Chapter 9 A Pair in Pursuit

re, however, quite envious of Chen Lingshan. Having a boy secretly admiring her is definitely something that would make many girls心動.Moreover, the sudden appearance of this boy might very well end Che...Chapter 9: The One Behind

Deng Wu stood by the main school gate, like a delicate lotus. Today she wore a pure white T-shirt that accentuated her slender figure at sixteen years old; many third-year students who passed by thought about the upcoming graduation and separation with a heart-wrenching sense of regret.

Her face was flushed as several boys had boldly confessed to her but were rejected, slinking away dejectedly.

The defeated ones were numerous, directly discouraging others from approaching. Especially those timid boys who knew that not confessing now would mean no chance later, they ultimately kept their letters of affection in hand and walked past Deng Wu. In the future, these might be some people's life-long regrets or small, happy interludes when recalled.

Holding several stacks of letters she couldn't throw away but didn't know what to do with, Deng Wu silently blamed Su Can for her predicament. Originally, when it was announced that today would be the last day of school, her close girlfriends all knew about lending test papers to Su Can for photocopying. Since it was the last day before holiday and each girl had her own business, none accompanied Deng Wu.

Seeing Su Can organizing his books at his seat, Deng Wu felt waiting for him in class wasn't right; she had never waited for a boy like this before, so she walked slowly while waiting. By the time she reached the main gate, Su Can still hadn’t come out; thus, she could only stand there. As class monitor, she promised something and couldn’t leave without keeping her word.

However, it made things look even more awkward. Just as Deng Wu was feeling resentful, Su Can finally appeared with a heavy backpack and panting.

"You're here" Despite her dissatisfaction with Su Can, Deng Wu never showed her feelings outwardly; she merely frowned, finding his appearance somewhat amusing.

The people around who knew Deng Wu were all astonished to see her there. This famous ice princess of the three years in junior high school and a campus beauty was waiting for someone No one knew why she was standing at the school gate, even those confessing to her had left disappointed. Who would have thought she was actually waiting for a boy

"Sorry for keeping you waiting so long; this backpack is too heavy. It seems all my burdens from junior high are here today!" Su Can naturally thought of the knowledge he needed to catch up on after falling behind in his junior high studies, which wasn't easy.

Deng Wu glanced at him with a puzzled expression. She had felt somewhat awkward waiting for a boy and imagined how proud Su Can would feel seeing her wait for him, which made her uncomfortable.

Deng Wu was exceptionally intelligent; she could see many things but didn't often express them due to her cold demeanor.

Who would have thought that when Su Cen appeared, there was a hint of apology in his eyes. Moreover, the emphasis in his tone suggested he had his heart set on studying from his review materials and did not behave as Tang Wu had expected him to. This made her look at Su Cen again.

The test papers for each subject passed through Tang Wu's hands one by one.

After being scanned in a photocopy shop, more than ten copies of the test questions and reference answers were handed over to Su Cen.

At this stage in his life, stock market fluctuations, trends of the era, and opportunities in the information industry seemed unrealistic. They couldn't compare with these papers that could help him solve his immediate problem at hand. Holding them felt like clutching onto his future destiny.

The smell of street food wafted from outside the photocopy shop while golden-edged clouds hung quietly in mid-air. After completing their business, Tang Wu—who had no further connection with Su Cen—walked out with him. She turned around to look at the school's exterior and a rare sense of reluctance showed on her brows. Turning to glance at Su Cen, she said, "I want to take another look inside the school. Perhaps after today, I won't have as many opportunities."

Su Cen looked at Tang Wu with some surprise, trying his best to recall whether he had walked through the campus on the day before his middle school graduation exam, but couldn't find any such memory. However, this slight expression of reluctance from a class president known for her coldness was enough to astonish him.

Seeing Su Cen's expression, Tang Wu continued in an attempt to appear casual: "Are you going home That's fine."

"Going back so early is pointless. I'm not rushing to have my meal anyway. Let me go with you and take a look."

...

Su Cen felt that he had just accomplished an incredible feat from his middle school days, one he never thought possible.

To walk through the campus alongside class president Tang Wu was indeed remarkable. Unfortunately, Su Cen was no longer the sixteen-year-old boy he once was—at least not in terms of mentality. Although Tang Wu's appearance and demeanor at age sixteen were exceptional, they did not have the same effect on him as they would have on a typical middle school boy.

However, walking through this campus from eleven years ago brought back vivid memories. The field overgrown with weeds was later transformed into a spacious area covered in cement and equipped with basketball hoops, running tracks delineated by white lines, and flower beds replacing the tall bunches of hair grass.

