Classmate Li Zhuangsheng doesn’t want to be reborn

Zhu Zhixue stared at Li Zhuangsheng, biting her lip, her eyes reddening.

"What's wrong?" Li Zhuangsheng noticed that the other person was about to cry and quickly asked, "Did you fall? Are you hurt?"

"It's nothing." Zhu Zhixue turned her face away, clenched her fist, and then turned back. "I'm going back now."

She felt disappointed, not only with Li Zhuangsheng, but also with herself. She was bewildered by this sudden turn of events.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Li Zhuangsheng called out to Zhu Zhixue in a low voice. Zhu Zhixue turned around, but then turned her face away, not letting Li Zhuangsheng see her expression at that moment.

“Your school uniform is so dirty. How about I take it home and wash it for you in the washing machine?” Li Zhuangsheng suggested. “Aren’t you a boarding student? White jackets are probably harder to wash.”

Zhu Zhixue was stunned for a moment, then turned her head to look at Li Zhuangsheng's sincere eyes. Her heart softened again, and then a strong sense of grievance rushed into her heart!
"Need not!"

Zhu Zhixue bit her lip hard and quickly returned to her seat.

So the two didn't have any contact during the entire evening self-study session until it ended. Just as Li Zhuangsheng was about to leave the classroom, Zhu Zhixue reached out and stopped him.

"Here!"

Zhu Zhixue handed the neatly folded coat to Li Zhuangsheng, turning her face away.

"Huh... Oh, okay, I'll wash it for you tonight, it should be dry by tomorrow morning..." Li Zhuangsheng realized what was happening and quickly took the shirt. He glanced at Zhu Zhixue's short-sleeved shirt and couldn't help but ask, "Oh, by the way, is your other school uniform still clean...?"

"I have one more thing I can..."

"If you don't have a school uniform, you can borrow mine. I just changed into it, and it's clean!"

"Then give me yours. I just remembered that my school uniform is still wet after washing!"

Li Zhuangsheng then took off his school uniform jacket, which Zhu Zhixue accepted with a straight face, but her eyes were filled with joy.

Zhu Zhixue snorted, put on Li Zhuangsheng's school uniform, her heart pounding, and a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips.

"It's a bit big," Zhu Zhixue said.

“Ah, well, it’s a boys’ school uniform after all…” Li Zhuangsheng nodded.

Zhu Zhixue lowered her head, looked around, and smiled: "It's more comfortable to wear something a little bigger. My school uniform is bigger than normal... but it should still be a size smaller than yours."

Li Zhuangsheng smiled and said, "Okay, I'm going home now. I'll wash them tonight and hang them up to dry. They should be dry by tomorrow!"

"You gave me your coat, aren't you cold riding your bike home tonight? Wear mine first, then take it off and wash it when you get home, don't catch a cold, you idiot!"

Zhu Zhixue pointed to her clothes, her bright eyes sparkling.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!"

Li Zhuangsheng bowed and nodded repeatedly, sincerely thanking Zhu Zhixue for her generosity.

There's nothing wrong with girls wearing boys' clothes, but it seems like boys casually wearing girls' clothes is deliberately taking advantage of them. But the girls don't seem to mind...

Wearing the dirty jacket, Li Zhuangsheng felt much warmer. He zipped it up and left the classroom with Zhu Zhixue, waving goodbye.

Zhu Zhixue watched Li Zhuangsheng walk away. After he was out of sight, she grabbed his collar, smelled it, and couldn't help but grin.

“You’re so slow today,” Li Xiuyu said in the bike shed.

"Yes, I chatted with my classmates for a bit longer," Li Zhuangsheng nodded.

"Are your clothes a little dirty...?"

"Oh, it's from my classmate. She's a boarding student and doesn't usually use the washing machine, so I brought it home for her to wash."

"You're always meddling in other people's business!"

"Leave me alone!"

The two bickered and then each got on their electric scooters. The October evening breeze was cool and refreshing, and Li Zhuangsheng zipped his scooter all the way up.

Upon returning home, Li Zhuangsheng immediately tossed his school uniform jacket into the washing machine. Thinking that Zhu Zhixue was a girl who cared about her appearance, he added extra laundry detergent and went back to his room to wait quietly.

"Son, why are you washing clothes so late at night?" Chen Lanying got up to go to the bathroom and knocked on Li Zhuangsheng's door.

"It's my classmate's, Mom, don't worry about it, go to sleep!"

After washing the clothes, Li Zhuangsheng was worried that the residual detergent hadn't been rinsed off completely, so he added another rinse. After waiting for another ten minutes or so, Li Zhuangsheng took out the spun-dry clothes and smelled them.

The taste is alright, so it should be clean now.

Li Zhuangsheng carried the clothes to the balcony, opened the screen window, and hung the coat by the window. He thought to himself that it would be dry by tomorrow.

