Chapter 26: Zhou Siyu's Scheming

For Shen Mianmian who was earnestly listening to the classes, the four morning lessons flew by rather quickly. However, for Zhou Siyu, it felt as if an entire century had dragged on.

Since the school didn't have a boarding system, everyone went home for lunch.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of class, students burst out of the classroom like bees swarming out of their hive. Shen Mianmian had just stepped out of the school gate when Zhou Siyu, riding her bicycle, caught up with her.

"Sis, why didn't you wait for me? I've been looking for you for a while," she said with a surprisingly pleasant attitude.

Shen Mianmian paused and countered without answering, "Didn't you say this morning that you were going to pump your bike's tires and then come back for me? Why didn't you show up?"

Speaking of this, Zhou Siyu herself was puzzled. Logically, Shen Mianmian should have been late, but she had arrived not long after Zhou Siyu, clearly not having walked to school.

"I was going to come back for you, but when I got to the classroom, I saw you had already arrived." She fished for information, "Sis, how did you walk so fast? Did someone give you a ride?"

"Who do you think would give me a ride?" Shen Mianmian looked at her and countered.

Zhou Siyu felt a sense of guilt under that gaze, feeling as if all her little schemes had been seen through.

She quickly smiled and changed the subject, "I was just asking casually. Sis, get on the bike, and I'll take you home. Mom must have lunch ready by now."

Take her home?

That was truly like the sun rising from the west.

There is something fishy when things don't seem normal.

Zhou Siyu must be up to something, but with a bicycle ride offered, Shen Mianmian wouldn't be foolish enough to choose walking.

Indeed, Zhou Siyu had only been riding for a short while before she started subtly prying again, "Sis, did the teacher call you to the office today for something?"

"Nothing much, just to give me praise," answered Shen Mianmian nonchalantly.

Praise? A slacker getting praised just for blindly guessing a few questions right? What's there to praise?

Unable to control the jealousy in her heart, Zhou Siyu's tone took on a sarcastic edge, "Sis, there's no one else here. Just tell the truth! Was it Lu Siyuan who taught you the answer to today's question?"

"If you've already made up your mind, does my answer matter?" Shen Mianmian replied ambiguously.

So it was cheating, she knew it! How could Shen Mianmian suddenly become so smart? Zhou Siyu's heart eased with the notion.

"Since when did you get on such good terms with Lu Siyuan?

Lu Siyuan was a transfer student, and from what she knew, he didn't seem to be from Licheng, currently living with his maternal grandfather to attend school. He was quite aloof, making few friends at school, occasionally getting into fights and often making girls cry.

If it weren't for his academic excellence, he would have long been expelled from school.

"Go slower on the downhill," Shen Mianmian diverted the topic. The roads in the countryside were rough and un-repaired, full of potholes; going too fast made the ride uncomfortably bumpy.

Zhou Siyu, not giving up, continued to probe, "You didn't happen to ride his bicycle to school this morning, did you?"

It was a casual remark, but after mulling it over, it seemed quite possible.

Shen Mianmian had arrived not long before Lu Siyuan entered the classroom, and when she was seated next to him, he raised no objections.

Was he afraid that Lu Siyuan was helping her with her studies? Shen Mianmian's gaze flickered, and she made up her mind. Instead of denying it, she admitted, "That's right, I helped him with a little something today. If you don't give me a ride in the future, I might just go with him every day."

As expected, upon hearing this, Zhou Siyu immediately said, "Sis, don't go with him next time. If others see you two together, they might suspect you're dating, and that would get you expelled from school."

Still not reassured, she added a warning, "You'd better ask the teacher to change your seat."

…