The Pitiful Guy I Saved Is a Possessive Big Shot - Chapter 19

No matter how everyone at the party felt, the happiest person that day was definitely Shi Qingning. After confirming that he could go to school with Bai Yexi, his mood was much more cheerful than in previous days.

After the enrollment party, it was time to actually prepare for school. Aside from his family, no one expected that the young Master Shi’s desire to go to school was not just a whim, but a sincere wish to study. Even less did they expect that Shi Qingning would choose No. 29 Middle School.

When Kong Que first heard this news, he froze for a full half-minute.

“…Huh?!”

“Are you serious?”

With school starting soon, Kong Que and Shi Xiao Lin came to find Shi Qingning to go shopping for school supplies. Although the Shi family had prepared everything he needed long ago, Mrs. Shi actively encouraged the outing, wanting her younger son to put down his books and spend more time outside.

So now, the three of them were sitting in the cafe area of the largest stationery store in Haicheng.

“I knew you didn’t choose No. 4,” Kong Que said, clearly still processing the news. “But going to No. 29 is too… who chose that?”

“What’s wrong with No. 29?” Shi Xiao Lin asked curiously while stirring her slushie. She was only in eighth grade and didn’t know much about high schools yet. “I heard they are a bit strict, but you don’t have to be so dramatic, right?”

“A bit strict?” Kong Que raised an eyebrow. “That place is specially, extremely, freakishly strict.”

“Do you know the nickname for No. 29? Jiaoshan Second Prison!”

“I’m not exaggerating at all. Really, No. 29 is the kind of place where grades are everything. Especially in recent years, they’ve started following the ‘Hengjiang. model.’ It’s 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM every day, plus running laps on the big track. Forget No. 4—hardly any high school in all of Haicheng operates like that.”

Kong Que was in the international program and wanted nothing to do with such a harsh schedule.

Shi Xiao Lin said, “But haven’t their grades improved really fast these past two years? The tutor my mom got me—the girl from Peking University—said she didn’t realize until she got to college that high schools in other provinces are very strict. Only our schools in Haicheng usually start at 8:00 and end at 6:00. That’s why so few people from Haicheng get into Peking or Tsinghua University through raw exam scores every year.”

Kong Que shrugged. “But we aren’t planning to attend university in China anyway.”

The “we” he referred to was the three of them. The wealthier the family, the more likely they were to send their children to study abroad. It was a clear trend. In the past, many people sent their kids away very young to get a green card. But after several incidents where kids in foster homes were left unsupervised and started using drugs, fewer people sent them away so early. Most now waited until college.

In Haicheng, wealthy parents usually chose No. 4 Middle School. The two best high schools were No. 4 and No. 29, and they were polar opposites. The peers who attended Shi Qingning’s party were all going to No. 4. Nearly a quarter of No. 4’s students were in the international department—mostly children of powerful and rich families. Studying abroad is expensive, but you don’t have to spend years of your life suffering to pass the domestic entrance exams.

Shi Xiao Lin scratched her head. “I guess that’s true.” Most people she knew were going abroad or to Hong Kong or Macau. Those schools used an application system and didn’t require the National College Entrance Exam (Gaokao).

Kong Que said, “The point isn’t even where you go to college later.” He asked Shi Qingning, “The schedule at No. 29 is so strict; can your body handle it?”

Shi Qingning took a sip of honey water. “It should be fine.” He looked at the brightly colored, inviting hot drink and set the cup down. The yellow-tinted honey water looked pretty, but it didn’t taste very good. He couldn’t help but miss the mint honey water Bai Yexi used to make.

“My family already talked to the school. I’ll adapt for a while first, and then we’ll see if I need to attend the early morning and late-night study sessions.”

The Shi family had chosen No. 29 partly because it was the only high school in Haicheng built on flat ground, which was better for Shi Qingning’s health.

Kong Que said, “It’s not just the study sessions. Their pace is very fast, and they have lots of tests.”

Shi Qingning thought for a moment. “That’s okay. It just means the learning atmosphere must be very strong.”

Kong Que: “…??” He never expected Second Young Master Shi to think that way.

