Sorry for the unannounced 1-week hiatus…
So after class, in the corner of the classroom by the window, two people who had just returned to school started working enthusiastically. They returned to their assigned desks again.
Luo Suo on the side watched with amazement. He thought that Ming-ge really had completely fallen in love.
Did Zhu Tong casted a spell on him or something?
He held two rolls of desk covers, watching from the side. Each person had their own desk, and they could have worked separately, which would have been faster. But they insisted on “cooperating” by cleaning one desk together before moving to the next. Occasionally, they would lean their heads together, like young lovers flirting.
Oh, they’re really flirting.
Luo Suo was absolutely convinced of this.
He watched for a while, then surprisingly said with some relief, “Not bad. When Zhu Tong messaged me asking about you two, I thought you guys had a fight and broke up. Ming-ge, you’re quite good at stirring things up. You’re already in A City, but you didn’t tell him. Aren’t you afraid things might go awry?”
Shao Ming: “…”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Classmate Luo Suo was really a late prophet.
At that time, the favorability level plummeted – didn’t it mean that things did go awry?
As soon as he saw Luo Suo now, Zhu Tong thought of the 30% favorability level.
Look at Luo Suo: he genuinely worried for his brother, sincerely happy for his brother… such a good friend, and yet his level was only at 30%…
During the next class, Zhu Tong also looked at Shao Ming’s favorability score for other classmates. Because the real people were in front of him, he didn’t need to see through the system’s display, he could just see them floating above their heads.
For the students sitting in the front, it’s a tidy all 0%.
The values on the back row weren’t as tidy as that, but the difference between values weren’t that large. Whether it was positive or negative, the values were almost all single digits.
Shao Ming’s impression of most of the students in Class 3 can be summed up in two words: no feeling.
At first, Zhu Tong was moved by his own value – almost 80%. But after being moved, he began to worry.
Shao Ming was so difficult, when could his progress bar be full?
“Liking” cannot be determined solely by words.
He couldn’t just sit around and wait; he needed to gather more data.
During afternoon break, while Shao Ming was called away by Shi-laoshi to ask about the competition, Zhu Tong talked to the class monitor for a while and asked some questions about Shao Ming.
“Me and Shao Ming?” Tang Nuan exclaimed with surprise. “We were in the same class in the first year, but before the class division, I wasn’t the class monitor, and I didn’t sit with him. We didn’t talk much. After the division, there was no need, and we didn’t communicate much. Shao Ming seems easy to talk to, but when it comes down to it, I don’t know what to talk to him about.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Gongshui No. 1 social and science studies were divided very early, and they have already been divided in the second semester of first year.
After being divided into studies, the seating arrangement never changed. From the time of class division, Shao Ming and the monitor have been sitting at the front and back tables diagonally for half a year.
Because there was not much communication, the favorability value was not high.
Zhu Tong thought for a while and said, “But, I have been with him not for long, and I think he’s really good at talking.”
“He’s only doing that for y…” Tang Nuan was about to roll her eyes but suddenly remembered something. She turned to Zhu Tong, leaning her hands on the edge of his desk. “By the way, is Shao Ming staying far from your house during the competition in A City? Did he come to see you? Did you two plan to return together?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
The class monitor seemed to have glimpsed a kernel of truth. The answer to these 3 questions are all “yes”.
He said perfunctorily: “It’s quite far, it needs a two hour drive by car.”
Tang Nuan: “…”
‘So he did come to see you? Otherwise, how would the timing be so precise?’
Tang Nuan noticed the slight blush on his ears, and the answer became quite clear.
She smiled reservedly and didn’t pursue the matter further.
Curiosity breeds more questions, so it has to be stopped early.
Soon the afternoon class was over, and Shao Ming took Zhu Tong out of the classroom, ready to go to dinner outside the school.
Luo Suo has already reserved a seat in the hot pot restaurant, saying that he wanted to welcome the two of them.
Zhu Tong could understand Luo Suo welcoming Shao Ming, but why include him in the welcome? What was there for him to welcome?
Nevertheless, Zhu Tong obediently went along.
He decided to think of it as him also welcoming Shao Ming.
“I didn’t invite you over for nothing, Ming-ge. Once you win in the competition and get your prize money, you’ll have to treat us to a meal.”
Shao Ming placed a few slices of fatty beef into the mild soup portion of the hot pot, then, when they were cooked to perfection, he scooped them up and placed them in front of Zhu Tong’s bowl, asking softly, “Can you eat this?”
Zhu Tong nodded. “Yes.”
I always felt that after knowing his “illness”, Shao Ming took care of him more carefully than before.
He added. “I can now avoid the previous taboos.”
Although he hasn’t tried it yet.
Beside him, before Shao Ming could speak, Luo Suo chimed in, “What? Your stomach feel better? Let me tell you, it’s just an illusion. I have a cousin who’s a chronic stomach patient. Every time she’s in pain, she’s practically at death’s door. But after a trip to the hospital and getting some treatment, she forgets all about the pain and eats as she pleases. Then, just yesterday, she was sent back to the hospital. So, take it from this brother, don’t be reckless with your life.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
Shao Ming also added, “No hurry, you can try it slowly in the future.”
Zhu Tong could only accept the idea and reached his chopsticks into the spicy soup pot.
Shao Ming looked back at Luo Suo, replying to his previous words, “You have such confidence in me. What if I don’t win any prize money?”
