A Day of Silence

Today was crucial because I couldn’t talk to any woman other than my sister.

So I had to pay close attention during these two math classes, to avoid the teacher calling on someone who seemed distracted. Damn it! Why were most of our teachers women? This was already awkward, and I also had to be careful not to greet or chat with any other girls. It was hell mode!

“Let’s have a classmate answer this question.” The math teacher wrote a problem on the board, then turned around, adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, and scanned the room. Her gaze finally stopped on me.

Oh my god! Did I really look like someone who wasn’t paying attention?! Don’t call on me! I had a deal! Call on me tomorrow! Please!

But fate wasn’t on my side, and the teacher showed no mercy.

“Huaimo, please answer. No need to come to the board, just do it mentally.” She stared at me intently. I had no choice but to stand up and made an X shape with my hands.

“You don’t know? Weren’t you listening?”

‘No! I meant X, not that I didn’t know! If I didn’t know, I would have shaken my head!’

I let go and made another X, then nodded, indicating I knew the answer.

“Ah, you mean what X equals.” The math teacher was sharp; she tapped her hand in understanding.

‘Yes, yes!’ I nodded vigorously, then held up two fingers.

“Right, X=2. And Y?”

‘Easy.’ I then showed three fingers.

“Correct. Sit down.” She nodded approvingly, picked up her book, and continued explaining the math problem.

I sat down with relief, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. I had survived these two classes.

During the break, a male classmate approached. He had acne all over his face, a thin frame, and a slight hunch. It was Li Zeguo, a newbie in our veteran driver group.

“Driver Huaimo, what’s up with you today?”

“Nothing, just a sore throat.” I decided to play the sore throat card to avoid unnecessary trouble.

“I see. Take care, then. I won’t bother you.”

“Mm.”

He then went to the hallway and stopped a few other male students.

“Sorry, Huaimo isn’t feeling well. Let’s talk another time.”

Those guys were ordinary freeloaders who relied on us for resources. They usually came by during breaks to ask for some good stuff. But today, one of the two car gods had crashed and was copying textbooks, while the other was faking illness.

The blocked students looked dejected, as if their souls had been drained. I felt a bit guilty—they were my loyal passengers, and I couldn’t just brush them off by pretending to be sick.

I was about to stand up, but Comrade Zeguo stopped me, saying, “No need for you to act, I’ll handle it myself.” He then turned and led the freeloaders to the rooftop. That settled it.

“Brother~ are you okay?” My sister approached with a smile after the crowd dispersed.

‘No way! Your deal is a trap! Not just at school, but even at home I had to be careful of Mom! What a mess!’ But I had to swallow my pride since I was the one who asked my sister for help.

“Ah, um, cough.”

“What’s wrong with Huaimo today?” Suddenly, a small head popped out from behind my sister. It was Nie Xiaohai, known in our class as the cute chihuahua. At 145 cm tall, with pink hair and an even more childish figure than my sister, she was adored by many boys and girls. She played the piano but was always nervous; I heard she hadn’t won a single prize since middle school despite participating in competitions. A hard worker.

For the record, my sister wasn’t much taller—148 cm. Her school-wide title was ‘White Lotus of Haiquanyang.’ As the name implied, she was considered a lotus to be admired from afar, not touched. But note: her title was school-wide, while Xiaohai’s was only within our class. Quite a gap.

Now I had to be careful with this chihuahua. I couldn’t talk to her, or the white lotus would hit me. So I smiled, shook my head, and pointed at my throat.

“I… I see. A sore throat?” Xiaohai looked at me sadly, took my hand, and held it tightly. Her eyes glistened as she said softly, “It’s okay~ it’ll get better soon.”

‘So cute!’ I was getting a bit carried away, but then a fierce aura hit me. Not the jealousy of boys, but something very familiar—my sister had turned into a demon again!

Okay, I gently pulled my hand back, waved it to indicate I was fine, then lowered my head in thanks.

“Mm, take care, Huaimo.”

I nodded. Suddenly, loud shouts came from the hallway—the usual noise of boys during break, but even girls were screaming one after another. Was some monster coming?

Curious, I stood up and leaned out the back door. A graceful figure passed by.

“Is that Qian Tangjin?!”

“She’s so beautiful.”

“Is she prettier than Huaixin?”

“No, Huaixin is like a loli, she’s like a mature woman. You can’t compare.”

The boys in the hallway were excited and whispering. But now…

Oh. My. God. She really transferred here, and now we were staring at each other. Awkward. She looked a bit surprised, then took the initiative to greet me: “Hello, Jiang Huaimo~ I didn’t expect you to be at this school too. Thank you for your help last time.” She bowed, her soft hair falling forward, then straightened up and looked at me.

‘This… I couldn’t talk to any woman other than my sister. What to do? Got it!’

I stretched out my hand, smiled, and waved in greeting. Then I pointed to the teacher beside her. She caught on, smiled and nodded, then walked into Class 3 with the teacher.

“Who is that guy?!”

“The heiress bowed to him!?”

“Hey, isn’t that Huaimo from Class 2?”

“That’s Huaixin’s brother, right?”

The onlookers in the hallway buzzed with chatter, pointing at me. I scratched my head awkwardly and sat down.

“Brother, brother, brother, she… she transferred here!” My sister was flustered, trembling as she pointed to the back door, her body shaking slightly.

“Huaimo knows her! That’s Qian Tangjin, the heiress!” Xiaohai clenched her little fists excitedly, holding them to her chest, staring straight at me.

‘I was panicking. No, I really was panicking. Now both of them were staring at me, especially my sister—terrifying, as if horns were growing out of her head. Someone, save me!’

And then, salvation came in the form of the bell for the next class.

Xiaohai snapped out of it, waved at me, smiled, and said, “I’ll go now,” before trotting to her seat. My sister clicked her tongue, stomped her foot lightly, and returned to her seat angrily.

Now, the question was: where should I hide during lunch break?