Ten-Year Loyal Dog’s Road to Chasing Her Wife (GL) - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Qiao Wan couldn’t figure out exactly what that mooncake tasted like even after she finished it; it seemed to be very sweet, yet not to the point of being cloying. Qiao Wan felt that perhaps something was slightly wrong with her taste buds, causing her to be unable to taste things as they were meant to be. Thus, when she went to the cafeteria to order food the next day, she hesitated for a moment and ordered the dish that looked the saltiest.

The result was obvious: there was nothing wrong with her taste buds, and she was nearly salted to the point of crying out loud.

Saturday was the day of the competition between the two classes. An academic contest like this wasn’t like a typical sports event where one could cheer and applaud for the contestants from the sidelines; a Physics competition clearly didn’t work that way.

Longting First Middle School had set aside an empty classroom for these ten people to compete, ensuring that everyone’s workspace was large enough that unless one had eyes equipped with a telescope function, cheating was impossible. The students from both classes peered through the classroom windows for a while, but finding it quite boring to watch people solve problems, they returned to their own classrooms.

Anyway, the exam lasted ninety minutes an hour and a half so the contestants would naturally come out after two periods of class.

However, during these two self-study periods, they felt their hearts were not at peace.

Being in the imperial court, yet worrying for the country and the people.

Since there were no teachers in the classroom, their courage gradually grew, and they began discussing all at once: “Our class monitor is so amazing! He actually dared to stand up and argue with the principal; at that moment, he was practically glowing.”

“From now on, I’m a ‘little fangirl’ of Yuan Tianci, and no one can tell me otherwise.”

“It really is good to be handsome…” Qiao Wan added chillingly. “Yuan Tianci wasn’t the only one who went to take the exam; why do you only think he’s handsome?”

Xia Hanyin tilted her head, blinked her eyes, and said: “Are you saying Gongxi Bitong is very handsome?”

The female class monitor Gongxi Bitong was indeed very handsome, but that was a “personality” handsome, the kind of crisp and straightforward character. Xia Hanyin didn’t actually like that kind of personality very much, always feeling it was too “tomboyish.” Besides, Yuan Tianci was truly handsome; he was the school hunk, so what was so strange about giving him more attention? Can “personality handsome” be eaten or drunk?

Qiao Wan let out a cold snort and lowered her head to continue reading: “Simply childish.”

To put it bluntly, wasn’t it just because Yuan Tianci was the only boy? Among the five people who went, whose reputation wasn’t greater than Yuan Tianci’s? Do teachers look at faces when grading exam papers?

“Qiao Wan, I’m warning you, don’t start making trouble here for no reason.” Xia Hanyin was no pushover either. Although her looks and figure were average and her grades were at the tail end, her self-esteem was exceptionally strong. She couldn’t stand others speaking ill of her, and moreover, Qiao Wan was very bold and said it right to her face, making it even more unbearable: “I haven’t settled the score with you for what happened last time, have I?”

Qiao Wan faintly lifted her eyelids and glanced at her: “Last time? When was the last time?”

In truth, Qiao Wan didn’t intend to bicker with Xia Hanyin; she had simply and truly forgotten the unpleasantness that had once occurred with her. There was a rumor in school that Qiao Wan was petty and liked to hold grudges; Qiao Wan didn’t know who said it, but she didn’t particularly want to clarify it either; she just let them think that.

Even with such rumors, there were still many boys who swarmed toward her like moths to a flame.

Perhaps for them, what lies within is truly not as important as the exterior.

However, hearing this, Xia Hanyin clearly took it as a mockery. Consequently, she felt even more unable to save face and shouted at Qiao Wan almost with a sob in her voice: “Just because you’re beautiful and very rich, is it necessary to maliciously speculate about other people’s intentions like this? Who do you think you are? Do you know our true thoughts?”

At that moment, Qiao Wan was completely bewildered. She didn’t remember because she simply didn’t remember. She didn’t feel she had done anything unpardonable to Xia Hanyin that warranted this person holding a long-term grudge; every time there was a hint of an argument, Xia Hanyin would say she was acting lawlessly by relying on her wealth and beauty. Every single time, Qiao Wan hadn’t even said anything yet.

“Be a bit more normal…” Qiao Wan didn’t want to talk to a crazy person; at this point, she already intended to give her the cold shoulder.

But Xia Hanyin wouldn’t give her a chance to retreat unscathed, leaning in aggressively: “Qiao Wan, what do you mean? Are you trying to say I want to pursue Yuan Tianci? Pursue your ‘crush’?”

“????” Qiao Wan raised her head and looked at Xia Hanyin with an expression of disbelief. “If your brain isn’t functioning correctly or your mental state is poor, go to the school clinic to rest. I don’t understand why you have such great malice toward me specifically, but I must declare that I have no relationship with Yuan Tianci, and I hope certain people won’t refer to him as ‘Qiao Wan’s crush’ every time he’s mentioned. To put it bluntly, there is no one in my heart.”

