Chapter 13: The Class President’s Heartfelt Gesture—Enjoy Your Meal (A Grand Chapter of 6,000 Words)

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In the final year of high school, there are no weekends off; Saturdays are still spent at school. Every Saturday, there’s a weekly science quiz. After the math test in the afternoon, students are dismissed. Only a few choose to stay on campus—usually the overachievers who refuse to rest for the entire week. In the honors class, they still emphasize balancing work and rest. Whether day students or boarders, once time’s up, everyone leaves promptly.

The seating changes for the weekly math test, and Jiang Mo is lucky enough to sit beside Li Qingran. Math is a brutal subject; even though Jiang Mo’s math skills rank around 120 points, he’s only average in the honors class. When faced with tough weekly tests, he turns into a mere tool. In the humanities, he can rely on memory and cramming, but math... maybe he needs some magic potion to refresh his brain?

Irritated by conic sections, Jiang Mo rests his head on the desk and sneaks a sideways glance at the class monitor. Li Qingran sits upright, expressionless. Her snow-white arms gently brush over the test paper, ink from her pen staining her skin—a delicate mark that only enhances her elegance, like a refined watercolor beauty. It must be said, the class monitor is extremely fair-skinned, even paler than Jiang Wanfeng, who often blushes so much that Jiang Mo barely remembers what she looks like without a flush.

The class monitor is like an ice cream cone—I just want to lick her.

“Hm?”

Caught staring too long, Li Qingran glances at him sideways.

“Uh-huh,” Jiang Mo shamelessly mimics her robotic response.

“Hm...” The girl tilts her head and points to a multiple-choice question on the test paper.

“Uh-huh!!” Jiang Mo is overjoyed. Yes, that’s the question! This is it! Let’s go, baby! What’s the answer? I can satisfy you either way.

Then, Jiang Mo sees the class monitor extend her two slender, pristine hands—bones defined, not a trace of excess flesh—food-grade quality, with delicate fingertips. She slowly brings her hands together in front of her chest, curving them slightly...

Forming a heart shape.

?

What does that mean? Should I pick “heart” for this question? Let me check if that option exists... It doesn’t. Could it be two Cs? Multiple-choice questions aren’t answered that way!

No, the class monitor just gave me a heart sign, and I’m not going to write nonsense.

With that thought, Jiang Mo also stretches out one hand, crossing his index finger and thumb, returning the heart gesture to the class monitor.

The three great illusions of life: she’s looking at me, I can turn the tables, and she likes me.

All three apply between Jiang Mo and Li Qingran.

So what?

A beautiful girl just made a heart sign—what else could it mean? She’s definitely secretly in love with me.

Well, then the question arises: whose surname will our child carry?

When Li Qingran notices Jiang Mo’s gesture, she clearly freezes for a moment. Her delicate lips part slightly, releasing a dull breath like a cat’s. She lifts her hand, comparing the gesture, realizes it doesn’t match, and bends her fingers a little more. The heart collapses into two circles. Now she gets it—the answer is B.

Alright, the robotic class monitor has effortlessly outwitted me.

Jiang Mo gives her an “OK” sign to confirm he got it.

But the girl freezes again, wondering what Jiang Mo’s gesture means... It looks like a little chick.

Li Qingran recalls how Jiang Mo responded when she gave him the answer. It seemed to be the crossed index and thumb fingers—does that mean a response?

Without overthinking, the robotic class monitor changes to a one-handed heart sign for Jiang Mo, even adding a playful wink.

Smart students really learn fast.

Immediately after, the girl sees Jiang Mo blush and shyly lay his head down, avoiding eye contact.

Li Qingran is puzzled.

This scene is just spotted by Guo Huowang behind them. The boy, who had just finished the test and was ready to cause some noise to disrupt order, freezes. Seeing such a melodramatic moment, his spirit collapses. His mood to act cool is completely ruined.

“Jiang Mo from Biyang? Telling everyone not to disturb the class monitor and hogging her all to himself!!”

Damn it! Guo Huowang’s eyes nearly pop out again, gnashing his teeth.

“Oi, are you stupid or what?” Li Yu pokes Guo Huowang with his pen tip; the latter almost jumps.

“You didn’t see it? The class monitor just made a heart sign!!” Guo Huowang glares with bloodshot eyes. Li Yu slaps him.

“Get a grip! Class monitor made a heart? You’re just imagining things. Are you going for the graduate exam, little Chu Nan?”

The slap wakes Guo Huowang up. He’s now even more certain what he saw was real.

“Damn, it’s true! She did it twice!”

“Go to Little Sunflower Mama’s classroom and see if you have a heaty lung.” Li Yu sneers, thinking Guo Huowang’s gone mad.

