Chapter 8
Chi Aibei was brought to Class 1 by Lin Xiu. Everyone in Class 1 curiously turned to look at the “outsider” who was so out of place.
The bell rang, signaling the start of class. Chen Jiang entered the classroom and saw Chi Aibei standing next to Lin Xiu, holding his school bag. For the first time, students who should have been in their learning positions were looking around instead of paying attention to the bell.
Chen Jiang had been informed that Chi Aibei was transferring to their class. He’d just had an argument with the principal, which ended only after the principal suggested letting Lin Xiu and Chi Aibei go to Class 2 together.
Chen Jiang took a deep breath. “Forget it,” he thought, “let the foolish be foolish. As long as Lin Xiu stays, it’s fine.”
He tapped the lectern. “Everyone, turn and look at me! We have a new student transferring to our class today. I’m sure you all know him, so there’s no need for a self-introduction.”
Upon hearing Chen Jiang say that Chi Aibei was their new classmate, an uproar erupted in the classroom…
“What the heck? He’s transferring to our class?”
“No way, doesn’t that mean he’ll take the last place in our class?”
Class 1 was a class for high-achievers, and students with low rankings who performed poorly on exams would be transferred to other classes. Now, a seemingly intellectually challenged student was suddenly added to their class; how would the rankings work?
Chen Jiang said, “His situation is a bit special, so his grades won’t be included in the rankings.”
Hearing this, the student ranked last, who had been looked at with pity, breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Jiang asked Chi Aibei, “Where would you like to sit?”
Chen Jiang thought the back row was perfect for him; the question was simply out of courtesy for the new student, not a genuine offer of choice.
However, Chi Aibei didn’t realize his politeness was feigned. He pointed to the seat next to Lin Xiu, “I want to sit with Lin Xiu.”
Lin Xiu’s deskmate had long since grown tired of his position. His deskmate was a cold, studious machine, and the student in front of him wasn’t much better. Sandwiched between the top two students in their grade, he was overwhelmed!
Hearing the seemingly intellectually challenged student wanted to sit there, Lin Xiu’s deskmate quickly stood up to pack his things. “Mr. Chen, can I go to the back?”
The boy sitting in front of Lin Xiu heard he was leaving and quickly turned to persuade him, “Don’t! What am I supposed to do if you leave?” It was already stressful competing with two people, and if one left, he’d be the only one left competing!
Ignoring the other’s plea, the boy grabbed his test papers and stuffed them haphazardly into his bag. “Take care, bro!”
He had asked Chen Jiang several times to change seats, but Chen Jiang believed pressure created results, and he had refused. Now, seeing the boy move to the back row, Chi Aibei’s bag was placed on the chair next to Lin Xiu by Lin Xiu himself.
Chen Jiang: “…”
He wanted to say something, but it seemed too late.
Chen Jiang comforted himself, thinking that the intense academic pressure might somehow motivate the seemingly intellectually challenged student, and even if he improved his score by ten points, it would be a contribution to the class.
Chi Aibei gave the boy who offered his seat a sweet smile. “Thank you, classmate. You’re such a good person.”
The boy who received the “good person card” smiled back, thinking, “You’re the good person, thank you for saving me.”
Chi Aibei happily sat down next to Lin Xiu. The boy in front turned to look at him, and just as Chi Aibei was about to greet him, he was met with a merciless glare.
Chi Aibei: “???”
With the seating arranged, Chen Jiang began the lesson.
Chi Aibei leaned over and whispered to Lin Xiu, “Brother, does the classmate in front of me have a problem with his eyes?”
Chi Aibei’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was audible enough to those around him. Jiang Yu slightly turned his head towards him, wanting to say, “You’re the one with the problem,” when he heard the person behind him say, “He looked at me like this.”
Chi Aibei imitated the classmate’s earlier eye roll, except his lasted longer than Jiang Yu’s. Lin Xiu, watching his prolonged eye roll, was even a little worried he might roll his eyes all the way back.
Lin Xiu knew why Jiang Yu did that. This guy always valued grades, and suddenly having someone who might drag down the class, a simple eye roll was already being polite.
He patted Chi Aibei’s head. “Don’t talk nonsense, he didn’t roll his eyes that long.”
Jiang Yu, unable to openly turn around: “…” He really wanted to see how the seemingly intellectually challenged student was slandering him.
During class, Chen Jiang observed Chi Aibei closely. He wasn’t as hyperactive as the Class 7 teacher had described, didn’t make strange noises during class, and didn’t disturb his classmates. He even listened attentively for a while before, for some reason, giving up and resting his head on the desk.
Chi Aibei boredly lay his head on the desk, watching Lin Xiu twirl a pen. “Brother, your hands are so pretty.”
Lin Xiu’s pen “thudded” onto the desk.
