In the evening, Zhu Tong solved the math problems that he had struggled with, then he wished goodnight before he went to sleep. The sudden change to a new environment did not affect his sleep at all.
Back at school the next day, as expected, he heard some “gossips” floating around.
But it was not malicious. Surprisingly few people paid attention to what Zhou Sui said on the sportsground last night.
In the morning self-study, as the students sat in their seat and finishing some worksheet, at times people that sat in the front would glance at Zhu Tong.
“…Have you seen the photos in the groupchat? They took it from yesterday’s confrontation yesterday! Ahh, why didn’t I leave class later! I have been led astray by the lure of malatang!”
“Isn’t it just a joke? How can you say it so blatantly if it’s really serious? Lao Yang1she’s referring to Yang Can, the 2nd year’s head teacher who often disciplines them. was catching students dating there yesterday!”
“The point is not whether it’s true or not, but their attitude! One dares to say it and the other dares to admit it, so why don’t you believe it?”
“In this way, Shao Ming seems to be really favoring Zhu Tong. Now the back seat of his bicycle has become Zhu Tong’s special seat.”
“Right? Hey, come on, ship them with me. I can use this as my sugar fuel for the next hundred years!”
“Come on, after you saw the photo last night, it didn’t delay you from continuing to line up to buy malatang, you glutton.”
“Hahahahahaha.”
She laughed mercilessly.
Her conversation partner, the shipper girl: “…”
The girls who were talking were quite far from their seats. Zhu Tong couldn’t hear what they said, but he could guess.
He turned to look at Shao Ming, wondering if it would be better to explain.
But Shao Ming actually felt a sense of pleasure when hearing this, and was outwardly unmoved. It seemed that he really “didn’t mind”, so Zhu Tong gave up the idea of explaining.
For breakfast, Luo Suo, Shao Ming, and Zhu Tong went to eat at a wonton restaurant outside the school. During the meal, two people were chewing their food slowly, while one of them devoured it with gusto.
Luo Suo solved his bowl of wontons as quickly as possible. He put down the bowl and chopsticks, looked at the two people sitting across from him and said, “Tell me, when did you two secretly get together?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
He turned to look at Shao Ming.
Shao Ming said without hesitation, “Noon yesterday.”
Luo Suo: “??”
Wasn’t that when he was stood up when he booked a restaurant yesterday?
Luo Suo was shocked. “Ming-ge, I’m not your best brother anymore.”
Shao Ming indulged him in his dramatics. “It’s my fault. As a compensation, I’ll treat you to a big dinner on the weekend.”
Luo Suo bargained, “Two meals.”
Shao Ming: “No problem.”
Luo Suo recovered in an instant. “That’s about right.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
‘These two are very skilled at answering each other.’ Zhu Tong thought as he continued to eat his wontons silently.
Luo Suo propped up his chopsticks in the bowl he had already swept away, and said in confusion, “But why did you suddenly move to Ming-ge’s homestay, Zhu Tong?”
Zhu Tong repoied, “The monthly exam will be taken soon, so Iasked him to tutor me.”
Shao Ming, who sat next to him, added, “Last night, he studied until midnight. Do you want to join?”
Luo Suo: “…”
Luo Suo looked at them with maximum disbelief. At the same time, he was utterly baffled: ‘Why are the people around me so inhumane?’
…but to be able to befriend so many inhumane people. To some extent, he’s also very unique in that regard.
He shook his head decisively. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
He also can’t pay the rent for the homestay. More importantly, joining that tutoring session is simply asking to be tortured!
Finishing their breakfast, they all returned to school. On the way, Shao Ming went to the convenience store and bought a bag of snacks.
“Stuffed milk balls2夹心乳球; 
, have you tried it?”
Zhu Tong shook his head and said, “No.”
Shao Ming opened the packaging, took a milk ball, and handed it to him, “Try it?”
“…”
Zhu Tong doesn’t have the habit of eating snacks. A lot of them weren’t good for his health, so he never tried them in order to prevent him from craving them.
He had almost never seen the snacks that his peers had eaten.
Zhu Tong didn’t know why Shao Ming suddenly bought this. He had been at the same table for so long, and he didn’t seem to have seen Shao Ming eat any snacks.
What he was holding in his hand looked like a candy ball. It should be okay to eat one, right?
–Plus, he will no longer suffer from minor illnesses or disasters.
Zhu Tong reached out and took it, peeled off the candy wrapper, and put one in his mouth. After chewing it, his eyes lit up slightly.
Just like its namesake, it’s full of milky scent, soft yet glutinous in texture, and it’s not overly sweet. It also had a light fruity aroma, and overall, it’s very delicious.
“What kind of candy is this?”
Zhu Tong subconsciously said it, and only after asking did he realize that Shao Ming seemed to have already said it when he gave him the candy.
Shao Ming repeated, “Stuffed milk balls.”
Saying that, he put the bag in Zhu Tong’s hand again, “I bought it for you.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
‘Why did he buy me candy all of a sudden?’
But he really liked this candy, so he took it with a smile. “Thank you, how much is this?”
Shao Ming: “…”
The ball of happiness he felt just watching this young master happily eating candy went poofed in an instant when he asked for the price.
