Chapter Nineteenth: The First Step Forward

  Yue Zijiang couldn't help but feel a little proud and complacent, as he was already very popular in school, with his cool, handsome, and clean image. Occasionally, he would even hear comments from seniors or teachers saying "he's obedient", although riding his motorcycle to school every evening made him look a bit showy, sometimes enjoying the envy of passersby also made him feel confident and carefree.

  Those cheers from young girls, those beautiful hearts secretly admiring in class, all seemed like floating clouds when placed before Yue Zi Jiang.

  Only when Tang Yu appeared, it was as if he had been electrocuted, invading his heart. Let him suddenly understand that a girl like Tang Yu, if she were to fall into someone else's arms in the future, would be a desecration, and only he could give her happiness and bliss.

  Obsession can sometimes be a huge, invisible force that allows Yue Zijiang to quickly forget the pain of being rejected by Tang Yu once. It suppresses his restlessness and returns him to a calm state of mind. Where does this confidence come from? Yue Zijiang doesn't know, but he has a feeling that this girl has been his since long ago, they should be together, even many years later, they will still be tied together like this. This sense of familiarity has a kind of transcendence over the unfamiliar, nothing can break it.

  Yue Zijiang didn't get discouraged after being rejected by Tang Yu when he suggested sending her home after school. He smiled and nodded, "If not this time... then there will be other opportunities in the future, right?"

  Tang Yu helplessly nodded and just as the class bell rang, Yue Zijiang gave Tang Yu a casual wave of his hand before turning around to walk back up the stairs.

  It just so happened that Zhang Xi and Li Ai, who were returning, met them. Everyone knew each other, and they often played basketball together on the court. Zhang Xi casually greeted Yue Zijiang, "Oh, here to make an appointment again!"

  Seeing Yuezi Jiang's bitter smile, Zhang Xi and others immediately understood the outcome. Recently, since Yuezi Jiang openly pursued Tang Yu, it has appeared from time to time, but the results and progress are not ideal, but this is already quite remarkable.

  Among the three, Zhang Xi was the most handsome and had the best family background. Although he was a bit rough around the edges, when it came to pursuing Tang Yu, even Zhang Xi had some self-awareness. As for Li Ai's other sons, they didn't stand a chance. At this moment, Yue Zi Jiang was still able to get a slightly warmer response from Tang Yu and could communicate with her further, which was more than the others could say. Zhang Xi nodded sincerely, with a hint of admiration, "Then let's keep going!" This made everyone think that if Tang Yu were to be won over, even the goddess would have a moment of mortal weakness, what a wonderful scene that would be!

  Is it that when they play, there will be a beautiful woman sitting in the audience cheering them on, even if she's only there for her boyfriend, but still making their faces shine brighter and their blood boil with excitement?

  ···

  "Is this your phone?" Chen Lingshan suddenly asked during the break. This made Xue Yiyang quite shocked, knowing that he and Chen Lingshan had only been acquaintances for so long, and their relationship had never gone beyond casual conversations, let alone exchanging phone numbers. When would Chen Lingshan ask about his phone number?

  People have always had a subconscious tendency to seek benefits and avoid harm, so when responding to Chen Lingshan's inquiry, he also subconsciously ignored the word "you" in Chen Lingshan's words, and even more carelessly forgot that his mobile phone number had flashed with an inexplicable glance from Chen Lingshan.

  After people's attention had shifted to Yue Zijiang's pursuit of Tang Yu, the Chen Lingshan and Su Can incident became even more diluted. Previously, Chen Lingshan had kept a distance from Su Can to avoid suspicion, but recently they have resumed contact as friends. Of course, Chen Lingshan would not be in contact with Su Can alone, but rather in the company of several friends, relying on Xue Yiyang's relationship to build a bridge with Su Can.

  This did not cause any controversy, after all, it was obvious that Su Can and the like would be one of those numerous failed armies if they wanted to pursue Chen Lingshan.

  Chen Lingshan kept in touch with him, and in people's eyes, it highlighted Chen Lingshan's gentle personality. Since they couldn't be lovers, at least everyone could become friends.

  This is probably one of the most beautiful feelings during high school years, in this simple era, love will not be entangled with too much material interest and emotional investment, and the probability of loving and hating each other is not great.

