Chapter 6, Rumors

There is no need to cover for them; they have never run away from here. When they come back, make them run an extra lap.

The boys on the field rushed forward to separate the two, yet they continued to hurl insults at each other relentlessly. Teacher Sun scolded them a couple of times and instructed Ma Haochuan and Yang Yang to go to his office. The boys quickly stepped in to mediate, claiming they were just playing around. Teacher Sun ignored them and did not intend to handle the matter lightly. To prevent them from starting to fight again, five or six boys each took one of them and accompanied them to the physical education teacher's office

"Only you can write," Yang Yang said as he reached for a pen to write, but Ma Haochuan suddenly grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him outside

Anran was somewhat surprised, as all the girls in the grade knew that Fang Zhe never accepted anything from girls, whether he knew them or not. This was also why people said he was both arrogant and cool. Fang Zhe had also told her that in the past, when he was playing basketball, if a girl offered him water, he would only accept it if it was given to everyone; otherwise, he would refuse it altogether, fearing it would lead to misunderstandings.

Someone in the team took over, and was called out by Teacher Sun, who shouted towards the group of girls outside the playground fence: "Teacher Chen, here are your two students"

As soon as Ma Haochuan sat down, he leaned forward and whispered in An Ran's ear: "I forgot to bring my exam paper, could you let me have a look at yours?"

Once, Yang Yang from Class Seven deliberately sat down in front of An Ran, crossing his legs and looking leisurely at Ma Haochuan, who had just stepped into the classroom behind him. The other students in the class snickered, looking forward to the spectacle. When Ma Haochuan entered, he walked straight to An Ran's seat, placed his books on the desk, and with an air of entitlement, expected Yang Yang to move aside.

Everyone wore a knowing smile, and Chen Yamei, standing beside Anran, gently touched her arm with a smile. Anran found herself in a dilemma, unable to stay or leave. Despite her efforts to appear indifferent, the attention of the crowd made her feel flustered, and she couldn't help but blush.

Ma Haochuan persistently kicked her chair

This is something you asked of me. "Ma Haochuan had a look of someone who had taken advantage and was now acting innocent.

Ah? Um... Ma Haochuan stood up, looking down at the paper covered with a group of little tadpoles, truly unsure of where the discussion had reached

Seeing An Ran silent, Ma Haochuan deliberately said: "If you are unwilling, I will pull the chair back." As he spoke, he was about to get up

Oh! Oh! The boys rushed out laughing

Aren't the people beside and behind you all from your class? " Anran whispered

Ma Haochuan was already displeased after being intercepted and scored against. Seeing An Ran's face filled with embarrassment from being laughed at, he became angry and casually threw the ball at Yang Yang's face. Although Yang Yang hurriedly dodged, he was still grazed by the ball. Perhaps it truly hurt, as Yang Yang immediately got furious, stood up, and shouted: "Damn! You really hit me!" Saying this, he stepped forward, ready to fight.

When Anran arrived at the basketball court, the girls had already gathered around the court in sparse numbers, and the game was in full swing. The basketball was thrown high from near the sideline towards the basket, with two or three people jumping simultaneously to contest it. Standing on the periphery, Anran immediately recognized Fang Zhe's figure and instinctively moved a little closer.

After the attention of the crowd was diverted, An Ran glanced at Ma Haochuan, who looked at her and said: "Who told you not to pay attention to me"

The English teacher glanced at him, revealing a look of helplessness: "Why don't you look at it with your classmate next to you? If there is a next time, you can just sit through a whole class without participating."

The English teacher stopped the tape recorder, glared over with a dark expression, and said, "Do you want to speak? Come on! Come up and say it."

Ma Haochuan

Although not directly named, An Ran still felt somewhat ashamed and dared not face the teacher's piercing gaze. She merely lowered her head and gently pointed to the words "Listening" on the paper, hinting at Ma Haochuan

In the winter and early spring, physical education classes at the school primarily focus on long-distance running. Exiting through the back gate adjacent to a large park, in addition to running laps around the 400-meter track, the physical education teacher occasionally opens the school’s back gate to take the students for long runs in the park. The students all enjoy running in the park; firstly, the park is vast, and the teacher cannot monitor them throughout the entire run to ensure they are not slacking off, and secondly, being outside the campus during the day brings a certain thrill of "skipping class with permission".

After Anran completed the first lap and passed by Teacher Chen, he heard him say to two girls from Class Seven: "Did Lu Yao and Zhang Jiajia sneak away?"

Beautiful girls can always easily obtain forgiveness, especially from soft-hearted male teachers like Teacher Chen. After the two laps around the lake ended, everyone returned to the starting point at the bridge in a scattered manner. Caught in the act, Zhang Jiajia told Teacher Chen that she had just sprained her ankle and asked Lu Yao to accompany her to sit in the pavilion for a while

No!" Teacher Chen said with a smile, waving his hand

"Sit for a moment?" Teacher Chen glanced at Lu Yao, "What are you hiding in your clothes?"

