Chapter 3, Conflict

"Madness," Xu Xilin thought to himself

Having finished speaking, he placed his hands in his pockets and turned to leave

Xu Xilin cast a sinister glance at Dou Xun, reluctantly being pulled back by Cai Jing

Cai Jing helplessly passed a round of notes between the two of them, then turned back and pointed at Xu Xilin's empty biology exam paper: "It will be collected after class, hurry up and write!"

When Luo Bing called out to him, Dou Xun did not stop his steps, merely casting a faint glance at her

Her full name is "Yu Yiran", and she is a genuine girl. However, this girl stands at a height of 1.78 meters and weighs 78 kilograms—exactly twice the weight of the thinnest girl in their class. There were no sizes available in the girls' school uniform that would fit her, so she had to order the boys' version, and every day she indistinguishably mingles with Xu Xilin and the others to play basketball.

Commander Xu was shot even while lying down, and he wiped his face as if in pain from a toothache

Wu Tao's note quickly returned: "No, it still seems to be there."

The composition of the class committee is complex, featuring individuals such as Wu Tao, the sports committee member who lacks academic prowess, Xu Xilin, the league branch secretary who secretly disregards the teachers, and Luo Bing, the exemplary class monitor who treats even the slightest utterance from the teacher as a guiding principle

Xu Xilin took a look and thought, last time it was Cai Jing, and this time it's simply a little girl, a peculiar one with the surname Dou, who really knows how to pick on the soft targets

Xu Xilin idly twirled a pen for a while, then, feeling restless, tore off a small piece of paper and wrote: "Old Cai and Grandpa have both gone, you should call someone else, and we can have a three-on-three match in the half court."

As for Dou Xun, he is likely indeed a veritable oddity

Little did they know, Dou Xun was ungrateful, pausing his steps on the spot and furrowing his brows

At this time, smartphones had not yet hatched from their embryonic stage, and non-smartphones had not yet had the opportunity to become widespread among middle school students. The primary means of communication among students remained the exchange of small notes.

"Get lost, you sit there." Wu Tao first sprayed Lao Cheng's face, then turned to Luo Bing, "Don't pay any attention to Qi Li Xiang, I suspect that kid is her illegitimate son."

Wu Tao and Lao Cheng laughed together like a pair of long-necked wild ducks, and the whole class knew about Luo Bing's secret crush on Xu Xilin, causing her face to suddenly flush red

The young man's elbow was stiff, and Luo Bing caused him to collide so hard that he saw stars, leaving him momentarily dazed

Xu Xilin was initially baffled, but soon remembered—right, there is a scholarship quota in their class every year, totaling 1,500. For others, it is insignificant, but Luo Bing is different; she is a student from a poor family. She is a frail little girl, with a seriously ill mother at home to care for, and she cannot go out at midnight to work like Cai Jing. This scholarship quota is submitted by the class teacher.

Dou Xun was also quite surprised, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he moved his arms. He felt he should express something, but he wasn't quite sure how to apologize. He was somewhat troubled, furrowing his brow as he looked down at Luo Bing, hesitating and pondering how to convey his feelings.

Xu Xilin: "Damn, are you two out of your minds?"

This slight movement startled the Seven-Li Fragrance on the podium. With a glance, the Seven-Li Fragrance noticed Dou Xun putting the headphones back on his ears, lowering his head as if no one else was around, which immediately gave her a bit of a headache

Little did anyone know, Qili Xiang just happened to walk in from outside, her pair of dead fish eyes glaring as if they were about to pop out of the window: "Xu Xilin, what are you standing there for?"

Before Xu Xilin had a chance to speak, the two scoundrels, Wu Tao and Lao Cheng, each delivered a palm strike from either side, pushing him forward. Xu Xilin, caught off guard, stumbled and nearly collided with Luo Bing.

"Is the check on Monday?" Dou Xun interrupted her stiffly, "Then I will go to the infirmary on Monday to get a leave of absence, so it won't delay your grading."

Xu Xilin remained silent, took the small note from Wu Tao, and thought to himself: "I must take the opportunity to teach him a lesson."

His good relationships were not built on self-deprecation, nor did he have the habit of putting a warm face against a cold backside, and the little fondness he initially had for Dou Xun instantly vanished.

