Chapter 9 – New Friend

Next day

Today is the first physical education class after the start of school. Because they were going to do sit-ups, the PE teacher instructed the students to form pairs and count for each other. This was also a way to see which classmates were close to each other. As soon as the command was given, the students spontaneously formed pairs and were quite cooperative.

However, for a transfer student, this was the most disadvantageous situation. As the crowd started to disperse and students began to form teams with their friends, Jian Mei stood still, feeling a bit lost.

Not far away, the PE teacher urged, “Have you all formed teams? Come over here.”

The students rushed towards the designated area as a large group, and Jian Mei’s lonely figure became more noticeable. He hesitated, wondering if he should approach a classmate who hadn’t formed a team yet. But every time he looked over, the other person quickly avoided eye contact, as if he were some kind of ferocious beast. It was strange. Jian Mei had always wanted to integrate into the group, but he always felt excluded.

Jian Mei’s face turned pale, he pursed his lips, and his helpless hand by his side curled up slightly, trying not to attract too much attention. The occasional glances from some classmates made him uncomfortable.

At that moment, a gentle voice came from behind, “Hello, can we be together?”

Jian Mei was somewhat surprised as he turned around and met a pair of smiling eyes. “My name is Cheng Yu. It seems like you haven’t formed a team. Can I be with you?”

The person in front of him had a refined and scholarly appearance, exuding an air of intellectualism. If Jian Mei remembered correctly, Cheng Yu was also the class representative for math and had quite a few friends. Why would he come over and team up with him?

“It’s possible,” Jian Mei blinked his round eyes at him. “But do you really want to team up with me?”

Cheng Yu smiled. “Is there a problem?”

Jian Mei quickly shook his head. “No.”

Cheng Yu seemed much more familiar, and seeing that many classmates had already gone over, he instinctively took Jian Mei’s hand. “Come this way.”

His hand was slightly cold but clean. When doing sit-ups, the boy in the white T-shirt moved swiftly and cleanly. He even had a faint scent of soap. When it was Jian Mei’s turn, Cheng Yu counted in a warm voice. When Jian Mei got tired, Cheng Yu not only didn’t rush him but also encouraged him softly. Cheng Yu, just like his name, was like a piece of jade, cool and gentle, like a polished jade.

Jian Mei was panting at the end, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I can only do this much.”

Cheng Yu handed him a clean tissue from his pocket. “It’s okay, you did great.”

“Thank you.” Jian Mei reached out and took it, wiping the sweat off his face. His eyes, bright and shining, gazed at Cheng Yu with a pure admiration. “You’re amazing, being able to do 70.”

Cheng Yu appeared to be a weak and scholarly type, so it was unexpected that he had such strength.

“It’s nothing. With exercise, you can do it too.” He spoke gently, without any judgment for Jian Mei who only did 30.

Jian Mei felt encouraged and couldn’t help but smile confidently. “Yeah!”

While they were engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t notice that many classmates who had already finished were secretly observing them with subtle expressions. They dared not approach, so they could only gossip quietly:

“What is our leader up to?”

“Oh my, his smile is so creepy. I hope the transfer student won’t get into trouble.”

“Don’t try to guess Cheng Yu’s intentions.”

“It’s really strange. Didn’t he tell us not to befriend transfer students…”

“Keep your voice down. Do you want to get into trouble?”

Jian Mei didn’t feel anything amiss. On the contrary, he was secretly delighted to have met a good person. It had always been difficult for him to make friends from childhood to adulthood. Of course, he had some friends before, but in a game, he was pushed and injured, bleeding profusely until he fainted. Later, after being sent to the hospital, he was diagnosed with leukemia and began years of chemotherapy and medication. When he was slightly better, he returned to school, but some classmates, knowing about his condition, worried that he might suddenly fall ill, so they deliberately kept their distance.

Returning to school this time, he felt a bit sad seeing how his classmates treated him. But at the same time, he was also adapting. He initially thought it would take a long time to integrate into the group, but unexpectedly, he met Cheng Yu.

