The School Beauty from the Next Class Insisted I Confess - Chapter 31

The deep, secluded stairwell, made even more desolate by the gloomy rain, amplified the sound of sobs.

Helping classmates is the purpose of the Psychology Club; serving the psychological well-being of students is its primary goal, and restoring a clear and positive campus atmosphere is its ultimate mission.

The two club presidents paid special attention to this girl who was weeping for an unknown reason.

What could be the cause? In this moment of celebration, this youth filled with surging hormones, it should be a time of excitement and joy.

How should they help the girl who was sitting alone? Rushing to interrupt might be inappropriate, but Xu Qingfeng could not bear to leave her in her sadness, and neither could Xia Yiqiu.

After a moment of thought, they stayed at the bottom of the stairs. To avoid startling the girl, they communicated via mobile phones.

Xu Qingfeng: Yiqiu, let’s wait here until her mood improves before going up to ask.

Xia Yiqiu: That’s exactly what I was thinking. Whatever the reason, interrupting a cry is never good. Emotions need to be vented.

She was always so understanding. Xu Qingfeng looked up at the girl who was typing, a smile playing in the corners of her eyes. Xu Qingfeng loved this feeling of tacit understanding.

Xia Yiqiu: But what about the competition?

Xu Qingfeng refocused her attention on the screen.

Xu Qingfeng: Our competition events are already finished. If we really can’t make it back in time, we’ll have to trouble Han Feng and Liang Hao with the rest.

If you wanted to know who loved watching the competitions, it would be Han Feng and Liang Hao. The reason Xu Qingfeng dared not trouble Gao Zhi was twofold: Gao Zhi had a competition in the afternoon, and she dared not bother the childhood friend she had just rejected—Gao Zhi would surely condemn her severely.

Xia Yiqiu: Let’s do that.

The two separately asked Han Feng and Liang Hao to maintain order in the class if they couldn’t return in time. Han Feng replied, “No problem.” The jurisdiction over this area is finally back in my hands.

And so, the two began their long wait at the bottom of the stairs.

Listening to the continuous sobbing from the stairwell, like a lullaby, Xia Yiqiu leaned on Xu Qingfeng’s shoulder and was about to fall asleep when finally, footsteps sounded from upstairs, suggesting someone was coming down.

Classmate, you’ve finally finished crying, Xu Qingfeng thought, patting the groggy Xia Yiqiu and then rubbing her own aching legs.

During the entire hour of waiting, Xu Qingfeng had wondered if they should have gone up to comfort her immediately, even if it had been a little awkward at first.

It was no use thinking about it now. What was past was past, no need for regret. At this moment, listening to the footsteps, they were poised and ready.

The girl had intended to come down and wash her face; after crying so hard, her hair was a little messy, and she still wanted to watch the competitions.

As she descended, she spotted two figures, like wolves, or perhaps two little white rabbits?

They were her club presidents.

At this moment, her presidents were staring ahead with solemn expressions. Their faces changed—they knew the person coming down, especially Xu Qingfeng from the Scriptwriting Department.

It was one of their members from the Scriptwriting Department, B Feng Xiaoxiao, the one who usually liked to say, “I’m the same.”

“Since we know each other, let’s get straight to the point,” Xu Qingfeng said, her solemn expression softening.

Xia Yiqiu did not speak. This was a member of the Scriptwriting Department; let President Xu handle it.

“Huh?” Feng Xiaoxiao was confused.

President, shipping couples isn’t illegal, is it… they haven’t found out about our group chat! Feng Xiaoxiao decided to deny everything vehemently.

“Are you troubled by something?” Xu Qingfeng asked gently, using the standard greeting of a Psychology Club member helping others.

“What?” Feng Xiaoxiao truly hadn’t expected the classic line she often used on others to be used on herself.

“No, President, why would you think that?” Feng Xiaoxiao’s tone was full of shock.

“Then why… why… well.” Xu Qingfeng was struck dumb, unable to articulate a complete sentence. The person opposite her was so convincing, not seeming to be faking it. Could they have misunderstood? Was it not her crying?