After finishing all this, he couldn't help but yawn. Learning radio calisthenics with Hu Mengdie this afternoon had already left him feeling a bit tired, and now he was too exhausted to play on his phone anymore; he just wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible.

But before going back inside, he remembered something and rummaged through the living room to find Yunnan Baiyao for treating sprains and bruises.

Although he wasn't sure if Zhu Zhixue had fallen... he couldn't have gotten into a fight, could he?

The next morning, Li Zhuangsheng was woken up by Li Xiuyu's smelly socks. He didn't have time to complain, so he got dressed and washed up. He went to the balcony and touched his school uniform, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was dry. So he took Yunnan Baiyao and Li Xiuyu with him and went out.

……

After morning reading, Li Zhuangsheng returned the school uniform to Zhu Zhixue, smugly saying, "It's done! I told you it would be dry in the morning!"

"Mmm, thanks!"

Zhu Zhixue licked her lips and slowly returned her coat.

"It's nothing!" Li Zhuangsheng casually stuffed it into the table.

When Li Xiuyu ordered her school uniform, she chose the same size as him, so the two usually shared the uniform. The uniform Li Zhuangsheng was wearing at the moment was forcibly taken off Li Xiuyu.

The other person changed clothes much more frequently than him. Li Zhuangsheng felt that there was no need to change the other person's old school uniform immediately, since it wasn't dirty anyway. So he forcibly requisitioned the other person's new school uniform that morning and made him wear yesterday's old school uniform.

"Oh, by the way, did you fall yesterday?" Li Zhuangsheng said, taking out Yunnan Baiyao from his pocket and handing it to Zhu Zhixue. "This can treat sprains and bruises. It's still valid, and I think it's quite effective. Do you want some?"

Zhu Zhixue stared at Li Zhuangsheng's Yunnan Baiyao, her eyes flickering with a complex mix of emotions, a mixture of wanting to cry and wanting to laugh, wanting to speak but holding back. In the end, she said nothing, and instead raised her hand and lightly tapped Li Zhuangsheng on the head.
"...Pighead!"

She put away the Yunnan Baiyao, while Li Zhuangsheng looked mournful.

"I was getting you your medicine, why did you hit me?!" "Hmph, I just don't like you! That's why I hit you!"

Zhu Zhixue struck Li Zhuangsheng on the head again. However, this time the palm was raised high, but it fell silently; she simply rubbed the spot where she had just been struck.

Li Zhuangsheng's slight resentment dissipated just like that.

Hmph, Hu Mengdie, you vixen, just you wait! Our love is stronger than gold, I won't let you succeed!

Zhu Zhixue returned to her seat, and Zhang Qixiang came back from outside the door, looking very gossipy.

"Holy crap! Holy crap!" He slammed his fist on the table, both excited and regretful. "It looks like Hu Mengdie got beaten up!"

"Huh?" Li Zhuangsheng was both shocked and angry, and quickly asked, "She was beaten up, who beat her up?"

"I don't know, but I heard she was probably beaten up last night; her face is all swollen. But she won't say who beat her up. Some people say it was Fei Yulei from Class 3, who said she didn't like Hu Mengdie before. But others say it was her parents. Anyway, she was definitely beaten up..."

Li Zhuangsheng immediately became restless and almost instinctively wanted to run to the dance class to find out what was going on.

How could she have been beaten up? She's such a kind and lovely person... It must have been a girl who was jealous of her. Seriously, I'm speechless. Why do girls always seem to be so scheming and backstabbing?
They didn't do anything to you, so why are you behaving like a thug, hitting people randomly?

Feeling restless, Li Zhuangsheng walked to Fatty Chicken Cutlet with mixed feelings as he waited until noon.

Although he had wanted to visit Hu Mengdie's class countless times during breaks, he felt he had no right to do so. Besides, if someone saw him, who knew what rumors might spread about him to Hu Mengdie!
So, as usual, he waited quietly for Hu Mengdie to arrive. Although she might not come, Li Zhuangsheng had a feeling that she would come to see him... If she didn't come, he would go down and find her himself!

The chicken rice was eaten quickly, but Li Zhuangsheng was restless in the shop, getting up every now and then to go to the door to look around.

"Are you looking for me?" The familiar voice finally rang out.

"Ah, you're here... Your face... Did you get into a fight?"

Li Zhuangsheng stared at Hu Mengdie's swollen cheeks, feeling both heartache and anger.

Hu Mengdie sat down calmly opposite Li Zhuangsheng. Even after a night's rest, the handprint left by Zhu Zhixue still lingered on her cheek. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore no makeup, making no attempt to conceal it.

"What, you want to avenge me too?" she said calmly.

"I……"

This question stumped Li Zhuangsheng, who never fought, let alone hit a woman.

“I can go with you to tell the teacher and make her write a self-criticism during the flag-raising ceremony!” Li Zhuangsheng hesitated for a moment, then said firmly, “If you’re really still angry, I can even call the police for you! School violence is illegal. I have an uncle who is the deputy director of the police station. He can help you warn her and make her apologize to you!”

