Before they could even exchange a few words, Shi Ling had almost finished eating. She packed up her things, stood up, nodded to him again, and said, "I'm leaving now."
Chi Cheng arrived two minutes late again and found that the seat behind Shi Ling was still empty.
Perhaps because everyone's enthusiasm for learning was not high, no one was vying for seats, so they simply sat in the same seats as yesterday.
The third lesson is listening comprehension.
Most intensive courses are geared towards intensive score preparation, skipping the introduction of question types and jumping straight to the point, saying that they will listen to all the Cambridge textbooks intensively. Cambridge has already released 12, a total of 9 books from 4 to 12. Who knows when they will finish listening to all of them intensively?
Indeed, intensive listening is considered the most effective way to improve listening scores, bar none.
If you can listen to a sentence, break it down, and repeat it word for word, a listening score of 7.5 or higher is already within reach.
Chi Cheng played games until 1 a.m. the night before and is now extremely sleepy. He is falling asleep while listening to the recording.
He was lazy and didn't do the latest two Cambridge textbooks at all, which are extremely difficult to understand.
Moreover, the teacher moves at a very fast pace, skipping over unimportant small talk and explaining each key word in detail.
I listened to three sections of Section 1 first. Section 1 was all about everyday life, such as renting a house, renting a car, booking a hotel, going to the library, taking hobby classes, and repairing electrical appliances.
The teacher summarized common words, and then assigned the task of memorizing the relevant vocabulary for 807 today.
The person who edited 807 is truly a genius; there are far more than 807 words. Categorized by scenario, they are all common words.
During break, Chi Cheng immediately lay down on his desk.
Having not slept at his desk for a long time, he drowsily put his arm under his face, though his arm was still propped forward, given his 182cm height and long arms and legs.
Their row was already against the wall, and by sticking his hand out like that, he blocked Shi Ling from getting out.
He felt like he hadn't slept for two minutes before being woken up.
His wrist felt cool and smooth to the touch.
Shi Ling frowned and called him several times, but he didn't listen, so she could only push him with her hands.
"Excuse me, could you move aside?"
Chi Cheng felt a little more awake after being touched by the coolness of her fingertips. He leaned back in his seat and stretched, revealing a glimpse of his slender waist under the hem of his clothes.
Shi Ling returned with a thermos a little while later. After sitting down, she continued flipping through her book. He remembered her straight back during class and couldn't help but ask her, "Aren't you sleepy?"
During breaks, the people around me either sleep or chat; they have no interest in reading.
Shi Ling was naturally sleepy, but she decided to go abroad late and only started preparing for the IELTS exam at the beginning of the year. Now it was March, and she still couldn't pass the IELTS exam, and her dream school's offer hadn't come. She was extremely anxious.
But how could she say these things to someone she had only known for a day? She simply shook her head and said, "Not sleepy."
Perhaps she learned from yesterday's lesson, and today she no longer used a pen, but instead tied her hair up with a black hair tie, which still hung loosely at the base of her neck.
It did reveal quite a bit of her fair, delicate skin on her neck, creating a striking contrast with her jet-black hair.
Chi Cheng soon realized that she was indeed cold, cold to everyone.
Not to mention the WeChat group they created, she never speaks.
During breaks, she usually sits alone in her seat doing exercises and reading. She also eats lunch alone, or you can't see her at all.
Occasionally, girls will invite her, and she won't refuse, but she will never take the initiative to ask someone to go out with her.
There were only about a dozen people in the closed class, and they quickly became familiar with each other.
Girls, in particular, would chat about entertainment gossip and share where they went to get their hair and nails done after class.
We also go out in groups for lunch, because if we're tired of the hotel restaurant, we can order takeout together.
It's easier for guys to get to know each other; they often play games together after class to rank up.
In the evening, the surrounding area is filled with clay pot congee shops, dessert shops, barbecue stalls, and late-night food stalls, which can be seen every day.
That day, Fang Ze joked that they were getting used to the atmosphere of partying every night while abroad.
Most of the students in the class were from Guangdong. At first, I thought she didn't understand Cantonese and didn't want to play with them. Later, I deliberately spoke Mandarin to her and she did the same. When I invited her to play cards together in the evening or order takeout at noon, she would just smile and say sorry. In the evening, she would go back to the classroom to study by herself. When we chatted, she mainly listened and didn't talk much.
She was the only one in the class who loved studying.
Unlike others, even those with a little ambition, who always spend a minute reading a book and ten minutes playing on their phones, only to end up complaining while playing, wasting another day.
Most of the girls in the class were lively and fun-loving, so after a few times, they stopped wanting to talk to her.
Chi Cheng is handsome and has a good personality. He gets along well with both men and women and is never short of companions.
He studied at university in Macau, and many of his university friends are from Guangzhou.
I sneaked out to play twice this week.
At first, even though he tried to flirt with Shi Ling a few times, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she didn't respond.
