Сhарtеr 5: Нe Must Want tо Вe a Sрorts Student!
Аt siх in thе mоrning, Jiаng Еr wokе uр tо the rеlentlеss blaring of еight аlarms.
Shе fumbled tо turn thеm оff and wаs аbout tо rоll оvеr аnd gо bаck tо sleер when she suddenly rеmembеred hеr сurrеnt idеntity.
—She wаs no longеr thе оwnеr of а woоdcarving studiо whо соuld slеeр until she woke uр nаturаllу.
Shе was now a high sсhооl student whо had tо attend thаt dаmn mоrning sеlf-study sessiоn.
Аnd this kind of life wоuld continuе until thе соllegе еntrance exams werе ovеr.
Тhinking аbоut thе cоllege entrаncе eхams, Jiаng Er buried her head under the blanket and let out a miserable groan.
In a way, hadn’t she arrived in another kind of netherworld?
“Er Er, are you up?” Jiang’s Mother heard the noise and hurriedly pushed the door open, her face full of concern. “Are you still not feeling well?”
Jiang Er quickly sat up, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing, I was just practicing my vocal cords.”
Jiang’s Mother said, “How about taking a day off today? Rest a bit more at home.”
Jiang Er wavered for 0.01 seconds, but thinking of the goals she had written down herself, she shook her head firmly, her voice resolute:
“No, Mom, I love school.”
Jiang’s Mother grew even more worried. “Didn’t your fever break? Why are you talking nonsense again?”
Jiang Er: “…”
Just then, Jiang Jue happened to pass by the door and, overhearing their conversation, let out an earth-shattering burst of laughter.
“Hahahahaha… this is the funniest joke I’ve heard this year—no, in my entire life, hahahaha…”
Jiang Er: “…”
“You. Are. Done. For,” she said, enunciating each word clearly.
Jiang Jue’s laughter abruptly stopped, replaced by a pained yelp.
Downstairs, Jiang’s Father came out of the kitchen carrying two cups of soy milk. Hearing the commotion, he frowned and went upstairs to ask:
“What’s going on so early in the morning?”
Jiang Jue tearfully complained, “Dad, Sis hit me again. It really hurts.”
Jiang’s Father replied impatiently, “Got it. If you want to cry, go cry outside. Don’t disturb your mom and sister’s ears.”
After saying that, he handed the soy milk to his wife and daughter, saying gently:
“I added walnuts and red dates when I blended it. Drink it while it’s hot.”
Jiang Jue cried even louder.
Concerned about Fu Tinghan, Jiang Er, unlike her usual dawdling, arrived at school unusually early for the first time.
The weather was lovely. Carrying her backpack, she walked toward the teaching building with the flow of students, the little bell on her hair tie jingling crisply and pleasantly.
Passersby couldn’t help but glance at her, their eyes subtly filled with admiration.
“Morning, Jiang Er,” Little Fatty called out when he saw her, huffing and puffing as he ran over. “Are you feeling better?”
Jiang Er moved her arms and legs, replying as she walked, “I’m completely fine now.”
Little Fatty breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good. You have no idea how scared I was when you suddenly collapsed and even knocked into Fu Tinghan.”
Jiang Er cringed inwardly. “I knocked into Fu Tinghan?”
Little Fatty said, “Yeah, he happened to be underneath and cushioned you perfectly.”
Jiang Er: “…”
No wonder she didn’t have a single scratch on her.
So she had found a temporary human cushion.
“What about Fu Tinghan? Is he okay?” she asked, feeling guilty.
“He’s fine,” Little Fatty reassured her. “He was the one who carried you to the infirmary. He ran so fast on the way there—definitely fine, don’t worry.”
“It was him?” Jiang Er asked in surprise.
“Yeah,” Little Fatty also found it strange. “I’ve never seen him run that fast before. Could it be that he—”
He thought of something, and his expression changed.Jiang Er felt inexplicably nervous. “What is it?”
Little Fatty snorted twice, his tone certain. “He must be secretly practicing track and field behind our backs, preparing to become a sports student!”
Jiang Er: “…Huh?”
“But that’s fine too,” Little Fatty said happily. “Next sports meet, we can send him out, and our class can get another gold medal.”
Jiang Er felt something wasn’t quite right.