Shi Xiao Lin was already somewhat used to it. She nodded in agreement. “Maybe No. 29 won’t even be able to keep up with my brother’s pace.”

Shi Qingning had heard rumors of No. 29’s strictness, but for him, any kind of collective school life was a first. It was all incredibly new and exciting.

Three days later, on the official first day of school, Shi Qingning woke up early and was personally driven to school by Mrs. Shi. After a long recovery following his surgery, his health was mostly fine. Since he was young and the surgery was done early, his recovery was much easier than that of an older patient with a chronic illness. As long as he followed doctor’s orders and had regular checkups, his normal life wouldn’t be affected.

And so, Shi Qingning began his brand-new high school life.

The only regret was that because Bai Yexi’s student registration hadn’t been approved yet, he couldn’t start school on the same day. Even though Shi Qingning hadn’t been in school, his registration had always been held at No. 29, which was close to home. Bai Yexi was different; he didn’t have anyone making such perfect preparations for him. His records had to be tracked down at the last minute.

Shi Qingning kept the An family in mind and specifically checked where Bai Yexi’s previous registration was, thinking he might find the city where the An family lived. But Bai Yexi’s records were lost and needed to be replaced, so they didn’t provide many clues. It made sense; Bai Yexi hadn’t been allowed to go to school while with the An family, so it was normal for his information to be missing. The Shi family had found someone to help replace the records. The process would take time, and in a few days, he could go to school with Shi Qingning.

Mrs. Shi dropped Shi Qingning off at school. They had applied for a visitor’s pass for the car, so entering was smooth. Mrs. Shi was more familiar with the place than her son and took him directly to the head teacher’s office.

Shi Qingning was in Class 3, Grade 1. The head teacher was a very young math teacher with glasses and a ponytail. She looked very energetic, almost like a student herself. Even her name sounded youthful and poetic: Jie Chuxia.

Mrs. Shi had met the teacher a few times already. After a brief chat, Jie Chuxia took Shi Qingning to the classroom. This was right after breakfast, just before the first period, and the classroom was noisy. As they approached, they heard someone giving a warning.

“The boss is here!”

But what truly silenced the classroom was Shi Qingning walking in behind Jie Chuxia. When those young faces saw the excessively beautiful boy, they all froze. Some even opened their mouths in silent surprise. Jie Chuxia didn’t even have to call for order before she made the introduction.

“This is Shi Qingning, who was on medical leave last semester. He will be attending classes with everyone this semester. Come, let’s welcome him.”

Shi Qingning gave a slight nod. “Hello, everyone.”

The students below the podium were still dazed. It took a while before someone remembered to clap. But once the applause started, it became extremely loud, even mixed with some whistling. A few girls in the front row used their clapping to hide their faces, but their eyes stayed fixed on him, their cheeks turning red. It took three hand gestures from Jie Chuxia before the applause finally stopped.

“Alright, the first period is Chinese, right? The Chinese teacher is on leave, so study quietly by yourselves.” After that, she said to Shi Qingning, “Come with me for a moment.”

The head teacher took Shi Qingning back to the office. As soon as they left, the classroom exploded.

“Holy crap, is that the classmate who never showed up last semester? Is he a celebrity? Did he go off to film a movie?”

“What movie? He was sick! He came once last semester. I remember he was wrapped up tightly, his skin was pale, and he wore a mask.”

“He wore a mask? No wonder I don’t remember him… Is he cured now?”

“Probably. Didn’t the boss say he’s going to attend classes with us?”

“If he’s always in class with us, that’ll be amazing! The ‘class hunk’ in the next room is always being visited by people from other grades. With this new classmate here, I bet we could sell tickets at our door…”

“I’ll be the first one at the door to collect the money!”

“Get lost…”

“Wait, the boss didn’t say where he’s sitting.”

“Sit next to me! I’m willing to donate my deskmate!”

“Beat it! He has a seat. Didn’t they keep a seat for him all last semester?”

“Where?”

“Right next to Zheng Kun…”

“Holy crap?!”

While the classroom was noisy, the class monitor walked over to Zheng Kun and knocked on his desk.

“The new classmate is here. Pack up your books and make some space.”

