I can still salvage it chapter 36
Christmas
Shen Mian did poorly on the English test, but he managed to make up for it with the monthly exam. After the exam, he went through the answers with Pei Zhiyi and felt that he did pretty well.
It happened to be Christmas on the day of their monthly exam. During dinner, they saw a small Christmas tree outside the hotel entrance, with little lights hanging under the eaves, creating a festive atmosphere. Many young couples took the opportunity, when the teachers weren’t watching, to openly hold hands in the restaurant.
Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi didn’t hold hands. At times like that, Shen Mian felt that both of them being boys made it inconvenient to show affection openly. They had to keep their displays of affection hidden.
When they returned to the classroom, the school tradition was not to assign homework on exam days, allowing the students to relax. A group of them took advantage of the self-study period to watch a movie in the classroom.
They watched an old movie, “Love Actually,” which perfectly matched the Christmas theme.
With no teacher watching and since teacher Ding wasn’t there, everyone chatted while watching the movie. Snacks like melon seeds were spread out on the tables, and the classroom was buzzing with noise, just a little quieter than a market.
The class monitor had just gone out to buy Christmas apples for everyone and returned to distribute them. As a result, there was a cracking sound throughout the classroom as everyone bit into their apples, revealing rows of white teeth.
Shen Mian had no interest in watching the movie on the screen. He savored the gossip happening in front of him.
Just now, Xu Jing came to give Mu Lingling a Christmas gift. Despite being over 180 cm tall, he appeared noticeably short in front of the petite Mu Lingling. He awkwardly tossed the gift to her like throwing a bomb and quickly turned around, unable to face her.
Shen Mian was amazed by what he saw.
He thought he himself was quite shy, but he didn’t expect there to be someone even more shy than him. Xu Jing was even more hesitant when it came to love.
But Xu Jing was still his brother. Shen Mian couldn’t judge him just because his own love life was going smoothly.
Shen Mian handed two pieces of chocolate to Mu Lingling, considering it a bribe, and indirectly supported Xu Jing, “What do you really think about Xu Jing? Just give him a clear answer. Look at how he’s so nervous whenever he’s around you, like a pitiful little puppy.”
Mu Lingling almost spat out the chocolate she was about to eat. She glanced at Xu Jing, who was tall and burly, and found it hard to connect him with the words “little puppy.”
She lovingly patted Shen Mian’s head, “You’re so young, but how are you so blind?”
Shen Mian remained unwavering and continued to press for an answer, “Don’t change the subject. Tell me, if you really don’t like him, give him a straight answer and don’t let him have false hopes.”
In fact, Shen Mian felt that Mu Lingling was interested in Xu Jing; otherwise, she wouldn’t allow him to be around her so often.
But why weren’t those two making any substantial progress? It was driving him crazy.
Mu Lingling slowly unwrapped the Christmas gift box while holding the chocolate in her mouth.
The gift box was dark green with a red bow. Inside the box were a pretty scarf and gloves, which happened to be useful for such cold days.
Shen Mian spared no effort in praising Xu Jing, “Look at this gift, it’s so thoughtful. I can’t believe he has such an aesthetic taste.”
Mu Lingling also found the gift thoughtful.
Her gaze glanced at the foolish guy next to her, and she answered Shen Mian’s question, “As you’ve said he gave me a gift, and is always hovering around me. So why doesn’t he confess?”
She was also puzzled, suspecting that Xu Jing was genuinely clueless.
She had practically given him clear hints, almost to the point of being explicit. But that fool just hesitated and hesitated, refusing to speak up, making her competitive spirit emerge. It then became a matter of who would confess first.
Shen Mian immediately understood. With his hand hidden under the table, he quickly wrote a message and sent it to Xu Jing.
Mu Lingling also knew that he was secretly informing Xu Jing, but she wasn’t annoyed. Instead, she felt a sense of relief.
Perhaps in a good mood, Mu Lingling also gossiped with Shen Mian, “You, single dog, why are you so concerned about Xu Jing? You rejected Lu Yue before, and I thought you had someone you liked. But a month has passed, and there’s been no news.”
Shen Mian didn’t even lift his head. “Who says I don’t have a….. I don’t have anyone.”
He almost slipped up and said “boyfriend” instead.
As soon as he said that, Pei Zhiyi, who was reading a magazine beside him, glanced at him casually.
Shen Mian didn’t notice and continued to gossip with Mu Lingling, “My partner is good-looking and has a good nature. They treat me even better. No one can compete with that.”
Mu Lingling was shocked. “Is it true?”
She hadn’t noticed Shen Mian getting close to any girl recently.
Shen Mian didn’t hesitate. “Of course it’s true.”
Her gaze swept across the class and she asked Shen Mian, “Is it someone from our school or from another school?”
Shen Mian hesitated and didn’t say.
If he said it was someone from their school, it would be too easy to expose himself.
He vaguely replied, “Stop prying. My partner is shy. What if you scare them away?”
The person he referred to as “shy” turned a page in the magazine and glanced at him.
After saying that, Shen Mian felt a little embarrassed. After all, his partner was right there, listening.
