Chapter 49 The Evolution of a Class Flower

Chapter 49 The Evolution of a Class Flower

The next day, Ning Song woke up in a daze, feeling as if he had been dreaming.

In the dream, someone confessed to him, their face blurry but their voice crystal clear. Even in his exhaustion from insomnia, he could still feel his heart racing.

He and Qiao Qiao had breakfast together, then went to class. Ning Song couldn't focus on studying, his mind a jumbled mess. When class started, Pu Yu arrived late, standing at the door to report to the teacher.

The teacher didn't reprimand him, instead smiling warmly, "Why are you late today?"

Ning Song watched Pu Yu enter, and reality set in; his memories became clearer. He was filled with rage and asked, "What did you say?"

Pu Yu replied, "I get angry when I see you being close to others because I like you."

It was already dim outside, and with the classroom lights off, it was even darker. Pu Yu looked at him, his tone seeming to darken as well. He had never seen such a dejected confession: "Actually, I've liked you for a long time."

Ning Song's ears turned red, and he pursed his lips, not looking at Pu Yu for the rest of the morning.

Qiao Qiao was the first to notice something was off between Ning Song and Pu Yu.

It happened during lunch. As usual, he waited for Pu Yu to join them, but Pu Yu left through the back door without waiting.

He asked Ning Song, "Hey, why did he leave without us?"

Ning Song remained silent.

At the cafeteria, Sheng Yan and Li Qingyuan joined them for lunch. Qiao Qiao saw Li Qingyuan nudge Sheng Yan, and following their gaze, noticed Pu Yu leaving the cafeteria with a takeout box.

He was taking his meal to go.

He asked Ning Song, "Why is Brother Yu taking his food to go?"

Ning Song glanced over and said, "Do whatever he wants."

Qiao Qiao: "..."

This wasn't like the Ning Song he knew.

The Ning Song he knew was overly indulgent towards Young Master Pu!

He asked, "What's going on between you two?"

Ning Song replied, "What do you mean?"

"Did you have an argument?"

Sheng Yan and Li Qingyuan immediately looked over.

Ning Song said, "Do you think he's the type to argue?"

Qiao Qiao: "That's true."

Ning Song: "..."

They hadn't argued, and he hadn't intentionally distanced himself from Pu Yu.

Although they did part ways silently yesterday.

He thought about it all night, finding it incomprehensible yet somehow logical. It was incomprehensible because he never imagined Pu Yu would develop feelings for him. It made sense when recalling Pu Yu's words, which hinted at deeper feelings.

He stayed up all night, wanting to scream and run eight hundred miles. He searched "what to do when a good friend confesses" on Xiao Fen Shu.

As soon as he typed those words, a list of related searches appeared, including "uncomfortable when a good friend confesses," "upset when a good friend confesses," "how to interact after a good friend confesses," "how to reject a good friend who confesses," and even "shaking when a good friend confesses."

He read through them, feeling a mix of these emotions, focusing particularly on "how to interact after a good friend confesses."

The top comment read, "This is so frustrating! We were friends, and now this!"

Exactly! I treated you like a brother, but you...

Suddenly thinking about Pu Yu's intimidating presence even while sleeping, he felt a surge of anger and fear!

All his sincerity was misplaced!

He wondered if Pu Yu was acting this way out of embarrassment. It was impossible to act as if nothing had happened.

Ning Song finished his rice, stood up.

Qiao Qiao looked at him, "Are you going to eat more?"

Yes, more.

He would channel his complex emotions towards Pu Yu into food, imagining it was Pu Yu, devouring it all!

Coincidentally, Sheng Yan was in high spirits, visiting Class Three eighteen times a day. Rivals were like that; one would always prevail over the other. At this moment, Sheng Yan felt triumphant seeing Pu Yu sitting alone, engrossed in a book.

Ning Song, full of shame and anger, often laughed loudly with Qiao Qiao and Sheng Yan, pretending nothing had affected him.

But no matter how convincing his act, he couldn't shake off the frustration. This anger didn't last long, mainly because Pu Yu looked so miserable alone.

