You Are My Constant Thought and Unforgettable Love - Chapter 9

The midsummer afternoon was so hot it made people irritable. On both sides of the school road, scattered groups of people stood beneath the shade of the trees like creatures unable to bear the light, their chattering even louder than the buzzing of the cicadas.

Estimating that Shen Xin had mostly adapted by now, Mrs. Shen waited a few days before calling her again.

On the phone, she said, “How’s it going? It’s a small place, quiet and peaceful, with a slow pace of life…perfect for retirement.”

Shen Xin still had a mouthful of mineral water; hearing this, she nearly spat it out. Swallowing, she said, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think I’m eighty years old. Did you send me here to retire?”

“I sent you there to cultivate your character,” Mrs. Shen said slowly.

Shen Xin gave a half-hearted “Oh.”

“How is your studying? Your father and I are working on a project, but the planning isn’t finalized yet,” Mrs. Shen continued, her tone leisurely, her voice oozing comfort.

On one side was Mrs. Shen, enjoying the life of a wealthy socialite; on the other was Shen Xin, dodging the sun in the school driveway during PE class.

Shen Xin said, “What does your project have to do with me?”

“It’s related to your new school. Aren’t you curious?” Mrs. Shen asked.

Shen Xin clicked her tongue. “Not curious.”

“Alright then, I’ll give you a surprise when the time comes,” Mrs. Shen said with a laugh in her voice.

Shen Xin had a bad feeling, but she couldn’t guess what the project was. She began to regret not pressing for more details just now.

After hanging up, she turned around to see Lin Fei watching her. The girl was hiding in the shade, her cheeks sunken and thin, her gaze dark and sinister.

Shen Xin wasn’t intimidated. She walked right up to her and said, “What’s up? The day for the ‘Final Battle at the Peak of Finals’ hasn’t arrived yet. Do you want a warm-up match first?”

Lin Fei: “…”

“Even if I can’t beat you in exams, could I possibly fail to beat Lu Nian?”

Shen Xin laughed. “You really can’t.”

Lin Fei’s gaze was full of disdain. “If I actually get serious, I could score higher than her by the margin of two whole subjects!”

Nearby, Lu Nian had finished a lap. Passing by at that exact moment, she slowed her pace and came to a stop.

Hearing the thin, weak sound of panting, Shen Xin turned her head. She saw Lu Nian standing in the sun, fine beads of sweat on her forehead, strands of hair sticking to her face. Her hair and skin formed a sharp contrast of black and white; her exposed skin was so pale it seemed to glow.

The beautiful deskmate’s eyes caught the light, bright and clear, unlike their usual gloomy stillness.

Lin Fei looked at her mockingly, saying provocatively, “What, you want to talk back? Dummy, go ahead and speak up if you want to argue.”

Lu Nian’s expression didn’t change. She merely cast a casual, sideways glance at her, no different from how she looked at anyone else.

Shen Xin smiled. “Allow me to relay my deskmate’s meaning.”

Lin Fei looked back and heard Shen Xin say, “Our top students always prove themselves with grades. Generally, they don’t argue.”

Lu Nian: “…”

She had absolutely not conveyed any such meaning to Shen Xin.

Even Lin Fei gasped. Having been a “problem girl” for so many years, when had she ever been in such close proximity to the words “top student”?

Shen Xin was utterly shameless, continuing, “Just wait to be the lonely one at the bottom of the rankings. We’ll be waiting for you on the Honor Roll.”

Lin Fei was dumbfounded, unable to believe that one day she would actually be competing with someone over grades.

She was used to being at the bottom, but since someone was being so dismissive, she had to thicken her skin. Even if it was embarrassing, she’d drag someone down with her. She said, “Then I’ll just have to see if this ‘mute vase’ can make it onto the Honor Roll with you.”

The Honor Roll only listed the top one hundred names. To make the list, they would have to compete against over five hundred people. It was no easy feat.

Lu Nian only gave her a lukewarm look. The fine sweat on her face and neck shimmered in the light like a layer of glitter.

The more Lin Fei thought about it, the more she felt Shen Xin was just boasting, so she ran off disdainfully.

Seeing her leave, Lu Nian took two steps forward to hide in the shade. Her hair had loosened from the run, so she pulled off her hair tie, held it in her teeth, messily grabbed her hair, and tied it back up.

Watching her movements, Shen Xin felt that the little beauty was unusually quiet. “Is it true that you only lose your temper with me?”

Lu Nian glanced at her and walked slowly toward the assembly point.

Having faced a “tough nut to crack,” Shen Xin followed behind. She wasn’t annoyed; instead, she said cheerfully, “Well, I’m quite honored then.”

Actually, not much happened in PE. The teacher just made them run a few laps and then hid under the building to enjoy the shade.

Seeing that class was almost over, the tall PE teacher ceremoniously pulled a whistle from his pocket and blew it toward all directions.

Dozens of people emerged from various shadows, standing together in the scorching sun.

“Count off,” the teacher shouted listlessly, himself wilted by the heat.

Shen Xin was new, and the team hadn’t been rearranged yet. She stood wherever she liked, which happened to be right next to Lu Nian. Fortunately, the two were of similar height, so standing together didn’t look out of place.

Lu Nian didn’t know why this person liked clinging to her so much, but clinging was one thing this person was also very hot. She tried to move away slightly, but Shen Xin pulled her back.

The person pinching her sleeve said earnestly, “Don’t stand too far apart, or the teacher will say something.” Her tone was almost reproachful.

