Song Yu made a name for himself in a single battle on the No. 1 High School forum, and plenty of posts like these began appearing on the front page.
Some were love confessions, some were snide mockery, and some were outright insults.
As follows.
[Brother Yu, which gang are you with? Pretty cocky, aren't you?]
Your Husband Brother Yu: I'm not in a gang. Cocky? I guess. Anyway, I've never lacked beatings growing up.
[Brother Yu, I want to confess my love! How are you so amazing? Every word you say makes me scream, and even your name hits me right in my girlish heart. You're like a man tailor-made for all my romantic weaknesses! We're soulmates, a match made in heaven [doge]!]
Your Husband Brother Yu: So, unsurprisingly, I'll have nothing to do with you in real life.
The comment section took a bizarre turn.
[What a tragic sister.]
[Brother Yu: Don't fall for me. It won't go anywhere.]
[Ooh, roasting fans? So domineering. I'm in love.]
[Brother Yu, will you reveal your real name and post a photo? I'm a 36D with a loli voice. Wanna meet in the grove when school starts?]
[Brother Yu, don't believe that! There are no 36D lolis! The one above is a liar! Look at me! I'm super sweet!]
[Hubby, do you need a leg accessory?]
Feeling listless, Song Yu picked a random comment to reply to.
-Your Husband Brother Yu: I need a crutch. You volunteering?
More people called out confessions to him afterward.
[Brother Yu, Brother Yu, guess what kind of uniform I like best?]
Song Yu raised an eyebrow and sneered.
-Your Husband Brother Yu: Being brought under my control? Don't, little sis. I'm not falling for that.
The onlookers chimed in.
[Pfft hahahahahaha!]
["Don't, little sis. I'm not falling for that." Why can I hear that in my head?]
[I can hear it too +1.]
[Brother Yu is such a cold, heartless man.]
[You little devil! I don't want to be your little sister. I want to be your girlfriend!]
Not wanting to bother with them anymore, Song Yu, satisfied after his round of roasting, buried himself in his test papers again and plunged into the Dead Sea of mathematics.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him,
the buzz on the No. 1 High School forum kept growing. With his heaven-and-earth-fucking swagger, this arrogant ID that practically begged for a beating somehow became the new "online campus heartthrob" and "rising male idol."
Late August.
Song Yu was about to start school, and Grandma Meng told Meng Guang to take him to the mall for some clothes.
The sales assistant's eyes lit up at the sight of Song Yu. The boy had a good frame and good looks; anything looked good on him. But no matter how lavishly she praised him, Song Yu only chose two outfits. High school students wore their uniforms all year round. There was no need to buy too much.
Meng Guang stared at him for a while, then clicked his tongue. "With your looks, even if you can't make school heartthrob at No. 1 High School, you could at least make class heartthrob."
Song Yu's mouth twitched. He said seriously, "No. I'm going there to be a study god." He was going to make the top hundred in his year and wash away the humiliation of that 350.
Meng Guang couldn't stop laughing. "Well, look at you. Didn't realize you were so enlightened."
Song Yu wasn't enlightened at all. His dad had forced him into this. Just thinking of that damned math made his back teeth itch with hatred.
On the way home, Meng Guang mentioned something to him in the car.
"Wang Beidan's been taken into custody."
Song Yu froze as he fastened his seat belt. "What?"
Meng Guang gave a lazy smile. "Caught doing drugs. Surveillance footage and a voice recorder, witnesses and physical evidence-the whole package. No idea who's out to get him. They handed it straight to the police, so even the Wang family can't protect him. His life's pretty much over. Tsk, serves him right."
Song Yu smiled. He felt little about this cannon fodder who had zero presence in the original novel and didn't pay it much mind.
That evening, Song Yu learned that the accommodation Grandma Meng had arranged for him was a single room in the school's faculty apartments.
He was dumbfounded. "No, Grandma, I want to experience one of those lively four-person high school dorm rooms. You know what I mean?"
Grandma Meng didn't. She packed his luggage at a leisurely pace. "Four people would be noisy. You wouldn't sleep well."
Song Yu: "..."
Only after his repeated requests did Grandma Meng finally agree not to send a whole group of bodyguards to escort him to school for registration.
Song Yu and Ma Xiaoding rode to No. 1 High School in Uncle Ma's car.
Ma Xiaoding was excited in the car. "Brother Yu, there's a good chance we'll be in the same class!"
Song Yu was happy to have someone he knew around too, and smiled. "That'd be nice."
Holding the steering wheel, Uncle Ma nagged, "With your grades, you'd have ended up in one of the bottom classes at best. The old madam only arranged for you to join Class One so the young master would have company. The young master's health isn't good, so remember to look after him more at school."
Ma Xiaoding thumped his chest. "Dad, don't worry! Whoever breaks Brother Yu's wings, I'll destroy their entire heaven."
Uncle Ma was too old to understand that. "What was that? What wings?"
Song Yu: "..."
Ma Xiaoding really was a boy at the forefront of the alternative scene.
As a provincial key high school, Jingcheng No. 1 High School still occupied a sizeable campus in Jing City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.
With the start of school in September, a huge banner hung at the school gates. Luxury cars crowded outside, and people streamed back and forth.