He returned to his solitary ways, studying, eating, and returning to the dorm alone. Ning Song began wondering what Pu Yu thought when he saw him getting too close to others, even reducing physical contact with Qiao Qiao. Realizing this, he felt even more annoyed.

Their sudden distance became apparent to Sheng Yan, who asked, "What's going on between you two?"

Ning Song couldn't tell them about Pu Yu's confession, fearing it would be awkward for everyone.

After the anger and embarrassment faded, sadness set in.

Ning Song felt they could never go back to how things were.

Once you've confessed, the friendship can never be the same again.

In a way, friendship is purer than love, allowing no room for ambiguity, or it will sour. He felt like those netizens on Xiao Fen Shu, who were at a loss for words.

But he didn't feel disgusted or repulsed as the netizens described.

Instead, he felt that Pu Yu was quite pitiful.

But pity aside, if there's no mutual feeling, it's best not to stir up trouble. If the confessor doesn't take the initiative, it would be too cruel for the confess-ee to try to maintain the friendship.

It was Qiao Qiao, however, who used to dislike Pu Yu and often complained about him. Now that he saw Ning Song distancing himself from Pu Yu, he started defending Pu Yu instead.

"He's just like that, a quiet type. Did he offend you? I think he's just not good with words."

"Is it you ignoring him, or him ignoring you? If we're friends, you should tell me the truth. I'm going to get upset!"

"I heard that during training yesterday, Pu Yu got knocked down and his knee was bleeding."

Ning Song saw Pu Yu limping into the classroom and pursed his lips.

His feelings were complicated.

Fortunately, Ning Song was also very busy. The Spring Festival was approaching, along with the student council activities and a study trip. He also had to learn Sanda from Li You, leaving him swamped.

His English tutoring had ended, but he didn't slack off and continued practicing according to Pu Yu's methods.

Pu Yu was also busy, primarily with training. The rugby league was about to start, and their first preliminary match was this week. The recent training intensity was high, sometimes requiring him to take leave.

Something visibly happened between him and Ning Song, and Sheng Yan's initial satisfaction gradually faded, replaced by unease.

He felt more confident when competing with Pu Yu openly.

"I think Pu Yu might have confessed to Ning Song and was rejected," he told Li Qingyuan.

Li Qingyuan said, "Honestly, I always thought he wasn't as competitive as you. With his personality, most people wouldn't be able to handle dating him, right?"

Hearing this, Sheng Yan felt much better.

This was indeed where he had a significant advantage.

He set a photo of him and Ning Song as his phone's wallpaper, feeling they were a perfect match every time he looked at it.

Shen Lingsi noticed later. Twice when he visited Ning Song's dormitory, he didn't see Pu Yu, realizing Pu Yu had disappeared from his sight for several days.

Previously, whenever he visited Ning Song's dormitory, he would encounter Pu Yu, who was quite clingy.

He asked Ning Song, "What's going on between you and Pu Yu?"

Ning Song seemed to realize belatedly how close they had been.

Even Shen Lingsi noticed.

"There's nothing much; everyone's been busy lately," Ning Song said.

Shen Lingsi knew Ning Song wasn't telling the truth, patted his shoulder, and took the opportunity to criticize Pu Yu, saying, "That's good. If there's any conflict, be more understanding. He has that personality, and few people can get along with him. Anyway, let's talk about this..."

Without the annoying rival around, Shen Lingsi felt much happier teaching Ning Song. He did have personal motives but genuinely wanted to help Ning Song. Caring and supporting anyone could do, but guiding Ning Song's progress was more meaningful.

He wanted to groom Ning Song into a key member of the student council, enjoying the process immensely. Ning Song was a diligent learner and smart, complementing his lively and charming appearance. The more Shen Lingsi interacted with him, the more he felt Ning Song was his dream partner. Sometimes, he needed to keep some distance to control his urge to touch him. Recently, with all the busyness and heat, his mouth was even getting sore.

The biggest topic in their school this week was the annual youth rugby league.

The first preliminary match was this Sunday.

Rugby was a distant sport for Ning Song. He originally planned to cheer for Pu Yu, but now he wasn't sure if he should go.

Last weekend, he didn't return to the Pu family, and the following week, Liu Fen called him, saying Pu Ying's birthday was coming up and asking him to come back, reminding him not to forget a gift.

