Сhаpter 21: Who Саn a Woundеd Heаrt Still Lоvе~
“Sеriоuslу, is Fu Tinghаn оut оf his mind?”
In the nоisy сafetеriа, Jiang Еr piсkеd аt the shrеddеd greеn рерреrs in hеr bowl аnd askеd Littlе Fatty as if seеking cоnfirmatiоn:
“Dо уоu think Fu Tinghan is сrazy?”
Sеvеrаl dаys hаd pаssed sincе Fu Тinghаn stаrtеd spеaking nonsensе, аnd еvеr sinсe then, he hаd bееn delibеratеly avоiding hеr.
Не refused tо sрeak unlеss absolutеlу nесessаrу and wouldn’t even sit with her during meals.
It wаs as if shе саrriеd sоme kind оf virus.
It seemed likе he wаnted tо cut tiеs unilaterally.
Jiang Er’s temper flared up too.
It was utterly baffling.
Fine, if he wanted to cut ties, then so be it. Whoever gave in first was a dog.
Little Fatty looked at the pile of green peppers on the table with a pained expression:
“Whether he’s crazy or not is pretty clear to everyone, but your behavior of buying green pepper stir-fry when you clearly don’t eat green peppers—personally, I think that’s a bit abnormal.”
Jiang Er forced a smile, “I love the meat stir-fried with green peppers, but I hate eating the green peppers themselves. What’s the problem with that?”
After saying this, she shot a fierce glare at someone at the next table and angrily stuffed a piece of meat into her mouth.
Fu Tinghan’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. He paused for a few seconds, swallowed the last bite of his steamed bun, cleared his tray, and stood up to leave.
Seeing this, Jiang Er frowned tightly, “Today he didn’t even have pickled vegetables.”
Little Fatty said, “Maybe he got tired of them. I’ve seen him eat steamed buns with pickled vegetables for an entire semester.”
Jiang Er: “…”
She looked at the pile of picked-out green peppers on the table and felt inexplicably guilty.
Maybe she should stop ordering green pepper stir-fry from now on. Wasting food wasn’t right.
“By the way, has something happened these past couple of days? Everyone seems to be acting weird,” Jiang Er asked.
There had been more people crowding around the windows to watch Fu Tinghan, and it annoyed her so much that she simply closed the curtains.
Little Fatty across from her didn’t seem to hear, lowering his head to shovel a few mouthfuls of rice while his gaze remained fixed on a certain direction in the cafeteria, completely absorbed.
Jiang Er followed his gaze. Most of the students sitting over there were from Class 9 and Class 10. Neither class had many serious students, and they somehow managed to turn the cafeteria into something resembling a tavern, with an especially lively atmosphere.
“Who exactly are you looking at?” she poked Little Fatty. “You’ve been like this every meal these past few days, barely even blinking.”
Little Fatty snapped out of it and chuckled awkwardly, his chubby face showing deep dimples, “Really? I was just spacing out.”
Jiang Er took a bite of shredded potatoes, “Hmph.”
As if anyone would believe that.
“But are you really used to eating here?” Little Fatty clumsily changed the subject. “I heard the cafeteria at Star Sea High School is way better than here. After getting used to gourmet food, can you still stomach these ordinary dishes?”
“Are you being sarcastic?” Jiang Er retorted.
“No, no.”
He hurriedly explained:
“I’m genuinely curious. Your family is so well-off, so why did you transfer from a top-tier private school to our ordinary high school? And during your first few days here, you were like a wilted eggplant, ignoring everyone. No one dared to talk to you.”
Jiang Er’s chopsticks stopped. It felt like a long time, yet also just an instant. She forced a smile and looked up at him:
“What if I said it’s because this place is closer to home? Would you believe me?”
Little Fatty scratched his head, “But don’t you get picked up and dropped off by car every day?”
Jiang Er completely lost her appetite. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and said, half-jokingly, half-seriously:
“Because there’s someone there I hate. Just seeing them makes me feel awful.”He probed, “The ‘he’ with the single person radical?”
