Let's Do Some Questions - Chapter 36

Song Man wondered what was up with young people these days, having no sense of self-awareness, actually being so arrogant as to compare themselves to pretty girls.

Deng Wei wasn’t giving up. After mopping the floor, he started wiping the blackboard, begging as he did so, in a posture so enchanting it was hard to watch.

Song Man fell into a dilemma.

He was a follower who’d been with her for so long, although there was that Magic Fairy Wand incident… Crap, Song Man remembered that part.

Forget it. He still wanted to borrow the bike? Not crushing him with the bike was good enough.

Deng Wei watched his Man Jie go from wavering to firmly refusing, not knowing what had happened, but it definitely wasn’t good. He quieted down, meek as a chicken.

Oh well, maybe he was destined to have no fate with Song Man’s wife.

Song Man watched Deng Wei finish cleaning the areas she was supposed to clean, and left the school gate with him.

“Want me to treat you to a meal?”

“No thanks, Man Jie. My mom made something good today and called me home to eat. I’ll head off first.”

Deng Wei waved, not looking too disappointed, and skipped away happily.

Song Man watched his elementary-school-like steps, feeling his joy at going home for dinner.

Speaking of Deng Wei’s mom, Song Man had met her, a woman who was gentle yet strong.

Deng Wei’s family was single-parent, with only his mother raising him and his sister. Because his mother was busy with work, Deng Wei became a poor student, not studying well. When Song Man transferred to this school, Deng Wei was still sleeping in class every day and going to internet cafes after school, a complete internet addict.

Song Man wasn’t close to him originally, after all, she didn’t take followers who only knew how to play games. But that one time, she happened to be playing a game at an internet cafe when she saw Deng Wei’s mom catching him. Deng Wei’s mom just stood behind him, not calling out to him, waiting until Deng Wei finished his game before speaking.

Song Man thought she was going to scold him, but instead, she said, “With your skills, you still want to play professionally in the future? Look at the girl next to you, she’s much better than you.”

After saying that, she left without bothering with her son anymore.

Song Man was inexplicably called out, and then Deng Wei wanted to battle her. He got crushed, and finally, Deng Wei was completely convinced and called her “Jie”. Later, he found out Song Man was in the same class as him and followed her everywhere, pestering her to play games.

Song Man didn’t have that much time, busy conquering Qingcheng No. 1 High. She felt she didn’t need Deng Wei and didn’t plan to take him as a follower. But when Deng Wei saw Song Man looked down on him as a follower, he instead started actively training his physical strength and gathering information, unleashing his talkative nature and turning from an internet addict into a “social butterfly”. After Deng Wei’s mom discovered her son’s change, she even invited Song Man over for a meal. Deng Wei’s mom was an excellent cook of Jiangnan and Zhejiang cuisine, and Song Man ate to her heart’s content. So, thanks to his mom, Deng Wei became Song Man’s chief follower.

Song Man didn’t look away until Deng Wei’s back was out of sight.

She didn’t lend Deng Wei her bike, not because their relationship wasn’t close enough, nor because she didn’t want her “wife” to be borrowed, but more because she was afraid of something happening. After all, motorcycles are hard to control, and Deng Wei wasn’t familiar with the bike. If something happened, losing the bike would be a small matter, but losing a person would be the end.

Song Man walked towards the gate, didn’t see the driver’s car, and took out her phone to ask. She found the driver had messaged her half an hour ago, saying he had to pick up her mom to attend a meeting elsewhere.

Song Man looked at her phone screen, walking slowly forward.

The driver wasn’t coming, she was too lazy to go home for dinner, and Chu Fengqiu wasn’t around. Where should she go?

Song Man thought for a moment, maybe she should find Ailan for a meal and ask how her parents were doing.

Song Man felt Ailan was truly miserable. Her family favored sons over daughters, she was bullied at home in various ways, finally couldn’t stand it and came out to work, sending money home regularly. Yet, her parents still “sold” her to someone. This kind of feudal remnant always made Song Man feel a bit sad, because their family was different from others.

Thinking of her own home, she thought of Song Qinglan, and felt a bit annoyed again.

Logically, they were bl00d-related sisters. Song Man used to treat Song Qinglan as her older sister, but it was precisely because she treated Song Qinglan as her older sister that she couldn’t stand that disparity. She once viewed Song Qinglan as an enemy, but then she would remember Song Qinglan’s kindness. The mixed feelings of dependence, affection, resentment, and grievance towards Song Qinglan always appeared intertwined, so she always avoided Song Qinglan, not wanting to bother herself.

