Daydreaming about Me

Chapter 9

The moment Lin Yujing blurted it out, she realized what she had said and tried to take it back, but it was too late. In that brief half-second of hesitation, the words had already been spoken.

It was a scene reminiscent of a disastrous car accident, much like “this pile of crap.” This time, it was even worse; there was no way to smooth it over, and it was utterly ruined.

Lin Yujing looked at Shen Juan, opening her mouth to speak. The big shot probably had never been spoken to like that before, so he was stunned as well.

He stared in a daze for three seconds. Just as Lin Yujing thought she was about to become the next “almost beaten to death” desk mate, thinking today’s victim would be tomorrow’s turn, Shen Juan suddenly started laughing.

He pushed his English book forward, straightened up, leaned against the wall, and started shaking with laughter, looking at her with genuine amusement.

When Shen Juan first met Lin Yujing, he thought she probably wasn’t as innocent as she seemed. At the very least, she wasn’t as harmless as she appeared.

It was as if some self-protection mechanism was activated, or perhaps her complete indifference to the outside world, coupled with a dazed state that had yet to fully adapt, made the sharp edges on her retract a bit.

This perception was confirmed when he saw her again that night at the 7-11 entrance. He had never seen such a calm little kitten watching middle school kids fighting.

Looking back carefully on the scene from that time, Shen Juan even had the illusion that if they had continued to let her and Chen Zihao stare at each other, she might have actually started a fight.

The girl’s eyes indeed showed impatience at that time, a hollow indifference mixed with a slight, almost imperceptible restlessness.

Thus, Shen Juan’s description of Lin Yujing gained another layer: a girl who is emotionally confused, subtly despondent, and has a bit of a temper.

Shen Juan wasn’t one to meddle in other people’s business; he was a lifelong honorary disciple of the “none of my damn business” philosophy. He didn’t care what story lay behind his despondent little desk mate.

But he didn’t expect that she would drop her act in just a few days. The little kitten finally extended her sharp claws, lightly scratching him and instantly dispelling the headache and annoyance from his poorly slept, cold-ridden state.

His cold was quite severe, taking him several days to realize. After taking medicine yesterday, he still had a slight fever today, his throat burned, and his voice was deep and hoarse. Laughing made it sound even lower, like a subwoofer buzzing in one’s ear.

Lin Yujing, lying on the desk, inexplicably looked at him with a blank expression, not understanding what had tickled the big shot’s funny bone.

…

Sitting behind them, Li Lin and his desk mate, Ye Ziang, were also quite nervous. Lin Yujing and Shen Juan were speaking at a normal volume, so they could hear most of it from behind. Especially when the new classmate suddenly blurted out, “Did you social guys have your first lesson on how to brag before entering society?” Li Lin’s legs went soft with fear.

Realizing the front could hear the back, Li Lin and Ye Ziang avoided all unnecessary verbal communication, spending the entire previous day perfecting the skill of deciphering each other’s intentions through eye contact within three seconds. They both

looked at each other and, without a word, started to slowly, secretly drag their desks back bit by bit until they were pressed so tightly against their chests they could barely breathe.

Li Lin quietly awaited a bloodbath, though he figured that since the new classmate was a girl, the school bully would show some mercy.

But instead, they heard the school bully start laughing. This ruthless, murder-without- batting-an-eye big shot, upon hearing his desk mate curse him, not only didn’t get angry but also laughed heartily after a moment of daze.

Li Lin and Ye Ziang exchanged another glance, seeing the same emotion in each other’s eyes.

Could he be a lunatic? …

Shen Juan watched her laugh for a while. Just when Lin Yujing thought she might lose control and slam the English book on his head, he stopped, wiped his lips, and said with a lingering smile in his voice, “Bragging is indeed a skill to be learned.”

Lin Yujing: “…”

No, how can someone speak in such an infuriating tone?

“Classmate Shen, I think desk mates should get along and love each other,” Lin Yujing lied through her teeth, “I want us to help each other, learn together, and make progress together.”

