Chapter 9: The Boy I Like

  "Zhū Líng!"

  Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Zhu Ling was thinking about Zhan Yuanyuan, and Zhan Yuanyuan proactively appeared.

  "Hmm, Dou Ban, what's up?" Dou Ban was the nickname that Zhan Zhan had in class. Others might use it with a hint of affection, but to Zhu Ling, it only meant Dou Ban sauce - that black and sticky stuff mixed with solids, just looking at it made her feel nauseous.

  "Are you okay? Nothing's wrong, right?" Zhan Liuli believed that people are born with a good nature, so she never thought ill of others. Although Xia Liqiu reminded her not to get too close to Zhu Ling, normal interactions should be fine, right? As the class monitor, she naturally had to take care of every student in the class. Moreover, she still had some doubts to clear up.

  Zhu Ling's face smiled but her heart didn't, and she said: "You're just pretending to care, but coming to ask the teacher for punishment is real, right?" "Thanks Dou Ban, it's much better now. You know, girls have a lot of troubles with that kind of thing. I've been physically cold since childhood, and when I first came here, I seemed to be unaccustomed to the local climate, and had dysmenorrhea."

  Is dysmenorrhea a disease? Zhan glared at Zhu Ling's lower abdomen with wide eyes. When her own aunt came, it was like a leaky faucet, clean and smooth, dripping quietly until it was over. So apart from having to use some sanitary napkins with wings, she never thought that her aunt would cause any trouble. "Ah? It can be like this?"

  Of course not, Zhu Ling sneered in her heart: "Of course, can I still cheat you?"

  She shook her head, not saying whether it was true or false, but just sighing at the power of her aunt. When she saw that advertisement "no pain, easy every month" before, she still thought it was funny and wondered how this thing could have a market, it seems there is indeed one. "Not not, I just want to say, next time when my body doesn't feel well, I should mention it in advance." If she wasn't a little clever, she would have been skinned by Lao Lu.

  Zhu Ling pretended to be surprised: "Really? I've already asked for leave from the head teacher, do I still need to ask the class monitor for leave when I'm sick?"

  “……I'm not talking about being absent due to illness, I mean you originally agreed to give a speech as the representative of new students, right? If you're not feeling well, you can tell me and we can find someone else. Waruwaru didn't have any intention of scolding or questioning her, she simply believed that as a person, one should keep their promises, and if they can't fulfill them, they should at least give others an explanation instead of disappearing silently. Isn't this basic human logic?

  Irresponsible in behavior is one thing, but at least be responsible in attitude.

  "What speech? Oh, you mean that one!" Zhu Ling started with a bewildered expression, and then suddenly realized: "But I didn't agree to it at the time, I just said I'd consider it. You didn't ask me afterwards, so I thought you had found someone else."

  Shut up! Zhang Dandan is just a kind-hearted person with rough edges and too optimistic, but not stupid.

  With such a good memory, Zhu Ling recalled what she had said at the time without missing a single word: "Well... I'll consider it, and if there's any problem later on, Class Monitor, you'd better take care of it."

  Is this consideration really genuine? Isn't this just a way for Chinese people to give a polite response? It's a sign of modesty!

  Can she just use a light and casual phrase to push away all the responsibility? Does this small matter of giving a speech need to be urged and invited three or four times?

  Oh, others didn't push it to be spotless either. At least they did a good job of putting the second half of the sentence into practice: If there's any problem later on, Class Monitor will have to take responsibility for it.

  Indeed, there is a problem, and indeed, I have been worried as the class leader for too long.

  She took a deep look at Zhuling, looking very serious - although she was eloquent and generally unbeatable in verbal disputes - uh, Xia Leng's dead pervert being an exception - but she usually just treated playing with her mouth as a form of entertainment, didn't like to quarrel with shrews, especially with some people who were really speechless, and didn't think it was necessary. Her heart was actually pitiful for Zhuling, saying that such a good girl, beautiful and studious, why couldn't she be perfect, with a good temperament too? Cheating was a very bad character trait.

