This is today's deskmate fee (3,800 words)

[Attention, all students]

[We have just received a notice from the Sports Equipment Management Office. An accident occurred at Basketball Court No. 2 this afternoon. While a student was dunking, the excessive force of the impact damaged the backboard. The area has now been cordoned off. No one was injured, so please do not be alarmed...]

[Basketball can improve physical fitness, but dangerous moves may pose safety risks. The school reminds all students to ensure their own safety and that of others during physical activities, observe proper sporting practices, and avoid attempting difficult moves beyond their abilities...]

[The Logistics Support Department has arranged for maintenance staff to inspect and repair the damage at Basketball Court No. 2. The court will be closed for the time being. Please watch for further notices regarding its reopening...]

When this announcement came over the school speakers, the classrooms, which had been buzzing all evening, erupted into chatter again.

"Holy shit! Someone really shattered a backboard with a dunk?"

"Which class? The announcement didn't say!"

"I heard he's from Senior Class Five."

"Even the honors class has hidden talents like that?!"

"Apparently he's a new transfer student..."

"Don't tell me it's that Taoist? I heard an actual, bona fide Taoist transferred into their class yesterday!"

"A muscle-bound Taoist, maybe?"

"If you don't understand my Taoist arts, this humble priest knows a thing or two about throwing hands!"

"Awesome, seriously awesome! Is there a video? That would go viral online!"

If even the other classes were discussing it this eagerly, Senior Class Five hardly needed mentioning.

With frontline reporter Zou Xiaokun embellishing the account, the Daoist Master had practically descended like a divine warrior, shattering the hoop with a casual gesture. This was Super-A Grade news, and besides him, there were four other eyewitnesses!

The boys were utterly awestruck, while the girls kept casting startled, curious looks at Chen Shi'an.

They simply couldn't imagine that the seemingly mild-mannered Chen Shi'an had such an explosive side. Was he the enviable sort who looked slim in clothes but muscular without them? You really couldn't tell!

Even Lin Meng Qiu, who usually ignored everything happening around her, couldn't resist asking:

"Did you really shatter the backboard?"

"...It wasn't on purpose. Do I have to pay for it?"

Chen Shi'an meant that sincerely. Xu Zihan and the others had kept asking him to dunk, so he had. Who knew the backboard couldn't take any force? He hadn't even dared put much strength into it, yet he'd still smashed it...

He didn't know whether he'd have to reimburse the school. The thing looked expensive, and with what little money he had, he really couldn't afford it.

"No."

Lin Meng Qiu spoke coolly. She didn't know whether other students would have to pay if they shattered a backboard, but Chen Shi'an definitely wouldn't. Didn't she know her own dad well enough?

"That's good."

Chen Shi'an breathed a sigh of relief and became much more subdued. Making such a huge commotion on his very first day of classes had certainly been unexpected...

"If you're hurt, you can go to the infirmary." Lin Meng Qiu glanced at him. He seemed fine, but she reminded him anyway.

"Thanks. I'm fine."

"Mm."

Lin Meng Qiu said nothing more and turned back to concentrate on her studies.

Thanks to the class monitor's formidable presence, the circle of students around Lin Meng Qiu remained relatively quiet.

Zheng Yining, the girl sitting in front, couldn't contain her curiosity, but she didn't dare speak loudly, so she turned around and slipped Chen Shi'an a note.

Lin Meng Qiu paused her pen and glanced sideways.

Chen Shi'an unfolded the note. A line of neat little handwriting read:

[Chen Shi'an, they said you know Taoist arts, and you looked like you were flying when you dunked]

[Have faith in science]

Chen Shi'an passed the note back.

The bell rang, and as deputy class monitor Qiu Yufu sat at the teacher's desk to supervise evening study, the boisterous Class Five finally quieted down...

At the beginning of their second year of high school, evening study still mainly consisted of independent work. Everyone read and did exercises on their own, with the sole requirement being to follow the study-period rules.

As they progressed through school, evening study would include lessons too. In their third year, for instance, the end of evening study was pushed back from 9:45 to 10:35. Subject teachers took turns supervising revision during the first two periods, leaving only the last two for independent study.

