Daydreaming about Me

Chapter 42

Lin Yujing’s previous high school didn’t offer scholarships, probably because Eighth High was more financially generous, given that it occupied a large, expensive piece of land within the ring.

The school’s graduation rate was slightly lower compared to other key high schools. Because of this, they needed to come up with ways to encourage students to study harder.

During the limited time for morning self-study, Liu Fujian briefly explained the scholarship situation. Generally, scholarships were awarded after the first and second month of the semester exams, divided into three levels. Each grade had two first prizes, five second prizes, and twelve third prizes, which were relatively more numerous.

Moreover, the selection wasn’t based solely on grades. For example, the student council president, who made significant contributions to the school by organizing various activities and working tirelessly, was automatically given one of the first prize slots.

Therefore, only one first prize was left for the second year.

Lin Yujing initially thought that this would surely go to the student who ranked first in the previous exam.

But since Liu Fujian had called her as well, it meant she also had a chance to compete!

Did you hear that, Shen Juan? The first prize isn’t yours yet!

I might not have beaten you in exams, but I can still win the scholarship!

Lin Yujing’s spirits soared, and even the slight fatigue from the previous night’s fever vanished.

The two walked out of the office and stood in the corridor, exchanging a glance.

The girl’s expression was almost radiant, with the dull and lethargic mood from the morning completely gone. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, “Shen classmate, there’s only one first prize scholarship left.”

Shen Juan raised an eyebrow calmly.

“Are you going to apply?” Lin Yujing continued to ask.

Shen Juan hadn’t originally planned to apply. He found it tedious.

But seeing Lin Yujing so motivated and eager, like a proud little peacock ready to spread its feathers, filled with a desire to compete with him, he reconsidered.

If he withdrew without a fight, would she feel frustrated and upset, maybe even blow up on the spot?

Shen Juan smirked, “I’m not applying.”

“Really!” Lin Yujing said joyfully.

Shen Juan: “…”

This wasn’t quite the reaction he expected.

Shen Juan paused and said, “Just kidding. I’ve already thought about how to write my 800-word application essay.”

Lin Yujing’s smile dropped instantly. She puffed up her cheeks and, after a moment of thought, said, “Fine, we can compete fairly. How do you want to do it?”

Shen Juan was a bit surprised, “I thought you would definitely want to compete fairly with me.”

“Actually, I think it’s a bit of a waste of time and quite risky,” she paused, glancing at him reluctantly, “You’re pretty good…”

Shen Juan lazily smiled, “Thank you. It took you more than two months to realize this. You’re quite perceptive, and I’m pleased.”

As they walked towards the classroom, Lin Yujing paused at his words, giving him a sidelong glance, “Shen classmate, moderation is key. You still need to keep your dignity.”

Shen Juan didn’t mind, strolling leisurely with his hands in his pockets, “How about this, admit that I’m great, and call me something nice a few times, and I’ll give up.”

Lin Yujing didn’t hesitate, “Shen Juan is invincible. Shen Juan is my daddy.” “…”

Shen Juan almost choked on his own spit. After a moment of silence, he looked down at her, “Did you eat something wrong?”

Lin Yujing looked at him like he was a troublesome child, “Isn’t this what you asked for?”

“Do you remember how you reacted when I offered to teach you physics last time?” Shen Juan reminded her, “You felt I was insulting you.”

“Times have changed. Back then, it was about our academic dignity. You wouldn’t understand that feeling. I had to dig into that stubbornness.” Lin Yujing said, “Now it’s different. I compared the situations and realized that it might be more satisfying to step on you in front of the entire school when the scholarships are awarded. I can be lenient with the process.”

Shen Juan didn’t know what to say, sighing as he complimented her, “You really are adaptable.”

Lin Yujing had mastered the skill of adaptability long ago and accepted the compliment with composure, not forgetting to ask him, “So you’re not applying?”

“I am,” Shen Juan yawned, “I’ve never gotten a scholarship before. Might as well get one for fun.”

As they reached the classroom door, Lin Yujing paused, turning to look at him with a blank expression, “You didn’t say that earlier. Are you going back on your word? I already admitted you’re great.”

Shen Juan raised a hand to ruffle her hair, “Good girl. What reward do you want?”

Lin Yujing took a step back and slapped his hand away, “Shen, be a decent person, will you? Are you planning to take advantage of me and then pretend nothing happened? How is your behavior any different from a scumbag?”