  Zhu Ling felt a chill run down her spine as she watched Warthog, the nickname for the fierce battle ahead. Practice had already proven it. Would Warthog really charge up and beat itself to a pulp?...

  "Oh, sorry about that, I forgot later." Zhan Zhan suddenly smiled again, waving her hand casually: "It's okay, just take care of your body. I won't bother you again in the future."

  Zhu Ling looked at Zhan's back and felt that something was not quite right. Shouldn't she be angry? Was this a deliberate attempt to annoy her? What kind of reaction was this?

  Is she really so stupid and slow-witted that she didn't realize her own intentions?

  It's actually her who is a smiling tiger, seemingly carefree but remembering everything in her heart, preparing to give herself small shoes to wear at any time?

  At the thought of the latter outcome, Zhu Ling suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Zhan Wuji was so strong and powerful that he could easily carry two Meng Xiangyu's weight; Zhan Wuji was so fierce and daring that he even dared to defy his teachers and lecture hoodlums, while she herself was...

  Zhu Ling suddenly felt a little regretful, she should have been more subtle, anyway the goal was achieved, why bother to appear triumphant and deliberately provoke her...

  Zhu Ling was still here, lost in thought, while the war had already slipped back to her seat. What she thought wasn't as complicated as Zhu Ling's, just that this wasn't a suitable person for her path, and it would be better to have less contact with him in the future.

  There are thousands of people in the world, and naturally there will be many different personalities and behaviors. The relationship between people is so wonderful that it's impossible for everyone to become bosom friends. It's impossible for others to change according to one's own wishes, because some people are destined to only have a superficial relationship with oneself.

  How can I have the right to be demanding of others?

  It's like eating in a cafeteria, if you like a dish, you can buy more and eat more, if you don't like it, just don't eat it, no need to throw it away. Maybe you don't like it, but others do?

  Xia Liqiu slightly tilted her head, looking at Zhan Yu, she knew where she had just gone.

  She smiled and shook her head, giving a very objective evaluation of Xia Lixiu's prediction: "You're right."

  This sentence seems to be without a head or tail, but Xia Li Qiu understood it clearly and turned back to continue the test questions, no longer asking more.

  This is what true tacit understanding between good friends looks like.

  The military training ended, and An Ran was also liberated. The basketball court for the entire week had been occupied by the new first-year students, leaving him no chance to play a good game. While others were studying hard during the 30-minute self-study session in the morning, he habitually carried his basketball out. Anyway, his grades were good enough, and teachers generally turned a blind eye.

  He stands still and shoots, takes three steps to the basket, makes a long-distance three-pointer, and attacks strongly under the basket. Playing basketball is an enjoyable release for him. As his body is soaked in sweat, his physical fatigue and mental annoyance seem to disappear along with it.

  He likes this feeling of release.

  Another long-distance three-pointer, the ball was thrown out in an arc for a moment, he suddenly remembered that two months ago, it seemed to be on this same court, at this same position, with almost the same shooting posture, because he saw a girl riding a bicycle hastily passing by, and the ball deviated from its trajectory due to his slight distraction, hitting a creature called a warthog.

  A creature he couldn't understand at all. Probably doesn't belong to the category of human beings.

  On the court, he thought she was a bit overbearing and unreasonable, thinking that she belonged to the typical simple-minded, physically gifted, impulsive, and mediocre sports student.

  The entanglement in the restaurant, he thought she was a bit inexplicable and mysterious, thinking that she belonged to the kind of hysterical and self-abased flower girl who didn't know what dignity and restraint were.

  When the results were announced, he deliberately made a sidelong attack on the rice bucket to gather information. When he found out that she was indeed in 11th place on the ranking list, he was initially a little unbelievable and dared not believe it, but at the same time, he also had a little bit of admiration for her - he knew in his heart that the promise he made when they bet was how advantageous it was for him. Even if someone who usually ranks 10th doesn't dare to swear that they will definitely make it into the top ten, after all, there are too many variables in exams, let alone her being always hovering around 50th place.

  However, in just ten days, she actually did it. He had thought that she would cheat or something, but everyone who knew her didn't suspect this at all - because they trusted her so much, trusted her character and conduct, and it was only natural. He started to get a little curious, what else was there to her besides her cunning and mischievous side?

