Someone seemed to say, "Don't do that, the teacher is coming soon." The few people finally dispersed, some walked out, and some returned to their seats.
After a moment of silence, Meng Taoyu sat against the wall and whispered, "I'm sorry, your table is also dirty."
Feng Ning didn't ask anything. He freed his hand and patted her arm with a hint of comfort in his expression.
The girl in the back row stood up and threw a piece of paper on her desk. It was torn from her homework book. It said, "How did you offend these people? Go and apologize, and they won't keep making things difficult for you."
The bell rang and the teacher walked into the classroom. Meng Taoyu put the note away without saying a word, resting her head on her arms and pressing them on the table.
Halfway through the class, the teacher came by and asked what was going on. Feng Ning was sitting outside and quietly explained to her that she felt a little uncomfortable, so the teacher didn't ask any more questions.
After the afternoon class, almost everyone in the class left. After a while, Meng Taoyu raised her head from her arms.
Outside, the sky was filled with flaming clouds, and the classroom was also tinged with a warm red hue. Feng Ning was concentrating on doing her homework.
"You... haven't left yet?"
Feng Ning tilted her head, her hair behind her ears illuminated by the setting sun, looking very gentle. She said as she wrote, "The cafeteria is crowded now, I'll go later."
Meng Taoyu was still in a daze. Feng Ning reached into the drawer with one hand, searched for a long time, took out a bottle of AD calcium milk, and handed it to her, "Yes, I promise you."
Meng Taoyu was a little flattered, lost in thought for a few seconds, and said softly, "Thank you, thank you."
Feng Ning looked at his watch and cleared the table. "Let's go eat together?"
"If you walk with me, they will see you." Meng Taoyu hunched her shoulders and lowered her head. Before she finished speaking, her chin was suddenly lifted up by someone.
Feng Ning tore open a band-aid, moved closer, and carefully stuck it to the broken skin, snorting with a wicked smile, "Who will see us? I'm not afraid of anything."
There was actually not much to eat in the cafeteria at this time. Meng Taoyu went to Kai Tak Junior High School and was very familiar with the area. She took Feng Ning out through a side door. This was not a busy street, but there were two busy snack streets nearby, full of the smell of fireworks, and many students would come here to cook their own meals.
The summer evening was still hot, and they walked along. Feng Ning casually pulled a piece of grass from the small flower bed, took it in her hand and wove it, and told her some stories from junior high school. Meng Taoyu followed meekly and slowly relaxed.
"Feng Ning, do you... know Jiang Wen?"
"Hmm?" Feng Ning recalled and realized, "What happened?"
"I saw you greet him this morning." Meng Taoyu mustered up her courage and glanced at her, "It's just... you'd better not get too close to Jiang Wen."
Seeing Feng Ning didn't say anything, she thought she was angry and hurriedly explained, "I didn't mean anything else, because, because."
"It's okay. Take your time." Feng Ning pinched the woven grass with his fingers, flattened it, fixed the shape, and happily handed it to her, "Here, a rose, for you."
After being stunned for two or three seconds, Meng Taoyu took it, a little at a loss. She moved her lips and lowered her head hastily, not wanting Feng Ning to see the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "Thank you."
The corners of her eyes droop a little, her cheeks are chubby, and she is as thin as a premature flower bud. She is cute but also a bit pitiful, making people want to bully her and protect her at the same time.
Feng Ning was helpless. He bent his fingers to wipe away her tears, pinched her face, and said seriously: "Ms. Meng, you said ten sentences to me, and nine of them were thank you. I'm going to make a rule with you. From now on, you can only say thank you once a day."
Meng Taoyu's face flushed, and she finally burst into laughter. After the third year of junior high school, she hadn't felt such warmth for a long time. After a long silence, she stared at the straw rose and said slowly, "I was not bullied by them in school for no reason."
Feng Ning didn't interrupt and listened carefully.
"When I was in the second year of junior high school, I was eating in the cafeteria and accidentally bumped into someone. A few days later, this person confessed his love to me in class, but I rejected him. Later... I was still troubled by the girl who liked him."
Gossip spreads very quickly, and people in the class gradually began to like talking about her. After being bullied so many times, Meng Taoyu became numb.
But she didn't expect that her non-resistance and non-complaint, and her always submissive and dull appearance, became another provocation in the eyes of the abuser. For a long time after the boy stopped pursuing her, she became timid and more and more withdrawn, and had become a habit for the group to have fun.
Feng Ning found it very funny and frowned, "The person who confessed to you was Jiang Wen?"
