Chapter 3  

Jiang Lingzhi’s ear was turning red, but she dared not turn around.

‘Are they referring to the fact that I knocked into that boy?’

‘Seriously!’

‘So!’

‘Senseless!’

The boy was very close to her, but he never said anything.

After a long while, the boys around her still did not intend to stop joking. Finally, Jiang Lingzhi heard an emotionless but surprisingly pleasant voice coming from beside her.

“Get lost.”

His tone was hostile, and those people did not seem to be angry either. They were still laughing and joking with each other.

His low and magnetic voice was right beside her ear, and Jiang Lingzhi somehow felt her ear turning hot for some reason.

This bus stop was near the department store in the old city district. Many of the passengers alighted.

The majority of the people left altogether, and the group of students from No. 36 High School also got off the bus as well.

Although there were still no empty seats in the bus, the air was still much fresher than before.

When Jiang Lingzhi looked out the window, she could see that the group of people just then was still standing at the bus stop.

They were laughing and joking about something while holding each other’s shoulders. One of them put a cigarette in his mouth after getting off the bus.

That boy was very tall, and he looked languid and laid back, clad in a white shirt and black trousers, with a cigarette in his mouth. He looked exceptionally attractive from afar.

The bus started moving off again, and Jiang Lingzhi looked away.

She was only two stops away from the bus stop near her home.

After getting off the bus, she would have to walk for another ten minutes to reach home.

Although she had never taken a public bus before, she had always wanted to try it previously. Hence, she had asked Uncle Chen about the bus route that she would have to take home.

Today, she actually had a bad experience.

The bus was crowded, stuffy, and hot.

However, she was surprisingly not in a foul mood.

She returned home to see that Lu Yuping was getting busy in the kitchen.

Jiang Lingzhi changed into her slippers at the entrance and shouted in the direction of the kitchen, “Mommy, I’m home.”

Jiang Puqing was sitting on the sofa in the living room while holding a set of newspapers in his hand. When he heard her voice, he looked up and said, “Zhizhi is home.”

“Daddy.” After greeting him, Jiang Lingzhi scurried to the dining hall to get herself a cup of water before even putting down her backpack.

The hair on her forehead was drenched in sweat. When Lu Yuping came out with the washed fruit, she frowned and asked, “You didn’t answer the phone when I called you. How did you come home today?”

After finishing the glass of water, she placed the empty glass on the table and answered truthfully, “I took the public bus home.”

“Public bus? It must have been crowded,” said a puzzled Lu Yuping, who quickly wiped the sweat off her forehead with some tissue paper.

“The family car broke down, and it has been sent to the repair store. We’ll get your father to send you to school tomorrow.”

Jiang Lingzhi expressed assent and grabbed an apple before heading upstairs with her backpack. “Mommy, I’m going to go do my homework. Call me when dinner is ready.”

“Go back to your room and practice the piano first.”

Lu Yuping raised her voice and added, “Your father can’t pick you up tomorrow afternoon because he has a meeting to attend. Take a cab home, and don’t take the bus again.”

“Got it…” Jiang Lingzhi answered before returning to her room.

The air conditioning in the room was rather cold, and her sweaty school uniform was sticking to her body, making her feel uncomfortable.

Jiang Lingzhi grabbed a set of homewear and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

When she came out of the shower, she sat in front of the piano and played the piano for a while.

Playing the piano was part of her daily routine.

Ever since she was a child, she had been different from other children, and her daily schedule had always been packed with academic tasks.

While other children were playing outside, she could only practice piano at home. While other children were watching TV, she had to do her homework and read books.