. The Director of Students and Ms. Su were particularly conspicuous, and their gazes converged on the two girls.

Zuo Xian’s back stiffened, but she immediately regained her composure. She and Xue Shuangxi walked to their desk. “Teachers, did you need to see us?”

“Yes.” Ms. Su interlocked her fingers, resting her arms on the desk, clearly feeling a little awkward, probably because the Director of Students was beside her.

The Director of Students glanced at them. “Ms. Su, the people are here. Ask them properly. I’m not so old that I can’t hear. I heard everything clearly.”

“Let’s figure things out now. We’ll try to minimize the issue. If we absolutely have to, then we’ll call the parents. After all, a child’s education is a joint effort between the school and the parents. If a serious matter arises, both sides should be involved.”

Hearing that their parents might be called, Zuo Xian and Xue Shuangxi both panicked. Xue Shuangxi immediately looked up and spoke out, “Teacher, why do you need to call our parents?!”

“How dare you ask me why I need to call your parents!” The Director of Students was about to lose her temper but noticed a student walking in at the door to hand in homework.

She remembered that the soundproofing in the office wasn’t very good. Concerned for the two girls’ reputations, she lowered her voice a bit.

“You two girls are dating early. Such a big deal! And you still dare to ask me why I need to call your parents?!”

The office was quiet with few people, so even though the Director of Students lowered her voice, Tao Ran, who had come to the office to help a teacher put away things, heard it clearly.

Her steps halted, and she turned her gaze towards the source of the voice.

The bright morning sunlight streamed in from the row of windows in the office. The girl who had ridden in the same car as her to school not long ago was standing with her head down in front of the two teachers.

Hearing the teachers’ accusation, she seemed surprised, her black and white eyes wide.

Soon, her peripheral vision seemed to notice Tao Ran. She paused for a moment, then quickly turned her head to look at her right in front of the two teachers.

“Ranran, I didn’t!”

Tao Ran curved her lips. The emotion that had just risen in her vanished like charcoal extinguished by water, with a “hiss.”