Shen Juan didn’t respond, he simply raised his eyes. Lin Yujing turned around and looked up as well.

The classroom was dead silent; the morning self-study teacher wasn’t present, and everyone was busy with their own activities. However, at this moment, everyone was looking at the doorway with various degrees of curiosity on their faces.

Wang Yiyang was sitting in Lin Yujing’s seat, talking to Li Lin, his body twisted to face backward, but his head turned forward, making him look like a twisted pretzel, staring blankly at them.

“……”

Lin Yujing felt a bit awkward, turned her head, and looked at the other person involved in this situation. She opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.

Shen Juan grabbed her wrist and pulled her out into the hallway, closed the classroom door behind them, and then turned to look at her, his eyes downcast.

He sighed, “Why do you say whatever comes to your mind?”

“I didn’t mean it that way… Besides, you did take advantage of me,” Lin Yujing muttered discontentedly, “Don’t call me a little girl.”

Shen Juan stared at her, from her slightly pursed red lips to the tips of her ears tinged with pink out of embarrassment.

He leaned against the wall of the hallway and said with a smile, “In the future, just tell me these things privately. I’ll take responsibility.”

Lin Yujing: “……”

Damn it.

Lin Yujing felt that the little bit of affection she had developed for Shen Juan over the past period had been ruthlessly killed in an instant.

The mood of the entire Class 10 was very tense. Not just tense, but also complicated.

Before Shen Juan took a break from school for beating up his deskmate, he was the kind of guy who had girls from other classes chasing him to the classroom door. After the incident, those who had a crush on him were either scared off or admired his handsome face from afar.

In short, not many girls dared to pursue him anymore.

But whether they pursued him or not was one thing, liking him was another.

There were still plenty of people who liked Shen Juan. There was an anonymous confession thread on the school forum where people continuously expressed their love for him.

Shen Juan’s love life was always a topic of great interest.

After the last incident during the monthly exam, where Lin Yujing and Shen Juan became a briefly popular topic due to a powerful and teasing photo taken at the campus store, their names hadn’t been tied together for a long time.

Students from other classes didn’t know much, but those in Class 10 pretended they hadn’t seen anything, acting as if nothing had happened.

Nothing was seen.

The fact that Shen Juan and Lin Yujing sat so close together in class, chatting almost shoulder to shoulder, went unnoticed.

No one saw them bringing breakfast for each other or sharing a drink, occasionally coming to school together, or Lin Yujing sleeping with Shen Juan’s oversized coat

covering her, while Shen Juan would pat her back like a child if the classroom noise disturbed her sleep.

——It was too obvious! Who could have seen it! No one!

But discussing taking advantage of each other and flirting in front of the whole class at the classroom door, wasn’t that a bit too much?

No one dared to speak, even Li Lin was quiet. Eventually, the brave Wang Yiyang was sent as the representative of the gossip crowd.

Wang Yiyang quickly became popular in the class and eagerly went to ask Shen Juan about the situation during a break. Lin Yujing was absent, so he leaned on Shen Juan’s desk and asked, “Bro, what were you and Lin doing this morning for those ten minutes?”

Shen Juan raised his eyes, “Speak properly.”

“What were you two doing this morning?” Wang Yiyang lowered his voice, “Shen, Lin is a minor, younger than me by a few months. You need to hold off for two more years.”

“……”

Shen Juan looked at him silently and asked calmly, “Do you want to die now or in ten seconds?”

Wang Yiyang raised his hands immediately and answered, “I’ll take ten more seconds to live.”

Shen Juan said, “Didn’t you see the teacher called us out?”

Wang Yiyang looked confused, “I didn’t see that. I wasn’t here yet, really didn’t know. They just told me you two went out.”

Shen Juan leaned back, squinting, and continued, “Do you think it would only take me ten minutes?”

“……”

Wang Yiyang felt a sense of relief, shook his head wildly, and flattered, “Bro, I think you’d need at least two hours.”

Shen Juan: “……”

Wang Yiyang: “……Two hours not enough? Three… four, five, six hours?” “……”

Shen Juan clicked his tongue, threw the book from his desk at Wang Yiyang, hitting him directly. Wang Yiyang yelped, “Bro!! I’m sorry!!!”

The basketball game was an annual event. In the first year of high school, it was the spring basketball game, usually in April or May. In the second year, it was the autumn basketball game, around mid-November, a week after the midterm exams.

The midterm exam was this Friday, still a one-day event with two subjects in the morning and two in the afternoon, tightly scheduled.

