Although the Side Mission required Xu Ming to help conceal Brother Cheng’s contribution and keep the second female lead from finding out about it, several days passed without Lin An ever asking him anything.
And so, almost before Xu Ming realized it, a new week had arrived.
At eight in the morning, the school held its flag-raising ceremony. Once the solemn ceremony ended, it was time for the school administrators and teachers to deliver their speeches.
Although it was already September, the sun was still blazing overhead. Compared with the solemn atmosphere during the flag-raising ceremony, some students were already growing restless and impatient.
At the back of the formation, several boys were laughing and fooling around, clearly itching to stir up trouble. One of them complained, “It’s freaking hot. Damn it, why does the principal have so much nonsense to say…”
Another boy asked, “What’s going on? The Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays are still more than half a month away. Why are we already preparing for the cultural performance?”
A third boy immediately shot back, “Isn’t that obvious? If we don’t prepare now, are we supposed to wait until the holidays arrive and go straight onstage?”
With the scorching sun beating down from above and the noisy chatter surrounding him, Xu Ming gradually began to feel sleepy. His eyelids grew heavy, and he couldn’t suppress a yawn. “Haah…”
After the school administrators and teachers finally finished speaking, Xu Ming assumed they would be allowed to return to their classrooms. Unexpectedly, there was still another segment, a speech from a senior student.
The boy onstage began formally, “Respected teachers, dear fellow students…”
Then, near the end of his speech, his tone abruptly changed. “Finally, with the college entrance examination approaching, I don’t want to leave myself with any regrets. So I’ve decided to do something crazy. Zhang Lin’an from Senior Class 3, I like you!”
Xu Ming froze. “?!”
The instant the boy finished his confession, the students below erupted into an uproar. Applause thundered through the crowd while excited cheers rose from every direction.
“Clap, clap, clap…”
“Wooo!”
“Awesome!”
So I’d misheard…
I was wondering what the hell was going on…
Xu Ming had been half-asleep earlier and hadn’t paid close attention. As a result, he had mistakenly heard the female lead’s name as Lin An.
He remained stunned for several seconds before finally coming back to his senses. However, judging by the whispers behind him, he apparently wasn’t the only person who had misheard.
One student muttered, “Lin An? Isn’t that the gold digger who got exposed on the campus confession page?”
Another immediately corrected him, “Nonsense. The girl this guy confessed to has the surname Zhang. They’re not the same person.”
A third student agreed, “Exactly. One’s a senior and the other’s a sophomore. They’re completely different people.”
The sudden discussion behind him left Xu Ming bewildered.
Seriously? Hadn’t the whole thing with Lin An already blown over?!
Besides, hadn’t Zhang Long apologized and clarified everything?!
Why were people still refusing to let it go…? Did they really have that much malice toward her?!
As though answering the thoughts running through Xu Ming’s mind, the hushed discussion behind him continued.
One student said, “Wasn’t that whole thing fabricated? There wasn’t any evidence. People were just making things up.”
Another added, “Besides, didn’t that guy from the vocational school delete the post afterward and publish an apology?”
Someone else replied, “Hey, didn’t you just say there wasn’t any evidence? Then doesn’t that mean it might not necessarily have been fake either…?”
A boy laughed mockingly and said, “A delinquent and a gold digger. Maybe birds of a feather really do flock together!”
Seriously…? What a bunch of scumbags!
Even Xu Ming felt that their words had gone far beyond what was reasonable. Almost instinctively, his gaze drifted toward the girls’ formation nearby.
Damn it, these guys were animals!
At this distance… the second female lead could probably hear every word they were saying!
…
After lunch, Zhou Cheng didn’t immediately return to the classroom. Instead, he went out to have fun.
Xu Ming didn’t go with him. The reason was simple. He didn’t want to keep arriving late for the afternoon class after lunch, especially when there was always the chance that a teacher might catch him one day.
With the Extra chewing gum Zhou Cheng had treated him to, Xu Ming returned to the classroom early to escape the blazing sun outside.
Damn it… How am I supposed to complete this mission?
