Chapter 23

"Get out of the way, we're going to be late." Seeing Han Hao rush over, Ouyang Ningjing frowned, a look of displeasure flashing across her face. Although she lacked the refined demeanor of the girls around her, she wouldn't go too far in front of so many classmates, even if she disliked Han Hao.

"Oh, oh, oh. After you, after you." Han Hao, who had rushed to Ouyang Ningjing, awkwardly moved aside, instantly transforming from a suave pursuer into a submissive servant, clearing the way for Ouyang Ningjing along the way.

Ouyang Ningjing, though she disliked Han Hao's clingy behavior, couldn't do much in public. She pretended not to notice and continued chatting with Meng Qin, acting as if Han Hao didn't exist. As she talked with Meng Qin, her gaze swept over Wang Fusheng's back.

If Han Hao's frequent performances of this scene every two or three days always drew attention, then Wang Fusheng's departure and Qi Tianyang's hurried follow-up were barely noticeable, as no one paid any attention.

Ouyang Ningjing was still quite observant of Wang Fusheng, her older classmate. When the class was first divided, all the boys in the class came to greet Ouyang Ningjing, even bookworms like Qi Tianyang said a few words. Only Wang Fusheng remained indifferent.

At first, Ouyang Ningjing thought Wang Fusheng was trying to draw her attention by being the only one to remain silent and indifferent, which indeed drew attention. Many boys had used this tactic to pursue her. So initially, Ouyang Ningjing was quite dismissive of Wang Fusheng.

But as time passed, Wang Fusheng remained the same. This made Ouyang Ningjing notice something different: Wang Fusheng's gaze. Ouyang Ningjing was beautiful, a stunning sight, and Wang Fusheng didn't try to get familiar with her, but he still looked at her. It's human nature to appreciate beauty, and Wang Fusheng was no exception.

However, unlike others who stared at Ouyang Ningjing with lecherous expressions, Wang Fusheng's gaze, though not entirely clear, was definitely not lecherous. It seemed to carry a hint of indifference. Yes, indifference, as if he were simply admiring something that had no relation to him. This admiration would praise the beauty but wouldn't let it leave an impression on his heart.

There was also a sense that even if Ouyang Ningjing were willing, Wang Fusheng would still hesitate. When Ouyang Ningjing noticed these things in Wang Fusheng's gaze, she felt quite不服气 (unwilling to accept it). But from the start of the semester to now, every time Han Hao performed his scene, Wang Fusheng would turn away. Others didn't notice, but Ouyang Ningjing became increasingly annoyed.

Although Ouyang Ningjing wasn't a real princess, her distinguished family background and the constant attention she received made her somewhat princess-like. So every time Wang Fusheng turned away like today, Ouyang Ningjing, who had noticed that he wasn't just putting on an act, felt quite annoyed, though she couldn't quite explain why. Was it because Wang Fusheng didn't treat her like a princess, or because he didn't stare at her with a lecherous look? Ouyang Ningjing herself didn't know.

College students have fixed classrooms but no assigned seats. Since they don't have heavy homework, they only have one or two classes a day. They just take the books they need for each class, a pen, and a few books, which is all they need for the day. They take everything home after class, so there's no need for fixed seats to store things.

So, students can sit wherever they want in the classroom. Those who want to study sit in the front, while those who don't sit in the back. Although the seating arrangement isn't strictly divided, the difference is clear during class: the back rows are often full of students dozing off, while the front rows are attentive. This reveals a lot.

Ding ding ding! While Wang Fusheng was daydreaming, the teacher, who had quietly walked down from the podium, tapped on the desk in front of him. At this moment, Qi Tianyang, who had been listening attentively, noticed that Wang Fusheng was sleeping and looked scared, as if the warning was directed at him.

Wang Fusheng immediately straightened up, glanced at the teacher awkwardly, and his heart raced faster than in battle. The teacher had only woken him up, not the other sleeping students, which gave him a sense of pride.

For a moment, confusion, excitement, pride, and other emotions surged within him, making him feel more human. The teacher glanced at Wang Fusheng, neither encouraging nor warning, and returned to the podium. Clearly, the teacher, who usually paid attention, was responsible and had pulled Wang Fusheng back. As for those who had been sleeping since the start of the semester, the teacher had given up on them.

