Chapter 38: Asking for a Birthday Gift Again

That almost made me laugh my teeth out! With his pathetic demeanor, he actually wanted to hit someone?

"If you've got the guts, come and hit me!"

These words incensed Gao Xiongkui. Regardless of whether Zhengtai, whose soul was inside my body, loved him or not, he aimed a straight punch right at my head.

I saw it clearly; he wanted to blind me. What a scumbag! It was a pity Zhengtai liked him so much, yet he was capable of such a vicious blow. If he had blinded me, who would take care of me for the rest of my life?

Without overthinking, I grabbed his fist, exerted force, and bent him over onto the ground. With a shove, I landed a heavy kick squarely on his chest.

He couldn't retreat in time, his body flipped, and he landed flat on his back, legs in the air.

The surrounding students were so frightened they kept backing away, almost trampling each other.

"Gao Xiongkui, use your martial arts! Beat her up!" some of the onlookers shouted in strange, screeching voices.

"Hahaha... with that weakling display, he dares to fight Zhengtai? It's hilarious!" some students burst into laughter nearby.

However, Gao Xiongkui curled his legs, clutching them, rolling on the ground while gritting his teeth to endure the pain, not daring to cry out loud in public.

"I’ve really had it with you! Daring to challenge me with such pathetic, flowery kung fu—you deserve this beating!" I glared at him, looking haughty, not taking him seriously at all.

Jiang Meili stuck her tongue out at the fallen Gao Xiongkui and shouted, "You deserve it! If you want to die, hurry up and do it, you stupid pig!"

The class bell rang, and Gao Xiongkui was still on the ground. I wondered if anyone would help him up, but I was disappointed; only Zhengtai, residing in my body, sent a signal urging me to pull him up.

I wasn't foolish enough to pull up someone I had just knocked down, especially an impostor who claimed to know martial arts but hadn't even mastered the basics.

Jiang Meili hooked her arm through mine, and we ran quickly to the classroom, barely seated before the teacher arrived.

My mind was a mess from the fight, filled with images of Gao Xiongkui; I didn't hear a word of what the teacher said during the lesson.

After school, Jiang Meili and I specifically went to the spot where Gao Xiongkui had fallen, but to my surprise, there was nothing there.

I tried to spot him among the throngs of students, but I was deeply disappointed. The dense crowd of students surged out of the gates like a flood.

"Madam" (my mother) was waiting at the school gate on her electric scooter. I waved vigorously with Jiang Meili, but I didn't see her.

*Whoosh.* The scooter stopped beside a shop, and I hopped off.

Madam parked the bike by the side of the road, locked it with a U-lock, and took a small box out of her handbag, handing it to me. "This is a menstrual cup."

I took it, carefully read the instructions, and shoved it into my school bag. I felt quite happy; this was the first time I, as a woman, had bought such a thing, and it felt very strange.

Madam was about to take me inside when her phone rang in her bag. She took it out, glanced at it, answered, and walked aside to talk.

I wanted to know who was calling, so I deliberately walked closer, pretending to be about to speak.

Madam waved her hand at me, indicating she was on a call, and shouted into the phone, "What's the matter?"

A man's voice came from the other end: "Let's have dinner tonight. A business friend of mine wants to meet you."

Madam looked troubled and gestured as she said, "I can't. Niu Zhenqing is still in the hospital, and the old folks are keeping watch there. Let's pick another time."

There was a moment of hesitation on the phone before the voice replied, "The person traveled a long way. Who knows when they’ll be able to come again?"

Madam weighed the factors and gave a vague response: "Let's see. I'll let you know tonight if I can squeeze out the time."

The person paused, then said, "Alright, that's settled then. Hanging up!"

Madam put the phone back in her bag and looked at me, asking, "What were you going to say just now?"

She had been on the phone long enough to give me time to think. "Mom, one menstrual cup might not be enough."

Madam thought for a moment and said, "We'll see if it's not enough. Just use it for now."

We ordered two bowls of noodles, paid, and rode the electric scooter to the hospital. The parking area was crowded, and it took a lot of effort to get inside the building and park in a designated spot.

We took the elevator up, but when we arrived at the ward, Niu Zhenqing was gone, as were the old folks.

Madam was anxious and asked every doctor in a white coat she saw. We finally found the nurse in charge of the ward and learned that Niu Zhenqing had been taken to the operating room.

