Looking at Shen Yubai's text, Xu Chuning replied as calmly as possible: "You're quite proud of yourself."
Shen Yubai: "...Just a bit."
Xu Chuning was at a loss for words and didn't plan to engage further.
She was about to shut her phone off for a midday nap when a new message from Shen Yubai arrived: "Do you need help with the noon incident?"
Xu Chuning was startled, then realized what Shen Yubai was referring to. After thinking it over, she replied: "No need."
Lin Jingjing and the others had troubled her solely because of Shen Yubai; if she let Shen Yubai intervene, it would only confirm their suspicions of a significant relationship between them.
Even though, given the current situation, there was admittedly something indescribable about their relationship.
But she could handle the situation herself; Shen Yubai's help wasn't necessary.
Shen Yubai: "Alright."
He very tactfully refrained from asking further questions.
The two were not particularly familiar with each other but seemed to understand one another's temperament better than others did.
Closing her phone, Xu Chuning laid her head on the desk for a nap—she'd gone to bed late the night before and was indeed feeling drowsy.
Seeing Xu Chuning lie down, Shen Sinian, who was sitting behind her, stared at the round back of her head, and couldn't help but think—how could even the back of her head be so cute?
Deng Xitong turned her head inadvertently and caught the sight of Shen Sinian staring fixedly at Xu Chuning's back. She observed his gaze and was shocked—could it be that the new student had already fallen for Xu Chuning at first sight?
That seemed way too fast.
Shen Sinian didn't notice Deng Xitong or the other classmates staring straight at him. After admiring the back of Xu Chuning's head for a while, Shen Sinian turned to look outside the window at the scorching sun.
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted in the classroom, waking up the students from their nap, Xu Chuning included. She sleepily lifted her head, shifted positions as if accustomed to it, and lay down again.
Only, this time, she found it hard to fall asleep again.
Realizing this, Shen Sinian's brow furrowed slightly as he looked towards the few students causing a commotion. He silently counted to ten in his head, reasoning that if they quieted down within that time, he would let it go.
But after ten seconds, their laughter grew even louder, grating on the ears.
Unable to endure it any longer, there was no need to hold back.
Shen Sinian stood up from his seat with a slightly cold expression and approached the two noisy students.
A shadow fell over them, and as the two playful students looked up, they met Shen Sinian's haughty gaze, "New classmate, what's up?"
With downcast eyes, Shen Sinian spoke calmly, "It's rest time, please keep it down."
"Heh," one of them laughed upon hearing this, "Rest time isn't class time; why are you so concerned? Are you a teacher or—"
Mid-sentence, he provocatively lifted his hand to slap Shen Sinian's face.
Shen Sinian, caught off guard, actually got hit in the face. At the same time, without thinking, he pushed the arm away and kicked the other's desk with his foot, creating a loud noise, "I'm your dad."
The desk wobbled and fell to the floor, spilling the books from inside.
At the same time, Shen Sinian's mocking voice pierced everyone's ears and the other students who saw and heard this gasped.
"You motherf—," the guy whose desk got kicked was immediately infuriated and swung a punch at Shen Sinian, intending to hit him, only to find his fist caught by Shen Sinian.
He heard the words he had just cursed, anger flashing in his eyes, "What did you just say?"
The student's punching hand was immobilized, powerless, and he was grinning in pain, "I said you son of a—"
He didn't get to finish the word "bitch" as Shen Sinian twisted his hand sending him into so much pain he couldn't speak, only letting out cries.
The fight happened so suddenly that Xu Chuning, when she came to, it was too late to intervene.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and when Shen Sinian picked up a chair to smash it down, she shouted to stop him, "Shen Sinian, stop!"
Hearing Xu Chuning's crisp voice, Shen Sinian's movements paused, "I—"
"Put down the stool!" Xu Chuning hurriedly squeezed through the crowd and, in front of all the onlookers, she took the stool out of Shen Sinian's hands, "Let him go."
Shen Sinian frowned, "He was insulting..."
"What insults?" Xu Chuning scolded, "No matter how he insults, you can't hit people."
Shen Sinian pursed the corners of his lips without moving.
Several people were at a standoff when Xu Chuning helplessly raised her hand, took hold of Shen Sinian's wrist, and softly said, "Shen Sinian, let go first."
Shen Sinian paused slightly, made eye contact with her for a moment, and then unwillingly put down the stool and let go of the boy he had grabbed.
"Damn!" As soon as Shen Sinian let go, the boy found an opportunity to retaliate. From the front of the classroom, the voices of classmates could be heard shouting, "Teacher Mou is coming."
"..."
*
In the teacher's office, Shen Sinian and Xu Chuning stood to one side, along with Qi Yeran, the class president who had tried to break up the fight, while the two boys who had been hit by Shen Sinian stood on the other side.
"What's going on?" Mou Xue looked tired as she gazed at the group before her, "How did you end up fighting?"
"Teacher Mou, it was this bastard—," the male student who got beaten up the worst by Shen Sinian began to accuse, but before he could finish, a stern look from Mou Xue cut him off, "What did you just say?"
The boy immediately shut up.
Mou Xue rubbed her temples with a hint of a headache and looked towards Qi Yeran, "Class president, tell me what happened."
Qi Yeran stepped forward and said softly, "Teacher, I'm not entirely clear about the details, but as far as I recall, Zhao Hu and Du Yangxu were being very loud during nap time, waking up many of the resting students. Shen Sinian asked them to quiet down, but they didn't listen, and that's how the dispute started."
Nap time is not class time, some students choose to sleep, and some do not.
The school does not mandate that students cannot speak or play games or read novels, but most students are conscious enough to lower their voices when they see others sleeping.
Of course, some are considerate, while others are not.
Zhao Hu and Du Yangxu have always been problematic students in the class; they sleep during lessons and make loud noises during breaks and nap time.
Other students have previously complained, asking them to be quieter, but they never listen, and sometimes even curse those asking for quiet.
Over time, the other students gave up and let them be.
It just never occurred to either of them that the newly transferred Shen Sinian would be so firm.
After listening to Qi Yeran, Mou Xue looked at the two with a stern face, "Is what Qi Yeran said true?"
The most badly beaten, Zhao Hu protested, "Teacher Mou, you can't just listen to the class president's side of the story, right? He's the one who started the physical fight."
Zhao Hu was always cunning; he didn't even mention the part where he slapped Shen Sinian's face.
Mou Xue's eyes sharpened as she looked at Zhao Hu, "Zhao Hu! I haven't finished asking yet, and besides, as a third party, is the class president's account just one side of the story?"
Zhao Hu, rarely scolded so fiercely by Mou Xue, cocked his mouth and did not make another sound.
Just as Mou Xue was in a dilemma, Director Wang, who had heard about the incident, came over, "What's the matter?"
Mou Xue quickly stood up, "Director."
Director Wang nodded slightly and looked at the people standing in a row beside him, "Got into a fight?"
Mou Xue acknowledged.
Director Wang scanned the group, "Why did you fight?"
Qi Yeran had no choice but to repeat the whole sequence of events.
Upon hearing this, Director Wang turned to look at Shen Sinian, laughed coldly, and said straight out, "New student, not bad. Getting into a fight with classmates on the first day of transfer, a major demerit!"
Xu Chuning sharply inhaled, her eyes wide, "Director, Shen Sinian, he wasn't—"
Before she could say 'intentional', a frosty, emotionless voice interrupted from the entrance of the office, "Director Wang, making rush judgments before the investigation is clear doesn't seem appropriate, does it?"