If It’s Wrong, Then It’s Wrong - Chapter 108 [END]

Chapter 108

On the first day of school, Cheng Liu arrived a bit late. The classroom was filled with students, a mix of anticipation and anxiety for the new school year. Almost all the seats were taken.

She looked around, spotting an empty seat in the last row, by the door. She walked down the aisle, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

This was the top class. The students here had all excelled in their previous schools, the academic atmosphere more intense. They preferred sitting near the front. The seats by the back door weren't popular.

Class started at 8 am.

Cheng Liu glanced at the clock at the back of the classroom. Ten minutes to go.

They hadn’t received their schedules or textbooks yet. She didn't know what class it was, guessing they probably wouldn’t start lessons on the first day, so she closed her eyes, resting.

A few minutes later, the classroom suddenly fell silent.

Cheng Liu, thinking the teacher had arrived, opened her eyes, but it wasn't the teacher.

She looked around at the quiet students, understanding their silence.

It was a student, a slender, handsome boy. The moment he entered, the entire classroom seemed to brighten, as if all the light was focused on him.

It was the first day, and they hadn’t received their uniforms yet. Everyone was wearing their own clothes. Even though the boy’s clothes weren't branded, it was clear he came from a privileged background.

—It had nothing to do with her.

They were from different worlds.

Cheng Liu leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes again.

But soon, she heard the chair beside her being pulled out. Someone sat down.

There were only two empty seats left by the back door. Cheng Liu had taken one. The person who had just sat down could only be…

Although Cheng Liu hadn’t opened her eyes, she suddenly smelled a clean, pleasant fragrance.

“Is everyone here? I’m your homeroom teacher, Ms. Qi,” a brisk, middle-aged female voice came from the front of the classroom. “I need a few students to help me collect the textbooks.”

As expected, there were no lessons on the first morning. They spent the entire time collecting textbooks and registering their uniform sizes.

Cheng Liu hadn’t slept well last night. After briefly glancing at the homeroom teacher, she had turned towards the back door, falling asleep.

“The class schedule is on the wall. You can copy it down after class.” The homeroom teacher stood at the podium, taking out a list from her bag. “There are a few minutes left before dismissal. When I call your name, please stand up so I can get to know you.”

“Cheng Liu.”

The homeroom teacher, having called the first name, looked around, waiting for Cheng Liu to stand up.

One second, two seconds…the students looked around, whispering, but no one stood up.

“Cheng Liu? Cheng Liu?” The teacher called again, but still no response.

She glanced around the classroom, then called the next name.

With only thirty students, it didn't take long to call everyone’s name. The teacher identified the only student who hadn’t stood up.

She put down the list, “Ji Chaozhou, would you mind waking your deskmate?”

Ji Chaozhou, without turning around, gently nudged the person beside him with his long, slender finger.

Cheng Liu, propped up on one arm, frowned, opening her eyes, still sleepy, turning to see a handsome face with sharp, clean lines, “What?”

“Nothing’s wrong with Ji Chaozhou,” the teacher said, tapping the podium. “Just letting Cheng Liu know it’s almost time for dismissal.”

The class burst out laughing.

Cheng Liu’s expression returned to normal. She stood up, apologizing to the teacher.

“Alright, don’t sleep in class next time.” The teacher looked at Cheng Liu, then addressed the class, “This is our provincial top scorer. Everyone, get to know each other. Classes officially start this afternoon. Dismissed.”

Murmurs filled the classroom. The provincial top scorer hadn’t come from any of the prestigious schools, but from a rural student. This had been a hot topic during the two-month summer break.

The bell rang. As the teacher left, the students packed their bags, heading home.

“Hey, Cheng Liu, I heard your old school closed down. Is that true?” the student in front of her asked, turning around.

“Yes, it closed down,” Cheng Liu replied, gathering her books, chatting with her classmate.

Within a month, Cheng Liu had become acquainted with almost everyone in her class. She was popular, academically gifted, able to answer every question in class, and always willing to help others with their studies.

Such a person would be welcomed in any school.

Except by her deskmate, Ji Chaozhou. He didn’t like her. He found her fake.

She clearly wanted to rest during breaks, yet whenever someone approached her with a question, she would patiently explain, maintaining a superficial friendliness with everyone.

Ji Chaozhou had initially assumed Cheng Liu was the type who excelled academically while also being socially adept, but after a month as deskmates, apart from their brief exchange on the first day, they hadn’t spoken a word.

During the second break, he had gone out to buy water. When he returned, his desk was piled with gifts.

As soon as he sat down, Cheng Liu entered, pulling out her chair, preparing for class.

There were so many gifts on his desk that one had fallen onto hers. As she sat down, she casually pushed it back with the back of her hand.

Ji Chaozhou, noticing her indifferent gesture, sat down, quietly opening his textbook. Cheng Liu didn’t say a word.

Did she hate him that much?

Ji Chaozhou, already disliking Cheng Liu, after this incident, avoided her completely for the entire semester, not even making eye contact.

It wasn't until an IT class the following semester that their relationship eased slightly.

The IT class wasn't very demanding, more of an introductory course to computers, only one lesson per week.

The computers in the IT classroom were arranged in pairs. The teacher instructed them to sit according to their usual seating arrangement. Ji Chaozhou and Cheng Liu, as always, were deskmates in the last row.

Thankfully, there were partitions between the desks. As long as they didn't push their chairs back too far, they still had some privacy.

It was a relaxed class. The teacher didn't teach much. The weekly lesson was more like a free period for everyone to use the computers, some even taking the opportunity to do their math homework.

