This was the first time this year that we – class 2-4 – had a combined science lesson with class 2-3.
The school only had a single large laboratory, so two classes had to share the space whenever practical chemistry sessions were conducted. Of course, the students used chemistry practical lessons as an excuse to socialize.
Personally, I thought the chemistry laboratory was an optimal site for, uh, social experiments. Watching the differing elements from two classes mix together was quite intriguing. It usually ended up compounding class disputes, though.
Already, when I walked into the school's old, stinky and stuffy chemistry lab, I could see the class divide. 2-3 took up one half of the lab, leaving the other half for us. The guys in my class couldn't help staring at Shu Hong Qiu, much to the chagrin of the girls in 2-4. On the other hand, the girls in 2-3 were openly sending Gao Fu Shuai admiring gazes, which also earned them the enmity of the girls in our class. In response, several of the guys in 2-4 shot us hostile looks, warning the guys in particular to back off.
Class warfare was a very real thing, indeed.
"Are you not going to that table?" Tong Xue asked me when I followed him to a bench near the front, cocking his head to the bench at the back. I stared at him, bewildered.
"No. Why?"
"Huh? But Shen Ai Qing is there."
Shen Ai Qing, as well as her entourage, was also drawing her fair shares from the guys in 2-3. The guys in the lab couldn't believe their luck – two of the campus flowers sharing the same space. The Red Rose and the Green Carnation.
I was tempted to tell them to wake up and smell the roses, but I doubted that would help my cause.
Still, it was quite the sight. In contrast to Shu Hong Qiu's long, silky auburn hair that flowed to her waist and ruby eyes, Shen Ai Qing had tied her long verdant hair in a stylish side ponytail, complete with an expensive, brightly colored ribbon that matched her emerald eyes. If Shu Hong Qiu was proud and dignified, then Shen Ai Qing was arrogant and condescending. I didn't know how I fell for the latter before.
I guess they were right when they said love was blind. Thankfully, death had opened my eyes to the true nature of people. All hail Truck-kun for giving me the wakeup slap I sorely needed.
"Doesn't that mean there's no space in that bench?" I asked distractedly, though I understood his question. Usually, our seat placements in our actual classroom were fixed. Lab was one of the few times where we got to choose our benches. Ideally, if I really had a crush on Shen Ai Qing, I should take the opportunity to sit at the same bench as her. "At this moment, I don't feel my heart wrench."
Instead, I was more focused on Shu Hong Qiu's location. I didn't stare at her directly – I wasn't that dumb, having learned my lesson in my previous life. I didn't want to have to deal with her fans and admirers as well. In my previous life, I had crept out Shen Ai Qing and her friends, and I didn't want a repeat of that with Shu Hong Qiu.
It would make my job of protecting all the more difficult.
Hmm…
Watching her from the corner of my eye, I noted that there wasn't anything unusual. Just like when I first saw her in her classroom, I couldn't see any ghosts or weird creatures lurking around her. I wondered if her late grandfather had sent me on a wild ghost chase.
Then again, we were talking about ghosts here. They mostly come at night. Mostly.
For now, I should focus on chemistry class. I stared at the beakers. Even though I was repeating this week all over again, I remembered that this was supposed to be my first time conducting experiments here. Our first time having a class together with 2-4. My first time being so conscious of Shu Hong Qiu.
Shaking my head, I picked up a test tube and tested its contents with a swirl. Then I glanced up when our chemistry teacher, Jiao Shi, strode to the front to deliver instructions.
"Today, we'll be observing the change of coloration of iron compounds. As you know, iron (II) oxide is green. But when you add water, you'll see how the color will change to red."
"Iron (III) oxide," I muttered under my breath. "So rust inside."
"That's correct." Jiao Shi nodded. I was a studious student, which was why everyone called me a nerd. They were just hiding the fact that they were jealous that I scored better grades. He gestured to the rows of beakers and pipes before him. "And now it's your turn to replicate the experiment!"
The students got to work, but they were more interested in chatting than experimenting. Typical of teenagers. Tell them to do one thing, and they would do another. Tong Xue busied himself by telling me about the latest game he played, but I was too focused on playing around with the chemicals in front of me to pay him any attention.
Whenever I found myself bored by my friend's relentless chittering, I found that the best solution was to indulge in solutions.
The peace didn't last for long, however. I was jolted from my observations when glass shattered behind me. Loud voices rose sharply as an argument erupted between members of both classes.
"What was that for?! You broke our beakers and spilled the chemicals all over our bench!"
"I said I was sorry, didn't I? it was just an accident!"
"I don't care! Take responsibility!"
"What do you mean? I already apologized, didn't I? What more do you want?"
The altercation was occurring between Song Mu Chen and a group of guys from class 2-4 who I didn't recognize. Like I said, class disputes tended to get compounded, especially in shared laboratory sessions. The group of 2-4 guys, in particular, were clearly dissident elements. The leader stepped forward with a sneer.
"Kowtow to us three times, banging your forehead against the floor until it bleeds, and break your arm, then we will forgive you."
What in the bloody f…? Did he just say what I thought he said? I shook my head, hoping that I had misheard, but the 2-4 guys were glowering at Song Mu Chen sadistically.
Did they read too much cultivation manhua or something? Who the f demanded that people kowtow and break their arms in this day and age? In a school, no less?
I had to be hallucinating. That was the only explanation. Either that, or the moron had entered his chuunibyou phase and was roleplaying the protagonist from his favorite cultivation manhua.
"What's going on?"
Fortunately, Jiao Shi was present to keep things under control. He glanced from one party to the other with a scowl.
