Chapter 15 What Document Could She Have Misunderstood Him…

Chapter 15: What Document? Could She Have Misunderstood Him?

Yu Kui entered the classroom. Before she could even sit down, Tao Jiang walked in, placing a bottle of matcha milk tea on Yu Kui's desk.

"Good morning," she said, smiling at Yu Kui as if their conversation from yesterday hadn't affected her at all.

Yu Kui frowned, pushing the milk tea back onto Tao Jiang's desk. "Thank you, but I don't drink milk tea anymore."

"Oh, really?" Tao Jiang hadn't expected the refusal, and her smile faltered slightly. "That's alright. Whatever you like to drink, I can go buy it for you."

"No need," Yu Kui lowered her gaze. "I prefer to buy my own things."

Tao Jiang's eyes darkened. "We don't have to be like this. I still want to—"

"Thank you," Yu Kui cut her off, "but truly, it's not necessary."

She lowered her head, took out the books for the day, and ignored Tao Jiang completely.

Tao Jiang's expression shifted, eventually settling back into her usual cool demeanor, though the turbulent shadows in her eyes betrayed her inner unrest.

The weekly test papers were returned, and Yu Kui's scores remained at the top. The teacher specifically praised her in class for correctly solving the final challenging problem, encouraging other students to emulate her.

Watching the girl bask in such glory, Tao Jiang unconsciously crumpled her own paper, which had barely scraped a passing grade.

Her grades had always been poor. Even with Qin You tutoring her daily, her progress was minimal. Seeing the widening gap between herself and Yu Kui, Tao Jiang felt a venomous insect crawling inside her, making her utterly uncomfortable.

"Tao Jiang, what's wrong?" her deskmate asked, noticing her somber expression. "Are you worried about your grades? It's okay—if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

"Ask you?" Tao Jiang glanced at his scores, which weren't even in the top ten of the class. How could he possibly tutor her? Was he even qualified?

"Yeah," her deskmate said, oblivious to her sarcasm. "I can handle most of the questions. If there's something I don't know, I can ask someone better, like Yu Kui or the class monitor. They're both excellent students."

"No need," Tao Jiang replied, a wave of resistance rising at the mention of Yu Kui's name. "Someone is already tutoring me."

"Oh," her deskmate lowered his head dejectedly, but said, "That's good then."

Yu Kui reviewed her exam paper, meticulously noting the incorrect answers in her notebook to reinforce her understanding.

During lunch, she went to the cafeteria with Sun Shuya. After getting their favorite dishes, they sat by a window.

"New Year's Day is coming up soon, and the class is holding a party. Do you want to sign up?" Sun Shuya, as the arts coordinator, needed to plan the event early.

Yu Kui had no particular talents, so she shook her head.

"Remember 'Peacocks Fly Southeast'?" Sun Shuya asked. "I'm planning to adapt it into a skit. Do you want to play the female lead?"

Yu Kui immediately shook her head. "No." She had never acted before and wouldn't know how to handle it.

Sun Shuya didn't give up. "Then can you sing? Or dance, or play an instrument?"

Yu Kui kept shaking her head. "Please, just spare me."

Sun Shuya couldn't help but laugh. "I was really hoping you could help me out. The party will be too dull otherwise."

Yu Kui thought for a moment, then reluctantly said, "How about I sing a song, then?"

"Let's dance," Sun Shuya said, looking at her face. "Wear a hanfu and perform a classical dance. I've already envisioned your makeup."

Yu Kui: "..."

"I can't dance." Although she genuinely wanted to help Sun Shuya, Yu Kui had never possessed any artistic flair since childhood.

"Just try it," Sun Shuya urged. "Just because you couldn't before doesn't mean you can't now. There are plenty of tutorial videos online. I'll practice with you."

Yu Kui pursed her lips. "I..."

"Please, please," Sun Shuya pleaded, shaking her arm. "Your face is perfect for dancing."

"Alright, I'll give it a try," Yu Kui said helplessly. "But if it doesn't work out, we'll drop it."

"Good, good," Sun Shuya chuckled. "I'll make sure to teach you well."

Twelve acts were planned for the New Year's party. Besides Sun Shuya's skit, there were also singing, dancing, and riddle games.

When the class chose the female lead for "Peacocks Fly Southeast," everyone unanimously recommended Tao Jiang. She was not only the class beauty but also the school beauty—no one was more suitable.

"Can you do it?" Sun Shuya asked Tao Jiang with a smile.

"Of course," Tao Jiang smirked. "For the honor of the class, I'm willing to rehearse diligently."

At these words, the classmates applauded, impressed by her strong sense of collective spirit.

Hearing this, Yu Kui couldn't help but recall the last athletics meet, where Tao Jiang had also claimed to participate for the class's honor. At the time, many classmates had been impressed, but in the end, Tao Jiang hadn't shown up—Yu Kui had run in her place.

Yet everyone seemed to remember only Tao Jiang.

Thinking about this, Yu Kui felt a pang of melancholy.

"Great, I'll register your name." Sun Shuya then selected a few other roles and distributed the adapted script to them.

