Chapter 29

Fuyi Middle School's outdoor basketball court.

After an exhilarating 3v3 game.

Kong Junxiang sat down on the nearby bench, drank some water, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and asked the two students beside him: "Which class are you two in? You play pretty well."

"This kid is in the accelerated class, third grade," Teacher Zhao chuckled, pointing at Zhao Rongjun, "the other one, I don't know."

"Oh? So he's in your class?" Kong Junxiang raised an eyebrow, glanced again at Zhao Rongjun, then turned to Li Luo.

Li Luo chuckled twice and replied: "I don't even know which class I'm in yet."

"A freshman?" Kong Junxiang grinned mischievously. "Then you better watch out—I'm the homeroom teacher for Grade 1, Class 8. You just blocked me twice. Pray you don't end up in my class."

"Huh?" Li Luo blinked, then asked, "Do all Fuyi Middle School teachers have such small minds?"

"Only he does," said the chubby Teacher Sun, adjusting his glasses. "Don't drag us into this."

"They don't have a chance to teach you anyway," Kong Junxiang chuckled. "Teacher Zhao is in Class 3, Teacher Sun is in Class 1, Teacher Cao is in Grade 2, Class 1."

"I see," Li Luo said, his gaze shifting to the chubby, glasses-wearing Teacher Sun. He hurried over and shook his hand. "Teacher Sun, I gave you so many assists today—you've got to look out for my friends."

"Aren't your friends in Class 3?" Teacher Sun blinked, glancing at the silent, socially anxious Xiao Jun beside him, then asked, "Why not go to Teacher Zhao?"

"Oh, I didn't mean him," Li Luo blinked. "Another friend—she's in Class 1."

"Oh? Who's that?" Teacher Sun became interested. "Anyone who gets into Class 1 is a top-tier scholar."

"Her name is Ying Chanxi," Li Luo smiled. "You must know her—she's definitely the student you remember best."

"Ying Chanxi?" Teacher Zhao couldn't help blurting out. "That's the one who got first place in the entrance test—beat second place by over ten points?"

"Ying Chanxi?" Teacher Sun's expression turned surprised. He glanced at Li Luo again, then his eyes grew thoughtful. "Are you two close? Our school doesn't explicitly forbid early romance, but you should still be careful."

"We're neighbors," Li Luo said. "And I never said anything about early romance—you're being overly sensitive, Teacher Sun."

"Hmph," Teacher Sun snorted. "Just keep denying it."

"Students like Ying Chanxi will lead the charge for national awards in the future," Kong Junxiang smiled. "Teacher Sun treasures her deeply—I advise you not to touch her sacred scales."

"I see," Li Luo nodded understandingly.

But just then, Li Luo's phone rang.

He pulled it from his pocket, apologized to the teachers, and answered the call.

"Hello? What's up?"

"Will you be cooking dinner tonight?" Ying Chanxi asked on the other end. "Should I go buy some groceries first?"

"Oh, then let's go together—we just finished playing," Li Luo said, then turned to the teachers. "Teachers, Ying Chanxi wants me to go buy groceries. We're leaving now."

Teacher Sun: "?"

Teacher Zhao: "?"

Kong Junxiang was also surprised: "What's going on?"

"Who are you talking to?" Ying Chanxi asked curiously. "Teachers? What teachers?"

"Your homeroom teacher," Li Luo said, looking at Teacher Sun with a bright smile. "He told you not to fall for early romance, to focus on your studies—got it?"

Hearing this, Teacher Sun's face darkened instantly.

On the other end, Ying Chanxi was speechless: "You're lying—there's a limit! You said you were playing basketball. Teacher Sun is so fat, how could he play basketball?"

At that moment, Li Luo had already handed his phone toward Teacher Sun, thinking they should let the teacher and student talk.

But Ying Chanxi's sudden remark left both Li Luo and Teacher Sun embarrassed.

"Cough, cough—Ying Chanxi," Teacher Sun cleared his throat, masking his awkwardness. "I may be a bit chubby, but I can still play basketball."

"Ah!" Ying Chanxi jumped, then quickly apologized. "Sorry sorry, Teacher Sun—you're not really that fat!"

"It's fine," Teacher Sun said, his expression gentle, showing no anger. "Go ahead and take care of your business."

"Alright, alright, goodbye, Teacher Sun."

Li Luo put his phone away and told Ying Chanxi: "We're on our way back."

"When you get back, I'm going to deal with you," Ying Chanxi muttered through gritted teeth.

"I had speakerphone on."

"Ah?!"

"Relax—I was lying this time."

Li Luo hung up with a cheerful laugh, then called out to Zhao Rongjun and waved goodbye to the teachers.

After watching the two students leave, Kong Junxiang turned to Teacher Sun with a teasing grin.

"Do you think Li Luo and Ying Chanxi started dating back in middle school? You've got to be careful—breakups hurt students way more than just dating."

"Tsk," Teacher Sun stared at Li Luo's retreating back. "This kid doesn't sound like a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old student. All four of us teachers are standing here, and he's still being slick."

"That's exactly the kind of personality you want," said Teacher Zhao beside him. "Students like him—even if their grades aren't top-tier—will thrive in society later. Unlike our Zhao Rongjun—he's clearly a quiet, honest type. He'll get taken advantage of."

"Enough, enough," said Teacher Cao from Grade 2, Class 1, who had been watching the whole scene. He slapped his thigh and stood up from his chair. "Stop worrying so much. Let's go eat."

…

At the entrance of Bihai Lanting community.

Xu Youyu followed Ying Chanxi downstairs to wait for Li Luo so they could go buy groceries together.

She was still baffled, because since adding Chongran on QQ at noon, the person had never accepted her friend request.

Wasn't this person supposed to be the same age?

Shouldn't they be on summer break?

Why hadn't they logged into QQ even once all afternoon?

As for Ying Chanxi beside her, Xu Youyu did know her.

Xu Youyu herself was also a graduate of Yucai Middle School, just one grade above Ying Chanxi and Li Luo.

Back in junior high, during some Chinese essay competitions, Xu Youyu had met Ying Chanxi, and they'd even chatted.

However, due to scheduling conflicts among the subject competitions, Ying Chanxi, following her teacher's instructions, gave up the essay competition and switched to another subject.

I never expected to run into him again while renting an apartment—and now we're roommates.

"The Li Luo you mentioned—could he be your boyfriend?" Xu Youyu chatted idly with Ying Chanxi, unable to resist asking out of curiosity after hearing her mention Li Luo repeatedly.

Ying Chanxi, upon hearing this, immediately shook her head vigorously: "I don't even like him—how could he be my boyfriend?"

The words had barely left her mouth.

Li Luo and Zhao Rongjun had already walked around the corner and approached the two of them face to face.

For some reason, Li Luo stopped in front of the two women, his expression freezing, lost in thought for a long while.

Upon realizing Li Luo had arrived, Ying Chanxi instinctively panicked, and seeing his dazed expression, she feared he had overheard her earlier words.