Chapter Ninety-Five: No Fight, No Acquaintance

  The five classes in the morning ended quickly, probably because it was just the beginning of school, everyone's enthusiasm is still very high, and they won't feel that time is passing slowly.

  Here is the translation:

  Compared to N City Middle School, our school has one advantage - it doesn't require boarding. However, the school requires everyone to eat lunch in the cafeteria because classes start at 1:30 pm. Some classmates say that if we finish class at 12:00 pm, they can still make it home for lunch, but since we're still on summer schedule now and classes start at 1:30 pm, after November 11th, we'll switch to winter schedule and classes will start at 1:00 pm. So the school's requirement makes sense - what if students who go home for lunch get hit by a car in a hurry? Who would be responsible then? It's better to have everyone eat lunch together at school. Of course, our afternoon classes end early too, so we're dismissed early at 4:05 pm, which is convenient for students who walk home and alleviates parents' worries.

  The 12 o'clock bell rings differently from other times, because, the radio will play a piece of music to indicate that class is over, and classmates will rush to the cafeteria with the music. Today, the radio played Ah Bing's "Reflections on the Moon" again, I heard this is a music that has been played for several years in our school.

  I had just walked out of the classroom when I saw Wang Xiaoxiao waving at me. I turned around and said, "Yaya, hurry up, Xiaoxiao is really fast, she's already reached our classroom door."

  Inside came Hou Jingya's voice, "Xiao Xiao, you and Xiao Xiao go together, today someone in our house is sending me lunch, so I won't go to the cafeteria."

  So it seems, but Yaya needs to be supplemented properly. I don't know why I feel that she has become a bit weaker lately. I guess her body is not feeling well again due to the cycle. I shouted into the classroom: "Yaya, you wait slowly by yourself, Xiaoxiao and I will go first, probably can't catch up with spicy chicken today either."

  Then I and Xiao ran into the cafeteria, and what entered my eyes was a sea of people. If you don't come to the cafeteria for meals, you won't know how many students are in our school. I said to Xiao: "I'll go queue up at the window first. You find a seat, and I'll come over to meet you later."

  Wang Xiaoxiao nodded. Because I'm not tall, I've been wanting to stretch my neck forward to see if I can still get the spicy chicken, and just as I saw a classmate in front of me ordering the spicy chicken, I silently prayed, please leave some for me.

  When it was my turn, there was still a portion of spicy chicken left, I was overjoyed. No big deal, Xiaoxiao and I can share one portion anyway. It wasn't until then that I realized that girl was really slow today. She still hasn't come to find me yet, forget it. First, let's order two portions of food and put them aside, be a bit polite, ask Auntie to help keep an eye on them, first bring one portion over, then go back for the other one.

  I smiled and said, "Auntie, I want stir-fried three delicacies, spicy chicken, and two bowls of rice. Also, another serving of stir-fried three delicacies with braised egg, also two bowls of rice. Auntie, can I take one serving first? I'll come back for the second serving later." People say that a smiling face is not hit when offering help, and besides, we have such good manners here. The aunt smiled and nodded in agreement.

  So I walked away with the plate of spicy chicken, maybe because I didn't check my horoscope today and got too excited about hitting the spicy chicken, I didn't notice that my shoelace had come undone. Just as I saw Wang Xiaoxiao waving at me vigorously, I rushed forward in a hurry. And then I tripped on my shoelace again, stumbled, and fell forward, but fortunately managed to steady myself and not fall over, only to hear a loud "thud" as the plate arced through the air and hit a boy's body.

  I was startled and didn't know what to do. I quickly bowed my head and said repeatedly, "Sorry, sorry. I really wasn't on purpose, I have tissue paper." As I spoke, I hastily pulled out a pack of my favorite Heart-to-Heart tea tissues from my pocket. Wang Xiao Xiao also rushed over.

  The boy didn't take the tissue paper, but instead said coldly: "Don't you have eyes when walking? It's too cheap to attract my attention in this way."

  Oh my god, I was just happy a moment ago, and the next moment it's a tragedy. Where did this narcissist come from? Does he think I want to flirt with him in this way? The spicy chicken on the ground is something I've been waiting for a week to get, do I need to pay such a big price? I immediately looked up and saw the boy's icy face, carefully examined it, and found that he was an iceberg handsome guy. So what if he's just good-looking, has some temperament, and is fair-skinned? What's so special about him? Wang Xiaoxiao looked at the handsome guy in front of her and felt a little familiar, as if someone in their class had listed the top ten handsome guys in the middle school department, and maybe he was one of them.

  The boy saw me staring at him for a while without speaking, his voice was obviously impatient, and said: "Another flower watcher, have you seen enough?" This sentence is so familiar, isn't it the kind of phrase that often appears in Xiao Yan's words? I couldn't help but chuckle and say: "I've seen enough, thank you for standing there and letting me appreciate you, do you want me to pay for a ticket?"