“Kids shouldn’t worry about so much,” Jiang Er avoided the topic. “Hurry up and eat, then go back and review the text. There’s a dictation next class.”
“Oh, you mean ‘Encouraging Learning’? Don’t worry, I’ve already memorized it,” he said confidently.
Jiang Er: “…The dictation is for ‘Encouraging Learning’?”
“Yeah.”
She recalled staying up all night memorizing “The Memorial of the Expedition,” sinking into a deathly silence.
“What’s wrong? Haven’t you memorized ‘Encouraging Learning’ yet?” Little Fatty’s tone carried an innocent cruelty.
Jiang Er closed her eyes in agony, as if instantly aged by ten years, her voice weary:
“I’d better pack my things and head south to work on an assembly line.”
Encouraging Learning?
Laughable—I can’t study at all.
“Brother Lin, I’ve found out everything. That day, it was Fu Tinghan who called Wen Xiyue away. No one knows what he said, but she came back crying, and her uniform was stained.”
“He definitely bullied her!”
In Class Nine, Lin Ling sat with his legs crossed, surrounded by a few lackeys who were animatedly chattering:
“Should we teach him a lesson?!”
Lin Ling was unusually calm.
He seemed to think of something, his face lighting up briefly before darkening again. “He deserves a lesson.”
“Great! I’ll gather the guys right away,” Lackey One said excitedly, rubbing his hands.
“No need. I’ll go myself,” Lin Ling said coldly.
“Brother Lin, there’s something I don’t know if I should say,” Lackey One hesitated.
Lin Ling was succinct: “Speak.”
Lackey One: “Brother Lin, forgive my bluntness, but you’re not up to it. You really aren’t.”
Lin Ling: “…”
Lackey One spoke earnestly: “Have you forgotten? Last time, you got beaten up, and the other party was just a little girl.”
“…” Lin Ling tried to argue, “That was an accident.”
Lackey Two added: “And the time before that, you got a hard slap from Fu Tinghan, and your face was so swollen you didn’t dare come to school for three days.”
Lin Ling flew into a rage: “Nonsense! He clearly used his fist!”
Lackey Three chimed in: “And the time before that…”
“Alright, shut up.”
Lin Ling covered his mouth, manually silencing him.
“From now on, if anyone mentions these things again,” he said expressionlessly, “don’t blame me for being harsh.”
The lackeys fell silent simultaneously, exchanging glances before bowing respectfully to Lin Ling, their tone sincere:
“Alright, Brother, may you go in peace.”
Lin Ling: “…”
Damn.
And so, fueled by anger ignited by both the enemy and his own teammates, Lin Ling stormed into the Class Six classroom.
“Everyone, get out!”
He kicked the classroom door open, ignoring the startled cries, and said coldly, “Fu Tinghan stays.”
Everyone scrambled to flee.
Soon, only two people remained in the classroom.
Lin Ling strode step by step toward the boy in the back row.
From start to finish, the other had remained seated in his spot, unmoving, as if Lin Ling were beneath his notice.
Lin Ling slammed a fist down on the desk, producing a loud “bang” as if it might collapse at any moment.
The pen tip dragged a long line across the paper.
Fu Tinghan finally looked up, his gaze utterly indifferent as it met Lin Ling’s.
Lin Ling took a deep breath, leaning in abruptly, grabbing Fu Tinghan by the collar, and gritting his teeth:
“Did you break up with her?!”
Fu Tinghan: “…”
He slowly typed a question mark.”You actually dared to dump her?! Who gave you the nerve!” The blood vessels in Lin Ling’s eyes seemed to burst one by one, blurring into a watery haze, his voice actually trembling slightly, “Do you have any idea how much you’ve hurt her?”
Fu Tinghan: “…”
He repeatedly adjusted his hearing aid, uttering his first sound of the day, “Who?”
“You’re still pretending, aren’t you?!”
The veins on Lin Ling’s hands bulged as he roared, “What part of Wen Xiyue isn’t good enough for you? What gives you the right to break up with her?!”
Fu Tinghan: “…”
This person seems to have some issues.