The autumn air was crisp and clear. Golden osmanthus filled it with fragrance.
Song Yu got out of the car in a white T-shirt and black trousers, clean and simple, immediately drawing plenty of eyes. The boy's skin glowed white in the sunlight. His hair was a soft light brown, and he had double eyelids, large eyes, and pitch-black pupils, but his expression was listless. He was the sort of person whose exterior clearly didn't match what lay beneath. Seemingly well-behaved, but actually unruly.
A flash went off twice in their direction, accompanied by clicking sounds.
Ma Xiaoding turned and saw two older female students taking pictures of them, smiling and whispering as they snapped away, their eyes bright.
Whoa, little ladies taking sneaky pictures? A sense of responsibility to protect the young master rose within him. With great loyalty, Ma Xiaoding spread his arms, planted himself in front of Song Yu, and shouted at them, "What are you taking pictures of? Never seen a handsome guy before?"
Song Yu: "..."
The two girls hurriedly put away their phones and stuck out their tongues.
His voice was so loud that it immediately drew everyone's attention.
Under all those stares, Song Yu finally lost patience, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into the school.
Ma Xiaoding's knightly mission and chuunibyou spirit still burned bright. In the spirit of sacrificing himself to protect Brother Yu, he kept looking back as they walked. "No more taking pictures of Brother Yu! If you love taking pictures so much, take pictures of me! Me! Got it?"
The two girls: "..."
Well, aren't you wonderful.
Song Yu laughed despite himself. "I think you'll only ever be able to spend your life with Sadako."
Ma Xiaoding scratched his head. "Huh?"
Inside the school, they first came to a tree-lined avenue, with quite a few people cycling past. No. 1 High School had excellent greenery, with teaching buildings dotted among it, their red walls striking.
The faculty apartment where Song Yu would be staying was in a very quiet corner on the south side of campus.
They took the elevator to the fourth floor. When they entered, the place had already been cleaned by housekeeping.
A living room, bathroom, kitchen, bedroom-it had everything.
It also got plenty of natural light and had a bright, open view, with a small grove outside the window.
After turning on the air conditioning, Ma Xiaoding sat on the sofa, biting into a washed apple. "Brother Yu, let's rest a bit first. We don't have to go to the classroom until seven anyway." He turned on the TV, switched to a children's channel, and hugged a cushion as he watched with relish.
Song Yu glanced at him. "Aren't you going to check your dorm first?"
Ma Xiaoding said, "No need. I sorted it all out yesterday and grabbed a good spot in advance."
Song Yu nodded.
He left Ma Xiaoding alone and went into the bedroom to tidy up, filling the wardrobe. Then, from a pile of study guides, he selected a copy of Five-Three for first-year high school math and picked up a pen, determined to begin his arduous journey with his very first evening self-study session.
Grandma Meng had even hired an auntie specifically to cook for him. Her surname was Bai, and she was an excellent cook.
She had probably been told his preferences beforehand, as every dish she made was something he liked.
During dinner, Song Yu sent Xie Sui a message.
[Where are you sitting? Save me a seat beside you.]
To avoid Wang Ci's harassment, he felt it would be safer to sit beside Xie Sui himself. Besides, Xie Sui was a study god. For Song Yu, who urgently needed to improve his grades, nothing could be better.
A few minutes later, Xie Sui replied.
[Okay.]
Song Yu smiled happily.
After freeloading food and drinks at Song Yu's place, Ma Xiaoding felt as though his entire life had been elevated. Full and satisfied, he eagerly carried Song Yu's books for him, and they headed toward the teaching building together.
They chatted along the way.
Ma Xiaoding said, "Brother Yu, remember that guy called Zhu Zhixing? He's sneaky as hell. After we pinned him down at the school gates and threatened him, he held a grudge and spent summer vacation sucking up to a second-year school tyrant at No. 1 High School. I even ran into him yesterday when I came to claim a bed. The guy was talking tough at me. Hah, a dog throwing its weight around with someone else's backing. Guess he doesn't know that now I'm here, it's time for No. 1 High School to get a new school tyrant."
Song Yu said, "Could you put some of that attention into studying?"
School tyrant, seriously? What a dumbass title.
Ma Xiaoding looked aggrieved. "Mainly because he insulted you too. He said whoever spammed his family's shop with bad reviews was a piece of shit and would have a kid with no asshole."
Song Yu said, "Why bother with him?"
He picked up a math study guide and pointed at the name "Wang Houxiong" on it. "This is the man you most need to remember throughout your three years of high school."
Ma Xiaoding: "..."
As they walked, something suddenly occurred to Ma Xiaoding. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
"Brother Yu, is that internet troll who's been really popular on the forum lately you?"
Song Yu's fingers paused, and his eyes narrowed. "The really popular what?"
"..."
Ma Xiaoding felt a chill over his head and immediately corrected himself. "No, no, no, that really popular nation's husband."
Song Yu stared at him. "Take a guess."
Partway along, Ma Xiaoding finally slapped his forehead as he remembered. "Holy shit-I almost forgot after I changed your contact name. That was your screen name! It's you! Brother Yu!"
The man who had roasted the entire forum!
But Song Yu had already walked far ahead.