There was a vulnerable spot in the wall where many people used to jump out to skip class, and Su Cen had once experienced it himself. Behind that spot was a small pond; he had thrown his backpack over the wall but discovered this secret only after climbing up.

Now, as he looks back on these memories while facing the present situation, complex emotions well up inside him, especially when Tang Wu is by his side.

Su Cen understands Tang Wu's feelings very well. Her grades had long surpassed the admission standards of No. 1 High School, and at that time, there were special privileges for top students like her. If you were a standout student, the school would unconditionally offer free tuition and miscellaneous fees to ensure your enrollment. Tang Wu was clearly one of the key beneficiaries. She knew she would leave this middle school but still couldn't bear to part with the three years she spent here, thus finding solace in these actions.

On a slope covered with grass, Tang Wu sat down right there and then. Su Cen found her unusual behavior intriguing and sat down beside her. The wind blew past them, causing the grass seeds to dance around them, creating a very tranquil scene.

"Su Cen, you're actually quite smart; if you put in more effort, your grades would definitely improve. You don't need to resort to such methods."

"What do you mean" Su Cen was puzzled.

"Today when you showed Dong Qingyun the answers from yesterday's practice test... I heard that you didn’t necessarily have to use this method to gain respect… " Glancing at Su Cen, Tang Wu saw her words didn't hurt him and continued, "Your scores are slightly below No. 3 High School’s admission line. But if you maintain your current review pace, I believe you will definitely make it."

Su Cen was speechless; he had thought Tang Wu knew about his morning confrontation with Dong Qingyun over the answers and assumed Su Cen was deliberately seeking recognition that way. After all, a 93% accuracy rate for those questions was unlikely even for her. She might have high accuracy but couldn’t finish the entire set of exercises in the few hours between dinner and sleep, let alone Su Cen.

"Yeah, I get it." A smile spread across Su Cen’s face as he looked at Tang Wu.

Tang Wu was taken aback. From his eyes and demeanor she saw a unique quality that suggested another soul resided deep within him. His smile was dazzling and clear, making her involuntarily turn away from the strange stirrings in her heart. She wondered why she would suddenly recall this boy’s presence throughout the three years as she watched him copy practice questions and feel an inexplicable attachment to school and everything.

Seeing Tang Wu's bright eyes, recalling the kind-hearted girl beneath her usually cold exterior from eleven years ago, Su Cen couldn't accept that she would suffer a tragic fate of being murdered in ten years' time.

If he had returned now, it meant he could not just let things happen as before; he needed to change his destiny!

Su Can secretly made up his mind.

When the two of them walked out of school side by side, their junior high homeroom teacher, Little Miss Zhou, was talking with a school official at the entrance. Little Miss Zhou had just graduated from teachers' college and had less than three years of teaching experience; she was reportedly moved around several schools before finally being assigned to No. 3 Middle School. She ended up becoming Su Can's homeroom teacher for English, known for her strictness—her class contained a few troublemakers who were later intimidated by her into behaving better once they entered society.

In the following year, Little Miss Zhou was well-known for her tough methods and had become the principal of a middle school in Xiahai City by 2009. Her career was thriving.

Seeing them walk out together from the school, Little Miss Zhou froze at first, followed by Xia Tangwu feeling uncomfortable. After all, it couldn't be ruled out that their teachers might speculate about their relationship given they were still close to graduation and were walking around after school. It was not appropriate to explain anything now.

The two of them could only nod and greet Little Miss Zhou while avoiding disrupting her conversation with the vice principal.

However, as Su Can left through the school gate, he clearly saw Little Miss Zhou give him a thumbs-up. This usually strict teacher who was almost synonymous with a tyrant looked surprisingly similar to his lecherous colleagues eleven years later.

But how could Su Can know about the myriad thoughts in Little Miss Zhou's heart

The class monitor, Tang Wu, whom she considered her treasure—how did she not notice this before It turned out that Tang Wu and this unknown boy named Su Can were secretly a couple!

At the fork where their routes diverged, there was no pedestrian crossing light back then. Su Can crossed the street with Tang Wu and waved goodbye.

"Then I'll see you next semester."

Tang Wu froze for a moment, subconsciously wondering how she would meet Su Can at No. 1 High School in the new term

Seeing Su Can's clear eyes smiling sincerely back at her, Tang Wu pursed her lips and nodded.Tian gratefully, thinking that conflicts within the football team could be avoided this time. However, Su Can was being too blatant; walking out with Tang Wu while knowing about Yu Zijiang's group wai...