Chapter 10

Lu Chi laughed soundlessly and nodded. "All right. Up until one minute ago."

"But what I want to say is, no matter why you did all this, I appreciate it."

"Thank you."

Chapter 10

"Acquired Savant Syndrome refers to special abilities that patients suddenly develop after suffering head trauma. Generally speaking, patients with Acquired Savant Syndrome also suffer from severe intellectual disabilities, autism, or other psychological disorders. At the same time, they possess astonishing abilities completely opposite to their impairments..."

After the two-day weekly exams, the second- and third-year students returned to their normal class schedules. Even evening self-study, which had been suspended for one day, resumed on the very day the exams ended. However, the teachers of every subject had been called to the office to grade papers, leaving no one to supervise evening self-study. As a result, discipline was slightly worse than usual.

"Hey, what are you reading?" During evening self-study, Pan Tianbo nudged Lu Chi with his elbow and asked curiously.

Without a word, Lu Chi propped the book upright on his desk. Pan Tianbo tilted his head to look from that angle and saw the words Acquired Savant Syndrome written across the cover.

"Acquired Savant... Syndrome?" Pan Tianbo scratched his head in confusion. "What does that mean? Why are you suddenly reading this kind of book?"

"I was bored, so I just picked something to read." Lu Chi curved his lips slightly and answered gently.

"What's so interesting about that kind of book?" Pan Tianbo muttered dismissively. Then his eyes lit up. "How about we play Gomoku? We just finished the exams, and I really can't study anymore."

Lu Chi glanced at Pan Tianbo and smiled as he shook his head.

"Hey, I've noticed you've been in a pretty good mood these past couple of days!" Catching Lu Chi's fleeting smile, Pan Tianbo asked with a mixture of envy, jealousy, and resentment, "Getting chased by the school beauty feels amazing, right? Got any thoughts? Tell me?"

"There's nothing between Qiao Shiyu and me. She isn't chasing me either. Don't make things up." Lu Chi turned another page and said casually.

"You're lying. If she wasn't trying to pursue you, why would she stew soup for you every day?" Pan Tianbo glared at Lu Chi indignantly. "The people at the snack cafeteria all saw it. You're still hiding it from me. You're no brother of mine."

"I really wasn't lying." Seeing that Pan Tianbo was genuinely bothered, Lu Chi put down his book and explained helplessly, "Qiao Shiyu and I aren't what you all think. We're just ordinary classmates."

"Keep making things up. Would an ordinary classmate treat you that well?" Pan Tianbo folded his arms and rested his chin on them, speaking sulkily. "I'm an ordinary classmate too. Why doesn't she stew soup for me?"

Hearing that, Lu Chi thoughtfully rubbed his chin and said after a pause, "Probably because... you're not as handsome as I am?"

Pan Tianbo: "..."

Seeing Pan Tianbo's heartbroken yet utterly unable-to-refute expression, Lu Chi smiled and casually ruffled the fat boy's hair. "Just kidding."

Pan Tianbo shot Lu Chi an annoyed look. "Yue Bin was right. You've gone bad!"

"Going bad isn't the worst part. The most outrageous thing is that you actually dared to reject a beauty's affection. That was soup the school beauty Qiao made with her own hands, and you sent it back without even drinking it. Do you know that the boys in our class—no, probably more than just our class, at least two-thirds of the boys in the whole school—are jealous to death? If school rules didn't forbid it, they'd probably drag you into the woods and knock you out."

Lu Chi had just gone through a deliberate act of revenge, so he was unusually sensitive to the words "knock you out." Hearing Pan Tianbo say them, he subconsciously touched the back of his head, feeling a faint ache where he had been hit.

"That's why I don't dare accept a beauty's affection." Lu Chi said with a beaming smile, "Look, I didn't even drink the soup, and everyone already hates me this much. If I really had drunk it, who knows, maybe even you would cut ties with me."

"Am I that kind of person?" Pan Tianbo looked at Lu Chi solemnly. "At most, I'd make you share a bowl of soup with me. I want to taste what soup personally made by the school beauty tastes like too."

Lu Chi smiled faintly and continued reading.

The fluorescent lights in the classroom were bright, yet Pan Tianbo was nearly dazzled blind by the sight of Lu Chi lowering his head with that faint smile. The gentle tenderness blooming around his eyes and brows was like an epiphyllum quietly flowering in the dead of night. Pan Tianbo indignantly pulled out his Walkman and earphones from his desk drawer, finally somewhat understanding how Qiao, the school beauty, felt after being rejected so many times by this unappreciative fool and yet still persistently bringing him soup.

And then he thought about how, whenever he went out to ask for directions, passersby would point him in the opposite direction—damn it, he was practically losing hope in this looks-obsessed world!

"This world is way too unfriendly to fat guys!" Pan Tianbo grumbled as he lay on his desk, then turned to Lu Chi. "Why did I agree to Yue Bin's suggestion and move into Dorm Room 233 with you and Zhang Yang? Now I'm getting less and less attention. Everyone even says my existence seriously drags down Dorm Room 233's average looks."

Seeing Pan Tianbo's aggrieved expression, Lu Chi blinked. He tore a sheet from his exercise book, folding and tearing it repeatedly in his hands. When he finally unfolded it, it had become a chubby, adorable little paper figure with two tiny wings on its back.

Pan Tianbo sat up straight in shock. "Holy crap, you can do paper-cutting too!"

Pan Tianbo's voice was so loud that all the other students studying in the classroom turned around. But the displeasure on their faces immediately turned to curiosity and delight when they saw the little paper figure in Lu Chi's hand.

"It's so cute!" The girl seated at the desk in front of them nearly screamed as she held her face. "Can I take a look?"

Lu Chi turned to look at Pan Tianbo, smiling without saying a word.

The girl in front instantly understood and immediately turned to Pan Tianbo. "Can I take a look?"

Pan Tianbo looked immensely proud as he said, "Of course."

The girl in front carefully took the little paper figure from Lu Chi's hand and turned it over and over as she examined it. The other students gathered around as well, each taking a turn to play with it. They exclaimed, "This is so fun. But it's supposed to be Pan Tianbo, isn't it?"

Pan Tianbo: "..." What was that supposed to mean?