After class, Teacher Shi indeed hung the pennant next to the blackboard at the back of the classroom.
The kids all ran over during the break to look and touch, some even asking Yue Qingqing for details.
Zhuang Lan also walked over.
Yue Qingqing looked up, thinking to herself she didn’t expect Zhuang Lan to be so nosy.
Zhuang Lan was inviting everyone to his house for his birthday, and practically all the classmates had received an invitation.
Apart from those who had plans and truly couldn’t come, the rest of them responded enthusiastically.
Although Zhuang Lan was always a lone figure in class, it was mainly because he was always buried in his studies rather than being arrogant, so his classmates were happy to oblige.
Moreover, the kids had all heard that Zhuang Lan lived in a villa, and many of them were curious to see what the house of Zhuang, the top student, looked like.
Yue Qingqing had been planning to look for clues about the Curse Technique by Words over the weekend and was about to refuse when she saw Jun Feifei nodding excitedly.
Then, turning her head, she tugged at Yue Qingqing’s sleeve and shook it, her eyes pleading.
Obviously, she wanted Yue Qingqing to accompany her.
Now, aside from going home after school, she wished she could stick to Yue Qingqing at all times as if only then would she feel secure.
Yue Qingqing looked helplessly at this girl, who was recklessly infatuated with her idol, still keen on attending Zhuang Lan’s birthday party, despite everything.
"Alright, I’ll go with you," she said.
Qu Ruorui and Wei Rong also agreed to go together on Saturday.
Zhuang Lan nodded, cast a glance at Jun Feifei.
"With your condition, shouldn’t you go to the hospital?" he asked.
Jun Feifei felt a surge of excitement. Was her prince charming concerned about her?
Then she heard Zhuang Lan continue, "But it’s also good, being sick means you can’t go out to play, yet you manage to hand in your homework every day."
Jun Feifei: "..." So that’s the main point?
The girls nearby heard the sound of Jun Feifei’s girlish heart breaking once again.
But let it break; once glued back together and blown on, it could still be used.
Sure enough, by the end of school, Jun Feifei was again scribbling in her draft book.
Qu Ruorui looked over and saw that it seemed like she was planning what birthday gift to give Zhuang Lan.
Compared to Jun Feifei’s earnestness, the other kids seemed much more casual.
Most of the classmates bought gifts from the school’s store, but Yue Qingqing was relatively thoughtful, asking her father to buy two books from the bookstore.
Her aunt wrapped them in a beautiful cover and even tied a ribbon, making it a very suitable birthday gift for Zhuang, the top student.
Saturday, at Zhuang Lan’s villa.
The doorbell kept ringing, the kids arriving early.
Zhuang Yuebin and Li Xiaoqin prepared earnestly for their son’s birthday party.
They set up several long tables in the grassy yard of the villa, which were covered with a variety of adorable desserts.
Some were homemade, most were bought from famous old pastry shops.
In the middle sat a three-tiered cream birthday cake, with a little boy resembling Zhuang Lan on the top tier.
It was the first time the classmates had seen such a large cake, and they couldn’t help but gather around and exclaim in wonder.
Around the grassy yard, colorful balloons lined the fence, occasionally a few falling and being accidentally stepped on by the children, bursting with a loud pop.
The sound was like that of fireworks, startling the nearby kids and then eliciting hearty laughter.
As lively as the birthday party was, the birthday boy himself, Zhuang Lan, sat on the steps beside the grass.
An askew cardboard "birthday crown" sat on his head as he yawned listlessly.
So boring... he really wanted to read a book.
Right, hadn’t his parents said that auntie was supposed to come?