Chapter 51: Unexpected Similarities and a Masquerade Revelation

The shopping teams from Class Three and Class Four merged into a single procession, with ten students venturing beyond the school gates to the nearest wholesale market.

This small-town wholesale market still bore faint traces of the nineties, evident in the antique yellowing of some walls and ceilings.

Most of the shops within, however, appeared relatively new and clean, creating a striking contrast within the aged market. Primarily, these establishments consisted of clothing stores, general merchandise shops, and food vendors, allowing students to procure nearly all their necessities at affordable prices.

The few existing shoppers and shopkeepers were generally over forty, so when Zhong Tian’s group entered, they stood out as conspicuously as the newer shops.

Despite their prominence, no one shouted or hawked their wares at them; the wholesale market remained remarkably quiet, punctuated only by occasional murmurs of discussion and laughter.

Zhong Tian found solace in this atmosphere, his mood subtly brightening.

“Why does this place feel like a retirement home?”

Li Jianren suddenly blurted out.

Long Tao, standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

“Jianren, have you never been here before?”

Li Jianren surveyed his surroundings, responding to Wu Rui, “No, I honestly didn’t know there was a retirement home here.”

“Hmm… that’s not very polite, you know.”

“Just kidding.”

Unbeknownst to them, the boys and girls in the group had naturally separated into two distinct parts, walking one behind the other.

Zhong Tian found himself walking with the girls.

He was beside Bai Ruijin. He glanced at Li Jianren, who was ahead, engrossed in conversation with a few boys. He had initially intended to discuss the ‘Li Jianren Strategy’ with Ruijin, but after a moment’s careful consideration, he decided against it.

Approaching him proactively in this situation would reveal his intentions far too obviously.

The current general strategy dictated that Li Jianren should gradually develop feelings for Bai Ruijin without ever realizing her existing affection. Then, Zhong Tian would step in to resolve Li Jianren’s self-proclaimed ‘not wanting to be in a relationship right now’ issue, ensuring a happy ending for the pair.

Bai Ruijin likely understood this as well.

Thus, she too remained strategically inactive.

Of course, it was also possible she simply lacked the courage to approach him.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot about the main task,” Li Jianren called back to Zhong Tian from the front, “Zhong Tian, didn’t the class monitor send you the list?”

Zhong Tian retrieved his phone, opened WeChat, and saw a friend request from the vice-class monitor.

‘I forgot I hadn’t added her yet…’

Zhong Tian accepted the friend request. Within seconds, Qin Dong sent him the shopping list.

“First, let’s buy tablecloths.”

“What about your class?”

Li Jianren then asked Zheng Qiao.

“Why ask me? I’m not the leader…”

“Oh, I heard Long Tao call you… well… I thought you were.”

“The list is with me…” Bai Ruijin said softly, raising her hand, “We need to buy tablecloths too.”

“Alright then, who knows this place well enough to find a good, cheap one?”

“I do,” Wu Rui replied, “However, do we need disposable plastic tablecloths or reusable cloth ones?”

“Disposable tablecloths, I think. We probably won’t use these a second time… right?” Lin Han, walking beside Zhong Tian, suggested.

“Won’t disposable tablecloths look a bit too shabby?” Long Tao countered, “And they’re so thin, they’ll tear easily.”

“Actually, there are thicker, opaque disposable tablecloths with patterns. I know where to get them,” Wu Rui explained, waving to the group. “This way.”

The group followed Wu Rui, traversing two narrow alleys until they reached a somewhat antiquated general store.

He walked straight into the shop and called out to the back room, “Uncle Wang!”

“Coming, coming.”

A sturdy, middle-aged man emerged from the back room. Seeing Wu Rui, he smiled with surprise. “Xiao Rui, long time no see!”

“It has been,” Wu Rui confirmed.

“What, no class today?”

“Not really. It’s the school’s cultural festival today, so we’re out buying things to decorate our classroom.”

“Alright, what do you need?”

“Some disposable tablecloths, the thick, checkered kind.” Wu Rui turned to Zhong Tian. “Zhong Tian, how many tablecloths do we need? And roughly what size?”

Zhong Tian checked Qin Dong’s notes, then stepped forward, addressing Uncle Wang. “Nine square tablecloths, large enough to cover four desks pushed together.”

Bai Ruijin followed, raising her hand. “We also need nine of the same.”

“Alright, please wait a moment,” Uncle Wang said, “I’ll get them from the back.”

Shortly, Uncle Wang returned from the back room with a folded disposable tablecloth, handing it to Zhong Tian. “See if this is suitable?”

Zhong Tian took it, and together with Bai Ruijin, they examined it carefully.

‘Hmm, it’s cloth, but very thin and light. The checkered pattern is printed clearly enough, and overall, it looks quite presentable.’

“Yes, this will do.”

“Alright, then I’ll set the size at 140 by 180 for you.”

Zhong Tian nodded, handing the tablecloth back to Uncle Wang.

“What’s the price?”

“They’re sold in packs; ten sheets per pack, ten yuan.”

‘It’s a bit cheaper than online, actually.’

Bai Ruijin had just checked the prices for similar tablecloths online, finding them typically costing over ten, even twenty yuan per pack of ten sheets.

“We’ll take two packs,” Zhong Tian stated.

