chapter 38
Fingers brushed aside the soft strands of hair on her forehead, and her clear, jade-like little face came into his dark, ink-colored eyes.
At this moment, her starry eyes were tightly shut, her fluffy eyelashes like tiny brushes lightly sweeping across his heartstrings.
Sleeping, she lacked her usual aloofness and rebelliousness; her obedient and harmless sleeping face was endearing.
Fu Juncheng’s gaze softened, and suddenly he had an impulse to take her back to Beijing with him.
He leaned slightly forward, his dark, calm eyes full of her reflection, his sexy Adam’s apple rolling gently.
“Ningning.”
His deep, husky voice was low, both indulgent and declarative.
No home—then this little fiery lion, he would take her back and raise her.
After two or three sleepless nights, Gu Qingning slept especially peacefully this time.
When she woke, the sky was already faintly bright.
Weak light streamed through the car window, dazzling her eyes.
She raised her hand to shield her forehead and squinted her sleepy eyes.
“Awake?”
The deep voice at her ear instantly cleared her mind.
Turning her head, she saw the man’s smiling face, and she slowly sat upright.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” Her soft, slightly hoarse voice came from just waking up.
Fu Juncheng spoke gently, “It’s rare for you to sleep well. Is your stomach feeling better?”
Gu Qingning shook her head, her gaze sliding outside the window, still a bit dazed. “What time is it?”
“A little past five. You can go back to the dorm and sleep a bit more,” he said.
Gu Qingning reached up to scratch her head, sluggishly realizing her hat was missing.
Just as she was about to look for it, a warm hand reached over and placed the hat on her head.
“Here.”
Gu Qingning lifted the hat brim and looked at him with calm eyes. “Thanks—”
Before she could finish, the man interrupted, “You already called me ‘哥哥’ [older brother], so no need to thank me.”
Gu Qingning lifted the corner of her lips and teased, “Calling you ‘哥哥’ comes with benefits?”
Fu Juncheng raised an eyebrow. “If you say it a few more times, there are even more benefits. Want to try?”
Gu Qingning rolled her eyes, retorting, “Are you really that desperate for someone to call you brother?”
“You don’t call it the same way as others.”
A direct strike hit, unsettling Gu Qingning’s heartbeat.
She momentarily lost her voice, and the man continued, “Yours sounds better.”
Gu Qingning breathed a sigh of relief—so he was a voice guy after all.
She spoke while opening the car door, “I have class today, I’ll go first.”
Fu Juncheng rested one hand on the steering wheel, tilting his head to watch the girl’s figure.
“Do you want to come to the villa this weekend?”
Gu Qingning paused with her hand on the car door and looked up at him. “Will there be good food?”
“…”
He’s not as important as food, huh? Realizing this, Fu Juncheng’s shining dark eyes held a trace of grievance.
“Since when have you cared less about food? Come to the villa this weekend; I’ll bring something fun for you.”
Gu Qingning became interested. “Fun?”
Fu Juncheng smiled mysteriously, teasing, “You’ll know when you get here.”
“Then it’s settled. Should I pick you up after school on Friday?”
Gu Qingning hesitated but ultimately gave in to curiosity and nodded.
Suddenly remembering something, she looked down at the jacket she was wearing—she had almost forgotten it was his after wearing it for so long.
She pulled at the collar, pretending to take it off to return it.
Fu Juncheng frowned, speaking softly, “It’s windy outside. Keep it on. Return it next time.”
“But—”
Fu Juncheng cut her off firmly, “Listen, don’t catch a cold again.”
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Gu Qingning put both hands in her pockets and said, “Then I’ll wash it before returning it.”
Fu Juncheng smiled in satisfaction. “Mm.”
The school was just across the street; Gu Qingning ran lightly toward it.
After watching her enter, Fu Juncheng finally started the car and left.
…
Back in the dorm, Gu Qingning lay down on the bed.
She had intended to nap a bit, but she ended up oversleeping.
When she left the dorm, she suddenly realized something.
She didn’t know where Class C of Senior Three was.
Just as she thought about asking someone for directions, a young figure appeared in the hallway.
The woman wore a light pink skirt suit, fresh and elegant.
It was Li Fei, whom she had met yesterday.
Seeing her face to face, Gu Qingning greeted softly, “Teacher Li.”
Li Fei nodded and gently asked, “Qingning, I heard from the Class C homeroom teacher that you didn’t come to class today. Is something wrong?”
“I overslept,” Gu Qingning admitted honestly.
“Teacher Li, where is Senior Three Class C?”
Li Fei’s brows were filled with helplessness. “Come on, I’ll take you to get your textbooks and school uniform, then I’ll escort you to Class C.”
Gu Qingning nodded and followed her.
Along the way, Li Fei frequently glanced at the girl, repeatedly wanting to ask something but hesitating.
Finally, she couldn’t help but speak, “Qingning, why didn’t you go into Class S?”
Class S was the class every student fought to get into, yet she had easily given it up.
The sunlight shone in her face. Gu Qingning squinted, her expression indifferent. “Not fun, boring.”
Li Fei was speechless.
She cautiously asked, “So did you join Class C because it’s fun and interesting?”
Gu Qingning pressed her lips and softly replied, “Mm.”
Li Fei’s gaze grew complicated as she tried harder to figure out the girl in front of her.
Class C in Senior Three was the most “mixed” class. The students weren’t poor in grades but were seriously unbalanced in subjects.
Each student had their strengths and weaknesses. In every exam, the highest scores in certain subjects often came from Class C—even surpassing students in Class S.
However, the final results looked at total scores. Because of the severe subject imbalance, Class C students usually ended up at the bottom of the grade ranking, often underestimated as only capable of getting into third-tier universities.
Even so, Class C students didn’t care—they focused only on the subjects they were interested in.
“Qingning, with your grades, joining Class S would help you more,” Li Fei gently advised.
Gu Qingning turned to her, a low laugh escaping her lips. “No, Class C is more fun.”
“But Class C is seriously unbalanced in subjects, you—”
Gu Qingning interrupted calmly, “They excel in what they’re interested in. That’s not wrong, is it?”
Class C students’ total scores weren’t as high as Class S, but in competitions, they won more awards, and in single-subject scores, they often surpassed Class S students. Each had strengths and weaknesses; there was no need for discrimination.
She chose Class C simply because it wasn’t boring.
That was all.
Li Fei had no words and, seeing her resolve, stopped persuading her.
Arriving at the academic office, Gu Qingning followed Li Fei inside.
At this time, the office was quiet; other teachers were in class.
“Qingning, here are your textbooks and school uniform. As for extracurricular books, you’ll need to buy them at the bookstore when you have time,” Li Fei said.
“Okay.” Gu Qingning replied, then picked up the stack of textbooks and two sets of uniforms.