If it was Fu Tinghan this time, then in her previous life, was it also him who took her to the school clinic?
That didn’t seem very likely.
This time, she had no choice but to fall on him, but in her previous life, she fainted as soon as she entered the classroom. He sat in the last row, separated by the entire classroom, and they didn’t even know each other—they hadn’t even spoken. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to help.
“If only I had asked back then,” Jiang Er sighed.
“What did you say?” Little Fatty asked, confused.
“Don’t worry about adult matters,” she brushed him off.
As they spoke, they arrived at Class Six. The two walked into the classroom together. Quite a few people had already arrived, and the students on duty were chatting while cleaning, making a lot of noise.
Jiang Er glanced toward the window.
Fu Tinghan hadn’t arrived yet.
She followed her memory to find her seat, which happened to be right in front of Little Fatty’s.
“You’re called—He Tao?” she asked Little Fatty uncertainly.
“Yes, yes, that’s me,” He Tao said, pleasantly surprised. “You actually know my name.”
Jiang Er coughed twice. “I’ve been here for a week now. It’s not strange to know, right?”
“No, you were really aloof before,” He Tao said tactfully. “Everyone thought you… weren’t very approachable.”
Jiang Er recalled her previous life, when she wore a sour expression every day, and calmly said, “I wasn’t very familiar with the environment before, but now I’m completely used to it.”
“Mhm, everyone in our class is easy to get along with,” He Tao said. “They all have good tempers…”
Before he could finish the word “good,” a loud “bang” came from the back row.
Everyone was startled and turned to look.
The sound came from a girl. Jiang Er recognized her at a glance—she was Fu Tinghan’s new deskmate from yesterday.
The loud noise was from her kicking over Fu Tinghan’s chair.
As if still unsatisfied, she pushed hard with both hands.
The two desks, which had originally been pushed together, were instantly pulled apart, leaving enough space for a person to pass through.
The desk next to the aisle looked especially out of place.
After doing all this, her expression finally softened. She elegantly sat down, pulled out a few wet wipes, and wiped her hands repeatedly, her eyes full of disgust.
“So dirty.”
Jiang Er frowned tightly.
He Tao looked a little embarrassed and explained, “They usually have good tempers. It’s just that they get a bit irritable during these few days when seats are changed every month. Don’t be scared.”
Jiang Er finally found the chance to ask the question she had been wanting to ask. “What exactly happened with the drawing of lots yesterday?”
Why had she never heard of it in the half semester she spent here in her previous life?
Hearing this, He Tao looked ashamed.
“Well, our classmate Fu Tinghan is… a bit special,” he hesitated. “Every time seats are changed, we have to draw lots. The person who draws…”
Hearing this, Jiang Er understood everything.
“So, you’ve always relied on drawing lots to decide who sits with him?” she asked solemnly.
Little Fatty was too embarrassed to speak, only nodding in response.
Jiang Er felt a lump in her chest. “Just because he can’t hear?”Little Fatty stammered, unable to speak.
Instead, a student on duty mopping the aisle nearby chimed in:
“There’s no choice. The teacher insisted someone has to sit with him, and it has to be a different person each time. They’re worried other classes will gossip about us excluding him and dragging down the class’s reputation.”
Another person added, “Exactly, otherwise who would want to sit with him?”
“It’s bad enough that he’s deaf, but he’s always so gloomy and creepy.”
“I heard his family is really poor. He even goes out collecting trash after school. He must smell.”
“…”
Everyone chattered away, and He Tao whispered, “I don’t mind it myself, but I can’t keep sitting with him forever. We just have to go along with what everyone wants.”
Jiang Er fell silent.
During this period in her past life, aside from sleeping, she had either worn headphones or spaced out, completely oblivious to what was happening around her.
Perhaps because she had never truly integrated into this class, or maybe because she seemed too unfriendly—whatever the reason, she had never been asked to draw lots.
She had never known that Fu Tinghan was a complete outsider in this class.
No, in a way, both she and Fu Tinghan were outsiders in this class.
The only difference was whether it was by choice or by circumstance.
He Tao noticed her expression darkening and wanted to explain, but he didn’t know where to start. He could only clumsily try to console her:
“Don’t be angry…”
Suddenly, someone whispered:
“Fu Tinghan is here.”