Chapter 51

The Next Day

"That dog..."

After some careful thought, Bell Tong couldn't help but feel that something was off.

"It was definitely intentional."

"What do you mean intentional?"

Roxie Lin turned her head and looked at her.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"Really?"

"Yes, really! Can you stop bothering me?"

As she spoke, she snatched the potato chips from Roxie Lin's hand.

"Oh, Roxie~ I love this flavor!"

"Um..."

Roxie Lin helplessly looked out the window. She knew better than to provoke Bell Tong, so she could only pout and keep her frustrations to herself.

The bus they were on was rented by the school. The destination this time was Lanhe Temple on the outskirts of the city. It took about two hours by bus, which was the closest location the school had chosen in recent years.

"Hey, Yuyu."

After finishing the potato chips, Bell Tong poked her head towards the front.

The two of them sat in the same row, with Roxie Lin sitting next to Bell Tong and Raina Nan sitting in front of her.

"Yeah?"

Raina Nan took off her earphones and turned around.

"Why aren't you talking?"

"About what?"

She looked at Bell Tong.

"We rarely go out to play like this, it's so boring. Come on, tell a joke to liven things up."

"Me?"

"Yes."

She pondered for a moment.

A joke was something that, once failed, would create an awkward atmosphere. After thinking about it, she decided to give it a try.

"Hehe, okay then."

"Tell me, even if it's not funny, I'll still support you!"

"No, thanks."

She didn't need that kind of pity...

"I'll give you 100 yuan."

"Huh?"

Raina Nan was taken aback, with an expression that said, "Are you serious?"

"Me, me, me! I'll do it!"

At this moment, Roxie Lin raised her hand. After all, there's always a brave soul when there's a large sum of money involved.

"Are you sure?"

Bell Tong turned her head and looked at her with skeptical eyes.

"Oh, how rude~ This is a joke I was planning to tell at the graduation performance!"

"Oh~ Let's hear it then. If it's not funny, no money!"

Her masterpiece? Let's give it a listen then.

"Ahem."

Roxie Lin cleared her throat.

"Once upon a time, there was a panda who fell in love with a little deer. One day, he finally gathered the courage to confess his love to the little deer, but the little deer mercilessly rejected him. Perplexed, he asked the little deer why. The little deer timidly said, 'My mom told me that anyone who wears sunglasses is a delinquent!' Haha!"

After finishing, she laughed first.

"Is that it?"

"That's it... ahem..."

"Huh?!"

Bell Tong furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her suspiciously.

"No, it's not funny...?"

Roxie Lin hesitated for a moment and cautiously said, did she... mess up?

"Hahaha!"

Who was laughing?

Following the laughter, Bell Tong looked over and saw Raina Nan covering her mouth, trembling and trying not to burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?! Hey!!"

She excitedly threw the mineral water bottle to the ground.

"Well, because... hahaha..."

Raina Nan clutched her stomach, unable to speak for a while.

"Xiao Ling, someone laughed! 100 yuan, 100 yuan!"

Roxie Lin smiled and reached out her hand.

"You're playing with me! Are you two underestimating me?!"

Bell Tong felt insulted by their intelligence and refused to give in.

"Oh~"

Raina Nan turned her head to the side, sighed deeply, and cast a pitying glance at her with her peripheral vision.

"So the noble Miss Tong from the Tong family cares about a measly 100 yuan, huh~"

"How, how is that possible, hehe..."

After hesitating for a moment, Bell Tong finally gave in.

Her face wasn't as precious as a mere 100 yuan after all.

"Thank you, Xiaoyu! I like you the most!"Roxie Lin made some extra cash and was naturally very happy.

"Hehe~"

Raina Nan made a peace sign at her.

"You should thank me too!"

Bell Tong pinched Roxie Lin's face hard, irritated because she lost for no reason.

"Thanks, thanks Bell, ouch..."

...

She felt exhausted and slumped into her seat, looking out of the window.

"What a pain..."

She muttered to herself.

"Even scamming people follows a pattern..."

Complaining.

"Oh"

A boy walked towards them.

"Gu Zihang?"

Bell Tong looked up and saw Gu Zihang, immediately putting on a stern face, still holding onto the resentment from earlier.

"Do you have shit for brains? Don't you know you're not supposed to move around in the car?!"

Raina Nan and Roxie Lin felt that the atmosphere was off and didn't dare to speak.

"I just wanted to stretch a bit~"

He seemed used to Bell Tong's foul words and continued to smile.

"Heh heh"

Bell Tong sneered, knowing exactly what Gu Zihang was up to.