The classmates in the class secretly scoffed

The English teacher, who was originally angry, couldn't help but be amused by his half-serious, half-pretend demeanor, and huffed, "Am I trying to deceive you? If you listen carefully, what could I possibly deceive you about? Sit down! If you don't want to study, just lie down on your desk and sleep, but don't mumble and disturb others."

No, not at all. Zhang Jiajia hurriedly helped to cover it up, playfully pouting with a smile, while Lu Yao cutely stuck out her tongue.

A wave of cheers erupted as everyone's attention returned to the court, with interceptions and dribbling, the liberal arts team executed a beautiful combination, creating a small climax.

"Isn't class about to start? Take it back to the classroom." An Ran did not turn around, but slightly tilted her head.

Behind her, Yang Yang deliberately cleared his throat, and An Ran instinctively turned to look at Fang Zhe, only to meet his gaze, which, like others, was directed towards her and Ma Haochuan. Their eyes met, and An Ran hurriedly turned back.

In addition to attending English classes together with Class 7, the liberal arts class also shares physical education classes with Class 7. However, since physical education classes are conducted separately for boys and girls, An Ran has little interaction with Fang Zhe and Ma Haochuan

On Friday during physical education class, Teacher Chen from the girls' class took the girls to the park for a long run. As they left the playground, they saw the boys preparing to run 2,000 meters around the playground at the teacher's request. The boys were all complaining, pointing at the cheerful group of girls, and requesting to join them for the long run in the park

Ma Haochuan wrote his name on the table with a pen: "Do you recognize characters?"

Anran lowered her head, pretending not to notice

Ma Haochuan was momentarily taken aback and sincerely said: "No need, no need, please go ahead, your words are pleasant to hear"

No, not at all? It should be in the front. The two girls pretended to be clueless

Suddenly, a clattering sound came from behind, drowning out the English listening dialogue from the recorder. An Ran instinctively turned her head, only to see Ma Haochuan brazenly pulling a chair over to sit beside her

"Did you hear that? They don't want you. You two just stand here and wait to see if Teacher Chen will change their mind and take you back later." Teacher Chen turned to the group of boys, "The rest of you, run five laps, and then we will have a basketball match between the arts and sciences classes!"

Aren't we classmates as well? I just want to see yours, why are you so heartless?

"Stop making a fuss, class is starting, class is starting..." It seemed that Yang Yang could see that Ma Haochuan was truly anxious, so he pretended to hush the boys in Class Seven and put away his things before sitting at the back of the classroom.

This time, Fang Zhe did not gain any advantage in the scramble; he was besieged by two male students from the liberal arts class and was knocked down to the ground.

A few boys in Class Seven were making ambiguous howling sounds, and An Ran noticed that Ma Haochuan seemed somewhat irritated. She was afraid that things would really escalate, so before he could stand up and lose his temper, she gently tugged at him and said, "Stop messing around, it's time for class."

"What did I just say?" The English teacher glared at Ma Haochuan

The upcoming time is said to be free activities, but in fact, it tacitly allows the girls to cheer for the boys playing basketball. Recently, due to the intense rumors surrounding her and Ma Haochuan, An Ran is not particularly keen on going. However, since the other girls from her class are all going, it would not be appropriate for her to deliberately isolate herself. Thus, she leisurely walks at the back with her classmate Chen Yamei, watching the two boys who were just singled out running laps alone on the playground.

With a resigned sigh, she no longer paid him any attention and focused intently on the English recording

Who asked you?

Foul! Foul! The girls from Class Seven immediately erupted in shouts. Teacher Sun, who was acting as the referee, ignored them, which led to a wave of discontent.

Ma Haochuan exchanged a few words with An Ran, but seeing that she did not respond, he ceased to speak and turned to entertain himself. First, he boredly colored in the letter "O" on her paper, and then he added tails to these little black circles. Whether it was the sight of the little tadpoles that reminded him of the story "Little Tadpoles Looking for Their Mother," he then began to draw frogs in the blank spaces of the paper.

If you don't want to look, then just go back said Anran softly

The quiet whispers of the classmates in the classroom suddenly turned into uproarious laughter

Yang Yang said with a smile, "On what basis? First come, first served. Who said this place belongs to you?"

Not only Anran was surprised; although Fang Zhe merely held the cola in his hand and gently rotated it, seemingly not intending to drink, Lu Yao still wore a look of astonishment. Even the girls around exchanged glances, displaying expressions of "seeing a ghost".

As soon as Ma Haochuan sat down, he thought she was concerned about Yang Yang's teasing. He turned around and shot a threatening glare at Yang Yang, who responded with a provocative gesture.

An Ran, upon hearing this, bent down and lowered her head, creating distance between herself and Ma Haochuan. She felt him poke her in the back and then deliberately shifted his body forward.

