Chapter 33

He spotted a boy-with blood-red claw marks on the back of his white T-shirt!

Well, well! Breaking the rules right under his nose!

Yue Feng looked at the short, pudgy middle-aged man standing in front of him and tried to explain. "I..."

"I don't want to hear any excuses. It's always either you washed it and it hasn't dried, or it dried and you forgot to bring it. Go stand below the podium, face the national flag, and reflect on what you've done!"

"It was He..."

"Get up there."

Yue Feng could have killed He Qinghuan. That bastard! How could he do something like this!

Other people would take a knife for their friends. He would stab his friends twice for Gu Wang.

He walked past the neighboring class toward the area below the podium. Zhou Hu nodded. This was the second one he had caught this week. Very good. It seemed there were still people making mistakes, and their attitudes were pretty good, too.

As Yue Feng passed Shen Zhao, he glanced at him. Shen Zhao lifted his chin, a sky-blue hair clip he had scavenged from who knew where in his hair. "Ptooey!"

Ignorance was bliss. Yue Feng smiled at him. Just you wait.

He stood below the podium. Holding a microphone, He Qinghuan looked down at him from above. He must have anticipated this long ago, because there was no surprise in his eyes when he saw Yue Feng.

"What a coincidence," He Qinghuan said.

"..." said Yue Feng.

He Qinghuan's attention was entirely on Gu Wang a short distance away.

The same place, the same people standing below and on the podium.

But their states of mind and their positions had both changed since then.

Gu Wang stood directly opposite He Qinghuan, about sixty or seventy meters from the podium, perfectly composed. He carried the flag over his shoulder, without stooping or slouching, standing straight, his gaze open and clear and his expression calm.

For some reason, looking at Gu Wang like this, He Qinghuan felt a faint prick somewhere in his heart.

At the opening ceremony that day, He Qinghuan had not actually paid much attention to Gu Wang. He had only given him a cursory glance. But now, the Gu Wang from that day surfaced clearly in his mind.

It had been so hot, yet Gu Wang had worn a white hooded sweatshirt with black knee-length shorts. When he saw He Qinghuan, he squeezed all the way from the classes at the back to the front row. He Qinghuan remembered that he had worn white limited-edition sneakers.

So flashy.

His eyes had been especially bright, brighter even than the sun that day.

He Qinghuan lowered his eyes and began reading his hosting script.

His voice was cool, his face aloof, and he did not draw out his words or add flourishes as he hosted. Some of the people below looked at him with excitement and eagerness, too.

Just like Gu Wang back then.

When he read Gu Wang's name, He Qinghuan looked up at him. He was the Flag Raiser, standing in a straight line with He Qinghuan. As he walked toward the podium, it was as though he were walking toward He Qinghuan, whose gaze softened.

Gu Wang climbed the steps onto the podium, and He Qinghuan moved a few steps aside.

No matter the time or place, the national flag and anthem represented something sacred. Watching the flag slowly rise, Gu Wang stood solemnly at attention, his eyes on it.

So did everyone else.

Only when the last line of the national anthem ended did He Qinghuan shift his gaze from the flag to Gu Wang. Gu Wang was tying the rope. He Qinghuan's lips curved. What an outstanding kid.

Although Gu Wang had already rejected him unequivocally, He Qinghuan thought as he watched Gu Wang's fingers, he did not want to let such a lovable, outstanding Wangwang get away.

He had plenty of ways to make Wangwang behave and obey, just as he had before National Day. He could easily pressure Gu Wang until he did not dare say a single word in protest.

But this radiant Gu Wang was even more lovable.

He Qinghuan lowered his eyes. Unless it was necessary, he did not want to pluck the stars from Gu Wang's eyes.

They had PE that afternoon. After days of rain, the field was still a little wet. Everyone in class kept checking the group chat for messages. They did not want Old Li, their PE teacher, to fall ill.

What they dreaded came to pass. Ten minutes before class, their English teacher posted in the group chat. "Mr. Li isn't feeling well. I'll be taking your PE period this afternoon. Would you like to go over the text or the test paper?"

Nobody said anything in the chat, but the classroom erupted.

