Chapter 127

Noon

"Raina, can you explain this problem to me?"

"Oh..."

"Did you stay up late last night?"

Bell Tong leaned closer to her.

"No, not really..."

She snapped out of her thoughts and rubbed her eyes.

"Do you have to work so hard?"

Bell Tong guessed that she stayed up late studying, turned her head, and looked at Roxie Lin, who was also sleeping on the desk during lunch break.

...

"Which problem?"

Raina Nan glanced at Bell Tong's workbook.

"This one."

...

...

"Oh, I understand now."

After explaining briefly, Bell Tong slapped her forehead and said she understood.

"..."

Raina Nan was a bit surprised and glanced at her from the corner of her eye.

Bell Tong was quite sharp and quick to learn anything.

In just a few months of intensive review, she had gone from being at the bottom of the class to the middle ranks.

I really wonder what she used her brain for before...

"I'm going to the bathroom."

Bell Tong said as she ran out of the classroom.

...

Only then did Raina Nan take out her textbook.

...

"Let's go!"

"She finally left, let's go!"

A few boys who had been watching this side since earlier mumbled and pushed one boy out.

"..."

The boy cleared his throat, stood up, and walked towards her.

"Raina Nan~"

A voice came from the side, and she looked up.

"Hi~"

It was Gu Zihang.

He was holding a test paper and sat down at her desk.

"..."

She paused for a moment and instinctively moved to the side.

"I have a question on this problem. Do you have time? Can you explain it to me?"

As Gu Zihang spoke, he also moved closer, inching towards her.

"..."

She glanced at Roxie Lin, who was sleeping on the desk in front, and Bell Tong was still not back from the bathroom...

"Well, okay..."

Since everyone said so, she couldn't refuse and could only nod in agreement.

"This one, then."

He pointed to the last problem on the math test paper and said.

"..."

She took a look, it was a difficult geometry problem that couldn't be explained in a few minutes...

And the person asking was Gu Zihang...

"Are you sure about this one...?"

"Ah."

Seeing her hesitation, Gu Zihang showed a mischievous smile.

"How about it? Do you also think that students like us should give up on this type of problem?"

"No, not at all."

She quickly waved her hand.

Now that it had come to this, what else could she say?

She could only brace herself and start explaining...

She took out her mechanical pencil and started writing and explaining.

...

The lunch break seemed very long.

There were quite a few people taking a nap in the classroom, so she tried to speak in a low voice.

"..."

As she was speaking, she suddenly paused and glanced at Gu Zihang.

"Are you listening...?"

"Yes."

Gu Zihang propped his chin on his hand, leaning on the desk.

However,

Rather than saying he was looking at the problem, it was more like he had been staring at her since earlier...

"..."

"I have a question."

"What is it?"

So he was listening...

...

"Which university do you plan to apply to?"

"..."

She paused and stopped writing.

"Is it related to this problem?"

"No, but I'm curious."

Gu Zihang looked at her with interest.

"I don't know..."

"Ah~"

He propped his chin up and stared at her profile."I thought if it was you, you must have already planned it~"

"......"

"Anyway, I have already decided that wherever you go, I will go too~"

He said, smirking.

"......"

She remained silent, turned her face to the side, and didn't say anything.

"Oh, you were thinking that I definitely wouldn't pass the exam, right?"

"I didn't..."

She paused for a moment and looked to the side.

Which of the boy's words were true and which were jokes, she didn't understand.

......

"And also, this way..."

Gu Zihang said, lowering his voice slightly.

"Your eldest brother at home won't be able to control you anymore~"

"What do you mean..."

"Hmm? Well..."

Raina Nan's expression suddenly stiffened.

"You see, isn't your brother quite possessive... I heard that he secretly followed you during our last study trip~"

"So what?"

She interrupted Gu Zihang's words in a low voice, turned her head, and stared at him without blinking.

"Huh? Well... if I were you, I would find it annoying~"

He saw her silent and not refuting, guessing that he hit the nail on the head, so he continued:

"Rationally speaking, once you go to college, you will escape from his control, right? This should... be a good thing, right?"

"......"

She didn't speak, tightened her grip on the pencil in her hand.

After a while, she spoke softly again.

"Are we going to continue with the question? If you don't want to listen, I want to study..."

"Huh?"

He scratched his head awkwardly.

Only then did he realize that he didn't hit the nail on the head earlier, but stepped on a landmine...

"Listen, listen~"

"Listen to what? Can you understand?"

Raising her head, she realized that Bell Tong was already standing in front of her.

"Get lost!"

Bell Tong shouted, driving him off his seat.

"Acting like a fool and trying to flirt? So embarrassing!"

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue. He had experienced Bell Tong's mouth before, and not many people could take it.

"Hmph... there will come a time when you, Bell Tong, will suffer."

After dropping those words, he walked away.

"Yo~ I'm so scared~~"

After scolding the person and driving him away, Bell Tong turned back.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah... he was just asking me a question."

Raina Nan finally smiled slightly.

"......"

Bell Tong glanced at her sideways. When she entered the classroom earlier, she wasn't smiling like she was now...