Xu Xilin swiftly categorized the person with the surname Dou into the column of "unappreciative oddities"

Cai Jing's personality was slow and gentle, and for a moment he was stunned and did not react, while Xu Xilin's anger suddenly flared up, and he stood up abruptly

Dou Xun sits every day in the most secluded corner of the classroom, arriving early and leaving late, leading a solitary life. Apart from occasionally going out through the back door to use the restroom, he hardly moves around in the class.

"You two, can you quiet down for a moment?" Cai sighed, helplessly threw down his pen, and turned to call out softly to Dou Xun, "Dou Xun... that classmate, could you please pass me the paper ball on your desk?"

"Trash," Dou Xun thought, and then he raised his hand, sending a half-wet ball of paper through a parabolic arc in the air, landing precisely in the wastebasket in the corner

He furiously pulled Luo Bing behind him and raised his hand to push Dou Xun, saying: "Can you speak like a human? Can you handle human affairs?"

The next day, after the morning exercises were dismissed, Luo Bing approached Xu Xilin and said, "Can you do me a favor?"

Xu Xilin : `` ... ... ''

The last class on Thursday afternoon is a study period. Xu Xilin is sending a text message to the school team coach under the desk, having made an advance reservation for the basketball court. He specifically chose this day because Cai Jingli has no classes on Thursday evening

Upon finishing, the upright Cai Jingzheng looked at him with a serious expression. Xu Xilin quickly flashed a smile, making a promise: "The last one."

Xu Xilin serves as the class committee secretary and is also a member of the school basketball team. He is known for his strong sense of loyalty and often uses his position to help classmates secure basketball courts. Regardless of whether he wishes to befriend males or females, there is hardly anyone he cannot connect with. He is almost the central figure in the small group of tall individuals sitting in the last three rows of his class, and this is the first time he has encountered such inexplicable disdain from others.

Dou Xun suddenly grabbed the crumpled paper and threw it into the trash can in the corner of the wall

Dou Xun raised his arm without looking back, intending to wave her off and signal her not to persist. However, Luo Bing was only a little over 1.5 meters tall, making her appear quite short in front of Dou Xun. She couldn't stop in time and ended up bumping into his elbow that was being swung back.

Qilixiang certainly did not specifically seek out girls; in fact, she had said this to every class officer, including Xu Xilin and Wu Tao, but aside from Luo Bing, no one paid her any attention

Xu Xilin frowned in displeasure; he had a loyal side to his character, liking whoever liked him, but he also had a spoiled side—whoever disliked him was a fool

The tip of the Qilixiang pen paused for a moment, and pointed at a girl in the front row: "Luo Bing, come out with me for a moment."

The entire class of boys, led by Xu Xilin, did not find Dou Xun pleasing to the eye

"It's nothing, teacher. I dropped a pen on the ground, and he is helping me look for it," Cai Jing said, and then hurriedly pulled Xu Xilin, "Sit down quickly."

Luo Bing was momentarily taken aback, feeling a sense of defeat, her face slightly flushed, yet she still refused to give up. She quickened her pace to catch up, saying, "Wait a moment..."

In the third year of high school, evening self-study sessions have begun, marking the last semester they can leave school to play basketball. Xu Xilin's mind has long flown to the basketball court, and he absentmindedly selected a few genetic multiple-choice questions to write, which were essentially simple combinatorial problems that he felt did not require much thought. After finishing, he glanced at the experimental designs below, which were truly tedious and lengthy, and he couldn't even bring himself to read the questions.

She did not dare to take the instructions of the Seven Mile Fragrance lightly

Seeing his demeanor, Cai Jingyi knew that the young master was about to explode with anger, so he quickly restrained him, saying, "Forget it, I will go get it."

Cai Jingyi grasped Xu Xilin's wrist

During the break exercises at the sixth school, two sets are to be performed: one is the general routine "The Era Calls" and the other is a self-choreographed routine by the school's gymnastics team. Dou Xun does not know the latter and has no intention of learning it. Every day, he stands like a wooden post at the back of the line, remaining there until the exercises are completed and the group disperses, after which he quietly leaves on his own.

Xu Xilin threw the crumpled note to their class sports committee member, Wu Tao: "Did you bring the ball?"