Do I seriously have to take the initiative?
Xu Ming stared at the Side Mission on the System panel, which had remained completely silent for the past several days, and gradually became troubled.
Over the past few days, Lin An hadn’t spoken a single word to him. She certainly hadn’t asked him any questions like Brother Cheng had predicted.
This is seriously difficult…
While Xu Ming was silently sighing to himself, someone entered the classroom. An unfamiliar classmate walked in first, and not long afterward, Lin An arrived as well.
The moment Xu Ming raised his head, their eyes unexpectedly met across the classroom.
Uh…
Why did she come back so early today?!
Xu Ming froze for several seconds before awkwardly averting his gaze. Meanwhile, Lin An walked over to her seat.
Damn it… I should just take the initiative.
Hmm… What should I say?
Greet her? Say good afternoon?
No. That’s way too awkward…
As Xu Ming’s gaze wandered aimlessly around his desk, his eyes suddenly landed on the bag of potato chips Brother Cheng had given him.
Got it… I’ll use this…
Xu Ming’s eyes immediately lit up. Without hesitating, he picked up the chewing gum and quickly opened the package.
“Hey, front deskmate…” Xu Ming held the chewing gum in one hand and gently poked Lin An’s left shoulder with his index finger.
Hmm?!
A flicker of surprise flashed through Lin An’s eyes. She quickly turned around, her fox-like eyes widening slightly as she looked at Xu Ming in confusion. “Hmm… What’s wrong?”
Xu Ming gave her a polite yet somewhat stiff smile and held out the chewing gum. “Well, do you want some gum? Here, want a piece?”
“Thank you…” Lin An’s eyes suddenly flickered with an almost imperceptible hint of amusement. She smiled sweetly before refusing him, “But sorry, I don’t like chewing gum.” Enjoying the story? Read on at novelping . com.
Holy crap… I got rejected…
“Ha… Okay…” Xu Ming’s outstretched hand stiffened instantly, and an embarrassed smile appeared on his face.
He hurriedly looked away, took out a piece of chewing gum, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth.
Tsk… She’s seriously difficult…
I failed before I could even make my move…
Sigh…
Just as Xu Ming was chewing his gum and letting his thoughts wander, Lin An unexpectedly spoke to him first. “Hmm… Where did your deskmate go?”
She glanced curiously at the empty seat beside Xu Ming before asking, “Why isn’t your deskmate with you?”
“He went out to have fun. I didn’t go with him,” Xu Ming answered truthfully.
Lin An nodded slightly before saying, “Hmm, thank you for what you guys did last time…”
Hmm?!
Her sudden expression of gratitude caught Xu Ming completely off guard.
Finally!
She finally brought it up!
Xu Ming’s lips curved into a relaxed smile as he repeatedly waved his hand, signaling that she didn’t need to be so polite. “Hey, it’s nothing. We’re classmates, so you don’t have to thank us.”
However, Lin An continued, “But now that I think about it, why did Zhang Long suddenly withdraw his submission that afternoon? Hmm… Did you do something?”
Had Brother Cheng already told her something?
But I clearly didn’t do anything…
“No, it wasn’t me…” Xu Ming blinked innocently before lying with a perfectly straight face, “That afternoon, Brother Cheng took me to the vocational school next door to find Zhang Long and settle the matter. We went together. Neither of us would’ve dared to go alone.”
Xu Ming had already decided to exploit a loophole between the System’s Side Mission and Brother Cheng’s request.
Since both of them wanted me to hide what happened, then saying we did it together should be fine, right?!
As for who actually did most of the work, that depended entirely on how the second female lead chose to interpret his words.
“So that’s what happened…” Lin An’s lips curved gently into a faint smile as she once again thanked him, “Ha… Thank you both…”
Sure enough… I knew it. Why would he ever take the initiative to help me?!
“Mm, it was nothing,” Xu Ming replied casually.
The instant his words fell, the System’s cold electronic voice suddenly rang out.
[Ding! Side Mission completed. Points have been issued. Host, please check your rewards.]
Yes!
Finally… It’s completed!
…