Clearly, that was impossible.

Xia Yiqiu didn’t let her feel awkward for too long and directly countered with a question.

“Then why were you crying for so long and so sadly?”

So that’s what it was about! Feng Xiaoxiao immediately felt terrible. This embarrassing thing had been overheard, and by her beloved President Couple!

Feng Xiaoxiao frantically waved her hands. “I can explain! It’s not a big deal; I can handle it.” When Feng Xiaoxiao was nervous, she was exactly like her Head of Department, Xu Qingfeng, hanging her head and not daring to look at the two people opposite her.

If it were any other student who said this, they might not press further. Perhaps they would ask the members of the Internet Department to use their ‘gossiping’ skills discreetly to investigate. But this was an internal member of the Psychology Club. Why be polite? Just ask directly.

“Feng Xiaoxiao, don’t try to beat around the bush. Tell us, what happened?” Xu Qingfeng asked her comical club member forcefully.

This person was usually cheerful. Crying for such a long time and saying she was fine? Could she say that Xu Qingfeng’s numb legs were fine?

“Sigh.” What kind of situation is this? Feng Xiaoxiao thought. Forget it, if I have to be embarrassed, so be it. They already heard me anyway.

She raised her head to look directly at the two presidents who were almost stuck together. Gotta ship them for a second and store the memory to post in the group chat later.

“Ahem,” Xia Yiqiu reminded Feng Xiaoxiao to focus.

“The thing is, I’m someone who cries easily. I have a tear-incontinence condition…”

Ha! Xu Qingfeng felt like she had been struck by lightning. Tear-incontinence? She really didn’t know about this, and Yiqiu probably didn’t either.

In fact, everyone in the Psychology Club knew, except for the two of them and Gao Zhi.

Feng Xiaoxiao was upset because she was late that morning and had her name marked down. The reason she was crying so intensely was because she had been reading a sad novel during her lunch break. With the two things combined, she was crying while reading the novel. As she spoke, she even searched for the book on her phone.

“Then why were you in the stairwell?” Xu Qingfeng understood Feng Xiaoxiao’s love for reading but couldn’t understand why she was in the dimly lit stairwell.

“Well, when I cry, I look a little ugly. With my tear-incontinence, once I start, I can’t stop. How could I let anyone see me? The stairwell here is empty during the sports meet, and besides, that novel was seriously heart-wrenching,” Feng Xiaoxiao explained.

“Heh heh,” Xu Qingfeng laughed bitterly, thinking of the hour they had spent waiting.

Feng Xiaoxiao felt a bit embarrassed. “Oh, I told you it wasn’t a big deal. I’m going to wash my face; I’m going to miss the competitions.”

Because Xu Qingfeng and the others arrived at school early, and the sports meet events generally started half an hour later than normal class time, this was exactly the time to watch the competitions.

Just as Feng Xiaoxiao was about to leave, her dear President Xia called out to her.

“Xiaoxiao, I think your tear-incontinence might also be a psychological issue, a physical manifestation of negative emotions. Remember to come chat with me in the duty room when you have time.” Xia Yiqiu smiled gently and warmly. If a typical person saw her, they would surely be utterly charmed.

But who was Feng Xiaoxiao? The number one fan of the ‘Xu You Autumn Wind’ (Xu Qingfeng & Xia Yiqiu) fan club. She could love both of them, but she would not fall in love with either of them.

Xia Yiqiu’s eyes could not tempt her now, but Xia Yiqiu’s words managed to frighten her.

Me? A distinguished member of the Psychology Club, possessing rich professional knowledge, a prospective member of the “Annual Good Samaritan List” for outstanding performance gained by crying along with troubled classmates due to strong empathy, reduced to the point of needing help?

Never!

“Understood, President,” Feng Xiaoxiao replied while running, turning into the restroom. One face in front, another behind the back—I’m good at that. There’s no way I’m going.

“Let’s go, Yiqiu. If we hurry and get our things, we might still catch Gao Zhi’s competition.”