  The boy obviously didn't know I would say that, his mouth twitched and said: "No need, but I hope this classmate will bring his eyes next time he comes out and not do such a boring thing." As he spoke, the boy was about to leave with his tray.

  He was a good-looking guy, but he was covered in oil stains. I couldn't bear to see him like that, so I called out: "Hey, what's your name? Why don't you give me your jacket and I'll take it to the school laundry to get it washed for you?" He didn't even turn around and said: "No need." What a strange person.

  No choice, Xiaoxiao and I had to line up again to get another serving of food. After we got the food, someone had already taken the seat that Xiaoxiao had occupied earlier. I complained: "Xiaoxiao, you really are something, couldn't you have left something there? Now we have to find another seat."

  Wang Xiaoxiao said with a wronged tone: "Others are worried about you, seeing that you bumped into someone else and rushed over immediately. Who would have thought so much? I'm really sorry."

  "Never mind, never mind, it's useless to blame you, all I can say is that today I'm not suitable for going out."

  I was looking around with Wang Xiaoxiao to see if there were two empty seats anywhere, when I suddenly heard a very familiar voice next to my ear. It was Cao Qiang's voice, no mistake about it. School had started half a month ago, and I had forgotten that he was also at Number One Middle School, and even more, he was my senior, so I could ask him for help with things.

  As soon as I turned around, I saw that there were two empty seats next to Cao Qiang, and the one sitting opposite Cao Qiang wasn't that boy from just now? I smiled at Cao Qiang and said: "Cao Qiang, long time no see! You're having lunch in the cafeteria with your classmate?" As I spoke, I pointed to the boy beside him.

  Cao Qiang nodded and said: "Yes, you don't have a seat, do you? We have two here, come sit down. In a while, I and Ai Yi will be leaving."

  What? Auntie? I didn't hear that wrong, did I? But I saw the one called "Auntie" raise her head and glance at me a few times, with no expression, so she shouldn't be too repelled, right? So Xiaoxiao and I went over to sit down. Of course, I was smiling obsequiously and said: "Thanks, Cao Qiang."

  Confucius said: Don't talk while eating, don't speak while sleeping. But when I'm having dinner with XiaoXiao, we always chat from the start of the meal to the end. It's really weird that no one is talking now. I guess XiaoXiao was frozen by the iceberg-like handsome guy next to her and didn't dare say anything.

  I stared at the oil stain on "Auntie's" clothes again, and decided to take responsibility. I turned my head to Cao Qiang and said: "Hey, Cao Qiang, you guys eat too seriously, can you introduce me to your classmate across from you? Eating together is also a kind of fate." Cao Qiang smiled and said: "Xiao Xiao, don't be too formal, Ai Yi is just like that, you don't need to mind him. His name is Dai Junyi, he's my classmate and also my deskmate."

  "Oh, I see! So it was a misunderstanding. It's not 'auntie', but 'Ah Yat'. After thinking for a moment, I coughed and said: "That... Dai Junyat senior, earlier I really wasn't paying attention, that's why I accidentally knocked over the plate onto your clothes. My previous suggestion to help you send it to the laundry was genuinely sincere, otherwise, please consider it again."

  After I finished speaking, I winked at Cao Qiang, and he immediately received the signal. He said: "A Yi, Xiao Xiao absolutely won't be intentional, otherwise, please forgive her for my sake."

  Dai Junyi finally spoke up, "Cao Qiang, actually I'm not angry, this is just how I usually am, you should know that. As for Nan Xiuxiu, I've heard Cao Qiang mention her more than once, and it seems like she's also the top student in this year's junior high entrance exam? We're not familiar with each other until we have a conflict, and I guess this is what they mean by 'not fighting but knocking over a plate'. As for the clothes, if you really want to apologize, just take them home and wash them. After all, I was originally planning to bring them home and have my family hand-wash them."

  "Alright, I was wrong first. Since you've made a request, I'll accept the challenge. I took a deep breath and said with a sly smile: 'I'm really sincere, so I'll take your coat home to wash it.'"

  Dai Junyi didn't say a word, and took off his coat to give it to me. He was wearing a shirt inside, I really don't know how he wasn't afraid of the cold after taking it off, as if he was worried that I would regret and refuse to pay.

  Cao Qiang wanted to say something else, but Dai Junyi smiled and said: "Nan Xue Mei, and this Xue Mei, Cao Qiang and I have finished eating, we'll leave first, you two eat slowly, savoring your food is good for your body. When you've washed your clothes, just give them to Cao Qiang, by the way, you should know that Cao Qiang and I are in Class 6." I responded with a sentence "Of course", oh heavens forgive me, I didn't mean to lie, it was just an unconscious phrase, can't lose momentum.