NABC Chapter 76 I'm just that ungrateful.
Chapter 76 I'm just that ungrateful.
Tong Xiaowei was startled, full of surprise, she never expected to run into Lu Yuan here.
This unexpected event was not without reason. In the past few days, she would often think of this boy when she was spacing out before going to sleep or when she was inadvertently distracted in class.
In her eyes, Lu Yuan possessed the unique vibrancy and youthful energy of a teenager, yet he also had a maturity and tenacity far beyond his years, a combination of two distinct qualities that blended perfectly within him.
With her keen perception, she easily noticed the difference between Lu Yuan and the boys his age.
Tong Xiaowei comes from an ordinary family. Her parents are busy making a living and have no time to take care of her life and emotions.
From a young age, she forced herself to be obedient and sensible, to restrain her temperament, and to mature and become sensible early. Over time, she gradually lost the liveliness and vivacity that a girl should have, and became taciturn, introverted and calm.
Even though she consistently ranked among the top students in her grade, few classmates approached her to ask questions. It seemed that everyone preferred Xia Anqi's outgoing, bright, and energetic personality.
Lu Yuan was one of the few people who was willing to take the initiative to ask her for advice and learning, and who never found her dull or boring.
The moment their eyes met, they both froze, lost in their own thoughts, forgetting to look away.
Just then, the math teachers from both classes spoke almost simultaneously, asking softly, "Can you understand my explanation?"
Tong Xiaowei and Lu Yuan simultaneously snapped out of their daze, hurriedly averting their gazes, their cheeks slightly flushed. They quickly nodded obediently, refocusing their attention on the teacher's explanation and adopting a serious listening posture.
After asking his question, Lu Yuan did not return to Class 5. Instead, he deliberately took a detour to the corridor where Tong Xiaowei would go back to the classroom and waited for her quietly.
Tong Xiaowei packed her things and walked out of the teachers' office. She immediately saw Lu Yuan leaning against the wall. Her steps slowed unconsciously. She looked up at him, her eyes full of doubt, and asked softly, "Is there something you need?"
"How can you be so sure I need something from you?" Lu Yuan asked with a playful smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Tong Xiaowei explained earnestly and clearly: "You're in Class 5, so it's closer to go back to the classroom via the east staircase. This is the only way I can get back to Class 2. The fact that you've been standing here for so long means you're obviously waiting for me."
As expected of a meticulous and logically sound academic achiever, Lu Yuan thought to himself, but on the surface, he deliberately teased her, gently shaking his head: "Is it possible that I just didn't want to go back to the classroom too early, and deliberately took a longer route to delay time?"
"Is that so?" Tong Xiaowei frowned slightly, thought about it seriously for a moment, and did not deny the possibility.
"I was just kidding." Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile, his eyes full of gentleness. He reached into his school uniform pocket, pulled out a chocolate bar, and handed it to Tong Xiaowei. "Here, this is for you."
Tong Xiaowei subconsciously pulled her hand back, hesitating before taking it.
Lu Yuan maintained his posture of handing over the item, his smile gentle yet somewhat stubborn, clearly intending to wait until she accepted it before giving up.
In fact, she never disliked Lu Yuan; on the contrary, she found him to be interesting, sincere, and serious.
After hesitating for a moment, she gently raised her hand and took the chocolate bar, a faint smile playing on her lips, and said softly, "Thank you."
Seeing this, Lu Yuan stopped joking and directly stated his purpose: "Could I borrow your math, chemistry, and physics notes to take a look? I'd like to learn your problem-solving methods."
"Just these three subjects?" Tong Xiaowei agreed without the slightest hesitation or refusal.
This surprised Lu Yuan, who chuckled and scratched the back of his head: "Well, these three subjects are dragging me down, so I came here specifically to ask you, a top student, for advice."
"I wouldn't dare call myself a top student," Tong Xiaowei replied softly. "But I have a lot of study notes for these three subjects. Are you sure you want to borrow them all?"
Lu Yuan didn't mind having too much, and nodded firmly, "Of course, I never stand on ceremony with top students. Lend it to me first, and I'll return it intact after I've looked at it carefully."
"Okay, I'll bring it to your classroom door during break," Tong Xiaowei readily agreed.
"No problem." After a moment's thought, Lu Yuan readily agreed.
He didn't suggest going with Tong Xiaowei to Class Two to get the notes, actually out of consideration for her feelings.
Tong Xiaowei is introverted and has never liked to attract attention. If the two of them return to Class Two together, it will inevitably attract the gossip and strange looks of their classmates, which will only increase her troubles.
Before turning away, Lu Yuan suddenly asked again, "You like chocolate bars, don't you?"
