Chapter 236: Chapter 236: …Be Serious

Shoving his hand off her neck, Xu Su went to the bathroom to wash her face. Seeing Zhou Mochen following close behind, she said with some exasperation, “I’m going to bed. What are you still doing here? Go sleep in your own room.”

Her temper was truly awful. Zhou Mochen laughed in frustration and pulled her fiercely into his arms. “You ungrateful girl. You said you were going to be nicer to me. Is this what you call being nice?”

As he spoke, he lowered his gaze and moved to kiss her again. Xu Su quickly turned her head away. “Zhou Mochen! Stay away from me, or you’ll be the one suffering for it!”

His lips landed on the side of her face. Zhou Mochen paused for a moment, then sighed. “You’ve got a point. But, Susu, how is it that now that I have a girlfriend, I’m even more frustrated?”

“…Be serious, and get your mind out of the gutter.” Xu Su had no desire to discuss the topic. She pushed him out the door and, without a shred of mercy, shut and locked it.

After that day, Xu Su’s one-sided cold shoulder came to an end, and the two of them officially made up. However, to prevent one thing from leading to another under the same roof, Xu Su no longer indulged Zhou Mochen’s intimate advances as unconditionally as before.

She was no longer a boarding student but a day student, with Zhou Mochen as her personal chauffeur. He would drive her home for lunch, but since the afternoon break was short, Xu Su usually ate with Huang Feng and Qian Jia in the cafeteria instead.

After a few weeks of adjusting, she finally got used to the midday rush. Time flew by.

During the days Xi Zirong was gone, the school held two grade-wide ranking exams, and Xu Su claimed the top spot both times. Her academic foundation was solid, and she was very self-disciplined when it came to her studies.

Even though she devoted some of her attention to gaming, her grades didn’t slip.

Looking at the perfect-score chemistry test in her hand, Xu Su covered her name on the paper, gleefully snapped a photo, and used it to replace the default avatar on her QQ account.

She had been in the group chat for a while and was now familiar with most of the pros, able to chat a bit with anyone.

In real life, she was inevitably the center of attention wherever she went. Xu Su never initiated conversations with classmates she didn’t know well; she was the definition of aloof.

If it weren’t for her two good friends, Qian Jia and Huang Feng, she might have reverted to the withdrawn personality of her past life.

Online, however, where no one knew who was who, Xu Su found it relaxing to chat with her gaming friends in the group.

Not long after she changed her avatar, Sika noticed. As a fellow third-year high school student, she was amazed by the clear perfect score on the test.

“I never would’ve thought you were a top student, Susu! We had several of the same questions on a test a few days ago, and they were really hard!”

Xu Su sent a happy emoji.

’She was actually quite pleased with herself. In truth, she rarely got a perfect score in chemistry, and this test had covered a wide range of topics. She was the only one in the entire class to ace it.’

Compared to her past life, her grades in this one had improved dramatically, and Xi Zirong’s help had been indispensable…

At the thought of Xi Zirong, Xu Su’s elation from placing first in the grade slowly faded.

Huang Chao had previously told her that Xi Zirong’s injuries weren’t serious and that he would be back at school within a month. But now, a month and a half had passed.

「In mid-August」

The military training for the new first-years had started two days prior, but Xi Zirong still hadn’t returned.

The seat behind Xu Su remained empty. At first, she didn’t think much of it, assuming he was just delayed. But as the days went by, she took the top rank in the grade twice, while the “study god” who had dominated the number one spot for two consecutive years was nowhere to be seen.

’She even began to suspect that Zhou Mochen had done something behind her back again, that he hadn’t let Xi Zirong off…’

She had secretly tried calling him, but his phone was off.

The sliver of rationality she had left stopped her from confronting Zhou Mochen, but she couldn’t stop worrying about Xi Zirong.

Her deskmate and best friend, Qian Jia, noticed her absentmindedness over the past few days and suggested she ask Teacher Wu.

Qian Jia said, “Old Wu is our homeroom teacher. He definitely knows what’s going on with God Xi being out for so long. If you’re that worried, you should go ask him.”

The reminder jolted Xu Su. Given Teacher Wu’s sense of responsibility for his students, it was impossible he wasn’t concerned about Xi Zirong’s situation.

But Teacher Wu was very busy. Xu Su went to his office a few times but never found him. She only ever saw him during math class, but she didn’t dare ask directly in the middle of a lesson.

Perhaps her expression was too anxious. Teacher Wu thought she was struggling with a problem and walked down from the podium to her desk, taking the workbook from her hands.

After flipping through a few pages and seeing nothing amiss, he said, “Pay more attention in class.”

“…..” Xu Su’s face flushed, embarrassed at being called out for zoning out.

The moment the bell rang, Teacher Wu stepped out of the classroom, and Xu Su immediately followed.

The hallway was crowded. Xu Su hesitated, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn’t. Seeing her expression, Teacher Wu knew exactly what was on her mind. “Come to my office. We can talk there.”

“You want to ask about Xi Zirong?” As soon as they entered, Teacher Wu sat in his office chair and gestured to the stool opposite him. “Sit.”

Xu Su nodded and sat down, feeling a little awkward.

Her relationship with Xi Zirong was known throughout the school, but then Zhou Mochen had suddenly entered the picture.

Ever since Zhou Mochen had announced she was his girlfriend at that dinner with Teacher Wu and the school leadership, Xu Su hadn’t dared to imagine what this teacher she’d always respected now thought of her.

Noticing her discomfort, Teacher Wu got a disposable paper cup, poured her some water, and said, “He’s fine. He was discharged from the hospital a week ago and should be back in class in a few days.”

’As long as he’s okay…’

A wave of relief washed over Xu Su. She accepted the cup, took a small sip to ease the awkwardness, and then said, “Thank you, Teacher.”

“You know that last incident caused a big stir. The school originally wanted one of you two to leave the advanced class, but Xi Zirong insisted on not switching, and you had no intention of switching either.”

Teacher Wu continued, “Since that’s the case, I’ll remain your homeroom teacher. When Xi Zirong returns, I plan on moving your seats to separate you. What do you think?”

“I have no problem with that!” Xu Su nodded quickly. “However you want to arrange the seats is fine.”

’The distance between their desks was already unsuitable for her and Xi Zirong’s relationship, not to mention that Zhou Mochen would never allow them to be that close.’

’She was surprised they didn’t have to switch classes at all…’

The office fell quiet for a moment. Just as Xu Su was about to take her leave, Teacher Wu suddenly said with a sigh, “I’ve taught you two for over two years. I really thought that in a few years, I might get to attend my students’ wedding…”

Realizing he had misspoken, Teacher Wu stopped. His tone shifted, becoming stern. “High school is only three years, and you’ve already entered the final sprint. Xu Su, I hope you will focus all of your energy on your studies. No matter what, don’t let your hard work from the past two years go to waste.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep