Playing the top student felt great for a moment; the monthly exams would be a crematorium.
To keep things from getting too embarrassing when the time came, Song Yu pulled out a physics paper and started studying mechanics again.
Ma Xiaoding could never sit still. Seeing Song Yu switch to a Physics Compulsory Course 1 workbook, he grew excited. "Brother Yu, have you finally given up on math?"
Song Yu opened the first chapter. Finding his wording very problematic, he tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Show some respect. What do you mean, given up?"
Only then did Ma Xiaoding remember that Brother Yu was also a top student from City A. He immediately felt inferior. "Oh, I'm an idiot! Brother Yu is so awesome, of course he's already mastered it completely."
Xi Bowen asked eagerly, "Brother Yu, do you have any methods for studying math to recommend?"
Song Yu raised his eyes. Although he hadn't been a top student in his previous life, his grades hadn't been bad either. He brushed him off with some clichéd but genuinely useful advice. "Pay attention in class, take more notes, learn to summarize, and be good at organizing what you've learned. Ask when you don't understand. Anyway, don't leave gaps in your knowledge."
Otherwise, senior year would make you suffer.
Ma Xiaoding protested, "Brother Yu, that's as good as saying nothing."
Song Yu rolled his eyes. "That's because you're beyond saving!"
Xie Sui's pen paused, and he smiled.
He'd thought Song Yu would offer some bizarre study method. After all, this was someone who had challenged Lagrange right after graduating from middle school. He hadn't expected something so conventional.
Ma Xiaoding was still blathering away. "If you ask me, math is an offense against humanity. Functions especially-they're the world's greatest act of malice toward me. Back in middle school, I bent down to pick up a pen, and from then on, I never understood another lesson."
Xi Bowen retorted speechlessly, "Then how did you get into No. 1 High School?"
Ma Xiaoding grew a little smug and puffed out his chest. "I'm good at Chinese! Never seen a top student with lopsided grades?"
Xi Bowen: "..."
Good at Chinese, my ass.
With that "Ten years apart, the living and dead lost in boundless sorrow; a yellow hound in my left hand, a gray hawk seized in my right"?
Once Ma Xiaoding got started, he couldn't stop. "I might usually look like a total slacker, but deep down, I'm a literary young man. I especially love memorizing poetry. If I lived in ancient times, I'd probably be the kind of swordsman who recited a poem every time he killed someone. Punishing evil and promoting good-awesome and cool."
"Let me recite a few for you..."
Ma Xiaoding latched onto his deskmate and began his one-man show.
Xi Bowen: "..."
He felt that if he kept listening, his classical poetry fill-in-the-blank scores would be in serious danger.
Ignoring them, Song Yu settled down to study.
After spending an evening self-study period completing a physics paper, he found plenty of confidence.
"I think my talent points might have gone into physics."
After checking his answers and capping his pen, Song Yu sighed in admiration.
He passed the paper over, tapping his pen against the final mechanics problem on the unit test.
"Look, I can even do the last problem. Impressive, right?"
Xie Sui turned to glance at him.
He actually didn't know what good this did Song Yu, blindly working through problems without any pattern or plan.
But when he met Song Yu's eyes, sparkling as though starlight had fallen into water, some words circled in his throat before slipping back down.
He lowered his eyes to the paper.
Song Yu had completed a high school mechanics unit test. The final, hardest problem tested the principle of leverage.
Song Yu asked, "Impressive?"
Xie Sui watched him and said slowly, "Impressive."
Song Yu clicked his tongue, growing even more pleased with himself. "So my talent points really did go into physics."
Xie Sui suddenly remembered the replies he'd seen when he traced Song Yu's IP address before school started. He smiled. "No, I think your real talent is being argumentative."
Song Yu: "...???"
Just then, the bell rang.
Ou Yilian hurried to finish her announcements at the front. "You have tomorrow daytime off, and the welcome ceremony is tomorrow evening. Assemble in the classroom at seven before heading to the auditorium. Remember, don't be late."
"All right, class dismissed. Song Yu, come to my office."
Inexplicably singled out, Song Yu was utterly confused.
Ma Xiaoding was bewildered too. "Brother Yu, want me to wait for you?"
Song Yu gathered up his books and scoffed. "One of us lives south of campus and the other north. What would you wait for me for?"
Ma Xiaoding made a couple of noises of acknowledgment, looking back repeatedly as he left. "Then take good care of yourself."
Ou Yilian watched Song Yu stand up with his books in his arms. She frowned, her disdain plain to see. Without another word, she walked toward the office in her high heels.
Inside the office.
Without looking at Song Yu, Ou Yilian examined the class roster. "Song Yu, right? The principal said you're a special student who needs special treatment?"
Although Ou Yilian's character in Gentle Control left much to be desired, she was still a teacher now, and she hadn't done anything out of line.
Song Yu wasn't going to embarrass her.
Hearing that, he shook his head. "No, I don't need special treatment. Thank you, ma'am."
Expressionless, Ou Yilian made a couple of marks with her red pen. "How about I move your seat beside the podium? Your health is a special case, and you need quiet. Without a noisy deskmate, you'll be better able to concentrate."
Song Yu: "..."
Song Yu said expressionlessly, "Isn't there no seat beside the podium?"
Ou Yilian said, "I can arrange one especially for you."
Song Yu smiled. "Thank you, ma'am, but my lungs aren't good."
Ou Yilian put her pen down with a forceful movement and knitted her brows, openly displaying her irritation to Song Yu.
Her tone was icy. "Xie Sui got in with the highest score in the city. Don't you feel pressured sitting beside him?"
Song Yu countered, "Then Wang Ci wouldn't feel pressured sitting beside him?"
With her intentions exposed, Ou Yilian said nothing and stared at him.
Song Yu's eyes were clear and pitch-black. Without a trace of a smile, he looked defiant and cold. "Ma'am, did you call me to the office just to make me give up my seat to Wang Ci?"
Ou Yilian avoided the subject, her face cold. "Song Yu, is that any way to speak to a teacher? Is this how a student should behave?"
Song Yu couldn't be bothered with her anymore and took out his phone. "Since it's about being Xie Sui's deskmate, and you said students could arrange their own seats, why not ask what he wants?"
Ou Yilian flew into a rage. "Speaking to him is my business, not yours. We're discussing your attitude right now. All I did was ask you to change seats, and you started arguing with me. If you're so capable, transfer to another class! I don't want to deal with someone like you anyway. You'll only end up as the scum of society."
Song Yu didn't even want to discuss it with her. He tapped in a few numbers.
"Beep-"
The call rang.
Song Yu handed her the phone. "Talk to the principal about transferring classes."
Everything Ou Yilian wanted to say lodged in her throat.
Her gaze looked ready to strip a layer of skin off Song Yu.
She laughed in anger. "You're threatening me. You think I really can't do anything to you?"
Song Yu smiled.
The call connected.
The principal said warmly on the other end, "Yuyu, why are you calling all of a sudden?"
Ou Yilian froze, then changed her tone, sounding deeply aggrieved. "Principal, it's me, Ms. Ou, Song Yu's homeroom teacher."
The principal said, "Oh, Ms. Ou. What's wrong?"
Ou Yilian sounded as though she'd suffered an enormous injustice. "Principal, I can't handle this student anymore. I only called him over to ask about his seat, and he lost his temper at me and called you to threaten me. In all my years of teaching, I've never seen such an unruly student. His health is poor, so I don't dare say anything harsh to him. If I can't punish him or scold him, how am I supposed to teach him? You'd better find a more capable teacher to take over."
The principal was silent for a long time.
"Yuyu isn't in good health. Please be a little more accommodating."
Ms. Ou poured out her grievances. "Principal, it's not that I won't accommodate him. He looks down on me from the bottom of his heart and doesn't respect my work. Have you ever seen a student argue with a teacher on the very first day of school?"
The principal said, "Give the phone to Yuyu."
Song Yu watched coldly as she glossed over the important details and turned the blame on him. He took the phone. "Hello, Principal."
Ou Yilian stared at him with a sneer.
Song Yu lowered his eyes, looking especially well-behaved.
Catching sight of Ou Yilian's expression, he curled his lips playfully.
"No, I think Class One is great, and Ms. Ou is great too."
"I'm not planning to change classes for now."
"She wanted me to sit beside the podium. When I refused, she started scolding me and said I'd become the scum of society."
Ou Yilian's smile stiffened.
The principal was clearly angry. "Ms. Ou, is what Yuyu said true?"
Ou Yilian was full of grievances. "Principal, this child-oh, this child is taking things out of context. I was concerned about his health and wanted to keep him right under my eyes so I could look after him. That's why I suggested seating him beside the podium. I asked for his opinion, and he started arguing with me. Isn't it because I care so deeply that I'm strict? I treat every student like my own child. When he wouldn't listen to reason, I spoke a little harshly, but it was all for his own good. Perhaps he took it to mean I was being mean to him and disliked him. Now that resentment has taken root in his heart, I have grievances I can't express, and I don't want to say any more. For his sake and mine, Principal, please transfer this child to another class."
