Little Sweetheart

Amidst the commotion, the English teacher couldn't take it anymore. He coughed loudly twice and rapped on the blackboard. "Quiet down. Class is still in session."

Xia Zhijun strolled back to his seat. Gu Siyi stared at him, noticing the bruise on the corner of his mouth. Her gaze swept over him, taking in every detail, even scrutinizing his gait. Finally, she concluded that apart from his mouth, there were no other visible injuries.

After the four boys had settled down, the English teacher reminded the dazed class representative, "Continue reading, please."

Gu Siyi snapped back to reality, embarrassed. She immediately began to read.

After the reading, as the English teacher started the lesson, Gu Siyi couldn't focus.

Lost in thought, she tore off a piece of paper and wrote: Did the principal punish you?

While the English teacher turned to write on the board, she crumpled the note and tossed it onto Xia Zhijun's desk, her eyes following its trajectory.

Zheng Peipei, who witnessed this little act, nudged Gu Siyi's arm and whispered, "Who knew you were such a pro at passing notes."

Gu Siyi coughed lightly. "Special circumstances."

Xia Zhijun unfolded the note and scribbled a reply before crumpling it up.

He looked at Gu Siyi and stretched out his arm across the aisle, waiting for her to take the note.

Why not just throw it? Gu Siyi complained internally, quickly leaning over to grab the note from his hand.

Their fingers brushed, his radiating a faint warmth, before Xia Zhijun slowly retracted his hand.

Gu Siyi unfolded the note. Zheng Peipei leaned in to read it with her.

In the boy's elegant and forceful handwriting was a single line: Worried about me so much you can't even last one class?

Gu Siyi: "…"

Zheng Peipei covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.

"So annoying!" Gu Siyi muttered under her breath. Instead of answering properly, he was teasing her.

Zheng Peipei whispered, "He's still in the mood to joke with you, so he must be fine."

"Who's joking with him…" Gu Siyi retorted, her face flushing involuntarily.

"Just ignore him, look at how smug he is." Zheng Peipei had barely finished speaking when she saw Gu Siyi scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Let me see what you wrote."

Gu Siyi hid the note. "Nothing much, just trying to extinguish his improper, frivolous attitude," she said.

Taking advantage of the teacher's momentary distraction, she quickly tossed the note onto Xia Zhijun's desk.

"Quick hands, bold yet cautious. Siyi, I don't think you're cut out to be a top student. You have the makings of a true slacker," Zheng Peipei commented, impressed.

Gu Siyi: "…"

After a moment of silence, she replied, "Study hard, make progress every day."

The note landed on Xia Zhijun's desk, but before he could react, Lu Jiaye snatched it.

Xia Zhijun shot him a chilling glare. Lu Jiaye chuckled. "I want to see what secrets you two are sharing in class."

"Lu Jiaye, are you looking for a death wish?" Xia Zhijun's face darkened with anger.

"Death it is then! Even if it means dying for gossip!" Lu Jiaye declared dramatically. He turned away, tilting his head to the side, and unfolded the note.

Did the principal punish you… The first line had barely registered when the note was snatched from his hand.

"Damn you… You… Good morning, teacher…" Lu Jiaye's expression morphed from fury to a fawning smile.

The English teacher, holding the note, said, "Not paying attention in class and passing notes instead. Should I share the contents with the entire class?"

"Please, teacher, don't…" Lu Jiaye pleaded.

If it were his own note, it wouldn't be a big deal. But this belonged to the great Xia Zhijun.

The entire class leaned forward, ears perked, eager for the gossip.

The contents of the note were bound to be explosive.

Gu Siyi buried her head in her arms, wanting to disappear.

Ignoring Lu Jiaye's pitiful pleas, the English teacher walked towards the podium, reading aloud as he went.

"Did the principal punish you?"

"Worried about me so much you can't even last one class?"

"Yes! I was worried about you! Is there a problem with that? Am I not allowed to be?"

Whispers erupted throughout the classroom.

"Who's passing notes with Lu Jiaye?"

"From the tone, it sounds like a friend of his…"

"Which friend?"

"No idea… I'm curious too."

Not only were the students curious, but the English teacher was also intrigued.

He detected an unusual intimacy in the note's tone.

Standing on the podium, he asked Lu Jiaye, "Who wrote this note to you?"

Close to tears, Lu Jiaye pleaded, "Teacher, you've already read it, isn't that enough? Give me some face, okay?"

The English teacher said sternly, "If you don't tell me, I'll hand this note to your homeroom teacher. They can compare the handwriting with the entire class and find out who wrote it."

I'm screwed. Not only will they find out about Dimple Girl, but they'll also find out about this demon.

