Minodayz: So…. have you"ve all recovered from all the sugar high! LOL! They were just too sweet, even if I didn"t get my kiss. Anyway, the gang has more happening – someone goes away, another possible confession, and a darling knight appears again. Since its the special week of unlocking more chapters… I may as well let you get on with the novel post haste! Enjoy!!!!
Chapter 50.2
Li Erqin had returned to normal.
That was Peng Zige"s first thought when she returned to the cla.s.sroom after disposing of the trash.
The good old Li Erqin had returned.
Peng Zige drew a perfect full stop* on his a.s.signment page and closed his workbook. After stretching lazily, he started acting restless again. "Erqin."
(TN: In written Chinese, full stops/ periods are little circles "。")
Li Erqin looked back at him expressionlessly. "Hmm?"
"When did you finish your homework?"
"At the end of the first evening self-study session."
Peng Zige"s jaw dropped. "Why so fast?"
Li Erqin replied, "Because it was easy."
Peng Zige was stunned.
He was despondent for a moment but then used his textbook to poke Li Erqin in the back again.
Li Erqin turned around.
Peng Zige asked the question that had been puzzling him. "Why do I feel that your grades have improved after the summer vacation?"
Li Erqin did not agree. "I scored 59 on this physics test."
Peng Zige waved his hand and said, "Excluding physics."
Li Erqin explained, "During the summer vacation, I had nothing to do at home. So I asked my dad to borrow the second year textbooks and practice books for me, and I went through them."
Peng Zige was incredulous. "That"s what you did when you had nothing else to do?"
Li Erqin denied this, saying, "I also invited you guys to my place to hang out."
Peng Zige shivered as he remembered Li Erqin"s home and her big lizard which crawled everywhere. "But, when we went to your place, we didn"t see any textbooks in your room."
"Because they were in the study," Li Erqin explained.
"There was a variety of books stored in the study when we went there, but didn"t you say they belonged to your dad?"
"You went to Li Erqin"s place during the summer vacation?" Rong Si abruptly asked.
Without thinking, Peng Zige replied, "Yeah. I tell you, Rong Si, Erqin has a huge lizard. When it"s in a bad mood, it even turns into a darker shade of colour."
(Minodayz : for those who had forgotten, check out to see & refresh on LEQ"s pet lizard called Lai Fu.)
Rong Si"s inquiring eyes moved to Li Erqin.
Li Erqin explained, "It was impossible to get in touch with you. Su Zi was also there."
Rong Si was silent.
Peng Zige pouted in dissatisfaction. "So, Rong Si, where on earth did you go during the summer vacation?"
Rong Si casually replied, "I was with my dad."
Peng Zige asked incredulously, "When you"re with your dad, did you have to turn off your phone or something?"
"My phone was broken," Rong Si said.
Peng Zige continued, "Couldn"t you buy another phone?"
Rong Si answered, "The place was rather rural."
Peng Zige gasped. "Don"t tell me you were high up in the mountains and deep in the woods?"
Su Zi"s attention had been successfully attracted by their conversation. She shot Li Erqin and Peng Zige a mutually shared, knowing look.
Rong Si took note of their expressions as he replied, "Yup."
The three of them looked at Rong Si"s back at the same time.
"What are you guys looking at?" They had finally succeeded in piquing Rong Si"s curiosity.
Li Erqin looked up and asked, "Rong Si, do you have an older sister with the surname "Bai" (white)?"
"Tut!" Peng Zige glared at her. "It could also be his aunt!"
Su Zi was laughing in obvious amus.e.m.e.nt.
Rong Si asked in bewilderment, "What are you talking about?"
Peng Zige had a moment of enlightenment. "Hey, this is how we should ask the question."
"How?" asked Su Zi.
"Is Bai Suzhen your relative?" asked Peng Zige.
