NOVEL WEB
Chapter 48
Zuo Zichen was kicked and fell down in the corridor. He didn't dare to have a bit of temper.
He immediately apologized, "I was wrong, I was wrong! I promise I'll just stay in the corridor from now on and won't go into the classroom! Big sister, please show mercy!"
Kong Mingze clenched his fist and loosened it, clenched and loosened again. He really wanted to beat up this little guy severely!
He was so furious!
Zhuge Ying didn't want to eat lunch with Zuo Zichen. She gave up on Quan Zhisui as well and said, "Kong Mingze, let's go to the cafeteria together."
Kong Mingze immediately followed Zhuge Ying and left, staying far away from that Zuo Zichen.
After being beaten into submission, Zuo Zichen was like a follower of Quan Zhisui's, but he still couldn't get rid of the look of a little gangster.
When he followed Quan Zhisui to the cafeteria for a meal, he threatened other students again and cut in line. This was completely different from his well-behaved and obedient appearance in front of Quan Zhisui.
Quan Zhisui had originally wanted to treat Wei Shixu to lunch, but with Zuo Zichen's interruption, she couldn't find him.
"Sis! I behaved well today, didn't I?" Zuo Zichen was still completely oblivious and tried to curry favor by asking.
Quan Zhisui: "Don't come to eat with me from now on. I want to eat with my classmates."
Zuo Zichen: "Why? I can eat with your classmates too, can't I?"
Like Sister Zhuge Ying, for example.
Quan Zhisui: "Annoying."
Zuo Zichen: "Oh, okay."
...
After lunch during the break, Quan Zhisui was still rushing to catch up on her studies. Her pencil scratched away as she did problems, wanting to finish learning the entire high school second grade curriculum as quickly as possible. She was under a lot of pressure.
Kong Mingze and Wei Shixu disappeared again for the entire noon, only coming back when the break ended.
Wei Shixu still had that deadpan look, not wanting to interact with anyone. After returning to the classroom, he just sat in his seat and watched movies.
Quan Zhisui stopped writing and looked at Kong Mingze. She asked this question for the first time: "What do you two do every noon when you disappear?"
Kong Mingze: "Oh, acupuncture."
Quan Zhisui: "Huh?"
Kong Mingze: "Wei Shixu has a bad stomach that he's had for many years. It's quite serious."
Quan Zhisui looked ahead at Wei Shixu. She wondered aloud, "What's wrong with his stomach?"
She was so lacking in discernment that she hadn't noticed anything!
Kong Mingze thought for a moment and said, "It hurts, and he can't get angry or his stomach will hurt for a whole day if he does."
Quan Zhisui asked: "Hasn't he gotten treatment?"
Wei Shixu even had 10,000 yuan on his meal card. He was picked up by two luxury cars every weekend when he went home, indicating his family circumstances were very good. His stomach problems shouldn't go untreated.
Kong Mingze: "Medications haven't worked. In the last two years he found an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor to do acupuncture, and it's a little better but still not cured."
Quan Zhisui furrowed her brow, recalling her master had said that in many places, the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine had been broken during the wars and turmoil. Many medicinal recipes had been lost overseas.
If he hadn't been cured in Liangxi, could this be the situation?
Quan Zhisui looked at the practically brand new high school second grade textbooks on her desk that belonged to Wei Shixu, as well as the homework and materials that were also Wei Shixu's. Then she looked again at the coat she was wearing, which was still Wei Shixu's.
She kept the stomach illness in mind and made a note.
...
The next day, Zuo Zhixu still hadn't come back. Quan Zhisui was starting to lose patience.
Today was the school sports meet and there were no classes.
When Quan Zhisui walked into the classroom, she was still wearing the tactical jacket from yesterday. Underneath was the school uniform, and under that was a short sleeve t-shirt. She would take off the outer layers after warming up.
Kong Mingze, unusually, wasn't sleeping. Seeing her, he hurriedly waved his hand and called out, "Hey! Quan Zhisui! The class monitor told me to give this to you!"