Ji Chaozhou turned on his computer. Soon, the screen started flashing, filled with pop-up ads. He tried to close them, but somehow, clicked on something that made even more appear, the images obscene.

He patiently closed each one, but less than a minute later, the screen went blank, only flickering lines remaining, while strange sounds came from his headphones.

Ji Chaozhou frowned, looking around the classroom. The teacher had already left, giving them free rein.

He pressed the power button, turning the screen off, but the sound persisted, growing louder. He turned the computer back on, the screen still filled with flickering lines.

He wanted to unplug the computer, but the outlet was by Cheng Liu’s feet.

He hesitated, then finally spoke, “Excuse me, can you move your feet? I need to unplug the computer.”

Cheng Liu’s typing stopped. She stood up, preparing to move, glancing at his computer screen as she turned.

Before Ji Chaozhou could reach the outlet, Cheng Liu said, “Unplugging it won’t help.”

He looked up, “What?”

Cheng Liu, avoiding his gaze, looked at his computer screen, “It has a virus.”

Ji Chaozhou stood up, about to find the IT teacher, when Cheng Liu grabbed his arm.

She quickly let go, almost the instant he turned around.

“I’ll try,” Cheng Liu said, pulling her chair over to his computer. She typed something, the screen changing to a black background with white code. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, a stark contrast to the other students casually chatting and typing.

Ji Chaozhou, stunned, sat back down, watching her.

Ten minutes later, his computer screen returned to normal.

“Done,” Cheng Liu said, stopping, pushing her chair back to her own desk, resuming her work.

She hadn’t even looked at him.

Ji Chaozhou, staring at his restored computer screen, finally said, “Thank you.”

The typing stopped.

Cheng Liu turned around, finally meeting his eyes, “Someone from the previous class probably brought the virus. It wasn't your fault.”

Some students liked bringing USB drives to download things.

Ji Chaozhou, also finally seeing her eyes clearly, calm and clear, not the shrewdness he had imagined, felt his hands clench. For some reason.

After this incident, the tension between them eased. Or rather, Ji Chaozhou was willing to talk to her, while Cheng Liu remained indifferent.

She answered his questions, but if he didn't initiate conversation, she simply focused on her studies, talking to other classmates.

Ji Chaozhou sensed a deliberate distance beneath her politeness.

She wasn’t this cold to other classmates.

Once, when he deliberately let his elbow encroach on her desk space, Cheng Liu not only moved her arm away but also shifted her chair further away from him while the teacher was writing on the board, maintaining a clear distance.

“Cheng Liu,” Ji Chaozhou called out as they were cleaning the classroom after school, the room empty. He looked at her intently, asking directly, “Why do you hate me?”

Cheng Liu froze, then explained, “I don’t hate you.”

“You never talk to me,” Ji Chaozhou said.

Cheng Liu, after a long silence, “There’s nothing to talk about.”

“We’re done cleaning. I’m going home,” Cheng Liu said, turning to leave.

After that day, Ji Chaozhou, contrary to Cheng Liu’s expectations, didn’t distance himself further. Instead, he became even more…inconsiderate.

He would place all the gifts he received on her desk and in her drawer, only retrieving them after class and putting them in the lost and found.

He would shoo away classmates who came to ask her questions during breaks, saying they were disturbing his rest.

Gradually, fewer classmates approached Cheng Liu, allowing her to rest during breaks.

His confession came during their senior year.

Cheng Liu had taken half a day off. When she returned, it was after evening self-study. She reached into her drawer to retrieve her practice tests and found a beautifully wrapped box.

Probably another gift for Ji Chaozhou, but placed in the wrong drawer.

As she was about to put it in his desk, he appeared at the back door.

“Someone sent you a gift,” Cheng Liu said, standing up, holding her tests in one hand, offering him the box with the other.

“It’s not for me,” Ji Chaozhou said, standing at the door.

Cheng Liu, looking at the box, smiled, “Then I’ll put it in the lost and found.”

As soon as she said that, his expression shifted, a hint of annoyance, making him seem more…alive, “It’s for you. I sent it.”

Cheng Liu froze, “Me?”

After more than two years, they were finally…friends.

“Why are you giving me a gift?” Cheng Liu asked.

“It’s my coming-of-age ceremony. There’s a cake inside,” Ji Chaozhou replied.

…Coming-of-age ceremony?

Cheng Liu put the box down, “Sorry, I didn’t know. I haven’t prepared anything for you.”

“You don’t need to prepare a gift. You can grant me a wish instead,” Ji Chaozhou said, his ears turning red, although the dim lighting hid it.

Cheng Liu immediately agreed, “Okay, tell me.”

“You’re not even going to ask what it is?” Ji Chaozhou asked.

Cheng Liu smiled, “I’ll grant you any wish I can.”

Ji Chaozhou, one hand behind his back, clenching tightly, his expression calm, as if he were speaking casually, “Then…will you like me too?”

Silence filled the empty classroom.

Just as Ji Chaozhou, thinking she wouldn’t agree, was about to turn and leave, Cheng Liu stepped forward, grabbing his wrist, “Okay.”

She emphasized, “I like you too.”

Many years later, Ji Chaozhou had asked Cheng Liu why she had never spoken to him in high school, if she had truly hated him.

Cheng Liu, leaning closer, kissed his beautiful eyes, “I was just afraid of falling too deeply.”

The End

Translator's note: Thanks for reading the translations! I enjoyed working on this series. If you liked it, please leave a comment and review on NovelUpdates. I'm also open to recommendations for deserving series. Finally, if you appreciate my work, consider donating on Ko-fi – your support keeps me motivated!

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