Qingteng's Mind - Middle School Era

Chapter 1439 Reason
What kind of look is that from Dong Huihui?
Lin Yijie felt a sudden chill, as if she were a stranger.

What did she do wrong?
She didn't seem to do anything.

Everything was fine before the first evening self-study session, except that Dong Huihui went to deliver her English homework, and she didn't accompany her.

It wasn't that she didn't want to accompany her, but Dong Huihui said that it wasn't necessary and that she could go by herself.

Did her English teacher criticize her again?

Lin Yijie wondered to herself.

"You can leave if you want, I'll wait a bit before I go."

Her tone was indifferent, and after speaking, she lowered her head and continued writing, as if whether Lin Yijie stood next to her or walked away had nothing to do with her.

Lin Yijie was stunned.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a moment.

She was clearly asking her a friendly question, so why was she so rude? Even if the English teacher really did criticize Dong Huihui, it has nothing to do with her.

Why treat her like this? Besides, in the past, Dong Huihui would always complain to her when she was criticized.

This kind of reaction is unprecedented.

What exactly is the reason?

She recalled that evening study session, when she was squeezed by the desk, scratched by pens, and hit by textbooks—time and time again. The faint red mark on her arm hadn't completely faded yet. It wasn't that she didn't feel anything, she just didn't want to dwell on it.

That's because Dong Huihui was her deskmate.

She was also the first friend she made after coming to Class 5, and the first person to show her kindness.

They ate together, walked back to the dormitory together, enjoyed the evening breeze in the corridor together, ate snacks together, complained about how the English teacher favored the class monitor, and then encouraged Huihui to study hard.

Lin Yijie pursed her lips, feeling something stuck in her throat.

Since that's the case, Dong Huihui had nowhere to vent her anger and didn't want to talk to her, so she decided to leave first.

"I go first."

After she finished speaking, she tidied up the textbooks on the table, stacking them one by one on the pile of books.

The movements were slow, as if they were waiting for something, until Dong Huihui suddenly looked up and said, "Wait a minute, let's do it together."

But Dong Huihui didn't.

Until Lin Yijie finished tidying up, got up, and left her seat, Dong Huihui didn't even look up at her.

The moment I stepped out of the classroom, the night breeze from the corridor rushed towards me, carrying the sweet scent of gardenias from late May, so sweet it almost made me want to cry.

She took a deep breath and then exhaled heavily.

She didn't know what she had done to offend Dong Huihui.

Just like she didn't know when Ling Mengchu and Lin Yijie started corresponding.

Since I don't know, I'll stop thinking about it.

She lifted her foot and walked towards the stairwell, but her steps were much heavier than usual.

She let out a deep breath, but the suffocating feeling still lingered in her chest, and she couldn't shake it off.

The lights in the corridor cast her shadow long, long.

Later, after Dong Huihui returned to her dormitory, she didn't speak to her.

The next morning, it was time for early self-study.

Sunlight streamed in through the east-facing window, casting a warm, golden glow on the desks.

The sound of reading aloud rose and fell in the classroom, like the chirping of cicadas in summer, buzzing together in a continuous chorus.

When Dong Huihui entered the classroom, she had a tense face and did not come in with Lin Yijie as usual.

She sat down, but instead of turning around to ask, as usual, "Did you copy yesterday's English notes?", she didn't even glance at Lin Yijie.

Lin Yijie kept her head down, looking at the book in front of her, and did not take the initiative to greet anyone.

As she came in, he quietly moved the chair forward a little, leaving enough space for her to walk in.

Then she turned her head back and continued reading the English text in front of her. Not far away, Wang Xiaoxiao and Wang Xinyi exchanged a glance, each holding their textbooks in front of them, their mouths moving, but their eyes glancing over from time to time.

"Could you read a little quieter?" Dong Huihui suddenly spoke up. Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached Lin Yijie's ears clearly.

Lin Yijie paused for a moment, then lowered the English book in her hand.

"Your pronunciation is often inaccurate," Dong Huihui said in a nonchalant tone. "You're reading so loudly, it's affecting my ability to memorize words and recite texts."

Lin Yijie looked at her.

Dong Huihui's profile was tense, her eyes fixed on the English vocabulary list in front of her, her lips moving slightly as if she were memorizing something.

But Lin Yijie noticed that the tips of her ears were a little red.

Lin Yijie nodded slightly and said softly, "Okay."

She was not a submissive little girl.

If anyone else had treated her like that, she would have snapped back. But this was Huihui, her classmate and best friend.

She didn't want to argue with her.

The morning self-study session passed quickly yet slowly amidst everyone's reading aloud.

"I'm leaving now, it's my turn to get the food today."

This time, Lin Yijie didn't ask Dong Huihui if she was leaving. She simply got up, picked up the water glass on the table, and left her seat.

As her figure disappeared through the classroom doorway, Dong Huihui's pen paused for a moment on the paper.

She looked up in that direction, then looked down again and continued writing.

Wang Xinyi, who was not far away, ran to Wang Xiaoxiao's table again.

The two whispered something to each other, their heads close together. Then Wang Xinyi turned to Ling Mengchu, her voice not loud, but just loud enough for a few people nearby to hear.

"Have you written a reply to A-Jie?"

As soon as they finished speaking, several people nearby looked at them.

Among them was Dong Huihui's surprised and puzzled look.

Her gaze shifted from Wang Xinyi's face to Ling Mengchu's face, then back to Wang Xinyi's, as if confirming the words she had just heard:
Ah Jie.

reply?

Is it him?
How can it be!

She must have misheard.

How could Ling Mengchu possibly correspond with him? He's such a cold and aloof person; from junior high until now, I've never heard of him getting close to any girl.

He was always walking with a few boys.

So why were they talking about him yesterday? And why was Lin Yijie also discussing him with them yesterday?

That's why she was angry.

She walked into the classroom yesterday and overheard Lin Yijie saying, "Lin Yijie is her brother, and she also wants to take the entrance exam for Jiangnan University."

Lin Yi-chieh is Lin Yi-chieh's older brother!
But she didn't know.

She had always considered Lin Yijie her good friend, but Lin Yijie kept such important information from her.

He actually went over and talked to them about him when she wasn't there.

She had no idea that he was going to apply to Jiangnan University.

Lin Yijie actually kept it from her!
She considered Lin Yijie a good friend, but what did Lin Yijie consider her?!
Dong Huihui's gaze froze.

Her lips twitched slightly, then tightened again.

Then she slowly and silently lowered her head and continued writing her English homework. The pen moved across the paper a little faster than before.

Sunlight streamed in through the window and fell on her hand holding the pen.

On the back of his hand, the bluish veins were slightly bulging.

No one noticed that she was gripping the pen with much more force than usual.