After a long silence, the principal's voice came through.
"Didn't Yuyu just say he likes you and Class One? Since he doesn't want to leave, let him stay. Also, Ms. Ou, you can't say just anything under the guise of doing it for his own good. You have your teaching methods, but please consider what the child can bear."
"Yuyu has been in poor health since birth. Take better care of him. Don't come crying to me over every little thing."
Ou Yilian was dumbfounded.
Song Yu hugged his study guides and smiled.
The disconnected tone sounded.
Ou Yilian's face turned through shades of red, blue, and black. It was quite a sight.
Song Yu gave an elegant smile. "Ms. Ou, I look forward to your guidance over the next three years."
I'll make sure to become the most unforgettable part of your teaching career-by teaching you how to behave.
Ou Yilian was so furious that her fountain pen nearly tore through the class roster. She frantically flipped through Song Yu's records, but no matter how she looked, he was merely from an ordinary wage-earning family-so all these privileges were just because he was sick?
She didn't know how to explain this to Wang Ci, and she'd lost another chance to curry favor with the Wang Family. She ground her teeth in anger.
"Fine. We'll change seats after the next monthly exam. Let's see if you can still sit beside Xie Sui then."
Song Yu put his phone away and smiled. "All right. Goodbye, ma'am."
It's not even certain you'll still be teaching this class by then.
He couldn't understand it. Jingcheng No. 1 High School had so many knowledgeable, kind, and approachable homeroom teachers. Why had Xie Sui ended up with someone like her?
Stupid and vicious. And with her intelligence and character, had she really earned her teaching certificate herself?
Song Yu left the office, went downstairs, and saw Xie Sui beneath a streetlamp.
Xie Sui was crouching down, teasing a stray cat with his fingers. Cool light flowed over his profile, his thick lashes and pale lips making him look aloof and refined.
Song Yu paused. "Were you waiting for me?"
Xie Sui stood up without denying it and only smiled. "Hungry? Want to get something to eat?"
Song Yu was indeed a little hungry, so he nodded.
He asked as they walked.
"Aren't you going back to your dorm first?"
"I live in the same apartment building as you. It's on the way."
Holy shit!
Song Yu's eyes widened.
"How come you moved in there too?"
Xie Sui said mildly, "The principal arranged it."
Song Yu understood. Perks for the city's top scorer? A private room all to himself starting in his first year.
Wait, had that been in the original novel? Damn his lousy memory. He'd forgotten.
Song Yu didn't plan to tell Xie Sui about Ou Yilian. Since he'd already decided to help him escape the nightmare of his previous life, he didn't need to know about such a sinister homeroom teacher either.
The street behind the school was lined with snack stalls. Many shops had closed at this hour, but the barbecue stalls were doing brisk business. Squid sizzled on iron griddles, its fragrance drifting down the entire street.
Song Yu ordered enthusiastically, "One skewer of grilled wheat gluten, one serving of grilled rice cakes, one serving of grilled chives, and a pair of grilled wings..."
Xie Sui stopped him helplessly. "That's enough. Don't eat too much at night." He turned to the vendor. "Just the grilled wheat gluten and rice cakes for him."
Song Yu tugged at the corner of his mouth and let him have his way.
The vendor grumbled unhappily, "Kid, you think you're keeping your girlfriend in line?"
Song Yu had already moved on to buy oden. Left behind, Xie Sui heard this and gave a playful smile, the emotion in his dark eyes unreadable.
"Does it look like that?"
With most of his sale cut off, the vendor rolled his eyes and retorted, "Yes! Why wouldn't it?"
By the time Song Yu returned with his oden, the rice cakes and vegetables were ready. With his hands full, he handed his books to Xie Sui to hold for now.
Eating fish balls as he walked along No. 1 High School's tree-lined path, Song Yu remembered evening self-study and suddenly found it amusing. Chewing, he asked indistinctly, "Are you really afraid I'll overtake you?"
Xie Sui couldn't follow his train of thought. "What?"
Song Yu said, "As the city's number one."
Looking into his bright, smiling eyes, Xie Sui inexplicably remembered how he'd gritted his teeth over those problems.
Amused, he lowered his eyes and quietly watched him. "I am-"
He drew out the words.
Watching surprise slowly spread across Song Yu's face, he leisurely finished, his tone teasing.
