PCJ – Chapter 513 Those Matters

After hearing what Zhang Jiaohua said, Han Qiulong grew increasingly fearful. Zhang spoke logically and convincingly—it didn’t sound like he was just trying to scare people. So Han Qiulong felt a strong urge to burn those strange and possibly cursed items in his possession.

Just then, Huang Liting came over to ask him about the items, and Han Qiulong simply handed them over.

“President Huang, a classmate of ours said these items might be dangerous. Should we be more careful with them?” Han Qiulong couldn’t help but offer a reminder.

Huang Liting sneered dismissively, “Was it that Zhang Jiaohua again? Wasn’t he the one who said something bad would happen when we visited the haunted house last time? But look, we’re all perfectly fine. He’s probably just embarrassed that nothing happened and is trying to scare you with some made-up story. I’ve seen people like him before.”

Han Qiulong thought what Huang Liting said made sense. Maybe Zhang Jiaohua really was just trying to scare him. So he didn’t dwell on it anymore. Still, since Zhang hadn’t really done anything wrong, Han didn’t feel the need to confront him.

The next day, Han Qiulong went to Zhang Jiaohua’s desk.

“Zhang, I spoke to our president and gave him all those items. He said they were just props left over from when the film company took over the haunted house. Nothing to worry about,” Han explained.

Zhang Jiaohua nodded. “As long as it’s fine.”

Zhang didn’t seem to care much about Han’s choice. Whether to speak or not was up to him; whether others believed him or not was up to them. As classmates, if something had happened and he hadn’t warned Han, he’d feel guilty. But now that he had said something, if Han chose not to believe him, then he had a clear conscience. That was enough.

“Do you really think something will happen?” Han asked, a little uncertain after seeing Zhang’s calm attitude.

“If you believe, then yes. If you don’t, then no,” Zhang replied cryptically.

Han suddenly remembered what Huang Liting had said again and thought maybe Zhang was just putting on a mysterious act to spook people. As a firm materialist, how could he let someone scare him with just a few vague words?

Just then, Zheng Wendong came running over and clapped Zhang on the shoulder. “Jiaohua, our basketball team has training this afternoon. Hope you can join us. The class tournament is coming up soon. As part of the class, we all have a responsibility to contribute, right?”

Seeing Zhang a little hesitant, Zheng Wendong quickly added with a smile, “If you’ve got any family issues or difficulties, just let us know. We’ve got some connections in Beijing—I’ll do my best to help you out.”

Xu Chuan’an, another basketball team member, came over as well and chimed in, “Zhang Jiaohua, it’s not that we lack players on the team. We just hope everyone in our class can use different activities to get to know each other better. You know the three ‘irons’ of life: comrades-in-arms, classmates, and cellmates—classmates are one of them. No matter where we go in life, classmates will always be classmates, right?”

With all that said, Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t really refuse, so he agreed.

Zheng Wendong and Xu Chuan’an were thrilled and high-fived each other when Zhang agreed.

Then Xu Xiaoting walked over and said, “I’ll come watch you guys play this afternoon.”

Everyone in class seemed to understand what was going on—except Zhang Jiaohua. At this point, everyone else already saw Zhang Jiaohua and Xu Xiaoting as a couple. Whenever Zhang participated in something, Xu Xiaoting was always right there. If he didn’t join, she had zero interest. She had initially joined the literature club, but when Zhang didn’t join, she quit right away, leaving the literature club sighing in disappointment. Several others who joined because of her were also left speechless.

Zheng Wendong immediately said, “You’re more than welcome! We could use a cheerleading squad. How about being the cheer captain, Xu Xiaoting?”

Xu Xiaoting shook her head. “Unless Zhang Jiaohua becomes the captain of your basketball team, that might be worth it.”

Whoa, was she trying to take his spot? Zheng Wendong was momentarily speechless.

Xu Chuan’an quickly stepped in, “Let’s not put Wendong in a tough spot. On our team, the captain is chosen based on skill. If Zhang is better than Wendong, Wendong would naturally step aside. Otherwise, even if he were named captain, the team wouldn’t accept it.”

Xu Xiaoting glanced at Zhang Jiaohua. She was worried that if she really became cheer captain, he might just skip the team altogether.

“I’m not going to be captain,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

Xu Chuan’an scratched his head and gave an awkward smile. This guy still didn’t get what he meant—had he not been obvious enough?

“Then I won’t be the cheerleading captain either,” Xu Xiaoting added right after.

“Well, alright then. See you on the court this afternoon. Miss Xu the Beauty, you better come to the court. If you’re there, the popularity of our Class One basketball team will skyrocket,” Zheng Wendong said with a grin.

