Daydreaming about Me

Chapter 36

Shen Juan began to wonder if he might be a bit mentally unstable.

He felt an inexplicable hostility toward Cheng Yi and this new person, Lu Jiacheng, who had appeared out of nowhere. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him. He typically didn’t care much about people, didn’t worry about first impressions, and often couldn’t even recall people’s features, using them only to distinguish between men and women.

For people who were irrelevant to him and didn’t provoke him, Shen Juan generally couldn’t be bothered to remember their names, considering them unimportant. He rarely felt “hostility,” an odd, sudden feeling.

This feeling wasn’t sudden; it had started when Lin Yujing borrowed clothes from him and had been lingering ever since. It began to intensify when he saw the drones with ridiculous banners on the sports field and reached its peak when he saw the two of them.

Especially when Cheng Yi talked about Lin Yujing’s past, it felt like a reminder of how little he knew about her.

Dude, who are you to her? You’re just her desk mate. We are the ones who grew up with her and are the closest to her.

Shen Juan felt for a moment like a petty girl, overthinking trivial matters. He was annoyed with his inexplicable reaction.

The meal was a bit awkward, but fortunately, Cheng Yi kept talking, so it wasn’t too embarrassing. Shen Juan noticed that Cheng Yi was very good at reading people and setting the mood, making him quite likable, the type who could make friends with anyone in three minutes.

Like a more intelligent version of Wang Yiyang. –

In the afternoon, there was still a sports event. They had lunch and returned just in time. Lin Yujing realized they were relatively well-behaved because half of Class Ten’s students hadn’t returned yet.

The deputy homeroom teacher, Wang Konglong, was yelling from the back row, “An entire sports event and they’re all gone! Ridiculous! Liu, you’re too lenient with them! When I was in charge, did anyone dare to be absent? No! Who dared not to show up!”

Liu Fujiang, standing beside him, fanned himself leisurely and said, “Oh, Mr. Wang, calm down. They’re just kids. It’s a rare chance to relax. Of course, they’re a bit wild. It’s no big deal.”

Cheng Yi, sitting next to Lin Yujing, was stunned. “Is this your homeroom teacher? This is awesome. I want to transfer to your class.”

He and Lu Jiacheng were both wearing Shen Juan’s school jackets, blending into the crowd of Class Ten students on the bleachers, indistinguishable from the sea of uniformed students.

Shen Juan didn’t come in the afternoon. The morning sports event had drained all his patience and enthusiasm, leaving his spot empty. Lin Yujing couldn’t help but glance back at it.

Cheng Yi also looked back. “Your desk mate isn’t coming this afternoon?” “Ah,” Lin Yujing said, “I don’t know. Probably not.”

Cheng Yi leaned back. “Does this guy not like us? Do I look particularly troublesome, or does my face say ‘I’m looking for trouble’?” Cheng Yi rubbed his chin, puzzled. “Or do I look like his ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend? Was he cheated on?”

Lu Jiacheng laughed and looked at him curiously. “Can you explain how someone with your looks could be cheated on?”

Cheng Yi said, “By my gentleness and emotional intelligence?”

Hearing this, Lin Yujing couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, confidence is good for young people.”

Cheng Yi felt insulted and began listing his strengths and good qualities to her. Meanwhile, Lu Jiacheng received a second love note from a girl.

Lin Yujing propped her head on her hand, feeling a bit competitive. “Isn’t my desk mate handsome?”

Cheng Yi was taken aback. “Hmm? Of course, he’s very handsome.”

“Then—” Lin Yujing took a deep breath and pointed at Lu Jiacheng, “Compared to him, who’s more handsome?”

She had looked at Lu Jiacheng’s face for so many years that she could no longer tell how attractive he was.

Cheng Yi looked troubled. “Your question puts me in a difficult position.”

Lin Yujing nodded and directly answered, “I think Shen Juan is more handsome.”

Cheng Yi glanced at Lu Jiacheng, who was talking to a girl and hadn’t noticed their conversation. The noise on the sports field made it hard to hear clearly anyway. So, Cheng Yi nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right.”

“So,” Lin Yujing said indignantly, “why don’t any girls slip my desk mate love notes? What’s he lacking?”