(T/N They are continuing with their teasing of Rong Si in , where they suggested he was "Madam White Snake" because he was so tall and fair. "Bai Suzhen"(白素贞) is the name of the white snake when she takes human form. Here"s the reference again: : I"m laughing my head off. (￣▽￣)~* ）
Rong Si: " . . ."
As soon as school had reopened, Rong Si had actually been so busy that he could barely attend to any other matters. The school was placing a lot of weight on the result of this particular compet.i.tion so Rong Si and the other partic.i.p.ants were put through a stressful, highly-intensive training programme. Many times, Rong Si was physically present in cla.s.s, but his mind would be whirling at top speed. He was calculating and working out solutions to all the difficult questions that he had encountered in training.
When all was said and done, Rong Si was definitely not the white snake spirit they had been teasing him about. He simply could not spare any more attention for anything else.
As a result, this had given Li Erqin the misconception that he was indifferent towards her.
Of course, what was surprising was that this had also given rise to an unexpected result.
However.
The second day after the confession, Rong Si had to leave the four of them for the compet.i.tion.
Peng Zige said goodbye to him with a gloomy, pale face while Li Erqin was all calmness.
Su Zi could not stop herself from scoffing at Peng Zige. "It"s Rong Si going to the compet.i.tion, not your girlfriend. Do you have to act as if you are *parting forever?"
(TN: 生离死别 (sheng li si bie) – parted in life and death i.e. parted forever)
Peng Zige slumped in his chair. "You don"t understand."
Su Zi admitted it. "I really don"t understand." She looked stealthily around the cla.s.sroom and then lowered her voice and said, "I say, Peng Zige."
"What do you want?"
Su Zi lowered her voice even further. "Have you ever done a psychological test?"
"What test?"
Su Zi feigned earnestness as she replied, "You could be gay."
That single word caused Peng Zige to blow his top. "You"re the one who"s gay!"
Su Zi overwhelmed Peng Zige with facts. "I once liked Rong Si, what about you? Who have you liked?" She stared at him searchingly and her tone became more aggressive. "Or, who do you like now?"
Not very happily, Peng Zige said, "I like you."
Su Zi snorted disdainfully.
However, innocent little Li Erqin believed him.
She edited the news she had just heard into a text to Rong Si: [Peng Zige just confessed to Su Zi.]
With one look at Li Erqin"s expression, Peng Zige knew what she was thinking and hurried to stop her. "I say, Erqin, surely you don"t believe it?"
Li Erqin pressed the "send" b.u.t.ton. "Uhm."
Peng Zige asked suspiciously, "Who are you texting?"
"Rong Si."
"What are you chatting about?"
"We"re not chatting. I was simply informing him about the latest news."
Peng Zige didn"t know whether to laugh or to cry. "Li Erqin, how can you be so naive?"
Li Erqin made an innocent-looking expression.
Su Zi was grinning from ear to ear.
Peng Zige glared at her. "Why are you so happy? It"s not as if it doesn"t concern you."
Su Zi held up her hand. "Anyway, it"s not me who confessed."
Peng Zige exclaimed, "I didn"t confess!"
As the three of them were debating, someone called Li Erqin"s name from the doorway. Li Erqin turned around and saw Ruan Mingxian at the back door, smiling at her.
Li Erqin walked over to him and asked, "What is it?"
The pressures of being in the third year had not affected Ruan Mingxian. With his usual relaxed att.i.tude, he asked Li Erqin, "I need your help with something."
Li Erqin asked curiously, "What can I help you with?"
Ruan Mingxian eyed the people walking to and fro nearby. "Can we talk somewhere less crowded?"
"Ok."
Ruan Mingxian led Li Erqin down to the end of the corridor where there were fewer people and leaned heavily against the wall. "It"s my birthday next weekend. Can you come to the celebration?"
Li Erqin blinked. "Your birthday?"
"Yup." He changed position. "Next year you probably won"t be able to come to my birthday celebrations, and you didn"t come the past ten years or so. Help me out and come this year."
"Is it important whether or not I come?"
