The noise in the classroom surged into Zhu Ying’s ears like a tide.
A layer of dark clouds was slowly fading back to white, and a streak of pale golden sunlight passed through a slightly opened window, casting onto the desk.
Fine dust particles danced in the noise, suddenly blown far away by a quiet sneeze.
“Ah-choo!!”
“Damn, Zhou Chao, where’s your math homework?”
“No idea who took it. Go borrow from An Jing!”
“An Jing, math, math!!”
“I want to know where my math homework went too, okay!”
“Seriously, who’s copying here and not saying a word?!”
“That’s… with me,” Wang Xinru weakly raised her left hand, but her right hand kept furiously writing without pause.
Sun Wei leaned helplessly by the window, crossing his legs and kicking a desk leg with his left foot.
“Wang Xinru, you’re copying homework too? Damn, you’ve really fallen off.”
Wang Xinru’s sullen face flushed bright red as she hurriedly defended herself.
“I, I forgot yesterday!”
“That’s no good! You need to study properly. Don’t learn from that guy Fang Qiang!”
Fang Qiang, who was copying his English homework, jabbed Sun Wei’s butt with his elbow a few times, grinding his teeth.
“Only you can get away with it, man. Only you. If you don’t copy, then no one copies!”
“You think I’m you? I only copy math. You? You copy everything.”
“You fuc—”
“Mm-hmm…”
Zhu Ying clutched her head that felt like it was about to split, grabbing the edge of the desk as she slowly got up.
She glanced back at An Jing’s thigh she had just rested on, unable to resist patting the spot still warm from their shared body heat.
“Awake now?”
An Jing tilted her head toward her.
“You fell asleep right after breakfast leaning on me, looked like you passed out.”
“Xiao Jing.”
Zhu Ying blinked hard, hugging Yi’s arm tightly.
“Headache.”
“Sleeping right after breakfast? Headache’s pretty normal then.”
An Jing reached out to pat her forehead, but frowned slightly.
“Huh… a little hot. Did you catch a cold?”
“Maybe.”
Zhu Ying leaned close to An Jing’s neck and sniffed hard.
“Hmm… it’s your scent, Xiao Jing.”
“Ew—wh-what are you doing?”
An Jing’s cheeks itched from Zhu Ying’s hair tickling them.
“Sleepwalking?”
“I haven’t been able to use telepathy on you lately, so—”
She covered her mouth and let out a big yawn. “It’s been hard to tell dreams from reality…”
“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping well lately?”
“Mm…”
An Jing glanced at the bracelet on her wrist.
“My ability’s recovered, so why hasn’t yours?”
“Did you steal my ability, Xiao Jing?!”
“Hey, why would I do that!”
“…What time is it?”
“Morning reading just started. The homeroom teacher should be here soon.”
An Jing lowered her voice.
“I heard her husband’s divorcing her. She’s in a bad mood today. She just called in a few students who didn’t do their winter break homework and gave them hell.”
“Winter break homework?”
Zhu Ying blinked.
“That was ages ago. Didn’t they already check it?”
“Exactly, so she’s just picking fights today because of her mood! Better not mess with her—she’s like a powder keg.”
An Jing’s expression suddenly stiffened, and she shut her mouth instantly, turning around to pretend to focus on morning reading.
Zhu Ying also raised her head slightly and saw their homeroom teacher, who looked as round and hefty as a water bucket, walk into the classroom from outside.
Her face was sour, like she was ready to explode at any moment.
Then, she strode to the podium and slammed a test paper down with a bang that made almost everyone’s heart skip a beat.
The immense pressure made it hard to breathe—even though most hadn’t done anything wrong, in school, if someone wants to pick on you, they’ll always find something.
The morning reading fell into a hush.
That enormous powder keg—no, that powder keg-like homeroom teacher—finally spoke.
“No sound at morning reading! What? Didn’t eat breakfast? No energy?!”
The English class monitor at the podium shrank her neck and quickly flipped to the next page, craning to raise her voice.
“Uh, everyone open your third-volume textbooks to the first page of the vocabulary list…”
She began leading the reading, and the students hurriedly followed, their voices scattered but somewhat loud—though still feeling a little breathless.
“Sun Wei!”
“Here!”
Sun Wei immediately put on a very attentive attitude, as if he’d jump into a fire for the teacher without a “no.”
“Teacher? Hehe… what’s up?”
“Copying homework all day, don’t want to get into high school, huh? You think with your grades you deserve to repeat a year? Huh?!”
“…Cough, I’m not! I was just checking the answers…”
Sun Wei’s slick talk was useless today.
The homeroom teacher didn’t calm down; she looked even angrier.
