Eloping with the School Heartthrob

Finally, Gu Nanxiang discovered Xiang Xiaowu, but my heart was filled with an indescribable pain. I turned around, and in the darkness, I saw her eyes shining like stars, and I could no longer hold back, embracing her and crying loudly. Xia Wei also hugged me, gently wiping away my tears. I suddenly remembered how my mother used to do the same when I was little, which made me cry even harder. Ever since that incident, I rarely thought about Gu Nanxiang. Sometimes, when I walked down the street, shameless monkeys would whistle at me, some members of Cheng’s gang would boo, and Gu’s gang treated me as their number one enemy. No one in Yunxiao High School was normal! Because of this, there were several times Xia Wei almost got into fights, but I stopped her. At first, I would say, “Please, Xia Wei, let it go.” Later, when she was about to rush forward, she would see my expression and stop. We would walk one in front of the other, heads down, in silence.
However, I think Lin Xiaole and her friends might be disappointed. The event that had caused a stir throughout the school was met with no response from the school authorities. Instead, they posted a notice in the school’s bulletin board about prohibiting rumors. All this was the result of Lao Wen’s efforts behind the scenes. Several times I saw him moving between the principal’s office and the teachers’ office; his brows were initially furrowed but gradually relaxed. Watching him, I thought of Su Hao. I remembered when I was young, often falling ill, and it was always Su Hao who would carry me to the hospital. One summer, after leaving the hospital, it started raining. Afraid I’d get wet, he held me tightly against him, shielding me from the rain as he ran back. When we got back to the hospital, he was drenched. The person who once held me in the palm of his hand like a precious pearl suddenly disappeared one day, unwilling even to come back to see me. Once, I fell asleep in Lao Wen’s class. He was lecturing on Su Shi’s “Shui Diao Ge Tou,” reciting with such scholarly flair that it reminded me of Su Hao teaching me to recite Tang poetry, which felt very intimate. So, I lay on my desk, first crying, then falling deeply asleep. After that, I never cried again. I just felt oppressed, especially during the broadcast exercises between classes, when many people stared at me and Xia Wei. Twice, I saw Gu Nanxiang; his gaze pierced through the crowd, quietly and thoughtfully looking at me. I ignored him! Let him look if he wants to! I’ll allow you to admire me. Half of the girls in the school are either madly in love with or disdainful of you, but I alone secretly admire you. Isn’t that unique? Come, be my fan. The showdown between the two factions is set for Friday afternoon. It was windy, very windy, scattering leaves all over the ground. I suddenly felt a sense of melancholy; the leaves would grow back next year, but some people, once gone, would never return. I thought of Su Hao again. Where is he now? Is he doing well? Does he still remember me? I suddenly felt like those falling leaves, while he was the tree I would never see again in my lifetime. After the last class, Xia Wei and I packed up to go home. Just as we reached the school gate, Xu Nuo came running up, panting: “I have three tickets for the Fei Lun Hai fan meeting. Let’s go together.” Xia Wei, a fan of Wu Zun, jumped up immediately, exclaiming dramatically, “Wow, my Wu Zun, my handsome prince!” “Exaggeration! Is he that handsome?” I objected. “Much more handsome than those two monkeys at our school!” “Xia Wei! Don’t insult the leader of the Sheng gang.” Xu Nuo’s eyes widened in anger. “No one in the world can compare to Leader Sheng! He’s the handsomest!” Ugh, this guy is actually a fan of Sheng Siwei~++ I rolled my eyes! I’ve only seen Sheng Siwei’s photo on the school forum; heard he transferred to Shanghai last semester, but his fans continue to follow him fervently. “I’m just stating the truth!” “I won’t take you then.” Xu Nuo started to threaten. ++~~~ “No way!” Xia Wei exclaimed, “I was wrong, I was wrong! Sheng Siwei is the handsomest! Super handsome! Invincibly handsome!” “Alright, I’ll reluctantly