Everyone's been reborn, so who would bother finding a wife on their own?

Chapter 77 Cousin

While the girls around them were talking, their eyes kept darting between Song Huan and Xiao Yunqing.

Xiao Yunqing is so beautiful that she stands out like a light bulb when she sits in the classroom; everyone wants to take a second look.

They were just whispering that this girl must be a campus beauty, and that the boys who would be pursuing her would line up from the third floor all the way to the school gate.

As soon as they sat down, someone they knew sat down next to them?

And judging from how familiar they are, even saving seats for each other with their backpacks, their relationship can't be ordinary.

The girl sitting in front of Xiao Yunqing spoke first.

She has an oval face, delicate eyebrows and eyes, and a pleasant smile. Her school uniform looks neater on her than on others.

"Hey classmate, you two seem to get along quite well. Have you known each other before?" Her gaze swept between Xiao Yunqing and Song Huan with a hint of curiosity.

Before Song Huan could speak, Xiao Yunqing spoke first.

"He is my younger brother." He said casually, his chin slightly raised, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

Song Huan almost burst out laughing.

younger brother?

He's an hour older than her, it's already a good thing he didn't make her call him "brother".

This girl's skill at taking advantage of others has certainly improved.

He cleared his throat and added, "Hello classmate, my name is Song Huan, and I'm her cousin."

He emphasized the word "watch" very much, with a serious expression.

The girls suddenly realized.

So that's how it is. Cousins, no wonder they're so close.

Hearing this, Zhao Qihang, who was sitting in the back row, breathed a sigh of relief and whispered to the person next to him, "I knew it, it's my cousin."

Lu Ciyuan nodded, taking his finger away from his mouth, where it was covered in saliva.

Chen Xu also breathed a sigh of relief, the redness on his face faded a little, but he still didn't look up.

The girl with the oval face smiled and extended her hand. "Oh, I see. Let's get to know each other. My name is Feng Nian."

Song Huan reached out her hand to shake it, just to be polite.

Just as I raised my hand, a cold gaze shot over from the side.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw that Xiao Yunqing was staring at his hand with a calm expression, but something was off about her eyes.

Song Huan's hand froze in mid-air. She turned to the side and picked up a pen from the table. "Hello, Feng Nian. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Holding a pen instead of shaking hands, this move should be fine, right?

Xiao Yunqing withdrew her gaze, her expression returning to normal.

Feng Nian felt a little strange, but didn't think much of it. She withdrew her hand, smiled, and turned away.

Song Huan sat there, listening to the thoughts coming from beside her.

[Cousin, cousin, cousin... Why did I say cousin?]

[Oh no, now everyone thinks he's my cousin.]

[What if...they think...?]

[Ahhh, Xiao Yunqing, are you stupid?!]

Song Huan suppressed a laugh, her face turning red.

He lowered his head and pretended to flip through a textbook, his shoulders shaking.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Yunqing was so angry that she kicked him under the table.

It wasn't heavy, but it was very accurate, hitting my shin.

Oh my god, Jiangcheng Shadowless Kick is angry again!

Song Huan gasped for breath and stopped shivering.

The classroom filled up with more and more people, chattering and making noise. The sounds of chairs scraping the floor, textbooks slapping against desks, and names being called all mingled together.

Some people stood at the door looking for acquaintances, some squeezed through the crowd to find seats, and some were already chatting about where they went during the summer vacation, how many points they got on the exams, and why they weren't assigned to the top class.

The school bell rang.

The door was pushed open halfway through the ringing, and a person walked in.

The high heels clicked on the floor, a rapid, rhythmic thud.

He was in his thirties, with short hair, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and pursed lips. He held a roll call book in his hand, walked up to the podium, and put the book on the table.

"Quiet down."

The sound wasn't loud, but the classroom fell silent instantly.

She glanced at the whole class, her gaze sweeping across each person's face at a measured pace.

Song Huan was sitting in the third row, and when she was swept up in the gaze, she felt like she was being X-rayed.

"My name is Wang Qing, and I am your class's homeroom teacher. From today onwards, I will be in charge of everything in Class 8 of Grade 11."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I believe in gender equality. Whether you're a boy or a girl, the rules are the same for you."

She pulled a sheet of paper from the attendance list, glanced at it, and said, "Go move the books later. Five boys and five girls. Who's going?"

It sounds like a question, but it's more like a notification.

She started calling out names: first, second, third.

When he got to the fourth person, his gaze stopped on Song Huan. "Song Huan."

Song Huan stood up, and Wang Qing glanced at him. "Move the books."

He nodded and got up from his seat.

Zhao Qihang, who was in the back row, was also called out. When he stood up, his chair slid back a bit, scraping against the floor with a screeching sound.

Lu Ciyuan and Chen Xu weren't called on, and they sat in their seats secretly laughing, one biting his nails and the other with his head down.

Wang Qing then ordered three more boys, making a total of five.

Xiao Yunqing stared longingly at Song Huan.

Song Huan mouthed "Run away" to her, which made her laugh.

After the boy left.

Wang Qing started selecting girls.

The first, the second, the third, the fourth.

Xiao Yunqing sat in her seat, listening to each name being read out.

She wasn't the fourth one, nor was she the fifth one.

Wang Qing put down the list. "These are the five. The rest of you can wait in the classroom."

Xiao Yunqing suddenly raised her hand.

Wang Qing looked at her. "What is it?"

"Teacher, I also want to move the books."