  And so there was the fulfillment of the graduation ceremony promise. In that impulsive speech on stage, he admitted that part of it was because of her provocation and teasing from below, and part of it was his own self-respect being stirred up, but it seemed like there was something else too.

  Is it because she was talking nonsense in the restaurant and spread a strange rumor?

  Was it because in the same ceremony she presented Xia Zhiyu and humiliated him, hurting his self-esteem?

  Was it because he mustered up the courage to confess to a girl for the first time, only to be brutally rejected in public?

  "Xiong Anan, I'm telling you, there's no way between us! My heart only belongs to Xia Zhige! Don't be a toad thinking of eating swan meat! Want to chase me? No way! Give up this idea early!"

  "Hmph, just you wait and see! If I, An Ran, can't catch up to you, then I'll change my name to Xiong An'an!"

  This sentence lingered in his mind for an entire summer vacation afterwards.

  Later, in the dispute over the punishment of the teaching office, he once again saw her serious and unlimited mouth and made people speechless and cry without a word. He thought she was a super clever little person who would regret getting involved with her at that time.

  Because he lacked confidence, had no experience in dealing with it, and had no assurance of winning.

  Such a person, in his life and fate, is absolutely unique, but perhaps that's just what this passerby should be.

  After the summer break, he knew she also attended Qingyang. However, with a school this big and nearly three thousand students in junior and senior high, everyone was so busy studying that as long as he made an effort to avoid her, they should be able to coexist without interfering with each other.

  Who knew she would find herself so boldly, with a familiar look on her face, ignoring his rejection. He was annoyed by her recklessness, but had no way to deal with it.

  Then, he watched with his eyes wide open as she used her beauty and delicious food to slowly invade his territory and integrate into his circle.

  He can't do anything and is completely defeated.

  He can't match her thick skin, so he's doomed to lose.

  A movie played in my mind, flashing a series of images. In the blink of an eye, the basketball had deviated from its predetermined trajectory, losing by a hair's breadth but missing by a thousand miles, heavily hitting the rim and then bouncing out.

  Not good! An Ran let out a low cry the moment the ball bounced out, and the landing point of that rebound trajectory was, judging by sight, exactly on the extension line of a girl who was about to walk over with her head down.

  He was just thinking about the irreversible basketball fate with Zhan Huang, and as a result, reality seemed to be reenacting a similar scene once again.

  Won't be so unlucky, right? An Ran's face turned green.

  Prayer was of no use at all. With a cry of "Ah", the ball still came into close contact with the girl, and the book in her hand fell to the ground.

  This time it wasn't someone else on the court that caught his eye, nor did he get up and start looking for a fight after falling to the ground. An Ran still had a sense of responsibility as the perpetrator, running forward to stop the ball, bending down to pick up the books that the girl had dropped.

  Just like in the movies, when An Ran's hand touched the paper, the girl's slender jade-like hand also reached out at the same time, and their two hands almost met in mid-air.

  He calmly and quietly withdrew, then stood up: "Sorry, are you okay?"

  The girl raised her head, with a tall stature of around 1.68 meters, a big wavy curly hair full of youthful vitality, exuding endless passion; under the seemingly natural bare makeup, her eyes appeared large and charming, her white skin was flawless, and the pink tender lip corners were adorned with a faint smile.

  She was wearing a white lotus leaf edge shirt, and the fitted cut made her development more prominent than that of an ordinary girl; she wore a red and white plaid skirt below, with a distance of ten centimeters above the knee, making a pair of beautiful legs even more eye-catching.

  A beautiful and spicy beauty.

  He let out a sigh of relief in his heart, it's good that luck wasn't so bad after all, and he didn't end up as cannon fodder.

  How can he be so afraid of fighting?

  "It's nothing," the beautiful and charming woman narrowed her eyes slightly, revealing a captivating smile: "I'm not that fragile."

  "Oh, it's okay then." He calmly picked up the ball and turned back to continue on the court.

