Winter Time Rendering

Chapter 15: Chapter 4: The Goal is to Become a Pokémon Master

Their class was split into two factions: Lu Qinglian’s and Gu Qiuyan’s. The former was large and powerful, while the latter’s supporters, though they existed, had to act casual, always speaking of her with caution, terrified of their feelings being exposed.

The seat next to Gu Qiuyan was often a lucky break for the boys who had a crush on her.

She knew this herself, and sometimes it was incredibly annoying. But it wasn’t entirely the boys’ fault.

She loved snacks and kept a special pocket in her backpack just for them. She didn’t just eat them herself; she also "fed" her loyal followers.

One time, Du Kang lost a game of Truth or Dare. With a miserable look on his face, he was goaded by Ruoping into asking Gu Qiuyan for a snack. Everyone else was trying to stifle their laughter, but to their surprise, she simply nodded and agreed.

Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as she dumped a pile of snacks out of her bag and absentmindedly told Du Kang to take whatever he wanted.

Most of the time, however, if she’d brought too many snacks or had some she didn’t feel like eating, she would casually share a few with her deskmate.

She was quite generous, but it was a classic case of the giver having no special intention, while the receiver read into it.

At that age, if a girl so much as glanced their way, boys would start to wonder if she liked them. So naturally, being given snacks made them feel incredibly flattered.

But one poor sap got a little too carried away.

The boy was Gu Qiuyan’s deskmate at the time. He had just been gifted a few wafer cookies and was loudly chomping on them as he bragged, scattering crumbs from the back row all the way to the teacher’s desk.

Then, in a moment of foolishness, the guy decided his relationship with Miss Gu was intimate enough to move beyond "superficial" topics. And so, he told her a dirty joke.

It was probably a crude joke about a girl’s body, the kind boys usually only told amongst themselves. As for telling it to girls they were close with... well, it really depended on just how close they were.

But who could have predicted he’d be so brazen? He actually made Gu Qiuyan herself the subject of the joke.

He finished with a sleazy chuckle, but Gu Qiuyan’s expression instantly turned to ice. She slammed his pencil case to the ground.

"Say that again?"

The boy was put in an awkward spot where he couldn’t back down. It was the age where saving face meant everything, and besides, he’d just been bragging about how close they were. Stubbornly, he stuck his neck out and repeated the joke loudly. Finally, he added resentfully:

"What’s wrong with you? It was just a joke!"

Gu Qiuyan didn’t even look at him, just walked away.

The next period, the boy was called out of the room. What followed was a public reprimand and a suspension for several days. When he finally returned, he had been transferred to another class.

It was then that everyone gained a deeper appreciation for who Miss Gu really was. Before, they’d all felt like she was in a different world from them, one that never intersected with their own.

But the truth was, she couldn’t be bothered to interact with them. If you actually tried to cross her, it was like an egg hitting a rock—your own little world would instantly shatter into pieces, like wafer crumbs. After that incident, terrifying rumors about her family started circulating in the class, some of them truly malicious.

Who knows if she was aware of them. Probably not, since no one would have told her.

But even if she did know, she radiated an ’I don’t give a damn about anyone else’ kind of vibe. It never affected her day-to-day routine of classes. Occasionally, when she was in a good mood, she’d draw a funny face on the windowpane.

And now, he was the one sitting next to that funny face.

Zhang Shutong finally understood where those surprised gazes came from.

Gu Qiuyan was that kind of person—a rose with thorns. If you didn’t bother her, she couldn’t be bothered with you.

But if you were unlucky enough to get on her bad side, well, then you’d have to talk about our school’s distinguished alumnus, the donor of the library and the sports field, the super-rich tycoon who owns an island, the father of Miss Gu herself—Gu Jianhong.

In any case, Zhang Shutong knew he couldn’t afford to cross that many people.

’Come to think of it, where did I sit back then?’

’Probably in front of Lu Qinglian; I must have intentionally avoided this spot.’

Who would have thought that after coming back, a single small change in thought could, like the flap of a butterfly’s wings, alter the past as well.

’It’s not too late to change seats...’ he thought.

’If I’m calculating the time right, "that incident" must have just happened.’

’He vaguely recalled their relationship being at a freezing point right now.’

But before he could make a move, the homeroom teacher’s voice rang out again. Speak of the devil.

"Next, Gu Qiuyan."

Little leather boots went CLACK-CLACK-CLACK across the floor.

Then, a pair of spirited, beautiful eyes glared in his direction.