"Honestly, PE is the only thing keeping me alive every week. I'm barely hanging on through my other classes."

"I don't want English. Even Chinese would do!"

"Mengmeng from English is practically the queen of stealing classes!"

Song Zhiyan thought for a moment, then said in their private class group chat, "Old Li was moving gym mats with me this morning. He said we'd have a sit-up test this afternoon."

"A sit-up test? Suddenly I don't want PE anymore."

"Still better than English."

"Agreed. I'd rather be dog-tired than sleepy as a dog while Mengmeng mocks me for being as dumb as a pig."

"Hahahahahahahaha."

Just when they thought English class was set in stone, Mengmeng suddenly said something had come up, and they would still have PE today. Old Li told everyone in the group chat to assemble on the second floor of the Comprehensive Building immediately.

The space for indoor PE was enormous, big enough for them to run five laps before class. Holding his insulated flask, Old Li sipped leisurely from the sidelines. "You girls at the back, start running. Taking a stroll now, are you?"

"Boys, don't run so fast. Who are you trying to impress? Nothing but flab."

"Song Zhiyan, what are you doing in the middle of the girls?"

Gu Wang looked back. Song Zhiyan was running with Meng Ou. The girls were toward the back and slightly slower, and a big guy like Song Zhiyan really stood out among them.

He could not help laughing.

Then he could not laugh anymore. He Qinghuan deliberately slowed down and ran beside him.

"Do you hate me?" He Qinghuan asked.

"No," Gu Wang said.

In all fairness, he did not hate He Qinghuan. He admired people like him. Without the complication of the Original Host, Gu Wang thought he would definitely have succumbed.

He Qinghuan had not done anything unforgivable to the Original Host, either. He did not like him, so he ignored the Original Host. That was perfectly normal.

But it was too complicated. Without He Qinghuan, the male lead would not have hated the Original Host so much. Although Gu Wang was not afraid of Jiang Chi now, people naturally avoided risks, and He Qinghuan was not yet worth taking that risk for.

He was different from the Original Host, who had thrown himself into loving He Qinghuan without hesitation. He was not the Original Host.

He was, and he wasn't.

He ran ahead. Song Zhiyan caught up from behind, glanced at He Qinghuan, then sighed. What a pity. Such a catch. If he hadn't treated Wangwang like that before, he wouldn't have to chase him now. They'd already be kissing, hugging, and lifting each other up.

Song Zhiyan did not know the later plot, so his thinking was simple. How much deep-seated hatred could there be between teenage boys?

After their warm-up, Old Li paired them by student number for sit-ups, one person holding the other's legs down while the other did them.

A student raised a hand and asked, "Mixed boys and girls?"

Old Li sent a shuttlecock flying at him. "In your dreams."

"Then how are we pairing up?"

"Boys and girls separately, then in student-number order, two consecutive numbers to a pair. Your partner counts for you. When you're done, report your number to the academic representative. No inflating your scores. Don't think I don't know some of you can't even get up unless someone pulls you. Trying to pull a fast one on me won't work!" Old Li was the shrewdest of all the PE teachers, cunning as a monkey. Several students in their class who fancied themselves clever had come unstuck with him.

The sports representative was reading out names, while Gu Wang chatted with Song Zhiyan.

Song Zhiyan sneaked a glance at He Qinghuan behind them. "Wangwang, what if He Qinghuan digs his heels in and refuses to let go?"

Gu Wang froze briefly, then smiled as though he did not care. "He probably won't."

He had never considered that possibility. His understanding of He Qinghuan was limited to his performance in his studies, interpersonal relationships, and family affairs, from which he knew him to be a resourceful, ruthless, merciless person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Even with his god's-eye view, he had no idea what He Qinghuan would be like if he stubbornly refused to let go of someone he liked.

If he was anything like he was in other areas, Gu Wang suddenly felt a chill down his back.

He probably won't.

He doesn't like the Original Host at all.

He's just angry. He just can't accept it.

After the sports representative called Gu Wang's name, the next several names were all girls. The next boy called would be Gu Wang's partner.

He thought it would be Song Zhiyan.

Then he heard He Qinghuan's name.