"It's not the weekend; I can't leave," he said.

"Little Yu can go out; you can go with him. Ask him how he gets permission. Just come back tonight. Xiaoying has been mentioning you a lot, saying you didn't come last week," Liu Fen said. "Should I ask Little Yu?"

"I'll handle it."

On Thursday, during PE class, he went directly from the shooting range to the rugby field.

The match was on Sunday, and today was Pu Yu's final warm-up session before the game. When he arrived, he saw many people already seated. He spotted Jin Yang and Chen Mo from his class.

Seeing him enter, Jin Yang's friend immediately tapped his shoulder, and Jin Yang turned around, frowning.

The players stood in a row in the center, listening to the coach. Pu Yu, wearing a blue rugby uniform, was drenched in sweat.

Ning Song watched for a while and then left.

After he left, Pu Yu turned to look.

Actually, he saw him the moment he arrived.

How could he not see him?

The body is always more honest than the mind.

In the end, Ning Song still got a leave slip from Shen Lingsi and returned.

Liu Fen asked, "Why didn't you come back with Little Yu?"

"He's still training. I had nothing urgent, so I came back first."

Despite Pu Ying being young, the birthday party his family threw for him was grand. Liu Fen feared there would be too many people in the evening, so she asked him to see Pu Ying first. Pu Ying was opening some early birthday gifts and immediately asked him to join in.

What it means to grow up with a silver spoon in one's mouth, Ning Song finally understood. Among the gifts Pu Ying unwrapped, there were some gems, gold chains, and various high-end luxury items he had seen and hadn't seen before. Pu Ying tore them open and threw them on the ground but was particularly interested in some Legos and toys. The gift he bought for Pu Ying was a very ordinary small claw machine, and unexpectedly, Pu Ying really liked it, playing with it right away and challenging him to a competition.

He knew Pu Ying would definitely like it when he bought it.

So he played the claw machine with Pu Ying. Today, Pu Ying wore a little suit and a little tie, looking especially cute, chattering excitedly yet very politely. His personality was a hundred times better than Pu Yu's icy demeanor.

No, a thousand times better.

As he was thinking this, he saw Pu Yu come in.

Pu Ying immediately shouted at him, "Brother, Xiao Song got me a claw machine!"

The nanny smiled at Pu Yu and said, "It made him so happy."

Pu Yu responded with an "Mm" and went out again.

Ning Song did not stay for Pu Ying's birthday party; he returned to the nanny's room before all the guests arrived. He needed to go back to school, and Liu Fen said, "Why don't you leave with Little Yu tomorrow morning?"

"I still have things to do at school, so I need to go back tonight," Ning Song replied.

Liu Fen packed the things she wanted him to take. There were many pastries prepared for today's banquet, and since they couldn't be used up, Mrs. Pu had previously instructed Ning Song to bring some back to school. Liu Fen packed several portions for him to share with his classmates.

"These are new nutritional supplements. I told Mrs. Pu that after finishing these, we won't need any more. I see you're much stronger now; paying attention to your diet should be enough. Otherwise, we owe too much. At school, you must treat Little Yu well; we can't forget our gratitude..."

She kept repeating the same instructions she always gave him, and Ning Song felt increasingly annoyed and inexplicably sad. As the sadness welled up, he became even more frustrated. He grabbed his backpack and left. Liu Fen said, "I'll walk you out."

"No need." Ning Song walked out with his backpack, opened the door, and saw Pu Yu standing outside. The sudden opening of the door startled Pu Yu.

Pu Yu looked a bit awkward and asked, "Leaving already?"

They hadn't spoken for days. Ning Song nodded, and he heard Liu Fen say, "Little Yu, are you leaving too?"

Only then did Ning Song notice Pu Yu had a bag on his back.

Pu Yu nodded.

Ning Song and Pu Yu left the Pu residence together. The banquet hall was still lively because it was Pu Ying's birthday, and many children had come to the party, playing in the courtyard. Several ladies were chatting in the yard and greeted Pu Yu as they saw him.

But Pu Yu didn't notice.

"They're calling you," he reminded.

Pu Yu suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

Ning Song pointed.