Ruan Mingxian nodded. "You can bring your friends. But it"s best if you don"t bring Peng Zige, because that might hurt Nuonuo"s feelings. Of course, it would be even better if you didn"t bring Rong Si, because that would hurt my feelings."
Li Erqin laughed. "I"ll give you a birthday present, but I won"t attend the birthday party."
Ruan Mingxian asked, "Why?"
"Because, if I go, Rong Si might get upset."
"What"s it got to do with Rong Si whether or not you go?"
"We"re together."
A moment of silence.
Ruan Mingxian"s smile slipped. He laughed good humouredly as he asked, "Did you really have to tell me?"
"I"m sorry."
Ruan Mingxian sighed deeply and then asked, "Li Erqin, has my liking you caused you trouble?"
"Nope."
He looked down. "So do you need to reject me like this every time?"
In total seriousness, Li Erqin said, "Because I can"t give you the response you want."
(Minodayz : I believe this is what LEQ is feeling – coz she genuinely likes RMX as a friend and he is someone important to her to, Plus she knows that he likes her)
"Am I asking you for a response?"
Li Erqin looked at him unyieldingly and replied, "No. However, no matter what you do, I need to be true to myself."
Ruan Mingxian laughed in exasperation.
"Fine." He surrendered and prepared to leave. "Thank you for your birthday present."
Li Erqin did not know what to say.
Without looking at her again, Ruan Mingxian walked straight down the long corridor. He walked halfway when he suddenly turned around and came back to stand once more in front of Li Erqin. She had not moved from her spot.
He looked down at her and said, with his customary smile, "I say, Li Erqin."
Li Erqin raised her head to look at him, and her eyes were clearly apologetic. In truth, she had no idea how to deal with Ruan Mingxian liking her. Moreover, on this occasion, she felt that she had handled it badly and had at the very least hurt him.
Ruan Mingxian wanted to tousle her hair but held himself back. "I don"t think I like the present you just gave me, so you"ll have to pick another one for me."
"Huh?"
As Ruan Mingxian looked at her, even he did not realise how gentle his eyes were. "I want an expensive, good and special present, so please remember my request!"
Li Erqin instantly agreed. "No problem!"
Ruan Mingxian sighed deeply in his heart. He knew that his manner of leaving earlier had the air of ending their relationship, and he also realised that his words, "Thank you for your birthday present", would cause Li Erqin to feel guilty for a long time.
No matter how long, he would not be able to bear it.
Thus, he had had to return to ask her to present him with a big gift.
（Minodayz ： somehow this anime and text summarises RMX)
Minodayz Musing :
That was quite an interesting ending. BUT, first we jump back to the beginning. I like that LEQ was upping her ante with self study so that she was able to keep up with the group, or should I say RS. We also get RS a little miffed at being left out from hanging out at LEQ"s home but hahahaha Madam white snake, Miss Bai surfaces yet again!!!! (๑◡๑) Poor RS, but such a laugh!!!! Ohhhhh….did PZG just confess!!! And Su Zi"s reaction!!! Hahahaha I like LEQ reporting to RS too – so adorable!!! THEN there is the beloved RMX. He is such a darling and big softie too! At least LEQ is constant and honest with him and he too just can"t see her hurt! What a true gentleman! (•ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡
OK, til our next post and guess what….it will be TOMORROW!!!!!
＼(￣︶￣)／ヾ(^^)ノ
P/S : I know we have readers who have either liked RS or RMX, so for fun, do state who you would have liked and we can see how our list go. (^o^)人(^o^) someone else whispered that we should include PZG too. So how about we list our 3 choices in order of preference, ie, 1. RS, 2. RMX, 3. PZG – let see if we can find out from everyone their preferences.
PPS : Thanks for your all comments and those on discord too! We love talking about our novel so keep those comments coming! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)
Translator: shl
TL Checker : Minodayz
Editors: kira, maripaz
Proofreader: Librismuse
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