“Damn it, damn it!” Guo Huowang stands up cursing, utterly broken inside.

“Guo Huowang! Sit down! This is a test, why are you yelling like a ghost?!” Huang Yuanyuan immediately uses her deputy class monitor authority.

Guo Huowang slumps back, eyes vacant.

The problem is the world, not me.

Jiang Mo is unaware of this drama. He’s still immersed in the joy of being teased by the class monitor. Suddenly, he remembers something.

He glances sideways to see Chen Yajie curled up in the corner of the classroom, her little face troubled while scribbling calculations on scrap paper. One sheet, two sheets, the pages are full of numbers and formulas.

The classroom’s air conditioner is on, which should be refreshing, but the girl’s gentle cheeks are flushed red with delicate sweat at her temples. Her hair is loosely tied, dimples etched with pain: anxiety, bitterness, grievance, stubbornness—all emotions vividly palpable.

[Chen Yajie IF]

[Five years later, you hold the steamed bun shop owner outside the hospital room. The old man’s hair, untouched by flour, turned white overnight after the girl fell ill.]

[He tells you everything: since moving up to the honors class, the girl hasn’t been happy at all.]

[Unfamiliar environment, timid personality, mounting pressure, monotonous life—all chronic poisons slowly breaking her down.]

[As parents, they believed that just treating her well and caring for her every whim would be enough. But the more they tried, the more pressure she felt, leading to irregular routines and poor eating habits.]

[In the first week of the honors class, he brought her chicken soup. His care became her reason to endure and also the fuse for her internal struggle.]

[Major life mission activated]

[Main mission: Restore Chen Yajie’s health and become her support]

[Side mission: Boost her confidence]

Here it comes again—every beautiful girl’s task.

The smile on Jiang Mo’s face fades as he watches Chen Yajie wipe away her tears.

“Ding ding ding ding~” The bell rings. The math class representative stands to collect the papers.

Chen Yajie shudders as if struck by lightning, hurriedly writing her name and frantically wiping her face, trying to erase the undesired traces of tears.

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The black ink stains on her hands smear across her tear-streaked face. Unlike Li Qingran’s, which added elegance, here it only worsens the pain. Damn it, Jiang Mo, a manly guy like you can’t bear to see this—you’re about to shed little pearls of tears yourself.

“Damn it, oh no, I forgot to write the solution!” Just finishing the test, Guo Huowang instantly springs back to life, waving his paper around debating with a group of boys. “If you don’t write the solution, do they deduct procedure points?”

“What’s the answer for the last single-choice question? It’s B! Just write that, how hard is it?”

“Guo Huowang, you’re such a show-off! Stop barking!”

“Hey hey hey, I forgot to add the square root!”

“...”

The noisy chatter invades Chen Yajie’s ears, making her very uncomfortable. The answers they casually toss around are exactly what she’s been wracking her brain over.

She covers her ears, internally telling herself to face the challenge, but fears the self-denial hidden in those wrong answers.

“Yajie, those boys are really noisy, huh?” Huang Yuanyuan, who also hates the boys’ yelling, approaches while packing her bag.

Since she can no longer stay glued to the class monitor, Huang Yuanyuan has befriended Chen Yajie. This woman is a beauty magnet, always teasing her.

“Ah... a little,” Chen Yajie replies like a frightened fawn, slowly lowering her hands from her ears.

“Seriously, the test wasn’t even that hard. They just scream after finishing, and even if they get it right, it’s no big deal!” Huang Yuanyuan scoffs.

“Haha... I, I don’t really know... it’s okay.” Chen Yajie smiles weakly, nervously covering her test paper.

“You’re too soft. When boys insult you, just fire back!”

“Let’s go home! It’s finally the weekend; you should relax! Want to go somewhere?” Huang Yuanyuan grabs Chen Yajie’s hand, but the girl quickly pulls away.

“Oh, my parents aren’t coming to pick me up yet. I’ll stay a bit longer.” She forces a gentle smile, but her test paper is slowly crumpling in her grip.

She has no real plan to go home. Staying on campus to study on weekends has become routine.

But the girl didn’t expect that in the honors class, this is unusual; everyone else spends weekends relaxing.

She doesn’t want to be an outcast, doesn’t want to be seen as stupid... doesn’t want to embarrass her parents.

“Well, I’m off then~”

“Uh-huh.” Chen Yajie waves a small goodbye.

Just as she breathes a sigh of relief, she turns to find Jiang Mo staring at her intently.

“Ah!” She jumps slightly, then relaxes when she sees it’s Jiang Mo.

“Did you cry, baby?” Jiang Mo leans over like a tough guy offering his shoulder.