He didn't care; once the novelty wore off, he quickly forgot about it.
But some people are not like that.
Although the girls in her class were all pretty and dressed elegantly, Shi Ling neither dyed nor permed her hair. She simply tied her hair into a loose low ponytail every day. If it weren't for her long, straight, black hair, she would probably be considered unkempt.
Some people are particularly fond of her; she's aloof and has a sophisticated, detached air.
After class, a few people would always loiter around her seat, making so much noise that Chi Cheng couldn't sleep peacefully.
On Saturday, since there were no classes the next day, everyone went into party mode early.
Even the ward round teachers aren't coming anymore.
A group of people played cards and games in Fang Ze's room until after midnight, and then dispersed after agreeing to go out and have fun the next day.
Chi Cheng went back to his room and lay on the bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep. Wearing shorts and flip-flops, he went out through the fire escape.
As soon as I went outside, I heard someone coughing downstairs.
He recognized Shi Ling's voice after just two soft whispers.
The boarding class was also a painstaking effort, to prevent them from dating, so the boys' rooms were on the floor above the girls' rooms.
He clung to the cold iron railing of the stairs and looked down, but couldn't see anyone.
As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and saw a scene that he would never forget.
Bathed in the dim green light of the emergency exit and the dim light of the fire escape, she sat half-sitting on the stair steps, wrapped in a blanket, her long legs peeking out from under her nightgown and resting on the next two steps.
Her hair was loose, and a cigarette was held between her slender, pale fingers, burning gently.
Like a beautiful female ghost who came to earth to relieve her boredom.
Chapter 4
Chi Cheng had a strange feeling that if he didn't speak, Shi Ling would dissipate into the smoke in the next second.
"Shi Ling?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it still echoed faintly in the enclosed fire escape.
Shi Ling turned around upon hearing the voice, and was clearly a little surprised to see him, but quickly regained her composure and gave a cold nod.
Chi Cheng sat down next to her. He could chat with anyone and always easily became the center of attention.
He was trying to pry open Shi Ling's mouth.
She spoke up herself, "Do you smoke?"
Chi Cheng looked at the slender women's cigarette in her hand and the ESSE she handed him.
He pulled a Marlboro cigarette out of his flashy shorts.
His legs were covered in thick hair.
Unexpectedly, Shi Ling looked him over and then laughed.
Chi Cheng asked, "Am I that funny?"
"This is the first time I've seen you dressed like this. It looks like..." She thought for a moment, "...like three pairs of clothes for fifty yuan."
She rarely talks, "I've always felt that guys from Guangdong are pretty slick and groomed, not in a derogatory way."
Indeed, taking Chi Cheng as an example, all the boys in the class changed their clothes every day. Their ankles were exposed under their cropped pants, socks were not visible, their shoes were mostly limited editions, their clothes were obviously carefully matched, and their hair was fluffy and neat.
Quite a few wore accessories, such as a silver chain around their neck, or like Chi Cheng, they had pierced ears and wore sparkly earrings.
A person who is usually serious and doesn't smile can make a joke sound incredibly funny.
Chi Cheng suppressed a laugh, "You're wrong, it's not that expensive, it's ten yuan a piece."
The two looked at each other and laughed together.
Chi Cheng continued, "Only a few people dress as handsomely as me. Haven't you heard? In Guangdong, the richer you are, the more shabby you dress. The standard outfit is flip-flops and shorts. In Cantonese, these shorts are actually called 'ma yan tong'. I'll take you to the street to see them next time."
After getting off the plane, Shi Ling met with the agent and went straight here to report for duty, without having a chance to experience the local customs and culture of Guangdong.
Hearing him speak Cantonese reminded me, "Your Mandarin is much better than theirs."
Chi Cheng explained, "My mother is from the north, and there are quite a few locals in Guangzhou, unlike Shenzhen and Zhuhai where almost the entire population is from other places."
Chi Cheng squinted at her legs as he smoked. It was the first time he had seen her with so much skin exposed. As always, she was afraid of the cold and had wrapped herself in the thin blanket from the hotel room.
Her legs were long and straight, and most importantly, they were white; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say her skin was as white as snow, without a single hair on it.
He was somewhat distracted by her gaze before turning to look at her face.
It's true that 70% of men look at a man's legs before his face.
He now understands why the boys were so persistent in pursuing Shi Ling.
Shi Ling's appearance wasn't particularly outstanding; at most, she had a cool and aloof air about her. The girls in her class were all pretty, and they dressed up even more than her.
Only then did he realize that she usually wore no makeup, at most drawing her eyebrows. Even now, there wasn't a trace of makeup on her eyebrows; her face was still so fair and smooth, like tofu, giving off a soft, glowing effect even in the dim light.
He couldn't help but rub his fingers together.
Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Shi Ling asked him, "Why aren't you asleep yet, it's so late?"
Chi Cheng was used to staying up late, either playing cards and having fun with them or going back to play games and watch videos by himself.