"Afraid you'll cry."
Song Yu: "???" He tossed his skewer into a trash can, incredulous. "You think I'm the kind of man who cries over math?"
He'd gladly cry if it earned him ten points each time. The problem was that math, physics, and chemistry didn't believe in tears.
Xie Sui changed the subject. "Do you care a lot about studying?"
This touched a sore spot for Song Yu. He glanced at the sky. "It's not me who cares. It's my dad. He threatened to send me home to farm if I didn't study properly. He wants me in the top hundred in the grade on the monthly exam. I got 350 on the high school entrance exam. Isn't he overestimating me?"
Xie Sui remembered that Song Yu had an older brother. The burden of the Song Family wouldn't fall on him. The Song Family could be said to dote on this sickly youngest son to the heavens.
Perhaps only that much love could nurture such a pure, kind, and sincere soul.
Still.
Xie Sui lowered his eyes and smiled faintly.
Nearly eight hundred. Sure enough, he hadn't even reached four hundred.
Song Yu kept gazing at the sky, never having imagined a day when studying would trouble him. Biting his barbecue skewer, he asked, "How many points do you need to make the top hundred in the grade?"
That was a question Xie Sui really couldn't answer.
A study god standing at the top of the pyramid couldn't understand the earthly suffering of the ordinary top students below.
"You can do it."
That was all he could offer: a casual, halfhearted word of encouragement.
Song Yu sighed. "Forget it. You're my deskmate anyway. If I ask you more about what I don't understand, my grades are bound to improve."
Xie Sui gave Song Yu an amused look. "Sure, but don't ask about Lagrange again."
Song Yu: "??? Why?"
Xie Sui said flatly, "There's no point. You won't need it, and you wouldn't understand it."
Song Yu: "..." ? Now he was looking down on me!
In the teachers' apartments, Song Yu lived on the fourth floor and Xie Sui on the third. As luck would have it, both apartments were in the corner, one directly above the other. Song Yu was startled to learn this, then reached a conclusion. "Then if I jump off my balcony, won't I land on yours?"
Xie Sui gave him a flat look. "Don't court death."
Song Yu clicked his tongue. "I'd be jumping down to ask you questions. How is anything to do with studying courting death?"
Pushing him through the doorway, Xie Sui stood at the entrance. In the half-light, his half-smiling expression carried a hint of harshness, strikingly beautiful. "Falling in love with math is the biggest way you're courting death."
With that, before Song Yu could speak,
he had already closed the door for him.
Once Song Yu caught on, all he could do was rage helplessly at the door.
Fuck!
It was his first day living away from home, and everyone in his family was especially nervous.
His mother called from City A to check on him, asking about every aspect of his life.
Over the hour-long call, Song Yu practically grew sick of saying, "It's pretty good."
His father's way of showing concern was very simple and practical: he transferred money straight into his bank account, staying true to his domineering CEO persona.
His older brother was overseas and sent him an email. As the Song Family's heir, his brother pursued elite standards in everything, even speaking concisely and efficiently. After asking how he was, he left a phone number for the assistant he'd stationed back home.
[If there's anything you want but feel awkward asking Dad for, call this number.]
Song Yu really wanted to give his brother a like.
His older sister, Song Wanying, was so used to trading barbs with him that she felt awkward saying anything and sent him a brief period.
[Song Wanying: .]
[Song Yu: ?]
[Song Wanying: !]
[Song Yu: ...]
They held a conversation whose meaning they both tacitly understood.
[Song Wanying: What did you use to convince Dad?]
[Song Yu: My love of studying?]
[Song Wanying: 350?]
[Song Yu: All you look at is scores. Your thinking will never reach my level in this lifetime.]
[Song Wanying: ...Badass.]
After calling Grandma Meng and his uncle as well, he finally finished the day's tasks. He tossed his apple core into the trash and lay down on the bed. With nothing to do before going to sleep, Song Yu browsed the forum.
The moment he opened it, he saw his own name.
On the first day of school, traffic on No. 1 High School's forum exploded. Two hot threads topped the page.
[Any freshmen spotted anyone in their class who might be Brother Yu?]
Inexplicably dragged into things, Song Yu really thought something was wrong with this forum. Why were they looking for him? To fight? Better not. Wouldn't it be embarrassing when they couldn't beat him in an argument or a fight?
Bored, Song Yu clicked in.
OP: Let's cut to the chase. Nobody in our class has Yu in their name. Pass.