Pu Yu turned and seemed to realize only then, walking over.

Ning Song waited for him with the items.

After about half a minute, Pu Yu returned. With the constant flow of cars in and out of the house, Uncle Zhang parked the car outside. They both got into the car, sitting farther apart than usual.

Neither spoke during the ride. Ning Song wasn't sure whether or not to speak, and Pu Yu, being the silent type, naturally had nothing to say. When they arrived at the school, Pu Yu, as usual, helped him carry the bag of nutritional supplements.

Ning Song got out first and took the bag from him.

They entered the campus without speaking and parted ways at the skyway.

Ning Song stopped under a tree, turned around, and watched Pu Yu. His tall, slender figure looked very solitary, just as it had when they first met.

There were few white ash flowers left, but the green leaves were dense, shading the streetlights and making the path darker. Ning Song felt a nameless sourness in his heart, unsure why he felt this way.

Back in his dormitory, he unpacked the food, mostly pastries that couldn't be stored long. He divided them into portions, planning to give some to Qiao Qiao and Li You, keeping the rest for himself.

He packed each portion separately and called Li You first.

Li You was playing basketball. Ning Song asked him to stop by his dormitory when he returned.

Li You asked, "You're back?"

"Yes."

"Are we practicing sanda today?"

Ning Song thought for a moment and said, "Now, aren't you tired?"

Li You replied, "Then I'll come back now."

While waiting for Li You, Ning Song called Qiao Qiao.

Qiao Qiao was gaming: "Bring it to class tomorrow."

"I'll drop it off now. It's best to eat it today; some can't be stored," Ning Song said.

After hanging up, he ran to Qiao Qiao's dormitory with his portion, delivered the food, and quickly returned.

When he came back, Li You was already waiting downstairs. He was wearing his basketball uniform, drenched in sweat.

Seeing Ning Song panting as he ran over, Li You asked, "Where did you go?"

"To drop something off to Qiao Qiao."

They walked to the gymnasium together, and Li You suddenly asked, "What's going on between you and Pu Yu?"

Ning Song paused, and Li You added, "He used to be so clingy with you."

Ning Song said, "He said he likes me."

Li You's pace slowed.

Ning Song didn't know why he had told Li You. Perhaps in his heart, Li You was in a different circle from everyone else, and he also trusted Li You: "And that's how things are now."

Li You continued walking, their shadows merging together. The road was quiet, with only the sound of insects chirping.

Li You said, "I always thought you liked him too. You took good care of him."

Ning Song replied, "That's because we're friends. He's quite introverted, so I felt I should look after him. Besides, he's done more for me... Maybe I have issues too, not thinking about it this way. How could he like me?"

Li You laughed and said, "Why can't he like you?"

"What is there to like about me?" Ning Song asked. "Is it because I'm close to him that he likes me?"

Is this really considered liking someone?

"Like is a very mysterious thing. Everyone has their own reasons, but Ning Song, liking you is normal. You don't know how many people like you."

Ning Song looked at Li You. Li You's skin was dark, and in the night, only his eyes seemed bright.

"Do you not like boys?" Li You asked.

Ning Song said, "No."

Li You chuckled.

They fell silent again.

Ning Song said, "Have you ever been confessed to by a friend?"

Li You replied, "Many times."

"So you understand how I feel?" Ning Song immediately perked up.

Li You said, "I do. Let's give you a chance to vent later."

At the gymnasium, Li You raised his fist, saying, "Come on, let's release all your bad feelings."

Ning Song and Li You practiced for over an hour inside the gymnasium, eventually collapsing onto the floor, exhausted and drenched in sweat.

Li You lay down next to him, both of them staring at the ceiling. Ning Song closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very sad.

Li You placed his arms on his stomach and turned his head to look at Ning Song.

Ning Song's face was flushed, his nose prominent, and his chin slightly fuller, making him look remarkably handsome. Li You noticed Ning Song opening his eyes and turned away, closing his own.

His eyelids were red, and Li You suddenly laughed again.

Ning Song turned to look at him, "What are you laughing about?"

Li You said, "I had a short, funny dream a few days ago."

"What kind of dream?"

"I dreamed of a great hero coming to see me, riding on colorful clouds."

