Chapter 2: Two – What a Thoughtful Boy

Shortly after Fang Chuning arrived at the classroom, the boy entered carrying his books.

They were classmates, to be precise, they had been classmates from kindergarten through elementary school, middle school, and up until now. Although they were very “destined” to be together, in reality, they had hardly spoken to each other despite being classmates for so long.

Except for now, when their positions as president and vice president occasionally forced them to communicate.

The boy seemed to be gentle and polite, easy to get along with others, but when it came to her, he appeared particularly perfunctory, even cold.

Fang Chuning had long noticed that he seemed to dislike her, and now that she had taken the president position that should have been his, he disliked her even more, not even bothering to be perfunctory, and often giving her the cold shoulder.

She had never been the type to keep trying to warm up to someone who was cold towards her. Although they were “childhood friends,” since he disliked her, she wouldn’t bother trying to get along with him either.

Fang Chuning stubbornly took out her textbooks from her backpack, along with materials for the arts performance two months later.

Gao Qiong, sitting next to her, was laughing and joking with a male classmate behind her. The boy was blushing from her teasing, his gaze occasionally and unconsciously sweeping over to the figure next to her.

After one class, Fang Chuning was busy writing post-class exercises when the boy from the back row suddenly came over with his book. He gently bit his lower lip, looking embarrassed, “President, I didn’t understand the question the teacher just explained. Could you explain it to me again?”

Fang Chuning spared a glance at the question he was pointing to while busy with her work, “Didn’t the teacher explain this question twice just now? Weren’t you listening?”

Whether due to embarrassment or something else, the boy’s face turned bright red. He couldn’t meet her eyes, and his voice was so low it was almost inaudible, “Please, President…”

Sometimes Fang Chuning didn’t understand why they wouldn’t go ask the top student in their grade, instead of coming to her, who barely managed to scrape into the top ten.

Wouldn’t the vice president look easier to approach than her?

She glanced at the vice president in another row, who had turned around to talk to the boy behind him. Whatever he said made him smile shyly and charmingly, clearly showing his good nature.

Fang Chuning seriously thought that it might be because he was too handsome, so other boys might feel a sense of rejection and jealousy towards him, thus choosing her instead.

As a qualified student council president, Fang Chuning certainly wouldn’t refuse such a small request. She took his book and patiently re-explained it to him. The boy listened attentively with his head lowered, their proximity somewhat intimate.

At the other end of the classroom, seeing that his friend hadn’t responded to him for a while and seemed to be in a daze, Qin Shaoqing couldn’t help but wave his hand in front of him.

“Muzhou?”

“Hmm?” Xu Muzhou slightly turned his eyes to look at him.

Qin Shaoqing complained, “What are you thinking about? You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

Xu Muzhou smiled gently and said, “No, I think what you just said was quite good. I agree with you.”

“Right? Even you think it’s good!” The boy smiled happily.

Xu Muzhou smiled without speaking, his slender white fingers holding a pen, forcefully making a not-too-long slash on the book, incredibly ferocious.

During the usual lunch break, Fang Chuning would stay in the president’s office. This office was specially opened for her by the principal, with furnishings added and arranged according to her preferences, comfortable and quiet.

Gao Qiong sprawled on the sofa, tapping away boredly on her phone, “Do you want to play a game?”

Fang Chuning was looking at materials for the arts performance two months later and didn’t even bother to respond to her.

Gao Qiong moved closer, “Have you decided what our class will perform?”

“No, leave that kind of thing to the monitor.”

Fang Chuning put the materials aside, casually leaned back on the sofa with her arm behind her, and glanced at the weather outside, “Is it going to rain?”

“Hmm, looks like it. Why don’t we go play tennis later?”

Fang Chuning gave her a disdainful look, “Playing with you gives me no pressure at all.”

Gao Qiong didn’t mind.

“Why do you need so much pressure? Playing is for releasing stress.”

It seemed to make some sense. Fang Chuning appeared to be in deep thought. Last night this person had set her up like that, if she didn’t get back at her, she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

“Alright, let’s play then.”

Other girls joined them to play. These girls were the ones who liked to follow Gao Qiong around and curry favor with her. After all, in terms of money and power at school, the Gao family was second only to the Fang family. Since Fang Chuning didn’t like having a group of people around her, they instinctively turned their attention to Gao Qiong, who also had influence at school and was close to Fang Chuning.

Fang Chuning, dressed in sportswear, swung her tennis racket and glanced at the person approaching her, “Do you need something?”

She remembered the girl in front of her with a nervous expression. The youngest daughter of the Zhu family, something like Zhu Xixi. The name was as festive as the person herself, with chubby red cheeks and a plump figure that stretched her sportswear out of shape.

Zhu Xixi’s face was flushed with embarrassment. Though unwilling, she had to ask, “Can… can I join?”

She meant joining the tennis match.

Before Fang Chuning could say anything, the girls around her had already started laughing mockingly, “Zhu Xixi, are you kidding? With all that fat, you’d fall flat on your face just walking fast, and you want to play tennis?”

