Tan Junzi wasn't a particularly clingy girl, but Qin Ruanshu’s departure for England left her feeling somber for quite a long time. Before the start of her sophomore year, she began to imagine the bleak scenes of eating lunch alone, walking to the sports field alone during drills, and sitting at her desk alone during breaks. She was truly a bit afraid. She spent almost the entire summer break fretting over it.
Girls always loved to move in small groups, acting alongside those with similar interests. These cliques usually consisted of two or three people; it was rare to see more than four. Once a group was formed, it was practically indestructible unless there was a falling out. Generally speaking, it was rare for an outsider to wedge her way in.
Tan Junzi and Qin Ruanshu had always been their own little group, and now only Tan Junzi was left. She felt she didn't have the heart to "develop" a new friendship or force her way into another clique. It was too difficult, and a friend as perfectly in sync as Qin Ruanshu was hard to find.
Though there was still Yuan Guo, she was in a different class. Besides, Yuan Guo’s personality was different from Qin Ruanshu’s. Yuan Guo was very independent; perhaps because she had been used to being isolated since middle school, she usually spent her time with her boyfriend and didn't care whether other girls included her or not.
Tan Junzi was naturally too embarrassed to drag Yuan Guo along for meals, drills, or trips to the water fountain and restroom. Yuan Guo had Liu Kan, after all, and Tan Junzi didn't want to be a third wheel.
Furthermore, Tan Junzi and Chang Ying hadn't gone public at school, and she didn't want to keep him tethered to her side all day. After all, girls generally preferred playing with girls, and boys basically lived on the sports field. Chang Ying had his own pack of "scoundrel" friends. Of course, if Tan Junzi asked, Chang Ying would certainly accompany her, but she didn't want that.
Right, speaking of making their relationship official—Tan Junzi actually felt like she was in a dream.
She was absolutely certain she liked Chang Ying. However, she felt that saying "Chang Ying is my boyfriend" out loud felt incredibly strange. Every time she thought about that fact, she would get goosebumps. She just wasn't used to it.
Once, when no one was home, she forced herself to say the words: "Chang Ying is my boyfriend." She nearly choked on the sheer awkwardness of it.
Perhaps it was because, most of the time, Chang Ying was still just a "pesky little brother" in her eyes. His childhood image was too deeply ingrained—the sickly boy who needed her care, the one who chased after her. Now he had become the Chang Ying who would pull her close, hug her, and... and kiss her, and play tricks on her. *Eek.* The hair on her arms stood up just thinking about it.
But Chang Ying seemed to accept this change in status immediately. He was so natural about it—so natural it was as if they had been dating for years. It truly baffled Tan Junzi. Were boys all so... well, how should she put it... so practiced at this?
Moreover, every time she asked him when he started liking her or what he liked about her, he wouldn't say.
But it wasn't a difficult question. Tan Junzi thought about when she had started liking Chang Ying. She felt it began with that dream under the bedsheets. What did she like about him? She liked everything; as long as it was him, she liked it. See? Such a simple thing. Yet he just wouldn't say it. It was a bit irritating.
After they officially started dating, their daily lives didn't change much. The primary reason was the heavy academic pressure. They listened attentively in class and did homework until the early hours of the morning, and even then, they didn't always finish.
Tongcheng No. 1 Middle School was being watched by the Education Bureau; they were supposed to "reduce the burden" and were forbidden from holding extra tutoring sessions. But the school had other tactics. For instance, they would assign "supplementary homework," euphemistically calling it optional. But since it was assigned, who dared not do it? The regular classes were slightly better off, but those in the experimental classes were basically drowning in a sea of practice problems. Tan Junzi did her eye exercises three times a day, terrified of becoming nearsighted.
Furthermore, once sophomore year began, the teachers held "Q&A sessions" at school on weekends. Again, they claimed that students with questions could come to ask, but it was obvious that everyone had to go. Every time they went, the teachers would just lead them through more problems. In reality, it was no different from extra tutoring; it just went by a different name. Essentially, out of seven days a week, only Sunday allowed for complete relaxation and rest.