The sports representative waved a hand. "If your name's been called, go over to the side and start. Come report your count to me when you're finished."

He Qinghuan had taken off his jacket and was wearing a black T-shirt. Seeing Gu Wang bundled up, his zipper pulled right to the top and poking his chin, he found it a little funny. "Wangwang, aren't you hot?"

Gu Wang stared straight ahead. "No."

He Qinghuan made no move for a long time. Gu Wang frowned. "Are you doing this or not?"

He Qinghuan looked at the gym mat and paused. "Do you want to be on top or underneath?"

Gu Wang did not think much of it, nor did he catch the meaning. He thought He Qinghuan was asking whether he wanted to be on top first or underneath first. He considered it seriously. "I'll go first. You can be on top."

He Qinghuan raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Whatever you say."

He Qinghuan's voice tended to be cool, but when he deliberately lowered it, it was particularly seductive. They were perfectly ordinary words, yet for some reason, Gu Wang felt his ears growing hot.

Gu Wang lay down. Looking down at him from above, He Qinghuan knelt on one knee beside his feet and pressed both hands against his lower legs.

Gu Wang was thin, and his lower legs were slender, too. With both hands pressing down, He Qinghuan could easily immobilize them completely. He remembered that night at the back door of the classroom, when Gu Wang had rolled up his trouser legs to study his leg hair with Shen Zhao and the others. The boy's legs had been dazzlingly white. Even then, he had known that every part of Gu Wang looked good.

And felt good to touch.

Every gym mat had a timer that started counting automatically when they pressed start. Gu Wang reached to start it, but some blind idiot had kicked their timer out of place while walking past. He felt around for ages before he found it.

As he searched for the timer, he reached over his head, and the hem of his uniform slid upward, exposing a stretch of slim, pale waist. Gu Wang did not have a soft belly. He Qinghuan could see his abs.

They were not particularly pronounced, but their lines were smooth and beautiful. He Qinghuan saw them, and some girls passing nearby covered their mouths as they looked over and said something. He Qinghuan lowered his eyes and reached out to pull Gu Wang's shirt down.

Gu Wang had just pressed the timer. Realizing that He Qinghuan had pulled his shirt down for him, he softly thanked him.

"I'm starting, then," he reminded He Qinghuan.

"Okay," He Qinghuan said.

On his first sit-up, Gu Wang held back a little. He did not want to get too close to He Qinghuan, but sit-ups were not something he could control like that. He had to exert himself to get up. If he held back, rising would be a struggle; it was that momentary momentum that brought his upper body up.

Several times, he nearly collided with He Qinghuan. He startled himself, but He Qinghuan remained calm, conscientiously holding his legs down.

When Gu Wang reached forty, he had ten seconds left. Out of strength, he lay there and refused to move.

He looked at He Qinghuan, panting. "Let's leave it there. I can't do any more."

He Qinghuan held out a hand to him. "Wangwang, one more."

This is cheating!

He Qinghuan, how could you cheat?

Gu Wang glanced around, then gave He Qinghuan his hand. The instant they touched, He Qinghuan pulled him upward. Gu Wang was already exhausted and very easy to maneuver. He Qinghuan pulled him straight into his arms.

Time was up, too.

Over on the other side, Old Li clicked his tongue twice and began. "Some students, honestly. He's even a class officer, and he's taking the lead in breaking the rules. I won't name names. Boys need forty to pass. This particular student needs fifty-five. If he can't do it, he gets a zero for the term."

There were a dozen or so class officers, four of them boys. Two were on leave, leaving two: the sports representative and their class monitor...

They were all classmates and knew exactly who was who, so they quickly figured it out.

Old Li meant He Qinghuan. He Qinghuan was helping Gu Wang cheat.

Under everyone's surprised and curious gazes, He Qinghuan smiled faintly, then looked at Gu Wang and said softly, "Wangwang, my turn. You're on top now."

Author's note: Sports representative: If your name's been called, you can start doing it.

Chapter 39

He lay down, and Gu Wang held his knees down for him. He Qinghuan was taller than him, so holding his lower legs would not work.

He was serious and meticulous, not giving He Qinghuan any leeway at all.

He Qinghuan did not