Chapter 24

【PS: Second update, at a critical moment, your recommendation and click are urgently needed! Please, please~~】

Tian Zini, whom Tong Yan usually calls Tian Nizi or Tian Xiaoni, because he feels that with this sister's figure, she really shouldn't have such a beautiful name as "Zini." However, she probably doesn't know what Tong Yan thinks and believes it's his unique way of showing affection, so she happily accepts it and doesn't allow others to call her that.

With Tian Xiaoni's shout, Tong Yan's train of thought was completely interrupted, and he couldn't think of it no matter how hard he tried. However, he couldn't get angry at Xiaoni, so he decided not to think about it anymore. "You came just in time. This bag is really heavy. Help me carry it."

Tong Yan has never been polite to Tian Xiaoni, even though he knows her father is a high-ranking official in the city government, higher than the county magistrate. But with their four years of friendship and their partnership in high school, asking her to temporarily be a porter was something he felt no psychological pressure about.

The usually outgoing Tian Zini didn't immediately help Tong Yan with his luggage this time, and her usual carefree smile was missing. Tong Yan was taken aback and re-examined Xiaoni's mountain bike. "Uh, your bike doesn't even have a rear rack, so it can't carry luggage. Forget it, I'll do it myself."

"Wait a moment," Tian Zini seemed to have something to say. "After you put down your luggage, come out once. I'll wait for you at the school gate."

"Why are you waiting for me?"

"I want to treat you to a meal." Tian Zini mustered up the courage to say.

Tong Yan looked at Tian Zini strangely. Although they were very close, Xiaoni had never treated him to a meal before because she knew that Tong Yan didn't like others to treat him. Even when they ate together, he insisted on splitting the bill. Although the Tong family's life in the small county was decent, in the city, Tong Yan, who had a monthly living expense of 500 to 600 yuan, seemed a bit poor compared to his classmates. But the poorer he was, the less he wanted to take advantage of others, always reminding himself that if he took a little advantage today, he would be looked down upon tomorrow.

Understanding Tong Yan's gaze, Tian Zini quickly explained, "It's not just you; Yezi will also come. You two are my closest classmates. It's not too much to ask for a final meal together before I leave."

Tong Yan was clearly taken aback. "What, what do you mean you're leaving soon?"

Tian Zini's plump face showed a hint of helplessness. "I'm transferring schools. I should have left long ago, but I waited for you... and Yezi, so I delayed it until now. But I have to go to the new school tomorrow."

Tian Zini spoke vaguely. Yezi was from the city and could be seen anytime, so in the end, it was all for Tong Yan. Unfortunately, this thick-headed boy didn't pick up on the hidden meaning and just kept lamenting the suddenness of Tian Zini's transfer. He really couldn't accept it.

"Does Old Song know? What will I do without you!" Tong Yan and Tian Zini were both Chinese class representatives, and their Chinese teacher, Song Xiancheng, was also their homeroom teacher. In their roles as class representatives, Tong Yan mainly showcased his talent to win Old Song's admiration, while Xiaoni mainly handled practical tasks like collecting and distributing homework. That's why Tong Yan said this.

"Of course, Teacher Song knew last semester. My father's job transfer was actually completed a long time ago, but I wanted to finish the semester before transferring, so I didn't go with him immediately."

"Uh," Tong Yan was still feeling a mix of emotions. "Wait, I'll put down my luggage and come right over!" This meal couldn't be skipped; he didn't know when he would see this compatible friend again.

The boys' dormitory at Yangping No. 1 High School was a six-person room. Tong Yan's 121 dormitory had five people, and now three, including Tong Yan, had arrived. Luo Xiaoxu was flipping through a copy of *Youth Digest*, and Wang Ping, after tidying his bed, took out his homework. Seeing Tong Yan, he felt like he had found a savior. "Xiaotong, you're finally here. Let me copy your homework. I know the rules; I can't copy Chinese."

