Chapter 19: The Shadow of Doubt
After the midterm exams, the school's summer sports festival was quickly approaching.
The homeroom teacher and the PE teacher discussed and finalized the students who would participate. The two teachers made their decision during the afternoon study session, and Xiang Yang clearly heard the PE teacher's first words: “Students who are not physically fit should not participate. For example, Xiang Yang, she's too weak, so we won't let her compete.”
The homeroom teacher seemed surprised, “Xiang Yang's health is that bad? I was thinking of having the two class monitors lead by example. If that's the case, then there's nothing we can do.”
When Xiang Yang heard this, she felt very ashamed.
In the end, when the list came out, most of the class officers were participating. Hou Xingrou was in the long jump, Ding Wanjun was in the girls' 400-meter relay and the individual 100-meter sprint.
As the sports festival approached, the schoolyard was crowded with people every day after school.
Hou Xingrou needed to practice long jump, so Xiang Yang would accompany her for a while each day. Sometimes, she would also run a lap or two herself. Of course, she couldn't run 800 meters at once, or she would run out of breath.
Xiang Yang watched everyone eagerly preparing, and she was also eager to try, but unfortunately, she could only be a spectator cheering for others.
On the day of the sports festival, the school was bustling with activity. Ding Wanjun finished the individual 100-meter sprint with a decent result, coming in sixth place. Afterward, she had to prepare for the relay race.
During her break, some classmates congratulated her and said she was doing a great job.
Xiang Yang stood not far away, and she clearly heard Ding Wanjun say, “I can't help it. The homeroom teacher said Xiang Yang was supposed to be in the relay, but she can't bring glory to our class, so I had to take her place. But it's okay, I'll take a rest and recharge before the next sprint.”
Xiang Yang still held the mineral water she was going to hand to Hou Xingrou after the competition ended, tightened her grip, feeling unclear about her emotions, just feeling very uncomfortable.
Xiang Yang thought to herself that during the summer vacation, she must implement her plan to exercise her body to the end.
Compared to Xiang Yang's boring daily exercise during the summer vacation, Fu Guanxian's days were colorful. He and Lian Rui went out for a half-month vacation, and when they came back, he became obsessed with playing rollerblades. In August, he suddenly signed up to learn a foreign language.
Xiang Yang hadn't seen him for two full months until right before the start of the school year, Fu Guanxian suddenly ran to her house, saying there was an activity to care for left-behind children, and they needed a pianist to perform. They were in need of a piano player and asked Xiang Yang for help.
Xiang Yang was puzzled, “How did you know? And how are you involved with this event?”
“How could I not know? I'm a master of all trades!” Fu Guanxian urged her, “I'll take you to meet the teacher this afternoon, and you can prepare. Just play normally, and you'll be fine.”
“Hey! Fu Guanxian!” Xiang Yang didn't even have a chance to refuse, and Fu Guanxian ran off.
Afterward, Xiang Yang was practically forced into the situation. The teacher was very satisfied when she saw her, chose a piece for her, and asked her to practice at home. If she had any questions, she could contact her, and they also confirmed the rehearsal time.
On the way home, Xiang Yang still felt a bit dazed. Fu Guanxian patted his chest and assured her, “Don't worry, she was my piano teacher when I was little. Although she only taught me for three lessons, I guarantee she's not a fraud.”
In fact, Fu Guanxian didn't tell her that the teacher originally wanted him to perform, but he refused. The teacher repeatedly called Kong Yiyue, asking her to persuade him. Fu Guanxian was annoyed by the calls, so he decided to get Xiang Yang involved. Although she was a bit worse than him, she was still better than other people.
Xiang Yang looked at him with a mixture of disbelief and doubt, but she had no choice but to follow through and ensure the event went smoothly.
Xiang Yang didn't realize that the event would be broadcast live on TV until she finished her stunning performance. When she received a call from Hou Xingrou, she was excited and said, “Xiang Yang, you're amazing! You play the piano so well! You look great on camera! You're beautiful!”
Xiang Yang was still a bit confused, “How did you know?”
After listening to Hou Xingrou's explanation, she realized that Fu Guanxian had tricked her.
The buzz from the event continued into the new semester. The first year of middle school didn't have separate classes for the second and third years, so on the first day of school, many students surrounded her, talking about her appearance on TV and praising her for being a great pianist. Xiang Yang was a bit embarrassed by all the praise. She really didn't expect so many people to recognize her, even people she didn't know.
On the day of the class cleaning, Xiang Yang and another girl were carrying a bucket of dirty water to dump it out. They encountered a boy on the way, and he looked at her and suddenly called out, “Are you Xiang Yang?”
“Ah?” Xiang Yang didn't recognize him.
The boy took her bucket and said, “I'll help you!”
