After Lu Xu Nan finished talking to Ning Yi, his gaze shifted toward Xu Xing Ji.
His good looking sword-like brow rose slightly, as if asking: Why are you still not leaving?
Xu Xing Ji understood, but didn’t plan to cooperate at all.
His eyes moved between Lu Xu Nan and Yan Ziyun. Suddenly, he looked at Ning Yi with a pair of curved eyes, smiling just like the sun. “Yiyi. I heard Ju Meng call you Yiyi, can I also call you like this?”
Ning Yi was so dazzled by that smile, she had to squint. Immediately, the words about going to find her to ask about homework in the evening that Lu Xu Nan had just said were tossed to the back of her mind. She nodded, “Yes, all my friends call me this way.”
Aiyo, my god, this smile is simply against the law, okay? Just smiling like you, who can look at that and turn down your request ah?
Lu Xu Nan’s face became black as the bottom of a pot. The test paper in his hand instantly became waste paper.
When school was over in the afternoon, Yan Ziyun didn’t wait for Ning Yi for once. She rapidly packed up her stuff and left first with Duan Beilei.
Ju Meng sucked on the fruit candy that she got from Ning Yi, all smiles. “Aiyo, just thinking of her deflated appearance this afternoon, I can finish a whole bowl of rice tonight! God Lu deserves to be the male god in my heart! Even when he verbally attacks people, he makes people feel extremely good!”
“Look at you, looking like a vile person flourishing.” Ning Yi laughed at her, but she had to admit, she also felt good seeing Yan Ziyun unsuccessfully pretending to be all that and being ridiculed instead.
Ju Meng wasn’t unhappy at all. On the contrary, she made eyes at her. “Me flourishing is also due to you! Isn’t Yan Ziyun proudest of her good grades? She even made insinuations to step on your bad grades. This time, she can be considered to have run into your Nan gege‘s iron plate! So what if her grades are good? God Lu is still going to your house to ask you about homework~~~”
“Ask about homework”, such a positive behavior in studying, immediately became indecent when dragged out by Ju Meng .
Ning Yi finished packing up her schoolbag. She took out a candy and stuffed it into her mouth and said, “Speak properly.”
Ju Meng’s expression was all “you and I both know” as she raised her brow and said, “Aiya, you don’t have to pretend! Do we not know each other? Don’t tell me Lu Xu Nan is really looking for you to ask math questions ah? On the last term’s finals, I scored 69 on math, and it was still 1 point higher than you! Why doesn’t he come ask me ah?”
“Mediocre student” Ning Yi had no way of refuting: “…”
Seeing she couldn’t say anything, Ju Meng put on an act, tsking and shaking her head. “Being a green plum and bamboo horse is good. When you go back after school, you can still openly spend time alone together~~~”
Ning Yi naturally wouldn’t really believe that Lu Xu Nan would look for her to ask questions in the evening, it was just because he only knew about her alternate identity and wasn’t used to seeing Yan Ziyun being pretentious.
But she couldn’t say this to Ju Meng. Thus, she could only stuff a candy in her own mouth as well and regard it as tacit approval.
The two walked out of the classroom linking arms. They saw Xu Xing Ji who was standing in the hallway with a glance.
His eyes, upon seeing them, curved from smiling.
Ju Meng secretly squeezed Ning Yi’s arm, made eyes, and said in a small voice, “Yiyi, your peach blossoms are blooming recently~”
Ning Yi was speechless, she thought: How is this a peach blossom? I don’t mind telling you, Xu Xing Ji, this Nth tier little supporting character, doesn’t have any emotional story line.
She went over in front of Xu Xing Ji, greeting in courtesy, “Is your arm a little better? I’m sorry ah, we originally agreed that I would treat you for lunch. In the end, I had something and left first.”
“It wasn’t serious originally, it went down after rubbing some medicinal oil.” Xu Xing Ji lifted his arm for her to see. Indeed, there was only a slight greenish yellow mark. He smilingly said, “Then how about we go eat now? I just came to Yucheng recently, I still don’t know what’s tasty around here.”
Ning Yi had just moved her mouth and a men’s backpack blocked her.
Soon after, Lu Xu Nan’s hard voice came. “Ning Yiyi, help me carry my bag.”
Once he spoke, the three people at the scene looked at him.
Lu Xu Nan’s face was gloomy as he swept a glance at Xu Xing Ji’s arm. He pointed at his own left shoulder, staring at Ning Yi, each of his words punctuated as he said, “My shoulder hurts, I can’t carry it.”
Hearing this, Ning Yi actually didn’t suspect anything. After all, she saw the injury on Lu Xu Nan’s shoulder with her own eyes. It was a terrifying bluish black.
She reached out and carried the bag in her arms, asking a little worriedly, “Does it hurt a lot? Didn’t you say it was a lot better before? How about we go to the hospital anyway to get an X-ray and get it looked at… There wouldn’t be a bone fracture or anything, right?”
Lu Xu Nan’s face visibly cleared up, he waved his hand and said, “No need, didn’t the school doctor say there wasn’t anything wrong? Just rest more after going back.”
Ning Yi looked at his swaying arm and couldn’t help raising her eyebrows.
Wow, when the hurting shoulder moves, it’s rather effortless ah!
Lu Xu Nan immediately realized that he raised the wrong hand. The space between his eyebrows jumped, but the expression on his face remained unchanged. His movements were rather visibly rigid as he used his right hand to hold his left shoulder. He hissed, half real and half fake, and turned around walking toward the stairs.
Taking a few steps, he saw Ning Yi hadn’t followed him and turning around, he said with dissatisfaction, “Still not leaving? Brother Xiu took my bike for repairs this morning, I have to take your car back today.”
Ning Yi narrowed her eyes.
Look at this arrogant, bossy, and perfectly fine appearance! It really doesn’t look like it hurts anywhere ah! This guy just wants to take the opportunity to order me around again, right?
Lu Xu Nan saw that Ning Yi was starting to suspect him. He couldn’t help turning his gaze to Fang Ci who was hiding by the back door.
The latter was gesturing at his shoulder with all his might, making an expression of being in horrible pain.
Lu Xu Nan who was urged to use the trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy’s confidence1: …That is too f*cking exaggerated.
He pursed his lips, pausing for about seven or eight seconds. Suddenly his eyes dropped and the right hand holding his shoulder secretly used some strength. Immediately, it hurt so much he let out a muffled groan, he stiffened his voice and opened his mouth, “Ning Yiyi, I’m hurting.”
Looking at the sweat at his temples, it didn’t seem like he was faking it. Ning Yi immediately became worried.
She exchanged words with Ju Meng and hastily said to Xu Xing Ji, “Sorry ah, I can’t treat you today. I’ll recommend some stores to you later, they’re all tasty places.”
Xu Xing Ji’s eyes faintly flashed, and he very considerately said, “It’s okay, then I’ll wait for your message.”
Ning Yi made an “OK” gesture at him and ran to catch up with Lu Xu Nan.
[1] 苦肉计: lit. bitter meat plan/scheme; the trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy’s confidence