A boy wearing black-rimmed glasses was looking down doing problems, seemingly deaf to the noise around him. It wasn’t until the monitor came over that he dug at his ear, looked up, and said impatiently, “I know.”

the boy with brown hair in front of him turned around.

“Hurry up, Zheng Kun. You’re taking up two desks by yourself. The person is here, and you’re still not giving it up.”

Zheng Kun sat by the wall, but both desks in front of him were piled with books, even the cubbies were stuffed full. He rolled his eyes and began to pack up slowly.

Because of the new student and the absence of a teacher in the first period, the classroom never fully quieted down. It wasn’t until the second period, during the head teacher’s math class, that order was restored. Shi Qingning had returned to the room with the teacher. He started class before having time to talk to his classmates.

The pace at No. 29 Middle School was indeed very fast. They had returned to school yesterday, and today they were already starting new lessons. Although Jie Chuxia was young and spoke gently, she was a top graduate from a prestigious university and taught very efficiently. Even though Shi Qingning had learned these points before, listening in a group with so many people was a completely different experience. He listened very intently. He didn’t notice his deskmate glancing at him from time to time.

“Now look at this example. Everyone try to calculate it yourselves and discuss it with your deskmate.”

After Jie Chuxia finished speaking, the room was quiet for a moment, then discussions gradually began. Shi Qingning shared his answer with his deskmate. The problem involved trigonometric functions and was a bit complex to calculate. Many people were using pen and paper. But Shi Qingning did mental math, so he quickly shared his logic.

After he finished, he saw Zheng Kun give an expressionless “oh” and fall silent. It seemed Zheng Kun had no intention of sharing. Shi Qingning saw that he had just written something, so it wasn’t that he couldn’t do it. But when Shi Qingning looked over, Zheng Kun used his arm to hide what was on his paper.

The atmosphere here became a bit silent.

The brown-haired boy in front of Zheng Kun turned around.

“Are you guys done? Is this the result?” He held up his notebook to show his answer. Shi Qingning nodded. Zheng Kun, however, kicked the front chair and said crossly, “The teacher said to discuss with your deskmate. Did I ask for your input?”

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you kick me!” The brown-haired boy looked confused. “You aren’t discussing anyway, so why can’t we talk?”

Just as they were about to argue, Jie Chuxia’s voice rang out.

“Alright, are the discussions finished?”

The brown-haired boy glared at Zheng Kun and sat back down. Jie Chuxia called on a student who read out the answer. She nodded and was about to continue when she saw someone raise their hand.

“Teacher, I have a simpler method!” It was Zheng Kun.

“A simpler method?” Jie Chuxia looked at the example and said, “Then go ahead and tell us.”

Zheng Kun stood up and read out his answer. He was only halfway through when Shi Qingning frowned. As Jie Chuxia listened, she began writing Zheng Kun’s solution on the blackboard. Zheng Kun raised his chin slightly, his voice sounding more confident.

However, after he finished, Jie Chuxia said, “I was originally going to explain this later, but since a student brought it up, it’s a good time to mention it.” She pointed to the board. “This is the most common mistake in this section. Not just for this problem, but the next one too. Everyone must look closely and don’t make this mistake in the future.”

Zheng Kun’s face changed instantly.

The brown-haired boy in front let out a clear laugh. “Thanks for the reminder, Zheng Kun.”

Jie Chuxia didn’t think much of it. She motioned for him to sit down and continued the lesson. Zheng Kun clenched his fists and sat down stiffly.

When the class ended and it was time for the long break, the students prepared for the group exercise. Shi Qingning went to hand in his leave note and happened to run into the brown-haired boy.

“Hi, my name is Song Qianqian. I sit diagonally in front of you.”

“Hello,” Shi Qingning said.

The two walked back to the classroom through the nearly empty corridor.

“Hey, don’t mind your deskmate.” Song Qianqian pointed to Zheng Kun’s empty seat. “He’s just like that—stingy and annoying. You don’t know this, but after you came once last semester, the teacher specifically kept a seat for you. Later, when we changed seats, he specifically chose the spot next to you. He knew you weren’t coming and wanted two desks for himself.”