Wang Qing glanced at her and nodded. "Okay, then add you. Six girls is enough."

Xiao Yunqing stood up and walked out of her seat.

Wang Qing waved her hand, "Go ahead, the books are in the large classroom downstairs. Come back and distribute them after you've moved them."

……

The large classroom where the books were being moved was on the first floor, at a corner. The door was open, and the inside was in complete chaos.

Students from several classes were crammed together, and books were piled up on tables, the floor, and windowsills—everywhere.

Some people were counting books in stacks, some were shouting "Our class is still missing Chinese," and someone carrying books was bumped into while walking out, scattering the books all over the ground.

Xiao Yunqing followed the group of girls inside, and was jostled as soon as she entered.

She steadied herself, walked inside, and looked for the books for Class 8.

After searching around, I found it near the window.

Chinese, mathematics, English, physics, chemistry, biology, history, geography, and politics—nine subjects piled up in nine heaps.

She bent down, picked up a stack, counted them—fifteen Chinese language books, that was enough.

Just as she was about to leave, someone pushed her from behind, causing her to stumble forward and almost drop the book.

Looking back, it was so crowded that it was impossible to tell who was who.

She frowned, hugged the book tighter, and walked towards the door.

After taking two steps, I was jostled again, and this time the books really tilted, with the top one sliding down.

She quickly braced her chin against the book to steady it, moved a few steps to the side, and stood against the wall.

There were people all around, making a lot of noise. Some people shouted, "Don't push! Don't push!" and others shouted, "This is our class!"

She stood by the wall with the stack of books in her arms, tiptoed and glanced into the crowd, trying to find her class's group, but it was all heads and she couldn't tell who was who.

Just as she was feeling lost and confused as she was jostled by the people behind her, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

It was warm, not very strong, but very steady.

She looked down and saw a hand gripping her wrist.

The fingers are long and slender with distinct knuckles, and the nails are cut very short.

She looked up along that hand. It was a white school uniform, the jacket was open, the Adam's apple moved slightly, and the lines of the jaw were a little more defined than during the summer vacation.

Song Huan stood in front of her, a smile in her eyes.

He had grown a little taller since summer vacation, standing in the crowd a good half a head taller than her.

He was slender, but when he stood in front of her, he blocked out the light.

"Where should we stand? Aren't we afraid of getting pushed and lost?"

Song Huan's tone carried her usual helplessness.

"Why are you carrying so much? Give it to me."

As he spoke, he removed her hand from the stack of books and took it from hers.

Then he grabbed her wrist with his other hand and pulled her closer to him.

The movements were very natural, as if they had done it many times before.

He used his arm to shield her from the crowd.

Someone squeezed past him and bumped into his shoulder, but he didn't budge.

Someone gave him a push from behind, and he took half a step forward to steady himself. He glanced back, said nothing, and turned back to continue walking forward.

Xiao Yunqing was pulled along by him, following behind him.

His school uniform jacket had a faint smell of laundry detergent, which she had smelled many times.

There was someone blocking his way, so he stepped aside to let her pass and pulled her towards the wall.

As he passed a stack of books, he glanced down to make sure he hadn't bumped into her.

As she stepped out of the large classroom, the sunlight streamed in, making her squint.

Song Huan stopped and turned to look at her. "You were also called out by the teacher to move books?"

She nodded and pulled her hand away from his.

[I'm not telling you.]

Song Huan: "..."

Yes or no, what do you mean by "I won't tell you"?

Xiao Yunqing, you stubborn tsundere!

Xiao Yunqing noticed a faint red mark on her wrist. Song Huan hadn't gripped her wrist hard, but it had left a mark over time.

She put her hands behind her back, looking at the books in his arms, "You carried so much by yourself?"

Song Huan glanced down.

He stacked all three of his books together—Chinese, math, and English—at some point, holding them under his arm and holding them up with his fingers.

"good."

"Not bad? What do you mean 'not bad'? Give me some."

"No need, I'll give it to you when we get upstairs."

Xiao Yunqing reached out to take it, but Song Huan dodged to the side, saying, "I said I don't need it."

She glared at him, then reached for it again. This time he didn't dodge, and she snatched away the top few Chinese textbooks.

She hugged it to her arms, turned and walked away, her ponytail swinging as she walked quickly.

Song Huan followed behind, watching her back, and smiled.

The corridor was crowded with people, all carrying books.

Some people ran with books in their arms, some walked slowly, and some balanced books on their heads.

Xiao Yunqing walked ahead, her steps steady, holding the book tightly.

When they reached the top of the stairs, she stopped, turned back to look at him, and said, "Slow down, don't fall."

Song Huan caught up and walked beside her, saying, "Don't fall."

The two walked upstairs side by side, their footsteps echoing in the stairwell.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling in dappled patterns on the steps and onto them.

When Xiao Yunqing reached the corner on the second floor, she suddenly spoke, "Song Huan."

"Um?"

"Just now in the classroom, I said you were my cousin. Are you angry?"

Song Huan glanced at her.

She looked straight ahead, not at him, but her ears turned red.

"Don't be angry."

"real?"

"Really. Anyway, it's not true."

Xiao Yunqing's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed it.

She quickened her pace, went up to the third floor, and turned into the classroom.

Song Huan followed behind, watching her ponytail sway back and forth, and recalled how her pulse was beating very fast when she grabbed her wrist in the crowd earlier.

I don't know if it was from being scared or something else.

He suppressed the thought and followed them into the classroom.