Chapter 39: The Unofficial Class President and a Faint Unease

The evening study session began.

Li Jianren ultimately failed to complete his summer homework before the evening study session, forced to watch as his half-finished assignments were confiscated.

He leaned weakly against his chair, head tilted back, mouth agape, as if Zhong Tian could almost see his soul slowly drifting out.

In her heart, Zhong Tian silently offered a prayer for him.

Having done so, she then turned her attention to her own homework.

As it was the first day of school, the workload was light, and Zhong Tian finished all her assignments in a mere ten minutes.

Nearly two hours remained until the end of the evening study session.

‘Perfect!’

‘This is exactly the time for sketching!’

Retrieving her sketchpad from her canvas bag, Zhong Tian picked up her mechanical pencil and began to draw, discreetly hidden behind her textbooks on the desk.

Once finished, she planned to take it home and show it to Su Linxi.

An hour slipped by unnoticed, during which Zhong Tian completed seven pages of storyboard designs and mentally drafted the accompanying text, intending to scan them into her computer for refinement later that evening.

Just then, their homeroom teacher, Wang Changgeng, entered the classroom.

Standing at the podium, he commanded the attention of nearly the entire class before uttering a single word.

“Students, please pause your work for a moment.”

Wang Changgeng gently tapped the blackboard, breaking the hushed atmosphere of the classroom.

“Today marks the first evening study session of the new semester, and it’s commendable that you’ve all conscientiously adhered to the rules,” Wang Changgeng stated, hands clasped behind his back. “I hope you continue to maintain this excellent standard.”

After a brief pause for consideration, he continued, “With one hour remaining in tonight’s session, I’d like to use this time to select our new class cadres.”

“First, for the position of class president,” he announced, “are there any volunteers?”

A profound silence descended upon the classroom.

‘Well, that’s hardly surprising.’

‘After all, the class president bears significant responsibilities and numerous duties; a single misstep could even sour relationships with classmates.’

‘Anyone lacking confidence in their abilities wouldn’t dare to volunteer.’

Zhong Tian twirled her mechanical pencil, guessing that if the silence persisted, the homeroom teacher would simply reappoint last year’s class president.

Zhong Tian, who had no intention of becoming a class cadre, was about to resume her drawing when a strange sensation touched her shoulder.

Then came a sudden, heavy weight.

“Woah!”

Startled, Zhong Tian sprang from her seat, colliding heavily with Wu Rui, her deskmate.

The little creature that had climbed onto Zhong Tian’s shoulder lightly leaped, landing on her desk, then turned and darted onto her lap.

It was a cat.

With deep blue fur and golden eyes, it was one of the school’s resident felines, an unofficial “Senior” often seen roaming the second-year teaching building.

Legend had it that each year, the cat would choose a favorite class as its home, residing there for the entire academic year under the students’ care.

The cat, with its perpetually lazy expression, sprang onto Zhong Tian’s lap and immediately curled into a ball.

Zhong Tian was still somewhat shaken.

She gazed at the cat curled on her lap, feeling a distinct sense of bewilderment.

Wu Rui, meanwhile, was even more flustered.

Zhong Tian, whose cowlick stood on end from the fright, had just bumped into his shoulder, and now she looked blankly at the cat on her lap, seemingly with no intention of returning to her seat.

‘Though the feeling wasn’t bad…’

‘And to think, Zhong Tian reacts like this when startled; it’s such a stark contrast to her usual self.’

‘Is this what they call “gap moe”?’

‘Oh no, I think I’m blushing…’ Feeling his face flush, Wu Rui cleared his throat softly. “Uh…”

Zhong Tian only registered his voice then, glancing behind her to realize that her startled cry had drawn the attention of the entire class.

Unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Zhong Tian felt a blush creep up her neck. She tried to pick up the cat and place it aside, but the feline was utterly uncooperative, clinging to her skirt with its claws, as if determined not to leave.

Left with no alternative, Zhong Tian allowed the cat to remain, then awkwardly maneuvered herself back into her chair.

Wang Changgeng, feigning ignorance of the commotion, continued, “Are there any students who would like to volunteer?”

“Teacher!”

Jiang Nanjin, seated behind Zhong Tian, raised her hand.

“Why don’t we let Senior Cat be the class president?”

‘Huh?’

A mental question mark practically popped above Zhong Tian’s head.

“That’s a great idea!”

“Yes, yes! Let the cat do it!”

‘How did the entire class agree to this?!’

‘No, no, this is utterly ridiculous.’

“Alright, it’s settled then.”

‘Even the homeroom teacher agreed?!’

Wang Changgeng, looking quite pleased, declared, “In that case, Senior Cat will serve as the class president for Class 3, Second Year. The vice president will be last year’s president, and other class cadres will maintain their previous arrangements. How does that sound?”

“Great!”

‘This isn’t right!’

Zhong Tian felt her thoughts in disarray. She looked down at the cat still curled on her lap, a sudden ominous feeling washing over her.

‘This little rascal isn’t going to use me as a cushion indefinitely, is it?!’