"No, no, how could that be, you misunderstood." Meng Taoyu was embarrassed for a moment, and said carefully, "He... must have a good relationship with Jiang Wen. They are in the same class and often play basketball together. They are very popular in our school."
"I'm popular too!" Feng Ning suddenly smiled slyly and deliberately changed the subject, "I see, you're afraid that I'll get into trouble if I pursue Jiang Wen, right?"
Meng Taoyu was really shocked and looked up, "Are you really going to chase Jiang Wen?!"
"Hahahahaha, I was just teasing you. Look in the mirror and see yourself looking like you're about to see the end of the world."
Feng Ning has her ponytail tied high, and she looks very beautiful when she smiles, with a very special smell. It always reminds me of the irises clinging to the shelves, whether it is the afternoon when the sun is shining or the early morning in the summer night, they are full of flowers in the windows. There are batches of beautiful and sweet flowers there, which make people feel at ease and satisfied.
"Oh..." Meng Taoyu looked at her and suddenly forgot what he wanted to say. He stood there stupidly like an old monk in meditation.
Feng Ning grabbed her arm and said, "Let's go eat. After eating, I have to go to the classroom for something."
"Ah, what's going on? Studying?" Meng Taoyu asked a little later, "Can I accompany you?"
There were food all along the way. There were porridge shops, barbecue restaurants, and western restaurants. Feng Ning focused on choosing a place to eat and said nonchalantly, "I can help others copy notes and earn some extra money. If you have nothing to do, come here."
There must always be a sense of ritual in life. A new semester brings a new atmosphere. Even a stingy person like Feng Ning, after seeking Meng Taoyu's opinion, made up his mind to pick a restaurant that looked very small and decided to have a good meal to reward himself.
When she pushed the door open, she was still thinking, luckily it wasn't Shuangyao who came to eat with her, otherwise she would definitely be ripped off today and wouldn't even be able to get a deal.
Most of the people inside were students, and the business was very lively and crowded. Meng Taoyu was uneasy and almost tripped. Fortunately, Feng Ning was quick and held her steady.
The person who was stepped on first saw Meng Taoyu, then saw Feng Ning behind him, and slightly suppressed his unhappy expression, "Watch your way, girl."
The boy followed them for a while, and Zhao Binlin asked, "Do you know that person just now?"
"who?"
"A higher one."
"Not very familiar with each other, I've met her a few times when I went out with friends. She was the school beauty in our junior high school."
Zhao Binlin said, "Which school did you go to?"
"Oh, you must have never heard of this old, run-down junior high school in the urban village." Wang Shao saw that he was curious, so he continued, "But she is very famous in our school. We are not in the same class, but I know her."
Among the rich kids, Wang Shao was the only one who was born into a "commoner" family. They didn't usually hang out together, but because he had some friendship with Xi Gaoyuan in elementary school, they would occasionally call him to play games or basketball when they were short of people.
Jiang Wen leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees, watching NBA with one earphone on, and had no sense of involvement in his surroundings.
"What's wrong with her? Tell me about it." Zhao Binlin seemed very interested, and the other two people at the table also looked over.
"This." It was a rare topic to talk about, so Wang Shao couldn't help but think about it for a few seconds. "My buddy was in the same class with her in junior high school. He once played with a lighter and deliberately burned her hair. It was quite excessive, right? Most girls would cry and go to the teacher. But what did this girl do? She went to the education supermarket at the school gate to buy a pair of big scissors, and then came back and cut off the burnt ends of her hair in front of the whole class."
"Wow, so tough!"
"Yeah, really, we were all stunned, watching her slap the cut hair on the table. Fuck... My buddy was a head taller than her, and she grabbed his collar and dragged him to her. She slapped his face and laughed at him. If you like to play with it, I'll give it to you. Take it back and burn it slowly."
Wang Shao described it vividly, and Zhao Binlin looked shocked and asked, "And then?"
"Then, my buddy pursued her for three years." Wang Shao's tone was complicated and a little emotional. "This kid was suffering from lovesickness. For a period of time, he secretly followed her home after school every day, as if he was possessed by evil spirits."
After hearing the story, Xi Gaoyuan was also a little curious and said with a smile: "The boy is crazy about love, quite a pervert, so did he succeed in catching her?"
Wang Shao shrugged, "Of course not."
"This woman has a unique personality, very interesting." Zhao Binlin smiled evilly and touched his chin. "By the way, what's her name?"
"Ah, her name is Feng Ning." Anyone who has dealt with her will remember her name firmly.
Jiang Wen, who was drinking water, suddenly choked. He threw away his phone and wiped his mouth with a tissue. He coughed for a long time, and when he calmed down a little, he turned around and asked, "What's your name?"
"—Feng, Ning."