“Classmate…” Xiang Yang wanted to refuse, but he immediately grabbed the bucket. After dumping the water, Ban Shengkai returned the bucket to her and introduced himself, “My name is Ban Shengkai, I'm in the third year. We've met before, not long after school started two semesters ago, in the hallway near the office.”
Ban Shengkai described it in detail, but Xiang Yang still couldn't remember.
Ban Shengkai added, “At that time, I was fighting with Fu Guanxian, and you happened to go into the office. I saw Fu Guanxian secretly looking at you.”
Ban Shengkai always thought that Fu Guanxian secretly looked at her because he thought she was pretty.
Xiang Yang didn't know how to respond, and Ban Shengkai continued, “I'm in the same class as Fu Guanxian!”
“Oh.” Xiang Yang didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to talk to her.
“I saw your performance; you're very talented.”
“Thank you.” Xiang Yang wanted to slip away.
Fortunately, Ban Shengkai let her go, “It's nice to meet you!”
“Oh, thank you.” After Xiang Yang left, she felt that this guy was a bit strange.
Xiang Yang hadn't taken this incident to heart, but she later found that she often ran into Ban Shengkai in the cafeteria. Ban Shengkai would also occasionally join her for meals. As time went on, Xiang Yang didn't think much of it. Sometimes, Ban Shengkai would say something, and Xiang Yang would respond if she knew what to say, and if she didn't, she would just smile. They didn't chat much. Moreover, Hou Xingrou was usually with her.
However, somehow, rumors started spreading. After the midterm exams, Xiang Yang tragically discovered that she had lost her position as the top student in the grade. Ding Wanjun was now the top scorer. Her total score was 0.5 points lower than Ding Wanjun's. The homeroom teacher said that Ding Wanjun had performed very well. Many students said the same. But Xiang Yang felt that Ding Wanjun had been secretly working hard all along, and her efforts had finally paid off. Xiang Yang suddenly felt a deep sense of crisis. However, she didn't know that another crisis awaited her.
She hadn't paid much attention to the rumors outside because she was focused on studying for the midterm exams. When the homeroom teacher called her to the office, she asked, “Xiang Yang, have you been getting close to a boy from the third year recently?”
A boy from the third year? When Xiang Yang heard this, she felt a pang of uneasiness. She stammered, “Teacher, I…”
Xiang Yang thought the teacher was talking about Fu Guanxian, but he seemed to be quite busy recently and hadn't contacted her much. They hardly spoke to each other at school, except for occasionally pretending not to know each other when they bumped into each other.
Fu Guanxian was indeed busy recently because he was studying high school knowledge. It was as if he had discovered a new continent and was eager to conquer it. So, many students noticed that the carefree top student had become very diligent in his studies recently, which deeply shocked his classmates and motivated them to study harder. Many teachers praised Fu Guanxian's class for being so well-behaved and hardworking this semester, and their progress was evident.
However, Xiang Yang's homeroom teacher wasn't talking about Fu Guanxian. She said earnestly, “I heard you've been eating with a boy from the third year in the cafeteria often this semester, and some students saw you two walking home together after school. Xiang Yang, you're still young, and some things are inappropriate. You should know what you should be doing at your age and understand how to manage yourself. The most important thing right now is to study hard, so you have the right to choose your favorite career in the future. Xiang Yang, don't disappoint the teacher. You saw this time during the midterm exams; if you lose focus, other students will quickly surpass you. Are you willing to accept that?”
Xiang Yang wasn't willing to accept it, but she was also very sad. She knew who the third-year boy the homeroom teacher was talking about was. But she really didn't have anything with Ban Shengkai. The tables in the cafeteria were free to choose, and she couldn't chase Ban Shengkai away and tell him not to sit there. Besides, walking home together was a misunderstanding. She just happened to run into Ban Shengkai on the way to the school gate after school, and he kept talking to her. She really didn't do anything wrong.
Xiang Yang walked out of the office with red eyes, and shortly after, Ban Shengkai was also called to the office.
As Fu Guanxian was working on a problem, he overheard other boys talking to Lian Rui, “Ban Shengkai is in for it!”
Ban Shengkai liked to bully girls in class, especially in the first year. After getting beaten up by Fu Guanxian at the beginning of the second year, he didn't dare to be so arrogant anymore.
Lian Rui was curious, “What did he do?”
“Haha, I heard he's in trouble for early dating and the homeroom teacher is giving him a lecture! Guanxian, guess who he's rumored to be dating?”
Fu Guanxian was working on the last step of a math problem. He didn't look up and casually asked, “Who?”
“The first-year beauty who was the top scorer before!”
Fu Guanxian paused his black pen and looked up, displeased, “What are you talking nonsense about? Scram!”
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