After Ning Zhiyu got on the car, Jiang Yumo handed over the towel in her hand and said, “Wipe yourself, my Dad has turned on the air conditioning in the car, it’s easy to catch a cold like this.”
It was September and despite the heavy rain, it was still hot and humid.
Ning Zhiyu stared at the pink towel.
Jiang Yumo continued, “It’s not dirty,” she suddenly realized, “Do you have cleanliness obsession? It’s okay, Dad, give me a few tissues~”
She also learned from Yan Qing after reading novels that some protagonists have cleanliness obsession.
Ning Zhiyu was the female protagonist in the novel, maybe she had cleanliness obsession too.
Ning Zhiyu didn’t want to trouble anyone and quickly took the towel, whispering, “No, I’m just afraid of dirtying your towel.”
“Why would you think that? You look much cleaner than me. My Mom always says my room is as dirty as a dog’s nest.”
Jiang Yumo was in a good mood.
There was an inexplicable sense of pride, sitting next to her was the top student in their grade!
With a proud mentality, she leaned in and said to Father Jiang who was driving, “Dad, Ning Zhiyu lives on the other side of Linjiang Road.”
Ning Zhiyu was startled and quickly said, “No need, Uncle. You can drop me off at the bus stop ahead.”
The distance between Fifth High School and Linjiang Road was not close, and it usually took Ning Zhiyu over half an hour by bus. She didn’t want to trouble others to take her home.
Father Jiang is a kind and gentle man. He focused on driving and smiled, “Student, it’s not safe in heavy rain now, and our home is not far from Linjiang Road. It’s just a press on the accelerator. You’re Momo’s classmate, no need to be so polite.”
Ning Zhiyu pursed her lips.
She just… wasn’t used to such kindness from others.
Jiang Yumo laughed happily and said, “Dad, you’re mistaken. Ning Zhiyu and I are not classmates. She’s in Class 2! She’s the top student in our grade, really smart!”
Father Jiang was surprised, “Class 2?”
All the parents of Fifth High School’s students knew that the top students who carried the school’s enrollment rate were from Class 1 and Class 2.
Students from these two classes were all top scorers.
With a slightly embarrassed expression, Ning Zhiyu lowered her head and wiped her pants with a towel.
“Yes, that’s right,” Jiang Yumo said, “Our teacher said that many students from Class 1 and Class 2 are aiming for the top universities, they are really talented and smart.”
Father Jiang admired them sincerely, “That’s really impressive and excellent!”
This is what other people’s children are like!
Father Jiang paused for a moment before saying, “Your parents must be very proud of you.”
Ning Zhiyu’s action of wiping her pants paused.
Perhaps it was the words from the elder that made her feel emotional all of a sudden.
Jiang Yumo, who knew the original plot, naturally knew that Ning Zhiyu’s parents were no longer around. She was anxious and afraid that her Dad’s words would make Ning Zhiyu uncomfortable, so she quickly said, “Dad, stop talking, focus on driving in this heavy rain!”
Father Jiang chuckled, “Daughter is right, I listen to my daughter.”
Jiang Yumo saw that Ning Zhiyu remained silent. She regretted it greatly, feeling that she should not have boasted about Ning Zhiyu’s excellent grades. She forgot that the first reaction of parents hearing such things would be envy towards others’ children. Jiang Yumo was filled with remorse and didn’t know what else to say for a moment, so she started random conversation, “Ning Zhiyu, which celebrity do you like?”
Ning Zhiyu actually doesn’t pay much attention to these things, but after some thought, she still mentioned a name.
She had no idea what this celebrity looked like. It was just that she occasionally heard other classmates talk about him the most.
Although she didn’t have any friends, she subconsciously wanted to please Jiang Yumo.
If she said she didn’t actually like any celebrity.
Jiang Yumo would probably feel awkward… After all, there would be no possibility of continuing the conversation on this topic.
“He is a very good singer.” Jiang Yumo’s voice was crisp. “Sun Mengting really likes him. You two would definitely have something to talk about. Oh, by the way, Sun Mengting is my friend. You may have seen her before, but I guess you don’t remember.”
Ning Zhiyu smiled.
The car was driving smoothly, not too fast, as it was pouring rain and the wipers were swiping so fast that they couldn’t keep up, so the driver had to slow down.
Ning Zhiyu had been tense before, but unconsciously, she began to relax.
She knew that Jiang Yumo was very popular and had many friends. Some of the students in her class were also familiar with Jiang Yumo. Girls like Jiang Yumo seemed to shine in a crowd. Gradually, she began to understand why so many boys and girls liked Jiang Yumo, because Jiang Yumo was really nice.
Jiang Yumo talked about some interesting things that happened in her class.
It wasn’t really that funny, but she laughed heartily and her laughter was infectious, making a smile appear on Ning Zhiyu’s face too.
“Our English teacher also substituted for your class, right?” Jiang Yumo said. “You don’t know, but when she came back, she said that we were the worst class she had ever taught. But she didn’t know that there was a student in our class whose brother she had also taught, and she said the same thing about the brother’s class too! The most common thing she said was that if you don’t study hard, you will end up working in a factory as a screwdriver. Then the boys in our class said, since the peak can’t be held, it’s better to enter the factory and get free meals and accommodation~”
Father Jiang, who was driving, was also amused. “You guys!”
Jiang Yumo laughed too.
This incident happened a long time ago, but every time she talked about it, she would laugh heartily.
