Chapter 30

At noon when school was dismissed, Jin Xiaoli patted Wang Bo's shoulder and asked, "Hey, you're not still holding a grudge over what happened last night, are you?"

"What are you talking about? It was just a bit of drinking, right?" Last night, Wang Bo had been seething with anger at the dinner table, but now that he was sober, he didn't take it seriously anymore.

Jin Xiaoli chuckled lightly and then looked at him, saying, "Actually, you should thank me. Otherwise, you wouldn't know about Lu Lu's feelings for you."

"Her?" Wang Bo was surprised, "What? You think she likes me? No way." He said firmly, "I just saved her once, and she's the type who clearly distinguishes between kindness and enmity. You're overthinking it."

Seeing his serious expression, which didn't seem fake, Jin Xiaoli couldn't help but feel sorry for Lu Lu. With such a dense head, you won't understand unless she tells you directly.

"Are you planning to practice these few days before the formal performance on Friday?"

"Forget it for these few days," Wang Bo, having completed his task, wasn't too concerned about it, "You all worked hard last week, and I feel bad for taking up your study time. How about we practice again on Thursday night, just enough to get by for Friday's performance?"

Since he said that, Jin Xiaoli naturally accepted it and added, "Actually, the school newspaper reporter asked me about you yesterday. They wanted to know if you would be collecting submissions this week. They want to get to know you again. Wang Bo, I think you're really going to have good luck with the opposite sex at this cultural festival."

"Cough, cough, don't joke about me," Wang Bo said with a bitter smile, "The rumors about me were all over the place recently. Who would still be interested in me? They're just interested in martial arts and admire my kung fu."

"It seems you still have some self-awareness," Jin Xiaoli said, relieved that he wasn't getting too full of himself.

During the lunch break, Wang Bo found a quiet place and called the lottery center. After confirming his identity, he asked for the address and scheduled a time to claim his prize the next day.

After finishing this task, he returned to the classroom. As soon as he walked in, a girl from the front row said, "Wang Bo, where have you been? A beautiful girl came looking for you just now."

Wang Bo's heart skipped a beat, thinking Huang Wen had suddenly returned. He hurriedly asked, "Who? Who came looking for me?"

"It was Qi Juelin from the first year," another girl said, "She came to look for you personally, but you weren't here. She left a note for you, which Lu Lu has."

Lu Lu's seat was right by the door. When Qi Juelin came looking for Wang Bo and didn't find him, she left a note and asked Lu Lu to pass it on. Hearing that it was from someone he didn't know, Wang Bo immediately lost interest: "Who's Qi Juelin? I don't even know her. Whether she's beautiful or not, she has nothing to do with me."

Without even asking for the note, he went back to his seat. Lu Lu stopped writing her homework, walked to his desk, and placed the note on it, saying, "This is for you. Don't leave it with me."

The note was neatly folded, with no signs of being opened. Lu Lu didn't care enough to peek, thinking that if she could entrust it to someone else, it must not be important.

Wang Bo casually opened the note and saw a line of elegant handwriting: "Senior Wang Bo, hello. I'm taking the liberty to invite you to the dance club room (Room 410) at 6 PM tonight. Sincerely, Qi Juelin."

What does she want from me? Wang Bo first thought that the dance club was trying to recruit him. He didn't even consider the crazy idea that Qi Juelin might be confessing to him.

Anyway, it's probably not a good thing. He thought it was a bit awkward that the meeting was scheduled for after school, when he still had to go home for dinner. After eating, he would have to rush back to school, which would be too tight. Qi Juelin must be a boarding student, not considering his convenience at all. Forget it, I won't go.

He crumpled the note and threw it into his drawer, then started working on his mountain of homework.

Liu Yan and Jin Xiaoli returned to the classroom, chatting and laughing. As they passed by Wang Bo, Jin Xiaoli said, "When we came in just now, we were approached by three groups of younger girls. Guess what? They all asked us where we were practicing, saying they wanted to watch."

"Yeah," Liu Yan added, "They all missed the performance yesterday but heard about our act from classmates and were eager to see it."

"But it's a pity," Jin Xiaoli said, "I told them you weren't planning to practice anymore. Oh, Wang Bo, you should have seen their disappointed faces."

"Wang Bo, you missed a chance to gain more fans. Are you disappointed?" Liu Yan asked.

"Once the performance on Friday is over, they'll all be my fans eventually," Wang Bo said casually while writing math formulas, "You two should get back to your homework. Don't chat so much. Today's homework is quite challenging."