That alone showed how demanding and stressful high school life was.

Lin Meng Qiu rarely lingered around campus after afternoon classes. She went back to her dorm to shower first. Since she lived alone in the Teachers' Dormitory, she didn't need to queue for a shower like the girls in the student dorms. After showering and drying her hair, she went to the cafeteria.

She always ate alone. She didn't want people waiting for her, nor did she want to wait for anyone else. Eating by herself suited her just fine, and afterward she went straight to the classroom.

Usually, it was only six in the evening then. She arrived to study half an hour earlier than the class required.

Many students wore casual clothes to evening study, but she still wore her summer uniform, just a fresh set. Unlike many of her classmates, she didn't come to evening study in slippers either. Unless it was raining, she always wore little white sneakers.

Her pale, jade-smooth arms showed beneath the short sleeves of her lightweight summer uniform. A strap was faintly visible through the thin fabric over her slender shoulder. The classroom lights fell on her profile as she bent her head over her books and exercises, quiet as the deep night beyond the windows.

A striped mosquito appeared in Chen Shi'an's field of vision at an unfortunate moment.

Its wings vibrated, making an irritating buzz.

Unfortunately, Lin Meng Qiu was too absorbed in her exercises to notice.

Growing bolder, it landed on the girl's fair arm, like a sesame seed dropped onto tofu, utterly spoiling the view.

Just as the striped mosquito extended its mouthparts, ready to pierce her skin and feast on her sweet blood, it suddenly sensed danger descending from overhead.

It fluttered its wings to escape, only to discover that it couldn't move!

In its vision, a gigantic finger descended from the heavens and pressed down on it. That irresistible force pinned it into the soft skin of the girl's arm, and a moment later, it had been sent to the next life...

Lin Meng Qiu gave an instinctive shudder. She drew her arm back slightly and stared at Chen Shi'an with wide, wary eyes.

She said nothing, but her eyes clearly asked: What are you doing?!

"There was a mosquito. I squashed it for you."

Chen Shi'an held out his index finger. Sure enough, a flattened striped mosquito lay on its tip.

"These striped ones are the worst. Their bites itch like crazy."

"..."

Still doubtful, Lin Meng Qiu looked at the spot he'd just pressed. Sure enough, a tiny gray-black mosquito smear remained on her fair skin.

She was terrified of bugs like these, and her skin was sensitive too. A single bite always left a big bump that itched for ages.

"Thanks..."

"You're welcome."

Lin Meng Qiu relaxed. She pulled a tissue from her desk and handed it to him to wipe his finger, then took another to clean the mosquito smear from her arm.

After throwing the tissue away, she reached into her desk drawer and retrieved a bottle of emerald-green mosquito repellent. She sprayed her arms and other exposed skin, then bent down, pulled up her trouser legs, and sprayed her fair calves and ankles too.

Chen Shi'an stared dumbfounded at the sight of her practically arming herself to the teeth.

"Want some?"

Since he'd just squashed a mosquito for her, Lin Meng Qiu politely offered him some after finishing.

"I don't need it. Mosquitoes don't bite me. The classroom's actually not bad. There are way more in the mountains."

"I wouldn't dare go."

Of course Lin Meng Qiu knew there were plenty of mosquitoes in the mountains. As for places like the remote mountain valley where Chen Shi'an said Pure Dust Temple was located, she wouldn't go there even if her life depended on it...

The buzz over the shattered backboard that evening hadn't died down. If anything, it was growing stronger.

To stay out of the spotlight, Chen Shi'an didn't go anywhere during the evening-study breaks. He obediently stayed in his seat doing exercises.

Thanks to Lin Meng Qiu, nobody dared bother him as long as he remained there.

During evening study, Lin Meng Qiu barely distinguished between class time and breaks. If she became absorbed in a problem, she stayed motionless in her seat even after the bell rang.

Only when she happened to finish a problem and felt tired would she unscrew her bottle, take a sip of water, and rest briefly.

Whenever that happened, she would look over to see what Chen Shi'an was doing.

She'd lent him the workbook over half a day ago, and he'd already done quite a few problems, yet he still hadn't asked her anything.