With fair skin and a thin face, his neck turned red in no time. He looked at Mu Lingling somewhat scared, as if afraid she would ask further.
Mu Lingling had to swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.
She couldn’t help but glance at Pei Zhiyi for some reason. She always suspected that if Shen Mian started dating someone, Pei Zhiyi wouldn’t be too happy.
That wasn’t just her imagination. Pei Zhiyi had always been possessive with Shen Mian and now that he was seeing someone, would Pei Zhiyi really be pleased?
She lowered her voice and asked Shen Mian, “Does your brother Pei know who your partner is?”
Shen Mian pursed his lips and couldn’t help but smile.
“Of course, he knows, and he’s met them.”
They saw each other in the mirror every day.
Mu Lingling took a deep breath, turned her head, and immediately messaged Xu Qian, telling her that her CP (couple pairing) had fallen apart.
“It’s over. Not only does Pei Zhiyi have a partner, but Shen Mian does too. And Shen Mian’s partner is even approved by Brother Pei. Looks like it’s an official match.”
Since the autumn outing, it was widely known in the class that Pei Zhiyi was no longer single after he mentioned having shared his first kiss with someone. But Shen Mian, who seemed completely clueless, had silently also entered a relationship.
Those high school boys were truly good at keeping secrets.
Mu Lingling indignantly typed on the keyboard, “It seems like I’m the last one to end my single status.”
Xu Qian quickly replied, “Shut up. I’m still all alone.”
But she struggled in desperation, “How do you know they both have girlfriends? They might be secretly dating each other.”
Mu Lingling was amazed by her friend’s stubbornness but had to cruelly wake her up.
“Just stop dreaming. Where in the world are there so many true gays, and conveniently, they happen to be a couple?”
Xu Qian’s heart sank, and she slowly sent a tearful emoji.
What kind of worldly suffering was this? Even her most genuine CP had collapsed right in front of her. Was there any true love left in the world?
If it had to collapse, she wished it would happen after she went to college. Out of sight, out of mind.
However, while they were comforting each other on their phones, the two people they were looking at were already lowering their heads, studying travel magazines, and discussing where to go during winter break.
Shen Mian rested his chin on Pei Zhiyi’s shoulder and heartlessly planned on leaving his sister out. “We definitely won’t bring Shen Yu this time. That little light bulb is bad news. We can’t go with anyone else either. What kind of date would that be?”
Pei Zhiyi smiled. “Alright, just the two of us.”
Shen Mian was satisfied. He leaned against Pei Zhiyi’s shoulder and blinked as he asked, “do we look like we’re eloping?”
Pei Zhiyi thought about it and realized it was true.
Before Pei Zhiyi could reply, Shen Mian continued to mutter to himself and added, “Eloping usually doesn’t end well, but if it’s with you, we could go to the ends of the earth together.”
Pei Zhiyi’s heart stirred.
He suspected that Shen Mian had been a little fox spirit in his past life, only revealing such seduction skills only in this life.
The classroom was still busy, and the movie on the screen was only halfway through.
But he couldn’t wait for class to be over.
On that wonderful Christmas, he had such a lovely boyfriend. It would be a shame not to bring him close and give him a kiss.
……
In the end, Pei Zhiyi couldn’t resist kissing his little boyfriend. He couldn’t help himself, although he applied a bit too much force. The next day, when Shen Mian woke up, he felt his lips slightly swollen. He didn’t dare to lift his head the whole day, afraid that someone would notice.
Christmas passed, and then came New Year’s Day.
Their school always had a New Year’s Eve party, and each class had to prepare a performance.
The previous year, their class had a large chorus, which had made them embarrassed after performing to the point of wishing they could skip class.
So this year, the cultural and entertainment committee and the class leader decided to directly recruit Shen Mian and a few girls from the dance team as the main performers.
Shen Mian was part of the music club. He could play the guitar and sing, and he had led the chorus last year.
The girls from the dance team had beautiful figures and solid skills, perfect for being backup dancers.
The class leader patted Shen Mian’s shoulder solemnly. “You’re sacrificing yourself for the greater good of everyone.”
Shen Mian didn’t want to sing. He wanted to be part of the audience, blending in with the crowd.
Being on stage was too embarrassing, and he had to wait backstage. Only a fool would agree to it.
He bit on his lollipop and was about to protest, but then his gaze shifted, and he thought of something.
He asked the class leader, “Can I sing any song?”
The class leader pondered for a moment. “You can choose any song as long as it’s not antisocial. It should be fine.”
Shen Mian understood and made a gesture signifying no problem. “Alright, then I’ll shine and make the whole class proud.”
The class leader was deeply moved, his eyes welling up with tears. He had originally thought he would have to persuade Shen Mian more, but who would have expected him to be so cooperative.
He patted Shen Mian on the back. “I’ll treat you to a meal later.”
“No need, no need ,” Shen Mian smiled. “Just make sure you make me look handsome.”
The cultural and entertainment committee member nodded vigorously. “No problem, I guarantee that you’ll mesmerize all the girls.”
Shen Mian thought to himself, “I better not. My partner would get jealous if they found out.”