  Most of the time it's just a faint sadness.

  So even when people see Chen Lingxuan and Su Can walking very close together, they can't help but feel a kind of sympathy for Su Can.

  Only the weak or those who have failed are pitied. Being liked by someone and being put in a friend relationship is itself a cruel verdict.

  They exchanged phone numbers, and Chen Lingxuan smiled to avoid being too conspicuous. "Xiao Mei and the others often organize some activities, everyone is a familiar friend, and we can also gather together during holidays, Xiao Yunyun is also very close to us!"

  Xiao Mei and several girls faced Su Can's sneering laughter, after Su Can's confession, they often joked about Su Can and Chen Lingxuan. This wasn't because they had any ill intentions, but rather they thought it was funny. They already had some distance between them before this, Xiao Yunyun's active pursuit of Su Can didn't even faze him, who knew he actually had designs on class beauty Chen Lingxuan? This kid's appetite is really big, and it ended up making everyone tease Su Can about his intentions.

  It's quite the opposite, Su Canping's calm and peaceful response to their teasing and joking makes one feel rather uninterested, thinking that if this kid isn't really of such a calm personality, then he must have received a huge blow from Chen Lingshan.

  Chen Lingshan felt that her meaning was already very clear in the previous sentence, she actively asked to exchange phone numbers, as long as it wasn't Xue Yiyang's kind of fool, anyone could see her targeting Su Can, and there was also a hint in her words, "You can call me."

  Making a phone call is already taking the first step.

  Chen Lingshan did not want Su Can to develop a gloomy mentality that was not without precedent.

  Su Cang let out a sigh of relief. After the incident at Xiao Yunyun's house, he was worried that Chen Lingshan would have some grudges against him. Unexpectedly, she didn't seem to have any hard feelings and could be an ordinary friend with him. Su Cang felt that this was already a luxury, as in his previous life, he probably wouldn't even have had the chance to interact with Chen Lingshan. His rebirth had changed many things for him.

  When the class bell rang, Chen Ling looked at Su Can carefully and still didn't see any particularly surprised expression. Before returning to her seat, her best friend Li Luomei leaned in close and asked with a hint of doubt, "You really gave them your phone number?!"

  Seeing Chen Lingshan nod, Li Luomei hummed a sound without saying anything. Many people asked Li Luomei for Chen Lingshan's phone number, but she refused to reveal it due to her loyalty to her friend. This made many boys dissatisfied with her. Now that Chen Lingshan openly gave her phone number to Su Can, Li Luomei felt extremely suffocated inside. What made this man so special that he could win Chen Lingshan's favor in terms of family background, grades, height, and appearance?

  Chen Lingshan has recently had an unreal feeling, as if she were connecting the low-key Su Can in her current classroom with the Su Can she saw at the municipal bidding conference, which was also the first time she saw another side of Su Can.

  That afternoon at the Kayla Hotel, he was calm and composed, wearing clothes that were worlds apart from his current student attire, even those trendy people in Municipal No. 1 Middle School didn't have his kind of noble quality.

  At that moment, he was very close to the identity of a white horse prince, but it formed a strong contrast with her impression of being dirty!

  It's just a pity that Chen Lingxuan can't share all this with others, in her heart, Su Can's whole person, in her eyes, has an even more unique charm and temperament, somewhat enchanting.

  Tang Yu received a note in class, which made Chen Lingxuan feel unbelievable. This kind of secretly passing notes was something that only some unruly students would do in this era, and it was equivalent to speaking disrespectfully and disregarding authority in class. It was absolutely impossible for such behavior to occur among the top thirty students in the class, let alone Tang Yu.

  Tang Yu held the crumpled paper tightly in her hand, stared blankly for a moment, then opened it.

  Cold and indifferent Tang Yu was originally unwilling to say a few more words, Chen Ling Shan didn't want to lean over to see where this note came from or what was written on it. She didn't want to lose face in front of Tang Yu.

  When class was over, Tang Yu nodded slightly towards Su Can.

  For Yue Zijiang, perhaps Tang Yu's nod represents the beginning of a new era and his unprecedented success. For Su Can at this moment, Tang Yu's nod made him take the first step he had to take with a hard head.

