Chapter 409: Just Being a Pain
Fortunately, the substitute teacher didn’t call on Gao Xiaotian to recite from memory during class. Thus, he dodged another b*llet.
During recess, Xia Yu maintained her habit of propping her head on her desk. As expected, Gao Xiaotian didn’t come to bother her this time, much to her relief. The punk finally seemed a bit quieter. That said, her tranquility didn’t last long. During the first lesson, Gao Xiaotian couldn’t take it anymore and looked over at Xia Yu again. “I can’t take it anymore! Will you just answer me honestly? Are you a boy or a girl?”
Xia Yu: “…”
She was too lazy to explain, so she offered him an alternative instead. “Your question is pointless. From now on, I want you to call me Brother Yu. Otherwise, you’ll have to find someone else to copy your homework from. Also, I’ve got a girlfriend who doesn’t want us hanging around too close together. So, do you understand?”
Gao Xiaotian nodded. “So, are you a boy or a girl then?”
“Whatever I say, you won’t believe me anyway, so just take me as a freak,” he said. “Besides, does it really matter whether I’m a boy or a girl to you? We’re not going out anyway.”
It was the first time Gao Xiaotian saw Xia Yu like this. He knew she was probably fed up with his incessant questioning, but he was just too curious. Yet, now wasn’t the time to continue pestering her. Gao Xiaotian decided to play it cool: “Alright, Brother Yu. I’ll keep treating you like a guy. But you really are a strange one, hiding your gender like that.”
Xia Yu: “…”
The problem was solved, but a new issue arose. The English teacher had snuck in quietly from another route: “Are you two chatting so enthusiastically? Put down your books and come up here to write them from memory.”
Xia Yu: “…”
Gao Xiaotian: “…”
School had been going for a while now, and Xia Yu had been looking forward to an opportunity to shine. She hadn’t expected this chance to come so suddenly.
Neither writing sentences nor words made Xia Yu especially nervous. If she could pull it off, it would surely make an impression. Even if she couldn’t…well, what was the worst that could happen? She was already sitting at the back because of her bad grades.
On the other hand, Gao Xiaotian was flustered. A definite underachiever, he relied on copying homework just to pass each day. Could he really handle an actual test?
The teacher watched both of them, no favoritism for anyone. She was well aware she’d be merciless. Despite He Gongqing advising her not to focus too much on the twins, she simply couldn’t stand Xia Yu’s nonchalant attitude.
Chatting in class? That was unacceptable.
Under the teacher’s watch, Xia Yu and Gao Xiaotian were marched to the front of the class, under everyone’s gaze.
Jiang Hanhan was delighted seeing Xia Yu being caught daydreaming; she’d be even happier if Xia Yu struggled with the writing task.
But… she knew chances of that were slim. Regardless, she and Xia Yu and Xia Ling studied together, and Jiang Hanhan knew Xia Yu had improved. Indeed, the English teacher read out three words and Xia Yu wrote them flawlessly, while Gao Xiaotian copied blindly—albeit a bit less shamefully.
Then the teacher read out two more sentences, which were quite difficult. She wanted to see how far Xia Yu could go, whereas for Gao Xiaotian… well, it was clear. The teacher was surprised by Xia Yu’s performance; she got all the sentences correct and wrote the words clearly—definitely not the work of a struggling student.
Seeing Gao Xiaotian, though, showed the contrast clearly. This guy successfully copied Xia Yu’s second word, though he mixed up one letter. Finishing the last letter, Xia Yu put down the pen and stared at the teacher, waiting for the next set of sentences to be dictated.
Unexpectedly, the teacher stopped. “That’s enough. Now, both of you stand to the side so the students can see your efforts. Anyone who notices a mistake can circle it.”
Just as she finished speaking, Jiang Hanhan didn’t hesitate to stand and walk out of her seat, causing Xia Ling—who was trying to hold her—to nearly lose her grip…
Xia Yu watched Jiang Hanhan, who was looking back at her. Xia Yu felt uneasy; wasn’t this going a bit too far? Wouldn’t it be better to wait until they got home?
Regardless, Jiang Hanhan paid no mind to Xia Yu’s thoughts and immediately stomped on her foot before reaching for a pen on the desk. Xia Yu could only stare dumbfounded.
To stomp on her foot…? Xia Yu cried inwardly, realizing that getting back at Jiang Hanhan would cost her dearly.
Unbeknownst to Xia Yu, Jiang Hanhan took advantage of every concession she made, as she was used to being bullied by her older sister at home. Now that she finally had someone she could bully—someone who was actually nice and cute—she wasn’t about to let it go.
Under everyone’s curious stares, Jiang Hanhan added a comma to Xia Yu’s sentence. “All done.” Xia Yu stared blankly.
Everyone: “…”
The English teacher couldn’t help but feel speechless; surely, she hadn’t lost all authority if even Jiang Hanhan dared to cause mayhem.
Still, Jiang Hanhan was unassailable. As a teacher, she couldn’t afford to argue much with students. In the end, she simply frowned and said, “Alright, you can return to your seats now. Next time, pay attention in class. Xia Yu, since you managed to write everything correctly, it means you should know some English. Try to help your deskmate more often so you can both improve.”
“…Yeah.”
There was no way Xia Yu could refuse.
Even with Xiao Ning’s backing, she wouldn’t be as bold and rebellious as Jiang Hanhan. So, when in doubt, let the small trouble come to her.
Returning to her seat, Gao Xiaotian sighed in relief. Thankfully, Jiang Hanhan had kept the teacher’s attention focused elsewhere, avoiding potential punishment for him.
However, this scare had made Gao Xiaotian much quieter, fearful that the teacher would target him again.
Without Gao Xiaotian stealing the spotlight during class, Xia Yu found her lessons much more enjoyable. Before she knew it, an entire lesson had passed.
During recess, Gao Xiaotian was preparing to take out his phone as usual when he spotted a chilling figure. He quickly withdrew his hand from his bag.
Sure enough, Head Teacher He Gongxing was there. Not only that, but he also dragged back the classmate hanging out on the balcony for some fresh air, clearly having something important to announce.
Xia Yu habitually checked the schedule and realized there was no class with the head teacher that day. It made sense why he chose to use break time to speak; if it hadn’t been urgent, he could’ve waited until the final period for a class meeting.
Thus… Xia Yu surmised that the announcement must be urgent.
