QTMWSFC Chapter 4

Regarding the matter of whether one’s fists are hard enough, Xu Xinghe was highly qualified to speak.

At least for now, roughly speaking, there should be no one in all of Haicheng No. 1 High School with harder fists than his.

As an ‘enthusiastic citizen,’ he had never been shy about punishing evil and promoting good, though occasionally he might get a bit carried away.

Every time Zhou Mei rushed over to deal with Xu Xinghe’s various messes, she couldn’t help but fall into self-doubt.

Looking at the group of villains lying on the ground and Xu Xinghe standing there saying he was the one in pain, she didn’t know who the real ‘ally of justice’ was.

Fortunately, Xu Xinghe’s intentions were always good. And with the backing of that one teaching laboratory building, even after all these incidents, he could still stay safely at No. 1 High School.

So he wasn’t the least bit concerned about Chu Xi’s little tricks. If she has the ability, she could come. But whether she’d make it back in one piece, he couldn’t guarantee.

After all, he had a reputation as the “school bully” to uphold.

And it was precisely because she couldn’t win against Xu Xinghe head-on that Chu Xi had stormed off angrily.

“Hey, wipe that up.” Jiang Zhe tossed a pack of tissues to Xu Xinghe.

Books and clothes were different. Pages that got wet would curl, and even after drying they’d never be the same.

Xu Xinghe looked at the pile of books on the floor, wiped them with a tissue, and then took the opportunity to tidy up the messy pigsty.

Jiang Zhe laughed at him. “Yo, our garbage dump got lucky from a disaster. If it weren’t for the spilled water, I wouldn’t have seen you clean up.”

Xu Xinghe shot him a sharp look. “You talk too much.”

Jiang Zhe curled his lips and went back to wrestling with his snacks.

Xia Qingmeng took the initiative to pull tissues from her pocket and wiped the damp textbooks. “I’m sorry, I got your books wet.”

They were brand new books, barely flipped through, yet now ruined by water stains. Xia Qingmeng couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

Xu Xinghe waved his hand indifferently. “It’s not your fault. Besides, I don’t read them anyway.”

Although water had been spilled, it had only dampened the top of the books. It was not a big deal.

He was telling the truth, but Xia Qingmeng felt an inexplicable warmth in her heart. Perhaps this was the first time someone had stood up for her and spoken on her behalf.

She thought that someone with Xu Xinghe’s temperament would disdain helping her.

Not only because he never got involved in girls’ affairs, but also because of his notorious ‘school bully’ reputation. He always seemed very unapproachable and not someone to be trifled with.

“Let me help you clean up.” Xia Qingmeng took the initiative to pick up the books from the floor, separating the textbooks from the workbooks, and handed them back to Xu Xinghe.

Xu Xinghe: “Thanks.”

Xia Qingmeng: “You’re welcome.”

Jiang Zhe’s little eyes darted between the two of them.

Something felt off.

The atmosphere felt off.

Xu Xinghe used to hate getting involved in matters between girls. He always said girls were troublesome creatures. Since when did he learn to speak up for someone?

Just the fact that he had stared at the girl’s back through the entire physics class was already abnormal!

Jiang Zhe’s gossip-loving heart couldn’t be controlled. He wrote a small note and slipped it secretly into Xu Xinghe’s hand.

[You don’t happen to like her, do you?]

Jiang Zhe rubbed his hands together in expectation, feeling that a huge piece of melon¹gossip was right in front of him.

Xu Xinghe read the content of the note and raised an eyebrow. His deskmate was quite perceptive. So he picked up his pen, wrote one character, and slipped it back.

Jiang Zhe eagerly opened the returned note.

There was just one word on it: Yes.

OH OH OH OH!

Jiang Zhe’s eyes nearly popped out.

Could you be any more straightforward, bro?

Aren’t you even going to try to deny it or play hard to get?

As the saying goes, isn’t the one who admits they’ve fallen first the loser?

“When… I mean… how long has this been going on?” Jiang Zhe leaned in and asked quietly.

Since when was Xu Xinghe this good at hiding things? When did he start liking this girl? There hadn’t been any signs at all!

Xu Xinghe smiled and glanced at him.

Jiang Zhe wisely shut his mouth and made a zipping gesture across his lips.