If calling someone else's aloofness "not fitting in" then classmate Dou Xun's aloofness might be considered "not fitting the species"

Qilixiang assigned a task to Luo Bing, asking her to have a conversation with Dou Xun and help him integrate into the class community as soon as possible

Qilixiang walked around them suspiciously for a few laps, and seeing that the mischievous children had stopped causing a ruckus, she then slipped on her high heels, making a "tap tap" sound, and sat down behind the lectern to write her lesson plan

"That works then," Xu Xilin said, pinching his nose as he made the decision, "We will go with you."

Cai Jing glanced around and found no signs of the teacher spying, so he slightly adjusted his chair and politely said, "Excuse me," as he stretched out his arm to reach for the crumpled paper on Dou Xun's desk

Xu Xilin actually has no particular thoughts about Luo Bing, but for a teenage boy, the mere idea that "this girl likes me" is already sufficiently stimulating. Luo Bing's face flushed, and he suddenly found himself at a loss for words: "Sure... what is it, you tell me."

This time he did not have the courage to use Cai Jing, and directly threw the paper ball out, hitting Wu Tao squarely on the head

Dou Xun took out a tissue, dampened it slightly, and repeatedly wiped the spot where the note had just fallen three times. Wu Tao's "heroic posture" leaning against the bathroom door that day is still vivid in memory

Lao Cheng frowned and said: "Could it be that Tao Ge has sat on that head of Qi Li Xiang? How could this matter be left to a girl?"

Dou Xun's grandson definitely heard it, he is just deliberately ignoring people

Dou Xun raised his head expressionlessly and exchanged a glance with Xu Xilin, a glance rich in connotation, both mocking and provocative.

For an entire week, apart from being forced to answer questions in class, I have not seen Dou Xun speak properly to anyone in the class.

Luo Bing's face showed a hint of difficulty as she cast a pleading glance at Xu Xilin. Xu Xilin was about to speak, in agreement with Wu Tao, when Cai Jing suddenly pulled him aside.

Qilixiang is at a disadvantage, having accepted the shopping card from Dou Xun's father, Dou Junliang. In recent days, Dou Xun has been deeply troubled by this matter, privately seeking out all the subject teachers and class leaders, yet Dou Xun refuses to settle any accounts with anyone, resembling a non-violent, uncooperative hedgehog.

After a while, Cai Jing cautiously passed over a note and tapped Xu Xilin's arm: "Brother Tao has rewritten it for you. Alright, in this cold weather, why are you so angry?"

Wu Tao gestured a middle finger at him, lowered his head to write something, and threw it back in a tit-for-tat manner. Unfortunately, his aim was poor, and the paper ball floated away lightly, coincidentally deviating from its intended trajectory, landing precisely on Dou Xun's desk in the corner.

Luo Bing had no choice but to jog alongside him while quickly reciting her prepared speech: "Our school has a physical exercise inspection every Monday, and if we are not in sync, points will be deducted. I noticed that you seem to struggle with the routine you created. There happens to be a sports activity this evening; could you spare twenty minutes for our class's Youth League secretary to teach you a bit?"

He always walks with his head down and rarely looks people in the eye. Except during class, he always has headphones on, isolating himself from the surrounding noise. At first, when people encountered him on campus or in the hallways, they would greet him kindly, but each time it was difficult to receive even a glance from him. Gradually, no one paid him any attention.

Before he could come up with an idea, Xu Xilin and a few others who were not far away caught up with him

Luo Bing said: "It's very simple, you will learn it as soon as you start, you ... ... "

Lao Cheng used his arm to pin Xu Xilin's neck, whispering in a teasing tone, "Can our class's Youth League branch secretary teach you a thing or two?"

Dou Xun did not do it intentionally, but to others, it seemed as if he was impatient while speaking to her and had elbowed the girl in return

Xu Xilin muttered a vague curse, feeling quite reluctant. However, knowing that Luo Bing had feelings for him, he did not want to embarrass her in person and reluctantly agreed, considering her feelings.

Wu Tao is the best in sports among ordinary students and the best in academic subjects among sports students. Due to his exceptional performance in the high school entrance examination, he became the only student with special talents in the experimental class. However, because he prefers playing to studying and has to cope with heavy training every day, he finds it very difficult to adapt to life in the experimental class. He only shares a common interest with Xu Xilin and others when it comes to playing.