The adapted content naturally differed from the original. While it retained a tragic undertone, it was mostly humorous and joyful, designed to entertain everyone.

After school, Yu Kui practiced dancing with Sun Shuya in the classroom. Classical dance emphasizes grace, fluidity, and emotional depth, aiming for a harmonious blend of form and spirit, body and mind, achieving internal and external unity.

Yu Kui had no dance background, but fortunately, her body was quite flexible. After watching many dance tutorials, Sun Shuya selected a relatively simple routine.

"This dance is called 'Goddess of Flowers'," Sun Shuya explained, pointing to the gracefully dancing performer in the video. "It's about a butterfly. I think it's quite lovely."

Yu Kui watched as the dancer moved her arms to the music. The movements were simple, yet the grace and spirit were captivating.

"It's beautiful," Yu Kui said instinctively. "She makes me feel like she truly is a joyful butterfly."

Sun Shuya's eyes sparkled with amusement, and she immediately took Yu Kui's hand, mimicking the movements in the video. "You can do it too."

Yu Kui blinked, a smile spreading across her face.

Qin You and Tao Jiang had reached the school gate when Tao Jiang realized she had forgotten her homework.

"It should be on my desk," she said unhappily. "It's all your fault for rushing me."

"Wait here for me," Qin You said. "I'll go up and get it."

"Let's go together," Tao Jiang followed behind him. "It's not like we're in a hurry to go home anyway."

Before they reached the classroom door, they heard music.

"Who's still here so late?" Tao Jiang pushed the classroom door open and saw Yu Kui and Sun Shuya, both moving in sync as they danced by the window. The soft, white light bathed them, making them look youthful and full of energy.

Tao Jiang's pupils narrowed slightly as she raised her hand to stop Qin You. "There are people inside. I'll go get it myself."

Qin You didn't clearly see who was inside. He nodded and waited in the hallway.

Just then, a few rowdy boys came down from upstairs. Hearing the music from the classroom, they couldn't help but whistle. "Who's playing music in the classroom?"

"Let's go check it out," the leader said with a smirk, carrying his backpack with one hand. "This is the liberal arts class. Maybe it's some pretty girl."

"Yeah," the others added, grinning. "Let's go take a look!"

They strode to the classroom door, about to enter when the leader accidentally made eye contact with Qin You. They were about the same height—Qin You was the epitome of a good student, while he was the embodiment of a troublemaker.

Qin You immediately frowned and was about to stop them.

Tao Jiang walked out of the classroom, looking displeased. "Let's go."

She wore a down jacket, her skin fair and delicate, her features even prettier than actresses on TV.

"There's actually such a beautiful girl in our school?" the boys exclaimed. "She's gorgeous!"

Qin You firmly grasped Tao Jiang's hand. "Let's go."

Tao Jiang glanced at the boys and met the gaze of one of them. She noticed that his looks were just as striking as Qin You's, though they were completely different in style.

Qin You was a good student, exemplary in both character and academics.

The boy before her, however, seemed like a tempting devil, exuding an air of careless nonchalance. His eyes were narrow and deep, like whirlpools that stirred a sense of unease.

"Classmate, what's your name?" one of the boys behind him blocked their path, smiling. "I'm Sun Chaoyang from Class 13. Do you have time tomorrow? Let's get something to eat."

"I don't have time," Tao Jiang looked away and let Qin You lead her away.

"So cold?" Sun Chaoyang chased after them for a couple of steps. "Even if you have a boyfriend, you could still consider me. I'm very thoughtful..."

"Shut up!" Xie Xingzhi glared at him. "Can't you have any dignity?"

"Isn't she just too beautiful?" Sun Chaoyang looked back reluctantly. "Too bad she already has a boyfriend, otherwise..."

"Enough," Xie Xingzhi walked to the classroom door and glanced inside. To the catchy music, two girls were dancing like butterflies.

Xie Xingzhi raised an eyebrow, thought one of them looked familiar. He stepped inside. "Rehearsing?"

Hearing the voice, Yu Kui and Sun Shuya both stopped and looked at the uninvited visitor.

Tao Jiang's earlier interruption had already disrupted their rhythm, and now another unfamiliar boy showed up.

"Hey, what are you here for?" Sun Shuya narrowed her eyes. "You're not from our class."

"Just wandering around," Xie Xingzhi leaned against the podium, his gaze settling on Yu Kui. "We meet again, good student. I didn't expect you to be in this class."

"It's you..." Yu Kui recognized him too, immediately recalling her deleted document. A flicker of disgust crossed her eyes. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Xie Xingzhi didn't miss the look in her eyes and smirked. "Do you hate me that much?"

Yu Kui said coldly, "You know perfectly well what you did."

"What did I do?" Xie Xingzhi feigned innocence. "I just hit on you once. Why do you remember it so clearly?"

Seeing him deny it, Yu Kui disliked him even more and said bluntly, "Wasn't it you who deleted my document?"

"Document?" Xie Xingzhi's smile disappeared. "What document?"

Yu Kui blinked, wondering if she'd misjudged him, and said, "The one I was writing on the computer that day. Didn't you see it?"