CH 9

Lou Yueru, as the school flower of the First Middle School, had completely turned into a joke after her confession was rejected! She was angry and resentful in her heart, and only then did her brain fever take Ruan Mengmeng as a punching bag.

After being scolded by He Yiyang, she completely sobered up. But she was not happy about having to apologise to a junior girl.

But she couldn’t help it, even if she didn’t want to. Who made He Yiyang the vice president of the student council? She was the head of the recreation department, and she was under his jurisdiction, so she couldn’t avoid seeing him. Besides, He Yiyang had information about the real source of the secret photo incident.

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She had to clarify it herself if she wanted to turn the tables and regain her popularity. Unable to do so, she was forced to apologise to her little fat sister, who was the neighbour of the protective demon.

Swyd Yldtxldt pyke, “Fnbsszxyvl, yal usw zssjkdt qsa xl qsa psxlvbkdt? Zsw ……” Mbl nbydtl kd bla lmralppksd oyp schkswp. Ebyv oyp pbl vaukdt vs es cu elzyukdt bla qsa qkhl xkdwvlp? Fbl pvkzz bye vs ts vs vbl nsxxkppyau.

“Swyd Yldtxldt, psaau. R xkpfwetle usw vbl svbla eyu,” Nsw Zwlaw pyke yqvla pvawttzkdt qsa y obkzl, bydekdt bla vbl qzyhsaqwz nyjl kd bla byde, “Mbkp kp qsa usw.”

Mbkp nyjl oyp Wakvkzsd’p osae-sq-xswvb nyjl, zkxkvle eykzu!

Swyd Yldtxldt oyp yqayke vbyv bla bydep oswze dsv cl yczl vs pvsr qasx rknjkdt kv wr, ps pbl bwaaklezu rwv kv clbkde bla cynj yde pyke, “R esd’v czyxl usw, pldksa pkpvla. Mbyv nyjl kp dsv dllele, bwb……”

Lou Yueru looked at her eyes slithering with a look of gluttony and suddenly felt amused.

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The little fat girl was not at all enlightened, and He Yiyang might really only see her as a sister, but now, she didn’t like He Yiyang either. His temper was terrible!

“Take it. It’s supposed to be an apology gift. You don’t mind, and it doesn’t stop it from being given to you.”

“Ah, thanks,” Ruan Mengmeng took it, “Not only are you beautiful, you also have good taste. This cake is delicious.”

Lou Yueru waved her hand in a high-handed manner, turned around, and walked two steps. Then she stopped and turned back, teasing, “We’ve turned the page. Remember to talk to your childhood brother. Don’t let him put me in small shoes [1].”

“Eh?”

Ruan Mengmeng’s mind had been focused on the cake. Did the childhood brother mean He Yiyang? What did this have to do with him?

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Back in the classroom, Ruan Mengmeng and Chen Linjia piled up all their reference books on their desks, blocking the direction of the podium. The cake was placed between them, one spoonful for you and one for me.

It was so sweet, and even sweeter when eaten in front of the teacher!

Ruan Mengmeng propped her hands on her cheeks behind her books, feeling happy that she hadn’t been caught in a sneaky prank. She bit the spoon. Her smiling eyes curved into two crescent moons.

Just as she was so pleased with herself, there was a knock at the window on the side.

Ruan Mengmeng was so frightened that she almost jumped up, panicking, holding the cake in her hands and trying to stuff it into the drawer. Chen Linjia, who was next to her, did not move at all and elbowed her.

What should she do? Would teacher Chen not find her again to drink tea? Would she ask for her parents? Her father was still in the county ……

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In an instant, Ruan Mengmeng was so frightened that her face turned white.

Chen Linjia, seeing no reaction from the person next to her, tsked and reached out to turn her chin to look out the window.

Oh?! It wasn’t Teacher Chen, it was Brother!

Ruan Mengmeng stared wide-eyed at He Yiyang, who was overflowing with laughter.

***

If the sunlight in spring was green, it was probably golden in autumn.

In front of the school building, there was a hundred-year-old ginkgo tree with swaying yellow leaves, sighing and rustling.

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He Yiyang’s last two classes in the morning were physics. The teacher had an emergency at home, so a set of test papers were given, and the class was replaced by a proctored test.

He went to the teacher’s office to get the papers, and when he passed by the little fatty’s class, his eyes glanced over and found the girl stealing food in class.

What a nice touch!

He stopped and watched her scoop a spoonful into her mouth. Her little fleshy face was happy, as if she had tasted the ultimate delicacy. It was obviously just a sweet and greasy cake. Was it that good?

He was standing right outside the window, laughing at her little hamster-like appearance, scooping a spoonful and reminiscing, before scooping another spoonful, and resting her hands on her cheeks-was she thanking the world for peace?!

