"Weren't you two good deskmates?"
"Who's good with him?"
Zhang Shutong had thought he was one of the few people in class who could actually talk to her.
He put down his schoolbag, not minding a little chat with the Young Lady.
"You just gave me an example yesterday."
Zhang Shutong said, pointing to the window.
But Gu Qiumian just pursed her lips and turned away.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
And she proceeded to ignore him.
Zhang Shutong reminded her.
"You forgot, it's the one you drew..."
"Zhang Shutong, do you have no EQ whatsoever?" Gu Qiumian whipped her head back around, her long eyelashes fluttering as she glared.
The term "EQ" was still quite novel back then. Zhang Shutong decided to let it drop, but Gu Qiumian, in a rare explanatory mood, rolled her eyes.
"He was alright in the beginning, but then he started talking my ear off, just rambling on and on. And he would watch everything I did. It was so irritating."
"So this is a heads-up for your new deskmate?" Under the tutelage of Trainer Gu Qiumian, Pokémon Zhang Shutong's [EQ] stat had leveled up.
"Of course."
"So I'm your shield?"
"You're the one who doesn't talk much."
"Right, right." Zhang Shutong sat down, amused, unsure if he should be happy that the Young Lady held him in such high regard.
But being a shield wasn't so bad. With him sitting here, no one else dared to approach, and he was happy for the peace and quiet.
"So what's my payment?" he asked, trying to get a cracker out of her. It wasn't that he was hungry; he just thought it was funny.
"I've still got three debts to settle with you!" the girl retorted, her expression clearly saying, get a clue.
What three?
Zhang Shutong wanted to ask, but being a man of few words was his virtue, so he didn't. He was actually thinking about something else.
When he had approached his seat just now, he hadn't heard everything the boy said, but he had managed to catch a few keywords.
"You have to take this seriously, I really heard it at the time..."
What did that warning mean?
He had just come from the Forbidden Zone, and maybe it was the early hour, but he was feeling paranoid, his thoughts subconsciously drifting toward the murderer.
He immediately began to analyze the situation. This conversation probably wasn't a result of him changing the past; it must have happened in the original timeline as well. Did that mean someone had already discovered the trap being set for Gu Qiumian?
Not only discovered it, but also tried to warn her. But judging from Gu Qiumian's attitude, it seemed she thought he was just trying to hit on her and had paid it no mind.
The possibility was slim, but to be on the safe side, he should ask.
Just as he was about to speak, a crumpled ball of paper hit him.
He looked back and saw that it was Ruoping. She was standing at the back of the classroom on her tiptoes, waving at him.
If it had been anyone else, he would have been too lazy to walk over and would have made them come to him. But Ruoping was the exception; not only was she one of his best friends, but she was also the only girl in the group. Most of the time, he had a little more patience for her than he did for Du Kang or Qingyi.
"What's up?"
"Look at you, all British style today. What's the occasion?" Ruoping commented, gesturing approvingly at his clothes.
Her tone was just like his mom's. She really was a sucker for appearances.
He had no idea what "British style" entailed. Looking down, all he saw was that his scarf was draped loosely around his neck instead of being tied snugly.
Is that what she means?
He simply unwound the scarf and balled it up in his hand. Now there was nothing for Ruoping to look at. She said, disappointed.
"Sigh, and I wanted to take a picture."
Sometimes she would use him and Qingyi as her models, taking candid shots and posting them to her social media page whether they liked it or not. It wasn't to show off; she just genuinely thought they looked good. She did the same thing when Du Kang caught a fish with a pretty pattern, though in that case, she only took a picture of the fish.
"How were you yesterday? Did you sleep well?"
Zhang Shutong changed the subject, offering a rare bit of concern.
"Oh my, are we trying out the 'warmhearted guy' persona today?" Ruoping laughed, covering her mouth.
"I'm not falling for it, though. You can save your energy, pretty boy."
It was only at times like this that Zhang Shutong didn't know how to respond.
Ruoping said again.
"I wanted to ask you to call Qinglian over for me. There's something I need to say to her. Everything was so rushed yesterday, and it wasn't until I got home that I realized I never properly thanked her. We'd have been in deep trouble if it wasn't for her."
She's right, he thought. But then another thought followed: Couldn't you just tell her yourself? There was no need to involve me.
He was at a loss for words.
But Ruoping misinterpreted his silence and her grin grew wider, like she was teasing a pouting, sulky child.
"Don't be sad. It was thanks to you, too. We'd have been in a bad spot without you. So, what does our great hero want for lunch? I'll treat you to bubble tea?"
"...I mean, why don't you call her over yourself?"
At these words, Ruoping's eyes went wide.
"Zhang Shutong, are you completely bewitched or something?"
"What?"
"Sigh. I can't tell if you're being slow or just pretending. Why do you think I'm not coming over to your seat?" Ruoping pointed behind him.
"Take a look at who your current deskmate is, why don't you?"
