Being "Crushed" - Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Soon, it was time for roll call. Everyone had to stop their gossiping eyes and gradually gathered together.
Lu Sifang set his skateboard upright and carried it by his side. He casually glanced at that furry back figure once, then leisurely followed the group’s pace.
For some reason, as he walked, his steps began to drift toward where Song Yuhan was standing… By the time he realized it, he was already standing right behind her.
Looking at this much shorter female classmate in front of him, Lu Sifang’s usually disdainful eyes unexpectedly showed a trace of curiosity.
The little bear on her white woolen hat was so vivid it seemed to follow his gaze.
He was so absorbed in looking that he didn’t realize his every move as a prominent figure in Yunsheng was extremely noticeable.
“Do the little tyrant and the academic star know each other?”
“Haven’t heard of it!”
“How did these two extremes even get together?”
At that moment, a cold wind blew, fluff on the hat was blown all to one side, and even the little bear on it looked like it was puffing its fur up. Lu Sifang, who had just noticed this change, couldn’t help but laugh softly.
Hearing the laughter behind her, Song Yuhan suddenly turned around. Before Lu Sifang could hide his smile, their eyes met—clear and shining.
At that moment, the shutter of the group photo clicked, forever freezing this moment in their youthful memories.
Song Yuhan looked at the handsome young man laughing so happily before her, not understanding why he was laughing, only feeling that his rebellious and wild face looked surprisingly bright and pleasant when smiling…
Maybe realizing she had been staring at him for a long time, Song Yuhan felt a bit shy… To cover up, she said nothing and quickly turned back, quietly calming the small ripples rising in her heart, her expression remaining as calm as usual.
Nearby classmates quietly exclaimed again, “She can face the little tyrant without changing her expression, so impressive!”
Lu Sifang, however, just raised his left eyebrow indifferently, his smirk growing even more defiant.
Clearly, she was just a little rabbit pretending to be fierce…
Thus, the group streamed into the astronomy museum in a grand manner. The teacher thoughtfully arranged a guide to explain various astronomy knowledge to them.
While listening, Song Yuhan suddenly took out her light purple notebook from her backpack and started writing and drawing on it with great seriousness.
Originally, other classmates were still lazy and scattered, but seeing this, they gradually began taking notes one by one, following her example.
The leading teacher felt very gratified, his gaze toward Song Yuhan brightening instantly, as if seeing a rising new hope for the future.
Lu Sifang stood empty-handed, indifferent amidst the crowd of bowed heads, which inexplicably stirred a vague anger in people.
The leading teacher kindly toured around, but when his gaze fell on that particularly outstanding tall figure, he suddenly stopped, then closed his eyes and deliberately glanced past him…
Lu Sifang didn’t care what others thought; his eyes unconsciously were drawn to that focused furry figure.
“Everyone knows, the universe we live in is a very romantic existence. Today, each star we learn about here has its own unique history and story.” Seeing more and more students focusing and studying seriously, the guide’s explanation became even more passionate and vivid:
“Next, I will explain one of the universe’s love poems—the ‘Rosette Nebula.’ It is an emission nebula located in the constellation Monoceros. Due to its bright red color and shape resembling a blooming rose, it got this name…”
Looking at the girl who was seriously writing each stroke with great detail, Lu Sifang suddenly tilted his head to glance at the nearby display of the Rosette Nebula. Each star map in the museum was shown on dedicated screens, with excellent color reproduction.
At that moment, the brilliant red nebula reflected in Song Yuhan’s eyes, merging with her gaze, sparkling with gentle brilliance—stunningly beautiful.
He was somewhat fascinated, never expecting that casually signing up for a few courses would bring such a gain.
Normally, he never memorized star names; he didn’t even know his own zodiac sign. But this Rosette Nebula stuck in his mind for a long time, as if that single glance had deeply etched everything related to it in his heart.
Unintentionally setting a rhythm, Song Yuhan was unaware of everything, simply focused on writing in her notebook, where she had just jotted down a small note: “To-eat list: Crab roe noodles.”
Looking up, she found everyone around her seriously listening, and suddenly felt guilty. She then carefully observed the Rosette Nebula in front of her.
From her perspective, rather than seeing it as a shyly blooming rose, she thought it looked more like a huge red heart beating intensely in the vast universe, with surrounding starlight like signals it emitted—though the universe is infinite, it still chose to burn itself, waiting for a response from a soulmate deep in the cosmos.