1F: Reporting in. Three people in our class have Yu in their names: a delicate girl, a big, dopey guy, and a bookworm with a prescription of minus nine. I don't think any of them is Brother Yu. End of report.
2F: Too many people have Yu in their names. There's no place to start. Besides, with how Brother Yu mouths off at absolutely everyone, I figure he must look like a real troublemaker [manual doge].
3F: ? Hahaha, what does "looking like a real troublemaker" look like? Describe it?
4F: Fuck, can you stop making fun of my husband? I'm going to hit someone.
5F: I think Brother Yu must be really handsome, but having Yu in his username doesn't mean it's in his real name. I used to call myself Dreamstar Phantasia · Butterflyglass Sorrow [doge].
6F: Handsome my ass! He's just an internet troll. In real life he's probably some short, fat loser. The girls at our school really have such admirable taste. They'll like any fucking idiot.
7F: I think my taste is pretty good, considering I didn't fall for you [smile].
Three hundred rounds of insults x1
123F: Guys, stop fighting, stop fighting. I'm so curious about who Brother Yu actually is! qwq
124F: Don't waste your time. If Brother Yu dares act that invincible online, he definitely won't reveal his real name.
125F: Exactly. If he revealed his real name, he'd get mobbed and beaten.
Song Yu scrolled down, astonished. Astonished that so many people were defending him, and that so many others were going after him.
Tsk, what the hell.
So he posted his thoughts.
126F Your Husband Brother Yu: ...
127F: ????
128F: !!!!!
129F: Getting a screenshot together aaaaaaa! Husband aaaaaaa!
130F: Fuck fuck fuck fuck!
131F: Even his ellipses are so handsome. I'm so blessed!
132F: Aaaaaa this is the closest I've ever been to my husband.
133F: Just passing through, checking in.
Song Yu: "..."
After the fangirls' revelry and the onlookers' check-ins, the haters got to work.
165F: What are you showing off for? A lame fuck like you only gets to act tough online.
166F: Give us your name. Let me see what the hell you look like.
167F: If you're so capable, meet me at the school gates tomorrow for a fight! Don't get beaten so badly your mom won't recognize you.
168F: LMAO, you think you're worthy of meeting my Brother Yu?
169F: Hate all you want, idiots. If I stop being a fan, I lose.
Three hundred rounds of insults x2
"They're fighting again?"
The corner of Song Yu's eye twitched.
They posted so fast that Song Yu couldn't keep up. Dizzy from reading it all, he simply backed out.
The forum's second hot thread was also holding its place near the top.
[Does the school heartthrob ranking need a reshuffle?]
OP:
What kind of knockoff school heartthrob contest leaves out my God Xie [smile][smile]?
No more talk. Pictures.
1F: [Image]
2F: [Image]
In just two minutes, the thread had already gained another page, filled entirely with screaming and shouting.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!]
[Let me demonstrate dying on the spot for you, girls!]
[Aaaaaaaaa those lashes, those eyes, that aura, I'm losing it!]
[Waaaaah what kind of heavenly beauty is this I'm unworthy waaaaah I'm unworthy of breathing the same air as him!]
[Oh my god, my hands are still shaking. The moment I clicked in, I really felt my heart stop for a second.]
There were frantic screams and sobs, along with all kinds of long, extravagant compliments.
Song Yu's finger paused over Xie Sui's photo in the main post.
Judging by the angle, it had probably been taken secretly. Xie Sui sat in his seat, holding a few sheets of paper as light streamed in from outside the classroom. His eyelashes cast shadows, but his expression was cool and languid.
His shirt was pure white, his air aloof and ascetic: the very image of the campus heartthrob in every school novel.
In the next photo, he seemed to have noticed the photographer. Holding down the papers, he looked over, his exquisite features displaying a captivating charm before the camera. His eyes were dark and deep, but his gaze was sharp and icy.
Without a smile, his peach-blossom eyes looked harsh and distant, making him especially unapproachable.
"The protagonist really is handsome."
Song Yu sighed in admiration.
After he'd taught Zhu Zhixing a lesson last time, those rumors hadn't made their way from middle school to high school for the time being. Actually, he was quite happy to see things develop this way. Xie Sui should live like this, brilliant and outstanding.
Someone explained that he had placed first in the city on the high school entrance exam, and the fangirls' screams instantly filled several more pages. "God Xie is badass" and "heavenly brother" came with every variety of "aaaaa" and "waaaaah," making Song Yu want to close the page again. Were these girls that full of emotion? They repeated a single character so many times. Girls, didn't they get tired of typing?