From the start of sophomore year, an atmosphere of anxiety began to permeate the class. Everyone seemed to suddenly feel the urgency.
First came the split between the Arts and Science tracks. The grade was divided into two experimental classes for each track. Their original Class 1 lost nearly half its students and gained nearly half as many new ones. There had been rumors that the "Study God" Yu Mou, who had dominated the rankings for years, would finally join the experimental class, but after the split, he chose to stay in a regular class, unwilling to leave.
The experimental class had a complete reshuffle. Unlike freshman year, when everyone was eager to make new friends, everyone in sophomore year just let things take their natural course. After a few exams, everyone would know each other anyway; no one went out of their way to build relationships. The class rarely held flashy activities like debates or parties anymore. During breaks, everyone mostly stayed in their seats.
The boys seemed to have matured a bit as well. At least Chang Ying and his group no longer stayed glued to the basketball hoop until the last second. Previously, Li Wei had to go to the field to drag them back. Now, aside from playing for half an hour after school, they usually spent their breaks napping at their desks, chatting in their seats, or heading to the restroom for a "team-building" outing. It was quite an improvement.
Thus, Tan Junzi felt her previous worries had been for nothing. The sword of the Gaokao hung over everyone's heads, and as sophomore year began, that sword dropped an inch lower. Everyone suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
Of course, there was a downside. Tan Junzi discovered that Chang Ying and the others were incredibly annoying.
For example, right now, Tan Junzi’s pencil case was flying through the air.
It started when Luo Zihan picked up her pencil case. "Sister Tan, I just realized your pencil case is a frog. I always thought it was a crocodile..."
Tan Junzi was focused on her English homework. She had made a mistake and wanted to find her adhesive tape to lift the error, so she reached for the pencil case.
Luo Zihan immediately raised his hand, holding it out of reach. "Eh? You want it? I'm not giving it to you~ Chang Ying, catch!" Then he did a one-handed jump shot.
Chang Ying was leaning against the back door chatting about a match with Liu Kan. He turned his head just in time to see a green pouch flying toward him. He instinctively caught it, spotted Zhang Da, and shouted, "Da, catch!" Chang Ying performed a two-handed pass to Zhang Da at his seat.
Zhang Da had been itching for some action. He stood up, caught it with one hand, and saw Qin Ke walking in through the front door. "Keke!" With a toss, he threw the pencil case toward the door.
Qin Ke entered and was stopped by the Chinese class representative to hand in an essay. He had his hands in his pockets, and seeing the pencil case flying at him, he didn't see what it was clearly. Thinking Zhang Da was trying to hit him and finding it childish, he tilted his head to dodge.
The pencil case traced a perfect arc through the air. *Thud.* It landed straight in the trash can.
The boys had been trembling in the wake of Tan Junzi’s low-pressure aura all afternoon.
Earlier, Chang Ying had fished the pencil case out of the trash, blown on it, and brought it back, not even daring to set it on Tan Junzi’s desk. He didn't hesitate to use a "martyr's ruse," using his own school uniform sleeve to wipe it clean right in front of her.
Up until that point, Tan Junzi’s emotions had remained relatively stable.
Until Chang Ying unzipped the pencil case. He froze.
He knew Tan Junzi had a treasure. This treasure wasn't worth a cent to anyone else, but to Tan Junzi, it represented a semester's worth of hard work.
This treasure was the "tape roll" she had been building for nearly three months.
Back then, some people used correction fluid, some used correction tape, and others liked using clear adhesive tape to lift mistakes. Not only would they lift the ink, but they would also roll up the used tape, layer by layer, into a large tape disk.
Tan Junzi loved doing this. She had already accumulated a massive "disk." She had used up five full rolls of tape; the diameter was impressive. Not only was it large, but she had also wound it incredibly tight. She was extremely proud of it.
And now, this giant tape roll had unraveled from the center. During its flight, the core had likely been pushed out, causing the whole thing to collapse and burst.
Chang Ying swallowed hard. He felt like he was about to collapse, too.
Sure enough, Tan Junzi’s face first showed uncontrollable rage, then a look like a mountain crumbling, followed by utter despair. Finally, she settled into the most terrifying expression of all—one the boys dreaded most: a smile that looked calm but was actually manic.