“Still making excuses? Do you really think I don’t know how you usually do your homework? You only get that few points on the test, can’t even remember simple words! Not to mention I taught you, I’m embarrassed just saying it!” The homeroom teacher lightly slapped her own cheek, frowning in disgust. “Look at you—can’t even keep clean! Your hair’s covered in dandruff. You don’t shower or wash your hair every day, do you? Laughing? You still have the face to laugh? You look disgusting and sleazy. Get out and stand in the corner! And copy today’s English test paper ten times!”
The students fell silent, no one daring to say a word for fear of becoming the next target.
An Jing was at first quietly pleased, but seeing Sun Wei being scolded so harshly made her unable to smile. She pressed her finger to her temple, mumbling softly, “That’s a bit too much.”
“Shh—”
Zhu Ying lowered her head, putting her finger to her lips, signaling An Jing to be quiet.
“An Jing!”
An Jing shuddered at the sudden shout.
All morning reading ceased.
No one dared disobey this absolute command.
“Continue your reading. An Jing! Stand up!”
“…Yes.”
An Jing took a deep breath.
“Look at you, do you look like a boy? Your hair’s so long and you still won’t cut it! Hunched over, all timid like a sissy! No manly spirit at all! Today you’re going to go get it cut! A buzz cut! Just like Fang Qiang—shaved close! Doesn’t look like a man at all…”
An Jing bit her lip, opening her mouth slightly but making no sound.
She kept her head down, not daring to raise it at all.
“Fang Qiang!”
“Teacher.”
“Wait outside. You’ll bring the students I call to get a haircut! Tell the barber to cut everyone’s hair like yours!”
“Uh… ah… okay.”
Fang Qiang bent slightly at the waist but then straightened up with effort.
“Sun Wei!”
“Teacher, he’s at the door…” Fang Qiang swallowed nervously.
“He’ll be with you later. Look at his long bangs—so greasy and unruly, does that look like a student?!”
“Y-yes…”
“The top student in the club?”
“Zhou Chao! You too! Why do you keep that hairstyle? Think you’re some kind of male star? Huh?”
Zhou Chao’s dry smile looked a little stiff, but he obediently stood up.
After all, they were all just middle schoolers.
No matter how independent, no one dared to openly defy the teacher.
One by one, names were called out.
Seven or eight boys gathered at the door.
Of course, the girls weren’t spared either; their nails were checked.
Anyone with long nails had to cut them immediately and then stand by their desks as punishment.
The students were even quieter now but surely cursed inwardly countless times.
The oppressive atmosphere seemed to turn heavy and foul.
Finally, the homeroom teacher dragged out a small boy who looked like a first-year and yanked his collar, tossing him into the line led by Fang Qiang.
“You’re just like your dad! No ambition, letting your hair grow that long like a thug. Today I’m telling you, no one’s dragging you around anymore! You have to cut it! Cry? You dare cry? Cry again and I’ll shave your head bald!”
The first-year boy hiccupped repeatedly but forced himself to hold back tears, lowering his head slowly.
Zhou Chao watched the homeroom teacher return to the classroom and sighed, “This hairstyle’s really popular these days…”
“Stop being popular. It’ll be gone soon.”
Fang Qiang sighed helplessly, without an ounce of schadenfreude.
“Hey, enough talk. Let’s hurry up or who knows what’ll happen next.”
“Damn that bitch!”
Hu Ge wiped the ends of his hair that had grown to cover his neck.
“Even if the back is long, she has no right to say that. Serves her right she’s divorcing! Why the hell hasn’t she died yet, damn it!”
“Watch your mouth, they can hear you inside.”
“I’ll kill her one day…”
“Enough!”
Fang Qiang placed his palm on Hu Ge’s shoulder.
“If you have the guts, say it to her face. Why yell here? Let’s go. If we don’t get haircuts, we won’t be able to have class today.”
“Then no class, I don’t care!”
Fang Qiang sighed several times again, his gaze falling on An Jing.
His lips moved as if to say something but swallowed the words back.
An Jing, however, remained calm.
“An Jing, what are you going to do?”
Zhou Chao lowered his voice.
“What’s the big deal? I’m a boy. If I have to cut it, I’ll cut it.”
“…But I know you.”
“It’s fine.”
An Jing kept blinking like she was playing a game of “blink and you lose,” pretending to be nonchalant.
She turned her head slightly and saw Zhu Ying and Wang Xinru casting worried glances at her.
But instead, it made her straighten her chest, like a defeated warrior about to face the execution ground, walking at the front of the line.
“Broken to pieces, I fear nothing.”
“Stop, stop, it’s not that bad!”
Fang Qiang hurriedly interrupted.
“I’ll ask the barber to be a bit lenient, but there’s no way you can keep it that long…”
“Don’t worry. I don’t mind.”
An Jing pressed her fingers to the corner of her eyes.
“What do I have to be afraid of?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re not afraid…”
Fang Qiang looked helplessly at Sun Wei, who ran a hand through his hair, looking too annoyed to say any more ‘kick them when they’re down’ remarks today…
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.