But just as he was about to leave, he inexplicably saw his own name again, and again, and again.
231F: Liking someone this good-looking with grades this good is normal. I don't understand you girls liking that troll who won't dare show his face. Are your brains waterlogged?
Song Yu: "..."
232F: ???
233F: You have to drag my Brother Yu into even this?
234F: Liking God Xie and Brother Yu isn't contradictory. Say one more word, you fucking haters, and your mom's grocery prices tomorrow are guaranteed to get super doubled!
235F: LMAO, here come the bootlickers again. If he's so badass, have your Brother Yu come first in the city and become the school heartthrob.
236F: It's enough for Brother Yu to be your daddy.
Three hundred rounds of insults x3.
The onlookers who arrived later quietly marveled.
512F: Your Brother Yu really brings a storm of blood wherever he goes [eating melon][eating melon].
513F: Brother Yu is the poster boy for bloody storms [manual doge].
Song Yu: "..."
The terms "God Xie" and "Brother Yu" sparked bloody battles on the forum. With Song Yu's looks, his photo should have been posted there by now too, but after things had blown up between him and Wang Ci, the girls in Class One were a little intimidated and didn't dare post it. Still, the urge was unbearable. They really wanted to tell everyone. Apart from God Xie, their class had another incredibly handsome boy, and the two were even deskmates.
Song Yu saved the photo from the forum and sent it to Xie Sui. He had just showered, his eyelids drooping lazily and his lashes still damp, making him look particularly well-behaved.
[Song Yu: Look, it's you.]
However free of worldly desires Xie Sui might be, he couldn't possibly treat himself as a real high school student. Using the money Xu Shien had given him, he contacted a subordinate from his previous life under a mysterious identity. At this point in time, Qu Rong happened to have been laid off, and his mother was seriously ill.
Leaning against the bed with a cold expression, he typed rapidly on the keyboard.
When Song Yu's message arrived,
Qu Rong had already suffered a complete defeat in their negotiations. At the most devastating point in his life, the down-and-out man who had fallen from the clouds could only cling tightly to his sole opportunity. "Fine. Give me three hundred thousand now, and I'll go back to the Xie Corporation even if it means burning bridges."
Xie Sui glanced at his phone. It was a message from Song Yu.
He lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips lifting, and typed on the computer, "Here's to a successful partnership."
Then he ignored Qu Rong and picked up his phone.
When he opened it, he found two photos of himself.
Song Yu was still sending messages.
[Song Yu: God Xie, did you know you have countless fangirls on the forum now?]
[Song Yu: So many people like you.]
He said all this out of genuine happiness for Xie Sui.
See? You don't need those scumbags' fake affection to light up your world. Plenty of people are already crazy about you. You're even the light in their eyes.
Xie Sui's fingers paused. For some reason, he remembered that mint-scented embrace that night again.
A deep alley, high walls, that delicate, well-behaved boy holding a math book.
Fresh sweetness, a hint of spice.
It made him wonder what a kiss like that would be like.
Xie Sui smiled.
But his reply was just one very brief word.
[Xie Sui: Mm.]
[Song Yu: What do you mean, mm! You're too cold! I'll send you the forum link so you can see how your fangirls confess their love.]
[Xie Sui: What about you?]
[Song Yu: ??? What about me?]
Xie Sui's lashes trembled slightly, a hint of amusement in his pitch-black eyes.
[Xie Sui: Lots of people like me.] What about you? Do you like me?
But Song Yu was, after all, a straight guy who said things like "There's nothing I can do if that's what you think" on the forum. His interpretation went in the completely opposite direction.
[Song Yu: ??? What do you mean? Are you showing off now?]
[Song Yu: Then obviously lots of people like me too! Go look! My name brings a bloody storm wherever it goes.]
[Song Yu: I have no fewer fangirls than you.]
Xie Sui: "..."
[Xie Sui: Oh.]
Song Yu's eyes widened. Anxious now, he was like a nonstop babbling machine.
[Song Yu: Why would I lie to you? Just wait. I'll send you the link.]
[Song Yu: [shared a link]]
[Song Yu: Go look!]
Xie Sui tapped into it.
[Why does God Xie get a dedicated worship thread, but our Brother Yu doesn't? Brother Yu's wife fans, come check in]
1F: Checking in.
2F: Checking in!!
4F: Checking in!
5F: I refuse to accept people saying Brother Yu is just a keyboard warrior!
6F: Same +1
71F: I don't know why, but I've always felt that a boy as wild and unrestrained as Brother Yu must be really cute in real life too. Hehe.
