Chapter 24: She Was Poisoned
The news that Ji Lianbing had a boyfriend spread throughout the entire school in just two class periods. In fact, rumors had been circulating since noon yesterday. After all, a beautiful girl like Ji Lianbing, who was known by almost everyone in the school and had constantly rejected confessions, suddenly having aboyfriend was bound to cause quite a stir, wasn’t it?
Especially in high school, gossip about relationships spreads incredibly fast. Even knowing who in the next class is dating can spread throughout the entire grade, let alone topics concerning Ji Lianbing’s love life.
But this time, the attention wasn’t just on Ji Lianbing; it was also on me, her “boyfriend.”
As soon as the third class ended, our classroom was mobbed. They all wanted to see who Ji Lianbing’s boyfriend really was. Strangely, the weirdos in our class didn’t seem to react much. I strongly suspect they felt that this level of attention was nothing.
These ordinary people were all looking at me with curious expressions, even commenting.
“Who is it? The one sitting in front of Ji Lianbing?” “Who is that guy?” “He looks so ordinary…” “Damn it, so this is who Ji Lianbing likes! Why am I a rich, tall, and handsome man!”
I’m so sorry for being a loser! And aren’t you just here to show off!
The feeling of sudden attention wasn’t pleasant; it was like being bound by invisible threads, making me very uncomfortable. However, this attention was the biggest ‘weapon’ I possessed right now. Yes, with these eyes on me, Ji Lianbing couldn’t directly lay a hand on me.
That’s what I told myself… but I still felt like I’d be killed by these angry fans before Ji Lianbing could get to me…
Most of the onlookers were guys. Among them, eighty percent had grey titles, and ten percent had black titles. Those were fine, but what worried me the most was that I actually spotted a few with red titles…
There are actually people jealous enough to want to kill me!
This is terrifying!
But the most terrifying thing was the gaze from the seat behind me!
Lanhua was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes, as if she could kill me with her gaze. Her title had turned completely black!
…Did I make a wrong decision?
Besides, Lanhua’s title was [Stalker (Beginner)], wasn’t it? Wouldn’t she target me and start stalking me from now on?
Please don’t! I’ll give Ji Lianbing to you, just please leave me alone!
“Hey, hey, Hua, stop staring at Juncheng like that. Do you know how scary your gaze is right now?”
“Ugh?”
Fortunately, at this moment, Lanhua’s best friend, Yingnuo Gao, patted her shoulder, snapping her out of that menacing stare.
“Oh, so An Juncheng actually agreed… See, I told you Lanhua had no chance.”
“Hey, hey, don’t provoke her anymore!”
Yingliang Luo and Yingnuo Gao, these two are good friends of Lanhua and are often seen chatting together. Sometimes I wonder if the three of them are in a love triangle… But it doesn’t seem like it now.
“Ai, you’ve really been through a lot in every aspect, Juncheng…”
Yingliang Luo patted my shoulder sympathetically.
“…”
Even though I knew he wasn’t referring to being stared at by Ji Lianbing, I still felt like crying. You’re the only one sympathizing with my situation, you’re a good person, Yingliang Luo…
“Really now, Yingliang Luo, what are you talking about? Juncheng dating me is a happy thing, of course~”
“Uh…”
Happy my foot!
“Right… Well, if you need any help, you can tell me, although I can’t guarantee I can solve it…”
Yingliang Luo said, adjusting his glasses.
This, this is it! Is this the legendary declaration of friendship!
It shouldn’t be wrong, because Yingliang Luo’s title turned green!
Oh, oh, Grandfather, your grandson has finally made a friend!
Wuwuwu, I’m so touched. Even though you’re a peeping tom, I won’t look down on you!
Ji Lianbing smiled meaningfully but said nothing… Her smile was still as beautiful as ever, and as chilling…
During the lunch break, I walked out of the classroom with my bento, and Ji Lianbing followed behind me.
“Aren’t you going to the cafeteria today? Juncheng?”
“…I made my own lunch.”
“That’s great. Let’s find a secluded spot and enjoy our sweet lunch break together~”
What kind of joke is this!
If we went to a secluded place, she would definitely make a move on me!
But I really didn’t want to go to the cafeteria…
Normally, the best place for a couple to have lunch would be the rooftop, but I didn’t want to go there either. Ji Lianbing and I are a fake couple, and the rooftop is full of real couples. I don’t want to be force-fed affection.
Just then, through the window, I saw someone in the pavilion in the small grove behind the teaching building.
Oh oh, it should be the three-noes girl. That’s great. With her as a bystander, Ji Lianbing probably won’t do anything to me.
However…
When I reached the pavilion, Jiang Xueqing was gone!
“Oh my, you brought me to such a secluded place. Are you planning to do something to me?”
Terrible, terrible!
Can I run away right now?
“Don’t worry, I won’t make a move on you yet. You can see this place from the teaching building, can’t you?”
Indeed, I had chosen to come here because I saw someone in the pavilion from the teaching building earlier. This means Ji Lianbing won’t make the first move…
I walked into the pavilion in silence, deliberately sitting facing outwards, ready to scream at any moment if any physical conflict arose.
Ji Lianbing sat obediently beside me and calmly opened her lunchbox, starting to eat… She really didn’t seem to plan on doing anything.
But she might have a hidden blade… Hmm, I’d better sit a bit further away.
“You didn’t eat my bento yesterday. Aren’t you going to try it today?”
“If I eat it, I’ll go see King Yama.”
“No~ A good person like you, Juncheng, will surely go see God~”
“I don’t want to see either of them!”
I frowned and painstakingly poked a rolled omelet into my mouth.
“You have such a cute girlfriend, you should look a little happier, otherwise someone might notice something, you know?”
“Notice what?”
“They’ll think you’re just a shield I found, and the attention on you will instantly disappear. Then…”
Then I’ll go back to being alone like before… To be honest, I’d be happy to go back to normal, but not now. Not for at least these three days!
“So, what exactly do I need to do?”
“At least be able to naturally act like a couple in love. Then let’s practice here now, couple’s dialogue and behavior.”
“Mm…”
Couple’s dialogue and behavior means showing affection… But how do I do that?
As someone who’s never had a girlfriend until today, I have no idea what showing affection means.
If Ji Lianbing and I were a real couple, I might be able to do this naturally… But our relationship is fake. If I had to say, it’s more like the relationship between a contracted employee and their superior.
“Like feeding each other from earlier, that’s intimate~”
“…”
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? My bento was made by my maid, so there’s no way it’s poisoned.”
As she said that, Ji Lianbing picked up a piece of fried chicken and put it into her mouth, eating it with relish.
“Alright then…”
She ate it herself, so it should be fine…
“Here, ah~”
After hesitating for a moment, I finally couldn’t resist opening my mouth. The bento made by a maid did have a certain appeal to me.
Ji Lianbing smiled and brought the chopsticks holding the fried chicken towards my mouth. Just as I was about to eat it…
*Flap!*
The chopsticks and the food were swatted away.
Jiang Xueqing, with a blank expression, appeared behind me at some point.
“Uh?”
I looked at Jiang Xueqing with confusion.
Jiang Xueqing shook her head and said, “It’s poisoned.”
“Eh?”
Jiang Xueqing thought I hadn’t understood and pointed at the chopsticks on the ground, repeating herself.
“It’s poisoned.”
The hairs on my arms stood on end!
She actually poisoned it!