It was impossible to say that Xu Qingfeng didn’t care about her childhood friend, but Gao Zhi had to be ranked after Xia Yiqiu. Gao Zhi was still much higher in her heart than anyone else.

They arrived just in time. The two reached the venue just as they witnessed Gao Zhi’s spectacular jump. Han Feng regretfully lost his jurisdiction, but that was a story for later.

At this moment.

“Well done, Gao Zhi!” Han Feng shouted, standing up.

It was rare. The usual rival could show genuine emotion and praise the other. That was the charm of sports.

Gao Zhi won third place in the long jump. Coupled with third place in the 800-meter race and second place in the 2,000-meter race, Gao Zhi had a fruitful sports meet. Xu Qingfeng could already imagine Old Head Liu’s hearty laugh.

He would say, “Not bad, Gao Zhi! Excellent both in physical fitness and academic performance.”

Time passed amidst the cheers and encouragement. The three-day sports meet exhausted the students’ bodies and minds.

On the evening of the third day of the sports meet, everyone had to attend evening study hall. Xu Qingfeng came to the classroom after dinner and saw a triumphant Gao Zhi sitting in her seat, telling her frequently absent desk-mate about her magnificent achievements of the past few days.

Old Head Liu had appeared in the classroom to check attendance on the second day and just happened to run into Gao Zhi, who was coming to get something. The students who had signed in and then ran away faster than rabbits were miserable—all were caught and publicly criticized by Liu Li during roll call this morning.

Gao Zhi, however, was blissfully happy. That day in the corridor, in front of all the students still in the classrooms on that floor, Old Head Liu had praised Gao Zhi profusely, just as Xu Qingfeng had imagined, making her beam and walk with a spring in her step.

Now, Gao Zhi finished with her desk-mate and was about to tell her childhood friend the thirty-fifth version of the story.

Enough. Usually, Xu Qingfeng would indulge her childhood friend, but this time, Gao Zhi had been chattering for a day and a half, acting as if she had been injected with an adrenaline rush. Xu Qingfeng suspected Old Head Liu had secretly done it. Having been praised many times herself, Xu Qingfeng truly didn’t understand Gao Zhi’s thinking.

However, Xu Qingfeng had a brilliant plan to stop the rambling.

“Gao Zhi, did you forget something?”

? Gao Zhi was confused.

“The monthly exam is coming soon,” Xu Qingfeng whispered into Gao Zhi’s ear, a devilish suggestion.

What did the monthly exam mean? It meant Li Tian would be visiting afterward. It meant this was Gao Zhi’s last chance.

Study, without delay!

Finally, peace and quiet. Xu Qingfeng felt immensely comfortable. At this moment, she was wearing the clothes dried at Xia Yiqiu’s house on the first day. Lowering her head, she inhaled the scent—it was the same as Yiqiu’s scent. She was experiencing unparalleled happiness.

Don’t ask her how she knew Xia Yiqiu’s scent. When Yiqiu was blow-drying Xu Qingfeng’s hair, her collar was directly facing the seated Xu Qingfeng’s eyes. Xu Qingfeng had closed her eyes, but the faint fragrance became even more pronounced. She really hadn’t done it on purpose.

Recalling this, Xu Qingfeng tapped her head. She couldn’t continue thinking about it. Who knew what she might conjure up? She had read many famous classics since childhood that contained content that Jinjiang (a Chinese web novel site) could not publish.

The day after the sports meet ended, during the Psychology Club’s regular meeting.

Xia Yiqiu decisively announced the formation of an internal support group within the Psychology Club, specifically to address the psychological troubles of the club members, ensuring the long-term development of the club.

During the meeting, she mentioned the case of member Feng Xiaoxiao, though her name was kept anonymous.

Sitting in the audience, Feng Xiaoxiao trembled when she heard the term “tear-incontinence.” Oh my god, I’m completely exposed!

President, oh President, your confidentiality is worse than no confidentiality at all, Feng Xiaoxiao silently wailed. Who in the fan club chat didn’t know that she, Feng Xiaoxiao, cried easily? How could she have forgotten this? She should have told President Xia in advance. Feng Xiaoxiao closed her eyes in despair.

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