Chapter 21: How Could It Possibly Be Disgusting?

Cao Aiqing is a good student who studies diligently and maintains strict self-discipline.

Whenever her alarm clock rings at six in the morning, she gets out of bed promptly, spends half an hour washing up, ties her hair into a neat ponytail, and then spends another half hour practicing her listening skills. At seven, she greets her mother before heading out to catch the bus to school.

She is quite fond of the black rice porridge from the bun shop near the school gate. It is her staple breakfast; she buys a bowl every day and adds two spoonfuls of white sugar. The taste is cloyingly sweet, but it is the flavor she prefers.

"Hey, look! Check out the post Xiaoliang put up on her social media last night—it’s a photo of her with He Tianran!"

A few of her female classmates behind her were eating buns and discussing the matter heatedly.

Cao Aiqing blew on her hot porridge and took a sip. She heard her classmates continue:

"What?! Let me see... Wow, they look so intimate! But didn't you say before that Wen Liang liked Zhang Zhifan?"

"Exactly! I don't know why, but Wen Liang deleted all her old selfies yesterday! Could she actually like He Tianran?"

"Ah? Don't break up my ship! I've been rooting for Wen and Fan since freshman year. What does that nerd have to offer? It's so disgusting!"

Dis... gusting?

So, this is how classmates perceive He Tianran?

He barely even interacts with anyone, yet these subjective assumptions are truly harmful. No wonder he has always been so withdrawn.

Cao Aiqing felt the porridge didn't taste sweet enough today, so she added another spoonful of sugar.

"I told you, He Tianran had ulterior motives when he went to train at Wen Liang's family boxing gym. Wen Liang probably just thinks of him as a friend."

"Maybe it's... maybe Wen Liang just posted that photo to make Zhang Zhifan jealous? After all, once the rumors started yesterday, the class monitor couldn't sit still and even asked to change his seat. Maybe this photo is meant to provoke him?"

"Wow, that makes so much sense! If that's the case, it’s so sweet!"

"I hope the class monitor understands Xiaoliang's intentions. I just suddenly feel a bit sorry for He Tianran."

"What’s there to feel sorry about? A nerd like him wouldn't even qualify as the second lead in a movie; he’s just a tool!"

*Squeak—*

After finishing her porridge, Cao Aiqing stood up silently, the wooden bench scraping against the floor with a slight, grating sound.

The girls eating breakfast watched her tall, slender figure walk away and resumed their chatter.

"Cao is truly a goddess. She looks so beautiful even in a school uniform. If only I had her figure."

"I know, right? I actually used to ship her and the class monitor, too, but they have so little interaction."

"Wow, sis, if you want to talk about that, let me tell you about my headcanon..."

Morning reading starts at 7:30 at Port Central High. More than half the students in Class 2, Senior Year, were already seated, and others were trickling in through the door, though some seats remained empty.

Time ticked by, and as the eight o'clock bell was about to ring, the homeroom teacher, Chen Mei, entered the classroom.

"Now, before we start class, I have an announcement..."

Chen Mei scanned the room, and seeing that most students had arrived, she tapped the blackboard.

"There will be a welcome gala next month. All sophomores and juniors must prepare one or two performances per class to welcome the newcomers..."

Before she could finish, a cheer erupted from the students. Their class's programs were always the most popular every year, not necessarily because of their unity or planning, but because of the presence of art students like Wen Liang and Zhang Zhifan.

"Awesome! We get to see the class monitor play the piano again!"

"I'm looking forward to seeing what Wen Liang will sing this year."

"Why don't they do a duet? The monitor on the piano, Wen Liang on vocals!"

"Wow, what a divine combination! Seconded!"

"Thirded!"

Seeing the students' enthusiasm, Chen Mei smiled and signaled for quiet.

"In that case, I'll leave the organization to our arts representative. How about it, Wen Liang?"

Wen Liang had been busy texting He Tianran on her phone under her desk. Hearing her name, she looked up and smiled brightly.

"Sure, teacher."

Receiving her answer, Chen Mei continued, "Right, then let's begin—"

"Reporting!"

The voice at the classroom door interrupted her. Chen Mei looked over, annoyed. She never had much patience for students who arrived late, especially during her own class.

However, when she saw that it was He Tianran, her annoyance turned to confusion.

If it had been Zhang Zhifan, she would have lectured him, but as for He Tianran...

She hadn't even noticed the boy was missing when she checked the attendance earlier.

He had a low profile, never caused trouble, seemed honest and hardworking, and had shown significant improvement in the recent monthly exams.

Perhaps he had been delayed by something on the way.

Chen Mei kept a serious expression, but without any intent to scold, she said in a low voice, "Tianran, be careful next time. I know you aren't the type to be late. Come in."

"Thank you, teacher..."

Cao Aiqing, sitting at her desk, listened to the exchange between the teacher and student, her eyes focused on her book.

A faint, familiar woody fragrance drifted into her senses as the boy sat down beside her with a slightly stiff demeanor.

Only then did she look up at him.

"Did you... not sleep well last night?" she asked softly, noticing the fatigue on his face and the dark circles under his eyes.

"Yeah... stayed up playing games..." He Tianran whispered back, pulling out his textbook.

"Don't play so many games. Get some rest."

"Yeah..."

After their brief exchange, the two began to "focus" on the lesson.

He Tianran wouldn't dream of saying, "I couldn't sleep all night because I was too excited after getting your WeChat."

However, his constant nodding off drew several glances from Cao Aiqing.

To avoid disturbing her, He Tianran tried to suppress his drowsiness, but his eyelids felt heavier with every blink.

He closed his eyes, his head tilted forward, then jerked awake. The whole process was dazed, yet he had to pretend to be alert.

Cao Aiqing took it all in. Recalling what the girls at the bun shop had said, she couldn't help but turn her head and smile.

He Tianran, who was so concerned about his behavior in class and struggling to stay awake despite being exhausted—how could he be as bad as they said?

He was just a bit nerdy,

A bit introverted,

But absolutely not disgusting!

Without realizing it, the textbook on He Tianran's desk was propped up. He blinked, thinking he had misread the situation...

"Tianran, you can take a nap. I'll keep an eye out for the teacher for you."

Cao Aiqing's words drifted into He Tianran's ears like a hypnotic murmur, carrying a magical, sleep-inducing quality. As his vision blurred, the boy's head sank onto the desk, and moments later, he fell into a peaceful sleep.