Song Man knew she was avoiding it, but what else could she do if she didn’t avoid it?

This kind of thing was inherently complicated and hard to untangle. Their bl00d ties destined that things couldn’t be so simple.

Song Man scratched her head at this mess, told herself to stay calm, and walked along the road with her phone.

Song Man was still thinking about where to eat something good for lunch when she passed a few people. After walking a couple of steps, she felt something was off. One of them seemed a bit familiar.

Song Man turned back to look. Three boys had a relatively thin and small boy sandwiched between them, with their arms around his shoulders as if they were carrying him along, a standard posture for collecting protection money.

That thin and small boy in the middle seemed to be from their class. That time the Chinese teacher and Math teacher asked who got the multiple-choice questions right, that boy seemed to have raised his hand with her and Chu Fengqiu both times.

What was his name… Song Man hadn’t paid much attention, she didn’t remember. She wasn’t someone who liked to meddle, but it was clear her classmate was being bullied right now. Song Man put away her phone and walked over.

When Fan Ya’s shoulder was grabbed, she was already prepared to be bullied. She followed along with almost no resistance, listening silently to the laughing threats from the people next to her, until she saw someone walking towards her.

She knew her. The classmates said she was very capable. Fan Ya immediately cast a pleading look, but the girl seemed not to have seen it and walked right past.

Fan Ya was a bit disappointed, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head, continuing to be pulled forward, until she heard a clear voice.

“Hey, what are you guys doing?”

Song Man directly called out to the boys in front. They turned around and whistled when they saw Song Man.

Song Man hadn’t seen them before. They might be from the first or third year, or maybe not from their school. They weren’t wearing school uniforms, so there was an eighty percent chance they weren’t from No. 1 High.

Fan Ya suddenly looked up, blinking desperately at Song Man.

Song Man was amused by her appearance. So this person knew how to ask for help? With that look just now, she thought he was ready to die.

“We’re just chatting, brothers. What, you want to join?” One of the guys grabbing Fan Ya’s arm grinned maliciously at Song Man.

“Sure, let’s chat.”

Song Man walked over, and before the guys could react, she grabbed one of their arms and twisted it hard. After pulling away, she kicked the back of another boy’s knee.

Those guys just looked strong; their moves were full of holes in Song Man’s eyes. In less than ten minutes, Song Man had all three of them sprawled on the ground. Passersby nearby had long since moved far away.

“Didn’t you bother to ask around? Who’s covering No. 1 High? You dare cause trouble here?” Song Man dusted off her hands as if removing non-existent dirt, looking at the guys lying on the ground with disdain.

Song Man swore that if these three dared to utter any words about the “Magic Fairy Wand,” she could beat them for another ten minutes.

Fortunately, those guys didn’t know what was going on. They got up, said a harsh word, and quickly ran away.

“Thank you.”

Fan Ya pushed up her glasses, which were sliding down her face, and thanked her in a low voice.

“Next time, stand up for yourself a bit. You’re a guy, after all, why are you so timid? If you can’t fight back, why didn’t you yell for help? If I hadn’t remembered you, you would have been miserable today.” Song Man looked Fan Ya up and down carefully. She looked short, shorter than her, with glasses covering most of her face. Her voice was thin and small, a bit hoarse, so it sounded somewhat androgynous. If it weren’t for her overly short hair, she would have thought she was a girl.

“I… I’m a girl.”

Fan Ya’s voice got even smaller, her head lowered as much as possible.

“Ah? Sorry, I misjudged.” Song Man looked at Fan Ya again with her correct gender in mind. It seemed that was the case. Compared to boys, she was more slender and delicate, and her skin was fair. She really hadn’t noticed just now.

“It’s okay, you’re not the first one to mistake me.”

Fan Ya replied softly. For example, the guys just now thought she was a boy and had asked for protection money several times.

“Anyway, whether you’re a boy or a girl, try to walk in crowded places. If they bother you again, let me know.” Song Man was the Top Dog of No. 1 High, after all. How could she let people bully students from their school, or even her class, so easily? What kind of Top Dog would she be without this much protective ability?

“Okay, thank you.”

Fan Ya thanked her a bit stutteringly, watching Song Man wave at her, every gesture having a captivating charm.