His gaze landed on that comment.
Xie Sui's lips curved into a smile.
He really is cute.
When Song Yu got up the next morning, Auntie Bai was already pouring milk.
The table was loaded with sandwiches, eggs, congee, and fried dough sticks.
Song Yu was startled. "This is way too much. There's no way I can finish it."
Auntie Bai wiped her hands and smiled. "It's my first time making you breakfast, and I didn't know what you liked, so I prepared a little of everything."
Song Yu said, "Thank you, Auntie Bai, but milk and bread will be enough from now on."
The welcome ceremony was that evening.
Song Yu had nothing planned for the day. Most students would spend the day buying daily necessities, but Grandma Meng had arranged everything for him beforehand. He lacked nothing, leaving him with nothing to do.
He bit into his bread and scrolled through his phone. Song Yu had very few contacts on this QQ account.
Whenever Ma Xiaoding sent a message, his creepy Sadako profile picture stood out, right at the top.
[Sadako Never Forgets the Well Digger: Brother Yu, my old rival from before high school challenged me to a fight on the very first day! At the gates of No. 1 High School. Off I go. Don't miss me.]
Song Yu: "..."
What kind of delinquent is this? Fighting on the first day of high school. Why the hell are you even going to school? Go home and farm.
Having cast himself in the role of a top student, Song Yu sent Ma Xiaoding six dots.
He might not need to prepare anything, but Xie Sui probably did. Xie Sui was used to being alone, too, and had barely had any friends growing up. He definitely had no one to go with him. Tsk, how pitiful.
So the considerate Song Yu sent Xie Sui a message.
[Want to go to the supermarket together?]
Before long, Xie Sui replied.
[Sure.]
When Song Yu went out, Xie Sui was already waiting for him. The boy stood casually in front of the tree-lined path below the apartment building, playing on his phone. Hearing him, he looked up, his expression natural, his gaze pale and distant like the lingering morning mist.
"That was fast?"
Song Yu had run downstairs right after sending the message, but from Xie Sui's stance, he looked as though he had been waiting a long time.
Xie Sui said, "I went out for breakfast. I got your message on my way back."
"Oh, okay."
But after a couple of steps, Song Yu immediately spotted the problem. He stopped and turned around. "You were coming back after breakfast? You weren't planning to go out today?"
Xie Sui said casually, "No, I wasn't. I'm going with you."
Song Yu: "..."
So in the end, he had just been congratulating himself on his own thoughtfulness?
Neither of them had anything to buy, so their shopping trip was rather dull. Determined not to come for nothing, Song Yu simply bought a lot of things in the snack aisle. There were plenty of girls gathered there, wearing No. 1 High School uniforms and secretly shooting frantic glances their way.
Their stares were so intense that Song Yu could hardly miss them. He looked behind him from time to time, but whenever he turned around, they immediately pretended to chat, play on their phones, or lower their heads. He couldn't catch them at all.
"Have you noticed they keep looking at us?"
Song Yu held up a bag of chips to shield his face and leaned close to Xie Sui's ear.
Xie Sui said, "I have."
Song Yu said, "The way they're looking at us is giving me goosebumps. Fuck, did you see that? They seem even more excited!"
Song Yu was good-looking and had received plenty of admiring, smitten looks growing up, but he had never experienced such strange stares. They were bizarre and burning, and the excitement in them made his scalp prickle.
Xie Sui glanced over indifferently. Tall and long-legged, he had a powerful presence that intimidated the girls into silently turning around.
As they left, the girls' voices drifted over, deliberately lowered but unable to hide their excitement.
"How can they be so sweet together!"
"They're practically made for each other!"
"Waaah, none of the ships I ship are as perfect together as they are."
"What kind of romantic move is going grocery shopping together!"
Song Yu, who had heard every word: "..."
Holding his chips, he turned his head in disbelief, his eyes wide with incredulity. "Did you hear that?"
Xie Sui nodded.
Song Yu said, "You're not mad?"
Xie Sui lowered his eyes, looking unruffled. "Do you want this bag of chips?"
His attitude made Song Yu feel that he was making a fuss over nothing. Who cared what other people said? Scratching his head, he looked down and saw that they didn't have that flavor in the cart yet, then nodded. "Yes, yes, yes."
They walked over to another aisle.
Song Yu spotted the mints on the shelf, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, these! I loved these when I was little."
Xie Sui smiled.
For Xie Sui, accompanying someone to the supermarket was a novel experience.
