Chapter 73: A photo can be used for many things

  Gu Siqi leaned in, speaking mysteriously: "Do you know why there are no rumors about you and Shu Zimo being the most popular couple in both schools? Have you ever thought about that?"

  Qiao An Yu Liang discontentedly retorted: "Don't use the four words 'lovers' quarrel' to describe my relationship with him, okay? He and I are sworn enemies who can't bear to see each other!"

  Gu Siqi didn't respond to her dissatisfaction, and instead asked herself: "I just found out today too. It turns out that there's a die-hard female fan of Shu Zimo who is desperately trying to clear his name, saying that Shu Zimo is my long-lost distant cousin with whom I share a blood relationship. Who knows who came up with this joke? Hahaha." As she spoke, she couldn't help but burst out laughing at the absurd rumor.

  "Haha, not funny at all. Distant relatives? How distant? A million years ago? Everyone's ancestors were monkeys, you're also my distant cousin, your monkey ancestor and my monkey ancestor are sisters." Qiao Anyu couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. It's really strange, like Lei Xiao, who is slandering himself, seems to be deliberately creating rumors to tarnish Xu Xiao; while this fan of Shu Zimo is going all out to defend him, even fabricating a "non-existent" relative identity for her and Shu Zimo. The ways people show affection are really bizarre. But it's good that way, otherwise I'd have to get entangled in everyone's gossip again.

  "Moreover, didn't Shu Zimo live in the Yu family's house? As the first to enter, Shu Zimo has become the Yu family's 'reversed son-in-law' and it's a widely acknowledged fact. Some people even jokingly call him 'child bridegroom'. Alas, the evil old society! Shu Zimo became a sacrifice for nothing."

  "Xiang, you're really getting into character! You've started acting like the White-Haired Girl. By the way, were you just intercepted by Li Yunling? How scary!"

  "It's a must. This is the pass to enter this classroom. If you want to enter the classroom, you have to be caught and asked the same questions. Girls' homes are all like that, or just like me, being reserved and secretly in love." Gu Siqi said, her head drooping down.

  "Xiang..." Qiao Anyu didn't know what words to use to comfort her.

  "This afternoon, I saw Teacher Dong Yan and his wife taking a walk on the playground. His wife is already several months pregnant. Watching them happily leaning against each other, I suddenly felt a sense of guilt. I have fallen in love with someone who has a family, and he's even my teacher - it feels like I'm being a third party interfering with their marriage." Gu Si Cen wrote these words on paper for Qiao An Yu to read.

  "Xiang, you haven't done anything, you just like him. No one can deprive the right to like and be liked. Liking him is a matter of feeling, but destroying his family is a moral issue. Guarding your own moral bottom line, you can still like him." Qiao Anyu wrote on the paper in response to her.

  "I'd rather have someone I like be Xue Ze, at least he wouldn't be so out of reach. There are too many obstacles between me and Teacher Dong Yan."

  "Akane, you're really thinking too much. We still have a long way to go in the future and we'll meet even more handsome guys. Liking someone doesn't necessarily mean being together is happiness. Seeing the person you like happy makes you happy too."

  "Then can you sincerely bless Su Yuzhe and his girlfriend?" Gu Sichen asked back.

  Yes, if one can't let go oneself, how can one persuade others to do so?

  When two people discuss a sensitive topic, they always lower their voices or communicate in writing, as if discussing military secrets. Qiao Anyu accidentally bumped her head against Gu Sichen's, and both of them winced in pain. This bump brought back Gu Sichen's wandering thoughts.

  "What are you going to do with Shu Zimo's photo?" Gu Sichen changed the subject.

  This question awakened a good idea that Qiao An Yu had just thought of. She smiled slyly: "Watch me!"

  He picked up a black pen and drew two rectangular frames on the edges of his eyes, then added a semi-circular line to connect the "lenses" on the bridge of his nose. He hooked the "temples" of the glasses over his ears, and suddenly a pair of glasses was firmly "perched" on Shu Zi Mo's handsome face. His somewhat ruffian face was transformed by the glasses into one that looked very scholarly, softening the lines of his entire face.

  "Hmm, it's better without glasses." Gu Siqi commented from the side.

  "Wearing glasses can even turn a rustic into a scholar." Qiao Anyu Liang had a soft spot for scholars and refused to wipe off his glasses.

  "Men are not bad, women just don't love them. Don't look at Shu Mo's side without any women around him, there are many girls who secretly admire him, but they are scared away by his fierce and intimidating appearance, so they can only like him in private."

  "Come, let's add a few more strokes." Qiao Anyu had loved to scribble and draw in books since she was young. She often added glasses, beards, freckles, and hats to the illustrations inside. For this photo of her enemy, she went all out. First, she drew a mustache on the person's chin, making them look like a Japanese person. After thinking for a moment, she erased it with an eraser and drew two eight-shaped beards instead. Gu Siyan couldn't help but burst out laughing. Qiao Anyu erased it again and this time drew a goatee under Shu Zimo's chin. She thought for a moment and felt it wasn't enough, so she continued drawing along the jawline all the way to the ear roots. In an instant, Shu Zimo became Marx with a full beard.

  You stole my photo and won't return it! Qiao Anyu, who knew that things taken by Shu Zimo would never be returned, was getting more and more into her drawing, thinking of turning the target of her pen to Shu Zimo's head and "trimming" him into a poodle-like shape, when the school bell rang.

  She didn't have time to wipe off the glasses and sideburns, and she carelessly stuffed it into a corner of her backpack that was least noticeable. Then thoroughly forgot about it.

  Many years later, Qiao An Yu Liang realized it, but the marks that had been drawn could no longer be erased.

  Dear readers, please take half a minute to register and click "→" → comment, this is the greatest affirmation of Frost's article.