“Sure, get along and love each other,” Shen Juan repeated with a chuckle, biting on the words, “How do you want to get along and love each other with me?”

At this moment, he was leaning lazily against the wall, looking like a carefree young master. The pretense of being a good student he had just created was all gone.

Lin Yujing didn’t feel anything wrong when she said it, but his repetition made everything seem off. Ignoring the slight awkwardness and stiffness, she decided to get straight to the point: “I want you to sign the receipt, just sign your name. If you ever need help with your studies, I can tutor you.”

“That’s not a very tempting offer,” Shen Juan said slowly, “Our social guys only brag, never study.”

Lin Yujing: “…”

Fine, you win.

The topic couldn’t continue as halfway through the early self-study session, the newly appointed class representatives started collecting summer homework. Lin Yujing didn’t need to submit hers and watched as Shen Juan pulled out a stack of papers from his seemingly empty bag.

Lin Yujing glanced at it and wondered where he got the papers from since they looked identical to Li Lin’s and the others’. Most of the answers were only on the multiple- choice questions, with the long questions left blank, occasionally marked with a few auxiliary lines but no solution process.

Filling in ABCD answers must be quick.

Lin Yujing watched as Shen Juan naturally handed over his mostly blank summer homework to the class representative, wondering what made him so confident. Was it because he used a special shampoo?

The class representative probably wanted to advise him that turning in such incomplete work was almost worse than not turning it in at all, especially since he didn’t need to submit anything due to his hiatus. However, the class representative was too intimidated by Shen Juan’s fearsome reputation to say anything. He quickly took Shen Juan’s papers and retreated without lingering for even half a second, let alone speaking a word.

By the time the homework was reluctantly submitted, urging and copying included, the early self-study session had just ended. The English teacher walked into the classroom with a teaching plan.

The English teacher was a rather pretty young woman, looking vibrant as she greeted them, “Good morning, everyone!”

Few people responded. Most of Class 20 in the second year of high school fully demonstrated their self-discipline as poor students. After copying their summer homework, they felt a weight lifted from their hearts and each sought the most comfortable sleeping position to lie down. Some placed their heads on the edge of the desk and took out their phones to start playing mobile games, beginning a new day of the new semester.

Only a few students who loved studying responded. The English teacher seemed unaffected and happily interacted with those few students before asking everyone to open their books to the first lesson and starting the class.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Yujing secretly glanced at Shen Juan beside her. His English book was turned to somewhere around the two-thirds mark, nowhere near the first lesson. He was focused, writing in his notebook.

The next second, a crisp tearing sound was heard. Shen Juan tore the page he had just written and pushed it in front of Lin Yujing.

“…”

She took it and looked at it: [What name to sign]

Lin Yujing thought her handwriting was already bold and flowing, but Shen Juan’s characters were almost ready to soar to the sun, yet still beautiful, with sharp strokes and elegant structure.

She picked up a pen and wrote: [Your social guys don’t talk during class, they pass notes?]

Shen Juan was actually not talking much because his throat hurt from his cold. But since his desk mate mentioned it…

He casually pushed the paper aside, turned his head, and said, “What do you need to sign?”

After all, it was class time, and Lin Yujing had an image as a good student to maintain. She glanced at the English teacher on the podium and leaned closer to him.

Shen Juan smelled that familiar mix of rose, apple pie, and sweet milk again. He lowered his eyes and his gaze fell on the girl’s thin ear, noticing a small, barely visible earring hole on the cartilage and two on the white, tender earlobe.

He subtly shifted his gaze away.

Lin Yujing didn’t notice. Leaning over the desk, she whispered to him, “The boarding school receipt. I want to live on campus. Teacher Liu said it needs a parent’s signature, but my dad won’t agree and won’t sign it for me. I can’t forge his signature.”

Shen Juan understood.

His desk mate wanted to live on campus, but her dad disagreed, so she wanted to forge a receipt and needed his help.

Lin Yujing: “…”

Author’s note:

Shen Juan felt quite pleased: The little girl is quite wild, huh? Even playing games with me.

Master Juan, could you please wake up a bit?