Lu Nian stood there uncomfortably. With just a slight shift, she would be pressed against her new deskmate. It was simply too hot.

Shen Xin lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on their arms. She wasn’t someone who tanned easily, but she hadn’t expected Lu Nian to be much fairer than her truly like mutton-fat jade without any impurities.

The counting reached them from the front. When it was Lu Nian’s turn, she didn’t make a sound, only turning her head to look at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin’s eyes lit up. She gave an “Aye” and proceeded to shout out two numbers in a row. Her voice was quite loud, leaving the person on her other side dazed.

The continuous counting broke at her turn. The crowd went silent, but among the classmates present, except for Lin Fei’s disdainful smirk, no one dared to say a word against Shen Xin.

The teacher was stunned. “You’re reporting two numbers by yourself? Have you undergone mitosis from the sun?”

Shen Xin: “No, I’m counting for my deskmate. It’s inconvenient for her to speak.”

Lu Nian: “…”

The teacher naturally recognized the two of them; after all, he had been listening when the principal gave his speech. He couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. He waved his hand: “What are you dazed for? Continue counting.”

Only then did the broken counting resume.

After dismissal, the crowd dispersed. Lu Nian walked back to the classroom, only to look back and see Shen Xin following her step by step.

She paused, turned around, and stared at Shen Xin. Her gaze was unfriendly, her lips pressed together as if she were holding back her temper.

Seeing her turn around, Shen Xin stopped and said, “I just helped you count off. Why aren’t you thanking me?”

Lu Nian gave no reaction.

Shen Xin sighed and added, “Little deskmate, this isn’t very kind of you.”

Only then did Lu Nian beckon her with a finger.

She stood on the stairs, looking down at Shen Xin with her chin slightly tilted, her gaze neither hot nor cold. Her slender white index finger curled inward once.

She was very beautiful, as if surrounded by a halo of silver-white light, but her temper was quite poor. Shen Xin grumbled internally, but her heart felt an itch as she walked toward the person beckoning her.

“What do you want to tell me?” Shen Xin asked, standing at the bottom without stepping onto the stairs, looking up slightly.

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Lu Nian extend the finger she had just used to beckon her. The fair, tender finger drew closer and landed on her face.

The finger moved across her face with very light pressure, as if writing something. Shen Xin was stunned for a moment, only later realizing that her little deskmate was writing the word “Thanks” on her face.

After finishing, Lu Nian withdrew her hand and walked away without looking back.

Shen Xin smiled, raising her hand to cover her cheek. She had to hold it there for a while to preserve the sensation.

Passing students glanced at her, wondering what she was smiling at. One turned to a companion and said, “Sister Shen is so good-looking and has a good temperament, but it’s a pity she’s a bit of an idiot.”

Shen Xin: “…”

It was near the end of the day when Zeng Xi arrived at the classroom to mention the mock exams. He said that this final exam would use the same paper as the provincial capital, so the difficulty would increase significantly. Therefore, they would hold two mock exams before the finals to gauge everyone’s level.

The classroom was filled with wails and howls, nearly reaching the point of actual crying.

Standing on the podium, Zeng Xi said, “There isn’t much time left before finals. The mock exams are mainly for everyone to find and fill the gaps in their knowledge so we can solidify the basics. After discussion among the teachers, the mock exams are set for this Thursday and Friday.”

The people who had just been howling were even more stunned, protesting one after another.

“Protesting is useless; it’s already been decided. The mock exam papers are set by our own teachers, focusing mostly on basic knowledge, so they will be easier than the unified exams. Don’t worry.” Zeng Xi thought for a moment and explained the difficulty level.

Shen Xin listened nonchalantly, as if this had nothing to do with her. She turned to look at Lu Nian, only to see her beautiful deskmate still writing problems, clearly not listening carefully to the teacher.

She leaned over and whispered, “Little deskmate, you don’t even listen to the teacher?”

Lu Nian glanced at her and went back to her work. Her problem-solving speed was quite fast; in the time it took Zeng Xi to say a few sentences, she had already flipped a page.

Shen Xin always felt that her little deskmate was hiding something. she brazenly looked at Lu Nian’s workbook, only to see the pen tip pause for a moment before Lu Nian chose a wrong answer.

Lu Nian turned her head to look at her, tilted her chin slightly, her clear eyes shifted, and then she looked back at her workbook.

Shen Xin felt she had chosen the wrong answer on purpose.

After Teacher Zeng finished explaining the mock exams, he suddenly added, “Time is tight now, so I have divided everyone into small groups. I hope that within the groups, you can help each other so that everyone does well in the two mocks and the finals.”

Shen Xin sat below, still peeking at Lu Nian’s workbook, trying to find a clue, but her beautiful deskmate covered it with her hand and quickly flipped another page.

“Shen Xin, Lu Nian, Xu Xiao, Meng Jun…”

Hearing her own name, Shen Xin suddenly looked up and met Teacher Zeng’s eyes.

“You are in a group with Feng Qiu. Feng Qiu is the group leader,” Zeng Xi said.

The girl named Feng Qiu turned around and smiled at the two girls behind her. She had a round face and looked quite cute. “Sister Shen, Lu Nian, please look after me.”

Since she was called “Sister,” Shen Xin had to respond. She steeled herself and gave an “Aye.”

Turning back, she said to Lu Nian, “See, deskmate, it is destiny that we must support each other and rise to the peak of the Honor Roll.”

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