Shu Ning?
And so everyone turned their eyes to Shu Ning.
Shu Ning was expressionless as he looked towards the soldier standing by the door, he recognized him, he was one of the company commander’s:”Yes?”
“You have a bad stomach and a tendency to vomit, so see if you can stomach this porridge from the cafeteria, and if this won’t do, how about you go for a check at the hospital?”
“Mm, thank you, you’ve worked hard.”
The soldier smiled at him, set down the porridge, and left.
There was nothing wrong with the conversation but there was something wrong with those listening, how could An Yi let go of such a good opportunity? Shu Ning has been getting special treatment since the very beginning and many people hated him due to envy. And so they had another chance now to play with him:”How could you eat watermelon if your stomach is not well?”
With one sentence, everyone sobered up, there was clearly a lie here! Now their gazes had all turned bitter.
An Yi was pleased with himself, another one had been cast aside by everyone now. Actually, Shu Ning wasn’t considered notably by any means, his looks were only a bit over average but just his natural temperament just made the others feel displeased.
But who was Shu Ning? How could that provoke him? He immediately widened his eyes as if he had suddenly realized that fact:”Is that so? That’s the first I’ve heard of that.”
An Yi:”……”
The others:”……”
Shu Ning lowered his head and peeled open the cover, releasing a flow of fragrance that caused the others to swallow their saliva from the delicious smell, though they had all just finished their meal after training so none of them were hungry.
An Yi turned his eyes away and asked:”Hey Qiao Hai, you mentioned earlier that your girlfriend fainted and couldn’t stomach rice, right? Do you think you could ask the cafeteria for a bowl of porridge?”
“It’s late, the cafeteria staff has already left, though it’d be great if I could.”
Since An Yi decided to speak, naturally he could continue:”I have some bread here that my friend gave me, how about……you bring it to your girlfriend?”
“No, bread’s no good, it’s better to have porridge:”As Chen Ming finished speaking, he suddenly straightened his back and extended a hand:”Hey Shu Ning hold it for a second, you should eat the bread instead, give the porridge to the girl, you’re a guy so it’s fine.”
Qiao Hai was usually quite benevolent, but he could only look towards Shu Ning with a slight embarrassment in his eyes that were also filled with expectation, and seeing that Shu Ning wasn’t moving, he immediately felt flustered:”No, there’s no need, that soldier specially brought it over for him, and Shu Ning’s feeling so down that he has to lay down in bed, thank you for your concern about my girlfriend but she’ll be fine with some sleep, so don’t worry.”
An Yi started this but he was quiet now, sitting around waiting for the show to play out. But now it was the straightforward Chen Ming who felt unhappy now, as he looked towards Shu Ning very gloomily:”How unreasonable, fighting a girl for a bowl of porridge.”
Qiao Hai frowned:”You can’t say that, it was Shu Ning’s to begin with, if he gives it up then he’s being friendly, and if he doesn’t, that’s not unusual either. Besides, he himself hasn’t had dinner yet.”
“Wasn’t there bread?”Chen Ming craned his neck up in scorn.
But did Shu Ning still have any appetite? He felt quite humoured instead from this little clown show, and now everyone was watching him silently. Shu Ning put the lid back on and pushed the bowl towards them:”Chen Ming is right, we should show care towards girls. Qiao Hai, you should bring this over to your girlfriend quickly, if not it won’t taste good when it’s cold.”
“This……”Qiao Hai was only eager to receive the porridge due to his earlier fervor but now, knowing that this was just part of An Yi’s plot to provoke him, he was no fool:”No, I can’t, that’ll be inappropriate.”
Chen Ming took the bread from An Yi’s hand and threw it to Shu Ning before looking at Qiao Hai with displeasure:”Are you a man? Hurry up and take care of your girlfriend, we’re all single so don’t forget to introduce some girls to us single dogs in the future.”
Qiao Hai was very grateful to Shu Ning:”Thank you.”
“Go, quickly.”It was just porridge, he could have as much as he wanted, Shu Ning was generous.
Qiao Hai left but Shu Ning did not eat the bread. He got down, put his shoes on, and left. An Yi frowned in worry:”Is he angry?”
“Tsk, who does he think he is?”Chen Ming got on his bed and closed his eyes to rest.