  Is that it? The beautiful woman behind An Ran's smile suddenly stiffened. What kind of guy is this? Why do all the people who hang out with Zhan Yu always play by their own rules?

  This beauty is Zhu Ling.

  She, the proud daughter of heaven, was suppressed by Xia Liqiu and Zhan Rourou in all aspects as soon as she entered school, and had been depressed for a long time. Faced with Xia Liqiu's talent and beauty, she felt envious, jealous and resentful. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone has their own supporters, so it was a draw; but the key was her grades - after just having a diagnostic test, she hadn't had a chance to prove herself yet, and the mid-term exam wouldn't be for at least two months, which was unbearable for her.

  She originally wanted to find other ways to prove herself better than Xia Liqiu, but no matter how she provoked her, Xia Liqiu always had a calm and collected expression that made it impossible for her to attack; wanting to isolate or use other methods to teach Xia Liqiu a lesson, but Xia Liqiu was not alone.

  She has a female knight who is always by her side, fighting bravely.

  Zhan Yu is now the number one object of hatred in Zhu Ling's mind. Because Zhan Yu not only blocked her way to attack Xia Liqiu, but also took away her position as class leader, and it is said that she has become more and more popular among students.

  There was also a speech at the opening ceremony of school, which was originally an opportunity for self-expression, but it was also snatched away by Zhang.

  She didn't even think about it being because she wanted to make Zhan Yu embarrassed and it was all her doing.

  She just knew that all these glories originally belonged to her.

  She should be the most dazzling presence in this year's first grade, she must surpass everything, there can't be anyone who surpasses her or even rivals her, what she has to do is to be unique.

  But now, Xia Liqiu and Zhan Yu are obstructing her.

  She couldn't bear it and didn't want to wait patiently for an opportunity, she had to make a comeback as soon as possible.

  Take a different path.

  These days in the cafeteria, she had long noticed that Zhan Liuli and Qing Yang were always together.

  Is that Xia Lixia's boyfriend? Or Zhang Yuying's boyfriend?

  She doesn't know and doesn't care either, as long as she has a relationship with them, isn't it? As long as they like the person, that's all that matters.

  Moreover, she had already found out through Wang Qian that his family background was good, his grades were good, and he looked excellent, a boy who was completely worthy of her.

  This is also the first time it has appeared by her side, such a boy, she likes very much.

  With these two reasons existing, is there still a need for an explanation?

  No need to plan deliberately, just look for small opportunities. After so many years of walking among various types of boys who tried to please her, Zhu Ling had accumulated rich experience.

  Give me a firm spot on which to stand and I will move the earth.

  Zhu Ling also has this confidence, give me a chance and I will attract the attention of all boys.

  So at a time and place where An Ran was accustomed to appear, Zhu Ling also appeared.

  And it seems that God is still very fond of her, without her doing anything, a basketball romance was created. - It's said that An Ran and Zhan Mei also got to know each other in this way?

  But myself and Zhāo are absolutely different.

  Facing a beauty like herself, as long as she gives boys an opportunity to speak up, there's only progress, no retreat.

  At least she thought so.

  But why is An Ran's reaction different from what I imagined?

  Shouldn't he take this opportunity to know himself?

  Zhu Ling's self-esteem was challenged again, and a flash of anger passed through her charming eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, she barely suppressed the fire in her heart and continued to maintain her enchanting smile - how could she forget that An Ran was also someone of the same type as herself, with enough pride to be pursued by girls all the time, he wouldn't take the initiative, would he?

  If she had the time, she wouldn't mind playing a game of cat and mouse with him to see who would end up on top. However, now she couldn't wait; what she was waiting for was an immediate effect, striking Warlord Zuo and Xia Lixia.

  So she decided to take the initiative.

  It's not like a girl chasing a boy is uncommon, especially when it comes to a school beauty like her.

  Digression

  "Hmm, a woman chasing a man is separated by a layer of gauze, and the war has fully proven that this sentence does not necessarily exist in practical operation... Recently, it's not exciting? The comments and votes seem to be powerless... Fanzi cries...... Little brother will come out soon, real person!"