Zhou Mingyu put on a fierce expression, as if he was about to hit someone. "It's all for you guys." He then touched his hair and removed the leaves.
Yan Cheng returned the badminton shuttlecock and went back to his spot, checking the time.
"Let's hurry and run, the next class is about to start." Yan Cheng had already run ahead.
Political science class was easy to sleep through, especially after physical education. Rushing back to the classroom, the bell rang just as they arrived. Zhou Mingyu directly gulped down a cup of water and then lay down to sleep.
The entire classroom lacked the energy of the physical education period, appearing listless. The political science teacher didn't intervene, believing that learning was a personal matter.
Wang Muman quite liked politics, as she could learn about national affairs. The knowledge for the first year was relatively simple, usually just requiring memorization.
Wang Muman felt that this political science class was particularly quiet. Even the political science teacher spoke softly, like a lullaby, making one want to close their eyes. However, the class passed quickly. After it ended, the classroom seemed to come alive again, becoming lively once more.
Next week would be her mother's death anniversary. Wang Muman lay on her dorm bed, realizing she couldn't go to pay respects. She always had to do it while at school. Since she couldn't go home during high school, she had to ask her elder brother to bring a bouquet of flowers. Her father would probably come back too, she thought.
This day was Wang Muman's birthday. She hadn't told anyone because she didn't want to celebrate. The weather was also gloomy, without sunshine, and sometimes a light rain would fall.
Wang Muman didn't eat cake or longevity noodles. She simply went through the day as if everything were normal, eating very little. He Lele noticed Wang Muman's unhappiness and kept telling jokes and gossiping about others, but nothing could make Wang Muman happy.
"Manman, please have a sausage, a fragrant grilled sausage." He Lele held a skewer and offered it to Wang Muman.
Wang Muman saw He Lele's smiling face, looking at her expectantly. Her eyes suddenly welled up a little. She took the grilled sausage from He Lele's hand, and a warm current flowed through her heart.
"Thank you, Xiao Le." Although she didn't have her family's company, she had her friends.
Before the evening study session, Teacher Xu asked Wang Muman to go to his office. Upon entering, Teacher Xu beckoned her and handed her the phone.
"Manman, happy birthday. Did you have a small cake today?"
It was her brother. Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Muman's eyes were already filled with tears. Now she couldn't even speak without a nasal tone.
"No, I didn't."
"What's wrong? Are you crying on your birthday?"
"No, I miss you, brother." Wang Muman sniffled.
"Alright, brother has to go now. Be good at school, and don't worry about things tomorrow. I'll bring you a small cake when I come back this weekend!" Wang Mujin said and hung up.
Listening to the beeping sound from the other end, Wang Muman felt a moment of daze, her mind wandering.
After a while, she calmed herself down and turned to return the phone to Teacher Xu.
"Okay, go back to your evening study session, it's getting late." Teacher Xu spoke gently.
Wang Muman nodded and left the office, walking towards the classroom.
During the evening study session, Wang Muman wrote her homework rather slowly. Perhaps her mind wasn't clear, and she felt an inexpressible sense of grievance, her eyes feeling a little sore.
Collecting and submitting homework proceeded as usual, with nothing seemingly changed. She was dazed, like a marionette. When school ended, He Lele urgently needed to use the restroom and asked Wang Muman to wait for five minutes.
Wang Muman continued to pack her things in a daze. Suddenly, a string of red objects appeared before her.
"Manman, happy birthday!"