"Huh?"
Jiang Xueli didn't expect someone to say that at all. But once someone started it, the rest of the classmates immediately joined in on the teasing.
They didn't care or need to understand what the word "like" actually meant. They only knew that this was fun and novel.
"Wow! So the disciplinary committee member likes Lin Zhengran! No wonder she didn't write his name on the board!"
"So that's how it is!"
"Get together! Get together! Get together!"
"Marry him! Marry him! Marry him!"
Jiang Xueli blushed scarlet from the chanting, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet. She tightly shut her eyes and yelled, "Don't talk nonsense! Who said I like Lin Zhengran?! I never said I like him! If you keep this up, I'm telling the teacher!"
"Marry him! Marry him!" The whole class continued to chant in unison, drowning Jiang Xueli's protests in the classroom.
Jiang Xueli shot a glance at Lin Zhengran, then had no choice but to sit back down. She buried her face in her desk, squeezed her eyes shut, and covered her ears. Out of sight, out of mind.
Lin Zhengran couldn't care less. He knew that arguing with fools only made you a fool yourself.
What did these seven-year-old kids know? Constantly explaining would only give them what they wanted.
He merely made a token gesture by crumpling up a large ball of paper and tossing it at the kid who started the jeering. "Are you sick in the head or something?!" he said expressionlessly.
The class quickly shut up. Everyone knew Jiang Xueli couldn't really do anything to them, but if they provoked Lin Zhengran, the guy would actually drag them outside for a fight.
Moreover, because he had good grades, the teachers would always take his side.
Soon, the subject teacher arrived. After a stern scolding, the incident was officially put to rest in Class Two. "What were you all arguing about just now?! The director's office is right next door! Do you all want to stand for the rest of the class?!"
However, after school, Jiang Xueli actually took the initiative to approach Lin Zhengran. On the way home, taking advantage of the empty streets, she sneakily pulled him into a corner.
Lin Zhengran looked utterly confused.
"Lin Zhengran!" Jiang Xueli said, looking incredibly conflicted. "Don't... don't take what happened in class seriously. I don't like you. I was just afraid you'd tell everyone about the big yellow dog incident the other day, which is why I didn't write your name. Please don't get the wrong idea!"
She stared at him and explained, "But I didn't report you for sleeping today, so consider it a favor. We're finally even. You can't tell anyone about what happened that day, got it?!"
Lin Zhengran knew there had to be a reason, but getting friend-zoned out of nowhere was just ridiculous. "Oh, I see. Is that why you've been avoiding me lately too?"
She hadn't expected him to figure it out. Embarrassed, she bit her lip. "Y-yeah. I was afraid that if I ran into you, you'd make fun of me in front of everyone else. After all, you boys are all the same. You only know how to bully girls."
Halfway through her sentence, she looked away and muttered, "Although... I've noticed you seem a bit different from them..."
Lin Zhengran was exasperated. "Do you have anything else?"
She didn't expect him to be so indifferent. She shook her head, her twin tails swishing at her waist.
"No, just that."
"Then you can rest easy. I don't like spreading other people's business. From now on, if I sleep in class, just write my name on the board as usual. We're even. I'm leaving."
With that, he walked out of the alley without looking back. Jiang Xueli watched him leave with wide eyes, muttering to herself as she stared at his retreating figure, "Doesn't this guy get tired of playing cool every day? Acting like an adult all the time."
From a distance, Lin Zhengran looked back and glared at her. Jiang Xueli immediately put her hands behind her back, turned her head to pretend to look elsewhere, and whistled innocently as if nothing had happened.
Although many people forgot about the incident afterward, a small fraction still kept it as a talking point. Whenever Jiang Xueli managed class discipline, the mischievous boys would always bring it up again. "Disciplinary committee member, don't write my name on the board! I'm really good friends with Lin Zhengran."
Every time, Jiang Xueli would grit her teeth in anger and blush furiously as she argued back, "What does you being friends with him have to do with me?! I already said I have nothing to do with him! I'm going to put your name at the very top of the list! The teacher can punish you first!"
This absurd rumor persisted into the next year and hadn't completely vanished even by the second semester of second grade.
As summer approached, final exams were just around the corner. The school announced that, in response to a directive from above, they would hold a sports competition before the final exams this year. They claimed it was a warm-up for the kids' future high school entrance exams. Small-town schools were always like this—making impromptu decisions on a whim.
Lin Zhengran, acting as the vanguard for Class Two of the second grade, emerged as the champion in the sports competition. The rewards provided by the system made it impossible for anyone his age to be his match.
And this battle, as prompted by the system, was apparently a high-level master's showdown, instantly elevating Lin Zhengran to a whole new tier—level twenty.
[You have taken first place in today's Martial World duel, learning the ultimate techniques of many masters. Your reputation finally resounds throughout the Jianghu. Your Spiritual Energy Cultivation has reached level twenty, and you are about to unlock new exclusive skills. In this tournament, you have gained +1 Strength, +3 Charm, and +2 Physical Strength.]
The system's narration, to some extent, reflected the reality of the situation. This victory truly skyrocketed Lin Zhengran's popularity across the elementary school.
Girls from many different classes learned that there was a very handsome boy in Class Two with excellent grades who was super, super good at sports!
Jiang Xueli had been watching blankly from the sidelines as Lin Zhengran secured the championship.
A boy next to her joked again, "Disciplinary committee member, your Lin Zhengran is so amazing. But it feels like a lot of girls from other classes are looking at him. You're in danger."
Jiang Xueli retorted grumpily, "If you spout any more nonsense, I'll tear your mouth off! I told you I have nothing to do with him! Nothing!" But she turned back to look at the victorious Lin Zhengran, her lips pursed.
"What do I care if others are looking at him? It's so annoying..." She stared at Lin Zhengran's handsome face. A strange emotion flickered through her lively eyes, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "So annoying..."
Over in the adjacent Class Three, the well-behaved Xiao Heqing was also sitting in the audience. Instead of cheering for her own classmates, she was secretly cheering for Lin Zhengran.
Every time Lin Zhengran won a first-place title, she would smile happily. She thought he was truly amazing—always had been, from the past until now.
But just moments ago, she had overheard a rumor that many people seemed to be gossiping about.
"Did you guys see Lin Zhengran from Class Two? I heard his relationship with their disciplinary committee member is anything but ordinary! Everyone says they're boyfriend and girlfriend!"
Xiao Heqing's initially joyful expression suddenly turned to panic. She looked over at them, listening as they continued chatting.
"I know, I know! Haha, it seems a lot of people know about this. Their class's disciplinary committee member is named Jiang Xueli, right? Even though she's a bit fierce normally, she's actually pretty cute! They say they've been together since the first half of the year!"
Xiao Heqing clasped her small hands together. She suddenly stared at Lin Zhengran on the sports field, feeling extremely unhappy and deeply wronged.
She thought, "How could that be possible? Lin Zhengran never told me anything about this. It must be fake. I need to go ask him. I absolutely have to ask him and clear this up."