“No... I’m just tired, I teared up when yawning.” Chen Yajie quickly wipes her eyes. “See? My eyes aren’t even red.”

Not yet, baby, but those eyes are nearly rabbit-like.

Rabbits are so cute, why does math have to torment them?

So frustrating!

“Alright.” Jiang Mo nods. “Keep it up.”

Nothing a motorbike can’t fix. If one’s not enough, add another.

He texts Jiang Wanfeng, saying he’ll stay late at school to finish homework before heading home, then heads to the cafeteria, catching the boss who’s about to close.

“Boss, are you open tonight?”

Seeing the generous customer, the boss quickly welcomes him with a smile.

“Old friend, of course I’m open when you’re here.”

“Didn’t you used to close at night?”

“Yes, few stay on campus; opening the cafeteria at night loses money. They usually eat out.”

Jiang Mo frowns. Given Chen Yajie’s personality, she probably starves when staying late.

Stupid deskmate, deduct one chicken soup as punishment.

“What if I give you chicken soup, but turn it into Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, keeping the original flavor?”

The boss is stunned, clicking his tongue.

“Money is no object.” Jiang Mo slaps his meal card on the table.

“No problem.” The boss’s expression turns serious. “Actually, I was an excellent graduate of New Oriental back in the day.”

“Two bottles of Shuangwaiwai, I’m thirsty!” Jiang Mo flops into a chair, eyes on the school gate, waiting for the chicken soup delivery old man.

He notices the security guard and squints.

“Boss, one pack of Hua Zi cigarettes too.”

...

An hour later, the chicken soup delivery old man arrives on time, carrying a thermos and negotiating with the guard at the gate.

“Hey, boss, what are you doing here!?” Jiang Mo suddenly appears, his gaze clear but foolish.

“Xiao Mo? You go to this school too?” Old Chen is surprised.

Then he remembers Jiang Mo hasn’t bought buns for days, and his surprise fades.

“I’m classmates with Chen Yajie.” Jiang Mo gets straight to the point. “I’m a student; give me the chicken soup.”

Old Chen chokes on his words, feeling a sense of danger.

“You know Yajie?”

“Yes, we’re deskmates, very close.” Jiang Mo steps forward and grabs the chicken soup. “Bring it here.”

“Uncle Chen, Yajie is still with the teacher for extra lessons. I’ll deliver it for you. You can go home now~”

Before many words, Jiang Mo runs off, leaving the bun shop owner dazed. He tries to follow but is stopped by the guard.

“Don’t worry, that kid is known as a good one at our school; he won’t lie to you.”

The guard lights a Hua Zi cigarette and offers one to Old Chen.

“Thanks... Is what he said true?”

The guard rolls his eyes.

He thinks, yeah right, can it be true? The cigarette you’re smoking was given by that kid. I’ve lived this long and never met such a reliable high schooler.

...

Night falls.

The classroom is not brightly lit as usual; only one lonely light shines.

The girl feels that dimness might help her focus on the illuminated test paper.

But she forgets she’s afraid of the dark. Losing track of time while studying, surrounded by darkness, makes focusing even harder. She doesn’t dare to fumble for the light switch.

“Ah chi!”

She can’t even find the air conditioner remote. Not sure who turned the temperature so low before leaving, Chen Yajie shivers in her seat.

She’s hungry... her stomach aches faintly.

Just a bit hungry, it shouldn’t be a problem. She used to skip meals rather than walk far for food.

McDonald’s... the word suddenly pops into her mind.

McDonald’s tastes good, Jiang Mo gave it to her, it was delicious.

“He’s amazing... fitting into the class so quickly, understanding lessons, and even daring to be straightforward with new classmates...”

If it were her, being interrogated like before, she’d be so scared she’d spill her ID number.

But Chen Yajie knows she can’t be friends with people too outstanding. She won’t understand their words, will misinterpret them, and fall out of their circle.

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She can’t be as carefree as he is, can’t laugh and joke at every break, can’t look every stranger in the eye, can’t forget her parents’ warnings, can’t cast aside all worries.

She has to schedule bathroom breaks, carefully allot time to eat, stay hungry so she won’t fall asleep, nervously fear being called on in physics class, dread the math teacher sighing at her blank answers.

She doesn’t dare ask classmates questions. She’s slow-witted, makes others impatient, wastes their time, and feels both guilty and more insecure.

She’s afraid of the dark, timid, socially anxious. When she can’t solve a problem, she wants to cry. Eating alone makes her want to cry. Being teased makes her want to cry. During her period, she cries. Running long-distance, she cries. When her parents care for her, she cries. When she disappoints her parents, she cries even more.