Shao Ming looked at him for a while, then turned around and said, “Let’s go, we’re going to be late for class.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
The monthly exam is approaching soon. The day before the monthly exam, the class did a simple cleaning and arranged the exam room.
Looking at the seat arrangement, he and Shao Ming were separated again. Suddenly, Zhu Tong felt a little… sadness.
This monthly exam needs to be conducted in a separate exam room.
He was assigned to the sixth examination room.
The thought of sitting on an unfamiliar desk that he didn’t know belonged to, would make him feel awkward and repulsive.
‘Can I skip the exam?’
Just as he plopped bonelessly on his desk, a hand stretched out beside him, and a box of unopened things was placed on his desk.
Zhu Tong was suddenly refreshed. “What is this?”
Shao Ming said, “Meat floss and seaweed roll3肉松海苔卷; 
… What were you thinking just now?”
Zhu Tong’s attention immediately latched onto this snack.
Since yesterday, Shao Ming has always bought him all kinds, sometimes bought from outside the school, sometimes from the school canteen. Every one of them had a unique taste, giving his taste bud a surprise each time. He took good care of him, and it stimulated his appetite without giving him stomach discomfort.
The only bad thing is that Shao Ming refused to accept the money, and Zhu Tong could only share those snacks with Shao Ming in return.
After unpacking and tasting a piece, Zhu Tong replied, “I’m thinking about the exam seating arrangement.”
Shao Ming raised his eyebrows. “You don’t want to change seats for the exam?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
He definitely doesn’t want to change seats, but school rules are school rules.
He needs to just get over it.
He shook his head and said, “It’s okay.”
Shao Ming: “…”
Zhu Tong handed the snack box in his hand to Shao Ming and asked, “Do you want one?”
Shao Ming smiled and took one from the box.
On the day of the monthly test, Zhu Tong, who had prepared to go into the battlefield with his trusty tools, walked into the sixth exam room. There, he found that the seat he was taking the test was surprisingly clean.
In the corner of the sixth exam room, the exam is about to start, and the people in the seats have not left.
“Zhao Rong, the bell is about to ring, why don’t you leave?”
The girl named Zhao Rong said, “Wait a while, I have to wait for the person who came to my seat for the exam to come and explain to him that my new table must not be dirtied.”
Someone laughed and said, “Is this a table or your baby? What happened to you?”
Another one asked, “What brought this change in you? Last time, you were fine when your desk legs were on its last breath so you hotfixed it with some wood glue, and it lasted for more than a month. Why did you suddenly scrap it yesterday? Lao Yang also gave you such a new desk, so interesting…”
Zhao Rong said proudly, “What’s so strange about this? It must be because of my charming personality. Hey, with a new desk, I might be able to get a few more multiple-choice questions correct in this monthly exam.”
“Is No. 281 here?”
Suddenly a voice interrupted Zhao Rong’s showing-off session.
As soon as Zhao Rong heard this call, she knew that it was the examinee who would be sitting in her seat, and she immediately replied, “Yes, I’m 281. After waiting for you for a long time, I will tell you that you can sit here, but my seat is a new one. Yes, you can…”
There was a sudden pause before she could finish her words.
The people surrounding her desk stepped aside because of the examinee’s arrival, finally seeing who Zhao Rong was speaking to.
Realizing the student’s identity made Zhao Rong freeze for a while.
The one who spoke out was a delicate-looking boy, a handsome young man with outstanding temperament.
‘Wait, isn’t this Zhu Tong? Then things would be fine!’
After all, she knew that Zhu Tong from Class 3 had cleaned his desk with a full set of cleaning tools until it sparkled under the sun, and it was on his first day of school. His glorious deeds have spread throughout the school.
If Zhu Tong can’t be called to “love being clean”, then nobody can be.
‘Zhu Tong actually took the exam in my seat?’
Looking at the young man who suddenly appeared in front of her, Zhao Rong had a feeling that her seat would be disliked.
‘Zhu Tong is… really good-looking, ah.”
Zhao Rong felt like she had a religious experience.
Seeing that she suddenly stopped, Zhu Tong nodded and said, “Well, I will pay attention to hygiene.”
Zhao Rong: “…”
‘God, what did I just say? Did I offend him with my bad attitude?’
She got up abruptly and said, “It’s okay, you can use my seat as you like. This seat is new, and I got it yesterday, so I can guarantee it will be squeaky clean!”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Not understanding why she changed her attitude, Zhu Tong nodded and smiled, “Thank you.”
Zhao Rong: “…”
‘Ahhh! His voice is so nice!! He looks so much better when he smiles!!!’
The young girl’s heart trembled with excitement. She happily gave up her seat, and rushed to the examination room reluctantly.
Zhu Tong, not knowing of the girl’s mind, calmly sat down on his seat. He took a glance at his surroundings, and concluded, ‘The girls’ seats are indeed cleaner than the surrounding desks. Plus, she did say that this seat is brand new.’
‘It seems that I’m quite lucky.’
Zhu Tong smiled, and his tense nerves instantly relaxed. Initially, he did worry that his seat would be dirty.
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