Tsk, silly little fat pig. No wonder she can’t lose weight.

He tried to scare her by knocking on the window, but she was good enough to scare herself without even looking at the window. With the panicked look on her face, it was easy to guess what she was thinking.

His fat green plum was so lame, with a small brain and a particularly small amount of courage.

Finally, turning her head to meet him, her dark eyes snapped as if a camera had flashed, revealing a relaxed, easy smile and small pearly white teeth.

He was suddenly a little offended.

Restraining his smile, he looked at her sternly with a stern face. His eyes indicated the teacher on the podium and his right thumb and index finger were making a pinching motion.

When Ruan Mengmeng first saw He Yiyang, she was relieved that it was not the class teacher. But when he suddenly changed his face, she was so frightened that she stuck out her tongue in fear, pursed her lips, and bowed her head in a confession of wrongdoing, hoping he would let her off the hook.

Having successfully scared Ruan Mengmeng, He Yiyang’s mood cheered up, and he returned to his class with a pile of exam papers in his arms.

“You’re afraid of him?” Chen Linjia asked in a whisper, using her book to shield her face.

“En, a little,” Ruan Mengmeng gestured with her fingers, “Brother is sometimes very strict and loves to be mean to me.”

Chen Linjia tsked and did not tell Ruan Mengmeng that He Yiyang’s school grass name was Gao Leng Xueba [1], a coldly indifferent top student who ignored all the other girls. Not to mention being mean, it was difficult to approach, even if they wanted to say a word.

At noon, Ruan Mengmeng finished her lunch at the school canteen and followed Chen Linjia to her dormitory for a nap.

While she was sleeping, she heard the sound of WeChat, and when she woke up, she saw that it was from Lu Zhengyuan.

[Mengmeng, I want to talk to you. Come to school early this afternoon, okay].

The time it was sent was at 12:30. Well, she was still eating at the time, and it was now 1:20. Ruan Mengmeng rubbed her eyes as her fingers edited the reply.

[I just got up from my nap. Can we meet up and talk?]

Lu Zhengyuan probably didn’t take a nap, so not long after that, a WeChat followed.

[I’m at the milk tea shop outside the school. What do you want to drink? I’ll bring it to you.]

[Mango milkshake. That… Can you bring one for Jiajia too? I’m sleeping at her place. I’ll pay you later.]

[My treat. I’ll see you in front of the dormitory in ten minutes.]

Lu Zhengyuan stared at the background WeChat picture. Ruan Mengmeng was sitting at her desk with her hands on her cheeks and her black grape-like eyes glittering. Her curly eyelashes were not as long as those of mascara-wearing girls. They were soft and faint in rows, giving people a wonderfully sweet and soft feeling, just like her fair and tender skin.

This photo was taken when he graduated and was one that often motivated him when he joined a weight loss club.

Once, she was seen by his coach, and he bluntly said that she had nice features and would be a great beauty when she slimmed down. He laughed at the time. Mengmeng was still his great beauty, even if she wasn’t skinny.

Ruan Mengmeng was his junior year tablemate. She was the only female classmate who had never despised him for his body being fat. She often shared snacks with him and called him out on weekends to go cycling in the park.

Whenever he was hit by other students, Mengmeng would solemnly comfort him: “There is nothing wrong with being fat, but you can’t be a fat person. A person’s character and ability would overshadow their appearance defects. What is a man? If you didn’t get fat, who didn’t get old as a woman?” 

Sometimes he felt that Mengmeng was overly optimistic and even a bit silly. When everyone was laughing at her, she could take it in stride. When everyone was full of malice, she could laugh it off. But for that moment, she was indeed comforting to him.

Little by little, the more he came into contact with Ruan Mengmeng, the closer he wanted to get. Lu Zhengyuan rubbed his fingers over the photo, his memory pulling back to the past.

There was a thunderstorm that day, and he didn’t have an umbrella, while Ruan Mengmeng did.

The two fat men held an umbrella, and the pedestrians on the road laughed at them, keeping their heads down. Ruan Mengmeng’s mouth curled into a kind smile as she led him by the hand to the bus stop. After collecting the umbrella, he realised that he hadn’t gotten a bit wet, while most of Mengmeng’s body was drenched.

The white face, the black pearl-like warm and flowing eyes, the warm and wonderful smile… the torrential rainstorm hitting the top of the stop sign was not as loud as the wild beating in the heart.

The momentary stirring, Lu Zhengyuan couldn’t forget for the rest of his life.

It was her.

[1] A Chinese saying that means “don’t let him hold a grudge. 

[2] The phrase is “Gao Leng Xueba”. The Kanji means “noble, beautiful but not easy to get close to” and “top student” in that order. Top student could also be called a school bully as slang.