Chapter 9, Chen Shao

In the past, Su Yifan always believed that these two individuals were from a different world and never paid attention to the performances of these self-satisfied young masters. Now, observing from a distance, Su Yifan has come to realize the subtlety within.

Cheng Shuixin neatly arranged the box and placed it in the center of the table

Li Peiran hesitated for a few minutes, the inner turmoil evident on his face. In the end, he merely greeted Cheng Shuixin before leaving.

Cheng Shuixin noticed Su Yifan's distraction and was secretly surprised. During this meal, she no longer played with her phone; instead, Su Yifan took out his phone several times to check for messages.

Seeing that Cheng Shuixin did not voice any objections, a fleeting look of triumph crossed Chen Xin's face as she smiled and said: "As long as everyone doesn't hate me, it's actually a kind of fun to have a lottery, and I've ruined that."

For the first time, Chen Xin found Su Yifan, this seemingly harmless guy, somewhat bothersome

The person at the forefront is quite tall, standing over 1.8 meters, but unfortunately, he is somewhat thin, and his pair of jeans appears a bit loose at the ankles. He has a square face, which cannot be described as handsome, yet is not unattractive either. Notably, his face is very clean, with not a single pimple in sight, and he wears a pair of rimless gold glasses, accompanied by a faint smile.

The dinner that evening was ultimately hosted by Cheng Shuixin at a Sichuan restaurant next to the school. Chen Xin felt that Cheng Shuixin was doing it on purpose, not giving him the opportunity to showcase his vehicle—among the entire high school, there were only a few students who drove to school, and those who drove a Jaguar were even rarer.

Cheng Shuixin naturally bent down and handed the box to Su Yifan, while in their relay, Li Peiran was actually in between, having been inadvertently overlooked by Cheng Shuixin.

The members of the literary society are quite familiar with Su Yifan, and those present were all taken aback. Su Yifan sarcastically remarked about his class monitor, Li Peiran, saying, has the world really changed so quickly?

As she pondered, Cheng Shuixin herself became lost in thought

Cheng Shuixin turned her head and smiled at Chen Xin, saying: "Classmate Chen Xin, please join us as well. I am not sure how to express my gratitude for your help with our literary society."

After Chen Xin spoke, no one said a word, as his presence was far beyond that of an ordinary student. Moreover, Chen Xin often visited the literary society, so everyone was relatively familiar with him

Amidst the lively discussions, Cheng Shuixin shook the box while smiling and said: "Additionally, in a few days, there will be a selection event for outstanding teachers in the city. As per our usual practice, we need to produce a few pieces of work. Everyone, let's put in some effort over the next few days and not be lazy, alright?"

Cheng Shuixin's demeanor is different from that of some leaders in the school. Since she claims to be fair, she will certainly be fair. At the very least, the students in the literature club believe in her

Such a formidable character is actually able to bring their paintings to a second-tier city like Binhai City for an exhibition... Aside from the fact that the Chinese people have stood up, there really is no better explanation... Su Yifan had seen Du Weike's paintings online and, to be honest, had no real interest, thus he lazily did not raise his hand

Li Peiran forced an unnatural smile and interjected, "Not at all, we should be the ones thanking Classmate Chen Xin for her strong support"

In a high school filled with hidden talents, there are quite a few individuals who can roam around with two companions. However, there is only one who is so slender and refined. Upon seeing this person, Li Peiran's already uncomfortable mood became even more unbearable.

The act of drawing lots can indeed enliven the atmosphere. Since ancient times, schools have lacked democracy, and students have shown great enthusiasm for this enjoyable and fortuitous activity.

After Chen Xin's abrupt intervention, Cheng Shuixin completely lost the desire to continue the meeting. She hurriedly mentioned a few points regarding the script and then announced the adjournment of the meeting

Behind this person are two boys who are slightly shorter than him, both quite sturdy, and dressed entirely in black, clearly indicating that they are members of the school team.