Song Qianqian had a baby face and seemed very lively and talkative. “So, no matter who came today, he wouldn’t have a good attitude. It’s not directed at you, don’t take it to heart.”

Shi Qingning smiled and said, “It’s okay. I actually think it’s quite interesting.”

“Huh?” Song Qianqian was puzzled. “This is interesting?”

“I’ve never attended classes in a school before.” Shi Qingning looked around the classroom. “Everything feels very new. Meeting different classmates is also very interesting.”

Just as he had an unkind deskmate like Zheng Kun, he also met someone as lively as Song Qianqian.

Song Qianqian heard this and then remembered that the other person hadn’t been in school because of illness.

“Oh, right…” He scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I always feel tired of classes. Hearing you say that makes me feel like being able to come to school is something worth cherishing.”

Shi Qingning couldn’t help but think of Bai Yexi. Both of them had never experienced the collective learning life that normal people found so ordinary.

“…Yes.” A faint smile appeared in Shi Qingning’s eyes. “It’s very precious.”

They could do it now.

The morning passed quickly. After four periods, Shi Qingning had grown somewhat used to the school atmosphere. However, when school let out, the majority of students headed to the cafeteria, while Shi Qingning walked toward the school gate alone. No. 29 Middle School didn’t allow students to leave at noon; after eating, they went directly to the dorms for a nap. The Shi family had arranged this in advance to get Shi Qingning an entry-exit pass.

Before he reached the gate, at a less crowded intersection on campus, Shi Qingning saw a familiar figure. Standing by a silver-gray Bentley was a cold, stern man. It was Shi Yi.

Standing next to Shi Yi was a middle-aged man, one of the vice-principals of No. 29 Middle School.

Mrs. Shi had left before the second period, and at noon, Shi Yi personally came to pick him up. Shi Qingning had tried to convince his family not to make such a big fuss, but he was outvoted by his mother and brother.

Shi Yi came to take him home for lunch and a nap. He saw his younger brother walking over and was about to speak when he noticed the other suddenly look toward a nearby wall, his eyes lighting up.

“Mint!”

Shi Qingning wasn’t sure at first. He looked a few more times before calling out. “Why are you here?”

He hurriedly handed his backpack to a man in a black suit and ran toward the wall.

Shi Yi turned around and saw a tall, thin boy in a black hoodie standing on the high school wall, his hood up.

“…”

Shi Yi narrowed his eyes. Before he could say anything about his brother running away, a new doubt arose. The hood covered the person so tightly and his long hair was tucked inside his clothes—how did Shi Qingning recognize him?

But before Shi Yi could go over, he heard the vice-principal beside him say, “Oh, isn’t that the person who was climbing the wall a while ago? The Second Young Master knows him?”

Shi Yi turned to look at him. “Who?”

This was the vice-principal’s first time interacting with the Shi family. He wasn’t used to Shi Yi’s cold expression. He wiped his sweat and said, “It’s just that when I was on duty before, I found someone in black always climbing over the wall around the school. He even avoided the guards. If I hadn’t been walking around, I wouldn’t have seen him. At first, we thought it was a student, but we could never catch him. Later, it didn’t feel like a student; it felt more like… he was scouting the place?”

Because of this, the school had specifically strengthened its security.

“It wasn’t until last week that he stopped showing up. I didn’t expect him to be back now.”

The vice-principal had never actually seen the person’s face. But the school walls were very high, and very few people could climb them. So, seeing this familiar figure, the vice-principal recognized him immediately.

Shi Yi realized something was wrong. “When did he start climbing the wall?”

The vice-principal thought for a moment. “About two or three weeks ago?”

Shi Yi frowned.

Two or three weeks ago.

At that time, wasn’t Bai Yexi preparing to go to school somewhere else? Why would he come to scout out No. 29 Middle School?

Shi Yi looked toward the wall. There, the boy in the black hoodie jumped lightly from the top of the wall. That terrifying height seemed as easy as stepping down a single stair for him. He was already standing with Shi Qingning.

Shi Yi suddenly had a strange thought.

Could this person have never intended to leave from the very beginning, planning instead to come and watch his brother every day?

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