"I'm telling you,"

she said, sitting down on her seat.

Looking away from Raina Nan, she looked outside the window.

"Did something happen?"

"......"

Raina Nan looked at the words in her book, hesitated for a while, and shook her head lightly.

"Something that you can't even tell me?"

"......"

She remained silent, wanting to say something but unable to speak.

Bell Tong dragged her chin, looking outside the window.

The soft afternoon wind blew in from outside the window, stirring her short hair.

"Sigh~~"

She sighed lightly and glanced at her with a mischievous smile.

"I thought I was your best friend~ It seems like I misunderstood~"

"That's not it..."

Raina Nan became somewhat anxious and wanted to explain something.

"I just..."

"It's alright~"

Bell Tong's voice interrupted her panicked breath.

"Huh?"

"It's alright, if it's you, Yuyu~"

Bell Tong smiled with her eyes narrowed.

"......"

Was she trying to comfort her?

She remained silent.

For some reason, the usually unreliable Bell Tong's words somehow made her feel inexplicably relieved...

"When you feel like you can say it one day, I want you to tell me in person~"

"Xiao Ling..."

"I don't have many good qualities, but I do have patience~"Bell Tong joked as she looked to the side.

"Right? The one pretending to sleep~"

As she spoke, she threw a small crumpled paper at Roxie Lin who was hunched over the desk not far away.

"..."

No response.

Is she really asleep...

Bell was taken aback.

"Oh!"

Just as she turned her head, the paper that she threw earlier flew back and hit her in the back of her head.

...

...

"See you tomorrow~"

"Bye bye"

She stood at the school gate, pausing for a moment.

Then she walked forward, taking steps.

As the college entrance exam approached, Samson Nan rarely came to pick her up from school.

Even the occasional call to check on her had become less frequent recently.

She understood his reasons.

But when something that was taken for granted suddenly came to a halt, it still made one feel somewhat lost...

...

She walked home with her backpack on her back, slightly deviating from her usual route today.

Although she knew this would inevitably lead to her mother scolding her.

But every time she couldn't calm down, this simple yet effective method was employed.

...

When she reached the entrance of a pet store, she stopped.

She looked up.

If she remembered correctly, this was the store where she used to buy toys with him.

Unconsciously, she had walked quite a long way...

She walked into the store.

The small creatures in the cages immediately looked over.

She placed her backpack at the counter, then walked inside...

...

"Hand~ Reach out~"

?

A familiar voice came from beside her ear.

"Hehe~ Good job, Meatball~"

She hesitated for a moment, turning her head to look in the direction of the voice.

Someone was crouching beside the pet cage, playing with the puppies inside.

"Do you want to come with older sister?"

Although there was a prominent sign next to her that said "No feeding or touching"...

"Luo Jia?"

"..."

The person on the ground suddenly stiffened, straightening their back.

They hesitated and lifted their head.

"Yu, Yu Yu?"

"It's really you..."

Raina Nan paused, looking over and examining her.

"Well, um..."

Jocelyn York immediately stood up, flustered and trying to explain something.

"Are you talking to the dog?"

"Huh? Um, well..."

Her face blushed instantly.

When familiar faces catch you in such situations, anyone would feel embarrassed...

"Wow, impressive~"

Raina Nan said in a somewhat teasing manner.

She couldn't help but tease her whenever they were together, for some reason...

"What were you saying?"

"Saying, saying what? Nothing, you must have misheard...hehe"

"I misheard? Luckily, I have a recording."

She said expressionlessly, taking out her phone from her pocket.

Of course, there was nothing inside.

"I said it already, can you just let it go~"

Jocelyn York clasped her hands together, seemingly begging her to drop it.

"..."

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Raina Nan softened and stopped talking.

"Yu Yu, you're not going home after school...?"

"Is that not allowed?"

"No...of course you can..."

"..."

A brief silence.

"Just wanted to take a walk."

"Is that so? I guess... the college entrance exam is coming up, the pressure is so high, it's good to take a break, hehe..."

"..."

Raina Nan didn't respond, she just crouched down and looked at the puppies in front of her.

Another awkward silence ensued.

...

"Well, um, I have something to do, so I'll go home first~"

"Okay."

"Bye~ You should go home early too~"

Jocelyn York nervously said, walking outside."......"

Walking outside, she took a deep breath.

Every time they were alone together, Raina Nan's strong presence always made her feel a bit at a loss...

As if she was trying to escape...

Let's go home...

......

"Jocelyn..."

Just as she took a few steps, she was called by a voice again.

She hesitated and turned back.

"......"

It was Raina Nan.

She followed her out.

Unlike before, her expression seemed no longer confident.

In her wandering eyes...

Was it confusion?

She wasn't sure.

"There's something I want to tell you..."

Her voice sounded hoarse.

"......"

Seeing Jocelyn York didn't respond immediately, she seemed a bit flustered. She clasped her clothes tightly and her gaze wandered, unsure where to look.

Her voice, weakly murmuring.

"Is it not okay?"

"......"

Jocelyn York watched her from a distance.

Silent, she cleared her throat.

After a while, her lips curled up slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

"Of course, no problem~"

......

......