Raise Love-112-Crying so ugly, don't cry next time

During the second semester of senior high school, there was once an incident where the math teacher and the Chinese teacher in the class suddenly got into a cold war and were at loggerheads. The two teachers were in different offices, which were quite far apart.

It was during a self - study session in the evening, specifically the short period between having dinner and the start of the evening self - study, from 6:25 to 7:55.

On that day, the math teacher, who rarely stayed after work, brought test papers for the class to do. Halfway through, a classmate from the neighboring class suddenly knocked on the door, saying that the Chinese teacher asked some students to go and recite books.

After the first group of students left, the math teacher's expression visibly turned sour, yet she didn't say anything.

Unexpectedly, after the first group came back, the Chinese teacher sent for a second group.

The math teacher's face immediately turned extremely unpleasant. She merely said coldly, "I deliberately didn't leave after work to give you a quiz."

"Do as you please."

The second group of students didn't move.

The math teacher had always been the strictest among the several teachers in Aria's class, and they all held her in awe.

She was a teacher who specialized in teaching graduating classes and was highly proficient. Originally, she was supposed to teach the experimental class, but due to health issues, she applied to be transferred to a lower - level class and was assigned to classes 7 and 8. Aria was in class 8.

When she was in a bad mood, no one dared to provoke her.

The Chinese teacher, on the other hand, seemed to be deliberately provoking. She sent someone to urge again, asking to convey that if they didn't go, they wouldn't be allowed to attend her class in the next period.

So, the three girls called in the second group were in a bind. Aria was one of them, and the other two were the math class representative and the PE class representative.

In the end, they didn't go. That night's evening self - study was for Chinese. The first thing the teacher did when she entered the classroom was to drive them out.

It was December, and it was so cold that even wrapped in a cotton - padded coat, one could still feel the chill. The wind seeped through the window cracks at night, and in no time, Aria's hands and feet turned icy cold.

The corridor was too dark. The voice - controlled light was above the corridor outside class 9 next door and kept going out. Class 9 was having a math self - study, and their class teacher came out several times to ask why they were in the corridor.

The three girls were freezing but still had to do their homework. They couldn't blame the teachers, so they could only force an awkward smile.

The three - period evening self - study lasted from 7:05 to 9:50. After it ended, Aria felt that her legs and feet were so cold that they lost all sensation. She slowly dragged herself downstairs to the dormitory.

As usual, she leaned against the wall of the first - floor corridor, waiting for Maya Brooks, who studied science. The young man always showed up before she came down.

When Ryder's figure emerged from the stairway, Aria took a casual glance and then quickly averted her eyes.

Perhaps because she was wronged, she suddenly felt extremely vulnerable. When he casually glanced over, the tip of her nose started to tingle. His friend put an arm around his shoulder and was chatting and laughing, but he pushed his friend away in disgust.

After he walked away, laughing and joking, Aria shuffled to the door and watched his back. The cold wind blew on her face. Although she felt disappointed, seeing him tonight made her feel that it wasn't that cold after all.

The next day, there were two consecutive Chinese classes for an exam. The first thing the teacher said was, "Where are those three? Get out."

This matter still wasn't over. The three of them carried their test papers to the corridor.

It was cold during the day in deep winter as well.

The first two classes were math. The math teacher seemed oblivious to what had happened and didn't mention a word. The three of them were like cannon - fodder caught in the middle.

Caught between the anger of the two teachers, they were in an impossible situation.

The girl who was the math class representative only got halfway through the test paper before she squatted down and started crying. She was just too wronged. Aria and the other girl managed to keep their composure relatively well and endured it.

At that time, the main office was at the northernmost end of the third floor. The wronged girl completely broke down in tears. When the class teacher learned about it, he called them over to ask what had happened and told them to go and talk to the Chinese teacher properly.

Aria actually thought this whole thing was rather odd. Since she had good Chinese grades, the teacher had always liked her. But when the teacher got angry, she realized that this so - called liking seemed to count for nothing.

It wasn't that she expected special treatment, but it was inevitable that she felt disheartened.

Surely the teacher should have known that it wasn't their fault.

What could students do about the feud between teachers? Clearly, not much time had passed, just over a year, and Aria had already forgotten what the Chinese teacher had said at that time.

Anyway, they were still the voiceless cannon - fodder.

Aria came out with red eyes. Her tears fell quietly, but because of her grievance, they fell even faster, wetting her face in strings. She turned a corner without even noticing someone.

Ryder, who had just finished playing basketball and was going upstairs, stopped in his tracks, bumping right into her.

Aria quickly wiped her tears and apologized in a low voice, her voice thick with sobs. At the age of seventeen or eighteen, who wouldn't feel wronged in such a situation?

"Why are you crying?"

A male voice, slightly hoarse, suddenly asked from above her head.

Aria was startled. Only then did she realize that the person she had bumped into was Ryder. She took a step back and said again, "I'm sorry."

"Oh." The boy looked down at her and let out a chuckle without much emotion.

Aria saw that he was holding a basketball in his hand. Sweat from his forehead and hairline trickled down his face and disappeared into the collar of his black T - shirt. The heat from his body rushed towards her.

The explosive hormones around the boy after intense exercise exuded a sense of aggression and unique danger.

With tears still on her eyelashes, Aria was too flustered to think about anything else. She just remembered to step back, as the stairway was so narrow, not to block his way.

But the man didn't leave.

Aria silently took another step back.

"Here, tissues."

"Hmm?" Aria was taken aback and looked up at him through the hazy veil of tears.

Ryder, with a cold and handsome face, looked down at her for two seconds, then took out a pack of tissues from his school - uniform pocket and threw it to her.

Seeing her in a daze, he patted her head and said expressionlessly, "You look so ugly when you cry. Don't cry next time."

Then he walked past her.

"..."

Aria pinched the pack of tissues, which clearly had two sheets missing. She stared blankly at his back. After hearing that sentence, her emotions welled up again.

... He said she was ugly.

She wasn't exactly a strikingly beautiful girl, but even if she was crying messily, she surely wasn't ugly, right?

Silently looking at the tissues in her hand, Aria felt so upset that she suddenly wanted to throw them away. But since they were from him, she couldn't bear to. In the end, she resignedly put the tissues into her school - uniform pocket.

She slowly went upstairs along the handrail.

She heard a conversation from upstairs, "Yo, Fourth brother, you're back so early today?"

"It's the homeroom teacher's class. It's not easy to skip." The young man's casual voice was lazy and nonchalant. "Scram, don't touch me. Get lost."

Yesterday, when Sydney and Aria walked into a kawaii store, arm in arm, Aria accidentally saw that small keychain. The image of Ryder on that day instantly flashed in her mind.

So, following her heart, she wanted to buy it and give it to him.

Now she could give him things openly. The little item wasn't expensive, and he wasn't short of money. She just wanted to give it to him.

But Aria suddenly recalled this less - than - pleasant conversation. She pursed her lips and called out, "Ryder."

"Hmm?"

Ryder raised his eyebrows.

"Am I ugly?"

Ryder: "?"

He glanced at her twice. Remembering that the little girl had once said that one shouldn't say a girl has short legs, surely one couldn't say a girl was ugly either.

His little girl wouldn't like that.

Moreover, the little girl wasn't ugly at all. She was very pretty.

"You're not ugly." He said slowly, his gaze tracing her face bit by bit, making Aria blush.