After the physical education class ended, Jian Mei made a special trip to the convenience store to buy two bottles of water. When he returned to the classroom, he found Cheng Yu’s seat and wanted to give them as a gesture of gratitude.

“Um…”

A crowd had gathered in the second row, and several boys stood around Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu was talking to someone, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, lacking the smile he had during the physical education class. As soon as Jian Mei spoke, everyone turned their attention towards him.

With fair skin and a refined appearance, Jian Mei placed the water on the table and said to Cheng Yu in a gentle tone, “Here.”

Cheng Yu looked at him with some surprise.

Jian Mei felt inexplicably nervous but explained, “Thank you for the physical education class. This is for you as a token of appreciation.”

After he finished speaking, a boy with a crew cut next to him curiously glanced at the label on the water and was the first to speak up, “Hey, Yu ge never drink this brand, Yu-ge…”

Jianmei was still listening attentively, but the bottle of water on the table was taken away. Cheng Yu twisted it open and took a sip before looking at him and smiling, “Thank you, I was thirsty.”

The others had a subtle expression of surprise.

Jianmei didn’t pay much attention to it. He just felt a bit embarrassed in front of so many people and nodded casually, “You’re welcome, it’s nothing.”

He was about to leave, but Cheng Yu said, “Wait a moment.”

Jianmei stopped and turned to look.

“Do you use WeChat or QQ?” Cheng Yu asked in a gentle voice, “Shall we exchange contact information?”

Jianmei only had one person on WeChat, Luo Xingwang, and even though he had it, he didn’t have any friends. This was the first time someone asked him for his contact information, so he hesitated for a moment.

Cheng Yu added, “I’ll add you to the class group.”

So that’s what he wanted to say.

Jianmei wasn’t disappointed either. He quickly ran to his own seat, took out a piece of paper, and ran back. His handwriting was neat, and after writing a series of numbers, he handed it to Cheng Yu, saying, “Here, this is my QQ.”

After Cheng Yu took it, he was about to say something, but the bell for class rang, so Jianmei hurriedly returned to his seat. Even the people around Cheng Yu who wanted to ask something had to give up. However, for most of the students in the class, today was a dream-like day.

…

Stan Star

The sun was setting, and the sky was getting late.

Aruo brought the evening meal over. She had recently returned from the temple and thought that His Highness might be melancholic for a long time. Strangely, however, Luo Xingwang didn’t seem to be greatly affected. On the contrary, he seemed to be in a slightly better state. At least he no longer resisted taking medicine and didn’t bury himself in his desk all day long. Occasionally, he would divert his attention to other things.

Like now.

As twilight approached, Luo Xingwang put down the documents and glanced at the sky, pretending to ask casually, “What time is it?”

Aruo hurriedly replied, “It’s already six o’clock, Your Highness.”

Six o’clock, Jianmei finished school.

Due to school regulations, this child couldn’t bring a cellphone. But as soon as school ended, he was like a wild horse released from its reins, eagerly sending messages. Blah blah blah, a long string of school-related things. Although Luo Xingwang wasn’t very interested, Jianmei did this every day, and it somehow formed a habit for him.

However, today…

After the evening meal, there were still no messages on the information terminal. Luo Xingwang was somewhat surprised. It was rare for him to proactively open the message screen, only to find that there was still no activity. That was really strange. Could something have delayed it today? As he was thinking about it, just as he was about to exit the interface, the message screen shook a bit, and Jianmei sent a message: “Are you there?”

Luo Xingwang’s eyebrows involuntarily relaxed. It was just someone checking in. He felt much more at ease.

Jianmei sent another message, seeming a bit excited: “I have some good news to share with you. You definitely won’t expect it!”

“What is it?” Luo Xingwang asked.

Was the delay in receiving the message today somehow related to this news? Or was it that whenever something good happened, Jianmei couldn’t wait to share it with him?

Unconsciously, Luo Xingwang looked at the words on the message panel, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. After all, he was still a child.

Another message from Jianmei popped up:

“I made a friend!”

“And it turns out we live on the same route.”

“He is the class representative for math and even offered to teach me math problems!”

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Translator’s Note-

Lu Xingwang-“……….”

Cheng Yu- “You got a competitor”