Got it. Nothing else mattered. He just needed to be a qualified wingman. That was enough.

The last class of the morning was biology. With the bell rang, students swarmed toward the cafeteria.

In every moment of fighting for time and seconds, the chance to get a dish could disappear.

Xu Xinghe didn’t go to the cafeteria to eat as usual. Instead, he sat still in his seat, which was rare.

He saw the female lead Wen Li and the male lead Su Yan leave the classroom one after the other, keeping a low profile. It seemed there were already some sparks between the two.

Xia Qingmeng also didn’t go to the cafeteria.

First, she was still a bit self-aware. Her good friend had been eating with Su Yan recently, and she had no interest in being a third wheel.

Second, some strange rumors had been circulating lately, saying that both she and Wen Li liked Su Yan. That wasn’t true, so it was better to take the initiative to avoid suspicion.

Third, the cafeteria food was a bit expensive for her. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but saving was better.

Her lunch was very simple: a cold, hardened steamed bun.

She had bought it at a breakfast shop in the morning. Nothing more to it, it saved money.

Xu Xinghe scrolled through his phone contacts. Xia Qingmeng wasn’t there.

In fact, he barely had any classmates in his contacts either.

True enough. After all, Xu Xinghe was the young master of the Xu family in the imperial capital. He still carried an innate pride. There weren’t many people he truly considered friends.

So now the question is: how should he start a conversation and successfully exchange contact information with Xia Qingmeng?

Xia Qingmeng took out her lunch from her backpack and nibbled on it while working on practice problems.

As she was eating, she felt someone poke her back with a pen.

Xia Qingmeng: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Xinghe organized his words in his mind. “Hey, can I discuss something with you?”

Xia Qingmeng was puzzled. “What is it?”

Xu Xinghe analyzed the matter truthfully, “Chu Xi definitely won’t let this go after what happened this morning, so how about we walk home together this evening? I should at least take responsibility for your safety. Once she calms down, I’ll stop bothering you. What do you think?”

Xu Xinghe thought about. What he said should be pretty good. It showed protective intentions without pestering others. Xia Qingmeng probably wouldn’t refuse.

Xia Qingmeng thought for a moment.

She almost forgot that Chu Xi had a cruel temperament. After being shut down like that by Xu Xinghe today, she would almost certainly have a follow-up move. She couldn’t take on Xu Xinghe, so she might shift her target to her instead.

What Xu Xinghe said actually made a lot of sense.

“Then I’ll trouble you,” Xia Qingmeng nodded, agreeing.

Xu Xinghe held out his phone to her. “Let’s exchange contact info. If she bothers you, just call me.”

Xia Qingmeng hesitated. “That’s not really appropriate…”

She didn’t think Xu Xinghe was the type to take the initiative to add friends.

She remembered that when they were first assigned to the class, everyone else was moving around excitedly adding each other as friends, while Xu Xinghe sat in the corner without moving his butt, not caring at all.

But Xu Xinghe didn’t mind. “What’s inappropriate about it? Exchanging contact info will make things more convenient later.”

“Oh…”

Since he said so, Xia Qingmeng saved his number and added him as a friend.

Xu Xinghe chuckled inwardly.

Quite easy to convince, huh? It wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined.

That night after the study session ended, Xu Xinghe escorted Xia Qingmeng all the way home.

Xia Qingmeng originally thought that Xu Xinghe would only walk her to the school gate. Who knew he would be so unexpectedly serious and responsible?

Xia Qingmeng felt a bit embarrassed, especially since her home was quite far from the school.

She was currently living at her grandmother’s place—an old, aging neighborhood with narrow and cramped alleys, patched and uneven roads, and buildings with peeling, mottled paint.

Xia Qingmeng assumed that someone as wealthy as Xu Xinghe would show some disdain. But instead, his expression was calm and composed, which made her feel like she had judged a gentleman by petty standards.

“I’m home. Thank you for today,” Xia Qingmeng said sincerely, bowing her head slightly in thanks before heading upstairs.

“No need to thank me. It’s the least I could do.” Xu Xinghe waved his hand, said goodbye to her, and watched her until she went upstairs. Only when the light in her room turned on did he turn and head home himself.