That really annoyed Lin Meng Qiu. Do you know how to do all of them? Or aren't you taking them seriously at all? I got so many wrong back then, and you haven't struggled with a single one?

Then again, she was supposed to hate being disturbed. Shouldn't she be happy that he wasn't asking her questions? Why did she want him to ask her something...

Perhaps it was the mismatch between expectation and reality. Teacher Liang and her dad had both told her to "help him out," and even she'd thought, "He's definitely going to be asking me for help." Yet in the end, apart from borrowing her books, he hadn't troubled her once. It left her feeling deflated, as though she'd misjudged her own value...

"How's it going?"

Lin Meng Qiu couldn't resist asking, then added, "Anything you don't understand?"

Chen Shi'an stopped writing and looked up from his exercises.

He could vaguely make out a certain expectant look in her eyes.

He actually wanted to say, There is. Can you tell me what that [crying bunny] you drew means?

After working through several pages of the workbook, he'd found three [crying bunnies]. They were also the only things in the workbook he didn't understand.

"Yes."

Chen Shi'an nodded and slid the workbook over to the middle of their two desks.

"I'm thinking about this problem."

He was honest. He only said he was thinking about it, not that he couldn't solve it.

But to Lin Meng Qiu, it sounded different.

Her eyes visibly lit up.

She held the water bottle in one hand and its cap in the other. When communicating with someone like this, she always felt more comfortable with something in her hands.

The girl tilted her head slightly and looked at the problem Chen Shi'an was pointing to. Her gaze drifted down, and she also saw the answer she'd written back then.

"Have you looked at the answer?" she asked.

"Not yet."

"Mm. There are three ways to solve a problem like this. The one I wrote before is fairly standard, and it's the one taught in the textbook. You can start by setting up a system of inequalities..."

This problem had stumped her back then too, but years had passed, and what had once challenged her now seemed easy. She could think of three solutions with just a glance.

She wasn't actually good at teaching math. Worried that Chen Shi'an wouldn't follow or understand what she said, she broke everything down into tiny steps.

Fortunately, he seemed able to keep up. He listened intently and occasionally responded with "Mm," "Ah," or "I see," which she found immensely satisfying.

"...This third method requires a little more flexible thinking. Since you've only just started practicing, master the first two standard methods for now."

"Are there other methods besides these three?"

"I haven't thought of any yet."

"Oh-"

"?"

The girl, who had been reveling in utterly outclassing a beginner, suddenly sharpened her gaze.

Another "Oh-"! As though you've thought of one yourself! You didn't even know the two most basic methods! One point deducted!

"Can you do it now?"

"Yes. You explained all three methods really well, class monitor."

"~~~"

In a cheerful mood, Lin Meng Qiu stopped talking to him. The bell rang, and she straightened up and resumed her own studies.

Since she'd already explained the first three methods, there was no need to write them out again. Chen Shi'an took out some scratch paper and wrote down a fourth solution...

He put the scratch paper away.

Can't let Lin Meng Qiu see that.

At 9:45, the bell rang, and the classroom grew noisy.

Chen Shi'an's first day of high school was over. Although he still wasn't entirely used to it, overall, it felt pretty good.

He packed up the things on his desk. Beside him, Lin Meng Qiu showed no intention of finishing her study session. She probably wanted to study a little longer.

"I'm heading off, class monitor. See you tomorrow."

"..."

You know your foundation is weak, yet you won't even study a little longer. Far too eager to play. One point deducted!

Lin Meng Qiu didn't look up. She only saw out of the corner of her eye as he stood, picked up his backpack, and pushed his chair under the desk.

The classroom was noisy. Just as she was about to put on her headphones for some peace and quiet, a large hand reached over her desk. When it withdrew, two lollipops remained.

"This is today's deskmate fee. Have some candy."

"??"

Lin Meng Qiu picked up the lollipops. By the time she looked up, Chen Shi'an had already walked away with his backpack on.

Deskmate fee...

What the heck!

Still(

another big 3,800-word chapter! There's another 3,600-word one tonight! I'd like to ask everyone for a two-cent paragraph tip. It's a new week, and the stats for a new book are really important. Please keep reading and send monthly votes. I'm counting on you all~!)