During the long break, Meng Xin came down from upstairs to find Lin Tiao, and the two went to the small convenience store on campus.
“Did you hear about the girl from the liberal arts class who insists on transferring to your Class 18?” On their way back after buying things, Meng Xin brought up some gossip she heard from their homeroom teacher, Old Yang. “But it seems like Old Yu isn’t too keen on accepting her. However, I heard that the girl is a relative of the principal, so she’ll probably end up in your class anyway.”
Lin Tiao popped a piece of dried mango into her mouth and shook her head. “I don’t know. Old Yu hasn’t mentioned it in class.”
“Well, it’s probably just a matter of days, so she shouldn’t be able to escape it.” Meng Xin was a bit confused. “If this girl wants to come to the science class, why didn’t she choose science from the beginning when she selected her subjects?”
“Who knows? Maybe she spent a few days in the liberal arts class and realized she preferred science after all.” As Lin Tiao climbed the steps, her mind was still occupied with the gossip about the wealthy family she heard in the morning. She wanted to discuss it with Meng Xin but hesitated, reminding herself that it was someone else's private matter, and ultimately decided to keep quiet.
The two parted ways at the stairwell on the fourth floor, with Meng Xin heading back to the classroom while Lin Tiao went upstairs.
Not long after arriving in the classroom, the class bell rang. Lin Tiao quickly finished the last piece of dried mango and shoved the unopened bag into her desk drawer. Just as the second bell rang, Jiang Yan and his three friends returned from outside.
As soon as he got back to his seat, Jiang Yan caught a whiff of a familiar smell and couldn’t help but frown. He asked Lin Tiao, “Did you eat mango?”
Lin Tiao wondered if he had a dog’s nose; she had already put the mango away in her drawer, yet he could still smell it. “Yeah, I had some dried mango. Do you want some?”
“I don’t want any!” For some reason, Jiang Yan’s tone suddenly rose several notches, drawing the attention of half the class.
“……”
What a moron.
Lin Tiao wanted to retort, but the teacher had already walked into the classroom with books, so she had to swallow her curses and silently mutter insults at him in her mind.
Was he sick or something?
If he didn’t want any, why did he have to yell about it?
Anyone would think she was bullying her deskmate.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Just when she felt she was about to lose control, Jiang Yan suddenly slid a note over to her.
Oh, this guy actually understood classroom discipline, knowing to pass a little note instead of speaking out loud.
Lin Tiao took the note and glanced at the messy handwriting on it.
—“I’m allergic to mango.”
Lin Tiao turned to look at him. With his right hand inconvenient for writing, he could only lower his voice. “Is that true?”
Jiang Yan took the note back and quickly scribbled something. “Do you believe that if I take a bite, I could perform a dramatic death scene right here?”
“……” Lin Tiao nodded. “I believe you, I believe you.”
With the misunderstanding resolved, Lin Tiao felt less stifled. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that the language teacher seemed to have noticed them, so she quickly tucked the note into her book and pretended to take notes with her left hand.
The entire series of movements flowed smoothly; it was clear she had done this before during class.
Jiang Yan, as her deskmate, naturally observed all her actions. Thinking back to the end-of-term exams last semester when they happened to meet in the last examination room, he figured that her academic performance was probably on par with the three little delinquents beside him.
However, the fact that she had the guts to let someone else copy her exam papers was truly commendable.
She was a bold one.
Jiang Yan clicked his tongue and pulled out his phone to continue watching a drama.
Meanwhile, Lin Tiao was completely unaware of his random thoughts and was even planning to avoid buying mango-flavored things in the future.
Just in case one day he suddenly performed a dramatic death scene in front her.
—
The language class ended, and the rain outside had cleared, with sunlight breaking through the clouds and pouring into the classroom. The boys were lounging in their seats, looking as if they had just woken up.
Jiang Yan went out again, and Lin Tiao sat alone in her seat. Xu Huanhuan, who sat in front of her, turned around to chat. “When can you get the cast off your arm?”
“About a month, I guess. It depends on what the doctor says.”
“Ah... that’s still a long time.”
The two chatted casually, and when Jiang Yan returned from outside, Lin Tiao stood up to let him in. Xu Huanhuan seemed startled, quickly turning her head away without saying a word.
Jiang Yan looked confused. “Am I that scary?”
“Isn’t that so?” Lin Tiao sat back down. “I feel like ever since I became your deskmate, you’ve cut off all my social interactions in this class.”
“Who said that?” Jiang Yan turned to pat the desks of Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan behind him. “Come on, let me introduce you to a new friend.”
The two raised their heads in unison. “I believe you, a ghost. Your new friends are only Wanni Dou and Dou Ni Wan.”
They were referring to the time during the last semester’s exam when Jiang Yan pretended to introduce a new friend named Wanni Dou, pointing at empty air. They had thought they had encountered a ghost and ran away faster than rabbits, only to realize later that it was a prank.
Wanni Dou, just kidding!
No way!
Since then, they had never trusted Jiang Yan’s claims about introducing new friends again.
Jiang Yan still remembered this incident and couldn’t help but laugh when it was brought up again.
The gentle breeze ruffled the soft black hair of the boys, and the bright sunlight illuminated his face. With a smile that radiated youthful vigor, he leaned against the wall like a noodle, his eyes shining with light. “This time I’m not joking. Let me introduce my deskmate, Lin Tiao.”
“She’s very outstanding; even when she’s facing adversity, she doesn’t forget to help those in similar situations.”
Jiang Yan was referring to the time she let others copy her exam, but Lin Tiao didn’t think of that at all. Hearing him say this made her feel a wave of confusion.
