Chapter 310 - 134: Xiaolu, Xiaozhang

Chapter 310: Chapter 134: Xiaolu, Xiaozhang

Lu Qinglian’s study advice was simple.

She stood calmly at the podium. The applause from below, which had been continuous, died down the moment the girl held up three slender fingers. The crowd fell silent, sizing her up with curiosity, ready to hang on her every word.

"First, pay attention in class."

Lu Qinglian’s clear, cool voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet it carried to every corner of the classroom.

"Second, finish your homework."

She folded back a second finger, following the order from her middle finger to her pinky.

"Third, take good notes."

And that was it.

Normally, she should have said a few more words to make a good impression on the new teacher. But if she did that, she wouldn’t be Lu Qinglian. Before the students below could even process what had happened, she gave her long hair a light toss and returned to her seat with an effortlessly cool air.

Only then did the applause, a beat late, begin to sound.

Zhang Shutong glanced at Teacher Xu’s face and saw that she wasn’t angry. In fact, she even squeezed out a smile.

’Lu Qinglian has a special charm that works on middle-aged and older women.’

That was Zhang Shutong’s conclusion.

Speaking of which, the new teacher’s way of addressing them had also changed. Song used to call them Qinglian and Shutong. Perhaps because Teacher Xu was older, she was used to calling them Xiaolu and Xiaozhang.

So, now that Xiaolu was done, it was Xiaozhang’s turn for a headache.

He could actually understand Lu Qinglian’s approach. This so-called "sharing of experience" was mostly just a formality. What secret formula could there be? Their teachers had been trying for four years without success; was a single sentence supposed to give someone an epiphany?

Besides, Lu Qinglian had already used up all the generic, acceptable answers, giving no thought to what the next person was supposed to say.

Zhang Shutong scanned the students below. As the former second-ranked student in their grade, his prestige was still intact. He habitually raised three fingers, but then, realizing it looked like he was copying Lu Qinglian, he quickly retracted them.

"I just want to share one piece of advice: make sure to balance work and rest."

He said this with a completely straight face, then calmly walked off the stage under the astonished gazes of the crowd.

Just as he’d expected, Teacher Xu’s brow furrowed.

But that was exactly Zhang Shutong’s goal. It was better to make a poor impression. It would save him the trouble of being called up to the stage every day to share this or that. What a hassle.

And with that, the experience-sharing session was over.

Teacher Xu truly was a seasoned veteran. She immediately established new study groups of four, and in their group, Lu Qinglian was the leader.

Only then did Zhang Shutong realize that although their class seating was based on grades, there was a clever method to it. A row of high-achieving students, a row of low-achieving students, staggered back and forth. It looked a lot like planting rice seedlings.

No wonder he was in the third row. The students at the desks in front of and behind him were the very people his row was supposed to be "tutoring."

Teacher Xu gave a few more instructions, then told them to continue their morning reading.

The moment she stepped out of the classroom, the room fell silent for a second before instantly erupting with noise.

"See? I told you. She’s Master Extinction. We’re in for some tough times ahead."

"Good grief, what era are you living in? Who even uses ’Master Extinction’ as a nickname anymore? You’re so behind the times, bro."

Listening to their discussion, Zhang Shutong couldn’t decide which was more outdated: "good grief" or "Master Extinction."

He wanted to ask Lu Qinglian how the inquiry into that incident from four years ago was going, but now really wasn’t the right time for that discussion.

You couldn’t say the new study groups were ineffective. In front of Zhang Shutong were also a boy and a girl. As soon as the head teacher left, the boy in the front seat took out a test paper and turned around. The girl did the same. Of course, one was aiming for Lu Qinglian, and the other was aiming for Zhang Shutong.

"Lu, I wanted to ask you about this last big problem on the monthly exam..."

"Zhang Shutong, I was in Class Two before. I’m friends with Feng Ruoping, you know. I’ll be counting on you for help..."

"You can ask Zhang Shutong."

"You’d be better off asking Lu Qinglian."

The two of them spoke at the same time.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned awkward.

Looking at the other groups, they were all buzzing with heated discussions. They called it "academic exchange," but really, everyone was just using studying as an excuse to get to know each other. The novelty of the class shuffle would take a while to wear off.

"Er..." Both the boy and the girl had been shut down. They exchanged a glance and resentfully turned back around.

"You’re the group leader," Zhang Shutong reminded her in a low voice.

"You’re second in our grade," Lu Qinglian replied, her expression unchanging.

"My ’second in the grade’ title is a bit inflated."

"I don’t deny it."

’Wait, aren’t you supposed to argue with me on that?’

"You haven’t done any homework for a week," Lu Qinglian said casually.

"Now that you mention it..." That was actually a little terrifying. Zhang Shutong said, "Then why did you tell him to ask me? I honestly might not understand it."

"I can tell the difference between someone asking for help and someone trying to make small talk."

’So she was fending off a pickup attempt.’

"Why don’t you just tilt your head and ask him, ’Hey, so-and-so, do you have a crush on me?’" Zhang Shutong couldn’t help but tease. He’d been choked up by that exact question several times in the past.

"For example, what you’re doing right now is making small talk," Lu Qinglian said calmly, then asked in confusion, "So, Zhang Shutong, do you have a crush on me?"

Zhang Shutong was choked up again.

"How’s your foot?"

"It’s fine."

"Your socks and shoes are at my place."

"What are you trying to say?"

"My mom washed them. I can bring them to you tomorrow?"

"You’d better not be so helpful." As she said this, her expression turned cold. "I’ll come get them myself."

The conversation between them came to an end.

The first class of the day began soon after.

Math.

The math teacher started right in on a major problem. Zhang Shutong wasn’t struggling to keep up, but it wasn’t exactly easy for him either.

While listening to the lecture, he would occasionally observe Lu Qinglian.

If he had to sum up his new deskmate in one sentence, it would be that she was so quiet, it was like she wasn’t even there.

The time he had spent as Gu Qiuyan’s deskmate amounted to no more than four days, all told.

Zhang Shutong had just gotten used to the faint, pleasant scent she always had about her, and then it was gone.