"Why did you sleep in class today, Fusheng?" At noon, after class, Qi Tianyang looked at Wang Fusheng in confusion. Wang Fusheng, though not a top student, always listened attentively.

"I went to bed a bit late last night, so I felt sleepy in class." Wang Fusheng had calmed down and felt a sense of familiarity with the campus. He began to care about others' gazes and felt nervous in front of the teacher, which added something to his battle-hardened heart.

"Oh, let's go, I'll treat you to some skewers on the snack street. The food in the cafeteria is terrible. After the Mid-Autumn Festival, they've been making dishes like mooncakes with chili and mooncakes with potatoes. It seems they're recycling unsold mooncakes and selling them to us."

"Indeed, it's quite unappetizing." Wang Fusheng also felt speechless. The smell of mooncakes in the cafeteria made his stomach churn. After enduring it for several days, the students finally received their monthly living expenses and headed to restaurants and snack streets outside the school. The cafeteria would be a place to go when they ran out of money in the second half of the month, which had become a school routine.

If the Chinese were to say they were second in food, no one in the world would dare to claim first. Not to mention the eight major cuisines and the full Manchu-Han banquet, just the variety of snacks, from twisted dough sticks to buns, is endless, and one can eat different dishes every day without repeating.

"Fusheng, look at Ouyang Ningjing." As they walked down the snack street, Wang Fusheng, who was about to have some skewers, was pulled by Qi Tianyang.

"Don't be so surprised, we see her every day, and we're in the same class. What's so special about it?" Wang Fusheng rolled his eyes, feeling speechless. This happened several times a day, making him feel like he was being pulled by Zhu Bajie and told, "Monkey, look! A monster!"

"You're right." Qi Tianyang scratched the back of his head and smiled awkwardly. But Wang Fusheng didn't comment, as Qi Tianyang always did this and still got surprised when he saw Ouyang Ningjing, which Wang Fusheng had long gotten used to.

"Let's have a mixed stew. No skewers, let's have a big mixed stew. We have class in the afternoon, and eating skewers without drinking beer is no fun. A mixed stew with some old bread buns sounds good." At a mixed stew stand, the smell of various ingredients cooking together made Wang Fusheng feel tempted.

"Sure." Although Qi Tianyang was a good student, eating skewers without a couple of beers didn't feel right, but they couldn't drink with class in the afternoon. Mentioning skewers was just a suggestion, and they could eat whatever they wanted here.

"Fusheng, look—"

"Ouyang Ningjing, are you annoying me?" Before Qi Tianyang could finish, Wang Fusheng interrupted, a bit impatient.

"No, something seems to be happening over there." Ignoring Wang Fusheng's impatience, Qi Tianyang pointed in the distance.

Following Qi Tianyang's finger, Wang Fusheng saw a crowd gathered around a skewer stand. He couldn't see what was happening inside, but he heard the sound of beer bottles breaking and girls screaming. Hearing the screams, Wang Fusheng frowned.

"Let's go check it out." Wang Fusheng patted Qi Tianyang's shoulder.

"What's going on? A student who hasn't even grown his hair properly is making me move? Just because you have money, you think you're so great? You should know, when has Brother Dao ever given up a seat? Eating skewers and acting so high and mighty, do you think your father is the mayor?" As they approached the crowd, they heard a few drunken voices scolding, followed by the sound of punches and kicks.

Wang Fusheng pushed through the crowd and saw a mess. Han Hao and his classmates were beaten by a group of thugs with dyed hair, lying on the ground amidst broken skewers, blood, and beer, a rather tragic scene. Ouyang Ningjing, pale-faced, hid behind Meng Qin.

A young man with a half-bare shoulder and a tiger descending the mountain tattoo sat with his legs crossed, a toothpick in his mouth, clearly drunk, looking at the scene with a smug expression, occasionally glancing at Meng Qin and Ouyang Ningjing, as if showing off. The stand owner had disappeared, and the crowd formed a large circle around the stand, no one daring to speak up.