It's already been many days since the Beginning of Autumn, why is it still so hot? The school still won't turn on the air conditioning. Our city high school is so stingy.
"So hot! In a few days we have military training, we'll definitely get tanned!"
During the break, a few girls gathered together to chat. An electric fan hummed softly. A faint scent of perfume drifted into Su Baixue's nose, very fragrant and pleasant. Su Baixue curiously glanced back.
"... Do you have any sunscreen recommendations? The spray type." A soft voice asked. Su Baixue knew her name; it was the Chinese class representative, Sun Shumin.
Su Baixue glanced and turned back; she still had to continue writing practice questions.
"Sunscreen?" The girls behind continued chatting. One short-haired girl got excited upon hearing Sun Shumin's words. "Shumin, you should buy the newly released sunscreen series from Anpeinas! I tell you, this sunscreen series is really good. It has some new ingredient... Don't doubt me, I just forgot what ingredient it is~ But it protects the collagen and elastic fibers in the dermis. Not only does it block the sun, it also prevents premature aging! And it comes in a spray version!"
"Stop, stop, stop. Okay, enough bragging. I know it's your brother's new endorsement. Too expensive, I can't afford it." Sun Shumin waved her hand. "Any budget-friendly recommendations?"
The short-haired girl smiled sheepishly, revealing her fine white teeth, and asked another girl, "Baozhu~ you should buy it. You can definitely afford it!"
"I can't afford it either."
"If you can't afford it, then nobody can. Buy one!"
The girl named Baozhu took out her phone and glanced at it. She had a new alert for a special follow on Weibo. As she opened Weibo and quickly liked and commented, she pretended to be nonchalant and said to the short-haired girl, "Why do you like Wei Yun so much? I think he looks just so-so. He must have had some tweaks."
"How could he have tweaks! He's definitely all natural. Don't believe the smear campaigns from marketing accounts!"
Baozhu saved Wei Yun's new selfie from Weibo to her gallery, then locked the screen and put down her phone. Impatiently, she gently pushed the short-haired girl: "Tian Ling, you won't buy it yourself but tell me to buy? You want to use my payment screenshot to enter the lottery again? And you call that liking Wei Yun?"
"I don't have money. My dad only gave me a thousand for allowance this month. Brother's endorsed products are all too high-end, I can't afford them..."
Baozhu glanced disdainfully at Tian Ling. Just freeloading, and she dares to like Wei Yun just like her? Brother is the most brilliant existence in the galaxy and bright moon, gorgeous as poetry, splendid as painting, as verdant as mountains and rivers, the faith condensed from all the beauty in the universe! Even if she can't afford it, she'd eat dirt to buy it!
Baozhu, full name Chen Baozhu. Although she really liked Wei Yun, she always acted like a bystander outside, which helped her discern others' opinions of Wei Yun. At the start of the semester, Chen Baozhu thought Tian Ling genuinely liked Brother, so she brought Tian Ling into their circle. But after a few days, Tian Ling showed her true colors.
A woman like that liking Brother is an insult to him. What a bitch!
Chen Baozhu gave a look to Sun Shumin, thinking that in a few days she would teach that bitch a lesson. Then she ignored Tian Ling, propped her cheek, and turned around.
She was a bit bored, wondering why class hadn't started yet. Seeing Su Baixue in front still writing furiously, her gaze landed on Su Baixue's somewhat worn sneakers and she frowned.
This Su Baixue... wears the uniform so properly. Even though the uniform is too big, she doesn't take it to a tailor to resize. What a strange person. And this hair tie, oh my! The hair tie for her ponytail is that kind sold at stalls for a dollar a bundle, all black, like an old lady's choice.
She's pretty good-looking, but she doesn't dress up at all. So out of style.
Come to think of it, school has been on for days, and she hasn't spoken to Su Baixue yet.
Chen Baozhu picked up a pen and poked Su Baixue's back hard. "Hey, Su Baixue, what are you writing?"
"Ah!" Su Baixue cried out in pain. The pen Chen Baozhu used to poke her back was grabbed at random without a cap. The tip was pushed hard, like being pricked by a needle.
Chen Baozhu also realized what happened. She withdrew her hand, threw the pen on the table, and said without sincerity, "Sorry, I forgot the pen didn't have a cap."
"... It's okay." Su Baixue said softly, facing away from her.
"Why won't you turn around? I'm talking to you!" Chen Baozhu found Su Baixue even weirder.
Su Baixue was a bit helpless. She turned around and asked, "Is there something?"
In middle school, Su Baixue's grandmother hadn't woken up yet. The family's money all went to the doctor. After school every day, Su Baixue either handed out flyers, washed dishes, or found part-time work at fast-food restaurants. To maintain her grades, she barely spoke to classmates during breaks and lunch; she just kept studying. For lunch, she ate two big steamed buns she brought and drank plain water, reading while eating. So she didn't have any good friends throughout middle school.
High school was even more important to her. The city high school was full of talented people. To maintain her grades and get a scholarship, Su Baixue continued her old ways, seizing every moment to bury herself in study.
After Su Baixue turned around, the distance between the two girls shortened. Chen Baozhu got a clearer look at Su Baixue's entire face.
It was a face with red lips and white teeth, quite delicate, but not as beautiful as Chen Baozhu's.
Chen Baozhu was bright and generous, recognized as the class beauty. With her wealthy family, she had more confidence in her demeanor compared to Su Baixue.
But at that moment, looking at Su Baixue's face, Chen Baozhu suddenly felt irritable, a chill running from head to foot.
She hated that face! An inexplicable unease made Chen Baozhu stand up.
"How strange!" Chen Baozhu stared at Su Baixue.
Su Baixue was stunned. Chen Baozhu's words were abrupt and she didn't understand. So she asked, "What?"
"I said you're really strange!"
"..." Su Baixue was a bit angry, but she was used to avoiding conflict, so she said nothing, turned around, and continued writing her practice questions.
Chen Baozhu also knew her anger came out of nowhere, but so be it. Hating someone often doesn't need a reason. She deliberately kicked Su Baixue's stool. Su Baixue didn't react. She felt it was boring but also somewhat satisfying.
Finally, the class bell rang. The seat behind Su Baixue belonged to Tian Ling. Chen Baozhu stood up with a sneer and returned to her own seat.
Everyone returned to their seats.
The sound of reading arose, pen tips scratching on paper. Everything returned to silence.
The clear sound of reading, the earnest intent of students.
The breeze felt refreshing, the sunlight made one want to sleep.
Horizontal scroll: Old, old.
Su Cui stretched, yawned widely, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes. She took out her phone to browse news online. This time, Su Cui had gotten a new SIM card with plenty of data, so she could surf the internet freely.
Thank goodness for the dual-SIM dual-standby feature of the senior phone!
Scrolling through Weibo. And maybe download a little game like "Match and Cry."
Su Cui walked slowly. Seeing some fallen leaves and paper scraps on the ground, she swept them into the dustpan with her broom. While sweeping, she opened her browser and searched: Fighting skills girls should learn.