Thankfully, Zhi Ying verified his conjecture, albeit in a roundabout manner.
Zhi Ying was a little embarrassed as she stood awkwardly at the back of the classroom.
"Is there something wrong?" Jiang Wei asked.
"Can you come out?" Zhi Ying requested in a small voice.
Jiang Wei was taken aback. This was clearly a typical confession scene, which he had just experienced.
He looked at Zhi Ying, who was standing at the back of the classroom, and finally followed her out of the classroom. At that moment, Class One had begun to pay attention to the two of them. They resembled a bunch of ferrets sticking out their heads to stare at them curiously. The scene looked comical to say the least.
Fortunately, there was a five-minute break time, so the corridor was devoid of students.
Jiang Wei was certain at first that Zhi Ying was not here to confess, but he began to hesitate when he saw her posture and attitude.
Before Zhi Ying could speak, Jiang Wei tentatively asked, "Are you playing truth or dare?"
"Ah?" Zhi Ying looked at Jiang Wei inexplicably, "What truth or dare?"
Jiang Wei didn't say anything else, only asking, "Is something wrong?"
Zhi Ying nodded, then took out dozens of yuan bills from her pocket, holding them in front of Jiang Wei, and said, "Can you do me a favor?"
"What?" Jiang Wei's eyes fell on the money, confused.
"I heard... you live on Fengyang Road? There is a bookstore on that road. Can you help me buy some books?" Zhi Ying looked at Jiang Wei sincerely.
As she held out the money, she handed it to Jiang Wei, stunning him. He asked instinctively, "That's it?"
"That's it. Do you agree?" Zhi Ying opened her eyes wide and suddenly added sincerely, "I knew you were a good classmate who is eager to help others!"
"..." Jiang Wei was silent, he hadn't agreed at all!
But Zhi Ying had already squeezed the money into a wad, placed it in Jiang Wei's hands, and said, "Thank you!"
Jiang Wei could only inquire, "What book do you want?"
"Oh." Zhi Ying responded, "You can tell the store owner my name."
The owner of the bookstore left Zhi Ying his contact information before, saying that she could send him a message about any book she wanted.
"Is there anything else?" Jiang Wei, holding a handful of money, asked the person who was still standing in front of him.
"Oh." Zhi Ying shook her head, "Nothing else."
Jiang Wei glanced at Zhi Ying, stuffed the money into his pocket, and walked directly back to the classroom.
When they saw him come in, the group of students watching the excitement retracted back to their seats, like birds returning to their nests.
Yu Qingyin looked down at her practice problems, her face pale. Her right hand was clenching an eraser tightly.
Rumors always spread fast.
By the afternoon's end, the entire freshman class spread the rumor that Jiang Wei rejected a girl's confession but accepted a gift from Zhi Ying, the provincial champion.
Therefore, many people concluded that Jiang Wei hated girls who did not study well.
However, Jiang Wei didn't know or want to know about the rumors they were gossiping about.
Fengyang Road was quite a distance from the school, with an aged road and infrequent buses, each two hours apart.
Last time, Zhi Ying had to change buses several times before arriving at Fengyang Road. Taking a taxi was much faster, but it was too costly.
The bookstore on Fengyang Road was very conspicuous. The first time Jiang Wei went to Fengyang Road, he noticed it and went in.
"Uncle Li, stop here for a bit." Jiang Wei said lightly, leaning on the back seat.
The shop owner was still looking down and reading his book. He did not raise his head, even when he heard customers coming in.
Only after Jiang Wei had stood at the front desk for five minutes did the shopkeeper finally raise his head and say, "All high school test papers are 20% off, and other books are 10% off. The categories are marked. If you can't find something, only then come back to me."
Jiang Wei didn't move; he only said, "I'm getting Zhi Ying's books."
The shop owner moved his eyelids and muttered, "Zhi Ying? Wait."
After he finished speaking, the shop owner got up and pulled out two thick high school test sets from the corner. He stood there and turned around a few more times. Finally, his eyes fell on the base of the electric fan that was on the counter.
The store owner held the books together, and dust fluttered onto the counter.
"Here." The shop owner handed the books to Jiang Wei.
Jiang Wei didn't move to take the books, staring coldly at the shop owner.
"Hey, what a student you are. Well, let me wipe it for you." The shop owner felt guilty and took the books back. After searching around for some time, he finally found a rag and wiped the dust off the books.
It was only then that Jiang Wei took the books.
They were all high school questions. It seemed that Zhi Ying had already finished high school content in advance.
Jiang Wei was not surprised, though. He had also completed these subjects ahead of schedule during summer break.
After taking the stack of books and getting into the car, Uncle Li said kindly, "Young master, if you want to buy books, just tell me and I'll buy them for you."
Leaning on the back seat, Jiang Wei closed his eyes as he replied, "These are a classmate's books."
Uncle Li glanced at him in the rearview mirror, a flicker of curiosity passing through his eyes as a surprised expression flashed his face. After a pause, he swallowed the rising words and concentrated on driving Jiang Wei back to the apartment.
Jiang Wei's parents had bought the entire first floor of the apartment to ensure Jiang Wei could rest undisturbed.
The apartment had a special cook and a driver to pick him up and drop him off. Jiang Wei only needed to spend three years here safely.
It was a stark contrast to Zhi Ying, who managed with the basic accommodations of the campus dorms.