Lonely and splendid, like a grand feast with no guests attending.
She wrote these words in her notebook, planning to share them with Zhou Su after class.
Soon, it was lunchtime. Because it was an extracurricular activity, the school allowed them to choose their own meals, giving each a one and a half hour lunch break, with a strict time to return to the museum entrance for roll call.
Hearing this, Song Yuhan’s previously lowered eyes suddenly widened, filled with anticipation, sparkling brightly under the sunlight, attracting attention.
Lu Sifang stood not far away, arms folded, watching her. Seeing her expression change, a faint smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth.
What kind of food could make her look like that?… Carrots?
Driven by curiosity, after dismissal, he quietly followed Song Yuhan’s steps. But halfway, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Because he was much taller than his peers, the person barely reached his shoulder and the hand naturally slid down.
He glanced sideways at the shoulder being tapped and frowned when he saw who it was.
“Brother Fang, let’s go! Let’s have a good meal together!” It was the ‘Rebel’ boy who had just tried to interrupt Song Yuhan. His expression was ingratiating, as if he had completely forgotten what just happened.
Three or four boys followed behind, not daring to come close and just waiting to see what happened.
“He’s really bold. Just now he almost got beaten by the little tyrant, and he still dares to invite him to eat?”
“The importance of thick skin.”
“I bet fifty cents the little tyrant won’t agree.”
“Add one more.”
Lu Sifang just flicked the dust off his shoulder and unusually politely asked, “Are you familiar with this area?”
The ‘Rebel’ boy laughed arrogantly and patted his chest, “Of course, I live right around here.”
“What good food is nearby? Especially… crab roe noodles.”
“Hehe, you’ve asked the right person!” Then, the ‘Rebel’ boy proudly listed all the good food from one street corner to another.
Lu Sifang listened carefully, then good-naturedly patted his shoulder, “Thanks.”
After that, he jumped on his skateboard and sped up to catch the furry figure ahead.
After he left, those boys gathered together, all showing gossipy expressions as they looked after the departing figure.
“I told you, the little tyrant definitely won’t agree! Your apology plan’s ruined.”
The ‘Rebel’ boy grinned mischievously, waved his hand, “You don’t understand. This is a flanking tactic. Now I guarantee Brother Fang has forgiven me! You can eat in peace!”
“What do you mean by ‘we’… just you.”
Song Yuhan arrived in front of the noodle shop she had been longing for but was stunned for a long while when she saw the door was tightly shut.
Just as she was unsure what to do, someone spoke to her: “Little student, do you want to eat crab roe noodles?”
She turned around and saw a plain vegetable-selling aunt smiling at her. Though she was puzzled about how the lady knew, she didn’t ask and nodded shyly.
“There’s a crab roe noodle shop just after the left turn up ahead! Very delicious!” The aunt pointed out enthusiastically, though her eyes glinted oddly.
Song Yuhan silently thanked her and followed the direction to the noodle shop. Seeing the large signboard boldly saying “Crab Roe Noodles,” she brightened again and entered without hesitation.
Completely ignoring the figure sitting upright in the corner.
After ordering, Song Yuhan turned her head and realized the shop was full, with only one seat left in the corner…
Seeing Song Yuhan’s gaze fixedly looking at him, Lu Sifang’s back stiffened and his movements suddenly slowed. He didn’t even notice that the steaming crab roe noodles in front of him had already clumped together.
“If you eat like that… the noodles will clump and won’t taste good,” Song Yuhan stood in front of the last seat, hesitated for a moment, and reminded him.
Lu Sifang’s movements froze and he looked up, staring at Song Yuhan’s elegant brows for two seconds before quickly averting his gaze, looking somewhat awkward. “Cough, I just like eating it clumped,” he said, moving slightly closer to the wall, seemingly afraid that he took up too much space.
Song Yuhan noticed his actions, blinked twice, glanced at the hot noodles in her hands, and finally without hesitation, sat down beside Lu Sifang, just brushing past him.
Those few seconds felt unusually long to Lu Sifang.
He kept staring at the wall, listening to his heartbeat. Only after confirming she had finally sat next to him did he secretly breathe a sigh of relief, unable to help but smile faintly.
Back at the museum, he had pretended to be very interested in the Rosette Nebula and moved a couple of steps closer to Song Yuhan. Using his height advantage, he saw what she had written in her notebook, and while trying not to laugh, he grew even more curious.
What kind of person is she really…?