Novel and boring.
He began making mental notes of certain things.
From Song Yu's very subtle expressions and movements, he guessed what colors, things, and flavors he liked. It was just as boring, but not tedious.
For Xie Sui, getting someone to like him was truly far too easy.
His oppressive, bleak childhood and his awful, disgusting school years had left an impact that was neither small nor great. He had once been sensitive and insecure, his emotions easily controlled by others. In the end, he had become the one who controlled other people's emotions.
He checked the time.
Forty minutes.
They walked out of the supermarket.
Song Yu asked, "Want to have lunch at my place?"
Xie Sui smiled. "Thanks, but no."
Song Yu carried an especially large bag filled with snacks. The September heat had yet to fade, and after only a few steps toward the bus stop, his face had flushed faintly from the heat.
When had a young master who never left his home in City A ever endured hardship like this?
But he didn't want to hail a taxi.
Song Yu was busy. He had to check bus routes on his phone and read the bus stop sign, all while carrying a very heavy bag.
The cicadas in the trees irritated him to no end, and he frowned.
Xie Sui rolled up his sleeves, revealing pale, strong arms, and took the bag of snacks from his hand. "You look it up. I'll carry this for now."
Song Yu didn't think it was heavy, so he simply handed it over.
"Route 7, Route 258."
But to the people waiting nearby, it looked like something else entirely. Two girls in dresses, carrying backpacks, exchanged a glance, each seeing deep frustration in the other's eyes.
"He's way too thoughtful. When will my boyfriend ever learn to notice things like that?"
"You'll probably be waiting forever. I think you'd be better off getting a new one. That'd be faster."
"Oh my god, you're so annoying. Already telling me to break up?"
After they laughed and joked for a while, the Route 7 bus arrived. The girl in the yellow dress was about to board when the girl behind her stopped her.
"Don't. Route 7 goes to the main gate. There's a fight there. Let's take the 305."
The girl in yellow paused. "A fight? Who?"
The girl behind her pursed her lips. "No idea. Someone in our dorm group chat told me. In the alley across from the main gate, with knives and bricks. Sounds pretty vicious. We'd better steer clear."
Song Yu, who had taken a step forward, stopped again. The corner of his mouth twitched, his expression turning a little ugly.
Do high schoolers get this serious about fights now?
Song Yu said, "Wait a second."
Song Yu called Ma Xiaoding directly.
The call connected immediately. It was rather noisy on Ma Xiaoding's end.
Song Yu said coldly, "You've been fighting all morning and still haven't finished?"
Ma Xiaoding shouted, sounding terribly aggrieved, "No, Brother Yu! We got caught by security fighting at the school gates. Who knows which busybody passerby reported us! We've moved battlefields now. We're at an internet café!"
Song Yu froze for a second. "You took the fight to an internet café?"
Ma Xiaoding said, "Yeah! We put down our weapons and decided to settle this with esports, man to man!"
Song Yu: "..."
He was just about to hang up.
Suddenly, Ma Xiaoding lowered his voice several notches.
"Brother Yu, hurry over, hurry over. When I got to the internet café, I found that brat Zhu Zhixing here too. Let's teach him a lesson together."
It took Song Yu a long time to remember who Zhu Zhixing was. He bared his teeth, laughing in anger. "I remember telling you-" to remember Wang Houxiong, not Zhu Zhixing!
Before he could finish, Ma Xiaoding was already adding indignantly, "Fuck, that moron's following that second-year school bully around, kissing his ass. The girl Chen Zhijie likes is interested in Xie Sui, so now they're planning to beat Xie Sui up in front of her. Zhu Zhixing said he knows Xie Sui only has an old lady at home, no dad or mom, so they can do whatever they want to him as long as he doesn't die. If Xie Sui dares call the police, they'll threaten him with his grandma. Fuck! Is that something a human being would say?!"
"Once I finish this BO5 and settle things with Tang Gou, I'll go teach him a lesson. Brother Yu, are you coming?"
"..."
Song Yu swallowed the rest of his words.
He clenched his teeth.
A cold gleam surfaced in his eyes, and his voice was cold too. "Yes. Send me the address."
Hanging up, he turned to look at Xie Sui, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm going to beat someone up in a bit. Want to come with me?"
Xie Sui: "..."
He felt that Song Yu really had come to Jingcheng No. 1 High School to become the school bully.
Suddenly deeply amused, Xie Sui gazed at him quietly with his dark eyes. After a long while, his lips curved. "Yes."