Gao Qiong, also holding a tennis racket, placed her hand on Fang Chuning’s neck and looked her up and down, grinning, “Are you sure?”

The giggles and mockery made Zhu Xixi want to sink into the ground. She wished she could shrink into a crack in the floor, while a sense of resentment and imbalance rose in her heart.

If it weren’t for her family’s pressure to build a good relationship with Fang Chuning, why would she humiliate herself in front of these people?

Among the group, the youthful girls with their tall and curvaceous figures made Zhu Xixi look even more plump and unattractive. Feelings of inferiority churned inside her as she lowered her head, her face gloomy.

“If you want to play, then play.”

The girl’s slightly lazy voice was pleasant and magnetic. The mocking laughter around them instantly died down. Zhu Xixi secretly raised her head. The girl standing in front of her was as radiant as moonlight in the night, always surrounded by followers. Everyone revolved around her, as if she were the center of the world.

While Zhu Xixi envied her, she also felt a twinge of jealousy. How wonderful it would be if she were the daughter of the Fang family.

Fang Chuning didn’t care whether Zhu Xixi played or not. Her goal today was simply to make Gao Qiong sing “Surrender.”

There were already quite a few people standing at the edge of the tennis court, all male classmates who had come to cheer after hearing they were going to play tennis. As soon as the girls appeared, people started shouting.

Without exception, it was:

“President, go for it!!”

Or:

“President, I like you!”

Some of the shyer ones pretended to be casual:

“Senior Gao, you can do it!… President, you too!”

This “too” successfully attracted Fang Chuning’s attention. She looked up and saw the boy standing in front of a group of people. He had delicate features and fair skin, the kind that was pleasing to the eye and youthful. When she looked at him, he awkwardly averted his gaze, the tips of his ears turning red.

Fang Chuning had seen this kind of situation many times and paid no attention to it. However, her peripheral vision caught a familiar figure. She paused, somewhat surprised that Xu Muzhou would come here to watch people play tennis.

She had thought he only had eyes for endless books.

The excessively beautiful boy’s attention wasn’t on her, but fixed steadily past her. Fang Chuning followed his gaze and turned her head. Behind her, several girls were chatting and laughing continuously. Among them, the most eye-catching was a girl with Western-style deep and heroic features. Her face was radiant, her laughter hearty, the type that most boys liked.

Fang Chuning glanced again in the boy’s direction. So this person also liked this type, the kind with well-developed limbs but not as good at studying as her.

Tsk, mediocre taste.

Playing tennis was originally just an exercise, and usually Fang Chuning wouldn’t take winning or losing too seriously. But today she felt her whole body’s blood heating up, too excited to show any mercy. Every time she won a point, there would be enthusiastic cheers from the court.

Her ponytail swung in a beautiful arc behind her head as she moved. Sweat slid from her temples, across her snow-white cheeks flushed from exercise, down to her chin, and finally disappeared into her sportswear at her collarbone.

After the match ended, the girl was slightly out of breath. A few strands of sweat-dampened hair clung to her cheeks. Below her sports shorts was a pair of long, straight legs like chopsticks. The thin sportswear clung to her slender waist and back with sweat, the curvy outline making the boys on the scene blush.

Fang Chuning didn’t notice these things. She went over and placed her hand on the net in the middle, looking down at Gao Qiong who was sitting on the ground, exhausted like a dog, and said smugly, “Do you admit defeat?”

Gao Qiong rolled her eyes and said between gasps, “You… you were a bit intense today, why were you playing like you were on steroids!”

“Because I don’t like the look of you,” Fang Chuning raised her chin, “Remember to wash up and wait for me in bed tonight.”

Gao Qiong gave her the middle finger.

After a one-sided crushing match, Fang Chuning’s mood had finally improved a bit. She wiped the sticky sweat from her neck and was about to leave the court when her sharp eyes caught sight of a figure jogging over.

“President, have some water.” The boy’s face was slightly flushed, but his eyes looking at her were blazing like fire.

When he stood in front of her, she saw clearly that it was the boy who sat behind her.

Fang Chuning was about to refuse when she heard the boy say, “You shouldn’t drink cold water right after exercising. This is warm water, it’s better for your body.”

Countless boys had brought her water before, but few had been so thoughtful. Fang Chuning felt a bit touched. She took the cup and had a sip. Indeed, it was warm water with a slight salty taste.

“I added a bit of salt. You sweated so much just now, drinking some light salt water can help replenish fluids.”

What a nice person! Fang Chuning marveled.

The boy then offered her a folded towel with both hands, smiling sweetly, “Wipe your sweat.”

“Thank you.”

As she took the towel and wiped her sweat, Fang Chuning discreetly observed him. She still didn’t know the name of this boy who had been sitting behind her for nearly half a semester. It seemed inappropriate to ask directly, so she decided to check the roll call list another day.

It was almost time for school to end, and sure enough, it started raining.