"Hey, look at him, getting all smug," Jin Xiaoli said, pouting.

Liu Yan laughed and pushed her, "Weren't you smug just now?"

In the afternoon, they had a PE class. After gathering, the teacher announced that due to the cultural festival performance, the track and field team's training would be moved to Thursday, with the usual meeting time at 5:30 PM at the school gate.

The content of the PE class was a high jump test. After each student practiced once, they would take the test in order of their student numbers. The bar height could be requested, but most students chose the passing standard. Wang Bo, who was not tall and lacked jumping ability, also chose the passing standard.

After the boys finished, it was the girls' turn. Normally, the bar would be lowered, but the first girl in line was Liu Yan, who was relatively tall. Everyone encouraged her to try the boys' standard.

Liu Yan had a free-spirited personality and wasn't the type to be shy. Since everyone was encouraging her and the teacher also urged her to try, she decided to give it a shot.

So, she started, ran, and jumped with all her might—she made it! Before the students could cheer for her, Liu Yan let out a cry. It seemed she hadn't landed steadily and fell on her butt on the mat. The students burst into laughter.

The students farther away were still laughing, but those nearby noticed her holding her foot in pain. The teacher also realized something was wrong and checked her, suspecting she had twisted her ankle and was injured.

The laughter immediately stopped. Jin Xiaoli pushed through the crowd and squatted beside her friend to check her injury. Liu Yan must have twisted her ankle badly, as she was gasping in pain, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I'll help you to the infirmary," Jin Xiaoli said urgently, reaching out to support her. Liu Yan quickly replied, "No, no, I can't walk. It hurts too much."

Someone nearby suggested, "Yeah, don't move around. If you hurt a bone, it'll be worse. Someone should carry her."

The PE teacher, a woman who wasn't very strong, called out, "Which student can step up and carry Liu Yan to the infirmary?"

Everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to volunteer. Finally, Wang Bo offered, "I'll give it a try."

He wasn't much taller than Liu Yan and had never carried anyone before, so he wasn't very confident. However, he had been getting stronger recently and wanted to give it a try.

Wang Bo walked out of the crowd, squatted in front of Liu Yan, and said to Jin Xiaoli, "You help her up, and I'll see if I can carry her."

Jin Xiaoli looked at his slim build and had an idea. She suddenly leaned onto his back, saying, "Let me try first."

"Sure!" Wang Bo held her legs and stood up, feeling it wasn't too difficult. He nodded and said, "It's fine, no problem!"

He then put Jin Xiaoli down and, with the help of a few others, carried the injured Liu Yan. Jin Xiaoli accompanied them, and they rushed to the infirmary like a gust of wind.

The other students watched them leave. The teacher sighed in relief, clapped her hands, and said, "Alright, stop staring. Continue the test and lower the bar!"

Liu Yan placed her hands on Wang Bo's shoulders, keeping some distance, unlike Jin Xiaoli, who had leaned fully onto him. To maintain balance, Wang Bo had to lean forward, making it more strenuous.

Jin Xiaoli advised, "Lean on him more, or he won't be able to carry you."

"It's fine, she's lighter than you," Wang Bo said nonchalantly, earning a glare from Jin Xiaoli. However, Liu Yan, worried about tiring him, followed the advice and leaned onto his back, gently wrapping her arms around his neck.

The soft touch on his back made Wang Bo feel a jolt, but given the urgency, he didn't have time to think about it. Feeling more comfortable, he tightened his grip and quickened his pace.

After they rushed into the infirmary, the health teacher examined Liu Yan. Wang Bo waited outside. After a while, Jin Xiaoli walked out, looking at him as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. She asked with a smile, "How did it feel? Worth it, right?"

Wang Bo knew what she meant. She had also leaned on him, and the sensation was quite surprising, but clearly, she wasn't talking about herself. He turned his head and smiled bitterly, "Stop teasing me. How is Liu Yan?"

"It's nothing serious, just a spray of Yunnan Baiyao will do," Jin Xiaoli said, nudging him with her shoulder, "I have a question. Be honest, am I really heavier than Yanzi?"

It seemed that all women cared about this, even when the rival was a good friend. Wang Bo subconsciously glanced at her prominent chest and said awkwardly, "Actually, the weight is about the same, but carrying you is more distracting and harder."

Jin Xiaoli's mouth dropped open in surprise. She didn't expect this guy to be so bold, daring to tease her. She angrily said, "Pervert, who asked you to compare?"

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