Chapter Eighteen: Getting In the Car

Not long after, Lu You saw bus after bus slowly entering the school gate.

Although Meng Yi was quite disdainful of the military training, a hint of anticipation crept into his tone. “Which bus will we be taking?”

“Who knows? They all look the same anyway.”

“Oh, I guess that’s true.” Meng Yi felt a bit foolish.

The students gathered in front of their respective buses, loading their luggage into the compartments beneath, then boarding one by one in order.

In the end, there were five of them left, including Lu You and Meng Yi.

Teacher Zeng glanced at the bus for Class One, just as a few students from other classes boarded, then said to Lu You, “You take these four to Class Two’s bus. Class One’s bus is already full; there probably aren’t any seats left.”

“Alright, Teacher,” Lu You replied. Turning to the four others, he said, “Follow me. You can pick up your luggage when we get off.”

The group approached the neighboring bus just as a slightly older female teacher stepped down. Seeing them, she asked gently, “Is there something I can help with?”

Lu You smiled and answered, “Hello, Teacher. I’m the class monitor of Class Three. Our bus is full, so Teacher Zeng told us to take the Class Two bus.”

The woman was Teacher Liang. She sized up the five of them, then stepped aside, saying, “Get on board. Luckily, there are five seats left.”

“Thank you,” Lu You said, bowing slightly in gratitude to Teacher Liang. Turning back, he said, “Let’s get on. Find your seats once you’re inside.”

Lu You climbed aboard and immediately spotted the Class Two monitor, sitting alone in the single seat at the very front.

Noticing people boarding, the Class Two monitor naturally lifted his head. Their eyes met briefly but quickly averted, as if nothing had happened.

At that moment, the chatter inside the bus abruptly ceased, and most eyes turned to Lu You’s face.

Xu Nian, sitting by the aisle, tugged at Tang Wan’s sleeve. Seeing Lu You, he whispered excitedly, “Wanwan, look who’s here! Do you think he came looking for you?”

Tang Wan was equally surprised to see Lu You on their class’s bus.

“How would I know? But there are other boys with him. Probably their class had no seats, so they’re taking this bus,” she replied.

Lu You walked down the aisle and noticed a vacant seat beside Li Yu, while Tang Wan and Xu Nian sat across on the other side.

Tang Wan smiled and gave a small wave in greeting. Lu You winked back in response, then sat down in the empty seat next to the bored-looking Li Yu, who was staring out the window.

“Why aren’t you sitting with your deskmate?” Lu You asked.

Li Yu turned back from the window, surprised to see Lu You. “What are you doing here? My deskmate is sitting alone further back.”

Lu You sighed, a hint of helplessness in his voice. “I’m the temporary class monitor. The head teacher asked me to look after those who had to carpool with other classes, so here I am.”

Just then, Meng Yi passed by, shooting Lu You a look full of grievance, as if saying, “You’re abandoning me and not sitting with me.”

Lu You pretended not to see and continued chatting quietly with Li Yu.

“Does your deskmate dislike you? Not sitting with you?”

“No, he didn’t say anything after boarding. He just found a seat by himself.”

“You’ve known each other for a month and he’s still shy?” Lu You was curious.

“Who knows? Maybe he just wants some quiet during the ride.”

“Does anyone named Jingjing sit in your class? What does he look like?”

Li Yu rolled her eyes. “No. Even if there were, none would be as pretty as Tang Wan.”

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘my Tang Wan’? We just eat together,” Lu You’s voice rose unexpectedly.

“Calm down.”

“I’m the anxious king—I’m allowed to be,” Lu You shot back. “You and Xu Nian eat together in the cafeteria all the time.”

“When did you see that?” Li Yu’s face darkened.

“Whenever you saw it, that’s when I saw it too.”

“It’s just two people abandoned by their friends, eating together out of convenience,” Li Yu said, trying to sound calm.

“Yeah, I just happened to bump into you,” Lu You retorted.

“Happened to? More like you went out of your way!”

“Sticking together for warmth? Suspicious motives, right?”

…

They volleyed back and forth, neither willing to concede.

Across the aisle, Xu Nian whispered to Tang Wan, “Wanwan, what do you think boys usually talk about?”

Tang Wan’s gaze stayed fixed on Lu You. “I can’t hear clearly, and I’m not a boy, so I can’t guess.”

“Look at their faces—they seem pretty serious. Are they discussing something important?”

Tang Wan nodded earnestly. “Very possible.”

But in truth, the two were leaning against their seats, expressionless, trading meaningless barbs.

Lu You: “If you buy instant noodles in a bag, they’re bound to get crushed.”

Li Yu: “When you buy groceries, they always shortchange you.”

Lu You: “You’re such a dunce, you’re destined to eat meteorites.”

Li Yu: “You cook but always run out of rice.”

…

Like schoolchildren having fun, they kept up the playful insults until a figure suddenly appeared beside Lu You.

Lu You looked at the newcomer with some surprise, while Li Yu, Tang Wan, and Xu Nian frowned—it was the Class Two monitor.

“May I ask what you want?” Lu You spoke first.