  Yue Zi Jiang's defeat was that he proposed sending Tang Yu back home after school, but was rejected by Tang Yu with a shake of her head.

  Su Chan handed over a note with only one sentence: "I lost several copies of the science materials, can I borrow yours to photocopy a few more? Wait for me after school?"

  ···

  It may be old-fashioned, but it works.

  Walking on the playground of Shi Yi Zhong, the autumn sunset was like blood, hanging obliquely at the edge of the sky. Stepping on those ups and downs bleachers and cement platforms, Su Can caught a whiff of a warm fragrance that came from somewhere nearby, faint but noticeable.

  "That person who often comes to find you, is a second-year high school student, right? Did you know each other before?"

  "I don't know." Tang Yu still had that light and gentle appearance, shaking her head as she walked beside herself. Her long hair was slanted to one side, hanging down from the front of her chest, a pink T-shirt accentuating the rise and fall of her breasts. She wore a grey-brown single-layer dress over it, exuding an independent and unconventional air that came naturally to her.

  Some people are destined to become legends, just like the girl by his side. As long as he's with her, Su Can feels a sense of tranquility and peace, as if being around her is very comfortable. Su Can hopes that she will have a brilliant future, rather than fading away after ten years. This simple wish seems achievable for him now.

  For Xue Yi Yang, he still won in the end. When helping Su Can pass a note, Xue Yi Yang stared at him with an expression similar to looking at a crazy person, "After the third class, I won't attend and ask for leave, there's also a ball game, I won't accompany you to go crazy..."

  The second class ended, Xue Yiyang carried his school bag to participate in the ball game, and didn't forget to throw a sentence that made Su Can very speechless, "You're asking for trouble!"

  It proved that Su Chan had a good grasp of Tang Wei's psychology. Her cold exterior made it clear that her excellence in school also made her situation not very good, standing alone at the top, making it easier for people to isolate her, especially with Tang Wei's personality, so she became even more aloof, to armor herself, facing all the things that made her uncomfortable in Municipal No. 1 Middle School.

  She probably misses the more relaxed environment of Municipal Third Middle School, Su Can's note that hit her heart, making her miss the afternoon before the college entrance examination, strolling in San Zhong with Su Can, and Su Can used the same trick - borrowing materials.

  Tang Yu couldn't help but smile, but she didn't expose him. After all, it was well-known throughout the class that Su Can and Xue Yiyang were sworn brothers. If they needed to borrow materials, Xue Yiyang would be a more suitable choice than herself.

  Su Can and Tang Yu walked around the school for half a day before heading towards the school gate. Along the way, they talked about some trivial matters at Yizhong and from their previous school, Sanzhong. Due to Tang Yu's personality, there wasn't much to say, but if someone had seen all of this, it would have been astonishing that the normally cold Tang Yu was asking and answering questions, making Su Can and Tang Yu's relationship even more unbelievable.

  But there will always be some unexpected things happening in this world.

  When Su Chan and Tang Yu walked out of the school gate, there was a group of early risers rubbing their eyes on the slope at the entrance. Those who were disappointed and ready to leave looked up and showed a huge surprise amidst their disappointment due to Tang Yu's appearance.

  Then, along with a group of friends, leaning against their motorcycles, waiting outside the door, Yue Zi Jiang saw Su Can.

  Chen Lingshan and a group of girls walked out of the school gift shop, chatting and laughing, and saw Su Can and Tang Yu walking side by side in the unreal sunlight of dusk.

  Just finished playing ball, in a grocery store called up two bottles of soda to be returned, wearing AC Milan white jersey Xue Yiyang and nearly thirty people from the football team, sweating all over, the entire line of sight is filled with those two who have been out of school for half an hour, slowly walking out of the school.

  The cold soda water entered his lungs, Xue Yi Yang's eyes widened, and he felt that his heart and lungs were trembling at the same time, as if the internal organs of his body had suddenly frosted over before his brain could react.

  ===

  The Tang Wei incident was just Su Can's psychological turning point where he walked out of some unnecessary low-key.

  The plot will unfold continuously, and regular votes will be collected! Thanks, brothers!