However, the boys and girls of Class 10 were more focused on the basketball game after the exam than on the exam itself.

Song Zhiming and the other two boys who were good at basketball quickly formed a three-person team, named by Li Lin as the “Class 10 All-Team,” and recruited Wang Yiyang as the fourth member.

They still needed a point guard to complete the lineup.

Lin Yujing truly felt that Class 10 was lacking; they couldn’t even find two decent substitutes.

On Wednesday afternoon, Liu Fujiang printed the seating chart and posted it at the front.

This time, three students from Class 10 were in the first exam room, including Shen Juan and Lin Yujing, who were first and second in the grade, and the study committee member who barely made it, sitting at the second to last spot.

According to Wang Konglong, this could be recorded in class history: the top two in the grade were in the class with the lowest average score.

Lin Yujing still had her seat by the wall, but Shen Juan wasn’t beside her this time. He was sitting in front of her.

The midterm exam questions were harder than the monthly exam. The last big physics problem in the afternoon was particularly challenging. Lin Yujing worked on it until the end, frowning, feeling something was off.

She looked up at Shen Juan in front of her.

He had already finished, leaning against the wall, twirling his pen.

Damn it.

Lin Yujing bit her fingertip, pulled out a clean piece of scratch paper, and began working on the last problem again.

She reviewed the problem from beginning to end.

She had discussed with Shen Juan that this midterm exam would determine who gets the scholarship based on their scores.

Lin Yujing had never felt that waiting for results could be so anxiety-inducing.

In the past, after exams, Cheng Yi would often be so anxious that he couldn’t sleep for several days, almost like he was possessed, constantly muttering, “Oh no, oh no, oh no, I’m doomed…”

He wasn’t good at studying, and although his parents didn’t mind much, his strict grandfather, who was over seventy years old, would attend every parent-teacher conference. Every time, his grandfather would come back furious, with a darkened face, and give him a severe scolding.

Lin Yujing never had anyone attend her parent-teacher conferences. Occasionally, her aunt Lin Zhi would go, but she never understood Cheng Yi’s anxiety.

Now she felt she might understand a little.

Shen Juan remained as calm as ever, just like Lin Yujing used to be. He still arrived late when he felt like it, slept when he felt like it, and appeared inattentive during lessons. Sometimes he would lie on his desk with his eyes closed, and just when Lin Yujing thought he was fast asleep, he would suddenly open his eyes, squint for a few seconds, then close them again.

“……”

Lin Yujing leaned over and whispered to him, “Have you ever heard that joke online?” Shen Juan opened his eyes, straightened up, and shook his head, his voice deep, “Hm?”

“It’s a question on Zhihu, asking what the highest level of a study god looks like,” Lin Yujing explained. “Someone said there was a genius in his class in high school who never spoke during lessons, just sat with his eyes closed. As soon as he opened his eyes, the teacher would know they made a mistake.”

“……”

Shen Juan tilted his head, “Are you a bit nervous?”

Lin Yujing lowered her voice, “Why would I be nervous? Do I look like someone who gets nervous?”

Shen Juan propped his chin on his hand and lazily turned to look at her, “I don’t know, maybe because the results are coming out this afternoon?”

Lin Yujing looked at him expressionlessly, “I’ve grown up without ever knowing how to spell the word ‘nervous.’”

Shen Juan nodded, watching her for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned in, propping himself on the desk with one hand. He reached out and hooked a strand of her fine hair behind her ear.

Lin Yujing, lying on the desk, didn’t react immediately.

Shen Juan played with her soft hair, wrapping it around his finger before letting it go, then tucked a strand behind her ear, revealing her thin ear.

His fingers were slightly cold, and when they touched her ear, Lin Yujing’s whole body tensed up.

She had three small piercings on her ear. Shen Juan’s deep gaze lingered on them, his fingertips brushing against the small holes.

No one noticed them. The English teacher had her back to them, teaching the lesson in a very sleepy tone.

In the classroom, apart from the few students in the front rows who were listening, most were either sleeping or had their heads down playing with their phones.

For some reason, Lin Yujing felt a strange sense of secrecy. This illusion made her shiver unconsciously.

Shen Juan withdrew his hand and whispered, “Do you know that when you’re nervous or shy, your ears turn very red?”

Author’s Note:

Waaah! Stop it, you rogue! Don’t touch me! If you come any closer, I’ll scream!!! Sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying.