Ji Li: "Hmm."
After Mao Xianzhi finished speaking, he remembered something else: "By the way, I heard you went to the hospital yesterday. How are you feeling now? Are you still running a fever?"
Ji Li shook his head: "It's already healed."
.
After a rain, the weather grew colder and colder, and fewer people were on the sports field, while the average time people spent in the classroom increased day by day.
The essay competition in Chongliu City has come to an end, but a national essay competition is on its way.
Mao Xianzhi specially set aside two consecutive Chinese classes in the afternoon to organize the whole class to write a speech. He even gave an impromptu speech to everyone for ten minutes again. He started by saying, "You are the face of our Changqiao Chinese class. If you can't even win a competition, wouldn't you be ashamed?" He continued, "Do you know how valuable this competition is? Do you know how much weight this award will carry in your future independent enrollment? Won't you regret missing this opportunity?" Finally, he said, "Do you want to get a score reduction? Do you want to be admitted to university early? Do you want to get rid of the bitter life of high school as soon as possible? What you are missing may just be this award certificate." He successfully reignited the fighting spirit of the class. The whole afternoon was like being injected with chicken blood. As a result, when the math teacher walked in after the Chinese class, he almost thought he had stumbled into a missionary site.
The teacher adjusted his glasses on the podium: "Alright, I know you're all very excited right now, but please take out your textbooks and look at the formulas to calm your brains down."
The second year of high school is currently focusing on the most challenging and difficult topics, and math has always been a major hurdle for the humanities students. The math teacher successfully dampened everyone's enthusiasm in one class, and during the break, he came to their seats and placed a vertically printed certificate of merit on their desks.
Jian Mingyuan leaned over for a look and couldn't help but exclaim, "Holy crap!" He continued, "Academic genius, are your certificates mass-produced? One in the morning and another one in the afternoon?"
Ji Li raised his head.
"First prize in the province, that's a real source of pride for me!" the math teacher said with a smile. "Interested in training for the finals?"
Ji Li shook his head: "No."
The math teacher, however, kept nagging: "You're so good at math, it would be a shame not to participate. A certificate from this kind of national competition is incredibly valuable; you never know when you might need it. As the saying goes, it's always good to have more skills..."
Before he could finish speaking, the class bell rang again. The teacher walked up to the podium, glancing back every few steps, and even while picking up the chalk, he didn't forget to give him a meaningful look.
Jian Mingyuan lowered his voice and asked, "Genius, why are you participating in a math competition all of a sudden?"
Ji Li casually folded the certificate in half and stuffed it into his textbook: "I signed up last semester."
He had already qualified for the preliminary round, and the semi-finals were conveniently held at his own school's exam venue. He didn't even need to look for a place, so he chose to stay overnight during the first week of school to make it easier to get up early for the exam the next day.
Jian Mingyuan asked, "Will you go to the finals?"
Ji Li: "Probably not."
"Why?"
"I am a liberal arts student."
“That’s true. Even if you win an award now, it won’t be of much use for your future college entrance exam.” Jian Mingyuan thought for a moment. “But our math teacher only teaches humanities classes, and he sits in the same office with the math teachers of science classes every day. Everyone around him is talking about how many students in his class solved the last question on the advanced test, and who used the second, third, fourth, or fifth solution method outside the answer key. Now that we’ve finally caught you, we’re not going to give up.”
Ji Li didn't take it seriously at first.
As long as he doesn't give in, the teacher can't just pack him up and throw him onto the training camp bus.
It was already past five o'clock after school in the afternoon. As usual, Ji Li waited until everyone in the corridor had left before going out. As soon as he reached the stairwell, he turned around and saw people standing by the railing.
Ying Yunsheng paused for a moment, then spoke first: "I was just passing by."
Ji Li stopped and stared at him without blinking.
Ying Yunsheng felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at. Just as he was about to turn and run away, he heard the other person ask a question.
"Weren't you waiting for me?"
“Uh…” Ying Yunsheng froze on the spot, staring down at the tile pattern on the ground.
"Want to have dinner together?"
Ying Yunsheng: "Okay."
This was the first time the two had met since that incident in Ji Li's room.
Ying Yunsheng's mind is still a mess regarding what happened that day. At the time, his mind was completely muddled, and he was completely at the mercy of the other person. With his vision obscured, he couldn't sense how much time had passed until he felt a sudden weight pressing down on him. The other person's hand fell down, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that the other person had fallen asleep against him.
The person was already ill, and even in sleep, their eyes and brows were full of fatigue. Ying Yunsheng stood there for a long time without daring to wake them, and simply carried them to the bed, pulled the blanket over them, and quietly left.
For the next two days, Ji Li traveled back and forth between the hospital and home, while Ying Yunsheng had to attend classes and didn't go to see him. Until today, when he was waiting in the corridor after class as usual and looking down, he saw Ji Li walk into the classroom and learned that Ji Li had returned to school. As soon as school was over, he couldn't help but come down and bump into Ji Li.
But now, walking down the stairs side by side with the other person to the cafeteria, Ying Yunsheng opened and closed his mouth countless times along the way, but still couldn't find any opportunity to bring it up.
Especially since the people around them remained calm and composed throughout.
This contrast made Ying Yunsheng increasingly suspicious that what happened that day was merely a hallucination caused by the interaction of his adrenaline and nervous system. Or perhaps the event did actually happen, but the deeper meaning was simply something he had imagined out of the blue.
