"Everyone, preview units two and three over the weekend, and while you're at it, copy the vocabulary words at the end three times each."
The teacher droned on from the podium, piling on the homework.
"Aaaargh..." A collective groan of despair rose from the students below.
It was already the last class on Friday, and Xue Rui had finally made it through another boring week.
During the week, he had gone to the internet cafe twice. But each time, he only stayed for a few hours to check the current news and stock market or look up some information before heading back to school. He had no intention of pulling an all-nighter.
Meanwhile, Qiu Mengze, having seen Xue Rui lounging in the internet cafe watching the evening news, was even more convinced that there was something wrong with his friend's head. With no one to play with, he suddenly found that gaming wasn't as fun anymore.
Xue Rui was looking down at two sheets of paper—the "written explanation" Lin Ruoxi had produced at his request.
Lin Ruoxi's handwriting was elegant and neat, just as you'd expect from the second-ranked student in their grade.
On closer inspection, her strokes revealed a hint of fortitude, almost like a man's handwriting. The two qualities merged, creating a uniquely refined style.
"Grading a paper from a student like this is a real pleasure," Xue Rui murmured in admiration.
But the content on the paper wasn't homework at all. It was titled—"Fifty Possible Ways to End One's Life."
'This silly girl actually wrote down so many possibilities.'
"Possibility #1: Being violated by someone."
"Possibility #2: Sleepwalking and falling off a building."
...
All sorts of bizarre ideas filled two whole pages, leading Xue Rui to conclude that Lin Ruoxi had no real intention of taking her own life.
But as he read the last few entries, one line stood out. Though just as neat as the rest, it was clear that more pressure had been applied when writing it.
"Possibility #39: Grandma passes away."
Xue Rui felt like he had just latched onto something important.
He knew about Lin Ruoxi's past. Her only family now was her grandmother, who suffered from diabetes.
'Because her grandmother passes away?'
Xue Rui felt that out of all the scenarios, this was the only one that seemed plausible. But diabetes wasn't some sudden, unforeseeable fatal illness. Could it really be that life-threatening?
He took out his phone and sent a text to his family, telling them he wouldn't be coming home.
He had to go to Lin Ruoxi's house and check on her grandmother.
Holding the long, slender phone, Xue Rui was speechless for a moment. This was the first cell phone he'd ever owned in this life. Normally, he wouldn't have gotten it for some time.
But now, perhaps because his "act of helpfulness" had improved his image at home, the phone had been placed in yesterday's insulated lunch box and given to him ahead of schedule.
To put it bluntly, it was just his old man's hand-me-down phone.
Not many students in his class had cell phones, but those who did mostly had smartphones. For example, Yi Bing had a Coolpad, and other classmates used Lenovo or Meizu phones.
As for Gu Muxue, she used what was currently the most powerful smartphone available: the iPhone 4S.
"Why'd your dad get you a Nokia?" Qiu Mengze couldn't help but ask, eyeing the phone in Xue Rui's hand.
"It's called a Vertu," Xue Rui corrected.
"With a screen that small, it's a Nokia."
"You're right. It was originally a Nokia brand."
For a moment, Xue Rui found himself unable to argue with Qiu Mengze.
Even though this phone was more expensive than an iPhone, Xue Rui couldn't feel happy about it at all. Its features were pitifully few, and the screen was only about the size of a fingertip.
The only thing worth mentioning was that Vertu was a luxury brand, with a frighteningly high price tag.
However, none of these students recognized the niche brand, so to them, it looked no different from the Nokias that old men and women carried around.
*DRING DRING DRING~*
The dismissal bell rang, and the students, their bags already packed, scrambled out of the classroom like mad.
"I'm heading out. If you feel like gaming, hit me up on QQ."
Qiu Mengze and Xue Rui didn't live in the same direction, but he hoped Xue Rui would see the error of his ways and stop watching the evening news at the internet cafe.
"Get lost," Xue Rui said irritably, his eyes fixed on Lin Ruoxi.
Lin Ruoxi was carrying a tote bag she seemed to have picked up from who-knows-where. It was neatly packed with books, its weight causing her shoulder to droop slightly.
As she passed by the back door, Xue Rui grabbed the corner of her shirt.
Once no one was around, Xue Rui spoke up. "The head teacher asked me to make a home visit to your place."
Lin Ruoxi looked up in surprise, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes studying Xue Rui for a moment before she murmured, "Okay."
Lin Ruoxi was withdrawn, not stupid. If the head teacher really wanted to make a home visit, why wouldn't she come herself?
Even if she were busy, she would have at least given her a heads-up. Why would she send a student to do it?
She didn't know what Xue Rui was thinking, but she didn't refuse.
