Chapter 12: Who's the “Falling from the Sky” Girl?
“Wow~ Those two really get along well.”
Watching their interaction, Lin Muqing couldn’t help but sigh a little. She was kind of envious of their relationship.
It felt just like something from an anime, two people growing up together, going to the same school, with the girl being the top student and the guy always falling behind, so she helps tutor him now and then.
One was the class beauty that everyone liked, and the other was a bit of a lovable dummy.
Thinking about that, Lin Muqing shook her head. That kind of story wasn’t something she could be jealous of.
“......”
Ye Ziming quietly listened without commenting. He wasn’t into gossip, but he did enjoy hearing Lin Muqing happily share her thoughts with him.
“Hey, boss, do you think they’ll end up together, like in the stories? Childhood friends becoming lovers?” As she spoke, Lin Muqing poked her deskmate with her finger.
She rested her hands on the desk, daydreaming about scenes from romantic slice-of-life anime.
“Hard to say.” Ye Ziming thought for a moment, then slowly gave his answer.
“Huh? Why?” Lin Muqing turned to look at him, surprised, eyes wide.
“Because ‘falling-from-the-sky’ types usually beat childhood friends.” He answered calmly.
Ye Ziming had watched a lot of anime, way more than Lin Muqing. So in many ways, he was the true expert here.
“Emmm... that actually makes sense. Then who’s the falling-from-the-sky type?”
Lin Muqing rubbed her chin as she thought it over. She felt like his point was solid.
“I don’t know.”
Ye Ziming looked into her eyes, and for a second, his smile seemed to freeze before he slowly shook his head.
He did know, but he didn’t want to say it. Something told him that if he did, it might lead to things getting messy.
“So you’re saying, if there’s no ‘sky girl’ popping in, they’ve got a good shot?”
She tilted her head and felt more confident in her theory.
“Exactly.”
He nodded again, still looking at her, but didn’t add anything else.
Before Lin Muqing could continue the conversation, the bell rang, signaling the start of class.
After the bell stopped, she saw the class monitor and Lin Wenbin show up at the door.
Then, their homeroom teacher came in, with a clearly sour look on his face.
Because she was familiar with him, Lin Muqing could tell right away: their teacher had definitely been angry earlier.
She turned her eyes to Lin Wenbin, and yep. His expression didn’t look too great either. He had the classic “I screwed something up” face.
Compared to him, the class monitor looked much calmer, though she definitely didn’t seem happy with Lin Wenbin. The way she was looking at him basically said it all.
Feeling curious, Lin Muqing stood up with the rest of the class and greeted the teacher loudly. Class officially began.
During the break, Lin Muqing poked Lin Wenbin in the arm with her pen and grinned.
“What did you do earlier? Did you make the old boss mad again?”
‘The old boss’ was what everyone in the class called their homeroom teacher. It was a casual nickname that, surprisingly, didn’t annoy him. Actually, it made him feel closer to the class.
As for that word “again,” it really hit the spot.
“Sigh, don’t bring it up.”
Lin Wenbin glanced at Lin Muqing, then glanced again at the class monitor not far away. He waved his hand in a shooing motion and replied with an unhappy face.
Then he turned away, laid down on his desk, and ignored Lin Muqing completely, going straight into nap mode.
“Emmm…”
Seeing him refuse like that, Lin Muqing had no choice but to turn her attention back to her deskmate.
“Boss, I have a small request.”
Her eyes widened a little, and she blinked at him as she spoke with a bit of hesitation.
“Go on.”
Ye Ziming’s eyes shifted slightly. After a quick change in expression, he furrowed his brows and replied calmly.
“It’s just that… after school today, I have to go to work. But I didn’t ride my bike home last night, and the cafe is kinda far.”
While nervously playing with her fingers, Lin Muqing tilted her head shyly and explained.
“Mm.”
Ye Ziming nodded thoughtfully. His face didn’t show any emotion, so it was hard to guess what he was thinking.
“I was hoping I could hitch a ride with you. Is that okay?”
Her face showed hope, and her smile looked like she was trying to be extra sweet.
Cough, cough.
“Sure.”
Ye Ziming looked back down at his book, cleared his throat to hide a hint of awkwardness, and nodded.
It felt kind of weird. He was suddenly thinking that his deskmate was a bit cute. Especially when she blinked at him like that.
He rubbed his brow, trying to shake off those strange thoughts.
But during that moment of distraction, he didn’t hear everything Lin Muqing said. He only caught the last three words, ‘is that okay?’
“Is what okay?”
He turned to her instinctively, and she blinked at him again. And just like that, he regretted looking.
Because that strange feeling came back again, and it was hard to ignore.
Looking someone in the eyes while talking should’ve been a totally normal and polite thing. But right now, Ye Ziming didn’t feel that way at all.
“I need to go home and change clothes before going to the cafe. It’s just kind of a hassle.”
Seeing him glance at her and quickly look away again, Lin Muqing was briefly confused but continued explaining on her own.
“No problem.”
His tone was calm as usual, but somehow, it didn’t feel that calm underneath.
“Thanks, Boss!”
Even though she already knew Ye Ziming wouldn’t say no, Lin Muqing still acted super grateful. She even felt like bowing at her desk to express how thankful she was.
“......”
Ye Ziming didn’t want to say anything.
Only then did Lin Muqing remember something important. She had to go home and “transform” before going to work at the café.
It felt just like a superhero show, where they have to find a quiet spot, take out their transformation item, and secretly change.
Except she wasn’t a superhero. Just an ordinary high school student with a strange jade pendant.
The one thing they had in common was that… if someone discovered her real identity, it would be big trouble.
Class continued. Books were read. The morning flew by quickly.
At noon, when the bell rang, Lin Muqing immediately dropped her pen, reached into her bag, and pulled out a blue lunchbox.
Her eyes locked onto the teacher at the podium, who had just heard the bell and was about to officially end class.
At that moment, she looked just like an athlete waiting to sprint at the sound of the gun. Her back was slightly bent, muscles tensed, eyes sharp.
But instead of a trophy in front of her, it was a hot, delicious lunch. After being hungry all morning, Lin Muqing couldn’t wait to race to the cafeteria.
“Alright, that’s all for today’s lesson. Class dismissed, go eat lunch.”
The teacher looked around the room and smiled as he made the announcement.