Cheng Yi was surprised. “None?” “None,” Lin Yujing said defiantly. “No girl is chasing him?”

“It’s been two months,” Lin Yujing said, holding up two fingers. “I’ve never seen it happen.”

“That can’t be right.” Cheng Yi was puzzled. He looked at Lin Yujing and felt even more confused.

Cheng Yi considered himself good at observing. During the meal, despite Shen Juan’s cold and dominant demeanor towards them, his aggressive attitude noticeably softened when he talked to Lin Yujing. Her attitude towards him was even more telling; Cheng Yi even wondered if there was a secret, ambiguous relationship between them.

However, Lin Yujing’s question made him reconsider. What kind of girlfriend would indignantly ask why her handsome boyfriend wasn’t receiving love notes from other girls? Was this some new kind of affection?

Cheng Yi began to think they might really just be desk mates with a pure relationship. After thinking for a moment, he said, “You and Shen Juan are pretty close, right?” Lin Yujing nodded.

“I think he’s the person you’re most familiar with here,” Cheng Yi continued.

Lin Yujing leaned back and corrected him with a smile, “He’s the only person I’m familiar with here.”

Cheng Yi nodded and suddenly asked, “Are you sure Shen Juan doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

Lin Yujing was taken aback. “He doesn’t, I haven’t seen one.” “Have you asked him?”

Lin Yujing didn’t respond.

Cheng Yi continued, “Let’s assume he doesn’t have a girlfriend for now, but he will eventually, right? What if the only person you’re familiar with here suddenly gets a girlfriend one day?”

Cheng Yi seemed distracted by something and glanced to the side before continuing. “If Shen Juan gets a girlfriend one day, you won’t be able to stay so close to him. You’ll need to keep your distance, avoid talking to him much in class or after class, and endure seeing photos of him and his girlfriend on social media over the weekends.”

Lin Yujing interrupted him, incredulous. “Do you think he looks like someone who would flood social media?”

“It’s just an example,” Cheng Yi said. “If Shen Juan gets a girlfriend one day, you’ll have to maintain some distance. Wouldn’t that make you unhappy?”

“Why would I be unhappy?” Lin Yujing replied quickly. “I’d be so happy I’d buy two strings of firecrackers to celebrate.”

Cheng Yi was silent.

He raised his eyebrows and turned his head to look behind her.

Lin Yujing turned around to see that Shen Juan had returned at some point. He was calmly sitting in his seat, legs stretched out, eyes lowered to his phone, long eyelashes casting a shadow, as if he hadn’t heard their conversation.

Lin Yujing looked at him for a few seconds, but he seemed unaware, his head down, typing on his phone.

Shen Juan was usually very sensitive to being watched. Sometimes during class, when he slept facing her, he would suddenly open his eyes if she stared at him for too long. Now, despite her obvious movements and gaze, Shen Juan showed no reaction.

Lin Yujing opened her mouth, then looked at Cheng Yi.

Lin Yujing’s shot put and javelin competitions were in the afternoon. The first day of the sports event was for individual competitions, while the second day featured collective competitions, except for a 400-meter final in the morning.

Lin Yujing had fallen and injured her hand and leg. She informed Liu Fujiang and the sports committee, who were very disappointed but had no choice since no other girls were willing to participate in these two events.

“Okay, your safety is more important. Don’t worry about the competition,” the sports committee member said, trying to cheer her up by patting her arm. “It’s fine. We’ll forfeit. Many classes forfeit less popular events like these.”

Wen Zihui, who was sitting nearby, raised her head. “So we’re forfeiting?”

The sports committee member laughed. “What else can we do? Should I wear a wig and compete myself?”

Wen Zihui pursed her lips. “I’ll go. What events are they?”

The sports committee member looked shocked.

Lin Yujing turned to look at her too.

Wen Zihui’s face turned red, and she frowned, trying to hide her discomfort. “I’m asking you, what events?”

The sports committee member finally reacted. “Shot put and javelin.” “…”

Wen Zihui could never have expected that Lin Yujing’s events would actually be shot put and javelin.

Her expression was now as astonished as the sports committee’s.

