Chapter 42: Who’s Bullying Whom? ②
To be honest, seeing Nie Qiu return to her seat soaking wet, Li Kai, as someone in the know, didn’t feel as happy as he had imagined. He only felt a tightness in his chest, restless and uneasy.
Nie Qiu was already accustomed to the gazes of her classmates and tried her best to ignore the looks of pity or scorn. After returning to her seat, she took out a book from her desk and began to read it carefully. It’s worth mentioning that she no longer needed to read textbooks; she could just read the books she rented and liked.
After reading a textbook once, she could recall what she had learned in junior high school, and understanding it wasn’t too difficult.
“Did everyone hear? Because of the high temperatures, the school’s swimming pool is opening early! We can go swimming during physical education class!” a boy rushed into the classroom and announced loudly.
Upon hearing the boy’s words, the entire class couldn’t help but erupt in excitement. Swimming! The most enjoyable thing in summer was swimming.
Swimming? Nie Qiu looked up. That’s right, it was nearing July, and the temperature was gradually rising. Every year during the scorching heat, the school’s swimming pool would open, and it would close when autumn arrived.
However, compared to the swimming pool at school where everyone was sweating, Nie Qiu preferred the clear stream in her space. Just thinking about it made her feel a little impatient. As she was thinking, a girl’s head poked in from the classroom doorway, “Nie Qiu, someone is looking for you.”
Looking for her? Who? Nie Qiu looked up and saw the man standing behind the girl. She suddenly smiled. This person was Nie Aiwen.
To be honest, Nie Qiu hadn’t expected Nie Aiwen to come looking for her. She smiled, put down the book in her hand, and walked out of the classroom.
Nie Aiwen frowned, looking at Nie Qiu’s wet hair. He reached out and ruffled it. “What’s going on? Why is your hair so wet? Did you get your clothes wet too?”
Nie Qiu pulled Nie Aifang to the corridor to avoid blocking the classroom door. She didn’t answer Nie Aiwen’s question, but instead smiled and asked, “Uncle, why are you here?”
Nie Aiwen remembered and shook the bag in his hand at Nie Qiu. “I remember giving you New Year’s red envelopes when you were little, and in the blink of an eye, you gave them to your sister. I guess you gave the money I gave you last time to your mom too. I bought you a skirt, take a look, do you like it?”
Nie Qiu accepted it with some surprise. A skirt. To be honest, the previous Nie Qiu had skirts, but they were all cheap street stall items that Nie Qiu didn’t want to wear, so she wore her school uniform to school every day. However, everyone has a desire for beauty, and Nie Qiu was no exception. She liked pretty and good-looking things, which was only natural.
Opening the bag for the clothes, a pink and white skirt lay inside. Nie Qiu took it out. It was a knee-length camisole dress with a pleated hem, and it was very beautiful. There was also a very short denim jacket. It was thought that for a junior high student, wearing a camisole might seem a bit revealing, but with the jacket on, it wouldn’t be.
She liked it very much. For Nie Qiu, having lived two lives, this was the first gift she had ever received from an elder. Regardless of whether the gift was good or bad, the meaning alone was enough to make Nie Qiu incredibly surprised.
Seeing Nie Qiu’s reaction, Nie Aiwen knew she really liked the skirt. He smiled and said, “Aren’t your clothes wet? Go to the restroom and change. Be careful not to catch a cold wearing wet clothes. Class is about to start, so hurry back to the classroom after you change! I’m going to the market to buy some vegetables and will come to your house for dinner tonight.”
Nie Qiu nodded happily. “Okay, thank you, Uncle.”
Nie Aiwen pinched Nie Qiu’s nose and turned to leave the school.
Nie Qiu buried her face in the pink and white skirt. It’s so good, it’s so good to be alive again. She has the best mom in the world, and she also has the best uncle in the world. Holding the skirt, Nie Qiu headed to the restroom. She placed the bag containing the skirt on the toilet, changed out of her school uniform, put on the skirt and denim jacket, and then put her school uniform shirt and pants into the bag.
Thinking that she had to wash her clothes anyway, she used her uniform to wrap her head and rub it, wringing out the moisture. Then, using her hands as a comb, she styled her hair. As she walked out of the restroom, the class bell rang.
As soon as Nie Qiu walked into the classroom, she felt most of the classmates’ gazes on her. It was early summer, and many people had started wearing short sleeves. Nie Qiu’s short, small denim jacket was also a short sleeve, but paired with the pink and white camisole dress, the effect was different, as if someone who wasn’t particularly outstanding had suddenly become radiant.
Li Kai was stunned. He found himself unable to move his gaze. The moment he thought about looking away, his palms became sweaty. It required immense willpower. Perhaps because she had used her clothes to cover her head and wipe her hair, there was a natural blush on Nie Qiu’s cheeks. Her hair wasn’t completely dry yet, and the thin, soft wet strands clung to her face, dripping water. Because her hair was long, the water droplets traced a path down her neck and finally soaked into her chest, dampening the pink skirt and creating a striking allure.
Seemingly accustomed to all sorts of gazes, Nie Qiu, as usual, ignored them and returned to her seat.
She was Nie Qiu. She also had a few shiny pimples on her face. She was Nie Qiu. Her skin wasn’t fair either, but strangely, he just couldn’t tear his eyes away. Li Kai didn’t know what was wrong with him. Nie Qiu wasn’t exceptionally beautiful, so why couldn’t he look away?
Li Kai’s gaze made Nie Qiu frown, but she didn’t want to bother with him. If she remembered correctly, this person should be good brothers with Zhang Haiyang and Wang Chao Lei. Honestly, she didn’t have a very good impression of the boys or girls in Class 10, whether they were in Class 10 because their intelligence was lacking and their grades were poor, or because they didn’t like to study and their grades were poor. She wouldn’t like them much.
Because in Class 10, she didn’t see anyone studying seriously. Besides joining in the commotion, joining in looking down on others, and joining in despising others, what had these people truly done seriously themselves?
And whether it was before her rebirth or after, what she hated the most were people who might be mediocre their entire lives.
Nie Qiu tried her best to ignore Li Kai’s gaze and took out the book she had rented, reading it seriously.
Li Kai knew that Nie Qiu knew he was looking at her, but she didn’t say anything or ask anything, which began to annoy Li Kai. He couldn’t help but nudge Nie Qiu’s elbow. “Hey!”
Nie Qiu looked up at Li Kai. “Is there something?”
“No matter what, I’m considered your mother’s savior, right? Is this how you treat your mother’s savior?” Li Kai felt a sense of near exasperation.
Nie Qiu looked at the teacher on the lectern who was reading a book. She patiently looked at Li Kai. “Then what do you want me to do for you? You yourself said that if you wanted to thank me, you’d make dumplings for me, and I already gave you dumplings. What else do you want?”
“Is your mother’s life only worth a few dumplings?” Li Kai couldn’t help but ask.