How can you be so unreasonable

"Who said they want to go? I will tell Teacher Chen to let you attend classes with the girls from now on," joked Teacher Sun from the boys' class

"Damn it, I'll just hit you. If you can't speak properly, then just shut up!" Ma Haochuan said as he took a few steps forward, grabbing Yang Yang's clothes and preparing to strike.

Teacher Chen raised a finger and said, "Just this once, there will be no next time"

"Teacher, I forgot to bring it," Ma Haochuan raised his hand to signal, his expression one of righteous confidence

"Alright, alright..." An Ran dared not let him create any more commotion, hurriedly pressing his arm, "Don't fidget."

The center of the park is a lake, and the physical education teacher stands at the top of the bridge. From this vantage point, he can see everyone running around the lake at a glance, although it would be difficult to spot anyone who sneaks away unnoticed. However, the teacher is not foolish; he is aware of those who run past him. While he may not remember every single student, he has certainly noted a good number of them.

Seven or eight people from Class Seven left all at once, and the basketball game ended hastily. The remaining individuals lost interest, with a few boys amusing themselves by shooting hoops under the basket, while the girls dispersed in groups of three to five, each seeking a corner to chat idly.

She remembers that Fang Zhe played basketball quite well in high school, but unfortunately, she has never had the opportunity to cheer for him as his girlfriend or wife. According to Fang Zhe, he strained his ligament during university and has not played since.

"Ma Haochuan, are you intentionally going easy on your family?" Yang Yang shouted from the sidelines.

The female classmates who attend class with Anran will sit in front of her or beside her. If those seats are already occupied, even if they choose a seat that is distanced from her, they will absolutely not sit behind her. This seems to have become an unspoken understanding within their temporary class.

Home has been released

Fang Zhe stood up and made a gesture to substitute himself, and was immediately surrounded by several girls from Class 7, who expressed their concern and care. Lu Yao took out the cola she had just sneaked out to buy from her clothes and handed it over, and Fang Zhe paused for a moment before accepting it

In an instant, all eyes in the classroom turned towards the two of them. Anran felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, yet on the surface, she only pretended to be nonchalant, shifting the exam paper slightly towards the edge of the desk

Did you not ask me to come over?" Ma Haochuan was being unreasonable

Anran originally did not want to pay attention to him, letting him be, but she could not withstand his persistent show-off: "How is it? With a little embellishment from the master, your scroll is instantly different, right? Keep it well, it will definitely appreciate in value in the future"

Anran did not respond, thinking that it was no longer the time for you to ignore me

The classmates sitting next to and behind him are all from Class 7. Why must they borrow from her when they are not doing well?

Anran was aware of the source of their hostility, among them the girl with short hair and big eyes, who appeared to be obedient and well-behaved, was named Sun Tiantian, and she became Ma Haochuan's girlfriend during their senior year of high school

As soon as Ma Haochuan finished speaking, the class bell rang. The English teacher entered the classroom and said, "Today we will discuss the papers from the class division exam. I mentioned it to everyone yesterday; did you all bring them?"

After the commotion caused by Ma Haochuan and Yang Yang, An Ran felt even more embarrassed, as if this incident had all originated from her. What made her most uncomfortable was that several girls from Class 7 were whispering among themselves while sitting on the stone steps at the entrance of the gymnasium, occasionally glancing in her direction. Even when she passed by them on her way to the restroom, they showed no signs of stopping their chatter, and their scrutinizing gazes were quite unfriendly

The seating arrangement in English class is not fixed, but ever since Ma Haochuan sat behind An for three consecutive days, regardless of whether she sits in a corner or in the front row, the seat behind her has become exclusively reserved for Ma Haochuan

Yang Yang instinctively grabbed the nearby table, resulting in both him and the table being flipped over onto the ground. When he got up, he inevitably engaged in some playful scuffling with Ma Haochuan. During the tussle, it seemed that Yang Yang intended to repeat his earlier action, as he took Ma Haochuan's pencil case and pretended to throw it. Ma Haochuan rushed forward to snatch it back, but unexpectedly, Yang Yang merely feigned a throw and took advantage of Ma Haochuan's moment of inattention to push him forward deliberately. Had it not been for Ma Haochuan instinctively bracing himself against the table and chair, he would have fallen directly onto An Ran.

Less than two weeks into the new semester, the ambiguous relationship between An Ran and Ma Haochuan spread throughout their English class, with the speed of dissemination directly proportional to Ma Haochuan's level of activity in school. A female classmate who had a good relationship with An Ran directly asked if she was dating Ma Haochuan. An Ran replied that they were just middle school classmates and that it was merely the boys from Class 7 making a fuss.

Ma Haochuan came to his senses, raising his head with a look of someone who has just awakened from a dream, and said: "You haven't said anything! Aren't we listening to the recording? Teacher, are you trying to trick me?"