Ji Li didn't have as many complicated thoughts as him. When he said they would eat together, he really meant they would eat together. It wasn't until the two of them had cleared their plates and were about to leave the cafeteria, and he was standing in the bakery picking out things, that he called out, "Ying Yunsheng."
Ying Yunsheng immediately looked up: "What?"
Which cream puff do you think tastes the best?
"Well……"
"Lin Chengshuang told me that the store recently launched a new strawberry flavor that's selling exceptionally well, but the original signature chocolate flavor has also consistently received high praise. What do you think?"
Ying Yunsheng: "You choose for yourself."
Ji Li then opened the glass display case, picked up a chocolate and nut-flavored cream puff, and then walked to the freezer opposite: "What about the boxed cakes? Soy milk or mango? Or white peach oolong? Or Oreo?"
Ying Yunsheng paused for a few seconds: "Just choose the one you like."
Ji Li then took the Oreo box and asked, "What flavor of cookies do you want? Plain or caramel?"
Ying Yunsheng had never tasted any of them. These exquisite pastries displayed behind the glass cabinet were always a non-essential luxury for him, and he couldn't offer any opinions on their flavors.
Seeing that he had no intention of giving guidance, Ji Li didn't press the issue. She simply walked around inside for a bit, placed the tray full of items on the cashier, and turned to ask, "Are you free the week after next?"
Ying Yunsheng's mind was brought back by his words. He was about to say yes, but then he remembered something and paused: "There is a competition training camp."
Ji Li actually remembered after asking that Ying Yunsheng had also participated in the semi-finals: "Has he already registered?"
"I agreed immediately when the teacher asked me." Ying Yunsheng hadn't forgotten what his initial question was: "Do you have anything planned for the week after next?"
"It's nothing." Ji Li took the gift bag packed by the shop assistant, paid the bill, and walked back with the bag. When they were about to part ways at the stairwell, he handed the paper bag to Ying Yunsheng. "Don't leave the food overnight. Finish it tonight."
Caught off guard, Ying Yunsheng froze for several seconds: "Didn't you want to eat it yourself?"
Ji Li: "It was originally bought for you."
Ying Yunsheng paused, recalling the numbers on the cash register not long ago, and his voice unconsciously lowered: "Too expensive..."
“I’ve always felt that people in this world need a good reason to do something, one that others can accept and one that they can convince themselves.” Ji Li looked at him. “For example, you skipped class a few days ago to take me to the hospital.”
Ying Yunsheng's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"For example, I might bring you food."
In the past, he might have had to think about what excuse to use to get the other party to accept it.
But now, he has the most appropriate reason to treat him well with a clear conscience and without any guilt.
.
With only a few minutes left before evening self-study, Ji Li went around to the office building and knocked on the door of the Grade 11 math department office.
The math teacher was grading papers when he looked up and saw him: "Do you need something from me?"
Ji Li asked, "Is it still possible to register for the math competition training camp?"
A note from the author:
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Candid photos
The training camp was held very quickly, leaving little time for hesitation.
When Ying Yunsheng boarded the bus, there were hardly any empty seats left.
Most of the students who made it to the provincial team were already in their final year of high school, and even those from the same school but a grade apart weren't familiar with each other. The people around him huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. He glanced around but didn't recognize any faces. He found the only empty double seat in the middle, pulled out a magazine from the mesh pocket in front of him, and began to read, making no attempt to strike up a conversation with anyone else.
After waiting a few more minutes, the empty seats around us gradually filled up, and the voice of the team leader rang out from the front of the carriage: "Names... let me find them... okay, the last one is here too, hurry up and find your seats, we're about to leave."
Then came the student's voice: "Thank you."
Ying Yunsheng suddenly lost his composure.
It's just an illusion.
He lowered his eyes and turned to another page of the magazine.
The footsteps beside them grew closer, and then a shadow suddenly loomed over them.
May I sit inside?
"Uh..." Ying Yunsheng's mind went blank for a few seconds, and he just stared at him blankly: "How did you get here?"
Ji Li smiled and said, "You've come for the training camp."
The teacher leading the group raised her voice and shouted, "Students in the back, get ready to sit down! We're about to depart!"
Ji Li put his hand on the back of the chair and walked through the gap between the seats.
Ying Yunsheng has long legs, and even though he quickly pulled back, his knee was still brushed by the other person.
It wasn't heavy; it was just a light bump, and it quickly grazed past.
Ying Yunsheng's hand holding the magazine trembled almost imperceptibly.
Ji Li sat down by the window, put down his bag, and just as he took out his earphones, the person next to him spoke.
"Aren't you a liberal arts student?"
“There’s no rule in this world that says liberal arts students can’t participate,” Ji Li said. “Besides, I also want to broaden my horizons.”
Ying Yunsheng looked at him: "Teacher doesn't object?"
Ji Li chuckled: "Teachers would love to have more of these kinds of opportunities."
Ying Yunsheng: "But these kinds of competition certificates are probably not very useful for the major you want to study."
Ji Li: "If I'm really lucky enough to win an award, even if it doesn't add points to my college application, it won't affect my resume."
"and you……"
Ji Li didn't hear the second half of the sentence for a while, then looked up and saw the other person hesitating: "What exactly do you want to ask?"