The two of them stared at each other for a long moment. The sports committee member scratched his head and asked, “Can you do it? If you really can’t…”

The thing Wen Zihui hated most in her life was people saying she couldn’t do something, wasn’t beautiful, wasn’t good, or wasn’t excellent. She snatched the list from the sports committee member, found those two events, and signed her name next to Lin Yujing’s. “What do you mean I can’t? Isn’t it just shot put? Just throw it, right? I’ll compete!”

Lin Yujing watched in amazement, clapping his hands, “Good! Well said!”

Even though Wen Zihui signed her name, the list had already been submitted, so she had to compete under Lin Yujing’s number.

Lin Yujing went with her to the registration area. They walked along the inside edge of the track, past the stands, and around a bend. Lin Yujing heard a very soft “I’m sorry.”

At first, she thought she had misheard and turned her head.

Wen Zihui’s head was lowered, and her face and neck were bright red. “I’m sorry, I… didn’t do it on purpose this morning. I didn’t know you would fall,” she said in a low voice. “Shen Juan came to find me earlier and told me to apologize to you… but even if he hadn’t, I would have apologized. I didn’t mean for you to… like this. I just wanted to block you a little. Don’t be mad.”

Lin Yujing felt that the girl’s voice sounded like she was about to cry.

“I was quite angry at the time,” Lin Yujing said.

Wen Zihui’s shoulders lifted, and she raised her head, her nose a bit red.

“But I’m not angry now. I just fell and scraped my skin a bit. You said you didn’t do it on purpose, and I believe you,” Lin Yujing sighed. “Just don’t do it again. It’s such a small thing, and you’re already so upset. When you graduate and enter society, won’t you get even more upset?”

In the past, Lin Yujing would have sought revenge, but now, she found she had no desire to retaliate.

She thought about it and realized it was probably because of Shen Juan.

She hadn’t just arrived at the sports field at that moment. She had been there from the beginning and heard everything.

When she heard Shen Juan say, “It’s settled with me,” she felt a bit dazed.

It wasn’t that no one had ever stood up for her before. When she was bullied in the past, Cheng Yi and Lu Jiaxing would bring her along and beat up those who bullied her. But it felt different. They were friends, standing together through everything. When she lost a fight, Lu Jiaxing would mock her.

This was the first time Lin Yujing felt what it was like to be quietly protected by someone.

It was a strange, bittersweet feeling.

After feeling soft, her first reaction was to want to run away.

Just like when she first came to this city, Uncle Li said, “You’re a little girl. It’s not safe to be out alone so late.”

Lin Yujing was bewildered by this unfamiliar kindness. She didn’t know what to say.

Thank you, Shen. I’m very moved.

I’m so moved that my heart seems to be racing. It feels like it’s beating over a hundred times a minute. Do you know what’s going on?

Lin Yujing remembered the question Cheng Yi had just asked her.

If Shen Juan ever dated a girl, and you had to keep your distance from your only friend here, wouldn’t you feel unhappy?

At that moment, she instinctively denied it without thinking. But she had never asked him this question.

She had been to his tattoo shop, stayed there for a night, met his friends, and never seen any women around him.

At school, Lin Yujing almost always saw him with He Songnan and the others.

Everything indicated that he was single.

But outside of school? They hadn’t met often.

He knew many people, was skilled at many things, was familiar with many places, and had many sides she didn’t know about.

He said he lived in the shop. Lin Yujing didn’t know why he lived there alone, didn’t know about his family situation, didn’t know if he had other social circles, or about the mysterious incident where he almost beat up his deskmate.

Lin Yujing thought they were quite familiar, but now she realized she knew very little about him.

Suddenly, she wasn’t sure if he had a girlfriend.

Maybe she just hadn’t seen her?

For some reason, Lin Yujing suddenly panicked.

She stood at the registration area, took out her phone, and sent Shen Juan a message. She hesitated for a while, thinking about how to ask.

This question was too personal.

Should she ask?

Would it be inappropriate?

But I’ve considered you a friend! Can’t I ask if you have a girlfriend?

Lin Yujing stomped her foot and carefully typed: [Shen, do you have a girlfriend?] She didn’t realize she was a bit nervous.

Wen Zihui was waiting in line for the shot put registration. Lin Yujing squatted on the nearby ground, waiting. When she left, Shen Juan was still looking at his phone, so she guessed he would see it soon.

She waited for over ten minutes.

Shen Juan didn’t reply.