"'Cher! That guy broke our beakers and spilled the chemicals all over our bench!" One of the 2-4 guys pointed accusingly at Song Mu Chen, who bristled. On the other side of the lab, I sighed in dismay. These guys were literally crying over spilled chemicals.
"And I apologized!"
"It's not enough! You must kowtow to us until your forehead bleeds, and then break your arm!"
Jiao Shi smacked their heads. "What's the matter with you? Are you hoodlums from an underground triad or something? Who the hell demands that people kowtow and break an arm as an apology?"
"They are suffering a volatile reaction to a small chemical spill," I explained. Everyone – both class 2-3 and class 2-4 – turned to stare at me. I shrugged. "It happens when you combine highly combustible elements to their fill."
"Anyway," Jiao Shi said sternly, recapturing everyone's attention. "Clean up the mess."
"What? The spill isn't our fault! He should clean the mess!" The leader of the 2-4 guys jabbed a finger at Song Mu Chen.
"That's right!" Another of his friends added vehemently. "Why should we clean a mess we didn't make?"
Clearly, these guys didn't want to get their hands dirty. Frankly, they were also being very petty. Honestly, I found their attitudes caustic. Oh well, what did I expect from people so toxic?
"Fine." Fortunately, Song Mu Chen didn't argue. He nodded and went to grab a rag.
"I'll help him." I raised a hand to call Jiao Shi's attention. He gave permission with a nod, and I scurried after Song Mu Chen, who was now at the janitor's closet to grab cleaning supplies. He glanced at me in astonishment, and I shrugged. "I'm not dim."
"You don't really need to."
"It's fine. It'll take less time to clean up the mess if there's more people doing it together." Also, since my goal was to make friends, I had best start by being nice to other people. Also, I felt an acute sense of fulfilment whenever I offered help. It was simply the right thing to do.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Hang on."
To everyone's surprise, Shu Hong Qiu also raised her hand. Jiao Shi raised an eyebrow.
"What is it, Student Shu Hong Qiu?"
"I'll help out too."
"What?"
"Why?"
A chorus of stunned murmurs drifted across the lab, the students of both class 2-3 and 2-4 unable to believe their ears. The leader of the group earlier stepped forward frantically.
"Classmate Shu Hong Qiu, you don't really have to…"
"Don't talk to me."
The heiress to the Shu Conglomerate silenced the poor guy with a cold glare. He swallowed and instinctively retreated, trembling. Somehow, I was reminded of a whipped dog.
If the guy truly thought he could get close to one of the four campus flowers, then he was, well, barking up the wrong tree. The Red Rose was certainly putting her thorns on full display.
"Thank you," Song Mu Chen said, bowing his head. Shu Hong Qiu simply shook her head and reached out for a rag. I handed one to her without even realizing it.
"I'll help too!"
"Ah, me as well…"
A few guys from class 2-4 made to leave their benches, but a wintry glare from Shu Hong Qiu stopped them cold.
"There's no need for that. You missed the opportunity to volunteer long ago."
The acid dripping from her tone was as corrosive as the ones contained within the jars in the lab. Her words made it clear that she was aware of their ulterior motives. Their attempts to impress her had backfired, and she viewed them as nothing more than bootlickers.
"All right, get back to work." Jiao Shi clapped his hands loudly and gestured for everyone to return to their benches. "Leave it to the three of them. Besides, there's not enough space for so many people."
The guys from 2-4 who had tried to volunteer looked disappointed.
"Why would Shu Hong Qiu help them?"
"She's just showing off," one of the girls whispered snidely. Judging from the direction where the voice came from, she belonged to Shen Ai Qing's gang. "Appealing to the guys with her nice girl act."
"Yeah, that must be it!"
"Nah, that's not it, everyone reaps what they sow," I said as loudly as I could, drawing stares from everyone. I continued to soak up the spilled chemicals with a rag without looking back at them. "It's just that we have great chemistry, you know?"
I wasn't sure if I was seeing things, but I thought I saw the corners of Shu Hong Qiu's lips lift.
As it turned out, we had to stay back after class to continue mopping up the iron oxide solution. Jiao Shi dismissed Shu Hong Qiu, but allowed me and Song Mu Chen to stay back to clean up the rest of the mess. By now, there wasn't much left. Using a rag, I rubbed the last stains out from the old, grayish bench. Fortunately, they came off pretty easily. While I wrung the moisture out of the rag, the only other guy remaining glanced at me, the mop still in his hand.
"Sorry for causing trouble and dragging you into this." Song Mu Chen sounded apologetic, lowering his head. I shook my head.
"What are friends for? I've done this before. As fellow classmates, we should help each other. My comrade, do not think of this as a bother."
"Fellow classmates…" Song Mu Chen snorted and glanced at the now empty laboratory. "You're the only one who stayed behind to help."
I grinned and shrugged. "Thanks to that, I have the perfect excuse to be late for the next class. In the meantime, we can detour, take our sweet time, and have a blast."
Song Mu Chen stared at me for a second before he burst out laughing.
"That's certainly one way of looking at it!"
The next class was physics, which was my least favorite subject. With the exception of math, I thought myself more of an arts student. I preferred literature and history. Calculating angles, velocities and forces caused me almost physical pain. I had already calculated everything immaculately.
Not only that, but it seemed that I had also impressed Shu Hong Qiu. I wouldn't go as far as to say I predicted that she would offer help, but at the very least I improved her opinion of me with my nice guy act.
And they said nice guys finish last. Judging from how differently Shu Hong Qiu treated me and the guys from her class, "they" couldn't be more wrong. Everything was falling neatly into place now.
Just as planned.
Putting the rags, mops and buckets back in the closet, we then strolled out of the lab and back toward our classroom.