Chen Xin immediately ceased to argue. What he admired most about Cheng Shuixin was this quality: she never sought any small advantages, yet she also did not care much about how much others spent on her. Such a carefree girl is undoubtedly a rare find in high school

Su Yifan looked at the class monitor, who had been his classmate for over a year, with surprise. He had never expected someone could so naturally utter such flattering words. Su Yifan felt that he had underestimated Li Peiran; this person would surely become a hundred times more formidable than himself in the future

Thus, at the dining table of three, only Chen Xin remained, glancing left and right in despair. How painful it is to dine with two individuals whose minds are elsewhere.

What is even more painful is that one of them is the person I wish to pursue

In school, the gap between individuals is not as significant as one might imagine. Su Yifan and Li Peiran have different perspectives; he believes that, in any regard, Chen Xin is not much stronger than himself.

President Cheng is working so hard to seek benefits for everyone; I find it quite moving to hear this. Chen Xin said, making an exaggerated expression, which elicited a round of flattering laughter. "I don't have much ability, but I will lend a hand to President Cheng. For the art exhibition next Tuesday, I will personally donate fifteen tickets to the Literature Society."

Cheng Shuixin would not be surprised even if he rejected Chen Xin's request. Su Yifan is someone Chen Xin absolutely understands; he knows that this kid is certainly not an important figure in Cheng Shuixin's eyes. How could Cheng Shuixin use this kid as a shield? Is it because they have interacted more frequently and she has secretly begun to regard this kid as somewhat important?

If one decides to pursue the qualifications of Cheng Shuixin based on personal conditions, this individual would rank among the top few in a high school, while they themselves can only linger in the lower middle tier

Faintly, Chen Xin had a feeling that something was not quite right

For Su Yifan, this meal was also quite tasteless, as Su Xiaoqing had not appeared all day.

Four tickets; Cheng Shuixin must go, leaving three spots available. Even if one cannot go to the art exhibition alone with Cheng Shuixin, this is still an opportunity to accompany her. Instantly, many boys' eyes sparkled with eager light.

The person who has arrived is none other than Chen Xin, who had once exerted great effort solely to elicit a smile from the beautiful lady.

Chen Xin's words were delivered with a light touch, yet they still elicited several gasps. This international art exhibition is heavily commercialized, and the number of invitation tickets is certainly limited. Young Master Chen produced fifteen tickets at once, directly depriving the literary society of the thrill of the lottery.

A single sentence made everyone in the literary club burst into laughter. Su Yifan was seated quite far from Cheng Shuixin, and he was not particularly concerned about such a level of joke; he was about to get up to retrieve that box.

Li Peiran's mouth twitched, and he smiled unnaturally before saying: "May the goddess of fortune be with us, as I am looking forward to attending the art exhibition with President Cheng."

Classmate Su Yifan, please be the lucky goddess for everyone

At this point, the artwork of the artist has become irrelevant to the outside world. What matters is that many people are curious about what a painting worth tens of millions looks like

Cheng Shuixin continued, "I sincerely apologize, but my abilities are limited, and I can only obtain these four tickets. Those students from our literary society who wish to go, please submit your names, and to be fair, we will decide by drawing lots."

Cheng Shuixin let out a faint sigh in her heart. Among the boys who flaunted themselves like peacocks, Chen Xin could truly be considered the one with a hint of genuine maturity. This move made it impossible for her to refuse, seemingly casually allowing the members of the literature club to bear his favor, while subtly revealing Young Master Chen's intentions.

Cheng Shuixin shook her head firmly and said, "No, you cannot spend any more money."

This thought flashed through Cheng Shuixin's mind, and she soon realized how casual she usually was towards Su Yifan. Was she being too excessive?

Once again, the bright moon over the sea? ... Su Yifan was almost howling in his heart ...

Because Su Yifan was present, the meal was consumed quickly, and Chen Xin had little opportunity to say anything that could bring the two closer together. Most importantly, Cheng Shuixin clearly smiled at Su Yifan more frequently and often took the initiative to speak with him

Su Yifan sat back, squinting his eyes to scrutinize Chen Xin and Li Peiran

Cheng Shuixin personally distributed neatly cut small pieces of paper and carbon pens, instructing everyone to write their names on them. They were then thrown into a small black box.