Jiang Yu frowned. Sure enough, having a seemingly intellectually challenged student sitting behind him was disruptive. What nonsense was he talking about during class!
Lin Xiu ignored him, picked up his pen, and stopped twirling it. The person slumped beside him suddenly sighed. He glanced at him and saw Chi Aibei examining his own hands under the desk, turning them over and over.
After a while, Chi Aibei sighed again, “Why do my hands look like fly swatters?”
Lin Xiu: “…”
Because of the “fly swatter” remark, Jiang Yu was distracted for the entire class. Several times he almost couldn’t help but turn around to see what these fly swatter-like hands actually looked like.
As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Chen Jiang called Lin Xiu out.
The moment Lin Xiu left, the boy sitting in front of Chi Aibei stood up. He turned and looked at Chi Aibei’s… hands.
White and clean, with a few small dimples at the knuckles on the back of his hands—liar, they didn’t look like fly swatters at all!
Chi Aibei didn’t understand why he kept staring at his hands, as if he wanted to eat them. Chi Aibei felt a little scared, and under Jiang Yu’s gaze, he slowly pulled his hands under the desk.
“Holy crap, I forgot my test paper!” a boy suddenly yelled.
The boy scrambled over, stopping abruptly next to Jiang Yu. “Class monitor, do you have any extra English test papers? I have Ms. Xia’s class next period, and she’ll kill me if I don’t have one!”
Hearing the words “class monitor,” Chi Aibei’s head throbbed. He suddenly looked at the boy in front of him…
Oh my god, how could he forget that Lin Xiu’s class also had someone comparable to Chi Wendong—the crazy class monitor of Class 1, Jiang Yu!
Chapter 9
Lin Xiu returned to the classroom and saw Chi Aibei staring intently at Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu saw him come back, pulled a test paper from his desk, and handed it to him. “You weren’t here for the test the day before yesterday.”
Jiang Yu wanted a reason for his absence, but Lin Xiu didn’t give him one. He took the test paper, didn’t look at it, and placed it on the desk. “What’s wrong with him?”
Jiang Yu glanced at Chi Aibei. He didn’t know what was wrong with this seemingly intellectually challenged student; he was suddenly staring blankly at him. “How should I know?”
The seemingly intellectually challenged student wouldn’t stare blankly for no reason. Lin Xiu asked, “What did you say to him?”
Jiang Yu didn’t understand why a seemingly intellectually challenged student deserved so much attention, let alone being questioned specifically about him. He frowned, “I didn’t talk to him.” After saying that, Jiang Yu turned back around and sat down.
Seeing Jiang Yu’s impatient attitude, Lin Xiu didn’t say anything. He snapped his fingers in front of Chi Aibei. “What are you spacing out about?”
Chi Aibei stared at the back of Jiang Yu’s head without blinking. “Brother, what’s his name?”
Lin Xiu said, “Jiang Yu, our class monitor.”
Chi Aibei closed his eyes… Although he had already guessed, hearing the name still chilled him to the bone.
He looked at Lin Xiu with pity. Was this called one problem after another? He had just avoided He Chenjiang and now encountered Jiang Yu. It truly was the world of a tragic romance novel protagonist.
Lin Xiu was baffled by his pitying gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Chi Aibei shook his head. “Brother, you must be strong.”
Lin Xiu: “???”
Seeing his melancholic expression, reminiscent of the day he asked about his father, Lin Xiu looked at him warily, afraid he would say something shocking.
However, nothing happened. For the next two classes, Chi Aibei was unusually quiet, even during breaks, remaining slumped on his desk. If it weren’t for his audible sighs, Lin Xiu would have thought he was asleep.
But Chi Aibei couldn’t sleep.
He was worried sick!
Jiang Yu, this petty person, had such a good relationship with Lin Xiu in the past, but because Lin Xiu accepted He Chenjiang’s help for money, he immediately turned his back and, in the end, even helped someone who harmed Lin Xiu, adding insult to injury, and pushing Lin Xiu into an inescapable situation!
Logically, he should take Lin Xiu far away from him, but the problem was that the two had been friends since high school, and if he suddenly broke off the relationship, with Jiang Yu’s petty nature, he would definitely make things difficult for Lin Xiu. Wouldn’t that just follow the plot of a novel?
He could avoid He Chenjiang with Lin Xiu, but Jiang Yu… Chi Aibei couldn’t think of a good solution, and he worriedly banged his head on the desk twice.
The English teacher, whose lecture had been interrupted, said from the podium, “…Who’s banging on the desk?”
Chi Aibei raised his head, looked at the gazes directed at him, stood up and said, “Sorry, teacher, I wasn’t banging on the desk, I just hit my head against it twice.”
Zhou Xia: “…” Whose good child hits their head on the desk?
