Chapter 2: Outstanding Youth Representative
Lu Li didn’t sleep a wink that night. Whenever he closed his eyes, he would see his sister’s tearful face. The words she said echoed in his mind, like albatrosses circling above the sea, like relentless curses, making him toss and turn, restless and unable to find peace.
At seven in the morning, An Baili woke up groggily. “Good morning, Li.” She had planned to be intimate with Lu Li last night, but as soon as she snuggled against him, she felt as if she had taken sleeping pills, drifting off into a peaceful slumber. Tilting her head up, she saw Lu Li staring blankly at the ceiling, his eyes wide open, as if he hadn’t heard her. She whined softly and nuzzled against him for a while. “I don’t want to go to school…”
Lu Li snapped out of his daze and let out an “oh.” He forced a smile and patted An Baili’s back. “Don’t stay in bed, get up and wash up. Hmm… I’ll go check on Sister Yameng… See if she’s awake…”
“She won’t be awake… She’ll sleep until noon after drinking so much… You were always like that… And you would get grumpy if I tried to wake you up… Hehehe…” An Baili reluctantly sat up, the loose nightgown slipping down, revealing her fair and delicate shoulder.
When Lu Li knocked on Zou Yameng’s door, it only took three knocks before it was swiftly opened. Zou Yameng squinted sleepily, her hair disheveled. She rubbed her eyes with a drowsy expression. “Little Li? I was just about to wake you up…”
She should be sleeping until noon after drinking so much. Lu Li’s throat tightened. Did this mean Sister Yameng wasn’t drunk at all? He didn’t dare to think further and could only pretend to ask casually, “I was worried that you drank too much last night… Sister Yameng, what time did you go to bed?” As he asked, his eyes were fixed on his sister’s face, trying to catch any subtle change in her expression.
Zou Yameng smiled. “Not too late, I went to bed around nine. Zhou Wen can’t handle much alcohol…” Went to bed around nine? Then who was the one whispering those shocking words by his bed in the early hours of the morning? His instinct told him to trust his sister, but this time, Lu Li realized his instinct was wrong.
“Oh… That’s good…” All his usual methods of deduction were useless at this moment. He didn’t even know what his expression looked like. He should be smiling, but it felt stiff and unnatural. “Then I’m going to school. Sis, take a day off today and sober up.”
“Okay, don’t worry.”
Lu Li was still preoccupied even after settling down in his classroom seat. Silly Goose nudged him and whispered, “Lu Li, do you want to talk to Wen Hupo again?”
“Talk? Talk about what?” Lu Li was still thinking about Sister Yameng and didn’t react immediately.
“About the activity classroom, of course… Didn’t your conversation break down yesterday?” Oh, that. Lu Li slapped his forehead. It seemed like he left a bad first impression on Wen Hupo yesterday. The blonde girl wasn’t very friendly towards him. He glanced at An Baili, who was eavesdropping stealthily. This was her intention all along, wasn’t it?
“I’ll go during lunch break.”
Silly Goose quickly said, “I’ll go with you. Otherwise, you’ll fight again.” Fight? They didn’t fight. It was just Wen Hupo being sarcastic and condescending. Although that girl was sharp, she was also quite petty. The more self-important a person was, the less they could tolerate being teased.
“Baili, why don’t you come with us too?” Silly Goose was truly simple-minded, actually wanting to invite An Baili along. Hello, aren’t you two love rivals? Didn’t the Class Monitor say pitifully, “I’ll just leave quietly… I won’t bother you…”?
An Baili was unwilling to see Wen Hupo. She was still convinced that Wen Hupo was also reborn, just very good at hiding it. She secretly decided to expose Wen Hupo’s true colors and show her what An Baili was capable of. Looking at An Baili biting her nails nervously, Lu Li was reminded of the saying, “After military training, my son insisted on showing me his skills.” Was An Baili planning to do something stupid?
During the morning class meeting, the homeroom teacher announced some new rules, mainly in response to the increasingly serious RSA outbreak. Although Chuanhai City hadn’t been affected yet, they were still taking preventive measures. Then he mentioned that the New Year was approaching and the school would be holding a New Year’s Eve party, requiring each class to prepare at least one performance.
Lu Li listened with disinterest. Performances were never his thing. But Silly Goose was very excited. She was always an enthusiastic girl. Lu Li still remembered how stunning her flute solo was at last year’s party. He wondered what she would perform this year.
The class was buzzing with discussion. Some said that the New Year’s Eve party was too troublesome and they should just do a chorus. Others said that this was their last party in high school, so they had to take it seriously. Why not perform a play? Some felt that a play was too much work and a small, elegant magic show would be enough.
In the end, the authoritative Class Monitor made the final decision: they would perform a play! As for the script, they would decide next week.
Looking at Chu Jingyi’s confident demeanor on the podium, it was hard to associate her with the shy and silly girl who snuggled in his arms.
At noon, Chu Jingyi was called away by the homeroom teacher to discuss the arrangements for the New Year’s Eve party. She could only give Lu Li an apologetic look, as if saying, “Sorry, I can’t go with you to see Hupo. Why don’t you ask Baili to go with you?”
In the end, Lu Li could only go to the activity classroom alone. An Baili, the clingy one, refused to come along. Before even entering the classroom, Lu Li heard Wen Hupo humming softly inside. Wen Hupo’s voice was ethereal and clear, and she was humming a folk song. Lu Li was mesmerized, lingering at the doorway, hesitant to enter, afraid of disturbing the beauty in her artistic world.
Extravagant words are called Tang poetry, creating something from nothing is called suddenness.
After finishing the song, Wen Hupo asked, “Outstanding youth representative of Chuanhai No. 1 High School, why don’t you come in?”
The sarcasm in the phrase “outstanding youth representative” was palpable. Lu Li shamelessly nodded. “You flatter me, you flatter me.” He could hear Wen Hupo click her tongue softly, as if sighing at his shamelessness. Her understanding of Lu Li was shattered again and again. Before meeting him, she thought he was just a shallow boy. Upon meeting him, she thought he was a gentle and refined young man. But after interacting with him, she realized that Lu Li was an enigma.
At least, for now, he was still an enigma.
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