“You’re the Class Three monitor, right?” the Class Two monitor said coldly.

Lu You nodded. “That’s me.”

“Then you should know what rules are,” the Class Two monitor said, his expression as cold as ice.

Lu You raised an eyebrow and feigned understanding. “Ah, I get it now—you’re here to pick a fight, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“No worries,” Lu You’s tone brightened. “I’ve despised you for a while. Didn’t expect you to come out so fast and confront me face to face. I’m used to online squabbles; this is the first time face-to-face. You go first.”

The Class Two monitor’s mouth twitched. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “Do you think I’m here to argue with you?”

“I don’t know, but if I wanted to argue, your words are pretty lame. Put some bite into it,” Lu You found him boring.

“I’m a civilized person, just here to remind you to keep quiet on the bus—not to disturb others,” the Class Two monitor said flatly, adopting a lecturing tone.

“Is your presence less disturbing than our whispering? Weren’t there more people talking before you came? You can pinpoint me even when I’m whispering. Did I dig up your ancestors’ graves or what?” Lu You fired off a series of questions.

“You…” The Class Two monitor was speechless, his face flushed. Having just entered high school, he hadn’t been seasoned by the internet battles, but he still instinctively replied, “I’m just reminding you out of kindness. What’s your attitude?”

Lu You smiled. “Then I’ll kindly remind you: good intentions don’t always lead to good results. People helping old folks cross the street get scammed all the time.” His expression turned blank. “So, don’t stir up trouble for no reason. You might be a treasure at home, but outside, you’re just ordinary. Don’t use imaginary rules to control others.”

The Class Two monitor’s face turned as if he’d eaten something foul. He could only stammer, “As class monitor, you won’t be one for long.”

Lu You’s eyes lit up. “Really? Say so sooner. How about this—I’ll stop talking if you go to the teacher and ask to remove me from this position?”

The Class Two monitor turned and left without a word. The other onlookers withdrew their gazes.

Lu You asked Li Yu, “He’s so weak, why don’t you roast him?”

“I have,” Li Yu scratched her head helplessly. “But he’s the monitor. He’ll always find ways to annoy you, intentionally or not. It’s so frustrating.”

“That’s rough. I feel for you,” Lu You sympathized.

Xu Nian reached over from the other side of the aisle, gently tapped Lu You’s arm, and gave a thumbs-up.

“Bro, that was satisfying. We usually don’t want to bother with him. Since you’re not from our class, you can fight back without worrying about the consequences.”

Lu You glanced at them quietly. “You’re welcome. I guess I’ll get to argue a few more times during this military training.”

“Aren’t you worried he’ll go gossip to your head teacher?” Tang Wan asked, concerned.

“You guys can’t get rid of the class monitor right away, but you’re afraid one person can take me down? Besides, I didn’t break any school rules. The teachers won’t dare do anything to me.”

Li Yu added, “Don’t worry about him. He’s lazy and didn’t want to be monitor anyway. Getting me removed would suit him just fine.”

“Snow Leopard, shut up!”

…

The bus gradually left the city behind, replaced by green vegetation—the only thing visible outside the windows.

Tang Wan and Xu Nian watched the forested hills with great interest.

“Wanwan, this greenery is way better than the school,” Xu Nian exclaimed.

“Yeah, you can’t see this kind of nature in the city. It’s nice to see it sometimes,” Tang Wan agreed.

Xu Nian turned to ask Lu You and Li Yu what they thought, but both had their eyes closed, showing no interest.

“You guys don’t want to look at the scenery?” Xu Nian asked curiously.

Lu You, still with his eyes closed, spoke leisurely, “It looks about the same outside my door. I see it every day and got tired of it.”

“Do you both live in the countryside?” Xu Nian asked, even more curious.

They exchanged a glance, a bit at a loss for words.

Tang Wan noticed their hesitation and quickly said, “It’s nothing serious. She’s just curious; you don’t have to answer.”

Lu You shook his head. “It’s nothing forbidden. We live in a suburban neighborhood. There’s a lot of greenery, so it’s kind of like the countryside.”

Seeing Xu Nian hesitate to ask further, Li Yu took over. “Our area isn’t much different from the city. It has all the basic facilities, just less densely populated and with better greenery.”

“Li Yu seems to commute. Isn’t it far going back and forth?”

At Xu Nian’s question, Li Yu’s expression darkened bitterly. “Don’t mention it. In this heat, I bike seven or eight kilometers every day. I’ve lost weight.”

Lu You looked sympathetically at Li Yu. “Hang in there for a couple more weeks. Then I’ll ride my electric scooter and give you a lift.”

“Why does it take that long?” Tang Wan asked.

“Because I won’t be sixteen for another couple of weeks. My mom’s worried the traffic police will stop me if I ride now.”

Tang Wan’s mind started racing. So he turns sixteen this month? He’s a few months older than me. Should I ask his exact birthday, maybe tease him a bit? Nah, no need to be so precise—we’re not that close. Maybe I could just casually give him a gift. There’s no rule against giving gifts to acquaintances, right?

Time quietly slipped by as the four chatted, and soon the training base’s entrance came into view.