Tong Xiaowei glanced down at the chocolate bar in her hand and replied calmly, "My younger brother loves this. I'm saving it to bring him home at the end of the month when I go on holiday."
"I see." Lu Yuan nodded gently, without asking any further questions, and silently kept this in mind.
When Lu Yuan returned to Class 5, he saw his deskmate Gao Zhe lying on the desk, frowning at his English vocabulary book, trying his best to memorize it, but instead of making any progress, he was completely stuck.
Gao Zhe rubbed his throbbing temples in frustration, looked up at the ceiling, and sighed to himself:
"Why did Qin Shi Huang die so young? If he had lived a few more years, unified Asia, and then conquered the world, would we have no need to learn English?!"
"On this vast earth, with hundreds of languages, is there still a law? Is there still justice?"
Seeing Gao Zhe's frantic state, Lu Yuan couldn't help but recall the days when he was struggling to learn English in his previous life. Back then, he had also complained about English words and even criticized Qin Shi Huang for failing to unify the world.
But grumbling is just grumbling; after complaining, you still have to grit your teeth and persevere in learning what you need to learn.
History is already set in stone and cannot be changed; the future is full of unknowns; what we can firmly grasp in the present moment is only every single second.
Since the college entrance examination requires mastery of English, I have no choice but to settle down and study it seriously.
Everything is difficult at the beginning. When you first come into contact with new knowledge, everyone will find it difficult and obscure. But as long as you accumulate knowledge little by little and persist day after day, one day you will suddenly understand and thoroughly grasp the knowledge.
Lu Yuan also endured a long period of hard study before one day he suddenly grasped the essence of English and truly mastered it.
The most important thing about learning is always the accumulation of knowledge over time.
Lu Yuan didn't interrupt Gao Zhe's rant, letting him vent his emotions on his own.
He had barely sat down when Li Xian inappropriately approached him, looked Lu Yuan up and down, and said in a sarcastic tone, "Lu Yuan, your math has improved quite a bit lately."
Lu Yuan glanced at him indifferently, his tone calm and unchanging: "Not bad."
But Li Xian persisted, his face full of arrogance as he provoked, "But compared to me, you're still far behind, especially in terms of total score. You're far behind."
"There is indeed still a gap, but there are still two months until the college entrance examination. I have plenty of time to catch up, and it is not impossible for me to surpass you in the end." Lu Yuan's expression was calm, but his eyes were extremely firm, without the slightest fear.
"Arrogant and conceited!" Li Xian's face darkened instantly, his tone full of displeasure. "Five hundred points is already your limit. Stop bluffing and deceiving yourself."
"You'll never imagine where my limits are." Lu Yuan's tone was calm, but every word was firm and resounding, precisely shutting down Li Xian's words and leaving him no room for rebuttal.
The reason Li Xian was so sarcastic and confrontational was ultimately because he was panicking.
Lu Yuan's grades have improved at an astonishing rate recently, and he is showing signs of catching up with Zheng Jiarui.
Zheng Jiarui was even more anxious than him. Now she wished she could use all her rest time to study, burying herself in her books all day long, for fear of being completely overtaken by Lu Yuan.
Li Xian was both angry and anxious, but dared not make a sound in the classroom. He could only lower his voice and threaten with a sinister expression:
"Lu Yuan, I'm giving you a chance to end this farce with dignity. Your total score can never surpass mine. If you don't want to spend money on a meal for the whole class after losing, just say the bet is void now, and we'll call it quits."
"Wow! Teacher, you're actually so loyal?"
Lu Yuan suddenly raised his voice and shouted in feigned surprise, instantly attracting the attention of the entire class, who all turned to look at the two of them.
Li Xian was startled by the sudden commotion. He stood there helplessly, his face ashen, glaring at Lu Yuan with resentment in his eyes.
Lu Yuan completely ignored his gaze and continued loudly, "So you're afraid I'll beat you in the end, and you want to cancel the bet on your own? Don't worry, teacher, I have more than enough money to treat the whole class to a meal. I just don't know if you have the courage to publicly apologize for losing a bet?"
Upon hearing this, the classmates instantly realized that Li Xian was guilty and wanted to back out.
Li Xian's face turned pale and then red, extremely embarrassed, but he still stubbornly insisted: "Lu Yuan, I was clearly giving you a way out, but you didn't know how to cherish it."
"That's right, I'm just that kind of ungrateful person." Lu Yuan nodded frankly, a half-smile on his face, composed and unhurried.
Li Xian was furious and stared intently at Lu Yuan. The atmosphere between the two was tense, and it looked like a fight was about to break out.
At this tense moment, everyone's attention in the classroom was drawn to a slender figure outside the classroom door...