The Hot-tempered Young Master and His Village Flower Child Bride - Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

Chu Zhi Lu felt a bit depressed. Just then, some of her female classmates in the WeChat class group mentioned that there was a coffee shop near the school. They asked if anyone wanted to go there and play. Chu Zhi Lu said she would go.

When Chu Zhi Lu got dressed and went downstairs, she found that Zhao Xunyu was no longer in the living room.

Chu Zhi Lu rode from Xiaohe Village to the coffee shop near the school, which took her half an hour.

Through the glass outside, she saw a round table surrounded by eight or nine people. She recognized them as her classmates. When she pushed open the door, her classmates looked over and called her over happily.

Chu Zhi Lu wasn’t exactly antisocial in class, but she always seemed aloof and didn’t smile much. She was polite but distant to everyone, and her relationships with her classmates were superficial. No one expected her to come to a post-graduation gathering.

Even though they didn’t have much interaction, her classmates didn’t mind her joining them. After all, Chu Zhi Lu was a well-known academic goddess in the school. Her classmates were proud of her and considered her the treasure of the class. There were curious people who came to watch, and classmates would enthusiastically point out Chu Zhi Lu’s seat to them. Then, in an attempt to win their approval, they would ask if Chu Zhi Lu was beautiful.

Chu Zhi Lu was certainly beautiful – striking at first glance and able to withstand closer scrutiny.

The two male classmates from other classes, who had heard that Chu Zhi Lu was coming and had come to join in the fun, had their eyes wide open in awe, much to the quiet pride of the female classmates.

Chu Zhi Lu approached, smiled politely, and sat down in the reserved seat. She sat between two female classmates, with the male classmates facing her. Two of the four boys were from her class, and she didn’t recognize the other two.

They all greeted her enthusiastically, saying they hadn’t expected to see the goddess again after graduation. A male classmate jokingly said that he thought he would only see her on the news, which caused a big laugh. 

Peng Qingjia, who was sitting on Chu Zhi Lu’s left, handed her the menu. She ordered a cup of milk tea and a piece of mousse cake. 

Peng Qingjia had been Chu Zhi Lu’s desk mate since their sophomore year of high school. She had always thought that Chu Zhi Lu’s biggest cute contrast was that she looked cold and aloof. But in fact, she loved sweets very much. 

They attended a boarding school. They only had three days of vacation every two months. Only Sunday afternoon was free, and only for a few hours, because they had to return to the classroom at seven o’clock for evening study.

During the first week, she shared a desk with Chu Zhi Lu, and they barely interacted with each other. Peng Qingjia’s first impression of Chu Zhi Lu was that she was cold and aloof, and that’s exactly how she felt that first week.

In sophomore year, they were divided into different classes, and most of the faces were unfamiliar. Even though they were in the top class, everyone took every opportunity to talk to their classmates and desk mates to build relationships. The newness and excitement was palpable. Only Chu Zhi Lu seemed to be oblivious to the world around her. She was always studying with her head down.

Peng Qingjia felt that besides studying together, chatting, and relieving boredom, the most important thing about having a desk mate was having a bathroom buddy and a lunch buddy. Obviously, her desk mate preferred to be alone and wasn’t likely to get close to her. So during breaks, she would chat with other female classmates, and they would go to the bathroom and eat together.

It wasn’t until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night that she returned to the classroom. There, she found her classmate, who only drank water and never ate snacks, eating a piece of cake. There was also a big cup of milk tea on her desk! Peng Qingjia was shocked.

As she described it later, her idealized image of Chu Zhi Lu had been shattered. It was like seeing a fairy return to earth.

Sitting at her desk, she was still a bit incredulous and couldn’t help but say, “You’re actually drinking milk tea…”

At that moment, Chu Zhi Lu’s rosy lips were still smeared with some cream. She looked puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

“I thought you were the kind of person who drank eight glasses of water a day, had a focus on health, had no appetite for food, and would never eat junk food…”

Her wistful tone made Chu Zhi Lu laugh. Chu Zhi Lu explained that she really liked sweets. She added that besides bitter things, she liked sweet, sour, and spicy foods.

That’s when they became close. Chu Zhi Lu never understood Peng Qingjia’s loving look whenever she drank milk tea. Even after Peng Qingjia explained it to her, she still didn’t understand why it was cute.

With Chu Zhi Lu’s arrival, the two boys from the other class became more talkative, obviously trying to pique her interest.

First, they complained about the hardships of high school, then they talked about their post-exam indulgences and wasted time. Then they talked about who broke up after graduation, who came out after graduation, and who wanted to attend the same university as whom.

Chu Zhi Lu listened in silence most of the time, only saying a few words when directly addressed.

Chu Zhi Lu’s grades had always been stable. She had always been in the top three in the citywide exams. Her teachers and administrators all believed that as long as she didn’t choose a particularly difficult major, she would have no problem getting into any university she wanted. In fact, she had a good chance of becoming the top student in the province if she put her mind to it.

After the college entrance exam, everyone estimated her score. Instead of asking her how well she’d done, her classmates asked her directly where she wanted to go to college.

Chu Zhi Lu shook her head, saying she hadn’t decided and would wait for the results.

Another classmate asked her how far her estimated score was from the perfect score. Her classmate wanted her to reveal it so that everyone could see where they stood. 

Chu Zhi Lu didn’t downplay her results, calmly and confidently replied, “My estimated score is twenty points from perfect.”

“…”

“Whoa!“

“Amazing!”

Estimated scores naturally differ from actual results. But Chu Zhi Lu was consistently excellent. Her estimate was conservative, meaning that her actual score was probably higher.

The cake in Peng Qingjia’s mouth no longer tasted sweet.

“If only you’d been a little humble and said you did well! Even if I didn’t believe you, it wouldn’t be so upsetting… Waaah...”

But she also knew that Chu Zhi Lu would not tell such humble lies, so she hummed a few times and sighed, “How could I be your desk mate for two years!”

A rather handsome boy from another class half-jokingly asked Chu Zhi Lu, “Goddess, do you plan to achieve both academic and romantic success? Let us know; I want to get in line.”

A chorus of teasing followed.

Before Chu Zhi Lu could reply, Peng Qingjia replied, “The line goes all the way to France. Even if you have plans, it won’t be your turn.”

“Exactly. The most handsome guy in Class 3, Li Zhi Hang, do you know him? The one who is always in the top three of the school’s ‘Most Handsome’ list? He was rejected three times, so don’t embarrass yourself.”

Under the collective attack, the boy apologized again and again. He said he didn’t dare to dream about the goddess.

Chu Zhi Lu shook her head in amusement. Her earlier frustration had completely disappeared.