WWML 39

chapter 39

“Is it heavy?” Li Fei looked at the thick stack of textbooks. “Wait a moment, I’ll find a bag for you.”

“No need.” Gu Qingning weighed the books in her hands—they weren’t that heavy.

Footsteps approached.

A unfamiliar male voice sounded.

“Teacher Li, what are you doing at the academic office? The principal is looking for you.”

Gu Qingning looked up and caught a glimpse of the newcomer: tall, clean-cut buzzed hair, wearing jeans and a floral shirt, holding a can of cola.

His leisurely walk could make one think he was on vacation in Hawaii.

A brightly colored floral shirt… really…

Quite flashy.

Li Fei wasn’t surprised by men dressing like this. She smiled and said, “Teacher Xu, perfect timing. I was just about to bring a student to your class.”

She then turned to Gu Qingning to introduce him, “Qingning, this is Teacher Xu An, the homeroom teacher of Class C.”

As the words fell, a discerning gaze landed on her.

“So, you’re Gu Qingning?” The cheerful voice carried a hint of uncertainty.

News of Gu Qingning’s perfect score on the grade-skipping exam had spread through the school yesterday. Xu An had already been notified by the principal that she would transfer to his class, but he hadn’t seen her yet.

Gu Qingning tilted her eyes slightly, met his gaze, and calmly said, “Teacher Xu.”

Their eyes met. The young girl’s cold, serene gaze hid its sharpness, but her aura of ‘keep your distance’ was startling.

Xu An was taken aback.

The girl looked ethereal, almost like a fairy, but she didn’t seem like the type to obediently follow orders.

Well, that was good—someone finally needed to tame the troublemakers in his class.

He put on what he thought was a friendly smile. “Gu, welcome to Class C. I’m your homeroom teacher. If you have any questions, feel free to come to me.”

Gu Qingning nodded.

“Teacher Xu, I’ll take my leave. You can take Qingning to the classroom.” Li Fei said.

Xu An made an “OK” gesture and took another sip of his cola.

After Li Fei left, Xu An turned to Gu Qingning with a smiling face. “Gu, let’s go. I’ll take you to the classroom.”

Gu Qingning nodded and followed him, holding her books.

Along the way, Xu An quietly observed the girl beside him.

A month ago, she scored just over twenty on the entrance exam, and now she had a perfect score on the grade-skipping exam—what a complete contrast, two extremes.

Moreover, he had heard that this transfer student had been mute before—how did she suddenly start speaking?

Breaking the silence, he asked, “Do you have any favorite subjects, Gu?”

Gu Qingning shook her head.

The students in Class C all had weaknesses in certain subjects; suddenly having someone who was well-rounded worried Xu An a bit.

“Then do you have any particular hobbies, like painting, dancing, music, or math competitions?”

After thinking for a moment, Gu Qingning quietly said, “Making money.”

Xu An’s expression froze. He thought he must have misheard. “What?”

Gu Qingning tugged at her lips. “Does making money count as a hobby?”

After wandering around the shopping center, her card balance was low, so making money was her top priority at the moment.

Xu An smiled awkwardly. “…I guess so.”

…

Meanwhile, Class C of the third year was buzzing with excitement.

Early in the morning, some classmates had caught wind of the news that Gu Qingning would transfer to their class.

Since the first period was self-study, nobody was paying attention to learning—they were all talking about Gu Qingning.

“A perfect score on the grade-skipping exam, and she’s coming to our class? What’s she thinking?”

“Maybe that perfect score is inflated. She scored barely twenty on the entrance exam. Who could she be fooling?”

“I saw Gu Qingning at the school gate yesterday. Her looks are insane—she’s practically a goddess. Even the school beauty isn’t anything compared to her.”

Yao Dong listened to the chatter around him, his thick eyebrows furrowed as he pondered something.

Suddenly, someone nudged his elbow.

“Dong-ge, Gu Qingning is transferring to our class. Talk about a narrow path for enemies—maybe she’s here to bring bad luck to us.”

The round-headed boy couldn’t control his volume, and many around them heard.

“What do you mean by ‘narrow path for enemies’? Dong-ge, did you have a grudge with someone named Gu Qingning?”

With that, everyone else turned their gossiping eyes toward Yao Dong.

Boring school life rarely had some entertainment, and this was a prime opportunity.

Yao Dong glared at the boy who spoke out, frustrated, and dropped his pen.

Seeing this, the others were even more convinced there was a juicy story.

The boy sitting in front of Yao Dong turned around, his round eyes sparkling with curiosity. “Yao Dong, did Gu Qingning really provoke you? Tell us.”

Yao Dong rolled his eyes and punched him. “Chu Xu, are you bored or what? Go write in your exercise book.”

The two were best buddies, and this kind of roughhousing was normal, so no one in the class was surprised.

Chu Xu dodged and laughed. “Look at your face—there must be something going on. Did you secretly fall for her because she’s pretty?”

Just then, an exercise book flew at him.

“Secretly fall for her? Shut your mouth.”

Chu Xu reacted quickly, catching the book with a mischievous smile. “I’m just joking. No need to get so mad. Did I hit the mark or what?”

Yao Dong glared but ignored him.

“When did self-study turn into a marketplace?”

A calm voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of authority.

The classroom instantly fell silent.

Everyone hurriedly returned to their seats.

Xu An stood at the door, scanning the neatly seated students, and snorted.

A bunch of little rascals—can’t leave them alone for a second.

He stepped into the classroom and onto the podium.

Tapping the desk with his fingers, smiling faintly, he said, “Looks like everyone is very curious about the new student.”

The students chuckled awkwardly. Chu Xu, daring as ever, grinned and asked, “Old Xu, why hasn’t the new student arrived yet? Did she chicken out?”

“What do you mean by chicken out? If your language skills are poor, don’t misuse words.” Xu An picked up a piece of chalk and threw it at him.

“No respect, call me Teacher Xu.”