Chapter 34: Pretending to Know Nothing

(1)

The deliberately suppressed voices were very soft, but in the empty, silent fifth floor, they were still distinct.

The lingering, soft moans plucked at the young person’s heartstrings.

An Jing unconsciously swallowed.

She had long heard that in the restrooms of another teaching building, students occasionally did some… well, some very explicit and intense things.

This kind of thing was probably only popular among middle schoolers whose hormones were off the charts, whose energy had nowhere to go, and who hadn’t yet developed a complete sense of morality.

But—

This was the main teaching building, the fifth floor of the main teaching building!

Although it was a bit deserted, people still came up here frequently.

Some teachers, not wanting to crowd a restroom with students, would come to the fifth floor.

And some girls, disliking the queues in the downstairs girls’ restroom, would also come to the fifth floor.

Perhaps only one or two people in half an hour, but those were still people.

However… perhaps those two could solve their “problem” in just a few minutes?

An Jing held her breath, afraid of disturbing the two students engaged in a “restroom battle.”

But what was a bit strange was that she didn’t seem to hear any male voices.

Even the gasps seemed to be only a girl’s…

She vigorously shook her head, reining in her curiosity, and quickly walked into the boys’ restroom on her left.

The stall doors here looked much sturdier than those downstairs, and they didn’t have as many footprints and scratches.

Honestly, the boys’ restrooms in junior high were practically gladiatorial arenas, with traces of “battles” left everywhere.

It could only be said that the boys’ energy was simply too exuberant…

The light rain had been falling since morning and was still audible outside the teaching building.

An Jing, using a stall in the restroom, felt a chill on her backside.

She didn’t know where the wind was coming from, but it relentlessly blew at her.

Even though she had already used the restroom in a girl’s way at home, she still wasn’t quite used to it.

After all, ever since she could use the restroom by herself, she had always peed standing up.

Squatting was reserved for when she needed to do a number two…

To prevent herself from accidentally doing a number two, she had even specifically stuffed a pack of tissues in her pocket.

Of course, she could also use them to wipe herself if she couldn’t get clean enough.

Girls’ anatomy was far inferior to boys’ in this regard.

“Sigh, it’s really inconvenient… Stone, oh stone, when can I turn back into a man…?”

The cold wind made An Jing shiver.

Fortunately, the tap water wasn’t too cold at this time, so she didn’t need to do any mental preparation just to wash her hands.

Just as she turned on the faucet, there was a rush of footsteps from the girls’ restroom.

She didn’t need to turn around; she could see it in the mirror…

It was Wang Xinru, her face flushed, her clothes disheveled.

The moment she saw An Jing, even her ears turned incredibly red.

She frantically took half a step back, seemingly wanting to retreat into the restroom, but then probably felt that doing so would only be more like burying her head in the sand.

So, she stammered a greeting, “An, An Jing…”

“Ah… uh, what a coincidence…”

Although An Jing’s mind was racing with wild thoughts, she still tried hard to pretend she knew nothing.

“Cough! It’s easy to get stared at downstairs, so I came up here to use the restroom.”

“I, I too… no, not… I mean… there was a queue downstairs, so, so I, I came, came up…”

“Hmm…”

An Jing turned off the faucet, shook her hands, and couldn’t resist glancing twice into the girls’ restroom.

It seemed… there were no boys inside.

Could it be that Wang Xinru was alone just now?

How could someone alone…

No… alone, it seemed, was also possible…

“Wh-wha-what’s wrong?! You keep, keep staring at me…”

“Ah… n-nothing…” 

An Jing also stammered. 

“Are, are you okay?”

“Wh-why would I, be, be in trouble…”

An Jing, feeling incredibly awkward, coughed forcefully, then, dragging her still somewhat weak right leg, swayed and turned to leave.

At a time like this, anything she said would be wrong, so it was better to just slip away.

“That! An, An Jing!”

“Wh-What is it?”

“Friday… school, school ends early. Do you want to come to my house… to do homework together? My parents aren’t, aren’t home that day!”

“Fr-Friday, we’ll see!” 

An Jing, afraid of being completely used… no, afraid of being discovered that she had lost her male identity, frantically fled from the scene.

***
(3)

The classroom was still very lively, with many people not in their seats.

Sun Wei, having apparently annoyed some girl again, was running away with a cheeky grin.

“Sun Wei—you’re looking for death!”

“Oh, tigress, come at me!” 

He shamelessly slapped his backside.

“Do you still want your pencil case on your desk? Do you believe I’ll throw it from upstairs?”

“Holy crap, Filthy Ji Ji, you wouldn’t dare!”

“Who told you to provoke me first?”

“I only said you’re as flat as that flat-screen color TV in the classroom!”

“You still dare to say that?!” 

Zhang Qiqi instantly raised her voice. 

This time, it seemed she wasn’t joking, but truly angry.

“Heh~ I said it, so what?!”

“Whoosh—!” 

Sun Wei’s pencil case was instantly thrown out. 