“How could you not win the award? You are too modest, Ming-ge. But it doesn’t matter if you don’t treat me in the future, anyways,” Luo Suo nonchalantly added, “You treated me so many times before, and I’m not at a loss anyway.”
“…”
It really doesn’t matter to Luo Suo. He happily picked up a mutton roll and dipped it in the soup.
Zhu Tong picked up a piece of fatty beef, dipped it in sauce, and placed it in his mouth, discreetly glancing at Luo Suo.
During the time they spent dining off-campus together, Shao Ming seemed to have not failed Luo Suo in terms of treating others.
Maybe not just in terms of treating him melas, but in other ways as well.
It’s not that he’d rather suffer himself; it’s that he doesn’t want to owe anyone, nor does he want to accumulate debts of gratitude.
He never seemed to ask how Shao Ming and Luo Suo met.
Zhu Tong suddenly took out his mobile phone, thought for a moment, and sent a message to Luo Suo.
The message was sent quickly, and Luo Suo’s phone vibrated twice in his pocket.
Luo Suo opened his phone and looked at it, then looked up at the opposite side.
“?”
Why did Zhu Tong send him WeChat despite them meeting face-to-face?
He clicked on the message.
<Zhu>: When did you and Shao Ming meet?
<Luo Suo is Not Long-Winded>: Didn’t Ming-ge tell you?
<Luo Suo is Not Long-Winded>:We have known each other since junior high school.
He and Shao Ming met in the first year of middle school, and they happened to be assigned to the same class, but like everyone else, he didn’t communicate much with Shao Ming at the beginning.
Later, the relationship between the two really improved. It was during the time when Shao Ming sent Qiu Shaoping to prison. Because Luo Suo was Shao Ming’s classmate, his uncle – a prison guard who was concerned – would also ask Luo Suo about Shao Ming’s situation at school. Luo Suo then knew something about Shao Ming’s family.
At that time, when he was in middle school, his curiosity was sprouting. Luo Suo considered himself a messenger of justice and often went to Shao Ming in the name of “his classmate”. He rushed up and helped to fight Qiu Shaoping together with Shao Ming, and was even honorably injured before the police arrived.
After the two teenagers fought together, they established a revolutionary friendship.
Zhu Tong didn’t ask about the specific process, but after thinking about it, he continued typing.
<Zhu>: What about after that?
<Luo Suo is Not Long-Winded>: After what?
<Zhu>: Your relationship has always been so good? Often eat together, have you done anything else?
If they have known each other so early on the first day of middle school, and have been friends for more than five years, Luo Suo could be considered as Shao Ming’s childhood friend, right?
<Luo Suo is Not Long-Winded>: Our relationship has always been like this, but later in third year of middle school, Ming-ge started to get really busy. Except for the few classes that he had to take, I could hardly even see him every day. We hardly met during early high school too, mainly because I was assigned to a different class in first year.
Zhu Tong:…
He was busy during middle school? What kind of middle schooler is busy with something every day?
After Qiu Shaoping was imprisoned, shouldn’t Shao Ming enjoy school life easily?
So Shao Ming’s low favorability level of Luo Suo was because they don’t really spend much time together?
Zhu Tong suddenly fell silent.
Luo Suo, who received no reply, looked up.
He felt that the situation was a little weird now.
He and Zhu Tong communicated on WeChat at a table in front of his Ming-ge?
Shao Ming focused on the hot pot and didn’t seem to notice anything unusual.
Luo Suo looked at Zhu Tong again, who was typing with his head down, no emotion on his face, and of course, no guilty conscience.
Luo Suo was confused.
Regarding the matter between him and Shao Ming, why did Zhu Tong ask him? Can’t he just ask the guy himself, who sat next to him?
When he was at a loss, his phone vibrated twice.
<Zhu>: What about Lu Zheyu? How long have he and Shao Ming known each other?
Luo Suo: …
Luo Suo quickly flipped through the chat records, and suddenly realized.
Why did Zhu Tong ask about his relationship with Shao Ming?
Why ask what they have done before?
Why does he care so much about the time they met? Even Lu Lao’er isn’t spared!
And he deliberately used WeChat behind Ming-ge’s back to secretly ask him?
This must be checking up on him, ah!
Luo Suo couldn’t help it anymore. He immediately sat up straight, turning his phone upside down on the table.
There was a sudden “bang“, and the sound was extremely loud in the private room.
The two people across the table looked up at the same time.
Luo Suo stood up suddenly: “Zhu Tong… No, Saozi1嫂子; sister-in-law, specifically, your brother’s wife, Ming-ge and I are just friends!”
“…”
“…”
Shao Ming looked at him like he was mentally challenged.
Zhu Tong was also caught off guard and shivered in response.
‘Who the hell is your Saozi?’
But Luo Suo didn’t care anymore. He looked at Zhu Tong and said, “Let’s be completely open today. I guarantee you that Ming-ge is absolutely devoted to you. You can’t doubt him just because you haven’t known each other for long. And you’re even doubting me. Let me tell you, even if Lu Lao’er and I have some special relationship, there’s no way I’d have them with Ming-ge!”
In the private room, this self-saving proclamation was loud, and the only two audience members were silent.
The author has something to say:
Lu Lao’er: I don’t want to have a special relationship with you.