If it were anyone else, Zhou Xia would have immediately thrown them out of the classroom, but seeing it was him… Zhou Xia was frustrated and didn’t know where to vent. “Sit down, don’t disrupt the class.”
As soon as Chi Aibei sat down, he heard the English teacher say, “Lin Xiu, you brought him to Class 1, keep an eye on him and prevent him from disturbing the class.”
Chi Aibei froze, looking at Lin Xiu.
Lin Xiu: “Sorry, we’re disrupting the class.”
Chi Aibei: “…” I’m sorry, I’m not a good father; I’m making my child take the blame.
After this reprimand, Chi Aibei’s mind cleared. He stared at the back of Jiang Yu’s head—although this guy would later become a crazy person who would pull out his father’s oxygen tube and ruin two half-brothers, it was better to have a crazy friend than a crazy enemy!
Ultimately, the reason he would later harm Lin Xiu was because of He Chenjiang. As long as he cut off the relationship between Lin Xiu and He Chenjiang, they could remain friends.
Watching the seemingly intellectually challenged student’s gaze become determined, Lin Xiu was truly curious about what was going on in his mind.
As soon as the school bell rang, Chi Aibei immediately regained his energy. He excitedly said, “Brother, let’s go eat!”
Lin Xiu raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you okay now?”
Chi Aibei smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes, I was a little out of it, but I’m back now.”
…
On the way to the cafeteria, Chi Aibei kept looking back, saying, “Brother, he’s been following us.”
Jiang Yu remained behind them, less than two meters away. He wanted to catch up, but felt it would be embarrassing to walk with the seemingly intellectually challenged student.
Lin Xiu said, “There’s only one way to the cafeteria.”
There was indeed only one way, but Chi Aibei still felt Jiang Yu was following them. After all, this was someone who even considered queuing in the cafeteria a waste of time in his pursuit of surpassing Lin Xiu in exams. Why would he be in the cafeteria instead of eating bread in the classroom?
Lin Xiu knew Jiang Yu was following him, but his thoughts differed from Chi Aibei’s. He didn’t want to be friends with Jiang Yu anymore.
Jiang Yu was too extreme. When he was a friend, he treated you like a confidant and brother, but once he stopped considering you a friend, he would practically wish you dead. After experiencing everything, Lin Xiu preferred a normal classmate relationship, where neither of them would remember the other after graduation.
“Brother,” Chi Aibei gossiped, “Does he like you?”
Lin Xiu had also been puzzled by Jiang Yu’s anger before, until he heard about Jiang Yu from He Chenjiang. He learned that Jiang Yu was so angry because of his greedy mother.
Jiang Yu’s mother was his father’s mistress, and she secretly gave birth to him without his father’s consent.
Jiang’s father’s marriage to his wife was a business arrangement. Their relationship wasn’t good, but they had two sons. With two sons at home, Jiang’s father didn’t care about this illegitimate child.
Jiang Yu’s mother took the young Jiang Yu to confront Jiang’s father, until Jiang Yu was five years old. His father was finally annoyed and gave her a sum of money to keep Jiang Yu, demanding that she never appear in front of him and Jiang Yu again.
His mother’s greed was a hurdle Jiang Yu could never overcome. That’s why he reacted so strongly when he learned that Lin Xiu had accepted He Chenjiang’s help and heard those unpleasant rumors.
Lin Xiu glanced at Chi Aibei. “Like you like He Chenjiang?”
Chi Aibei twitched his mouth, experiencing the malice of a favored child. He bared a small canine tooth in retaliation, “I don’t like him, I like you.”
…
In the cafeteria, Chi Aibei and Lin Xiu found a seat. Seeing Jiang Yu impatiently queuing, Chi Aibei said, “Brother, he’s so pitiful alone. Doesn’t he have any friends?”
Lin Xiu glanced at Jiang Yu queuing alone. Pitiful? If you knew how cruel he would become, you wouldn’t say he was pitiful. Besides, someone like him doesn’t need friends. Being his friend is even more dangerous than being his enemy.
It took Jiang Yu twenty minutes to get his food. He once again felt that the cafeteria was a waste of time. He didn’t understand why Lin Xiu would want to come here with the seemingly intellectually challenged student.
There were still many empty seats in the cafeteria, but Jiang Yu hesitated to sit down with his tray.
Chi Aibei suddenly stood up, raising his spoon and waving it at Jiang Yu. “Class monitor, there’s a seat here!”
Shouting in the cafeteria wasn’t scary, what was scary was that everyone knew the person shouting. Following Chi Aibei’s gaze, everyone saw Jiang Yu, and their expressions became meaningful.
Jiang Yu’s scalp tingled… Who the heck wants to eat with a seemingly intellectually challenged student?