Zhang Shutong didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
Ruoping's reminder made him recall that the two girls had a bit of a feud.
"Just for that?" he asked, puzzled.
"Just for that! Is that not enough?"
Ruoping stopped smiling and just stared past him. In a miraculous coincidence, the Young Lady seemed to sense it and turned her head at that exact moment. The two girls made eye contact for a split second, both let out a cold huff, and then simultaneously turned away.
Zhang Shutong, caught in the middle of the battlefield, felt like an Oreo... Why have I been so hung up on Oreos lately?
Ruoping shot him a grin, every bit the queen bee.
"Zhang Shutong, I'll leave this to you."
"..."
"Oh, now I see why you're rocking the British style. It's a couple's outfit!" Ruoping gasped, covering her mouth.
"A red scarf and a black scarf... you two actually match."
Zhang Shutong immediately surrendered.
"I'll call her for you... anything else?"
"Nope. Treat me to bubble tea at lunch." In a great mood, Ruoping waved and walked away.
Didn't she just offer to treat me to bubble tea? How did it turn into me treating her?
Zhang Shutong pondered this and concluded that she'd had ulterior motives from the moment she'd mentioned "bubble tea."
But a treat was a treat. He didn't really care; it was just some fun between friends, so he let it go.
That was just Ruoping's personality. Just getting bubble tea was no fun; even making someone else pay wasn't enough. She had to set a trap and get one over on you to feel truly satisfied.
But Zhang Shutong wasn't Du Kang. You could really keep Du Kang in line by bringing up Lu Qinglian—never mind bubble tea, he'd probably bring you the whole cow. With him, however, it was just teasing. As the saying goes, he who has no desires is strong, and that was exactly Zhang Shutong's situation.
He went back to his desk. Before calling Lu Qinglian over, he returned to his earlier train of thought and was about to ask Gu Qiumian what she and the boy had been discussing. But as soon as he spoke, he found the girl was ignoring him, her face a cold mask.
The "Traitor" hat had probably been slammed firmly back on his head.
Her method of ignoring people was actually pretty funny. She propped her textbook against the back of Lu Qinglian's chair and stared straight ahead, her hands pulled up into her sweater sleeves, which she then used to cover her ears. With her scarf hiding the rest of her face, she focused intently on her reading, blocking everything out.
Can't serve two masters? No, that's not it. Choose bros before... well, that's not it either.
Zhang Shutong just felt that this was a repeat of the "chocolate incident."
Back then, she and Ruoping had fought over that boy. That afternoon, the Young Lady had stormed into the classroom with a bag of chocolates and asked him if he wanted any. He had declined, and as a result, had made an enemy of her and been branded a "Traitor."
In Gu Qiumian's eyes, what had just happened probably looked like this: Ruoping called him over, and either they bad-mouthed her together, or Ruoping ordered him not to speak to his new deskmate anymore.
In short, heaven only knew what kind of scenario she had concocted in her head.
He found girls' social dynamics very strange. For instance, last night, Ruoping and Lu Qinglian had exchanged a few words and were already acting like friends, even though their actual connection wasn't that deep.
Take her and Ruoping. Did they really hate each other that much? Not really. To a guy, it was the kind of thing that would be forgotten in a couple of days, yet the two of them were locked in this stalemate. Was it just about saving face?
Zhang Shutong couldn't figure it out. All he could say was that if he had to do it over, emotionally he would lean toward Ruoping's side, but to avoid trouble and prevent escalating the conflict like before, he would remain neutral and not offend anyone.
Just then, the Young Lady had to step out, perhaps to use the restroom. She stood up, and without looking at him, simply gave the back of his chair a stiff tap.
The way they coordinated letting someone out of their seat was like a secret code. This time, he understood the signal, dutifully moved his chair, and watched her go.
As for the clue about her, he would have to wait and ask the boy in person.
He genuinely felt that it was much easier to deal with less complicated girls.
Like Lu Qinglian.
Such a simple girl.
Although she was sometimes hard to figure out, "hard to figure out" also meant there wouldn't be any major headaches. With this thought, he gave the reading Lu Qinglian a poke with his pen and felt strangely relieved.
The girl froze for a second, then turned around. Before she even spoke, her thin eyebrows were already knitted together.
Her frown was normally intimidating enough, but especially after last night, it brought to mind those two explosive kicks. Looking at her now, he felt like he was being targeted.
But he couldn't understand what he had done to set her off this time. Hadn't angering one of them been enough for the day?
"Don't touch my waist," Lu Qinglian said slowly, what looked like killing intent simmering in her eyes.
"Oh... sorry."
They say you're not supposed to touch a girl's waist or feet, but he honestly hadn't been paying attention where he was poking. He'd used a pen specifically to avoid any awkward contact, only to end up jabbing her in the waist.
"What is it?" The girl's brow smoothed out, her face returning to its usual blank state.
