C2 Childish

Gao Mu settled back into his seat, gently touching his cheek.

"Are you alright?" asked his deskmate, a girl with a sharp intellect and a reserved nature.

Her modest background was evident in her attire; she wore the same clothes nearly all year. Her school uniform, in particular, had faded to a dull white from frequent washing and hung loosely on her frame.

"I'm fine," Gao Mu reassured her with a smile. "Have they been bullying you lately?"

Despite the outcry against school violence and the low repercussions for such behavior, incidents continued to occur. The usual targets were students with poor academic performance or those from disadvantaged backgrounds who were also shy.

"No," the girl replied, her voice tinged with anxiety.

Gao Mu glanced at her and noticed bruises hidden beneath her clothes. The bullies were cunning, striking where the marks would be concealed.

Soong Yingqiu's complexion was noticeably pale, a result of both her fear of the school's violence and her inadequate nutrition. Gao Mu was somewhat familiar with her family situation. Her parents, both laid-off workers, struggled to make ends meet. Her father worked in a factory in Tianhai, and her mother was a sanitation worker. Together, they earned less than 5,000 yuan. After covering rent, Soong Yingqiu's school fees, and other essentials, there was barely 1,000 yuan left for food each month.

"These people are just too much," Gao Mu remarked.

Soong Yingqiu simply nodded, choosing to remain silent.

The day's classes flew by, and as Gao Mu watched the sunset from the window, he felt a sense of anticipation. At the sound of the final bell, he was the first to dash out of the classroom, heading straight for the school gate. After scanning the area for about five minutes, his face lit up with happiness. There, not too far away, stood an exceptionally attractive girl who seemed slightly out of sync with her surroundings. Her maturity was beyond her years, dressed in a school uniform paired with jeans.

Her cheeks were adorned with a heavy layer of makeup. Yet, because of her striking beauty, the makeup didn't seem out of place to anyone.

"Qing," he said as he approached the girl, a joyful expression spreading across his face.

Qing cast a disdainful glance at Gao Mu and inquired, "What do you want?"

Unfazed by Qing's scorn, Gao Mu replied with a smile, "We made plans to see a movie this weekend. I've already got the tickets."

Taking the tickets from Gao Mu, Qing gave them a brief look and remarked icily, "You're still into cartoons? How childish."

With those words, she turned on her heel and strode towards the school exit.

Gao Mu stood there, dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Qing, who had been as frosty as ice moments before, let a smile of delight cross her face as soon as she stepped beyond the school gates.