Xue Rui was very kind to her. He gave her food and even paid for her trip to the school nurse's office. Although he could be unreasonable at times, she figured most boys his age were like that.
In truth, she had no idea how to refuse Xue Rui anyway.
"How do you usually get home?" Xue Rui asked.
"By bus," Lin Ruoxi said, pointing to one.
It was right when school let out, so the bus company had scheduled extra routes at this time. As a result, the two of them didn't have to wait long.
Many students were getting on. Lin Ruoxi pulled a ten-yuan bill from between her books, stuffed it into the fare box, and then turned to point at Xue Rui.
The driver nodded.
Xue Rui, however, was completely confused. When he saw the fare chart on the bus, he was dumbfounded.
The bus fare was charged by the stop, with a maximum fare of five yuan. Lin Ruoxi had just paid the maximum fare for both of them. How long could this route possibly be?
He suddenly remembered that Lin Ruoxi's home was in a suburban town on the outskirts of Hedong City. They were on an inter-district bus.
He felt a pang of regret. Why hadn't he just taken a taxi?
But they were already on board, so he didn't complain. If this little girl could endure it, why couldn't he?
The bus was crowded, with no empty seats for them. Lin Ruoxi stood in a corner, and Xue Rui held onto a handrail, standing in front of her. They were so close they were almost face-to-face.
Lin Ruoxi kept her head down, her soft hair brushing against the tip of Xue Rui's nose, tickling him. It also carried a faint, pleasant scent.
It might have been the smell of cheap shampoo, but on someone as beautiful as Lin Ruoxi, it had a unique charm.
The bus only started moving slowly after it was so packed that not a single other person could squeeze on.
'This bus is driving pretty smoothly,' Xue Rui thought. 'What a shame. I was hoping to "accidentally" get a little closer to Lin Ruoxi.'
But just a few minutes later, the driver started getting agitated, cursing as he drove, with each word fouler than the last.
As for the bus itself, it would screech to a halt when stopping and practically fly off the line when starting. The ride was no less thrilling than a pirate ship at an amusement park.
'Son of a bitch.'
Now *this* was a normal driver. All the buses in Hedong City were like this.
A route of just a few kilometers through the city center somehow had dozens of stops, and the bus had to pull over at every single one, whether anyone was waiting or not.
The driver was beyond irritated, and the passengers were suffering for it.
Amid the lurching and swaying, Xue Rui lost count of how many times he had "intimate contact" with Lin Ruoxi. But he was in no mood to appreciate the fragrant beauty in his arms. He just prayed the bus would get out of the city center quickly, because he was about to throw up.
"Are you okay?" Lin Ruoxi asked, noticing that Xue Rui looked unwell, his face deathly pale.
Xue Rui looked down and saw that Lin Ruoxi's lips were rosy and her complexion was much healthier. The patient's meals and nutritional supplements were clearly working.
"I'm fine, just a little carsick," Xue Rui said, his stomach churning violently.
He didn't get carsick. He got *Hedong City bus*-sick.
Lin Ruoxi looked anxious and began rummaging through her bag for something.
"Son of a bitch, you dare cut me off?! In a hurry to get reincarnated? I'll run you the fuck over!"
Suddenly, the driver slammed on the brakes again. Lin Ruoxi lost her balance and instinctively threw her arms around Xue Rui.
Feeling the soft press against his chest, Xue Rui suddenly thought it might be nice if it took a little longer to get out of the city.
Lin Ruoxi slowly let go of Xue Rui and apologized in a small voice, "Sorry, I lost my footing."
Little did Lin Ruoxi know, her shy reaction was about to invite even bigger trouble.
"You know, when you hugged me just now, I suddenly stopped feeling sick."
Lin Ruoxi's embrace had distracted him, and he genuinely did feel much better. He wasn't lying.
"Quick, a few more hugs should cure it completely," Xue Rui said with a grin.
"I..." Lin Ruoxi glanced at him secretly a few times. His complexion really had improved a lot; he was no longer so deathly pale.
"Pervert!" A heavyset female student shoved Xue Rui from behind. He felt like he'd been hit by something heavy, a dull and powerful impact.
"Excuse me, miss, but she was the one taking advantage of me. And I don't know why, but looking at you is making me even sicker."
"Hmph, I wouldn't be interested in someone like you anyway."
The girl snorted, and the excess oil on her face glistened greasily in the sunlight.
"You... I think I'm going to be sick," Xue Rui said, his throat trembling. Tears were welling up in his eyes. The stuffy bus, combined with the sudden sight of that face, made it hard for him to breathe.
Not knowing what else to do, Lin Ruoxi hugged Xue Rui tightly again.