Chapter 2 (1/2)

Chapter 2: Happily Singing

The third day of the Chinese New Year, He Luo met English teacher Lin Shu Zhen at the temple. The teacher, who was holding hands with her boyfriend, looked over.

“Teacher Lin, happy new year.” Face-to-face now, He Luo respectfully greeted her.

“He Luo, it’s you.” Teacher Lin abruptly let go of her boyfriend’s hand and motioned for him to go.

The both of them exchanged pleasantries for a moment before reaching the topic of the changing cla.s.s streams. Teacher Lin said, “Your cla.s.s is changing to the humanities stream, there will also be changes in the teachers. I probably won’t be teaching you English anymore.”

“I might not be taking humanities,” He Luo said after a moment, twisting the candied fruit in her hand.

“Didn’t you say you want to become a diplomat in your last English essay submission?” Teacher Lin smiled. “It was very well-written, very realistic.”

“Teacher, that’s just an essay. Art is based on life, and is better than life.”

“Then what did your parents say?”

“They just let me be.” He Luo paused, “Teacher Lin, if I can join your cla.s.s, then I will study science.” She hurriedly added, “I like your cla.s.s the most, it’s relaxing. You’re like a big sister and your knowledge is also vast.”

What am I talking about? He Luo continued to hold the candied fruit, feeling increasingly anxious.

“Oh that’s okay. If you take science, you’re welcome to our cla.s.s!” Flattery was still the most useful.

*

When school reopened, He Luo who has gotten her wish reported to cla.s.s 6. She slept uneasily last night and kept worrying that she would oversleep. In the morning before her alarm could ring, she had already sat up straight in her bed, unable to sleep anymore.

When Mom woke up, she discovered that her daughter has already washed up, heated the milk, and fried an egg. She was sitting at the table quietly having breakfast.

“Huh, the sun has risen from the west,” Mom laughed. “Wouldn’t it be nice if you’re this hardworking every morning, I can also sleep in a little more.”

“Aren’t I going to a new cla.s.s? If I’m late on the first day, won’t it look bad?” He Luo wiped her mouth. Grabbing her bag, she said, “I’m leaving.”

“Your school has 10 cla.s.ses, I hope you change a cla.s.s each day.” Mom stood at the door, waving at her back.

Standing in front of her new cla.s.s, He Luo found that she was early. The homeroom teacher Lin Shu Zhen was still not there. She didn’t know where she should sit. Helplessly, she went to the back of the cla.s.s. Cla.s.s 6’s students who pa.s.sed by her sent her curious glances and occasionally slowed their steps in front of her. He Luo felt awkw

ard, as if she was being punished to stand.

Zhang Yuan and a few other boys walked past her, hands excitedly gesturing about NBA’s All-Star Game during the winter vacation. He stopped at the door and then took a few steps backwards. He leaned in and said, “Eh? I came to the wrong cla.s.s.” He looked up to see the cla.s.s plate and laughed. “Or is it you who walked into the wrong cla.s.s? Perhaps it’s the confusion after Chinese New Year.”

“I’ve transferred to your cla.s.s 2, oh no, it’s cla.s.s 6.” Hateful! She was nervous again. He Luo held onto her bag tighter, reprimanding herself for her lackl.u.s.tre performance.

Zhang Yuan bent over. He Luo can stare directly into his eyes; it was the first time she looked at him this close. She can even clearly see the pimple growing on his forehead.

“Why are you so nervous? Our cla.s.s doesn’t have tigers.” Zhang Yuan already saw through her and swiped his nose with his thumb. “Don’t worry, I have your back.”

“Will you collect protection fees?” He Luo asked.

“Those biscuits earlier, then.”

Zhang Yuan’s cla.s.smates looked at him. “You won’t even let go of the new transfer student. The rabbit doesn’t eat the gra.s.s next to its nest [people do not do bad things outside their door].”

Someone said, “Is there a girl in our year that Zhang Yuan doesn’t know?”

“It’s true there are no girls who don’t know me!” a certain someone boasted.

A few persons laughed and walked into the cla.s.sroom.

The corridor became quiet again and He Luo sighed in relief. She picked up his voice amidst the noise in the cla.s.sroom. She can see him every day from now on. She was already very satisfied with this.

Her seat was in the fifth row. Zhang Yuan’s seat was diagonally behind hers. Her new seatmate Zhao Cheng Jie was a pa.s.sionate and straightforward boy. In just half a day, he had already given her the low-down on cla.s.s matters.

At noon, He Luo took out a lunch box and placed it on her desk. A short-haired girl called Li Yun Wei enthusiastically ran over and moved Zhao Cheng Jie aside. “Hurry and go, sit in my place instead.” She turned and said, “You have already monopolised He Luo for an entire morning.”

“The way you put is so annoying, as if I’m bullying her.” Even though Zhao Cheng Jie protested, but he still obediently took his lunchbox to the last row. On his way, he kicked Zhang Yuan’s long legs and said, “Kao, you don’t even manage your seatmate, she’s becoming more and more audacious!”

“Since you have the ability, then you go and manage,” Zhang Yuan lazily replied.

“My seatmate doesn’t require managing.” Zhao Cheng Jie said, “Seems like a reasonable girl.”

“Who did you say is not reasonable!” Li Yun Wei turned around in anger. “If you don’t clean after yourself after you eat, then I’ll clean after you!”

He Luo liked this loud-voiced girl. When she was in anger, she opened her eyes wide and carried a hint of a jianghu warrior. Her rabbit teeth made her looked like a young Mich.e.l.le Yim.

It was indeed proven that Li Yun Wei was an easy-going girl. No matter what was going on, she would take He Luo along with her. During PE, she would stand beside He Luo. When she bought snacks, she would buy He Luo’s share. Even when she went to the washroom, she would ask, “He Luo, washroom. Do you want to come with me?”

Zhang Yuan covered his ears. “You don’t have to shout out every little thing, do you?”

Li Yun Wei chuckled and planted a loud smack on his shoulder. “If she wants to go, we should go together. It’s the same direction anyway.” Seeing her playfully joke with Zhang Yuan, He Luo would be lying if she said she wasn’t envious.

He Luo was neither reserved nor introverted. She was not the type of girl who would blush just by speaking with boys. In just a few days, after cla.s.s ended, there were a boy from her former cla.s.s called out her name. He asked, “He Luo, the new Popsoft magazine [about gaming] is out. Do you want to see?”

She ran outside the cla.s.sroom and spoke a few words with the boy. When she returned, she saw Zhang Yuan hugging his bag and sitting in her seat. He was flipping through the papers [for calculation purposes] on her table.

“Don’t simply see!” He Luo hurriedly ran over and hid those papers.