"Apologize to me... Heh, forget it, that's just how you are." Hu Mengdie chuckled softly for no apparent reason, then looked up, her eyes flickering slightly. "I appreciate your kindness, but I don't want to make a big deal out of this, nor do I want to put you in a difficult position."

"What's in my way?" Li Zhuangsheng said urgently. "Tell me, who hit you? Did you see your face? How could she beat you like this!"

"Hehe, maybe she's just jealous of me."

Li Zhuangsheng patted his chest and said fiercely, "Of course! Her heart is too dark! She's just jealous because you're pretty and popular! Let me tell you, don't be afraid. School bullying can't be tolerated. The more you tolerate it, the more smug she'll become! I don't believe there's no law anymore. I'll help you with any problems!"

Hu Mengdie raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes, as if she were about to give in. But after hesitating for a moment, she shook her head and smiled wryly: "Forget it, I won't make things difficult for you."

Li Zhuangsheng was already burning with anger, and now, provoked by Hu Mengdie, he was even more indignant. Whether it was to save the beauty or because of the sense of justice that was about to explode in his heart, he was determined to help Hu Mengdie get justice today!

"What's in my way? I won't be in any trouble! Even if she's the county magistrate's daughter, I'm not afraid!"

"How come the county magistrate's daughter is at our school?" Hu Mengdie chuckled, seemingly touched by Li Zhuangsheng's kindness, but still shook her head. "I'm already very happy to hear you say that. Don't think about helping me get revenge; I'll be more careful in the future."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhuangsheng was furious, almost slamming his fist on the table: "What are you being so stubborn about? Who is that person? Don't be afraid! What can you possibly be careful about? You're just condoning the abuser. She won't stop just because you give in! She'll bully you even more if she sees you're easy to bully!"

Seeing that Li Zhuangsheng was furious and his face was flushed, Hu Mengdie looked him up and down and quickly tried to calm him down. She smiled faintly, revealing a troubled smile: "Alright, alright, don't get agitated, calm down first."

"Fine, I'll be quiet, but you have to tell me who did this to you!" Li Zhuangsheng said, swallowing his anger.

But when the wild man saw injustice, he sharpened the eternal sword in his heart!

"Sigh, it's actually just a small misunderstanding... The main thing is that you know that person, and I don't want to ruin your relationship because of me."

"I know them? Who is it? Could it be someone from our class?"

"Yeah, so don't ask anymore, just pretend you don't know..."

"Then I need to know even more. No matter what, hitting someone is wrong! Our class is even better. I'll go tell the homeroom teacher directly. If he doesn't do anything, I'll call Uncle Yan for you! We can't tolerate this kind of school violence!"

Hu Mengdie bit her lip lightly and smiled slightly, "Actually, I did fight back..."

Li Zhuangsheng gritted his teeth: "Of course you have to fight back when you get hit. Don't worry, you're just doing it in self-defense! Tell me, who in our class laid a hand on you?"

Hu Mengdie took a deep breath, and finally, under Li Zhuangsheng's persistent questioning, she had no choice but to lower her head and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"It's the one you like."

"Who do I like?" Li Zhuangsheng was taken aback, then exclaimed in shock, "You mean Zhu Zhixue?"

Hu Mengdie pursed her lips and remained silent.

"Did Zhu Zhixue hit you?"

Li Zhuangsheng's eyes widened in disbelief!

Zhu Zhixue wouldn't be that kind of person... Suddenly, he thought of the school uniform from last night, and the other person's disheveled hair.

Zhu Zhixue, that must be her.

Although he was unwilling to believe it, Li Zhuangsheng's rationality told him that the person who attacked Hu Mengdie was indeed Zhu Zhixue. That's why Hu Mengdie had been reluctant to reveal the victim's name.

In an instant, Li Zhuangsheng felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His initial enthusiasm vanished, leaving him only bewilderment and helplessness.

“She, how could she… She’s not that kind of person… Oh…” Li Zhuangsheng scratched his ears and cheeks, stammering, “Um, why would she do this to you? Is there a reason?”

"I already told you, it was just a misunderstanding." Hu Mengdie noticed the change in Li Zhuangsheng's tone, gave a self-deprecating smile, but still said softly, "It's okay, it's all in the past anyway. I wanted you to know anyway."

Li Zhuangsheng realized his double standards and felt even more ashamed: "No, no, I, I just wanted to know the reason..."

Hu Mengdie couldn't hide her disappointment, but she didn't want to discuss the matter anymore. She stood up and said, "There's no reason. I still have math tutoring, so I'll be going now."

Li Zhuangsheng stared blankly as Hu Mengdie left, his mind racing with thoughts, his face burning with anxiety.

"...Ugh!" He slammed his fist on the table in frustration. (End of Chapter)