Because the zipper wasn’t pulled up, the messy gel pens inside also flew out, accidentally hitting several innocent “bystanders.”

And Sun Wei wasn’t to be outdone. 

He rushed forward and swung his fist. 

But Zhang Qiqi wasn’t afraid at all. 

She looked down at him condescendingly and scoffed, “You dare to try hitting me?”

“Damn it, I don’t stoop to a woman’s level!”

An Jing rolled her eyes and slumped into her chair.

Although Zhang Qiqi had a nasty personality, Sun Wei wasn’t much better.

He always had a foul mouth that caused trouble and was often chased and beaten by girls.

But somehow, he seemed to enjoy it…

He really deserved a beating.

An Jing shifted her gaze from the small commotion in the classroom and slightly turned her head to look at Zhu Ying.

She was looking at a manga hidden in her desk drawer, appearing somewhat excited.

Before An Jing could clearly see what was drawn on it, Zhu Ying noticed An Jing’s gaze.

Then, with a “smack,” she closed the book and abruptly pushed it into its hiding place, covered by a pile of test papers.

“I’m a little curious what manga you’re reading,” An Jing scratched her cheek.

“Why are you being so secretive?”

Zhu Ying tilted her head, blinked, puffed out her cheeks, and shook her head, “No, boys can’t see it.”

An Jing really wanted to say that she wasn’t a boy anymore, but obviously, she couldn’t blurt that out.

So, she put on a look of knowing understanding, “Hmph, it’s just those romance mangas, isn’t it? Like pretty boys. You girls just love to read that stuff. I really don’t know what’s so good about men with faces like awls and no muscles.”

Zhu Ying’s expression turned odd, “Hmm… he could be considered a pretty boy, I guess…”

“Right?!” 

An Jing puffed out her chest, putting on an “I totally get it” expression. 

“It’s meaningless. You should occasionally change your taste. Look at men with full beards and muscles all over their bodies—that’s what you call a real man!”

“Pfft…” 

She drew half of her small hand into her sleeve, covering her mouth as she chuckled softly.

“An Jing, do you really want to be a man like that?”

“Of course…”

“But you’re also very cute right now.”

“Calling a man ‘cute’ is an insult in itself…”

“Hmm—”

Zhu Ying’s eyes darted around.

“But you can’t become that kind of man, can you? Why not just be happy with who you are now?”

“What do you mean? What do you mean? I’ll turn back into… I’ll grow into that kind of man in the future!”

She blinked her bright eyes, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, didn’t. Instead, she just smiled, her eyes curving.

Her smile made An Jing break out in goosebumps.

“Hmm—How about coming to my place for your birthday on Friday?” 

She winked playfully. 

“Last time was the lunar calendar.”

“Indeed, the Gregorian calendar feels more official…”

“And only the Gregorian calendar has birthday cake.”

“Ah… will everyone celebrating your birthday be girls?”

“Guess?”

“It’ll definitely be all girls… So, is it not good if I go? Or maybe I’ll just give you the birthday gift and then…”

Zhu Ying puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, “Fine, it’s up to you then.”

“Ahem! It should… still be early, right?”

“It’s this Friday.”

“Ah, so fast… Then, what kind of birthday gift do you want?”

“If you know what the gift is, it’s no fun.”

“True…” 

An Jing looked down at the red sneakers her sisters had given her, the best-fitting shoes she currently owned. 

So, what kind of birthday gift should she get her then?

Would just buying something seem insincere?

After all, what Zhu Ying gave An Jing last time was handmade—at least, she had embroidered some words on it.

***

(4)

At 5:30, the school gate was bustling with many parents still waiting.

Yes, even in junior high, many students were still picked up and dropped off by their parents.

Adults’ conversations always seemed quite simple, either asking “How was your studies today?” or “How are your grades lately?” 

The topics would drag on, always seeming to have words like “progress” and “effort” mixed in.

At the first traffic light intersection outside the school, many people waved goodbye.

“See ya.” 

Fang Qiang, riding his bicycle, nodded at An Jing. He was unusually quiet today.

“Going to the arcade today?” 

Sun Wei looked at Fang Qiang.

“Nah.”

“Zhou Chao, are you going?”

“Let’s go!”

“What about An Jing?”

“I have to go home for dinner. I didn’t get permission today,” An Jing shook her head.

“Besides, even if I went, I wouldn’t get to play much. Too few machines, too many people, and I didn’t bring much money…”

“Good point. A-Wei, let’s go to an internet cafe today!”

“Internet cafe? Alright… an internet cafe works. What game?”

“Ninja Village War!”

“Okay, watch me dominate you.”

“First rule, no using Fourth Generation, it’s too cheap!”

“Then random!”

Zhou Chao yelled at An Jing, “An Jing, are you really not coming? My treat!”

She hesitated, then mumbled “Forget it” from her mouth.

The green light for straight traffic lit up, and she said goodbye to her friends there.

Fortunately, there was still a long way to go in junior high.

After a brief farewell, they would meet again tomorrow…