This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 177 We once fought side by side
The morning classes passed by reviewing the monthly exam papers for each subject.

When the school bell rang at noon, students flocked to the cafeteria.

Chen Shi'an closed his pen and turned to look at the class monitor beside him.

The girl took a sip of warm tea, glanced at him sideways, and their eyes met.

"Monitor."

"……what?"

"Want to go out for lunch together?"

If Lin Mengqiu remembered correctly, this should be the third time Chen Shi'an had invited her to have a meal. The first time was probably the noon on the first day of school, and the second time was the afternoon on the day she was on duty.

Looking back now, the class monitor still feels a little regretful...

If she had accepted his invitation to have dinner on the first day of school, would she have become his dining partner from that moment on?

Now that this opportunity has presented itself again, Lin Mengqiu's eyes flickered.

She put down her cup, without looking at him, and asked softly:

"Wen Zhixia isn't eating with you anymore?"

"Eat."

"..."

"Didn't the class monitor say we were going to stay in the classroom for lunch break? Why don't you come eat with us? After you eat, you can come back with me for your lunch break."

"...Did you tell Wen Zhixia?"

"No, we're all friends, it's nothing to have a meal together."

After saying that, Chen Shi'an asked her again, "Is the class monitor going?"

"..."

Lin Mengqiu hesitated for a while before shaking her head and saying, "No, you guys eat."

She could just imagine what it would be like to have dinner with Wen Zhixia. That annoying cicada would definitely annoy her, and she'd probably be full of anger before she even finished eating.

Of course! She wasn't afraid of those annoying cicadas!

That annoying cicada is incredibly good with words. She's using tactics like biding her time, avoiding direct confrontation, enduring hardship, and then delivering a fatal blow!

"Isn't the class monitor going?"

"Don't go."

"Is the class monitor afraid that Xiao Zhi will argue with you again?"

"...I'm afraid of her?!"

Upon hearing this, the class monitor's voice immediately rose, as if to say, "If you're so capable, call her to me right now and let's see who's afraid of whom."

Chen Shi'an: "..."

The Taoist priest was exhausted.

I was hoping to create more opportunities for the two girls to spend time together, get to know each other better, and perhaps even become good friends, so they wouldn't have to bicker all the time. But it seems there's still a long way to go...

Yes, yes, you're not afraid of Xiaozhi anymore, and Xiaozhi isn't afraid of you either. It's me who's afraid of you all!

Chen Shi'an was easygoing, and seeing that Lin Mengqiu wasn't going, he gave up as well.

"Okay, I'll leave first."

"……and many more!"

Just as Chen Shi'an stood up to leave, Lin Mengqiu called out to him.

Chen Shi'an turned his head and asked with a smile, "Did the class monitor change his mind?"

Lin Mengqiu rolled her eyes at him, hesitated for a moment, and then took out her meal card, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"...Could you pick up some food for me on your way later?"

"Getting food?"

"Um……"

Under Chen Shi'an's gaze, the class monitor's face seemed to blush slightly. After all, she was very sensitive to boundaries and rarely asked others for help.

If Chen Shi'an were to say something like, "Class monitor, you don't have anything else to do, why don't you go get your own food?" she would probably just silently go get her own food.

"Okay."

"~~~~~~"

Chen Shi'an remained easygoing and readily agreed.

The girl's expression remained unchanged, but she gently swung her leg under the table.

"The class monitor brings me milk every day. If you need anything, just ask. Don't be shy."

"×!"

Annoying Taoist priest, can you please shut up?
Lin Mengqiu really wanted to get a needle and thread and sew up the mouths of both the stinky Taoist priest and the annoying cicada.

"But I might not be back with food so soon. If I come back after I've eaten, won't it be too late? Is the squad leader hungry?"

"fine."

Whether Lin Mengqiu ate earlier or later was irrelevant. She could stay in the classroom for lunch break, study first, and then eat. She could even take a nap after eating.

"Alright, what would the class monitor like to eat?"

"...You order, I'm not picky."

"Oh."

"×!"

"Okay, then class monitor, you can stay in the classroom and wait for me. I'll be going now."

"Meal card—"

Lin Mengqiu stopped him and handed him her meal card, saying, "You can use my card; I'll treat you to a meal."

"No need, I have a meal card, and I usually don't use it all. I'll treat the class monitor to a meal."

Chen Shi'an took out his meal card, waved it, and then turned and left.

Lin Mengqiu was stunned.

Is he being generous to me with the card my dad gave him?!

……

Chen Shi'an went downstairs and met up with Wen Zhixia. The two of them walked together towards the cafeteria.

"Taoist priest, which cafeteria would you like to eat at today?"

"Anything is fine. Which one would you like to eat?"

"I don't know! It's so hard to choose! You choose, you choose."

"Then let's eat at Cafeteria No. 2."

"it is good!"

Wen Zhixia wasn't lying to Chen Shi'an. She really did talk very little in class and was always listening attentively. So after holding it in for four classes, she had a lot to say, and as soon as she met him, she started chattering non-stop.

When I arrived at the cafeteria, there was already a queue in front of the window. Fortunately, there were fewer people queuing than usual. After all, the happy first-year students were still on holiday for the past two days, and only the miserable second and third-year students had returned to school. But thinking about how the third-year students had returned to school the day before yesterday, the second-year students didn't seem so miserable anymore.

When queuing, the petite Wen Zhixia always stood in front of Chen Shi'an. Unlike the others who faced the window, she stood sideways, turned her head, and looked up to talk to Chen Shi'an.

"By the way, Taoist priest, do you know we have a school sports meet at the beginning of next month?"