Chen Xin entered the activity room and naturally sat down at a distance from Cheng Shuixin that was neither too far nor too close. This is also where Chen Xin excels; he never behaves excessively in public settings, leaving Cheng Shuixin with no opportunity to express dissatisfaction towards him

Seeing this situation, Cheng Shuixin couldn't help but feel a bit indignant: I have stopped using my phone, yet you dare to be so inattentive

This is a type of avant-garde artist, a painter whose foundation is better than that of the so-called painter from a few years ago who created works using hair on thumbtacks. A few years ago, he struggled with oil painting, and later devoted himself entirely to painting birds. ... The corpses of birds, featherless birds, bird droppings ... . ... Surprisingly, he became quite famous before the financial crisis in Europe, with a single painting priced at nearly one million euros

Su Yifan took the black box and instinctively replied, "Alright, I believe you truly love art"

Who is Ale Duvet? Many people might not recognize the name alone. However, if one mentions the artist famous for painting bird droppings, many would likely know.

A faint sense of loss made Su Yifan somewhat fearful; he was afraid that all of this was merely a strange dream

Cheng Shuixin glanced at Chen Xin, who was unwilling to leave, and then at Su Yifan, who was wiping the writing board. In comparison, Cheng Shuixin almost without hesitation waved to Su Yifan: "Su Yifan, I mentioned yesterday that I wanted to treat you to a meal but couldn't do it, can you do me a favor today?"

It must be said that when honest people speak malicious words, they carry significant weight. Su Yifan's understanding of Li Peiran is limited to his hypocrisy and pretentiousness. Both of today's counterattacks were directed towards this aspect, yielding excellent results

How can I get a beautiful woman to treat me? Chen Xin, after all, is somewhat reserved; the smile on her face is much more sincere than Li Pei's. "Let me treat today; how about we go to Haishang Mingyue?"

Li Peiran's expression was grim, just as he was about to speak, a series of knocks sounded at the door

According to the old rules of the literary society, Su Yifan still had to help Cheng Shuixin with the cleaning before leaving, and today was no exception

Everyone rose with mixed emotions and dispersed. Many noticed that Chen Xin showed no intention of getting up, and even kept holding onto the "Collection of Birds" in her hands

In Li Peiran's eyes, Su Yifan was undoubtedly a being of a lower tier than himself, but the person before him was certainly several tiers above him.

Chen Xin slowly closed the book in her hands, feeling a slight sense of surprise

In a few days, the selection process will begin. Cheng Shuixin's words imply that over the weekend, everyone will have to rack their brains to come up with some texts praising the teachers. Everyone places great importance on this selection, which occurs only once a year, and no one has shown any signs of discontent.

Three people entered as the door was pushed open

As the president, Cheng Shuixin is certainly the last to leave. Chen Xin's behavior suggests that she will wait for Cheng Shuixin and then "conveniently" offer to take her home.

I apologize for disturbing everyone. Chen Xin's demeanor is so arrogant that she needs to have two people follow her even at school, yet her manners are still quite proper. I just passed by here and accidentally overheard President Cheng's words

Throughout the entire meeting, Chen Xin sat quietly to one side, neither speaking nor acknowledging Cheng Shuixin with a nod. He casually flipped through an English edition of "The Bird Collection" and waved for his two attendants to leave first

The door to the activity room is never locked, and the sound of knocking indicates that the visitor is relatively polite. Cheng Shuixin seemed to have thought of something, slightly furrowing her brows, and said loudly: "Please come in"

Li Peiran's expression was grim, and Cheng Shuixin was quite surprised. Su Yifan had always been someone who did not like to argue over words with others; has he really changed his nature now

This is the first time Chen Xin has encountered a sudden situation like today's meeting. Cheng Shuixin unexpectedly raised her head, smoothing her hair as she looked at Chen Xin, who was speaking eloquently.