We hurried through the hallways until we finally saw a sign that read, "Please be quiet."

The elderly couple was sitting on a bench outside the door. Seeing Madam, the old man spoke first: "He hasn't been in long. Who knows when he’ll be out?"

Madam told the old couple to go eat. She and I had already eaten, though she had considered bringing some food up, not knowing what they preferred.

The old man was quite robust, but the old woman wasn't as energetic, though she could still walk. They stood up and disappeared around the corner.

My mind was preoccupied with my cycle and testing the menstrual cup. It took me forever to find the hospital restroom. Going in was a nightmare—there was leakage outside as well. Usually, I had paper in my bag, but when it ran out, I had to tear pages from my notebook.

Using the menstrual cup for the first time was uncomfortable. Being a woman is truly miserable; only I know that. When I came out and met Madam, she already had a plan: "Zhengtai, go to school. Do some reading!"

My mind was still stuck on the English teacher taking attendance, so I couldn't help but ask, "Mom, why is my surname Xin and not Niu?"

"Didn't I tell you that already? How could you forget?" Madam thought for a moment, frowning as if she felt something was off.

I had wanted to say that I wasn't Zhengtai, but Qu Shilai. However, I couldn't say that now. Zhengtai’s soul was in my body, seemingly just a temporary resident, while she was the true owner.

My brain and heart were tightly connected to this body, making me the real Zhengtai, so I could only reply evasively, "I don't know!"

Madam seemed troubled and tried to brush it off: "The hospital is crowded, and there are many things that shouldn't be heard by others. We'll talk about it later!"

I was sullen. There was nothing I could do if Madam didn't want to tell me. I put on my school bag, waved goodbye, and got into the elevator. On the first floor, I turned back and called out, "Mom, give me money for the bus."

Madam took her wallet out of her handbag and handed me four one-yuan bills. "Take the bus home after school!"

This made me realize that Madam was definitely going to meet that business friend. Regardless, I couldn't control adult affairs. I was so grown up, yet often penniless. That ten-yuan note was from last time, and Pi Tiantian had paid for the bus this morning. It all felt so strange—how could a forty-something-year-old Qu Shilai be trapped in the body of a fifteen-year-old girl?

I took the money and ran to the elevator. From afar, I heard Madam shouting, "Come straight home after school, don't go playing around! If you can't keep up, do you hear me?"

I gave a casual reply and got in the elevator. Seeing a few people inside, I didn't spot any perverts. I exited the building, ran for a while, and my phone rang. I pulled it out, glanced at it, and answered, "What's up?"

"Zhengtai, tomorrow is my birthday, you have to get me a gift!" Jiang Meili's voice rang out immediately.

"I only have ten yuan on me. I'll give it to you when we get to class!" My finances were controlled by Madam, so I had to be honest.

Jiang Meili's sweet voice came over the phone: "No! You have to give me a souvenir! If you don't have enough money, find a way to ask your parents!"

I thought about it for a long time but couldn't think of anything to give, so I simply said, "Tell me what kind of souvenir you want, and I'll go buy it!"

"How about this! Let's go to the store together! You need to bring more money." She rambled on the phone for ages without making it clear.

I was genuinely broke, penniless. If Mo Liping gave me a little, I’d have some, but she was drifting further and further away. I could only say, "Let's wait until after school when I get home and I'll figure it out!"

She chatted with me for a long time as I walked. After hanging up, I arrived at the bus stop, caught a bus, and got off near the No. 5 Middle School.

I ran the whole way, kicking walls and punching trees, arriving at school acting like a maniac. Some students had already arrived, and there were still people gathered around the bulletin board in front of the ten-story building.

I really wanted to study hard; this knowledge was all stuff I had learned before, but I didn't expect it to be just as difficult for me as it was for others.

I reached the classroom on the second floor, but a large lock hung on the door. It seemed the class monitor hadn't arrived yet.

I was bored. I wondered how Gao Xiongkui, the senior, was doing. His family had given him such a grand name, yet he had no skills at all. I wondered if his martial arts training was real or fake. I was curious, so I went downstairs to check on the high school division.

Jiang Meili appeared in my line of sight. As soon as we met, she shouted, "Zhengtai, I missed you so much! I'm coming to your house tonight to do homework!"

I thought for a moment and said, "Weren't you going to buy a birthday gift?"