Flower among the thorns

Lesson 42

Kun

The guys huddled around my table as I stepped in, "Bro, you feeling better today?" Ziyi asked.

Settling down on my desk with Yuxi, I nodded. Xiao Gui strutted towards me with a proud grin, "You weren't here yesterday when teacher gave us the pop quiz, guess I'd be first for once!"

Yuxi stifled a laugh, looking at Xiao Gui with amusement. Is this guy really a genius like what YuXin said?

"Alright class, I'm giving out your papers." the teacher distributed the papers to everyone and Cheng Cheng immediately turned around, "So pipsqueak. What's your score? Do you want to have a bet? Loser as the servant again."

"Sure, I won't say no to free servant," Yuxi smiled confidently.

They placed their papers on Yuxi's desk and Cheng Cheng let out a loud gasp. "No way. You must have cheated!" Yuxi had a perfect score while Cheng Cheng scored 85 points. Guess YuXin was right about her brother being a genius.

Yuxi laughed out, "Why do I need to do that. Don't be a sore loser. Thanks free servant."

Xiao Gui wrapped his arm around YuXin's neck and lamented, "What?! You scored perfect? How did that even happen?"

Zhen Ting stared at me with a confused look, "Aren't you going to pry Xiao Gui off Yuxi?" I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. Suppressing it, I mustered a smile I muttered, "No.. No need to do that anymore.."

***

YuXin

"Baobei. Did your appetite grow when you're acting as Yuxi? This is your second bowl of rice for dinner," Shaking asked with a look of disbelief.

"Yah, YuXin can eat as much as she wants," YuYan grabbed a few dishes and put it in my bowl with a smile as I gobbled them up hungrily.

My appetite has been growing ever since I shifted back to my own school dorm a month ago. I was a wreck in the beginning, crying myself to sleep every night but I managed to get myself out of the rut with my supportive friends who consoled me throughout the day.

I still think about Kun every now and then, but we haven't kept in contact.  That's for the best. I'm not sure if I can talk to him without becoming like a crying mess. Everytime I do think about him, there's a dull aching feeling creeping up in my heart. It still hurts knowing that I can't be together with him, that he'd be together with Shuxin.. Who knew breaking up would be so devastating.

Yibo senior has been texting me daily to check in on me and sending me funny messages or memes online making me laugh every single time. He has slowly become my pillar of support during this depressing times.

"Oh yeah girls I won't be joining you for lunch tomorrow, I'm going out to meet Yibo senior." I said in between my bites, remembering my arrangement with him.

"Yibo? Again?" Shaking asked agitatedly and I nodded.

"Ahh.. Enjoy your time with him," Xue Er grinned, placing more dishes in my bowl.

***

"Senior, am I late?" I panted hard running towards him who's waiting for me at the bench.

"Silly girl, you don't have to run," he wiped off the sweat on my forehead with a tissue gently. He led me to a posh looking restaurant and I followed hesitantly.

Looking at the menu, my eyes almost popped out from the exorbitant price. "Senior.. It's expensive here," I whispered to him.

"Don't worry about money, just order what you like, it's my treat," he grinned.