take you.” OMG! Crazy people! “But… will Sheng Siwei come back to Yunxiao?” “Poor Xu Nuo, why don’t you follow him to Shanghai?” Xu Nuo suddenly looked like a lovesick fool, “Let me tell you, Leader Sheng is coming back to school; he was just studying temporarily at a film school in Shanghai. And… he’s already back; he might return to school next week.” Ah! Xia Wei and I were both shocked! The battle between the two factions at Yunxiao High School was about to begin again! Who says beauty brings trouble? Blue-faced friends can be more troublesome than red-faced ones! What a mess! Brainless actions… “Aren’t you guys going to…””What guy? He’s the leader.” Xu Nuo said impatiently. “So, are you planning a grand welcome for your leader’s return? Next week is going to be lively.” Xia Wei smiled. “Of course, we’ve prepared banners, and… oh, I won’t tell you, but we’ll completely overshadow Gu’s gang.” Welcome ceremony, banners… oh! Heavens! How could there be such brainless actions? “Alright, weren’t you going to see Wu Zun? How did it turn into a gang talk?” I said, feeling depressed, knowing I’m a secret fan of the Gu gang, isn’t it too much to praise Sheng Siwei in front of me? “Oh, right! I was trying to get tickets a few days ago, they said they were all sold out, and you managed to get three tickets. You’re my idol.” Xia Wei’s expression was extremely exaggerated. “Of course, to surprise you, I spent the whole day yesterday contacting scalpers in an internet cafe.” Xu Nuo spread out his ten fingers, waving them at Xia Wei and me, laughing with pride. “Xia Wei, push the scooter back; we’re going straight to the venue.” Then he turned to Xia Wei, “I’ve also prepared a large poster; I guarantee you’ll love it when you see it.” “You go with Xia Wei. I need to go home and clean.” “Come on, come on.” Xia Wei quickly pulled my hand, “Their performance is so good, and there’s Wu Zun, ah- he’s so handsome, he’s my prince, my dream lover, I like him so, so, so much.” “I’m not into handsome guys lately.” “Hahaha!” Xu Nuo laughed, “Xia Wei, you’re so shameless to say such things, you’re not into handsome guys, ha, should I believe that?” “Yes!” I laughed too, “I’m shameless, super shameless, universally shameless.” “Laugh, laugh, you’re going whether you like it or not.” Wow! Her mood changes faster than flipping through a book. The rivalry between two handsome guys… “Tong Tong might come back tonight,” I said. “So what?” She pouted, “My mom is coming back from Gulangyu today, does that mean I have to…” “Stop!” I raised my hands in surrender, not wanting to deal with Xu Nuo’s nagging. But fate would have it, just then, a taxi stopped, and out stepped the overseas returnee beauty I saw at Qiangwei Residence. She must be here for Gu Nanxiang. My heart felt sour, and I lowered my hands, “Sorry, I really need to go home.” “Xia Wei,” Xia Wei smiled, “Alright, if you don’t want to go, then I won’t go either. I’ll go back with you to clean.”
Xu Nuo let out a loud “Aow!” and exclaimed, “I can’t believe it! You two are too much! I worked so hard to get three tickets, and now neither of you is going. Do you have any conscience? I’m so annoyed, so annoyed. It’s no fun going alone. You two troublemakers, just kill me now, my heart is broken, shattered, completely shattered.” I said, “Xia Wei, you should go. Xiang Tong said if she doesn’t come back, Xiao Si would come to keep me company, so don’t worry about me.” After thinking for a moment, she couldn’t resist the allure of Wu Zun: “Alright then, be careful on your way.” I hopped onto my electric scooter, waving goodbye to them with a flourish. Little did I expect to run into Lin Xiaole and her crew not far along. %>_<% Truly, my luck was unparalleled in its badness. They had just come out of a public restroom by the roadside, probably changing clothes inside. Dong Luo was at the back, stuffing her school uniform into her backpack as she walked. Spotting me, Lin Xiaole threw her bag to the ground with a ‘slap’ and rushed over. The three of them blocked my path. I had no choice but to stop. “Hey! Ugly!” Lin Xiaole deliberately raised her voice by an octave. I glared at her. You despicable woman, you’re the ugly one!