Chapter 152: Chapter 151 Xu Xu Scolds People
Zhang Zhao, who had been following her all along, suddenly stepped forward, wrapped his arm around Zhao Meimei’s neck, and arrogantly lifted his chin: "Ah! Zhao Meimei has always had a secret crush on me, pestering me relentlessly, and I caved! Jealous, aren’t you? Envious, aren’t you? You hate her, don’t you..."
Zhang Zhao hadn’t finished speaking when suddenly someone yanked his arm, forcing him down from Zhao Meimei’s shoulder.
Zhang Zhao spun around, his eyes meeting a pair burning with suppressed rage.
Xu Xu glared with an icy cold expression, his chest heaving violently, blocking the space between Zhao Meimei and Zhang Zhao. His urgent appearance made it evident he wanted to slap Zhang Zhao away.
Xu Xu didn’t look at Zhao Meimei; he asked Zhang Zhao coldly, "What nonsense were you just saying?"
Zhang Zhao raised an eyebrow at Xu Xu with a hint of provocation on his face, "What did I say? Didn’t you hear it?"
Xu Xu’s eyes reddened, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
"Tch!" Zhang Zhao snorted lightly, striding forward with a lazy expression, glanced at Xu Xu, and replied indifferently, "I was just spouting nonsense, was it worth getting so worked up?"
Xu Xu glared instantly with rage, "You!"
Zhang Zhao suddenly stepped back, not giving Xu Xu time to react, quickly leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "You have a crush on Zhao Meimei, don’t you?"
After he finished, Zhang Zhao snorted lightly, turned, and headed to his seat.
Xu Xu’s face turned white, his back slightly trembling, staring incredulously at Zhang Zhao, who also looked back at him.
Zhang Zhao curled up one side of his lips, his mocking intent undeniably clear.
Seeing Xu Xu protecting her and now at odds with Zhang Zhao, Zhao Meimei hurriedly admonished the classmates who were stirring the pot, "What are you making a fuss about! Is your mouth so careless that your teeth are itching?"
Suppressing those who weren’t afraid of causing trouble, Zhao Meimei reached out, tugging Xu Xu’s arm, "Zhang Zhao was just joking around..."
Xu Xu, thinking that Zhao Meimei was protecting Zhang Zhao, felt his eyes starting to redden and yelled: "He’s joking around, and you didn’t stop him?"
Zhao Meimei didn’t expect Xu Xu to suddenly explode, stunned by his roar, she felt somewhat embarrassed, "I’ve already said it was a joke, why are you shouting at me!"
Xu Xu raised his eyes at Zhao Meimei, his expression slowly changing.
Earlier in English class, after Zhang Zhao threw a paper ball to Zhao Meimei, he left the classroom pretending he needed the bathroom, followed by Zhao Meimei. Others might not have noticed anything, but Xu Xu was split between focusing on the class and keeping all attention on Zhao Meimei.
As soon as Zhao Meimei moved, he noticed, but didn’t expect Zhang Zhao to take Zhao Meimei out of school for lunch. The strong scent of spicy skewers was too distinct; he smelled it as soon as he got close.
Usually, Zhao Meimei had good relations within the class, but those who got close to her were just Xu Xu and Wang Jiayue; others only had superficial interactions. They were the real inseparable trio.
But today, Zhao Meimei suddenly left him and followed Zhang Zhao alone to skip class, have lunch, and joke around intimately.
Xu Xu was swept up in emotions of grievance, frustration, jealousy, and embarrassment, all mixing together. His thin-skinned face flushed; staring at Zhao Meimei, he suddenly blurted out, "Zhao Meimei, it doesn’t matter if the school doesn’t allow early dating; even if it does, you can’t be with him!"
On that day, Xu Xu was truly anxious; in a mix of anger and shame triggered by overwhelming jealousy, he felt panicked and spoke without thinking.
Zhao Meimei was stunned by his shout, looking at Xu Xu in a daze, confused how things escalated to her and Xu Xu standing in the classroom, arguing.
Before the rest of the class could react, Zhang Zhao, who had already returned to his seat, suddenly got mad: "Enough is enough! Stop spreading rumors! If you dare spout nonsense again, watch out I’ll smack you!"
Xu Xu suddenly turned, veins popped out on his temple, eyes tinged red, glaring at Zhang Zhao like daggers: "Zhang Zhao, I ought to smack you! If you dare to yell again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!"
The whole class fell silent, everyone dumbfounded, watching Xu Xu swearing.
Zhao Meimei was bewildered, mumbling, "What are you guys doing?"
Zhang Zhao suddenly laughed. After being scolded by Xu Xu, he erupted into laughter; amidst this, he extended his index finger, pointed straight at Xu Xu, his eyes slightly narrowed, making his threat clear: Xu Xu, if you don’t know when to stop, I’ll confess for you. See if you dare challenge that!
Xu Xu, red-faced and neck thick, glared at Zhang Zhao, breathless with anger, his mind ablaze.
Zhao Meimei, seeing the class bell ringing, quickly pushed Xu Xu back to his seat, afraid the teacher would catch them.
Xu Xu sat in his seat, his eyes red, looking like he suffered an immense grievance, evoking sympathy.
Zhao Meimei hurriedly moved closer to him, explaining seriously: "Zhang Zhao and I are just buddies; there’s nothing between us. Have I ever lied to you?"
Xu Xu pursed his lips, remaining silent.
The teacher already reached the classroom door, so Zhao Meimei had no choice but to return to her seat and attend the class.
That afternoon, Robber Hao utilized the class meeting time to collect the tutoring fees, announcing the official tutoring sessions starting next Monday.
All students, while paying the tuition, needed to fill in the subjects they’d like to attend for tutoring with Robber Hao.
As class president, Zhao Meimei followed Robber Hao with the registration form, asking classmates to fill it in, reaching Xu Xu, she directly handed the form to Xu Xu’s deskmate. Unexpectedly, Xu Xu promptly snatched the form, quickly filling it with the exact same subjects as Zhao Meimei.
Zhao Meimei was extremely surprised, wishing she could instantly karate chop his writing hand.
She continued passing the form for the others to fill, and right before handing it to Robber Hao, quickly and secretly erased the subjects Xu Xu had filled.
Robber Hao noticed, hesitated, and asked Zhao Meimei, "What’s up?"
Zhao Meimei quickly whispered, "His home is too far away."
Robber Hao, aware of Xu Xu’s situation, nodded, considering the matter closed.
Xu Xu filled out the form in a moment of heated impulse, stubbornly trying to prove himself. Though the method seemed naive, it stemmed from being pushed to the brink by poverty.
He wanted to be with Zhao Meimei, and he couldn’t bear the thought of someone else accompanying her to tutoring. Previously, such thoughts were fleeting, but after being provoked by Zhang Zhao, they suddenly became clear and profound.
He couldn’t help imagining if he had money, he could also treat Zhao Meimei to spicy skewers, take her everywhere, gift her all the things she wanted and liked. However, the stark reality was he was very poor, without money.