Ning Zhiyu also laughed out loud. “You’re right, free meals and accommodation.”
It took almost forty minutes from Fifth High to Linjiang Road. Ning Zhiyu thought it would be hard to endure these forty minutes, but time passed faster than she imagined, and her mood was relaxed by Jiang Yumo’s… infectious and magical laughter.
Ning Zhiyu entered the house.
There was no one at home, and the whole room was quiet and deserted. The smile on her face gradually faded, and she put down her school bag and entered the kitchen, which had a layer of greasy stains on the walls. She skillfully and efficiently chopped vegetables and cooked.
The next day, it was still drizzling.
The lighting in the classroom was not very good either. Yan Qing looked at the stack of test papers on the desk and exclaimed, “What is this! So many test papers in just one day! Does the teacher want us to die!”
Jiang Yumo’s desk mate turned around, pushed up the glasses on her nose bridge, and said in a low voice, “As long as we don’t die, we’ll study hard to death.”
Yan Qing slumped on the desk, “I hate third year!”
Jiang Yumo has been working hard recently too.
She didn’t know how to change herself, so for now, she could only focus on studying.
But third year of high school is really tough. Evening self-study goes until past 10 pm, and after washing up at home, it’s already 11 pm! And then the next day, they have to go to early self-study, so they need to get up before 6 am. It’s really not an easy time for anyone.
There’s also a monthly exam in a little over a week, the first one in their third year. The teachers are all very concerned about it, and it’s making the students all nervous too.
Because the teachers said that there will be a parent-teacher meeting after the first monthly exam!
Ten minutes after class, Jiang Yumo didn’t go to the hallway to wander around. She obediently wrote the test paper. It wasn’t until a classmate called out to her that she noticed Ning Zhiyu standing at the front door of the classroom.
She was a bit surprised. She didn’t expect Ning Zhiyu to come and find her.
Putting down her pen, she walked quickly out of the classroom.
Ning Zhiyu was holding a bottle of jasmine honey tea and smiled as she handed it to Jiang Yumo. “Please have this. Thank you and your Dad for sending me home yesterday.”
Jiang Yumo was even more surprised. She took the drink and said, “It’s no big deal. It was on my way anyway.”
She thought Ning Zhiyu was being too polite.
Seeing that Jiang Yumo didn’t unscrew the cap, Ning Zhiyu explained, “I didn’t buy the iced one because you’re probably on your period these few days, and I don’t know if you like the drink or not.”
Jiang Yumo: “!!”
She was about to blurt out “How did you know?” but then remembered that Ning Zhiyu had lent her a sanitary pad before. After so long, she still remembered? She was greatly shocked and exclaimed, “You have such a good memory. You actually remembered! You’re so attentive!”
So this is Ning Zhiyu, the female lead of the novel!
In the original plot, Ning Zhiyu is portrayed as a smart, rational, and calm top student, but at the same time, she is gentle, meticulous, and considerate on the inside. Jiang Yumo was a bit puzzled before, as Ning Zhiyu seemed to have a cold and distant personality, but now she realizes that Ning Zhiyu is just as amazing as the character in the novel.
Ning Zhiyu smiled and noticed the ink stains on Jiang Yumo’s hand.
Jiang Yumo followed her gaze and looked down, complaining, “These exams are never-ending. I feel like I’m getting calluses on my hands. Our class teacher is really pushing hard to raise the class average score for the monthly exams. Oh, and we have to have a parent-teacher conference too. It’s really exhausting.”
Without thinking too much, Ning Zhiyu said, “Do you want me to lend you my notebook?”
As soon as the words came out, she regretted it.
But once spoken, words cannot be taken back, and besides, when Jiang Yumo heard this, her eyes lit up, “Really? Won’t it be too much trouble for you?”
It’s Ning Zhiyu’s notes to keep being the top student in the grade.
Putting aside whether Jiang Yumo can understand it or not, at least Ning Zhiyu should have a serious attitude towards studying.
Ning Zhiyu shook her head, “No, it’s okay. I’ll organize it and give it to you in a few days.”
Jiang Yumo said, “Thank you so much!”
The school bell was about to ring, and the two of them didn’t say anything else. Ning Zhiyu turned around and went back to her own classroom. She was a top student, a good seed in the teacher’s eyes, and the teacher would arrange the best seat for her. Just as Ning Zhiyu sat down and was about to take out her textbook, her deskmate suddenly whispered, “I just saw you talking to that girl from Class 3.”
Ning Zhiyu raised her eyes and looked at her.
The girl continued, “Ning Zhiyu, our Class 1 and Class 2 are honors classes, while Class 3 is a regular class. And that girl, don’t you know, she’s with the students from Class 10… They’re just the scum of society, they’re not serious about studying at all. You better not get too close to her, don’t play with those kinds of people, it will affect your grades. They are not on the same level as us.”
Ning Zhiyu lowered her gaze.
She didn’t have many friends in class, and she was always very quiet.
She would listen to what others said, but whether she actually absorbed it or not was her own business.
The school bell rang.
Just as her deskmate thought that Ning Zhiyu had taken her words to heart, a cold female voice mixed with the ringing of the bell said, “Just how high-quality your character is with your so-called high grades?”
I really like Zhiyu, she seems like a genuine FL, not like those hypocritical FL’s whose original book is completely biased towards them and bend all logic and reality in their favor
Wow she is savage