Quan Zhisui walked over. "What is it?"
Kong Mingze: "Your competition schedule!"
Quan Zhisui glanced over it and noticed some spots were empty.
"Where's the class monitor?" she asked.
Kong Mingze explained: "Zhuge Ying is not only our class monitor but also on the student council. There's a lot of work to do for the school sports meet, so she's busy."
Quan Zhisui looked again at the window seat in the front row. Wei Shixu wasn't there either, which was quite strange since he wasn't a class officer or on the student council.
Kong Mingze was very excited. "The school sports meet starts at 8:30. Your first event is the long distance run at 9:30. Go for it!"
Quan Zhisui flashed her running shoes. "I'm all ready."
She was looking forward to the school sports meet. At the designated time, she followed the crowds to the track and field. On the stage at the very front she saw Zhuge Ying and other student council members, indeed very busy.
The school sports meet began with a speech by the principal, followed by students' remarks.
Unexpectedly, the student representative was Wei Shixu. He went up after the principal left the stage.
"Why does he get to give a speech?" Quan Zhisui asked Kong Mingze.
Since he wasn't a class officer or student council member, why Wei Shixu?
Kong Mingze: "Of course because he's awesome!"
Quan Zhisui: "..."
Wei Shixu's speech had no notes, nor any impassioned rhetorical flourishes. He just spoke very calmly, as if improvising a casual couple of sentences.
When he finished, everyone began clapping.
Kong Mingze leaned in and said, "Yeah, just a couple casual sentences like that could still be published as news."
Quan Zhisui didn't understand. "Why?"
Kong Mingze: "Wei Shixu is the living signboard of Liangzhong."
While his grandfather Wei Jingzai was the living signboard of Liangxi.
After the speech ended, Quan Zhisui went to the track and field area to begin her pre-race warm up.
A few female classmates also came over, intending to help the competitors watch their clothes, phones and other belongings. The class officers also came over with a box of water, ready to distribute at any time.
On the open ground, Quan Zhisui had already started stretching.
"Quan Zhisui, you're starting your warm up so early?"
"The long distance run doesn't start for another half hour!"
Quan Zhisui: "Yeah, I need a long warm up time."
First she loosened her wrists and ankles, then began stretching.
With one stretch, exclamations immediately erupted from the surroundings.
"Damn, Quan Zhisui! Your flexibility is so good?"
"Quan Zhisui, have you practiced yoga?"
Quan Zhisui: "No, this is basic training."
She didn't say anything more, adjusting her breathing and concentrating on stretching, making sure to cover every part of her body.
She was about to fully open up and run soon!
After coming down from the stage, Wei Shixu walked over here. He saw his class and then within the circle of chattering girls saw Quan Zhisui.
And he froze.
How was she still wearing that ill-fitting tactical jacket from yesterday?
Did she like it?
Impossible.
Her attitude towards him was even a little perfunctory.
Wei Shixu suddenly thought of an absurd possibility - yesterday she wasn't underdressed, she just didn't have clothes to wear.
The Zuo family wasn't buying her clothes?
At this time a group of first year students charged over loudly.
"Make way! Make way!"
"Make way for my Big Bro Zuo!"
"Get lost, you second years!"
Zuo Zichen brought his lackeys, swaggering arrogantly wherever he went.
Of course they came looking for his sister to cheer Quan Jie on!
But before they could get close, they encountered Wei Shixu.
Zuo Zichen snapped to attention on the spot and greeted, "Bro Wei."
Wei Shixu: "Scram."
"Yes sir, Bro!" Zuo Zichen immediately led his lackeys around, intending to go to Quan Zhisui from another direction.
But Wei Shixu's voice rang out again: "Scram farther away."
Having said that, he walked straight forward into the crowd of 10th Grade Class 1.
Quan Zhisui was also there.
Zuo Zichen was a bit distressed. He wanted to go see his sister, but Wei Shixu wouldn't let him get close!
Why?