"know."

"Hehe, we don't have to go to class for the two days of the school sports meet!"

"You're happy about this, aren't you?" "Aren't you happy?"

"happy."

"How dare you say that to me?"

Wen Zhixia snorted and asked him again, "Did your class order any class uniforms?"

"Class uniform? What's that?"

"It's our class uniform! We'll be marching in formation at the school sports meet, and each class will have its own uniform—it's called a class-specific uniform!"

"I don't know about that, it's probably not decided yet."

Chen Shi'an was quite surprised; he hadn't expected there to be such a thing as class uniforms.

"Have you decided on your class uniforms yet?" Chen Shi'an asked.

"Not yet, everyone is still discussing it."

"It seems the school sports meet is quite lively."

"It's going to be very lively. Taoist priest, are you going to participate in the competition?" Wen Zhixia asked curiously.

"Yeah, I told the class monitor this morning that I'll be participating in the competition too."

"...!!"

Wen Zhixia was surprised.

Chen Shi'an chuckled and said, "Why are you so surprised?"

"This is unexpected! You usually seem so nonchalant and easygoing, I never thought you'd actually participate in a competition!"

Wen Zhixia looked Chen Shi'an up and down, finding it hard to imagine that he, so calm and collected, could be associated with a youthful and passionate sports competition.

"Give it a try."

"Ha! Very good!"

Regardless, Wen Zhixia got excited when she heard that Chen Shi'an was going to participate in the competition. Finally, she wouldn't have to hide in the base camp playing cards with Xiao Yan and the others during the school sports meet; she could go cheer for the Taoist priest.

Just imagining a Taoist priest standing on the field, competing against others, made her even more excited than Chen Shi'an.

"So, Taoist priest, what event are you going to participate in? High jump? You can already dunk, you must be amazing at high jump!"

"Hmm, we'll see when the time comes. I don't know what specific projects there are yet."

Wen Zhixia blinked and asked again:

Did your class monitor participate in the competition?

"Yes, the class monitor said she wants to participate too."

Wen Zhixia was already quite surprised when she heard Chen Shi'an say he was going to participate. She had only asked casually, and she never expected that the Ice Cube Spirit would also participate!

If they were pulled in to make up the numbers when registration was in its later stages, that would be one thing, but registration hasn't even started yet, and this ice cube is already saying he's going to participate in the school sports meet?!

"Really? Your class monitor is participating too? Did she say so?"

"Ah."

"Then why did she participate...?"

"The class monitor said, 'Fight for the honor of the class.'"

When Chen Shi'an said those words, Wen Zhixia couldn't help but chuckle.

Ha! Is this ice spirit trying to trick the Taoist priest, only to end up sacrificing itself in the process?
It's said that the person who knows you best is your enemy. Wen Zhixia can't see through other people, but if it's Lin Mengqiu, she'll know what this ice-cold spirit is up to as soon as she shows her face.

"Oh~"

The girl drew out her words, a mocking look in her eyes.

"What project will your class monitor participate in?"

"It's not confirmed yet. What, Little Cicada, are you going to participate in the school sports meet too?"

"...Join us! Fight for the honor of our class! It's not like we haven't participated before."

"Oh?"

Hearing Wen Zhixia say this, Chen Shian became interested, "Xiao Zhixia also participated in the school sports meet before?"

"Yes, it was also early November last year."

"You were in your first semester of high school back then, right?"

"Yes, the school sports meet is held every year, always in early November."

"Was the class monitor in your class back then? Did she participate too?"

“I did.”

What project did you participate in?

Wen Zhixia had just entered high school in the first semester and there were no subject divisions or classes at that time. It seems like a long time ago, but it was only last year. Wen Zhixia still vividly remembers the lively sports meet.

"At that time, there weren't enough people in the class to sign up, so she and I were both selected to participate in the women's 4x100m relay."

"4x100m relay?"

"Yes, it's four people, each running 100 meters, it's a team competition."

Chen Shi'an understood and asked curiously, "Did you win the championship later?"

"No way!"

Wen Zhixia snorted, "If it weren't for Bing... Bing... splitting into four groups, and your class monitor losing the last leg, our class would definitely have made it to the finals!"

"The squad leader is running the last leg?"

"Ah."

"Which leg of the race is Little Cicada running?"

"I ran the first leg, and I had a super fast start, so I originally had a huge advantage!"

"Really? Cicadas can run that fast?"

"That must be true!"

……

As they spoke, the two had already reached the window in line.

Wen Zhixia got her food first, swiped her card, and stood aside. Just as she was about to take her plate to get soup, she heard Chen Shi'an, who was also getting food, say:

"Auntie, could you please pack another one of the same thing?"

"?"

Wen Zhixia was taken aback, and asked him curiously:
"Taoist priest, why are you packing up another dish..."

"I packed it for the class monitor."

"...Doesn't she live in the teachers' dormitory? You're going to deliver it to her, right?"

"No, the class monitor said it's more convenient to study in the classroom, so we'll be staying in the classroom for lunch breaks and won't be going back to the dormitory."

"???"

Studying in the classroom is more convenient... I don't believe her for a second!

The Ice Cube Spirit is very cunning!
No wonder she seemed so well-behaved these past few days; she was secretly plotting something big!

Wen Zhixia already felt that the Ice Cube Spirit spent a long enough time sitting at the same table with the Taoist priest every day.

She wasn't satisfied yet, so she didn't even go back to the dormitory for lunch, instead taking a nap in the classroom with the Taoist priest?!
The girl's cheeks puffed out; she regretted not shaking Ning Xin down with her...

(End of this chapter)