Tan Junzi had spent the entire afternoon classes wearing that hair-raising smile. It was so frightening that none of the teachers dared to call on her.
Chang Ying didn't dare stay idle. He spent the entire afternoon winding tape—during class, during breaks, his hands never stopping as he tried to re-roll it for her. He had previously thought this thing would be easy to fix—it was just rolling tape, right? Who couldn't do that? It turned out not everyone could. He found he couldn't roll it as densely as Tan Junzi had. How did she manage it with her small hands? Girls were truly mysterious.
Tan Junzi wouldn't speak to him. She didn't care that he was rolling the tape, and she wouldn't make eye contact. Zhang Da patted her on the back, but she didn't turn around. Qin Ke pretended to ask her about homework, but she remained silent. Luo Zihan didn't even dare to eat anything all afternoon, fearing the sound of chewing would push Sister Tan’s anger to a new level.
Chang Ying was panicked. He had never seen Junzi like this. He even felt his status as her boyfriend was in jeopardy. At that thought, his hands worked even faster and more diligently.
After school, Chang Ying finally finished re-rolling it. He carefully placed the tape on the corner of her desk. Fearing she wouldn't see it, he used his index finger to nudge it toward the center.
Tan Junzi was silently packing her bag. Everything on the desk was swept inside, except for that roll of tape. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out.
Cold sweat broke out on Chang Ying’s forehead. He quickly packed his own bag, grabbed the tape roll, swung his bag over his shoulder, and chased after her.
On the way home, Tan Junzi walked in front. Chang Ying pushed his bicycle behind her, looking like an abandoned stray dog.
He felt utterly miserable. In his mind, a mournful erhu began to play; the desolation of the autumn day almost brought him to tears.
As he walked, he observed her pace. If she sped up, he sped up; if she slowed down, he slowed down. He didn't dare bump into her.
The two of them remained silent the whole way. As they neared the entrance to their residential compound, Tan Junzi’s shoulders suddenly hitched. Chang Ying’s heart skipped a beat.
Then, Tan Junzi turned around, two dimples appearing on her face. "I really couldn't hold it in anymore! Hahahahahaha!"
A yellow leaf happened to flutter down from the roadside, landing right on top of Chang Ying’s head.
The boy, over 1.8 meters tall, was stunned for a moment. Once he realized what was happening, he nearly burst into tears of relief. Chang Ying didn't even care if neighbors saw them; he reached out to pull Tan Junzi into his arms. Tan Junzi nimbly dodged him, tucking her hands behind her back like an old man and swaggering toward the building entrance with a triumphant air.
Chang Ying locked his bike. Tan Junzi stood at the entrance with a mischievous grin, waiting for him. Seeing her like that, Chang Ying felt a strange sensation—a mix of relief at having survived a disaster and the teeth-gritting frustration of seeing a child at home grow up and learn how to be naughty.
He followed her into the stairwell without a word. As she walked, Tan Junzi kept saying, "My acting is so good! That was so satisfying!"
When they reached the second floor, Chang Ying took out his keys to open the door. Tan Junzi waved goodbye. "I'm going upstairs then~ Bye-bye~"
Chang Ying still hadn't spoken. As Tan Junzi turned to head up, the door opened. With a long reach, he grabbed her and pulled her inside.
The door shut with a *click*. The next second, Tan Junzi was pinned against the door by Chang Ying.
He had even placed his hand behind her to cushion the impact, afraid she would get hurt. He let out a heavy breath and lowered his head fiercely, but the moment he touched her, his momentum softened. He gently captured her lips, biting her lower lip with a mix of lingering frustration and tenderness.
"I'm so mad I could eat you up." A sudden impulse in Chang Ying’s brain made him blurt out a line that even made his own skin crawl.
Tan Junzi was stunned.
Seeing her dazed expression, Chang Ying pecked at her lips again. "What? Weren't you quite formidable when you were teasing me?"
Tan Junzi swallowed hard. She gave him a push and pointed behind him. "H-h-hello, Auntie."
***
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