"Ruoping just asked me to call you over. She wants to thank you."
Lu Qinglian nodded. Then Zhang Shutong remembered something else.
"Oh, right, I couldn't find the history notes. You see..."
"I took them from your bookcase this morning."
As she said this, Lu Qinglian had already turned back around. Holding her textbook, she offered the placid explanation, her voice drifting to his ears along with the sounds of the morning reading.
He felt she was like an old computer that needed to be shut down every night. After rebooting, the previous day's cache would be wiped clean. It was as if last night hadn't happened, and they were back to being just regular classmates.
He didn't really care, but he thought Ruoping and the others would be confused. Just last night, they had been swearing in the group chat that this was the start of a beautiful friendship. But it seemed that just as their "friend-ship" was setting sail, Lu Qinglian was still standing on the dock.
By comparison, even his past self, as quiet as he was, hadn't been this detached.
But he wasn't too concerned. He was just relieved he hadn't lost her notes; that would have been difficult to replace.
He went back to find the other boy, finally recalling his name was Zhou Ziheng. He was the one who had stood up as the "eyewitness" during the scarf incident, claiming Zhang Shutong had done it.
He didn't feel much about it now; he certainly wasn't angry. It had been too long. He wouldn't hold a grudge for this long over something so minor, not even if they'd had a full-on brawl.
At the time, he had mostly just been frustrated, since he knew he looked suspicious. It was Qingyi and Du Kang who had gone to settle accounts with Zhou Ziheng.
He had no intention of confronting Zhou Ziheng, but the other boy immediately looked guilty the moment he saw him.
"What do you want?" The boy leaned back instinctively, asking cautiously, "I didn't do anything to you, did I?"
This left Zhang Shutong completely baffled.
Am I really that scary?
He forced a smile, trying to look a little more approachable.
"Relax, I just wanted to ask you something. Just now, you and Gu Qiumian..."
"You don't have to threaten me! If you keep this up, I'm telling the teacher..."
With that, the boy squeezed past him and scurried away.
Zhang Shutong stood there, and after a long moment, asked the girl who was his deskmate.
"Was I that scary just now?"
The girl wore glasses and was their class president. As he recalled, she was somewhat introverted but very reliable.
The class president stared blankly for a moment, cleaned her glasses, and said uncertainly.
"I thought it was okay. Of course, I didn't get a good look. Classmate Zhang Shutong, maybe... you could smile again?"
Zhang Shutong had no choice but to try smiling again.
The class president stared blankly again for a moment, then said hesitantly.
"I don't think I saw it clearly..."
Just then, the girl sitting in front of the class president turned around. She had a lively personality and a prominent canine tooth that showed when she spoke. She called her out without mercy.
"Don't listen to her. She's doing it on purpose; she just wants to see you smile a few more times..."
Saying this, she ignored the class president's instantly blushing face and shouted toward the front of the room.
"Feng Ruoping, Feng Ruoping! The class president is teasing your Shutong! Come quick and save him!"
What do you mean, "your"?
He saw Ruoping give a magnanimous wave of her hand without even turning around, her voice grand.
"This Empress grants her permission. There is no need to report such a trifle. Court is dismissed—"
A few of Ruoping's other friends also looked up. It was only at moments like this that they dared to tease him to his face. A mix of jest and truth filled the air, creating a wave of giggles that cut through the morning reading, with him as the center of attention.
Zhang Shutong's face darkened. He was about to leave when the class president suddenly stopped him.
"Can I just ask one more thing? Was what just happened related to Classmate Gu Qiumian?"
Before he could answer, she quickly added.
"You, and Gu Qiumian, and Zhou Ziheng, the three of you?"
A strange gleam suddenly reflected off the lenses of her glasses. Zhang Shutong recognized it as the tell-tale sign of incoming gossip. She looked just like Conan, as if she'd become a completely different person.
"Oh, right! I saw Classmate Gu Qiumian leave a moment ago. Did Zhou Ziheng do something to upset her, and you came to get revenge on her behalf?”
"...You're reading too much into it."
"Then what about during English class yesterday..."
Zhang Shutong suddenly smiled at her. The girl froze again. Speechless, Zhang Shutong turned and walked away.
What is going on today? It's like Ruoping's boy-craziness is contagious.
He frowned. He hadn't given Zhou Ziheng a second thought, but the way he'd acted just now—so guilty—actually made him seem suspicious.
He had probably fled to the restroom for safety. Zhang Shutong was debating whether to follow him and press the issue.
Just then, their beloved homeroom teacher, Song Nanshan, burst into the room in a flurry.
He was his usual self, sleeves rolled up in the freezing weather. Old Song raised an eyebrow and called out with a smile.
"Zhang Shutong, Lu Qinglian, Feng Ruoping, Meng Qingyi, and Du Kang! The five of you, are you here? Come on out! The jig is up! You're all invited to the stage for a little speech—”