Mu Yuwei timed it just like she always did when heading to the cafeteria. She scooped a ladle of barley porridge. Why… was it still a bit hot? So this kind of thing wasn’t always just right every time?
She had eaten this for two years. Every time, the temperature had always been perfect…
She ate slowly, but this time, she still managed to finish before the morning exercise bell rang. See, even without Bai Shinan, she could still manage just fine.
Bai Shinan wasn’t someone irreplaceable.
After morning exercises, Mu Yuwei walked toward the classroom just like usual. As she was about to enter, she bumped into Bai Shinan who was also heading in.
“Go… good morning.” For some reason, Mu Yuwei panicked a little. She completely forgot the rules she had set for herself, greeted Bai Shinan quickly, and then dashed into the classroom.
“Morning…” Bai Shinan didn’t even finish replying before she ran off. He wouldn’t ignore her just because she was Mu Yuwei, nor would he be overjoyed just because she was Mu Yuwei.
Back at her seat, Mu Yuwei wanted to cover her face in embarrassment. What was she doing just now? That would give Bai Shinan the impression that she was easy to deal with.
She must’ve still been drowsy in the morning. She couldn’t make such childish mistakes again.
During the first two periods, Mu Yuwei focused all her attention on the lessons, immersing herself in the books, blocking out everything else. She successfully pushed Bai Shinan out of her thoughts.
But by the third period, she started to doze off. Her usually upright posture slumped left and right, and her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, like they weighed a ton.
The third and fourth periods in the morning were always the drowsiest. Since Mu Yuwei had woken up early on a whim, all that lost sleep had to be repaid somehow.
She kept telling herself, no sleeping, no sleeping—this was English class, and she was the English class representative. If she fell asleep, it would be a huge embarrassment. This chapter is updated first at novelping dot com.
The English letters on the page began to blur and dance like tadpoles. The teacher’s voice became a hypnotic chant. Mu Yuwei’s consciousness grew fuzzy. Just a short nap… just for a moment…
Once her eyelids closed, she never managed to open them again until the English teacher tapped her desk with a paper tube, saying, “Mu Yuwei, wake up. Mu Yuwei, wake up…”
Mu Yuwei jerked up stiffly, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. She had really fallen asleep during English class. She didn’t need a mirror to know her face was probably beet red. The other girls were definitely laughing at her behind her back…
“Teacher, I… I’m sorry…” Mu Yuwei squeezed out her apology through clenched teeth. She had never felt this humiliated in her life.
The English teacher, Xu Man, had originally planned to scold her a bit, but seeing how Mu Yuwei looked on the verge of tears, she could only soften her tone, lifting and dropping her hand lightly, “Pay more attention next time. You’re all in your final year—it’s exhausting. Make sure to balance rest with study.”
“Thank you, Teacher. I’ll be more careful.” Mu Yuwei replied gratefully. She knew the teacher was giving her a way out.
However, seeing Xu Man being so lenient made one of the girls in class upset. She had been scolded for dozing off just the other day, and Xu Man hadn’t gone easy on her at all. Was Mu Yuwei allowed to get away with it just because she was pretty?
“Teacher, didn’t you say anyone caught sleeping or messing around in class has to sing an English song as punishment?” the girl muttered.
Immediately, others chimed in—both boys and girls.
The boys just wanted to hear their goddess sing, while the girls’ intentions were less clear. Either way, the pressure of the class was hard to ignore. Even Xu Man couldn’t easily brush it aside. After all, it was her own rule. If she went back on her word, how could she expect the students to respect her later?
But looking at Mu Yuwei’s tearful face, Xu Man knew that if she made her get on stage now, the girl might actually cry. Kids today had fragile egos, and in such a sensitive year, if the parents came to school complaining that she had negatively impacted their child’s studies, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
If only she hadn’t made that impulsive rule… What now? Xu Man scanned the class, and suddenly her gaze fell on a handsome boy. Her brows immediately relaxed.
This little guy… It’ll be you.
Bai Shinan was resting his chin on his hand, watching like an outsider. There was no way he’d get involved. It wasn’t a big deal anyway. In the real world, there would be far more embarrassing things. Consider it a mental endurance drill. This chapter was copied from novelping(.)com without permission.
Just then, he noticed the English teacher looking his way. He turned to glance at the classmate beside him, only to realize her gaze followed him.
“Me?” Bai Shinan pointed to himself, not understanding why Xu Man was calling on him at this moment.
Xu Man nodded with satisfaction. This kid was quick to catch on. Bai Shinan had often been caught passing notes to Mu Yuwei in her class before. He was a repeat offender, with skin thick enough to match.
After all, Bai Shinan was the kind of guy who could deliberately make mistakes just so he’d have an excuse to sing a love song to Mu Yuwei in front of the whole class.
“Everyone, quiet down. Mu Yuwei isn’t feeling well today, so Bai Shinan will take her place for the punishment.” Xu Man gestured for silence.
Bai Shinan thought, are you serious?
Before he could even protest, someone else spoke up for him, “Teacher, this doesn’t match what you said.”
“I only said someone has to sing an English song. I never said it had to be the person who made the mistake. If any of you can find someone willing to sing on your behalf, I’ll accept that too.” Xu Man was relieved she hadn’t made her wording too strict before.
Some students still wanted to argue, but Xu Man didn’t give them the chance. She took on her teacher’s authority and said, “That’s enough. Back to the lesson. Any objections can wait until after class.”
Bai Shinan was stunned. What did this have to do with him, an innocent bystander? But Xu Man had always treated him decently. With how many times she’d caught him passing notes, any stricter teacher would’ve already called his parents.
Xu Man had only made him translate the notes into English and corrected his grammar. You could say she tried every method possible to push him to study.
For the sake of that kindness, he’d help out this once. If he refused just because it involved Mu Yuwei, then it would mean he still had feelings for her.