Zhao Long was still foolish:”Shu Ning isn’t that kind of guy.”
An Yi who had been pleased with himself instantly felt like he had just eaten shit. He peered over at Zhao Long and deliberately massaged his own leg:”Ah this won’t do, his body’s not great so I should go check on him.”
“What?”Chen Ming sat up unhappily, the distaste clear on his face:”How did we get put into the same room as a sickly sprout.”
“You’ve worked hard today, squad leader, it’s best I go see him instead,”Zhao Long volunteered and put on his shoes. He actually felt very tired himself, but he couldn’t just throw it to the squad leader could he? That would be too inhumane. Zhao Long closed the door and went out to look for Shu Ning. Fool, An Yi had never planned to go look for Shu Ning at all, if he doesn’t want to return then leave him, if he gets his name taken that’s his own fault.
Shu Ning returned right when it was about to turn nine, and Qiao Hai felt guilty:”Have you eaten?”He had only asked because he hadn’t touched the bread, and it made him feel uneasy.
“Yeah I’ve eaten, I just managed to catch the last call at the cafeteria,”said Shu Ning as if he were making a joke, then he waved his hand, and left to shower.
Many felt that he were just puffing his chest out to make a good impression, but this was just a small episode after all, it passed just like that. Shu Ning didn’t go again the next day, and when everyone came back at noon, they could smell fried noodles. Each of them looked unhappily towards Shu Ning, while Shu Ning was holding a transparent glass of water with ice inside, having a good time by himself.
Chen Ming ran his hand through his hair:”What kind of godly saint are you? Where on earth did you get fried noodles? Don’t tell me it’s from the instructor again.”
“Is it that important to you what I eat?”Said Shu Ning with indifference.
“What are you trying to say?”
“Whether it’s the fried noodles or the watermelon, is it really that important to you?”
This provoked Chen Ming and his face was flushed red:”Are you trying to start something, Shu Ning?”
An Yi quickly stood between them:”Now now, calm down, we’re all students here so don’t mind it, his body isn’t too well so it’s normal for him to get some decent food to set his health back on track.”
Shu Ning looked towards An Yi:”Do fried noodles and watermelon feel like health foods to you, squad leader? Can’t you guys afford it yourselves? It’s like you can’t calm down if you don’t confront me about something. Just yesterday you tried to force me to offer up my porridge, implying that I’d be petty if I didn’t, do you think I’m a fool who wouldn’t figure it out? Coming at me one after the other, even if you put abalone in the porridge it still wouldn’t be worth that much, is this really necessary?”
“Shu Ning, don’t you start framing people, if you want to eat your porridge then just take it, who was stopping you?”Qin Ming was on his feet wanting to rush forward, but thankfully An Yi stopped him.
“You! You even threw the bread to me,”Shu Ning moved his eyes to An Yi and fired his cannons at him:”An Yi, you were the one who took the lead yesterday so put down that act, he’s not going to hit me.”
An Yi still pulled Chen Ming back, acting very innocent:”Shu Ning, how could you say that?”
“Yeah, that’s right, we can all clearly see that the squad leader has been trying his best,”The others started to blab in unison.
Shu Ning kept his things and he still look indifferent as usual:”Don’t think that I don’t know what you’ve been saying about me behind my back, and calling me a sick sprout is one of the better ones. Even the company commander and the soldier has come to see me, and the teacher came too, you guys are my roommates and my classmates, but all you guys have been doing is pressuring me. There may be no space for me here but I can always go elsewhere, goodbye.”
“Don’t be angry Shu Ning, where can you go?”An Yi was still playing the nice guy.
Shu Ning had already walked to the door, but he looked back calmly:”Out of all the teams, ours is the worst, while you’re the only one whose name hadn’t been taken, you better watch out for yourself.”
A mean look flashed past An Yi’s face and his hands trembled. He knows what Shu Ning was implying, if the squad members are making mistakes, it proved that the leader’s ability was low, but he still did so. Since the military training was just that anyway, he should focus more on when he actually becomes the class leader in school. An Yi was the most outstanding one now, nobody could surpass him anymore.
