Chapter 31: Bad Boy, Bad Girl

Yang Mingcheng felt a surge of bitterness as he watched Su Xiang with Lin Cheng.

Lin Cheng offered him a smile and said, "It’s all thanks to the teacher's guidance and the support of my classmates."

Yang Mingcheng’s expression stiffened. Such polite, hollow pleasantries were nothing more than showing off!

The girl from earlier, unable to bear watching "Takuya Kimura" suffer in such embarrassment, chimed in, "Lin Junjie wrote it, wow!"

Damn it! That was just rubbing salt in the wound!

Su Xiang, appearing oblivious to the underlying tensions, said nonchalantly, "That article of yours really is excellent. I even copied down the part about Zhuangzi!"

The expression on the face of the still-beaming "Takuya Kimura" suddenly collapsed.

"Kimura Mingcheng’s" interest was never in the magazine *Fireworks*, but in the ethereal, otherworldly Su Xiang standing before him.

The girl from before suddenly realized she had said something she shouldn't have.

In all fairness, for a school publication like *Fireworks* that usually leaned toward youthful campus themes, this was the first time they had encountered something so profound and sharp. It kept them from using the school magazine as a table mat, leading them instead to carefully transcribe the sentences they found useful.

Su Xiang turned to Lin Cheng and said, "I’m leaving now."

Lin Cheng gave a nod and followed her away.

In the fading sunset, Yang Mingcheng watched Su Xiang’s tall, slender figure retreat, his mood plummeting to an all-time low.

"They're gone," the girl added, her tone seemingly shielded by a layer of indifference.

There was none of the joy from the past when she would affectionately call him "Takuya Kimura!" It seemed that nickname was slipping away from him, too.

Yang Mingcheng sat down on the steps. Behind him, a girl wearing a shoulder bag and Converse canvas shoes approached, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"I saw everything. That must feel terrible, right?"

"It’s you!?" Yang Mingcheng looked back at the smiling He Yueyue.

"I’ve read the article. It is indeed well-written."

Yang Mingcheng said dejectedly, "Yes."

"I heard that Mr. Chen Yan admires him quite a bit, even suggesting he should join the club."

Yang Mingcheng shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Don't worry, I'll help you."

Yang Mingcheng looked up in surprise. "You? You have a way?"

He knew how much Lin Cheng had once chased after He Yueyue. Although her family background was ordinary, many boys loved to flirt with her.

Seeing the doubt in Yang Mingcheng’s eyes, He Yueyue lifted her chin and said coldly, "Your devotion won't win you love. It’s like pouring water on a rock—it would be a miracle if it bloomed."

This struck a nerve; perhaps He Yueyue truly had a profound understanding of "simps."

Most of the members of the *Fireworks* club were students. Since it was high school, they mostly met during breaks, at noon, or in the afternoons for brief discussions.

Within a few days, Lin Cheng truly became one of the twenty-some members, and everyone was quite welcoming.

Chen Yan was simply happy to have a talented writer join the club, though Lin Cheng had really only come for him.

Yang Mingcheng now felt completely uneasy whenever he saw Lin Cheng.

During a small meeting, someone kept glancing at this new student, "Lin Junjie."

After the meeting, Chen Yan called out, "Hey, Zhou Luoyao! You have the afternoon off. Go to No. 1 High School for the student sports safety training session!"

Lin Cheng had been a student for so many years, but this was the first time he had heard of such a training session.

Zhou Luoyao was also slightly surprised. "Alright, teacher."

She agreed with great enthusiasm; senior year was so busy that any chance to get out and breathe was a blessing!

"Well then, until we meet again!"

Lin Cheng gave Zhou Luoyao a formal, martial arts-style salute.

Zhou Luoyao returned the gesture with equal flair: "We are travelers of the world, until we meet again."

Just as they were embodying the dramatic atmosphere of a classic wuxia departure, Chen Yan gave a sly smile. "No need for goodbyes. Lin Cheng, why don't you go with her?"

"Ah! Me?!"

"What? Why does Lin Cheng always get the good stuff?" Yang Mingcheng was nearly furious.

"You two are so close, why not go and act as her protector?"

"But..." Lin Cheng thought to himself: What am I going to do? With Zhou Luoyao’s overwhelming presence, it’s not certain who would be protecting whom!

"No 'buts.' You have gym class this afternoon; I’ve already spoken to Mr. Wang Lixin."

"Then... I’ll go talk to Mr. Wang too." Lin Cheng still wanted to decline.

"You have to go!" Zhou Luoyao grabbed Lin Cheng’s school uniform, glaring at him.

...

"Go," Wang Lixin said.

He didn't explain, but Lin Cheng guessed that one reason might be that he was a student athlete. On the other hand, he suspected that Wang Lixin and Chen Yan, those two teaching partners, were worried Zhou Luoyao might run off to play, so they wanted him to keep an eye on her.

In reality, he only guessed part of it.

...

Zhou Luoyao didn't even eat lunch. She dragged Lin Cheng away, overjoyed!

To be able to slack off in broad daylight—it was simply brilliant.

The two waited for the bus at the stop.

"The bus is going to be crowded. Let's take a taxi," Lin Cheng said.

Zhou Luoyao didn't answer. Her large eyes twinkled as she said, "Do you think if I put a basketball inside my school uniform, someone will give me a seat?"

"..."

She was a seventeen-year-old girl, after all; her playfulness knew no bounds!

Lin Cheng never expected that Zhou Luoyao would actually do it. She stuffed the basketball inside her uniform, pushed her belly out, and it was perfect!

"It's here." They boarded the bus.

Lin Cheng rarely took the bus and hadn't expected it to be so crowded at midday.

They squeezed in and finally found a spot to stand.

Lin Cheng noticed the grandfathers, grandmothers, uncles, and aunts around them all casting glances their way.

It was no wonder; they were both wearing Wuzhou High School uniforms, and... well, the girl was sporting a very prominent baby bump.

Wuzhou High School was the dream school for everyone in Wuzhou!

The embarrassment this girl had caused was agonizing!

Lin Cheng’s face turned red, then white, then red again.

He figured the older generation had already judged them a thousand times over...

Zhou Luoyao, however, felt no embarrassment at all.

"Oh, Lin Cheng, help me out," she said with a straight face.

Lin Cheng was so mortified he wanted to hide, but he still played along and held onto Zhou Luoyao.

He could feel the eyes of everyone around them drilling into him without even looking.

Then, he heard the driver shout, "Someone sitting in the back, give that student a seat!"

The driver was being tactful; he didn't have the heart to say "give that pregnant woman a seat."

An older woman sitting in the priority seat for the elderly, infirm, and pregnant stood up.

"Young lady, sit here."

"Thank you, ma'am." Zhou Luoyao sat down slowly and deliberately.

The others who had stood up quickly reclaimed their seats.

Lin Cheng stood obediently beside Zhou Luoyao, not daring to move a muscle.

Everyone on the bus stared at them. Amidst the noise of the moving bus, he could still hear soft murmurs: "...students," "...school," "...lack of self-respect."

In those gazes, beyond disbelief, there was the clear judgment of "bad youths, delinquent kids."

That scrutiny felt like thousands of ants crawling over his skin!