“Got it.”

Uncle Wang retrieved two packs from the shelves in the back room, put them in a plastic bag, and handed them to Bai Ruijin and Zhong Tian respectively.

Zhong Tian informed Qin Dong of the price, received the class funds from her, and paid via WeChat.

“…Uh, Zhong Tian, let me carry that.”

Zhong Tian looked at Wu Rui, who had extended a hand to help, and pondered for a moment.

“No need,” Zhong Tian said, “Thank you.”

‘Because there are still some heavy items to buy later. If I’m already carrying things, even if we’re short-handed and need girls to help, it won’t fall to me.’

‘Plan successful!’

Zhong Tian, oblivious to Wu Rui’s slightly disappointed expression, exited the shop with Bai Ruijin.

“What’s next?” Li Jianren asked.

“Porcelain cups,” Zhong Tian felt listing items one by one was tedious, so he decided to rattle them all off at once, “electric kettle, some potted plants, artificial flowers and vases, decorative colored ropes, hanging ornaments, instant coffee, eggs, low-gluten flour, butter…”

“Alright, alright, stop reading! I can’t remember all that.”

“Hmm?” Bai Ruijin, who had been quietly listening to Zhong Tian list the items, let out a confused sound. “You also need to buy these things…?”

“Don’t tell me,” Zheng Qiao asked, frowning with an incredulous look on her face, “you’re also a coffee shop?”

Zhong Tian paused slightly at her words.

‘A coffee shop theme is simple to set up, and the cost isn’t too high. It’s a common choice for many classes, so it’s not surprising if we’ve coincidentally picked the same one…’

“Yes,” Zhong Tian replied.

“Our class theme is a maid café…” Lin Han said with a complaining tone, “And we even have to wear maid outfits… it’s so embarrassing…”

“Oh, we’re also a maid café…” Bai Ruijin whispered.

“Huh?” Both sides simultaneously uttered sounds of surprise.

“So, you also…”

“I heard… Class Six and Class Eight are also maid cafés…”

“Huh??”

‘Surely, the entire grade isn’t going to be maid or butler cafés…’

Zhong Tian already envisioned the second-year teaching building teeming with maids and butlers.

“Cough, let’s put these matters aside for now,” Wu Rui was the first to recover from the shock. “We should go buy the porcelain cups first. I’ll lead the way.”

“Alright.”

Zhong Tian immediately agreed, as there were still quite a few items to buy.

****

In the second-year teaching building, all the classes were engaged in a lively cleanup, bustling with activity.

Half an hour had passed since Zhong Tian’s group left to purchase items. The classroom cleaning was roughly halfway complete; the next step would be to arrange the desks, awaiting their return to continue.

As Qin Dong pondered, someone slowly approached her side.

It was Yu Naixi.

“Vice-Class Monitor Qin Dong.”

“Yu Naixi?” Qin Dong merely glanced at Yu Naixi before her gaze returned to the classroom, where the floor was being cleaned. “Is there something you need?”

“Yes, regarding the masquerade ball.”

Yu Naixi’s tone was as light and cheerful as ever.

“What about it?”

“Do you want to perform on stage?” Yu Naixi asked. “Or rather, would you like to perform on stage with Chen Chenchen?”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Qin Dong’s delicate brows furrowed, and she turned to fix her gaze on Yu Naixi’s face.

Yu Naixi was smirking, her beautiful eyes gleaming with a nearly mischievous light.

“…So, you already knew,” Qin Dong seemed to sigh. “Then why ask such a question?”

“Haha, I wanted to see your reaction! I love seeing girls’ surprised expressions the most,” Yu Naixi continued to smirk. “But you weren’t as surprised as I imagined.”

“…” Qin Dong remained silent for a moment. “So, are there any other questions? If not…”

“Don’t be in such a hurry.” Yu Naixi twirled a strand of her temple hair around her finger. “If you were to replace Zhong Tian on stage, would you be willing to go?”

“…Going or not going, what difference does it make?” Qin Dong’s words carried a hint of despondency. “It’s futile, he likes…”

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha—”

Before Qin Dong could finish her sentence, Yu Naixi’s bell-like laughter cut her off.

“You…”

“My apologies, I couldn’t help but laugh,” Yu Naixi finally managed to stop laughing, composing her expression. “Do you know? You and Chen Chenchen are like two clowns performing for thin air…”

“…You can’t even amuse yourselves.”

Qin Dong gritted her teeth, a look of impatience surfacing on her face.

“Yu Naixi, if you have nothing better to do…”

“You can’t win Chen Chenchen’s affection, just as he can absolutely never win Zhong Tian’s affection.”

Yu Naixi’s words startled Qin Dong, who turned her head to meet Yu Naixi’s gaze.

“But there’s a difference,” Yu Naixi smiled, “And that is, you might be able to win Chen Chenchen over, but Chen Chenchen will absolutely never be able to win Zhong Tian over.”

“Want to know why?”

Before Qin Dong could reply, Yu Naixi took a step forward, gently pressing her index finger against Qin Dong’s lips. “Because Zhong Tian likes girls.”

“And I, I like Zhong Tian.”

Her smirk finally transformed into a brilliant smile.

“Now, do you understand my purpose in coming to find you?”