Shu Ning went to see the company commander, and left after saying his farewells, but he never expected the company commander himself to offer to drive him home. Shu Ning refused him since his own car was right outside, but since this person was asked by Shu Heng to help him, it was natural that he understood Shu Ning’s family background. Walked to the entrance, Shu Ning waved his hand from afar and Qin Ming immediately drove his car over. First thing’s first, he’ll go back and take a bath, it’s really been too uncomfortable there.
No matter what arrangements that guy is going to do, it’s none of Shu Ning’s business anymore. Soaking in the warm bath water with a glass of wine in hand, he imagined that Shu Heng was right in front of him, then slowly curving up the corners of his lips, he downed the glass. After a good night’s sleep, Shu Ning knew that school would be starting in two days so he should be making a visit to his dad’s friend soon. And so he sent his greetings first before bringing some gifts over in the afternoon for a visit.
Both Uncle Ma and Aunty Ma were very enthusiastic people. They invited Shu Ning for a seat and even introduced their son and daughter to him. Everyone chatted very happily in harmony.
After leaving, he immediately gave Shu Heng a call. He missed him so much, and this was the same for Shu Heng as well, they immediately spent the next hour chatting. Even Shu Cheng had come to join in on the festivities. He snatched his son’s phone, ignoring his resentful gaze, and blabbed on with Shu Ning for a half hour. Shu Ning leaned back on the back seat and chatted happily.
Time goes quickly when you’re having fun. In the blink of an eye, school was starting. All the procedures and whatnot were handled by Qin Ming, and he had already requested for leave, but Shu Ning still had to go for his convocation the first day. Shu Ning was a ceremonial person so naturally he had to meet his teachers before leaving. If not, when it comes to his examinations, his teachers may start asking in a fluster whether or not he had gotten in the wrong class, that would’ve been very 囧 o(╯□╰)o
Looking around, there were many people in the campus, as expected of the best art school in L City after all. Looks great at face value, good body, the men were handsome and the women were beautiful, this is what heaven looked like. Shu Ning narrowed his eyes, the scenery was beautiful here. Ding ding, a new message arrived. Shu Ning took out his phone to look, it was actually sent by Shu Heng.
Shu Heng ￣へ￣:”I’m jealous, I wouldn’t have let you study in an art course if I knew earlier that you liked looking at those boys and girls.
Shu Ning raised an eyebrow and replied:”Don’t be silly, I’m looking for my classroom.
Shu Heng returned with a bunch of ‘o’s, and Shu Ning smiled happily before responding with a smiling emoji. He really is a big vinegar bucket, are brother’s men secretly watching over me? No wonder he agreed so easily, he had already made preparations after all. Shu Ning was not angry, instead his heart felt very sweet. After asking a senior for the directions, he walked towards his classroom. There were quite many people sitting within, including An Yi, Zhao Long, Qiao Hai, Chen Ming, and the others.
An Yi immediately stood up and put on a kind smile on his face:”Oh Shu Ning, you’re here, you’re looking good, are you feeling better now?”
You don’t hit a guy when he’s smiling at you, but Shu Ning was too lazy to put on an act so he directly stabbed at him:”How was the results of our team?”
A touch of unnaturalness appeared in An Yi’s eyes, and his smile was stiff.
Shu Ning understood:”I knew it.”
Chen Ming coughed:”With a sick sprout pulling us down, naturally with one less person it was harder to keep up with things.”
A girl suddenly spoke up, and her big, naive eyes, were especially cute:”Those who aren’t present aren’t counted, and they take the average score. And besides, how could you say that when his body wasn’t well?”
Shu Ning smiled quietly, now look, you got slapped didn’t you? Who’s the petty one? An Yi wanted to pin the blame on Shu Ning but it wasn’t that easy. His team was at the bottom so naturally it meant that the leader wasn’t up to par, his ability to lead was poor, he had poor coordination, and the heart of the team was not in unison, and now he’s being petty about it. An Yi had only wanted to make himself stand out, and the others had never been part of his considerations.
The teacher had arrived and everyone introduced themselves, the atmosphere was great and when it came time to choose the class leaders, An Yi volunteered himself, and stood up to bow.
And the show starts again. A bout of light flashed past Shu Ning’s eyes, so you want to be the class leader? Heh~