After thinking, Qiao Wan looked up with a faint gaze again. “Of course, if you like Yuan Tianci, please work hard to pursue him yourself. I am not your love rival; I can’t speak for the future, but at least I’m not right now. I hope you won’t harbor so much mysterious malice toward me. At the same time, Classmate Xia Hanyin, compared to these mysterious and immature emotions, I hope you can study well; your brain is too empty and needs to be filled with knowledge.”

After speaking, she sat directly down and didn’t look at Xia Hanyin again, even though the girl stood beside her, trembling with rage. After standing there for about five minutes, Xia Hanyin still couldn’t find the words to refute her and could only walk away in a huff.

Xiaolei watched from a distance but ultimately remained in her seat with her legs crossed reading a novel, ignoring her “idiot” friend who frequently suffered from “ego-cancer.” As a best friend, Xia Hanyin was good in every way, except for this Cinderella-like “ego-cancer” from novels that could never be cured; she harbored immense malice toward those superior to her, and sometimes even An Xiaolei was caught in the crossfire.

Not to mention Qiao Wan, who wasn’t familiar with her.

Furthermore, Qiao Wan’s beauty was soft and graceful, and her height was similar to Xia Hanyin’s; Xia Hanyin was inferior to her in almost every way, so she naturally and unconsciously treated Qiao Wan as her greatest enemy. Once a person is viewed as a primary competitor, then no matter what that person says or does, it will be met with the most malicious interpretation.

Just like now.

Even though Qiao Wan normally didn’t speak to Xia Hanyin at all, Xia Hanyin still found her extremely annoying. Once Qiao Wan said something even slightly over the line, Xia Hanyin would feel she was in a disadvantaged position and feel very wronged.

When the five people who went to compete returned, they only felt that the atmosphere in the class was so eerie it was as if a world war had just occurred.

They had slipped back quietly during class time. Qiao Wan even caught the scent of instant noodles from the draft created when Qiao Mei sat down. Thus, before Qiao Mei could speak, Qiao Wan took the initiative: “Did you go to the tuck shop?”

In the entire school, the only place that sold instant noodles was the tuck shop, which even provided hot water for them to soak the noodles themselves.

Qiao Mei smiled with her eyes crinkled bashfully. “After the exam, I felt quite hungry, so the five of us went to have breakfast together.”

As for what they ate, the answer was obvious, but Qiao Wan didn’t intend to ask. She just nodded faintly and said: “Did you think the questions were difficult?”

“I thought it was okay, actually.” Qiao Mei’s “okay” was literal; in this regard, for some reason, she was particularly like a “straight man” (clueless/direct). Even though they were both lovely girls. “It wasn’t particularly hard; after all, school has just started, and no one has learned anything especially profound yet. Oh, there were a few questions that were quite difficult, specifically the very last one at the back about forces…”

Qiao Wan reached out and covered her mouth: “Shh, I won’t understand even if you tell me.”

Qiao Mei smiled and took her hand down. “Alright, whatever the boss says, goes.”

Qiao Wan gave her a white look (rolled her eyes). It seemed that ever since she had said “Not allowed to talk back to the boss” that night, Qiao Mei’s teasing of her hadn’t stopped. Almost whenever she encountered a situation where Qiao Wan told her to shut up, Qiao Mei would half-seriously call her “Boss.”

While it sounded respectful, it was actually mixed with a bit of playful teasing.

It was like a joke between an old married couple.

As soon as this thought emerged from the depths of Qiao Wan’s mind, she was startled.

Hmph, who is an old married couple with her?

“Want to know why the atmosphere in class is so heavy?”

“Don’t bother with idiots too much.” Almost as soon as Qiao Wan’s words fell, Qiao Mei’s answer came out. When she spoke, it was almost as if she were pointing at the landscape (commanding the room), her expression faint, making it impossible to see what she was truly thinking.

Qiao Wan was stunned: “How do you know? Weren’t you on an exam?”

“Guessed. Xia Hanyin has a lot of hostility toward you; I figured you two must clash from time to time.” Qiao Mei said, “She isn’t actually that malicious as a person; she just hasn’t read enough books. She’s a bit stupid.”

“Sometimes I really feel that if we were in the same book, I would definitely be the legendary ‘vicious female supporting character’ ; anything I do would be maliciously speculated upon by others. But why must women keep their eyes glued to men? Clearly, four out of the five people who went to take the exam were girls, so why do they only think Yuan Tianci is the handsomest? Why does no one think you are also very handsome, or think Gongxi Bitong, Ao Manshan, and Qi Jun are also very handsome?”

“Because Yuan Tianci is the school hunk,” Qiao Mei explained to her half-seriously. “And Gongxi Bitong, Ao Manshan, and Qi Jun are all girls ever heard of ‘like poles repel’? As for myself, I’m just the frog that serves as a foil to the fairy tale of the prince and princess.”

“Is that so…” Qiao Wan lowered her head.

But in fairy tales, doesn’t the Frog Prince have his place too?