Facing adversity?
Was the big boss warning her that her current situation was dangerous?
Lin Tiao once again felt a sense of crisis regarding her life safety.
Would she even survive to graduate???
The two were clearly not on the same wavelength, yet they still managed to connect in their own way.
Hu Hanghang and Song Yuan were very considerate of Lin Tiao. Each took one of her hands and solemnly shook them. “Lin Tiao, it’s tough for you to be deskmates with someone like him.”
Lin Tiao replied, “It’s not tough; after all, caring for the old, weak, sick, and disabled is a traditional virtue of our Chinese nation.”
Hu Hanghang: “Awesome.”
Song Yuan: “Really awesome.”
After that, Hu Hanghang asked, “What category do you think our Yan Ge belongs to among the old, weak, sick, and disabled?”
Without missing a beat, Lin Tiao replied, “Of course, he’s disabled.”
Jiang Yan, who was watching the show, asked, “Why?”
Lin Tiao paused briefly before explaining, “Isn’t a brain-dead person considered disabled?”
Jiang Yan: “……”
Song Yuan: “……”
Hu Hanghang: “……”
What a wolf among sheep.
Not only was he more ruthless than the rest, but he also had a stubborn streak.
—
Here’s a more precise translation that closely follows the original text while ensuring accuracy in terms of gender and spelling:
---
Under Jiang Yan's chaotic arrangements, Lin Tiao successfully infiltrated the group of four.
During dinner in the evening, Hu Hanghang smiled at Lin Tiao and said, “Lin Tiao, when you’re quiet, you’re like Lin Meimei; but once you speak, you’re like Lin Laolao.” He added, “And still the boss’s Laolao.”
Lin Tiao: “…”
Sitting next to them, Jiang Yan shamelessly said, “See? I’ve helped you revive your fallen social life.”
“Thank you so much,” Lin Tiao replied, her left hand still a bit clumsy with the chopsticks.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan directly picked up a bit of every dish on the table for her, making everyone at the table look up at him.
Jiang Yan paused with his chopsticks, “What’s wrong? Is there anything wrong with caring for my deskmate?”
Xu Yichuan smiled, “Yeah, what’s wrong with caring for your deskmate?”
Hu Hanghang chimed in, “Yeah, what’s wrong with caring for your deskmate? In a friendly society, isn’t that a good thing?” He also served several dishes to Song Yuan, saying, “Good deskmate, you should eat more.”
Song Yuan played along, “Thank you, my deskmate.”
Lin Tiao: “…”
She finally understood how these people could get along so well.
There truly was no shortage of drama.
After dinner, the sun had set, and the entire campus was shrouded in darkness. The five of them chatted and laughed as they walked, and for the first time, Lin Tiao felt a bit of anticipation for the next two years of high school.
Not long after returning to the classroom, the class bell rang.
After listening to 35 minutes of English listening exercises, Mr. Yu entered the classroom with a girl carrying a backpack behind him.
Lin Tiao remembered what Meng Xin had mentioned about the class transfer that morning and guessed that this girl was the new transfer student. She didn’t expect that the transfer student would actually be someone she recognized.
Mr. Yu stood at the podium with the girl and said, “This is our new classmate who has transferred from Class 3 of the second year of the liberal arts track. Please welcome her.”
“Wait, she transferred from a liberal arts class?”
“This girl is impressive.”
The girl spoke amid the sparse applause, “Hello everyone, my name is Tao Jia. I was originally in Class 16 of the first year, then I went to Class 3 of the liberal arts track, and now I’m transferring to Class 18. I hope to get along well with everyone.”
Tao Jia.
She was the girl who had sat behind Lin Tiao during the last semester's final exam and had originally planned to treat Lin Tiao to dinner after the exams. However, that plan fell through because Lin Tiao didn’t attend the English exam.
Who would have thought that after all this time, they would end up in the same class?
Lin Tiao couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of fate.
Class 18 had perfectly filled seats, and even the prime spots next to the podium were taken, leaving no available seats for arrangement.
After consulting with Tao Jia, Mr. Yu asked Hu Hanghang to move two desks to the last row of the first group.
“For now, this is how you’ll be seated. We’ll adjust the seating after next month’s exams.”
After Mr. Yu explained the discipline issues, he left. A few girls in the classroom were former classmates of Tao Jia, and for a moment, the room buzzed with chatter.
However, it soon quieted down.
The stern face of the vice principal, Li Kun, appeared at the glass of the back door.
“…”
A study period quickly came to an end.
Tao Jia exchanged a few words with her former classmates before walking over and sitting in Xu Huanhuan’s spot. “Hey, Lin Tiao, it’s good to see you again.”
Lin Tiao looked up and chatted with her briefly. Tao Jia remembered their dinner plan, saying, “I’ll treat you to dinner sometime!”
Before Lin Tiao could refuse, she heard Tao Jia say to Jiang Yan, “And my savior, you should join us too!”
?
Savior?
—
Note
Lin Meimei (林妹妹): This refers to a cute, innocent, or youthful girl, often associated with the character Lin Daiyu from the classic Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. The name implies a gentle and sweet demeanor.
Lin Laolao (林佬佬): "Laolao" is a colloquial term that can refer to an older person or someone who has a more authoritative or brusque demeanor. It suggests a shift from innocence to a more assertive or tough attitude.
The joke implies that when Lin Tiao is quiet, she seems innocent and sweet (like Lin Meimei), but once she speaks, she comes across as more assertive or bold (like Lin Laolao). It's a playful way to comment on her personality and the contrast in her behavior.
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