Chapter 25: Daily Life
The light rain outside the window pattered softly against the glass. It was another rainy day.
Recently, the weather had been gloomy and wet almost every day, and the temperature had dropped as well.
This kind of weather naturally made people sleepy. If you could stay in bed and listen to the rain outside while sleeping, it would be one of the most comfortable things in the world.
But if you had to go outside, it could easily put you in a bad mood.
For example, Li Nuo really disliked going out on rainy days like this.
Unfortunately, life doesn't always let you choose whether to do something based on whether you like it or not.
So he broke free from the warm "seal" of his blanket, got out of bed, washed up, and prepared to go to school.
The sudden temperature difference after leaving his warm bed made him sneeze.
Looking back, he saw Roubao curled up at the foot of the bed. The cat tucked in his neck and seemed to be sleeping even more comfortably than before.
Li Nuo couldn't help feeling jealous.
"I wish I were a cat. Then I wouldn't have to go to school..."
Even though he complained, his hands never stopped moving.
After washing up, he changed into his school uniform and headed out. Holding an umbrella, he arrived at the bus stop and waited for the bus.
Near the bus stop was a small breakfast stall operated from a pushcart. Whether it was sunny or raining, the owner always showed up on time to sell breakfast.
Li Nuo often bought his breakfast there.
A cup of soy milk and two steamed buns were enough.
He had never eaten much, which was probably why he never gained weight.
Even though it was raining, it was still a workday. The bus stop was crowded with people.
Besides students, most of them were office workers rushing around to make a living.
As soon as the bus arrived, everyone pushed their way inside, competing for the limited number of seats.
After all, if they could get a seat, they could take a short nap before reaching their destination.
Li Nuo also wanted a seat, but he hated squeezing through crowds. Fortunately, there were enough empty seats today.
By the time he boarded, there was still one seat left.
After tapping his bus card, he quickly sat down. There were still several passengers waiting to board behind him. Not long after he sat down, a girl's voice sounded beside him.
"You're Li Nuo, right?"
Hearing someone call his name, Li Nuo looked at the girl next to him.
She wore the same school uniform as him.
Her hair was tied into twin ponytails, and her sweet smile made the dimples on her cheeks especially noticeable.
However, Li Nuo had no idea who she was.
"Um... who are you?"
"I'm your classmate, Chen Zhizhi."
"Oh... hello."
Li Nuo's personality was the type that never started conversations with others unless they spoke to him first.
Even though school had started over a month ago, he didn't know many people. Besides Zhou Qikuan and An Ran'er, and maybe Su Wenwen, he barely knew anyone.
Even many of his own classmates were unfamiliar to him. Seeing his confused expression, Chen Zhizhi blinked.
"Li Nuo, don't tell me you don't even recognize me?"
"I... um..."
Of course, he couldn't admit that.
School had been in session for over a month. Not recognizing a classmate would be too embarrassing. So he quietly replied,
"I recognize you..."
Seeing his hesitant response, Chen Zhizhi couldn't help laughing.
"It's okay if you don't recognize me. But I know you."
"Huh? Am I famous or something?"
"Of course you are."
She grinned.
"Right now, you're basically the public enemy of all the boys in school."
She paused before adding,
"After all, you're the deskmate of Nanqin High School's school beauty."
"The school beauty?"
"Your deskmate, An Ran'er, of course."
Then she said with a look of admiration,
"Forget the boys, even lots of girls like Classmate An."
"Uh... really?"
An Ran'er was indeed beautiful. She had a great temperament and was also an idol. It wasn't surprising that she had become the school's most popular girl.
But why did that make him everyone's enemy? I got rejected too, okay?
Li Nuo complained inwardly.
"Li Nuo, you must like Classmate An too, right?"
Chen Zhizhi suddenly asked. The question nearly made him jump.
There was no way he could tell her that he had already confessed to An Ran'er and been rejected.
The little bit of pride he had left made him say the exact opposite of the truth.
"Who would like her?"
He crossed his arms awkwardly.
"She always walks around with a cold face. I-I definitely don't like her."
Chen Zhizhi looked surprised.
"I thought you definitely liked her!"
Then she thought about it for a moment.
"But I guess you're right. Classmate An is pretty cold. She usually acts indifferent toward everyone."
"......"
Li Nuo remained silent. He already knew that An Ran'er's cold attitude was mostly an act.
When she was with people she trusted, she was completely different.
Of course, he wasn't going to tell anyone that.
During the half-hour bus ride, Chen Zhizhi kept chatting non-stop about all kinds of school gossip.
By then, Li Nuo had realized that she was an absolute chatterbox. Once she started talking, she simply couldn't stop.
She even asked him how his skin was so good and what skincare products he used.
The question completely left him speechless. He had no idea how to answer.
When they arrived at the classroom, Li Nuo was surprised to see An Ran'er already sitting at her desk quietly reading a book.
He had thought she would continue skipping school.
After hanging his umbrella outside the classroom, he walked over to his seat.
"Good morning."
He greeted her.
However, An Ran'er seemed not to hear him and continued reading. Only when Li Nuo sighed and prepared to sit down did she quietly respond,
"Good morning."
……………………
Second period that morning.
The rain outside showed no signs of stopping.
In fact, it was getting heavier.
The sound of rain crashing against the windows was so loud that it almost felt as if the sky itself were falling apart.
Nobody knew when it would stop.
At the front of the classroom, the math teacher carefully explained the solution process for each problem.
Meanwhile, Li Nuo was drawing all kinds of strange-looking characters on his notebook and even giving each of them names.
It wasn't because he wasn't paying attention.
Math was simply one of the subjects he hated the most.
In fact, he wasn't good at any science-related subjects. His logical thinking skills had never been particularly strong.
On the other hand, he liked literature and other humanities subjects. Maybe it was because he was an emotional person. Or maybe it was because he simply loved stories.
Unfortunately, the math teacher misunderstood his doodling. From a distance, it looked like he was taking very serious notes.
So when the teacher wanted someone to solve a problem on the board, he chose Li Nuo.
"This student here."
The teacher smiled kindly.
"I've noticed you've been taking notes very seriously. This problem is quite simple, so I'm sure you can solve it. Why don't you write the solution on the board for everyone to see?"
Standing in front of the blackboard, Li Nuo stared blankly at the math problem.
His mind was completely empty.
The chalk remained frozen in his hand.
Half a minute passed.
After stubbornly trying to think of an answer, he finally gave up.
"Teacher... I don't know how to do it."
Back at her seat, An Ran'er looked at Li Nuo's notebook, which was covered in cartoon characters.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly. Then she quietly laughed.
"What an idiot."