Having already caused such a huge mess, Lu Jiaye didn't dare let the situation worsen…

He said with a grimace, "I'll confess. The one who wrote the note is Zheng Peipei. We're good friends, she was concerned about the fight and asked about my well-being. I was just teasing her…"

"…???" Gu Siyi, her ears burning red, was dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events.

"…!!!" Zheng Peipei's eyes widened as she found herself the center of attention.

"Was it you, Zheng Peipei?" the English teacher asked.

Gu Siyi bit her lip and was about to stand up when Zheng Peipei grabbed her clothes from under the desk and stood up herself.

With a sincere and apologetic expression, Zheng Peipei said, "I'm sorry, teacher. I was just worried about my classmate and acted impulsively by passing notes during class. I promise it won't happen again."

Her response left the English teacher unsure of what to say. He couldn't criticize a girl as directly as he would a boy, as girls were generally more sensitive and self-conscious. He paused for a few seconds before saying, "Sit down. Pay attention in class from now on. You can talk after class."

"Thank you, teacher." Zheng Peipei sat down, relieved.

"Teacher, can I sit down now?" Lu Jiaye asked pitifully.

"You can stay standing. You're the most restless one in class."

"Damn it, we both passed notes, why the difference in treatment…" Lu Jiaye muttered under his breath.

The rest of the class passed peacefully as everyone behaved themselves until the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the lesson and the English teacher's departure.

Gu Siyi turned to Zheng Peipei, a mix of gratitude and guilt on her face. "I'm sorry, I dragged you into this…"

"No, it wasn't you who dragged me into this, it was that jerk! I stood up because I was willing to help you." Zheng Peipei said, her eyes fixed on Lu Jiaye, teeth practically grinding.

She stood up with murderous intent and stalked towards Lu Jiaye.

Sensing the danger, Lu Jiaye cowered in his seat, palms pressed together in a gesture of supplication. "Sis Peipei, I was wrong… I know I was wrong… Please forgive me…"

As Lu Jiaye tried to dodge behind Xia Zhijun, Xia Zhijun simply stood up, giving Zheng Peipei ample space to unleash her wrath.

"I'm going to beat you black and blue! You won't even recognize yourself!" Zheng Peipei grabbed a book and chased after Lu Jiaye.

"Run, keep running! See if you can outrun me!" Zheng Peipei shouted to Gu Siyi as she pursued Lu Jiaye. "Siyi, close the front and back doors! I'm going to teach this dog a lesson!"

Gu Siyi: "…"

While fleeing, Lu Jiaye turned back to Gu Siyi and yelled, "Dimple Girl, you know how I've treated you… You can't side with her against me…"

"I know, I know you're very loyal. That's why I choose to help Peipei." Gu Siyi stood up, ran to the front of the classroom, and closed the door.

Chaos reigned in the classroom. Some students watched the spectacle from their seats, while others peeked in from the hallway.

The students' faces were full of amusement as they gossiped amongst themselves.

"Who knew, Zheng Peipei and Lu Jiaye are a couple."

"It's only been a month, right? That was fast."

"Not even a month. Zheng Peipei didn't attend military training, so it's been just over half a month."

"Impressive, impressive. Way to go, Lu."

"Zheng Peipei is pretty and has a great figure. Lu's not losing out."

"Definitely. Although Zheng Peipei is not as pretty as Gu Siyi, she's still in the top 3 prettiest girls in our class."

"I prefer girls like Gu Siyi. Her smile is killer, and she's so cool playing basketball. Her long legs are amazing, super model-like and elegant. She's the prettiest girl in our entire year, in my opinion."

"Like you have a chance with Gu Siyi? Dream on. She has Xia Zhijun."

"No, I heard Xia Zhijun is like a brother to her. Their families are close, and Xia Zhijun's mother treats Gu Siyi like her own daughter."

"Well, with a brother like Xia Zhijun watching over her, do you think you stand a chance? The last guy who tried to woo her was Lu Ming, and now he's in the hospital."

"…"

"Hahaha, who's next? Who can, who up~"

While they gossiped merrily outside, the "domestic dispute" continued to unfold inside, much to the amusement of the onlookers.

Gu Siyi returned to her seat, where Xia Zhijun was now sitting in Zheng Peipei's place.

The note incident had left Gu Siyi feeling embarrassed and awkward, and she didn't feel like talking to Xia Zhijun.

Xia Zhijun, a hint of amusement in his eyes, said casually, "Yes, you are allowed."

Gu Siyi turned to look at him. He explained, "Answering your question."

He had been annoyed when Lu Jiaye snatched the note, but when the English teacher read that line aloud, he couldn't help but smile, imagining her pouting tone.

Gu Siyi glared at him. "You still have the nerve to mention it."

Xia Zhijun leaned back, propping his head up with one hand while fiddling with the zipper of his school uniform with the other. He looked at her with a faint, teasing smile. "Why wouldn't I? I like it when you're concerned about me."

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