Chapter 56: Replenish Some Sugar

As for Ying Chanxi's appearance, the classmates in Class 8 had already grown accustomed to it.

Especially since rumors from Zhu Yufei claimed that the monitor of Class 1 was none other than Li Luo's cousin.

So it was perfectly natural for Ying Chanxi to frequently come to Class 8 to find Li Luo.

Aside from a few boys who couldn't help sneaking glances at Ying Chanxi, no one in the class held any other opinions.

Instead, Li Luo, now carrying a guitar case, attracted many curious onlookers gathering around him.

"Is that a guitar inside?" Zhu Yufei asked curiously, "You can play the guitar, Monitor?"

"Just a little," Li Luo smiled, placed the guitar case on the desk, glanced at the curious stares around him, then opened it and took out the guitar.

"Holy shit, isn't that a Martin?" Lin Yuan leaned over to take a look and exclaimed, "Monitor, can I touch it?"

"Can you play?" Li Luo raised an eyebrow.

"A little, hehe," Lin Yuan rubbed his hands, his face full of anticipation, "I learned for a while back then."

"Take it," Li Luo handed it over cheerfully, shoving the guitar into Lin Yuan's arms to let him play.

Lin Yuan hugged the guitar, his expression instantly turning dignified; he casually leaned against the desk, his sidelong glances stealing toward Hua Xiuxiu, then lowered his head to stare intently at the strings and tried plucking a few notes.

Fortunately, he had some real skill—though not as fluid as Li Luo's, he could just barely manage to play a complete tune.

When the song ended, Zhang Guohuang clapped enthusiastically: "Awesome, Lin Yuan! Didn't know you had this talent—tonight you should show off on the playground."

Lin Yuan modestly rubbed his nose, then handed the guitar back to Li Luo: "Your guitar's quality is way better—the tone feels so much richer than my crappy one at home."

"Is this guitar expensive?" Xu Yinghuan, watching from the side, asked curiously.

"It's the classic Martin D-series D28," Yan Zhusheng said. "Market price is around ten to twenty thousand."

"That expensive?!" Lin Yuan had only recognized the brand but had no idea of the price—he'd assumed it was at most two or three thousand.

Hearing the exact price, he nearly dropped it and quickly returned the guitar to Li Luo.

When the others heard the price, they all gaped, their gazes fixed on Li Luo, wondering if his family was this rich.

But remembering yesterday's free drinks and ice cream, they found it perfectly normal.

When Li Luo heard Yan Zhusheng identify the exact model and price, he wasn't surprised by her ability—only slightly embarrassed by how expensive the guitar was.

After all, it had been brought by Ying Chanxi from home—it was originally part of Ying Zhicheng's personal collection, rarely used, only taken out once during a drunken episode.

Supposedly, it was a gift from someone.

That morning, when Li Luo asked Ying Chanxi if she could bring it to school, she immediately packed it up and carried it to the door—she showed no sign of reluctance.

But now that he knew the price, Li Luo handled the guitar with extreme care, quickly putting it back in the case and closing it: "Let's play tonight."

…

In the afternoon, Lin Xiufeng still arrived at the school wall precisely at three o'clock.

But Li Luo was temporarily called to the office by Kong Junxiang, so he instructed Zhu Yufei to fetch the items and share them with the Class 8 students.

Ying Chanxi knew Lin Xiufeng would come today, so after the instructor announced break, while most classmates lined up at the snack stall, she quietly sat where she was, waiting.

Beside her, Qiao Xinyan accompanied her, gazing longingly at the lively scene in Class 8, and whispered, "Where's my pudding? Any left today?"

"Can you have a little dignity?" Ying Chanxi turned her gaze away and glanced at her desk mate.

"What's the point of dignity?" Qiao Xinyan shook her head vigorously, then asked curiously, "Isn't your cousin coming today?"

"I haven't seen him," Ying Chanxi frowned, scanning Class 8 but failing to spot the familiar figure.

At that moment, a voice came from beside them: "Ying Chanxi, I grabbed you a drink on the way—I'll leave it here."

Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan turned their heads together to see Liu Shaowen walking over, placing a can of cola on the ground before her.

"Sorry, I'm on a diet—I don't drink cola," Ying Chanxi shook her head. "Thanks for your thoughtfulness."

"Huh?" Liu Shaowen froze, unsure whether to keep the cola or put it down, finally asking, "Should I go buy you something else?"

"No, no," Ying Chanxi immediately stood up, pulling Qiao Xinyan away. "Give it to someone else—I think Jian Zhenyuan hasn't gone to the snack stall yet. Give it to him."

"Huh? Oh…" Liu Shaowen stood there, watching Ying Chanxi's retreating back, then turned to look at Jian Zhenyuan, who sat on the ground nearby, his mouth twitching.

"Cough… Can you finish that?" Jian Zhenyuan didn't know whether to laugh or hold it in, eyeing the cola in his hand—he was quite tempted. "If you can't finish it, I'll help you."

Liu Shaowen thought for a moment, glanced at the cola he'd intended for Ying Chanxi, and realized he definitely wouldn't drink it.

But instead of handing it over, he tossed his own spare can of cola to Jian Zhenyuan.

Opening the pull-tab on the cola can, Liu Shaowen took two big gulps, imagining it was Ying Chanxi's cola—his heart finally felt a little comforted.

"What now?" Liao Hailin whispered beside him. "Your subtle, quiet companionship only works if she wants it."

"Nothing ever goes smoothly," Liu Shaowen swallowed the cola, the fiery burn in his throat from gulping too fast making him feel as if he'd swallowed a mouthful of fresh blood—so bleak. "It's only the start of the semester—accumulation over time matters most."

…

On the other side, Ying Chanxi and Qiao Xinyan didn't go to the snack stall; they headed straight for Class 8's spot.

Zhu Yufei saw Ying Chanxi approaching, remembered Li Luo's instructions, and hurried over to greet her.

"Monitor Li said if you came, take whatever you want."

"Where is he?" Ying Chanxi didn't reach for the drinks immediately, but asked curiously, "It's not time for a meeting yet."

"Oh, the homeroom teacher called him in."

"I see," Ying Chanxi nodded, then walked over to several boxes, took two drinks and two small puddings.

"Xixi," Qiao Xinyan stared at the cola in her hand, falling into thought. "Aren't you on a diet? You said you don't drink cola."

"Hmm…" Ying Chanxi paused, then mimicked Li Luo's tone to make up an excuse: "I changed my mind—training burns too much energy. I need to replenish some sugar."

"…That actually makes sense."