Try Saying You Don't Like It - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

In the end, it was naturally a disappointment.

A top student like Yin Qiuman was simply beyond the comprehension of a low achiever like her.

Letting Yin Qiuman be her cheat code? He Xinglan wouldn’t dare to think of such a thing even in her dreams.

But the moment He Xinglan withdrew her gaze, Yin Qiuman finally spoke, seemingly deliberately late.

“I will listen to the teacher,” Yin Qiuman said.

“He Xinglan, you hear that,” the class teacher was even happier than He Xinglan, the person concerned, when she heard Yin Qiuman say this.

He Xinglan tightly pressed her lips together, then finally couldn’t help but let them curl up slightly.

He Xinglan’s silence was interpreted by the class teacher as acceptance.

“Then you absolutely can’t skip class like you did today anymore, okay?” the class teacher snorted, her voice barely concealing her triumph: “I will have Student Yin Qiuman keep a close eye on you.”

He Xinglan thought: The class teacher is so annoying.

There were two people when they arrived, and three when they returned.

He Xinglan hadn’t had a cold at all and was caught red-handed by the class teacher and Yin Qiuman and brought back to school.

When Yin Qiuman and He Xinglan walked into the classroom of Senior Three Class 14 together, the eyes of all the students turned to them.

The fact that Yin Qiuman had missed two classes had already been circulated in several different versions among her classmates.

Furthermore, Yin Qiuman had been led away by the class teacher.

However, most of the students guessed that Yin Qiuman must have won another award in a competition, and the class teacher had taken her to the award ceremony.

The students even speculated whether Yin Qiuman had won first place or second place this time…

And what Yin Qiuman’s trophy would look like…

But they never expected Yin Qiuman to return empty-handed, and even more, to return empty-handed with He Xinglan.

Everyone knew that He Xinglan had skipped class that morning. Recalling the class teacher’s arrangement yesterday for Yin Qiuman to tutor He Xinglan, had Yin Qiuman gone to personally fetch He Xinglan?

Yin Qiuman and He Xinglan returned exactly half a minute before class started.

As soon as class was over, Xiao Hua eagerly rushed to Yin Qiuman’s desk.

“Manman, did you just go to catch He Xinglan?” Xiao Hua used the word ‘catch’.

Everyone in the class knew that He Xinglan was nine times out of ten skipping class when she didn’t show up.

Everyone used that word, so Xiao Hua didn’t feel her choice of word was inappropriate.

However, when Yin Qiuman heard that word, she subconsciously frowned, feeling a little unhappy, and then subconsciously covered for He Xinglan.

“He Xinglan was sick,” Yin Qiuman said: “The teacher and I went to check on her.”

“He Xinglan was sick?” Xiao Hua didn’t believe it, especially seeing He Xinglan’s rosy complexion and high spirits, she was even more skeptical.

Where did He Xinglan look like she was sick?

But Yin Qiuman nodded with certainty. “But she took medicine, and she has a good constitution.”

Yin Qiuman implied that because of her good constitution, she recovered quickly.

If He Xinglan had said this herself, Xiao Hua would never have believed her, but she believed Yin Qiuman.

When had Yin Qiuman ever lied?

So, Xiao Hua only sighed with envy: “Leaving everything else aside, her physical fitness is truly admirable.”

During the school sports meeting, only He Xinglan could run three thousand meters without her heart pounding or her face turning red, and she even looked like she could run another three thousand meters.

Xiao Hua was completely convinced by Yin Qiuman’s words.

Then she was filled with gloom: “Manman, are you really going to tutor He Xinglan?”

“With her foundation, how much of your time will that waste?”

It would also reduce the time she had to ask Yin Qiuman for solutions to difficult problems.

Xiao Hua’s words were tinged with jealousy.

Yin Qiuman, however, acted as if she didn’t understand Xiao Hua’s meaning, saying faintly: “It’s not a waste.”

Even if it truly were a waste, Yin Qiuman felt she would still agree.

She couldn’t explain the reason, it was just… willingness.

Yin Qiuman couldn’t immediately figure out why she was willing. Perhaps it was… she didn’t reject He Xinglan’s proximity?

Or perhaps she had been kissed by He Xinglan, and the word ‘responsibility’ kept popping into her mind?

Responsibility? Yin Qiuman shook her head.

Why would she think of those two words?

How could a girl be responsible for another girl?

Moreover, she and He Xinglan were still students.

Just as she was pondering, the class bell rang, and He Xinglan came back, her face flushed red, clearly having engaged in strenuous activity moments ago.

Xiao Hua reluctantly returned to her seat.

He Xinglan glanced back and said with certainty: “She was just talking badly about me, wasn’t she?”

Yin Qiuman looked at He Xinglan in surprise.

The meaning in her eyes was clearly: How do you know?

He Xinglan was well aware of her unpopularity in the class. She shrugged, stating openly: “She doesn’t like me.”

In the entire class, none of the students with good grades liked her.

Of course, pure groupies were the exception.

After all, she was quite attractive.

Yin Qiuman didn’t say anything, only reminding her: “The teacher is here.”

He Xinglan stopped talking to Yin Qiuman, took out the textbook for this class, and then… just like always, listened to gibberish for forty minutes!!!

As soon as class was over, He Xinglan’s straightened posture suddenly lost its bone, collapsing onto the desk with a cry: “My head hurts so much! My head hurts so much! Heaven, have mercy and take me now. I really can’t handle the misery of studying.”

Her tone was utterly defeated.

“What don’t you understand?” Yin Qiuman’s gentle voice came from beside her.

He Xinglan remained sprawled on the desk, not even moving her eyes, crying out in despair: “Not a single word… I don’t understand a single word.”

Yin Qiuman: “Your foundation is too poor.”

He Xinglan nodded: “Mhm, beyond saving.”

“So…”

He Xinglan quickly looked at Yin Qiuman, her eyes full of expectation.

“Do you know where the library is?” Yin Qiuman asked.

He Xinglan blinked twice: “???”

Yin Qiuman lowered her eyes, looking at the classical Chinese text in front of her, and said: “Today is Friday. See you at the library tomorrow morning at eight.”

“What? Eight o’clock?” He Xinglan nearly jumped up, then violently shook her head, flatly refusing: “No, no, absolutely not.”

“I’ll still be sleeping at eight.”

He Xinglan wasn’t resisting Yin Qiuman inviting her to the library.

She wasn’t even resisting what Yin Qiuman was asking her to do at the library.

Yin Qiuman didn’t speak, quietly reading the classical Chinese text in the textbook. Classical Chinese often sounded obscure and awkward, but Yin Qiuman read it very smoothly.

It sounded melodious and easy to listen to, which even made He Xinglan feel an urge to follow along.

He Xinglan opened her mouth, then leaned closer.

“What are you reading?”

“‘A Poem of a Dream-Journey to Mount Tianmu, Sent Off with a Farewell’ from the first semester of Senior Two,” Yin Qiuman answered this time.

He Xinglan nodded, half-understanding, and blurted out: “It sounds quite nice.”

Then He Xinglan heard Yin Qiuman recite the poem again.

This time, the volume was slightly louder. He Xinglan listened very clearly, and by the second half, she could even quietly follow along with Yin Qiuman.