"What's with the weather today?"

Gu Zihang said some irrelevant words, constantly sending signals with his eyes to someone.

"What's wrong with your dog eyes? Going blind?"

She wanted to see what tricks this person was up to.

"Oh, nothing~"

He still smiled innocently.

"Gu, Gu Zihang, classmate"

At this moment, the girl sitting next to Raina Nan suddenly stood up.

"Can I switch seats with you?"

"Huh?! Why?!"

Gu Zihang hadn't spoken yet, but Bell Tong exploded.

"Well, um, I get a bit motion sick, so I thought sitting in the front might be better..."

"That's what she said~"

Gu Zihang squinted and smiled, looking at Bell Tong.

"I see, so it's like that, Gu..."

"It's fine!"

Raina Nan quickly turned to Bell Tong and motioned for her to sit down. With her temper, she'd flip the car over.

"Raina, you're too foolish! This guy is the real deal, the number one dangerous character on the school's Most Dangerous People List!"

"..."

Bell Tong was nearly going crazy.

"Huh? What list is that? Sounds cool!"

Gu Zihang scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Idiot..."

She was speechless, suddenly realizing that she was quite foolish for taking this idiot seriously...

"Calm down, Bell"

Roxie Lin quickly fed her a piece of dried mango.

"Well, this lady is watching behind anyway, just make sure to behave!"

"Hehe, of course~"

He smiled and sat down next to Raina Nan.

While changing seats caused such a big commotion, the car remained quiet as no one wanted to get involved with Bell Tong and Gu Zihang.

...

"What are they talking about?"

Roxie Lin couldn't help it anymore, nudging Bell Tong with her elbow.

"Who knows?"

"Can't hear, but kind of curious..."

Since sitting down, Gu Zihang hadn't stopped talking.

"Can't this idiot see that Raina clearly doesn't want to talk to him? What about his intelligence?"

"Huh... I guess it's a bit pitiful for him..."

Roxie Lin forced a smile, feeling that these two people in front were having a hard time.

"Which side are you on anyway?"

Bell Tong grumpily flicked her nose.

"Just saying, it's a good thing..."

Roxie Lin said, looking around and then lowering her voice:

"Thankfully, Nan gege isn't here~"

"Uh"

Bell Tong paused for a moment, her eyes becoming somewhat unfocused."Who, who knows..."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Some things are difficult to speak of.

...

"Students, take care of your luggage. We can't move freely yet, so don't get left behind~"

"Okay~"

Finally arrived at the destination, Jocelyn York gathered the girls who got off the bus.

Lanhe Temple was halfway up the mountain. The school had booked a half-mountain inn not far from the temple, and they had to walk on a mountain path.

"Let me help you with your luggage."

Gu Zihang reached out his hand.

"Huh? No need..."

Raina Nan didn't even dare to look up at him, because this guy had come to the girls' camp by himself.

The surrounding female classmates also noticed this, whispering and laughing.

Gu Zihang never cared about other people's gaze, but Raina Nan cared very much...

"It's okay, don't be polite to me~"

"Gu Zihang! Come over here!"

William Wei counted for a while and realized that a boy was missing. He rushed over in a hurry and took him away.

"Alright, I got it..."

The crowd burst into laughter. He looked frustrated, sighed, and turned back:

"See you later~"

"Oh..."

Raina Nan stood in place, relieved, only then realizing that school trips were such tiring events.

"Yuyu, hurry up!!"

Bell Tong shouted ahead.

"Coming!"

She tightened her backpack and jogged to catch up.

...

The early summer sun was a bit dazzling, and it already felt a bit hot.

There was moisture in the air, always making people feel uneasy.

"Hey, buddy."

"Don't bother me!"

A man wearing sunglasses and a floral shirt suddenly turned around.

"You've been hiding behind this tree and watching me for a long time. Did you figure out anything in the end?"

The one calling him was the owner of a small store by the tree. He fanned himself and looked at the suspicious young man in front of him.

"What... did you see?"

"The students over there."

"No, I'm just sitting under the tree to cool down~"

The man explained.

"You can cool down all you want, but why are you still grabbing onto my tree trunk? Why are you so angry?"

"Huh?"

He was stunned for a moment, only to find that there were a few claw marks on the tree trunk.

"Sorry, I didn't notice."

"Is that so?"

The owner looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh, by the way, boss, I also want to buy a pack of cigarettes~"

"Oh? What brand?"

"Anything will do."

"Just wait a moment!"

Saying that, the owner walked into the shop fanning himself and came back with the cigarettes.

"Hey? Where did he go?"