But she still has a warm home, a hardworking father, and a mother who cares endlessly.

She must study hard, get into a good university, choose a good major, earn lots of money to ease her parents’ burdens. She must earn her own dowry, so her future husband won’t frown over life’s worries.

McDonald’s tastes good but only in small sips. Jiang Mo is great, but she can’t always trouble others.

Under the dim light, the girl pats her cheeks, eyes rekindling.

“Gotta keep trying!”

The most hated math, the most hated physics.

“Okay... why did I get this question wrong? Because, because...”

“Ah, it’s okay, next question. This is the honors class test, a bit harder is normal. I got this one wrong too... why? Hmm...”

“Alright, Yajie, it’s only the first time you made a mistake...”

“Tick-tock.”

Tears betray her, falling onto the math paper, smudging the glaring red crosses.

“Wah...”

“Don’t cry, Chen Yajie, you can’t cry... you always cry when there’s a problem... people will laugh, saying the steamed bun shop owner’s daughter is a crybaby...”

“An idiot... an unfilial girl...”

“Wah wah, wah wah wah...”

Her vision blurs with tears, falling again and again, only to be stubbornly wiped away.

Crying is useless—crying is the most useless thing.

She hates the crying version of herself.

“I have to study hard...”

Just as she holds her breath, trying to stop the tears, footsteps approach outside the classroom.

She looks up dazedly.

“Click.”

The classroom lights all come on.

Her eyes are red and swollen, tears streaming down her pale chin. She stares blankly at the visitor.

Seeing who it is, she quickly hides her face, sobbing softly.

“What are you sneaking around for?”

“Hey! Gotcha! Sneaking in some extra studying!” Jiang Mo points dramatically. “What a coincidence, I’m here to cram too.”

“This damn honors class is too hard. If you don’t secretly study, you won’t survive.”

Jiang Mo slings a big bag and mutters as he sits beside her.

“What’s wrong? Caught sneaking study and too embarrassed to face me, huh?” Jiang Mo nudges Chen Yajie. She chokes on her sobs and shakes her head.

“Don’t look at me...”

“Did I guess right?”

“Not at all...”

“I told you, you can ask me questions on stuff you don’t know, because I don’t know either. Three heads are better than one. Between two dummies, we can at least get a half-understanding.”

“The cafeteria boss and the auntie were sneaking around, and I caught them. He gave me a bowl of chicken soup as hush money.”

“I was going to keep it all, but since you’re here, I’ll share some with you.”

Jiang Mo brings out a clay pot, opens it, and the aroma wafts out, making the girl involuntarily sniff it.

“Wait? Why is there sea cucumber in the chicken soup?”

The boy’s words spark her curiosity. She opens her eyes slightly, peeking through her fingers, her voice still trembling with a sob.

“Jiang Mo... this doesn’t seem like chicken soup...”

Cute little flower cat.

“I know.” Jiang Mo ladles a bowl and hands it to her.

“That doesn’t matter. What matters is whether you’re hungry.”

He pulls down her hand hiding her face, revealing Chen Yajie’s reddened bright eyes, holding her wrist as she takes the steaming soup.

“Have you eaten well?”

Chen Yajie hiccups, freezing her emotions, tears, and breath all at once.

“No...”

“Hungry?”

Her stomach grumbles uneasily.

“Hungry.”

“Okay, you can cry now.” Jiang Mo points to his shoulder. “Cry as much as you want, lean on me.”

The moment he speaks,

Her held breath halts along with her heartbeat.

Her eyes instantly fill with mist, her almond eyes flutter, then curve, dimples faintly appearing at the corner of her mouth, her delicate nose reddened...

The vision blurs with tears, the boy before her shatters into fragmented patterns, gently stirring her cautious, fragile heart.

She can tell him all her worries, all her bad moods.

Alone, she can pretend to be strong; with her parents, she must hold back tears.

But here, someone is willing to listen to her grievances.

“Wah...”

“Jiang Mo... I, I’m so stupid...”

Grief breaks her defenses like a dam bursting.

“Xiao Ming... Xiao Ming... I calculated and he’s only negative two years old! I...”

“So what? Just tell Xiao Ming to stay in his mother’s womb a bit longer. Three more years and he’ll be a Nezha.”

“Newton... Newton! I overturned Newton’s third law...”

“Old Newton would be proud.”

“This question... I worked on it for so long... the answer I derived is a given condition...”

“At least you’re not wrong.”

“I’m so hungry, Jiang Mo...”

“Eat whatever you want, just don’t bite me.”

The girl clutches the bowl, crying and pouring out her emotions.

The shadow leaning in the classroom slowly rests on the boy’s shoulder.