Tong Yan casually threw his backpack to him. "Copy away, I have something to do, so I'll leave first." Without even touching his bed, he ran out.

"Rushing off to a date?" Wang Ping unintentionally hit the truth and then happily took out Tong Yan's homework, while Luo Xiaoxu, who was engrossed in his studies, couldn't help but glance over. He still had a few math assignments and test papers to complete.

Full of hope, but seeing the blank pages, Wang Ping couldn't help but sigh to the sky. "Damn, Tong Yan didn't do his homework! Where is justice!"

Luo Xiaoxu rummaged through a pile of test papers. "Here, not completely blank. The Chinese test is done."

Wang Ping felt a sweet taste in his throat...

Today was the start of the school year for the first and second years of high school, one of the few days when students could freely enter and exit the school. The school gate was crowded, making it a headache to look at. Tong Yan found the conspicuous Tian Xiaoni in the crowd, and beside her was the equally conspicuous Ye Qingzhu.

However, they were conspicuous in different ways: one because of her weight, the other because of her beauty.

Usually, girls prefer to be friends with those who are less attractive, but Tian Zini liked to be with the serene and beautiful Ye Qingzhu, making her look like a green leaf beside a red flower, albeit a round one.

Actually, Xiaoni wasn't too bad-looking; her features were quite delicate, but even the most delicate features couldn't compete with her round face. To put it bluntly, this girl was too fat. With her height over 1.7 meters, calling her broad-shouldered and thick-waisted wasn't an exaggeration. In today's world where thinness is the standard of beauty, Tian Zini was destined not to be accepted by mainstream aesthetic values. Moreover, Tong Yan's aesthetic standards also leaned towards the mainstream. When the two girls stood together, Ye Qingzhu was naturally more pleasing to the eye.

However, in terms of closeness, Tong Yan was still closer to Tian Zini, and he could only consider Ye Qingzhu a regular classmate.

Tong Yan, Tian Zini, and Ye Qingzhu were all classmates in junior high school, but after entering high school, Tong Yan and Tian Zini were in Class 2, while Ye Qingzhu was in Class 1.

Ye Qingzhu was a girl who didn't talk much. In the first year of junior high, she was still relatively talkative, but after a family upheaval in the second year, she became increasingly quiet and rarely smiled. She had only Tian Xiaoni as a friend. Over the three years of junior high, Tong Yan had spoken to her no more than ten times.

Tian Xiaoni, on the other hand, was different. Because of her figure, people treated her like a tomboy. In junior high, she liked to hang out with boys, especially with Tong Yan. Tong Yan's martial arts novels, which he wrote in junior high, had Tian Xiaoni as their most enthusiastic reader.

Later, when they entered high school, they were in the same class. Old Song, impressed by Tong Yan's top city-wide Chinese score in the middle school entrance exam, appointed him as the Chinese class representative. He then asked the other students to volunteer for the second class representative position, and Tian Xiaoni stepped forward.

At the time, there were many students who volunteered and had better Chinese scores than Tian Xiaoni, but Old Song ultimately chose Xiaoni. It's unknown whether he saw her father's name in her file, but in any case, the two former junior high school classmates became partners in high school.

The first year of high school was a year when Tong Yan and Xiaoni's relationship rapidly deepened. Although Xiaoni wasn't a traditional beauty, her inner beauty made up for it. As class representatives, she took on all the tasks, saving Tong Yan, the lazy one, a lot of trouble. He felt he had become somewhat dependent on her.

If Tong Yan were to rank his classmates by closeness, Xiaoni would definitely be first, followed by his dorm mates and desk mates.

So when he first heard that Xiaoni was transferring, Tong Yan was very reluctant to let her go. Of course, this reluctance was very pure, and perhaps a bit of impurity was because he would miss this excellent labor force.

Tong Yan waved to the two girls and then pushed through the dense crowd to join them. "Say, where are we going to eat?"