Song Man hailed a taxi. After getting in, she didn’t look back, treating the incident as a minor interlude and quickly putting it out of her mind.

Song Man found Ailan, who was at home, which surprised Song Man.

“Why aren’t you at the salon today?”

Song Man changed her shoes and closed Ailan’s door.

“I quit.”

Ailan touched her hair and smiled at Song Man.

“Huh, why did you dye your hair back to black?”

Song Man was about to ask why she quit, but was distracted by Ailan’s action and noticed the change in Ailan’s hair color.

“Yeah, I felt green didn’t look good anymore.”

“Is that so? I think both suited you. Oh right, I haven’t asked why you quit yet.”

“Those two people know that place, so to avoid any unnecessary trouble later, I decided not to go anymore. Besides, my colleagues seemed to know something too. They didn’t say anything openly, but they were pointing and whispering behind my back. It’s better to just avoid seeing them and not be bothered. Anyway, Qingcheng is so big, it’s easy to find a job.” Ailan washed her hands and started preparing ingredients on the cutting board.

“What kind of work are you planning to do next?”

“I haven’t decided yet, maybe somewhere near your school. That way it’ll be easier for you to find me later.” Ailan washed the pork ribs and put ginger slices in them.

She had been thinking this for a long time. If she worked near Song Man’s school, it would be more convenient to meet and cook for Song Man.

Song Man looked at Ailan’s busy back in the kitchen and frowned slightly.

“What about later?”

“What later?”

“When I go to university.”

“Then I’ll go with you. Anyway, I don’t have anything to miss here.” Ailan’s voice was light, she said it without hesitation.

“Ailan,” Song Man called out, “You should have your own life.”

“I do.”

Ailan didn’t turn around, still facing away from Song Man.

“What if I go abroad?”

Song Man, who had been sitting loosely, sat up straight to ask Ailan.

“Man Jie, do you not want me anymore?”

Ailan turned around, asking casually, but her smile was a bit forced.

“Ailan, we both need to have our own lives.”

“I don’t mean to interfere with your life.”

Ailan quickly shook her head.

“If you think I’m a bit annoying, it’s okay to find me in a couple of days. We don’t always stay together anyway.” Ailan turned on the gas, watching the pale blue flame light up and then be enveloped by red flames.

“Ailan, you know that’s not what I mean.”

“Okay, okay, Man Jie, I know. I’m older than you, I understand these things. Let’s not talk about it anymore, I’ll continue cooking.” Ailan interrupted the topic and started chopping vegetables on the cutting board, the sounds making it impossible to speak again.

Song Man could only sit on the chair, taking out her phone to browse.

She wondered if she was being too sensitive, or if it was because of the Lingnan incident.

Lingnan was clearly pathologically dependent on the person she liked. Song Man always felt that Ailan taking care of her like this was also a bit strange.

Song Man shook her head, shaking off the scary thought, but still unconsciously frowned as she scrolled through online news.

Her phone chimed. Song Man took a look; it was a QQ message from Chu Fengqiu.

【Chu Fengqiu】: [Image]

【Chu Fengqiu】: I think you’ll like eating this.

The image was of honey-glazed lotus root, the lotus root was tender and white, with glutinous rice stuffed in the middle, making Song Man’s mouth water.

【Song Man】: Wow, you’re so mean, actually tempting me with delicious food.

【Chu Fengqiu】: Haven’t you had lunch yet?

【Song Man】: Not yet, it’s not cooked yet.

Song Man glanced at Ailan, sighing quietly in her heart. Next time, she should try not to trouble Ailan so much. Since they were friends, she hoped the other person could get better and better. Regardless of whether she was being overly suspicious, she hoped Ailan could live well.

【Chu Fengqiu】: Not cooked yet? I’m heading back soon, I’ll pack a portion for you to eat later.

【Song Man】: Huh? You guys are done already? That meal was too short, wasn’t it?

Chu Fengqiu looked up, watching the woman chatting happily with her father, then shifted her gaze back to her phone.

【Chu Fengqiu】: Yeah, not important people.

Chu Fengqiu felt that instead of sitting here wasting time eating a meal, it would be better to go back and play games with Song Man.

【Song Man】: Okay, I’ll save some room after I eat and come find you when I get back.

【Chu Fengqiu】: Okay.

Song Man closed the chat window, humming softly as she continued to browse the web, not noticing that her previous annoyance had completely disappeared.