Ning Song knew he was making it up and laughed, getting up to check the time on his phone: "Let's go back; the gym is about to close."

Li You lay on the floor and suddenly reached out his hand.

Ning Song pulled him up. Li You was heavy, and Ning Song used all his strength: "You look so thin, how can you be so heavy!"

Li You said, "Men have high density."

Ning Song ignored his joke, smiling, feeling tired yet relieved. As they left the gymnasium, Li You asked, "Feeling better?"

He replied seriously, "Thanks, Youge. I feel much better."

Li You sobered up and brushed his hair aside.

Back in the dormitory, Ning Song took a shower. Before sleeping, he planned to drink his nutritional supplements. Opening the bag, he saw a small notebook on top.

His heart raced. This bag had only been handled by Pu Yu, and his first thought was that Pu Yu had written him another letter.

If it was a heartfelt confession, he wouldn't dare to read it.

He pursed his lips, took out the notebook, and opened it. It was English study material Pu Yu had prepared for him, including summaries of key points from the English textbooks since high school, future study plans, and classic sentences from Pu Yu's own essays—over forty pages in total.

This massive project must have started long ago.

Inside was a note that read: "I wrote this for you before. I have no ulterior motives; I hope you won't feel any burden because of it."

Ning Song felt his eyes welling up if he dwelled on it longer.

This Pu Yu was truly exasperating.

He felt Pu Yu had succeeded.

Because Pu Yu had always wanted to be the most special person in his life.

Now he had achieved it. Pu Yu was no longer just like Sheng Yan or Qiao Qiao; he was different from any of his other friends.

He sat in the chair for a while, then opened his phone and sent Pu Yu a message.

"Thank you."

The most exciting event for the entire school this week was undoubtedly the rugby match on the weekend.

Upper East School had drawn an unlucky lot this year, facing their old rival Holy Grace School in the first round.

Speaking of the rivalry between the two schools, it was worth recounting in detail. The enmity between the two schools began over a century ago. As the two closest top male schools among the four major public schools, they had always been in a love-hate relationship. When Li You was recruited into Upper East School, it was because Holy Grace School had pioneered boxing as a subject and dominated in the Asian Federation state middle schools. Not wanting to fall behind, Upper East School promptly admitted Li You and a group of young boxers. This competitive relationship extended to the students as well. Both schools believed they were the best among the four male schools and couldn't stand each other, yet they often found themselves competing against each other in both cultural and sports events.

The cultural competition was fine, but once it came to the sports events, it was truly a battlefield, sparks flying everywhere. Now, in the first preliminary match, they were up against their arch-rivals, and Upper East School had almost the entire school mobilized. Even Shen Lingsi, who disliked Pu Yu so much, had the student council this week promoting the rugby team with great enthusiasm.

Sheng Yan had been concerned for the past two days about whether Ning Song would go to the game or not.

He both hoped he would go and didn't want him to go.

Pu Yu's situation always made him inexplicably worried, causing him to be more restrained these days. It seemed that if Pu Yu and Ning Song's relationship improved a bit, he would feel more at ease. But rugby was Pu Yu's domain, the field where this usually quiet and isolated person shone the brightest, far surpassing his top ranking and grades at Upper East School. He wasn't so keen on letting Ning Song see that side of him.

But Qiao Qiao had been vigorously encouraging Ning Song to go.

He had recently been feeling sympathetic, thinking Pu Yu was quite pitiful.

He enlightened Ning Song about the longstanding rivalry between the two schools, how exciting and uplifting the rugby match would be, and how impressive Pu Yu was in the high school rugby world. He said that seeing Pu Yu lead the team to crush the arrogant bunch from Holy Grace School would be incredibly satisfying. In short, he painted a picture so vivid that missing it would be a great regret!

Ning Song had already been eager to watch the rugby match, and with Qiao Qiao's persuasion, he finally nodded during lunch on Friday: "If there are no tickets, do we need to go early to secure seats?"

Sheng Yan, who had been wavering, now determinedly did not want Ning Song to go! Thinking about how Pu Yu's face would be projected on the big screen in previous years, with a wave of his hand, thousands would cheer, he felt a looming threat!