‘While the cat is adorable, having it constantly sprawled on me like this for an extended period would be pure torture…’

‘How am I supposed to draw properly like this?’

“Well then, everyone, please be sure to treat our new class president kindly.”

Wang Changgeng said with a smile.

Resigned, Zhong Tian gently stroked Senior Cat, who was still sprawled on her lap. The cat squinted its eyes, lifted its head slightly, and let out a contented purr.

‘You little fellow, you’re truly enjoying yourself.’

Realizing she couldn’t possibly draw, Zhong Tian put away her sketches from the desk, tucked them into her canvas bag, and continued to massage Senior Cat, simply to pass the time.

****

At half-past eight in the evening, the study session concluded.

As the dismissal bell rang, Senior Cat was the first to stir, stretching languidly on Zhong Tian’s lap before gracefully leaping onto the windowsill, then deftly dropping down and disappearing from sight.

Zhong Tian patted the cat fur from her skirt, let out a soft sigh, gathered her belongings, then slung her canvas bag over her shoulder and departed the classroom, and then the school, amidst the stream of students.

Zhong Tian cycled through the vibrant, neon-lit streets, listening to the clinking of her bicycle chain and feeling the wind on her face, her mood gradually becoming more relaxed.

Only at moments like these did Zhong Tian feel as though she had truly lived out her day.

‘Today felt inexplicably fulfilling.’

Approximately ten minutes later, Zhong Tian arrived back at her residential complex.

Having ridden through a stretch of unlit road, she parked and locked her bicycle outside her front door.

As she reached for her keys to unlock the door, a faint sense of unease suddenly washed over her.

She turned to gaze down the dim, shadowy path behind her, a slight frown creasing her brow.

Zhong Tian was highly sensitive to being watched.

She felt as though someone, somewhere, was observing her.

She stared into the darkness for several seconds, seeing nothing, and then dismissed the feeling.

‘Never mind, it must be my imagination.’

Zhong Tian, in a good mood, didn’t dwell on it and entered her home.

****

In the darkness, a slender figure stood in silence, then turned and vanished into the deeper shadows.

****

“I’m home.”

Zhong Tian called out habitually, primarily to let Zhong Jing, who was inside, know that it was she who had entered the house.

Su Linxi sat silently in the quiet living room, engrossed in her phone.

She glanced back at Zhong Tian, then gestured towards the dining table.

“There are leftovers. You can heat them up for a late-night snack.”

Zhong Tian walked over and examined the dishes on the table.

‘Oh, these are all dishes I’m good at making.’

‘She’s completely adopted my cooking style. And she’s learned it quite well too.’

“I’ll shower first, then eat,” Zhong Tian said. “By the way, Linxi, if you have a moment later, could you take a look at the drafts I drew at school? See if anything needs revision.”

“Okay,” Su Linxi replied. “Give me the drafts, and you go shower.”

“Alright.”

Zhong Tian handed the drafts to Su Linxi and returned to her room to prepare for her shower.

****

Su Linxi flipped through the sketches in her hands, murmuring to herself.

“It’s different… why is it different?” Her expression subtly shifted, hinting at surprise. “Could it be that night…”

****

After showering and drying her hair, Zhong Tian emerged into the living room and sat down beside Su Linxi, who was still examining the drafts. “Anything that needs revising?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Su Linxi replied, “No.”

“Alright then, I’ll start refining a portion of it.”

“Mm,” Su Linxi nodded. “Don’t draw too late. You need to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

****

Unintentionally, she had drawn a bit too late.

Last night, Zhong Tian had planned to go to sleep immediately after refining her drawings, but seeing the empty dialogue boxes, she felt an itch to fill them, so she typed in the text.

It was almost eleven o’clock after she finished one page, yet Zhong Tian felt she could still draw a little more, so she began the second…

By the time she realized it, the second page was complete, and it was nearly one in the morning.

She quickly shut down her computer and went to bed.

Having slept for just over five hours, Zhong Tian felt a little dizzy upon waking.

Zhong Tian was not built for staying up late; whenever she went to an internet cafe with Li Jianren for an all-nighter, she would inevitably fall asleep midway, only to be roused again around six or seven in the morning.

After washing up and eating breakfast, she still felt quite sleepy, yet she managed to feign alertness in front of Su Linxi before grabbing her canvas bag and heading out.

‘Ah, I should have known when to stop.’

She mounted her bicycle and set off.

‘No, I need to buy a coffee.’

She stopped her bicycle at the convenience store entrance of her complex, entered the shop, and picked up a bottle of coffee.

“Six yuan.”

The clerk’s voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

It was then that Zhong Tian realized the convenience store had a new clerk: a tall, slender young man wearing a mask, with ear-length short hair and bangs that almost obscured his eyes.

‘Hmm…?’

‘I feel like I’ve seen this clerk somewhere before…’

Zhong Tian didn’t dwell on it. After paying with WeChat, she exited the store, drank half the coffee immediately, then placed the remaining amount in her canvas bag, mounted her bicycle, and rode towards the school.