novelhk Chapter 23 Casual Talks Between Classes
Chapter 23 Casual Talks Between Classes
As the last rays of the setting sun shone on the country road, Hong Liguo and Wang Yuxin drove almost side by side. Along the way, Wang Yuxin's mouth hardly stopped, giving Hong Liguo advice and lectures until Hong Liguo was thoroughly annoyed.
In Wang Yuxin's mouth, it seemed that there was only studying, taking exams, future jobs, and that coveted urban household registration. His voice was like the buzzing of mosquitoes in summer, incessant and lingering.
Hong Liguo thought to himself, "Wang Yuxin, you've been nagging me all this way, giving me a splitting headache. You're a girl. If you were a boy, I would have jumped out of the car, pinned you down, and given you a good beating."
Finally, the familiar courtyard came into view. Before Wang Yuxin could say anything, Hong Liguo quickly said, "Wang Yuxin, you're home. See you tomorrow."
Hong Liguo quickly pedaled his bicycle a few times, leaving Wang Yuxin and her nagging behind. He let out a long sigh of relief, like a bird regaining its freedom, finally able to have some peace and quiet. Hong Liguo turned back and waved to Wang Yuxin, thinking: Goodbye! Haha! It would be best if we never saw each other again. Then, like an arrow released from a bow, he rode off as fast as he could, wanting to escape that annoying "source of noise" as quickly as possible.
The next day at school, the sky was overcast, seemingly foreshadowing the unrest to come. Jun and his friends looked grim, clearly still angry. Upon seeing Hong Liguo and Jie, they didn't even greet them before leaving them behind and heading off ahead. Hong Liguo looked at Jie helplessly and accompanied him slowly towards school.
Suddenly, Jie raised his head, his eyes revealing a hint of confusion and regret. He looked at Hong Liguo and said, "Xiaoguo, did I really do something wrong? Should I go find Sun Changlin and tell him I'm quitting?" His voice was low and weak, as if he were judging his own mistakes.
Hong Liguo patted Jie on the shoulder, sighed, and said, "Forget it, the extra time has already been spent. If you bring up quitting now, Sun Changlin will definitely be unhappy. Besides, almost everyone in the first year knows about this. If you say you're quitting now, people will only look down on you and think you're a coward. How will you ever be able to stand up for yourself in the class again?"
After hearing Hong Liguo's words, Jie lowered his head and remained silent the rest of the way, silently enduring the torment in his heart.
Upon arriving at school, Hong Liguo returned to his seat as usual. He was about to speak to Fa Zi when he noticed that Fa Zi was also in a bad mood and wouldn't talk to him. Hong Liguo smiled awkwardly and could only fidget with his books, pretending to study, while his eyes kept glancing at Fa Zi, trying to figure out how to resolve the misunderstanding between them.
Intentionally or unintentionally, Hong Liguo secretly observed Fa Zi. He saw Fa Zi, taking advantage of the teacher's inattention, turn to his seat and whisper to Zhang Yulan, a pretty girl sitting next to him. Both of them had smiles on their faces, and their eyes sparkled with a different kind of light; they were clearly not discussing homework. Hong Liguo immediately understood most of it, thinking to himself, "Fa Zi and Zhang Yulan must be mutually attracted. I've always noticed that Fa Zi is much more attentive to Zhang Yulan than to other classmates. Looks like this kid is secretly making his move! He has a natural advantage; being close to her makes it easier to get what he wants!"
Thinking about this, Hong Liguo's thoughts involuntarily drifted to Qiao Shuang. Reflecting on his relationship with Qiao Shuang, he realized that his feelings for her were completely one-sided. Hong Liguo was conflicted. Should he consider taking the initiative? Should he write her a love letter or pass her a note, at least let her know his feelings? He had to try, to break through this barrier and know the outcome. But just as this thought crossed his mind, another voice echoed in his head: What if Qiao Shuang rejected him? Wouldn't he become the laughingstock of the class? Damn it! Wouldn't he be incredibly embarrassed? How could he ever hold his head high in front of his classmates again?
During the break, Hong Liguo waited until all the students had gone out to play and only a few people remained in the classroom. He stood up, patted Fa Zi on the shoulder, and said he had something to tell him. Then he called Fa Zi to a secluded corner outside.
Fa Zi looked at Hong Liguo with a puzzled expression, thinking that he was going to plead for Jie. When Hong Liguo asked Fa Zi and Zhang Yulan what was going on with a big smile, Fa Zi's face instantly turned bright red, like a ripe tomato, and his eyes began to dart away, not daring to look Hong Liguo in the eye.
Hong Liguo laughed and teased, "Well done, Fa Zi, you're so close to her, you're the first to get the moon! I knew you were interested in her a long time ago. You're always hanging around her, trying to curry favor, haha..." His laughter echoed in the empty corner, tinged with a hint of mockery.
Fa Zi quickly glanced around, looking as nervous as a frightened little bird, afraid that someone would overhear their conversation. Then he lowered his voice and said nervously, "Don't talk nonsense, nothing like that happened."
Hong Liguo raised an eyebrow and retorted, "If nothing like that happened, why are you so nervous? You look guilty; are you trying to hide it from me?"
Fa Zi suddenly gave Hong Liguo a strange smile, a smile that seemed to hide some secret, and said, "You think I don't know about your little stunts? Don't think no one noticed you secretly watching Qiao Shuang every day. If your eyes had hooks, they could have ripped a piece of flesh off Qiao Shuang's face."
This time, it was Hong Liguo's turn to blush. He hadn't expected that his careful, secretive glances at Qiao Shuang had already been discovered by Fa Zi. Damn it! What if others noticed too? If word got out, and Qiao Shuang didn't reciprocate his feelings, where would he put his face? At that moment, Hong Liguo suddenly understood why that girl in Hong Bo's class refused to come to school. If that happened to him, he wouldn't dare show his face either.
Hong Liguo quickly tried to cover up his panic, explaining, "Don't make wild guesses. I just glanced at her a couple of times, that's all. Unlike you, I bet you're already talking about the bride price and choosing a date, right?" He tried to change the subject with a joke to cover up his embarrassment.
"Don't talk nonsense. We just get along well. I do like her, but I don't know what she's thinking. Maybe she hasn't even thought about it that way!" A hint of disappointment flashed in Fa Zi's eyes, and his voice lowered.
Holy crap! So Fa Zi was just a one-sided guy, all talk and no action! Seeing how often they whispered to each other, Hong Liguo thought things were going to fall into place! Turns out, it's still nothing! He secretly rejoiced.
Hong Liguo said, "Should I give Zhang Yulan a heads-up and find out what's going on with her?" He wanted to help Fa Zi and also divert Fa Zi's attention from him and Qiao Shuang.
Fa Zi quickly stopped Hong Liguo, saying, "Don't meddle. It was all good. If you tell her she didn't mean it that way, wouldn't I be making a fool of myself? This can't be rushed; we have to take it slowly."
Fa Zi glanced at Hong Liguo, hesitated for a moment as if pondering something important, and then said, "I have something I want to tell you, but it might be something you don't want to hear. Do you want to listen?"
Hong Liguo said impatiently, "Say what you want to say, or hold it in. Do you think I have the right to hear what you want to hear? You should tell me what you should hear, whether I want to or not. As for what I shouldn't hear, you should swallow it back and let it out somewhere where no one is around." His tone was a bit harsh, but he was also curious about what Fa Zi was going to say.