Xu Xiaoting rolled her eyes at Zheng Wendong in dramatic fashion, then turned back to Zhang Jiaohua with a bright smile. “Zhang Jiaohua, see you on the court this afternoon.”

The difference in attitude was stark. Only a high-IQ beauty like her could switch expressions so seamlessly, like flipping through a pack of emoji.

Zhang Jiaohua could feel her warmth toward him. Having a beautiful girl who looked like a fairy fixate on him like that made him feel quite good inside, although he was a little nervous and unsure of how to respond. He felt torn—part of him wanted to reciprocate, and part of him wanted to run.

Zheng Wendong teased, “Xu Xiaoting, we’re all classmates here—why are you so sweet to Zhang Jiaohua, but so blunt with the rest of us?”

The moment he said that, the entire class—especially the boys—joined in:

“Yeah, she should treat everyone equally!”

“This is totally unfair!”

…

“You see? Everyone’s got something to say,” Zheng Wendong said playfully to Xu Xiaoting.

But no one was really upset; they were just trying to tease her and make things a little awkward.

Yet Xu Xiaoting didn’t feel the least bit awkward. As a girl, she didn’t need to argue logically. “I like it—what’s it to you?”

“Do you mean you like Zhang Jiaohua? Or you just like treating the other boys in class this way?” Zheng Wendong caught the ambiguity in her words and jumped on the opportunity.

“I like Zhang Jiaohua. What’s it to you?” Xu Xiaoting’s face turned slightly red, but she steeled herself and took the chance to confess her feelings outright. Don’t think she was being naive—she was actually quite smart. Zhang Jiaohua had excellent grades, good looks, and might even be a bit smarter than her. For a highly intelligent girl like her, a guy like that was a rare catch. Lots of girls, both in and outside the class, were eyeing him. If she didn’t stake her claim now, she might regret it later. Sure, it was a little embarrassing in the moment, but it gave her a powerful advantage.

The entire class burst into excited chatter.

“Zhang Jiaohua, she just confessed to you! Aren’t you going to say anything?” Zheng Wendong asked.

Everyone immediately turned their eyes to Zhang Jiaohua. Xu Xiaoting was also looking at him, hopeful. Even though her confession had sounded casual, she meant every word and really hoped Zhang would respond.

“What are you all doing? I could hear you shouting from all the way down the hall. Ahem. Some things you’re discussing are a bit premature. These three years of high school may seem long, but they’ll fly by in no time. If you spend your time on distractions, you’ll soon regret it. So I hope everyone will prioritize their studies,” said Wei Yunlong, their homeroom teacher, who had been eavesdropping from outside the door and heard everything going on. In his heart, he honestly thought Zhang Jiaohua and Xu Xiaoting were a perfect match. But as a teacher, he had no choice but to stomp out any early signs of romance in the class.

Wei Yunlong’s sudden appearance gave Zhang Jiaohua an out. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have known what to do.

Wei Yunlong called both Zhang Jiaohua and Xu Xiaoting outside for a talk.

“Zhang Jiaohua, Xu Xiaoting is indeed a very smart and beautiful girl. It’s perfectly normal for you two to feel attracted to each other. But you’re both still young and might not understand the responsibilities that come with a sincere relationship. I hope you can handle your feelings maturely and prioritize your studies above all else,” Wei Yunlong said earnestly.

In truth, Wei Yunlong was quite curious—did Zhang Jiaohua actually like Xu Xiaoting? A guy like him had high standards; it wasn’t even certain whether he’d be interested. But Xu Xiaoting’s feelings for Zhang were clear to anyone with eyes. If Zhang gave her even a little encouragement, their relationship might quickly become a big headache for Wei Yunlong. After all, they were the top two students in the class—if they started dating, that would be quite a scandal.

“Darn college entrance exam,” Wei Yunlong couldn’t help but curse in his heart. How many pure, genuine high school loves had been crushed by the pressure of the exam system? He thought back to his own first love in high school.

“Mr. Wei, Xu Xiaoting and I are just ordinary classmates,” Zhang Jiaohua said, noticing the teacher had spaced out.

“Ah, yes. Well, I still hope you’ll handle your relationships with classmates appropriately,” Wei Yunlong replied.

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. What did that mean exactly? Was he supposed to take his relationship with Xu Xiaoting one step further? Would that really be okay?

Xu Xiaoting had also been called out for a talk, but clearly, the “thought work” hadn’t been very effective. When she came back into the classroom, she still had a bright smile on her face and winked at Zhang Jiaohua. Her pure charm and elegance were enough to make many boys and girls jealous.